Fourth of July Recipe Round Up: Simple Breakfasts

June 13, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 4 Comments

We’re just a few weeks away from the Fourth of July. Based on the Pinterest influx of all things red, white and blue, I’m guessing that many of you are already starting to make plans for Independence Day, especially as it relates to what you’ll be eating that day.

I’ve been doing exactly the same thing, only I’ve been focused on the most important meal of the day: breakfast!

And ok, let’s be real: I may run out of steam by about 10am on the Fourth of July (much like any other day), so breakfast is really the only meal I can guarantee to put some effort into. Ha!

I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite SIMPLE Fourth of July recipes for breakfast. I hope you find a few you love!

1. Red, white and blue parfait. I made this last week and it was a hit all around. Everyone loved how it tasted, and I loved how effortless it was. Simply layer sliced strawberries, vanilla yogurt, blueberries, and a dollop of whipped topping. Done!

2. Watermelon star platter

3. Patriotic oatmeal

4. Red, white and blueberry muffins

5. Strawberry-blueberry tapioca parfaits

What are you going to cook up this Fourth of July? Please share your ideas!

How to Cook Beet Greens (Yes, They Are Edible!!!)

June 12, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 9 Comments

We’ve been getting beautiful beets from our local farmer every week for the past month, now. And while I have come to appreciate how tasty roasted beets can actually be, I still find the vegetable to be rather cumbersome, overall, to prepare, especially since the dark pink color so easily stains your hands.

But since we have already joined the community supported agriculture program for the season, and since we know that a lot of hard work and love went into growing these beautiful organic veggies, I want to get my full use out of them. So I decided to do some internet research to see if the beautiful red stems and green leaves on the beets were edible.

Oh heck yes they are! Don’t you dare throw them out! Let me show you a great way to prepare them.

First give everything a good wash in some running water. Then chop up the stems into bite-sized pieces, like this:

Next, chop up your beet green leaves.

Next, I got out my Reynolds Grilling Foil (disclosure, I’m a Reynolds Real Mom, but am not writing this post as such…just sharing what I really used!). My intention was to grill the greens since we were using our grill that day, already. I simply made a foil packet for the greens, and generously sprinkled them with oil, salt and pepper. I also added a little bit of vegetable stock (2 Tbsp, maybe) to ensure that the greens had plenty of liquid to help them soften up a bit.

I then brought up two of the sides to meet each other, and folded them down twice. And I repeated this step on the two sides to create a packet. I let these cook on the grill, right next to some delicious burger patties, for about 20 minutes.

The final product was lacking in beauty, but it tasted absolutely delicious. I was happy to have found a use for beet greens, and frankly, I think I prefer them to the beets, themselves! If you aren’t grilling out any time soon but still want to try this recipe, just follow all the instructions above and put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes and you’ll get more or less the same result. Easy, delicious and decidedly frugal! 🙂

Exotic, Effortless Meal: Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

June 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 3 Comments

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Rice. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own, as always.

This week I tried something a little different for my family: I made a curried chicken dish and served it on a bed of delicious, fragrant jasmine rice. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? And complicated?

If you have read my blog for a while, then you know that complicated is NOT how I roll! No way, friends! I got stuff to do…get me in and out of the kitchen fast! So when I come up with an idea that is close to effortless but looks super fancy, I’m all over it. I was inspired to get adventurous in the kitchen once I learned about the fragrant rice varieties available through . Want to see what I made?

Curried Chicken Thighs Over Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken thighs (I used bone-in because they are less expensive, but boneless is fine)

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3 Tbsp oil (I recommend olive oil)

1 package Success® Thai Jasmine Rice

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the curry powder, honey, salt, red pepper flakes and oil. Then add your chicken thighs and coat the chicken pieces evenly.

Place chicken thighs in a baking pan. I suggest lining the pan with aluminum foil for easier clean up, but that is optional. If you don’t line the pan, spray it with cooking spray. Bake 35 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop your package of Success® Thai Jasmine Rice into the boiling water, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. That’s right, just 10 minutes! Then follow the package instructions for bag removal and rice draining.

Serve the chicken on top of the rice for a beautiful, fragrant, and super easy dish that will taste like an exotic culinary triumph!

