THRIVE Instant Black Beans

Over the last couple of months, I have been using the THRIVE Instant Beans more and more!  And I have raved about how much I love them to my husband as well as a few friends.  Which made me think maybe I should do a little product high-light! 

Because, seriously, these beans are so awesome.

When I first heard about the instant beans, I was really skeptical.  I only bought some (they were the Pinto beans), because they were the Q-Pon item, and I wanted to cook with the Q-Pon.  Plus, I'd also had a friend ask me what they were like, and I didn't know.  So the best way to find out was to use them!  And now I plan to pretty much change from keeping regular dry beans to having the THRIVE Instant Beans.  And here's why:

1.  They are just like canned beans in how quickly and easily they can be used.  You scoop them out of the can and throw them into the soup or whatever is cooking, and they are ready-to-eat in 15 to 20 minutes. 
2.  I don't have to soak them, rinse them, or simmer them for 4 hours before using (this is obviously linked to #1).
3.  They are just as convenient as canned beans with non of the sodium!  Check out the label here.
4.  They do not taste different (this was my main concern before I tried them) and don't have a different texture or anything like that.  You'd never know they were instant beans.
5.  As with pretty much all the other THRIVE Life products, they have an amazing shelf-life!  Sealed, they will last for 25 years.  Once opened, it's recommended they be used within 1 year.  

The truth is, now that I know the awesomeness of these beans, I look at my huge bucket of 25 pounds of regular black beans and give a big sigh.  Because in order to use them, I'm going to have to go through the rinsing and soaking and boiling process.  I'm not saying I'm not grateful to have them.  I just wish I'd have realized how wonderful THRIVE Instant Beans were back when I bought them.  Because I would surely have opted for the instant!

The one difference I noted was the amount of Calcium and Iron in the dry versus the instant.  In both cases, the dry beans have more.  I do not know if they will lose that nutritional value in the cooking process, though, since they pretty much have to be cooked to be consumed.

This is what the Instant Black Beans look like inside the can, before being rehydrated. 

I have used these beans in soups and even used them for Black Bean Burgers!  I just think they are amazing :).  And even better?  The Instant Black Beans are on sale this month!  If you're interested in learning more or placing an order to have these in your home store, you can contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website:  www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Chicken Taco Soup

To wrap up September's Q-Pon Cooking with the popular and delicious THRIVE Sweet Corn, I made some Chicken Taco Soup!  Fall is really starting to be in the air around here and the leaves are turning the beautiful reds, oranges, and browns.  So why not make some soup!?!  I actually developed this recipe on my own, based on a crock pot recipe I used to always make.  The problem with that crock pot recipe is that it used almost all canned ingredients, and my husband always told me that it was too salty.  So after he ate this one and I asked him his opinion, he said it was a lot less salty than usual!  I told him it was because I used all my THRIVE ingredients and made up the recipe myself :)!  I was kind of excited about that!  Truth is, THRIVE has helped me become more adventurous in the kitchen, and I love it!

So here's my chicken taco soup (which I threw in the crock pot at about noon, and it was ready at 1!)  The beauty of this is that you don't even have to use the crock pot!  I simply did, because both kids were down for a nap, so that meant I could get everything in the crock pot and heating and didn't have to worry about it when the kids were both awake!  But it can easily be thrown into a saucepan on the stove and brought to a boil, then reduced to simmer for 20 minutes and it'd be done!

CHICKEN TACO SOUP
1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans
1/4 cup THRIVE Sliced Onion
3/4 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn
1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Black Beans
2 tablespoons THRIVE Green Chilis
3/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
3 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Boullion
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 10-ounce can Rotel
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
5 cups water

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low 4 to 5 hours.  Serve with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips! 

*Alternately, you can add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.

This was awesome, and I will make it again!  It can even be a jar meal!

There are only a couple days left to get the THRIVE Sweet Corn at Q-Pon price!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you're interested in learning more!!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Southwestern Egg Rolls

I had Southwestern Egg Rolls on our 2-week menu list for about a month (we just didn't get to it last pay period), so today, I decided I needed to use those egg roll wrappers!  As I looked over the recipe today, I realized I could completely THRIVEalize this meal!!!  And so I did :).  The original recipe can be found here.  The recipe below is my THRIVEalized version!

