, ,

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

I love potatoes and I love ranch. So this recipe is one of my favorites. Maybe even THE favorite.

You take some delicious red skin potatoes and throw a little Ranch seasoning on them and boom! Party in your mouth!

My husband and I lived with his mom for a few years before we got married and bought our own house. I would make dinner quite often because she worked until late at night. I’ve never been a fancy cook. I’ve always been about dishes that are quick, simple and easy to throw together.

So I was always a little nervous cooking dinner for my mother-in-law because she is Persian. When she (or any other Persian) makes dinner, it is an elaborate feast. There will be 10 plates and bowls spread out across the table to choose from. Rice, meat, sides, salad. Tons and tons food that takes a long time to prepare.

However, she went crazy when I made these potatoes (and a lot of other quick and easy dishes too)! I was so excited that I could make something that impressed her. Now, okay, these aren’t THAT impressive. They don’t require much skill or prep, but they are SO good!

Even though we haven’t lived with her for years, she still asks that I make these and bring them over… In addition to her full Persian dinner!

P.S. They are really good as leftovers too! Make sure you reheat them in the oven or toaster oven to maintain the crispiness!

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and seasoning mix

2 lbs of small red skin potatoes

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. Cut potatoes into small cubes (I like to do bite size)
  3. Put potatoes in a container with lid or large baggie
  4. Add oil and Ranch powder
  5. Toss until coated
  6. Spread potatoes evenly onto a foil lined baking sheet (You do not have to foil line the pan, but I hate scrubbing the pan after making these potatoes)
  7. Bake for 30-35 minutes (We like for the potatoes to be a little burned on the edges, so I will them in until about 40-45 minutes)
/0 Comments/by

5 Best Recipes of the Week

When I (re)started my blog, I joined a 30 day blogging challenge to help myself blog everyday and get back into the habit of writing all the time. It has been really fun and also much harder than I thought!

One of the challenges is to do a recap of the blogs you posted for the week. So here are my 5 Best Recipes of the Week!

Wacky Cake – This is a delicious dessert crossed between a cake and a brownie. This has been a family recipe for as long as I can remember and because it is so easy, I was making this as a child. No eggs, butter or frosting here! It is a moist, not-too-sweet delight topped with powdered sugar. 

Sweet Potato Mash – One of my favorite dinner sides! It is easy, simple and quick! With only four ingredients, this side can be whipped together last minute or prepared ahead! 

Spinach Artichoke Dip – My go-to appetizer! In this dip, I have removed the typical mayo and sour cream and replaced them with healthy Greek yogurt! 

Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes – YUM! I have been a vegetarian for a few years now and really missed Sloppy Joes. This recipe is so tasty and extremely easy since it is made in the Crock Pot! The “meat” is very versatile and can be used in many other recipes as well, like a pizza sauce! 

Easy Refried Beans (from canned beans) – Usually I make Crock Pot refried beans and always have some in the fridge or freezer, but occasionally I need a fast, easy recipe to add a side to fajitas, tacos, or other Mexican dish. This easy recipe is made from a can of beans and comes together really quickly! It can be changed to fit your taste and consistency preferences! 

/1 Comment/by
, ,

Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Happy World Nutella Day!

For today’s recipe, I decided to take my favorite peanut butter banana bread recipe (since my freezer is overflowing with bananas) and add a little punch of Nutella for World Nutella Day!

I will start by saying that one of the reasons I love this banana bread recipe is because it is mostly healthy and packed with protein.

As a vegetarian, anywhere I can pick up extra protein is a plus to me! There is no oil or butter which is awesome. It uses peanut butter and yogurt to get a nice, rich texture. It’s so yummy! I also really love that you can add delicious walnuts as well! I also have added chocolate chips and a combination of nuts and chocolate in the past.

However, adding Nutella really takes all the healthiness out. BUT it is so fantastic! I love when you use Nutella in recipes, it makes them even softer and delicious!

I always make this in a 13×9 pan because I seem to always have trouble getting the middle cooked in 1 lb bread pan. I also like that it becomes more “cake” like, it is much easier to eat than a large piece of banana bread, and it cooks much faster! You are welcome to make it either way and I have left cooking directions for both below.

Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 ½ c bananas (about 4)
2 eggs
⅓ c plain yogurt
⅔ c peanut butter
1 ⅔ c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c Nutella

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add bananas and mash.
  3. Add eggs, yogurt and peanut butter. Mix until blended.
  4. Add remaining dry ingredients, mix well.
  5. Spread batter evenly into a greased 13×9 pan.*
  6. Heat Nutella in microwave for 20 seconds.
  7. Drip or spoon Nutella on batter.
  8. Use a knife to pull the Nutella evenly through the batter.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the loaf.
  10. Cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Usually I make refried beans in my Crock Pot using black beans and pinto beans, but it requires a lot of planning and time. Sometimes I just don’t have that! 

So this quick and easy refried beans recipe is awesome if you are in a pinch and need some refried beans! You can easily make yummy refried beans using a couple cans of beans! 

