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!

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!

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!

Jar Meal: Chicken Tortilla Soup

We have another fun jar meal party coming up on May 5th -- Cinco de Mayo!  And to celebrate, we are making Mexican-inspired soups -- in a jar!

But naturally, I wanted to test out this recipe and see how it looks in the jar and how it tastes in a bowl :)!

So tonight, my family enjoyed Chicken Tortilla Soup!  And all I did when it came time to prep dinner was bring 8 cups of water to a boil, dump in the jar of ingredients and simmer 15 to 20 minutes!  And I definitely love the ease and speed of that!

Pictured is the prepared jar with most of the THRIVE ingredient cans!  I actually didn't have any THRIVE Green Chilies on hand, but my friend Rebekah did, so she dropped some by for me.  But I didn't have the can for the picture ;).  So there's most of the cans at any rate ;).

Just a close-up of the jar.  Very pretty, don't you think!?!  So here are the ingredients in the order I placed them in the jar:

1 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
2/3 cup THRIVE Green Chilies
1/2 cup THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 cup THRIVE Tomato Powder
2 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn

To prepare, add contents of jar to 8 cups boiling water.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.  Top with your favorite toppings:  tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, green onions, salsa, etc...  *If you prefer a higher fat content in your soup, you may consider adding a tablespoon of olive oil to the water when bringing it to a boil.

And when you're ready to eat, it tastes delicious and looks like this!

This was as definite win in our household!  I'll be making it -- in a jar for easy meals on busy days! -- again and again!  If you'd like to have one (or more) of this jar meal on hand, join us at my house on May 5th anytime from 7 to 9 p.m.  Just drop on in!  Plus you can sample all these delicious recipes -- and more -- while mingling and visiting with others!  It's sure to be a great time!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com for more information and location!

Or you can order the ingredients and make your own jars at home!  Just visit my website: www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla or contact me to place your order!  Remember, the BIG DEAL Sale is still going on through Monday, so now's a great time to get great prices on these ingredients!

Happy THRIVEing!

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!

Arroz Con Pollo Con THRIVE (Panamanian Chicken and Rice)

Well, I've been experimenting again...  And tonight I tried Arroz con Pollo (Panamanian Chicken and Rice) using a ton of THRIVE Life ingredients!

I grew up on this dish.  It has a little special place in my heart.  And it occurred to me I could make it with my THRIVE!  And save myself lots of time by so doing.  Tonight, I had this dish simmering after 20 minutes (including my toddler's "help").  No joke.  When I make it the traditional way -- without THRIVE -- I'm in the kitchen anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

Here's how THRIVE Life saved me that much time:

1.  I didn't use raw chicken.  This means I didn't have to clean the chicken or disinfect the counters when I was done.  My THRIVE Chopped Chicken was ready for me to use, already cooked!
2.  I didn't have to wash or chop my vegetables.  This included celery, onion, cilantro, and bell pepper.  Saved me 5 to 10 minutes right there!
3.  I was able to skip the browning chicken step -- as well as the shredding chicken step.  This is another 5 to 10 minutes, typically.
4.  Though this didn't technically save me time in the kitchen (since I could be out of the kitchen while it was happening), it did save on how long it took to get dinner to the table:  I didn't have to boil and cook the chicken.

In fact, this was ready in about 55 minutes (but only 20 of that was hands-on -- the rest was just letting the rice cook).  When I make this dish for dinner without THRIVE, I plan for starting dinner 2 hours before I want to eat it.  And even then, sometimes it takes longer.

So here's the recipe how I made it.

ARROZ CON POLLO/PANAMANIAN CHICKEN AND RICE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons THRIVE Chopped Onions (freeze dried)
1/3 cup THRIVE Celery
1/3 cup THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers
1 tablespoon THRIVE Cilantro
4 tablespoons THRIVE Tomato Powder
1 teaspoon salt*
6 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
1/2 teaspoon oregano*
1 1/2 cups white rice*
1/3 cup THRIVE Green Peas
1/3 cup THRIVE Carrot Dices (optional)
1/2 cup sliced green olives (optional)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add minced garlic and give a quick stir.  Toss in THRIVE Chopped Onions, THRIVE Celery, THRIVE Mixed Bell Peppers and THRIVE Cilantro.  Give everything a little stir, then add 2 1/2 cups water.  Stir in THRIVE Tomato Powder and salt.  Add additional 4 cups of water, THRIVE Chopped Chicken, white rice, THRIVE Green Peas, and THRIVE Carrot Dices.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook until water is absorbed and rice is done.  Stir in green olives, if desired.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

So I'll be the first to admit this isn't exactly like the original traditional takes-a-long-time recipe.  But it's close, and it saves me so much time!  I'm excited to have found a way to make one of my favorite dishes more quickly and easily!  It means I can put it on our dinner menu more frequently :).

