Cupcakes & Coffee Breaks

Happy New Year! 2018 has rushed in at a balmy zero degrees Fahrenheit, and what better way to warm up than with this seriously amazing creamy tomato bisque? I've been exhausted  lately, so I've been fairly quiet on the blogging front. That's not to say that I haven't been cooking up a storm (just check out my instagram ), even though the holidays knocked me off of the healthy train for a few days. So, today I dove back in with an awesome tomato bisque. The original recipe is by Debi at Lifecurrents , but my adaptation is below. I had every intention of making this a slow cooker dinner, but you know how that goes... I'm 15 minutes away on the interstate heading to the office when it dawns on me that I never actually put anything in the crockpot . Oops. Luckily, this wasn't too difficult, and with a few chopped veggies and a whirl with the immersion blender , this was an amazingly filling and delicious dinner. ...

Sometimes you have a craving for something cheesy and delicious, and only a good old fashioned, American cheeseburger will do. But sometimes, your waistline says, "easy on the burgers", or you need to eat gluten free and don't have any gluten free burgers buns on hand.  In those cases, these cheeseburger spring rolls are here to save the day. Luckily, they are completely customizable and up to the challenge of satisfying your burger cravings. Plus, I'm firmly of the belief that if you take a comfort food classic and make it smaller and dippable, you can't lose!  Serve them up with a side of roasted carrot "fries"-- note, the fries won't exactly fool you into thinking they are actual french fries, but they did  have my toddler uttering the phrase, "More carrots, please?" Sold? Then read on for the recipes! Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Makes about 8 spring rolls. Ingredients...

Carrots are such an easy side dish. Sriracha carrots, spicy carrots, Moroccan spiced carrots-- you name it, I've tried it. But while all of these are great options, they are also on the spicy side. So when I was making a simple buffalo chicken as a main dish, I didn't want something equally spicy as a side vegetable. So I quickly whipped up these sweet and savory maple carrots. Perfect for a an easy side! Sweet Maple Roasted Carrots Ingredients: 3 or 4 large carrots, chopped into bite sized pieces 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp water salt , to taste Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Lay the carrots in a single layer on a small, greased baking pan or baking dish lined with foil and greased.  Whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, olive oil and water, and drizzle the mixture over the carrots.  Salt to taste. Note: carrots can get pretty sweet when cooked, so you may need to adjus...

I've been all about the soups lately. Maybe it's the weather-- because fall is the best season of all-- but I think it's also because soup is essentially a low maintenance salad. Not quite sure what I mean? Let's see how soups vs. salads stack up. Packed full of veggies and your choice of proteins, it's easy to stuff a ton of nutrients into both dishes. Soups are infinitely portable (given the right containers) and can be prepped and packed for lunch, similar to a mason jar salad. You can even make mason jar instant ramen! With the great piece of modern technology known as the slow cooker, you can toss all of your chopped (or not) ingredients into the pot at the start of your day, and come back to a hearty dinner. So, if you're trying to eat healthy meals, but want something freezable, portable, and just plain easy to make, soups are a great option for you! Keep scrolling for some of the best recipes I've tried so far. Just in ...

Do you ever find a great recipe, and then realize you don't actually have all of the ingredients? That's how this spinach and mushroom pasta bake came to be-- I started with this mushroom and spinach lasagna recipe , and while I knew that I didn't have gluten free lasagna noodles, I ended up adding a few things here, not having enough parmesan there, and well.... I ended up with this entirely different meaty and cheesy concoction that is heavy on the ricotta. I'm not sure if it's technically classic mac and cheese, but it's definitely comfort food at it's finest. Ricotta Mac and Cheese with Seasoned Beef and Veggies   Ingredients: one box of gluten free (or not) noodles 1 lb ground beef 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper 1/2 cup of milk 1 cup broth (any will do, I used chicken) 1 tsp oregano 8 oz sliced mushrooms 8 oz spinach 1 cup parmesan + some for sprinkling on top 1 and a half to 2 cups ricotta 1 cup mozzarella 4 oz cream ch...

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a fancy-sounding recipe that involves stuffing chicken breasts with ham and cheese. That sounds pretty labor-intensive to me, so this Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole is a perfect way to get all of the flavor, with minimal fuss! It's low carb, gluten free (assuming you have gluten-free panko for topping), and most importantly, it's really, really good . You will need: Approximately 6 cups of cooked chicken. You can use less, but more makes for a bigger casserole. It needs to at least cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. 1/2 pound of honey ham 1/4 to 1/2 pounds of swiss cheese, depending on how thinly it is sliced. 4 tbsp of flour (I use Bob's Red Mill, for gluten free!) 6 tsp of butter 3 and 1/2 cups of milk 1 and 1/2 tsp of salt 1 tsp paprika 1 heaping tablespoon of spicy mustard Lime or lemon juice Panko bread crumbs Parsley for topping Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken in a layer in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Chop up th...

This chicken bacon ranch pasta recipe is a very filling dinner dish that is great served hot, or cold leftover the next day. Note: this recipe is not gluten free as written, so be sure to substitute the flour and pasta for a gluten free variety if you are avoiding gluten! You will need: 13 ounces of pasta 12 ounces of chicken Bacon (approximately 10 strips) 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup ranch dressing 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons flour Parmesan cheese (optional) 2 tablespoons butter Cook your chicken thoroughly, and cut into bite sized pieces (or you can use precooked chicken if you wish). Cut up your bacon into smaller pieces and cook with the butter until crispy. Cook the noodles as instructed on the package. Add the chicken, flour, ranch, milk, and cheddar cheese to the pan with the bacon, and cook over medium-high heat until all ingredients are blended and the cheese has melted. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix everything together. Serve topped with parmesan cheese if des...