Yummy Chicken Enchiladas

Titling this post ‘Yummy Chicken Enchiladas’ because that is what our mom called these in the recipe book she gave each of us when we went off to college 😭 So special to have that. It’s for sure my most used recipe book. It has all of our mom’s go-to recipes she’d make growing up, and these chicken enchiladas we are sharing today is one of them. Such a treasure!

We took photos of these and planned to post the recipe last summer, but never got around to it. What better time to post a new recipe though while everyone is staying home during this Covid-19 pandemic. So crazy to think about what has gone on in the world over the last couple of months!

These enchiladas are not, by any means, healthy (sorry not sorry), but they ARE delicious. They’re packed with so much flavor and are pretty simple to make! Our mom would always serve these with chips and guac and some cut up fruit.

Yes, I am wearing my disposable gloves, haha. It’s easiest to mix up the filling mixture with your hands sometimes, and I prefer to wear cloves when prepping messing mixtures. Sue me!

To start you blend up the sauce in a blender - so easy! Then you quick fry the tortillas. I like to use the uncooked tortillas and just cook them on the stove instead of actually frying them in oil! However, if you’re using regular store bought, pre-cooked tortillas, I would recommend quick frying them in oil to soften them up. Let the oil drain onto a paper towel .

Then mix up the chicken mixture, fill the tortillas, roll them up and place them in a pan with seam down. Pour the sauce on top, bake covered with foil, then remove foil, sprinkle cheese over, and place back in the oven until the cheese melts. Simple and easy. The full recipe is below!

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Yummy Chicken Enchiladas

Yield: 12

Author: Salty Blondes

Prep time: Cook time: Total time:

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz can tomatoes
• 1 4 oz can green chili peppers
• 1/2 tsp coriander 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 12 flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions:

How to cook Yummy Chicken Enchiladas

1. Place tomatoes, peppers, coriander, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add sour cream and blend. 
2. Mix together chicken, cream cheese, onion and 3/4 tsp salt.
3. Quick fry tortillas in oil.  Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and roll up. Place in a baking dish and pour tomato mixture over top.
4. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
5. Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese - return to oven until cheese melts. 

We hope you love these as much as we do!

White Chicken Chili Recipe

Well, we took these photos back in MARCH this last year, but it’s actually perfect that we never got around to posting this recipe, because what better time of year to make this yummy soup than FALL, am I right?!

This white chicken chili is the all-time fall comfort food, with lots of good flavor, and a little spicy kick to it. This soup is also special to me, because it’s one of the meals my mom made for us when she came to stay with me after Cal was born. I remember coming home for a little break after a long day of being with Cal at the NICU to a sparkly clean house with dinner on the table - this chili with warm, homemade cornbread and her famous salad, and cream cheese brownies in the oven.

Having her here meant everything to me, and it’s something I’ll never get again. I’m so grateful for all that she taught me, and left here with us, including all her yummy recipes that are basically all I ever make for my own family.

Okay and before I share this yummy recipe (scroll to the bottom to get straight to it), I wanted to share one of my favorite tips when cooking with a rotisserie chicken (or any raw meat, sticky doughs or messy crumbles that require you to use your hands) - DISPOSABLE GLOVES!

I can remember when I told my mom about this little trick and her response - “I’m totally going to start doing that now! You need to share that on your blog! That’s something people would like to know about.” Love her.

I used to haaaaate working with a rotisserie chicken. I hated digging around the bone for the meat and I used to dread anytime I had to use one for cooking (I always use rotisserie chickens when a recipe calls for shredded chicken, i.e., enchiladas, soups, pastas). Since discovering using gloves for cooking, I now don’t mind it at al!

Now, on to the recipe! I love this because it’s one of those crock pot recipes that you throw in early in the day and you don’t really have to worry about again until right before you eat! I won’t lie to you and say that it’s super healthy, but I also don’t think it’s the worst recipe out there for you. It’s hearty and warm and delicious and WORTH IT. Trust us.

