my famous black bean burgers

we meet again!

ugh i have to say this right off the bat…i do not own flashy lights or a professional camera sooooo its a challenge to take pictures with lighting that looks “natural”. i quickly googled “how to fake daylight in your pictures” and i only read about one thing and realized, just go for it!

(heres your sign to just go for it!)

the whole reason as to why i decided to make black bean burgers is because i fell into the costco trap and thought that eight cans of black beans for six bucks was a deal. well. i have now have enough black beans for everyone on my street.

if you want to know anything about me, when i create MY OWN recipes…(yes, i actually didnt copy anyone this time lol) i never measure. i cannot tell you how many times a friend has ask me for a recipe and i truly cannot tell them how. i normally say something along the lines of: “i pour enough of this”, “i add two long drops of that”, no. no one understands that.

so guys, this is a big deal. i took the time, i measured everything so i could share it with you!

what youll need:

• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion
• 2 garlic gloves
• 2 tbsp. flax seed (i used golden)
• 2 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper ( i used 1/4 tsp. because i like it spicy)
• 1/2 cup oats

i used a food processor but if you dont have one, use a blender. i used a blender for this recipe for a lonnnnng time before i got a good processor.

and literally, dump everything into the food processor and mix until blended.

trust me, youll know when its blended. its not going to turn into liquid if you “over do it”.

from here, form your patties. i normally make two huge ones for nick and i but you can get three-four outta one can (obvi, youll have to eat more than just a black bean burger).

once your patties are formed, cook them over medium heat for about 15 minutes on each side. i used my middle griddle thing that came with my stove and its non stick so i didnt oil. if your pan isnt non stick, use oil. i know,  you know your pots better than anyone else.

now, you enjoy! we top ours off with sriracha mayo and of course pair it with a veggie.

i really really hope you guys enjoy this!! ive been making it for awhile now and figured i would share! and please, dont mind me still learning to take pictures that arent dark and awkward  😉

xoxo kelsey

meatballs for lunch

 

and i hate to say it buuuut the weekend is almost over, why do weekends go so fast!? if someone has the answer, please let a girl know 😉

if youre anything like me (which i know you are because youre here reading this) you start to have a panicing feeling on sundays. could be for different reasons than mine but they suck regardless.

one thing i do freak out about is what i am going to make myself for lunches for the week. yes, i am THAT person who “meal preps” on sundays so i can have healthy lunches for the week.

if i had too, i would call myself a creative person, i do love to cook but i cannot for the life of me think of what to make myself for lunches *eye roll*. but it wasnt until my friend meghan posted about her meals for the week that i thought to myself “WHY DIDNT YOU THINK OF THIS?!

i am a little embarrassed about it…. but i have made these meatballs for three weeks in a row now but theyre SO easy and yummy. now that i am not embarrassed anymore, i realized that i should share my recipe with you guys! because who doesnt like a good meatball? thats right, everyone likes a good meatball.

even though i said i was creative, i am not THAT creative because i got the meatball recipe from here. but i did modify it because i am lazy….i mean come on, its sunday people!

Whatcha need:

• 1 package of ground turkey

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. dry mustard

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (SPOILER ALERT: 1/4 tsp. garlic powder is equivalent to 1 garlic clove)
• 12 fresh parsley sprigs, finely chopped (SPOILER ALERT #2: i used 2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes because i did not have “12 fresh parsley sprigs” just laying around.)
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce, no sugar added (SPOILER ALERT #3: i used a small can of tomato paste because then youre not wasting anything!)

 

first things first, pre-heat your oven to 400.

 

grab a big ass bowl (bigger than what you think youll need, i always do this, i grab a bowl that i think it bug enough and never is…) while the oven is pre-heating, take the egg and whisk it in your big ass bowl.

from there, literally and i mean literally dump everything into your big ass bowl. and from there channel your inner italian (yes, i am 1/8 italian) and mix everything together with your hands, obvi.

next, i use parchment paper and line a cookie sheet with it, like i said before, i am lazy and am not looking to make more dishes than i have to wash. plus parchment paper allows the meatballs not to stick to the cookie sheet.

now, take your mixture and make them into balls (lol). i normally make three meatballs for each lunch but it all depends on what you are feeling for you lunches.

cook the meatballs for 20 mins and POOF! you have lunch for the week 🙂 i normally pair my meatball with whole wheat noodles or some sort of grain.

