vegetarian

How to Make Weight Loss Mashed Potatoes

November 1, 2022 by Sandra Leave a Comment

Today, I’m showing you how to make my Rapid Weight Loss Mashed Potatoes. 🙂

You’ll be shocked at how simple and easy it is to lose weight with this delicious and nutritious recipe. You’ve never seen mashed potatoes like this before. These are new and different and I’m going to show you exactly how I make them and how you can change them up to make endless flavor combinations that will allow you to lose weight and feel satisfied.

These mashed potatoes are one of the secrets to my weight loss success, and they’ve helped me get to my current weight of 142 pounds (and I’m not finished losing weight just yet).

If you’re looking for a delicious and nutritious way to lose weight, then you should try this recipe for Rapid Weight Loss Mashed Potatoes as these potatoes will help you lose weight rapidly and without much effort. Give this recipe a try and see how much weight you can lose in just a few weeks! If you do try them, please share in the comments below and let me know how you changed them up or what spices you used so that I can possibly try them in the future.

These mashed potatoes would also be great to help keep the extra pounds from creeping on during the holiday season as they don’t include any dairy and only include ingredients that will promote your weight loss.

I hope you enjoy the video, and, as always, thanks for watching!

Join me on this journey as I share tips and super quick and easy foods to eat to lose weight and keep it off forever! Please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel as I publish videos there before they make it to the blog.

Are you working on losing weight in 2022? Have you ever thought about including tomatoes in your mashed potatoes?

Weight Loss Mashed Potatoes Recipe

The Best Store Bought Pesto I’ve Ever Tried: Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto

September 19, 2021 by Sandra Leave a Comment

Thanks to Moms Meet for sponsoring this blog post for Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto. It’s so delicious.

The best store bought pesto

Do you like pesto? If you’re reading this blog post, you probably do and maybe you’re even looking for the best store bought pesto on the market.

Well, while I can’t say I’ve tried them all because, honestly, pesto really wasn’t a food on my radar until this past year when my husband started eating it, I can tell you that the best pesto I’ve tried thus far and loved is the Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto.

It’s creamy, flavorful and just delicious. It’s everything you want in a pesto and it can be combined with so many foods, it’s not even funny. You can add pesto to pasta, rice, veggies, salads and sandwiches.

Pesto makes mealtime more exciting!

best store bought pesto

My favorite way to enjoy pesto is with pasta and we eat lots of pasta. 😀

My son, David, will ask for pesto to be mixed into his pasta. He’s probably the most adventurous eater of our five kids, and I like that he isn’t afraid to try new foods to see if he likes them. When he tried pesto for the first time, he gave it a thumbs up and it’s now a food that he can eat with pasta when he doesn’t feel like having sauce.

I also like the Barilla Creamy Genovese pesto mixed into a bowl of peas, and if you watch my YouTube hauls, you know that I love peas and eat a CRAZY amount of them. Peas are one of my favorite foods.

Yes, I’m weird like that. 🤪

barilla pasta with pesto

Because Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is so versatile and doesn’t need to be heated before using, you can even use it as a dip for veggies or pita chips but I haven’t tried that because I’m afraid if I did, I’d eat the whole jar in one sitting. LOL

But when you’re mixing pesto into a bowl of pasta, grains, veggies or having it on a sandwich, a little bit truly goes a long way. I find myself only using a teaspoon or two on my food and being happy with the flavor.

In case you’re wondering, Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is made with fragrant Italian basil and freshly grated Italian cheese. I think if you give it a try, you’ll love it, too. I can see this pesto becoming a staple in our kitchen because it adds a little more variety to our meals.

Now that we’re eating more plant-based, I look for new ways to infuse flavor into our meatless meals and this pesto hits the spot!

Do you like pesto? What’s your favorite way to eat it?

3 Delicious Plant-Based Puddings (Vanilla, Butterscotch and Chocolate Flavors!)

June 28, 2021 by Sandra 4 Comments

Thanks to Moms Meet for sponsoring this blog post for WayFare plant-based puddings.

Plant-Based Puddings

This year my family decided that we’re going to go back to eating a more whole-food plant-based diet. We used to eat this way years ago, but we slowly let the meat and dairy products creep back into our diet and our health wasn’t the best because of it.

Since February, though, we’ve been transitioning to eating more plant-based foods and less meat and dairy. The results have been wonderful. 🙂

I’m FINALLY losing weight and was able to get out of the 190s, which I’ve been struggling to do for years. My last recorded weight was 173.8 lbs. and I’m still slowly losing as I continue to eat healthy, delicious, satisfying foods like potatoes, beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit.

I’m one happy camper! I love the food I’m eating, and I’m thrilled to finally be shedding pounds. It’s a slow weight loss, but that’s okay. I’ll take it!

My kids are also enjoying our new way of eating, and they’re fully on board with it. One plant-based treat my kids like eating are WayFare plant-based puddings. My son, Isaac, especially loves these puddings and has been eating one just about every day lately.

The folks from Moms Meet sent us 3 packs of pudding in vanilla, chocolate, and butterscotch flavors, and we went through those rather quickly. In the last few weeks, I’ve purchased at least 9 packs more!

I found these puddings at our local Woodman’s grocery store, but other grocery stores carry them as well.

To find WayFare Pudding in your area, visit WayFare’s website for the full list of locations. Also, WayFare ships their puddings nationwide.

