Fruit Dip

Every Monday, a few of us girls have Bachelorette night.  We get together to watch the latest drama of one woman dating 25 men, drink wine, talk about life, and of course, eat.  Each week is a themed potluck, challenging us to bring out our inner creative chefs.

One of the first themes we did was dips, because let's face it, who doesn't love dip-- salsa, guacamole, spinach and artichoke..the list goes on and on, and the smile on my face (and grumble in my stomach) gets bigger and bigger!

I challenged myself to find something on the healthier side, that was still just as delicious, and wow, did I hit the jackpot.  Luckily, I came across another recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff, and I went to work!

Fruit Dip

(Recipe from: Six Sisters' Stuff)

What's In It?
-8 oz. whipped creamcheese
-7 oz. marshmallow creme

How Do I Make It?
Scoop both ingredients into a bowl, and whip! That's it!  My only advice would be to let the creamcheese soften a bit before whipping- it'll make it much easier.  Serve with your favorite fruit!

And, if you feel like being a little crazy, split the dip into two bowls and add approximately 1 tsp of cocoa powder to one of them.  Now you have a regular and chocolate version-- wild, I know!

Caprese Bites with Balsamic Drizzle

I promise that you won't find an easier appetizer or party dish than caprese bites!  Every time I make them, they always seem to disappear.

And bonus-- these are especially great if you're short on time or money!

Caprese Bites with Balsamic Drizzle

What's In It? 

Bites:
-1-2 packages cherry or grape tomatoes (I used grape this time)
-1-2 packages basil leaves (probably about 1-2 cups, not packed)
-1 package fresh mozzarella pearls

Balsamic Reduction Sauce:
-1 cup balsamic vinegar

Extras:
-toothpicks or medium skewers

How Do I Make It?
After washing tomatoes, chop each in half and place in container.  Then, wash basil and place in a second container.  Remove the pearls from their packaging and place in third container.
 

I find it easiest to do this as an assembly line.  Start with a mozzarella pearl, add about 1/2 basil leaf (more or less depending on your taste), a tomato half, and then top with another mozzarella pearl.  I would recommend laying them directly on your serving dish as you make them (I love any way that I can save time on dishes!).  Then repeat! And don't worry- it's perfectly normal to eat a few along the way :)

Once done (this should make between 75 and 100 skewers), put the dish into the fridge so they stay nice and cool.  At the same time, pour the balsamic vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, lower to a simmer for about 10 minutes until the texture becomes more like syrup.  I'd recommend keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't start burning (not speaking from personal experience here or anything!).  When you're happy with the consistency, pour into a glass or ceramic bowl (just not plastic tupperware) and let cool.

Before serving, use a spoon to drizzle the balsamic reduction right over your skewers.  And the crowd will go wild!!

Enjoy!!

Asian Slaw with Sweet Peanut Dressing

Sometimes it can be difficult to find different healthy and easy side dishes- I mean, how many times a week can we eat brown rice, quinoa, couscous, or simple veggies?  So when I decided to make Sesame Chicken, I knew this was my chance.  And then I came across an Asian Slaw recipe from Once Upon a Chef, and let me just say, YUM!!

I changed a few things around, but used the recipe as something to go off of-- I find myself doing this more often as I get more comfortable in the kitchen-- it's actually really fun!! The recipe made so much that we had  two servings with our dinner, brought leftovers to girl's night, turned it into a salad for lunch the next day, AND enough for Dr. J and I to snack on over the next two days.

I will DEFINITELY be making this for future parties too! SO simple and healthy, and please believe me when I tell you, it's so delicious, you won't be able to put your fork down.

Asian Slaw with Sweet Peanut Dressing

(Recipe adapted from: Once Upon a Chef)

What's In It? 

Dressing:
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 ½ tbsp peanut butter
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
-1 ½ cloves garlic, minced (=1 ½ tsp prepared minced garlic)

Slaw:
-4 cups shredded coleslaw (you can buy this in a pre-made package at your grocery store; I found mine in the produce section with the other pre-made salad bags)
-2 ½ cups shredded carrots
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-1 ½ cup shelled edamame, cooked
-1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
-1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, whole
-2/3 cup fresh cilantro, lightly chopped

How Do I Make It?
Combine all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl.  Whisk until the peanut butter is dissolved in the other liquids.  Put aside.