Why not just use a can of refried beans? Sometimes I don’t have that either! Also, my refried beans in the Crock Pot are SO much better than the canned version, that I hardly ever buy cans of refried beans any more. Plus, this easy recipe is probably healthier than the canned version. It certainly tastes fresher! 

However, I always have cans of beans in my pantry just waiting to be used! This recipe is so quick and so easy and really tasty!

This is really good served as a side for Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas for extra protein!

Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (do not rinse)
½ an onion, diced small (if you prefer your beans smooth, leave this out)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat
  2. Add garlic and cook until soft, just a couple of minutes
  3. Add pintos with liquid and all spices to pan and cook until beans are heated thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally
  4. Take off heat and mash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture

.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Every month my husband’s office assigns someone to bring bi-weekly lunches. Lunch is every other Monday during an office meeting. That person can make lunch, have lunch catered, assign a potluck or ask everyone to bring their own lunch.

January just happened to be my husband’s month. It always fun (and a little nerve wracking) to provide a meal for around 10 people when I’m used to cooking for two. Yes, I always make enough food for leftovers, but feeding 10 people is much different. So we have to be creative!

In the past we have done chili, soup and salad, and tacos. For one of the weeks in January, we decided to make Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas. It’s easy (although there are a lot of ingredients for serving) and people can choose what they like or don’t like to put on their own meals. We try to provide enough food for people to eat all week if they would like. This makes it super easy for me since I don’t have to make lunch all week for my husband. 

Since we were making this for a large group of people to eat several times, I tripled the recipe below. That’s 3 onions and 9 peppers! I wasn’t even sure it would all fit into my Crock Pot, but after an hour or so of cooking, the peppers start to cook down and fit comfortably in the pot. 

I also used a prepackaged fajita seasoning that I have from Costco. I will list how you can make your own fajita seasoning and replace my prepackaged seasoning below.

This was a huge hit by the way! Many people in the office are apprehensive about eating a lunch completely meat free, but they did it and enjoyed it! 🙂 We also served it with easy refried beans and Spanish rice. 

Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 Onion, halved and sliced
3 Peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ tbsp fajita seasoning*
½ tsp garlic powder (my fajita seasoning does have garlic, but I like to add a tad more)
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

6 Small flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Sour Cream or yogurt
Salsa
Avocado
Easy Refried Beans
Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

Directions:

  1. Spray Crock Pot with nonstick spray.
  2. Place all ingredients into Crock Pot and mix until veggies are coated with oil and spices.
  3. Cook 4 – 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas and additional/optional ingredients.

*Fajita Seasoning:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

/0 Comments/by

Pregnancy: 27 Week Update

Hi all!

I completed my gestational diabetes test today. Something that I was really, really dreading! But it turned out to not be so bad!

After fasting for 12 hours (no food or drink), you are to down this orange (some places have other flavors) drink in 2 minutes. I had heard that it tastes awful, but it wasn’t so bad. Sort of like flat orange pop. It wasn’t enjoyable, but it was fine.

And then you wait… Your blood must be drawn exactly one hour from the minute you finished your drink. Luckily, I had scheduled a doctor’s appointment during my hour, so it went by pretty quick.

This past Saturday I hit the 27 week mark. Which means I am now in my third trimester! Less than three months to go before a chubby, cuddly baby boy moves in!

I feel really good (albeit fat…)! And thought it would be fun to document my pregnancy with the following quiz! I really wish I had started from week one… Oh well. You learn from the first one, right? 🙂

26 Weeks Pregnant

Total weight gain: 20lbs according to the doctor’s office…. A few pounds less according to my scale… But who’s counting!

Maternity clothes? Oh yeah. I can still fit into my pre-pregnancy shirts, but they fit weird, so I prefer wearing maternity shirts. I haven’t fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans for while, so I have a couple pairs of maternity jeans and yoga pants.

Stretch marks? Not yet. Crossing my fingers I don’t get any.

Sleep: Right now, I’m sleeping great! At night and during the day. 😉

Workouts: I was so good about working out in the beginning and then after our vacation in October, it really dwindled off. I have done a pregnancy barre routine a few times and every week I say I’m going to get back into it… And then I nap instead. Whoops.

Diet: Pretty much what I was eating before… We are vegetarian, so I just really need to concentrate on getting protein. I usually eat 5 or 6 small meals/snacks throughout the day.

Best moment this week:  I am so relieved that my glucose test is over and it wasn’t as bad as I had prepped for!

Miss anything? Sushi. Hard Cider.

Food cravings: Nothing really. This whole pregnancy I have wanted carbs: pasta, bread, bagels. It hasn’t really changed too much.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Not yet… But I was warned today that I might start feeling contractions since I am entering my third trimester.

Symptoms: Charley horses! Ugh! I have gotten several when I am waking up in the morning and stretching. It hurts so so bad! And then my calf will be sore for the whole day and sometimes the next. I have started taking magnesium and eating more bananas to hopefully counteract them!

Belly button in or out? In. I don’t think it will pop… Probably just get flat.

Wedding rings on or off: Still on.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy.

Looking forward to: My baby shower! It’s this weekend. I can’t wait to see everyone and celebrate our baby. Plus, I can’t wait to get started on organizing and setting up the nursery!

/0 Comments/by