Gifts in a Jar

  Hey friends! This past month has flown by! Holland and I have been extremely busy with planning wedding stuff and so much more we have kinda slacked off this year with buying gifts. I have made gifts in a jar in the past but this year I kinda went to town with it.  These are super great gifts if you are on a tight budget financially or cutting it close on time.  They are also great for the person you have no clue what to buy for.  I like the idea that when I give one of these to someone it is making baking/cooking easy but they are still getting something homemade and delicious.  

These recipes are from a small taste of home magazine that my dad bought me at the grocery store two years ago.  Best five dollars on a magazine ever spent!

I spent a total of $70.00 at the grocery store and made exactly 12 jars( 4 of each recipe on here). I still have enough stuff to make at least two more for each recipe on here as well. 

I have listed a picture for the three types of jars I made this year and on the left is the recipe you attach to the jar for the person receiving the gift. It is just some simple directions on what they need to make the recipe. Underneath each photo I listed how you put the jar together. 

I tried to put the tags for jars on a google doc so I could be all techie and save you time if you decide to make any of these because let's face it, time is special and if I can keep you from having to type or write out anything I will! However, I apologize in advance if this fancy link under this paragraph does not work. Alrighty, let's get to these jars!

Tags for Jars

First up is Double Dutch Chocolate Holiday Cookies

Hollands mom made these with her niece and nephew two years ago for Christmas. They were supposed to be for Santa but Jayne said she ate about 2 dozen of them on her own!

How to make jar:
-1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup double dutch dark cocoa
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red and green milk chocolate m&m's
1/3 cup white baking chips

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a 1qt jar, layer the flour mixture, cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, M&M's and baking chips.
**make sure you pack down the layers, especially the brown sugar! If not not all the m&m's and chips will fit**


                          Hearty Pasta Soup

To make jar:
-1/2 cup dried split peas
-2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules( I used Knorr)
-1/2 cup dried lentils
-2 tablespoons dried minced onion
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon fried parsley flakes
-1 envelope savory herb with garlic soup mix or vegetable soup mix
-2 cups uncooked color spiral pasta

1. In a 1qt glass container, layer the first seven ingredients in the order listed. Place the pasta in a resealable plastic bag.  add to jar.

                     Sand Castle Brownies

To make jar:
-1/3 cup chopped nuts
-1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
-1/3 cup flaked coconut
-2/3 cup packed brown sugar
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/3 cup baking cocoa
-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1. In a 1qt glass jar, layer all ingredients in order listed, packing well between each layer.




For the tops of the jar lids I used mod podge and some holiday scrapbook paper.  I used a sponge brush to put some podge on the lid then onto the paper then sealed it all in by brushing on top as well. I let these dry over night before making the jars so they wouldn't stick at all.

I hope you all have a very happy Holiday! 2013 is coming to a close and it was a fabulous year for us. So excited for 2014!


Love,

Amanda and Holland

Come On FALL!!!

Ever since the weather tipped into the mid 70's last week I have been OBSESSED with pumpkin everything. I still have to remind myself that it is still September and I am counting down the days until October. Even though it is still September I have been unable to control myself from baking and buying    anything and everything with Pumpkin in it. I currently have a mexican pumpkin candle burning in our room and I changed out our coasters from lobster napkins to pumpkin ones. When I was at the store I thought to myself that I definitely needed to wait to buy pumpkins until it was officially October.So Instead I got some vampire teeth for the desk fairy to deliver at school instead.

I tried 2 new pumpkin recipes today and there are good!

One was No Bake Pumpkin Energy Bites from Gimme Some Oven. These were easy but it took me some time to roll them. Holland managed to eat three while we watched Greys Anatomy and I was scooping and rolling. I think these will be a great on the go snack and will be yummy mixed with yogurt for breakfast!


The second recipe I tried today was Oatmeal Raisin Pumpkin Cookies. These turned out good. I used regular flour instead of whole wheat flour. The cookies were a little difficult to get off the pan and I had to be extra gentle or they would fall apart but we still ate them and they were good!

However, If you want the easiest and BEST pumpkin cookie recipe ever you have to try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  I have been making these for two years now and every time they are a hit. I took some to a Ranger Creek work BBQ last week and Holland said that these cookies were a hit!

 Here it is. I cannot remember where I found this recipe so I apologize in advance if you are the creator of this recipe and I am not citing you to give you credit-please do not sue me.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is what you need:
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
2 eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking power
2 tsp baking soda
1(12 oz) package of semi sweet chocolate chips.

