The Mothership

  You can prepare this fan favorite in under an hour by baking the chicken or you can cook it all day in the crockpot. The recipe below is if you bake the chicken and I will add a note at the bottom of what to do for the crockpot. Super easy midweek meal that can be versatile for leftovers. Ingredients: 3-5 lbs. chicken breast  Olive oil Salt & pepper 1 bottle of buffalo sauce 1 packet Ranch dip mix (in a spice envelope) 1 block of cream cheese 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese Romaine lettuce heads or leafy lettuce to hold the chicken mixture Sliced onions - if desired Recipe: Turn oven to bake at 400. Then place breast on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Then drizzle some olive oil on top of the chicken and then salt & pepper.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Take chicken out and shred it. I put my in a mixing bowl and let the mixer do the work.  In a 13x9 pan - I lined mine with foil for easy cleanup - put half the brick of cream cheese sliced into tabs...

This dish is so easy. It took a total of less than 1 hour to put together, bake, and cool off so you can eat it. If you use regular pasta - I would bake it for an extra 5 minutes. My mom passed this recipe on to me and I doctored it a bit.  Ingredients: 1 - 16oz box of pasta (I used Chickpea pasta) 3 cups of water 5 oz. Spinach 16 oz. Of frozen meatballs (I used meatless) Sprinkle of salt 1 - 24 oz jar of pasta sauce 1/4 red onion, chopped Parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese or both - a couple handfuls. 2 cups of mozzarella  Fresh Basil or parsley for the top of the dish Recipe : Turn oven to 450.  Spray a 13x9 dish.  Place noodles, water, spinach, meatballs, salt, pasta sauce, spinach and just a handful or two of Parmesan or cheddar cheese into the dish. Give it a good toss to make sure everything is incorporated.  Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Be sure to give a good stir about every 10 minutes.  Take out and sprinkle on the two cups of mozz...

I'm always looking for a way to make something a little more festive, a little heartier.  I don't really care for just a plain hot dog and salsa is good, but it's always better with avocado.  I also generally eat a salad for lunch, but a lot of times, I don't have the time to chop everything right there on the spot.  So I make this salsa/topper (and I usually make a lot of it) and I can use it for various things during the week.  Preparation is key to me eating well during the week when things get so hectic.  Here are the various ways I eat this: on top of a hot dog/brat/sausage on top of a bed of lettuce as a salsa with chips (or just a fork) on tacos on top of a burrito Recipe for goodness: 2 avocados, sliced and cut into bit sized pieces 1 can of corn, drained OR 1/2 bag frozen corn 1 large tomato 1 red/orange/yellow pepper, chopped (just one, not one of each) 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tsp. of Cumin Powder 1 tablespoo...

  I love it when recipes take me less than an hour from start, combining or chopping, to finish - my plate. This recipe was a crowd pleaser AND it was easy cleanup AND tasty. In this recipe I made the chicken the night before in a crockpot, so that is how I am writing the recipe. You could always bake the chicken ahead and shred ahead or pan fry and make right before you combine everything. I just wanted to make things easy for me - hence the crockpot. Ingredients: For the Chicken 4 chicken breasts 1 cup broth 1 cup water 1 tbsp. oil salt & pepper sprinkles of spices like cumin, garlic, onion, paprika  For the Quesadilla 4 cups chicken breasts (you might have a little extra leftover) 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. lime juice  2 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp cumin  1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced 4 cups Mexican cheese blend  1 cup shredded mozarella 1...

  We eat a lot of chicken. So pairing it with other things makes me feel versatile. Make it in a crockpot and I’m all in! Ingredients: 5-6 chicken breasts, skinless Salt & pepper Cooking oil - I used avocado oil 1.5 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) 3 Tbsp. Cornstarch  1 cup heavy cream or milk  2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tsp oregano 1tsp dried thyme Red pepper flakes - optional 1/2 jar of sun dried tomatoes, chopped 2 Tbsp. Butter More salt & pepper Favorite pasta Spinach Basil or parsley Grated Parmesan cheese Recipe: Drizzle a tiny bit of coooking oil on the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, place the chicken breast in the bottom of the slow cooker. Drizzle a tad more oil on top. Then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper over the chicken. In a bowl whisk together the cornstarch and chicken broth with a whisk. Add in all the seasonings and Parmesan. If you use red pepper flakes, just be careful as it can be spicy. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Then place the...

