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Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips With Gruyére

November 15, 2017 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Oh Thanksgiving! Or as I like to call it, casserole season!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons. It’s the first of the major family holidays I grew up celebrating. It’s paired with a long holiday weekend. And it’s filled with so many bites {and I love bites}.

I’ve never been a huge turkey eater. But I’m also extremely attached to the way my family did Thanksgiving, especially now that I don’t make the trip back to Florida anymore. So that means, I always cook a turkey. And it also means that I cook very similar sides that are made from real food ingredients. While not everyone in my family is on the healthy eating train, everyone is headstrong about cooking with real butter, real milk, real cheese, and fresh vegetables.

And because, all year long, I’m a fan of sneaking vegetables into ordinary dishes, I created a whole food, sneaky veggie casserole that’ll leave you feeling totally satisfied this casserole season: Scalloped Potatoes & Turnips with Gruyere {scroll down for recipe}.

If you’re new to cooking with turnips, there are a few things you should know. Most importantly, turnips are different than potatoes nutritionally. Turnips contain over three times as much Vitamin C, one third as many calories, and one third as many carbohydrates as white potatoes. Texturally, they aren’t as soft as potatoes, which can be great in certain recipes because they don’t fall apart. And flavor wise, they get a little sweetness when cooked. Ultimately, I don’t recommend completely swapping potatoes for turnips unless you’re a seasoned turnip lover. But I completely recommend swapping portions of potato recipes to increase the spectrum of vitamins you’re consuming as well as lower the calories and carbohydrates of your dish without sacrificing the use of real butter, real milk, and real cheese.

I was able to purchase all of the ingredients for this recipe at the new Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park, which is a huge plus especially during the busy holiday shopping season. I get super frustrated when I have to go to a separate store to find items and it was a huge relief to see that turnips and chives were both available in the Whole Foods Market 365 produce department.

The prices at Whole Foods Market 365 were also noticeably cheaper. I was able to purchase every ingredient for this recipe, and mostly organic products, for $20.80. Had there already been flour in my pantry and milk in my refrigerator, the I would have only spent $15.42, which is quite the steal for a casserole made with quality ingredients.

And lastly, I really loved the feel of the Whole Foods Market 365 store. It was clean and orderly beyond belief. The produce department was top notch. For almost every grocery item I purchased, there was a store brand available. And!! Oh, and this is the best part. The Whole Foods Market 365 store in Cedar Park collaborates with local companies like Juiceland {cold pressed juice to order}, Easy Tiger {freshly baked breads}, and Snap Kitchen {healthy eats to go}. Overall, shopping at this store was as pleasant as it gets. I’ll definitely be making the trip to the Whole Foods Market 365 Cedar Park store {20 minute drive} as often as I can to load up on 365 products.

Easy, Complete Side Dishes

October 23, 2017 by Kristin 4 Comments

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.

I can’t seem to find the time for intricate side dishes lately. Whenever we cook at home, it is pretty much guaranteed that we’ll serve a protein with a sautéed green veggie. Sometimes I’ll go above and beyond with mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash. But I seriously can’t imagine preparing a protein and TWO lovely veggie sides {especially on a weeknight}. Which is why I was so excited to try Alexia’s complete side dishes.

Alexia used to be my go-to brand for dinner rolls {bring them back, please!}. And they’re the only brand of sweet potato fries on my radar. So when I saw they started making complete side dishes that are VERY similar to what I’d make at home, I couldn’t wait to try them!

Other than the flavor profiles being very similar to what I would cook, I appreciate that Alexia products are non-GMO, gluten free, and contain organic dairy ingredients. And, since we try to steer clear of the microwave, I liked that a handful of the complete side dishes have reasonable stovetop cook times. But for those who depend on the microwave, all of the side dishes cook in less than 10 minutes.

