Category: Food

Ambitious Kitchen Chia, Quinoa & Banana Granola Bars

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I have been wanting to make my own granola bars for a long time. This chia, quinoa & banana granola bar recipe was the perfect first recipe to give granola bars a go. And let me tell you- they are DELICIOUS. Another huge plus- they are so easy to make.

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INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup dried fruit (raisins or cranberries work well)
  • 1/4 cup natural creamy almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
Instructions from Ambitious Kitchen
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper to prevent bars from sticking.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, uncooked quinoa, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla. Fold in almonds, pecans (or walnuts) and dried fruit.
  3. Place a small saucepan over low heat; add in almond butter and honey (or maple syrup) and stir until warm and almond butter is melted. Fold into granola bar mixture until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and press down firmly with hands or with a measuring cup to help bars stay intact. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 10 bars.

Let me know what you think!

xoxo
Blair (follow me on Instagram- @Bewithblair)

Valentine’s Day, My Way

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I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded but, yesterday was Valentine’s Day. A made up Hallmark holiday filled with pink, hearts, and a whole lotta love. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good reason to celebrate. I grew up in a household where every single holiday was celebrated. So much so that I would get holiday related socks for everything. I’m talking Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day- you name it, I probably have a pair of socks for that holiday (and anyone who has lived with me or one of my sisters knows this to be true as they probably have a collection of their own holiday related socks as well 🙂 ).

It should be no surprise that all I need is a reason to celebrate and I am a happy girl.  But my love of celebrations usually comes at the expense of my husband having to plan said celebrations. This year I started to think- why does all of the planning always have to be on the guy in the relationship? Why does my husband HAVE to plan the day? Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. So, this year I decided to take matters in to my own hands.

This Valentine’s Day I wanted to plan a day that was stress free for my husband and fun for the both of us. We started the day off with brunch at Spoon and Stable. If you haven’t been to Spoon and Stable for brunch, run, don’t walk there. It is seriously SO good. With your brunch menu, you also get a pastry menu. There are a ton of selections to pick from. You seriously cannot go wrong with any of their pastries. Delish! All of their brunch items are incredible as well. Oh and obviously don’t forget about indulging in a brunch cocktail. They have the most unique cocktails for brunch. I was boring and went with a mimosa but my husband had the Irish coffee. Yum!

Our next stop was The Depot Ice Rink.  My husband is a hockey player and in the five and a half years we have been together we have never been ice skating together. It made me feel like a little kid again. It was so much fun to lace up our skates and get out on the ice.

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After we had eaten and burned some calories, it was time to drink. Minnesota has SO many new breweries so you really can’t go wrong. But one of my favorites is Lakes & Legends Brewing Company. Aside from the beer, which is great, it has the cutest aesthetic. String lights line the ceiling and they recreated a campfire outdoorsy feel inside. So on the coldest of days you can step inside the brewery and feel like you are gathered around the campfire with your best friends playing board games and bags. So fun! After a few beers and a couple rounds of bags (my husband beat me both times- per usual!), our Valentine’s Day had come to an end. It was such an incredible day of laughs and love.

I encourage you to do something special for your significant other. It was amazingly fun to mix up the status quo for this Valentine’s Day and be the one surprising, not being the one who was surprised.

Until next time.

xoxo
Blair

Follow me on Instagram- @bewithblair

Crock Pot Honey-Garlic Chicken

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Happy Thursday! Today I am sharing one of my husbands favorite meals, Honey Garlic Chicken. This recipe is from Diethood and it is seriously SO easy and delicious, you can’t not make it.

You will need:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ½ cup ketchup (you can also use low-sodium ketchup, if available)
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
  • ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I didn’t have sesame seeds so I did not use them)

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Instructions:

  1. Arrange chicken thighs on the bottom of your slow cooker; set aside
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano and parsley; whisk until thoroughly combined.
  3. Pour the sauce over the chicken thighs.
  4. Close with a lid and cook for 6 to 7 hours on LOW, or 4 to 5 hours on HIGH.*
  5. Remove lid and transfer chicken to a serving plate.
  6. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
  7. Serve

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Enjoy!