Pre Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, and spices until well blended. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from pan and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Two more days and I am going to go buy my pumpkins!!! Happy Fall everyone!

One Pot Pasta

Holland and I made this on Sunday evening. It was one of those nights where we were not sure what to make. I wanted to cook something easy but delicious and here it is! ONE POT PASTA! SO easy and easy to clean up and very tasty.

I found the recipe HERE.
I thought NO WAY can that taste good and work. It was ready within 15 minutes and while it was cooking I put together a salad and we were eating in no time.  Please give it a try and I will let you know if I come across other One Pot Wonders.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

ONE POT WONDER TOMATO BASIL PASTA

12 ounces linguine pasta
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid * We also added 2-3 tomatoes from the garden!

1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced( We used minced garlic)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)( We actually used the low sodium and it turned out fine!
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

Quinoa Stuffed Avocados and Roasted Cauliflower

Made this for dinner last night and it was  delicious and pretty nutritious if you ask me!

Quinoa Stuffed Avacados

Need
-4 large Haas avacados.
-can corn
-can black beans
-1 package taco seasoning mix
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar.
-1/4 cup chopped cilantro.
-red pepper chopped(optional)
-1/2 red onion chopped.
-1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa

Cook quinoa according to package. I use veggie stock instead of water to give the quinoa more flavor.

Mix corn, black beans, taco seasoning, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, red onion and red pepper.
Add cooked quinoa little by little and mix thoroughly with taco seasoning mixture. Depending on the quinoa you use, you might have some left over which you can eat by itself or use for another recipe later.

Cut avocados in half and peel off skin. I took out some of the filling to give more room for quinoa mixture.  Place avocados on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking oil.  Spoon mixture into avocados- again you may have extra mixture!

Cook for about 15 minutes at 350. If you wish you can top with cheese after 15 minutes and bake again  until cheese is melted.



Roasted Cauliflower

I have become addicted to this. SO easy and SOOOOOO good.

Need:
-1 large head of cauliflower
-1/2 cup olive oil
-juice from 1 lemon
-1 tablespoon of minced garlic(I use almost double of this because Holland and I are garlic freaks!)
-salt and pepper to taste
-parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop up cauliflower into florets. I like to make them bite size.  Line baking pan with foil, put cauliflower in and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Toss cauliflower with hands to make sure everything is evenly coated. Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes. Take out and top with parmesan cheese and bake for 2-3 more minutes.

Hope y'all enjoy these! Let me know what you think!

-Amanda

Easter Celebrations

Holland came back from D.C.  in the evening on Easter so I spent the day with my family at my parents house.  It has been a while since we had a barbecue and it was nice to relax. I made some pasta salad, deviled eggs, and these easy brownie cupcakes.

 All you need is brownie mix, cake mix and cream cheese frosting. Make box mixes as directed- put a scoop of brownie mix then a scoop of cake mix and bake! SO delicious. I got white cake mix and used food coloring for different colors!

Brownie Cupcakes Recipe

Another new thing I brought to Easter this year was conversation dinner starters. I got the questions from this link:
Easter Conversation Printables

Everyone seemed to really like this! I cut up all the strips and put them in plastic eggs and passed them around. It was funny to hear peoples answers. I also learned that my dad always got his Easter basket on the kitchen table. I thought that was interesting since when we were kids, we always got our baskets on the fireplace. I always thought the Easter Bunny came through the chimney like Santa. :)

Cardenas Clan

Tio Greg and I after a cascarone battle. 

I was at the airport picking up Holland when the crazy storm was coming through San Antonio. Luckily I missed all the hail and it cleared up by the time he landed. We got home and I gave him his basket filled with a beer and a chopping knife. He was definitely missed while he was gone. 

Valentine Dinner Recipes

I had some friends on Facebook who wanted the recipes for the Valentines dinner that we made last night! Like I told y'all, these are simple and easy to do.

Spinach, Butternut Squash, Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I was on Pinterest and found a picture of this but when I clicked it had no recipe. So, I improvised! 

You need:

- box of jumbo sized pasta shells

-2 jars of favorite marinara sauce(I usually get tomato basil). 

-large container of ricotta. (I used the one with skim milk but you can get original).

-half of a butternut squash cut into small pieces. about 1/2 in thick. 

-3-4 cups of fresh spinach

-1 tablespoon chopped garlic

-salt and pepper to taste.

The night before I boiled the butternut squash until it was done. I then refrigerated it overnight and made the rest of the mixture the next day. 