There are two ways to make this. Option one is if you’re making it for dinner and want it to be ready right away. Still super easy. Option two is if you want to throw it in the crockpot earlier in the day and have it ready at dinner time. That’s what I’ve always done to make this. Recipe is below. Enjoy!

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White Chicken Chili

Author: Salty Blondes

prep time: cook time: total time:

ingredients:

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves
• 2 tsp. oil
• 3 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2, 4oz. cans chopped green chilies
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

instructions:

How to cook White Chicken Chili

1. Option 1: Saute chicken, onion and garlic in the oil.  Add beans, broth, chilies and spices.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.  Add sour cream and whipping cream. 
2. Option 2 (the easier way): Add chicken, onion, garlic, beans, chillies and spices to crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream before serving and allow to heat through for 30 minutes.

Vegan Creamy Garlic Red Pepper Zoodles

A vegan recipe (minus the parmesan shavings topping) that’s easy to make and delicious! What more could you ask for? This recipe is a great side dish for dinner or light lunch or snack during the day! So yummy!

To make this recipe even easier, I buy the zoodles already spiralized at Harmon’s (get the big pack!), but the recipe calls for 4 zucchini :) We originally got it from Pinch of Yum!

The first time I made this recipe, the hardest part was peeling the skins off of the 3 roasted red peppers. I realized I hadn’t roasted them long enough because I was worried about burning them. But the second time was much easier! Roast each side under the broiler until they literally have black spots all over each side and they’ll be much easier to peel!

If you DO use the the pre made zoodles, you won’t need to use all of the sauce as the recipe makes too much for the zoodles. Just pour it over until they’re covered :)

Top this delicious dish with salt and pepper and whatever else sounds good! We used parmesan shavings, but goat cheese would be yummy too! If you want to keep it vegan, you could use spiced nuts or basil. The full recipe is below!

Yield: 4Author: Salty BlondesPrint Recipe

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Vegan Creamy Garlic Red Pepper Zoodles

Calories Per Serving: 198

ingredients:

Creamy Roasted Pepper Sauce

• 3 red bell peppers
• 1 cup almond milk (I prefer Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk blend because it’s a little creamier than most)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup tahini or almond butter for thickening

Zucchini Noodles

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 zucchini, ends cut off and spiralized or cut into ‘noodles’
• salt to taste

instructions

Directions

1. ROAST THE PEPPERS: Place the bell peppers on a foil lined baking sheet. Turn on the broiler and roast the peppers on the top level, close to the heating element. When black spots appear, turn the peppers and continue to roast until all sides have been blackened. Let cool and pull off blackened skins and remove ribs, seeds, and stem.
2. MAKE THE SAUCE: Add the 3 roasted bell peppers to a blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. ZUCCHINI NOODLES: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil and onion – sauté for a minute or two until the onion is softened but not browned. Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet. Sauté using a pair of non-stick tongs to toss the noodles. Just as the zucchini noodles begin to soften, but before they start shedding water, sprinkle with salt and add the sauce and cook just until the sauce is heated. When in doubt, my leaning is to undercook these!
4. SERVE: Adjust the salt to your taste, and serve immediately with any toppings you might like, such as: parsley, Parmesan, goat cheese, truffle oil, that sort of thing.

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Party Favorites

Fall is such a fun time of year. You’ve got the crisp fall air, colorful leaves, HALLOWEEN, it’s football season, and friends and family seem to gather together more often for festive parties or to watch games. It’s all the perfect transition into the holidays.

With all this going on, it’s always nice to have a couple of quick and delicious go-to snack foods or appetizers on hand that you know everyone will love, in case you have company over last minute or unexpectedly. This happened to me (Regan) the other day when my husband decided to invite some people over to watch a UFC fight at the last minute.

LUCKILY I had the recipes below that I knew everyone would enjoy, and didn’t have to panic trying to think of what food to have out for people to snack on.

You’re going to want to scroll through and save each of them, just trust us.