(i am fully aware the meatballs looks the same uncooked as they do cooked, these are cooked lol)

enjoy babes!

xoxo kelsey

& if you end up making some, let me know! id love to see! 🙂

chili on a chilly sunday

GO PACK GO!

happy sunday!

my house is 63 degrees…does anyone else refuse to turn on the heat this “early”?

now, i didnt just wake up this morning and think to myself “i think im going to make chili for the packer game”. no. ive had this planned all week, well thats a lie too because ever since my blog friend made her chili, ive been wanting to make it. sooooo the chili want has been going on for weeks now.

if you know anything about my house, we consider everyday a party. what i mean by that is, we take any chance to make anything fun and well…a party. so when it comes to a packer game whether its just nick and i or we go to a party, we always have to make something. so today was chili!

how about i say chili one more time.

 

chili.

 

although, i wish i could say i created this recipe but i didnt, i got it from here. BUT i did add celery to mine and it added a little bit of a crunch. (i really added the celery because i bought it thinking it needed it but didnt but i just added it & it ended up working out).

here what what youll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks (give or take, depends on how much youre feelin’)
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey or chicken (99%)
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, rinsed and drained

 

 

first off, the recipe calls for “one red pepper” but when you send nick to get a pepper and he comes back with a bag of colorful small peppers, you just go with the flow. plus i like the colors 🙂

anyways, chop up the onion, garlic and peppers. since i used these small ones, i would say i used probs 10?

 

 

then you realize that you have celery and you didnt take a picture of it with all the other stuff so you quick take a picture to prove that you added it and you arent scared to mixed things up lol.

 

 

once you all EVERYTHING chopped up, add to a kettle (bigger the better 😉 ) with the oil and cook over medium heat for 5ish minutes.

 

 

while everything is cookin’ away in the kettle,  you can get all your seasonings together. i figured it would be a good idea to put all the spices in one bowl. so i can just dump it all at once.

once all the veggies have been sautéing for about 5 minutes, add the ground turkey. yes, i didnt take a picture of the turkey…this isnt thanksgiving 😉 still continue to cook over medium heat. make sure youre breaking up the turkey into little chunks.

once turkey is cooked, add all those spices and stir until combined.

 

 

once the spices are well mixed into the veggies and turkey, you will then add the kidney beans (drained and rinsed), a can of  crushed tomatoes, a pack of frozen corn (canned corn creeps me out) and chicken broth…i added about 1/4 of a cup more than what the recipe calls for.

 

 

once everything is added into your kettle, bring it all to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. dont forget to stir here and there. i did not cover my chili but if you feel like covering it, go for it!

 

 

and hello, are noddles even a question? elbows are must and make sure you cook them according to the package.

 

 

do i have to say anything here? toppings are everything.

these . are . a . must .

 

 

and then you put it all together and top it with whatever youd like. cheese and sour cream are a go in our house. dont forget to take a super unflattering picture of your chili like i did because you were so hungry you didnt care 🙂

 

well, enjoy my friends!!

please share if you make it! i wanna see!

 

xoxo

hollandaise on sundaise

hello ya’ll,

im back.

i know i said i was back like a month ago but hey, life happens…right? I WILL MAKE SURE THIS IS FOR REAL!

anyways, i woke sunday morning and realized i needed to blog, i have been thinking about it almost everyday and have done nothing about it. i figured i would come back, again, with a bang and make eggs benny. I mean, come on! who doesnt like love a half of a stick of butter and bacon on a sunday morning?

if you dont, youre weird but i still like you 😉

i cant take all the credit here, i actually found this recipe here. but i thought to share how i do it because why not? and again who doesnt like hollandaise sauce?

this is what is needed to make this:

-2 microwavable bowls (i use pyrex measuring cups)

-a wisk

-2 egg yolks

-1/4 cup salted butter, melted

-a pinch of cayenne pepper (i use more than a pitch) & salt

-1/4 of a lemon (lets be honest, i have no idea how much that is, so i just use lemon juice and add two long squirts to it).

you would think it would be easy to remember to only keep the yolk but i cannot tell you how many times i only saved the whites and not the yolks.

next, you pretty much add almost everything together. here i broke the yolks, added a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and those two long squirts of lemon juice.

now, you have to use your super strong wrists… i know you have them sooooo whisk the shit out of that yolk mixture. literally just keep whisking until smooth, this might take a minute or two.

once your wrists fall off from so much whisking, you then pick your wrists up and melt that 1/4 cup butter. i use a little pyrex and microwave until melted. then i slowly whisk in the butter into the yolk mix.

once fully combined,  microwave the mixture for 20 seconds and stir & HELLO HOLLANDAISE SAUCE! (if the mixture is too thick, just had a little water…ive never had this problem but just in case).

now the hard part really isnt the sauce, its toasting the english muffin, cooking the turkey bacon annnnnnd pouching eggs. trust me, pouching does take practice, i took poaching 101 in college…was a breeze ;).  but who cares what your eggs are looking like when you hollandaise sauce!!

oh & top with parsley, if youre feelin’ it!

xoxo

enjoy babes!