by heather | creative tips, recipes
I scored some major brownie points with the husband this past weekend. He was hosting a fantasy football draft party for his league and I offered to help out with the food. Of course, I went straight to Pinterest for inspiration….and found some other awesome ideas which inspired me to do a little decor too 🙂
How cute are the football cupcakes?!?! These were super easy to make. Bake and frost cupcakes as normal (with chocolate icing) and then just buy a tube of white icing to make the football “laces” – I used Cake Mate Icing and Decorating Tips (the smallest one).
For the “Penalty Flag” Napkins I made my own printable – which I am now passing along to you for FREE – Just click on the image below to print!
I made lots of food for the party, but the Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes were by FAR the most popular. They were all gone off the plate in about 30 seconds and everyone raved about them. I will be making these again for sure!
I found this recipe online which called for pizza dough and was a bit more complicated, so I switched it up a bit and made these with crescent rolls – so much easier!
Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes
2 packages of crescent rolls
1 small onion, chopped into small pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce)
1 cup fresh mozzarella
Melt the butter over medium heat and add in onions, cook until transparent, then add chopped chicken. When the chicken is done, add buffalo sauce and heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray so you don’t have too much of a mess to clean up.
Roll out crescent rolls. Take two triangle (which make a rectangle) and press together – then cut this to form two squares. Take each square and press into individual muffin tins.
Sprinkle some cheese at the bottom of each muffin tin on top of the crescent dough and then fill with the buffalo chicken mixture. Sprinkle more cheese on top of the chicken then fold over edges of crescent dough as much as you can, closing it together at the top. I ended up using some extra dough to lay on top to close them up. You don’t want them totally closed up – it’s good to have a little gooey goodness crisp up on the edges.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, Serve and enjoy!
*If you love this recipe, be sure to check out our very popular post Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes too!
Another food favorite were the Cheesy Hot Dog Crescent Skewers – thanks Pillsbury! Super easy and delicious. Click here for the recipe.
All fun aside, this was a serious operation! I mean, check out this set up. Impressive, right?
The party was a huge success and the boys are all very happy with their picks. I wish them luck….especially my husband. GO TEAM!
by heather | creative tips, recipes
When I plan to eat healthy (go on a diet of sorts), it is easier for me to stick with it if I can plan ahead. I was on a hunt last week for a free printable weekly planner to use and did not come across one that worked for me, so I decided to design my own! That’s what this graphic design gig of mine is good for, right? 🙂
This weekly meal schedule clearly has a place to list the date….so you could plan for weeks ahead if you wanted to get really organized! There is also a separate space for breakfast, lunch, dinner…..and don’t forget about the snacks! I find that having healthy snacks around helps when on a diet. And how awesome to plan ahead for when you are craving something between meals!
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW TO PRINT PDF
Here are some healthy meals I will be adding to this week’s menu of mine….some new ones I have been wanting to try off of Pinterest and some of my favorites that I have posted here on the blog before:
BREAKFAST:
Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Crustless Quiche
(This one recipe makes enough for me to eat all week!)
LUNCH:
Cheesy Balsamic Cucumber Tomato Salad
Stuffed Zucchini Boats
“California Pizza Kitchen” Chopped Salad
Avocado Chicken Salad
DINNER:
Chicken with Couscous Salad
Cheddar Jalapeño Chicken Burgers with Guacamole
Stuffed Squash Portobellos
Zucchini Spaghetti & Meatballs
(Always leftovers, great for lunch! The Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers heat up great.)
SNACKS:
Healthy Deviled Eggs (made with greek yogurt!)
Cucumbers with Laughing Cow cheese spread
Peanut Butter and Celery
String Cheese
Roasted Okra
Have any healthy recipes to share? We would love to hear about them! Comment below and let us know your favorites…
by heather | recipes
This is one of my favorite recipes and I think it is about time I share it with you. I first came across this recipe in my Real Simple magazine. I love that magazine. Full of great tips, stories, recipes and such! This meal is one of my easy, go to quick fix during the week recipes. Both my husband and I love it. I could honestly eat the couscous salad all by itself. It is delicious.
Chicken with Couscous Salad
(easy to modify the amounts based on how many people you are cooking for!)
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup couscous – I like the Near East Roasted Garlic Couscous
cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
torn fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.
Meanwhile, cook the couscous as directed on box. Fluff with a fork.
Add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, remaining olive oil to couscous. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Slice the chicken and serve with the couscous.