Black Bean & Avocado Salsa

This salsa is unreal. The flavors come together perfectly to create a refreshing, yummy, HEALTHY salsa that’s also really filling, and sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Author: Salty BlondesPrint Recipe

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Black Bean & Avocado Salsa

ingredients:

Ingredients

• 19 oz black beans or more drained & rinsed

• 11 oz corn kernels (drained)

• 1 minced onion

• 3 c salsa

• 2 T fresh chopped cilantro

• 1 T lemon juice

• 2 T chili powder or less

• 2 chopped avocados

instructions

Directions

1. Mix and chill everything except avocados several hours before serving.  Add avocados and serve w/corn chip scoopers.  Need 2 bags of scooper chips.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This one is from our aunt Wendy. If you know her, then you already know how good this is. If you’ve been to any of her amazing parties, then you’ve probably tried this. She always makes it, usually because someone always requests it when they know Wendy’s cooking. We asked her if we could #sharethegoodness and post it on our blog, and lucky for all of you, she said yes!!

Author: Salty BlondesPrint Recipe

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

prep time: 5 minscook time: 40 minstotal time: 45 mins

ingredients:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. shredded chicken breast

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  

• 1 cup Ranch dressing
  

• 3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
  

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  

• 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces (for serving)
  

• Club crackers (for serving)

instructions:

Directions

1. Mix chicken and hot sauce together. You can heat it if you would like. Mix ranch with cream cheese. Put chicken mix and then ranch - cream cheese mix in a casserole or aluminum pan. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and bake at 400 until until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Tropical Punch

This is also something that’s always served at any party our family’s having. It’s a concoction our grandpa created, and the flavors just go perfectly together. With a tiny bit of carbonation and plenty of sweetness AND tartness, this punch will quench your thirst every. single. time. It’s perfect for any time of the year - the flavors are great for summer, and the color is on POINT for a festive Halloween party. We’ve had it in a witch’s brew served over dry ice at one of ours before 👻

Yield: About 20Author: Salty BlondesPrint Recipe

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Tropical Punch

ingredients

Ingredients

• 54 oz. carton of Kern's Mango Juice

• 54 oz. carton of Kern's Guava Juice
  

• 2 liter bottle of Squirt or Sprite/7UP

• 46 oz. can of pineapple juice

• 1 packet of Lemonade Crystal Light powder
  

• Ice
  

instructions

Directions

1. Add ice to a large punch bowl or beverage dispenser. Pour all ingredients in and mix. 

Serve these at any party and we PROMISE your guests will love you, and ask you for the recipes.

P.S. No, we did not plan to wear matching stripes while shooting these photos 🙄😂 but, nevertheless, we linked them both below! Haha

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DIY Acai Bowls

We recently made these for a bridal shower breakfast we hosted for our cousin, and they were a huge hit! We looked up the ingredients for one of our favorite local acai bowls, and tried to copy the recipe.  They turned out SO yummy, we knew we had to share!

This was the first time we had ever made our own acai bowls, and they were super easy thanks to these yummy and convenient frozen acai packets we found at Costco 🙌🏻 

The little packets are individually frozen, and we found that each packet can make about enough for one and a half servings (depending on how much additional fruit you use).

We have a favorite spot to get acai bowls, and find ourselves there way too often spending half of our food budgets on a 16 ounce bowl of frozen amazingness. Making our own made us realize how over-priced the ones we were buying are 🙈 (BUT we will say the social aspect of still popping in to Ivie Juice Bar with friends and sitting around their cute tables still makes the $8 Beach Babe bowl totally worth it every once in a while). 

The best part is topping the acai bowls with granola, ALL the fresh fruit (we like strawberries, pineapple, and banana), lots of coconut flakes, and a little honey drizzled on top 👌🏻

Check out the simple recipe below and enjoy! 

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Healthy Snacks - What I Eat Throughout The Day

Paige here! I've been meaning to do this post for a while. As I've talked about before, I gained a TON of weight during my pregnancy and really had to buckle down in order to lose it! I've touched on how I did it here and there, but I get asked about it all the time and wanted to do a post specifically about what I EAT during the day since that's the most important part of losing weight!

