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!

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: 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!

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!

Jar Meal: Apple Pie Oatmeal

This Thursday I am doing a Make and Take Jar Meal class for my sweet friend Megan!  She's so awesome and she's so excited about THRIVE Life that she wants all her guests to have some THRIVE Life deliciousness to take home and enjoy -- hence the Apple Pie Oatmeal in a jar for every party guest :)! 

So this morning, my toddler and I tried it out!  And it is amazing!  My toddler asked for "more...more!"  And, considering she usually leaves her store-bought cereals to soak up milk and go soggy and go to waste, I was totally impressed that she at all of her oatmeal and wanted more! 

Being that I'm only 3 weeks away from my due date, I am definitely planning on making variations of this recipe to keep in my cabinet for easy to fix breakfasts after we have a new little bundle in our home (and I have less sleep in my body :)).  Definitely going to try doing it with bananas and cinnamon; strawberries and vanilla powder; peaches, etc.!  So versatile!

APPLE PIE OATMEAL
1 cup THRIVE Quick Oats
2 tablespoons THRIVE Instant Milk
1/4 cup brown sugar*
1/2 cup  THRIVE Granny Smith Apples, crushed/broken (about 5 to 6 apple slices)
2 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice

For the jar:  Layer ingredients in a pint-size jar, beginning with oats.

To prepare in microwave:  Place contents of jar in microwave-safe bowl (a larger one) and add 1 2/3 cups water.  Microwave on high 2 to 2 1/2 minutes in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.  Add more water slowly to reach desired consistency.  Add milk as necessary to thin/cool after oatmeal is cooked.

To prepare on stove top:  Add contents of jar to 1 3/4 cups water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, adding water as necessary.  Add milk as necessary to thin/cool after oatmeal is cooked.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

This is 2 servings in the pint-size jar; but you can half the recipe (in a jelly jar) and have single-serve breakfasts!  Which would be totally awesome to take to work with you -- or send with your husband ;)!

I may have used too small of a bowl in the microwave...  And I may have had a little mess to clean up!  But it was so worth it!

I'm so excited about jar meals and how THRIVE Life can help me have easy and fast meals on hand like this oatmeal!  And I'm definitely glad for it as I prepare to make-ahead a bunch of meals (both breakfast and dinner!) to help us as we transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4!!!

Would you like to be able to make your own jar meals?  I can help you out!  Just contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website at www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla!

Happy THRIVEing!

*This is not my original recipe.  I got it from a jar meal cookbook available through my THRIVE Life team!

Q-Pon Cooking May 2015: Ground Beef: Sweet & Sour Meatballs

This month, THRIVE Ground Beef is the Q-Pon item!  Which means it is a phenomenal deal and the perfect time to stock up!  A #10 can of the ground beef usually retails for $62.49, but in May, you can get it for $43.79!  That's an amazing savings!

Plus you get all the benefits of THRIVE Ground Beef:  no handling raw meat, no need to wait for meat to thaw, and no need to have grease splatter during the browning process!  And the flavor is great, by the way ;).

So here's the recipe for some delicious Sweet & Sour Meatballs using THRIVE Ground Beef (I halved the below recipe for my smaller family ;))!

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS
2 cups THRIVE Ground Beef
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup THRIVE Powdered Milk, rehydrated
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 teaspoon salt*
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 THRIVE Whole Egg, rehydrated (1 tablespoons powder + 2 tablespoons water)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed*
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 can pineapple tidbits with juice (I used crushed, because it's what I had :))
1/3 cup vinegar
1/8 cup THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
5 cups white rice, prepared*

Rehydrate freeze-dried ground beef by bringing 4 cups water to a boil.  Add beef and boil for 5 minutes.  Drain excess water.  Mix meat, dry bread crumbs, milk, onions, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and egg together; shape into twenty 1 1/2 inch sized balls

Place in skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally until brown (about 20 minutes).

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in a skillet.  Stir in pineapple, juice, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium, then add meatballs and peppers.

Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve over cooked rice.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

We served stir fry veggies alongside these meatballs.  Due to the fact that I forgot to halve the egg portion of the recipe (oops!), my meatballs didn't stick together as nicely as they should have.  However, they still tasted amazing!  My husband really liked the dish and the flavor of the ground beef!

One thing I really loved about the THRIVE Ground Beef is that it allowed me to not have a plan until later in the day!  By the time I decided on dinner, I wouldn't have had time to thaw the meat the way I prefer to thaw it (I don't like defrosting meat in the microwave, because it never comes out well!).  I love the convenience of having ground beef on-hand and ready to use at a moment's notice!!

