June/July Recipe Review

Man, I haven't done one of these in a long time!

We've been doing HelloFresh for the last six months now, and while I love it, I don't order it every week. Some weeks I just know we're going to be too busy to cook three meals at home {sounds crazy, but true}, and I need to just cook one that will provide good leftovers for a few days. Anyways, we've been trying out a few recipes and I wanted to share!

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Spicy Cheesy Gochujang Spaghetti
Whoa, yum. We are pretty much Food Network addicts, and in almost every cooking competition show they talk about gochujang at least once. We're recently on the Sriracha train, too, and just Asian food in general. This stuff was so good. It was different, like a sticky spicy spaghetti, but still creamy and cheesy. I used organic lo mein noodles instead of spaghetti noodles to make it even more "authentic." Will definitely make again.

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Avocado Shrimp Burgers
For some reason I'm not the biggest homemade burger fan {although CJM's are delish!}, but after having a delicious shrimp burger at The Battery in Atlanta, I wanted to try my hand at it. This recipe was really really good. I think next time, I'll just put all the shrimp in the food processor instead of only half because mine kind of came apart during the flip in the pan. I also think I'll either use a different kind of bread to make breadcrumbs or will use Panko breading--I went rouge and got potato buns instead of sesame, and when I pulsed them up to make the crumbs it got kind  of clumpy. Will definitely make again.

Poblano Mac & Cheese
In Atlanta, we had the shrimp burger paired with the most amazing macaroni and cheese I think I've ever had. In an attempt to recreate, I tried this recipe. Seems really creamy and had a strong queso element which was a favorite aspect of the original dish. While this wasn't bad, it wasn't awesome either. I like cilantro, but this recipe called for wayyyy too much of it in my opinion. If we attempt again, I'll do less cilantro and more creamy cheesiness.

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Old Bay Shrimp Burritos 
Ours ended up being basically tacos because our low carb tortillas aren't that huge, but these were AWESOME!! Definitely freshened up the ol' Tuesday Taco Night. Will definitely make again.

HelloFresh Review

It's Tuesday, so that means when I get home in the evening I'll have a bright green box waiting for me on my doorstep. What's that, you ask? HelloFresh! We signed up for HelloFresh just after the first of the year, and have been receiving it on a pretty regular basis since. We're signed up for the three meal/two person weekly plan, and I've scheduled our deliveries for Tuesdays. One of my favorite things about HF is that you can skip weeks! Sometimes I know we are going to be too busy to cook three {or any meals if I'm honest} during the week, so we just skip the delivery. There's no fee to skip which is another perk.

Before signing up, I didn't really understand how it worked so I wanted to give you a good run down in case you're interested. Basically, you can sign up at any time, but I recommend finding a good sale or code to get started. We used a "$20 off each box for four boxes" code which was really nice. Once you sign up and select a plan {how many meals you want a week + how many people, two or four} you can then choose your meals. There's about 16 different meals to choose from that change weekly. It took about six weeks of deliveries for us to see a repeated meal offered, but you can always choose different ones or go back to one you tried and loved!

There are a few different types of meals: Hall of Fame, Calorie Smart, Gourmet {extra fee of $5.99+ per person} or Dinner2Lunch {basically makes two meals at once, extra fee of $5.99 per person}. We've tried a couple Gourmet meals but didn't really feel they were worth the extra fee. We tend to try a lot of Latin and Asian influenced dishes, and we're both pretty meat-centric, so I often choose hearty meals with steak and pork chops over pasta dishes or the vegetarian options.

The box is delivered weekly with all the fresh ingredients you need for the meals besides the basics like butter, S&P, and olive oil. Each meal comes with a full color, step-by-step instructional sheet that I keep with my other recipes to reference if I wanted to recreate a meal on my own. They usually take about 30-40 minutes to create, and almost always include scallions which we often laugh about.

Our plan {3 meals/2 people/weekly} runs about $60 a box, which may seem expensive at first, but I honestly feel like we get a much better value for our money doing this. We always eat all of the meals, which isn't necessarily the case if I got to the store and buy a lot of food. It takes the thinking out of meal time which to be honest, is huge for me as I get uninspired quickly and am not interested in creating something new at the end of the day. It also takes out the grocery trip, which is another thing I really love. I've become a Click List user at my grocery store and really avoid going in anytime I can. I don't really enjoy grocery shopping so between HF and Click List, I feel like I'm living my best life!

