Pinterest: Tried & Loved

Since getting married, we have implemented a new house rule: 1 pinterest recipe a week. It's part of our quest to diversify our pallette, and because Kevin took a peek at Chelle's pinterest board a few months ago and FLIPPED that these goodies had not yet made an appearance in our home.

So far, we've tried something spicy and something sweet, looking to satisfy both of our taste buds!

Something Spicy:

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs *I did not add these, and opted for more sausage
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  

  1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice *I used garlic and olive oil flavored
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pound extralarge shrimp, peeled and deveined
  

  1 3/4 cups long-grain rice *COOKED!!!
• Parsley, optional

1. Combine chicken, sausage, onion, green pepper, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, spice mix, thyme and oregano in a large (5-quart) slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours.
2. Add shrimp and rice; raise heat to high and cook for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

Chelle made the rookie mistake of not cooking the rice first (which this recipe doesnt mention doing at all!), and after an hour and a half in the crockpot with no luck, we were left googling "Can I put a crockpot insert in the oven". About 30 minutes in the oven at 425 finally did the trick and it still turned out amazing! We had our good friends, The Smiths, over for dinner, and everyone loved it! Kevin rated it a 9, citing that he would love it if there were more sausage in it next time. NOTED!

Something Sweet:

Energy Bites

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or any other nuts/seeds/flaxseed/wheat germ/chia seeds)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or any other "chip", dried friut, ect)

1 tsp vanilla (or any other extract of choice)

(We add 1 tsp to Almond extract in addition to the vanilla because we are a household of all things almond!)

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. These will last in the freezer pretty much indefinately! They dont freeze solid, and we love them SUPER cold, so this is our method.

We've ALL seen/pinned/read blogs about these guys, so there was some initial hesitation about joining the bandwagon, but these things--well, they're game-changers my friends. Chelle made these for a food day at work, and barely made it to the front door before Kevin yelled from the shower "HEY! Will you leave me some of those magic balls!?" Yes, Magic balls. This is the term of endearment these little oatmeal bites have been given in our house, and Kevin has been more than happy to inform our entire friend group anyone within a 10 mile radius that he has a new favorite food. And magic balls are it. He's been eating them every day, and although Chelle is excited to try the ENDLESS possibilities for mix-ins, we're a little apprehensive to stray too far from what's quickly become a house favorite.

Some combos we'd love to try:

• sub cookie butter for peanut butter
• add white choco chips and dried cranberries
• make a smores version using crushed graham's and those little marshmallows you put in your hot cocoa