1 1/2 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn
1 cup THRIVE Spinach
3/4 cup THRIVE Instant Black Beans
1/4 cup THRIVE Green Chilis
3 tablespoons THRIVE Green Onions
1 cup THRIVE Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese*
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 package egg roll wrappers
2 1/2 cups water, divided

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and black beans to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, put all remaining THRIVE ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  Add 1 cup water and mix.  Allow to sit while beans finish cooking.  When beans are finished, drain the water and add to bowl along with cheddar cheese and seasonings.  Mix again until well combined.

Place an egg roll wrapper on a flat surface, with one corner pointing towards you.  Place about 1/4 cup mixture in the middle of the wrapper.

Fold corner closest to you over the mixture and roll a little bit.  Then fold in side corner and continue rolling.  Dip your finger in water and moisten the last corner and press to seal as you roll the rest of the way.

Continue with remaining wrappers.  (I ended up with about 17 egg rolls, but you could get more or less depending on how much filling you add.)  Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, turning once during cooking.

And here's what they look like when done baking!

Serve warm with salsa!

Delicious!  We ate these for a meatless dinner, but they can also be a heavy appetizer!

Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com if you'd like to have these ingredients on hand!

THRIVE Helps Our FHE

With my husband working swing shift for a couple of weeks, we decided to hold our family home evening (FHE) in the day-time before he goes to work.  Sometimes, like today, that makes things a little rushed.  Today, our FHE got squeezed in between my dentist appointment, followed by lunch and a Primary Presidency meeting. 

And so, once again, THRIVE saved the day!  We are focusing our FHE lessons on THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD.  Today, we talked about how we look like Heavenly Father and how we came to earth to receive a physical body.  Our lessons are generally quite short (my kids are 2 and 3 months), and I try to do something to help make what we talk about meaningful.  Unfortunately, I'm not the greatest idea person, so I turn to Pinterest!  And a lady shared how her kids used play-doh to make bodies for this lesson.  Well, at first I thought play-doh would be fun...  But then I thought about sugar cookie dough!  Because then we could eat our body-cookies ;)!

So these were the finished product!  Okay, so we look like giant Michelin men...  But that's our family in cookie form ;).  THRIVE made this so easy on a hectic day, because all I had to do was cream the butter, add the cookie mix, and some water -- and then I opted for powdered egg, because we were going to be handling the dough (and possibly eating it...).  It was so awesome!  And my 2 year old really loved making the dough people with her daddy while I fed the baby.

I feel like this was a successful and fun lesson!  I'm grateful for idea people (since I'm not one!) and grateful for THRIVE products that help me execute quickly!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: September 2015: Sweet Corn -- Easy Spanish Rice

I wanted to make some Chubby Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos for my family's dinner the pay period, and pondered a recipe I could serve with those.  I generally try to stay within a similar "theme" for dinners, so if I make something that sounds sort of Mexican...  Well, I work on having something else Hispanic.  I'm maybe a bit crazy ;).

So I remembered a recipe on the #10 can of THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers for Easy Spanish Rice that sounded -- well -- easy!  And then it turned out that this recipe called for THRIVE Sweet Corn, the Q-Pon item for September!  So that was a bonus!

The recipe is super easy, and I was able to throw it all together while having 5 kids ages 8 and under in my house (one of them 2 1/2 months old and 2 of them 2 year olds!).  I call that a winner if I can be successful with a dish under those circumstances :).

I used the recipe to start, but added many more THRIVE ingredients than the original recipe called for, ergo I had to play with the water a little bit and didn't keep an accurate measurement.  But I'd say I added around 3 cups of water total.

EASY SPANISH RICE
1/4 cup THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 teaspoon THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
3 cups water
1 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn (Q-Pon item this month -- contact me!)
1/2 cup Salsa
1 1/2 cup THRIVE Instant White Rice

Add all ingredients except rice to medium saucepan and cook 10 minutes, finally bringing to a boil.  Add rice and cover.  Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.  *Optional, add shredded cheddar cheese and stir.  (I didn't do this initially, but when I had leftovers, I added some cheese and thought it was wonderful with the cheese!)

This was super easy to throw together, as I said.  A great side dish!  The THRIVE Sweet Corn will be the Q-Pon item for all of September.  If you have a Q, simply add the corn to your next Q shipment!  If not, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll help you get the great price on this very popular -- and delicious -- THRIVE Life product!

Happy THRIVEing!

