Fiesta Fajitas!

Hello All! 

I have been meaning to post for a while, but of course, life is in the way! 

A few weeks ago, I made our favorite meal... Fajitas! 

Well, instead of using my normal seasoning, I used Tastefully Simple Feisty Fajita™ Dip Mix. 

It was so tasty! 

I used one packet of the seasoning (there are two per box!) and rubbed it onto the chicken. 

I put them in the skillet with about 1 tsb. of olive oil. Let them cook up for about 15 minutes. 

 

I also made some veggies with it, green peppers and mushrooms!

I added a little of the dip mix in here as well. And cooked these up for about 10 minutes. 

Our dip mixes and seasonings can be used for so much! I enjoy learning new recipes either from the TS website or just my own creations. 

Let me know if you have any new TS recipes! I love sharing and cooking. 

Until next time, keep cooking!! 

Finally out of my daze...

Hello Again!

Thought I forgot about you, didn't you?

Sorry for the prolonged blog post, but I have some EXCITING NEWS!

Engagement:

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

Brad proposed to me at the Brad Paisley concert on May 17, 2014 in front of friends and family during our song, "She's Everything".

I was completely clueless... and I think after a month of floating on air, I'm finally back on Earth. It's still a bit surreal. Brad and I keep looking at each other saying "We're engaged" or "We are getting married!"

The date set is 6.11.2016 and the colors will be Kelly Green and Peacock Blue. Yes, I'm a crazy planner but we have been talking about this for a few months PRIOR to the actual engagement. :)

Mix & Marinate: Tastefully Simple:

 I just had my first party at Alicia's house! It went so well with 4 people, plus those who are ordering online. Thank you to everyone for a successful first party and hopefully many more to come!

Tastefully Simple Recipes

I made a yummy crock pot meal with our Corn, Black Bean Salsa & Onion, Onion spice. I put some chicken, about half the jar of the salsa, 2 tbsp of Onion, Onion, a half of green pepper and cheese in the crock pot for 8 hours. It was a little messy, but an easy meal that was really delicious.

The nice thing about these products are the versatility. The Onion,Onion can be substitute for a real onion. 2 TBSP of the product equals 6 of a fresh onion. This is so awesome because for how infrequently I cook, I can never keep fresh produce! I really like the Corn, Black Bean Salsa, if you are looking for something easy rather than adding cans of corn and black beans and tomatoes, etc., this is perfect. It's already in there and has a different flavor than a regular tomato based salsa.

Please visit https://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smueller3 to order or book a show. :) If you are looking for samples, please email me at mixwithsteph@gmail.com. I will work with you to figure out the best way to get all of your taste buds delighted!

In the mean time - Keep cooking!

First potato salad of the season!

Last night I made some yummy potato salad...

Since all my friends are watching their waste lines (including me), I decided to do it as 21 day fix style! 

Instead of mayo, I used Greek yogurt. Yes, it does change the taste slightly, but overall I think it's delicious! 

Ingredients:

Red potatoes (5)

Hard boiled eggs (6)

Yellow mustard (1/2 cup)

Greek yogurt (1 1/2 cup) 

Green peppers (2 small) 

Paprika (1 tbsp)

Black pepper (1 tbsp) 

Onion powder (1 tbsp) 

I hope the tailgaters approve!!! 

Until next time, keep cooking! 

Tastefully Simple

I decide today due to the fact that I'm always buying the products and have been talking about doing this for a while... I'm officially becoming a tastefully simple consultant. 

I have the support from Brad, I just need to gather a good network to build a business. Right now, my schedule is a little hectic but I am always up for parties on week nights. 

Tastefully Simple has changed in the past few years, adding less party foods and more real meal dinner options. Not only can you enjoy their classic appetizers and dips but now also enjoy meal planners and freezer meals. 

I'm really excited about this venture and hope I can get the support I need to make it a great part time business. Once I get set up, I'll post more information. 

I also will use this blog as a place to showcase various recipes and teach you how to make them with the Tastefully Simple Products! 

