Category: Recipes/Cooking

I’ve been rather…uncreative with dinner lately. The girls wanted spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight, but since Jorge is low-carbing again I had to make something different for us. In light of Taco Tuesday, and having meatballs and veggies on hand, I threw together the easiest soup, ever! The beauty of this recipe is that you can coarsely chop your veggies and just toss everything in a pot of broth! I, of course, was missing a few ingredients since this was an impromptu recipe, but I’ll write it up the way it should be 😉 .

You’ll Need:

1 48 oz. carton of chicken broth
1/2 an onion, chopped
1/2 a green pepper, chopped
1/2 a tomato, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cup of frozen broccoli (this one’s optional; I tossed some in!)
1 cup (or 1/2 a 15 oz. can) of crushed tomatoes
meatballs (I like H-E-B meatballs or you can use this receipe
1 tblsp. Chobani Meze Dip Chili Lime flavor (optional)
a few dashes of sea salt
a few dashes of pepper

Toppings:
1 whole Haas avocado, sliced
chopped cilantro
queso fresco

Directions:

Bake your meatballs while you put the carton of chicken broth to boil. Chop up your veggies and toss the veggies and frozen broccoli into the pot (remember, broccoli is optional; I put it in for more texture). Add your crushed tomatoes and lower heat to a simmer once the veggies are soft. Toss your cooked meatballs into the mixture and stir in the Chobani dip (this is optional as well; it gave it a good kick and slight creaminess).

Toss in a few dashes of freshly cracked sea salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with avocado, cilantro and queso freso. Obviously, I was missing the queso fresco and cilantro, but you’re welcome.

I had to type up this post super quick because, guys, this is the best EVER!

I’d seen the overnight oats and peanut butter jar oats on Pinterest, but still hadn’t had the opportunity to try them. I almost had a stroke a week ago when one of the kids threw out a perfectly good jar of almost-finished PB I could have used for this! But, my PB finished last night (yes, Mom has her own), so it all worked out!

I’ve made steel-cut oats on the stovetop with some cinnamon water, and I’ve microwaved them as well and they have *never* come out this soft and comforting!

I used:

16.3oz. Peter Pan Honey Cream Roast jar, almost empty of PB
1/3 cup dry steel-cut oats
2/3 cup of almond milk (or the milk of your choice)
1/2 a banana, sliced in half and then diced
A dash of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon

Dump everything into your almost-empty jar of peanut butter, replace the lid and give it a good shake! Leave in the fridge overnight and by the a.m.  it’ll be ready to go!

I don’t recommend microwaving the plastic PB jar since it can melt, but I’m a rebel, so I did–just for 30 seconds. And it was GLORIOUS!

You can follow the same steps without an almost-empty PB jar by putting all your ingredients into a tall microwaveable storage jar with lid or a Mason jar (add about a tablespoon of peanut butter). Not sure how those do in the microwave, though (I have to have warm oats!). I think I may try blueberries or strawberries next time, too! So good for taking to work or on errands with you!

Made this pizza last night, and oh my gosh, I’m still thinking about it!! The beauty of this pizza is you can change your veggie, meat and cheese options as you see fit!

You’ll Need:
1 bag cooked small or medium sized, peeled, deveined, tail-off shrimp (thawed and seasoned with fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, cayenne pepper and garlic salt)
Pam cooking spray
Large pizza pan
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1/2 cup red peppers, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup nacho-sliced jalapenos (optional)
A good handful of bacon pieces
1 store-bought thin pizza crust
About 1/2 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce/marinara
About a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
About 1/2 a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
A handful of Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or what’s indicated on your pizza crust. I usually use HEB brand Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts (made with EVOO).

Thaw your cooked shrimp. Heat pan on medium. Spray Pam and toss shrimp in along with a few dashes of cayenne pepper and garlic salt and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. Saute for 5 minutes and set aside.

Chop up all your veggies. I’m guestimating the amount of ingredients, but that’s the beauty of homemade pizzas: you can add or omit whichever you’d like. I would have added yellow peppers as well, had I found some at the store.

Once all your veggies are chopped up, you can begin prepping your pizza crust. Place your crust on your pizza pan and spread your favorite spaghetti sauce over the entire crust.

Next, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese generously over your sauce. Sprinkle the onions, peppers and spinach and top with the shredded Parmesan. Add the fresh tomato slices and jalapeno slices. Next come the meats. Sprinkle the bacon pieces on your pizza. I’m a HUGE fan of these:

So handy and I use them in tons of recipes. You can find them in the salad dressing/croutons section of your grocery store.

Lastly, sprinkle your seasoned shrimp and dust with a good layer of Feta cheese.

Bake for 6-8 minutes (or by the length of time on your pizza crust package).

Let your pizza stand 5 minutes before serving, and enjoy!