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NO CHURN BOURBON PECAN ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE SWIRLS

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The Heat

This seems like the hottest summer we’ve had in my nine years of living in Texas. Maybe I’m just feeling the pain of not being able to cool off in a swimming pool or at a movie theater but this heat is miserable. While doing my best to stay put at home due to COVID19, I’ve been looking for fun ways to stay cool. My family and I primarily stay inside but lets face it, a three year old needs to get outside to burn energy every once in a while. We’ve mostly taken to playing with the hose out on our driveway (fire ants keep us off the lawn). If we are lucky, we hit a day that is below 80 degrees in the morning and go for a walk but that isn’t often. I don’t think I’ve ever wished so badly to have a pool in my own backyard!

The Cool Down

Given all this heat, you know I’m not spending much time using the oven or even the stovetop right now. Instead, my work from home lunches are consisting of sandwiches and fresh fruit. That sweet tooth still needs attention too though. Bring on the no churn ice cream!!! What I love about no churn is that it is so darn easy to make but also, the flavor options are endless. I often grab whatever looks good from the pantry and just create as the mood strikes. This time around, I had a small bottle of bourbon sitting on my counter and some leftover pecan pieces tucked away in my freezer. I love it when ingredients from other recipes can easily come together for something new. Go ahead and make this incredible no churn bourbon pecan ice cream with chocolate swirls. Tuck in the back of the freezer until the kids have gone to bed and then indulge!

No Churn Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream With Chocolate Swirls

Sarah Baade
Soft serve bourbon ice cream with pecans and chocolate swirls – no churn required.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups heavy cream, cold
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup pecan pieces
  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Instructions
 

  • In a large, chilled bowl, beat heavy cream on high until soft peaks form.
  • Beat sweetened condensed milk, bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla and salt into heavy cream until fully incorporated.
  • Stir pecans into ice cream mixture.
  • Pour half of the ice cream mixture into a 9×5 loaf pan. Drizzle half of the melted chocolate over ice cream in pan. Swirl chocolate into ice cream mixture with a knife. Repeat this process with second half of ice cream and chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Notes

Techniques for melting chocolate:
  • Double boiler – place a heat safe bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir your chocolate chips/pieces in the bowl until it is fully melted.
  • Microwave – heat chocolate chips/pieces in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds then stir. Repeat this until chocolate is fully melted.
Keyword Bourbon Pecan Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Recipe, No Churn, No Churn Ice Cream

More No Churn Recipes

EASY SKILLET STYLE STREET CORN

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It has been a month since my last blog post. A full month. My brain has been overwhelmed lately. I know I’m not alone in that. When there is so much going on in our world, it can be difficult to focus on the lighter things in life.

COVID19

As COVID19 shut things down and people started losing their jobs, I felt like food just wasn’t important enough to explore or share. Even when creativity did hit, I had a hard time getting ingredients I wanted.

Black Lives Matter

After the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, my focus shifted to my own friends and neighbors of the Black community. Free time became researching Black history, signing petitions and educating myself on how to raise an anti-racist child. I did not have the capacity to also think about food in creative ways for this platform.

Food

A lot of thought and re-evaluation has gone into this blog and what I want it to provide for others. As budgets have become tighter for a lot of folks, affordable food is more important than ever. Not only that, but sharing recipes brings people together – something we desperately need right now. You can learn so much about a person by exploring the foods they grew up with, who they ate with and what went into creating those meals. Our country needs so much healing right now, so much change. We can’t gather around tables to get to know one another right now but we can still share recipes.

I’m sharing my version of street corn on this post. A recipe I never would have created without the cultural (Mexican) influence within my city of San Antonio. Ingredients required for this recipe are affordable and you likely have most of them on hand already (seriously). Use it as a side dish as you’re grilling out or add it to your #TacoTuesday meal. I know you’re going to love this one!

Easy Skillet Style Street Corn

Sarah Baade
All the flavor you love from street corn, no grill required.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups frozen corn
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
  • 1/4 cup queso fresco
  • garnish with cilantro (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Add corn to a large dry skillet over medium heat. Cook corn until it starts to char, stir frequently as it cooks.
  • Once corn is cooked, remove from heat and add mayonnaise, lime juice, and spices. Stir until evenly distributed.
  • Top corn with queso fresco and cilantro (if desired).

