Pho ~ Beef & Chicken

Since visiting Vietnam during the Summer we fell in love with the food their and one of favorites was Pho. I had never had it before and it quickly became my favorite meal anytime of the day and even with the temperatures in the high 90’s and 100% humidity. It was so refreshing and a light meal to give us a quick pick me up to keep exploring the most amazing place we’ve been so far. Soon after returning I decided to make my own Pho and now make it weekly. Both beef & chicken. Chicken being my favorite and beef Brock’s. Below is how I make Pho, just a reminder this is a time consuming recipe but most of that time is the simmering of spices and bones. We prefer it the day after, letting all the ingredients sit in a stop pot brings out the flavor even more, but you can make and eat all in the same day. Enjoy! and if you ever have a chance visit Vietnam you will thank me, not only is the food amazing the whole experience was amazing.

Sorry my images aren’t the best I didn’t intend to post this on my site until I was asked by a ton of people off my gluten free site I posted the image on. Yes Pho is gluten free. As long as you make sure a few of the items added are gluten free, so please check labels when making. Enjoy!

My Pho Recipe:

For the pho broth:

• FOR BEEF : 3 lbs beef knuckles or neck bones (with meat if possible bu not needed) even soup bones work.

• FOR CHICKEN: 3 lbs Chicken pieces, legs, breasts or even a whole chicken works.

• 10 cups water (or enough to entirely cover the meat)

• 1-3 carrots cut into coins with skins on

• 2 large yellow onions (peeled)

• 1 fresh ginger root (½ size of a small palm, I don’t peel)

• 5 whole star anise (with pods)

• ½ Tbsp whole cloves

• 1 Tbsp black peppercorns

• 4 cloves garlic ( no need to peel )

• 1 large or 2 small cinnamon stick

• 6 cardamom whole pods ( I use white ones )

• 1/2 cup fish sauce ~ if eating gluten free make sure it’s a gluten free brand

• 1 Tbsp salt or to taste

• 2 pieces or (2 Tbls reguar sugar) yellow rock sugar, this isn’t required but adds a nice touch to the broth. If you can’t find it you can add sugar or not. Like I said it’s not required. Rock sugar you can find on Amazon or your local Asian market

I found soup bones at my local supermarket (Fry’s) and for chicken I use whatever I have on hand with bones, whole chicken, legs, breasts whatever I have or whats on sale.

For pho assembly:

• 12 oz flat rice noodles ( I prefer no noodles) if you eat gluten free again make sure your noodles are gluten free

• FOR BEEF: 1 pound sirloin or top round steak (sliced paper-thin against the grain) slightly frozen helps you slice it thin.

• FOR CHICKEN: I just use the meat off the bones after simmering the bones

For the garnish:

these are all if you want, I don’t like siracha nor do I know if it’s gluten free so we don’t use it. I will put a star * next to the items I always use.

• Sriracha chili sauce

• * Hoisin sauce

• * Fresh cilantro leaves

• * Limes (quartered)

• * Mung bean sprouts

• * Thai basil leaves

• * Perilla leaves

• Coriander leaves

• * Water crest leaves

• * Thai Chilies

• * Mint Leaves

• * Baby bok choy

• * Cabbage sliced super fine

• * Romaine or butter leaf lettuce

All these items I buy at the Asian market near me (Phoenix, AZ) if you don’t have one in your town most of the items you can find at your local supermarket or farmers market. I will just prepare small amounts, there’s only 2 of us in the house and we add what we want to our Pho.

Ready… here’s how you make the whole thing:

I would read this all before starting, it just sort of helps, yes it’s long sorry but worth the trouble.

• Place the beef bones & carrots in a large stockpot. Add the water. The bones should be completely covered with water. If not, add more. Bring to a boil and let the the bones boil while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.

• Turn your oven onto broil and get out a cookie sheet, I line mine with foil. Cut your two onions in quarters - leave the skins on, ginger in coins or length wise, nothing fancy - skins on, get your garlic out take the bulbs apart leave the skins on and all your spices, put them on the cookie sheet and place in the broiler, keep an eye on them you want the onion to char but not burn, the skins will just char not the whole onion. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, if ones are getting more charred then others flip those. This part will make your house smell amazing. The spices bring out their oils and really smell good.