HelloFresh does not offer carb-conscious meals specifically, but I try to cut carbs where I can. If it's a Mexican meal, I'll swap the included tortilla for one of my low carb ones from the grocery store. Or I'll give CJM more of the rice/potato/etc. and less for me. It's really taught me a lot about cooking {like how long to grill a steak, and how to make a lot of sauces} that I really didn't know, which is an added bonus.

Have you tried HelloFresh or any other meal delivery service? L
et me know what you think!

Want $40 off your first order? CLICK HERE to redeem!

Easy Fall Foods | Crock-pot Chili, Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins, Semi-homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Do you save certain recipes for certain times of year? I know I was waiting all September for it to finally get cool enough to make a pot of chili! Once October hit, I was ready to break out the pumpkin foods--I don't like pumpkin drinks though.

I served a big pot of chili just last week to some of my Junior League ladies. We had a little potluck night with the exec girls as we went through boxes and sorted event supplies. Everyone brought a little something, and it really made for a nice and easy fall get-together that you could replicate!

We had chili and baked potatoes with all the toppings, cornbread muffins, and a few different desserts to round it all out. Afterwards, the girls were asking for my chili recipe so I wanted to share:

Crock-pot Chili:

1 lb ground beef (or venison if you've got a freezer full like I do!)
2 16 oz cans of Bush's Best Chili Kidney Beans Spicy Chili Sauce
2 16 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of sweet corn
1 10 oz can of Rotel Hot Diced Tomatoes With Habaneros
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 mild chili seasoning packet

Cook the ground meat with half of the packet of mild chili seasoning (especially if venison) until well done. Drain. Add with rest of ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high for four hours, or low for six to eight. Serve with sour cream and Tillamook Mexican 4 Cheese Blend.


Another fun fall recipe is my favorite easy "healthy" pumpkin muffins. Easy, because no measuring. Healthy, because they're much lower in carbs and sugars than regular muffins but just as delicious!

Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins

1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1 box of Pillsbury sugar free yellow cake mix
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but I mean, come on)

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Grease muffin tin. Bake in regular muffin tin for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes roughly 16 muffins.

And if you're looking for something not so healthy, but oh so delicious, my friend Kim shared an easy "semi-homemade" pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that was easy and fun to make! I honestly felt so accomplished after rolling these up and baking them successfully. And they made the house smell too good!

Semi-Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

3 packages of crescent rolls (4 rolls per container)
1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice

Lay dough on lightly floured surface, pinching together the seams. Mix pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Spread with half of the pumpkin mixture, and sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Tightly roll lengthwise, and slice into 2 inch sections. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
4 tablespoons of melted butter

Mix ingredients thoroughly with mixer. Add milk by the tablespoon if you desire a thinner, more glaze-like texture. Ice cinnamon rolls quickly after removing from the oven while still warm.

There is enough frosting and pumpkin puree mix to save and make a second batch for your neighbors or next weekend!

Share your favorite recipes in the comments so I can try something new this weekend!

Southern Style Deviled Eggs

As I'm getting ready for our first family dinner in our new home tonight, I realized that I needed just one more dish to round out my dinner menu of one dish pork tenderloin, cheesy spinach, and yeast rolls. So I whipped up my tried and true, and often requested, delicious deviled eggs.

So easy, and so yummy, I wanted to share with you ahead of Easter and a spring season of get togethers! To start, fill a pot of with however many eggs you desire, covering the eggs with cold water. Be sure to sprinkle a little salt in the pot before bringing the water to a rolling boil on the stove. Once the eggs start bouncing around in the boil, remove them from the heat and cover for at least ten minutes. Then, submerge the eggs in an ice bath until they're nice and chilled.

Once the eggs cool, slice them in half, setting aside the whites and putting the yolk in a mixing bowl. Now here comes the really technical part: mix together a two large spoonfuls of mayonnaise {only Blue Plate or Duke's will do!}, a fork-full of sweet relish, a generous squirt of mustard, and a large dash of salt and pepper.

Mix together on high with a hand mixer until smooth, and a beautiful, pastel yellow. Be sure to taste test... I like mine a little more "mustard-y" and yellow than some folks. Fill a sandwich bag with the mix like a piping bag, trim the tip, and fill the hard boiled egg white with swirls of golden filling. I like to top mine of with a generous sprinkle of paprika, and occasionally half of a green olive!

I use this same "recipe" to make egg salad, except I chop up the whites and include in the mix. Then I like to toast some whole wheat bread to complete the sandwich. What a steal...two recipes in one blog post!

January Recipe Review

How is it already the end of January?!

I really didn't set any New Year Resolutions this year because I knew we'd have a lot going on the first few months of 2017. And while I didn't succeed in keeping up my goal of trying new Pinterest recipes every month of my newlywed year, I have had a few wins and added some new favorites to my recipe box.