A Meal By Mail

I have a dear friend in Alabama who recently had a sweet baby girl.  With all my heart, I wish I was closer so I could go over and take dinner for her family.  I know how fun it can be to have a newborn and still have to prepare dinners for a hungry family!  I know it takes a while for the whole family to adjust to the newest little member.  And so, when dinners were brought to our home just a couple months ago, we were so very grateful.  I wanted so very much to offer my sweet friend the same thing.  But I live in Washington -- and it's not super convenient to drive to Alabama to deliver a meal ;). 

But once again, THRIVE Life came to the rescue!  It occurred to me that I do have a way to offer my friend a meal for her family that would be very quick and easy to prepare.  Literally just add water!!!  So this morning, I prepped a whole meal for her family and shipped it off in the mail -- all using THRIVE!  I posted some pictures of it to my Facebook business page ("THRIVEing with Hila," if you're interested in following me!) and had a request that I share the recipes.  So here they are, the recipes I used for a meal by mail for my dear friend!

VEGETARIAN TACO SOUP  (original recipe posted here, but I changed some measurements)
 1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Black Beans
1/4 cup THRIVE Taco TVP
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons THRIVE Sweet Corn
3 tablespoons THRIVE Chili Peppers
1/4 cup THRIVE Tomato Powder
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon ranch dressing mix

Bring 4 cups water to boil.  Add contents of bag and simmer 15 minutes.  Add additional water to your preference.


GOLDEN CORNBREAD (this is a THRIVE Life recipe)
1 cup THRIVE Cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour*
2/3 cup white sugar*
1/2 cup THRIVE Butter Powder
2 tablespoons THRIVE Whole Egg Powder
2 tablespoons THRIVE Nonfat Powdered Milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put contents of bag into a medium mixing bowl.  Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir (or whisk) until well blended and lumps are gone.  Pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to set 15 to 20 minutes before serving.


SUMMER (BERRY) LEMONADE (recipe from the can of Summer Lemonade)
1 cup sugar*
2 tablespoons THRIVE Summer Lemonade
berries of your choice (I included THRIVE Strawberry Slices and THRIVE Raspberries)

Mix contents of larger bag with 2 quarts (8 cups) water.  Chill.  Add berries of your choice to individual servings.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

All of these things can be done in jars as well.  In fact, we will be making the Golden Cornbread at our upcoming jar meal event in September!  So if you're interested in attending, let me know so I can get you the details!  The cornbread is awesome, by the way...  My family had it with chili on Friday (the chili recipe will also be available at the jar meal event in September!).

I noted in the instructions to them that I recommend these be used within a month, since they are not vacuum sealed.  At the jar meal events, we do vacuum seal the jars and that means they are good for 5 years!

I am truly excited I found a way to get a meal to my friend.  She is an amazing woman and we have a friendship I treasure beyond words.  And I hope this dinner makes at least one of these days with a new little miracle just a little bit easier -- and yummy to boot!

If you'd like to know more about this and how you can get all these great ingredients, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website:  www.thriveingNilla.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Farfalle Basil Marinara

This is now one of my go-to dinners!  Especially in the summer!  It's stove-top.  It's fast.  And it's delicious!  My whole family loves it!  It was served at a Power Up Seattle, and I knew I wanted to have it again at home!  And now we have it again and again :).

FARFALLE BASIL MARINARA
2 cups farfalle (bowtie) pasta*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon garlic
1 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions
1/2 cup THRIVE Tomato Dices
1/4 cup THRIVE Classic Tomato Sauce, dry
1/4 teaspoon THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning Blend
1/2 tablespoon Basil*
1/4 cup THRIVE Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes until done.  Drain and set aside.

Sweat oil and garlic together in saucepan.  Add all remaining ingredients except Parmesan and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

Toss pasta with sauce and Parmesan and bring back to a simmer.  Simmer another minute or so and then enjoy!

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

As written, this recipe makes about 3 servings.  But it would be very easy to double it for a larger family!  Seriously, our dinner was done in about 30 minutes from start to finish that night!  We served this dish alongside sauteed spinach, fresh strawberries, and French bread!  Yum!

And let me just say that I love the Classic Tomato Sauce!  I never would have considered buying it had it now been for trying this recipe at the Power Up.  Now I consider it a home store staple!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: August 2015: THRIVE Peanut Flour: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles

It's time to celebrate!  My sweet baby boy has slept for 5 solid hours the last 2 nights (and here's to hoping this isn't a fluke, but a trend!).  All you moms out there know this is a reason to celebrate!

I can't celebrate by eating these (due to the chocolate coating).  But I can celebrate by sharing them with all of you :)!  Just one more reason to love the THRIVE Peanut Powder!