  Favorite. Cookies. Ever.  INGREDIENTS:  3 eggs 2 cups of sugar 3/4 cup softened butter 1 tsp vanilla  2.5 cups flour 12oz fresh cranberries (either frozen or cool from the fridge work well) 1 cup white chocolate chips 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and more if needed Recipe: Preheat oven to 350 With a mixer beat eggs and sugar for 5-7 minutes - should double in size, be thickened, light in color, and form a ribbon when you lift the paddle out of the bowl. DONT SKIP THAT STEP! Add the butter and vanilla. Beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in the flour till JUST combined.  With a silicone spatula or spoon, mix in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.  Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, portion the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet about 6-8 to a regular sheet (these cookies are large and spread!) Bake for 18 minutes or a few minutes more. They will have golden brown edges. The tops might look undercooked.  Remove from the oven a...

  My kids love ginger and the kick in these make them feel a little more adult - so it's ok to eat :) This recipe came from a friend, Gabi, who knows how to throw down a beautiful dessert. Ingredients: 2.5 cups (320g) flour  1.5 tsp. (8g) baking soda 3/4 tsp. (4g) cinnamon 1 tsp. (4g) ground ginger 1/2 tsp (2g) ground cloves 1/2 tsp. (5g) salt 1/2 tsp. (2g) cayenne pepper 1/2 cup (113g) softened butter 1/2 cup (112g) sugar 1 cup (209g) packed brown sugar 1/3 cup (110g) molasses 1/4 cup (70g) of egg whites extra sugar in a bowl for rolling 1/3 cup softened butter 3 cups of powdered sugar  3 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. lemon zest  Recipe: Heat oven to 375. Combine the first 7 ingredients and set aside.  In another bowl, cream the softened butter. Then add in the sugars, molasses, and egg whites. Stir until combined.  Add the flour and spices mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix till all incorporated.  Take the dough and make small 1-2inch round b...

My 90’s kids know what hamburger helper is. This is a version of it minus pasta that makes me feel a bit better about the food going in my body. And it MOSTLY has all pantry ingredients give or take one. This also takes 30 minutes.    This makes enough for my family of five and leftovers for tomorrow.  Ingredients: 2 tsp. Olive oil or saute oil 2 lbs. ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped More olive oil 2 lbs. small gold potatoes (they come in a 1 lb bag at the grocer) Salt & pepper 3 tsp. Garlic powder 3 tsp. Onion powder 2 tsp. Smoked paprika 1/2 cup of water 2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup of ketchup - or more if you’d like 1.5 cups of sharp cheddar cheese Green onions, sliced Recipe: In a large saute pan heat the oil on medium. Add in your onion, green pepper and saute for a minute.  Add the ground beef and separate all the beef as it cooks into small pieces. Cook for about 8 minutes total. Then take out of the pan...

These are so easy to make, especially if you have small amounts of time to gather steps throughout the day. Also - this is great for a range of palates because it’s easy to keep items separate instead of it all cooking together.  This makes enough for leftovers for the week.  Ingredients: 3 lbs chicken breasts 1/2cup olive oil 4 limes 5 cloves of garlic, minced 4 tsp. Honey 1 1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin 2 tsp. Coriander  Salt & Pepper 1 pineapple, trimmed and diced into bite size  1/2 cup cilantro, tightly packed then chopped 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño  1/2 red onion 1 lime 1/4 tsp ground cumin  Sliced avocado 2 cups vegetable broth - or a bit more 2 cups rice Dash olive oil & salt Cilantro lime salad dressing Recipe: Cut chicken breasts in half to make smaller pieces. Place in large plastic bag for marinade. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, zest of 2 limes, 1/2 cup lime juice, minced garlic, honey, cumin, coriander, and 1 tsp each ...

This recipe feeds the five of us and gives enough for maybe two servings of leftovers. Before you begin, PRESS THE TOFU for at least a few hours. To press tofu: Take tofu out of packing and drain the liquid.  Place paper towels around the tofu (I usually two-ply it).  Then place wrapped tofu on a plate or in a bowl and place a cutting board and something else heavy on top to apply pressure. You are trying to extract all the water. The more extracted the crispier. You might repeat that process one more time. Sometime I press it in the fridge overnight and change it again in the morning. Then it’s ready for baking in the afternoon. Ingredients : 2 - 14oz blocks of extra-firm tofu Olive oil 2 Tbspns Cornstarch 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. Garlic powder 1/2 tsp black pepper Recipe :  Heat oven to 400 Slice pressed tofu in two or three even slabs. Pat dry. Slice tofu into desire rectangles or cubes for eating. The smaller the cube the crispier but it takes more time to turn them. So I u...

