Four-Ingredient Loaded Potato Soup [Freezer Friendly]

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I could eat soup all year round. Anyone else with me? It can be simple and semi-homemade or it can be a complete from scratch recipe. It doesn't really matter to me, just give me the soup.

One reason why I enjoy soup year round is because soup is usually really freezer friendly. That means I can freeze smaller portions of the soup and enjoy them at my leisure, or when I am running short on time to make dinner.

But let's get back to the ease of soup. Unless you are trying to copy a recipe, a good soup only requires whatever ingredients you have on hand - chicken stock, vegetable stock, carrots, onions, noodles, rice, potatoes, cheese, bacon or anything you can imagine will make a delicious soup.

Click to tweet: Try this 4-ingredient loaded potato soup.

A soup that always does well in my house is my four-ingredient loaded potato soup. There are two reasons why I love this soup. It can be made with any of your favorite Hungry Jack Hashbrowns (like the new black pepper and onion flavor) and it does extremely well in the freezer. I typically make a large batch and fill muffin tins with the soup. Then place it in the freezer overnight and you have yourself individual pucks of soup that can be thawed whenever hunger strikes.

Loaded Potato Soup

Recipe by a traveling Wife

Ingredients

• 4 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 package Hungry Jack Cheesy Hashbrowns
• *optional: garnish with green onions and pancetta

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare Hungry Jack Hashbrowns as directed on packaging.
2. In a large cooking pot, bring chicken stock and cream of chicken soup to a low boil.
3. Cube cream cheese and mix into stock mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined (5-10 minutes).
4. Add prepared Hungry Jack Hashbrowns.
5. *Optional: serve with cooked pancetta and green onions.
6. Enjoy!

If you want to give this soup a try, you can use Hungry Jack's store locator to find your favorite flavor.

Pin for later:

What's your favorite soup?

Have you ever froze soup to make busy nights easier?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Mulligatawny Soup [Whole30 and Paleo Friendly]

Mulligatawny Soup is an English soup after an Indian recipe that is filled with curry spices and nutmeg. This particular recipe is Whole30 and Paleo friendly, and absolutely delicious.
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My love for Indian food started when I was looking for something spicy while living in Indiana. Prior to living in Indiana, we lived in California and authentic Mexican cuisine was on every street corner. I built up a pretty nice tolerance to heat and craved it on the regular. Driving down the street to our favorite Mexican restaurant, I was able to satisfy those spicy cravings.


When we made our move to the Midwest, their Mexican cuisine had me kind of disappointed. There was barely any spice to the food and it needed to be doused with Tapatio hot sauce. This had me thinking, why not try out some Indian restaurants to see if they can create something spicy enough for me. They sure did and I learned to even recreate similar dishes at home.

Click to tweet: Curry spice, nutmeg, and a sweet surprise fill this Mulligatawny Soup.

While watching The Pioneer Woman a few weeks ago, I discovered Mulligatawny Soup. Personally, I love to just say the name and had no idea what the ingredients even were. Then I found out there was an apple in the soup. Apple in the soup?! This definitely peaked my interest.

She threw in only a handful of simple ingredients, such as butter, flour, chicken, curry, and sugar, but knew I could make this Whole30 and Paleo friendly for all you folks living that lifestyle. So warm your soul with this delicious soup that is filled with warming spices and some very fun ingredients.

Mulligatawny Soup [Whole30 and Paleo Friendly]

Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1-2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 inch Fresh Ginger
• 1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced
• 1 Medium Carrot, diced
• 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
• 3 cups Organic Vegetable or Chicken Stock
• 16 ounce Light Coconut Milk (1 whole can)
• 1 Organic Rotisserie Chicken or Chicken Breasts cooked in slow cooker, shredded
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parsley and Nutmeg to garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Over medium-high heat, heat oil in a large stockpot.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and sautee over medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Sautee apple, carrot, and garam masala for 3-5 minutes, until tender.
4. Add chicken or vegetable stock and bring to boil. Once all ingredients have reached a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk and use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth.
6. Spoon soup into a bowl and serve with shredded chicken, parsley and nutmeg.
7. Enjoy!

Click to tweet: Whole30 & Paleo friendly Mulligatawny blended soup.

Love this soup? Be sure to Pin this for later below!

What is your favorite type of soup? Have you ever tried Mulligatawny Soup?

Tell me below if you are ready for Spring, because I am!

The Ultimate Spicy Turkey Breast Waffle Sandwich

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Sandwiches are a classic, am I right? They can be tailored to satisfy anyone including the pickiest of eaters. I could go on and on about all the different ways to make a sandwich but that would definitely bore you to death. Let me go over two of the most important parts of a sandwich - the protein element and the outer portion that holds the entire sandwich together.

