Tag Archives: recipe

Cooking, Fitness Fridays, Product Reviews

NutriBullet Review and Ice Pop Recipe

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strawberry ice popsI was so excited when I received the NutriBullet to review.The idea of a smoothies as a meal has always been a good idea but a lot of work with a traditional blender.  I have been using the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System
for a few weeks.  I really love how smoothly the Nutribullet blends the ingredients, with less clean up. The Nutribullet has so many uses in my kitchen, from a apple,kale, and avocado smoothies or blending oats fine to be part of a meat loaf. I keep finding new ways every day to use it.  The Nutribullet keeps all the nutritional value of the food so I can add or blend it in my families food. nutribullet

NutriBullet comes with 2 different blades one that keep the food in pieces and one that purees.  I find that I am finding uses for both on a daily basis. They nutribullet system comes with 3 different cups,  so I can make many different shakes for my family in the morning to everyone in the house. Also since all the parts are easy clean and dishwasher safe it is a breeze to use.  I am leaving the Nutribullet out on the counter since take up little space and get used so often.

Since I started using the Nutribullet I noticed that I have had an easier time maintaining my weight.   Actually I have been noticing a lower weight than normal.   So I am excited to see the long term results (I will keep you posted)

I have been replacing one meal a day with the Nutribullet smoothies and really feel better.  I have been following the smoothie recipe book that was included with the NutriBullet System.  I also like  creating my own treats for the family.  Like these all natural fruit pops.

nutribullet making a ice popNutriBullet Strawberry Banana Ice Pops

  • 2 bananas
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 cup of milk
  1. Blend using double Nutribullet blade
  2. pour in to molds
  3. freeze for 4 hours , enjoy

kids eating an ice pop

Overall Opinion:  The NutriBullet is a great blender/smoothie maker.  The600rpm  power of this product is amazing it is fast and efficient.  The cost is over $100,  I think the unit is worth the price because of how finely and smooth it makes the food it process.  Which make tougher greens palatable and enjoyable therefore being healthy.  I am really impress with the Nutribullet. I did have a friends Dad tell me all about the NutriBullet prior to me reviewing it.  He said it changed his life,  making him healther so I had high expectation going into the review.  I have to say the Nutribullet did not disappoint. I would recommend the Nutribullet.

Disclosure: I received the Nutribullet  to review,  this review is of my own opinion,  This post does contain affiliate links.

Cooking

Meal Plan Monday week of Jan 28 2013

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mushroomsSo I am restocking fridge after the fridge fail of last weeks.  So it gave me a chance to think about how I am restocking.   This we my husband and I are build freezer stock items.  I am making bags of meal starters.  I cook many times a week and start with Mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) small batches to freeze and   I always caramelize my onions so I will make small batches of them as well.  So I am going to make my start mix in my freeze ready to use for the nights I need an easy meal.   More to come next week.

This weeks meal Plan January 28, 2013

Monday:  Moms Bake Chicken (rub with oil, sprinkle spices (salt,pepper, garlic powder,paprika,cumin) Broccoli and rice/beans

Tues: My recipe Beef and gravy in my Ninja MC701 Multi Cooker 3 in 1 Cooking System
(used as a slow cooker) with egg noddles

Wednesday: perogies and kielbasa (Ninja MC701 Multi Cooker 3 in 1 Cooking System
recipe)

Thursday: Fish and veggies

Friday- Pizza

Saturday: Free night.. Moms off

Sunday My  Pulled Pork in Ninja for Superbowl  and My lettuce Wraps

Have a Great Week.

I am linking this post up to Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday

Cooking

Pulled Pork in a Ninja Cooker

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pulled pork sandwiched

Pulled Pork in my Ninja Cooker is my husbands favorite thing I make.  He says it is a toss up with my ribs.  Pulled pork is far easier than ribs. I make the pulled pork in my Ninja because I can make it all in one pot.  I love the ability to  brown and then slow cook the pork.   My children love the pulled pork.  I love the fact we make one night of sandwiches then can make many other meals from pulled pork  like pork tacos and pork pockets.

Pulled pork

  • 4-6 lb pork roast or pork shoulder
  • ½ cup Apricot jam
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 Onion med
  • 14 oz can Pork or Chicken broth
  • ¼ cup brown sugar

 

  1. Caramelize onions in ninja with pat of butter   till golden brownpulled pork
  2. Brown pork on all sides
  3. Pour broth in pot, cover with jam, soy, brown sugar and remain ingredients on potpulled pork
  4. Cook for 5 hours on low  till fork tenderpulled pork
  5. Remove bone, fat if any and shred with 2 forks pulling the meat apart
  6. Enjoy on a roll (you can add barbeque on side)  Or try with a tortilla with rice and cheese

pulled pork

Here is the easy print  Pulled pork

This post contains affiliate links

Cooking, Fitness Fridays

Beverage with a holiday kick!

