dinners

Irish Inspired Potato Pie

potato pie
Hey everyone! This month has been full of so many things going on personally in my life that I really didn’t even stop to think that we are in the month of March already…untill now…now that we are halfway through it!

We’ve had some really sad things happen as my sister unexpectedly lost her significant other whom she relied on. To put a long sad story short, she and my Father have been camping out in my living room for the past two weeks. It seems the older I get, the more I realize that the only thing constant in life is change. Imagine that.

With the added family in the house I’ve been getting a little (more) creative with dinners – incorporating leftovers and different ingredients that are available to me. I try to always keep staples in the house like potatoes, cheese, etc… and bacon – but that doesn’t seem to stay in the house for very long. 🙂

March 15, 2017 0 comment

dinners food recipes

Coconut Shrimp Fajitas + A Wine Pairing

written by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #40PerfectPairings #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.

This past week has been pretty rough for me. I might share a little bit more in the upcoming days. Before everything happened a week ago though, I shared a post about our three night trip to the Oregon coast with the kids. We relaxed in the little condo-styled room, walked on the beach, watched old funny movies, and cooked some meals together.

I’ve always enjoyed coming up with new twists on meals that are simple to throw together for the family for an easy meal in minutes. I’ve always loved fajitas, but normally make chicken or steak – last time though, I decided to try something a bit different: Coconut Shrimp Fajitas by using SeaPak’s® Jumbo Coconut Shrimp.

March 6, 2017 0 comment

dinners food recipes

Black Bean, Mango, and Rice Salad

written by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BalancedMealsMadeEasy #CollectiveBias black bean

So after being back and forth with my eating habits over the past couple of weeks, this last Monday I put my foot down and told myself that I needed to start eating a little healthier – starting with a 5 day cleanse from any processed foods, sugar, coffee, and alcohol. Right now I’m on day 4 – making it to 5 days will most definitely be the longest I’ve ever done anything like this. Who knows – maybe I’ll keep going and make it a full 7 days!

While shopping at Fred Meyer a couple of days ago I purchased a Rubbermaid® Balance™ Meal Kit. I found them in a center aisle and liked the idea behind having a meal that’s quick, easy, and balanced – with no measuring required! It’s going to work perfectly this weekend for my lunch while I’m working. Each Rubbermaid® Balance™ Meal Kit comes with four pre-portioned and color-coded containers for fruits, vegetables, proteins, and grains. All of the sizes were developed in partnership with a Registered Dietitian. Having each container separately makes it easy to warm up part of your meal if you’d like, and they are all placed into a carry box with a lid for convenient storage.

February 23, 2017 1 comment

dinners food recipes

Sweet & Sour Chicken Skewers with a Rice Medley

written by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StirUpTheFun #CollectiveBias chicken

Let me begin this post by saying that I’ve been loving Asian-inspired cuisine lately. I’ve eaten at a couple different restaurants this month and wanted to create a themed meal at home last weekend, so on Saturday I did.

We ended up all having the day off together on Saturday. We decided to go bowling in the afternoon and then went home for a relaxing evening. I stopped by Safeway on the way home and purchased a few items to make a meal for everyone, including chicken breasts, Minute® Rice ( the Multi-Grain Medley ), Sugar Snap peas, Romanesco, Onion, Dole® Pineapple in 100% Pineapple Juice, and Kikkoman® Soy Sauce, Sweet & Sour Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce.

I knew I wanted to make a chicken and rice dish, so I got creative with an easy meal idea – sweet and sour chicken skewers with a vegetable rice medley.

January 23, 2017 3 comments

Appetizers brunch dinners food recipes

A Parmesan Zucchini Fritter You Can Make Ahead

written by Melissa Kaylene

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LeanCuisine #CollectiveBias

Life! It just doesn’t slow down, does it? I’ve said before that this year I plan on at least learning how to take more time for myself and how to manage the busy a little better than I did last year. I think a lot of that entails saying no to more things and planning ahead for busy weeks.

My schedule at my “other job” isn’t too bad. I only work 1/2 time – pretty much every other weekend and two days during one week which equals 5 shifts in a two-week period. What’s great is that I do all of my shifts in a 7 day period, which means I essentially work full-time one week, then have 7 days off in a row afterwards. One extra busy week, one slower week where I can focus more on the kid’s schedules and my writing.

