Author: Megan

Hello and happy officially Fall!

Are you feeling the change in the air?  Some of you are probably thinking ‘yeah right’ while others are slowing seeing the leaves starting to turn.  At any rate, Fall is finally here and boy am I ready for sweater, scarves, boots, and jacket-kind-of-weather.  I saw a fall sign the other day that said ‘Pumpkin Spice Season is Here’ yes please!!!

For whatever reason, this fall I feel like I’m in a decorating funk.  Nothing I’ve seen seems to jump out at me.  Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love the décor and decorations I currently have but I’m looking for something…anything that can change with each season that isn’t necessarily season specific.  Enter Rod Works

This is such a charming and unique store with products you won’t see in any other home décor stores. From seasonal decorations to beautiful décor this store has everything you need in one stop. When shopping online at Rod Works you have several options to choose from; from shopping by category, collections, rooms, seasonal, featured favorites and a specific tab where everything is under $30!  This last option is a time saver and is so convenient! They have eliminated the countless minutes searching through each page because you already know these items are all under $30!

I’ve been on the lookout for candle holders preferably in a set of 3 and like I mentioned above each store I went to or checked out online never had the exact style or color I had in mind; the ones I happened to see would be either too big and heavy or way over-priced. I was on the hunt for candle holders that had a distressed finish with a vintage chic flare.  Well friends, I was beyond pleased when I saw a set of 3 candle holders online at Rod Works that matched my exact description and to top it off, they were under $30!!

I received the candle holders within 6 days carefully packed in bubble wrap secure and safely delivered.  The online picture and the candle holders I had in my hand were in fact exactly the same.  You know when you buy something you see online and know what it is “supposed” to look like and what you end up getting is slightly off or entirely wrong…yeah not with Rod Works.  What I saw online and what I was physically holding was exactly the same. 

When I can find a versatile piece that can easily transition into each season seamlessly you know you have a timeless piece. I am very pleased with the quality as well as the amazing customer service there is absolutely no question I will be back.   If you are looking for home décor and you’re looking for something truly charming and unique that won’t break the bank you have to check them out!

Happy Fall!

XOXO,

Megan

*Rod Works Sponsored Brand Ambassador

Have you ever been in a cooking rut? I mean you just don’t know what to make or nothing sounds good enough to eat? Then we’re all in good company because I think we’ve all been there a time or two! When I get into these funks I naturally turn to old favorite recipes and if that doesn’t sound good, I go straight to Pinterest for inspiration.

I tend to not follow recipes. It’s not something I wouldn’t suggest but it’s something I have always done thanks in part to my grandmother who NEVER followed a recipe. She would often make meals with ingredients she already had (hint, so do I) or from something she ate and she would go home and replicate it, usually making it WAY better than it was in the restaurant.

This recipe can be made a couple of different ways but again it comes down to convenience and ingredients I already had in my pantry and freezer.

I had organic chicken breasts in the freezer, and a bag of cauliflower rice…and so it began!

I took the chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw. About an hour before I was going to have dinner ready, I started to dice yellow onion, green onion, garlic, red peppers, and fresh cilantro to set aside for later.

I transferred the thawed chicken into a plastic Ziplock bag to make my clean up easier by not having to disinfect a pan used just to season the chicken. Then I added the ingredients for the marinade which included: paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and a ¼ cup of olive oil.

With the chicken marinade in the Ziplock bag, rub the seasoning on the chicken to make sure both sides of the breasts are coated. Then set aside for about 20 minutes, allowing the marinade to do its’ job. Seasonings are fantastic because they (generally) only enhance the flavor of the meat you are about to cook. On a side note, if you allow the chicken to marinade longer that is perfectly fine too.  In fact the longer it marinades the better!

So now you have your chicken is seasoned and the vegetables diced and ready to go; all you need are two pans; one to cook the cauliflower rice and vegetables, and another to cook the chicken. This is the part where I would have probably grilled the chicken or volunteered my husband to man the grill; but honestly, it was 94 degrees out with a heat index that was off the charts hot and the last thing anyone wanted to be doing was to be grilling. So, I opted to cook the chicken on the stove.

In the one pan add your cooking oil, or in this case I just used water to sauté the vegetables along with the cauliflower rice. As this is sautéing, start to heat the other pan to cook the chicken. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked you can add the chicken to the vegetables and cauliflower rice.

Once everything is cooked and done, squeeze fresh limes over the cauliflower rice and chicken and add fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve and Enjoy!

