Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

As many of you know from my previous blogs, I love cooking with bacon. So, today I made my Aunt Karen's famous bacon wrapped water chestnuts. Whenever we are over her house my Dad and I have to fight over them! They are so delicious and so, today I tried to recreate that special family treat. Surprisingly, They actually tasted really good and my Dad did eat a lot of them! To make this recipe please click on the link below:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/bacon-wrapped-water-chestnuts

Asian Lettuce Wraps

One of my family's favorite restaurants is P.F Chang's. When we go there we love to order their Asian  lettuce wraps. Their the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, and crunchy and when we order them they're gone in a matter of five minutes! So, today I tried to recreate their recipe. These were so delicious and tasted almost as good as the P.F Chang's recipe. To make them just click on the link below:

http://damndelicious.net/2014/05/30/pf-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

Rice Crispy Treats

Today, I made rice crispy treats. They were really easy to make and they were a great treat for lunches or deserts. Since my younger cousin Parker was her she was able to help me make them too! They were so delicious and Parker loved them we had them with clementines for desert. To make this super easy treat, simply follow the recipe below;

Ingredients:

- 6 cups of rice krispies 

- 1 10 oz package of regular marshmallows 

- 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine 

Instructions:

1. Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add the rice krispies one cup at a time, string until well coated

3. Press mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2 pan coated well with cooking spray. Use a buttered spatula or buttered wax paper to prevent sticking while pressing mixture down. Cool completely. Cut into squares.

4. Enjoy!
                                                                       Focused...

                                                                          Yum!

Melting Marshmallows...

Granola

One of our super easy breakfast go-to meals is granola. It also makes a great snack! To make it I used the 100 Days of Real Food recipe. It took me fifteen minutes all together and was super delicious. I have used it for breakfast, snacks, and lunches. For people that don't really like the sweetness of granola, this recipe is perfect because it is not too sweet, but not too salty. To make this and other delicious treats click on the link below:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/04/recipe-granola-bars-cereal/

Blueberry Muffins

One of my favorite things to have for breakfast is blueberry muffins. Today I used the simple mornings brand of blueberry muffin mix. It has no preservatives and all natural ingredients. To make them I simply followed the instructions on the box and baked them. They were so yummy and later that day I took them to a friends house for a sleepover they loved them too! To make blueberry muffins from scratch, you can click on this link for the 100 Days of Real Food recipe.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/12/recipe-fruit-nut-or-berry-or-whatever-you-want-them-to-be-whole-wheat-muffins/

Balsamic Pears and Chicken

My grandma makes the best food, and one of my favorite recipes she makes is her balsamic pears and  chicken. So, today I tried to recreate it. This was so delicious and my whole family loved it! This meal however, does take a little bit more time to make so I made it on Thursday when I had a little bit more time. To make this recipe please click on the link below:

Enjoy!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Poultry/BalsChickenPear.htm

Apple Sandwiches

I'm personally not a huge fan of lunch meat. So, whenever I find a recipe for a lunch that doesn't involve lunchmeat I definitely will try to make it! As I was searching my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook I came across a lunch recipe for apple sandwiches with frozen peas, pita chips, and cheese. This was a super yummy lunch and super easy to make. Please click on the link below to view the recipe and make it for your kids or even yourself!

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/21/how-to-make-an-apple-sandwich/

Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a delicious food that almost everyone likes. However, they don't have the best ingredients. So, today I made some homemade chicken nuggets. Again, I used the wonderful 100 Days of Real Food blog and they were absolutely delicious! Please click on this link to see the recipe for the chicken nuggets and check to her blog for many more delicious recipes!

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/10/14/recipe-homemade-chicken-nuggets/

Pot Roast in the Crockpot

 For days that our schedules are very busy, one of our easiest meals we make is a pot roast in the crockpot. This is a super easy meal and all I had to do was put the meat in the crockpot and I came home from school and it was done! To make this super easy meal just follow this recipe;

Ingredients:

- 1 whole pot roast

- carrots

- onions

- celery 

- chicken broth

- salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste and put it in the crockpot.