I still ALWAYS start the day with our morning power smoothie. I make it for my husband and I every morning, and we both love it! It's a great way to get your greens in right at the start of the day, and it keeps you nice and full. 

After that, I eat healthy smaller meals throughout the day about every 3 hours. I don't eat lunch! So I'll do our smoothie around 7:30am, then snacks at about 10:30, 1:30, and 4:30. This not only helps speed up your metabolism since you're constantly burning off small meals, but it trains your brain not to get hungry! 

The second meal I almost always have every day around 10:30/11am is a piece of Dave's bread (I get Powerseed) with half an avocado, an egg and cholula on top. It's SO yummy! The only time I don't have it is if I'm not going to be home and have to grab a snack that's easier to take on the go.

For my other two meals throughout the day I alternate between the four snacks below. Basically whichever one sounds the best! All super easy, healthy, and low maintenance! A great starting point when choosing snacks is to try to make sure you have: 1. A fruit or vegetable 2. A healthy grain 3. Protien

This one is just baby carrots with hummus (I buy these little containers at Costco) and skinny girl popcorn! I like butter and sea salt flavor. Only 160 calories in the whole bag! Sometimes I'll switch out the popcorn for whole wheat pita bread and dip it in the hummus with the carrots!

Ok this is another one of my absolute favorites! I turned Regan onto this one and she has it every day now. I get the spreadable Laughing Cow creamy spicy pepper jack cheese (only 35 calories) and spread it over a light or whole wheat English muffin. Top each side with a slice of turkey and you're done! So delicious. I try to eat it with some grapes or other fruit I have around too. 

The snack above is a great option if you're going to be out and about for a few hours! Just an apple with a piece of cheese and almonds. Super easy and filling, and great to throw in your bag and eat on the go!

Another super yummy one! Light and fit vanilla greek yogurt with granola. The yogurt is only 80 calories with 12g of protein! I'll try to get in some sort of veggie with this one too. Either some roasted veggies I have in the fridge (I try to always make roasted broccoli or sweet potatoes at the beginning of the week to have in the fridge to use with snacks or dinner), cucumber slices or carrots!

For dinner, I just try to be smart about it and do something healthy whether we're going out or stay home and cook. I try to eat around 7:30 and not eat anything else the rest of the night! If I'm being really good I'll make our perfect chicken and have it with brown rice or quinoa and roasted veggies! Or our go to salad :)

I hope this post was helpful and gives you some good, healthy ideas of things to eat throughout the day! I've linked anything you see in the post (like my absolute FAVORITE salt and pepper shakers pictured above and also on my Favorite Things post) below, and also throughout the post. Most of the food items you have to get at the grocery store, but some you can buy from Amazon so I've linked those too! Thanks for reading!

UPDATE: Below is one more healthy snack/meal idea that I've been loving it lately and wanted to add.

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Sidney's Black Bean Veggie Burger + Fries

Eating burgers while getting bikini body ready? Yes please! Our clean eating health nut sister (Sidney) kindly made these for all of us for dinner the other night, and they were so yummy we had to post!

Now, as a disclaimer, are these burgers juicy, Smash Burger yummy? Not quite. BUT they are delicious for a healthy alternative, and super clean! Even Regan (Mrs. Junk Food Junky) downed the whole thing (after it was smothered in mayo and ketchup, haha)!

Sidney used multi-grain buns, and topped the burger with lettuce, tomato, and hummus. She served the burgers with watermelon and oil-free, oven-baked fries! Now these were actually SO delicious.  Like, "we'd take these over In-N-Out fries any day" kind of good. 

See the full recipes below! The original recipes are from Forks Over Knives and From My Bowl. 

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

1 cup cooked brown rice (we used this)

1 15-ounce can black beans

½ onion, diced

¼ cup corn

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons salsa

Preheat oven to 350º F. Lay a piece of parchment paper on sheet pan.