A couple notes:  you could add more chicken if you wanted.  We just cut back on our meat consumption a lot, so that was plenty for us.  If you do increase the chicken, you may want to increase the water a little bit too.  And, as it is often difficult to "make up" a recipe (at least for me...), I learned that I needed to increase the water (I wrote the recipe the way it needs to be, not the way I made it.  I had 1 less cup of water in mine and not all the rice got all the way cooked).  And I forgot to include my THRIVE Cilantro in the picture.  Grrr...  Oh well ;).  It's in the recipe, so that's what really counts!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Fall is a great time for soup.  Soup of all kinds!  I love soup (and truthfully, because I do love it so, I often make it in the middle of summer too ;)...).  One reason I love soups is that it is a great way for me to get my vegetables!

And this delicious soup is no exception!  In fact, it's base is cauliflower, so you know you're getting your veggies in this one!  I got this recipe from the THRIVE Cookbook.  I'd been excited to try it out for some time now :).  And it did not disappoint!  The only ingredient I lacked was the carrots...  I neither had fresh carrots or THRIVE carrots.  Clearly, I need to get some THRIVE Carrots into my home store -- because I really wouldn't have minded having even more veggies in the soup!  But even so, it was delicious...  And I know I'll be trying it again in the not-too-distant future.  With carrots!  Below is the recipe as I made it :).

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SOUP
2 cups THRIVE Cauliflower
1/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Onions

1/3 cup THRIVE Celery
4 cups chicken broth*
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese*
salt* and pepper to taste
THRIVE Green Onions for garnish, optional

Combine cauliflower, onions, celery, and broth in a saucepan.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Transfer soup to a blender and puree.  ***Please use caution in this step!  I'll show you why shortly!

Return mixture to stove top and blend in milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and cheese.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with extra cheese and THRIVE Green Onions, if desired.

Here's the THRIVE Cookbook!  I love this thing!  And I'm looking forward to trying many more recipes from it :).

And so, here's the story about the pureeing in a blender...  So, the soup is hot hot hot when you're putting it in the blender to puree.  And if you seal the blender...  Well, the heat creates a pressure build-up.  So there I was, holding down the lid and I pressed "blend."  The result was fast -- and not fun.  The pressure pushed the lid up, and out spewed boiling soup all over my arm.  And all over the counter top and floor, etc.  I have some lovely burns from the incident.  So, while I whole-heartedly recommend this delicious soup...  I do not recommend following my lead on the whole blender part.  Take it slow and maybe leave a little pressure release somewhere...

Otherwise, make this soup!  It's yummy -- and a great way to get a bunch of veggies!  And, if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken, this could probably be vegetarian too!  (I'm not sure about the Worcestershire sauce though.... I think it has anchovies ;)).

Happy THRIVEing!!

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!

Cooking with the Q-Pon: Instant Pinto Beans: Taco Soup

Well, after a crazy week (plus) of not living in our own home...  We're back!  Which means I can get my THRIVE on a bit more again :)!

And, being that today was Wednesday, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to start cooking with October's Q-Pon item: THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans!!  I made a version of this soup by Chef Todd.  I used the recipe as my guide and changed it up a bit to suit what I had on hand!  Here's how I made it:

TACO SOUP
3/4 pound ground beef*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 1/2 cup THRIVE Instant Pinto Beans
1/2 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes* (I used ones I'd diced and frozen from our garden, but a can would work too)
4-ounce can diced green chilies*
8-ounce can tomato sauce*
2 tablespoons THRIVE Seasonings: Cilantro
2 beef bouillon cubes*
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
7 cups water

Optional toppings:
tortilla chips
sour cream (I used THRIVE Sour Cream Powder!)
shredded cheese*

Brown beef.  Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds.  Add all remaining ingredients (not including toppings).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. 

Add desired toppings.  Enjoy!

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life!

I thought this was tasty!  A perfect dinner for a chilly, rainy Pacific Northwest evening!

