Baked Berry Oatmeal

Made this breakfast oatmeal dish for guests two weeks ago and it was a major hit! I planned to have leftovers for breakfasts for the week but my husband and 14-month old finished it off! Inspired by this recipe, I subbed the honey for maple syrup, left out the nuts and and added a few more berries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick-cook oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1.5 tbsp melted butter
• 2+ cups frozen mixed berries (used as many as needed to cover bottom and top of baking dish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, honey, and butter. Layer berries in a  baking dish and top evenly with the dry oat mixture. Pour on the wet mixture, then add the rest of the berries on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the oats have absorbed the liquid. Serve hot and enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

This is another slow cooker recipe that turned out to be a total success. It made our home smell delicious all day long and was shhhh…super easy to make. Next time I may use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in, skin on chicken breasts…we kept finding small pieces of bones which isn’t good for the little one! Inspired by this recipe, it is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (for optimal flavour)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
16 ounces mushrooms (I used a mixture of different kinds)
1 onion, diced finely
1 tbsp garlic
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup capers, drained (or more, to your liking!)
Fresh basil, chopped
Pasta

Directions

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven or large soup pan, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned on both sides for a couple minutes each, then transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add some more olive oil to the pan and sauté mushrooms and onions until softened, stirring often. Add the garlic for another minute as well as some salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken broth until slightly reduced, and then the tomatoes, capers and chopped basil. Transfer the tomato sauce mixture to the slow cooker ensuring the chicken breasts are well submerged. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, serve on top of pasta if desired.

 

 

Stuffed Peppers

This was a total recipe success. The combination of flavours plus the melty cheese made this dish one of those meals that we couldn’t stop eating…yet it made a TON of leftovers!

Ingredients

2lb ground beef
4 bell peppers (I used two yellow, two orange)
1 finely diced onion
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, removing seeds and ribs. Line in a baking pan with some olive oil and salt. Cook for 20-25 minutes until soft. Set aside. Meanwhile cook beef in pan in some EVOO until browned and crumbly. Add in the finely diced onion until cooked through. Drain the extra water/ fat. Add the corn, black beans and taco seasoning and mix together well. Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees. Fill pepper shells with the ground beef mixture and cook for 20-25 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar and cook for another 5 minutes or so until cheese has melted. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/ or avocado.

 

Without cheese

With cheese

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

This is a super easy recipe that is barely a recipe because (shock!) I use jarred tomato sauce. I keep saying I need to get my mom’s authentic Italian tomato sauce recipe – it is the best and I can eat it like soup. In the meantime, I’ve been using the “Victoria’s” sauce from Costco – it is surprisingly delicious and is the next best thing.

For this meal, we use spaghetti squash as the base, but lately tend to add some ‘real’ pasta for some staying power. It still makes it a lighter dish with the squash as the main part, but my husband always requests the real stuff.

Ingredients

One large spaghetti squash (in the picture I made two – but it was way too much!)
1lb of mushrooms, sliced finely
1 large onion, sliced finely
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 large jars of pasta sauce (depends on how saucy you like it)
2lb lean ground beef
salt and pepper
parmesan

Directions

Poke your spaghetti squash all over with a fork or a sharp knife. In the microwave, cook the squash until soft enough to cut through, usually about 8 minutes. Slice lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and continue to cook until the inside is cooked and the spaghetti is stringy. (Usually another 5-8 mins depending on the size of the squash). Scoop out the flesh and set aside. On the stovetop, saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms until the water has been released and they are cooked well. Remove veggies from stovetop and set aside. Brown the ground beef until crumbly, add the onion and mushroom mixture back together. Stir in the pasta sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, layer the spaghetti squash and beef/mushroom mixture. Serve with parmesan if desired.

 

Chicken Fried Rice

This dish has been a recent regular on the rotation. It is a one pot meal that is total comfort food – yet I put a twist on the original by adding TONS of veggies in the form of coleslaw/cabbage – and you wouldn’t even know they are there! As usual my version makes a ton of food with lots of leftovers 🙂

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I typically mine in the slow cooker the day before)
3 cups cooked rice (I use white basmati)
1 bag of coleslaw mix
4 eggs
One onion
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions for garnish

Directions

Sauté the white onion in about a tablespoon of butter until clear and translucent. Add in the coleslaw mix and another tablespoon of butter and stir until the veggies have wilted. Move all veggies to one side of the frying pan and stir in the eggs until scrambled eggs form. Add in the chicken and remaining butter and stir everything together. Add soy sauce and cooked rice. Once all cooked through, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sesame oil at the very end to enhance the flavour and garnish with green onions. Enjoy! 🙂

 

Cheesy Mexican Casserole

Made another delicious casserole the other night. I just love finding a good casserole. Finding meals to pre-make in advance are absolutely essential. I prep the meal during nap time so come dinnertime I just need to throw it in the oven!

