banana cream protein shake

carrot & oat muffins

My two biggest struggles when it comes to feeding my kids is breakfast & packing lunch.

Breakfast is always hit or miss, especially for my little one...and a filling breakfast makes a big difference on how our morning goes!

Lunch is a whole other struggle...luckily my older son is pretty easy-going, but that doesn’t mean I want to send him to school with the same pre-packaged food everyday, either.

That’s why I love these muffins so much.  They’re a (kid) crowd pleaser no matter the age or time of day.  The biggest bonus of these muffins? CARROTS.  A veggie I don’t have to force feed my children?!  SIGN ME UP.

• These are pretty easy to mix together, I use my silicone muffin molds & they pop out beautifully. (They’re amazing and I don’t know what took me so long to get them, so if you don’t have them you need to just pull the trigger and get some!  ...SERIOUSLY)
•  I usually make 12 regular size muffins & about 16 mini muffins.  I like getting both sizes out of one batch of this.
• Don’t over mix your batter once you add in your dry ingredients! Once they’re combined, stop and use a cookie scoop to fill your molds.

Adapted from Yellow Bliss Road

Fresh Quinoa Summer Salad

I've adjusted and adapted this recipe from one that my sister-in-law made a few years ago at a family gathering & I still love making it to keep in my fridge and eat over a few days.

I basically just eyeball this whole thing and adjust to my tastes, which is one of my favorite things about this salad.  Cook between 1/2-1  cup of raw quinoa, depending on how many you're making it for. Then prep: 

red bell pepper

edamame

golden raisins

red onion

cilantro

sunflower seeds

Dressing: 1/2 Tblsp. balsamic vinegar & 2 Tblsp. lime juice

 Like I said, I really just adjust to taste. Just a little red onion, and cilantro, a lot of edamame, golden raisins and sunflower seeds and a handful of red pepper.  slowly add the dressing while you mix, a little goes a long way.

 Some people don't like coconut, but I think adding UNsweetened shredded coconut gives it a little something extra to this deliciousness.

Refrigerate until serving, or eat right away! Enjoy, friends!

Apple Cider Vinegar Drink

I mentioned on twitter the other day that I finally found a way to drink the almighty apple cider vinegar...without dying.  If you've ever tried it, you know that is no easy task.  Years ago I started trying to take a shot of it in the mornings, right as it was on the cusp of exploding into this "miracle liquid" many praise today.  I stood in my kitchen maybe on third day, tried to shoot it down my throat without tasting it and I inhaled and exhaled all the same time and it went down the wrong tube!  Now, we've all had this happen with water...can you imagine how it felt with VINEGAR?!  I actually thought, "This is it, this is how I die."  I could not breathe or catch my breath and I had a raspy voice the rest of the day.  

I tell you this tale as a precautionary tale....DO NOT take shots of straight ACV, you MUST dilute it!

Now that I've scared you sufficiently, let's stay with what type of ACV you should use.  Although it's easy to just buy the cheap store brand version, if you're going through the effort of drinking vinegar, at least make it worth it and grab the BRAGG's Organic kind.  Give it a shake before use.

To make your ACV drink:

1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Pure Apple Cider

3/4 Cup Water

 Mix all ingredients well & if you're feeling crazy, sprinkle a tiny amount of cinnamon. 

Don't try to guzzle it all, I like to take 1 or 2 big gulps at a time to keep it from burning too much.

I love to drink this first thing in the morning.  You can look up all the amazing benefits, but for me personally, it helps with skin, metabolism, and stomach health.  I've tried a few different ways to drink ACV, and this is by far the most enjoyable yet still efficient way to get it in your system.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Are you ready for an enchilada recipe that is going to blow your mind?!  Let me tell you why it's so mind-blowing...because it's so simple but SO delicious.  I get compliments on this every time I make it and sometimes I may or may not let people believe I slaved over them. This is the perfect thing to cook for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Make sure your chicken is nice and shredded, I like mine to still be slightly warm when I'm filling them.  My favorite enchilada sauce is the green sauce from Las Palmas, just choose the right spiciness temperature for your palette. 

For bonus points, serve with legit mexican rice and top with chopped cilantro. Enjoy your fiesta!

print recipe

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

by Katie Carranza April-27-2016

You won't be able to tell just how easy these enchiladas are because they are full of delicious cheesy goodness.

Ingredients

• 20 small (fajita) flour tortillas
• 3 breasts shredded chicken breast
• 2-2 1/2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 28 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Instructions

Mix shredded chicken, green chilies and 3/4 cup of cheese.Pour just enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of 9x13 pan. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip both sides of tortilla in the sauce, spread 1/4 cup of chicken on tortilla, then roll up. Continue until you've filled your tortillas, repelenishing your sauce to dip your tortillas in as necessary. Spread the rest of the sauce on top of enchiladas then top with as much cheese as desired. Cover pan with foil & cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then uncovered until cheese begins to brown & bubble.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 20 enchiladas

Stacking Up a Snacking Win

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. 

#StackItUp #CollectiveBias

I am always on the look out for a fun, new snack idea that requires a little more than opening fruit snacks but a little less than turning on the oven.  I think I found the perfect medium that gives me an opportunity to sit and talk to my son after school while we make a yummy snack! 