Is a sandwich really worth eating if there is no protein? I say no! I like to stack my sandwiches with all sorts of protein including deli meats, nut butters, or eggs. Now for the outer layers. You can get as creative as you'd like using bread, a wrap, open-face, or even a waffle to create the perfect sandwich. 

So are you ready for the ultimate sandwich recipe? I like to call this The Ultimate Spicy Turkey Breast Waffle Sandwich.

Click to tweet: The Ultimate Spicy Turkey Breast Waffle Sandwich.

The first type of protein I used was Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast because there are no artificial preservatives (the back side of each package lists the ingredients used to preserve quality), no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no gluten and no by-products. And the second type of protein I decided to plop onto this scrumptious sandwich was a fried egg. This means when you bite into the sandwich or cut it in half, the gooey yolk runs throughout the sandwich creating a symphony of flavors in your mouth. But, if you are not in the mood for a turkey sandwich, feel free to try this sandwich with one of the other five flavorful varieties including Slow Roasted Turkey, Applewood Smoked Turkey, Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken, Applewood Smoked Ham and Slow Roasted Roast Beef.

Go grab a friend or your spouse and enjoy one of these sandwiches - they are finger-licking good. And with Oscar Mayer Selects Natural, you don’t need to give up the good stuff to enjoy the quality cold cuts your family deserves.

Click to tweet: Sandwiches with longer names taste better :)

The Ultimate Spicy Turkey Breast Waffle Sandwich

Recipe by a traveling Wife

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 whole Waffle (whichever brand you prefer)
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 4 ounces Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
• 4 slices Tomato
• 2 Eggs, fried
• 2 slices Pepper Jack Cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Cook waffle per directions on package in a waffle iron. Seperate each quarter of the waffle to create the outer portion of your sandwich.
2. Mix mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, and honey together for the sandwich spread. Spread equally onto one side of the four quarters of waffle.
3. Start assembling your sandwich: quarter piece waffle, 2 ounces of Oscar Mayer Selects Natural Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast, 2 tomato slices, 1 fried egg, 1 slice pepper jack cheese, 2nd quarter piece waffle.
4. Cut in half, serve alongside fruit, and enjoy!

Are you a sandwich fan?

What makes up your perfect sandwich?

*You can learn more about Selects Natural and all the Oscar Mayer products on OscarMayer.com, Facebook at Facebook.com/OscarMayer, Twitter at @OscarMayer and on Tumblr at OscarMayer.Tumblr.com.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice

Whether you are getting ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year or just wanting to branch out of your normal dinner recipes, this Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice will be a winner. The Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice can be topped with any form of protein you choose, or just eaten on its own - it is that good!
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This may come as a surprise to you, but I am not a huge fan of Chinese cuisine. There is just something about the flavors all mixed together that I particularly am not fond of. The sweet and sour flavors don't do it for me and sesame oil makes my stomach churn.

I've tried my fair share of Chinese cuisine in restaurants and even tried to make a few recipes at home. If you have a stellar recipe, please share so I can branch out some more. I can safely say that Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice is one 'Chinese' dish I can get behind. To be honest, I don't even know how authentic this recipe is to traditional Chinese cooking, but let's just roll with it.

Click to tweet: sweet & savory Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice - YUM!

When it comes to fried rice, I have learned that cold rice works best. So if you get a chance to make rice a day in advance that would be ideal. Don't fret if you forget to make the rice ahead of time because you can always lay the rice out on a tray and place in the refrigerator while you make the remainder of the dish. 

Besides using cold rice, this recipe is foolproof. Everything goes into one pan and cooked until heated through then the rice is pan fried. Really, it is that easy! But don't let the simplicity of this dish fool you - it is packed with loads of vibrant flavors. 

Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice

Recipe by a traveling Wife

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup Lite Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 cup Jasmine Rice
• 2 tablespoons Butter for coating pan
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 inch Ginger, minced
• 1 medium Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 cup Pineapple, chopped
• 2 Eggs
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Cashews
• 1/4 cup Green Onions, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat coconut milk, pineapple juice, and water until boiling.
2. Add in rice, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes).
3. Place cooked rice onto baking tray and cool in refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
4. In a large pan, melt about 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat.
5. Add onions and cook until transluscent (2-3 minutes), then stir in garlic and ginger.
6. After about 2 minutes stir in your bell pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes. Then remove everything from the pan and place into a seperate bowl.
7. Returning the pan to medium-high heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter then add pineapple chunks.
8. Cook pineapple until they are brown and warmed through. Remove from pan and place into the seperate bowl with cooked onion mixture.
9. Return the pan to medium-high heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter. Add both eggs to the pan, slowly breaking them up as they cook (scramble eggs). Once eggs are cooked (2-3 minutes), remove from pan and place into the seperate bowl with cooked onion and pineapple mixture.
10. Return the pan to medium-high heat one last time and add 1/2 tablespoon butter. Once butter has melted, add cooked jasmine rice. Allow the rice to get brown and toasted (fried rice) for around 7-10 minutes. When the rice is fried to perfection, add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce and mix well together.
11. Add the cooked onion and pineapple mixture back into the pan along with cashews and green onions. Mix well.
12. Enjoy!

Click to tweet: Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice - it's what's for dinner!

Do you like Chinese cuisine?

Have you ever made fried rice?

Will you be celebrating Chinese New Year?

Fall-Off-The-Bone Pepsi® Ribs

Let these fall-off-the-bone Pepsi® ribs be the MVP at your Game Day celebrations. This shop has been compensated by Albertsons. All opinions are mine alone. #GameDayMVP #Safeway #CollectiveBias

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Food is clearly on my mind recently. We went from sweets during the holidays to glorious platters of snacks for Game Day. But guess what? I am not going to complain one bit. Game Day essentials are very easy to put together. Let me break it down for you. 

Do you have a pen and paper handy? You might want to write this down. 

Ready? 

Go do all your shopping at one store. Yep, it's as simple as that. 

Every Saturday or Sunday I gather my meals for the week and write down the ingredients I will need. Then I run off to Safeway to purchase everything for the week. With Game Day fastly approaching, I needed to add a few additional essentials to my list.

Fun fact, A and I used to run into Safeway around 7 am on either Saturday or Sunday during the summer to grab a freshly made bagel. Then we would head off to the park with the pup and watch the sun rise over the Chesapeake Bay. Take me back to summer, please! Their bakery is absolutely AMAZING!

Okay, back to Game Day food. I added ribs to my list this week to test out a Pepsi® slow cooker recipe. You guys, this should definitely be on your Game Day menu. They are so juicy and practically fall right off the bone. Did I mention that it will only take you 5 minutes to prep? Then it cooks in the slow cooker for 6+ hours, meaning you won't have to be in the kitchen cooking all day. 

Click to tweet: Fall-off-the-bone ribs will be the MVP of your next Game Day party.

Crockpot Pepsi® Recipe

Recipe by Pepsi

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 6 hours, 35 minutes to 9 hours, 5 minutes
Yield: 8-10

Calories per serving: Calories 323.2

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Pork Loin Rib Back
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 cup Pepsi®
• 1 cup Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Spray 4-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Cut ribs into 2 or 3 rib portions and place is slow cooker. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and pour Pepsi® over.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (until ribs are tender, at least 170ºF)
3. Drain and discard liquid from slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce and thyme into crockpot on top of drained ribs and mix so the ribs are coated.
4. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes to 1 hour until ribs are glazed. Serve immediately.

When I was browsing around Safeway's bakery, I found some delicious looking cornbread muffins. If cornbread isn't the perfect side for barbecue ribs, I don't know what is!

Have you ever had ribs made in a slow cooker?
Are you hosting your own Game Day party?
Need more Game Day inspiration? Check out all the deliciousness here. 

*Recipe provided by Pepsi®

Seafood Made Easy: 3-Ingredient Dinner In Under 30 Minutes

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I find cooking to be very relaxing and meditative. When it comes to dinner time, I turn on some music and get to prepping. Chopping the veggies, measuring ingredients, seasoning protein - I get lost in the motions and forget about the day. But not all days allow for hours in the kitchen to cook up some tasty grub. In fact, most days are filled with work, errands, and other items that just NEED to get done. I'm lucky if we eat anything other than leftovers during the week.

Click to tweet: I need to try this 3-ingredient meal, ready in under 30 minutes.

If you can relate with any of this, then I am here to save you with a simple and delicious dinner that you can have ready in under 30 minutes - Garlic Tilapia Pasta. This recipe only requires one fresh veggie, a pantry staple, and Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Tilapia with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which you can keep stocked in your freezer.

Looks good, doesn't it?

Wait, did you say that you don't like cooking fish because of the fishy smell? Lucky for you, Bumble Bee SuperFresh® goes straight from the freezer to oven, so you avoid any smell from thawing. Also with Bumble Bee SuperFresh®, their fish is frozen right after harvesting which means it is fresh tasting and fresh smelling.