First thing, start boiling your water for your pasta. You need a huge pot. Follow the directions on your pasta box for cooking time. I cooked until they were done done but you don't want for them to be falling apart. 

Holland sautéed some onion for about 4-5 minutes than added the spinach and cooked for 2-3 or until wilted. We use veggie stock when sautéing but you can also use water.  

Put ricotta cheese, cooked (then cooled) butternut squash, spinach and onion mixture, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix all ingredients together with large spoon until ingredients are spread evenly. I used an ice-cream scooped to scoop mixture into shells. Place stuffed shells in glass baking dish that has your jar and half of pasta sauce in it.  

Bake at 350 for 25- 30 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese and broil for about 3 minutes to finish off. 

This is just one of the dishes! It also made another dozen or so shells in another dish! This is a great leftover recipe!

Zuchinni Brownies
You can find the recipe for the zucchini brownies here.  These are good, but they are not like a typical brownie. You will deifnately get your chocolate fix, but they are not as rich as they look in picture. Still delicious! ( probably a little more healthy than a regular brownie, too) Unfrosted they have 103 calories and frosted they have 183! Not bad!

Hope you all had a great Valentines Day! :)

Lemon-Coconut Tofu Squares

A few weeks ago Hollands co workers (Rob) car broke down and Holland helped him tow it back up to his house in New Braunfels so it could get fixed.   To thank Holland, Rob's wife made him a "goodie bag" full of AMAZING THINGS! She gave us roasted almonds and cashews, some flower tea and these literally to-do-for Lemon-Cocunut Tofu Squares.

I have been a fan of lemon cupcakes and bars for a while, but these babies took it to a whole other level. This past Friday after work I got an iced coffee(to energize myself to be social that evening) and then I went and got a lemon bar from the bakery across the street from the coffee shop. Don't get me wrong, it was a delicious lemon bar but it just reminded me how amazing the other one was.

Ironically and Luckily, we met up with Rob and his family for lunch this weekend and I got to ask her where on earth she got the recipe from. She told me she got it from Whole Living and within an hour of lunch I was researching and making a grocery list for everything I needed.

This is VERY easy to make. You do need a lemon zester and a food processor.

Recipe Here

Holland and I are really enjoying this beautiful weather. I am hoping it stays like this but it is probably unlikely.  We hope that everyone has a glorious week.

Hannah and Bleu enjoying the sun. 

VitaMix!!

I am obsessed with our new machine that my parents got us.... A VITAMIX MACHINE!!

COSTCO has a special going on right now and they are 150 dollars cheaper there vs. online.  When my mom first told me how much they were and that she wanted to get us one, I told her she was cuckoo. However, I was sold at the demonstration when he made smoothies, ice cream and tortilla soup in a matter of 15 minutes. You can make SOOOO many things with this and it chopped and grinds EVERYTHING. I am in love. I am hoping to get many more vegetables and nutrients into our diet with this crazy loud powerful blender!

This morning I made us Banana, blueberry and orange smoothies. I love the color that it became after being chopped and grinded to tasty bits. It tasted awesome. It sounded like our house was a Jamba Juice headquarters with how loud it got but it was just doing its job!

Thanks to Holland, all of our glasses are beer glasses from some sort of beer event. :)

Banana Blueberry Orange Smoothie:
* 3/4 cup water
*1/2 peeled medium orange
*1 banana
*1/2 cup frozen blueberries
*1/2 cup ice


While eating our breakfast, Holland and I made our first home made from scratch Hummus. This one is  Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. OH MY GOODNESS. It made so much. We spent probably around 4 bucks for the ingredients(probably because we had so much of the essential condiments like sesame seeds, garlic and ground cumin) but we usually buy packages that are about 1/3 portion from what we made for around $3.50 each.

You like that big old swipe down the middle from our tasting? haha

I am sure you could make this recipe with another type of food processor  so here it is straight from the Vitamix recipe book. 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:

* 6 ounces roasted red peppers

*1/2 cup water

*2 tablespoons of olive oil

*1/2 cup Tahini Paste( grounded sesame seeds)

*2 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice

*2 garlic cloves peeled

*3 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained

*1 teaspoon cumin powder

*1 teaspoon salt

*1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in order listed. add water to mixture to keep mixture flowing freely through blades. 

Yields: 4 cups. 

I am very grateful to have had this Holiday off from work. I got to get a large amount of errands done around the house and I have planned some yummy meals for the week! 