Would you like to take advantage of the great deal on ground beef this month at THRIVE Life and enjoy the convenience of having it on-hand and the presence of it in your home store?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website at www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla to place your order!  And contact me with any questions you may have!

Happy THRIVEing!

Product Highlight: THRIVE Sour Cream Powder

I'm one of those people who almost never has sour cream in the refrigerator.  For one thing, when I do buy it for a specific recipe, about half of the container almost always ends up growing mold.  And getting tossed.  Which irks me a lot.  But for another thing, and I don't even understand how this happens, but it almost always does (or rather, did)...  When I make my grocery shopping list and need sour cream for something, that is the one ingredient I seem to forget to write on my list.  It has happened multiple times. 

One time, in my pre-THRIVE days, I was so desperate, I started calling people within walking distance of my house to see if they had any I could borrow (in an effort not to make a special trip and waste gas).  Well, my mom just so happened to have some, but it was a rigamarole to get it, since she was at work and I had to get to the hidden house key, etc.  All of this with an infant in tow. 

So yes...  Sour cream is one of those things in my house-hold.  And when I learned I could get THRIVE Sour Cream Powder...  Well, I knew that was going to be stocked in my home store permanently!  I can't even tell you how many times it's saved the day.  I love it. 

So I figured I'd feature it today, so I can tell you all about THRIVE Sour Cream Powder -- why I love it and just a few tips from my own experiences.

Shelf Life:  THRIVE Sour Cream Powder can sit on your shelf unopened for 10 years.  That is awesome.  Once you open it, you'll want to use it within 1 year, though, to make sure it has maintained it's original nutrients and such.  (This is all under ideal circumstances, of course.  If you live in a place of higher humidity, the opened shelf-life may decrease somewhat.)  Because we do not use sour cream frequently in our household (hence the fresh stuff always going bad when I managed to have it), I find that a pantry can size is perfect for us.  However, it is also available in the #10 can size, if you find that you use sour cream frequently.

Ingredients:  Sour cream powder (cream, cultures, & lactic acid), Cultured nonfat milk solids, & citric acid. CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE.  It is also pasteurized.


Tips:  When I make the THRIVE Sour Cream Powder into Sour Cream for use on Taco Salad or something similar, I tend to add the water a little at a time to get a consistency I like.  I don't necessarily follow the measurements on the can.  When I am mixing it in with other things, though, I do follow their suggestions for ratio.  Such is the case when I use it for Chicken Divan.  I would also suggest, if you plan to use it as a topping (like fresh sour cream), that you refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (but preferably overnight), as this will help thicken it more and be more like what you are expecting.

Caution:  If you think of this as something you would mistake for fresh sour cream, you will be disappointed.  It is different.  My husband says it has more of a buttermilk flavor to it than sour cream flavor.  And it isn't' quite as creamy (especially if you don't refrigerate it).  However, many people have made it to use as a spread -- like cream cheese -- and love it that way. 

As with so many things, your tastes have a lot to do with how you will feel about this product.  For me, it has been a meal-saver, gas-saver, and time-saver!  I love the product, and plan to use it in place of fresh sour cream pretty much exclusively.  My next attempt will be to do some baking with it!  Using it in baking is actually one of the top suggestions for this product!

But if you're interested in seeing how I've already used it in my daily life, here are a few recipe links for you :)!

Chicken Divan
Jar Meal: Sausage Zuppa Toscana
Taco Soup (as a topping)

If you'd like to have some THRIVE Sour Cream Powder in your home store, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or head over to my website (www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla) and place your order in a few easy steps!

Happy THRIVEing!

Raspberry-Peach Rolls with a Simply Peach Glaze

So I'd had thoughts of this recipe brewing in my head for some time.  And since I took advantage of the Big Deal Sale we had this month, I finally got my THRIVE Peaches to make it happen!  I had reservations, as this fell under the category of "Hila experimenting in the kitchen" and I'm still a tad new at the whole experimentation game (I do love to follow a recipe!).  But after talking over my idea with my husband and getting his advice...  I decided it was worth a try.  And unless it turned out like charcoal, we'd be eating it!  Can't let those delicious THRIVE Peaches and THRIVE Raspberries go to waste!

Good news!  It wasn't charcoal!  Even better news:  It was a total success!  My husband had 3 big ones.  And is now down for a morning nap ;).

