This is some of the best pulled pork I've had in a long time (I've been working on perfecting this recipe for months!), and it also doesn't include any highly processed ingredients like refined sugar, corn syrup, or ketchup. My husband says it is so good that no BBQ sauce is necessary. Now, you know it’s good pulled pork when that happens. He would…
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Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Even before we started eating real food I always thought that homemade chicken nuggets tasted much better than what you can get at most restaurants and grocery stores. And the best part is…you can freeze the leftovers! So if you are in a rush simply pull a few pre-made nuggets out of the freezer and …
The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
I’ve tried a ridiculous amount of crock pot recipes, and this is by far the best (and easiest) slow cooker chicken recipe that keeps the chicken super moist, and falling-off-the bone delicious – plus it’s a great way to switch things up if you usually roast chicken! And if you have a well-stocked spice cabinet …
Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans
I think I might be a little late getting on this bandwagon, but refried beans with melted cheese on a warm homemade whole-wheat tortilla is the bomb! Oh and don’t forget to top it with a little sour cream. I seriously cannot believe I am just figuring out how good this combination is. The reason …
Honey Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread (for bread machine)
It is no secret that I’ve been working to perfect a honey whole wheat sandwich bread recipe for months now. I was not only looking for a recipe that was reliable and tasted good of course, but that also didn’t contain any “unusual” ingredients like dried milk powder or wheat gluten. We absolutely LOVE the …
Honey Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread (for bread machine)Continue Reading →
Whole-Wheat Tortillas
Have you ever tried homemade flour tortillas before? Let me just say that the taste and texture is far superior to those that come in a plastic bag at the grocery store. Those at the store honestly don’t even deserve to be called tortillas compared to the real thing. And luckily, the tastiness of homemade …
Lime-Cilantro Quinoa Salad
I used to think quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) was a rather strange ingredient. And I vowed to never post recipes on this blog that call for strange ingredients. But it seems as though quinoa is becoming more commonplace, and I am certain some of you have a bag of it sitting in your pantry and don’t …
Taco Salad
After recently watching my 4 and 6-year-old daughters gobble down some “Cobb Salad” I decided to apply that very same idea to this “Taco Salad.” Who doesn’t like to see all the choices laid out beautifully so you can pick and choose what you want (like a taco salad platter)? And what mommy doesn’t like …
Zucchini Chips
Get ready to turn plain old zucchini into something fabulous! Even my picky 4-year-old, who has never voluntarily eaten zucchini in her life, couldn’t get enough of these “chips” tonight. I was across the table trying to hold in my excitement (and shock) as she was busy chowing down. This might just be the perfect …
The Best Whole Wheat Biscuits
There are so many reasons why I love these homemade biscuits. First of all, they are super easy to make and no special equipment (like a rolling pin or biscuit cutter) is needed. It takes no more than 15 or 20 minutes to make them from mixing the dough to pulling them out of the …
Creamy (Whole-Wheat) Mac and Cheese
Making macaroni and cheese from scratch is almost as easy as the boxed stuff. In fact, I had a reader tell me that she and her husband decided to race against each other - one making homemade mac and cheese and the other making it out of a box - and it took them the same amount of time! And as an added bonus…
Roasted {Summer} Vegetable Pasta
If you are looking for ways to cook summer squash and eggplant then I have a recipe for you. I recently shared that I used to think I didn’t like eggplant (can’t even remember why I had that in my head), but I decided to give it another chance last year and have slowly started to change my mind. I've even caught myself ordering…
Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas
Based on the popularity of my other crock pot “real food” recipes I think you guys will love this one, too. Slow cookers are great for entertaining because you can easily get all the work done in advance and have your house smelling amazing when guests arrive (we use this basic, inexpensive slow cooker). I …
Vegetable Pancakes
This is another one of those recipes where you can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand (and need to eat!). That is my favorite kind of recipe because I love it when you can still make a dish even if you don’t have all the “exact” ingredients. Plus if you don’t like a …
Overnight Chicken Stock in the Crock Pot
I’ve shared this recipe on the blog before, but to be honest it’s kind of buried in the intro paragraph of another recipe, which basically means it’s hard to find. And now that I’ve realized how incredibly popular this slow cooker “overnight chicken stock” recipe is I’ve decided it deserves a page all of its …
Weeknight Mushroom and Kale Pasta
This is one of those dishes where my 6-year-old will yell from upstairs, “Mommy, what are you making?!? It smells sooooo good down there!” That girl loves to eat good food, and I love to make it, which makes us a perfect match. This recipe is also the only time I’ve ever seen my 8-year-old actually eat mushrooms and somewhat enjoy them. See, even…
Easy Slow Cooker Steak Chili
I recently shared a Red & Green Chili recipe that was also for the slow cooker, but it did require a little bit of stove cooking first. I know it's only one extra step (and worth it in the end), but some days just one less thing to do can make all the difference! With this Steak Chili recipe, my goal was to make…
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)
How about warming yourself up on this cold winter day with some hearty, rich mushroom vegetable soup? There are three reasons I love this recipe. (1) If you buy fresh mushrooms already sliced, it's as "easy as pie" to make. (2) The pearl barley that's added turns this soup into a filling, one dish meal that you can eat for dinner without having to…
Creamy Mushroom Vegetable Soup (with barley)Continue Reading →
Real Food Sloppy Joes!