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January saw us trying out two new healthy recipes that I found on Pinterest: Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice and One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies. 

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Cauliflower rice has become such a "thing" lately, but making it at home always seemed like such a mess. Now there are tons of flavors and varieties of it at the grocery store in the freezer aisle. I used this recipe, but made it easier by using the frozen cauliflower rice {unflavored} and a frozen bag of mixed vegetables. To add a little kick {you know we like it spicy in our house} I cooked the thawed, deveined shrimp in olive oil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. This was a super yummy, super quick meal that made a lot!

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I made this deliciousness in my wok one night, and let me tell you, it almost smelled like pizza. Not sure why, maybe it was the Italian seasonings, but it was so good. I left out the potatoes to make it lower in carbs, and just added whatever similar seasonings I had in my pantry {red pepper flakes for the win, again!}. I'm really not a fan of turkey anything, but this turkey sausage was really delicious! I'd definitely add more broccoli the next time around; it soaked up all the flavors and were the best bites of the bunch. This dish packs well for lunches throughout the week, and is so perfect with a sprinkle of parmesan on top! 

November Recipe Review | Thanksgiving Favorites

I think I broke my newlywed resolution last month. I can't remember cooking a single new recipe! We were just so busy all month that the nights we cooked, it was just easy favorites.

This past weekend when I was home overnight, my grandmother cooked Thanksgiving for us so I thought I'd share a couple of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes! I'll be cooking the mac & cheese for Christopher's family's Thanksgiving next week like I did last year, and it was a big crowd pleaser along with the yummy green bean casserole.

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 I  love green bean casserole. I love green beans, but I especially LOVE the french fried onions. The hubs thinks it's super gross, but I'll snack on them straight from the bag while making this dish, so I always buy the extra large bag. I usually follow the recipe straight on the back of the bag, but if it ever calls for soy sauce, I substitute it for Worcestershire instead, and add an extra pinch of black pepper. I also like to mix this dish up ahead of time to give it plenty of time to soak up all the flavors in the fridge prior to baking.

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 Our family is a marshmallow and crunchy topping kind of family. We want our diagonal rows of flavors so we can get a mix of both toppings in each bite. Just marshmallows, and your sweet potato casserole is too mushy. Just crunchy topping, and you're left missing the sticky goodness of the mallows. You shouldn't have to choose on Thanksgiving!! But we have come to one decision: no nuts, please!

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This is by far the absolute best macaroni and cheese recipe I've ever had, but what else do you expect when it comes from Paula Deen? Creamy in the middle with a crunchy top {we like our crunchy/creamy mix, okay?!} if you bake it in the oven, but this recipe also works in the crock pot, which is what I do for the large crowd at Christopher's family gathering. Also, don't skip on the dry mustard and black pepper. It really makes this dish a savory one to remember. 

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No meal at my grandmother's would be complete without her chocolate pie. An easy but so delicious recipe, I like including this on my holiday recipe list because it can be made the day before, and "iced" with Cool Whip right before serving. I think it's my favorite because it kind of is a s'mores pie, which is one of my favorite desserts.

I hope these recipes might make your holiday meal planning a little bit easier. They're definitely tried and true, and I'm incredibly thankful for each one of you!

September Recipe Review

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This month consisted of a bunch of really yummy and really easy meals, which I love. My favorite by far, which I plan on making on the reg now, was this one dish garlic & herb pork tenderloin by The Seasoned Mom. The best part, besides the one dish deliciousness, is that there is almost zero prep with the pre-marinated pork tenderloin. It's also a really quick 30 minute meal, so great for after work.  On our potatoes and carrots, we used our favorite seasoning, Charlie's Choice {the spicy one of course!}. Charlie's Choice was actually a part of a wedding gift, and it truly changed our kitchen. I use it on everything, but especially potatoes. It's become my go-to for seasoning salmon as well! 

Charlie's Choice

To go with our easy dish, I whipped up some creamy cheesy spinach that was a recipe from my friend Kim at one of my bridal showers! I honestly wish I had made more, and it was the perfect rich, green, compliment to our dish. The meal as a whole also saved really well, and was what I craved every day for lunch for days after which is rare for me as I can't really deal with leftovers. 

Creamy Cheesy Spinach by The Reese Family 

After a month of really great work news for CJM, I wanted to celebrate, and thought scallops for dinner one Friday night would be just the way to do that! I purchased some frozen scallops from our local meat market, thawed them, and then cooked them following this recipe I found on Pinterest. Amazing! I added red pepper flakes to the mix, and it was soooooo good. We ate all of the scallops that night!