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH TRUFFLES
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup THRIVE Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
2/3 cup THRIVE Peanut Flour
2 tablespoons water
10 ounces chocolate for dipping

Cream butter.  Add next 3 ingredients and mix until a dough forms.  Form into 1/2-inch balls and freeze 15 minutes (for easier handling).

Melt chocolate.  Dip balls and allow to dry completely.  SAVOR!  And have one for me ;).

Happy THRIVEing!!!

Why I Prep

Preppers are a group who believe in being prepared for the unexpected.  I consider myself a prepper, even if I'm not the best at it.  I believe in being prepared.  I believe in being self-reliant as much as possible.  I believe in being able to help others when things are hard.

This is part of why I love THRIVE Life and my opportunity to be a consultant and share it with others. 

I think many people think it is silly to store a year's supply of food.  Silly to have a 72-hour kit.  Silly to expect something awful.  Perhaps we preppers seem like doomsday people.  I don't know.  I just know I feel peace knowing I am working to have food to feed my family.  That I am working to make sure we have potable water in an emergency. 

One night, while up in the middle of the night feeding a sweet baby, I came across this article from the New Yorker.  Perhaps you have seen it.  Yeah, I'll admit it is a scary article.  And it made me even more driven to prepare even more.  Since that article had so much interest (and scared a lot of people in the Pacific Northwest), there have been a couple other articles written.  You can read those here and here.  This is why I am a prepper.

The time is NOW to get prepared. I still have more prepping to do myself (for example, we don't have a tent...).  But I'm grateful for what I do have at this point to bring me peace of my mind concerning my family.  I'm grateful I have the opportunity to share THRIVE Life, a company with great-tasting, healthy, convenient food, which also happens to have a phenomenal shelf-life and will enable people to have THRIVEing lives in spite of difficult challenges which may come (in whatever form they may be in!).  And remember, as one of the articles states:  it is better to do something than nothing -- even if you can't do it all.  Start small.  But start!

Summer Lime Bars

So even though I don't produce enough milk to sustain the life of my babies, I do produce enough that I can eat something that upsets their tummies...  And with our little guy, one of those things, I'm pretty sure, is chocolate.  Heavy Sigh!  Chocolate is one of my favorite food groups ;).  It's how I like to satiate my sweet cravings.

So I had to find a new way to do that -- and one of my other favorite things is lemon-y and lime-y stuff.  So I started thinking about lemon bars...  Which led me to thinking about lime bars -- with THRIVE Summer Limeade!  So I gave it a go!  And it was a success.  The flavor of these bars was wonderful!  I did get a little distracted while they were baking, so they came out a little darker than I wanted.  And I opted not to add food coloring, so they don't look lime-y.  But they are!  And they are oh-so-good!

Here's how I did it!

SUMMER LIME BARS
For the Crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup THRIVE Butter Powder + 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup white sugar*
2 cups all-purpose flour*
For the lime layer:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons THRIVE Whole Egg Powder + 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups white sugar*
1/4 cup all-purpose flour*
2 tablespoons THRIVE Summer Limeade powder + 2 tablespoons water
THRIVE Powdered Sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, THRIVE Powdered Butter Powder plus water, 2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup sugar.  Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch pan.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden.

In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour.  Whisk in the eggs, THRIVE Whole Egg Powder plus water, and THRIVE Summer Limeade plus water.  (I recommend using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer on high speed to fully blend the egg powder).  Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes in the preheated oven.  The bars will firm up as they cool.  Once cooled, sprinkled with THRIVE Powdered Sugar.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

I love the THRIVE Summer Limeade.  It is so versatile!  I'm excited about using it in a variety of ways in the months ahead :)!  But it's a seasonal item, so if you want to grab some, you should do it soon!  You can shop at my website: THRIVEingNilla.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla or you can contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!

Happy THRIVEing!

72-Hour Kit: Infant/Baby Kit

Well, we once had a baby 72-Hour Kit.  And then our baby grew into a toddler!  Which meant we then had a toddler 72-Hour Kit!  You can check out that link if you'd like to see what we include for our toddler's kit.

But as many of you know, we recently added a handsome baby boy to our family.  Which meant we needed a new baby 72-Hour Kit!  And now I'm posting it here to share with everyone to help you prepare a 72-Hour Kit for your baby!

