Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

This oatmeal is sweetened with honey and who doesn't want a little hint of cheesecake in the morning?!

I have always loved oatmeal but I go through spurts where it's all I want for breakfast and snack...every single day. When I was in the hospital after having my third child, I was given plain oatmeal for breakfast one morning with no sugar packets or anything. I was also given strawberry yogurt, so I decided to mix the two together and see what happened and it was SO good. Maybe it was because I was starving, but it quickly became my go-to meal. I got oatmeal-ed out eventually and took some time off eating it. When I started back up, I tried to find some new recipes to try and out and this is one of my top favorites. There is honey for a little sweetness and cinnamon too. The cream cheese is sweetened and is the perfect combination and definitely gives it that cheesecake flavor. It's just a few more steps than making regular oatmeal via the package instructions and really really makes all the difference.

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

These slow cooker meatballs taste like the best salisbury steak ever - no tv dinner salisbury here!

I don't make a lot of salisbury steak because I was basically traumatized by the school lunch salisbury steak and the tv dinner salisbury steak. Neither are good. Neither are even the least bit palatable. I have made homemade salisbury steak and really enjoyed it, so I was happy to try a version of it as meatballs. I grew up eating a lot of dishes with meatballs. I loved when my mom made scalloped potatoes with meatballs instead of ham. This recipe had me expecting very similar vibes to that and I was right. I love the gravy and onion bits with the meatballs

Menu Plan Monday - August 26, 2019

Where did August go? 2019 is flying by!  This week has some really easy recipes and a few labor intensive ones. We're closing out the week by celebrating my brother-in-law's birthday and he wanted to grill out :) We're also trying to work in a few dine-out nights into the monthly meal plan because we want to try new things. Our city has so many eateries and diversity among eateries too, so we are trying to get out occasionally to try new foods. This week, we aren't having something new, but I don't like making wings, so we are getting Wingstop haha

Monday - Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Pasta
Tuesday - 20-Minute Taco Salad
Wednesday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // One Pot White Chicken Lasagna Soup
Thursday - Japanese Steakhouse Hibachi Copycat
Friday - Dining Out: Wing Stop
Weekend -  Sourdough Monkey Bread // Steak, Asparagus, Corn, Baked Potatoes // Butterfinger Cheesecake

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Homemade Blueberry Lemon Danishes

These homemade danishes use Bisquick mix and have a delicious filling, crumble, and glaze!

I have seen a lot of easy recipes for danishes utilizing refrigerated crescent rolls but when I wanted to try something a little different, I was drawn to this recipe from Inside BruCrew Life. This recipe uses Bisquick to make the base of the danishes and they are so lovely. The base is the perfect amount of soft and crunch. I love the crumble and the glaze. But really it is the combination of blueberry and lemon that really makes these little breakfast pastries so wonderful.

Mediterranean Meatball Gyro Sandwiches #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

This month's Fantastical Food Fight theme is 30-MINUTE MEALS. I tasked my blogging friends to share a fabulous dinner recipe that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less, so that all those parents out there with back-to-school in full swing (or about to be) are prepared with lots of quick recipes for those busy school nights.

My choice was easy peasy because I had already made it a handful of times and hadn't gotten around to blogging it quite yet. These Mediterranean meatball gyro sandwiches are perfect for a quick meal and they are so packed with the best foods ever. The meatballs are pretty standard meatballs with a little bit of cumin added. The tomato and cucumber salsa is to die for. I just love it. And honestly, tzatiki sauce might just be the new pesto for me. I have been craving it like crazy. This particular one contains a little grated cucumber. All of this is served on flatbread (we chose naan). It's classic Mediterranean flavors in a super easy recipe that will definitely be ready in under 30 minutes. I balance it out by making the meatballs first and then while they cook, I make the salsa and sauce.

Menu Plan Monday - August 19, 2019

I'm not sure what happened with my plans, but I really like that this one is probably the week that has the most "bold" flavors and the most variation too. Again, not too many new recipes, but I am super looking forward to weekend breakfast because I haven't had SOS since I was in elementary school.

Monday - Kicked Up Sausage Alfredo
Tuesday - Pepper Jack Smothered Chicken
Wednesday - Easy Cream Cheese Danish // Swedish Meatball Soup
Thursday - Caramelized Cashew Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
Friday - Crunch Burgers
Weekend - Creamed Chipped Beef // Bacon Chicken Alfredo Roll Ups // Triple Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Foil Pack Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken

Taco Tuesday in a foil pack in the oven - this salsa verde chicken is mouthwateringly delicious!

