Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup

A favorite fall soup gets a tasty vegetarian & vegan friendly update in this creamy Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

If you have been following along with me for a little while now, then you probably already know that fall is by far my favorite time of the year. I love it when the air gets a little crisper, the leaves on the trees start to turn vibrant shades of red, orange, & yellow, and I get to break out my favorite flannels & fall boots. 

But perhaps my most favorite thing about fall is the seasonal flavors that it brings with it- pumpkin spice, apples, autumn squash, chai tea, & warm, cozy bowls of creamy soup.

One of my favorite fall soups happens to be a good homemade butternut squash soup. I decided to take the traditional butternut squash soup recipe & give it a veggie packed, dairy-free update with a little help from some of my favorite Silk products that I picked up at my local Target the other week...

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Ale Beef Stew

Stay warm & cozy this fall with this hearty & flavorful Slow Cooker Pumpkin Ale Beef Stew...

I know that most of you all are ready to get into that holiday mode now that Thanksgiving is over and done, but bear with me for just a second, okay? 

It is still officially the month of November, and I am not ready to give up on all things fall quite yet. I am determined to squeeze in just one more pumpkin recipe before going all-out Christmas on here starting next week. ;)

So, say hello to what is probably my very last fall recipe of 2016- this hearty & flavorful Slow Cooker Pumpkin Ale Beef Stew! Because even though the fall season is just about over, a lot of us still have some pretty cold and wintry days ahead of us, right? 

This slow cooker beef stew happens to be a tasty way to stay warm and cozy on even the most blustery of days...

Roasted Veggie Guacamole

Packed with oven roasted veggies, this Roasted Veggie Guacamole is a fresh take on classic guacamole... 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Jose Ole. 

The opinions and text are all mine.

I have a confession to make- I secretly look forward to Cinco de Mayo each year. I mean, it is pretty much a Mexican food lover's dream holiday, right? It isn't like I really need to have an excuse to eat chips & salsa and to shake up some margaritas... but there is just something so fun and festive about Cinco de Mayo.

Unless you plan on sitting around waiting for a table for an hour or more, forget about trying to eat out at your favorite Mexican restaurant on May 5th! It is tons more fun to plan your own tasty Mexican inspired menu at home.  

This year I am making my family's Cinco de Mayo dinner simple and delicious with my easy recipe for Roasted Veggie Guacamole and a little help from the José Olé snacks I picked up in the freezer section of my local grocery store. ;) I grabbed the filling and satisfying José Olé Beef & Cheese Mini Tacos and some of their Mextremes Spicy Nacho Cheese Taquitos. Can it seriously get any more fun than tiny tacos, folks? 

You can Flavor your Fiesta in no time too this May 5th! Just start with this quick, fresh, & veggie packed guacamole, throw in your favorite José Olé snacks, add a little sour cream, a side of salsa, and a whole lot of smiles, and there you have it- the perfect family Cinco de Mayo dinner celebration...

Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup

Enjoy your favorite flavors of late summer in this comforting & nourishing soup that is perfect for fall...

As you all may recall from the recipe I shared for my Italian Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Vegetable Tapenade last month, I am on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing the recipe for this comforting & nourishing Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup with you all. This soup is the perfect dinner idea for making the transition from late summer to early fall with. 

It fully takes advantage of the late summer veggies that are still in season like sweet corn, okra, & fresh basil. But this soup is so cozy and satisfying that it will have you wishing for crisp fall days.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussel Sprouts Quinoa Salad

Inspired by the flavors of fall, this Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussel Sprouts Quinoa Salad makes the perfect side dish for a holiday dinner. It also happens to be hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian-friendly main dish...

Over the last year and a half or so, I have become obsessed with all things quinoa. In fact, I usually have some type of quinoa salad for lunch most days of the week now. 

My obsession with this super grain started when I decided that I was ready to make some healthier lifestyle choices and drop some of the weight I had been carrying around for a few years. A major part of what I changed about my diet was making green smoothies for breakfast and then having variations on quinoa salad for lunch at least 4-5 days a week. 

If we are going to be technical about it, quinoa really isn't a grain at all. It is actually what they call a super seed. 

Just one cup of cooked quinoa contains 9 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber (keeps you full for longer!). And if you happen to be following a gluten-free diet, quinoa could definitely become your new best friend. 

I decided to take my love for this super seed past the lunch table and right onto my holiday dinner table this year (even though leftovers of this quinoa salad would definitely make an amazing lunch option the next day). 

Inspired by the flavors of fall, this Roasted Butternut Squash & Brussel Sprouts Quinoa Salad makes the perfect side dish for a holiday dinner. It also happens to be hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian-friendly main dish.

Farmers Market Frittata

This hearty Farmers Market Frittata is brimming with locally raised pork sausage, bell pepper, & fresh rainbow chard...

This recipe first appeared on Bridgeport Farmers Market's Let's Get Fresh blog.

One of my favorite times of the year is the outdoor farmers market season here in my hometown. From the end of May through mid-fall, I can visit the local market each Sunday and stock up on freshly picked vegetables and pasture raised eggs & meats. 

And I just so happen to be on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious meal purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins

These moist and flavorful Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins are a perfectly tasty way to use up that garden zucchini...

This is it folks. These Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins are my very last ode to summer 2014.  Fall will officially be here in just 4 short days.  

And while I know everyone has pumpkin and apples on the brain already (don't worry... plenty of fall yummy recipes are on their way here very soon, folks!), I also know that everyone is still picking those end-of-season zucchinis from their gardens and snatching them up at super cheap prices at their local farmers markets and grocery stores.

