foodie Friday-instant pot steel cut oats with blackberries

Oatmeal is one of my favorite things to make in the instant pot. I've heard a lot of people say steel cut oats are also their favorite so I decided to try it this week. They are equally easy, healthy and delicous.

I started with a recipe from candinner blog and adapted it to work for me.

2c steel cut oats

5 c water

4 T coconut oil

6 T maple syrup

Cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes with a NPR of 10 minutes

Add 1 c homemade applesauce and 1 container of blackberries. Put in small mason jars for breakfast for the week if you're on the go like I am. 

Foodie Friday-lemon pepper zucchini and a special request

''Tis the season of zucchini. There's nothing better than garden fresh vegetables. I seriously can't grow a thing so I'm always very excited when people share from their garden. Successfully gardens tend to yield a lot of zucchini this time of year. I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. I tried lemon pepper zucchini and it was a hit. 

Slice zucchini 

Spray pan with coconut oil cooking spray 

Add sliced zucchini 

Squeeze juice from one large lemon

Add 1 tablespoon minced onion

Sprinkle with generous amount of lemon pepper to cover zucchini 

Sauté until tender-about 5-7

The lemon flavor is pretty strong but not overbearing. 

On a completely different note...

If you live in Utah or have any relationships here in Utah, your heart has been affected by the discovery of the untimely death of Paul Swenson yesterday. Many of my friends have close connections to Paul and his family. 

With the news of Paul's passing, one can't help but want to comfort and ease their family's heartache.

Ashlee and Paul frequently refer to their daughter as their "ray of sunshine" or #poppyraeofsunshine. Knowing of Paul's generous and kind nature it's no wonder he's passed that to his daughter. He will continue to live through her. In order to spread sunshine and #lovelikepaul - anyone and everyone can pass on his love to his family. 

Simply love others and document how you're doing it with #lovelikepaul. 

Campaign Details: To honor and remember Paul Swenson and his family, spread sunshine and #lovelikepaul through acts of kindness and random acts of service. For example...

-Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen 

-Donate food to your local food bank

-Set up a FREE neighborhood car wash (teens)

-Use your connections to have business(es) donate a portion of a day's sales to a charity of choice

-Assemble hygiene packets for country/group in need 

-Host a FREE lemonade stand 

-Deliver donuts to firehouses 

-Make or donate blankets to a local women's shelter/safe house 

-Host a community talent show/concert/movie in the park

-Tape quarters to vending machines w/the attached #lovelikepaul tags

-Walk/wash dogs in neighborhood 

-Bring dog/cat treats to your local humane society

-Pay for the persons food behind you in the drive-thru

-Hand out Target gift cards randomly while shopping at Target (put sticker on the back of the card)

-Write a note/draw a picture to loved ones 

-Clean up trash at the park 

-Contact parks and rec to paint chipped fire hydrants 

-Make bird feeders and donate to a nature preserve. Or hang throughout the community. 

-Buy popcorn for strangers at the movie theater

-deliver flowers to new mothers at hospital 

-create smores kits and pass out to people enjoying public fire pits 

-pass out cookies to passengers on a tram/train

-write inspiration or uplifting quotes on cards and pass out

Attach the sticker or tag (to your act) whenever possible to help spread the word. Stickers will be available in the coming week. Stay tuned for how to pick some up! Document your acts with the hashtag #lovelikepaul and pass it on. Runs 8/15-9/13 (30 days for each year Paul LIVED). 

Please share this on your personal social media pages and listen to quiet inspirations of how you can multiply and magnify this effort of love and service. 

Foodie Friday-coco loco and Mexican corn

It's hot and unusually muggy here lately, and really all I want is ice and sometimes a cold drink. My cute friend Emily (@emiemiemi82 on instgram) was on Good Things Utah last month and made the most delicious summer drink. I wish I was sitting by the pool in Mexico sipping this delicious thing all the rest of the summer.

Frozen Coconut Limeade

5 cups ice

3/4 cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut or Coco Real Simply Squeeze bottle

6 tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate

3 tablespoons water

Blend until smooth. 3 batches uses the bottle of cream of coconut and frozen limeade

Speaking of sitting by the pool in Mexico, Mexican corn goes great with the coco loco drink.