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. I am gearing up for a long/short week ahead. The shorter weeks always feel longer to me but again, I am grateful for the extra day!

Mediterranean Pasta

YUMMO!! I got the original recipe from a magazine my dad bought me. It was a skinny slow cooker magazine book and I have been making stuff from it all year long. I made this once before but wanted to attempt a vegetarian version of it. Here it goes with my twists!

In crock pot put:
-4 carrots peeled and cut into thick slices.
-1 medium yellow onion sliced.
-1 yellow sweet pepper seeds and sliced.
-I can diced tomatoes(do not drain).
-3 cups vegetable stock
-1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
-salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

During last hour add:

-3 zucchinis cut into slices then cut in half.

** if you are unable to add to cook zucchini on low for last half hour due to work I would kick your crock pot to the high setting and cook for 30 minutes instead.

Prepare your choice of pasta, I used whole wheat penne. Top veggies onto pasta and you can add basil Gremelota-recipe below!

Basil Gremelota
Mix all ingredients together.

-8 basil leaves chopped
-1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
-olive oil
-a tablespoon or more of parmesan.

Holland said he liked this a lot. Said it had ton of great flavors and he is taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

NOW! Back to the OLYMPICS!! I am loving the women's gymnastics!

Portobello Mushroom Fajitas

Yep, that is right! Meatless fajitas!!

We were inspired to start cooking with no meat or even animal products after watching the documentary: Forks Over Knives.  To really test this plant based diet out, Holland and I have been preparing meatless dinners this week. SO far we have made some hearty salads, pad thai and this is probably my favorite recipe yet!! We have been using the Engine 2 Diet book that is written by Texas Firefighters. Find it HERE

Recipe: 

Minutes to Prepare: 10

Minutes to Cook: 10

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 portobello mushrooms sliced into thick slices
1 large onion sliced thin
2 bell peppers seeded and sliced thin
12 corn or WW tortillas( We used some Bluecorn and flaxseed artisan tortillas) REALLY GOOD :)
Guacamole 
Salsa whatever you like best mild to hot
3 C cooked brown rice ( I usually use less per serving)

 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and chopped garlic for about 2-3 minutes in a karge nonstick skillet. Cook mushrooms on high heat for 3 min or until mushrooms begin to brown slightly. Add the onion to the skillet and continue to cook another 5 min. Add sliced bell peppers and cook all the way through until vegetables are no longer crunchy. 

Warm the toritllas.

To serve spoon the mushroom mixture into the tortillas with guacamole and salsa to garnish. Serve  with rice and beans. 

I also used green onions for garnish because I am obsessed with them when it comes to fajitas and any other taco form of a meal.Another thing I added was this BRAGG Liquid aminos. A large amount of the recipes call for this and it adds a ton of flavor to salads and anything you are cooking. I sprayed this on the veggies once they were all in the skillet cooking. 

DELICIOUS! 

These recipes are overall very simple to make. I was telling Holland that the most difficult part of cooking with no meat is chopping up a large amount of vegetables. Next time we go to the store I am going to plan on chopping up everything that way through the week I can just grab what I need and put it in the pan vs. Taking out cutting board and knife everyday. 

Crock Pot Gumbo

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love my crockpot! I especially like it while teaching during the year because I don't have to stand over the stove and cook! It is nice in the summertime because you have more time to prepare and cut ingredients and not rush. A few weeks ago, I made crockpot gumbo! I found the recipe online here:Crock Pot Gumbo

I had never made gumbo before and the reason I wanted to try it was because we had so much okra from our garden. We had other ideas for it such as breading them and frying them up then Holland suggested okra. I was quick to get on the computer and find a recipe that I would not have to hover over and babysit for hours and Voila! Here is the finished product.

Okra on steroids, not really but they look like it!

The recipe says it takes 20 minutes prep but I feel like it takes almost 40-45 minutes. you have to cook chicken and the sausage and cut all the veggies up. Maybe I just cook like an old lady or I just take my time. I would never make it on one of those cooking shows where you only have 30 minutes to cook and plate a dish. **Also, I did not put in shrimp like the recipe calls for, Holland is allergic to shellfish at times. He totally would have eaten it though but I do not want to have to use the EpiPen on him just yet!**

After hours of cooking it smelled awesome! I made some white rice to serve it over and some french garlic bread. Everyone loved it and it makes great leftover too.

Garlic Dill Pickles

I went to Dallas for a few days to spend some time with two amazing friends and while I was gone Holland held the fort down! He took care of Hannah and Bleu and he tended to our growing garden. 