• Check on the boiling bones in the stockpot and skim off any scum that has accumulated.

• Now add the stuff from your cookie sheet. Side note: sometimes I add all the spices to a cheese cloth pouch I make and sometimes I just throw them in. Your choice at the end you strain the whole thing. BUT, and please read if you are going the chicken route. If you are making the chicken version I would use the cheese cloth bag, that way you aren’t picking out spices from your chicken that you take off the bones or out of the stock pot at the end.

• Now bring this all to a boil. At this time I usually add about 10 cups of water. Yes you will need a good size stock pan to make Pho. Mines 12 quarts. Once this all comes to a boil, let it boil for 10 minutes then turn down to a simmer. I allow mine to simmer 5 hours. I like the taste better if it’s simmered most of the day. When making I do so on a Saturday, this is my day off and cleaning day. That way i’m home to smell the wonderful aroma and keep an eye on it. Not that I would let this simmer all day if I was gone, lol.

• While simmering add the rock sugar or sugar (optional), fish sauce, salt, and stir well. Continue to simmer , uncovered, periodically skimming off any scum if it accumulates. (You will see this more with the beef then chicken) The broth will be ready to eat after 2 1/2 hours, but the longer you simmer the better it will become. If you prefer to eat this the next day let it completely cool in the stock pot before putting the whole thing in the fridge.

• During the cooking time is when I get all my leaves ready, ( i call these all leaves, lol) Fresh cilantro Green Onions, Limes (quartered), Mung bean sprouts, Thai basil leaves, Perilla leaves, Coriander leaves, Water crest leaves, Thai Chilies, Mint Leaves, Baby bok choy, Cabbage sliced super fine. I put them all on a big plate and allow my boyfriend to add what he wants or more if needed when eating/drinking the Pho.

• If eating the same day strain all the stuff from the broth, this can be tricky and usually requires a helper, your stock pot will be heavy and it takes 2 hands, trust me get someone to help, last time I dumped half my broth on my kitchen floor. It was very upsetting. I strain twice once into a regular colander the second time into a metal one that’s finer. I have 2 stock pots so I strain it from one to another, if you don’t strain into a large bowl or two if needed.

• NOW, if making chicken Pho you will need to dig around, after cooled into that strained mixture and get all the chicken off the bones and out of the mixture, most should fall off the bones, or if you don’t like being that adventurous you can use pre-shredded chicken you might have or bought. Even a whole rotisserie chicken you want to shred up while this all cooks. Whatever you prefer. Or no chicken at all and just have veggies in your soup, trust me either way will be amazing.

• Cook your noodles according to the package at this time.

• Return the broth back to your stock pot and heat to an almost boil. Medium burner.

• Drain the noodles and place them in six individual soup bowls. Arrange the sliced raw beef on top, followed by thinly sliced onions and scallions.

• Pour the boiling hot broth into the soup bowls, making sure it covers the raw beef. The broth will cook the beef, then serve with the pho garnish platter. If making chicken just throw some chicken pieces in the bowl with the broth, as much as you want there is no limit it’s your Pho. A squeeze or two of lime juice will help cut the richness of the broth. If wanted add some hoisin sauce (makes sure it’s gluten free if you eat gluten free) and Sriracha chili sauce but taste first you may just be happy the way it is.

Notes

I had a hard time finding beef knuckles of beef neck bones at local supermarkets and ended up buying what was called 'beef soup bones'. They worked the same in my opinion.

Remember if you can’t find all the garnish don’t worry, add what you can find or like.

I serve my Pho is big bowls to have room for all the goodies and serve with chopstick or a big spoon we use both. Don’t be shy, we learned this in Vietnam you eat all the goodies out of the bowl with your chopsticks then slurp the broth from the side of the bowl. They never gave us a spoon and actually came to the table to show us how it’s done the first few times. By the time we left Vietnam we were Pho professionals.

While making this soup we joke that our house smells Pho-mazing.