The two side dishes that we sampled were the cauliflower risotto with parmesan and sea salt and mashed butternut squash with butter and brown sugar. And, served along side homemade pork tenderloin, they made for quite a special Sunday supper. So special, that we brought everything outside and dined al fresco to celebrate the slow-approaching Texas fall weather.

The mashed butternut squash was the family favorite. I let Haven sample a spoonful before I plated our meal and she couldn’t stop asking “when is it going to be time for squash?”. Even while we were taking pictures, she couldn’t keep her hands off that squash! And I really enjoyed the cauliflower risotto because it’s so creative. There are plenty of frozen cauliflower rice options available, but then you’re left to find and make a recipe on your own. Alexia complete side dishes are just that – complete. And because they’re complete, you can put all your focus into a delicious main dish.

And that brings me to our pork tenderloin! I used this FoodFash recipe for the brined and seared pork tenderloin within this post. And then I sliced the pork and served it on a bed of sautéed onions and mushrooms. And together, with the cauliflower risotto and mashed butternut squash, it made for a delicious veggie-filled meal!

Alexia complete side dishes can be found at Giant Eagle, Kroger, Meijer and other fine grocers. In Austin, I’ve purchased Alexia products at Whole Foods and Central Market.

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Alexia.

Quick, Veggie-Filled Macaroni And Cheese

August 9, 2017 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with compensation from Annie’s . As always, all opinions are my own.

Macaroni and cheese has been at the top of my favorite foods list for as long as I’ve been able to request macaroni and cheese. And even though it was a very long time ago, I’m certain that I fell in love at the time of my very first, cheesy bite.

But because it was a known thing in our house that a meal wasn’t a meal without a green vegetable, veggie-filled macaroni and cheese quickly became a top requested dinner. As an adult not much has changed except for the available brand options for boxed macaroni and cheese. Because Annie’s Homegrown products are made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup, they are the only brand of macaroni and cheese that we keep in our pantry.

I’ve since passed down my love of veggie-filled macaroni and cheese to my boyfriend’s three year old. This dish has been a total life-saver on school nights and plan-packed weekends. I always have a bag of organic green veggies on hand, whether it be in the refrigerator or freezer. And it’s a simple, no-fuss meal that I feel good about feeding the entire family.

We rotate green veggies as well as white cheddar shells, yellow cheddar shells, and traditional elbow noodles to keep things interesting. And we also keep Annie’s Homegrown’s sweet and savory bunny snacks on hand for an on-the-go treat.

Our H-E-B has a giant selection of Annie’s Homegrown products that are ALL buy 2, get 1 free until 8/22/17. The yellow coupon can be found in-store or online here. If you have any questions about H-E-B’s coupon policy, you can find the website information here.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with compensation from Annie’s . As always, all opinions are my own.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Crescent Rolls

October 23, 2016 by Kristin 5 Comments

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means get-togethers and baking galore. And while our social media feeds will be filled mostly with sweet treats and holiday meals, I’ll continue dreaming up savory breakfasts {my favorite!}.

Pillsbury crescent rolls are a convenient {and delicious} way to wrap up your favorite breakfast ingredients. What you’d ordinarily stuff in a breakfast taco or kolache will work wonderfully wrapped in this buttery dough.

When I asked the Instagram world “what are your favorite ingredients to stuff inside a Pillsbury crescent roll?”, I was amazed at many creative responses I received! Jalapeño cream cheese, pepperoni pizza, spinach artichoke dip, cinnamon apples, Nutella, sausage. Every single suggestion sounded oh so delicious!

But the combination that won me over this go around was egg, bacon, green onions, and sharp cheddar. Let me just tell you, this is a glorious way to start a morning! Green onion gives the crescent roll a nice complexity and thick slab bacon adds a crave-able savory smoke. When prepared and heated up the next day, these breakfast crescent rolls are still top notch.

Disclosure: Although Pillsbury sponsored this post and kindly provided the product mentioned above, the opinions in this post are completely my own and based on my experience.