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 …
Popular Recipes
Ranch Flavored Dip
I was browsing through the $5 Dinner Mom’s website when I came across her ingenious idea to mix up a big batch of seasonings at one time for an easy homemade Ranch dressing. Once your spice mixture has been made it’s a very simple process to add your perishable ingredient whenever you’re in the mood …
Chicken Marsala Pasta
This is another recipe that’s been a family favorite of ours for years. In fact, we like the sauce so much we now make enough to go over an entire pasta dish instead of just pouring it over chicken (how Marsala sauce is traditionally served). And this dish is also versatile so feel free to …
Easy Split Pea Soup
Whether fall is officially here or not I think anytime is a good time for some hearty, tasty soup! And this soup is so darn easy that my 6-year-old practically made it by herself (with close supervision of course). All I had to do was chop an onion and garlic…oh and buy the ingredients and …
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 …
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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 …
Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (with sugar!)
This is very out of character for me, but today I am posting a dessert recipe made with sugar! Yes, regular ol’ white (and brown) sugar. And here’s the reason why. We wholeheartedly agree that junk food is okay in moderation, but as I’ve said before I think junk food can be broken down into …
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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 Popcorn Trick for the Best Microwave Popcorn
When I first heard about microwaving popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag I could not imagine that something so simple would really work. A blog reader actually shared this suggestion with me, and it took me a while to work up enough courage to try it out. I am so glad I finally did …
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Whole-Wheat Banana Bread
I think it’s a little crazy when I see banana bread recipes that call for an entire cup of sugar. Ripe bananas are so naturally sweet I actually use them as the sweetener in some recipes like smoothies and pancakes. Maybe it is my new and improved palate, but I cannot imagine needing a full …
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) way to slow cook a whole chicken until it is falling-off-the bone delicious.
Homemade Sushi (with brown rice)
Making your own sushi at home is actually not as hard as one would think, and it can make for a very fun evening with friends or family…both young and old. My picky 3-year-old wouldn’t even think about touching a piece of sushi until the first time she saw us making it at home (with …
(Virgin) Piña Colada Smoothie
With only two simple ingredients, it couldn’t be any easier to make this (virgin) Piña Colada Smoothie!
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 …
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 …
Whole-Wheat Healthy Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkins are in season here, but I admit I did not buy a fresh, local one for this recipe. When it comes to convenience it is unfortunately hard to beat a can of organic pumpkin puree. That doesn’t mean pumpkin season can’t put us in the mood for this super-easy quick bread recipe though! …
Easy Jambalaya
This is one of those wonderful dishes where you can switch things up depending on what ingredients you have on hand. For example, you can use any type of sausage or bacon, but I still think the dish would be tasty even if you left the meat out all together. If you don’t have any …
Homemade Peach Sorbet
I recently learned that fresh local peaches can easily be transformed into a delicious frozen treat. I used my ice cream maker to make this recipe, and it gave me yet another reason to be thrilled that I bought one just a few months ago. I seriously doubt I will ever buy ice cream (or …
Whole-Wheat Waffles
What’s for breakfast this weekend? How about some yummy, healthy, easy-to-make, homemade waffles! You do need a waffle iron for this recipe, but I definitely think it is worth the $25 – 30 investment for a low priced model. I am still using my parents’ old waffle iron, which has to be at least 20 …
Power Balls (Two Versions)
These power balls make a great little snack or treat. There are two versions…
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 …
Fruit, Nut, or Berry (or whatever you want them to be) Whole-Wheat Muffins
Oh muffins, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… First, you can serve these muffins as part of breakfast, lunch, or just by themselves as a snack. Second, they really are easy to make and with so many possibilities of what you can add to the muffin batter I am certain you …
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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 …
Granola Bars / Cereal (the perfect substitute for all those boxed cereals)
This recipe is super yummy and so flexible! Below is our favorite cereal version, but there are many ways to tweak the recipe depending on your preferences. For the nuts you can put either all almonds or all cashews (or split them as listed below or even try a totally different type of nut). Also, …
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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).