Brats & Beer Cheddar Chowder

This was one of those recipes I knew I was going to try, regardless of how bad it was for me. Let's face it, there is really nothing healthy about this. Although it does lend itself to some healthier swaps, I did not go that route. I will definitely be making this again but I think it needs to be saved for a cold winter day! It was definitely nice to come home and end a long day with a big bowl of cheesy, delicious comfort food! 

After step 2.

What you'll need: 

• 2 Tbsp butter or margarine - I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 3 large shallots, chopped - I omitted these
• 1 14 oz can vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk, half-and-half or light cream
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 10 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 12 oz smoke bratwurst or Polish sausage - I went with Eckridge turkey sausage links



After cheese addition.

• 1 12 oz can or bottle of beer or ale - I went with Blue Moon

What you do:

1. In a large pot or saucepan heat the butter on medium. Add onion, carrot and shallots and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and golden.
2. In a sealable container, combine broth and flour. Shake and combine until smooth. Stir into onion mix. Add milk and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about five minutes. 
3. Gradually stir in the cheese then reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently until cheese melts, but do not allow to boil. Stir in sausage and beer and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Served with salad and a Pilsbury Artisan Whole Wheat Dinner Roll 

Enjoy!

Lauren

Kona Kase Monthly Subscription Service

This is one blog that is long overdue. 

A little ways back I discovered a terrible and yet wonderful way to spend money that I shouldn't be spending: Monthly Subscription Services. If you're familiar with the concept, you know exactly what I mean. For those of you who aren't, let me enlighten you.

Pick a category, any category, like snacks, crafts, makeup, you name it really. Now imagine getting a themed package once a month filled with goodies pertaining to your category. Even though you pay for it, in most cases the contents are a surprise. Sounds awesome right? Trust me, it is!

Since I've discovered these services I've been a member to quite a few. Some I tried out but decided they just weren't for me, like KLUTCHclub, Conscious Box and Birchbox. Others I liked but I decided to end my subscription in order to not spend so much, like Blissmobox. I'm not going to tell you how many I currently subscribe to, because I don't want to think about the money I justify spending on them. But I will tell you about my absolute favorite: Kona Kase. 

Kona Kase is an active lifestyle themed service. This means that each month I get a box of snacks picked for their abilities to power me through workouts, help me make sure I'm meeting my dietary needs and provide tasty treats that won't ruin my day diet wise. I look forward to and love getting my Kona Kase each month! Receiving it seriously has the power to turn my day around. So why am I just now taking the time to blog about it? Well, it's because the August Kase blew me away and I knew that I had to share it with you ASAP! 

For starters, the August Kase contained three products I already know I love: a Larabar, Almond Butter from Justin's and a Quest Bar. Not to mention that the quest bar is their newest flavor, which I haven't tried yet! 

This Kase also contains a Rise Bar which I have wanted to try but I haven't found a retailer that sells the bars individually. 

I have to say though, the thing I'm the most excited for is the BioTRUST Protein Cookie. I really really hope that it actually tastes like a cookie because sweets are where I struggle the most with my diet and if there is a way for me to still incorporate them, I'll buy it by the truckload. 

If you're interested in trying a Kona Kase let me know! I can get you a customized referral link for a discount on your first kase! 

Until next time,

Lauren

Turkey & Egg Breakfast "Muffins"

Let's talk breakfast, shall we?

I love breakfast, it's the reason I get up in the morning.

Okay, I get up because I have to go to work, but breakfast makes the morning way more bearable.

Unfortunately, I have a 35 minute commute that already requires me to wake up at 4:30am.

This means my breakfast needs to be portable because there is no way I'm getting up any earlier than that.

On top of portable, my breakfast has to be healthy! Breakfast starts your day and your metabolism so it's important to get a good mixture of the essentials. You know, protein, carbs, fiber, the good stuff. 

This brings us to the main attraction: Turkey & Egg Breakfast "Muffins"! 

These little babies have it all! 

They're quick and easy to make, compact and very portable and let's not forget the most important factor, they're delicious! 

What you'll need:

• Sliced turkey of choice (honey roasted, mesquite, etc)
• Eggs or Egg Whites
• Salsa, Cheese or whatever "flavorings" your heart desires.

 What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a muffin tin.
2. Push two slices of turkey down into a muffin tin, mocking a liner.
3. Fill with egg/egg whites. Be sure to leave a little room for add-ins.
4. Mix in add ins.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until egg is cooked through.

Bam! Done. Just like that you've got a weeks worth of breakfast that store very well in the refrigerator. Now all you have to do is roll out of bed, pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds and go! 

Happy baking!

