Sugar Free Pumpkin Spice Creamer

It's that time of year! The time we pull out our hoodies and cozy up with a warm cup of coffee. Oh right and also the time of year where you see pumpkin spice EVERYTHING! That being said, I too love a little spice in my life, but I don't enjoy all the added sugars both natural and substitutes. I created my own pumpkin spice creamer, and while it isn't Starbucks, it certainly gives your coffee that spicy hint of fall.


Ingredients:

1 pint coconut creamer
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice


In food processor or blender combine creamer, puree, and spice. Return creamer back to it's original container.
Add to your morning cup of joe and enjoy!


Tips:

- make your own pumpkin pie spice! (as seen in my pic, you probably have all those spices lying around anyways)
- the added beauty of sugar free coconut creamer is that it isn't dairy, therefore it can fit into a dairy free diet and also has a longer shelf life

Kick Ass Stir Fry

Ya'll,  I hate to brag, but I have perfected the stir fry. You're welcome. It's SO easy you can make it on a week night in 30 minutes! Be sure to read all of this as I will share my BEST tip yet!


Ingredients:

1 skirt steak OR 1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 bag OR 1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce, plus 3-4 Tbs
3 Tbs corn starch
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs honey
1/2 Tsp red pepper flake(or more depending on how much heat you want)
1 Tbs freshly grated ginger
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions

Along with 3-4 Tbs soy sauce, and 1 Tbs corn starch place meat in ziploc bag and toss to coat.
Then go ahead and get rice on and cooking, rice usually takes 30 minutes. In a bowl combine remaining soy sauce, corn starch, stock, honey, ginger, garlic, red pepper, and honey. Set aside.
Preheat large skillet to medium heat, add 2-3 Tbs olive oil and add meat. As I have said before, get good color on your meat. Allow to cook 4-5 minutes and remove from pan.
In same pan, add enough water to cover bottom of pan. Add broccoli and cover. Allow to cook only 2-3 minutes, enough for broccoli to steam.
Remove cover and add your "sauce" along with cooked meat.
Continue to cook until sauce thickens.
Serve on top of rice. Makes 2 dinner servings with leftovers.



Tip:
- YAY you kept reading! This is the best tip ever. Don't thaw your meat! When you are ready to cook, pull your meat straight out of the freezer and slice it frozen. Never has slicing meat been easier AND you can get super thin slices which is what makes stir fry so DAMN good. YOU ARE WELCOME. I can guarantee your mind is blown. Don't worry, this was life changing for me too. :)

Super Easy Chili

Finally made my way to Atlanta to see Steph's new place! We had a blast and finished up our weekend where we belong together.....in the kitchen. It was a crisp fall day and we decided to make chili. Not having a recipe on hand, we concocted our own and I gotta say it was dammmmn good! I highly recommend you give it a shot.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef(could totally use chicken, turkey, etc)
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
2 cans chili beans
1 can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes, your choice of type

Heat dutch oven OR large pot to medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until caramelized/good brown color. Pour off most grease from beef, return to heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is transparent. Add spices. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
Pour in remaining ingredients. (beans and tomatoes) Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 1 hr. (or more if you wish!)

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and chips!
Sorry no pic. Steph and I were way to excited to eat. But you all know what chili looks like. :)

Tips:

- Feel free to make this in the crock pot. If you do, be sure to still cook your meat ahead of time then add to pot.
-There is FLAVOR in the brown. Be sure to get color on your ground beef. Nobody likes grey meat!
- Bean choice is up to you! You can use regular kidney beans, pinto, black, possibilites are endless. I will say the chili beans add great flavor. (they are simply seasoned pintos)
- I recommend you don't cheat with the garlic. There really is no replacement for the fresh stuff!