*If you think I missed a step or have a question ask, I would be happy to help. Enjoy, yes it’s a long process but so worth it and really in the long run a cheap meal to make. You will have leftovers if making for 2, we usually have this again later in the week. But without any meat, just full of leftover garnish.

This is the Pho we had in Vietnam at a hostel we stayed at, they insisted on feeding us before leaving to the airport to fly to a different part of Vietnam. It was delicious, a little on the spicy side but delicious.

My first batch of chicken pho simmering.

Pho garnish

This was my first batch of Chicken Pho

The Best Mongolian Beef Recipe

Mongolian Beef

This is by far the best Mongolian Beef I have ever made. I have tried different recipes before and they never turn out this good. The sauce is sweet yet tangy and the meat has the perfect crispiness to it. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice. 

INGREDIENTS: I doubled the sauce part of the recipe just so we had extra (just in case) glad I did, we used the sauce a few days later on rice and broccoli. 

• 1 Pound Flank Steak, Sliced with the grain in 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick strips
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup cornstarch just make sure all the meat is coated
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil, Divided
• 3 to 4 Cloves Garlic Finely Chopped
• 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Finely Minced
• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed you can use dark or light
• 2-3 Green Onions, Sliced Into Thin Rounds for Garnish
• Sesame Seeds for Garnish ( I didn't use)

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large bowl mix the sliced meat with the cornstarch, make sure all the meat is coated, set aside while preparing the sauce. 
• In a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and heat over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned. 
• Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and allow it to boil 2 to 3 minutes. Then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes. The sauce will slightly thicken and reduce. 
• In a skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Once hot add just enough steak to cover the bottom of the pan, don't overcrowd this will not allow the steak to brown. Flip once one side is browned/crisp. Apx. 5-7 minutes per side. Cook in batches, leaving the finished pieces on a plate or set them into the saucepan when done. e, 
• Once all the meat is done add to sauce. Toss so all the meat is coated. Allow it to simmer for 3 minutes at medium-low heat.
• Give the mixture a final stir and serve over rice or cauliflower rice. 
• Garnish with onions and sesame seeds (optional) 
• Enjoy!

Mini Chocolate Chip Scones

Mini Chocolate Chip Scones
with vanilla glaze (optional) 
Easy & Delicious

 Prep Time 15 minutes
 Cook Time 15 minutes                                                                  I cut the recipe in half when just making these 
 Total Time 30 minutes                                                                 scones for 2 people, my boyfriend and myself. 
 Servings Apx. 32 mini scones or 16 regular scones
​               depends on how you cut. 

​Ingredients

Scones

• 4 cups all purpose flour (465g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
• 4 teaspoon baking powder (18g)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup very cold unsalted butter frozen is better 
• 1 cup heavy cream (237ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I make mine homemade ) that's the recipe I use. 
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips, only use Enjoy Life brand, you can use whatever you want. 

Glaze
(glaze is optional) I prefer them without, my boyfriend prefers his with. 

• 1-1.5 cups powdered sugar (110g+)
• 2 Tablespoon milk (30ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional​

I always get all my ingredients out before baking. No matter if i'm going to add the recipe somewhere or take pictures, this is just how I bake. In the small bowl is my baking powder and salt, other small bowl is my sugar, larger, flour. I didn't have buttermilk so I make my own 1 cup of milk and 1/4 cup butter. 
Tall bottle is my homemade vanilla extract. 

​When at the cutting step you can cut them into 16 regular-sized or 32 petite scones to suit your preference. 
We prefer these bite-sized. 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Thoroughly cut in butter (I prefer to freeze the butter, grate it using a box grater, and then cut it in that way. This method yields the flakiest scones, but is not mandatory -- you can use cold butter cut in with a pastry cutter).
4. Measure out heavy cream in measuring cup and add vanilla extract. Stir gently.
5. Carefully stir heavy cream/vanilla mixture into flour mixture. You do not want to over-mix, but due to the amount of dry ingredients it may be tricky to well incorporate the liquid and the dry mixes. You may briefly use a KitchenAid or electric mixer on a low setting to help coax the dough to cling together.
6. Once dough is beginning to cling together, add chocolate chips, stir briefly, and then transfer to a very lightly floured surface
7. lightly knead the dough and chocolate chips together until you are able to form a ball.
8. Break the dough into 4 even pieces and round each one out into a disk about 5" wide.
9. Cut each into 8 wedges and transfer to cookie sheet.
10. Bake on 375F (190C) for 14-16 minutes.
11. While the scones cool, prepare your glaze by whisking together milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Start with 1 cup powdered sugar, and if it still seems too runny you may increase the sugar amount.
12. Once scones are cooled, dip, drizzle or spoon the glaze lightly over the top of each scone. I serve these warm and never wait until they cool to glaze, love the chocolate chips warm. 

