Make Better Food

So i’m not the biggest baker but my goal this year is to continue to work on my weaknesses in the kitchen. And i gotta say i’m pretty darn proud of these pumpkin muffins!! Besides having my favorite flavor of pumpkin I can eat these guys guilt free as they’re low glycemic and super filling so one gets me through my morning. I hope you guys try these out since their SUPER easy and SUPER tasty!!

Lately I’ve been trying to figure out fun ways to get more veggies in my diet.  And let me tell ya there’s is no better way to get your veggies than in the form of a burger and fries! I recently found a great recipe for a teriyaki mushroom burger and polenta fries and thought I’d give it a try. And I am so glad I did! Everything was so rich and delicious that I didn’t even realize I was shoving my face full of veggies!! So the next time your craivng a burger and fries give this a shot!!

So I thought I’d try making these for the big game the other week in place of wings. And let me tell ya...I was NOT disappointed!! Guys, this couldn’t be easier, faster or more delicious. I also thought this might be a fun snack for all my vegetarian friends out there! Hope you guys like!! 

So I got a new blender for Christmas guys (yes, I’m a nerd) and I couldn't be MORE excited! As I might have mentioned before on the blog I’m not a big salad eater. So I’m a HUGE fan of getting all that veggie goodness in the most efficient way possible. Needless to say, this blender is the answer to my prayers for this problem! So I’ll be peppering in fun smoothie recipes every few weeks. This first one was inspired by my future brother-in-law. I call it ‘The lean mean green machine’. Hope you guys will drink up and enjoy! 

Guys! It’s that time of year again.  That time of year where we hibernate inside for the next few weeks in hope that Winter will pass by swiftly. In order to cope  I thought a recipe for a nice soup was in order. I’ve recently become a HUGE fan of butternut squash soup and wanted to share a recipe I got from a friend. Enjoy and stay warm!!

Guys! I wanted to to check in before the New Year and share a SUPER easy jambalaya recipe that doesn’t take all day long in a crock pot to prepare. But still packs all that great flavor to make your guest believe you spent all day making it!! Now that the weather is FINALLY getting a little cooler this dish will surely heat ya up while  vegging out on the weekends in front of your tv!

Guys, is there any better day of the week than taco Tuesday?! Nope, didn’t think so! I absolutely LOVE a good taco and love doing taco night at home. So I wanted to share my recipe for these tasty ground turkey tacos that are healthy and pack a a healthy bit of heat too! Enjoy!!

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about my Mom, who passed away a few years ago, and how much I missed her.  So I wanted to make something that would remind me of her. Something that would make my apartment smell like home. 

See, my Mom came from a big Irish family and was used to dishes that could feed an army. So she typically made dishes that were hearty and would last a few days. One of my favorite dishes was a thick sauced pasta called goulash.

Goulash is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating from the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in Central Europe, Scandinavia and Southern Europe.Its origin traces back to the 9th century to stews eaten by Hungarian shepherds.

So I thought I’d share this recipe with you guys in hopes it that it would fill your hearts and tummies with as much warmth as it did mine (PS: sorry for the brief history lesson).

Yes, you read correctly, KALE pizza....but please keep reading! I promise you won’t be sorry about incorporating this hearty veggie into what is most likely everyone’s favorite thing to eat. To be honest, this recipe came about simply because I’m always attempting to sneak veggies into my diet whenever I can. And since I can’t order pizza out (yeah, that whole lactose intolerant thing) I usually make pizza at home once a month and this time I decided to grill little baby pizza’s and add in my new favorite veggie kale.

Much like the famous saying, “If a tree falls in an empty forest and no one hears it, did it really happen?” Does Fall really happen if you don’t consume a Pumpkin Spice Latte? On a recent trip to my local Starbucks I was “that person” that requested my PSL with only one pump as opposed the four it normally comes with along with the additional 200 calories. And although the workers were BEYOND pleasant and nice and by NO MEANS made me feel like “that person” I thought to myself there’s gotta be a better way to do this. And there is!

So on a recent date night we decided to try one of those home box delivery meals. We went with a coriander chicken with a cold couscous and goat cheese salad from this adorable comapny called, ‘Hello Fresh”.  And just like the companies name the ingredients were super fresh and couldn’t be easier to prepare!

Guys! I am BEYOND excited to share with you my recipe for these light, fluffy, delicious and (somewhat) healthy pumpkin pancakes. Okay, so I’ll be the first to admit that the thought of making pancakes at home terrified me! What if I burn them? HOw will I know when it’s right to flip them?? What about the HUGE mess this will make in my kitchen?! Well my friends, I have finally gotten over that fear thanks to a boxed mix of gluten free pancake mix from Trader Joe’s. Alright, so I know this isn’t completely my own creation but hey, I’m not afraid to admit sometimes we all need a little help in the kitchen!

So it’s that time of year again...yes, pumpkin EVERYTHING!!! So rather than overloading on all those PSL’s at Starbucks this Fall season how about trying a new pumpkin flavored treat this October?!  I recently found a recipe for some pumpkin pasta that’s super hearty and not overwhelmingly pumpkin flavored either. So give it a shot! And I guess a few Pumpkin Spice Latte’s won’t hurt either!

Okay, so Oktoberfest may be over but it is still October and the perfect time for this Fall dish! And yes, leave it to me to attempt to make healthy a beer laden holiday.  But I’m super excited to share this super easy and super delicious recipe with you guys. These brats are great for a tailgate or just watching the game at home!

Guys! Today I want to introduce you to my new favorite snack! Snacking is probably one of my favorite things to do...like ever. I think I enjoy it so much because it’s usually something light that doesn’t make me feel super full but leaves me not feeling hangry.  So today I present to you ‘Smoked Salmon Avocado toast’!  A great recipe I got from Ingrid Nilsen’s youtube page. Learn more about this healthy and filling little guy here!

SO guys I’m not going to lie I was actually pretty nervous to make this! I’ve cooked a lot of things but I really haven’t dived into making a ton of Mexican food (minus the occasional taco tuesday nights). Needless to say, conquering the mighty enchilada seemed liked a daunting task.  But I got inspired recently to give it a shot when I came across the recipe on Hannah Hart’s My Drunk Kitchen and surprisingly this was MUCH easier than I had anticipated (besides being super messy to put together)!. But what’s a great kitchen or even a great life without a little mess?!  So I encourage you to dig deep and find that inner chef and tackle the whole enchilada using the recipe (which I’ve altered slightly) down below!

Cheers!

Rach

So I like taking on cooking challenges occasionally and attempting to ‘healthify’ things that are typically known for not being something that is super healthy for you to eat.  And I know a lot of us occasionally get nostalgic for our days as broke College students and will indulge in some dirt cheap Ramen noodles.

Since we had some Ramen sitting in our pantry and I was feeling some warm chinese food this past week with the rainy and cold weather we were having I thought I’d give upgrading my Ramen a shot and you should too! Find out how down below!