Success® Rice is such a key pantry staple because there’s no measuring involved, no mess, and the results are absolutely perfect in 10 minutes or less! The Thai Jasmine Rice was truly exceptional, and I’m delighted to see it available as one of several great varieties int he Success line. In your local store, you can also find Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice, Success® White Rice and Success® Basmati Rice. Basmati will be the one I pick up on my next grocery trip! What about you? Be sure to print the coupon (link found below!) before you head out on your next shopping trip!

And please visit SuccessRice.com for quick and easy recipes that will help you get dinner on the table in a flash. You can also Like the Success® Rice Facebook page to get even more great recipes and lifestyle tips that make mealtimes easier and more fun!

A message from Success® Rice:

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So what are you waiting for? Use this coupon for $.50 off your next box so you can add this staple to your kitchen pantry:

Using Turmeric to Spice Up a Paleo Dinner (Pinterest Giveaway!!!)

May 7, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 19 Comments

So I’ve mentioned a few times before that Tim and I are eating “mostly” Paleo these days. We’ve cut out dairy, soy, legumes, carbs, grains and sugar.

That sounds pretty terrible, am I right?

But in practice, it isn’t so bad (except for breakfast…breakfast is admittedly really tough). And I feel significantly better, physically, which was the main goal of cutting out some of those products. My sugar intake pre-Paleo was out of control, people. I had to cut it out cold turkey!

One of the cuisines that is a bit challenging for folks on Paleo is anything Mexican. Cheese, beans and tortillas are all off the table. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t still be inspired by the great flavors. In fact, I recently put together some tacos that not only had a lot of influence from Mexican dishes, but also gave a nod to Indian cuisine. It was a global fusion fiesta, right in my kitchen! 🙂

I used McCormick products to add spice to my dish. Here’s exactly what I put in my dish:

And here’s the recipe I used, largely the same as this recipe on the McCormick site, with a few tweaks to make it Paleo-friendly.

Turmeric Spiced Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes

Step 1:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp McCormick Garlic Powder

1 tsp McCormick Gourmet Collection Sicilian Sea Salt

1 tsp McCormick Ground Turmeric

1/2 tsp McCormick Chiptole Chile Pepper (can substitute crushed red pepper, as well)

2 pounds chicken thighs

Step 2:

6 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into small chunks

2 avocadoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (splurge for the fresh stuff…totally worth it!)

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp McCormick Gourmet Colelction Sicilian Sea Salt

1/2 tsp McCormick Ground Turmeric

8 large iceburg lettuce leaves to serve as the “tortillas”

Mix together all the spices and oil found in step one. It should look like this:

Then place your chicken thighs in a large resealable plastic bag and add the marinade to it. Give it a good squish in the bag to make sure all the chicken is coated well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (I let it sit for about 3 hours).

To make the salsa, chop up your onion, tomatoes and cilantro to your liking. To chop up an avocado easily, run a butter knife through it several times. It should look like this:

It will easily go right into your bowl if you just run your knife or a fork all along the edges of the avocado. Easy!

Your salsa also needs to get the lime juice and the spices at this point. It should look like this when you are finished:

Muy bonito, no? 🙂

Now it is time to grill up your chicken! I take the lazy route when it comes to grilling and just plug in my George Foreman! I was able to fit 5 chicken thighs on my machine at once (with a little creative arranging!). Look at how the turmeric has colored the chicken. So pretty!

After your chicken is done (I’d give it anywhere from 14-18 minutes…no pink should be left!), let it cool and then chop it to your liking. Now it is time to build your tacos! This is what the finished product looked like for us:

I was still in the kitchen when I ate my first one. Tim asked me how they tasted and I didn’t answer him at all until I was completely finished. I seriously didn’t want to stop eating for the few seconds it would have taken me to respond to him! Yeah, they were THAT good!

The turmeric spice adds a whole new dimension to taco night. I will be making this regularly. I honestly didn’t even miss beans, chesse and tortillas, which all would have been necessisities for us on taco night just a month ago.

Pinterest Challenge!

Are you in the mood to spice up your dinner routine? Perhaps try something just a little different for your next taco night? Check out the McCormick Pinterest page for lots of great ideas to get you started! And right now McCormick has a great Pinterest Challenge going on with 30 spice kits up for grabs for the winners! See below for all the details!