In case you forgot how it looked in the beginning of our blog take a look. It looks like a jungle now compares to how it was in the beginning!
Garden before it was a jungle


The bees have been buzzing and are helping us take care of the garden as well. Holland usually goes out there when he gets home from work to pick out weeds and pick vegetables that are ready. We have been getting great amounts of okra, peppers and CUCUMBERS!

Since there were so many cucumbers, Holland made our first round of pickles! **I just want to shout out to Holland for taking pictures so we can post on our blog!I mean look at this, he did awesome!

He told me he separated it like this so that he could just grab the garlic dill and jalapeños for each jar. My OCD person that lives inside me shouted out at the mountains in excitement at this because this is totally something I would do. I don't know if I am rubbing off my tendency son Holland or if it has been there all along ;). Love you babe. 

He chose a recipe from the book called "Dinosaurs Bar-B-Que". He does not actually have the book, but has found recipes he likes from it online. Since he is more adventurous than I am, he tweaked the recipe a little bit so here it is(with Hollands edits from what he changed-not much). Be sure to pickle the cucumbers for about two weeks in the fridge. We will enjoy these when we get back from Canada! 

Garlic dill pickles

3-4 lbs of pickling cucumbers

1/4cup chopped garlic

2 3 jalapenos sliced

1/2cup chopped fresh dill

combine the following in a large saucepan and bring to a boil:

4 cups white vinegar  2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups Apple Cider vinegar

2 cups water

6 tbs kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup sugar

5 heaping tbs of pickling spice

2 tbs mustard seed

2 tbs black peppercorns

 

let brine cool slightly, and pour over cukes/peppers/garlic/dill. refrigerate.

**Holland also added an okra into each jar and some jalapeño seeds into two of the jars to give them some extra spice.

Here is the brine.  Be sure to sanitize your jars by boiling them in hot water for about ten minutes!

Minestrone Soup

Holland is my biggest critic. He usually always has a way to improve everything that I bake/cook at home. He will say stuff like "Next time, maybe you should add some more sauce", or "Hey, it was good but I think this side would go with it better" and my favorite thing he has said about his grandmothers banana nut bread recipe that I make very often is "It does not taste as good as last time". 

 I want to make it clear that he REALLY appreciates how often I cook and bake. He also loves to cook and he has a great sense of tastebuds and what will go together well.  I give his mother the credit for always brainstorming ways to improve something to make it better. It really does not hurt my feelings because he clears his plate every time and in the end my cooking has improved because he gives constructive criticism. However I get a huuuuuge smile on my face when he says " This is one of my favorite things you have ever made!". 

DELICIOUS!

Crock Pot Minestrone! The best thing about this recipe is that the crock pot does 75 percent of the work and you do not have to hover and get hot in the kitchen. Make this on a day where you know you are going to be exhausted after work or on a weekend when you just want to lay around and watch movies. 

Recipe: Put into lined crockpot. 

• 32 oz. box chicken broth
• can diced tomatoes
• teaspoon chopped garlic
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 celery stalks sliced
• 1/2 large white onion diced
• 15 oz. can cannelinni beans(drained)
• 15 oz. can kidney beans(drained)
• sprig of rosemary 
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped basil
• dash of salt and pepper

Cook all of this on low for 6 hours. 

after 6 hours has finished switch setting to HIGH then add:

• medium zuchinni chopped
• 2 cups of fresh spinach

while the zucchini and spinach is cooking in crock pot, boil small shell pasta- about 3 and a half cups. Once cooked through add to crock pot. 

Once the zucchini is tender top with parmesan and enjoy. 

Tasty Stir Fry

Holland and I like to watch movies and t.v. shows but every so often we watch a documentary and we often sit back in question, disbelief and wonder.  Our recent documentary was "Forks Over Knives".  I was at work talking with a colleague/friend of mine and talking about how I wish my dad did not eat so much red meat. She let me borrow this dvd for him but since he is usually out of town and busy we watched it instead and told him about it. It was different than I thought it would be. I pictured it with people just saying to not eat meat and be vegetarian but it was different. It focused on trying to move people into a plant based diet. Not only can meat be harmful to our bodies if consumed in high amounts, but dairy as well. 

