Healthy Shepards Pie & Movie Night at the Air Field

Jaime had to work this past weekend so I decided to find a new recipe to make for us and plan a unique date night! We rarely go out on dates simply because Jaime works hard and works a lot. The last thing you want to do when you've worked all day is dress up and go out. I understand that and am usually content on the couch watching Prision Break (our new Netflix show) cuddling. Thats what Jaime loves and I always try to do what he loves. But every once in awhile, I want to get out of the house and do something different. He's understanding that too! Marriage is a learning journey that you get to experience together.

Receipe: The Real Food Dietitians

Pie Filling Ingrediants

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (I grabbed a handful of carrots from the bag)
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ tsp. dried rosemary
• ¾ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 3 oz. tomato paste (about 6 Tbsp.) 
• 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal + 2 Tbsp. water (or substitute with 1 egg white)

Sweet Potato Topping

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (I didn't peel mine since there is nutrition in the skin)

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

½ tsp chili powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. For the topping: Steam or bake (at 375 degrees) the sweet potatoes until fork tender.
2. Combine the flaxseed meal with water and set aside.
3. In a skillet on medium heat. Begin to brown ground turkey.
4. Once turkey is partially browned, add chopped carrots, onions, peppers and minced garlic.
5. Cook on medium heat until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Make the topping while the meat filling cooks.
6. Once the carrots are soft, stir in tomato paste, flax gel, seasonings salt and pepper.
7. Add all of the topping ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth.
8. Final step: transfer the meat filling to a casserole dish (9 x 9 inch dish will work) and top the meat filling with the Sweet Potato Mash.
9. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

It was delcious! Or at least we thought so! Jaime took the left overs to work for lunch and was just as good warmed up! Enjoy!

We left for the air field as soon as we scarfed down dinner. The movie didn't start until it started to get dark around 9:30 (close to our bed time). I saw a flyer downtown last week and it said it was about two french air force pilots like a modern day 'Top Gun'. Admission was $1 a person and to bring lawn chairs.

I was excited to do something different and didn't know what to expect. We pulled up to the air field and there was only a couple cars there. We were the youngest couple by 20 years, if not more. They had concessions and chairs set up. I never did know what they were raising money for but nevertheless it was fun. The movie was indeed French with badly synced English acting.  We left at intermission since it was already passed our bed time but we had fun just hanging out together. Good memories!

Jaime's just not as skilled at taking pictures of us. ha!

I don't remember what he was explaining but he's cute.

So go try new things! Make a new recipe. Plan a date for you and your man. He works hard for your family, he shouldn't also be expected to plan dates too. Real life isn't Pinterest. Real men love and take care of their family. Some are romantics. Some aren't. It's okay. I'm learning and I want to remind you to make sure you are doing what you can to make your marriage thrive too.

The married life is good ya'll.

Hope you're having a great night!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza + Weekend Recap

My weekend flew by, how about your alls? I wasn't too sad about it because Jaime had to work all weekend and weekends just aren't near as fun by yourself. Plus I actually look forward to coming into work Monday morning to see 'my' precious baby girl. 

I decided to be domestic and make homemade pizza for Jaime Saturday night and promised I'd get you all the recipe, which I found here.

We don't have a round pizza stone/pan, so we bring back the elementry school days when your pizza was square shaped. ha! Regardless of how it was shaped, it was good!

