Crab Cake Benedict with Avocado {Cravings}

I own quite a few cookbooks, but there are few that I actually reach for time and time again. The Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten cookbooks are my absolute favorites. Those ladies can do no wrong in the kitchen. Lately I'm finding myself reaching for Chrissy Teigens book, Cravings, as my new favorite cookbook as I have been using it non-stop for the past couple of months.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie

Last week for Valentine's Day, I made this festive smoothie for the whole family as a fun way to kick off the day. It was a big hit, especially with my toddler! Who doesn't love chocolate and fruit for breakfast!?!?

Our Valentine's Day Dinner

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day this week! I know we sure did :)

We didn't go out on the town, because Lord knows how fun going out to eat with a toddler can be! This year we dined in and I pulled out all the stops to make up for the fact we were eating at home and not going out.

Glazed Pumpkin Donut Holes

This past weekend I surprised my boys by waking up early and making them these fun, somewhat healthy donut holes. We have been eating healthier over the past 6+ months, but sometimes you just gotta have donuts on the weekend. These baked and glazed donut holes definitely hit the spot!

Handy Helper

My little man is going to be 2 years old in a couple of weeks! How did that happen? It feels like yesterday I was writing a blog post about different type of food purees that I was making for Nolan. Craziness. Now I'm living in a world revolving around Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, PAW Patrol, Little Blue Truck and Llama llama books. Chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and Goldfish crackers are my life you guys. Haha!

Little dude has become quite the helper in the kitchen and lover of sweets! He may be super picky in the majority of foods he eats, but he will not turn down a single treat. Nolan has inherited his fathers sweet tooth, that's for sure!

Starbucks date with my little buddy last week. He had a cakepop and fancy chocolate milk. I had an iced mocha and stole bites of his cakepop :)

 

Nolan especially loved Christmas time a whole lot more this year now that he could partake in all the Christmas baking. We decorated sugar cookies.....

Made lefse with the great-grandparents....

And enjoyed licking every spatula, spoon and whisk!

 

We will see if he becomes one of those kids on Food Network with their developed "culinary styles" by the age of 8. Right now his "culinary style" is instant mac n cheese, fruit/veggie pouches, crackers and fruit snacks. Doubt the Food Network judges would be too impressed with that! ;) 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Growing up, I use to loathe pumpkin. Like, seriously hated it! At any family Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I was the kid eating apple pie (that I specially requested) all by myself while the rest of the family enjoyed pumpkin pie with a tall dollop of whipped cream. For some weird reason, I can't explain it.....everything changed and now I really enjoy pumpkin. I'm not pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice obsessed like a lot of people during the fall/winter seasons, but I have really come to enjoy it over the years. My favorite new fall treat since joining Weight Watchers.....pumpkin pie smoothies!

 

Chocolate Banana Nut Smoothie

Remember back in April when I was bragging about how my son wasn't a picky eater???? (Throws head back a laughs) Apparently I spoke waaaay too soon because my child has become the pickiest eater on the Hi-Line! If it's not Eggos, chicken nuggets, carbs or cheese, he ain't having it. When it comes to fruits and veggies, I still rely on food pouches or he will eat apple slices, but other than that....nope, nope and nope! Oh the joys of parenting! As a food blogger and lover of food, it hurts my soul when my little one refuses to eat the deliciousness I have prepared for him. Please tell me this is a phase?!?!

 

I love making smoothies for breakfast and I've found out that my picky eater enjoys smoothies as well! They are quick to whip up, not much clean up and so versatile. Smoothies also provide me with a sneaky portal to adding fruits, veggies, dairy and protein in my sons diet without him realizing it. I love it! Hehehe! 

Toffee Cracker Crack

I'm not even kidding in the title when I say this stuff is "crack." This treat is highly addicting and freakishly easy to throw together in a moments notice. Who doesn't have saltines, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips and pecans in their pantry!?!? I know I always have these 5 ingredients stocked in my pantry. This is now become a problem because of my addiction to crack!

 



Egg White Breakfast Sandwich

One of the most difficult parts about working nights is finding a way to balance my natural internal clock. After sleeping from 7am to 12pm, I find it confusing to my system to whether or not I should have breakfast since I just woke up, or go ahead and have lunch? I usually make something that is a mixture of both (avocado egg toast, quinoa breakfast toast, smoothie, etc.). One of my favorite breakfast meals that travels well and keeps fresh all night at work are my egg white breakfast sandwiches. It takes all of 5 minutes (or less) to whip up and tastes great when reheated in the microwave. You can even make a huge batch of them and freeze for later! From personal experience I can to tell you they taste exceptionally great at 4:00 am! ;)

 

Buffalo Chicken Bite Skewers with Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip

We are Montana Griz and Dallas Cowboys fans in this household. The Grizzlies because Dusty and I went to the University of Montana (it's where we met!) and Cowboys, because I married into it. I didn't ask to be a Cowboy, but it happened anyways. All in all,  I really could care less about the game itself when it comes right down to it (don't tell my husband!). I'm only at the tailgates and parties for the food.