Soak in water bath 30 minutes with husk on

Shake water off

Grill on medium heat for 15 min

Peel down husk leaving it on the end

Slather in mayo, Parmesan, and chili powder

foodie Friday-Instant Pot Lemon Dill Chicken and Veggies

This meal can definitely be filed in the category of sounds and tastes good, but doesn't really look that great. So, I didn't take pictures of the meal.

I've been a serious food rut lately. I can't seem to think of what to cook, and nothing really sounds good. The instant pot is my saving grace. The best part is you can basically dump everything in the pot and voila you have dinner.

If you are the cook that needs exact measurements, this "recipe" might be a little hard for you. I am bad about measuring, and literally just dump everything in. These measurements are by no means exact. A little more or a little less would be just fine.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts-I went against my better judgement and used frozen chicken because that's all that was available at the store. It worked out ok, but I still prefer fresh chicken. I used 5 frozen chicken breasts for this recipe.

Juice one large lemon

2-3 TBSP dried dill 

1-2 TBSP dried red onion

1-2 TBSP garlic powder

1 chicken bouillon 

1-2 c water

Cook on poultry setting in instant pot

Remove chicken and set aside

Keep liquid from cooking chicken

Quinoa-I dumped in what I had left in a bag which was probably a little more than a cup.

One yellow pepper and one red pepper (or any others)-chopped

1 small box of mushrooms

1 white onion

Repeat spices

Add lemon rind

Cook on manual for 8 minutes

Quick release steam

Add chicken back into pot

Set on manual for 0 minutes to let it simmer together. Voila dinner is done 

foodie Friday-cranberry orange protein balls

this is by far my new fave snack. mandi made a very similar recipe a few weeks ago which gave me the idea to add orange. you won't believe how easy it is. 

the measurements are very approximate. feel free to add a little more or a little less to taste and make it the consistency you want. you can easily adjust the flavor by changing the protein powder and mix ins. you can leave out the protein powder for energy balls. 

1-1 1/2 c peanut butter

1/2  c honey 

mix

2 tbsp chia seed

2 tbsp flax seed

2 tbsp unsweetened coconut

1/4 c chopped walnuts

1/4 c dried cranberries

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 scoop birthday cake protein powder (or another scoop of vanilla or salted caramel)

juice and zest from one orange

mix

1 1/2-2 c oats

mix

roll into balls. place on wax or parchment paper until set up. store in refrigerator. 

foodie friday-cilantro lime cauliflower rice

People have been talking about cauliflower rice for a while. I'm a little late to discover it. It's my new favorite. The texture is close to rice, and it absorbs flavor. I tried a cilantro lime flavor this week and really like it. 

cut up cilantro (as much as desired) and sauté with minced onion (1-2 tablespoons) and garlic powder (1 tablespoon) in olive oil

add one bag of cauliflower rice

cook over medium high heat 

add lime juice

simmer for about 10 minutes 

serve as a side or mixed in a main dish

 
 

foodie friday...monster cupcakes

we had a potluck at work on halloween. i have been trying to be pretty strict about what i eat so i wanted to take something healthy that i could actually eat. i planned to make a vegetable tray and put greek yogurt ranch dip in a pumpkin. well, i forgot to buy the dip packet. all my plans for a healthy snack were ruined, but i happened to have all the supplies on hand for monster cupcakes.

I used the 21 star tip for the green monsters and the tip with all the holes for the yellow. They were a big hit. 

 

random rambling...on being a grown up

remember when you were a kid and all you wanted was to be a grown up?!? and then you became a grown up and sometimes all you want is to be a kid? having someone be in charge of making sure i have clothes to wear and food to eat seems kind of nice some days. however, i do like being in charge of my own self. i can basically do what i want when i want.

one of the best things about being a grown up is having nice things. i have dishes that match and kitchen gadgets for everything. i can spend a little more money on clothes and shoes and makeup and hair. i am in charge of when and what i eat. i go to bed when i want and wake up when i want. i can keep things clean or not.

speaking of nice dishes...

nourish

we always had simple correll dishes growing up. they are very functional and do the job. as a grown up, it's fun to have dishes that are a little more grown up. the unique patterns make these a little extra fun. nourish is all about creating beautiful memories around the dinner table-something i really love. maybe being a grown isn't so bad (winky face)

foodie friday...mango salsa

i love the mango salsa from costco just as much as anyone else, but there is just something better about making your own. i like knowing exactly what is going in my food and in my mouth.

mango-peeled, chopped

red onion-diced

red pepper-diced

garlic powder to taste

salt to taste

juice from 1 lime

enough honey to coat

the thing about this recipe is nothing is exact. use as much or as little of everything as you want or tastes good to you.

i ate this salsa with bbq chicken over arugula lettuce. it was so fresh and delish.