I tried quite a few foil packet recipes last summer because I really love Hobo Dinner and make it frequently and wanted to expand our horizons. This chicken recipe is probably my absolute favorite chicken foil pack recipe I have made so far. I am basically game for anything with rice, black beans, corn, cilantro, and lime at this point.

Birthday Cake Macarons

These beautiful little cookies are the best way to celebrate a birthday or any day!

In July 2018, I attempted macarons for the first time ever. I had brushed them off as being one of those silly fad foods. But I feel in love when I bought a pack at Kroger because I received a coupon for them. I had this video on repeat while I made these macarons to ensure I was doing every step correctly because I was very nervous.

They aren't the most perfect macarons - the bottoms are a little brown, but honestly I am so proud of myself for sticking with it and having them come out semi-successfully. I am actually gearing up to make another macaron recipe this weekend, so I'm trying to remember that I made these. They were FANTASTIC. They were crunchy, chewy, and addictive as all get out. I wasn't at all sad that there were a few ugly ones that didn't get filled and a few pretty ones may have also not gotten filled because I ate them too!

Menu Plan Monday - August 12, 2019

I'm pretty nervous because this week I will be attempting to make macarons again. I did it successfully my first time, so I'm pretty sure I can do it again. Pretty sure. :) Otherwise, we're eating lots of old favorites and two new dinner recipes (Thurs and weekend).

Monday - Slow Cooker Chicken & Spinach Pasta
Tuesday - Mexican Pizza Copycat
Wednesday - S'mores Baked Donuts // Tomato Basil Soup
Thursday - Upgraded Instant Ramen
Friday - French Bread Pizzas
Weekend - Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins // Easy Shepherd's Pie // Cookie Dough Macarons

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Herbed Pork Chops

These pork chops are juicy and full of fresh herb flavors!

I very rarely make different dinners for family members, however, that was the case when I made tuna steaks because 1) they were really expensive and 2) I wasn't sure how safe it was for the kids to eat. So when I made tuna steaks for Nick and I, the kids had pork chops in the same style as the tuna (except cooked fully instead of medium). We did let the kids try a bite of the tuna but both of them said the pork chops were the best pork chops they had ever had. So when we went to have pork chops again for dinner, I chose to make them the same way and get pictures.

Budget Egg Roll Rice Bowls

All the great taste of egg rolls without all the rolling and frying mess!

I'm all about making egg rolls without the egg roll wrapper and the not having to fry them part. That's definitely right up my alley. Same flavors, way less work. I really enjoyed that this one also had a shortcut of using coleslaw mix instead of having to chop up carrots and cabbage. I have to say that I also really like Jasmine rice, but you could use any rice that you want really. Hope you all try this and like it as much as I did!

Menu Plan Monday - August 5, 2019

More and more lately we have been eating recipes that I have posted on the blog. My main dish board on Pinterest is heavily pasta-based now and I try to limit pasta to once or twice a week (although apparently this week we're doing it 3 times). We're having some of my most favorite recipes this week and I'm going to be attempting to make a copycat ice cream recipe using a recipe from another blogger for a base. If you have a Kroger (or Kroger affiliated store), try their Unicorn Swirl ice cream. IT'S AMAZING!!

Monday - Pizza Pasta Casserole
Tuesday - Ree's Burrito Bowls
Wednesday - PB&J Muffins // Skyline Chili
Thursday - Cheesy Tuna Casserole
Friday - Copycat McDonald's Burgers
Weekend - Blueberry Pancakes // Chicken Bruschetta // No Churn Funfetti Cake Batter Golden Oreo Ice Cream

What are you having for dinner this week?
Feel free to leave a link to the recipe in the comments!

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Pesto Spaghetti Carbonara

A classic carbonara with an added burst of flavor from pesto

It was bound to happen and today I get to share one of my favorite recipes ever: pesto carbonara. Fun fact: I tried to make this with zoodles at the same time for Nick. It did not work. I think there is too much moisture in zoodles to keep enough heat long enough to cook the eggs. It was a sloppy mess. So I don't recommend that...just make it with regular pasta. The bit of pesto is seriously a fantastic addition to carbonara!