Mixing all my dry ingredients and butter

After wet ingredients are added. Ready to separate and form into scones.

I made half a recipe

Hand pressed flat, cut and ready to go on cookie sheet.

Ready to go in the warm oven. This is the size we like, about 3 bites per scone.

Glaze, Vanilla, Powdered Sugar & Milk

Finished, right of the oven, we like them warm so the chocolate chips melt in your mouth. Half with glaze, half without

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Tonight i'm making St. Louis Style Ribs on the grill if the Monsoon rains stay away oven if they don't. So I decided to make some BBQ to go along with them. I will also be making baked potatoes. The sauce turned out better than any bottle sauce I have ever had. I just put togther some things I had and made it work. Here's what I used. I didn't have black pepper in the picture since I added it at the end.
​Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Would be good on chicken too. 

1 1/4 Cup Ketchup
4 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinager
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Salt ( I used pink salt)
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Dry Onion Flakes (also not pictured) Optional
1 Tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, I used light you can use dark
1/3 Cup Molasses
1/4 Cup Honey

Mix everything in a sauce pan, heat to a boil and turn down to a simmer stirring often. Let it all simmer about 15-20 minutes then it's done. Don't taste right off the bat, it's HOT you will burn your tongue. Let it cool or blow on the spoon. Don't just dip your finger in, trust me, I did, it was a mistake. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup ~ Fast and Easy to Make

Excellent cold nights soup. 
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Potatoes, Bacon, Green Onions & Cheese
what's not to love. 

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups milk, or more, as needed
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• If the soup is too thick for you (as it is for me) I thin it out with chicken  broth. I think it adds a better flavor plus to me it breaks up the milk flavor, I am not a big milk fan. Even when re-heating the next day I add some chicken broth to thin it out. 

***I always double or triple this recipe, one reason is I like to bring a big container to my neighbor along with some fresh baked bread. Second cuz it's EXCELLENT as leftovers. 

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and green onions.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
4.  Plus into bowls and garnish with green onion, cheese and bacon, if desired. Even a spoonful of sour cream if you would like. 
5. See my above note for re-heating directions. Let the soup cool completely before storing leftovers in the fridge. I use mine up within a day or two but could store up to a week or freeze, but not sure how well this will freeze and re-heat, never tried that. 

Crock Pot PHILLY CHEESE-STEAK SLOPPY JOES (MADE WITH GROUND BEEF)

This may look like mush or something not so appealing in the pictures. But let me tell you it's AMAZING, easy and smells so good while it cooks. 

Prep took 10 minutes total. Cook time 5 hours. 
Since you use ground beef this whole meal for 4 with the bread cost $9. There's only 2 of us so we might have leftovers. 
(we did, enough for 2 more sandwiches)

Cut up the veggies throw them in the crock pot.
One Onion, One Bell Pepper, 1 cup of Mushrooms (optional)
At the same time ground one pound beef with one clove of garlic and salt and pepper to taste. 
Leave the chunks of ground beef on the bigger side. 
(picture of beef not included till it's in the crock pot, I forgot to take one)

Toss veggies with 2 Tablespoons of flour

Add 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire (had on hand) and one can of French Onion Soup
​to the veggie mixture

Add the cooked ground beef and garlic mixture and toss around. 
Close up your crock pot. 

Set your crock pot to Low for 5 hours and wait for your house to start smelling AMAZING

At the last 5 minutes of cook time. I took the lid off my crock pot, added the 2 cups of cheese and let it melt into the mixture. You could get away with cooking for 4 hours if needed. Around the 4 hour mark I took the lid off to taste, it was ready to be served, but we weren't ready for dinner. 

