Bacon Cheeseburger Mac n Cheese

This recipe is sssoooo simple, and sssoooo good!

 And what makes it even better is it has BACON in it!!

Mmm.... can't go wrong with this one!

Okay, enough talking, here it is:

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 boxes shells and cheese

 (or your favorite mac n cheese recipe)

-cook according to box

Now mix it all together and serve!

All of the littles asked for seconds of this meal! Even little number 5, who doesn't like his food mixed, gobbled his down! It's a winner in our house and I hope your family will enjoy it too.

-Tiffany

Spinach Protein Breakfast Smoothie

1 banana
1 1/2 cups spinach
2 tbsp peanut butter and 1 cup water
          Or
11 oz protein shake
1/2 cup ice

Put ingredients in blender and blend thoroughly.

Enjoy!

-Tiffany

How To Cook with Fresh Pumpkin

First, you will want to start with pie pumpkins.

Place them on a large tray or roaster pan.

Bake at 350* for 1 1/2 hours. 

That seems like a long time to bake, but this is the easiest way. There is no cutting into a hard pumpkin or having to peel the skin off. I like to bake them the night before I need them that way they have time to cool.

Once cooled, cut them open ( or use your hands! ). Remove the seeds and save for later if you'd like. Then scoop out the pumpkin flesh.

 I then run the pumpkin through one of my favorite kitchen appliances. Its a tomato press.

 I use it for making apple sauce, tomato sauce and pumpkin puree. It is a must have if you make any of these😀. It separates the 'good' stuff from the skin and seeds. I run the pumpkin thru, even tho it is already mush, because the press gives it a smooth texture.

...and there ya have it! Fresh, delicious pumpkin puree, ready to use in your favorite recipe!


-Tiffany

Peanut Butter Balls - The Healthy Version!

Well, when I started out, I was going to make a healthy version of peanut butter buckeyes.... I had the ingredients gathered and arranged nicely on my island, got the picture taken, measured each ingredient and was ready to mix when my littlest 'little' awoke from his nap! Now what to do??... Thats when I decided there was no time now for rolling the peanut butter balls, melting the chocolate or dipping each ball into the yummy chocolate.  So, that is when I recruited little number 5 as chief stirrer! And I decided a change to the recipe was needed! I added rolled oats to the mixture and dumped in some chocolate chips! Thus making a 'healthy' version of peanut butter balls.

Peanut Butter Balls

2 cups peanut butter

1 cup flax meal (my new found favorite!..

I'll post later.)

3/4 cup honey

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups oats

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Put it all in a bowl and mix well.

Roll into balls.

** I used a cookie scoop to scoop each ball and then rolled each one.

*** They taste yummy frozen too!!

If mixture is dry and crumbly, just add a bit more peanut butter or honey.

Mmmm..... yummy!

ENJOY!


-Tiffany

Chicken Bacon Alfredo

  Okay, I am not one to follow recipes... I tend to change every recipe I use.  I can't take credit, though, for any meal or dessert ever turning out good. I was never able to cook. Ever. In fact, when my wonderful husband and I got married, I couldn't even make grilled cheese!! I am not exaggerating! I just couldn't do it. My husband  taught me how to make grilled cheese. So, to whom goes the credit for me to be able to put a delicious, home cooked meal on the dinner table every night?....

 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13. This became my life verse. The Lord gave me wisdom to be able to create delicious healthy meals for my family. 

So, this recipe is a perfect example of God's wonderful wisdom He has given me in the kitchen!

CHICKEN BACON ALFREDO

1 lb chicken breast or tenders, cooked, chopped

1 lb bacon, cooked and broken in pieces

1 pkg cream cheese

2 cups soup base or chicken broth

16oz pasta cooked, drained

(melt 1/2 stick of butter over pasta)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsp garlic

2 tsp parsley

1 tsp chives

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesean cheese

Here I have my noodles cooking, bacon already cooked and crumbled, and in the skillet I have chicken, cooked, chopped and seasoned with garlic. I added the onions and sauteed for a few minutes. I then added the cream cheese and stirred it till cream cheese was completely melted. 

Like this.....

Then I added the soup base to the chicken mixture.

Next I added the parsley and chives. Then poured mixture over pasta and mix well.

Now add cheeses and bacon!

 

 This turned out so good..... everyone enjoyed it!

I even broke my low carb diet to have seconds ;)

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we did!

-Tiffany

When Life Gives You Pumpkins.... Do Something With Them!!!

..... And that's exactly what I will be doing! 

It's that time of year when pumpkins are everywhere! They are used as decorations, carved for the yummy treat awaiting inside, and the grocery store shelves are full of products filled with PUMPKIN!!!!

Sssoooo..... I thought it would be perfect to do a series on things to do with pumpkin!! In our house, we love pumpkin! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkins smoothies..... OK,you get my point! Oh, and pumpkin cheesecake! Couldn't forget that one!

This Saturday I will be going to my local farmers market to load up on the orange yummies! (As I have done for the past 5 years. Yeah, it's a bit of a tradition!)  I will then post on how to cook the pumpkins and get them ready to use in an endless list of wonderful edibles!! 

Did I mention pumpkin milkshakes?!

-Tiffany

A Walk Through Real Life....

Welcome to my blog! I hope to inspire and encourage you as I share with you real life recipes, gardening, healthy living tips, and the busy, crazy and sometimes quiet days as a stay at home mom of 6!!

I will do my best to post real to life ideas, so visit often!

-Tiffany