Cheesy Chicken, Brown Rice & Veggie Bake

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyNutrishDish #CollectiveBias

I love to cook special dinners for my family on Sundays. I especially love a classic with a twist. One of my kid's favorite dishes is a cheesy chicken casserole but recently I have started making it a little healthier than the original recipe we all grew up with. I make a few substitutions, the main one being that I do not use canned soup. I also use brown rice instead of white rice. Even with my updates, my Cheesy Chicken with Brown Rice and Veggies Bake, is still considered a favorite in our home!

When I say family, I mean JC, the kids, my dog Paris and me. I believe that dogs are part of our family. My Paris has been with me since my college days, not to age myself but she has been around for 14 years! 

My girl is a trooper. She rarely gets sick, eats everything she finds and love herself some human food. I do slip her some human food here and there but most of the time she eats dog food. I like for her to have yummy, tasty dog food that she actually eats so recently we have switched over to Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® DISH Chicken & Brown Rice recipe with Veggies & Fruit food. 

The Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® dog food line is dedicated to "Real Recipes. Real Ingredients. Real Good," which means whole ingredients you can see for a taste your dog will love. Real U.S. farm raised beef or chicken is always the #1 ingredient and you'll never find corn, wheat, soy or gluten, poultry by-product meat, fillers, artificial preservatives, colors or artificial flavors on the recipe label. In fact, every DISH from Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® recipe is made with whole ingredients you can see, like slow-roasted chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and apples for a while taste your dog will love. 

Honestly, this new food that Paris has been loving led to me updating the traditional chicken casserole recipe to a lighter, healthier dish for my family. 

CHEESY CHICKEN WITH BROWN RICE & VEGGIES BAKE

Serves 6

Prep & Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat

2 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups long-grain brown rice

1 tbsp butter

1 can peas and carrots, drained and rinsed

 2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken breasts side by side on hot oil and cook for 3 minutes on one side.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add flour and milk. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

Turn the chicken breasts to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes. I like seared chicken in my bake. Searing traps the juices in and makes your meats so much more delicious. 

Spray your casserole dish (I keep this old-school one on hand just for this dish!), with nonstick cooking spray and then add the 2 cups of rice evenly. 

Add butter, peas and carrots. 

Then, slowly drizzle your liquid mixture over the rice and veggies.

Add chicken breasts.

Pour chicken stock into your dish

Sprinkle cheese evenly. Cover dish tightly with aluminium foil. 

Bake 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove form oven, uncover and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.  

I love how this dish looks. Oh and I love that's it's all in one dish, makes clean-up a little easier! 

This cheesy chicken, brown rice and veggie bake is not creamy since I do not use canned soup but honestly, you won't miss it. It's so good!

I love getting ideas for new or updated dishes from unexpected places! Who would have thought that from buying my Paris new dog food that I would have updated a classic!!

I love to help a cause.  Did you know that Rachael's personal proceeds go to Rachael's Rescue? Rachael's Rescue was created to help shelter pets in need. To date, she has donated over $10MM. This money has gone toward food, medical supplies and treatments for these unfortunate animals. 

Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® DISH is sold at a variety of retailers in store and online. Discover a location near you by visiting the store locator here. Click here for a coupon to make the switch!

Learn more about Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® DISH products by checking them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Power The Holidays With Duracell #PowerTheHolidays

Christmas is right around the corner, 34 days to be exact. In a picture-perfect world, I would be at-home baking desserts for Thanksgiving Dinner with all my Christmas gifts purchased and put away, not a worry in the world. But this is real life and every time I look at a calendar, I freak out. I'm no where near ready for the massive Thanksgiving dinner I need to cook much less have Christmas gifts purchased. My kids are ready though. They have gone through all the toy books that have come in the mail and marked up what they want. I do think they went a bit overboard but I guess only time will tell what Santa actually brings them! One thing I do know for sure is that we will need batteries, lots and lots of batteries! We are always running out and there has been a Christmas or two (or three) in the past where presents have been opened and there aren't any batteries to put in them.

No joy in these faces when they can't play with their new toys. I'm over it so this year I am ready. I already have some batteries on hand. I know I will need more but for now I am covered. You know what else? If I buy a toy for anyone this year, I am going to tape the required number of batteries onto the toy box. That way no other parent has to be tortured by their child on Christmas morning for forgetting the batteries! 

Power the Holidays this year with Duracell batteries! 

Duracell CopperTop All-Purpose alkaline batteries are not only dependable, they’re also long-lasting. You can take comfort in a 10-year guarantee in storage with Duralock Power Preserve Technology. They’re great for many of the devices you use on a daily basis in your home. And from storm season to medical needs to the holidays, Duracell is the #1 trusted battery brand of first responders, pharmacists and parents, so you know it’s a battery you can trust. CopperTop batteries are available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9V. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks and Duracell. All opinions and sarcastic remarks are mine alone!!

Let's be honest with each other: How many times have you forgotten to buy batteries for Christmas morning?