Crock Pot PHILLY CHEESE-STEAK SLOPPY JOES (MADE WITH GROUND BEEF)
​Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 clove garlic
• black pepper to taste
• 1 large (or 2 small) onions slivered
• 1 large green pepper
• 1½ cups thickly sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 can low sodium condensed French Onion soup (or beef broth if you can't find French Onion)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded provolone or mozzarella (or a combination)
• Cheese Wiz (Optional) 

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef and garlic in a pan. Try not to break the beef up too much, you want to have the pieces a good size. Drain any fat.
2. Place beef, onions, pepper and mushrooms (if using) into a slow cooker. Toss with flour and pepper to taste. ( I added the salt & pepper to my beef mixture instead)
3. Pour soup & Worcestershire sauce over top of mixture and cook on low 4-5 hours.
4. Remove lid, sprinkle with cheese and replace lid for a few minutes until it melts.
5. Serve on rolls or toss with pasta (as you can see I served mine open faced and ate with a fork, it was to messy to pick up. I also added a little bit of cheese whiz for extra cheesy taste. Optional. I just happened to have some so I tired it. 

Simple to make, very little prep and a wonderful meal waiting for you when you get home. 
​Enjoy!

Crock-pot Lentil Soup

Super Easy... Perfect for a cold night,
serve with toasted french bread 

​I love lentil's and even more lentil soup. This is an insanely easy recipe and took very little time to prepare.  Just throw it all in the crock-pot, go on with your day and when dinner rolls around just toast some french bread or cheese rolls and dinner is served. 

2 medium  uncooked carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
2 ribs (medium) uncooked celery, cut into large chunks
1 medium  uncooked onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves (medium) garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dry lentils, picked over... I used green I was going to use 1/2 orange 1/2 green but can't find my orange lentils
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
6 cups vegetable broth (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
2 cups water

Place ingredients in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Cover slow cooker; cook on low setting for 6 hours.
Even better the next day. 

Homemade Minestrone Soup

I LOVE Soup, could eat it every night!
I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest from LittleSpiceJar.com, I hope she doesn't mind me posting it. Check out her site, she has TONS of excellent recipes. Below is the recipe to this super easy to make Crock Pot Minestrone Soup.
Perfect for these cooler nights. 

HOMEMADE MINESTRONE SOUP {SLOW COOKER}

Author: Little Spice Jar

Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  5 mins
Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 6-8 servings
 
An easy to make, minestrone soup recipe that tastes 1000 times better than the Olive Garden's version! My minestrone soup is loaded with good for you veggies, like spinach and zucchini. It's also protein packed with red kidney beans and great northern beans. You'll be full for hours from this healthy, nutritious soup!
INGREDIENTS

• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato pesto (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 parmesan rind
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1¼ cup celery, diced
• 1½ cup white onion, diced
• 4 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 sprig rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups zucchini, diced
• 1½ cups tubular (ditalini) pasta
• 1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
• 2½ cups baby spinach, chopped
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving (or Romano)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato pesto, parmesan rind, vegetable stock, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves to a slow cooker. Seasonw ith salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
2. Add in red kidney beans, great northern beans, zucchini, and pasta and cook on high heat for an additional 20 - 25 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese and garlic toasts.

Homemade Caramel Sauce & Chocolate Sauce

I love love love caramel apples. 
What better time of the year to enjoy then, when apples are sweet & crisp. 
I was buying caramel sauces in my local store but thought, you have to be able to make this stuff.. and sure enough I was right. 
I found this recipe online for SUPER EASY, SUPER FAST, SUPER YUMMY Caramel Sauce. 
Plus Chocolate Sauce ~ It's rich and creamy.. PERFECT for Chocolate Milk. 

Ingredients

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup half-and-half
4 TBSP butter
Pinch salt
1 TBSP vanilla extract

Chocolate Sauce
1 cup of cocoa powder
1½ cups sugar
1 cup water
a dash of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions
 Directions for Caramel Sauce
 Mix all ingredients except the vanilla in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for
5 to 7 minutes, until it gets slightly thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further.