Plant-Based Puddings flavors in Vanilla, Butterscotch and Chocolate

Isaac’s favorite flavors are vanilla and butterscotch. My daughter, Elisabeth, said the vanilla pudding tasted like frosting, and I have to agree. It does! It’s not an overpowering frosting flavor, though. My favorite flavors are butterscotch and chocolate.

Overall, the WayFare puddings have a smooth, creamy texture and, of course, they’re dairy-free and vegan. They’re also free of the top 10 allergens and made of plant-based ingredients, including a base of organic butter beans and organic oats.

I love that even though we’ve changed our diet, we can still enjoy treats like pudding but in a plant-based way. And, actually, all this pudding talk makes me want some right now.

I think I’ll go grab a chocolate one. Mmmm…. 🙂

GET A DISCOUNT: Save 20% on any product on wayfarefoods.com with code shareWF20. This code expires 4/26/2022.

Have you tried plant-based pudding? What’s your favorite flavor?

Delicious Monkey Bread Recipe PLUS Baking Tips and Tricks from a Chef

December 23, 2020 by Sandra 8 Comments

Thanks to Jewel-Osco for sponsoring this post and sharing great baking tips as we head into the new year.

One of my family’s favorite ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve is with monkey bread.

It’s gooey, sweet, and delicious! Plus, it’s the perfect indulgence as we wrap up the busy holiday season and look forward to the new year. We all love it, and I know my kids will have memories of making monkey bread with Mommy for a long time to come. 🙂

Here’s what the monkey bread looks like before it’s flipped out of the bundt pan and onto a serving platter. Mmmm…so much buttery, sugary goodness!

Jewel-Osco Lucerne® Dairy Farms Products

Now, when I make monkey bread, I love using Lucerne® Dairy Farms butter and milk exclusively available at my local Jewel-Osco grocery store. If you’ve seen my grocery haul videos, you already know that I’m a big fan of Jewel-Osco. After all, the variety of dairy products they have available is great quality and affordable.

While Jewel-Osco offers all of the above products (and more) for your NYE party needs, I only need to use their milk and butter along with the rest of the ingredients listed in the recipe at the end of this blog post for the monkey bread.

Side Note: Pair crackers with strawberry cream cheese spread (pictured above) to create a quick and easy New Year’s Day snack for your family and guests!

Baking Tips and Tricks

If you need more baking tips, Jewel-Osco Executive Chef Jeff Anderson has these for you:

1. Take inventory: Before diving into cooking and baking, check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to make sure you have all the essentials.
  - PRO TIP: Keep extra flour and sugar in the pantry, stock up on an 18-count of Lucerne® Eggs, and store Lucerne® Butter in the freezer so you have it on hand to make last-minute dishes for the parties you’ll be attending or hosting!
2. Gather, Measure, Ready: (Or in fancier terms, “Mise en Place”) Before you begin baking your scrumptious treats, organize all of your ingredients, utensils, and baking materials. Use these simple steps to help you prepare and not waste any time in the kitchen:
  - Gather: Pull together all of your ingredients.
  - Measure: Before you get your hands dirty, pre-measure your dry ingredients such as flour, salt, dairy, spices, etc.
  - Ready: Get your oven pre-heated before you start, so there is no waiting around.
3. Get ahead of the game: Have an early morning start? Prepare dishes that can be made ahead of time and freeze them until it’s go-time! As an example, freeze your Pumpkin Chocolate Rolls made with Lucerne® Pumpkin Flavored Cream Cheese and then pop into the oven just before guests arrive so they will smell the delicious aroma when they walk through the door!
  - PRO TIP: Take the extra step, and prepare whipped cream to top off your desserts! Try out this recipe using just four ingredients including Lucerne® Heavy Whipping Cream. This is great for coffee drinks, kids’ treats, and more!
4. Dry run: Read over your recipe a few days in advance. When menu planning, make notes, check your inventory, and think through everything you’ll need to prepare the recipe.

Monkey Bread Recipe

I hope those tips from Chef Jeff are helpful to you. Now, here’s the recipe for the delicious monkey bread I’ve been talking about. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine. 🙂

Monkey Bread

Ingredients

For the Dough:

3-1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for the counter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 envelope of instant or RapidRise yeast (or measure out 2-1/4 teaspoons if you're measuring the yeast out of a jar)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt (I use fine grain Himalayan pink salt)
1 cup Lucerne whole milk, warm (around 115 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (around 115 degrees)
3 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons Lucerne unsalted sweet cream butter, melted and cooled

For the Coating:

8 tablespoons Lucerne unsalted sweet cream butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I use fine grain Himalayan pink salt)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, cinnamon, yeast, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, water, honey, and butter.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix together using a fork or spatula until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, lightly grease a bundt pan and set aside.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, then take the dough and divide it into round balls that are about 1 tablespoon each in size.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter and vanilla extract. Set aside.
On a large rimmed baking sheet, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and then spread that mixture out over the baking sheet to roll the dough balls in.
Roll each ball in the butter mixture and then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Toss each of the dough balls into the bundt pan as you go. Try to arrange them evenly in the pan.
Pour any remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough balls. Then cover the bundt pan with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise in a warm place for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the monkey bread has risen, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the monkey bread for 35 to 40 minutes or until it's golden brown. Then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.
Once the monkey bread has cooled, place your desired serving plate on top of the bundt pan so that it covers it completely. Then carefully flip the monkey bread out onto the serving plate. Serve and enjoy!

https://thesensiblemom.com/2020/12/delicious-monkey-bread-recipe-plus-baking-tips-and-tricks-from-a-chef/

How to Make Weight Loss Mashed Potatoes