Let me know if you would be interested in being one of my first hosts! I need somewhere to start. 

In the meantime, keep cooking! 

Skillet meals!

Done with the spring semester, so I have a week until the next semester! I am exactly half way done with my masters program! 

Since I have been pretty busy, I have been making skillet meals. I am still following the 21 day fix clean eating and I never seem to get enough veggies during the day! My skillet meals consist of meat, and about three or four types of veggies and sometimes pasta! 

I put all this stuff into the skillet, including uncooked pasta. My new favorite veggie is canned diced tomatoes. Putting the tomatoes in adds a little liquid which helps cook the pasta.

Tonight, I made a turkey sausage, mushroom, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion, and green peppers and pasta. I added cilantro, parsley, pepper, and oregano. Brad was a huge help! I love that he enjoys being in the kitchen with me. He learned how to cut peppers from the food channel, so I asked him to cut them and he also cut the sausage. Sausage is definitely nothing something I'm used to cooking or prepping so it was much welcomed. :) 

I cooked it down for about 25 minutes. It turned out so good! It was a little soupy because I added too much water to cook down of with it, but lately I was burning stuff for not using too much. Better safe than sorry!! 

This picture is of a taco version. It has ground beef, corn, tomatoes, onions, peppers with cumin and chili powder. 

Try some for yourself! Let me know how they turn out! So easy and delicious, about 20-30 minutes, just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. Ha! 

Keep on cooking. :) 

Crab Cakes!

Hello there!

I just want to post one more Lenten recipe right after Easter. I hope everyone who celebrates the holiday, enjoyed it and got all the candy they desired!

21 Day Fix update: I finished the 3 weeks on Easter! It was such a treat to fit into a blazer that was too tight three weeks before. I lost 7lbs as well. :)

These crab cakes aren't 21 day fix approved, but I had crab and it was Good Friday, so this is what I made:

I used this recipe: Best Ever Crab Cakes

Except.. I didn't use the lemon juice or tarragon. Have you ever tried to buy Tarragon? IT'S LIKE 8 BUCKS! No, thanks, not for one recipe. The lemon juice, although always in supply at my house, is not at Brads and I forgot to buy any.

So, basically I followed the recipe but used basil, and added a little more mayo to make it stick. I used reduced fat clubhouse crackers. I think they were super awesome and Brad agreed. Just be careful when putting them on the burner. I had it up to about 4 - 4 1/2 and they were very crispy. Good, but pretty burnt. The crackers gave it more of  a buttery flavor which I liked and didn't make them seem super dry.

Let me know if you give them a try with any different results!

Simple prepping ideas!

Hello!

It's been a bit since posting. 21 day fix has kept me busy as has school and work. I'm currently enjoying buffalo chicken dip with carrots for lunch.

Yup, you got that right.. I can eat buffalo chicken dip! It's modified... using Greek Yogurt, shredded chicken, hot sauce and mozzarella cheese. I did 4 oz of chicken and 2 oz of Greek yogurt, as few splashes of hot sauce and 1/4 cup of the cheese. It's pretty much the best thing ever. :)

It counts towards 1 red, 1 blue, and 1 green (for the carrots). It's crazy how much you can still enjoy while on this meal plan just with modifications.

But back to the reason I wanted to post. If you are prepping for this plan, I realize I don't want to cook chicken or whatever meat every day.

I have decided to put a big crock pot of chicken with just enough chicken broth to keep the chicken moist. Basically, cover the bottom of the pot and not much more. I put it on low before bed and turn it off in the morning.  It works out perfectly! I have enough chicken for the week, it's shredded so it's easy to put in containers (and use for buffalo chicken dip or wraps). You can always season your individual portions differently so it's a different taste every day.

You don't even have to do this for the 21 day fix or just if you need a quick meal on the go. :)

If you have any other thoughts to make prepping easier, I'm always open to suggestions! Right now I feel like I'm in the kitchen half my days, and it's getting a bit wearing.