The best detox you will ever do

You know that feeling you gt after a vacation or a big holiday where you ate/drank too much and completely abandoned your diet. You feel gross and groggy and just all around sluggish? This will make you sweat all of those toxins out. You can literally feel the toxins sweating out of you. it was a struggle to last 30 minutes, but after I was done I seriously felt so awake and refreshed. 

All you need it about half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and one Tablespoon of ground ginger. Run a HOT bath and pour the peroxide and ginger under the water while it fills up. Soak for 30 minutes (don't give it! 30 minutes is not that long) drink tons of water during and after. 

Make sure you rinse off after!

Crock-pot Creamy Tortellini

This is one of those super easy crock pot recipes that I can throw together before work and come home to at the end of the day. Charlie is a big fan on this one. It is suppose to feed about 4 people but charlie usually ends up eating enough of this for three people, so its perfect for us.

What you need:

One package of three cheese ravioli

Two cans of diced tomatoes

One small bag of fresh spinach

One block of cream cheese

Four cups of vegetable broth

Italian seasoning to taste

Throw it all in the crock pot with the block of cream cheese on top.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

The healthiest and most delicious ice cream you will ever make

Since we've been on a bit of a health kick, its been hard to resist sweets. I have the biggest sweet tooth ever, so I have been buying a ton of bananas to eat when I get a sweet tooth, however bananas don't stay good forever and they are great in smoothies so I have a ton of them in the freezer. I was fighting the urge to go to the gas station and buy some chocolate one night when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest.

What you need:

Two frozen bananas peeled

1/4 cup nutella (okay I know that's not very healthy but whatever)

dash on cinnamon

Mix in the blender.

delicious. 

Spicy Tuscan Pasta (healthy and SO good)

If we could eat this everyday of the week in this house we probably would. It is seriously that good. We've been on a bit of a health kick lately and spinach has been a constant on my grocery list. The challenge is finding ways to incorporate it into meals that actually taste good. This one is seriously a winner. It is the perfect blend of spice and flavor, and you only need one pan!

What you need:

Half a box of bow tie pasta

14 oz package of turkey sausage sliced in half inch pieces

Half onion diced

One can of Rotel with green chilies (don't drain)

Tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chicken broth

1.5 cups Monterrey Jack cheese

Two Tablespoons minced garlic

Small bag of spinach 

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add in the sausage until browned. Add in the chopped onion and the garlic until soft. Add the broth and Rotel, uncooked pasta and salt and pepper. Make sure the pasta is mostly submerged and cover. Heat on medium heat stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked. Uncover and add spinach slowly while stirring until the whole bag is incorporated. top with the cheese and let melt. Serve!

Charlie was reading this over my should and said "OH YEAH! PUT THAT RECIPE IN THERE! ITS A WIN!"

told you. 

"Grown Up" Mac n Cheese

This is my version of "grown up Mac N Cheese". It was bursting with so much flavor! I always have chicken breasts and pasta laying around and I try to find new things to do with it.  I literally could not get enough of this. Charlie went back for thirds and we actually fought over who got to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. 

What you need: 

One large thawed chicken breast chopped into bite-sized pieces and coated with steak seasoning (I used McCormicks steak seasoning)

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 lb penne

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons of diced garlic

3 cups milk

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup mozzarella

1/4 cup grated parmesan

about 1/4 cup bread cups for the top

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. cook Penne until it is almost al dente. Cook diced chicken coated with grilling seasoning and set aside. In a large heat flour and garlic while gradually adding milk. whisk frequently until it is a thick creamy consistency  Add sun-dried tomatoes. Take off the heat and add mozzarella and half the parmesan. 

Add chicken and pasta to sauce and mix. Pour in a large coated baking pan and top with remaining parmesan and bread crumbs. cook for 25 minutes!

Chili dog casserole

This picture doesn't make this look appetizing but I promise it is. If you know me you know I love love love hot dogs so this was a natural choice. Kids would love it too!

Pre heat oven to 425

One can of chili
Bag shredded cheddar
Package of hot dogs
Small tortillas

Pour half a can of Hormel chili into a square baking dish. Roll hot dogs in small tortillas with the crease facing down place side by side over chili. Top with the remaining chili and however much cheddar cheese you want. Cover with Tim foil an cook 30 min

Southwest black bean and corn salsa with feta

I make fresh black bean and corn salsa all the time and each time I try different things.  This time I added some garlic and herb feta cheese crumbles and I must say, it was quite delicious :) 

How to make it:

One can of corn drained

one can of black beans rinsed and drained

one can of lime and cilantro flavored Rotel tomatoes. 