Sweat the onion in a sauté pan. Sweat means the moisture comes from the veggies so no oil is needed. Just remember to keep a lid on the pan. If the onions do start to stick, add a little bit of water. When onions become translucent add corn and spices. Cook for a few more minutes.

Add cornmeal, salsa, veggies, and rice to bean bowl. Mix everything together so there is an even consistency. Feel free to do this with your hands. Then form mixture into patties. A good thickness is about ½ inch and I like to make mine around 3 inches in diameter.

Place patties onto parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF. Flip the patties and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve between two leaves of romaine lettuce with tomato, onion, ketchup, and mustard. Or try putting the burger on a bed of fresh spinach instead of the bun…. delicious!

Oil-Free Fries

2-4 Organic Russet Potatoes, depending on size

Seasonings of Choice + Salt

Silicone Mat on baking sheet (or parchment paper)

Preheat your oven to 425F. Scrub your Potatoes clean, and peel them if desired.

Chop your fries into any shape of your choice; wedges that are between 1/2″ and 3/4″ are recommended.

Toss your Fries into a large bowl, sprinkle with any Seasonings and Salt you desire, and stir well.

Place the Seasoned Fries onto a baking tray lined with a Silicone Mat, making sure they do not touch.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Serve as desired.

Hope you enjoy(the burgers, and your bikini bod for summer ;)

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Fall Popcorn: White Chocolate and Caramel Corn

If you know us Salty Blondes well, then you KNOW all three of us love a good bowl of popcorn.  You can bet the very first thing each of us registered for when we got engaged was a popcorn popper.  

Our go-to is obviously freshly popped corn with a half a stick of butter and salt (obviously).  Sometimes we like to switch it up and, if we're feeling super UNhealthy, we go for the white chocolate or caramel corn.

WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN

This one is super easy.  

1. Pop your corn 

2. Pour about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over

3. Sprinkler with salt and mix

4. Melt about 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips

5. Drizzle melted white chocolate over top and mix

6. Add more salt if desired

Let the bowl sit out until the chocolate hardens or throw the bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Tip: the white chocolate chips melt best in a double boiler.  We don't have one, so we make our own by boiling a little bit of water in a pan, then setting a glass bowl with the chocolate chips on top, making sure the water isn't touching the bowl.  Stir continuously until melted.  See picture below :)

EASY CARAMEL CORN

1. Pop your corn

2. Melt 2 sticks of butter + 1/2 Cup of brown sugar + 8 large marshmallows or 1 Cup mini marshmallows in pan

3. Stir ingredients continuously until melted and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute. Keep stirring.

4.  Pour over popcorn and mix

Note: our original recipe calls for one stick of butter, but Paige uses two, which makes it a little less sticky, but obviously more fattening.  At this point though, does that really matter? 

These are both so yummy and perfect to bag up and give out at a Halloween party or even to trick-or-treaters! Let us know what you think in the comments if you try either of these!

Fresh & Easy Summer Chicken Wraps

Regan here bringing you another one of my favorite quick, fresh, and easy go-to recipes!

When Cal was in the hospital one of my friends and neighbors (thanks Meg!) brought us these and they were so yummy! They tasted so fresh and healthy and were the perfect pick-me-up after a long day of sitting in the hospital. I asked her for the recipe and have been making them often ever since, but found a way to make them even a little bit healthier!

Here's the original recipe (this blog has a lot of other yummy-looking wrap recipes that I plan on trying!).  Really the only thing that wasn't super healthy was the chipotle dressing, so I subbed a couple of things and can't tell a bit of a difference! Find my version of the recipe below.

I like to make these at the beginning of the week (sometimes I'll even double the recipe), then throw together these wraps for easy, healthy lunches.

