Friday, January 23, 2015
Chocolate Chip "Granola" Bars
I'll get straight to the recipe, these are delicious!
They are gluten free when made with "gluten free" oats/oat bran.
You will need:
3 large bananas mashed (preferably ripe bananas)
1.5 c Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Bran
1/2 c old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free)- i use Trader Joe's
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon (whichever flavor you like - I prefer cinnamon)
1/2 c pepitas
1/2 c sunflower seeds
3/4 c chocolate chips (to be vegan use "Enjoy Life" chips)
Mash bananas together in large mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Mix in rest of ingredients until combined.
Spray 9x13 pan with pan spray and press mix into pan evenly.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool on counter or in fridge and once cooled cut into "granola bar" slices.
These are really awesome and easy to make. And pretty healthy to boot!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
The Easiest Soup You Will Ever Make
My mom's friend shared the following recipe with her (Thanks, Rose!), and my mom graciously shared it with me. It is the easiest soup to make.....ever. This will feed several people. Perfect for a cold day, quick dinner, unexpected guests, or just cause you're feeling it!
If I had to name this soup - it would be Black Bean, Roasted Corn & Rice Soup. But that's a little long, so you can just say "That Trader Joe's Bean Soup"
The ingredients are:
1 bag frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's
1 bag chimichurri rice from Trader Joe's
1 box Latin Style Black Bean soup from Trader Joe's
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed.
Pour all into a pot, cover, heat through until everything is hot - about 30 minutes stirring occasionally on med-low.
I served it with a little shredded cheddar and oyster crackers.
I think next time I will add cubed cooked chicken for a non-vegetarian option.
Seriously- that's it! Perfect substitution for chili if you are a vegetarian. After Joey had some he said to "add it to the list", so you know it's good.
Next time you are at Trader Joe's, pick these items up and keep them handy for a last minute dinner idea - it will seem like you worked all day on it. So quick and easy!
![]() |
| The ingredients....yes, just these! |
![]() |
| Beautiful! |
If I had to name this soup - it would be Black Bean, Roasted Corn & Rice Soup. But that's a little long, so you can just say "That Trader Joe's Bean Soup"
The ingredients are:
1 bag frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's
1 bag chimichurri rice from Trader Joe's
1 box Latin Style Black Bean soup from Trader Joe's
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed.
Pour all into a pot, cover, heat through until everything is hot - about 30 minutes stirring occasionally on med-low.
I served it with a little shredded cheddar and oyster crackers.
I think next time I will add cubed cooked chicken for a non-vegetarian option.
Seriously- that's it! Perfect substitution for chili if you are a vegetarian. After Joey had some he said to "add it to the list", so you know it's good.
Next time you are at Trader Joe's, pick these items up and keep them handy for a last minute dinner idea - it will seem like you worked all day on it. So quick and easy!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
2015
Once again, it’s been a while. Oops. Life gets in the way sometimes,
and well, new TV shows, soft pajamas, books, books, and more books consume my life. Barnes
and Noble charges mysteriously show up on the bank statement more often than
Kroger does. This may be a problem….or is it just that I am expanding my mind
instead of my waistline?
It’s a New Year! Time to get back on track, okay? 2015 is going to be the ish.
| I want to be THIS content all the time! |
Here are a few of my personal goals for 2015
You have seen my all-time fave recipes here
on the blog over the past year or so, which I always turn to when thinking “What’s
for dinner?”. Well as you can see, there
aren’t that many! It’s time to branch out, try new recipes, and possibly even
bake! And a rather crazy idea – experiment with flavors (say what?). Plus, I
posted 1 or 2 times after getting a brand new kitchen. I guess I am really
enjoying it too much to stop and take some pics, but really, do you want to see
4 posts about shrimp and grits? Because we make that ALL THE TIME.
Anything that you would like to see me
attempt and post on the site? I am always up for a challenge!
I’m going to be honest here. I am a
straight up textbook “homebody”. I would rather get in pajamas immediately upon
arrival home after work than do anything else. I had sort of an epiphany this
past late fall/early winter where I was like, ‘what am I doing sitting here,
waiting for something fun to happen?’. I basically told my husband that we are
getting out, we are going to do what we want, and we are going to live a
little! He has no problem with that as he has many hobbies and is the opposite of homebody. Maybe it was just me that needed to go out and do more. Admittedly, I have always been very jealous of Joey's long list of hobbies. So instead of continuing to wallow about being at home so much, I get out much more than before. So far, I have been pleasantly
surprised that I have a busier schedule. I was afraid it was going to make me
incredibly exhausted, but it is really refreshing to have things to do all the
time, and actually look forward to doing them.
You know that feeling where you are like, ‘man, I really don’t want to go…’ and then you go, and it’s AWESOME? I had that feeling a lot last year, and I am finally embracing the anticipation of getting out more. If you are feeling in a funk and don't really want to get out and do much, my suggestion is to get out and do something. You won't regret it- I can say this from personal experience. You may even find that you really enjoy your new hobby! (As I write this, the temp this morning was 0 (ZERO) so, today is not the day I get out more).
