Tag Archives: cooking

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

WIAW #8: A Kid’s First Taste of Zevia Soda

04/22/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Zevia has been the only soda in our home for years now. We still treat it like a…..umm, treat and only have it every now. Even though it’s free from all the nasty stuff in regular and artificially sweetened diet sodas, water is obviously the best choice when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.

The fun-loving, extremely generous folks at Zevia have sent our now 17 month old daughter, Avery, a couple of their shirts. She looks adorable (as always) in the shirts, and she loves playing with the cans.

But I never gave her any to drink until just yesterday. She only has breast milk and water right now, so why not a little naturally sweetened soda for something new? I’m not sure if you can tell, but I think she might be ready to try.

I poured some in her sippy cup and proceeded to take an Instagram video of her first sips. Because, that’s what parents do, right? Capture everything and share across all of social media.

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There wasn’t much in there, so she finished that pretty quick and was asking for more.

Guess she likes it. And oh man, she’s had some good burps in the past, but add carbonation and it’s a whole new level of belching from our little girl! #ProudDad

Now, how about a little WIAW action! Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

Head over to Clean Eats Fast Feets to join in on this week’s party!

Breakfast – Homemade Cold Brew Coffee and microwave chocolate bread.

Lunch – Shredded chicken with sweet potato, steamed beets and brussels sprouts along with a couple of green olives.

Dinner – This amazing crock-pot chicken chili I literally made by just throwing in all kinds of herbs and spices we had with black and kidney beans and lots of veggies. My girls loved it and so did I, so that’s a win in my book!

Snack – Sounds weird, but I’ve been enjoying this raw sauerkraut on its own lately and had a few bites of this after dinner. Good tasting and good for the gut!

Have you tried or heard of Zevia Soda? What about your kids?

If not already, would you allow your kids to try a stevia sweetened, junk-free soda like Zevia?

Ever snack on sauerkraut?

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

WIAW #7: Homemade Pizza Crust Fail

04/08/2015 R.C. Liley 10 Comments

I blame the kid. Surely my homemade pizza crust would’ve turned out perfectly without little grabby hands reaching up and pulling the parchment paper as I tried to knead the dough. Or maybe I’m just trying to point the blame on something else other than my lack of pizza crust making skills.

Regardless, my wife graciously ate my thick, non-fluffy wannabe pizza crust creation for dinner and even said she liked it. With a little help from goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and green onions, that is.

She’s a keeper, that’s for sure. Of course, I knew that a long time ago; hence the whole marriage thing. 🙂

Despite my crust making fail, I did make the frittata recipe I never made a reality. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after writing it down and sharing it last week, so a few days later, I made it!

Check out my post with the recipe and step-by-step tutorial if you’d like this in your kitchen. And I know you do! Click here —-> NuttZo Cinnamon Banana Frittata Recipe

All I know, is this will be a multi-repeat creation in our house.

Now, how about a little WIAW action! Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

To join in the fun, head over to The Big Man’s World for this week’s party!

I started the day with an entire French Press of black coffee and a packet of Pyure Sweet Organic Stevia. Great, simple combo that never lets me down!

Meanwhile, Avery turned a NuttZo banana happy face into no face rather quickly.

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After finishing my workout for the day, I downed an un-pictured leftover green protein smoothie I made the night before. It never tastes as good as fresh, but I’m not trying to savor anything post workout anyway.

Lunch was steamed zucchini and mixed veggies with chicken sausage and spaghetti squash with a pat of butter. Veggies + butter = delicious happiness!

On the side was my non-pizza pizza crust smeared with black garlic, avocado, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

I made a large batch of slow-cooker shredded chicken and 2-bean stew for dinner and it did not disappoint!

When you cook every meal for everyone in the house (okay, that’s just my wife and daughter), slow-cookers are a life saver! This gives us meals for a few days. I think it even tastes better after everything has sat overnight to let the flavors marry.

The day ended with a few NuttZo topped NuttZo Banana Frittata wedges.

