Popcorn Frenzy!

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.} 

Confession: I LOVE popcorn. 

All kinds: Salty. Sweet. Savory. Delicious. 

I have always loved popcorn. Well, since early college days... It was a super easy snack while studying or late at night when boredom would set in.

That was the bagged stuff.

NOW, we have an air popper, which is the best thing since sliced bread.

It's like popcorn on demand. 

We tried an oil-based popper. It was horrible. Terrible. It tasted like rubber. 

Speaking of rubber, don't buy any type of kernels besides Orville Redenbacher. Store brand and Pop Secret are both less superior to Orville's deliciousness. You wouldn't think you can tell a difference with popcorn, but you really can. And we actually prefer the white corn to the yellow corn. 

So here's a few topping ideas to try once you go buy your air-popper, which of course, is the best ~$20 you'll spend this week. Follow the directions that come with your popper first, then try these delicious toppings. 

Buffalo Popcorn (Kyle's favorite): 
1) Put your freshly popped popcorn in a big bowl.
2) In a small bowl, combine a couple of TBSP of melted butter (more butter = less spicy) with 1-2 TBSP of buffalo sauce.
3) Pour mixture over popcorn. Stir until well coated.

Now you can do 2 possible things here:
"Wet Buffalo"
4) Top with shredded cheese and eat.
OR 
"Dry Buffalo"
4) Spread popcorn on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Place in 350 degree preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Once out of oven, top with shredded cheese.

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn:
1) Place freshly popped popcorn in a big bowl.
2) In a small sauce pan, combine 1 TBSP ground cinnamon, 1 TBSP vanilla extract, 4-5 TBSP butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar until melted and bubbly.
3) Pour over popcorn and stir until well combined.
4) Place popcorn on foil-covered cookie sheet and place in 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5) Let popcorn sit in oven for 15 minutes.
6) Enjoy!

Movie Theater Popcorn:
1) Place freshly popped popcorn in bowl.
2) Pour 4-5 TBSP melted butter. Toss to coat.
3) Sprinkle a little salt over the top.
4) Enjoy!

And lastly, my personal favorite,
Parmesan Popcorn (or as Kyle calls it 'Boring popcorn'):
1) Place freshly popped popcorn in a bowl.
2) Pour 1-2 TBSP melted butter over popcorn. Toss to coat.
3) Sprinkle a little salt on top. Toss to coat.
4) Sprinkle 3 TBSP of parmesan over popcorn. Toss to coat.
5) Enjoy!

That's all folks.

What's your favorite kind of popcorn?

~Kelli

Protein-Packed Chicken Salad

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

This Chicken Salad is the bomb dot com. 

I love taking this in my lunch to work. This plus a few Ritz Crackers and either some fruit or a sugar-free Jello cup. Man, it's like a mid-day get-away.

Don't laugh at my boring lunches. They are delicious.

I came up with this recipe last summer. Every newly married southern girl needs to know how to make chicken salad. 

But I had no clue where to start.

So I looked up many recipes. Did lots of research. I knew what I wanted in it: grapes, cranberries, and greek yogurt. I also knew that I didn't want a ton of mayo because that's just not healthy.

I threw it all together in a bowl and voila!

It's protein-packed with walnuts, greek yogurt, and chicken. This recipes also has lots less fat than your typical southern chicken salad since it is made with greek yogurt in place of most of the mayo.

And just think, if you want to add apple pieces or pecans to your chicken salad, you can do that. Ain't nobody stopping you from stepping outside the box!

Check out the recipe HERE! 

I am looking forward to hearing about all your tasty add-ins!
~Kelli

Protein-Packed Chicken Salad

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: no-bake entree salad chicken American Southern spring summer

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 10 oz can of chicken
• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 6 oz of greek yogurt
• ~1 tsp dill, dried
• ~1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine in a bowl. Stir together and enjoy!

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New Blog Name and Other New Stuff

Welcome to my new and improved blog!

It needed a change. A facelift. A new identity.
And I wanted to be able to blog about my crafts that I do.

So I had to change the name. Food from my Thoughts was accurate, most everything I make comes from my creativity. But since crafts aren't food unless you're two, that would not have been a very accurate name.

Therefore, The Krafty Kitchen was born. 

In the Krafty Kitchen, I will bring new healthy recipes and fun, easy crafts that I have created or found to you through my blog.

It brings my favorite things together: eating, crafting, and writing. It's gonna be fun!

But let's be honest, just because I've changed a few things around, doesn't mean I can promise that I will blog more.

I will be happy if I blog twice a month, which to some people is NOTHING. However, I will do my best to post either a recipe or craft at least twice a month.

If I have extra time, I might even get to three posts in a month. But let's not get crazy. 

So hope you like the new look. Let me know if I can make it easier to read or operate. I'm open to suggestions!

Looking forward to bringing you new posts!
~Kelli

Orange Peel Chicken

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

So apparently I haven't blogged since April 15th.
How has it been that long?!

Since April 15th, I have taken a new job and gotten an adorable puppy. Those things sound so easy and trivial, but good grief, both of these things have rocked my world.

But I mean look how cute she is! 

Except at 4:45am, that's not so cute. 

