Breakfast for Dinner Casserole

The Goods:

8 slices of fresh bread, cubed
half green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
2 cups marble cheese, shredded
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp paprika
salt & pepper

Make It:

1. In a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish, spread out bread cubes.
2. Top with green pepper, green onion & ham.
3. In a bowl, beat eggs and add milk and spices and pour over top of bread cubes.
4. Cover with cheese.
5. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes ish, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Enjoy,  Kiara

Basic Turkey Tacos

Normally I hate food that you have to build yourself.  Tacos are the exception.  

They're simple, and you can load them up with anything really.

The Goods:

Flour Tortillas

1lb Ground Turkey

1 Pkg Taco Seasoning

Shredded lettuce

Chopped cilantro

Diced red pepper

Diced tomato

Chopped green onion

Avocado

Shredded Cheese

Salsa

Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt for a healthier substitute)
Sometimes I throw some black beans in there too

Make It:

1. Brown ground turkey in a large pan.
2. Stir in Taco Seasoning and some water.
3. Warm tortillas.
4. Fill with yummy toppings, wrap, and enjoy!

xo,    Kiara

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

The hubby has been bugging me to make him pulled pork sandwiches for a while now...  These turned out amazing! and I don't usually like pork. (except for bacon, because bacon is awesome)

The Goods:

 

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

1-2 tablespoons chili powder 

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless pork shoulder, twine removed 

2 cups barbecue sauce

Do It:

1. Throw the onions and garlic into the slow cooker, and pour in the broth. Combine the sugar, chili powder, salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork falls apart easily, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
2. Turn off the slow cooker and move the pork to a cutting board. Run the onions & garlic through a strainer and put them back in the slow cooker.  You can either get rid of the broth or put some back into the meat to make it juicier.
3. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, throwing out any disgusting pieces of fat. Put the meat back in the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce and mix that bad boy up. 
4. Mix up some coleslaw, put the meat on buns, and top with the coleslaw.  I added a little extra bbq sauce to mine because I like it SAUCY.

 

 

 

Enjoy

xo,  Kiara

Mex-I-Can: Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

I guess I'm on a slow-cooker kick, but seriously, it doesn't get much easier than this.  Dinner that cooks itself?! Yes please!  This recipe turned out super yummy.  I served it over brown rice and topped it with Avocado.

Delicious, healthy & even better for lunch the next day.

The Goods:

 

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

2 tbsp taco seasoning mix

2 tbsp flour

1 green & 1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

1-1/2 cups chunky salsa

1 cup corn

1 cup Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

Make It:

Toss chicken with taco seasoning and flour in slow-cooker. 

Stir in all remaining ingredients, except cheese & cover with lid.
Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours).
Stir occasionally.
Top with cheese.

xo,  Kiara

  

Today, I am a Domestic Goddess.

How it all went down...

• I made Turkey Chili

 I always just throw a bunch of things in a crock pot for Chili.  There's no science behind it and no way to mess it up.

The goods:

2lbs Ground Turkey
1 onion, diced
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can kidney beans
1/2 can whole corn
1 carrot, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
chili powder... no idea how much...to taste I guess
1/2 pack clubhouse chili seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
Sriracha... a few good squirts

 It's all very accurate and precise... whatever, it turned out Yummy!

• I took C on an Adventure

Okay...it wasn't quite an adventure.  It was just to the mall.  But we took the glass elevator up and down a couple times, and we discovered her new favourite toy.  Pretty Epic.

His name is Henry.  Sorry Sophie, you've been replaced.

• I baked Brownies

...and ate more than half. Oops.

 I always use the same recipe that I desperately sough out on Pinterest once my preggers cravings kicked in.  Big thanks to it's creator! I would not have made it through that tough time without you.  You can find it here.

• I gave myself a face makeover

Because one; my entire face needed work.  I don't get how I lose track and/or stop caring long enough to grow full on hedges where my eyebrows used to be, and two; I bought a too big bag of avocados that soon faced the fate of the compost bin.

I did not however, take any pics of the masterpiece that was my face.  I figured I'd spare you guys when I saw the look on P's face and noticed how quickly he left for his night job. (He's a stripper.  Not really. He plays bass in a sweet band, but he could be a stripper if he wanted extra cash...he does want extra cash, but he knows I'll just spend all of his ones on necessary things like baby nail polish)...FOCUS!...

If you want a soft face that feels like...

I couldn't help it...

When an opportunity presents itself to show cute baby butt, you show cute baby butt.

...blend this and start spackling...

 1/2 ripe avocado
1 whole egg
1 Tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp EV olive oil (I wanted to use coconut oil, but we're fresh out)

I left it on for about 10 minutes...

...it kinda burned for a few minutes...

which I know is never good when it comes to your face, but it stopped, and now my skin feels less like a desert and more like a face. Yay!

Hooray for productive/ fun days.  Now I will eat more brownies and watch a couple hours of mindless T.V.  Sometimes Mat. leave is the best kind of leave.

xo,  Kiara

End of Summer Salads

     I'm so sad that summer is coming to an end.  This has been the best summer of my life and we've had so many good times with our friends and family.  These are my two go-to summer salads. They're delicious, super easy, and perfect for summer afternoon BBQ's.

Broccoli Salad

 The Goods:

• 10 slices bacon
• 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I use olive oil mayo)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds

How to Make It:

1. Bake bacon on a cookie sheet until crispy. (this is by far the best and only way to cook bacon)
2. In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, onion, cranberries, sunflower seeds and bacon.  In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

     Sometimes I make this one vegetarian if I make it as a side dish for us at home.  But come on, everything is better with bacon so I wouldn't dare deprive my friends.  This is the only way the hubs will eat broccoli and he LOVES it.

     It's especially good the second day, once the broccoli has time to soak up the dressing. YUM!

Oriental Salad

The Goods:

• 2 bags of coleslaw mix
• 6 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 cup salted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
• 2 packs of Oriental Mr. Noodles (noodles only, put the seasoning aside for the dressing)

Dressing:

• 1 cup vegetable oil (I use extra virgin olive oil because it's healthier, but it does have a stronger taste than vegetable oil)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 packs of oriental seasoning from the Mr. Noodles.

Directions:

1. Combine coleslaw mix, crushed Mr. Noodles, onion, sunflower seeds, and toasted almonds ( I toast them in a frying pan on the stove with a little butter).
2. Mix dressing and pour over salad if you're serving it within 20 minutes, otherwise leave the dressing off until you're ready to much.

     I just made this salad yesterday.  My mother in law gave me this recipe when P and I were first dating...it's pretty much the best salad ever and it's always a hit.

xo Enjoy,   Kiara