Sausage Pizza

Home-made pizza is a hit at our house.  But, because it's a great way for my family to get a lot of vegetables, I pretty much always make a vegetarian pizza.

Today, however, we find ourselves not in our house and still in our friends' house.  Which meant I was cooking dinner for 4 (plus a toddler).  So I made two pizzas!  One vegetarian and one sausage!  I'd been wanting to try out the THRIVE Sausage Crumbles on a pizza for some time now, and tonight presented the perfect opportunity!

I made my standard pizza dough as follows (this recipe makes one pizza crust):

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour* (tonight I used all white, but usually I do 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon yeast*
1/4 teaspoon salt*
1 teaspoon sugar*
1 cup water

Combine two cups flour (for me this is one cup each) plus next 5 ingredients.  Add remaining flour a little at a time until it is not sticky, but still a little tacky.  Knead until it becomes smooth and supple.  Grease a large bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat.  Cover with damp towel and place in a warm place to rise 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how much time you have).

While the dough is raising, get the toppings ready:

1 cup THRIVE Sausage Crumbles
1/4 cup THRIVE Chopped Onion
3/4 cup chopped bell peppers*
1/2 of an 8 ounce can tomato sauce*
THRIVE Seasonings Basil
THRIVE Seasonings Oregano
1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese*

Rehydrate THRIVE Sausage Crumbles and THRIVE Chopped Onion in water 5 to 6 minutes.  Drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

When the dough is ready, press it out onto a pan of your choice.  Spread with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle sauce with THRIVE Seasonings Basil and THRIVE Seasonings Oregano.  Then top with bell peppers and THRIVE Sausage Crumbles and THRIVE Chopped Onion mixture.  Sprinkle all with mozzarella cheese and bake 20 minutes or until dough is cooked and cheese is melted.

*Denotes ingredients also available through THRIVE.

I was definitely pleased with how the pizza turned out!  And even happier that I didn't have to mess around with raw sausage OR chop up onion in order to enjoy this pizza!

If you'd like to give these THRIVE Sausage Crumbles a try, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!  I'm definitely loving them!  And don't forget:  the THRIVE Seasonings are only available through your consultant!

Chicken Asparagus Pasta

Well, in case you haven't heard...  My little family of 3 is currently staying with a very dear friend.  Our apartment building is having some construction going on -- the kind that required we not be in the building for the duration of the project...  I suppose it makes since, since I just drove by to check on progress and, if we were there, we'd literally have no way to exit our apartment as all the front decking and stairs are gone...

But it is still not the most convenient of things.  Particularly with a toddle.  However, we are very blessed to have such amazing friends who have welcomed us into their home and given us our own space.  It has been a great help.

The result of this temporary relocation (that could last up to 10 days -- and hopefully not longer!), is that I am unsure how frequently I'll be able to update this blog.  Not having all my THRIVE at my fingertips can make it challenging to cook with it ;).  But I'll do my best to fill you in on worthwhile information in the interim!

Today, though it's not a make-ahead recipe or a meatless recipe, I figured I would post a recipe I made last week.  And I'll tell you a funny little story to go along with it ;).

So I am a Pinterest fan.  And anytime I happen to find a recipe on there I think I might want to try, I pin it and eventually get around to trying it.  So I had pinned a chicken asparagus pasta dish many, many months ago; because I had extra fresh asparagus to use up (I'd bought a whole bunch for a Marvelous Monday Meals -- and didn't end needing it all.  And I didn't want it to go to waste, so I had to find a recipe to use it!).  Well, I made the recipe using fresh chicken breast and fresh asparagus -- and I didn't really like it.  I mean, it was okay.  But it didn't knock my socks off.

Fast-foward several months, and now I tend to scour Pinterest with my "THRIVE eyes."  This means I'm always looking for recipes that would be great for all my THRIVE!  So I came across this recipe for Chicken Asparagus Pasta and I thought, "Well, that looks good.  And I can use my THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips and THRIVE Asparagus!"  So I pinned it to my THRIVEing with Nilla board.  All the while not realizing I'd made the recipe before.  And then I decided to make it last week.

And then, as we were eating it, I became sure I'd made it before.  And wasn't so impressed the first time I made it (with all fresh ingredients).  So, I tell you this story, because this was not my personal favorite dish -- or anywhere near.  And that was true whether I made it with fresh or THRIVE.  the benefit of using my THRIVE was that at least I didn't have to waste time handling raw chicken or washing and chopping asparagus.  And, just to allow the two sides on this...  My husband likes this dish just fine (but I am still not making it again!)