Notes

  • I used 1/4 teaspoon cayenne but this might be too much heat for those sensitive to spice.
  • This dish can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Keyword Corn, Mexican Street Corn, Skillet Street Corn, Street Corn

If you are able to make financial contributions to positively impact your community, I highly encourage you to do so. Here are some links to causes I donate to: NAACP Legal Defense Fund , San Antonio Food Bank , Snack Pak 4 Kids SA

TODDLER MEAL TIME – What’s working for us right now

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Toddler meal time – What’s working for us right now. Those last two words of the title are important. “Right now.” If I’ve learned anything in my measly three and a half years of parenting, its that nothing stays the same for long. The only constant, is change. I don’t have a degree in nutrition, or pediatrics, or even early childhood development. What I do have is a kiddo who used to eat nearly anything we gave her but now decides she hates foods on a whim. By the way, I hear this is normal. Normal doesn’t make it less stressful though.

One of the best pieces of parenting advice I’ve heard is to look at your circle of friends and how they parent their kids. If you don’t want to parent in the same way as a certain friend, don’t go to them for advice. Likewise, if your friend’s parenting style is what you aspire to be like, those are the folks to when things get challenging. With this in mind, I’ve been taking in meal time advice from dear friends as well as a variety of online resources.

What we were doing before our overhaul

We initially tried giving our daughter exactly what we were eating on most nights. Sometimes she would go for it but, more often than not, she would reject dinner. We would end up in a battle just trying to get her to eat one bite of peas (one of her favorites, by the way). There were tears, time outs and all three of us ended up exhausted. Other nights, we didn’t want to deal with tantrums so we would just let her have the cereal or mac & cheese she requested. I love cereal and mac & cheese too but I’d really rather provide her with a balanced diet than a bowl full of carbs. The only thing keeping me from feeling guilty is that her teachers consistently report she is the best eater in her class.

What we’re doing now

  1. Our first move was to change up our daughter’s plates. Yes, we were using colorful kids plates before but this still made a positive impact on her attitude. We now swap out between her usual plates and some colorful 4 or 6 cup cupcake pans.
  2. We put a different food in each cup – always at least one food that we know she’ll eat and the others might be familiar or might not. If we are giving her a new food, it is from whatever my husband and I are eating that night. We also occasionally put a small treat in one of the cups.
  3. We tell her she can eat what she wants and doesn’t have to eat what she doesn’t want. She can even eat the treat first if wants to. However, she is expected to have good manners and not complain or push anything off of her plate.
  4. We don’t ask her or tell her to try things. In other words, the “polite bite” has been eliminated. We talk about the color or shape of new foods but we don’t require a bite to see if she likes something. She sees us eating the foods we are serving and this approach seems to naturally spur her curiosity. Just the other night she initiated conversation about the shape and color of asparagus and she ended up eating the serving we had put on her plate. Win!!!
  5. We eat in different locations. Most of the time we are still eating at the dining room table. But we also eat quite a few meals on the back porch, the front porch, or even picnic style on the living room floor. Location typically depends on what we’re serving. In other words, we aren’t giving our toddler soup in the middle of the floor for fear of spilling.
  6. If my husband and I aren’t eating at the same time as our daughter, we still sit with her. We take turns reading books while she eats. She often ends up eating everything on her plate without even thinking about it simply because she’d so focused on the stories and doesn’t realize she’s eaten those peas!

Honestly, these changes have been beneficial for all of us. Variety keeps things fun and not having any rules about trying things has eliminated pressure and stress. We are having far fewer tantrums. She is also eating a more balanced diet. I’m realistic that this may not last forever but I will also say this has been the longest streak of meal time success we’ve had. You know your own kiddo better than anyone else does. Review the list of changes we’ve made and see if you think any of them might resonate with your family.

