Healthy Wealthy Living

I must say my cooking journey has had many bumps along the way including undercooked food, burnt dishes, near kitchen fires and disastrous meals that had to be trashed.    When my hubby and I first met, close to eight years ago, I was not much of a cook (neither was he!). I really had no interest in it. I’m embarrassed to admit that we pretty much lived on frozen food or takeout for the first two years of living together ( yes, we moved in together before getting married and it was the best thing we could have done~ but another blog post ).  He is so awesome and never complained. However, my co-workers and friends would tease me asking “so did you have chicken fingers or chicken nuggets last night?”. Once the baby was born, I really wanted to figure out this cooking thing. I didn’t want our baby to live on chicken fingers, hot dogs and pizza. Both my mom and mother-in-law are amazing cooks!  I was lucky to have them to teach and guide me along my co...

Cheeseburgers are my weakness!   I would pick a cheeseburger over a steak, shrimp or lobster any day. If you asked me one year ago if I’d ever eat a veggie black bean burger, my response would have been “no way!”. The thought of my husband eating a turkey burger, never mind a veggie burger was laughable. One time I used ground turkey in a lasagna recipe. My husband loved it but then when I told him, he said “why did you have to tell me?”. Although to try to eat a little bit healthier, we have been cutting back on red meat and have been using a lot of beans, soy “burger” and ground turkey in recipes that call for ground beef. I decided to give black bean burgers a try. I tried one black bean burger recipe but it was too dry. We tried another that called for including chopped up mushrooms in the mix but I didn’t like the chewiness of the mushrooms. I have tweaked the recipes and have come up with one that is so good. My husband can’t get enough of them. Even ...

Game Day Dish That is Sure to Score A Touchdown! With playoffs and the Super Bowl right around the corner, I’ve been trying to think of a game day dish that will sure to please the under and well above 5 year old groups alike. Here’s a hearty and close to healthy recipe that is super easy to make.  I happened to have cooked chicken breast and spinach in the fridge, so that’s what I used. Yet, it is versatile; you can change the ingredients to pretty much whatever you have on hand (deli meats, hot dogs, pepperoni, hummus, veggies). Game Day Braid Puree cooked chicken breast. Cook frozen spinach in microwave for 5 minutes. Drain all water. An easy way is to put in a strainer and smash with a spoon until dry.  Mix, chicken, spinach, 2 cups of shredded cheese and 1 can of cream soup (cream of chicken, mushroom, broccoli, etc).  Season with your favorite spices.  Place croissant triangles on baking sheet with edges touching.  Put a tsp full on wide end...

All I seem to crave in the winter is yummy, comfort food. We often think that comfort food has to be heavy, full of fat and take a long time to prepare. That's not the case. One of our family favorites only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and 30 mins to cook. “Grandma’s Quick & Easy Roasted Chicken Casserole” 2 Boxes of Perdue Chicken Short Cuts Cooked Chicken Strips 6 slices of  Kraft sliced Swiss cheese (I prefer the light) 1 box of Stove Top Stuffing 2 cans of Campbell's Condensed Soup low-fat Cream of Chicken Soup In a 9x13 casserole dish, layer chicken, cheese and stuffing (prepared per directions on box but not cooked). Pour soup over top. Bake in a 350deg oven for about 30 mins. My family loves this dish. It not only will make your home smell like your cooked all day, but your tummy will be satisfied, with this comfort dish!

This time of year can be hectic! I feel like it is always rush, rush rush. Get the Christmas cards written and sent out. Make sure you get a gift for everyone on your list. Wrap all the presents. Clean, clean, clean and cook ‘till you can’t cook “no more”. It is hard to stop, relax and take a minute to remember what the season is all about – Faith, friends and family. Even when Christmas Eve and Christmas get here, we are busy traveling from one side to the other. My husband and I feel as though we hardly have time to focus on each other and our baby girl. So, two years ago we started a tradition that lets us do just that- relax and spend time together with no rushing around, no chores…just US! The day before Christmas, I will prepare a breakfast casserole and   a batch of cheesy potatoes . I put the dishes in the fridge.   On Christmas morning, when we wake up, I put them in the oven along with some refrigerated croissants.   Other no-stress breakfast ideas are Fre...

8 Must-Have Foods for Family-Friendly Meals in 10-15 minutes or LESS! I have been pretty good about planning our meals ahead of time and have been using the crock-pot a lot lately; however, there are those nights when I get home late, have nothing planned but still need to get dinner on the table. There are now 8 must-haves that I keep in the house at all times in order to get dinner prepped, cooked and served in about 10-15 minutes or less. (Note: These items can be on the pricey side but are often on sale! Keep a look out for when these items go on sale and buy a few at a time). 1     Fully Cooked Meats - Fully cooked Perdue ChickenStrips , microwaveable Hormel Bacon, Fully Cooked Tyson Roast & BeefTips , Deli Roast Beef Use the chicken strips in wraps, quesadillas, tacos, quick stir fry (mix with micro stir fry veggies and rice) or casseroles (chicken strips, cream of mushroom or chicken soup, broccoli and shredded cheese, mix and top w/Ritz cracker crumbs an...

As a busy mom of a finicky 3 yr old (one day she LOVES carrots, the next day they make her “tummy hurt”), I’m always looking for quick and easy ways to make sure she gets the necessary nutrients. Last year, at a Holiday Yankee Swap, I won a copy of Jessica Seinfeld’s, Deceptively Delicious cookbook. In it she incorporates, basically hides, freshly pureed veggies in many of the recipes. The recipes are great but to be honest, I don’t have time to puree the veggies and even if I did, I don’t have room in my freezer to store the leftovers. My sister came up with the idea of using baby veggie purees. This worked great for me since I still had a lot left from when my daughter was eating them. Now, I had a purpose for the many   jars of Gerber sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and garden veggies that were taking up precious space in my already crammed cabinets. I use the vegetable purees in almost everything I cook, red pasta sauce, pizza, mac-n-cheese, chicken, sloppy joes, soup, gril...