Savory Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for spring. We had some nasty snow and ice over the weekend, which made me super anxious for warm weather and sunshine. Although, I really should not complain. My youngest brother attends college in Dekalb, Illinois and has practically been ice skating across campus to his classes. Winters are brutal in Illinois compared to Maryland. I guess I will just have to embrace this cold weather for the next couple of weeks and hunker down at home with some warm comfort foods.

One of my favorite recipes for a cold winter day is pot roast. I love pot roast because it’s such a simple dish, but is so hearty and filling. There are so many variations of pot roast, but this recipe is my all-time favorite. I cook my pot roast in the slow cooker, which makes it a perfect weekday recipe. Many slow cooker roast recipes require that you brown the roast in a skillet prior to slow cooking, but I omit this step and just dump all of my ingredients directly in the slow cooker. Less dishes, less mess and less stress. This pot roast is cooked in a thick, savory gravy that pairs perfectly with mashed potatoes. If you don’t feel like making mashed potatoes, you can just cut up potatoes and throw them right in the slow cooker along with your roast. Easy peasy!

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 Savory Slow Cooker Pot Roast
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Servings
servings
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Instructions
  1. Slice a yellow onion and set aside.
  2. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of beef stock, 1 cup of water, 1 ranch dressing dry seasoning packet, 1 Italian dressing dry seasoning packet and 1 brown gravy dry seasoning packet.
  3. Place 2 cups of baby carrots and the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Feel free to add any other vegetables, such as potatoes or celery. Place the roast on top of the veggies and then pour the liquid mixture over top of the roast. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper to taste, and place one bay leaf into the liquid mixture. Cover and cook the roast for 8 hours on low.
  4. Remove the bay leaf and set the roast aside on a plate. Mix 1 tsp of corn starch with 2 table spoons of cold water in a small bowl. Stir the corn starch and water mixture directly into the slow cooker, mixing with the broth and veggies. This will help to thicken the gravy. Add the roast back to the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes to 1 hour until the gravy has thickened.
  5. Slice the roast and serve over mashed potatoes or with a nice piece of crusty bread.

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and I have the perfect chocolate dessert for you to share with your special someone. Over the weekend, our friends Shelby and Matt had us over for dinner and I opted to bring dessert. Anything chocolate is always my go to. I must confess that I am a chocoholic.

My friend Shelby and her husband hosted us for dinner. She is also a fellow food blogger.

Our weekend was busy as usual, so I knew that I wouldn’t have time to bake anything from scratch. Instead, I opted to spruce up a boxed brownie mix and top them with the dreamiest cookies and cream frosting.  I love boxed brownie mixes because they are extremely versatile. You can very easily mix in a variety of ingredients into your brownies such as, chocolate chips, candies and you can also top your baked brownies with a gourmet frosting. To be honest, I have yet to find a homemade brownie recipe that I have liked more than the boxed mixes. Rich fudgy brownies, topped with a cookies and cream frosting are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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 Cookies and Cream Brownies
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 25 minutes
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brownies
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Brownies
Cookies and Cream Frosting
Prep Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 25 minutes
Servings
brownies
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Brownies
Cookies and Cream Frosting
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Instructions
  1. Prepare the brownies as directed on the box. After baking, set the brownies aside to cool.
  2. In a stand mixer, combine 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 lb of confectioners sugar and 4 tbsp of whole milk. Set the mixer speed to low and mix for approximately 2 minutes and then increase the speed to medium. Mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined and until the mixture resembles a frosting like consistency.
  3. Place 24 chocolate sandwich cookies into a gallon sized plastic bag and seal the bag. Crush the cookies on the counter, using your hands to break the cookies into small pieces.
  4. Dump the cookie crumbs into the stand mixer with the frosting. Set the mixer speed to low and mix until combined.
  5. Finally, spread the cookies and cream frosting on top of the brownies and if desired you can crumble a few extra cookies over top of the brownies.
Recipe Notes

If you feel like your frosting is too thick, feel free to add in an extra 1-2  tablespoons of milk.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

After having the flu and strep throat back-to-back, I’ve finally returned to the kitchen and I’m ready to spice things up…literally! I have a delicious recipe that is going to spice up your Taco Tuesday.