Click to tweet: Cooking fish doesn't have to smell fishy.

Bumble Bee SuperFresh® prides themselves with their no mess, no fuss - just pure perfection products. I wanted to stick with this motto and created a 3-ingredient dish that is simple yet satisfying. The Tilapia comes with its own parchment paper baking pouch and I utilized this for both the Tilapia and the zucchini - cooking two items together makes clean up so much easier.

I followed the directions on the back of the packaging for baking and preheated my oven to 400 degrees F. Then I chopped up my zucchini and placed both the Tilapia and zucchini in the baking pouch.

Everything fit all snug inside and I folded the edges in. This was then placed on a baking tray with the folds on the bottom and placed in the oven for 17-20 minutes (note: the packaging states 17 minutes for baking, but I noticed I needed longer with the added ingredients).

While the Tilapia and zucchini were baking, I started boiling a pot of water and cooked my angel hair pasta according to the package. Once the pasta is al dente, I drained the water and tossed with some extra virgin olive oil. This will be the sauce and also help prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.

Now that 20 minutes have passed, it's time to plate the meal. The Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Tilapia is high in protein and is richly seasoned with pure and simple ingredients - ground black pepper, fresh garlic, sea salt and extra olive oil. All the plate needs is a little salt and pepper to taste, because I am a big fan of seasoning each layer, including the finished product. 

3-Ingredient Garlic Tilapia Pasta
original recipe from a traveling Wife
makes 2 servings

Ingredients:
- 9.2 oz package Bumble Bee SuperFresh® Tilapia with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 oz angel hair pasta
- 2 medium zucchinis, chopped
Additionally, you will need extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper

Directions:
- Preheat oven according to Bumble Bee SuperFresh® packaging
- Place Tilapia and zucchini in supplied baking parchment pouch
- Bake according to packaging or 17-20 minutes
- Fill a medium sauce pot with water and bring to boil
- Boil angel hair pasta according to packaging
- Drain water from pasta and toss with extra virgin olive oil
- Plate meal and enjoy!

What is your favorite type of seafood?
Do you like cooking, or do you find it daunting?
Visit the Bumble Bee SuperFresh® website for a coupon so you can try these delicious products for yourself. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Loaded Rice Bowl - Recipe

Well Happy New Years! Remember my post about the 15 reminders for 2015? I shared these in lieu of New Year's Resolution. We all know that resolutions don't last longer than 2 weeks. On my list I wanted to remind myself to consciously take care of my body and to try new foods. Well bam, I knocked both of those out yesterday. 

I made this delicious loaded rice bowl with ALL THE VEGGIES possible. It was super tasty, super refreshing, and looked beautiful. And just because we are friends, I wanted to share the recipe with you. Enjoy!

Loaded Rice Bowl

Ingredients:
1 cup Jasmine Rice
10 spears Asparagus, thinly chopped
2 Radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, thinly chopped
1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 handful Chickpeas
1 handful Slivered Almonds
1 handful Feta Cheese

1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, boil 3/4 cup water then add rice. Cook for 10 minutes covered then add the asparagus. Cover and let rice cook completely (roughly another 10 minutes).

Mix Lemon Juice, EVOO, Herbes, Salt and Pepper together in a separate bowl. Pour onto rice once it is cooked. Mix in all other toppings - serve and enjoy!

April Week Two Meals [plus recipe]

I really have my entire week screwed up. You and my posts can just chill out. 

No, today is not Tuesday but my weekly meals are going to be posted today. Sorry.

Tuesday I had the delicious grilled cheese sandwich with granny smith apples and bacon that A made for me. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo because I was sick.

The remaining meals are as follows.

You can find In-n-Out burger's secret sauce recipe here.

Spanish Rice recipe below.

Have you made any special meals this week that I should try?

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Spanish Rice Recipe

adapted from About.com Easy Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

- olive oil

- 1/4 medium spanish onion, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 and 1/2 cup white rice

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 8 ounces plain tomato sauce

- 1 Tablespoon spicy salsa *optional

Directions:

- Over medium heat, place olive oil and onion in medium sauce pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.

- Add minced garlic to pan and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

- Once onion has cooked down a bit, add green bell pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
- Toast rice in sauce pan for about 2 minutes.

- Add 1 cup chicken broth and 4 ounces tomato sauce, stirring to incorporate.

- Add remainder chicken broth, tomato sauce and optional salsa, stirring to incorporate.

- Bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and allow 20 minutes to cook.

- Remove lid and fluff rice with fork.

- Serve and enjoy!