Remove pan from stove top and let cool. Pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

Directions for Chocolate Sauce
 Mix together all the ingredients in a sauce pan, except for the vanilla and cook on medium heat. Stir
constantly until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla. Let cool for a few minutes
and enjoy! Whatever is left, pour into a jar and refrigerate.

Make ahead smoothies.....

I am not a big breakfast fan, but I know I need to eat something to get my morning started... If not I become very grumpy by lunch time and that grumpiness seems to continue all day (even when I eat lunch)
So, after searching around online for easy, fast breakfast items I came up with this...
MAKE AHEAD SMOOTHIES
You can use just about anything you would normally make a morning smoothie with. 
I choose to use spinach, banana, mixed frozen fruit, oj concentrate, hemp hearts & Arboone Daily Fiber Boost. 
The simple part is....
I took a handful of clean spinach leaves, stuffed them into a quart ziplock bag, added 1/2 a banana (skins off of course), 
1 cup of frozen mixed fruit (peaches, pineapples, grapes & strawberries) and 2 TBLS. of Orange Juice concentrate. 
Along with 1 TBLS. Hemp Hearts & 1 scoop Arboone Daily Fiber Boost. 

After filling 6 bags I closed them up and put them in my freezer. 

In the morning I take a bag out of the freezer, crunch it up in my hands, to break up the mixed fruit 
(otherwise my blender has a hard time mixing it)
 Pour the frozen items in to my Ninja blender. Add 2 cups cold water and blend for a few seconds.... 
Till I see all the spinach broken up very fine. DONE!

So Simple,Fast and DELICIOUS!

Yummy, Chocolate Chip Cookies.. Bake half, freeze the other half to bake later...

10:30pm on Tuesday my boyfriend says... Do you want to make Chocolate Chip Cookies... Um, NO!
I'm about ready to go to bed, why would I want to bake...

So, Wednesday I have an idea!
Make a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bake Half & Freeze the other half, ready to bake for those 10:30pm cravings. 

Above shows the Cookies I baked and the Cookies I froze. 
I used a small ice cream scoop to get the perfect size cookies. 

These are yummy, buttery chocolate chip cookies. 
Great for any sweet tooth. 

Ingredients
3 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups real unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (11.5 oz.) bag Ghiradelli chocolate chips, or other quality chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
3. Using paddle attachment on mixer, cream butter and sugars together just until blended.
4. Add eggs, one a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Put mixer on low speed, and add in dry ingredients.
7. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
8. Stir in chocolate chips by hand gently.
9. It's best to make bigger cookies for the right texture - so I would recommend using 4 Tablespoon size
scoop to form your cookies.
10. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes. I like mine to look a little undercooked in the middle,
then let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet for a few minutes while they cool. Then move them to a
cookie rack or plate to keep cooling.

When freezing these cookies: Form into balls- with scoop, add to a ziploc freezer bag.
 I just released the scoop into the bag, to help keep the dough together. 
They will last for about a month in the freezer. To bake just take out and bake
as directed, adding a few extra minutes of baking time.

Homemade Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This soup is so good. 
I had it for dinner ~ 2 bowls with French Bread
Then lunch the next day. 
Excellent, Creamy, Cheesy Goodness. 
If you like Broccoli & Cheese you will LOVE this soup. 
You can even make 2 batches and freeze one to re-heat later. 

5 cups chicken broth
1 cup onion, pureed or finely chopped
3 cups finely chopped fresh broccoli
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli, medium sized for texture
1 cup grated carrots
3 large cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup half and half (I used fat free)

1 cup shredded Gouda cheese ( I used smoked Gouda)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add the broccoli, onion, garlic, carrots, bay leaf and chicken broth to a pot. 
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat simmering for 15 minutes. 

2. While that is cooking, mix the butter & flour in a sauce pan, just cooking the flour for 2-3 minute
to take out the flour taste (you're making a rue), with a whisk add the half & half slowly, whisking till this mixture thickens. 