Being sick is the worst! I was sick for about two weeks and I’m so ready to get back into the world and be a productive member of society. Don’t get me wrong, the first day or two of resting and catching up on TV was okay, but after a while you can only watch so many episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. All is well now and I’m making a slow, but steady recovery.

I’m so happy to finally be back in a routine. I started my new job this week and I’m so excited to be meeting new people and learning new things. This week is busy, so I’m trying to cook super easy dishes like these Buffalo Chicken Tacos. I love anything buffalo flavored and will use just about any excuse to incorporate buffalo sauce into a recipe. These tacos are so yummy and so easy! For this recipe, I use a lean ground turkey or ground chicken, which is a healthier alternative to ground beef. I also garnish these tacos with a creamy blue cheese sour cream. Are you ready to spice things up? Let’s get started!

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 Buffalo Chicken Tacos
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
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servings
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Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Blue Cheese Sour Cream
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Blue Cheese Sour Cream
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Instructions
  1. Prep your veggies, dicing two stalks of celery, mincing 1 clove of garlic and slicing the green onions.
  2. In a skillet on medium-high heat, drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil and add 1 lb of ground turkey or ground chicken. Add in the celery. Cook the meat all the way through and until it's no longer pink in color.
  3. Add in the minced garlic and sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in ¾ cup of buffalo sauce and add in green onions. Mix and then let the meat mixture simmer for 5 minutes on low.
  5. While your meat is simmering, prepare the blue cheese sour cream. In a bowl, combine ½ cup of sour cream and ¼ cup of blue cheese crumbles. Stir in salt and pepper to taste
  6. Warm up your taco shells. I used crunchy shells, but you can use soft flour tortillas or soft corn tortillas.
  7. Lastly, assemble your tacos and garnish with toppings of your choice. Lettuce, tomato, green onions, cheese and of course the yummy blue cheese sour cream. Enjoy!

New Year, New Me

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Happy New Year! It’s 2018 and I have no doubt that this is going to be my year. The year 2017, was most definitely a year of reflection, self-realization and growth. I made the decision to change my diet, embrace healthy eating and I lost a total of 25 lbs. I spent time doing things I love, such as dancing, cooking, working out and spending time with friends and family. In 2017, I also brought to life Stress Less, Cook More and maintained a 4.0 GPA in grad school.

But amid my accomplishments, I also lost control of my life and let stress consume me. I continued to work a job that made me unhappy and I began taking it out on the people I love most. For me and many others, it’s second nature to just accept stress as the norm. I had gotten to a point where I had just accepted it, but then the pressure, stress and unhappiness started to take a toll on my body. My hair started falling out in clumps. I started having chest pains and was feeling exhausted all the time. After many doctor’s appointments, and tests upon tests, the diagnosis was…stress. I am only 27, so if I were to continue down this path at such a young age, just imagine what the consequences would be down the road. That’s when I had a major wake up call, a revelation. It was time to make a change and take back control of my life.

The scariest thing about change is that it is something different and new. It’s natural to feel uneasy about change, but if you are already unhappy and stressed, what do you really have to lose? That’s what I told myself.  After three years at my job, it was time to take a leap of faith and embrace what I had been so afraid of. I applied for a new job opportunity and with guidance from God, the support of my family and my friends, all my hard work paid off and I landed an amazing new career advancement opportunity in the healthcare insurance industry. As I read my job offer letter, I literally cried tears of joy and immediately felt relief. I start my new career adventure on Jan. 22, 2018 and I am so excited to continue my marketing career in the field of healthcare! I’m so hopeful about this new opportunity and I’m confident that it will bring me peace of mind, happiness, joy and will allow me to be more present in my family’s life.

