Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is a staple in my house during the fall months. If you come over for coffee, I'll most likely offer you a piece of pumpkin bread to enjoy with it. There is just something about pumpkin bread, coffee and the cool fall breeze that fits together. It's my idea of an ideal breakfast, or lately in my case, my mid morning snack. Here is a recipe for my favorite pumpkin bread. The combination of the sweet chocolate chips with moist pumpkin bread, topped off with spices is perfect for fall. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350. 
• 2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking side, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. 
• 2. In another bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and vegetable oil. 
• 3. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture about a cup at a time and continue to mix. 
• 4. Once batter is formed, fold in chocolate chips. 
• 5. Pour into a greased loaf pan (mine was 8x4.) 
• 6. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. 
• 7. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a finish cooling on a wire rack. 
• 
  

Turkey Chili with Cornbread Waffles

Yesterday, the weather dropped a bit here in Florida. The high was just over 80 degrees. I'm sure that is still hot for many of you, but I'll take any taste of fall I can get. As soon as I looked at the forecast for the day, I knew it would be a perfect day for the first crockpot chili of the season. 

Turkey chili is a staple in our house during the fall and winter months. I make it every other week, using pretty much the same recipe. Last night, I decided to use the waffle iron to make cornbread waffles to go with our chili after seeing it on Pinterest. 

I have to say that this is the best way to serve cornbread with chili. There was cornbread in every bite of chili I had and it was absolute perfection. Mom, dad and hubs agreed and said this needs to be our Sunday night football dinner from now on.  Success! 

Turkey Chili 

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground turkey

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes 

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

2 (16 oz) cans pinto beans

1 cup chicken broth

1 packet of chili seasoning

Salt and Pepper
Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions to garnish 

Directions: 

1. Season your ground turkey with a little salt and pepper.  Brown it over medium heat until its cooked through and no longer pink.  
2. Remove from heat.
3. In the crockpot, add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili mix and chicken broth. Stir to combine. 
4. Add ground turkey to the tomato mixture in the crockpot. Stir to combine. 
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  

6. When it's time to serve, spoon your chili over waffles (see below for directions) and garnish with your choice of toppings. 


Cornbread Waffles 

I used 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix and followed the directions on the box to prepare them. The only thing I added was 2 tsp of chili powder to the mix to give the waffles an extra kick. 

Make sure your waffle iron is hot and ready. Pour the cornbread batter onto the waffle iron and close to cook. I used a large cookie scoop for the batter and made 5 medium waffles for this meal. Our waffles took about 4-5 minutes to cook through. 

YOU CAN FIND THE PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Honey Mustard Mozzarella Chicken

I have to admit I haven't been the best with meal planning lately. We're living with my parents while our house is being finished and I'm also 9 months pregnant. After chasing around my two year old all day, I don't really have the energy or desire to spend a lot of time on dinner. 

The other night my mom had taken chicken out for dinner. Everyone was on their way home from work and I wanted to have dinner ready when they got home. It was a rare day of extra energy and I took full advantage of it! Anyhow, I immediately turned to my Pinterest Recipe board and started searching for something quick that I could make with ingredients we already had. Did I mention grocery trips with a two year old who doesn't like to stay in the cart no matter how many cookies you bribe her with are no fun? 

My search ended with this recipe. I had all of the ingredients and not a lot of time to get dinner on the table. This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. The recipe took less than 10 minutes to prep and about 35 total to bake. The entire family was impressed with this chicken. My mom kept asking how I made it. We served it with baked red potatoes and broccoli. Enjoy! 

Honey Mustard Mozzarella Chicken

Adapted from All Recipes 

Ingredients: 

4 skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup bacon bits (more if desired)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

lemon pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.	Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish, and drizzle evenly with honey and mustard. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.
3.	Bake chicken 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Top each breast with bacon bits and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Continue baking 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear, bacon is crisp, and cheese is bubbly. *The original recipe said to use chicken breast halves. I used regular breasts and they turned out great. They were cooked through in the amount of time listed above and were unbelievably juicy*

{One Pot} Italian Sausage and Tortellini Skillet

I made this last night for the third time. It's a big hit with my family, a quick and easy weeknight meal. Perfect for back to school dinner planning. The entire meal takes 20 minutes, start to finish. Plus there are only five ingredients. It doesn't get much easier than that! The one thing I will probably do next time is lighten it a bit. I will use italian turkey sausage and whole wheat tortellini. I cut the cheeses in half, just sprinkling it lightly over the dish. 