2. Add the chicken broth (about 2 cups).

3. Add the carrots, onions, and celery, you can put as many as you like.

4. Cook on low heat in the crockpot for about 9 hours.

5. Of course, enjoy!

French Toast

French toast is one of my favorite breakfast meals and since I spent the night at my Grandma's house, I asked her if she could teach me the recipe. This was super yummy and a great breakfast treat! To make this meal, follow the directions below;

Ingredients:

- cinnamon bread

- 4 eggs

- cinnamon

- cooking oil

Instructions:

1. Cut the cinnamon bread into triangles.

2. Dip the bread in the egg. 

3. Sprinkle it with cinnamon. 

4. Coat the pan with oil and simmer the french toast until brown on both sides.

5. Enjoy!

Grammy's Chicken Parmesan

I love my Grandma's cooking. So, today I made one of my Grandma's favorite dishes myself, chicken parmesan. This recipe was so delicious and I really enjoyed spending time with my Grandma in the kitchen. To make this easy recipe follow these simple instructions:

Ingredients: 

-4 whole chicken breasts

-cooking oil 

-mozzarella cheese (shredded)

-breadcrumbs

-marinara sauce

-1 egg

Instructions: 

1. Dip the chicken in the egg and then coat it with the breadcrumbs.

2. Fry the chicken in oil until it's golden brown on both sides.

3. Pour a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of a  9x13 pan.

4. Place the chicken in the marinara sauce.

5. Coat the chicken with the cheese and bake it for 20-25 minutes.

6. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork in the Crockpot

This is a super easy recipe for my family to make, especially on Friday nights when we are really busy.  Today I made pulled pork sandwiches and mac and cheese. Again I used the 100 Days of Real Food blog for this recipe and it was so delicious and my family really enjoyed. Please click the link below to access this recipe:

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/12/03/recipe-best-pulled-pork-crock-pot/

Homemade Alfredo With Chicken and Broccoli

My family loves to have pasta. Since my sister and I aren't huge fans of red sauce, I made a homemade white sauce. Tasting this made me realize how fake the sauce in the jar tastes. This pasta was so delicious and one of my families favorites. It was also so light and didn't leave you feeling so stuffed and sick. To make this simple sauce just click on the link below:

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-make-alfredo-sauce/

*you may want to double the recipe*

100 Days Of Real Food Pita Pizzas

Pizza is so delicious but it isn't always the healthiest option. So, today I used a recipe from my 100 Days of Real Food Cookbook for lunches made with mini pita pizzas. They were so delicious and so easy. To cook them I just put them in the microwave at school for 30 seconds. To make this recipe and other delicious recipes by this chef please click on the link below.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/02/04/school-lunch-roundup-iii/

*when you get to the website just scroll down a little bit and click on the picture*

Breakfast Smoothie

I love smoothies and so today I made a super easy breakfast smoothie that I didn't even have to get up early to make! It was super sweet and a great breakfast treat. I use the nutri-bullet for my smoothies but, you can use any blender you want. To make this I just used 4 frozen strawberries, 1/2 of a banana, a dollop of honey, and I filled the mixture with three quarters of the way full with almond milk. Next, I just blended it up for about 1 minute and enjoyed with a breakfast bar!

Homemade Chinese Food

My family loves  Chinese food and one of our super easy go-to meals for our on the go days is Chinese food. It is so delicious and it takes only about fifteen minutes to cook also it's really cheap and a great money-saver. To make the egg rolls and the potstickers I used the Trader Joe's brand. You simply pop the egg rolls in the oven for about fifteen minutes and the potstickers can be simmered on the stove for 6-8 minutes. The stir fry is so easy to make. You simply take any leftover veggies, some olive oil, organic chicken, and soy sauce and simmer it for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is  cooked all the way through. I made this dish all by myself, it was super easy and a hit with my family!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Today I made brussel sprouts. They are a quick and easy side dish for any meal and they are really good! This recipe in particular jumped out at me because it has bacon in it and bacon makes everything better. These were so tasty and we had them with roasted pork chops for dinner. To make these you can simply click on this link and enjoy!

http://blogghetti.blogspot.com/2013/04/roasted-brussel-sprouts-with-bacon-and.html

Homemade Applesauce

One of my favorite fall treats is applesauce. My family loves it, and it's a great snack or side dish. So, today I attempted to make my own homemade applesauce. It was delicious, super easy and required very little prep time. To make the applesauce just follow this simple recipe:

Ingredients: 

-4 to 5 apples (peeled, cored, and diced)

-cinnamon

-apple cider

Instructions: 

1. Peel all the apples cut them and put them into a large bowl.

2. Add cinnamon to your taste 

3. Add a small amount of apple cider (water works as well)

4. Put into a slow cooker or crockpot on low until smooth

5. Stir occasionally 

6. Serve it! It's good hot or cold

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It is a Halloween tradition to carve our pumpkins and then roast the seeds. So, this year I decided to take on the task of making them myself. That meant even finding them in the bottomless bucket of pumpkin guts, "yuck!" These seeds are so good and super easy to make. Please click on this link to find the recipe for the pumpkin seeds:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pumpkin-seeds-recipe.html

Flank Steak Fajitas

Do you ever have a strange craving for something delicious, but you don't have the cooking skills to make it? Well, this simple recipe from the 100 Days of Real Food blog you can do just that. The flank steak fajitas in the crockpot are so good and so easy. I got up early to put it all in the crockpot and I came home from school and it was ready for dinner! Please click on the link below for the recipe and check out the website too! I will definitely use this source again for future recipes.

Here is the link for the delicious fajitas:      

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/19/recipe-slow-cooker-flank-steak-fajitas/comment-page-11/#comment-478807

Mini Lasagna Cups

We are always in need of something quick and easy for dinner or lunch. At my school we have a microwave so we can take leftovers to heat up at lunch. Today I made baked lasagna cups. They're perfect for a snack or for a lunch item. Please click on this link for the recipe for the mini lasagna cups!

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/mini-lasagna-cups.html

Here is an image of the baked mini lasagna cups:

          

My younger sister Maren LOVED them too!

Benihana Fried Rice

Eating at Benihana is a family favorite. We absolutely love their chicken fried rice. It's a delicious buttery, salty flavor with lots of cholesterol. As much butter as it might have, we love it and we have it every once in a while to eat up the extra veggies. Today I decided to make the copy-cat recipe for my family it was delicious! Please click on this link to make the fried rice

http://www.copykat.com/2009/05/12/benihana-fried-rice/

Orzo Salad

Everyone has their favorite dish they like to bring to a summer barbecue. My personal favorite is one that we don't actually normally bring, but it's definitely one of my summer favorites. Today, I tried making my Aunt Angie's orzo salad. It is absolutely delicious and requires very little prep time. This dish is perfect for a snack, barbecue, or a lunch dish. For this salad I used the J-Alexanders copycat recipe. Please click on the link below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/977/J-Alexanders-Orzo-and-Wild-R94454.shtml

Here is an image of the finished orzo salad:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Cups

Macaroni and cheese is one of my all time favorite meals, so today I decided to make a homemade recipe for baked macaroni and cheese cups. These were one of my favorite things I've created so far and my family liked them a lot too! To make this delicious treat I used this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-mac-and-cheese-muffins/

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

My family loves pickles and my mom makes them all the time. So, today I attempted to make them myself. They're perfect for a snack or side dish and they're absolutely delicious! I can't wait to see what they taste like when they're finished and what my family members think of them. I hope they taste half as good as they look! To make this easy recipe click on this link:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/refrigerator-dill-pickles/detail.aspx

These pickles look so good! I can't wait to taste them!

Baked Oatmeal

Today I made another breakfast meal, baked oatmeal. This is one of our easy go-to meals for breakfast. We make it for our Mom on Mother's Day and on the weekends. My favorite variation of it is chocolate peanut butter. It tastes like cake for breakfast! You can also make it with berries, apples, nuts, or whatever your favorite combination is. Here is the recipe for the peanut butter baked oatmeal that I made. http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2009/05/peanut-butter-baked-oatmeal.html

I love to sprinkle chocolate chips on top of my baked oatmeal before it's done baking.

Fruit Parfaits

My family is very hard to feed when it comes to breakfast. Either we don't have time to make something in the morning, or we don't feel like making something new. So, I decided to make something quick and easy for breakfast, so today I made fruit parfaits. These are so easy to make and are oh, so delicious! To make these I followed this simple easy recipe:

Ingredients:

-lowfat greek yogurt

-your favorite fall fruits

-granola (I made my own)

Instructions:

1. Put a layer of greek yogurt in a cup.

2. Put a layer of fruit on top of the yogurt.

3. Put a layer of granola on top of the fruit.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 as many times as you would like.