Ingredients

• 1 lb whole wheat pizza dough, store-bought 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked or grilled, shredded chicken 
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 2 oz finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
• Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper
• 4 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese (1 cup)
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped green onions

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a pizza stone in center of oven to heat while preparing toppings for pizza (for at least 30 minutes).
• Melt butter along with garlic powder and onion powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in cream and milk. Bring mixture just to a gentle bubble stirring constantly. Allow mixture to gently boil for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add in Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper to taste then return to warm heat and stir occasionally until ready to use.
• To assemble pizza: 
• On a floured work surface, flatten, stretch and shape pizza dough into a 13 to 14-inch round, while creating a thicker outer crust. Pre-cook the dough as long as package says before adding toppings. When finished, pull out of oven and take a spoon to flatten middle out and keeping edge thick for a good crust. Pour half of the Alfredo sauce over dough round/square, then use the back of a spoon to spread into an even layer coming within about 1-inch of the edge. Sprinkle shredded chicken over sauce layer, then pour remaining sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle top evenly with Mozzarella cheese then sprinkle with chopped bacon. Brush outer crust with olive oil and season crust lightly with a pinch of garlic powder and salt. Bake in preheated oven 14 - 16 minutes until crust is nicely golden. Remove from oven, garnish top evenly with green onions, cut into slices and serve warm.

Bonapetite! It was delicious! Make it yourself and let me know how you liked it!

Friday night, Jaime and I rode the bike to watch the girls that I used to Nanny for, play baseball. It was so nice to be back with all the kids and get to catch up with their parents. The 5 yr old made beautiful dirt mounds and the 6 yr old kept her hands on her knees at all times-she was ready to play! It was fun and I'm so glad I got to cheer them on.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon was spent here, poolside! I got lots of reading in! Only got a little pink, but everywhere else is getting nice and brown! Speaking of reading, Friday I declared on Instagram that this sumer I was going to make it a goal to read at least 10 books and review them. I've been feeling like I'm wasting my 20's away on social media and not doing enought reading or adventuring. So hold me accountable! 

I'm a quarter of the way done with my first book, The Goldfinch. It's been hard for me to "get lost' in it, but I'm going to finish it! 

Sunday, I got all gussied up and ready for church. Jaime is not a fan of lipstick kisses, so I don't wear it, like ever. But since he had to work and I was forced to go to church alone, I took full advantage of it! I've never gotten so many "likes" on FB over a profile picture, maybe I need to wear makeup more often. haha.

Snapchat: faithannpatters

But this is how you'll find me most days! Just some mascara and maybe some eyeshadow. This was taken Saturday after grocery shopping. I was sporting some air dried hair, my KY shaped pizza shirt, and trying the popular 'pink drink' from Starbucks. AND OH MY GOODNESS! It is so good. It tastes like a healthy & light strawberry milkshake but wayyy less calories. 

Just order a Strawberry Acai (ah-sah-EE) Refresher with coconut milk instead of water. A grande will cost you about 4.29 but I wish I had ordered a venti! Simply divine!

Anyways, have a great week! We are going home this weekend and I cannot wait! Mom and Dad got new pool floats and I want to take the dogs to the farm so they can run free! 

Lots to look forward to this summer, baby or no baby. 

Life will pass us by whether we enjoy it or don't.

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Protein Blueberry Muffins

Hello! It's Friday! What better post to leave you with than with a yummy breakfast treat. 

This batch makes enough for a 12 muffin tin. I only get to eat 4 during the week, so my husband helped me eat the rest. Definitely let them cool completely before putting them in a plastic baggy in the fridge. I let them get semi cool, put them in a bag and left them on the counter all week. Not a good idea! Yesterday, when I got to eat my last two, they smelled and tasted a little gross like they had gone bad. But I ate them anyways, haha! My personal trainer put these on my meal plan customized for me but this recipe is from bodybuilder.com so she didn't mind if I shared it. So enjoy!

Ingredients

11/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat oatmeal flour)*
1/4 cup Stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites
3 bananas (ripe and mashed)
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup almond milk
1 cup applesauce (sugar free)
4 tbsp Vanilla Caramel Whey-HD protein powder 
1 cup walnuts-chopped (I used pecans)*

Directions

1. In large bowl, mix together flour, Stevia, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and protein powder.
2. In another bowl, mix together applesauce, egg whites, almond milk, and banana.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg white mixture. Once all ingredients are incorporated, fold in the blueberries and walnuts.
4. Drop generous tablespoons of mixture onto a nonstick muffin tin. 5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 muffin 
Recipe yields 10 (But filled all 12 spots in my muffin tin)
Calories: 206
Total Fat: 9 g
Total Carbs: 25 g 
Protein: 9 g 

SOOO Yummy! We warmed them up in the oven during the middle of week to make them take like they were fresh-smart idea! 