As with all of the kits I've shared here, your baby's 72-Hour kit may look different than our baby's.  For one thing, I have a low milk supply, so I cannot exclusively breast-feed our baby in an emergency situation (though wouldn't that be nice!?!).  Therefore, we need to make sure we include formula and at least one bottle for our little man.  And this means we also need to consider having extra water for his kit.

Here's what we have included for our baby boy's kit for early baby-hood (he's almost 2 months):

• 12 diapers
• pack of wipes
• burp rag
• 2 changes of clothes (one warmer) for summer weather
• 1 bottle
• 6 emergency water packs
• 2 small cans formula
• small bottle of baby wash
• toy

Something else to remember with a baby kit is that babies grow fast.  You will want to try to remember to change out diapers and clothes in the kit when you change them out for everyday use.  For us, I chose to start out with size 2 diapers in the kit from the get-go.  I figured I'd rather have too-big diapers rather than too-small ones!  And as your baby learns to eat foods, you'll want to include those items too!  So you may find yourself updating your baby's kit more frequently (perhaps every 3 months, instead of every 6!).  But better to keep it up-to-date in case of emergency!

Hope this helps you get better prepared if you have babies at home!  If I can help you prepare in any way, please let me know by contacting me at THRIVingNilla@gmail.com.

Happy THRIVEing!

To check out all of the information I have shared about our 72-Hour Kits, follow this link.

Q-Pon Cooking: July 2015: Sausage Crumbles -- Pizza Pasta

It's nearly the end of July, which means time is running out to snag the great deal on THRIVE Sausage!  It's the Q-Pon item for just a few more days, so let me know if you want to get some before the opportunity passes you by!

THRIVE Sausage Crumbles is easily one of my favorite THRIVE Life products!  I have used it in so many recipes.  Here is a small sampling of those recipes:

Mountain Man Mix
Italian Bowtie Pasta (which can also be a jar meal!)
Sausage and Pepper Brunch Pizza
Sasuage Zuppa Toscana (which can also be a jar meal!)

Truth is, before I was introduced to THRIVE Sausage Crumbles, I maybe bought sausage 2 or 3 times a year.  Now that they are a part of my home store -- and so easy to use! -- I use sausage so much more!  It's awesome.

So here is one more recipe for you to try out with the awesome THRIVE Sausage Crumbles!  And remember, if you want to grab some at this great price, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or you can order through my website at www.thriveingnilla.thrivelife.com/thriveingnilla.

PIZZA PASTA
1 cup THRIVE Sausage Crumbles (I cut this back to about 3/4 cup for my family's meat preferences)
1/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup THRIVE Tomato Sauce (also on special this month!)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 cups rotini pasta (or pasta of your choice)
1/2 cup THRIVE Mozzarella Cheese (also on special this month!)
1/4 cup THRIVE Parmesan Cheese
Sliced Pepperoni
2 cups water

Add all ingredients except peperoni and both cheeses to a saucepan and add 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil about 15 minutes or until pasta is done.  While there is still thick juicy sauce, add the pepperoni on top and then sprinkle the cheeses on top.  Broil 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted.  (You can choose to re-hydrate the cheeses first and they will melt better).

This can also be prepared as a jar meal!  I will be doing it one of these days to hopefully use at a future jar meal event!

I didn't invent this recipe, but got it from a consultant who shared it in a facebook group.  I think it's quite tasty!  And totally kid-pleasing!  We rounded our meal out with grapes and salad ;).

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: July 2015: Sausage Crumbles: Stove-Top "Baked" Ziti

July is halfway over, and I've been lax in posting my THRIVEing cooking experiences!  Trust me, I haven't been lax in having them, though!  Life with a 2-month old and a new baby is just a whirlwind and finding the time to sit down and post all of these culinary treats is not as easy as I would hope.  And on those rare days when I could have the chance since I (by some miracle) got both kids down to nap at the same time, I pretty much choose to nap as well -- because we're still in the mostly-sleepless night phase!  My little guy still likes eating on a 2-hour schedule these days. 

But that's enough about me!  Let's talk about some THRIVE!  It's still July, which means you can still snag some Sausage Crumbles at a great price!  Since I have posted before about why I love the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles, I won't reinvent the wheel...  But if you click on that link, you can read all about the many reasons they are among my favorite THRIVE Life products -- and why I keep them on hand in my home store ALL THE TIME now.  (And that's saying something for someone who maybe bought sausage 4 times a year in the past...).

And I'll just add this recipe I recently cooked up, using the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles to make a great one-pot meal even simpler!  You can find the original recipe here.

