Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are an Easter tradition at our house. I absolutely love them and have no idea why I don't make them more often.  Every holiday I try a new recipe.  Not because I haven't found one I like, but because there are so many amazing recipes out there.  This one was probably a personal favorite.  It's the first time I've made them with bacon and I don't think I'll go back from here.  Hubs agreed.  We definitely won't be waiting until Easter to make these again. Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Delived Eggs

Courtesy of Kitch Me

Ingredients Serves 24

1. 12 egg
2. 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
3. 4 slice bacon
4. 2 tbsp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
5. 1 tbsp mustard

Directions

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
3. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

{Healthy} Chicken Salad

I've been on a cold lunch kick lately.  Lots of salads and wraps, anything that doesn't have to be heated up or reheated. I had picked up a rotisserie chicken for dinner one night and we ended up eating something different.  So the next day, I decided it would be perfect to use to make chicken salad for lunch for the week. It took me about a half hour to make and provided me lunch for the entire week.  I was surprised how good the dish was with greek yogurt instead of mayo. I didn't miss it at all. Hubs even took it for lunch one day and didn't miss it either.  Win! I had it with pita chips twice and made toasted sandwiches the other three days.  I will definitely be making this again.  It's perfect for spring and summer. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 whole rotisserie chicken, pulled and shredded 

1-2 cups chopped celery

1 cup grapes (quartered)

1 cup apple (peeled and diced)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (possible a little more depending on your taste)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Juice of one lemon (1-2 tbs)

Directions: 

In a large bowl, stir all of the ingredients together.  Adding salt and pepper to taste if needed.  

parmesan pork chops with lemon caper sauce

I fell in love with capers when my husband and I honeymooned in St. Lucia.  There was an italian restaurant on the resort that used them in a dish I fell in love with.  I remember coming home and searching for recipes that used capers.  The only problem was, hubs didn't like them.  So after making a few meals that he wasn't impressed with, I stopped using them.  With this pregnancy I have crave salty things, not sweets. Completely different from the first time around! Anyhow, I've been eating olives and pretzels like they're going out of style.  When this recipe popped up in my inbox from Emeals, I decided to add it to the menu.  I figured hubs could eat the chops without the sauce if he didn't want the capers.  

Results:  What I loved the most about this meal is how quick it was to make.  20 minutes was all I spent in the kitchen from start to finish. My favorite part of the meal was the lemon caper sauce.  It satisfied my salty craving, while not being too over the top. I served it with quinoa and steamed broccoli.  Enjoy! 

Parmesan Pork Chips with Lemon Caper Sauce

Courtesy of Emeals 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 boneless pork loin chops
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon capers

Directions: 

Combine panko and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add pork chops. Cook pork 4 minutes on each side or until done; remove pork and keep warm. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits from bottom. Cook for 3 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup. Add capers to skillet and spoon sauce over pork.  

 eMeals is a subscription service that sends weekly meal plans to your inbox based on information you provide. We've been very happy with the recipes so far! 

Sign up in just 4 simple steps:

1. Pick your meal plan (I have the clean eating plan)

2. Recipes for the WEEK along with sides will be emailed to you.  

3. They even give you a grocery list to take shopping.  

4. Enjoy an easy dinner that your husband will think took hours to make! 

Baked Potato Chicken Casserole

This week I was determined to cook every night. No more eating out for this family! I went directly to my Recipe Pinterest board and started meal planning again. This is one of the first recipes I added to my list.  It looked like one that would please the entire family. 

Results:  I made a few minor changes to lighten up the recipe from the original. I also omitted the green onions because hubs doesn't like them. Other than that, I followed the directions and this meal was a hit. Hubs said I could make it every week and he wouldn't complain. From him, that is a big compliment and an even bigger thumbs up! Enjoy.

Baked Potato Chicken Casserole

Adapted from First Yum

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1/3 cup bacon bits (or cooked diced bacon)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste 
• serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired 

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 9" casserole dish
2. Spread half of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish. Top with all of the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper. 
3. On top of the chicken, sprinkle with half the bacon bits and 1/2 cup of the cheese. 
4. On top of the cheese, spread the remainder of the potatoes followed by the bacon bits and another 1/2 cup of cheese.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
5. Pour the chicken stock over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. After the hour us up, uncover it and bake for another 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of backing, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake until the cheese is completely melted.  

{Crock Pot} Sticky Chicken

Be ready to see lots and lots of slow cooker/ crock pot meals over the next few months.  They are a life saver right now. Not a lot of time required to prep, hands free cooking time and minimal clean up.  Perfection.  

I've been trying to find some new crock pot recipes, for the sake of my husband. 

I'm sure he's already tired of our favorites.  

Results: We were all a fan of this recipe.  I am a big dry/ cooked onion fan so the onion soup mix in it was perfect.  Hubs was a fan of the BBQ & Apricot sauce.  All in all, a hit with the family.  Even the mini.  This would also be delicious in a wrap or on a bun the next day.  Enjoy! 

Sticky Chicken

Courtesy of Six Sisters' Stuff 

Ingredients:
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup apricot jam or preserves
1 (1 oz) packet dry onion soup mix
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts inside and pour barbecue sauce and preserves on top. Sprinkle the dry soup mix over the top, add the water and cover with the lid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (a little less if your chicken is not frozen). You can serve this over rice if you would like to.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Mini Meatball Sliders

If you have been following this blog for a while, you'll notice that I've been quite absent for the past few months.  That usually means one thing around here….we're having a baby!  Cooking while pregnant for me is difficult. I usually want nothing to do with food.  This time around the sickness is much worse than with my daughter. Another difference is that I have a toddler to feed (along with my husband.) I don't want to spend the money eating out all the time but I especially want my daughter to continue eating healthy, even though I don't want to cook.  So, I started searching for quick and easy meals.  This one was found on The Pioneer Woman's site under 16 minute meals.  

The recipe was as easy as it looks.  Took no time to make. We all gave it two thumbs up.  These would also be great to make for spaghetti and meatballs one night and use the following night for sliders.  Two meals done!  

Enjoy!

Mini Meatball Sandwiches 

Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman 

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce
• 12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls)
• 4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each

Directions

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.)

Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball with the sauce onto the bottom bun; top with the top bun.

Serve immediately!