Enjoy and happy clean eating guys! Spring is right around the corner. Hopefully!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Made my second batch of homemade laundry detergent this weekend. My first batch lasted almost 14 months for us two! That's roughly $25 worth of detergent for over a year's supply. It's a no brainer.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle
• 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap- Found in the detergent aisle (You can also use Fels Naptha)
• 1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box)
• 4 Bottles of Scentsy Washer Whiffs- found online or through a Scentsy Representative (you can also use 2 Bottles of Downy Unstoppables Fabric Enhancer- Found in the detergent aisle)

Instructions

1. Grate zote soap with cheese grater or food processor.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket.
3. Use 2 -4 Tablespoons per laundry load.

Thankfully, this time around I had Jaime to help me grate the bars of soap because that is a workout! Although, I had a friend tell me to microwave it until it's softened, then throw it into a blender. Might want to give it a try, I only have a nutribullet and a tiny food processor so I didn't try. 

This is what it looks like all mixed together. I had it a pretty jar before we moved into the camper but for now, this bucket serves it's purpose. Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy! 

Happy Monday!

Grandmother's Banana Nut Bread Recipe

Hand written recipe from Grandmother, I think I'll frame it.

Everyone thinks that their grandmother's food is the best, am I right? 

Well, I'm pretty sure Grandmother makes the best banana nut bread along with other things! I tried several recipes on Pinterest, and while they were good, they were not near as good as hers. So I asked Grandmother this past summer for her recipe and I finally had some bad bananas to make it! (We love and eat our bananas fast in this household!) I ate a few crumbs of the finished product and it was good! I figured it would be bad to majorly cheat on a Monday, so I sliced it up and got it ready for Jaime to take to work. I burnt the top because I was cooking dinner too and forgot to check on it. But other than the dark crispy top, Jaime said it was delicious!

Grandmother Doris Ayres Banana Nut Bread Receipe

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar (I used Truvia, still yummy!)
2 Eggs-well beaten (I only had one egg and used egg whites, still yummy!)
3 Ripe Bananas-mashed
2 cup Flour ( I used whole grain oatmeal flour, still yummy!)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Beat oil and sugar together.
Add eggs and mashed bananas.
Sift flour and dry ingredients and to mixture, beat well.
Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Bake in greased 9x5x3 pan at 350 degrees.
Bake for 1 hour.

This picture was taken before Christmas this past year. All the orginal Ayres granddaughters and two of our aunts got together and made Christmas candy with Grandmother. It was a special memory we'll always have. Plus I thought you'd like to see the master mind behind this recipe. 

Enjoy the banana nut bread and spend more time with your grandparents, you'll never regret it.

Perfect Snow Day Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

So that title is quite the mouthful. But not as full as your mouth will be after you make these cookies!

Holy cow. So stinkin' good. I can't stop eating them. Good thing it makes 3 dozen!

I made these last winter for Jaime and I. Sent a couple with his lunch when he was still in the Marine Corps...and he shared. Next thing I know, I'm making 3 batches to send to his whole shop.

I'm not kidding, these things are super delicious.

Original Recipe Here

These are pretty homemade but it's worth the effort.

Don't let them get this brown...I got distracted.

Recipe:

1 cup butter-softened to room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) box vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips

( I like doing one cup milk chocolate chips and 1 cup white chocolate chips)

Beat butter, sugars, and dry pudding mix in a large mixing bowl till creamy. 

Beat in eggs and vanilla. 

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

Stir till almost combined, then add chocolate chips. 