Mix all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl (use the largest you have!).  Add the dressing and toss.  Cover with saran wrap or tin foil and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. It's best when it's really cold!

Are there any other ingredients you'd throw in the mix? I always love getting new ideas!

5/28- 6/3 Weekly Menu

This is a big week for Dr. J! He takes the last part of his board exams on Friday and Saturday (2, 8-hour days sitting at a computer answering questions- yikes!). So I wanted to make sure to make him some comfort food that will keep him happy and give him lots of energy to make it through this last week of studying!

Honey Sesame Chicken w/ Asian Slaw

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Roll-Ups w/ Broccoli Slaw Salad

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad

Enjoy!

5/21-5/27 Weekly Menu

This week I start my internship, so I knew I'd need to go back to basics while I get my schedule figured out.  I wanted to make something delicious that also wouldn't take up too much time.  So here's what I came up with for the week:

Chicken Pasta w/ Spinach Pesto

Tilapia w/ Brown Rice & Veggies

Shrimp Salad w/ Avocado Lime Dressing

Taco Night- Turkey Tacos w/ Chips & Salsa

Honey Sesame Chicken w/ Asian Slaw

Recipes to come soon!

Chipotle Copycat: Barbacoa

www.Chipotle.com

Saying that Dr. J and I LOVE Chipotle is an understatement.  I think we'd eat it every day if we could.  So I did a bit of research and found these amazing copycat recipes that would allow us to have our very own Chipotle-themed dinner at home!!!  I started out by making Barbacoa in the crockpot, then the cilantro rice, and of course a nice side of chips and guacamole.

I found this Barbacoa recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff-- one of my new favorite blogs! They have so many great recipes and craft ideas-- I constantly find myself going to their site for one thing and ending up with another 10 ideas. It happens...

Crockpot Barbacoa Beef 

(Recipe from: Six Sisters' Stuff)

What's In It?
-3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
-5 cloves garlic
-1/2 medium onion
-1/2 lime, juice
-2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste)
-1 tbsp ground cumin
-1 tbsp ground oregano
-1/2 tsp ground cloves
-salt and pepper
-3 bay leaves
-1 tsp oil
-1 cup water

How Do I Make It?
Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chiptoles, cloves in a blender (or food processor).

 

Trim all fat off meat, cut  into a few good sized chunks.

 Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil.

Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and simmer on low two hours in a crockpot.Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks, and reserve the liquid for later (discard the bay leaf). Return the shredded meat to the pot, adjust salt and cumin (you may need to add more) to taste and add some of the reserved liquid back. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.

After everything was done, we made our bowls by putting rice on the bottom of the bowl and then topping it with the barbacoa, salsa, shredded lettuce, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, light sour cream, and of course, our guacamole.  It was outstanding! 

DELICIOUS!

Helpful Hint:  Use leftover leftover barbacoa to make yummy quesadillas! Just heat up some tortillas, put in barbacoa and cheese, and it's done when cheese is melted, then top with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole- super easy!

Check out the other Chipotle Copycat recipes here:

Chipotle Copycat: Cilantro Rice
Chipotle Copycat: Guacamole

Chipotle Copycat: Guacamole

If you're like me and could eat a whole tub of Chipotle's guacamole, you are in the right place.  I was so thankful to come across the Budget Savvy Diva's website on Pinterest. The only thing wrong with Chipotle is that their guacamole containers are never big enough- I mean, seriously, Dr. J and I go through it in the first few chips alone! So of course for our Chipotle dinner night, I knew I'd have to make our favorite-- and believe me when I say that this tastes EXACTLY like the guac you get in the restaurant-- but you feel better about it because you control how much you get and you know exactly what is going in it!

Guacamole (Chipotle-style)

(Recipe from: Budget Savvy Diva)

What's In It?
-3 ripe avocados
-1/2 cup of chopped red onion
-1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
-1/3 cup of chopped jalepeno
-1/8 cup of lemon and lime juice-80/20 ratio
-pinch of salt

How Do I Make It?
Place avocados in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. 

 

Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

Perfection!

Chipotle Copycat: Cilantro Rice

This recipe was a gem from Pinterest! It tastes so much like Chipotle's cilantro rice, Dr. J and I couldn't tell the difference.  We like to use it as a dinner side or as part of the Barbacoa Bowl we make on our Chipotle-themed dinner nights. ChefInYou did an outstanding job with this one, and earned a new fan!