3. Slowly pour the half & half mixture into the vegetables. 
Remove from heat and add in shredded cheeses. Then add salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

4. Freezing Directions: Prepare soup as directed above and allow to cool. Divide into quart or gallon
freezer bags, label, and freeze. To serve: reheat on stove top or microwave until heated through. Enjoy

Shelley's Chicken Enchiladas

When making a grocery list last week I was searching online for new dinner ideas and came across these enchiladas of course since they had my name in them I had to try them out and I was very surprised they are EXCELLENT. I added a little extra spice to mine but if you like mild Mexican food you will love these.

I bought already shredded chicken from the deli section at my store and for extra spice I added chili powder. 

This is the description that came with the recipe: These are the BEST chicken enchiladas I have EVER eaten.  I am talking restaurant quality!  I have never been a fan of the popular chicken enchilada recipe that uses cream of chicken soup and sour cream.  Too much creaminess in each bite and not enough texture to cancel it out and because of that, I rarely get to eat chicken enchiladas. 

Now that I have this amazing recipe, I will be eating chicken enchiladas A LOT!
They are easy to make and come together pretty quick.

This site has so many great recipes, I had to steal her image ( I hope she doesn't mind) since I forgot to take a picture. 
Check it out

Shelley's Chicken Enchiladas

3 Tbl. unsalted butter
3 Tbl. flour
1 (14.5 oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 c. green salsa, depending on how spicy you want it
or 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
rotisserie chicken, shredded
or season a few chicken breasts with taco seasoning
and bake until done, then shred
2-3 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8-10 corn or flour tortillas
chopped cilantro, opt.
For the enchilada sauce: melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Whisk in the flour, one
Tablespoon at a time, to prevent lumps from forming. Cook a minute or two to cook off the flour
taste, stirring occasionally. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Continue
cooking until thickened, about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches desired thickness,
remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and green salsa; set aside. Heat tortillas for 10-15
seconds in the microwave until pliable. Divide shredded chicken between tortillas, top each with a
little bit of cheese and cilantro. Roll up and place seam-side down in a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with the
enchilada sauce and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Broil for a minute or two at the end if you want the cheese to brown. Yield: 4-5 servings.
Jenn's Notes: I cooked two Costco chicken breasts that I seasoned with taco seasoning and I had
enough chicken for 6 enchiladas. I used 1/2 cup of green salsa in the sauce and I made half with corn

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Crockpot Banana Bread

Crockpot Banana Bread

Recipe type: Slow Cooker

Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  1 hour 30 mins
Total time:  1 hour 40 mins

 
Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ⅓ cup butter or margarine
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 tbsp dark corn syrup
• 3 ripe bananas, well mashed

Instructions

1. Grease and flour a 4½ quart crockpot.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl, set aside.
3. Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
4. Slowly add sugar, eggs, corn syrup, and mashed bananas.
5. Beat until smooth.
6. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture.
7. Pour into crockpot, cover and cook on high for 1¼ to ½ hours or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Let cool, then invert bread onto serving platter.

Check the bread at the end with a toothpick some crockpots may take longer then others to cook the bread

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No-Bake Energy Bites

No-Bake Energy Bites

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time:  30 mins
Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 18-20 bites
 
Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal
• ½ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. cup oatmeal
2. /2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
3. /3 cup honey
4. cup coconut flakes
5. /2 cup ground flaxseed
6. /2 cup mini chocolate chips
7. tsp vanilla
8. Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.
9. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.
10. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!
11. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
12. **You can substitute almost anything for any of the ingredients to work around food allergies, special diets, etc. Soybutter, almond butter, cashew butter, sun butter, etc all works in place of peanut butter. You can use creamed or liquid honey, or agave nectar or even maltitol syrup in place of the honey. If you do not like or cannot eat coconut try some type of crushed cereal, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, granola, cocoa powder…the possibilities are really endless. If you cannot find ground flaxseed you can buy it whole and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or magic bullet or you can substitute any other dry ingredient in it’s place. Yes, the mini chocolate chips can be regular sized or carob or you can use raisins, cranberries, goji berries, or crushed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, whatev) of some kind.