Fresh & Easy Summer Chicken Wraps

You'll need:

Tortillas (my friend brought us a package of those uncooked tortillas and I've used those every time I've made them)

Shredded Chicken (I buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco)

Island Lime Rice (recipe below)

Chipotle Ranch Dressing (recipe below)

Black Bean & Corn Salsa (recipe below)

ISLAND LIME RICE

1 C. Jasmine long-grain rice

1 C. cold water

½ C. chicken stock

1 T. butter

½ t. salt

¼ C. cilantro- chopped

2 T. lime juice

1. In a large sauce pan bring the water and chicken stock to a boil.

2. Add the rice, butter and salt.

3. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

4. When the rice is cooked, fluff then stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Mix well.

BLACK BEAN SALSA

1 Can black beans; drained and rinsed

1 C. frozen corn; thawed and drained

1 small or ½ large red pepper; diced

Zest of 1 lime

2 T. lime juice

3 T. cilantro; chopped

1 jalapeno; diced

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together to form the salsa.

CHIPOTLE RANCH DRESSING

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 C. plain Greek yogurt (I use low fat)

1 C. milk

1 Chipotle Pepper (or two if you like extra spicy like us) with 2 T. Adobo sauce (from 1 can of Chipotle Peppers packed in Adobo sauce. You can find these in the Mexican section at most supermarkets.)*

1. In a blender pour the milk and the ranch dressing powder. Mix on high until well blended.

2. Add the Greek yogurt. Blend on high again for a few seconds.

3. Add 1 chipotle pepper and 2 T. of Adobo sauce from the can. Blend again until the dressing comes together.

4. Allow to set up in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

We kind of stuff ours and the tortillas we use aren't huge, so these look more like tacos than wraps but just go with it ;)

If you make these, let me know how you liked them in the comments below!

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Refreshing Summer Smoothie

Is there anything better than a cold, refreshing smoothie on a hot summer day? This orange vanilla smoothie has been mine and my husband's recent obsession! Whether I make it for us early for breakfast, or blend it up late at night when we're craving a treat, it always satisfies.  

At this point my snapchat friends are most definitely sick of hearing about this smoothie, but after many requests for the (very simple) recipe, I thought it was time to share!

Easiest recipe ever:

- 3-5 frozen clementines/cuties/tangerines

- 1/2 to a whole frozen banana

- 1 serving of vanilla greek yogurt

- Orange juice

- Splash of vanilla extract

We buy a bag of clementines usually from Costco and peel them all, then freeze them in a ziplock bag.  Same with the bananas :)

If you're feelin' healthy (AKA if you're like me and realize you haven't eaten a single vegetable and it's 10pm at night), add a giant handful of spinach to the recipe.  You can't taste it and it makes you feel....just really healthy and refreshed!

Now...give me one of these while laying out in the California sun on the beach and we're golden.

Sheet Pan Fajitas and Simple Guacamole

Well, hello! Regan here :) It's been a while since we've posted a recipe (or anything for that matter...whoops!).  Please forgive us!  

Today I'm sharing our sheet pan fajita recipe.  It's one of my favorite recipes because it's quick, easy, delicious and healthy!  My four favorite things in a recipe!  These fajitas are made in the oven and everything cooks together in one pan...genius!

Here are the simple step by step directions.  Scroll to the bottom for the full printable recipe!

Start by cutting up your peppers and onion.  Then thinly slice some chicken breasts. 

Then in a small bowl, stir together some olive oil and your spices!

Add your chicken and veggies to a bowl, then toss all together with the oil and spices mixture. 

Spread out evenly on a sheet pan, and throw it in the oven. 

While it's cooking, make your guacamole and prepare your toppings for the fajitas.  

This guacamole recipe (if you'd even call it that) is mine and my husband's go-to whenever we have company over (because who doesn't love quac, right??).  We always get compliments and it's literally the easiest to make.  

All you do is mash up your avocados, add a few spoonfuls of your favorite salsa, sprinkle over some garlic salt and a little pepper, and squeeze in a little lemon juice.  There aren't any measurements, so you kind of just have to keep tasting it until it's right.  

We recently discovered this salsa from Costco...and it's a game changer.  We've been using this as the salsa for the guacamole, and it's seriously SO good.  My brothers were over the other day and said it was the best guac they've ever had.  Exaggeration?  I don't think so ;)

After about 25 minutes, your chicken and veggies should be cooked through and smelling delicious.  