Cilantro Rice (Chipotle-style)

(Recipe from: ChefInYou)

What's In It?
-1 cup Basmati or any other long grained rice, rinsed lightly in cold water
-1 tsp oil (for that authentic taste use 1 tbsp butter)
-juice of 1-2 small limes
-1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
-about 3 tbsp cilantro (we like cilantro so I tend to use more)
-salt to taste
-2 cups water

How Do I Make It?
Heat a skillet on low heat and add the rice, sugar, and butter/oil. Once the rice is fully coated, add in the lime juice. Stir.

 Add water and salt. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Check to make sure that the rice has absorbed all of the water. Once absorbed, add cilantro and stir. Add more lime juice to taste.

5/14-5/20 Weekly Menu

This week, I've decided to really focus on a budget. I need to try to squeeze as many meals as I can out of as little money as possible- the American dream, right?  So I started by picking one meal I was craving, and then figured out what I could make with those leftovers.  Then, I chose another meal and did the same.  The last meal was a special request from Dr. J, so I figured I could accommodate :)

Hawaiian Pulled Chicken Sandwiches w/ Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Turkey Burgers w/ Cilantro and Pine Nut Quinoa

Chicken and Coconut Rice Bowls

Asian Turkey Meatballs w/ Vegetable "Fried" Rice

Baked Mac & Cheese w/ Spinach Salad

What are some methods you use to stick to a weekly budget when planning your meals?

Laughing Cow Chicken (i.e. Baked & Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups)

Garlic and Herb- my favorite!

If you haven't yet tried the amazing Laughing Cow cheese wedges, your life is about to change.  These 35-calorie wedges are the perfect snack (I like to pair them with Melba toast or celery) and a great addition to a chicken dinner.  You can also make a yummy (and healthy) alfredo sauce with them but let's save that for another time.

This dinner is a frequent go-to in our house-- and you never have to make it the same! There are so many variations that it'll never get old.  The wedges come in original swiss, light swiss, light garlic and herb, light french onion, light blue cheese, light mozzarella, sun-dried tomato & basil, and light queso fresco & chipotle.  Seriously yum!!

Laughing Cow Chicken (Baked & Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups)

What's In It?

- 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (At Publix, they come in packages of 3, and 1 breast is enough for 2 people).

- 1-2 wedges Laughing Cow

- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs (you can also use plain and just add a few spices to taste)

- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

- 1 tbsp light mayonnaise

- Veggies for stuffing-- I would recommend spinach, broccoli slaw, or even tomatoes

- Cooking spray

How Do I Make It?

Combine the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese in a small bowl.  Place on the side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place tinfoil over a medium-sized baking pan (I typically use 13x13).  Lightly grease with cooking spray.

 

After rinsing the chicken breast, cut it in half, lengthwise.  Place a piece of saran wrap over the breasts.

Using your fist, the bottom of the breadcrumb canister, or a meat mallet if you're fancy, pound the breasts out so they become thinner. You don't want them too thin, but thin enough to where they will be easy enough to roll.  

Spread the cheese wedge onto one side of each breast.  Typically, I can use 1 wedge for both pieces, but if you want it extra cheesy, go for 2!

 

Now is the fun part! Take the veggie of your choice (this time, I chose tomatoes) and place a small pile on the large end of each breast.  Make sure you have enough to get the flavor, but not so much where you won't be able to roll up the chicken.

Starting from the end with the veggies, carefully pick up the chicken and fold it over the veggies.  Continue to roll it until you reach the bottom.  Make sure that they are placed seam-side down.

Spread the mayonnaise over each breast and carefully roll in the breadcrumb mixture.  Place seam-side down in the baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.  There may be liquid under each breast after baking, but this from the cheese (and helps to make the chicken so juicy and tender!).

Serve immediately with a side of your choice! I usually stick with brown rice or quinoa.  Enjoy!

Don't mind our big plates-- I promise this is a fulfilling dinner! :)

Watermelon, Tomato, & Mozzarella Salad

There's nothing better on a hot, summer day (or really any day in Florida) than something both refreshing and satisfying.  That was the inspiration for this delicious recipe!

I could eat watermelon all day, every day. It's just one of those things that never gets old and always brings back memories of my childhood.  My family would always gather around our kitchen while my dad cut up watermelon over the sink.  By the way we grabbed it off of the cutting board and stuffed our faces, you'd think that it had been years since we had eaten anything.  We usually devoured about half and then saved the other half for later (literally, later...watermelon didn't last more than 24 hours in our house).  To this day, whenever the whole family is together, we always make sure there's watermelon in the fridge.