Since I work evenings I need to plan ahead even more – prepping dinner for the family and food for myself. I’ll normally make a wrap or take something like LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese or a LEAN CUISINE® Marketplace Sesame Chicken to work with me for my lunch break. Lean Cuisine has some pretty tasty and bold dishes that have great flavor and no artificial preservatives. It’s great because I can keep them in the freezer at work until I’m ready to microwave them.

January 17, 2017 2 comments

dinners food recipes Salads

Serve a Sweet Potato Salad for Dinner

written by Melissa Kaylene

Did you make any resolutions this year? I don’t necessarily do resolutions, however I have a list of goals that I want to accomplish, and of course one of those is to get into better shape this year. Over the last year and a half I definitely let my body go downhill! I quit working out regularly and haven’t eaten as many vegetables as I should – so I’m on a quest to create more salad recipes.

butternut squash salad

January 9, 2017 1 comment

dinners food recipes

5 Delicious Leftover Ham Recipes

written by Melissa Kaylene

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Smithfield.

Hey everyone! Can you believe that Christmas is just 4 short days away!? We are staying at home this year and I’m really looking forward to lounging in my pajamas all day while nibbling on too much food while I catch up on all of the Christmas movies I still have yet to see.

We always have ham on Christmas, like a Smithfield Signature Spiral Sliced Ham. It’s a tradition that I began since I became in charge of our holiday meals. It’s so easy to make – I just pop it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 10 – 12 minutes per pound, then evenly brush on the tasty glaze and it’s done! I love having leftover ham because it’s so versatile and can be re-created into so many new recipes. I thought I’d share a few with you to inspire your post-holiday meals next week. 🙂

December 21, 2016 0 comment

Christmas dinners food recipes thanksgiving

Rosemary Cranberry Butternut Squash Side Dish Recipe

written by Melissa Kaylene

This butternut squash side dish recipe shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EverydayBrilliance #CollectiveBias

I’ve been saying it quite a bit lately, perhaps because it almost doesn’t seem possible, but the holiday season is upon us friends! December is just around the corner which will hopefully entail many dinners and celebrations. Are you in charge of a holiday meal this year? Do you want to make something slightly different? I know this is the time of year for many sweet treats, but I also like making sweet and savory side dishes.

Many people make yam or sweet potato side dishes, but have you thought about making a butternut squash side? It tastes just as good – if not better. I diced and baked a butternut squash, then added winter flavors to create this simple and savory side dish that is so easy to prepare, but tastes like it took a lot of hard work. 😉

November 28, 2016 13 comments

Appetizers dinners food recipes

Sweet and Spicy Meatball Recipe

written by Melissa Kaylene

This sweet and spicy meatball recipe shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ad #MakeHeartburnHistory #CollectiveBias

I love creating new recipes. I’m definitely not a cooking pro, however I don’t hear very many complaints from home! The holidays are always a fun time of year to try some new creations and test them out if you have family staying with you or are hosting a Thanksgiving gathering. Cranberry recipes are always a big hit this time of year, and if you are looking for something a little different I’d suggest trying these sweet and (slightly) spicy meatballs that I made last night. I threw together a bunch of ingredients and they ended up tasting pretty good.

meatball recipe

I used fresh cranberries, mandarin oranges, garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, and Chinese mustard to give the meatballs a sweet and savory kick to them. You can tone up the flavors and spice as much as you’d like – just play around with the hot mustard and garlic when you’re making them.

November 18, 2016 3 comments

dinners food recipes

A Simple Meatloaf Recipe That Your Family Will Love

written by Melissa Kaylene

Today I’m sharing something that my family enjoys while making memories around the dinner table: a simple meatloaf recipe.

meatloaf-recipe

Fall is notorious for being slightly chaotic when you have kids. The school projects and after school activities seem to multiply overnight.

I’ve always tried to plan dinners ahead this time of the year and will even take a Sunday or Monday and spend a few hours creating several dinners for the upcoming week.

One meal that is a go-to in my household in the fall is meatloaf. It holds up well for a day or two, can be served with yummy side dishes like sweet potato fries or stuffing, and can be made with a handful of ingredients that you already have on hand. When I make meatloaf it gets devoured quickly around here. 🙂

Last week when I made meatloaf I ended up dicing red and yellow peppers in it in addition to what I normally add – and it tasted delicious!

November 14, 2016 1 comment

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