{Chicken Ginger Curry}

CHICKEN GINGER CURRY

* 4 chicken half breasts

* 1 can (Thai Kitchen) coconut milk

* 2-3 tsp. curry paste, red

* thinly sliced, rough chopped 1 whole Onion (I prefer using white)

* 1 whole red Bell pepper, chopped

* scrape ginger root with butter knife into smaller "flakes", to taste (only a little if you don't care for ginger much, lots more if you like ginger/Asian flavor, lol)

* salt and pepper to taste (I used a mix of celtic sea salt and Johnnys seasoning salt)

Throw it all into a crock pot, mix, and let it cook for approximately 3-4 hours on high, or near to 6 hours on low.  

Shred or cut the chicken, and then...

Serve with rice, of your choice, and a side of vegetables.

Enjoy! 

~Recipe is mine, From the Kitchen of an Apron Lovin' Mommy~

Autumn's {Hearty Beef n Quinoa Soup}

Alrighty so I don't have any pictures for this recipe.  Again.  =(  But, if I ever get batteries for the one camera, and find the very evasive cord to charge the other..... 

My oven's thermometer is messed up, or something is wrong with the oven, as it turns off and starts beeping all these errors codes whenever I use it, or errr um... try to use it! =)  Sad sigh... we've contacted the landlord but he hasn't gotten back to us about it, and it's been weeks!  I've mostly been without it this whole summer which was okay since it was so hot.  Who wants to use the oven when your house is already 80-plus degrees???  However, I've been running out of quick ideas for dinner, and yesterday morning as I was cleaning and getting ready for the day I kept racking my brain as to what I could do for a quick, not-much-prep dinner (Monday nights Seth gets home shortly before dinner time and I usually have Bible Study at 7, so I want it easy and ready exactly "on time") There was no thawed out meat from the freezer so I couldn't throw something together in the crock pot in the morning and by the time it was thawed out and I had a few minutes it was afternoon.... little late to start the crockpot now! ={

So 5:30pm came and I....
I  just threw a soup-of-sorts together!  I had no idea what I was "doing", or if it would turn out.  I just literally threw stuff together: chopped, sauteed, cooked, and tasted and then served to Seth and the kids. =)

Guess what?!  Everyone really liked it! =)  And that's why I'm sharing it with you!  

Hearty Beef n Quinoa Soup
1 lb ground beef, crumbled, salted, and cooked
1 cup quinoa
8+ cups water (or broth, if you don't have the next ingredient)
1-2 heaping T. beef "Better Than Bullion" base
2-4 large fresh tomatoes, rough chopped
1-2 mild jalapenos, finely diced
garlic cloves, finely diced
1/2-1 whole onion, chopped
lots of salt and pepper, to taste
Opt. chili powder and/or cayenne powder

1.Rinse the quinoa, add to a pot with at least 8 cups of water (this is what I did, but next time I would add 2 more cups of water, will explain why leaving this up to you at the end!)
2.  Add the beef bullion/base. Bring the quinoa to a boil, turn to a medium heat, and allow to cook at a rolling simmer for about 15 minutes, or essentially while making and adding the rest! =)
3. Thoroughly cook ground beef, set aside.
4. In the same skillet, saute the chopped and diced garlic cloves, jalapenos, and onion.  Throw into the simmering pot of quinoa, along with the roughly chopped tomatoes.
5. Add salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you desire (example: I used a combination of regular salt and Johnny's Seasoning Salt; and since I was feeding the kids out of the same pot as us this time, I didn't use chili powder or cayenne, but I definitely would if I was serving to spicy-loving people! =)
6.  Add the cooked hamburger towards the end, when the quinoa is mostly cooked and "fluffy", and let it all simmer on very low so the flavors blend and while you set the table and call the family "to dinner"! =)
7. Serve with love and a smile!