Foodie Friday...chicken tacos

I'm all about quick, easy, healthy meals. Tacos of any variety are one of my favorites especially when cooked in the crock pot. Chicken tacos are so easy and so delicious. 

6 lbs chicken

2 TBSP taco seasoning

1 c salsa

4 oz green chilies

1 TBSP minced onion

1 tsp garlic powder

Cook in crockpot on low 8 hours

Shred and Serve

foodie friday...quick easy healthy lunch

i don't know about you, but i have the hardest time feeding myself especially lunch. even when i am home and have whatever food available, i do not seem to eat as much as i should. if i have any chance of eating, it has to be something quick an easy.

one of my favorite meals in a turkey wrap in a whole wheat tortilla with fruit on the side.

tortilla

turkey

cheese

mustard

lettuce

serve with a side of fruit. so easy and fast. what are some of your favorite summer lunches?

foodie friday-chicken tacos

do you need an easy, quick, healthy dinner? i've got you covered. 

make chicken tacos (shredded chicken+taco seasoning)

add one can of black beans

add 2 cups cooked rice

stir together and simmer for 15 minutes on low. 

serve with lettuce, guacamole, crushed chips, salsa. squeeze with fresh lime. 

this is a definite go to for me. 

unblogged bloggable...happy birthday

a few months ago my co-worker ingrid found out i make cakes. she showed me a few inspiration pictures and the outfit her babe was wearing to the party. i don't use my giant cupcake pan often enough. this cake was really fun and not too hard to make. even though it wasn't too hard, i was so thankful to have celsey's help with it.

foodie friday...taco stuffed peppers

there seems to be a bit of a food pattern around here-quick, clean, and easy. as much as i love to cook, i don't have time to make food that takes forever and ever. when i find something i like, i make it a lot and eat it for days. these taco stuffed peppers are one of those foods.

i originally saw the idea for taco stuffed peppers from tasty on facebook. it sounded really good so i modified it to make it my own.

ground turkey-1 pound

taco seasoning

1-2 cups salsa

chopped onion

quinoa and brown rice packet from costco

black beans

mexican blend cheese

bell peppers

saute onions. cook ground turkey. add taco seasoning and cook per instructions. add salsa. simmer for a few minutes. add black beans and quinoa/rice. stir and simmer. add 1/2 cup cheese. stuff filling in peppers. bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. it's so good!

foodie friday...another stir fry

if it seems like a eat a lot of stir fry, that's because i do. it is quick and easy clean and healthy. i keep things pretty simple-meat, vegetables, garlic powder and minced onion, rice. i usually cook on sunday and eat the leftovers as long as they last-usually several days. it's a little boring, but mostly it's nice to have a quick easy meal.

sauté shrimp and pre cooked, grilled chicken in coconut oil with garlic powder and minced onionadd a bag of frozen vegetables add cooked brown rice/quinoa packetsimmer for a few minutes to mix flavorsadd a side of steamed edamame
I had this cooked, eaten, and cleaned up in about 30 minutes. 

a thanksgiving treat

i love holidays and pretty much any reason to celebrate. celsey and i saw the cutest idea for halloween treats. she rented a cotton candy machine for her daughter's birthday so we thought it would be the perfectly easy cutest treat. 

we have no idea what happened, but after one day the cute cotton candy spider webs basically turned into a hockey puck-most epic crafting fail of our lives. 

we have to redeem ourselves somehow. hopefully people accept our caramel apples as redemption. they were much more successful than the halloween fail. 

we used this recipe to make the caramel. the rest is pretty simple. 

dip apples in caramel and let set

dip apples in melted white chocolate

immediately roll in cinnamon sugar

in between apple steps, make tags. 

cut 3" squares

stamp/write/print thankful for you 

when apples are all set, put in cellophane bag, tie with red string, and attach tag. 

cute tasty treat

now to think of our Christmas treat...