Stir till well mixed. 

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. 

Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. 

Cool 3-4 minutes on pans, then remove to cooling racks.

That's it! Tag me in your posts if you make them or use #FIATrecipes! 

I want to see how much you love them. Stay safe and warm in this Snowmageddon!

Hot Pepper Peach Dip

Tired of seeing food yet? No, me neither! I'm a foodie. I need all three meals plus snacks and I get a little 'hangry' when I haven't ate in a while. 

Speaking of snacks...I have a yummy little dip that you can whip up in a jiffy for any gatherings. Would be perfect for all the upcoming holiday parties! Not to mention that it's a camper friendly appetizer to make. Just 6 ingredients that don't take up too much space.

Nancy from Blooms Boutique sent me this delicious jar of hot pepper peach preserves and I knew I just had to make it for one of the Thanksgiving dinners my husband and I are going to. We've been taste testing it and it is delicious! 

Ingredients

1 jar of Rothchilds Hot Pepper Peach Preserves

2 packages of cream cheese

2-3 jalapeno peppers minced

1/4 cup onion minced

Lawry's Season Salt to taste

Chopped Pecans or Shredded Cheese-optional

Directions

Soften cream cheese. Combine cream cheese & add next three ingredients. Add season salt to taste. Mix until creamy. Place saran wrap inside of a small mixing bowl and pour mixture in bowl. Let refrigerate for an hour. Flip bowl on top of a platter, peel saran wrap off. Sprinkle cheese or pecans on top. Bring to room temperature and serve. Enjoy with crackers, pretzels, or straight off a spoon. ;)

Tomorrow is Shop Small Saturday! Support a small business in La Grange, KY. Bloom's also has the jar of preserves online, among many other goodies like this Dixie Soul shirt! 

Make a difference in your community and shop small friends! Happy shopping and eating! 

Homemade Peach Ice Cream

I have to share this recipe before it gets anymore fall-ish! 

My parents stopped by on their way home from moving my brother into college in FL a few weeks ago. He's living on the coast of the prettiest beach I've ever been to in the U.S. I'm not jealous or anything. ha! Anyways, when they stopped to have dinner with us, they gave us some peaches they got in Alabama. HOLY MOLY! They were so good you guys. She also gave me this ball ice cream maker that I had yet to use all summer. So I immediately started pinteresting "ice cream maker ball recipes". Nothing comes up. So I looked up "homemade ice cream recipes". Ah! GOBS of recipes come up. So I picked one that was small and just cut the measurements in half and winged it. 

You can also make this recipe and put it in a metal container and stick it in the freezer for a couple hours! Try it!

This all the counter space I have in the camper and I made it while we were making dinner, so the picture quality is crappy but the recipe is not!

(Yes, the peach is getting to point of no return, but I saved it and used its goodness.)

Ingredients:

1 Juicey peach
1/2 cup of organic fat free milk
1/2 cup of sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cups of organic heavy cream
1/2 tbs of vanilla

Using a food processor, chop up the peach into as little or big pieces as you want.
I wanted every bit to have peaches in it so I basically puree-d it!
Throw all your ingredients into the canister in the ball, stir until it suites your fancy.

Layer ice and then rock salt until you've reached the top of the ball. Screw lid on tight and start rolling the ball.

I'm wearing Jaime's man apron my grandmother made him if your wondering! ha!

Hubby helping me roll. Excuse the mess...we live here!

We thought after 10 minutes of rolling back and forth to each other that we'd just eat it tomorrow. So we stuck it in the freezer and ate it the next night. 

We didn't have enough rock salt or ice for the ball so we think that's why it never did solidify while we rolled it. Either that or we gave up too quick.

Wa-la! There you have it! Little balls of homemade peach ice cream. So yummy.
It's still getting into the high 80's here in southern KY so I may just make another batch!


If you have any questions, feel free to email me at: faithnallthings{dot}blogspot{dot}com!