Favorites from Pinterest

I've been loving the recipes I find on Pinterest and decided to share a few with you that I made this weekend. They were THAT good.

Coconut Chicken Salad with Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing - To. Die. For. I didn't have dijon mustard because I don't love it, so I added regular mustard and plain Greek yogurt instead. It was heavenly! Also, I used two medium-size chicken breasts and cut them into long strips before dredging them in the egg mixture.

Homemade Taco Seasoning - This would make a GREAT gift if you double or triple the recipe and put it in a cute little mason jar! I didn't add the red pepper flakes because I don't enjoy spicy foods all that much. The mild sauce at Taco Bell is "spicy" enough for me!

Taco Bake - Scrumptious! I had to improvise on this one, too, because I didn't have the queso salsa that she lists, so I used regular salsa and some nacho cheese sauce to make my own salsa queso. Also, I didn't like how chunky my ground beef turned out, so I put it through my mini food processor for a quick few seconds with the salsa and cheese to make the meat a bit finer. Turns out, doing so makes the meat mixture stretch! I love a good bang for my buck! (Used the taco seasoning I made from scratch!)

Cinnamon Roll Cake - Heaven on a plate! True to form, I chose to switch this up a tad, too. LOL. I made a cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze she recommends. Yum!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - My new favorite recipe for the basic chocolate chip cookie!

Homemade FREEZER Spaghetti Sauce - I have the nicest neighbors and friends who gave me GOBS of tomatoes, so I decided to give this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe a whirl. It did not disappoint! It calls for 5 onions, but I just had 3 and it turned out really well! Also, I didn't peel my tomatoes, and you can't even tell. So, don't waste your time doing so. I just used my food processor to "chop" my onions and tomatoes instead of chopping them by hand. And, after it was in the crockpot simmering away for a few hours, I took my immersion blender to it to make it a little bit smoother. But, if you like chunky sauce, you don't need to do this step that I added.

30-Minute Dinner Rolls - My friend, Jessica, actually gave me this EXACT recipe that her grandma uses, but I found it on Pinterest, too, and decided to post the link instead of typing out ALL of the instructions. They aren't that hard, but I took the easy road. lol. Anyway, these rolls take 30 minutes to PREPARE and then another 15 or so to bake, so really they should be called 45-minute rolls.

What recipes on Pinterest would you recommend?

Quinoa Chicken and Broccoli Bake

I have seen a lot of recipes using quinoa on Pinterest, but I've never had it before so I was intrigued. It's basically like a rice and can be used instead of rice in a lot of dishes. Also, did you know it is SUPER expensive? Kindof a bummer, too, because it is actually pretty scrumptious.

I saw a recipe for a casserole that included broccoli, chicken, some sort of sauce, and quinoa, of course, so decided to try it. However, Pinterest (who spells is as quiOna) wasn't working when I made dinner tonight, so I had to wing it and make stuff up. Luckily, I had some saucy stuff in my fridge, so it all worked out.

Here is what you need:

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups roasted broccoli (see the link for the ingredients needed to roast the veg)
• 1 cup diced, cooked chicken breast
• 4 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp bouillon base, chicken flavor
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (or more if you want it to be cheesier)

Here is what you do:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Cut broccoli then roast for 25 minutes (See link in ingredient list for directions on how to roast them.)
• While broccoli roasts, put quinoa, water, and bouillon base in large pot and cook according to package so it is fluffy
• While broccoli roasts and quinoa cooks, dice chicken and saute with salt and pepper
• As those first three things are happening, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, onion powder, and garlic salt until well combined
• Mix all broccoli, quinoa, chicken, and sauce together and place in a small baking pan
• Cover top with shredded cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and it starts to bubble a little
• Serve with a salad and side of your favorite fruit
• Serves 6 and each serving is 250 calories. (If you don't serve this with a salad and fruit, you could get 4 or 5 servings instead.)

It was delicious, so I'll make that again for sure! Plus, it freezes well. I just wish quinoa wasn't so DANG expensive. (Update: Evidently Good Earth sells it for a reasonable price in their bulk bins.)

Sloppy Joes with Hidden Zucchini

Here's an easy recipe for ya that will use up your zucchini and get your kids eating their veggies, and they won't even know it!

Here is what you need:

• 1 medium zucchini
• sloppy joe mix, or made-from-scratch
• 1 lb. ground beef
• grated cheese, to taste
• 8 slices of bread
• mustard, to taste

Here is what you do:

• Brown the ground beef.
• While beef is cooking, grate the zucchini.
• Add sloppy joe mix to cooked beef.
• Reduce heat to low simmer and add grated zucchini. Simmer for 3 or 4 more minutes.
• Toast the bread.
• Top toast with cheese, sloppy joe mix, and mustard.

Toasting the bread helps it stand up to the sauce a bit more. And, if you put the cheese on the hot toast and then cover it with the hot sloppy joe sauce, it will melt the cheese perfectly!

I'm not sure where the cheese and mustard thing came from, but I love it! If you don't, then feel free to leave it off.

This also holds up well in the freezer if you want to make it ahead and save it for later.