I'll do a step-by-step with pictures at the bottom, but sometimes I know people just want the recipe and I usually hate scrolling through the long version when I'm looking at other people's recipes ;).  So here is the recipe (I am not responsible for making up the dough recipe, though I did THRIVE-alize it a bit.  The original dough recipe can be found here.  But I did develop the "innards" of this ;)).

RASPBERRY-PEACH ROLLS with a SIMPLY PEACH GLAZE

Dough:
1 cup THRIVE Instant Milk (prepared)
1/3 cup butter
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar*
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* (plus more for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt*
3 THRIVE Whole Eggs (3 tablespoons egg powder + 6 tablespoons water)

Filling:
2 cups THRIVE Peaches
1/4 cup THRIVE Raspberries
1/3 cup white sugar*

Glaze:
1 cup THRIVE Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix
3 tablespoons THRIVE Instant Milk (prepared)

For the dough:  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it barely bubbles.  Remove from heat and melt butter in milk.  Allow to cool until lukewarm.  Pour into large mixing bowl and add yeast.  Mix and allow yeast to dissolve in milk and butter mixture.  Add sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt, and eggs.  Mix until well-blended.  Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls into a ball.  Turn dough out on floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, adding flour as necessary (this was about another 1/4 cup or so for me).  Oil a large bowl and put dough into bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled in size (anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on temperatures).  Turn dough out onto a clean, dry surface and roll dough out to approximately 11x14-inch rectangle. 

For the filling:  Place peaches and raspberries in a blender or food processor and process until powdered.  Pour into a small bowl and add 1/3 cup sugar.  Stir to mix all ingredients together.

For the glaze (I recommend making this while the rolls are cooking):  Add all ingredients (powdered sugar, Simply Peach, and prepared milk) together in a bowl and whisk until a glaze forms.  Set aside until rolls are done baking.

For the rolls:  Sprinkle filling evenly all over rolled-out dough, leaving a 1/2" bare at one "short" edge of the dough.  Brush that bare strip with water.  Beginning with the other short edge, roll tightly all the way and then pinch seams at the wet dough end.  Cut into 12 equal parts (I do this using string or floss, as it prevents flattening) and place into a greased 9x13 pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, take rolls out of the refrigerator and allow to set for 30 to 45 minutes (making sure rolls have doubled in size...  You may have to let them sit out longer -- but not too long!  Ours were out a little too long ;), hence the popping out rolls!).  Preheat oven to 375.  Bake loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until rolls are done.  Drizzle with glaze while still hot.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

So here are some step-by-step pictures:

Filling mixture sprinkled over dough rectangle.

Dough rolled up and sealed.

Cut rolls, covered with plastic wrap and ready for the fridge!

After rising and sitting out for a while in the morning (ours sat out a bit too long, so they over-big!).  I almost forgot to take this picture, hence the inside-the-oven picture ;)).

Simply Peach Glaze is ready to go!

The finished product!  So yummy!

One thing I learned is that I'll probably add a little water to the Simply Peach drink mix in a saucepan in the future to melt the sugar crystals in the drink mix.  The glaze was a little grainy from the sugar that didn't melt as I made it above.  So it was just a little learning thing for me ;).  Still tasty, though!  And a delicious treat for a lazy Saturday morning!

If you're interested in enjoying any of these awesome products to make this recipe -- or a million others! -- contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website:  www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Lots of THRIVE!

The other day I used a lot of THRIVE to make dinner and dessert!  It was a lot of fun trying new things :).

Pictured above was dinner, drink, and dessert from that day -- and, being that I don't get super motivated these days until after 2 p.m., that's when I started working on all of this!  Definitely couldn't have done that much without my THRIVE!

First up:  drinks!  The truth is, we are mainly water drinkers in my household.  But every once in a while, a yummy fruity drink sounds really appealing.  So I can understand why experts recommend having some juice mixes as part of your home store.  I have used this THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix for a variety of juices as well as putting it into my smoothies.  I needed the juice for the dessert I'd decided to make, so I went ahead and made up a full batch and enjoyed some of the juice with dinner :).  Simply follow the guidelines on the #10 can (2 tablespoons THRIVE Simply Peach to 1 cup water) and oila!   You have a simple, but yummy juice.  It's a real treat for my toddler when she can have juice with dinner.  And she gulps it down fast.

What I love?  IT HAS NO ARTIFICIAL COLORS!  That's such a win, when so many powdered drinks are full of artificial colors!