Anyway, I needed to find new recipes to make for dinner that were easy and quick. So I decided to attempt a Chinese entree.

We had Orange Peel Chicken at P.F. Chang's the other day and it was delicious. The perfect blend of chicken and orange-y-ness. 

So I found this recipe on All Recipes and adapted it a little, served it over Oven Baked Brown Rice. 

It turned out delicious! And leftovers were just as good. 

Just a hint of spice and a great citrus flavor! Fantastic! 

Much Love, 

Orange Peel Chicken

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: saute entree chicken Chinese

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Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Sauce

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• Juice of 1 orange
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP white vinegar
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Zest of one orange

For the Chicken

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (I used cutlets), sliced into 2 inch pieces or cubed

Instructions

In a bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken until the outside is golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Pour sauce mixture over the chicken, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the skillet. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together 2 spoonfuls of flour together with ~1 TBSP of water. Add a little at a time of the mixture to the sauce to thicken it. Add a little, stir. Add a little, stir. Once desired texture is achieved, let chicken and sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over brown rice, preferably my Oven Baked Brown Rice.

Enjoy!

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Mexican Quinoa

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

So I totally made this up. Literally, it is food from my thoughts.
And it's delicious.

I have this thing for Mexican food. I could eat it at every single meal.
Every single day.
365 days a year.
Which is what I did for many years of my college life.

That is until my tomato allergy brought that to a complete halt.

So now, I enjoy coming up with recipes that give me the Mexican-y flavor and deliciousness without the possibility of a hospital visit and numerous medical bills.
It's a fun balance to manage. 

Did I mention there's no meat in this? Oh I didn't. 
Well hey, there's no meat.
Not because it's "cool."
Not because it's "environmentally friendly."
Not because it's "trendy."

It has no meat because eating one meatless meal a week can help save money on the grocery bill AND it's good for your heart (aka. cardiovascular health). The protein in this dish comes from the black beans, quinoa, and cheese.

It makes nutritional sense. Which, of course, is what I care about. 

Simple? Check!   Delicious? Check!   Nutritious? Triple Check!

Get the recipe HERE or below!

Much Love,

Mexican Quinoa

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake entree vegetarian meat-free veggie Mexican

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Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

• 2 cups of cooked quinoa, cooked in chicken broth
• 2 cans black bean, drained and rinsed
• 1 can mexicorn, drained
• 3/4 of a red bell pepper
• 1 can diced green chiles, drained
• 1/4 cup medium green salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 - 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese for top of casserole
• Pepper jack cheese and sour cream to serve

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Cook quinoa in chicken broth per package instructions while you chop up veggies and open all cans.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed.

Place in greased 8x11 casserole dish and top with sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until edges are brown and bubbly. To serve, top with pepper jack cheese and sour cream.

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Crunchy Ranch Chicken

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

Crunchy Ranch Chicken is a family favorite in our house! 

This is such an easy, quick dinner to whip up on a week night with most things that you have in your pantry.

You can also see in this picture that we had creamy crockpot corn (which the recipe isn't on the blog yet, but will be sometime in the future) and we tried brussels sprouts for the first time.

Can I just be honest?

I gave brussels sprouts a honest try........ and they are gross. We had them steamed with sea salt and cracked pepper. I couldn't even finish my tiny little portion on my plate. I could possibly try them again in the future, but I'll have to recover from this sampling first.

Check out the recipe for Crunchy Ranch Chicken HERE!

Let me know what you think !

Much Love,

Crunchy Ranch Chicken

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake entree chicken American

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Ingredients (3 servings)

• cornflakes, chopped very finely in a food processor
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• About 1 lb. of chicken tenderloins
• 1 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Dip chicken in melted butter. Then dip it into the mix of cornflakes and ranch dressing mix until thoroughly covered. Place on baking sheet. Continue process with all other pieces of chicken.

Bake chicken for about 30 minutes in preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

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"Cheesecake"

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

So I'm not sure if you have noticed or not, but my blog posts are started getting posted later and later... Because I procrastinate. With this new job, my time is a little more limited during the week, so I say to myself, "Hey, you'll have time to do your blog stuff this weekend."

Then the weekend gets here and I get super busy and then it's Sunday afternoon and I realize that I have nothing to post.

Today, my excuse was that I had to work/be-on-call. When we were driving back from B'ham this afternoon because I was in my beautiful friend's wedding yesterday, I started scrolling through my Recipes notebook on Evernote trying to find something to post. And I ran across a Healthy Cheesecake recipe that Chobani had put out on Pinterest.

I was nervous about it setting well enough with just greek yogurt, so I changed a few ingredients. Then I realized that the recipe was made for a 4 inch pie pan.... And I only have a 16 inch pie pan.

Dang it, I have to make 12 more inches of "Cheesecake."

So after doubling the filling called for in the original recipe and a little trial and error with the crust, it came out perfect! And it tastes delicious.

The selling points of this "Cheesecake": 
{Side note: when referring to this "Cheesecake", air quotes must be used at all times. Period.}
~ There's a bunch of fiber in the crust, because it's made with bran cereal. Hello healthy gut!
~ Nutella. 'Nuff said.
~There's 24 grams of protein in this "Cheesecake"... I have nothing comical to say about protein.
~It's stupid simple to make. Is that mean?
~Lastly, and most importantly, it's absolutely delicious.

