Well hello sweet love muffins! Long time, no write! A new year is always good for self promises and this bit of web love is one of mine. I love spilling my words here and I have missed you.

I am kicking off this year with an easy peasy recipe I thought you may enjoy. I have been privileged enough to spend some time with a fabu nutritionist. She is a green-smoothie-in-a-mason jar toting, organic loving, all things healthy dream. In our time together she stressed the importance of “power cooking”. Real life for me doesn’t include hours in the kitchen each day {though it is a small wish} and that is real life for most. Power cooking is great because you can make a few dishes on the weekend and it simplifies your morning routine a ton. It enables you to grab & go but in a home cooked, healthy way… good-bye drive thru everything!

As an example last weekend I cooked organic brown rice, my old-fashioned ton-o-veggie soup and crustless mini quiche. Throughout the last week I packed quiche for breakfast and tossed the rice in my veggie soup for lunch{sometimes I need a hearty lunch option}. I also used the rice for an easy dish after work and before I was gym bound. I even added cinnamon sugar and a splash of milk to the rice, heated and created a warm rice cereal.

Our bodies are indeed temples and power cooking may be a new form of worship. This protein packed mini option gave my belly a solid base to start the day and a ton of nutrients. So my dear little flowers I bring to you the easy peasy recipe for Crustless Mini Quiche.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup liquid egg substitute or 3 large eggs or 3 /4 cup egg whites
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach (10 oz.) or one large bunch fresh spinach
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheese
• 1/4 cup diced red or green peppers OR 1/4 cup sliced water chesnuts {i love a little crunch}
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• Dash of hot pepper sauce
• Salt to taste
• Option: fajita spices
• Option: add a few drops of truffle oil

Preparation:

{warm for 45 seconds in the micro @work!}

Happy weekend and more power {cooking} to you my busy bees! {❤ knw}

please be certain to indulge in a pinch of newness! I am cookin’ up love! 

 this new page is a bit about life at our kitchen table. when a carnivore falls for a veggie loving fool, things get tasty. I am smitten with produce, he is smitten with beef.

 look up and slightly right and have a click and a pinch…  I am glad you are here doll face!

have an amazing Thursday y’all!

 {❤ knw}

Moving to different parts of the country has its food perks and tummy temptations. Over the last few years I have learned that a lot of recipes or average BBQ staples I grew up with are new to some folks. Case in point, Doritos Taco Salad.

The low budget, taco inspired salad of happiness was something I knew to be at almost every pot luck and BBQ growing up. I was born and raised in Michigan but being that our roots as the White family are a bit southern {shocker} and my mom is pretty polish, our dishes were a bit all over the map. It wasn’t until I planted some roots in the heartland of the USA {Kansas/Missouri} that I learned many had never had the great pleasure of experiencing such inexpensive bliss.

After a brief and very informal interview process of my coworkers I soon learned that perhaps this recipe lives only in small towns {tiny towns I like to say}. So alas “Food Day” at the office arrived. A perfect time to introduce my sweet fiesta of love! A piece of me died the day I learned that some people had never known the pure joy that comes with this culinary masterpiece.

This recipe is so easy peasy and doesn’t have to be made into personal portions as shown below. I warn you the addition of Doritos over a long time can lead to soggy chips so this method allows for a slight crunch no matter what time your guests take their taco time out.

Perhaps it is hillbilly, low budget or just plain simple but this snack is nacho average salad y’all!

Doritos Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef
2 heads chopped lettuce
2 large chopped tomato
1 package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
I can sliced black olives
½ thinly sliced green onion
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 can ranch kidney beans
1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina dressing
1 (12 1/2 ounce) bag Doritos

Directions

1. Fry ground beef.
2. Rinse beef with warm water and return to the pan.
3. Add taco seasoning with a just a smidge of water to create thickening. {I also like to add a bit of salsa to the meat for extra spice and flavor}
4. Mix ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onion, cheese and beans in a large bowl
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Add Catalina dressing in to taste and mix.
7. Smash Doritos and add to bowl. Mix.
I think it is best cold from the fridge, but you may prefer it warm or room temperature. Meatless, onion-less and vegan options were made for my work family as well. Meatless options are just as yum.

Layering the toppings into a pint sized personal cup with a Dorito garnish was a hit! Take a peek at these very candid {wink} photos of office mates enjoying this taco time out:

{a small cheers!}

{this salad brought laughter and moments of delight…and one random thumbs up}

{sweet Haley making it look easy peasy}

A special thanks to Haley, Chris and Mimi for their blissful snack moments being captured and published. Pretty people love to have a little Dorito.

{❤ knw}

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/dorito-taco-salad-343008#ixzz1vcH3rd6B

for those near & dear it will be no surprise that i am excited for a reduced guilt easy peasy chocolate discovery. not everyone can be a baking goddess *ahem* prettysweetlife.com and some of us need a cheat to dessert bliss and a whisper of sweet nothing.

stemming from a thirtieth birthday sweet spread of gifts {thirty gifts for thirty years}, i was introduced to this brownie mix. a chance encounter with a chocolate love affair. a simple easy~peasy~no~skill~needed bit of happy. Trader Joe’s reduced guilt brownie mix simply calls for the addition of vanilla yogurt {i used vanilla greek yogurt} and twenty minutes of bake time. i believe life is better with sprinkles so i gave these treats a shake of facelift.

as an advocate for guiltless baked goods everywhere i felt it my moral obligation to share with my sweets {wink}. today you owe yourself a shameless confection!

for fabulous, real deal dessert love visit prettysweetlife.com to check out my Bizzie’s {Liz} sugary sweet blog. your eyes and belly will thank you!

{❤ knw}