Serve with guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, and whatever other toppings you want.

And indulge...without feeling guilty because it's heathy!

Side note...I found these whole wheat tortillas at the store, and they were perfect for these fajitas!  Full recipe below.  Enjoy!

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Apple Crisp

 It's been a while since we've shared a new recipe on here!  This one's another family favorite and is SO easy! Every single time we make it we get asked for the recipe, and it's almost embarrassing how simple it is.  And it's perfect for Thanksgiving if you're looking for a dessert for the non pie lovers (they do exist, believe it or not!). 

All you need are a few ingredients that you should already have on hand (except for maybe the apples). Get the full, printable recipe linked at the bottom of this post!

Start by buttering the sides and bottom of a 9x13 pan, then slice your apples into the pan. To make your life even easier, peel and slice your apples with one of these babies. Trust us, you'll want to invest in an apple peeler if you don't already have one ;) Occasionally squeeze lemon juice over the apples to add tartness and prevent browning.  We like lots of lemon juice!

Next, sprinkle the spices over your apples.  The spices are measured out in the recipe, but really you can just sprinkle as much on as you'd like. You really can't mess this recipe up!

Then mix your sugary, buttery, crumble mixture up for the topping.  We like to just use our hands to incorporate the butter. (Promise we wash them first! ;)

Sprinkle the mixture over the apples, then throw in the oven (350) for about an hour!

Serve warm with ice cream....and try not to eat the entire pan. {P.S. leftover apple crisp for breakfast the next morning is totally acceptable}

Apple Crisp Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

Light & Fit Salmon BLT

This is a recipe we got out of Paige's Cooking Light cook book, and can we just say, it's SO delicious! (Especially the sauce :) Paige's Mother-in-law gave her this cookbook, and we highly recommend it. It has so many great recipes, all healthy and low in calories!

This open-faced salmon BLT has been one of our favorites from it so far. It only has 330 calories, and has 25 grams of protein! Here's how to make it:

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

-8 slices precooked hickory-smoked bacon

-2 (6 ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)

-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

-Cooking spray

-1/4 cup light mayonnaise

-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

-1 1/2 teaspoons minted fresh dill

-4 (1 ounce) slices diagonally cut French bread, toasted

-4 green leaf lettuce leaves

-4 slices tomato, cut in half

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cook bacon as desired or according to package directions (we make it on the stove).

3. While bacon cooks, sprinkle fish with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place fish, skin sides down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 10 to 13 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove skin from fish, and cut fish into chunks.

4. While fish cooks, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon dill mayonnaise on each French bread slice; top with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 tomato halves, 2 slices bacon, and one-fourth of salmon chunks. Drizzle remaining dill mayonnaise evenly over each sandwich.

Click Here for Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

One of our favorite things about summer is all the fruit that's in season! Watermelon, pineapple, and strawberries! This strawberry shortcake recipe is a family favorite and we're sure you'll love it too! Check out the recipe below :)

Click for Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

Strawberry Chicken Salad

First of all, HAPPY EASTER! Here's a little recipe that's perfect for today. Strawberry Chicken Salad...it's our go-to spring/summer salad and is seriously so yummy!

Start by making the dressing. Homemade dressings are the best!

This dressing is really easy because you just throw everything in a blender :) Add 2 cups of oil, 1 cup of sugar, 2/3 cup white vinegar, 1 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. dijon to your blender and mix. It makes a pretty pink dressing that you'll set aside for later. This makes enough dressing for a very large salad. 

Next you'll want to make your candied pecans. Some people buy the pecans already candied, but they're so easy to make yourself!

Just put the nuts in a pan, add some sugar (no measurements needed) and stir over medium heat until the sugar is melted and the pecans are coated. Be sure to keep a close eye on them because they will burn fast! Once they're done lay them out on a pan or plate to cool before breaking them apart.

Now it's time to put together your salad! Add your lettuce, sliced strawberries, feta cheese, pecans, and chicken (our Perfect Chicken goes great in this salad, but this time we just shredded a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to save time). 

