foodie friday...lemon dill chicken and vegetables

i love anything lemon. i use a lot of lemon juice in things. a few weeks ago i was looking for something different to make for dinner. i started out with a plan to make lemon chicken and ended up with lemon+dill.

chicken breasts

fresh squeezed lemon juice-1/2 large lemon

1 tsp dried red onion

1 TBSP garlic

fresh dill

brussels sprouts

carrots

bake 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes depending on how much chicken and how thick

homemade peppermint oreos updated

'tis the season for all the treats. they are everywhere, and i'm not really helping things much. i like giving gifts and treats so i usually do a christmas treat for my co-workers. everyone LOVED these homemade peppermint oreos. i have made them in the past, but i changed things a little this year.

tips for success

use shortening instead of oil in the cookies

make buttercream frosting instead of buying it in the can

pulse food processor or blender so the crushed peppermints are less fine

cookies

1 chocolate cake mix

1/2 c shortening

2 eggs

mix. bake at 350* for 8 minutes

frosting recipe here + add 1-2 teaspoons mint extract to taste

roll in crushed peppermint

these are great for neighbors, the office, or just to have at home for the holidays.

blogger no sleepover...what we ate

a few weekends ago i hosted a blogger sleepover (or no sleepover since some of us went to bed at 5:30am). i originally thought things would be pretty similar to last year, but that's not what end up happening. last year was much more of an event. this year was more of a gathering. it was equally wonderful but quite different.

last year i provided all the food (for a higher ticket price). this year we all brought food, drinks, snacks, and it made it so much less stressful for me. we had soup, salad, and bread for dinner, cookies supplied by the fix for dessert, a soda bar, and lots of treats and snacks. jen made the most delicious oatmeal for breakfast, and i'm pretty sure we all ate a few m&ms. the food was all great, and we all enjoyed ourselves chatting away as we ate. the event started with dinner so after about an hour of chit chat, i brought us all together for some discussions.

 

jen, bonnie, sarah getting ready for dinner

 tayler mid dinner convo

 more dinner conversations

 kaylynn and her cute bump

photo c/o jordan bree photography

cookies c/o the fix

we had plenty of food but not enough leftover to feed 6 more armies like i sometimes struggle with. we kept it pretty simple, and it was perfect.

foodie friday...halloween food

growing up halloween always included 2 foods-chili and pumpkin sugar cookies. my mom makes the perfect sugar cookies. i've tried to make them a few times, but they are usually more frustrating than anything. i've kind of given up the past couple of years. the chili is pretty simple to make but not great for 1 person. basically i'm failing at tradition.

i might not be sticking with tradition, but i'm not neglecting the holiday completely. dinner group last night had a halloween theme.

janeal brought the appetizer-a simple guacamole/chips coming out of a pumpkin's mouth.

i made mozzarella breadstick bones with dipping sauce adapted from this recipe

angie made butternut squash soup-perfect for the cold weather that suddenly hit this week

i love themes and i love holidays. i've been trying to simplify my life a little, and this was a fun yet simple way to celebrate the holiday.

do you have any halloween food traditions?

foodie friday..homemade granola

I've made granola in the past, but it's been several years. A conversation with friends a few weeks ago reminded me to make it again. I don't have a lot of time in the kitchen so I always ask myself if it's worth the time to make it myself. Homemade granola is quick and easy and definitely worth making yourself. 

3 c oats

1 c coconut

1/2 c slivered almonds

1/2 c raisans

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Stir and coat in 1/2-1 c honey. Spread on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool and crumble. Store in airtight container. 

All amounts can be changed to meet your tastes including honey. More honey/longer in the oven equals crunchier granola. 

Do you have any recipes that are definitely worth spending the time in the kitchen?

foodie friday...peanut butter chocolate cake

tiffany sent me a picture of the cake she wanted for her birthday-just the picture, not a recipe. luckily the picture made it look easy enough to make.

1. bake chocolate cake per directions on box

2. top with chocolate frosting. i used this recipe from just a pinch.

3. add peanut butter frosting to the top (mix buttercream frosting with 1 c peanut butter)

4. drizzle with chocolate sauce. i used this recipe from whimsical whimsies

5.garnish with peanut butter cups

refrigerate between steps and when finished.

everyone loved the cake.

