Football Food: Cheesy "Crack" Dip

I didn't come up with the name for this one, but this recipe saved me when I needed to make a dip for a football party in a pinch. It was so easy, so cheesy, and so perfect for football season! If you're having some friends over to watch the big game, this is a dish that will be gobbled up quickly!

Bonus: It takes 5 minutes of prep time and is ready in under 30 minutes. That is my kind of dish.

Ingredients:

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 oz packet of dry ranch dressing mix
3 oz bag of bacon bits
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 oz sour cream
tortilla chips or fritos for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Transfer mixture to a baking dish, and bake dip for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Mom Meals: 10 Minute Gyros

I am excited to announce a new mini series on this blog called Mom Meals! I have always loved cooking and took pride on serving my husband a fresh, warm meal most nights. Remember that Recipes tab of mine filled with yummy recipes? As much as I still want to do that, being a mom to a toddler makes that fairly difficult. I do as much meal prep as I can during nap time, but all too often I am caught grabbing that frozen pizza from the freezer at 6 PM because I have a toddler clinging to me and no other choice. 

I started this series as a way to share shortcuts to my favorite meals that I have easily been able to apply to my momtastic lifestyle. Obviously it's not just moms that can benefit from quick weeknight meals: everyone is busy, so I hope these 10 minute shortcuts will help you as much as they have helped me!

This first Mom Meal is for gyros. It's fresh, healthy, delicious, and can be on the table in 10 minutes. The original recipe took me 30-40 minutes, but my simplified version takes me 10 and is really just as tasty. 

Before we get started, here are the changes I made:

1. I bought Tzatziki sauce from the store instead of making my own 

2. I used frozen meatballs rather than making them from scratch

3. I chopped my veggies ahead of time

Ingredients:

Naan (located near the bakery)

Frozen turkey meatballs

Tzatziki sauce

Diced tomatoes

Sliced red onion

Diced cucumber

Directions: 

1. Bake your meatballs in the oven according to the package instructions. If you're really in a pinch, just stick them in the microwave and heat them that way. 

2. Lightly toast your naan in the toaster just to get it warm. 

3. Chop your tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber. 

4. Assemble your gyros. Spread Tzatziki across a piece of Naan, add meatballs, and top with veggies. 

Serve and enjoy! We love gyros and make this healthy, quick version often around here!

Almond Joy Cookies

Today I want to share a quick and easy recipe that I have been making on repeat lately. I like to bake a little sweet treat each weekend that we can munch on the following week. Confession: I have a sweet tooth the size of Africa and basically think dessert after lunch and dinner is a requirement. There are worse notions, I'm sure. 

This recipe for Almond Joy Cookies is oh so simple. Does it get much simpler than 4 ingredients? I think not! Not only is it simple, but these cookies taste like little drops of heaven. If you are a coconut person, you will love these. If you like the Almond Joy candy bar like me, these cookies will be your new favorite!

Ingredients:

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semi sweet OR dark chocolate chips (I've made it both ways and love both!)

14 oz bag of sweetened coconut flakes

2/3 cup of lightly salted almonds (I buy the ones in the can with the blue top)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

2. In a large bowl, mix all 4 ingredients together with a spoon. Stir until well combined.

3. Wet your hands so the mixture doesn't stick to you, and begin rolling mixture into medium-sized balls in your hands. Pat each ball to slightly flatten, and place on your baking sheet. The shape of each cookie will not change from there, so space them as closely together as you want!

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are golden. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic Pasta

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®  & La Moderna but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MyExceptionalPasta #GoldenHarvest  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Pregnancy has thrown my body for a loop in so many ways, one of them being my appetite. I have gone from loving food to hating it to loving it again; it's a vicious cycle. There is one food group that has consistently sounded good throughout each stage of pregnancy, and that's carbs. Give me all the carbs, please!

I set out to find recipes to appease the new food group that I cannot seem to get enough of, but I also didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen for hours on end. Quick, simple, and delicious is the name of the game! 

Whether you are pregnant like me or just a busy lady on the go (that's all of us, right?), I want to share a new recipe that has quickly become a go-to of mine: Creamy Garlic Pasta It's hearty, hot, and takes about 10 minutes to throw together. It is the perfect weeknight meal for busy moms on the go, pregnant ladies, or just anyone who loves a good home-cooked dinner (that's all of us too, right?). 

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 cloves of garlic, minced

8 oz La Moderna penne pasta

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy cream

a pinch of pepper

diced parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook La Moderna penne pasta according to the instructions on the box. Once cooked, drain and set aside. 

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and butter. Stir together until butter is melted, and add minced garlic. 

3. Mix in pasta, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and a few sprigs of parsley. 

4. Slowly add cream and stir together to combine. 

5. Top with additional parsley and enjoy!

Most of these ingredients are already in your kitchen (score!). For any that you don't have, stop by your local Walmart. That's where I found the La Moderna high protein pasta and picked up a loaf of fresh garlic bread to compliment the main entree. Serve this pasta with a little bread and your favorite veggie, and you have a delicious meal the whole family will enjoy!

his post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®  & La Moderna but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #MyExceptionalPasta #GoldenHarvest  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Mini Shepard's Pie Cups

In all my years of cooking, I have never come across better "man food" than a Shepard's Pie. It has meat and it has potatoes. What more could a guy want? I've mentioned before that I like to make dinners that also serve as great leftovers for lunch the next day. After the husband loved these Chicken Pot Pie Cups so much, I realized I could do the exact same thing with Shepard's Pie! Thus, these Shepard's Pie Cups were born. 

Not only did they make a great dinner, they made even better leftovers the next day. How easy is it to throw 2-3 of these cups into a lunchbox and go? So easy. I liked the cup design because there was really no mess. However, we had some leftover mixture that I served atop a biscuit half the next day (kind of like Chicken a la King), and we loved this variation too. Do what works for your family!

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated biscuits (10-12 count)

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp flour

3/4 cup beef stock

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 tsp dried parsley 

1 1/2 cups cooked mashed potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes or 1 box)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. 

2. Flatten and mold a biscuit into each tin and bake 6-8 minutes. If biscuits have risen too much after this, gently press them down while still warm. Set aside. 

3. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and drain any fat. 

4. Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic. 

5. Add flour to the skillet and stir until blended into a paste. 

6. Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and peas and carrots and stir to combine, cooking for 1-2 minutes. 

7. Fill each biscuit tin with meat mixture and top with a large spoonful of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the tops with parsley. 

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges of biscuits are golden brown. 

Enjoy!