Not only are these moist, tasty muffins the perfect way to use to up that fresh zucchini, they also happen to be a lightened up version of one of the all-time most popular recipes on this blog, my Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins.  

Plus, this is another one of my infamous hidden veggie recipes. ;) And you all know how much I just love hiding veggies in my recipes from my husband and son...

Potato & Summer Squash Chowder

So earlier this week I showed you just how incredibly easy (and non-labor intensive!) making chicken broth from scratch is. (You missed that post?  No problem.  Just CLICK HERE. ;) ) Now you need a crazy good, cozy, comfy fall recipe to use it in, right?

How about a creamy, delicious bowl of Potato & Summer Squash Chowder?

I went 100% local and picked up Russian Fingerling Potatoes from one of my favorite vendors from the farmers market.  Another local farmer also turned me onto to how incredibly delicious and tender the smaller summer squash are.  Usually I think bigger is better (and goes further).  But not with summer squash.  I will never buy another larger, dark yellow summer squash again.  Look for squash with a pale, almost milky yellow color and that are less than a foot long.  Trust me on this, and thank me later. ;)

I also lucked out that another farmer had thick cut bacon available for sale.  I mean, you have to top potato chowder with bacon, right?  If you can't find a good local thick cut bacon, just pick up the thickest you can find at your local grocery store.

What you will need:

About 1 lb of potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces 

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups of chicken broth (homemade! homemade!)

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup half 'n half

1/2 cup of water

1 small light yellow summer squash, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

2-3 springs of fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 lb of thick cut bacon

First start by prepping and chopping everything.  I usually do this and set them aside in small bowls.  Get all the veggies, the potatoes, and the garlic chopped and minced.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a RIMMED baked sheet with aluminum foil.  Please make sure the baking sheet is rimmed.  (Trust me on this.  I speak from personal experience.  It is not fun setting your oven on fire! ;) )  Chop your bacon in about 1 inch chunks and place them in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

Next heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or a stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and onions, and saute until tender about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, milk, half 'n half, and water.  Heat until you bring it to a slow boil.

Once the broth has been brought to a boil, add the potatoes and summer squash.  Boil for 3-5 minutes, and then reduce to low heat and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato chunks are fork tender.

While the chowder is simmering, pop the bacon chunks into the oven.  It will take them about 15 minutes to get crispy and yummy.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

At this point, take a potato masher or the back of a large wooden spoon and mash up some of the potatoes and squash in the pot.  This will make your soup a bit thicker.  But make sure to leave a decent amount of chunks!  This is a chowder after all. ;)

Be sure to taste your soup and add salt and pepper to taste.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the fresh parsley.

Ladle your Potato & Summer Squash Chowder into deep bowls.  I topped mine with some shredded cheese and a few chunks of the thick cut bacon. 

Spoon up and enjoy!  :)

How Do You Treat Yourself To More?

Making time for yourself can be hard during the busy school year. See how I am treating myself to more during back to school with a little help from Target. Post Sponsored by Lunchbox. All opinions are 100% my own.

I know that for most stay-at-home moms that when the school year starts back up they battle with some mixed emotions. They are glad for a little alone time and some peace & quiet during the day, but also are sad that the summer fun with the kiddos has come to an end. In fact, the house can sometimes become painfully silent during the 7-8 hours that the kids are in school each day. But at this point in my SAHM journey, I am not battling with that predicament just yet. In fact, with a little one at home (all day, 24/7) and my teenage son back in school and running cross country, any alone time or peace & quiet that I somehow managed to enjoy here and there during the summer months comes to an abrupt end. I have to make those moments to treat myself to a little peace and relaxation happen.

Last week I headed to my local Target to treat myself to some end of summer/back to school goodies. This mama hasn't purchased new make-up for herself in a good while, so I decided it was about time for a pretty new blush and a perfect-for-fall eye shadow palette. And for those rare days when I would be able to sneak away for a few moments of me time, a relaxing lavender facial mask and some Magnum Double Caramel Ice Cream Bars... ;)

Peach-Mint Green Smoothie

As a Blue Diamond Tastemakers blogger, I am sharing with you all this recipe for a refreshing & healthy Peach-Mint Green Smoothie. This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

In late spring of each year, I get down into the dirt and start planting seedlings and seeds in a spot in our backyard with dreams of having a garden brimming with homegrown veggies come July and August. And almost every summer, I am met with a little disappointment. A few tomato plants seem to do well early on, and then for what seems like no reason at all they just dry up and never produce another tomato. Pumpkin vines start sprawling through half my garden making me excited for all the fun (and free) pumpkins we would have in October only to have them bloom and produce cantaloupe sized pumpkins... in mid August. This year I decided that I needed a break, so we didn't plant a garden. Then a very strange thing started to happen late last month... plants just started appearing on their own.

First, it was the parsley plant I had dumped over the side of my deck railing at the end of last fall. It came back to life. Then it was a single pumpkin plant in what was my garden last year. And after a few good rains here the past couple of weeks, I now have an abundance of fresh, beautiful garden mint at my disposal. I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am better at accidental gardening than purposeful gardening. ;)

Now when I say I have an abundance of fresh mint, I am not exaggerating. I have a TON, folks. Since peaches are so affordable right now due to it being peach season, I knew I wanted to create a healthy and summer perfect recipe combining those sweet peaches with the refreshing crispness of the mint. And that is just what I did with this Peach-Mint Green Smoothie...