Get the recipe HERE!

Soooo try it out, maybe even sneak it by some friends and family and not tell them that it's healthier than typical cheesecake. They probably won't even know the difference.

Much love,

Cheesy Chicken Chili

[Look! ^ Easy share buttons!.... Please share this post with your friends and family!]

{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

So this Cheesy Chicken Chili is so filling and heart-warming. 

It's got some veggies (red bell pepper, onion, corn), some protein (chicken), and some deliciousness (almost a whole block of cheese!). I found this recipe on Pinterest probably about a year ago. 

I went to look for it again when I made this post so that I could give proper credit to the original blogger, but it seriously has disappeared. [So just FYI: this is not my recipe originally.] 

The original name of the recipe was cream cheese chicken chili. But, um, since there isn't a stitch of cream cheese in it, I renamed it Cheesy Chicken Chili. It's a little more fitting. 

This week the weather has been arctic and this chili will warm you inside and out!

So you cook this a little.... And then you dump in a whole block of cheese. 

Um, hello beautiful. 

Try this delicious soup and let me know what you think! 

Much Love, 

KG, RD

Cheesy Chicken Chili

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

Keywords: saute soup/stew entree chicken fall winter

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Ingredients (Serves 6-8)

• 1 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 TSP ground cumin
• 1/2 TSP dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1/2 TSP pepper
• 1 large (1 cup) onion, chopped
• 1 medium (3/4 cup) red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 TSP finely chopped fresh garlic (or minced garlic)
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3 (15 oz) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, drained
• 1 (11 oz) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers
• 8 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese, quartered

Instructions

Heat oil in 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pan; set aside.

Add onion, bell pepper and garlic to pan. Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until softened. Return chicken to pan.

Stir in chicken broth, beans and corn. Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Cover; cook over low heat 15 minutes. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Garnish each serving with cilantro and lime wedge.

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Crustless Mini Quiche

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{This post is prior to my gluten-free days. Please use caution when following this recipe if you must eat gluten-free. Always check individual ingredients to ensure they're gluten-free before consuming.}

Happy New Year!!

2014! It makes me feel old, but I'm not.

So usually at the new year people make what are called resolutions, I'm not sure if you've heard of them or not. They are goals that they are going to complete within the next year.  Most are about money and weight loss.

Annnnnnd they usually last for a month and then everybody gives up on trying to complete them.
The end.

Well this year, I decided the only resolution I was going to make was this:
To live simply. Enjoy the little moments. To act in the now instead of trying to rush to the next big thing I need to do or complete. 

I decided this was my resolution back in the beginning of December. And I didn't realize how necessary it was until I got my new job {YAY!} and I realized that I hadn't been able to enjoy my break between graduation and getting my first real job because I was SO concerned with finding a job that I missed it.
I missed relaxing. I missed spending time with my new friends. I missed enjoying being a newlywed. Because I was so worried about what was next. What I could complete in the future.

So this year, I am going to live simply and not rush through everything. 

One way I'm going to alleviate my rush is by planning more in advance. With this new job, I leave fairly early and return right at dinner time. And I mean I'm really good at planning food in advance for dinner, but with breakfast, I struggle to plan a wholesome, nutritious breakfast in advance. Which leads to the food for this post.

This little guys are packed with veggies and protein. I make them on the weekend, and then eat on them all week long.

If I eat one of these and a greek yogurt, I am full until lunch. And this might not be a big deal to you, but when I would do my rotations during college, I would be starving at 10 AM and I would still have 2 hours to go until lunch. I would be miserable. I wish I had these back then.

These are SUPER easy to make. The most difficult part of this is dividing the mixture evenly among the cups.

Easy to make. Easy to clean up. Easy to eat.

The recipe is HERE and at the bottom of this post.

Pop these in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until they are hot all the way through and you are good to go. Add some grapes or a banana for some extra nutrients. Voila, a wholesome breakfast that will keep you full.

So if you made a new year's resolution to lose weight, these are a great way to start off your day. Starting off your day with a nutritious breakfast will help you make good choices later in the day. 

Many people skip breakfast because they say they are just too busy. Take 30 minutes on the weekend to make these and that will no longer be a valid excuse. You're welcome.

Here's to starting off the new year right with a nutritious breakfast!

Crustless Mini Quiche

by Kelli Gilbert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast low-carb veggie

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Ingredients (makes 12)

• 5 oz frozen spinach, drained
• 1 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters ( I used southwestern style)
• 1/4 cup bacon pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced fresh mushrooms
• 3/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 muffin pan with foil baking cup. Spray cooking spray inside them liberally.

Combine all ingredients. Stir until well blended.

Divide evenly among the 12 cups. (I started with one scoop in each and then divide what was left evenly after that.)

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out of the middle cleanly.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Either place in an air-tight container in fridge or freezer.

To eat: Remove foil and paper wrapping. Reheat quiche in microwave on microwave safe plate for 30-60 seconds until hot.

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