STOVE-TOP "BAKED" ZITI
1 cup THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
12 ounces rotini pasta
3 cups water
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese*
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese*

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet.  Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes, THRIVE Sausage Crumbles, red pepper flakes, pasta and water.  Stir.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13 to 16 minutes. 

Remove from heat.  Stir in Parmesan and heavy cream.  Top with mozzarella and cover until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

How easy is that!?!  There's a reason I love these Sausage Crumbles.  And I know you will too!  So get some.  Now!  Just contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to get the Q-Pon price if you aren't a Q-Club member.  Or add it to your Q for July if you are a Q-Club member! 

Happy THRIVEing!

Sparkling Summertime Limeade

One of the newest products from THRIVE Life is the Summertime Limeade!  It is amazing!  It comes with almost no sugar added, so you are able to sweeten it to your liking -- and with whatever sweetener you prefer!

I decided to try out the recipe on the Limeade can using sparkling water instead of regular water.  It was a total hit!  In fact, my husband, who had previously said to me that he wasn't crazy about limeade, said "that was really good limeade!" after tasting it.  I call that a win!

When I made it to enjoy with our dinner, I only made a couple servings, so below is the recipe for one serving. 

SPARKLING SUMMER LIMEADE
1 teaspoon THRIVE Summer Limeade
2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces sparkling water

Add all ingredients to a glass and stir until limeade and sugar are dissolved.

Lactation Cookies

Many of my friends know from when we had our first baby that I had issues with milk supply when trying to breast-feed our little girl.  We ended up having to use mostly formula, and I would breast-feed whatever my body could supply.  Though not the way I'd hoped things would go for us, it was the way things went; and I learned to live with it and be grateful for the blessing of being able to feed my child, even if it wasn't the way I'd always imagined it being.

Fast-forward a couple years and we have just had our baby boy!  Knowing it was highly likely I still wouldn't produce enough milk to sustain my baby's life without supplementing with formula, we were more prepared this time.  But still, I have decided to try a variety of things to increase my milk supply.  A friend of mine told me about lactation cookies, so I went and looked them up!  And then I made some -- with the help of THRIVE!

These cookies are actually not too bad, but the brewer's yeast certainly has a taste that cannot be completely masked.  I'm not sure if they are officially working, but I have been eating them anyway :).  And since I used my THRIVE ingredients to make them, I thought I'd share them here!  This is where I got the original recipe, but below is the recipe as I made it.

LACTATION COOKIES

2 Tbsp. flaxseed
4 Tbsp. water
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 THRIVE eggs (2 tablespoons THRIVE Whole Eggs + 4 tablespoons water)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. Brewer’s Yeast
3 cups THRIVE quick oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

 

Cream together the butter and sugars.  Add eggs one at a time and mix well.  Add flaxseed and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, Brewer's Yeast, and oats.  Add to the butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

Once the dough is mixed together well, add chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes (mine took 8). sdfasd

Throw & Go Vegetable Beef Soup

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  one of my favorite things about THRIVE Life is how it helps me save time -- or have a good, healthy meal easily when I don't have any time.  Or when I have very little motivation to make dinner :).  (And I accept that as the way it is when I could deliver a baby any day!)

Well, Tuesday was one of those days.  I'd had a doctor's appointment, hit up Costco, the bank and Target, washed some laundry, took care of a toddler, took the toddler to the library to get new books...  And by dinner-time, I didn't have any meat thawed, and I really didn't feel like doing anything much.  It was quite tempting to go through a drive-thru while out at the library!

But I knew that wasn't the best option for us.  And so I convinced myself to come home and figure out something fast and easy with all my delicious THRIVE!

And I came up with this "Throw & Go Vegetable Beef Soup!"  And I liked it!  The THRIVE Ground Beef may be my new favorite item!!!

Seriously, I just threw a bunch of stuff in a pot, brought it to a boil, reduced to simmer and let it simmer 15 minutes.  I thawed out some french bread I'd made and frozen earlier.  And dinner was done!  Here's how I did it (but just realize you can adapt to your likes and preferences with THRIVE Life!)

THROW AND GO VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons THRIVE Celery
3 tablespoons THRIVE Carrot Dices
1/4 cup THRIVE Green Peas
1/4 cup THRIVE Mushrooms
1/4 cup THRIVE Asparagus
1 teaspoon THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce*
1 14-ounce can chicken broth*
2 cups water
1/2 cup THRIVE Ground Beef

Heat oil in a saucepan/pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute 30 seconds.  Pour in tomato sauce, broth, water.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook 15 minutes. 