The scientists in this documentary blew us away. They are in their 70's and they LOOK AWESOME. They are running and all fit and they claim that if everyone were to take on the plant based diet that 80 percent of the issues humans suffer with (diabetes, cancer, obesity etc.) would be eliminated.  The documentary also goes in to show a historical perspective about WWII.  The Nazi's claimed tons of land and animals to keep the  meat all for themselves and to give to the soldiers who were fighting. In turn, the small towns were worried because they would have no meat to eat and were forced to turn to plant based foods. The people found that they were actually healthier and all the cases of heart disease and diminished since they had no meat to consume!

After the movie I asked Holland if he wanted to stay away from  meat and dairy and he said no. But he was definitely on board to put more vegetables and whole foods and grains into what we eat. We already eat pretty healthy. For years we have used turkey meat instead of hamburger meat and whole wheat breads and pastas instead of white. We often do not know what to do with vegetables and how to get more vegetables into our diet so we have both been reading and researching some promising recipes. 

I have been making this since I was in grad school because it is easy quick and you get a ton of good veggies. 

First cut up all your vegetables(This takes the longest time) and stir and mix with some olive oil and pepper. 

Here I used onion, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and celery.

Cook Lo Mein noodles for about for about four to six minutes minutes, put in some peanut sauce and low sodium soy sauce. 

Finished product!

Lo mein noodles and Peanut sauce. 

I know we live in Texas and believe me I love my barbacoa and brisket SO MUCH. However, everyone could always use a little more veggies. I will share more recipes if I find some good ones!

Bleu's Chocolate Pie

If any of you follow my Facebook as well, you already know about our dog Bleu. Bleu is one SMART dog. However, with his intelligence he has gotten himself into a lot of trouble since we all moved in together last July.  


Ever since Bleu was a puppy he had a hard time learning a lesson. It did not matter if he had to get his stomach pumped from possibly eating a bottle of motrin or ending up with a tummy ache after eating 60 tortillas for chilifest-he would keep on keeping' on and he never does things halfway. 

"I could fit two pies in my mouth at once if y'all would let me try!"

" I swear I am a good dog :)"

When we first moved in together (Me, Holland Bleu and Hannah) things were fine. Until Bleu got into the pantry, then under the sink and THEN DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.... the fridge... He figured out how to open the fridge and it was not to fetch Holland a beer like a good dog would do. It was to eat our THANKSGIVING PIES. 


Hollands birthday was on Thanksgiving this past year and he wanted to have different types of pies instead of a birthday cake. I made him this AWESOME chocolate pie and about half of it got eaten by guests at our house and then Bleu enjoyed the rest of it after opening the fridge.... along with two untouched pumpkin ones. After our experienced with Bleu's "gift" we made trips to Babies R Us and our house was finally what I like to call "Bleu Proofed". I say it all the time right before we go somewhere"Hey Hol, did you Bleu proof the house?" Bleu proofing entails the following:


-locking two toddler locks on fridge. 
-placing ozarka gallon of water jug in front of our pantry door. 
-securing rubber bands around cabinet underneath sink. 
-closing all doors to all other rooms. 
-ensuring all food (especially bread or tortillas) is high up and by high up it needs to be in a cabinet. He gave me a funny look once when I put the loaf of bread on top of the fridge like: "Oh yea, you put that there, I will have at it within 5 minutes of your departure".


Usually when he gets into stuff we either give him a tablespoon of peroxide(Instructions from vet since he had gotten his stomach pumped so often as a pup) to make him throw up or we let him live with his mistakes and stay outside for a few hours and let nature take its course. However, when he got to this chocolate pie I was scared since I always hear and read how dangerous chocolate is for dogs. I remember Holland saying "How many ounces of chocolate was in it? 


me: "six".
Holland: "meh, he has had way more than that before".


So here my friends is the recipe for the easiest and tastiest chocolate pie that everyone loves, even Bleu. Although, he loves everything we cook and throw away! :)

Beat two eggs until foamy 

Add 
-1/2 cup of unsifted flour
-1/2 cup of sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar


Mix well 

Go all crazy Paul Deen style and melt two sticks of butter then let cool to room temperature and add to mix and blend well. 

Add:
-1 cup of chopped walnuts
-3/4 cup of nestle semi sweet chocolate chips. 














Mix well

I usually buy the pie crusts that are in the frozen section and ready to go in tin can. Let the crust thaw out while you are mixing together ingredients and before you pour mixture into shell poke crust with fork all over. 

Pour mixture in and spread evenly. 


Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. 


Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. 




I hope everyone had a great weekend! I am taking this lovely pie to a neighbors house for dessert tonight.  


P.S. Bleu is really an awesome dog. Would not trade him for anything :)