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Skillet

Courtesy of  Yellow Bliss Road (with slight changes)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground Italian Sausage
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 240-24 oz package of fresh cheese Tortellini
• 3 cups spaghetti sauce (1-24 oz jar)
•  

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in an oven safe skillet. Crumble in sausage and cook through, until no longer pink.
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tortellini.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for about 8 minutes or until tortellini is tender. 
4. Remove from heat. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over tortellini.
5. Place the lid back on and let the cheese melt for about 5 minutes. 
   
   

{eMeals Recipe} Basil- Avocado BLT

There are many nights where I don't feel like cooking. Mostly on the weekends. Lately, we've been trying to watch our eating out spending, which means a lot more weekend meals at home. A few weeks ago, we decided to plan all of our weekend meals and not eat out once. Including Friday night. This was big for us. When I planned our weekend menu, I looked for recipes where I could reuse the ingredients. Since our Saturday morning meal was homemade breakfast sandwiches using bacon, I choose this dinner recipe for Sunday night. 

I'm not a huge fan of the original BLT. I need more in my sandwich. But, this. This is a sandwich I am a fan of. Plus it's a clean eating recipe! Cooking the bacon was the only thing that took time. The rest was simple to throw together. I think what did it for me was the basil-avocado combination with the bacon. So much flavor in every bite.  Serve with sweet potato fries and you're all set! We've made this meal twice since, it's one of our favorite at home lunches.

Ingredients:

12 slices natural, uncured bacon

12 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted

6 tablespoons reduced-fat olive oil mayonnaise

2 ripe avocados, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

11⁄2 cups baby arugula

1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaves 

Directions: 

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet until crisp; drain on paper towels. Spread toasted bread slices with mayonnaise; top 6 slices with bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula and basil leaves; top with remaining bread slices, mayonnaise-side down. 

** 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! 

Cinnamon Bun Baked Donuts

It had been a few months since we made baked donuts for breakfast. Hubs has been on a pancake kick lately, which is fine by me. For Father's Day I decided to take back the kitchen and make these donuts, along with eggs and bacon. Usually when I make donuts, I use a cake mix with a few added ingredients. While these took longer to make, they were much better than any of the cake mix baked donut recipes we've tried. They weren't as dense as cake mix donuts, much easier to handle and eat.  I also loved that it only made 6 donuts. I have a tendency to make an entire batch with the cake mix recipes and the extras end up sitting in the freezer until they're thrown out. 

Hubs and the little one both ate their fair share. It's safe to say this recipe will be around for a while! 

Cinnamon Bun Baked Donuts

Adapted from Averie Cooks 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons almond milk

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tub of cream cheese icing plus an additional few dashes of cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 and lightly grease donut pan. I use coconut oil spray. 
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Add milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter.  Mix to combine. 
4. Using a quart or gallon size plastic bag with a corner cut off, pipe the batter into a 6-donut pan.  After attempting many other ways of doing this, this is the easiest I've found. You could also use a pastry bag if you prefer, I like the clean up with the plastic bags better. 
5. Bake 8 to 11 minutes, or until doughnuts spring back when touched, indicating they're set.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack. 
6. Make the glaze by melting the cream cheese icing for 10-20 seconds in a microwave safe dish.  Mix it to get a smooth consistency. I added a dash of cinnamon to the mixture before dipping. I also use a low bowl, which makes it easier for dipping the donuts. 
7. Dip the donuts into the glaze once they've cooled. Immediately top with sprinkles if desired. 

Chicken Apple Sausage Skillet II

This recipe is very similar to one of our recent favorite summer dishes I posted about last week. All I did was change up the veggies I used. Another meal done in less than a half hour, using two pans and a cutting board. It gives us a good amount of leftovers and the toddler devours it. Can't think of a better, healthier summer recipe. Enjoy! 

