The BLAT

Behold, one of the best sandwiches ever created:  The BLAT:  Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato.  The combination of these four ingredients might be the most amazing creation of all time.  The sweetness of the tomato, contrasted by the saltiness of the bacon, next to the creaminess of the avocado, paired with the crunchiness of the lettuce...absolute perfection.

Pinterest: Hits & Misses

Pinterest is a one of my favorite websites; and its rising popularity suggests that it is many others favorite website as well. People use it to plan their dream wedding, build a gorgeous nursery, or put together perfect outfits. However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that Pinterest is often not actually an "inspiration" site, but instead more of a "daydreaming" site. The women with hundreds of adorable baby outfit pins are usually not even pregnant, nor in any hurry to become so. The ones with boards covered in beautiful wedding dresses and crafty centerpieces were married ten years ago. The women who spend hours putting together an expensive designer outfit probably do most of their clothes shopping at Target. Pinterest, for many, is a place to fantasize about a different life.  We pin, knowing that we are unlikely to ever follow through with most of these pins.  And, yes, that's part of the fun of Pintrest.  

Black Bean Stew

I lived in Mexico City for several years as a child, and as a result, my favorite cuisine is Latin American.  We make so much of it, that Kroger actually started sending our coupons in Spanish.  Healthy sides can be a bit tricky with this style of food, and low fat canned refried beans get old pretty fast (not to mention that refried beans in the States taste NOTHING like they do in Mexico; not even the ones that are shipped here from Mexico; so if you happen to find yourself in Mexico, pick up a few cans of beans and send them my way!).  Anyways, one of my favorite healthy sides to make is Black Bean Stew.  

Chilled Cucumber Soup

My favorite perk of summer is the produce.  You just cannot beat the in-season vegetables and fruits of summer (sorry, root vegetables of winter!).  Our garden is producing its first produce already: cucumbers and tomatoes.  I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them: make Chilled Cucumber Soup.  Not only is this recipe incredibly delicious, it is incredibly healthy as well. 

Homemade Baby Teething Biscuits

My daughter began teething at 4 months old.  It was awful: constant drool, increased fussiness, chewing on everything.  She is a sensitive baby, it seems like she feels things more acutely that most other babies.  It took two months for that first tooth to pop through, and it was quickly followed by another.  We had a short reprieve, and then at 8 months, teething began again.  Those two top teeth just haven't broke through yet! Stubborn little things.  So we are doing the tricks we did last time: ice cubes in a mesh feeder, teething toys, wet frozen washcloth, and Tylenol for the bad nights.  However, since she is older and eating solids now, there is a new thing to add to our repertoire:  teething biscuits! 

Moroccan Chicken

Several years ago, I tore a recipe for Moroccan Chicken out of a fitness magazine.  My wedding was in a few months, and I was looking for healthy recipes.  Although I can no longer remember what magazine I found the recipe in, the recipe itself has been permanently embedded in my brain.  It was declared "The Best Recipe of 2009" in our household, and has been made at least monthly since then. Through the years I have played with the recipe until it reached perfection.  Since I am a kind and generous soul, I'm going to share this delicious and healthy dish with you!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

The type of meals that my husband and I cook now are vastly different than the type of meals we cooked two years ago.  Before we were parents, we routinely made intricate, time-consuming meals, using only the finest ingredients.  We made as much as we could from scratch; why buy something already made, when we could make it ourselves healthier and tastier?  But then we had a baby. We no longer had hours available to us to cook.  For the first 3 months of my daughter's life, we lived off frozen dinners or already prepared casseroles.  It was awful for foodies like us.  Now that she is older, we have more time to cook, but not nearly as much as we did in our childless days.  I imagine things are only going to get worse as she gets older.  So meals like Salsa Chicken, another Pinterest find, are a must every now and then.  This recipe is ridiculously easy, and uses ingredients you can find in your pantry and freezer.

Baked Hard Boiled Eggs

I love reading cooking tricks and tips on Pinterest.  My current favorite trick is how to make easy, no-fuss hard boiled eggs in the oven.  I've been meaning to make a batch of hard boiled eggs for a while now.  The egg whites the perfect snack: low in fat, high in protein.  And what to do with the yolks? Give it to the baby of course! Babies cannot have egg whites until they are a year old, but can have egg yolks at 8 months.  It is high in protein and fat; perfect for a growing baby. Yet I kept putting it off, because, frankly, hard boiled eggs are a pain in the rear to make. The water has to boil a certain way, for a certain amount of time, and there are all these additional things you have to do to make them decent (aka not green). Ugh, I get tired just thinking about it. So when I saw a pin on Pintrest on how to easily bake hard boiled eggs, I was eager to give it a try.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

I came up with this recipe after making a large amount of Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken. I really recommend you check out that recipe first, so you already have buffalo chicken on hand. If not, just cut up and cook some chicken and then toss with Buffalo Hot Sauce.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

I saw a recipe for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken on Pinterest recently, and knew I had to try it out. The original recipe is from My Kitchen Apron. I changed the recipe just a tad.