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fruit in a glassSo I was at a my best friends wedding. I noticed that her dad looked fantastic,  I asked Frank what he was doing.  He sat me down and told me all about his NutriBullet.  He was making a cold gazpacho soup. He drank it every day.  Frank is a diabetic like me,  so I was wondering how his sugars are,  he said they are great.  Frank  is hoping to be off of his meds soon.  I was impressed,  he swore by the NutriBullet.   So because of Frank I have become interested in the smoothy crazy and what it can do for me.

So I recently received some information from Nutribullet,  about some holiday Ideas.  So I would like to share them with you:

Sniffle Snatcher

A tasty combination of vitamin C-rich ingredients, cayenne to reduce congestion, and rosemary to reduce inflammation and soothe a sore throat.

Ingredients:

1 cup kale

1 carrot

1 pear (cored and seeds removed)

1/2 cup cubed pineapple

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of fresh rosemary

Preparation: Add water to the max line of the large cup, and blast.

 

Sweet Apple Pumpkin Pie

An antioxidant-rich, protein-packed healthy dessert option so you can enjoy the flavors of the season guilt-free.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup organic silken tofu or organic Greek-style yogurt

1/2 cup canned pumpkin or cooked fresh pumpkin

1/2 apple (cut, cored, and seeds removed)

1 tablespoon raw almond butter

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

1 cup almond milk

Preparation: Add ingredients to large cup and blast.

 

Flu Fighter

Vitamin C, antioxidants, and anti-bacterial ginger help keep the immune system at its peak during the winter months.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup spinach

1/2 cup Swiss chard

1/4 cup parsley

1 kiwi (peeled)

1/2 lime (peeled)

1 banana (peeled)

1/2 bell pepper (seeds and stem removed)

1 inch fresh ginger root (peeled)

 

Preparation: Add water to the max line of the large cup and blast.

 

Cranbanana Blast

Filled with heart-healthy nutrients and anti-viral properties, cranberries blend well with bananas and dates for a tart-sweet treat.

Ingredients:

1 cup spinach

1 ripe banana (peeled)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

2 dates

Preparation: Add water or almond milk to the max line of the large cup and blast.

 

Sweet Potato Pick-Me-Up

Complex carbs from the sweet potato will provide sustained energy, and cinnamon keeps blood sugar balanced.

Ingredients:

1/2 cooked sweet potato (skin on)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1 cup ice cubes

Preparation: Add almond or coconut milk to the max line of the large cup and blast.


I do not own a NutriBullet yet,  but I hope there is one in my future with the holidays.. hint hint..

Do you juice, smoothy,  what is your favorite combo?

 

Parenting

HERSHEY’S CAMP BONDFIRE & RECIPES

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smoresCrackling fire, smell of sweet marshmallow, and smooth HERSHEYS chocolate.  That is the smell, taste of outdoors for me, every since I was a little girl camping with my family.  I always know I have arrived in the woods for relaxation and good times, once the HERSHEYS hits my mouth.girl eating a smore

I prefer a s’more cooked to my prefect specifications which are: the hot golden toasted  marshmallow, laid on a cold firm just taken out of the cooler HERSHEYS chocolate bar. When I bite my bonfire creation; it is the crunch of the gram cracker, the goo of mellow and firm snap of the HERSHEYS.  My mouth is drooling at the thought.girl eating a smore

My daughter she loves to blacken the marshmallow (catch on fire) then blowing out the flames, then walks toward me for the assembly of her smore with 4 squares  HERSHEY  enough to cover the entire gram cracker evenly.   She will always make more than she can eat.eating a smore

My son eats traditional style smore  but only one and then goes straight to eating the only the HERSHEYS chocolate .

My Husband smores?  hold the marshmallow and gram cracker. Nothing but HERSHEYS

This summer I had the pleasure of camping with 16 families or 61 people. It was the annually church camping trip. Their were 30+ kids with hot pokers all dying to make HERSEYS s’mores.   I was in my camping zone, many kids so everybody was entertained and great bonfire for all. We had  7 bags of marshmallows , 6 boxes of gram crackers, and 12 packages of HERSHEY chocolate.  There was also  was alot of sticky hands and over sweetened kids, nothing like a sugar high 9 o’clock  at night. Here are some pictures:making smores with hershey

The weekend was amazing many smiles and happy kids..also many tears when we left. One of the little kids came up to me the next few week later and asked

“Mrs. Sherry when can you takes us camping again? So we can have some more s’mores?”roasting marshmellows

Here are some add on recipe ideas for your HERSHEY smores;

  • peanut butter, chocolate, marshmallow and gram.
  • instead of gram crackers use chocolate chip cookies
  • add a pinch of seal salt  to the chocolate
  • add caramel on top of the HERSHEY then the marshmallow and gram
  • add a slice of a fresh cut strawberry to your smore
  • a slice of kiwi in the middle

How do you like your Smore?