  These are easy enough to double for a large crowd. Keep it refrigerated and if making ahead, I would make the crust and custard and make the whipped cream fresh the day of so it doesn’t separate. Ingredients: 2.5 sleeves of graham crackers crushed 1 stick of melted butter (1/2 cup) 3 cans of sweetened  condensed  milk 1 cup of Key lime juice 1 cup of vanilla Greek Yogurt Zest from limes (will need 2, but used at different parts of the recipe) 2 egg yolks 2 cups of heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar RECIPE: Crust Preheat oven to 350 Crush graham crackers in a blender or food processor. Pour into a bowl and add 1 stick of melted butter. Combine until in sticks together and fully incorporates.  Press crust into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake crust for 8-10 minutes. Filling : Pour into large bowl cans of condensed milk, and key lime juice. Using a whisk combine until fully combined and no longer liquidy.  Add the Greek yogurt and zest of 1 lime to the bowl and ...

Every once in awhile I want to focus on nothing else and make something a little more fancy. This coconut cream pie is worth the extra care and time. My mother and I share the same love for this pie and it's her birthday! I made this for Thanksgiving and there was NONE left. You can make this crust OR go a little easier and buy a frozen crust from the grocery, just make sure you bake the shell before you use it! Makes one pie, but you'll wish you had made two!    Ingredients For the crust: 2 3/4c. all purpose flour 2 tsp. granulated sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 1/2c. unsalted butter (3 sticks) 6-9 tbsp. ice cold water. For the Filling: 1c. heavy cream 1c. whole milk 1 (14.5oz) can full fat unsweetened coconut milk 3/4c. granulated sugar 1c. unsweetened toasted coconut flakes 1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg + 4 egg yolks 1/3c. cornstarch 1 tsp. vanilla extract 4 tbsp. butter, unsalted, room temp.  For the Topping: 1 1/2 cup. heavy whipping cream. 1/4c. powdered sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1...

Whether you want to make this in your crockpot or in your instapot - it’s another easy crowd pleaser! Serve over rice and your favorite toppings for bowls or make for tacos!  Ingredients 2-3lb chuck roast, cut into large chunks 1/2 cup beef broth 5 garlic cloves, peeled 2Tbsp apple cider vinegar 2Tbsp lime juice  1 tablespoon dried oregano  2 tsp cumin 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp ground cloves 2 whole bay leaves Serve with Rice, chopped tomatoes & onions, spinach, avocado, shredded cheese, and whatever sauce if you think you need it.  Recipe: Place roast chunks into crockpot or instapot. If using an instapot, place a bit of oil on the bottom first. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place all over ingredients in a blender EXCEPT the bay leaves. Blend till combined.   Pour over the beef chunks. Add the bay leaves If crockpot: 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 on low. If instapot: set to pressure cook on high pressure for 70 minutes and instant release at ...

I love making large pots of any kind of meal.  The ones you can just keep adding to till they grow to the size you need.  My grandma had a POT.  You know, THE pot.  The only pot large enough to make food for our "family" get-togethers.  This pot is so large that you may have only seen them in large industrial kitchens...I'm not even sure how it fit under her 4-burner range?!?!?!  But she always made plenty.  I have a pot, but it is the nesting pot compared to my Grandma's pot.  I had a large amount of friends coming over and I wanted leftovers too. (their kiddos too, but what kiddo, at a play date with 22 other children wants to sit and eat soup?).  Hopefully, once distractions are gone, my children will eat this soup.  It was tasty.  This is a one pot, and grow as big as you like recipe.  I think I could have made it spicier but with a big crowd you never know.  You could also use this for your leftover turkey meat f...

This might seem like a lot of work but it really wasn’t. It’s mostly just dumping.  To make even easier:  You could make the chicken the night before and add all the ingredients to the pan just before baking.  You could make the whole dish the night before including baking it and the leftovers are delicious! You could purchase the tzatziki sauce I truly didn’t measure the spices, I just sprinkled everything on top and then let it sit.  **I’m always looking to make things more colorful so next time I will be adding chopped red and orange peppers and topping with fresh tomatoes.  Tzatziki sauce: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt Juice from one lemon 1/2 of a peeled, Grated cucumber Salt 1 clove garlic, minced 1tsp chopped fresh dill Black pepper   Casserole: 1-2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces Drizzle of olive oil Juice from 1 lemon   2Tbsp chopped fresh parsley   1 tsp, oregano, thyme, smoked paprika Sprinkle of salt SprinkleCumin Sp...