One Jalapeno de-seeded and diced

fresh cilantro diced

feta crumbles

about 1 tbs lemon juice (to taste)

teaspoon diced garlic (the kind you buy at the store, not fresh garlic cloves)

mi together in a large bowl and chill

Southern crockpot chicken and dumplings

So yummy and easy! Chicken and dumplings are one of my favorite meals and being able to make it quickly in the crock pot makes it that much better

2-3 chicken breasts thawed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
One can on chicken broth
About 1/4 cup diced onion
About 6-8 frozen(thawed) biscuits broken up into pieces

Put the thawed chicken in the crockpot and cover with cream on chicken soup, broth and onions. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Put biscuit dough pieces on top and cook for an addition 30-40 minutes until biscuits are fluffy :)

Crock pot spicy chicken chili

I don't have a picture of this recipe but it was delicious and charlie REALLY  loved it. It was a little spicy for my, but I added a dollop of sour cream to mine which made it perfect. 

What you'll need.

Two frozen chicken breasts. 

one cup of onion 

one TBS olive oil

2 tbs minced garlic

one can of black beans cleaned and drained

one can of corn undrained

one can of spicy rotel undrained

one 8 oz block of cream cheese

1 package ranch mi
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

saute the chopped onion in olive oil

add minced garlic

pour over chicken breasts in crock pot

add black beans, corn, and rotel over top and mix

add all the spices and ranch mix

top with the block of cream cheese and cook for 6 hours on low. 

shred chicken with two forks and enjoy!

Roast beef mini sliders with chipotle sauce

These were absolutely delicious and very easy. The house smelled wonderful while they cooked and charlie said this definitely goes on the list of recipes to make regularly.

What you will need
3 pound beef pot roast
One cup of salsa
One cup of water
package of onion soup mix
package of Italian dressing mix
package of au jus mix
slider buns
provolone cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBS chili sauce
2 TBS horseradish


1- Whisk together water, salsa , and packaged mixes
2-pour over the roast in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours
3- when roast is done, shred the meat.
4- mix together the sour cream, horseradish, and chili sauce.
5- cup slider rolls in half and top with pot roast cheese and sauce.
6- melt cheese in oven for about 6 minutes at 400 degrees.
7- ENJOY!

Four ingredient baked Ziti

This is a super simple recipe that only uses four ingredients! 

I used Penne instead of Ziti because the grocery store was all out of Ziti. Its basically the the same thing, so it worked the same. 

All you'll need is:

 one jar of Prego (24 oz) I used Italian sausage and garlic

1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

5 cups of pasta cooked and drained (Ziti or Penne)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

After the pasta is cooked add the whole jar of Prego and a cup of the mozzarella to the pan (turn the burner off)

Mix everything together really well and spoon into and un-greased  2 quart backing dish. Top it off with the remaining mozzerla and the Parmesan cheese

cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees!

Easy as that!

(Good with wine and some garlic bread)

yummy lunch sliders

These are delicious and a huge hit at out house. I will try to add a picture next time I make them!

What you will need-  ham and cheese
One package of small Hawaiian rolls
one package of ham
one package of provolone cheese (many people use swiss, but my husband and I aren't swiss fans)
1.5 T spicy mustard
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

in small bowl melt butter. Add mustard, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce to bowl.
cut each roll in half . place bottom layer of rolls in 9x13 baking dish. top the bottom layer with ham and cheese. pour about half the butter mixture evenly over the top. Add the top layer of the rolls and top with the rest of the butter mixture. cover with tin foil and cook for about 15 minutes.

What you will need- Reuben sliders
One package corned beef
one package of provolone
One can of sour kraut
thousand island dressing
1/4 cup melted butter

Same directions as previous recipe only pouring melted butter on top of buns only.

Red velvet cookies

These are a staple in our house. I pretty much make them anytime we have guests over because they are delicious and super easy!

One box of red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
about a cup of white chocolate chips

yes! that's it! no butter!!!!

mix first three ingredients together and slowly incorporate chocolate chips! place on cookie sheets sprayed with Pam, or covered in parchment paper. Bake for ten minutes at 350!

DELICIOUS Chrismas cheer hot spiced cider

once again I stole this image from google images. I made this for the Christmas party as well and the entire pot was gone way quicker than I thought it would be. I was pretty sad there wasn't any left overs. This also makes the house smell AMAZING!

one gallon Apple Cider (you can also use apple juice. I just bought apple cider from Walmart)
1/2 gallon pineapple juice (I bought the frozen pineapple juice concentrate and that made about a half a gallon)
2 cinnamon sticks
about 7 cloves
one large orange sliced thin
one tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 t nutmeg

simmer all in a large pot on the stove on low stirring occasionally for about 2-3 hours

can also be made in the crock pot

To die for home made hot chocolate

This picture isn't mine. I got it from google images because I didn't actually take any photos when I made this, but trust me it was delicious! Perfect for Christmas time! I made mine for a Christmas party and it was a hit!