So here's the recipe.  Because who knows?  This may be up your alley -- and THRIVE certainly makes it easier.  But it's just not as up my alley as I thought it would be...  Twice. ;). (This is where I found the original recipe when I made it with THRIVE.)

CHICKEN ASPARAGUS PASTA
1 12 oz box Bow Tie pasta
1 1/2 cup THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices
1 cup THRIVE Asparagus
1/2 cup chicken broth*
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
red pepper flakes pinch of
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on the package. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices to the water.  In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the THRIVE Asparagus to the water. Drain and set aside while reserving a cup of the pasta water.

In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic in olive oil.  Add dry seasonings.  Add broth, milk, cream cheese, and half of the Parmesan cheese to the skillet.

Add pasta, chicken, and asparagus to your skillet and stir until well combined. If pasta seems too dry, add reserved cooking water a little bit at a time. Stir over med heat until desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and extra Parmesan to taste.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

Again, it's not my personal favorite and I don't plan to make it again...  But I liked that I saved time with THRIVE :)!

Meatless Monday: Beef Enchilada Bake

In recent months, the price of beef has gone up significantly.  As a result, I started looking for more meatless meals to help me stretch our grocery budget!  

THRIVE Life has opened my world to so many possibilities with their great variety of TVP (textured vegetable protein) products!  I'm loving that we're able to have meals that would usually use beef, but don't -- and we don't feel like we're missing out!  Our beef supply is stretching further this way, and I'm not having to buy beef at the grocery store nearly as often! 

One of our recent meatless meals was a Beef Enchilada Bake.  I found the recipe on the back of the THRIVE Life Sweet Corn #10 can.  I made a couple of substitutions, since we currently have the THRIVE Taco TVP.  The recipe below is as I made it -- and I felt like it came out quite well!

BEEF ENCHILADA BAKE
1 cup THRIVE Taco TVP (I subbed this for THRIVE Beef TVP)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 of 6-ounce can tomato paste* (I subbed this for 1 can condensed tomato soup, because the THRIVE Taco TVP is seasoned more than the THRIVE Beef TVP and I wanted to decrease the sodium due to my original substitution)
1 cup salsa*
1 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn, rehydrated
6-8 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch squares
1/2 to 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese*

Combine THRIVE Taco TVP and water in a microwave safe dish; microwave on high for 6 to 10 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, combine the THRIVE Taco TVP, tomato paste, salsa, THRIVE Sweet Corn, and tortillas.  Heat through.  Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish and top with cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Top with a dollop of sour cream* and sliced olives if desired.

*Denotes ingredients also available through THRIVE Life.

If you want to stretch your grocery budget a little further with the help of some of THRIVE Life's awesome TVP options, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!

You can also check out more info on the THRIVE Taco TVP by following this link!

Cooking With the Q-Pon: 10 Grain Pancake Mix: Ultimate Chicken Fingers

I have made these chicken fingers for many years now.  The original recipe can be found here.  My friend Donna shared that recipe with me back in 2004 or 2005, and it's definitely yummy!

So today, I decided to try it out with my THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix! 

Definitely yummy -- and healthier, because I got 10 Grains!  (And so did my husband and toddler :)).

I love the versatility of this 10 Grain Pancake Mix!

These chicken fingers are always tasty and moist.  I've made them many times and have never been disappointed.  Today I just thought I'd try them out with my THRIVE!  I was pleased with the results :).

So here's the recipe as I made it today:

ULTIMATE CHICKEN FINGERS (a la THRIVE)
2/3 cup THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds chicken breasts sliced into strips (or use chicken tenderloins)
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.

Mix THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix, cheese, salt and paprika in a large bowl. Dip half the chicken strips into egg; place in THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix mixture and coat.  Place chicken on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning after 6 minutes with pancake turner, until no longer pink in center.  (I usually cook mine a little longer, because I'm obsessive about cooked chicken!)

We served this up with a salad and mashed sweet potatoes!

If you want to grab your THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix at the awesome Q price, you only have a week left!  So contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to place your order today!

Happy THRIVEing! 