I enjoy eating them cold, but I’m sure warmed up would still be outstanding. It’s hot enough in Texas now, so cold food just sounds better.

Have you ever made your own pizza crust? Was is a fail or a win?

Do you make everything for your family? Tell me you love the slow-cooker too!

Just want to mention I love NuttZo and you MUST try it at least ~~once~~ forever! Plus, if you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

The Frittata Recipe I Never Made + WIAW #6

04/01/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Isn’t it funny how something with a unique sounding name has most people thinking it’s something hard to make or requires time they don’t have? The frittata being one of them, is really just a crustless quiche. Oops, another uncommon name!

Okay, instead of quiche, how about an open-faced omelette? I mean, c’mon, an omelette you don’t have to try and fold over? Score! The frittata is just that, and it can be as elaborate or simple as you want with 12 different mix-ins, or just a single ingredient.

That’s what I love about them, their versatility. Everything you like on a pizza can be used in a frittata. And, just like pizzas can be savory as you usually see, frittatas can also become a sweet treat for late-night snacking or tasty breakfast. Or hell, why not both?

I have yet to do it, but think taking a ripe banana, slicing it into quarter-inch circles and using them for a sweet frittata with nut butter would be nothing short of spectacular! Plus, I see kids easily asking to have more after devouring what you thought was your breakfast.

Here’s my (not) tried and true recipe for a banana bliss frittata..

Ingredients

1 medium ripe banana, sliced into quarter-inch circles
1 tsp coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tbsp nut butter of choice; my go-to fav is NuttZo
Cinnamon to taste; I like A LOT
Optional: liquid or powder stevia or 1 tbsp honey for extra sweetness

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Whisk eggs with nut butter, cinnamon, and optional sweetener and set aside
Add coconut oil to skillet on med-high heat and tilt to coat
Saute banana slices for 2-3 minutes or until you see them caramelizing
Pour egg mixture over banana slices in skillet and let set, lifting the edges to allow egg on the top to run below.
After about 2 minutes, finish off by placing in the middle rack of your oven for 3 minutes.
Remove and let sit 10 minutes to cool and pull away from the sides.

Now, you either love me for the idea, or hate me for not actually creating this dish and taking pictures. Maybe both? I know, I’m sorry, and if you don’t do it soon, maybe I’ll have a real pic to share next week.

I do, however, have a savory frittata I recently made and can even share a pic or two. In the mix, I had a plethora of veggies including peas and carrots (ha ha, that’s for Jenn, the host of WIAW!), onions, green beans, swiss chard, corn, and canned diced tomatoes.

After sauteing everything and letting the excess liquid evaporate, I added 4 whisked eggs, let it sit, and then finished off in the oven. It was a hit for my mom, Avery’s G-Ma, and wife!

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If you’re wondering, the point of this post is simply to proclaim my love of frittatas. It has been waayyyyy too long since making them and hopefully the spell has been broken.

With that, let us move on to the main attraction, WIAW! Thanks to Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

The day started with my usual truckload of coffee. I picked up this cold brew at Trader Joe’s and it’s about the only thing I’m really liking from the place.

Then it was time for overnight oats with NuttZo and a smiling toddler!

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After working out, Avery and I tried my newest microwave omelette maker bread creations with NuttZo on top.

The verdict? They were all a hit with our little toddler as well as myself! Go me!

Lunch was spaghetti squash with grass-fed ground beef with lots of mushrooms and brussels sprouts. The picture sucks, the meal was wonderful!

Although I probably should have, I didn’t eat anything again until dinner. I was hungry, and that frittata hit the spot!

Do you love frittatas?

What other creations have an intimidating name that sound hard to make but are really simple?

Have you ever had a sweet frittata like the banana and nut butter one I mentioned?

Before I’m done, just want to mention I love NuttZo and you MUST try it at least ~~once~~ forever! Plus, if you go to their website and enter code liley15, you can save 15% off your order. 😉