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

I enjoyed the flavor in this soup and I could really taste the beef flavor, even after only 15 minutes!  I thought this was awesome for a no-plan meal :).  And I loved that I got all my veggies in and in such variety!  The only thing I'll do differently in the future is add either some macaroni or potato chunks.  But that'll be just as simple with THRIVE Life :)!

I love my home store!

Product Highlight: THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices

Happy June y'all!  It's a new month!  Which means there's a new Q-Pon item -- and a lot of other great new specials out this month!  And I'm super-excited about several of them, including the new THRIVE Summer Limeade and the return of the THRIVE Summer Lemonade!  Those two drink mixes do not have added sweeteners, meaning you can add the sweetener of your choice in the amount of your choice!  How fabulous is that!?!

But today I wanted to focus on the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices, because I think they are a phenomenal item -- and I want to share why!

1.  I love, love, love when I can avoid handling raw chicken.  Especially when I'm pregnant, as it is highly recommended that pregnant women don't handle raw meats without gloves.  And let's be serious... how annoying is it to have to stop what I'm doing to don a pair of gloves so I can handle raw chicken!?!  Talk about adding time to my meal prep!  Ugh!  THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices are pre-cooked and freeze-dried, so they are ready for me to use quickly and without having to handle raw meat!

2.  Because they come pre-cooked and ready to use, and because they are a high-quality product, they already have the fat trimmed off!  I am obsessive about cutting the fat off my chicken (which is why it takes me extra time to use raw chicken), so this is a huge bonus for me!

3.  As mentioned a bit in both previous points, this saves me time!  The chicken is already cooked!  It needs to be re-hydrated, but that can be done while I'm prepping other ingredients and requires almost no hands-on time from me!

And you don't just have to take my word for the awesomeness of this product!  Here's what one of my customers had to say about how THRIVE Chicken Slices came through for her!

"I forgot to thaw chicken for the recipe I was planning to make for dinner tonight...  But then I remembered my THRIVE Chicken Slices and dinner was saved!" -- Julie S.

Those are good moments -- when I see how THRIVE Life has helped others the way it helps me!

Here's some information on the THRIVE Chicken Slices:

The Chicken Slices are seasoned, so they do have additional ingredients to chicken.  The ingredients include:  chicken, sodium phosphate, salt and carrageenan.   

Unopened, a can of THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices will store for 1 year and maintain its nutrients!

Once opened, it is recommended you use the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices within one year (at 6 to 9 months is optimal for freshness).

Here are a few posts with recipes in which I used the Seasoned Chicken Slices to offer you ideas for using yours!
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Chicken Asparagus Pasta
Chicken, Broccoli, Macaroni, and Cheese Skillet Meal
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

It occurs to me that all of those recipes are pasta recipes!  Too funny!  But our family likes pasta a lot, so that's not really surprising to me.  However, I have also used these chicken strips in a crock pot white chicken chili (unfortunately I was not on top of taking pictures and documenting it that day...) and some BBQ Sliders -- which I totally documented and will be posting later this month! 

With the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices as the June 2015 Q-Pon item, it's a great time to stock up!  The #10 can has a retail value of $58.99, but during June, you can get them for $44.29!  If you are a Q Club member, you can simply add your THRIVE Chicken Slices to your Q for June!  If you aren't a Q Club member, you can contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll help you place your order!  You really don't want to miss out on this great price!

Happy THRIVEing!

Hiking Snacks!

Summer is coming in!  We have enjoyed several beautiful days here in Western Washington.

True, they've also been warm days -- and I'm not entirely fond of those ;).  But they have still been beautiful blue-sky days.  Great for soaking up the Vitamin D!

With this time of year come many opportunities to go hiking, back-packing, and camping!  And guess what!?!  THRIVE Life is awesome for those activities!  The foods are light-weight and so convenient!  So today I thought I'd share a couple of great hiking snack recipes using lots of THRIVE Life goodies!  These are especially great, because in addition to being light-weight, they are packed with great nutrients and protein -- the stuff to keep you going on those hikes!

MOUNTAIN MAN MIX

Mix equal parts:
THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
THRIVE Green Peas
THRIVE Sweet Corn
THRIVE Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Optional:  Sprinkle with THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning Blend to taste. (We opted out of the seasoning blend and it was still delicious!)

It's recommended you put all this in a bowl or container with a lid and shake, shake, shake (especially if you choose to use the seasoning blend).  