Hearty Vegetable Soup with THRIVE

It was a much cooler day today in Washington!  I always love that :).  One of the menu items I had on my list -- and which I still had sufficient ingredients for, thanks to my THRIVE home store -- was vegetable soup.  I know, I know... It is kind of crazy for me to plan for eating soup in the summer months...  But I love soups, and so does my toddler.  And it's a great way for me to get a lot of veggies.  So I pretty much like to make soup year-round... I just make it less frequently in the summer :).

Anyway, I knew I wanted to make a vegetable soup.  I usually do one with a clear broth, but thought I wanted to change it up, since I would be adding peas and green beans.  I just felt like they do better in a "red" soup.  So I sought one out online.  And I came up with this recipe as my jumping-off point.

So here is how I did it:

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced*
1/2 cup chopped onion*
1/2 cup THRIVE celery
1 small green pepper, chopped*
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
1 can V8 juice
1/2 cup frozen corn*
1/2 cup THRIVE green peas
1/2 cup THRIVE asparagus
1/2 cup THRIVE green beans
1 chicken bouillon cube*
1 bay leaf
salt, pepper, parsley flakes, thyme, and basil to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion, and green pepper and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.  Add minced garlic and stir.  Add water, V8, kidney beans, bouillon cube, THRIVE green peas, THRIVE asparagus, THRIVE green beans, and THRIVE celery and stir.  Add seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmering; cover and cook 1 hour.

*Denotes ingredients also available through THRIVE.

This recipe definitely helped me get my vegetables for the day!  And it was quick and easy!  Total time making this was 25 minutes, tops.  It could have been less, and will be in the future, once I add green pepper, carrots, and onion to my home store with THRIVE!  I think I could cut the prep time down to 15 minutes!  And that's just awesome!

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Skillet Meal

Since I've successfully made pasta salads using the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips, I wanted to try them in a different way!  I decided to try them in a stove-top skillet meal -- one of our family's favorites!

Once again, I found the chicken strips to be a convenient way to add the chicken to a delicious meal!  And they blended in really well with the dish!  These chicken strips are definitely already among my favorite THRIVE foods!  They save me time and effort in so many ways.

So, without further ado, I'll post the recipe :).

1 to 1 1/2 cups THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 can cream of chicken soup + 2 cans full of water
black pepper to taste
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pour cream of chicken soup and water into a large skillet.  Warm over medium-high heat.  Throw in the chicken strips.  Add all other ingredients, except cheese.  Stir together.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.  (Checking to make sure there is enough water at about 15 minutes.)  Stir in cheese until melted and combine.  Allow to heat 2 more minutes.  Serve.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

When it's hot outside, I don't like to use the oven and heat up my house.  I live in Washington, and since it only gets uncomfortably hot about 1 month (total) out of the year, air conditioning isn't standard.  So no sense in making the house less comfortable by using the oven, right?


So I turn to stove-top dishes for my meals!  And one of my favorite things to make in the summer is pasta salad.  Of all sorts of varieties.

I happened upon this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad via Pinterest.  It sounded yummy, easy, and I had all the ingredients.  And then it got even better.  Because I had recently received a can of THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips!  I knew I wanted to try them out -- and what better chance than this pasta salad!?!

I was very pleased with the results.  And not just for the fact that it tasted great.  Here's why I'm loving the THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips:

1. I didn't have to mess with raw chicken and worry about the salmonella germies all over my hands and counter (because I am a bit OCD when it comes to cleaning my chicken and getting rid of all the fat!).
2. I didn't have to spend time cleaning the chicken (see note in #1...). This saved me about 5 minutes.
3. I didn't have to do my extra-special counter clean-up (which I do anytime I have raw meat out on the counter unpackaged).
4. I didn't have to wait for the chicken to thaw to cook or to cool for shredding or cutting -- this saved me at least 15 minutes (would have saved me more time, but I still had to cook macaroni, so I did still have some of the cook time). (Of course, the thawing takes a long time, but since I would have been boiling the chicken, I probably could have put it in the pot frozen...)
5.  No canned-chicken taste from using canned chicken.

So here's the recipe, with my substitution of THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Strips:

BUFFALO CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, drained, and cooled
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices, rehydrated (requires 1/3 cup warm water)
1/4 to 1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons Frank's hot sauce (can use more to your taste)

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. Then mix in the next two. Chill at least one hour before serving. It's delicious! (I didn't give any of the finished product to the munchkin, because it did have a kick... She did get the components of it, though, just without the sauce. Bummer for her, because the sauce is what makes it!)

Happy THRIVEing!