21 day RESET

last week i talked about little about a 21 days reset, but mostly i talked about meal planning. everyone has their own ideas for healthy eating and exercise. there are a variety of commercial cleanses, diets, etc. i have plenty opinions about a lot of them, but the bottom line is everyone should do what they think is best.

i could spend the rest of the post talking about the past several years of my life. i was in the best shape of my life, got injured, and things went downhill fast. 

fast forward a few years. i've done various challenges, but nothing seems to stick. i'm not a competitive person at all, but i do really well when i have friends doing the same thing. 

i'm really excited. starting today for the next 21 days i have a group of several friends doing a 21 day program. we all made our own rules and our own consequences. here are my rules...

*no treats

*whole clean eating-fruits and vegetables, protein, good fats, whole grains

*no sugar syrups in drinks

*drink 50 oz of water before soda

*rule breaking costs $10=not worth it

i love eating healthy, and i'm so excited for the next 21 days.

if you want to join my friends and me, we would love it. to help keep me accountable, i'm posting my meals on snapchat (aubreyzaruba) so come on over if you want to see what i'm eating.

foodie friday...meal prep

i have a lot of excuses about diet and exercise over the past several years, and i've been using those excuses for far too long. it has to stop-NOW! i've made plans and set goals several times, but nothing seems to be working. it's time to get my rear in gear. 

a few of my friends are starting a 21 day cleanse on monday. i have mixed feelings about cleanses, but i know i need to do something. the program they are using doesn't work for me, but the idea of a supportive group of friends is exactly what i need. 

monday starts what i'm calling the 21 day reset. a reset is exactly what i need. i love eating healthy, and i need to get over some lazy habits i currently have.

the only way this is going to work is to plan. MEAL PREP is the key to success. one of my favorite quotes is failing to plan is planning to fail. i have a calendar to write down my food, and i plan to use sunday to get all my food ready for the week. 

i have some ideas, but i am open to suggestions. what are your fave healthy foods? any tips for me?

foodie friday: BBQ sauce

when chasin mason and i started planning today's collab post, we tossed around a few ideas and landed on recipes with BBQ sauce. i love BBQ sauce, and like most other things, i'm kind of a brand snob. sweet baby ray's is the only way to go. i wish they were paying me to say that, but they're not. it's my 100% honest opinion.

my 2 favorite recipes with BBQ sauce are very similar

recipe #1-easy pulled pork sandwiches 1. line bottom of slow cooker with slow cooker liners. if you don't use them, start NOW! 2. lightly cover the bottom of slow cooker with chopped red onion and 1 glove chopped garlic 3. place pork roast (i used pork loin) on top of onions/garlic 4. sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and garlic powder on roast to season 5. add a few more chopped onions 6. cover roast with BBQ sauce (about 2/3 of the bottle) 7. cook on low 8-10 hours 8. shred meat and add rest of BBQ sauce 9. serve on buns with more red onion, cabbage slaw, or toppings of your choice
recipe #2-shredded BBQ chicken 1. line slow cooker with slow cooker liner 2. add desired number of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts 3. sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and garlic powder 4. cover with 2/3 bottle of BBQ sauce 5. cook on low 6-8 hours

6. shred chicken and add remaining BBQ sauce

i love trying new recipes especially when i know someone else loves them. i'm so excited to try this recipe. i'm going to have to get over my fear of the grill first or maybe convince someone else to cook it for me #whyineedahusband

head on over to chasin mason to get the recipe and learn more about this cute mama. come back next week for a getting to know you interview with elizabeth.

what's your favorite BBQ sauce recipe? do you make your own BBQ sauce or buy it at the store?

foodie friday...fresh salsa

i can't go a thing to save my life, but a lot of people have much better luck than i do. i love tomato season! even though i can't figure out how to successfully grow tomatoes or anything else, i luckily tend to end up with fresh produce.

i love eating them plain, on a sandwich, in a salad, and just about any other way. my very fave thing is fresh salsa. it's delicious and easy to make.

tomatoes

onion

green pepper

garlic salt

lime

chop, squeeze lime, season with garlic salt to taste. so yummy!

what's your fave thing to do with fresh tomatoes?