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With the scallops we had roasted asparagus, tossed with Charlie's Choice again, and baked parmesan sweet potatoes. These were yummy, and made a lot which packed well with some grilled chicken for lunches during the week.  

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Who's excited for October tomorrow? I am!! It's birthday month, and I'll be turning 25. Goodness...I remember when 25 felt so old, and I still remember 16 entirely too well!

August Recipe Review

August has felt super busy for me. The hubs, affectionately known as CJM in my phone and now here on the blog, has/is taking all three of his tests for the Georgia Board of Pharmacy this month. I've been out of town for work one weekend, another to visit my family, and just overall really work focused. Needless to say, my recipe adventures this month have slacked a bit. I've been craving comfort foods {think pork chops + black-eyed peas + sauteed spinach, or meatloaf + green bean casserole} and less adventurous.

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My most exciting attempt came early in August with this wonderful, most amazing, bright and zingy Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Shrimp and Rice bowl. You're going to want to add this to your regular rotation. It is DELICIOUS! Easily the best thing I've cooked thus far in the marriage. I loved the large amounts of garlic and lime that brought this dish to life. I used just regular long-grain rice, not Jasmine, and it was perfection. Otherwise: don't change a thing. It's absolute perfection.

Switching gears from a perfect recipe, to one that is open to interpretation: one Saturday after shopping at the local Farmer's Market, we came home and made low carb pizzas using a low carb tortilla. I saw this inspiration on one of my favorite blogger Erin's Snapchat one day, and thought that might fulfill that pizza craving we get when trying to eat healthy. I loved it. We made four pizzas, two regular and two "white," with the low carb/high fiber tortillas from the grocery store. A jar of pizza sauce plus pepperonis and lots of cheese for the regular, and a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, spinach, olive oil, grape tomatoes, and grated parmesan for the other. Bake in the oven on 425 for 5-7 minutes until it gets bubbly in the middle. The crust is really crispy, and the flavors taste just like take out. Hits the spot!  

Be sure to check out my Lemon Oreo Truffle recipe from earlier this week here!

July Recipe Review

Almost three months of marriage down, and three new recipes in the books! This month we cooked a lot more at home than we usually do. It's great for the budget, and because I also need the practice. Christopher doesn't get home until after 7 or later each night, which is great because I usually like to eat later anyways. I'm practicing my wife skills and aiming to have dinner done when he walks through the door each evening...at least most nights of the week. We definitely eat out a lot more on the weekends, but have been cooking at home most of the four nights he works each week.

This month we tried three new Pinterest recipes: Low Carb Crab Cakes, Caprese Stuffed Portobellos, and Keto Egg Roll in a Boll. Christopher was really the cooker of the crab cakes, and they were so delicious I asked him to make them again this week! We used this recipe as a guide for our mixture. One cup of crab really wasn't going to do it for us, so we used the canned crab I talked about last month instead. This is a whole pound of crab meat, and I don't know about you, but I like a lot of crab cakes! We also skipped the coconut flour/oil totally, and just added another egg to the mixture to make the whole thing lower in carbs. These delicious crab cakes  topped with Braswell's remoulade sauce from the grocery store. I love using Braswell's products because they're made here in town!

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I made these caprese stuffed portobellos last Tuesday, followed the directions to a T, and loved them! We ate them with turkey meatballs in a garlicky pasta sauce that really completed our Italian themed dish. This will be another make again meal.

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The Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl was an adventure. If you're not familiar with the Keto Diet, it's basically super low carb and really high fat. I was first introduced to it during my brother's battle with epilepsy a few years ago as an alternative to medication. For him, following the diet strictly and eating less than 15 {if not fewer} carbohydrates a day in addition to high levels of fat intake, kept his seizures at bay. He's now seizure free for 2+ years!

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The Keto Diet can also be helpful if you're familiar with the Atkins diet, but have experienced a plateau. When I saw this recipe, I thought the flavors would hit those late night Chinese cravings on the head while being a lot healthier. Unfortunately, a mistake I made caused this to be a miss that I'm willing to try again. While working through the recipe {by the way, just purchase a bag of pre-shredded cabbage to make this a lot easier!}, I used mistakenly used coconut oil instead of sesame or basically any other type of oil. As much as I've tried, I just don't love coconut oil, and the amount in this dish really over powered us. Overall the idea of the dish was delicious, and I'm planning on trying it again with a different oil soon. It really did taste just like an egg roll sans wrapper, all coconut aside!

What new recipes should we attempt in August?