Telling food stories, one kitchen at a time
I’ve lightened up these easy 7-Layer Sheet Pan Nachos by using baked tortilla chips, reduced fat cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), and a ton of fresh veggies. This recipe is super versatile and if you prefer to use black beans or to add chicken, ground beef, extra cheese, or different veggies. I say go for it! I do recommend always serving with margaritas.
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Get your pen and paper ready because you’ll want to make a grocery list with my 29 Healthy Groceries You Should Be Buying at Walmart. And I should stress, these are healthy AND affordable. I’ll also share how I use them in my own kitchen!
Better-For-You Beef Stroganoff is a recipe will keep you warm and happy even on the coldest days. Shhh… the skinny secret is Greek yogurt!
Normally I publish at 9:30 a.m. on. the. dot. because… because I don’t know why. I just do. But today I did the unthinkable: I slept in an extra hour. And so you’re getting Better-For-You Beef Stroganoff at 10:30 a.m. instead.
I played tennis last night. I drank margaritas last night. It was National Margarita Day, which I found out at exactly the same moment I was told the tennis courts didn’t have nets. It seemed like a sign from God. I drank two margs, ate some nachos, rolled home fairly early – before 10 p.m., I think – but then spent a good deal of time snuggled up on the couch with Miller, staring at the ceiling, being very comfy and content.
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By the time you read this, I will have gotten my wisdom teeth out and I will be sleeping peacefully and painlessly with the help of some oral medications. Or so I hope! Otherwise I will be sobbing into my pillow with swollen cheeks and swollen eyes. It could really go either way. I’ve never been on anything stronger than Tylenol.
And by wisdom teeth, I mean, just one, possibly two. One is definitely giving me pain this week, but I can’t remember if it’s the one we are planning to pull or if it’s a different one. So today will be a surprise! Who doesn’t love surprises!?
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Raspberry Greek Yogurt Cake with Lemon Buttercream is tart and tangy, a bit sweet, and a little gooey with those farmer’s market raspberries. The frosting is buttery and it’s the smoothest and glossiest homemade frosting I’ve ever seen. My rule of thumb for a GREAT cake? Always pair a scratch made cake with scratch made frosting and you can’t go wrong.
Last weekend I was in Chicago and Tim (the manfriend/boyfriend/luvahhhh boy) (LOL) (I crack myself up) (Tim loves being mentioned in the blog) (What do you think of my dramatic flair, honey? Too much?)
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Mom used to make this all the time when I was little. Cold summer pizza. It’s probably a recipe that started on the side of a Pillsbury package, but I have a photocopy of a years old handwritten recipe card.
It’s unmistakably Mom’s handwriting. Isn’t it funny how we come to recognize these little things and find a second of comfort in them? Mom’s handwriting, familiar stationery with worn edges, memories of sitting on bar stools, picking the radishes out my lunch. So arbitrary and yet heart-warming.
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The phrase ‘Easy as Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups’ was coined after this exact recipe. I’m obsessed with this quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required recipe and you will soon be too.
Is it summer yet? Is it, is it, is it?
I’m ready!
I’m at the beach this week, so I suppose this is my summer.
Ya know, adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Remember the days when you got 10 weeks of summer vacation? Remember how much you looked forward to that? The excitement… The anticipation… All the planning and daydreaming of what the summer would bring… Fun! Trouble! Romance!
I mean, I still do all that daydreaming… There’s just no summer vacation attached to it…
This is the second year I’ve done a personal beach week. I’m lucky — my parents have a beach condo, so no planning ahead required and no expenses accrued.
When I skip down here for a weekend, yes, I definitely bring a friend and plan to have a little fun! But this week is about peace, quiet, rest, and relaxation. I did invite Dad (he’s the other quiet member of the family), but he declined. Umm… and be glad you aren’t here Dad — I have literally taken over the place. My stuff is EVERYWHERE. I’m dreading cleaning up in the morning.
In my normal life, I’m pulled in so many directions. Working eight+ hours a day, blogging, kickball team, tennis team, gym, side job, family occasions, girls’ nights… it all builds up until… I need to either implode or decompress. So here I am. At my personal beach week. Decompressing.
And it just so happens, one of my favorite ways to decompress is to create in the kitchen! Plus, after my freckled skin was burnt on Day 1, spending time indoors looking at the ocean is quite an attractive idea.
I’m a bit obsessed with grapefruit right now. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it’s pink. And pink = pretty. I’m also obsessed with quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required meals. And I’m obsessed with these inexpensive marcona almonds from Aldi. And that, my friends, is how a good recipe is born. Obsession A + Obsession B + Obsession C. That is the key. Easy as pie Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups.
I made five of these. I’ve eaten two. It took me exactly 4 1/2 bites to eat two of the lettuce cups. 1/2 a bite for all those little drippings that dripped out the side and that I wiped up with my finger (and then licked, of course). That means, I’ve got six bites waiting for me in the fridge and my stomach is a’growlin’.
Here’s what I like about Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups:
You are 15 minutes away from eating some of these, but I’m only 15 seconds away, so pardon me…
Easy as Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups was coined after this exact recipe. I'm obsessed with this quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required recipe and you will soon be too.
Crispy Chickpea and Greek Yogurt Protein Bowls are light and filling at the same time. This recipe has tons of flavor and crispy plus creamy textures. Beware — you may find yourself craving these creamy and crispy bowls at all times of day.
Crispy chickpeas are the ultimate protein-packed power snack right now.
Says… ME!
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