In 2017, I’ve learned a lot about myself and the direction I want to go. In 2018, I will start a new job, graduate from grad school and marry my best friend. The year 2018 will be a year of change and it is going to be my year! I’m so ready for all that 2018 will bring. My biggest lesson learned is to not sweat the small stuff. Don’t let stress consume you. Never settle for anything less than what you are worth. If you are unhappy, it’s time to make a change. Find your passion, make a difference and love your life. Happy New Year and I hope that this year is filled with inspiration, joy and peace. And last, but not least, don’t forget to savor the moments in life that matter most.

 

 

 

Salted Caramel Fudge

Happy Holidays! This week, I finished my final exams and I’m officially in full holiday mode. I’m so ready for Christmas. It’s such a fun time of the year, filled with friends, family, traditions and sweet treats. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making fudge. Every Christmas, my mom and I made chocolate fudge and it’s a tradition that I have continued in my own home.

This year, I put a fun spin on our standard recipe and dreamed up this decadent Salted Caramel Fudge. Typically, my mom and I make The Original Fantasy Fudge recipe. To make my Salted Caramel Fudge, I simply melted down some caramel candies, added salt and swirled the melted salted caramel into the fudge mixture. Combined, the saltiness of the caramel balances out the rich sweetness of the chocolate. The two ingredients are a match made in heaven. I gifted this fudge to my co-workers and they loved it!

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 Salted Caramel Fudge
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
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Instructions
  1. Grease a 9x13- inch pan with butter.
  2. Unwrap all of your caramels and set them aside.
  3. In a large pot, melt down the butter, add in 2/3 cup of evaporated milk, 3 cups of white sugar and stir together over medium heat. Continue stirring and bring the mixture to a full boil for 5 minutes. Do not stop stirring!
  4. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Add in the marshmallow fluff and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Set the fudge on the stove over low heat to keep it warm while you make the caramel sauce.
  5. To make the caramel sauce, microwave your caramels in a microwave safe bowl, following the directions on the bag. Once melted, add in ½ tsp of salt. Mix until combined.
  6. Pour the fudge into the greased 9x13 pan and then drizzle in the melted caramel, over top of the fudge. Using a fork, swirl the caramel throughout the fudge. Lastly, sprinkle the salted caramel fudge with some coarse ground salt for extra saltiness and a bit of flare! Let the fudge set for a couple of hours before cutting.
Recipe Notes

Note: If you refrigerate the fudge, the caramel will get hard and it eats like a praline. For a more chewy caramel, leave the fudge out on the counter at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past week has been insane. Not only have I been extremely busy, but I’m also trying to knock this awful cold. I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick, all I want to do is to chill in front of the TV and take a nap. Unfortunately, that’s not a choice for me this week. It’s my last week of classes and I have to wrap up all of my school work to turn in before the end of the semester. So I am continuing to push through and keep reminding myself that this time next week, I will be on winter break.

But what do we do when we are feeling stressed? Stress less and cook more. I took a mental health break the other night and baked some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I would argue that I’m actually a better baker than cook. Baking is how I got my start in the kitchen. There is something so therapeutic about baking and for me it’s the perfect stress reliever. Also, there is something so comforting about a chocolate chip cookie. It’s so familiar, simple and so delicious.

This is my signature chocolate chip cookie recipe, a cross between an oatmeal raisin cookie and a traditional chocolate chip cookie. I add cinnamon and just a little bit of oats, to give it a flavor similar to that of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Another great thing about these cookies is that they are so easy to make. This recipe can be easily prepared on a weeknight, with very little effort. The end result, warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies that will make you forget all of your troubles.

