Top 4 Products That Have Changed the Way I Cook

Have you ever discovered a product and thought, "Where has this been all my life?!"  Today I am going to share 4 products that have changed the way I cook.  No, they aren't paying me to say these things, I just love these products.  Here they are!

4. Misto Oil Sprayer

This product is great.  Instead of using cooking spray with all of the additives, I can use a healthy oil like olive oil.  I use it almost exclusively.  There are still a few instances I will use the store bought cooking spray, but those are rare.  This also works when I need to add oil to a skillet.  Instead of using that whopping tablespoon of oil the recipe calls for, I will use my Misto and lightly spray the pan.  It works just as well with half the oil!

3. Kitchenaid Mixer

Do I really need to say anything about this one?  Love my Kitchenaid!

2. Reynold's Slow Cooker Liners

Seriously, where were these all my life?  Gone are the days of soaking my slow cooker pot in water for a day before doing some serious scrubbing to finally get it clean.  Ugh.  Love the slow cooker liners!

1. Parchment Paper

How did I never know about parchment paper?  No need to spray cookie sheets and have oily bottomed cookies.  Parchment paper!  I use it with everything, pyrex, cookies sheets, love!

I Can Do Anything!

Why don't we say this to ourselves more often?

Are You Sleeping?

And if you are, why?  Perhaps it is time to wake up...

15 Minute Zuppa Toscana

As a carb-lover the Olive Garden is one of my faves...LOVE the soup, salad and breadstick meal.  At any rate, my favorite soup is the Zuppa Toscana.  I have found copy cat recipes, but who has hours to spend in the kitchen?  Not this girl  Here is my quicker version of it.

1/2 - 3/4 bag potatoes o'brien hashbrowns
1 bag Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles
1/2 bottle Hormel real bacon pieces
1 small onion, diced (Wal-Mart sells already diced onions)
8 C water
4 cubes chicken boulion
1 tsp garlic powder
3 - 4 leaves kale
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

I mix everything in a pot except the kale and whipping cream and bring to a boil.  Then simmer.  When the potatoes are almost cooked I add the kale and heavy whipping cream and cook for 5-10 more minutes.  That's it.  Easiest soup ever!

Rollercoaster

Okay, seriously folks.  With all the craziness...I don't know where to start.  Needless to say the last few weeks have been a slight setback as I've had to eat out quite a bit.  However, things are getting fixed and put back together!  Hooray!

So yes, it was a slight setback.  But, like my favorite quote from Batman, we pick ourselves back up and do better today.

 

With that I had a low-cal, protein packed breakfast of egg whites and canadian bacon on a slice of sourdough.  Yum!  

This afternoon I threw this in the crockpot.  LOVE the crockpot in the Fall.  For real, ya'll should invest in one if you haven't yet.  Or break it out of storage.  With Reynold's Slow-Cooker Liners it makes cleaning up virtually non-existent!  How did I not know those existed until a few months ago?  I started out by using THIS recipe, but I never can stick to a recipe very well.  Here is my modified version.  So tasty and super quick and easy!

White Chicken Chili

3 chicken breasts

2 cans black beans

1 can corn undrained

1 can fire roasted tomatoes undrained

1 can diced green chilies

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup diced onion

1 package ranch seasoning

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

8 oz. fat free cream cheese

Place chicken breasts on bottom of the crockpot.  Put the rest of the ingredients except the cream cheese in the crockpot and mix together.  Place the cream cheese on top and let cook.  6-8 hours on low or about 4 hours on high.  Shred chicken with a fork.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It is that time of year again!  It is soup season.  I love soup.  I think I could have a different soup every day for the entire winter.  I once met a woman while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who did just that.  One day I am going to be like that.

At any rate, with no heat in my house, it was definitely time for some soup.  Today I tried a new recipe for Chicken Tortilla soup.  It is super easy.  It only took me about 15 minutes to prepare.  You can find the recipe HERE.  It definitely hit the spot today. 

Day 7: Change

Today I opened my mailbox to find this book inside.  I was so excited!  First of all, how often do you open the mailbox and find something like this inside?  Second, so far, it has been a FANTASTIC book.

As I was reading I found this quote, which I love.  Though I am not sure the author was talking about getting physically healthy, I think it applies.  Some days I just want to eat the real, deep fried chimichanga, with the chips and salsa, or all of those amazing desserts I find on Pinterest. 

Sometimes I give in.  Today, I confess, I had 3 Oreos.  They were amazing.  I have to remember that change is a process and it does not come overnight.  Sometimes it is okay to have the Oreos.  Not always, but sometimes. 

No matter how many times you begin again, don't give up.  Change is a process, not an event.

Day 3: Some Days

Some days you feel like this explains it all.  Just sayin'.

I have now finished off the last of the "junk food" in my house.  Not that there was a ton left, but still...there is NONE left.

Tonight was slightly emotional and there was NO tasty food in my house.  Instead I went on a bike ride.  It helped a little.  I still wanted something good for dinner, because let's be honest, not all "health" food tastes good.  I really wanted a high fat Mexican dinner.  Enter Pinterest!  I found these OVEN BAKED chimichangas.  You can find the original HERE.  I made some changes to make it a little healthier.  I substituted:

-Shredded chicken instead of beef
-La Banderita Low Carb tortillas instead of regular ones
-Plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream
-Low-fat, part-skim mozzarella instead of cheddar cheese

 They were a tasty alternative for dinner.  :)

Day 2

Today I had a little frustration.  In an effort to unclutter my house, I purchased a bookcase.  The bookcase came unassembled.   No biggie.  I can put together a bookcase!

Wrong.

First of all, the instructions could barely be called instructions.  There were no words!  After hours of frustration, I finally had to walk away.  The bookcase will have to wait for another day.  Grr.

However, I did not let the frustration get the best of me.  I was still able to make this Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup.  It is so good, AND it's basically cauliflower, milk and water.   Love!  You can find the recipe HERE.

I finished the night on a high note as I listened to an Apostle of Jesus Christ during the Relief Society broadcast. If you want to hear a living Prophet and Apostles, check out the link below.

Day 1: The Beginning

Today started off with an hour bike ride.  Loved it...after the fact.  I think I almost died in the middle somewhere.  The way I felt once my heart could keep up with me - awesome!

Here is the day's food roundup:

Breakfast: Bacon and Cheese Omelet
1/4 C Egg Beaters
1T Turkey Bacon Pieces
2 oz. Low-Fat Mozarella
Parsley

Lunch:  Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon
2 Cups Quaker Oatmeal Squares
1/2 C 1% Milk (My grocery store was out of fat-free milk)

Dinner: Chicken Burger
1 Sweet Caramelized Onion Chicken Burger
1 leaf lettuce
1 Thomas Bagel Thin (100% whole wheat)
2 slices Kraft fat-free singles

 

The Fighter

What makes someone a fighter?  What is it that clicks inside someone that gives them internal motivation to accomplish great things?