So because it's summer, and watermelon is back in season (woohoo!), I decided to combine a few of my favorite things: Tomato & mozzarella (another meal I could eat daily) with watermelon. 

Watermelon, Tomato, & Mozzarella Salad

What's In It?

-3 cups watermelon, cut into bite-size pieces

-1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

-1/4 cup finely chopped basil

-2 tbsp finely chopped mint

-2 tbsp olive oil

How Do I Make It?

Add watermelon, tomatoes, basil and mint to a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and combine thoroughly.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

I love this recipe for so many reasons-- ingredients that aren't so obscure (buying something for only one tbsp is the worst!), it's quick to put together, and it's so healthy and delicious! Enjoy!

5/7- 5/13 Weekly Menu

YUM!

Lately, I've been craving Chipotle. (I know, what else is new?) So this week I centered my menu around making my own version of my beloved Barbacoa bowl.  I then planned to use leftovers on another night, and filled in the others with a few of our favorite go-to recipes.  Let me know what you think!

Laughing Cow Chicken w/ Brown Rice

Chipotle night! (Barbacoa Rice Bowl w/ Chips and Guac)

Barbacoa Quesadillas

Baked Chicken Parm w/ Pasta

Fish Tacos w/ Avocado Sauce and rice

Recipes to come soon!

Weekly Menus

Where the Magic Happens (pic from our first day in the house!)

I am so excited to start posting my weekly menus! Planning menus ahead of time has been such a big help for me as I shop for groceries each week.  My goal is to stay around a $100/week budget-- sometimes I am under (those days are my favorite) and other times I am over (usually when I am restocking on essentials), but it usually balances out.

Typically, I will cook 5 nights a week, save leftovers for the 6th night, and go out with Dr. J and friends on the last night.  We used to go out a lot more but found that cooking actually saves us a lot of money (which we love to do!) and it's quality time that we get to spend together.

For breakfast we typically stick to cereal/bagels or occasionally a delicious baked oatmeal of some sort, and lunches are either leftovers, or a simple salad or sandwich.   But for us, dinner is where it's at- the possibilities are endless and we love exploring all of our options!

Do you plan your menus for the week? What are your favorite go-to recipes?

All You Need is Love...and a Dog

Love- check! Dog- check! These are the new words that I am choosing to live by.  Life can be confusing, hard, and sometimes just plain unfair- but from now on, I am making the choice to be happy.  To look at the positives I have in my life and to make the most of every day.  Life is too short to do anything but that.

I'm fortunate enough to have an amazing family, including parents who have just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary, true friends who I can always count on, and now, the most incredible husband and best friend to spend my life with.  And of course, let's not forget about the dog, who truly has been my best friend since the day I brought him home.  It is because of this support system that I am able to get through the tough times and celebrate the good times. Without them in my life, I don't know where I would be.

I decided to start this blog as a way to document my journey towards living the true HappyJax Life. What is the HappyJax life? I'm glad you asked!  In short, it's following a few simple rules (listed at the top of my blog!), but really it's about making the best of anything life throws your way. Try to look at life the way your dog would- be happy to see and learn something from those you love (and those you don't), do something that makes you happy every day, give lots of kisses, and let things roll off of your back.  Have you ever seen a dog bump into a piece of furniture and then dwell on it? Of course not! They shake it off and move on, chasing after whatever toy their heart desires, and they choose to live in that moment.  So while I may not be chasing toys (more like chocolate and wine!), I want to  live life like my dog, Jaxson, does.  He is truly an inspiration, and I'm sure as you have guessed by now, has even inspired the name of my blog, and this new philosophy of how to truly be happy.

Isn't he the cutest?

So this is it.  This is the start of a new chapter in my life and I am going full force.  I bought a home, got married, and took a huge risk and left my job-- and now I am determined to only do things that I love-- and hopefully figure out how to make a career out of it.  Ultimately, I want to be a mom- but that's a few years down the road, and Jaxson is the only child I need for now :)

The hubs (we'll call him Dr. J, but more on that in a future post) and I are finally starting to make our house feel like a home (yay wedding money!) and I am absolutely loving being a wife.  I hope you join me in this crazy adventure as I find my path to the HappyJax Life.