Teriyaki Ground Beef and Rice

Last night I needed to make two quick dishes for my lunches and dinners for the rest of the week, so I opened my freezer and pantry to see what I could whip up in a jiffy. For one meal, I saw rice and hamburger as my main ingredients and then browsed my fridge and pantry to see what else I could add. I didn’t want to do my usual cream of whatever soup with veggies, rice, and beef, so I looked deeper into my stash and found teriyaki sauce! I have made teriyaki chicken before, but I’ve never used it with ground beef, so I wasn’t too sure what the result would be.

You may have already tried something like this, but here’s what I came up with and how I did it. It was super simple!

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups rice, brown or white
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I just guessed at this; you want it to be more liquid than beef and onion)

Here is what you do:

• Cook rice
• Chop onion into small pieces
• As rice is cooking, sauté the onion with the garlic
• Add ground beef and cook until beef is completely done
• Add teriyaki sauce and reduce heat to a simmer
• Simmer for 8 minutes (or so—this is a guess)
• Serve beef and sauce over rice
• If you want to make a bunch, freeze whatever you don't use and then you'll have an instant meal later!

It. Was. So. Delicious!

Here it is with all the sauce and beef mixed with the rice.

The pic makes it look dry, but it certainly WAS NOT!

Seriously! I loved every—single—bite!

Peanut Butteriffic Popsicles for Dogs

Want to spoil your puppy? Make this sweet treat and throw it in the freezer. Then when you need to reward him (or distract him for 5 minutes), give him one of these popsicles.

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, reduced fat and low sodium
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, reduced fat
• 2 tbs honey, no sugar added
• 1 ice cube tray

Here is what you do:

• Mix peanut butter, yogurt, and honey until well combined
• Portion the mixture into the spaces in the ice cube tray
• Place in freezer for 8 hours
• Serve one cube to your dog as a reward or as a distraction
• Keep remaining cubes in tray in freezer until you need to use them

Super Durable Dog Toys

For added minutes to the distraction, place cube inside a toy with a little bit of it sticking out the top and have dog try to get it out or lick it to death. (lol) Just make sure it doesn't fall inside the toy otherwise you AND your puppy won't be able to get it out.

Your puppy will LOVE this treat! (And you'll love the 5 minutes you have to do the dishes while he is distracted!)

Hearty Tomato Soup

During the cold, winter months, don't you just crave hot, hearty soups that you can eat while curled up by the fire with a comfy blanket and a great book? And, to make the setting even better, imagine said soup served with a side of grilled cheese, a fresh baguette, or delicious garlic toast. Yum! This easy meal is just that: a hearty tomato soup with vegetables and shredded chicken.

Here is what you need:

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
• 5 slices thick bacon, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 4 cups stewed tomatoes
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• Grated cheese, as desired
• Crumbled, cooked bacon, as desired

Here is what you do:

1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon.
2. Add shredded chicken, onion, and carrots.
3. Sauté in butter and extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes, just until vegetables are soft but not brown. (If you didn't precook your chicken, make sure the chicken is mostly cooked at this point.)
4. Transfer the meat and veggies into a large pot and add broth, tomatoes, sugar, curry, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
5. Serve a portion with your special side and a sprinkle of grated cheese and crumbled bacon pieces.
6. Allow the rest to cool completely and then label and freeze for a quick, healthy meal later.

Go grab your favorite book because you’ll be relaxing by the warm fire and diving into your soup and the pages of your book in no time!

Meatloaf Patties and Potatoes

Have you ever heard of potato pearls? If you haven’t, allow me to introduce you. Potato pearls are tiny beads of dehydrated potatoes, made from real potatoes, which are flavored with butter. They are similar to potato flakes, only ten times better. All you do is boil some water, add the pearls, immediately remove from heat, and then 5 minutes later you fluff the potatoes with a fork. Potato pearls can also be added to ground beef and used as a binding agent for meatloaf patties. Plus, they add great flavor and keep the patties perfectly moist!

They are so good—you’re family will never know you didn’t spend 30 minutes peeling and boiling real potatoes, mashing them, and adding the perfect amounts of milk, butter, and seasonings.

Here is what you need:

• 1/2 cup potato pearls (for patties)
• More potato pearls to serve patties on, cook according to package instructions for the amount you need
• 1/8 cup dehydrated onions
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp favorite seasoning (whatever you choose)
• Panko bread crumbs
• Gravy, as desired (Just make your favorite gravy: brown, country, etc)

Here is what you do:

1. Put 1/2 cup potato pearls, onions, and water in a large bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes or until they are thick, like a paste. It should not be light and fluffy.
2. In separate bowl, add ground beef, egg, garlic, and seasoning. Mix well.
3. Add potato mixture to hamburger mixture and combine.
4. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes so mixture can chill.
5. While that chills, put panko bread crumbs in shallow container and season with whatever seasoning you chose for the hamburger.
6. Start to cook remaining potato pearls according to package instructions.
7. Heat a little oil and butter in skillet, remove hamburger mixture from fridge, and form small patties.
8. Coat each patty in panko and cook in skillet on medium heat.
9. Serve over mashed potatoes with gravy.
10. This makes about 8 to 12 patties, depending on how big you make them.
11. (Note: If patties fall apart while cooking, mixture wasn't in fridge long enough. Just go with it because it will still be delicious!)

This meal is perfect for the freezer because it makes a BUNCH and it thaws and reheats nicely.

PS ~ I suggest serving this meatloaf patty dinner with a light fruit cocktail or salad because the dinner itself is incredibly filling. You'll need something light and refreshing to balance it out.