XO,

Megan

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts
• 1-2 red bell peppers
• 3-4 green onions
• 1 medium onion (yellow or red)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 cups cauliflower rice
• 2 fresh limes
• 2-3 tsp. olive oil
• ½ cup cilantro
• 1tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp paprika (smoked would be great)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 avocado (optional)

Directions:

1. In a sealed bag add olive oil, paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder and salt and pepper then add your raw chicken in the bag and allow the seasoning to evenly coat the chicken.  This can also be done 30 minutes to an hour ahead of cooking to marinate the chicken longer.
2. In one pan add water, vegetable broth or olive oil turn on the stove to low and add diced yellow onion, and garlic
3. Then add diced red pepper
4. Add cauliflower rice and salt and pepper and blend.
5. In another pan add your seasoned chicken breasts and cook until done.
6. Finally combine the chicken with the cauliflower.
7. Squeeze a fresh lime over everything.
8. Garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Hello Sweet Friends,

Making dinner these days had been hit or miss. I’m lucky I have a chance to eat, let a lone be able to make the food I was making and blogging on before I had my sweet baby girl.

Now that little miss is 5 months old and I’m learning her patterns just long enough before they change again I am finding small windows of time to plan what I want to make and execute my dinner plan…for the most part!

I love anything and everything with fruits and vegetables and with the amazing fresh produce summer has to offer I am slicing and dicing my way into making new healthy and easy recipes. I am planning on sharing as many as I can with you all.

My ‘Sautéed Zucchini and Mushroom in Tomato Sauce over Red Lentil Pasta’ happened when I wasn’t even planning on it, but rather it happened out of necessity as I was cleaning out my refrigerator and needed to use up vegetables and a jar of tomato sauce before they all went bad. Honestly, it’s in my opinion these ‘throw together’ type of  recipes that tend to be fan favorites.

You can add as many fresh ingredients as you like which is a recipe and a dinner I absolutely love. Healthy. Convenient. & Delicious. Yes, PLEASE!  I made this version without meat but I can easily add ground beef to make a meat sauce with vegetables, or add grilled chicken or shrimp and make it a bit hardier.

In a large pan, I added my diced garlic and onion, on low heat, I added a bit of vegetable broth to prevent any burning. As this was sautéing I sliced my pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Once the onion and garlic were fairly translucent I added in my peppers and allowed them to cook down for a few minutes before adding my zucchini, and finally mushrooms. While the vegetables were cooking I did add a bit more vegetable broth.  You can also add olive oil or simply add a splash of water just as long as you add enough liquid to prevent any burning.

Once the vegetables appeared to look partially cooked I added in the tomato sauce and turned the heat down to low.

In a separate pot, I brought my water to a boil and added my favorite pasta and cooked.  Since this is about convenience I used Rao’s tomato sauce because it tastes like it’s literally made from scratch.  This sauce tastes like my grandmother’s homemade sauce without taking hours to make. I very rarely if ever taste something that tastes like it’s homemade and this goes for any type of food, sauce, dip you name it.  But this sauce, this sauce is-the-real-deal.  Often times I do make my own homemade sauce but I didn’t have hours of time to make it and let it simmer. And now with a little babe, who has 3-4 extra hours to spare?  Time is limited and when a company like Rao’s sauce tastes this good…I mean why not?  Right?  In my recipe, I used red lentil pasta but any pasta will do and really it comes down to your personal preference.

I added the pasta to the vegetables and tomato sauce but normally, I just pour the sauce over my pasta. For your final touch you can add any additional herbs like parsley, basil, and oregano and dinner is served!!  I hope you enjoy this quick and easy dinner. =)

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Megan

Ingredients:

• 1-2 zucchini
• 1 container of mushrooms
• 1 pepper (orange or yellow)
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1-1/2 cup tomato sauce (Rao’s)
• 1 box pasta of choice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oregano, Parsley, Basil to taste fresh or dried

Directions:

1. In a large pan add a ¼ cup of vegetable broth and diced onions and garlic and cook until translucent
2. Add diced pepper and cook until tender
3. Add sliced zucchini and mushrooms and cook until slightly cooked making sure not to overcook.
4. Add your sauce and combine until all the vegetables are coated
5. In a sperate pot boil water to cook pasta
6. Either combine pasta in the large pan with the vegetables and Sauce or add the sauce on the cooked pasta