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 Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
cookies
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease the cookie sheet with butter.
  2. Using a mixer, cream ½ cup of salted butter (1 stick), ¾ cup of brown sugar and ¾ cup of white sugar together.
  3. Add 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, ¾ tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of salt and mix until combined.
  4. Add 2 cups of flour to the mixture, one at a time and mix in between so that flour doesn’t get all over the place.
  5. Lastly, add ¼ cup of quick oats and 1 bag (12 oz) of milk chocolate chips.
  6. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet and place in the oven. For a softer cookie, bake for 12 minutes and for a firmer cookie bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Low-Carb Italian Zucchini Boats

I have a really busy week ahead of me. Between work and prepping for finals, this week is sure to be a doozy. Lucky for me, I have these delicious Low-carb Italian Zucchini Boats prepped and sitting in the fridge, so I can just easily pop them in the microwave to reheat.

I have to admit; historically I have never liked zucchini. Over the past year, when I was on my hard-core low-carb diet, I started experimenting with zucchini and it grew on me. Zucchini has several nutritional benefits. Not only is it low in carbs, but also it’s packed with antioxidants, vitamins and is great for your heart and digestive health.

This is probably one of my favorite zucchini recipes because it has all the same great flavors of lasagna, minus the pasta. It’s a healthier alternative that is sure to please your taste buds. These zucchinis are stuffed with ricotta cheese, Italian sausage, and marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and drizzled with alfredo sauce. This recipe can also be easily converted into a vegetarian dish by simply omitting the sausage. I recommend trying this recipe on a weekend. It’s very easy to prepare, but does involve multiple steps, so it does take a little bit of time.

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 Low-Carb Italian Zucchini Boats
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Course Main Dish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
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Course Main Dish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
servings
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Instructions
  1. Spray a 9x13-baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Rinse and pat dry 4 zucchinis. Cut off the ends of the zucchinis and then slice them down the center lengthwise. Slightly score the inside of the zucchinis and then scoop out the centers using a spoon. Lay the zucchinis in the baking dish, skin side down so that the scooped area is exposed. Lightly sprinkle with salt and bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.
  3. While the zucchinis are baking, prepare the meat sauce. First, chop 1 sweet yellow onion. Drizzle a skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil and brown 1 lb of Italian sausage with the onion on medium-high heat. Once sausage is browned and completely cooked, add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning, ½ tsp of oregano, a dash of crushed red pepper and 1 clove of minced garlic. Let the garlic sweat. Lastly, mix in one 24 oz jar of marinara sauce into the sausage and spice mixture.
  4. After baking for 15 minutes, remove the zucchinis from the oven. Stuff the zucchinis with ricotta cheese and then pour the meat sauce over top of the zucchinis. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and then drizzle the zucchinis with half a jar, approximately 8 oz of alfredo sauce. Return the zucchinis to a 400 degree F oven and bake for 20 minutes uncovered. Remove and let cool before serving.

Low-Carb Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls

I hope that everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving! I sure did! Derek and I spent the day with our families and dined on some scrumptious holiday foods. Although everything was delicious, I definitely over indulged. I am carbed out! Between the corn bread dressing, corn casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and apple pie, I most definitely had my fair share of carbs.

Derek and I on Thanksgiving

I’m ready to detox this week. Lot’s of veggies and protein in my future! I have some low-carb recipes planned for this week, one of them being this recipe for Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls. In the last year, I have been working on leading a healthier lifestyle. I’ve been exercising a couple times a week, cut back on junk food and as a result, I lost 25 lbs.

It’s so easy to feel like eating healthy is impossible, especially when you are juggling so many different things. The key to success is to plan ahead and meal prep as much as possible. These sausage cheese balls are perfect to meal prep on the weekend and stick in the freezer, so that you have an easy breakfast you can eat on the go during the week.

There are several variations of this recipe online. After trying other recipes, I found that many recipes call for too much coconut flour, which dries out the sausage cheese ball. I’ve decreased the amount of coconut flour in this recipe, leaving you with an extra meaty, cheesy and savory sausage cheese ball.