The other recipe is one I made up.  I call it Tropical Trail Mix.  Full of tropical fruits along with granola and nuts (and, of course, some chocolate!), it's a yummy little trail treat!

TROPICAL TRAIL MIX

2 cups Granola of your choice
¼ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 ¼ cups THRIVE Mango

1 cup THRIVE Pineapple Chunks

1 cup THRIVE Banana Slices, broken

1 cup roasted salted cashews

½ cup THRIVE Passionfruit Yogurt Bites

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well-mixed.  Enjoy!

I'm pretty excited about these hiking snacks!  They aren't just for hiking, of course :).  They are great for snacking anytime!  A great way to get some fruits and veggies.  I just think they are phenomenal for back-packing and hiking, because they do have the ingredients to really boost energy levels and provide great nutrition while doing so!

Are you a hiker or back-packer?  Would you love having great home-made and healthy trail snacks?  I can help you with that!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla!

Happy THRIVEing!

Prepping for Baby!

As part of preparing for the arrival of our little bundle of joy, I knew I wanted to have several meals on-hand.  Over time, I decided I didn't just want dinner meals readily available, but also breakfast (since I have a hungry toddler to feed in the mornings :)). 

Once again, THRIVE Life has helped me!  And I can't say how much I love how versatile the product is.  It has helped me in so many ways with shaving time off meal prep, reducing waste, and offering my family healthier options (and easy ways to get veggies!).  And now it's helped me prepare for a baby!  So loving it!

So now I have dinners and breakfasts, all thanks to THRIVE Life! 

Here's what I now have on hand (in addition to several freezer meals that THRIVE also helped me with!):

Oatmeals (this is the basic recipe I followed, but changed up the fruit and some of the spices for some of them!)
Sausage Zuppa Toscana
Sloppy Joes (I haven't posted this as a jar meal specifically, yet, but plan to eventually.  The recipe is there, though, and I'll just add a can of tomato sauce since I don't have tomato powder on hand at the moment!)

I know it'll be so wonderful to have these on-hand when we have a newborn and sleep is hard to come by -- and time is a little crazy for a while :).  I love THRIVE, and I love my home store!

Would you love to do jar meals or learn more about them?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!  We do jar meal classes periodically and are planning to do one in July for the sloppy joes!

Happy THRIVEing!

Q-Pon Cooking: Ground Beef (May 2015): Sloppy Joes

It's nearing the end of May and time is running out to take advantage of the great deal on THRIVE Ground Beef!  I have loved having this ground beef on hand, because it has made coming up with dinner in a pinch a cinch ;).  I didn't have to thaw any meat!  Or brown it, for that matter :).

In addition to the meatballs we made a few nights ago, we also tried out the ground beef in sloppy joes!  Love this recipe, which I found here.  And I love even more that it can be a jar meal!  Look for a great picture of that soon -- and a date to come make a jar of your own to take home at our next Jar Meal Event! 

We halved this recipe at my house and it still made plenty for my family!  The recipe as we made it (and as is shared below) would easily make 8 sloppy joes.  (For my family, that means it would feed 4; since my husband ate 3 of them!!!).  The recipe below is the way I made it with a few adaptations (for example, I didn't have tomato powder on hand, so I used a can of tomato sauce).

SLOPPY JOES
1 cup THRIVE Ground Beef (it's the Q-Pon item this month!!)
1/4 cup THRIVE Diced Tomatoes
3 tablespoons THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons THRIVE Celery
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onion
1 tablespoon THRIVE Green Chilies
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce*
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt*
1/4 teaspoon pepper*
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

In a skillet, bring 2 cups water to a boil.  Turn off heat and add dry ingredients to skillet.  Stir to combine.  Let rest 15 minutes.

Mix Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, tomato sauce and red wine vinegar in a small bowl until combined.  Add sauce to ingredients in skillet.

Turn stove to medium and bring to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce is desired thickness, stirring occasionally.  Serve on hamburger buns.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

This recipe was awesome-sauce!  In fact, I'm jar-mealing it to have on hand for when baby comes (which could be any day now!!!).  It's a great recipe for summer, so now's the time to stock up on the THRIVE Ground Beef so you can have some :)!  It's great served with home-fries and veggies!

Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla to place your order!  Remember, if you're a Q member, you have access to the Q-Pon item by simply logging in.  If you're not a Q member, you can still get the great deal by contacting me!

Happy THRIVEing!