Next up:  dinner!  It was one of those "what am I going to make for dinner?" days...  I mean, I had my menu list all planned out -- like I do most pay periods.  But I flat out forgot to pull meat out to thaw.  And this is one of the reasons I love my THRIVE meats.  They are ready to use, even at the last minute.  So I found a recipe on the THRIVE Life website for Chicken Broccoli Alfredo.  You can follow that link and get the original recipe.  You can even make this as a jar meal.  Here's how I did it (with what I had on hand):

CHICKEN BROCCOLI ALFREDO
1 heaping cup shell macaroni
1/2 cup THRIVE Bechamel Sauce
2 tablespoons THRIVE Sour Cream Powder
1 1/2 teaspoon THRIVE Chopped Onions
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning*
1 teaspoon THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
1 cup THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices
1 cup THRIVE Broccoli
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese*

Place all ingredients except Parmesan Cheese in a saucepan with 4 1/2 cups water.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done, stirring occasionally.  Stir in Parmesan Cheese until melted and incorporated.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

So the things I loved about this dish: 
1.  It was all in one pot.
2.  It was easy to throw together.
3.  I didn't have to worry about thawing meat, etc.

But I have to be honest...  I personally didn't especially like this meal.  I think it was the Italian Seasoning.  Granted, I don't have THRIVE Italian Seasoning, so maybe that makes a difference.  But I just didn't enjoy that flavor.  My toddler really didn't like it.  My husband, however, said he didn't think it was bad.  So I guess it's all in personal preference.  But I have to share my true feelings, and those are that I don't plan to make this again.

For some reason, anytime I make pasta, I feel like I need bread to go with it.  Clearly, I did not start my meal-making in time to do a yeast bread.  And even throwing together scratch biscuits seemed like a lot of effort (lazy, huh?).  But then it occurred to me I could do the next best thing!  Sort of scratch biscuits!  I grabbed my Honey Whole Wheat Mix and decided to try making biscuits with it!  A quick glance at the ingredients told me it already had shortening in the mix, along with flour and salt...  Basically I just had to add a leavening agent.  And that was simple enough with baking powder!  So here's my recipe:

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT DROP BICUITS
2 cups THRIVE Honey Whole Wheat Dough Mix
3 teaspoons baking powder*
1 1/4 cups milk*

Place the dough mix into a medium bowl and add baking powder.  Stir well to combine.  Add milk and mix.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 450 for 9 minutes.  (I got 9 biscuits.)

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

You can add less milk if you want to make "cut out" biscuits.  But I like the drop biscuits, because they are fast.

And finally...  What I did for dessert ;).  Which was just a random idea I had, so I ran with it.  And it's also a pretty decent snack for a toddler!  I'm calling them Strawberry Peach Jiggly Squares :).

STRAWBERRY-PEACH JIGGLY SQUARES
4 cups THRIVE Simply Peach, prepared (this is 4 cups water plus 8 tablespoons THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix)
4 packets unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup coarsely chopped THRIVE Strawberry Slices

Bring 3 cups of prepared juice to a boil.  Place one cup of prepared juice in a large bowl.  Sprinkle all 4 packets of gelatin over juice. Allow to sit for a minute.  Pour hot juice into the bowl and stir until all gelatin is dissolved.  Stir in THRIVE Strawberry Slices.  Pour into a 9x13 pan (I usually spray with cooking spray for even easier release later!).  Refrigerate until firm.  Cut into squares.

Again, one thing I really love about this is that there are no artificial colors!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not great at staying away from all the artificial colors.  And who doesn't love Jell-o Jigglers?  But if I can come up with something just as fun and kid-friendly without the fake stuff?  I'm totally in!

Anyway, I had a lot of fun experimenting and playing around and trying new things.  And I just really love how THRIVE Life has often come to the rescue on those days when I am not as prepared as I could be to make dinner ;)!

Happy THRIVEing!  And, as always, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com with any questions or to place an order to help your meal-times not be a conundrum when you forget to thaw the meat ;)!!!

Cooking with the Q-Pon (March 2015): Chicken Divan

This dish is one of my family's go-to favorites!  And I'm loving how much easier it has gotten with THRIVE Life!

This was my first time using THRIVE Broccoli, and let me say:  I am in love!!  I can see many uses for this fabulous and time-saving ingredient!  I love broccoli in a lot of my meals, so I am excited!  I especially love that these are all washed and chopped -- and just the florets!  I have never enjoyed the thick stems of broccoli, and I would always buy the florets only from the frozen section.  Well, now I don't have to!  I have my THRIVE Broccoli!