Inspired by this recipe, I tweaked to create this delicious casserole. Enjoy! 🙂

Ingredients

• 3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced or shredded into small pieces (I cooked mine in the slow cooker in 2 cups of chicken stock for 4 hours the day before, then shredded with two forks)
• 2 cups salsa
• 8 oz. cream cheese (one block of Philadelphia)
• Two 4 oz. cans of diced green chiles
• 15 oz. can pinto beans (I usually would use black but we were all out)
• 2 tomatos, diced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups old cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips plus more for dipping
• Cooked rice for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large casserole dish and cover with the crushed tortilla chips.
2. Add the chicken, salsa and block of cream cheese to a large pan or wok, stirring until cheese is melted. Add the beans and chiles and mix together until all ingredients are heated through.
3. Layer the remaining ingredients into the prepared casserole on top of the tortilla chips: Chicken/black beans mixture, sliced tomatoes, green onions and shredded cheese. Place in the oven for 30 min. until heated through, hot and bubbling.
4. Serve over rice and with extra tortilla chips to dip if desired.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins (baby friendly!)

I created this muffin recipe after I realized how much my son loves raisins! There are so many things he is enjoying now that I would have never touched as a kid – raisins, yogurt, olives, the list goes on! Now I know this can change at any point but it is interesting to see what he likes (and dislikes) now. These muffins are a staple. As always, I make a big batch and then freeze in individual portions for easy thawing and and re-heating when it’s time for a snack.

Ingredients

3 cups of quick oats
2 cups of mashed banana (about 4 very ripe bananas)
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup of raisins
a few dashes of cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until sticky and well combined. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and divide batter evenly among the baking cups. Bake for about 15-18 minutes until cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean.

Individually packaged all ready for the freezer

Easy White Bean Dip

Ryan and I treated ourselves for a pretty amazing indulgence for Christmas this past year – a Vitamix! This blender is incredible. It blends anything you can imagine so quickly and smoothly and the best part is that it has a self-clean feature for simple clean-up. I’ve been doing lots of experimenting lately between soups, smoothies and now this delicious white bean dip. My only regret is not buying it before I made baby food – I would have saved so much time! Ah well, I’ll have it for the next one.

This easy and delicious dip is so simple to make…and as a bonus my 1-year old loved it on fresh bread!

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can of white cannellini beans
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp of minced garlic (approx. 2 cloves)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Serve with pita, crackers or sliced vegetables. Enjoy!

 

(Excuse my horrible nighttime iPhone pic…this I will need to work on!)

Spicy Beer Cheese Chili

This is a delicious recipe that is a perfect Sunday night comfort food! This is the first time I made a chili with jalapeños and it added such a delicious flavour kick. I just loved it. My husband took some for lunch today and told me it tasted even better the next day. Inspired by Mix and Match Mama’s Beer Cheese Chili, I doubled the recipe, and changed a few things around to fit us. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped finely
2 jalapeno, chopped (remove the ribs and seeds for less drastic heat)
6 tablespoons chili powder
one bottle of beer
1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese to garnish
Tortilla chips for scooping

In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown your ground beef until cooked. Drain excess fat if desired. Once browned, add in your chopped onion, jalapeno, chili powder and a little salt and pepper. Saute for about five minutes until tender and the onions are soft. Next, slowly pour the beer into the beef mixture, deglazing the pan, allowing to simmer for a few minutes. Finally, stir in the beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. When you’re ready to serve, ladle chili into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips for scooping 🙂

Note: this is also a great recipe to make in advance and reheat. We had a birthday party on Sunday from 3-5 so I made this dish in the morning, covered the pot and put it in the fridge, and simply reheated at dinner time. Super easy and makes tons of leftovers!

Slow Cooker Chipotle Bowls

Made this last night and it was a huge success. We love chipotle, however I find I never feel great after eating it. I don’t know if it is all the salt or what, but I always feel “blah” after eating it. I found this recipe for slow cooker tex-mex chicken and slightly adapted it. The result was AMAZING!

Ingredients for chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts, frozen
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 jar of salsa

For Serving:

• cooked rice
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• easy guacamole (avocado mixed with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of lime juice)
• tortilla chips

Instructions:

Place frozen chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning,  corn, beans and salsa. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Shred chicken. Serve over cooked rice and top with desired toppings.