Lauren 

Bacon & Asparagus Penne with Alfredo

I feel like I need to start out by saying that it's not entirely my fault that I haven't had any blog posts recently! For some god unknown reason, Comcast hates us and our internet service has been pretty terrible recently. Hopefully the cooperation I'm getting from it right now lasts long enough for me to get a blog out!

In the meantime, I've made some pretty delicious meals recently. I love having roommates because it gives me the opportunity to 1) cook way more often and 2) get feed back on what was good and what was not so good. I got really excited for another variation on stuffed peppers, Chicken & Cornbread Stuffed Peppers. but was pretty disappointed with how they came out. Taste wise, they were pretty good but my end product looked nothing like the picture. If I experiment a little more and get better results you can be sure I'll blog about 'em.

Let's get on to the main attraction shall we? Now, pasta is something I eat sparingly. Well, not just pasta, pretty much carbs in general. I honestly cheat and have dessert more often than I have carbs. But pasta is cheap and filling, not to mention the boys like it. So I'm branching out a little and making more pasta recipes, like this deliciousness. Let's be honest, you really can't go wrong with any of the ingredients. Asparagus? Bacon? Alfredo? All super tasty and the asparagus is even good for you! This recipe really has it going too because on top of all the tasty ingredients, it was incredibly easy to prepare!

What you'll need:

• 8 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound pasta - I used penne
• 2 cups Alfredo sauce
• salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Cook the pasta according to it's directions. Before draining reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pan and set it aside.
2. Over medium heat, cook the bacon. When finished, leave 2 Tbsp of the grease in the pan and add the asparagus. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add asparagus to the pasta and then stir in the bacon and Alfredo sauce. If you feel the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the saved pasta water to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

This is definitely a recipe I plan to make again, although next time I think I'm going to half the amount of both pasta and asparagus and add in some chicken breast!   

I promise to come back and add pictures as soon as the internet starts cooperating a little better!



Thanks for reading!
Lauren

Crockpot Peach Crisp

As fate would have it, Mike(roommate)’s girlfriend’s family owns an orchard. Which I guess means that she gets sent home with a lot of fresh produce. Naturally, this ended up in my kitchen.

Well, I can’t pass up the opportunity to cook and I hate seeing food go bad before it could be eaten. So I decided to make this Crockpot Peach Crisp! This dessert was super easy and super delicious, a win-win!

                                                                     What you need:                                                                       

4 cups sliced fresh peaches - I peeled mine

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup flour - I used whole wheat

2/3 cup oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt - I omitted the salt because my butter was salted

1/2 cup butter

What you do:

Combine the peaches with the liquids and place in a greased slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients except butter. 

Cut in butter until the mix resembles crumbs. 

Sprinkle over the peaches and press down slightly.

Cover the slow cooker with a paper towel and place the lid on top.

Cook on high for two hours.

Enjoy with ice cream!

This is just so tasty...I don't mind indulging my diet a little!

Lauren

Cauliflower & Yellow Lentil Curry

Wow… to say that I’ve been busy lately would be an understatement! Not only did I get switched back to working days at the farm, but my new roommates finally got to move in! This isn’t just exciting because they’re two of my closest friends and I’m no longer living alone. No friends, this is exciting because it means I get to cook way more often! You see, we have an agreement that I cook four nights in a week in exchange for not paying as much of the bills. I’m pretty pumped about it.

This brings us to the subject of today’s post, the first meal I made for the three of us: Cauliflower and Yellow Lentil Curry. This, my friends, was delicious and made the entire apartment smell amazing. Honestly, the hardest part of the whole thing was finding the curry paste at the grocery store! No worries though, I finally found the tiny little jar hiding amongst all the other pastes and flavorings in the international isle.

What you need:

1 onion, finely chopped

8 cloves garlic – I wasn’t paying attention and got a little crazy with the garlic, still tasted great

1-2 tbsps fresh grated ginger

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup curry paste

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp curry powder

3 cups veggie broth + 3 cups water – I actually used chicken stock

2 cups dry yellow lentils

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

Apricot or mango jam for serving – I went with sugar free apricot

What you do:

1.  Saute onion, garlic and ginger in the oil until soft. Add curry paste, turmeric and curry powder and stir fry for a minute. Add the broth/water and whisk until incorporated. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the lentils and simmer for 20-40 minutes. It will take longer if you leave the pot uncovered, but the aroma is worth it.
3. When the lentils are almost done, add the cauliflower. You are going to steam it so if you need to add a little extra liquid, do so now. Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes, until cauliflower is soft.
4. Serve with a dollop of the jam, trust me it’s worth it, and over a bed of rice!
5. This recipe was awesome, light but filling and definitely a keeper! I might go a little more on the curry powder next time, we’ll see.
   
   
   

   

   The jam is a little hard to see because it blends in, but it was so good!

   Enjoy!

Lauren