Another week of experimenting in the kitchen. This time it was a bit more than just desserts, I promise.
I’ve been craving comfort food this week, it must be the weather here. It’s been rainy & really cold (minus the one 60 degree sunny day) here in CT. When the weather is crappy like this, I want all the cozy food that’s going to keep me warm. So I got busy in the kitchen, making all the healthy & not so healthy comfort foods my little heart desired.
I’ve also cracked open my cookbook- Skinnytaste Fast and Slow. It’s a great cookbook full of healthy-ish recipes you can make in your crockpot. I honestly love cooking with my crock pot. There’s nothing like throwing everything in there in the morning & having dinner completely done for you later on. This book focuses on healthy ingredients but in a relatable, approachable manner.
Again, I don’t take photos of everything. I think Alex would eventually get sick & tired of me staging a photoshoot every time we ate! If you want to see more of the recipes/food we make throughout the week, follow me on Instagram. I almost always show a little behind the scenes of what I’m making in the kitchen in my Instagram stories.
Here is what we made this week:
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili (from Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow, page 62)- SOOOO good and filling. We are both fans of chili & the flavoring was so spot on! You make your own taco seasoning in this recipe which I always used later on in the week when I made ground turkey tacos! Highly recommend serving this over rice as well.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps (from Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow, page 172)- a really healthy spin on a classic “bar” food. I didn’t have any hot sauce on hand so I improvised with Garlic Parmesan buffalo sauce. So good & felt super healthy eating this in a lettuce wrap!
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares (from What’s Gaby Cooking, page 243)- this dessert is supposed to be super underbaked & VERY sweet. Honestly, wasn’t my favorite. If I make it again, I’m definitely keeping it in the oven longer & cutting the vanilla extract measurement in half & less brown sugar. Recipe only in book, couldn’t find it online to link.
Stovetop Mac & Cheese (from What’s Gaby Cooking’s blog)- SOOOOOO good!! It’s a grown up version of Kraft Mac & Cheese that takes about 20 minutes to make. Super cheesy, creamy….everything you want in a Mac & Cheese. I couldn’t find the fancy cheeses she had in her recipe so I improvised with a variety of cheddar cheeses- still delicious. FOLD IN THE CHEESE (if you don’t get that reference, then we can’t be friends…watch Schitt’s Creek if you don’t get it).
Repeat recipes:
No Knead Bread (from NY Times Cooking)- So easy & can’t get enough. I made it with a bit or cornmeal this time, loved it. I’m going to attempt pretzel bread at some point next week!
Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies (from AnotherTablespoon blog)- ok so probably like the 4th batch of these I made since quarantine. SO good. They’re Alex’s favorite so we always like to keep a batch on hand.
From my blog:
Healthy Homemade Sandwich Bread– if you missed the recipe from earlier this week, here it is again. Really good sandwich bread that mimics Dave’s Killer Bread. I made grilled cheese with it & it was awesome!!
Energy Balls– a great healthy snack when you are craving a sweet treat. I didn’t have pumpkin puree on hand & used almond butter instead of peanut butter. I think these came out better than the original recipe!
I have some ripe bananas so look out for more banana based recipes next week (and of course I will be making some banana bread because I’m a basic bitch).
If you make any of these recipes, don’t forget to post about it on Instagram & tag me!