Now for the "note":  I like my soup with a bit more broth than this turned out having.  The quinoa continues to soak up the  broth as it simmers and as it sits while setting the table and eating dinner.  So, if you're like me and want an actual soup definitely add those extra cups of water/broth!!!  However, if you're like my husband who likes a thick, almost stew-like "soup" then leave the water amount at about 8 cups! =)
(By the way, my package of quinoa (bought from Costco) says to cook 1 cup in 2 cups of water, so I did that plus added 5-6 cups more of water, if you're curious how I came up with the numbers. lol)

Hope you enjoy!  And if it's still too warm where you live right now and soup just doesn't sound appetizing then save this one for a cold wintery evening!  And since you probably won't have fresh tomatoes at that time of year... just substitute for some canned diced tomatoes! =)

{Bakto: Part 1}

I am over the moon excited about trying these "sweet brown" flavorings!  I first read about them I think over at Gwen's Nest (gwens-nest.com) but honestly I don't remember exactly where! =}  I do know that wherever I got the tip it was from a Trim Healthy Mama and she said that Pearl approved of them, so that's pretty cool too! =)

So.  Bakto Flavorings.  =)  The sweet brown package came with 6 flavors, 1 oz. each of vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, coffee, chocolate, and ginger.  The one I am most excited to try, tomorrow in the FSF (aka "Fat Stripping Frappa" from Trim Healthy Mama or aka as the f-drink from my husband =) ..... is .... the caramel!  Seth loves caramel Big Train coffees (and a local coffee shop, Hotshots, makes the best I've ever had!) and the first few times I made this frappa for him he'd ask me for "that coffee drink" or "that milkshake drink".  I finally laughed and said, "Baby, it does NOT have coffee in it, nor is it a milkshake!  Does it remind you of Hotshots big trains?"  Well, yes, apparently it does (and it truly is similar some days; still perfecting how to make it "perfect". Tight-lipped-lol)!  And now tomorrow when he asks for it I'll be able to surprise him with a caramel one!  Or, at least, that's my hope! =)
{sweet brown}
Okay, now for confession time.  I did already try two flavorings out tonight!  But, they were sort of trials ;) Hehe!
I made the THM "choco pudding" (book pg. 366), except for half batch I only put in vanilla and caramel flavorings (it was pretty good; altho' needed more caramel) and the other half-batch I used Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder with the coffee flavor.  Alas, it was good but also quite bitter!  So definitely not enough stevia/sweetener in that one! =)  Seth liked it though.  Lol, but my guy doesn't mind a bit of bitter/dark chocolate! ;)

Now.... if you like to bake.  If you like flavors.  If you are interested in Trim Healthy Mama.  If you like something other than ....chocolate (which is me!*).  If you like trying out new things.  Then, you certainly need to check out the list of options over on Amazon or Bakto Flavors!  Not only do they sell them in sets of 6, one ounce each, but also in bottles of 4 oz.  There are gift set options and specialty vanillas and herbs and spices and vinegars and yes... over 40 flavors to choose from!  Pretty cool stuff =)

So the question tonight is: given the chance, which flavors would you like trying?!??! =)
{citrus}{floral}
{and many more!}

*Note:  Not sure if that little wayside comment of mine made sense, so here's the explanation.  I do like chocolate, very much, but usually mixed with other things.  For example, my favorite kind of ice cream (Blue Bunny's Bunny Tracks) has chocolate, but it is actually a vanilla ice cream filled  with chocolate and peanut butter pieces!  YUM!   Given the option I would always choose chocolate chip cookies instead of double chocolate (choc) chip cookies (unless of course the double chocolate ones looked better!!! =)  Also, I was reading on the facebook Trim Healthy Mama forum of all these women ranting and raving over all the delicious chocolate desserts and chocolate drinks/frappas/etc.  And finally I told Seth, 'I'm so tired of hearing about chocolate!  If that's the only option (or berry) THM offers for healthy desserts I am NOT giving up my favorite sweets!"  Lol.  Well, lo and behold, there are other options according to the THM-ers....  flavorings, like Bakto's! =)  Whew.  I was really starting to get worried.  (wink, lol=)
By the way, once I've tested all mine out I'll hopefully be able to give even a better review! After this introduction they better not fail! =)
Oh. And "P.S.".... I have not said anything about giving up my favorite sweets entirely!  Just want ya'll to know, especially with October and Christmas/New Years' coming up!!!  ;)