And, as a side note, I am still loving the THRIVE Sour Cream Powder!  As usual, it hadn't even occurred to me to buy fresh sour cream for this recipe.  I don't know why, but I always forget it calls for sour cream until I start making it!  But now I no longer have to care that I forgot to buy it on grocery shopping day!  Because I always have it in my home store thanks to THRIVE Life!  And I think that is beyond awesome.

So here goes the recipe -- as I made it (the original recipe calls for the sauce to be doubled with a can of cream of chicken in addition to the can of cream of mushroom...  That was too much for us, so we always cut the sauce recipe in half as follows):

CHICKEN DIVAN
3 cups white rice, cooked*
1 1/2 cups THRIVE Broccoli
1 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese*
Sauce:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup THRIVE Sour Cream Powder (+ 2 tablespoons water)
1/2 teaspoon curry (you can adjust this to your taste -- we like the curry flavor)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, rehydrate the chicken and broccoli with water (5 to 10 minutes).  Drain excess water, if necessary.  In a large bowl, make the THRIVE Sour Cream by rehydrating with water.  Add other sauce ingredients and mix until well blended.

Spread the cooked rice in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.  Spread the chicken and broccoli mixture over the rice.  Spread the sauce mixture over the broccoli and chicken.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly on the side and cheese is all melted.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

Even the leftovers are amazing with this dish!

The broccoli is the Q-Pon item this month, so if you'd love to get some at this great discounted price, add it to your Q if you're a Q Club member.  If not, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com and I'll get it ordered for you!

Tropical "Sauce"

So this is a totally Nilla-made recipe.  And so I had to come up with a name.  I'll explain its origins shortly ;).

A few weeks back, I bought my toddler one of those squeeze pouch things while we were at the store.  Usually I get her these when we're close to nap-time and I don't want her to fall asleep on the way home.  She loves them and doesn't get them often, so they are a treat.  I like that I can get the ones with vegetables in them, and I feel like I'm having a mommy win, because she's getting extra veggies!  So on that particular day, the one I chose for her was something along the lines of carrot, mango, and orange.

Which got me thinking...  I could totally make something like that!

So yesterday, I decided to try it out.  And I decided to use some THRIVE goodies to help me!

TROPICAL "SAUCE"
1/2 cup THRIVE Pineapple Chunks
1 ripe banana*
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup THRIVE Carrot Dices
1 teaspoon THRIVE Honey Crystals
2 1/4 cups water

Place all ingredients in a blender and allow to sit about 5 minutes (to soften the carrots).  Blend until it is a nice orange color and there are no large chunks of carrots left (about an additional 3 minutes).

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

So here's why I'm calling it "sauce," though I clearly don't use it as a sauce from the picture.  I got the idea from applesauce.  Because, though I was trying for a smoothie consistency, this has more of an applesauce texture and consistency.

Now here's the thing:  I'm a pretty picky eater when it comes to taste.  And I thought this wasn't bad at all.  The first taste gives you that citrus zing, but then it mellows as you continue to eat it.  It's a great way to get carrots.  But I can't only trust my taste-buds.  Because, I think, when you have created something yourself and have a lot invested in it... well, it's easy to become biased in your opinion.  So I always let my husband and daughter be the real judges.

My husband's verdict:  it's pretty good.  He felt like it was missing something, but couldn't pinpoint what.  He tried adding a bit of mint extract to his, but said that was a mistake.

My toddler's verdict:  after tasting it, she wanted me to put the whole bowl at her spot at the table so she could climb up in her chair and eat it.  She was, in fact, quite offended when I took the majority of it to add to a smoothie today (pictured below).

So I'm pretty excited about my tropical sauce.  Because it means today, I got spinach and carrots into my toddler without her realizing it :).  (And I got them into myself too -- but I totally knew ;)).

Anyway, so today I put what was leftover from yesterday into a smoothie (the stuff my toddler wanted to eat).  I can't post a recipe for that, since I just threw stuff together and didn't measure.  But I can tell you what was thrown in -- just not amounts ;).

1 cup (approx) of the Tropical "Sauce"
1 large handful baby spinach
strawberry yogurt
THRIVE strawberry yogurt bites
milk
4 strawberries, sliced

I actually added too much milk, I think.  It was a little less smoothie-like.  But still tasted good.  And my toddler loved that too.  So I think it was a win :).

And this is just some of how I use my THRIVE!  Actually, having these ingredients on-hand has not only made things faster and easier for me, but has also helped me to be more adventurous in the kitchen! 