You know that feeling where you are like, ‘man, I really don’t want to go…’ and then you go, and it’s AWESOME? I had that feeling a lot last year, and I am finally embracing the anticipation of getting out more. If you are feeling in a funk and don't really want to get out and do much, my suggestion is to get out and do something. You won't regret it- I can say this from personal experience. You may even find that you really enjoy your new hobby! (As I write this, the temp this morning was 0 (ZERO) so, today is not the day I get out more).
I am the type of person who sometimes thinks “that would be really nice to have” or “it would be such a relief to
have more money” but this year especially, I need to be grateful of what I currently
have. I am fortunate that I work hard and earn enough to afford some luxuries. But to me, some of my favorite luxuries might be total crap to another person. To each his/her own!
There is so much time wasted with “blog envy”, “pinterest envy”, or really, “Facebook envy”, that we forget that this life we are living is perfectly imperfect. Plus, people usually don’t post the sucky things on Instagram, Facebook, or blogs. No one wants to read about the bad stuff most of the time. I usually choose to share the joyful things in my life rather than complain or share personal struggles. The silver lining of going through tough stuff is I've learned what a great team my husband and I make. #teamgumer #hellurrr
Spoiler alert: The difficult thing J and I go through is deciding which restaurant to go to on date night ;-) KIDDING, of course....or am I?
Learn how to blog.
In a nut-shell - I don't know the first thing about editing a blog. Let me get right on that. Also, any advice? Who wants to design my page? I'll pay you in hugs or a very small amount of money. You can pick.
There is so much time wasted with “blog envy”, “pinterest envy”, or really, “Facebook envy”, that we forget that this life we are living is perfectly imperfect. Plus, people usually don’t post the sucky things on Instagram, Facebook, or blogs. No one wants to read about the bad stuff most of the time. I usually choose to share the joyful things in my life rather than complain or share personal struggles. The silver lining of going through tough stuff is I've learned what a great team my husband and I make. #teamgumer #hellurrr
Spoiler alert: The difficult thing J and I go through is deciding which restaurant to go to on date night ;-) KIDDING, of course....or am I?
Learn how to blog.
In a nut-shell - I don't know the first thing about editing a blog. Let me get right on that. Also, any advice? Who wants to design my page? I'll pay you in hugs or a very small amount of money. You can pick.
#cliche' #organizemylifeplease
I consider myself a pretty organized person in general.
But, I do have a ‘Monica Closet’ or two that need some attention. Plus, I like
shoving things in drawers #keepingitreal. I really have been better about things having
a place, but do want to apply a little organization to several areas in my
life. I was looking at David Lebovitz’s gift giving guide for this past holiday
season, and he suggested a book by Marie Kondo titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art ofDecluttering and Organizing”. I am a
sucker for best-sellers, who isn’t? So I amazon primed it straight to my
doorstep. So far the message I have been gleaning from it is to only own things
that “Spark Joy”. So purging things is on the top of my to-do list. I really like that this philosophy goes with my “live a
little” goal. When I “live a little” and can come home to a decluttered house
filled with things that “spark joy”, well, guys, I will be on top of the world.
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2015! There is a lot to look
forward to this year. So go out, live a little, and conquer any goals or
resolutions you may have for the coming year!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Favorite Kitchen Tools
"I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty...." -my girl Ariel
| via |
Errrmmm, moving on.... Here are a few of my favorite kitchen gadgets/tools! I figured I should start making some notes on what I like and don't like to use on the regular and tell all 10 of you about it!!! Which, by the way, thank you for humoring me by reading this blog.
I'll start with the big stuff: These are the mac-daddy kitchen essentials. Technically, you don't need these but they sure do make life a lot easier when cooking for your fam.
1. Kitchen Aid Mixer. LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY COLORS THEY HAVE NOW. Y'all know what's up with this. I use this at least 3 times a week for pizza dough, pasta dough rolling and mixing, any excuse I have for using it, I usually do. I'm really interested in the ice cream maker attachment for it. Can you imagine!?!?!? I'd really be hurtin for a personal trainer then.
| via |
2. Food Processor - This hefty guy makes hummus, date bars, sauces, etc. It's the bomb. I use this weekly for my hummus (way cheaper than store bought) that I take to work (will post recipe soon). This chops veggies, slices potatoes, and so much more. There are some neat attachments I haven't tried yet, but my hibernation begins during winter when I only leave the house for work, groceries or wine, so that's probably a good time to try them out, right? I will report back.
| Image via google |
3. A Great Set of Knives A great chef, ahem....like myself, should always have a great set of knives. We have this set of Henckels. The key to a great, efficient knife is keeping it sharp. When you have a dull knife, you will know, that crap is majorly annoying. You technically should get your knives sharpened every few months or so. Which reminds me....
Also, I know these aren't the best of the best kind of knives around - but they work great for us and we try to take good care of them- which reminds me again....need to get these sharpened...
| Image via Bed Bath and Beyond |
4. A Non-Stick Pan. Seriously, one of the better "As Seen on TV" items I've encountered. I've said before, we are suckers for any "As Seen on TV" items. This pan cooks eggs like a DREAM. Omelettes, no problem. Pancakes? Check. This is a great pan for $20. I'm sure there are *better* pans out there, but this one fits us just fine!
| Image via Target |
| Image via Williams-Sonoma |
*update: I realize I say "like a dream" alot. I'm not even sorry about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)

2.jpg)






