Kristine's Kitchen

Peach, Mango, and Kale Smoothie

January 29, 2014 by Kristine 4 Comments

A good-for-you green smoothie made with kale, peaches, mango, and Greek yogurt. Full of protein and fiber, this smoothie will give you the energy boost you need to tackle your day! Happy Wednesday! How can it be that January is almost over? It seems like it was just a few days ago that I was writing this New Year's post. I know they say that when raising young children the days go by slowly and the years fly by, but around here it seems that it's the days, weeks... everything that go by especially quickly. A busy, full life will do that I suppose. Happily, it's full of great things like snuggles with my sweet kids, story time, watercolor painting, and playtime at the park. Today I'm ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Breakfast, Drinks, Healthy, Snacks Tagged With: Breakfast, fruit, healthy, kale, smoothie, snack, yogurt

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers with Couscous and Avocado Sauce

January 23, 2014 by Kristine 2 Comments

A healthy vegetarian take on stuffed peppers, these Stuffed Red Bell Peppers with Couscous and Avocado Sauce are full of flavor and a great make-ahead dish. Stuffed bell peppers... there are the traditional recipes with meat, rice, and sauce, and then there are the more unique flavor combinations to spice things up and offer variety. These couscous-stuffed peppers fall into the latter category. Anything but boring and usual, they are packed with flavor! When I first saw this recipe while flipping through one of my cookbooks I bookmarked it and added it to our weekly menu plan. The night before I planned to make these, I read through the recipe to see what was involved in preparing ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Main Dish, Vegetarian Tagged With: avocado, bell peppers, couscous, make-ahead, vegetarian

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Pasta Bake

January 21, 2014 by Kristine 2 Comments

This baked pasta is full of yumminess. There's artichoke hearts, spinach, cheese, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes. And pasta, of course. I used whole-wheat, because it's my favorite, and good for you too. Do you need a meal to bring to a new neighbor or a friend with a new baby? This pasta bake is the perfect meal for gifting. After William was born, a good friend brought us a big dish of this and it fed us for days. It was wonderful. The leftovers reheat well, and it's full of protein, carbs, and veggies, which is just what you need when you're putting all of your energy into taking care of a newborn. ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dish, Pasta Tagged With: artichoke, cheese, Chicken, Pasta, spinach

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

January 16, 2014 by Kristine 2 Comments

One of my family's favorite cusines is Mexican food, and we really enjoy a good enchilada. The corn tortillas, the spicy sauce, the melty cheese... what's not to love? Well, sometimes it's the assembly of the enchiladas that I'd like to pass on. Most of the time I don't mind it, but if I'm in a hurry I surely don't want to fuss with dipping, filling, and rolling tortillas. That's where these stacked chicken enchiladas come in. To make these, I simply layer the ingredients in a baking dish, bake, and serve. Easy peasy! Now I know it may sound like I'm contradicting myself here, since I just wrote about how these stacked enchiladas save you time and effort, but I'm going to highly ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Chicken, Easy Weeknight Meals, Main Dish Tagged With: cheese, Chicken, enchiladas, Mexican, quick & easy

Healthy Carrot Cake Oat Muffins

January 14, 2014 by Kristine 6 Comments

Oh do I have a treat for you today! These little carrot cake oat muffins are ridiculously tasty, and good for you too! They are perfect for snacking or a grab and go breakfast, with plenty of whole grains to leave you feeling satisfied. Pair a muffin with a piece of fruit, some yogurt, or a hard boiled egg, and you'll be set to tackle your day! These carrot cake muffins are made with white whole-wheat flour and old-fashioned oats. Applesauce keeps them moist and delicious and takes the place of most of the butter in the muffins. They are low in sugar, with only 10 grams per muffin. And let's not forget the carrots. These muffins are packed with veggies! But really, the very first thing ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Breakfast, Healthy, Muffins, Scones & Pastries, Popular Tagged With: Breakfast, carrots, healthy, healthy kids, kids, oats, snack

Oatmeal-Honey Sandwich Bread

January 9, 2014 by Kristine Leave a Comment

Today let's bake some bread! In my ideal world, I would make all of our bread from scratch. Of course, in this ideal world I would also always make homemade granola bars, Greek yogurt, graham crackers, granola, hummus, pita, and, well you get the idea. In the real world there is such a thing as limited time, so I have to make choices about what I will make in each particular week. For the past few weeks, I have been baking this oatmeal-honey sandwich bread, and it's my new addiction. It makes great sandwiches and amazing toast. I also can't resist a fresh slice spread with a little butter, right after it cools from the oven. So. so. good. In my testing of this recipe, I've found that I ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Breads, DIY Tagged With: bread, DIY, honey, oatmeal, whole wheat

Homemade Hot Cocoa

January 5, 2014 by Kristine 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Today I'm sharing a traditional hot cocoa recipe with you, because sometimes you just want a basic cup of cocoa. This homemade hot cocoa is simple to make on the stovetop, or even in the microwave if you're in a hurry. I went light on the sugar because only a little is needed to enhance the rich chocolate flavor. Whipped cream is optional but highly recommended! I prefer to mix up my hot cocoa ingredients each time I make it, but I know that some of you might like to keep a mix on hand. Below I have also included a larger-scale recipe to make hot cocoa mix, which you can store almost indefinitely at room temperature. We still ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: DIY, Drinks Tagged With: chocolate, cocoa, DIY, drink

Lemon-Parmesan Kale Salad with Pine Nuts

January 2, 2014 by Kristine 5 Comments

Lemon-Parmesan Kale Salad | Kristine's Kitchen

Happy New Year Everyone! I am excited to begin a new year and can’t wait to see what 2014 will bring. I try not to make too many specific resolutions at the beginning of a new year, because I’d rather focus on developing balance in my life that is sustainable long-term. I do spend some time at the beginning of each new year thinking about goals and this year is no different. This year, I am taking a different approach and plan to focus on a guiding phrase. My phrase is: Simplify and Breathe. I have been doing some of reading about organization and living more simply, and I’m currently reading the book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider. I’m only at chapter 4 so far, but this ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Salads Tagged With: healthy, kale, parmesan, salad