I have a friend who patiently cleaned, peeled and cubed a fresh pumpkin and then selflessly gave me some. Scratch that, a TON! I would have never even thought of doing something like that! But now that I have it in my fridge the ideas are flowing. First, I roasted some [...]

I made this TWO weeks ago and totally forgot to post it. Ok, that's a lie. I had to psych myself up to actually sit down and get it all out of my head. I knew it was going to be a long one! This was a total winner of [...]

Looking for something fun to do with sweet potatoes I came across this recipe on EatingWell. That's all I needed to see. The seed was planted. Today I decided to make my own version which barely resembles the original recipe. I needed to use what I had on hand which [...]

Cindy sent me this idea and I took it and ran! It just sounded SO good! Experimenting 3 times, I've finally settled on this combination of ingredients and technique. The result is a tasty, meaty, light burger! Of course no one else in my family will ever know how good they are. I had the [...]

Today called for chili. It really did. But I had zippy time, nothing defrosted and no desire to CHOP anything. So I hit the pantry. Keeping cans of beans in stock is a must for me. I also have bags of dry beans but to be honest, I rarely plan anything that far in advanced [...]

I'm so glad I noticed the aging mango on the counter this morning. It's what totally inspired this dish. I was hungry and I thought it would be fun to build a meal around the mango. SO I dug through the pantry and fridge. First I remembered I still had some fresh herbs from [...]

Last night was taco night! I love family taco night. It's super fast and easy to make lighter and healthier by adding tons of veggies. You can check out some of my tricks by clicking here for my basic Taco Night post or click here to watch my taco night video. With the tacos I [...]

I FINALLY got a minute to tell you about this soup. I made it on Saturday and I'm in love! I used my giant batch of turkey stock I made from the Thanksgiving bird and the last of the leftover turkey meat. Of course you can use chicken broth and leftover chicken instead. Whatever works! [...]

I knew I would have NO time to make dinner tonight so I grabbed a few cans and turned to my trusted Crock Pot. I have to admit, this is my new favorite veggie chili idea. I just threw everything in the pot and walked away. Next time I'll have a few more veggies [...]

Awhile ago I made Sweet & Spicy Black Bean Dip. Then... my blender broke (wonder why) and I created Really Quick Spicy Bean Dip while declaring my love of the dip that is made with beans. :) Well now I'm at it again! Using my new food processor I took my hand at a [...]

Oh my Word! I LOVE this soup! I found myself Friday with a crap load of veggies and craving for a nice healthy bowl of warmth. And boy was it perfect timing as a cold front just came in! I made this on Friday during a complete food fest. The toddler was home form school [...]

I LOVE chili! It's like pizza for me, even bad chili is good chili. ;~) (well... unless it's from a can) This chili I purposely made mild to TRY and get the husband and the toddler on board with my chili obsession but alas, I failed. The husband didn't try it, he's just not interested in [...]

I’m calling this an “idea” because the recipe needs some work. Then again, all my recipes are just ideas (and they probbaly all need some work). Do with them, as you will. This one was the product of leftover spaghetti squash and some fresh ground beef I was separating and storing from [...]

A lot of you know I’m a HUGE McDonald's Southwest Salad fan. It’s, by far, my favorite fast food salad.  The flavors are perfectly combined and, in my opinion, no dressing is necessary. So I set off to make a knock off home version. I wanted to for a while and [...]

This was my Super Bowl treat, to myself. The husband had one, said he liked it and never looked back. How, the heck, does he do that? I thought they were super addictive and the shape made them perfect to scoop up my favorite salsa! Spicy [...]

I’m tired of not being able to find Black bean dip in the stores. Am I the ONLY person who likes it or something? There only seems to be a few brands that carry it and not many stores stock it so those of us that like it are, for lack of [...]

I LOVE taco night, it’s one of my all time favorites. However, I never know what to make for a side dish. I mean beans are good but they are a little bland all by themselves. So with my spice cabinet and a leftover zucchini in hand I whipped this up. You [...]