Commitment to my family

So as part of my blog revival I should catch you up on what Lindsey has done to me....she ruined my life & made me conscious of a new layer to "healthy eating"....& by "ruined my life" I mean made me aware of all the processed crap food that I was eating & feeding my kids to the point that I had to make some big changes...which at times has been exhausting & stressful & left me starving & staring at my pantry longing for the old foods to be there again for my convienience...but overall I think has greatly improved our whole family's quality of life. I'm by no means, to the level of some of my friends in this quest for "whole/real foods", but baby steps have led to some big changes and I'm sure will continue to gradually redefine our eating habits & health in general. I'll share some of my new perspectives & perhaps achieve some new goals through the new posts to this blog. 

So, basically, if you want to open your eyes in the same way I did you will be reading some fascinating views & opinions-some that have fed some of my own opinions & some that have left me thinking they are crazy-but fascinating to read & ponder all the same. Just be cautious that some things are OPINIONS and you should not go over board basing your new life policies & doctrines on OPINIONS...however, some things can be found in multiple resources & in multiple ways with many different spins to help you form your own opinions & options that will work for YOU and YOUR family. I like to form my opinions & lifestyle according to the motto "all things in moderation". So, with that mind, I started my research & learning from www.100daysofrealfood.com and then found all kinds of links and information through her info as well as posted comments & links shared in those comments. I enjoy her perspectives and her own counter perspectives shared or commented on. So if you are curious & wanting to make some changes for the better start there and research for yourself then you can understand a bit of my perspectives (although not always to the extreme). I also have been lucky enough to use some of my friends & their knowledge to aid me in this journey so I hope to post some new recipes that we are loving as well as information as I learn it to help me/us know how to modify some eating habits &/or recipes to hopefully improve our quality of life as well as to change the new fear that we will be the first generation to outlive our children. I DO NOT WANT THAT TO BE THE CASE FOR MY FAMILY!!! I WANT MY CHILDREN TO BE HEALTHIER THAN ME!!! So start your research & stay tuned for some of my insights 😄

-becca

REVIVAL OF THIS BLOG

I think this blog needs some CPR!!! I've been in a blogging coma & want to blog again! Since we are trying to eat better I'm hoping to come up with some new recipes that can become instant favorites so let's see if I can drag myself back & revive my posting abilities!

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

I have found myself being very hungry these days! I am starting to wonder if my body thinks I am growing an army instead of just 1 baby! I made this soup last night for dinner. I actually doubled the darn thing and there was only 1 serving left for me to scarf down for my second breakfast/first lunch;) It is a perfect winter soup.

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup (feel free to go vegetarian!)
By Kathy Rappleye
1 small onion, chopped
1 T butter
3 C chicken broth
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 C cooked chicken, cubed
2 T minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C flour
1 C milk
1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz), cubed

In a large saucepan saute the onion in the butter. Add broth, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat through. Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add the cream cheese; cook and stir until melted.

Fantastic Taco soup with black beans

This is our family's favorite taco soup recipe. It is perfect for a cold winter day☺

Taco Soup With Balck Beans
1 lb ground beef or turkey browned and drained
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 1/4 oz can corn, undrained
15 oz can black beans, undrained
15 1/2 oz can red kidney beans, undrained
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 envelope dry taco seasoning
1 small onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker cook for 4-6 hours. I have put it in first thing in the morning and eaten it at 5:00 and it is perfect. Pour over tortilla chips. We like the Fritos large ones. You can scoop the soup really well that way. Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Spicy Pumpkin Pancakes

This recipe has been officially approved by my 20 month old....he out ate his mama. He ended up eating 6 pancakes. I hope you like this recipe as much as Bryce did :) We like these as a dinner with apple cider & sliced pears.

Spicy Pumpkin Pancakes

2 1/3 c. Bisquick mix
1/3 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 TB sugar
1/4 tsp of each: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg & ground ginger
2 eggs

Mix all pancake ingredients just until blended. Heat griddle to 375 & top with maple pecan syrup. (recipe follows)

Maple Pecan Syrup

1 c. maple syrup
1 TB butter
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Heat syrup & butter in saucepan until melted. Remove from heat & stir in pecans.

Amanda's Gourmet Coconut Cream Pie

I love this pie!! My friend Amanda made it for me at all of our special occasion parties (Christmas, Easter, my birthday, etc.) because she knew I loved it so much. Sadly, we moved away and don't get to hang out anymore so I had to get the recipe and learn how to make it for myself. I am not as good of a cook as she is though and it takes me forever! Enjoy!

Coconut Cream Pie with a Hint of White Chocolate

1 cup coconut

½ cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup of coconut

6 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

½ cup flour

1 tablespoon butter

4 ounces white chocolate baking bar

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups whipping cream

½ cup powdered sugar

Toasted coconut

White chocolate curls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare crust, stir together coconut, graham cracker crumbs and ¼ cup melted butter. Press onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake in a 350 degree over for 10 minutes. Cool.

To prepare filling, heat milk and 1 cup coconut in a large, heavy saucepan just to simmering, stirring occasionally. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar and flour. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined. Gradually stir 1 cup of hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Stir egg mixture into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.

Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, Cover surface with clear plastic wrap. Cool. In a small saucepan, melt white chocolate baking bar with 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat stirring constantly. Spread onto bottom and sides of cool pie crust. Cool until chocolate is firm.

Pour filling into crust. Cover and chill 2 to 4 hours. Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Swirl whipped cream over chilled filling. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Garnish with toasted coconut and white chocolate curls.

Note: I also have started adding 1 tsp of coconut extract to the egg mixture.

Chili

*1 TBSP olive oil
*2 onions, chopped
*2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
*4 cloves of garlic, chopped
*2 LBS ground beef
*1 6-oz can tomato paste
*1/4 heaping cup chili powder
*2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp ground red pepper
*1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
*dash of paprika
*24oz chicken broth
*4 19oz cans kidney beans, rinsed
*1 28oz can diced tomatoes
*2 1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the Onions, bell peppers, and garlic in the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6-8 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and seasonings and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20-25 minutes.
When serving, top with cheese, onions, and sour cream. Serve with cornbread.