5. Top it off with a star shaped piece of kiwi.

These were a delicious treat for breakfast!

This is the homemade granola recipe from 100 Days of Real Food: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/04/recipe-granola-bars-cereal/

Salsa and Guacamole

In my family, we're usually really busy during the week especally on Tuesdays. One of our go to grab and go meals for those days are the better than chipotle burrito bowls http://damndelicious.net/2014/09/10/easy-burrito-bowls/.

So, since I have always loved homemade, fresh salsa I decided to make homemade salsa and guacamole to top off the burrito bowls. To make the salsa I used the following recipe:

 Ingredients:

-3 cups of tomatoes

-1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper

-1 cup of onion diced

-2 tbs of fresh lime juice

-4 tsp of jalapeño pepper seeds included

-1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

-1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper 

-2 cloves of garlic 

-a dash of chili powder

-salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions:

Stir all ingredients in a bowl, chill for about an hour and serve.

Here is an image of the finished salsa

For the guacamole, I followed these instructions: 

Ingredients:

-1 whole avocado pit removed and skin peeled

-a dash of ground cumin 

-1 pressed clove of garlic

-quarter teaspoon of chili powder

-dash of cayenne pepper

-half of squeezed lime

-salt and pepper

*adjust seasonings to your taste level*

Here is an image of the finished guacamole

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Out of request of some of my best friends, I made my favorite Halloween desert today. Pumpkin muffins. Well, I guess you could probably call them cupcakes because they do have frosting... To make this delicious treat I used the following recipe:

Instructions:
-1 package (18.25 ounces) of spice cake mix
-1 can (15 ounces) of 100% pure pumpkin
-3 grade A large eggs
-1/3 cup of vegetable oil
-1/3 cup of water
-1 container (16 ounce) prepared cream cheese or vanilla frosting
-assorted sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups. Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs,vegetable oil, and water in a large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. spread cupcakes with frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

*most importantly, enjoy them with friends or family*

I shared mine with my friends when they came over to make our Halloween costumes!!!

Turkey Stock

Today I made my first recipe! I started with something a little more simplistic, chicken stock. On sunday my family got together for a fun holiday meal, and believe it or not, we brought home the turkey carcass. Many times before my mom had made broth from the bones of the chicken so I tried it on my own. I started with the turkey carcass and put it in the crockpot. Then, I added water all the way to the rim of the crockpot. After that, I added a teaspoon of Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute(or any other seasoning blend), a teaspoon of salt,  just under a teaspoon of pepper, and finally three bay leaves these amounts can vary based upon your taste level. Next, I turned the crockpot on low and let it sit overnight for about ten hours and in the morning I removed the bay leaves and drained out the rest of the carcass. I plan on using this broth later on for some tasty Fall soup! please click on the link to find the recipe I used for the broth.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/01/24/recipe-overnight-chicken-stock-in-the-crock-pot/

This is a picture of the chicken stock in the crockpot:

After 12 hours in the crockpot, this is what the broth looked like:

We used the stock to make an Olive Garden pasta e fagioli soup

 *it was delicious*

Click on this link to find the soup recipe I used.

http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/10/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-soup-copycat-recipe/

Introduction

My mom spends a lot of time and energy preparing healthy, delicious home cooked meals for our family. For my 30 day challenge I decided to contribute one thing (meal, side dish etc...)for our family every day. For example say my mom was making a holiday style meal, I would contribute by making the stuffing. This challenge is going to benefit specifically my mom because, by not having all the stress of making a meal for our family she will have more time to spend on her own relaxing, or doing other things she would like to do. It is also going to benefit me because when I leave my parents' home and live on my own, I want to be able to cook healthy meals for myself.  According to Michael Pollen, "It is no coincidence that the rise in obesity closely tracks the decline in home cooking." After this challenge, I will know how to make 30 dishes!  Today I kicked of my 3o day challenge by figuring out the recipes I would like to make and creating a grocery list and making a meal chart. this is going to be one big challenge but it will be a lot of fun!