During my pregnancy, I had a constant craving for Buffalo Chicken Dip. I was determined to figure out a way to turn this awesome dip into an awesome entree. However, since the baby was born, I barely have had time to feed myself, much less create new recipes. But as the weather gets warmer and the days get a little longer, I'm determined to get back into my regular routine of cooking new, healthy recipes for my family. And, yes, we could argue over the label of "healthy" when it comes to this recipe...after all, Buffalo Wing Sauce is high in sodium, and there is a copious amount of cheese. But...BUT! There is quinoa and tons of broccoli! And lean chicken! And a generous serving size is under 500 calories! Most importantly, it is frigging delicious, and sometimes you just want to eat something frigging delicious.
How about one last hearty soup before Winter officially ends? The weather here in Georgia keeps flip flopping between 80 degree sunny days and 40 degree drizzly evenings. On one of those recent chilly nights, I felt motivated to put a healthy spin on the traditional Beef Stew. I made sure to fill the soup with as much veggies as possible, and I swapped out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes. I think the sweet potatoes added a needed touch of natural sugar to balance out the saltiness of all the other ingredients in the stew. I don't think I'll ever go back to regular old white potatoes in a beef stew again!
As I have confessed before, I am a Cookie Monster. I frigging love cookies. Peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies; I love them all with my whole heart. During Christmas break, my daughter and I did our annual tradition of baking a ton of cookies and eating about half the cookie dough before they even get in the oven. This year we did an extra step and frosted the cookies and topped them with sprinkles. My toddler thought this was literally the greatest thing ever. I'm not sure what was the best part, decorating the cookies or eating them. Who am I kidding....the best part will always be eating them.
Seriously, who doesn't love a casserole? You have your protein, veggies, and grains all whipped up in one dish! Easy to make, easy to eat, easy to clean up. It's the lazy cook's trifecta. My newest one dish favorite is this Chicken & Quinoa Casserole. For this particular go-around, I decided that mushrooms, asparagus, and sun-dried tomatoes would be my vegetables, but this recipe is so adaptable! Feel free to swap out those veggies for whatever vegetables you're craving, or (keeping with the lazy theme) whatever is in your fridge. I replace all 3 veggies for just lots of broccoli when I'm making it with my picky toddler in mind. Report back if you try a different combination that you'd recommend!
