Tag: easy

Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole

Happy 2021! It’s a new year and I know we are all so thankful for that. I didn’t publish any blog posts in 2020. It’s kind of hard to believe, but honestly I was just trying to survive a very trying year as many of us were and not feeling overly inspired to write. I am feeling so much more positive about the new year and with that comes some much needed inspiration! I’m getting back into the swing of things with content creation and I’m excited to share my first recipe of 2021!

My husband and I really fell off the healthy eating train in 2020. I think a lot of us did. We were home more, had more time on our hands and I used that extra time to bake lots of goodies! In the last couple months, we’ve been getting into a much healthier routine. I’ve been working out every day, eating healthier and my husband actually started doing the Keto diet. I personally am not a huge fan of Keto, but I know it works for a lot of people including my husband. So when he started his new diet, I was forced to get really creative in the kitchen and come up with some Keto inspired dishes.

We both love Buffalo chicken and luckily most Buffalo sauce is low in carbs. I’ve also been on a cauliflower kick in the new year. Cauliflower, cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, the cauliflower list goes on and on and I just can’t get enough cauliflower. So in my head I dreamt up this amazing Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole. I honestly wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but it was GOOD! My husband went back for seconds, so that’s how I know it was a hit. Spicy buffalo chicken combined with a creamy cheese mixture, mixed with cauliflower is my new guilty pleasure that isn’t really all that guilty because it’s relatively healthy. Also, to make things super easy you can use your slow cooker to do a majority of the work and then just throw the mixture into a casserole dish and bake right before serving. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

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 Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
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Instructions
  1. In your slow cooker, add 2 large boneless chicken breasts and pour 1 cup of Buffalo sauce over top of the chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.
  2. Once cooked, shred chicken in the slow cooker. Add 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ cup of sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and blue cheese crumbles to taste to the chicken and combine until creamy. It should look like Buffalo chicken dip when you are all done mixing.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
  4. Steam cauliflower and drain out any liquid. Add cauliflower to creamy Buffalo chicken mixture and combine.
  5. Pour Buffalo chicken cauliflower mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees F.
  6. Remove casserole from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve up with a side salad or veggie.

Almost Paleo Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Thanksgiving is 2 days away people! If you are behind the power curve and need a last-minute dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve got an easy side dish you can throw together in a pinch. I’m going to keep this blog post short and sweet, well because this recipe is short and sweet. Behold! The ever so glorious Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples.

I love this recipe because it has minimal ingredients, most of which are Paleo. If you are on a Paleo Diet, you can simply omit the butter. Sweet potatoes, Granny Smith Apples and dried cranberries, tossed in a honey cinnamon sauce are oh so sweet. The best part is this recipe is guilt free! Naturally sweet and packed with nutrients, this holiday side dish is easy to make and sure to please at the dinner table. Even my dog Oreo approves of this recipe.

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 Almost Paleo Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
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Prep Time 15
Cook Time 40 minutes
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Prep Time 15
Cook Time 40 minutes
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Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or oil of your choice.
  2. Wash, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite size chunks. Sweet potato chucks should be approximately an inch and a half in size.
  3. Wash and chop the apples into bite size chunks. Apple chunks should be about the same size as the sweet potato chunks. I like to leave the peel on the apples because it adds some color and it’s packed with nutrients. Feel free to peel the apples if that is your preference.
  4. Add your chopped sweet potatoes to the greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. While your potatoes begin to cook, make your honey cinnamon sauce.
  5. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in the microwave in a microwave safe dish. Remove the butter from the microwave and to the dish, add ¼ cup of honey and 1 tsp of cinnamon. If you are omitting the butter to make this a Paleo dish, simply mix together the honey and cinnamon.
  6. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven. Add in the chopped apples and ¼ cup of dried cranberries to the baking dish. Pour the honey cinnamon sauce over top of the potatoes, apples and dried cranberries, tossing with a spoon to ensure all ingredients are coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Return the apples and sweet potatoes to the oven for an additional 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
  7. Remove the beautiful caramelized Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples from the oven and enjoy.

Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad

It’s hot outside! Originally, I was scheduled to post a slow cooker soup recipe this week and then a major heat wave swept over the East Coast. I could not even fathom consuming a bowl of hot soup this week, so instead I opted for something chilled.

Recently, I asked y’all what kind of recipes you wanted to see on the blog and I received a request for easy lunch prep recipes. You ask, and you shall receive! So here it is, Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad.

I discovered this amazing homemade ranch dressing recipe a couple years ago in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” cook book, which is authored by Ree Drummond. She is seriously one of my food blogger idols and if any of you are familiar with her Food Network show, you know that she has several variations of ranch dressing. This version is my favorite and I’ve tweaked it a bit by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper in my dressing, so that it’s even spicier. I appreciate spicy foods, but if you don’t you can certainly decrease the amount of cayenne pepper.

My brilliant idea? Use this insanely creamy ranch dressing as the base for chicken salad. The spicy ranch combined with chopped green onions and tender chicken makes for a chicken salad that is loaded with flavor. Disclaimer, I like to load this chicken salad up with ranch so that it is more of a creamy texture opposed to chunky. If you prefer a chunky chicken salad, simply decrease the amount of dressing. However, you might want to taste the ranch first before making that call because its seriously life changing. My favorite thing about this chicken salad is you have so many options as to how to serve it. You can serve it in a wrap, on crackers or over a bed of crisp greens. My favorite way to enjoy this chicken salad is over a bed of crunchy romaine with fresh veggies and some extra ranch dressing. This chicken salad is perfect to meal prep on the weekend and eat throughout the week.

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 Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad
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Instructions
  1. Add approximately ¼ cup of water to the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker, cover with the lid and set the slow cooker to “low” for 8 hours.
  2. After cooking for 8 hours, remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
  3. Rinse and chop your green onions. Set aside.
  4. Press and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of mayo, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp of cayenne pepper, and the minced garlic. Whisk together until completely combined. I like to reserve half of the dressing, so I have a little extra to drizzle over greens. Pour approximately half of the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
  6. Once the shredded chicken has cooled, add it into the large mixing bowl with the remaining dressing and stir to combine. This will make an extremely creamy chicken salad, almost like a spread. If you prefer a chunkier chicken salad, just simply mix in less dressing. Mix in chopped green onions to taste and spoon into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

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
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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.

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
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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
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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.

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!