Dinner without a million dishes

This past summer I officially left the nest. I moved four hours away from home in a city where I didn't know a single soul. I felt like I finally put on my big girl pants because it was time for me to take some responsibility. I had my very own lovable dog, bills to pay, a small budget to work with, and a ton of school work. One of the things I started working on was cooking. Turns out, I LOVE TO COOK. I was on the phone with my mom during dinner time for the first month, however slowly but surely I started adventuring out on my own.

There is one downfall to living by yourself and cooking dinner: spending at least an hour cooking, at most ten minutes to eat the food, and then almost an hour cleaning the mess up. By the time you set down to eat you are too tired to do anything else, especially clean up the kitchen. With that in mind, I went on the search for something easy to make with little to no mess. 

Here's what I found!

julieseatsandtreats.com

(the link above takes you straight to the recipe)

One night during my finals week I decided to try this recipe out. It seemed fairly easy and I was in need of a good meal and a study break. I went to Kroger to pick up a few things but when I got back to my apartment I realized I had bought spicy ranch dressing seasoning and forgot to pick up potatoes. I think lapse of judgment can be considered a side effect of long hours of studying. Since I had already invited Andrea over for dinner and she was due to come over soon, I made the decision to replace the potatoes with baby carrots and use the spicy ranch dressing seasoning.

Ingredients:

-1/4 melted butter

-can of green beans

- two boneless chicken breasts (diced into fours)

-one packet of spicy ranch dressing seasoning

-sliced onion (optional)

-salt and pepper

Instructions:

-1/3 green beans

-1/3 chicken

-1/3 carrots

-salt and pepper the whole dish

-pour the melted butter evenly over the dish

-sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the dish

-preheat the oven at 350 degrees

-cover the dish with aluminum foil

-leave in the over for about an hour

There was barely any food left by the time we finished eating! Not only was it easy to make but it was also healthy and there was barely a mess. I have recently tried this same recipe with the regular ranch dressing seasoning and I didn't like it as much as the spicy seasoning. Don't be afraid to substitute any of the ingredients, make it your own! It worked for me!

Have limited ingredients and no idea what to cook? Here's a tip: On www.supercook.com you can add what ingredients you have in your kitchen and it will generate recipes for you! I know I can't be the only one who has trouble figuring out what to make sometimes! I probably use this website once or twice a week.

Let us know if you have any questions or share with us your ideas by commenting below!

God Bless Ya!

Hillary

Can I borrow that?

There is no doubt about it, I am beyond happy to be home for the holidays. I enjoy all of the family love and good food. You can't forget about the reason for the season either; as corny as it sounds... HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! But when I come home for the holidays, my mom and sister always tell me how happy they are that I'm home because they get to wear my clothes. How wrong is that? I guess I can't blame them though; my luggage is usually packed with a few new items they haven't seen before. My mom and sister are always so surprised when I tell them where I found my new pieces and how much I spent. This year I decided to add a small condition to borrowing my clothes - they had to let me take a few photos of them wearing the item! The following pictures are their favorites. I have included the brand, store price, what I paid, and the name of the store!

I sure do have a beautiful mom. Everyone tells me all the time the older I get the more I look like her. Well I can tell ya, it is not a bad thing in my opinion.

Wool-Cashmere Blend, Club-Collar Walker Coat

Brand: Ann Klein

Store Price: $179. 98 (Macy's)

What I Paid: $5.99

Store: St. Vincent De Paul - Crescent Springs, KY

I know it might seem like it, but my sister is not a professional model. This is probably one of my favorite finds. It seems to suit her pretty well too! I have never heard of the brand before but the cardigan was made in the USA!

Asymmetrical Fleece Wrap Cardigan

Brand: Bobeau

In Store price: $58.00

What I Paid: $3.50

Store: Goodwill - Bellevue, KY

The secret to thrift shopping: be patient and learn to enjoy digging. All stores have their own way of organizing so it will take some time trying to learn their system. Just about every thrift store has some kind of regular sale going on so make sure to ask an employee. I consider a good find for a really low price great motivation to hunt through the endless lines of clothing. I rarely leave empty handed whenever I go! I challenge you to take a look at a thrift store the next time you visit a big city, you never know what you might find.

Comment on this post for any questions you might have or let us know of some of your great finds!

God Bless Ya!

Hillary