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 Low-Carb Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls
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Cuisine Low-carb
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
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sausage cheese balls
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Cuisine Low-carb
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings
sausage cheese balls
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Soften butter and 4 oz of cream cheese (not low fat) in a microwave safe bowl.
  3. In a large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer), combine 1 lb of breakfast sausage, 8 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 2 large eggs, 4 oz of softened cream cheese (not low fat), 2 tbsp of butter, ¼ cup of coconut flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp of salt and a ¼ tsp of black pepper.
  4. Roll the mixture into small balls, approximately 2 inches in size. Place sausage cheese balls on baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool. Store in the fridge or freezer in an air tight container. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.

Chicken Pot Pie

I recently volunteered at The Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which provides temporary and short-term housing for cancer patients and their caregivers. A couple times a year, my work colleagues and I, prepare and serve food to those who are residing at the pavilion. It’s always such a rewarding experience to meet the patients and caregivers.

When I think about comfort food, the first dish that comes to mind is chicken pot pie. I’ve always loved chicken pot pie. Each year on my birthday, my mom always let me pick what I wanted for dinner and I always requested chicken pot pie. Now that it’s getting colder here in Maryland, I thought this would be the perfect dish to serve at The Hackerman-Patz Patient and Family Pavilion.

I adapted this recipe from my mom’s version, but I’ve since evolved the recipe to make it my own. Everything about this pot pie is perfect. Hot creamy filling with shreds of chicken and crisp veggies, which are all nestled under a flaky golden pie crust. Can you say YUM?! It’s delicious. The patients and their caregivers thought so to. In fact, this chicken pot pie was the first dish to be completely eaten at the event. Want to know the best thing about this recipe? It’s so easy! Ready to give it a try? You surely won’t be disappointed!

Welcome to Stress Less, Cook More

My name is Brittany and I am so excited to introduce you to Stress Less, Cook More! Before we get cooking, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. Here is what you need to know about me. I live in Maryland with my fiancée Derek and my fur child Oreo, our Miniature Schnauzer. I’m a marketing professional by day and grad student by night. I LOVE everything Disney. Like I’m literally obsessed. So obsessed that I actually ran away to Disney for a semester in college, but that’s a story I will save for another time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I consider myself a creative individual. I love dancing and I’ve been a dancer my entire life. I take dance classes regularly and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to continue to perform throughout the last couple of years. I’m a self-taught cook and I love experimenting in the kitchen. That’s what has lead me here.

My life is pretty crazy…like really crazy, but whose isn’t? Whether you are working full-time, going to school, raising a family or all of the above, stress is a common side effect that many of us experience. For a lot of people, cooking is just one more thing to add to the list of everyday tasks. When you get home from a long day of work, running the kids around or when you are juggling a million other things, cooking can seem like such a daunting task.

One of my biggest lessons learned is, that life is a balancing act and you have to be realistic about what you can and can’t do. I went through this phase where I would try to make these complicated, gourmet dinners after a long day of work. I then would try to squeeze in homework and all the other miscellaneous things I needed to do before bed. And guess what? I crashed and burned very quickly. Gourmet dinners every night was not realistic, but I also recognized that I wasn’t willing to settle for frozen dinners and carry out every night of the week. So I found a balance. This is what inspired me to create Stress Less, Cook More.

Stress Less, Cook More strives to eliminate unnecessary stress in the kitchen and bring balance to everyday life, by providing simple, easy to follow recipes that will inspire you to embrace everyday cooking. Here’s what to expect. I’m going to keep it real always. Some recipes will be healthier than others, some will be comfort foods and some will be straight up decadent. I will provide you with meal prep tips; grocery shopping tips and I will also share stories about my personal life. There is so much in life to cherish, family, friends and your accomplishments. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but my biggest hope is to inspire you to not sweat the small stuff, bring you peace of mind, and cut back on your time spent in the kitchen, so that you can savor the moments in life that matter most. Welcome to Stress Less, Cook More! Now let’s get cooking!