I’m including some links to products we use (or similar) as resources for you – just click on the images below for the links. Full disclosure, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

SWEET VANILLA SNACK MIX

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COVID quarantine has me craving all the snacks! I’m not the only one, right?! I’ve realized that when I’m working from my office, there are multiple factors that keep me from thinking about food all day. As an audiologist, I’m obviously not going to be snacking while seeing a patient. Can you imagine your doctor doing something like that? No way! The second biggest reason I don’t snack at work is that I simply don’t have access to snacks. We don’t even have a vending machine at our office, let alone a cafeteria. Sure, I could keep a box of snacks in the break room but if that doesn’t exist, I don’t even think twice. Working from home is strange in general but my biggest struggle has proven to be full kitchen access just 20′ from my desk.

I love snack mix! Yes, it satisfies my snacking urges but it is also so versatile! You can change up the flavor based on your cravings – sweet vs salty, etc. But you can also change it up based on what you already happen to have in your pantry. Currently, my daughter has been on a kick of mixing Cheerios and Crispix into one bowl for breakfast. Since that’s what we have on hand right now, both of those went into this new recipe. I happen to keep pecans on hand for baking so I tossed those in as well. You see what I’m getting at here? My general process for snack mix includes two cereal varieties, a cracker, some sort of nut and something salty. On occasion, I also add something sweet. To help get you inspired to create your own mix, I’ve created a list of possible ingredients for you.

Snack Mix Ingredient Ideas:

  • Rice, corn, wheat or oat based cereals that have a crunch
  • Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans
  • Sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds
  • Pretzels, bagel chips, rye chips, oyster crackers, cheese based cracker such as cheez-its or goldfish
  • Candy coated chocolates such as m&m’s, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, banana chips, dried mango – note, these sweet ingredients are best added after the rest of the mix has baked and cooled completely.

SEET VANILLA SNACK MIX

Sarah Baade
This sweet vanilla snack mix has a crunch and light sweetness that will keep you coming back for more.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Crispix cereal
  • 2 cups cheerios (plain)
  • 2 cups pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup oyster crackers
  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup candy coated chocolates (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250°F.
  • In a large bowl, mix together Crispix, Cheerios, oyster crackers, pretzels and pecans.
  • In a medium, microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Then, with butter still hot, whisk in brown sugar, vanilla and salt.
  • Pour butter mixture over cereal mix and stir until cereal mix is evenly coated.
  • Transfer mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet and and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  • Let snack mix cool completely before stirring in candy coated chocolates.
Keyword Snack, Snack Mix, Sweet Snack, Sweet Vanilla Snack Mix, Vanilla

*If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my Honey Sriracha Snack Mix.

SEVEN DATE NIGHT AT HOME IDEAS

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A year and a half ago, my husband and I sat down to come up with date night ideas. We have a young daughter which means date night is twice as expensive as it was before we became parents. (BTW, when did babysitters start charging so much???) Yes, we hire babysitters when we need to but Hubs and I also have an arrangement with friends where we swap babysitting once per month. So, one night per month, my husband or I will go to our friends’ house to baby sit their little one while they go out on a date. Another night that month, we swap so that my husband and I get a date night. I highly recommend this arrangement!!! People we trust and we don’t have to pay anything extra but it is equally valuable to both couples.

Ultimately, when we sat down to come up with those date night ideas, we split it into two categories: date night out and date night in. We wrote down several ideas for each category on a little piece of paper. Each idea got folded up and placed into its appropriate jar and we did not tell each other what we wrote. Every month, we choose one idea for our date night out and one for a date night in. Honestly, the date night out ideas are plentiful, especially because we live in a large city. Date night in? That is a different story. We had to get more creative so that we weren’t just sitting on the couch watching another movie. I’m so glad we put the effort into those date night in ideas because they have become far more valuable lately. What I’ve done here is list out our top seven date night in ideas. I encourage you to put the ideas in a jar and draw one at least once per month. Definitely add in some of your own ideas while you’re at it! After the kids are in bed (if you have kids), put that date into action!

1) Water Color Portraits

Try not to take yourselves too seriously on this, you don’t need to be the next Picasso to have a good time. Neither my husband nor I are great artists which means we really got some good laughs out of this activity. Make is abstract or give it some honest effort but take your time and don’t show each other the finished product until you’re finished. If you don’t have water colors, use crayons, markers, or whatever you have on hand.