Pour your dressing over the salad and serve!

We promise you'll get lots of compliments on this delicious summer salad :)

Strawberry Chicken Salad Printable Recipe

Salad Bowl found HERE.

P.s. We love Easter and wanted to share a little bit about what we believe. Check out the video below.

Thanks for reading!

The PERFECT Chicken

This is a recipe we've been planning on sharing with you for a while now. We first came across this chicken recipe on Pinterest, and it was literally called "The Perfect Chicken". We can no longer find it ANYWHERE online, and our pin won't take us to it anymore, but luckily it's so simple and we make it so often that we have the recipe memorized :)...and we wanted to #sharethegoodness and get it back out there in the Pinterest world!

This chicken tastes so good just by itself, served with our famous salad, or with corn on the cob and watermelon in the summer (mouth.watering). But we also love making this whenever a recipe calls for chicken - in pastas, soups, enchiladas - you name it! The flavoring from the spices is just perfect, and this chicken, when cooked correctly, is so juicy and yummy, and can pretty much go in/with anything. This is also a super low calorie way of cooking chicken...win-win!

Ingredients:

1 tsp. of each spice below (if you like spicy things, you can add in 1/4 tsp. of cayenne too!)

Mix spices together in a small bowl

Coat chicken evenly

Cook chicken in a pan or dutch oven on the stove in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Cook about two minutes on each side.

Next, put all the chicken back in an oven safe pan (this is where our Le Creuset dutch ovens come in handy), and cook in the oven at 350 for twenty minutes. 

Perfect Chicken Printable Recipe

If you try this recipe, we'd love to hear how you liked it/any changes you made! Your comments make our day :)

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

This month our amazing dad turned 50!

We thought we'd share a couple throwback photos from each of our weddings, because we love both these pictures of our dad!

 We got to celebrate with him when our family came up to Utah to go skiing...and we wanted to share the recipe for this delicious carrot cake we made him :)

This recipe came from our grandma and is famous in our family. When we asked our dad what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday celebration, he said this one without any hesitation ;)

Mixer

Oven Mitts

Cake plate, old (love this one)

Carrot Cake Printable Recipe

Happy birthday Dad! We love you!

The Perfect Christmas Breakfast

Isn't having family around for the holidays just the best?!

The get togethers, the laughs, the games, and the FOOD. We love it all! 

We know a HUGE part of entertaining, especially around this time of year, involves food, and making sure any guests you have staying with you are well fed. Breakfast can often be the most hectic meal to have prepared, since it needs to be ready early in the morning. 

And sometimes that means the cook doesn't get to sit around the table and eat with everyone because they're slaving away in the kitchen...

This Baked French Toast is the perfect meal to serve a lot of people, while allowing everyone to be at the table together. You prepare everything the night before, and then just pop it in the oven in the morning!

 There are a ton of Baked French Toast recipes out there, and we've tried a lot of them, but this one takes the prize!

Baked French Toast Printable PDF Recipe

{Recipe from The Pioneer Woman}

Most DELICIOUS and HEALTHY Salad Dressing…Ever :)

Our mom and grandma have been famous for their salads for as long as we can remember.

 It's all about the dressing...and today, we're sharing the recipe! It's SO simple and easy, not to mention completely healthy! Every time we serve this salad we get tons of compliments.

All you need is olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, Mrs. Dash seasoning (you can either use original or table blend), and half of a lemon, or a whole lemon if you're making a larger salad.

Really, the options are endless for what you're putting in the salad. This dressing tastes great with any combination of vegetables or fruit. For this one we used tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and feta cheese. It's also great with cucumbers, green onions, or really anything! One of our favorite ways to use this dressing is to make the salad with apples, feta cheese, and candied pecans! When making the salad with fruit, we like to use the table blend Mrs. Dash, but the original works great too!

And here's a little video tutorial of how to do the dressing. There are no measurements, just drizzle and sprinkle everything on. Don't forget to squeeze in your lemon juice! So delish :)

Enjoy :)