 If you don't already have then on hand, stop by your local Walmart & grab RITZ Fresh Stacks & Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter.  I used the RITZ Original Fresh Stacks because it's the perfect size for each person, and now  RITZ Fresh Stacks Ultimate Butter are available for a limited time!

 RITZ Original Fresh Stacks combined with Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter are a perfect combination on their own, but grabbing a few items I always have on-hand definitely stepped this snack up.  I just put a few "add-ins" into a muffin tin for quick clean up and it was easy for us to create exactly what we wanted. 

  This time around I put out coconut, mini chocolate chips, mini candies, cut up candy bar (Easter leftovers!), granola, and sprinkles.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can have as many options as you have in your pantry.  It takes an already good snack and makes it even greater!

 Just take a cracker, spread that delicious peanut butter generously. Slightly squish another on top and roll the sides in an add-in...or two

!  I loved it and so did my 4 year old, I'd call that a stacking, I mean snacking, win!

Mud Puddle Cookies

These are one of my favorite recipes, often referred to as "no-bakes" I always grew up calling them Mud Puddles. So delicious, so easy and gone SO fast!

Mud Puddle Cookies

-1/2 cup butter

-4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

-1 3/4 cups sugar

-1/2 cup milk

-1/2 cup peanut butter

-3 cups oats

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In saucepan combine butter, sugar, milk, & cocoa.  Bring to a boil and heat for 1 1/2-2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and mix in peanut butter, oats & vanilla. Drop my tablespoonful onto wax paper and let cool until hard.

#ad Easy & Delicious Holiday Meal

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayHens #CollectiveBias

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is hosting friends and family.  Throwing a party AND cooking dinner can seem over whelming, but it doesn't have to be!  With Tyson® Premium Cornish Hens entertaining can be not only fun but also easy.  This recipe lets you put them in your crock pot, walk away, and finish prepping for your party.

I stopped at the Fry's grocery store down the street and grabbed 2 packs of Tyson® Premium Cornish Hens.  My favorite part about them is there's nothing stuffed inside them you have to reach in and cringe as you pull it out. 

After defrosting your hens, mix thyme, sage, salt & pepper.  Stuff one sprig of rosemary & one clove of garlic inside of each hen.  Rub the outside with a slice of lemon, then sprinkle on the dry seasons.

Put on cooking sheet lined with foil and put under your oven broiler for 5-10 minutes until they skin gets nice light brown.  Then place in your slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours. 

This gives you plenty of time and free hands to make other side dishes, set the table or clean!

Carefully pull out the Tyson® Premium Cornish Hens and plate with rosemary sprigs & lemon. Elegant, gorgeous, delicious & super simple!

Be sure to check out more delicious cheese recipes at tyson.com. I'd love to hear about your favorite easy holiday dinner recipes!

Ingredients

4 servings

• 2-4 Tyson® Premium Cornish Hens
• 1 Tablespoon thyme
• 1 Tablespoon sage
• salt & pepper to taste

• 1 sprig of rosemary per hen
• 1 clove of garlic per hen
• 1 slice lemon per hen
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

After defrosting your hens, mix thyme, sage, salt & pepper.
Stuff one sprig of rosemary & one clove of garlic inside of each hen. Rub the outside with a slice of lemon, then sprinkle on the dry seasons.
Put on cooking sheet lined with foil and put under your oven broiler for 5-10 minutes until they skin gets nice light brown.
Then place in your slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours.
Carefully pull out the Tyson® Premium Cornish Hens and plate with rosemary sprigs & lemon.
Let rest 15 minutes before cutting & serving.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Protein Balls

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpreadTheMagic #CollectiveBias

My son & I LOVE protein balls! I make a batch and store them in the fridge and a week later they're already all gone.  This is the perfect healthy snack & my son thinks they're even tasty enough to be called a treat. It's a win win for everyone!

 The hero of this recipe is the new Peter Pan Simply Ground Original and Honey Roast peanut butter. It's creamy with perfect amount of crunch. Peter Pan®Simply Ground Peanut Butter has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. And unlike some peanut butters, there's no need to stir after opening.  It adds the perfect texture to these snack balls without feeling like you ate a whole peanut!

1/2 cup Peter Pan Simply Ground Original Peanut Butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 Tablespoons ground flax (optional)

1 1/2 cups oats

In mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter and honey. Add in pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, protein powder, flax and stir until combined.  Slowly stir in oats until incorporated. Using a cookie scoop, scoop mixture onto cookie sheet and allow to cool & solidify in fridge. Store in fridge in tubberware.

To package these festive flavored treats, place a napkin in a fruit basket (available at any craft store), add in peanut butter protein balls, then place basket in large plastic treat bag.  

Tie the bag & initial monogram with twine.  Perfect to gift this delicious goodness! I love how flavorful, a little crunchy & healthy these are. They're a great snack no matter what age.

What Peanut Butter Flavor Fits Your Personality? Take the fun quiz here: http://cbi.as/vyn6 You'll also get a coupon and access to more peanut butter recipes!