The challenge goes until May 31st, so do yourself a favor and get to pinning! I hope you will repin my delicious Paleo-friendly fusion tacos, too! They are simply divine!!! 🙂

Good luck, everyone!

This post was written in collaboration with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time in writing this post and creating this recipe. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Minute Ready to Serve Rice Makes a Meal or a Snack in Under 2 Minutes

March 2, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

Yesterday I made a dessert (an easy rice dish) for myself that included ice cream and that I would still consider to be healthy(ish). And I made it in about 90 seconds.

Want to see what I did?

I took the Multi-Grain Medley of and heated it up for 60 seconds. That’s really all it takes for it to be done. Amazing!

Then I added some diced up peaches and a bit of ice cream. Now, I normally would suggest vanilla ice cream, but I only had the flavor my 3 year old had picked out at the store the last time, which had sprinkles all in it. I REALLY wanted this dessert, so I went with it. And you know what? It was pretty good!

The Multi-Grain Medley was a great choice for dessert, and it will be a great choice for savory dishes as well, because it contains brown rice, barley, quinoa, oats, wheat and rye. What a great blend!.

I also love this product because my 10 month old seems to be eating like a teenage boy lately. Finger foods are what she likes the best, so rice is a really fun treat. But she NEVER wants to wait 30 minutes for rice to cook! Now she doesn’t have to.

Minute Ready to Serve Rice is available in many other varieties, including the following:

brown rice
brown & wild rice
jasmine rice
white rice
Italian rice mix
chicken rice mix
yellow rice mix
Spanish rice mix
pilaf rice mix

As a really busy mom, I have to say that I can see this product being extremely helpful to have on hand in my kitchen. I often get too focused on the main dish of a meal and realize just a few minutes before it is time to eat that I don’t have any side dishes prepared. Since I’m home all day, I also have full access to all the candy in the pantry, and would be less tempted to raid it if I had healthier options for snack time. In the dessert I made above, even though it included ice cream, eating this dish saved me from eating a bowl of ice cream at least 3 times the size of the amount of ice cream I ate here. So in effect, I replaced ice cream with multi-grains…and I loved it. That’s a win in my book!

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is an ideal portable solution for lunch or breakfast because you can eat it on the go, straight from the cup. In just 60 seconds, you have fully cooked rice for any meal or snack. You’ll never get bored with your lunch since there are 10 flavorful and wholesome varieties. If you’re looking for a healthy option, Minute® Ready to Serve Rice provides easy portion control since it’s conveniently packaged in two individual single-serve cups.

Visit for recipes, including Minute® Ready to Serve Stir it Up recipe ideas and more information about the Minute® Rice family of products.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.

Easy Polenta Recipe: Pudding with Blueberry Topping

November 8, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

This easy polenta recipe comes together fast and is oh so delish! Enjoy on your next cold morning! Who knew polenta could be a dessert?

cornmeal polenta recipe

Recipe name:Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping
Source: Cooking Light via Cheap Healthy Good
Servings: 4

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1) Combine the blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes or until heated through and sugar dissolves. Stir after 1 1/2 minutes of heating.

2) Combine 1/4 cup sugar, milk, cornmeal, and lemon rind in a 2-quart glass measure. Stir with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 7 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. Serve with blueberry topping.

(Almost) Healthy Mac and Cheese Recipe

October 18, 2009 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Welcome to Simple Sunday Recipes!

I absolutely LOVE this (almost) healthy mac and cheese recipe. I’m not going to tell you that it is the very best mac and cheese that I’ve ever had, because that’s not true. But it is most definitely the easiest homemade macaroni and cheese I’ve ever made, and given the fact that it doesn’t contain any butter or heavy cream, it tastes AWESOME. I suppose it isn’t exactly accurate to call this a “healthy” meal, but I really think this is a great recipe to use when you want some comfort food, but you want to skip the guilt that comes from eating a dish with enough calories in it to sustain you for 3 days straight!
Best Healthy Mac and Cheese Recipe

8-10 oz cooked macaroni (you can opt for whole wheat pasta, to increase the health factor)
8 oz shredded sharp cheese
12 oz cottage cheese
8 oz plain yogurt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

In a 9×13 pan, stir together cooked macaroni, cheeses, yogurt, Parmesan and salt and pepper. Put foil on top and bake for 30 minutes. That’s it! I seriously love when recipes are this simple. Enjoy!