A lot of people ask for this recipe so I thought I would add it here... *remember, everything is approximate *you really need to have ripe avocados, slightly firm and slightly smushy *if you don't have enough after you have mixed everything, you can always add sour cream to make it go farther. Ingredients: 4 avocados 1/4 medium red onion, chopped 1 Tablespoon or more of diced jalapenos 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced  1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon or more of salt chips Cut and open the avocados.  Add everything to a bowl, except chips, and mush together with your hands.  EVERYTHING should be added to your liking.

  Ingredients: 1 &1/4 lbs. brussel sprouts, halved and then thinly sliced 1/2 yellow onion, diced Olive oil (or any cooking oil/fat) Salt Pepper 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and rough chopped Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate  1 lemon, zested and then juice squeezed Red pepper flakes Crumbled Feta *optional ingredients: dried cranberries instead of pomegranates and shaved Parmesan in addition to the feta RECIPE:  Slice the Brussel sprouts in half and then thinly slice each half. Place in a bowl.  Heat a large sauté pan on medium low heat. Add cooking oil to the pan and sauté the onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Chop the pistachios When the onions become translucent, add in the Brussel sprouts.  Sauté for just a bit, enough to be warmed. You want the Brussel sprouts to stay bright green. Stir frequently so all the leaves become warm (5 minutes tops) Add in the pistachios. Cook for 1 more minute.  Remove from heat and add in the rest of the ingredien...

Very tasty and makes a lot so you can freeze for later or give to others.  I usually use a 13x9 and two foil 8x8 pans for freezing when I make this and there is still filling left over which is good for putting on top of salads or giving to little ones:) You can also use a 7x11 and 3 foil containers.  When cooking the chicken, I usually cook it in a crockpot on low that morning with a little salt and a minced clove of garlic and just a little water so that it's easy to shred and prepared for when I come home to make the rest. Or you can bake the chicken at 350 for 30 minutes seasoned with garlic powder and salt. Then shred with two forks after its baked This is not super spicy but you can make it hotter if you like. Just add things like diced jalepenos or Tabasco sauce to the chicken filling.  The tortillas: I use white or yellow corn tortillas. They are smaller than the normal taco tortillas. I have tried wheat tortillas and they just don't hold up as well. They ...

My sister and I used to hit up the China Buffet quite frequently as children with our grandparents on a Friday night. Now that my kids are so much older and mature (ha!) I thought maybe they would try it! This recipe makes a lot - perfect for a crowd. If you only want enough for 2 adults to have dinner and leftovers I would definitely halve this. I felt like this recipe was a little less salty and not so heavy in sauce, which I prefer. You CAN saute in broth instead of oil if you feel like you want it even healthier. Also - if you wanted to make it vegetarian, some pan seared tofu would be super tasty! ***TIP! Be sure and have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go BEFORE you begin sauteing. This food cooks quickly and can easily burn if you are trying to chop as you go. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced 2 egg white 4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of cornstarch divided use 1  - 32oz chicken broth 3 teaspoons of sugar 2 Tablespoons of ...

My nephew joined me one afternoon and I thought, “I bet he’d like muffins.” I wanted to use pumpkin because Tia the season, but I wanted to see if I could lessen the amount of granulated sugar and pack with some protein. So I experimented! Below is the reaping of the experiment. Ingredients:  makes more than 24 regular sized muffins (half the amounts if you’d rather less) 1/2 cup white flour 1/2 cup protein powder (I used chocolate) 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 tsp. Baking soda 3 tsp. Ground cinnamon 3 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice  1/2 tsp. Ground ginger 1/2 tsp salt 3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed 1/2 cup brown sugar  1 cup oil (whatever cooking oil you like) 1 can pumpkin purée  1/2 cup milk (any milk and possibly might need more) 1&1/2 cups pecans, chopped (or walnuts) 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips Recipe: Preheat oven to 425 degrees ferenhiet and either spray your muffin tin or Place muffin liners.  In a large bowl, whisk: flour, protein powder, spices, ...