What is winning this football season are these spicy buffalo chicken skewers served with this cool creamy dipping sauce! When I think football, I automatically think buffalo wings. These skewers are a less messy but equally flavorful tailgate snack.

Weight Watchin'

Hey Everyone! How was everyone's summer?

Fun? Relaxing? I hope so!

Can you believe we are almost through September? Crazy! Today is the first day of Fall by the way and I've jumped on the pumpkin spice train hardcore this year. Lord help me!

What have I been up to, you ask??? Harvest is over and seeding is nearly over (yay!). Basically I've been working nights at the hospital, playing with my 18 month old and spending the past couple of months improving my nutrition, diet and overall health.

Greek Cucumber Sauce

....Also known as Tzatziki sauce. Although when I order my favorite "grilled chicken pita with tzatziki sauce" the high school kids at the local drive-in look at me like, huh? Tat-zi, what?!?

Then when I say, the cucumber sauce, all makes sense in the world! I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in town who orders their grilled chicken pita this way too. Whenever I ordered it, my mother-in-law (who works there) will look at the food order ticket and then look out the window to say hi because she knows it's me! Then she will write my name on my food bag with hearts on it, which is my favorite :)

I love this sauce on chicken and salmon. It's also great for dipping veggies. It's super fresh and tastes similar to the cucumber sauce I order with my pita at the local drive-in. It's perfect for those nights I feel like making my own grilled chicken pita at home!

Crock-Pot BBQ Spare Ribs

It's funny how major holidays and events revolve around large quantities of meat. Thanksgiving has turkey. Christmas has prime rib. Easter has ham. Every holiday has a specific meat that is the centerpiece to the holiday feast. In the world of farming, the end of harvest and seeding deserves a huge celebration. Our choice of meat is barbequed pork.  

 



Overnight Huckleberry Oatmeal

 

Overnight oats are a quick, hearty and simple breakfast. Combine all the ingredients into a jar, shake, refrigerate and forget about it until the next morning. As a busy mom by day and nurse by night, this is my type of breakfast food.

Fresh Horseradish Cream Sauce

One thing that has been on Dusty and my "to-do" list for the longest time is to make homemade horseradish. What sparked our interest was a  year or so ago we watched an episode of Good Eats where Alton Brown made a horseradish cream sauce to accompany an oyster dish he was featuring. Forget the oysters! After drooling through the entire episode, we both agreed that we needed some fresh horseradish in our lives. The only problem was that we have been unable to find fresh horseradish up here at any of our grocery stores since watching that Good Eats episode. Therefore, our dream of many freshly grated horseradish and creamy horseradish faded away to the back burner.
 

Crushed-Tomato Pizza Sauce

Growing up, Friday night was always pizza night. This meant my mom could always be found Friday nights in the kitchen making her homemade pizza with her dough and sauce from scratch. To this day, I still prefer my pizza to be homemade rather than store bought or from a restaurant. I blame my mom and her excellent pizza making skills!

Garlic Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa

One thing I love about my husband is that he is just as adventurous as me when it comes to food. We love almost everything and anything, except one thing....squash. 

 

 

Strawberry-Mango Coconut Chia Pudding

Move over Tapioca! Chia seed has come to town and has taken over our home for good. My son loves it, I love it. It is seriously good and good for you! Pudding that is healthy? How does that work? I'm not going to question it, I'm just going to spoon those healthy omega-3's into my mouth and enjoy the benefits.

Apple Sunrise Slaw

 

 

Coleslaw is one of my all time favorite BBQ side dishes. The crunchy veggies with the cool creamy dressing pair so wonderfully with the savory and saucy meat. Besides eating the slaw as a side dish, it makes the perfect condiment to pulled-pork sandwiches. Yum!  

Chive-Mustard Vinaigrette

Chives are so wonderful and definitely underused in my kitchen. They have such delicate flavors that add the perfect touch of garlicky onion to any dish. Usually when I make a vinaigrette, I make my go-to Creamy Basil recipe, but after my mother-in-law gave me some leftover minced chives from our Easter supper, I had to put them to good use!