"The Village"

This page is for our "Village" contributors.

We have a few ladies in our lives that help us find a moment of sanity in a day of craziness and chaos. It just wouldn't be fair to keep these gals and all that they contribute to our lives all to ourselves, now would it? So please read, put to use, and share their recipes, advice, and tips too!

                                

                                                   ***after all, they say it takes a village!

Meet Kayla...

 

 

Hello everyone!  Mommy, Baby, KK, these are all names I hear on a daily basis, but my given name is Kayla; nice to meet all of you! I am a twenty something stay at home mom, wife, babysitter, friend, cook, cleaner, etc etc…I’m sure all of you mommies out there know what I am talking about!   I have two precious little girls, Jaylea (3) and Zoe (1).  They are full of life and I would not know what to do without them!  My husband, Josh, is my best friend, spiritual leader, breadwinner, and just an amazing man that I thank the Lord for everyday!  Overall, I am just a normal mommy; I love taking care of my family and I am striving daily to become the Proverbs 31 woman the Lord wants me to be.

Recently I lost some weight and I am on a mission to make my favorite foods healthier.  I am sharing with you three recipes that I have come up with that are healthier versions of some of my favorite dishes.  I cut out a lot of the butter, cream of soups, and replaced them with healthier options.  My family loved all three!  Score!  Yummy and Healthy!  I am usually not a strict recipe follower, I just make it as I go and add this or that, just whatever I am feeling like that day.  So, feel free to add your own spin to these recipes! 

Turkey Loaf

Essentially, this is just your regular meatloaf, except I replaced the ground beef with ground turkey.  It turned out really good!  When I cut it, it looked dry and I was worried, but it wasn’t dry at all!  Josh loved it and he is very critical of the “healthy” meals I make! 

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Turkey

1 Cup Bread Crumbs (2 slices whole wheat bread torn into pieces)

2 eggs

½ Cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk-but any kind will work)

½ Cup chopped onion

1 15 ounce Can Tomato Sauce

Salt

Pepper

Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning

Onion Powder

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

Put turkey, bread, milk, and onion in bowl and mix together, sprinkle salt, pepper, cavendars, and onion powder on top and mix again.  Form mixture into loaf; will make one large loaf or two smaller ones. Spray a glass dish with olive oil cooking spray.  Bake 30 minutes, take out and pour tomato sauce on top and cook for 30 more minutes or until center is fully cooked. 

 

 

Broccoli Rice Casserole
 

Ok, do you ever have those days when you just want some comfort food?  Well, I have been having those days a lot lately! I love a good broccoli rice casserole, and I haven’t had one in forever because they are usually loaded with cream of soups and other unhealthy things.  So, the other day I got to thinking of how I could make a healthy one and looked up a few ideas and this is what I came up with.  It was amazing!  The kids and hubby raved! Definitely a keeper!

Ingerdients:

1 large head broccoli

2 Cups instant brown rice

2 oz fat free cream cheese

Small onion-chopped

Salt & Pepper

Fat Free Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

½  Cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook Rice as directed on box.  Chop up broccoli and cook with onion in olive oil non-stick cooking spray in a non stick skillet until tender.  Turn down heat and add in cream cheese, butter, salt, & pepper (however much you want, I just sprinkle them) until melted.  Mix in cooked rice and if mixture seems dry, add in water.  Put in a glass dish sprayed with olive oil non- stick cooking spray and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. 

 

 

Crockpot Chicken:
 

I love a good Crockpot meal; stick it in and come back a few hours later and it’s done! Perfect for Sundays or busy days when I know I won’t have time to fix dinner that evening. My husband loves chicken and rice, I didn’t have it that much growing up but he did and he wants it every now and then. I usually make it in the oven but I tried it in the Crockpot and we loved how the consistency of the rice turned out. 

Ingredients:

4-5 Chicken breasts

4 cups instant brown rice

Chicken Broth

Hidden valley ranch dressing mix

½ Cup Water

Salt & pepper

Small onion – chopped

1 tbsp butter

Pour rice and onions into Crockpot and add chicken broth (according to box) instead of water.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add water so rice will not get dry.  Add in raw chicken breasts.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dressing mix (about ½ packet).  Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and then turn on low.  Cook for 4-5 hours total.  Add Butter when ready to serve.