1 and a half cups of heavy whipping cream
one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
two cups of milk chocolate chips
6 cups of milk
and a teaspoon of vanilla extract

pour all into the crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours, whipping occasionally with a whisk! Yummy with Bailey's Irish Cream :)

Carmel filled apple cider cookies

Okay I found this recipe and adapted it a bit. I couldn't just not make these. I mean seriously.... Caramel stuffed apple cider cookies. Perfection. 

What you'll need 

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (use less if you don't want the cookies as "appley" i might use less next time.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups  flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels

Preheat oven to 350° F. coat cooking sheets with cooking spray and flour. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. With your mixer cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Refrigerate for about an hour. (I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes because i'm impatient) . When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.  Scoop out cookie dough ball  (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon. Put scoops on cookie sheet about and inch apart. Place unwrapped caramels in the center of each scoop. Cover the caramel with the dough around it and add a little extra if you need to completely cover it.  Bake 11-12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove the cookies immediately from the baking sheets and place on a cooling rack. :)

yum!

Spaghetti stuffed garlic bread

This is an idea I found on Pinterest. I was really nervous about trying it because it seems pretty complicated to somehow stuff garlic bread with spaghetti without it becoming all runny, but it was surprisingly easier than I thought and charlie LOVED it! The recipe is from http://rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/braided-spaghetti-bread

. I adapted the recipe and tweaked it a little to my own liking. 

here is the recipe with my changes- 

You will need:

• 1 roll of refrigerated pizza dough ( the original recipe calls for Rhodes bread dough, but it doesn't really matter what kind of dough you use)
• 6 oz spaghetti, cooked
• 1/2 cup thick spaghetti sauce (the original recipe calls for a cup of sauce but I was worried about it being too runny, so I only used a half cup and used the rest to dip the bread in once it was cooked)
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes ( I used pepper jack because it was all I had, and it was actually really good)
• 1 egg white
• Parmesan cheese
• Parsley flakes

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread the dough out flat. Cook the spaghetti noodles and drain. Add the 1/2 cup sauce to the cooked spaghetti and  and mix well. Place spaghetti in the center of the dough. top with cheese . With a pizza cutter cut lines around the dough 

(picture from blog)

next wrap the strips of dough completely around the spaghetti. Brush top with egg white, garlic salt and parsley flakes. 

bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Charlie and I both decided it would taste good with sausage cooked into it next time! 

smokey corn chowder! A winter favorite!

This has been one of my favorite recipes for a long time! When I am sick or when its cold out side I crave this and its always delicious reheated, or even thawed after being frozen! 

What you need:

One onion

Two packages of little smokey's

One stick of butter

Two cans of diced potatoes (or you can use cooked potatoes)

One can of corn

One can of cream corn

Milk- about 3 cups, but add to whatever consistency you want

Salt and pepper and parsley flakes for flavor

Dice onion and chop smokey's into bite sized pieces and cook together in large pot with one stick of butter. After the onion is fully sauteed add potatoes , corn, creamed corn and milk. Add salt and pepper and parsley flakes for taste. Let simmer for about an hour on medium low stirring occasionally. 

Ghetto Shepherds Pie! Too good not to try!

This is am amazingly delicious rendition of shepherds pie that I came up with! My husband  LOVES shepherds pie so I decided to kick it up a notch. Tonight we've officially been married for one month (i know, i know) So i decided to make him something fun as a mini celebration. 

What you need: 

1 lb of ground beef

one large package of frozen tater tots

medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

one can cream of mushroom soup

4 Tbs sour cream

1/2 cup milk

half a package of frozen mixed veggies (thawed) 

1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

 Mince onion and garlic and cook until translucent in large pan. Once the onion and garlic is nice and cooked, add the ground beef and brown. In separate bowl mix the milk, sour cream, and cream of mushroom soup. remove meat mixture from heat and add the milk, sour cream, and soup mixture into the pan. mix well. add half bag of thawed frozen veggies and 1/2 cup of cheese into mixture. Grease a 13x9 pan and line bottom with half a bag of tater tots. pour mixture over top and top off with the rest of the tater tots and sprinkle with remaining cheese. bake ate 350 degrees for about 25 minutes! Enjoy! 

Chicken Marsala! One of my favorites!

This is pretty easy to make and a fairly healthy and filling dinner choice!

what you need:

Two boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup flour

about a half teaspoon of salt and of pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbs butter

4 Tbs olive oil

one package of mushrooms (about a cup chopped, but the more the merrier!)

1/2 cup marsala wine

1/4 cup cooking sherry

angel hair pasta

First cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and oregano in small bowl and coat each piece of chicken. Melt butter in large saucepan with olive oil and brown chicken on each side. Add chopped mushroom and simmer for a few minutes. Add sherry and Marsala wine and cover on medium low for about 10-15 minutes. Cooke angel hair pasta separately and serve chicken mushroom mixture over noodles! yum!