Until next time.

xoxo

Blair

 

 

 

Saturday at Bogart’s Doughnut Co.

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Today was the first time we went to Bogart’s Doughnut Co. and all I have to say is yum!! Such a great way to kick off the weekend! Their sprinkled cake donut was to die for.

AND the best part was that my cute Sundry Clothing “Love” shirt matched the store 🙂

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Photos by Nicole Michele- Follow her on Instagram @nicolemich

Shirt: Sundry Clothing

Jeans: Wit & Wisdom (bought at Nordstrom)

Booties: DBDK Fashion (got them on Hautelook but you can find them on sale here)

Have a great weekend!

Until next time

xoxo

Blair

Follow me on Instagram @bewithblair

Real Simple Spicy Shrimp and Farro Soup with Winter Greens

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Brrrr!! It is freezing in Minnesota and the only thing I crave is soup. There are so many amazing recipes out there but I found this super easy soup recipe in Real Simple. It was absolutely delicious, and did I mention, super easy!!

You will need:

  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 4large shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 1large carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 to 2fresh hot red chilies, sliced, plus more for serving
  • 4cloves garlic, sliced
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 115.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 8cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1cup whole farro
  • ¾pound peeled and deveined medium or large raw shrimp
  • 5ounces (8 cups) torn Swiss chard (from about 1 small bunch)
  • Torn basil leaves and crusty bread, for serving

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  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrot, chilies, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are just tender, 6 
to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices along with the broth and bring to a boil. Add the farro and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
  2. Stir in the shrimp and chard and cook until the shrimp are opaque, 2 to 4 
minutes. Transfer the soup to bowls and sprinkle with the basil and additional sliced chilies. Serve with the bread.

Enjoy!!

Until next time.

xoxo,

Blair

 

Follow me on Instagram @bewithblair

Super Easy Weeknight Meal

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So I know I’m not alone in saying that I AM TIRED when I get home from work… The last thing I want to do when I get home is cook dinner. Having dinner with my husband is one of the highlights of my day but actually cooking it, oy. So I try to make the easiest, least time consuming but absolutely delicious and healthy meals I can come up with every night. This is definitely one of them- seasoned chicken, sautéed arugula and spinach, and brown rice.

You will need:

  • Chicken breasts
  • Seasoning
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Spinach
  • Arugula
  • Brown Rice

Super Easy Baked Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating prep your chicken. I like to stab the chicken a few times on each side with a fork and put some olive oil on both sides. Then grab your favorite seasoning and season both sides generously. I love McCormick Grill Mates seasonings because they have a bunch of different options and they are all so delicious. Once the oven is preheated put the chicken in for 8-10 minutes per side. Always make sure that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees before you eat it.

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While the chicken is baking you can start on the sautéed spinach and arugula.

Chop up garlic cloves (I used 4 but you can adjust based on your preference) and half of a white onion. Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onion appears to be transparent. Add the spinach and arugula to the onion and garlic. The spinach and arugula only take about 2 minutes so keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t wilt too much. While the spinach and arugula are sautéing add some salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove it all from the heat and squeeze juice from half of a lemon over the vegetable mixture. Yum!!

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Next is the easiest way to make rice I have ever seen. If you haven’t heard of Trader Joe’s microwaveable brown rice you have been doing it all wrong. Now, I’m sure there’s something to be said about microwaving rice in a plastic bag but this is just one of those things that you have to get over if your looking for ease. This rice takes three minutes in the microwave and just like that you have a delicious grain that didn’t have to cook for a half hour on the stove!

No meal is complete without a glass of wine so grab your favorite vino and dig in to your delicious easy meal that took less then 20 minutes to make! Cheers!

Until next time!

Xoxo,

Blair

Follow me on Instagram-@bewithblair