2) Food Sampling

Each person gets to pick 3 to 5 items from the kitchen (or the store if you’re able to get out) and create a charcuterie board of sorts. Explain to each other why you chose what you did and which items should be paired together (cheese with crackers for example). Feel free to add a favorite beverage as well. You can create a score card to make it like a food competition. Give points for creativity, plating and how well the items paired together.

3) Origami Folding Party

Hop online and find a website that offers free origami patterns. Take turns choosing a pattern and then see who can fold the pattern the fastest or the most precisely. You can buy origami paper if you want but you could just as easily cut wrapping paper or printer paper into the required size for each pattern.

4) S’mores & Camp Fire Stories

If you happen to have a fire pit in your backyard and want to make s’mores the old-fashioned way, go for it. But, no, you don’t need an actual campfire for this. On a sheet pan, you can lay out graham crackers topped with chocolate, topped with a large marshmallow. Pop these babies in the oven and broil them until you get your mallows golden and toasty (watch them closely so you don’t burn them beyond recognition). Get creative with your ingredients. Use chocolate graham crackers or even different types of cookies as your base. Try different types of chocolate – I love jalapeno spiced chocolate for my s’mores. You could even try peeps instead of traditional marshmallows if you have them. Once your s’mores are assembled, sit down and tell your favorite camp fire stories.

5) Make A Craft

Similar to the water color portraits listed above, you don’t need to over engineer this. Grab whatever you have on hand – paints, dry pasta, glue, paper, whatever. Just get creative. You could make necklaces, paint flowers, build a tower. You can work on the same project together or turn it into a contest and let your kids or friends judge the winner the next day.

6) Pillow Fort

This might be my favorite date night in idea. I mean, who doesn’t love a good pillow fort??? Grab any/all spare blankets, sheets and pillows. Build the pillow fort your younger self always dreamed of creating.  Once your fort is built, snuggle up together and talk about your favorite childhood memories.

7) Love Languages Test

The Five Love Language test is a great (and free) online tool to help you and your significant other get to know each other better. You sit down individually to answer several questions which will ultimately give insight into what your love language is. Once you’ve completed the test, you sit together and share your results. The categories are Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. You’ll probably learn some things about yourself but my hope is that you and your partner will talk out the results you each got and, ultimately, better understand what is important to one another.

*Snack Ideas

Some of these date ideas already have food options included but the others are open to snacks as well. Here are some of our favorite snack recipes to choose from:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Easy Buffalo Dip

Honey Sriracha Snack Mix

Blackberry Cheesecake No Churn Ice Cream

Key Lime Sugar Cookies

Lemon Hummus with Rosemary Pita Chips

Potato Chip Cookies

Easy Pasta Salad

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At the beginning of the year, I set three food goals for myself. 1)Cook a meal for another family once each month. 2)Buy from my local farmers market at least once per month. 3)Bake a bread recipe of one sort or another each month. Friends, COVID-19 has seriously interrupted these plans! Social distancing, businesses (and the farmers markets) closed, and difficulty finding flour in the stores. I will revisit these goals when I am able to but in the mean time, I have been focusing on simple recipes.

Fancy ingredients and complicated cooking techniques are not prerequisites to a good meal. In fact, some of my favorite dishes are made quickly with just a handful of ingredients. With this in mind, along with my yearning for farmers market produce, I’ve created my easy pasta salad. There is also some versatility in this recipe. You can use whatever small pasta you can get your hands on. Eat it as a side dish, or add your favorite protein to make it your entree. And once you can go to your farmers market again, be sure to show your support and buy your ingredients for this one from your local farmers.

Easy Pasta Salad

Sarah Baade
An easy to make pasta salad that can be used as a side dish or an entree.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dinner, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb small pasta such as orecchiette, shells or elbow noodles
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (divided) olive oil
  • 15 oz canned chickpeas
  • 12 oz small tomatoes – mixed variety, halved
  • 1 medium cucumber, cut into 1/4" slices then quartered
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: protein such as tofu, grilled bratwurst, or grilled chicken

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta then rinse with cold water until cooled.
  • Transfer pasta to a large bowl and stir together with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  • Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion then toss to combine.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, Italian herb seasoning and salt. Pour over pasta and gently stir until pasta is evenly coated. Top with protein of choice if desired.
Keyword Easy Pasta Salad, Easy Recipe, Pasta, Pasta Salad

BEST BANANA BREAD

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Our perspectives have changed lately. Wouldn’t you agree? What we need or want most in our day to day isn’t what we were probably focusing on most a few weeks ago. Just this week, I was reassigned from my office to work from home. My husband had already been working from home for a few weeks. We have a lot to be thankful for that both of our jobs are considered “essential” and I truly don’t take that financial blessing lightly. However, just like everyone else, there is still a lot of stress to be had. Backup plans for childcare, how to get groceries, will we find toilet paper before we run out? More than anything, are all of our loved ones okay? It is all so strange but I am thankful to be home and thankful I have a loving family to spend my time with.