Meal in a Jar: Sausage Zuppa Toscana

I cannot take credit for the creation of this recipe (like pretty much all of the recipes I post ;)).  Thanks to my Relief Society President, who found some meal in a jar recipes and posted them to our Relief Society facebook page, though, I was able to enjoy it!  The recipe can be found here, along with some other meal in a jar recipes I haven't had the opportunity to try yet.  I will post the recipe as I fixed it (mostly the same, but a couple minor differences) along with my opinions on a few things :).

Also, please note that I saw this recipe today, discovered I had the ingredients to make it, and made it today.  I put it in the jar today too, to show how pretty it is.  I didn't seal it though.  I would recommend that you do seal the jars if you plan to store the jars for longer than a couple weeks.  I figure it's better to be safe than sorry!

SAUSAGE ZOPPA TOSCANA

Using a funnel, put ingredients in a quart-sized jar in this order (you may have to gently "jog" the jar as you add):

1/2 cup THRIVE Sour Cream Powder
2 cubes beef bouillon, crushed*
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup THRIVE Chopped Spinach
1/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 cup THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans
1 cup THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
1 1/4 cup THRIVE Potato Chunks (dehydrated)

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

Add contents of jar to large pot.  Add 7 cups water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. 

I really liked this soup.  It was a tad on the spicy side for me (wondering what the hubby will say...  He hasn't tried it yet as he was at work ;)), but I address that in my notes :).

So here are some of my thoughts:

1.  I would make sure to use a wide-mouth quart-size jar if you have one.  The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 of the potato chunks.  I couldn't get them all to fit in the jar, so I cut back a little bit.
2.  I may try a different order for the ingredients in future, if I ever make them to seal.  Mainly because I think the powdered stuff on top of the bigger items (like the potato chunks) may "seep" in better and make it less difficult to fit everything.
3.  I will probably cut back to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper to lighten up a bit on the spicy.  But if you love spicy, keep it at 1/2 teaspoon!
4.  Given the above statement...  I don't recommend this for a toddler.  I didn't even attempt giving it to my munchkin, because I figured it would be too hot for her.
5.  I used beef bouillon, though the original recipe calls for chicken bouillon, because beef is what I had on-hand.  And I really wanted to try this recipe tonight -- and not go to the store!
6.  I reduced the suggested water to 7 cups.  Depending on how thick the leftovers get, I may choose to increase the water in the future ;).

I definitely think this is a keeper!  Love that I had all the ingredients on-hand.  And, literally, this took no more than minutes to put in the jar (and 10 seconds to put in the pot ;)!!).  Even if I choose not to "jar" this meal in the future, I will have dinner cooking within 5 to 10 minutes!  What's not to love about that!?!

Cooking with the Q-Pon: Instant Milk: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

This month, the Q-Pon item is THRIVE Instant Milk!  I have to say, it's not very challenging to find ways to use the Q-Pon item this month ;).  But I have been able to use it several times in a variety of ways.  Today I'll share two recipes -- the second one is a bonus because I forgot to take a picture :/.

So today, my munchkin and I enjoyed a Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie as a mid-morning snack :).  And it was delicious!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE
1 cup frozen banana, sliced
1 cup water
3 tablespoons THRIVE Instant Milk powder
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth.  Enjoy!

The bonus recipe is a little twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole.  I didn't have Swiss cheese, so I switched it to Cheddar, and I thought it was great.  As it happened...  I did have regular milk in the refrigerator when I was making this, but only whole milk -- and only enough for my munchkin to get through Sunday (and we weren't going to go to the store before Monday...).  So I turned to my THRIVE Instant Milk powder!!!  Very convenient to have on hand for the 2 cups called for in the recipe!

So here's the recipe

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE (SORT OF)
3 cups egg noodles (or elbow macaroni*), uncooked
2 cups milk (2 cups water + 6 tablespoons THRIVE Instant Milk powder)
1 pound chopped cooked chicken*
1 10-ounce can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped, cooked ham*
1 cup Cheddar cheese*, shredded (recipe calls for Swiss, but I only had Cheddar)

Spread noodles evenly in a 9x13 pan.  Pour milk and water over noodles.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread chicken, soup, ham, and cheese over noodles.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

*Denotes ingredients also available through THRIVE Life.

This recipe can also be made ahead and frozen after you cover tightly with foil :).  A great make-ahead meal!

I only wish I'd remembered to take a picture.  Boo!