Regina's Beans

We love Regina's tacos, taquitos and beans! Over the years she has generously fed us this meal at her house and has brought it to us after babies were born and as a Christmas gift! 

This recipe is for about 1-2 lbs of  dry pinto beans. 

Beans take about 6 hours to cook, so make sure to start with enough time. 

In a large stock pot, add beans and cover with water about an inch or two above the beans. 

Add 3-4 cupped handfuls of salt. 

Bring the beans to a rolling boil then add about 5 garlic cloves. 

Turn the heat down so the beans come to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until beans are soft. 

Check the beans all day and add very hot tap water as needed. 

Such a simple recipe, but so so yummy! 

$600 Burgers

Robert got this recipe from his friend Rhett Palfreyman. We stored his smoker for him while he was in the middle of a move. He told us while we had it, we should make these burgers. They were delicious! But when Rhett got moved and into his new house and needed his smoker back, we had a problem. We had no way to make the burgers anymore! It was during the summer of 2020 and Robert needed something to keep himself busy anyway, so I told him he should go buy a smoker so we could make the burgers again. Robert went and bought a new smoker for about $600 and that's how these burgers got their name at our house. Since then, the smoker has been put to good use for many delicious smoked meats. Robert's most requested meat is pulled pork. He has made it for family mission farewells and Sophie has requested it when we have hosted dinner for MORP and Sadie's. He also smokes our Thanksgiving turkey every year. We have enjoyed lots of yumminess all because of these $600 Burgers! :)

 

Lemon Butter Rice

Lemon Butter Rice

Serves: Yield: 2 1/2 Cups

https://jamiecooksitup.net/2014/06/lemon-butter-rice/

This rice is delicious, easy to make and goes great with Adam's Salmon!

Ingredients

4 T butter

1 1/4 C rice (long grain or Jasmine Rice works best)

3 C water

4 tsp bullion granules

2 Tb lemon juice (bottled is best)

3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.

2. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and let it melt down.

3. Grab 1 1/4 cup rice. Long grain or Jasmine rice works best for this recipe.

4. Pour the rice into the melted butter. Saute it for 4-5 minutes or until the rice is slightly golden.

5. Dissolve 4 teaspoons chicken bullion granules into 3 cups hot water. Pour it into the skillet.

6. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Bottled juice works best here, guys. Fresh juice can turn bitter if it is left to simmer too long.

7. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and give it a nice stir.

8. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and let it cook over medium low heat for 20-25 minutes.

9. Stir it up and give it a taste to be sure it has cooked through and is soft. If it's still crunchy allow it to cook a bit longer. Fluff it with a fork and serve!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I love a lot of the recipes from Jamie Cooks it Up! This is one of Robert's favorite soup recipes. It makes a lot so I love it for when we need to feed a lot of people. 

https://jamiecooksitup.net/2010/01/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/#penci-recipe-card

Ingredients

1 large pot full of water

4 chicken breasts (you can start with frozen..love that!)

10 bullion cubes

1 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground pepper

2 boxes Rice a Roni wild rice flavor

1 onion chopped

1 1/2 C carrots chopped

3/4 C celery chopped

2 small cans mushrooms

4 cans cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% fat free)

Instructions

1. Fill up your large pot with hot water add the chicken, onion, bullion, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer about 25 minutes.

2. Stab each chicken breast with a fork, lift out of the pot, and use scissors to cut/shred it up. Put shredded chicken back in the pot. The chicken should be cooked through.

3. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and boxes of rice (pour in the rice and the seasoning packets that come along in the box). Cover and let simmer about 15 minutes more, until the veggies and rice are cooked.

4. Add the cream of chicken, turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Once the soup is thickened just a bit (just a few minutes after it return to a boil) you are ready to eat.
This goes great with my Easy and Fast Breadsticks. Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese Smoothie

https://www.sweetashoney.co/cottage-cheese-smoothie/

I really liked this smoothie. It kept me full and satisfied until lunch time. 

 1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 cup frozen strawberries or raspberries

1/3 cup ice cubes

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 T honey

Add all ingredients to the jug of a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Creamy Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie

This smoothie is so good! One of my very favorites! 

https://minimalistbaker.com/creamy-pineapple-cucumber-smoothie/

• 1/2 cup sliced cucumber (skin on // organic when possible)
• 1 heaping cup cubed pineapple (if frozen, omit ice)
• 1/2 large ripe, peeled, frozen banana
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk*
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 medium lime, zested + juiced (~1 tsp zest // 2 Tbsp (30 ml) juice per 1 lime)
• 1 large handful greens (spinach or kale // organic when possible)
• 2-4 ice cubes

Instructions

• Add cucumber, pineapple, frozen banana, light coconut milk, water, lime zest, lime juice, greens, and ice cubes to a blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
• For a thicker smoothie, add more ice. For a thinner smoothie, add more liquid of choice. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime juice or zest for acidity/brightness, banana or pineapple for sweetness, coconut milk for creaminess, and greens for more intense green color.
• Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 24 hours, though best when fresh.

Notes

* For creamier smoothie, use canned light coconut milk. For a lighter smoothie, use coconut beverage from a carton or sub coconut water!
*For added protein, add 1-2 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) hemp seeds or chia seeds, or your favorite neutral or vanilla-flavored protein powder. 
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 1 servings)

Serving: 1 smoothiesCalories: 225Carbohydrates: 52.2 gProtein: 5.2 gFat: 3.9 gSaturated Fat: 3 gTrans Fat: 0 gCholesterol: 0 mgSodium: 79 mgFiber: 7.9 gSugar: 28 g

Baked Brownie Oatmeal

 I think Emma told me about this super yummy TikTok recipe for baked oatmeal. It tastes so good and even better, I feel good after eating it! :)

2 cups coconut or almond milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 T flax 

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 8 ingredients well in a medium bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@healthygirlkitchen/video/7090671812748512555?lang=en