Thanks for a great HERSHEY’S CAMP BONDFIREhersheys bar

#smores or #CampBondfire

This post is part of my participation in the HERSHEY’S CAMP BONDFIRE campaign. All opinions expressed are mine

Cooking

Pickled Squash and Pickled Onions

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squashSo when I Pickle I tend to do multiple things.  I had a squash and zucchini that need to be cooked So I made Pickeled squash.  Zucchini and Yellow squash are so avaible this time of year so having a new way to serve them is fun. Pickling them in a sweet and salty juice makes for a  savory side dish to bring to a picnic or have at home.  The trick is not to over cook them. I also made Pickled onions, because if you made the juice use it  the onions are great to top and add to burger.

Pickled Squash

  • 3 squash (zucchini and yellow squash)
  • 1 shallot thin sliced
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • ¾ cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 tablespoon of salt
  • 2 tablespoon of honey
  • ¼ teaspoon of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoon of garlic
  1. Slice the zucchini / squash one of 2 ways strips thing Juliane or slices -set to sidecut zucchini and yellow squash
  2. In a pot bring the garlic vinegars, water, salt, honey,honey being added to a pot
  3. Add onions after boil cook for 3 minutesoinion in pickling juice cooking
  4. Add squash (cook 2 minutes for squash strips, or 5 minutes for sliced squash)cooking squash
  5. Spoon out into a dish with slotted spoon and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (Reserve liquid for other picking ) see belowcooking zucchini
  6. Sever as a sidepickled zucchini in a bowl

Pickle Onions

  • Used reserved pickled broth
  • cut up 2-3 onions
  1. cook onions for 4 minutes
  2. Spoon out onions to stop cooking process Refrigerator
  3. Allow liquid to cool then add to chilled onionspickled onions

Bot the pickle onions would be great on a burger to replace pickles or on a salad.  try some today.

For a printable version of these recipe Pickled Squash or the

Cooking

2 Awesome Healthy Dips

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black bean and limeWith Memorial day coming here are 2 Crowd pleasing healthy dips; Black Bean and Hummus.   Why buy these dips when they are so easy to make and low calorie.  Serve with vegies or thin rice chips, they are healthy and a special dip treat.  Since I have been watching what I eat I have been coming up with new creative ways to enjoy food.  These dips are sure to win over a crowd and keep you weight in check.

Note: I have been keeping 2 things in my fridge to be sure to add them when need to any meal.  Roasted Poblano Peppers and roasted garlic.

BLACK BEAN DIP

  • Black beans 1 can
  • Poblano 1 roasted
  • 2-3 tsb of hot sauce
  • juice of one lime
  • 1 shallot chopped med size pieces
  1. Open , drain and rinse beans in a strainer..drain water off
  2. place in a food processor (I use a small one)
  3. cut roasted poblano pepper**  smaller pieces to fit in processor
  4. add chopped shallot , hot sauce, lime
  5. blend, chill and serve

** How to Roast a  Poblano  peppers (on the grill) then putting in a bowl , cover with saran wrap and and sweating the skin off. Take skin off and store- Poblanos are mild yet mild heat they add flavor, try them on a sandwich

Roasted Garlic Hummus

  • 1 can of chick pea
  • 3 tbs of olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves of roasted garlic
  • salt pepper
  1. Open , drain and rinse beans in a strainer..drain water off
  2. place in a food processor (I use a small one)  start to blend the chick peas and add oil as needed to make smooth
  3. cut roasted garlic peeled and add to taste it is milder than fresh
  4. blend, chill and serve

How to roast Garlic: Cut the tops off an entire clove pour olive oil  rapping in tin foil and place in oven for about an hour- roasted garlic is much milder and smoother. Do several at a time keep in fridge to add to anything.

Easy and healthy enjoy!

Cooking

Healthy Flat bread pizza

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healthy pizzaQuick and low in calories  flat bread pizza great for my diet when I am craving the Cheesy pizza.  I found Flat-out bread at Target it was on sale this week.  Normally 3.69 for 6 breads, it was on sale for $1.99.  So I decided to give it a try.  I was not disappointed very tasty and moist. The best part only 100 calories per slice- 6 grams of fiber.

Veggie & meat flat bread pizza

  • 1 flat out bread
  • 1 small onion
  • sliced fresh or canned of unsalted diced tomatoes
  • roasted garlic cloves (cut top off clove and roast in the oven for 1 hour a head of time, can store in bulb wrapped in tin foil)
  • 6 zucchini slices
  • 1 thin slice of ham
  • 1 teaspoon of real bacon bits.
  • 3 tbl of cheese

Place on a baking sheet, layer and cook for 10-15 minutes

serve with a nice salad yummy.

flat bread