As mentioned above, grocery shopping has become an interesting adventure. We have managed curbside pickup at our local grocery store as well as Target. We have also purchased some basic provisions from local restaurants. Still, I was struggling to find flour. This is where my husband’s office comes into play. He works for a large company and their cafeteria services started offering grocery pick up for certain items. Friends, I finally scored a 5lb bag of flour! What will I be baking first with this prize? My best banana bread. I created this recipe a couple of months ago as part of my recent trend of comfort food recipes. If ever there was a time for comfort food, I think this is it! This weekend, I’ll be baking up a loaf of this sweet and easy to make banana bread.

Best Banana Bread

Sarah Baade
Super moist and easy to make. This is my go-to banana bread recipe!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (can substitute with plain Greek yogurt if desired)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 very ripe, medium bananas
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat together butter, sour cream and sugar. Beat in bananas. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
  • Gradually stir in half of the dry ingredients. Add milk and stir to combine. Gradually stir in remaining dry ingredients.
  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 10minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Keyword Banana Bread, Easy Recipe, Homemade Banana Bread

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like my Pumpkin Bread.

BAKED OATMEAL

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This week is the 3rd anniversary of Slice Of Honey! As I look back over all of my posts, I find myself filling up with joy and pride. When I started, I wasn’t sure how long I would last or if I was capable of making the progress I knew I needed. Here I am. Three years in and I almost can’t believe the improvements I have made in my recipes, my photography, and my writing. There is still plenty of room for improvement (believe me, I’m aware of this). But still… Go ahead, look back at my first few posts back in 2017 and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I haven’t updated very many of those original posts because they are such a strong reminder of how far I’ve come. And yes, I am absolutely giving myself a pat on the back!

While I’m celebrating this blog, I also find myself in a tornado of other emotions. The world is trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all learning how to isolate while trying to remain social at a healthy distance. Thank you modern technology!!! We are learning to adapt to new work and education environments. We are also learning how to be more creative. That is may angle with this baked oatmeal recipe – you can adapt and get creative with this one! I’m giving you the recipe as I created it. However, I’m also giving you some alternate ingredients in case you haven’t been able to acquire the exact ones I used. When you make this, I would love to hear how you changed it to make it your own! Leave comments at the bottom of this post or hit me up on Instagram or Facebook and share a pic of what you ended up with.

Baked Oatmeal

A very adaptable oatmeal recipe for when you have limited ingredients in your kitchen.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 9 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter, slightly cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Optional Toppings:

  • vanilla yogurt
  • whipped cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9×9 baking pan.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt,cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a second medium bowl, whisk together egg, vanilla, milk, and butter.
  • Place dry ingredients and frozen blueberries in baking pan, gently stirring berries into mixture.
  • Pour liquid ingredients over oats and berries. Let liquid begin to set into dry ingredients for about 1 minute then bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set and top is slightly golden brown.
  • Serve warm or cold with toppings as desired.

Notes

Substitutions:
  • No pecans? Use walnuts or sliced almonds.
  • No brown sugar? You can use an equal amount of honey or maple syrup.
  • No eggs? You can use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas).
  • No vanilla extract? Try almond extract.
  • No cow’s milk? You can use almond, soy, or coconut milk. 
  • No butter? Try margarine or a butter flavored shortening.
  • No blueberries? Use blackberries, raspberries, banana slices or peaches.
Keyword Baked Oatmeal, Blueberry Oatmeal, Breakfast, Easy Breakfast, Oatmeal, Oatmeal Recipe