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Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Recipe type: Slow Cooker

Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  4 hours
Total time:  4 hours 20 mins

Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients

• 2 large or 4 medium chicken breasts (can be frozen!)
• 1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup
• ½ cup Italian dressing
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 8 oz block of cream cheese
• ½ to 1 bag of frozen peas or broccoli
• 1 lb egg noodles or noodles you like

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in crockpot and add in the cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing, minced garlic, and mushrooms.
2. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, pull chicken out and shred or cut into cubes and return to the crockpot.
4. Add in the block of cream cheese and stir until combined.
5. Boil water and cook your noodles.
6. minutes before noodles are done, mix in frozen peas or broccoli into the boiling water with noodles and stir.
7. Drain noodles (and veggies) and pour alfredo sauce over top…Enjoy!

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Super Moist Chocolate Cake

This is a rich and moist chocolate cake. It only takes a few minutes to prepare the batter. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.

Super Moist Chocolate Cake
makes 2 - 9 inch round cake layers (as you can see I only frosted one)

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Cashew Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds total), cut into 1-inch cubes
• Peanut oil (about 3/4 cup, can substitute other vegetable oil)
• Chili Powder (about 3 Tbsp)
• Tamari (about 1/2 cup) (if you don't have access to tamari you can substitute soy sauce, use Wheat-free tamari or soy sauce if you need to cook gluten-free)
• Honey (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cups raw cashews
• Salt
• 3 cups roughly chopped onions (about 2 medium large onions) I added one medium yellow onion and one medium purple onion
• 3 cups roughly chopped mushrooms

Optional

• 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion greens

I added both the ginger and onion, we usually make some sort of Chinese food twice a week and by far this is the best cashew chicken I have ever had. 


1 Marinate the chicken. Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl. Add the oil. Add the tamari until the marinade turns dark brown (about 2 Tbsp per breast). Sprinkle the chili powder over the chicken pieces while stirring, so that each piece of chicken gets well coated with the chili powder and marinade. Stir in the honey, about 2 tablespoons for each breast. Add chopped ginger if using. Marinate for 1/2 hour to several hours, the longer the better.

2 Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Spread the cashews in a single layer over the bottom of the pan. Stir until lightly browned, remove from heat.

3 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. (it spatters i think due to the honey so make sure you have a splatter screen, I didn't and had a mess to clean up after dinner) Working in batches if needed so you don't crowd the pan, use tongs to remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place them in the pan, reserving the extra marinade. Sauté the chicken pieces until just cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside. Place any extra marinade back in the pan and simmer for several minutes (to kill any bacteria). Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the marinade into a separate bowl and reserve.

4 In the same pan, sauté the onions on medium high to high heat for several minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked, several minutes more. Add some reserved marinade to the pan if necessary.

5 Combine chicken, mushrooms, onions, with the cashews. Stir in onion greens (if using) right before serving. Serve over rice.

Makes: Serves 4-6.

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Disclaimer

Not all Recipes are my own, some are found on the internet off some of my favorite sites. 
Others are from a "get fit" type site I belong to and others are my own family recipes. 

I will always try and add pictures when available so you can see the finished product. If you make a recipe and want to send me your pics to add to my site feel free to email them to me, shellyrand@gmail.com

Enjoy each and every one and comment if you try one and like, think something should be added or changed or just are not happy with. So others can know if they should/shouldn't try. 

Thank you

Hearty White Bean Soup

After Prep of all ingredients

Hearty White Bean Soup

4 cups veggie stock
4 cups white beans (We use dried beans and just soak them overnight.)
3 cloves garlic
6 organic carrots
6 celery stalks
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 bay leaf
1 medium yellow onion
1 T olive oil
1 T parsley
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
salt to taste

In a food processor (or by hand), finely chop the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Put everything in a crock pot, turn on low, and let the contents slowly get warm.After they are warm (about an hour), you can turn on high and let slow cook for some time.  The longer you can let it cook, the better. I would suggest waiting to salt after everything has had a chance to cook.  If you salt a soup to early, you run the risk of it being too salty as some of the liquid inevitably boils off.  I cooked mine for a total of 6 hours.  Enjoy!

The smell in the house was to die for. I couldn't wait for the soup to get done. 

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