what we’ve been eating 2

Here are some new delights and good old standbys we’ve been loving lately.   

1.  Oatmeal

(from New Nostalgia)
I’ve always liked oatmeal, but never really make it since it takes sooo long to cook.  I need easy and quick in the morning.  Then, I read Amy’s post at New Nostalgia about making a big batch of oatmeal and freezing it.  This was something I could incorporate into our routine!

I used Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain Cereal with Flaxseed.  It’s so good and really cheap on Amazon.

I just make it according the package and then freeze it in muffin tins. Once frozen solid I pop them out and keep them in a bag in the freezer.  The kids like it with almond milk and pure maple syrup (from Trader Joe’s).  Sometimes we add nuts.  I like it with coconut milk or coconut oil or coconut.  (yeah, I’ve been LOVING coconut lately)


It is the easiest breakfast we have now.  I just pop a few frozen oatmeal pucks in the microwave and we have a delicious, nutritious, hearty and warm breakfast!  Love it.

2.  Lemony Roasted Asparagus

There is no recipe link for these babies.  I make them every few weeks and there are rarely leftovers.

I use one bunch of asparagus washed, dried and trimmed.  Add the zest of one lemon.  And the juice of half of it.  Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 for about 15 minutes.  Perfection.  Sometimes I use the juice of the whole lemon…..but I REALLY love lemon.  🙂  Then (if I have ’em) I sprinkle some sesame seeds on top – because I’m fancy like that.

Aren’t they perty?

3.  Coconut Banana Bread

This coconut banana bread was AMAZING!  If I would have had chocolate chips – they would have gone in the mix for sure!  How good does that sound?

I recommend getting some cute jammie-clad helpers.  Makes all baking better.  

I opted for butter on my warm bread.  The kids went for Nutella.  Big shocker.  If I would have had this   coconut butter – you better believe that’s what I would’ve used.  Welp, guess I gotta make it again.  🙂

4.  Balsamic Meatballs

Again.  No recipe link.  I saw it on Pinterest, but it was uploaded by a user, so no link.  They are SO easy and SO good.  I love balsamic anything, so I knew I would love ’em.

(completely unrelated….have you ever had Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing?  It is unreal….makes my kids gobble up salad like it’s dessert…..bonus…. it’s all natural!)

5.  Crispy Hashbrowns (in a waffle iron)

I love hashbrowns- only as long as they are really crispy.  Which I have yet to master in a frying pan.  So, I never make them.  But this was so easy and they turned out super crunchy.

I used the frozen hashbrowns.  But you could grate your own potato.
I drizzled some olive oil in the waffle iron.  Threw in the shredded potato and shut the lid.  I let them go for two cycles since mine were frozen.  They came out so very crispy and crunchy!


I threw on a few green onions which I happen to have right on hand because of this genius tip!  I bet it would work with with sweet potato too!  hummm.

6.  Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

(from The Wholesome Home)
Oh my goodness.  This might be my favorite recipe of this list.  I am drooling as I think of them and type.  They were unbelievable.  Of course, I do love Brussels sprouts AND balsamic vinegar.   But still.  They were gobbled up.  The kids kept asking for more and more until I had to hide the last few of them so I had some for lunch the next day.  And I even doubled the recipe.  I did it wrong when I made them.  I added the water, olive oil and balsamic vinegar all at once and just had to wait for it all to reduce in the pan.  They still turned out amazing, but I’m going to try and follow the directions next time.  Which will be soon since there are two bunches of Brussels sprouts in my fridge waiting to be made into this delight.

7.  Roasted Root Veggies

I randomly bought a bunch of root vegetables at the store recently.  They just all looked so good and inviting.  I guess it’s the season for them.  I will be doing it again.  They were well received.  🙂

 I bought two of each (in order from left to right)….potato, parsnip, carrot, beet, turnip, and sweet potato.  I chopped them up in similar sizes (more or less, I’m a really lazy chopper!)  Aren’t the colors so pretty?  I drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  And roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  Until they were tender but not mushy.  They were all caramelized and sweet.  Yum.

8.  Cowboy Sushi

These were really good.  Strange.  But yummy.  A fun thing to bring to a party.  Kevin and the kids LOVED them.  But, they are all crazy about pickles.  At first the kids were sad because they thought they were getting real sushi.  Haha.  They were disappointed… until they realized these were made of pickles.  A really cool appetizer for a party.

(from The Good Wife)
Ingredients:
6 large whole kosher dill pickles
3 packages Buddig Beef (I used salami)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
Directions: 
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese over one slice of beef. Top with another slice of beef and spread cream cheese over the second layer.
Roll the two slices of beef around one whole pickle.
Repeat steps one and two so that the pickle ends up with four layers of beef and cream cheese.
Slice the pickle into thick slices and serve cold.
Repeat all the steps until all the pickles are covered.

9.  Hasselback Potatoes

(from Sea Salt with Food)
Funny name – but so good.  A really fun and different way to make potatoes.  You can peel off each piece and it kind of tastes like a chip.
To make…..
Cut through your potato at 3 to 4 mm intervals almost all the way though.  You can put the potato in a wooden spoon to help you not cut all the way through it.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 for about 40 minutes.  Until they are tender but not mushy.

I feel like those are the directions for roasting pretty much everything!

10.  Baked Sweet Potato Fries with coconut butter

I LOVED these.
I cut three sweet potatoes into fries.  Drizzled them with olive oil.  Sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Roasted at 425 for 30 minutes.  They were all crispy and roasted on the outside and soft on the inside.  Right before I served them I threw a few tablespoons of this coconut butter on top.  


Oh. My. Goodness.  They were so good that I ate them as a snack the next day at work.  At  9:00 a.m.  🙂  I couldn’t wait until lunch.

11.  Magic Shell

I gotta include some dessert in here.  Last but not least….magic shell.

(Seriously – is there anything that this oil can NOT do?!?  I love it!)

Keep it in a glass jar in the fridge and use it again and again.   Just heat and serve.   The kids thought I was a magician as they watched it make a shell on their ice-cream.  Kevin could NOT believe I made it!  He was all nostalgic.  haha.  

Wait for it…..still shiny.  

There you go….matte chocolaty shell perfection.  I did feel a little like a magician.  

Or an illusionist.  

What have you been eating?