GREEN MAGIC SMOOTHIE

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I go through fazes when it comes to sweets. At times, I can resist easily and am not at all bothered by watching others indulge in front of me. Then there are times when I am completely addicted. I go on big baking kicks and have “sharing” sized bags of candy hidden in my desk drawer at work. A month ago, I was on a huge sweets kick – HUGE. I was eating skittles by the handful, a few times per day. Not good, friends. This was not good. So, I made a commitment to give up sweets for Lent this year. Not only that, I added in daily exercise – a minimum of 10 minutes but striving for 30 each day. I’m nearly half way through my 40 days without sweets and am happily back to the point where I’m not excessively tempted. My body is also happy with the changes I’ve made. I’m feeling a bit more energetic and definitely feeling more capable of keeping up with my energetic toddler. I’m always a work in progress (aren’t we all?) but I’m thankful for the changes I’ve seen so far.

One of the perks of giving up sugary treats is that naturally sweet foods, such as fruit, taste more vibrant. Smoothies are a great example of this! You can keep on track with healthy eating habits while satisfying any lingering temptations for something sweet. I’ve been a big fan of green smoothies for a long time and finally decided to create my own.  A blend of both fruits and vegetables with a lightly sweet flavor. We are loving this new smoothie recipe in our house. It is also a great way of getting extra servings of fresh produce into my daughter’s diet.

Green Magic Smoothie

A blend of both fruits and vegetables with a lightly sweet flavor.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Drinks
Servings 2 Smoothies

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 kiwi, peeled
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup frozen broccoli
  • 1 cup frozen pineapple
  • 1 cup frozen peaches
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon agave (optional for added sweetness)
  • 2 teaspoons ground flax seed (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Notes

You can portion out the fruit and veggies ahead of time and place them in a bag in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your smoothie, empty the contents of the bag into your blender and add the almond milk
Keyword Green Magic Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Smoothie Recipe

Love this recipe? You might also enjoy this Pomegranate Blueberry Smoothie.

SHEET PAN VEGGIE TACOS

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My first year of graduate school, I was blessed with a roommate who also loved spending time in the kitchen. We often weren’t home at the same time which left little room for cooking together. Instead, I might come home from class and find his homemade bread sitting on the counter. Or, he would come home to a slice of homemade cheesecake. Baking was truly the passion of the household. However, we also had a routine of taco night once a week. This was our favorite meal to share with friends and we had an entire speech that we would serve up with the food. The ingredients were routine but ample – ground beef, shredded cheese, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, etc… The speech we gave encouraged our friends to make their taco experience their own. Add what you want, skip the toppings that aren’t your favorite. Taco night never disappointed.

Fast forward a few years and taco night has become a national trend. Hello, #tacotuesday! Over the years, I have also expanded on my taco repertoire. In particular, I love changing up the fillings. Lately, I’ve been making lots of veggie tacos. This is basically a sheet pan dinner – who doesn’t love an easy sheet pan dinner?! You’ll get your veggies plus protein from chickpeas all flavored in what you’ll recognize as classic taco seasoning.

Sheet Pan Veggie Tacos

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dinner, Main Course
Servings 12 Tacos

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 2 cups red cabbage, chopped into 1" pieces
  • 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, then cut in half length wise
  • 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 12 flour or corn tortillas
  • Optional toppings: avocado, salsa, hot sauce

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 420°F.
  • Place squash, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, chickpeas, and jalapeno in a large bowl. Stir in olive oil and all spices until vegetables are evenly coated.
  • Spread vegetable mixture out on a sheet pan and bake for 20minutes, stirring halfway through.
  • While vegetables are cooking, wrap tortillas in foil then place in oven for the last 10 minutes of vegetable cook time.
  • Fill tortillas with vegetable mixture and toppings as desired.

Notes

Alternative methods for warming tortillas:
  • Heat tortillas, one at a time, in a skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds then flip and heat for another 30 seconds. Repeat this for each tortilla.
  • If you have a gas stovetop, you can heat tortillas, one at a time, directly over the flame, flip with tongs after 15 seconds. You might need to flip them a few times in order to get them slightly toasted. ***Keep flame low and watch the tortillas closely so you don’t catch them on fire.***
Keyword Sheet Pan Dinner, Veggie Taco Recipe, Veggie Tacos