My poor daughter recently said to me, "Mom I keep reading all these books that talk about Sloppy Joes, and I've never had one before. Can you please make it so I can finally try it like everyone else??" Gosh, she is so deprived! Seriously though, if that's her biggest problem this week I will gladly take it. Not to mention it was a…
Broccoli Cheese Soup (with bacon!)
If you are looking for creative ways to serve up vegetables, then this right here is your answer! Please do me a favor though and don't lie to your reluctant eaters about the veggies in this dish. If you want to wait until after they gobble it up, that is fine, but please make it known that the deliciousness in this soup is broccoli…
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Trust me, making this dish from scratch in order to avoid highly processed additives like partially hydrogenated oils (i.e. trans fat), artificial dyes, and MSG is so worth it. Not only will it taste amazing, but you'll feel good about the dish you're serving your precious family.
Pork Carnitas Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
If you don’t have a slow cooker I think this recipe alone is worth the $25 or $30 investment (we use this basic, inexpensive slow cooker). We have tested these pork tacos on quite a lot of people (including our dinner club guests), and it gets rave reviews every time! I’ve also already shared another …
From Your Freezer to Your Slow Cooker
A couple months ago I shared a fellow blogger's From Your Freezer To Your Family: Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes eCookbook and I am not going to lie...many of you went a little crazy over this book! In reality, the concept behind this e-cookbook really is a great idea. You spend one afternoon chopping, assembling and freezing "meal packs," and then on any given day…
Grilled Meat and Veggie Foil Packets…Yum!
I sense a new obsession coming on...and it's food grilled in foil packets! What could be more perfect for outdoor cookouts, camping trips, and upcoming long holiday weekends? I just love the unique presentation and tasty goodness of this cooking technique and can't wait to make them again and again and again this summer. Think of this dish as "deconstructed kabobs" that basically marinate…
Tomato Bisque
I absolutely love ordering Tomato Bisque when out at restaurants and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the outcome can be at home too. We are at the very tail end of tomato season here in N.C. (thanks to the warm fall weather we’ve been having) so we did use fresh tomatoes, but this recipe …
The Best Oven Baked Chicken Wings!
So, I was working on a recipe for chicken wings when not long after I started, my husband basically took over. Just for the record my husband CAN cook, and I love it when he does - it just doesn't happen all that often anymore!
Homemade Whole-Wheat Pizza
I got this recipe from a friend of a friend and it turned out great! Making the dough ourselves took a little extra time, but my daughters loved helping me and once it was done everyone scarfed it down (including me).
Easy Whole-Grain Corn Tortillas
Making corn tortillas from scratch is an incredibly simple process with the help of a tortilla press. And I promise it is worth the effort because freshly made corn tortillas absolutely blow away the store-bought bagged version. All you have to do is take a warm homemade tortilla out of the hot pan, sprinkle a …
How To Make The Perfect Salad
It recently dawned on me that almost all the salads I like these days have a combination of toppings from three specific categories: fruit (or dried fruit), nuts (or seeds), and cheese. It's no secret how much I love cheese.
Weeknight Beef Bourguignon
I'm so excited to share one of my family's favorite recipes today - Beef Bourguignon! I took a recipe and combined and cut out a few steps (my favorite thing to do with recipes!) to make it an easy weeknight meal that is now a go-to for my family.
Chicken Enchiladas (eat one casserole and freeze the other!)
The key to making this dish “real food” is ensuring that the corn tortillas you use are 100% whole-grain. Reading food labels can be confusing as it is, but trying to figure out what products are truly 100% whole-grain is especially hard. Very few food labels say “whole corn” as the main ingredient so you …
Chicken Enchiladas (eat one casserole and freeze the other!)Continue Reading →
Coconut Chicken Satay
Everything is more fun on a stick, right? Well, that’s what I thought then I confirmed my suspicion as I sat and watched my family (yes, my husband included) practically fight over the last two of these chicken skewers the other night. Before my girls even knew what this dish was called they desperately needed …
Lemon Roasted Chicken and Cauliflower
This is another dish that's easy enough to throw together for a busy weeknight meal, yet pretty enough to make for dinner guests as well! I recently made this recipe when my parents were in town (with a big salad on the side), and the serving platter was completely empty by the end of dinner. I absolutely love meals that are so much easier…
Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce (that will feed a crowd!)
This Sunday sauce is a hearty, delicious crowd pleaser. There is just no other way to describe it! I was first introduced to this style of spaghetti sauce by our old babysitter, Kim, long ago when we lived in Florida and I was working full time for corporate America. While the baby (who is now 8 going on 9!) was napping, and I was…
Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce (that will feed a crowd!)Continue Reading →
Whole-Wheat Pizza Pockets
Get ready to add a new favorite dinner to your weekly rotation…whole-wheat pizza pockets! These are sure to please eaters of all ages and the best part is you can use up food or leftovers from your fridge for the fillings. Little ones might especially enjoy making their own pizza pocket so don’t be afraid …
White Chicken Lasagna
This dish was inspired by my Great-Great Aunt Olive’s "Stuffed Shells" recipe. I never met her, but I used to make her stuffed shells all the time. Then when we switched to whole foods I quickly learned that it’s nearly impossible to find whole-wheat jumbo pasta shells for some reason. So here is her recipe, re-invented into an even quicker and easier lasagna version.…