Ingredients: 
1 package of chicken apple sausage, sliced
1 red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces 
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
2 small sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces 
2 TBS coconut oil 
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
All you have to do for this recipe is sautee all of the ingredients. I used a medium skillet for sautéing and then a larger skillet (more of a wok style) to combine all the ingredients   I did the sweet potatoes with a little coconut oil first because they take the longest. When they're finished I put them in the large skillet on low. Next, add a little more coconut oil  in the medium skillet and did the peppers. Once they're cooked through, I add them to the wok. Last is the sausage, it doesn't take long.  Once everything is cooked, I combine it all in the wok and season it. 

You can eat it as is or serve over brown rice or quinoa. 

Click here for the printable recipe

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

The reason I picked this recipe was because of the onion soup mix.  A few nights before I had just made sticky chicken in the crock pot.  One of the few ingredients in that recipe was dry onion soup mix.  When I bought it, there were two in the pack. So I went in search of a recipe that called for onion soup mix.  If I didn't find one within the week there is a strong change the mix would have gone into the pantry and I would have forgotten about it until I did a pantry clean out. 

Meatloaf is a great family recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prep. While there is a longer cooking time, it's hands off time. Add some veggies and you're good to go. The mini usually will eat meatloaf without an issue. This particular recipe was great. I always rate my recipes on what the husband thought. Mainly because I'm not picky and I think most of the things I make are pretty good. It took a minute for him to realize how much he enjoyed this meal. He didn't say much in the beginning but as he kept eating he started to rave. He even went as far as saying this was one of the best meatloaf recipes I've made. My favorite thing about this particular meal is how moist the meatloaf was. It wasn't too sweet thanks to the onion soup mix, all of the ingredients meshed well together.  

If you're looking for a family friendly recipe, this will surely pass the test! 

Brown Sugar Meatlaof

Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you use)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan or casserole dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Divide evenly among three separate bowls; set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine garlic, Worcestershire sauce, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, soup mix, ginger, bread crumbs and one bowl (1/3) of prepared brown sugar/ketchup mixture. Add ground turkey to the mixture and mix to thoroughly combine.
4. Shape into a loaf and spoon one bowl (1/3) of prepared brown sugar/ketchup mixture onto the top of the loaf.
5. Place the meat loaf, brown sugar/ketchup side down, into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining bowl (1/3) of prepared brown sugar/ketchup mixture.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until juices are clear or until thermometer inserted into the loaf reads 160 degrees F. 

7. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

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.

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.  

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!

Easy Baked Ravioli

I made this dinner last week and couldn't wait to share it with you.  The ingredients are inexpensive and it took me 10 minutes to prepare. That was it.  Ten minutes in the kitchen, a few items in the trash and dinner went into the oven. My kind of meal.  The fabulous thing was how delicious it was. Not only for dinner but leftover for lunch the next day. This would also be a perfect meal to freeze or make for friends who could use a home cooked meal. Save this recipe, you'll thank me later! 

Easy Baked Ravioli

Courtesy of Betty Crocker

          Ingredients

1 jar (26 to 28 ounces) pasta sauce (I used tomato basil)

1 package (25 to 27 1/2 ounces) frozen cheese-filled ravioli

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp italian seasoning 

Directions

1.  Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of rectangular baking dish 13x9x2-inches, with cooking spray.

2. Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and italian seasoning.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in center

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

A friend posted this recipe on her blog this week, I knew I had to make it.  I already had leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, so it was a quick trip to the grocery store for the remainder of the ingredients. The original recipe was stove top, but looked easy enough to be done in the crock pot. The dish turned out more like a soup but it was delicious.  I knew it would be a repeat winter meal when hubs finished his bowl in no time.  We had it the next night for leftovers, I looked forward to it all day.  It was still just as good! Enjoy!

Crock Pot White Chicken Chili

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 (15-oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained
• 2  7 oz cans of salsa verde 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 avocado (sliced)
• 1 cup mexican cheese mixture 
• chopped cilantro (about 1 TBS)
• tortilla strips (I used Archer Farms southwest tortilla strips (salad toppers) 

Directions

Place chicken broth, chicken, beans and salsa verde in the crock pot, stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  When it's time to serve top with cheese, avocado, cilantro and tortilla strips.  

**I added my cheese to the bottom of my bowl and poured the soup/chili over the top.  It melted and mixed in perfectly that way**