Keep Trick-or-Treaters Hydrated With Spooky Drinks!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpookySnacks #CollectiveBias

I love Halloween! It's always so fun to get dressed up and go out trick-or-treating with the kids. One thing about Halloween in South Florida is that it's HOT!!! Our evenings don't really cool down much and trick-or-treaters tend to get hot and sweaty in their costumes. This year, I decided that in addition to Halloween snacks, I would offer trick-or-treaters a bottle of water to help keep them hydrated. I had to make it fun though so I decided to dress up my water bottles and create a hydration station where kids and adults alike could pick out something spooky fun to drink while they are out and about!

I purchased the smaller 12oz bottles of water so the bottles are perfect for small hands. Then I created some spooky printables to wrap around the water bottles. I made Ghost tears:

Essence of spider silk:

And Witches Brew:

along with a "Pick Your Poison" sign for the table. I printed them all out at a local office supply store, cut out the water bottle labels, wrapped them around the bottles and then taped the two ends together in the back. So easy and simple! I also purchased a couple 8oz cans of orange FANTA for the adults. 

If you don't want to create a spooky drink table at your entryway, you can always just set up the bottles with some pumpkins and stay in the Halloween spirit!

Did you know?

All Dasani bottles are made from plant resin and are a special shape that won't fall over int he fridge. They are good for the environment and sturdy, unlike most "green" water bottles. 

The water bottles and Fanta were purchased at Walmart. They were actually less expensive than buying candy. I purchased enough to hand out about 20-30 bottles of water or soda.

FREE PRINTABLES

Below are the printables I used for the water bottles. I printed them on 8 1/2 x 11 glossy cardstock at a local office supply store. You could also print them on picture paper. Just right click and save your favorite or download all the printables below!

This "Pick Your Poison" sign is a 4 x 6 image. You can right-click and save or download below!

Download all printables here!

Showing My Step-Kids Love In A BIG Way!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #kidscards #CollectiveBias

Do you give your children cards all the time or only on special occasions, like birthdays? I usually do holidays and birthdays. Usually, there are kids cards available for various holidays and some cool ones for birthdays. As my kids get older and learn to read better, I make the extra effort to pick out cards that I know they will like and understand.

Sometimes I like to buy them cards "just because". I keep them handy and if they get a good grade or need some encouragement, I am ready with a card and a smile! Lately, I have felt that my stepkids, Amberly and Gian, haven't gotten much affection from me. Adrian gets all my attention so I decided that I needed to do something special for them, something to show them that I do love them, just as much as I do Adrian.

Recently, I had heard about new cards from Hallmark called Kids Poster Cards. These are regular sized cards that pop out into posters of their favorite movie characters or TV stars. I knew my step-kids would love these. 

I read that these cards were only available at Walmart, so off I went. I found them in the greeting card aisle. I grabbed one for each child. I decided to give Amberly and Gian theirs this weekend and I would save Adrian's for his birthday! Did you know that Hallmark has a Hallmark Cards Rewards Program? This programs rewards shoppers for purchasing Hallmark cards and can be collected anywhere (but especially at Walmart)

They only had Happy Birthday themed cards but I knew they would love the surprise inside more than what the card said, they are kids after all! I love the positive messages written in the cards. All I added was a quick "You're special to me" and an "I love you". These simple words mean so much to children and I believe you really can't say them enough!

A peek inside Gian's card:

I made sure to get a couple minutes alone with each of them this weekend to give them their cards. Amberly got hers first and was very curious as to why the card was so thick.

She quickly figured out how to pop it open and was thrilled that it was a poster of Austin from Austin and Ally! I love the "Dream Big" message because this girl is definitely a dreamer!

Then came Gian. It took him a little longer to figure out what I had given him and how to pop it open but once he did, he was super excited!

Check out this video of his reaction (turn up your volume, he speaks in a very low voice). It's priceless. I got such joy out of giving them these cards. I want both of them to know that I love them very much. I'm not an evil stepmother and I will definitely make it my goal in life to prove it to them!

Make sure you check out Connections from Hallmark** to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. Join in the #kidscards conversation on Twitter!  

Sausage & Pepperoni Baked Ziti: A New Family Favorite

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyFavorites #CollectiveBias

I was stuck in a cooking rut. I needed something new, a fresh twist on a classic, something to feed a crowd, something that I could add to my "Family Favorites" category in my recipe book. I wanted an Italian-type dish with a yummy sauce and full of flavor.

Then it popped into my head, baked Ziti! My family loves baked Ziti but I didn't want to make a regular cheesy one. I wanted to add a fun twist. I know Adrian likes pizza and JC likes Italian sausage and I figured they go together since one can order a sausage and pepperoni pizza, so BOOM, my new recipe was born: Sausage & Pepperoni Baked Ziti!!

While I was grocery shopping at Walmart, last week, I picked up the ingredients for my revamped Ziti. 

I picked up my favorite jarred pasta sauce, Heinz Classico, in the Traditional flavor. Heinz Classico has a new look and comes in Traditional, Meat Sauce and Parmesan & Romano flavors. COUPON ALERT:Click here to save $1 off Classico favorites when you buy two jars!  

I made this Baked Ziti last night. I made sure to take lots of pictures so you can follow step by step! Here's the recipe:

Sausage & Pepperoni Baked Ziti

Serves: 8

Cook & Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 box ziti

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 3.5oz package of sliced pepperoni

2 tbsp extra virgen olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1 head garlic

2 jars Heinz Classico family Favorites Sauce (your choice of flavor, I used Traditional)

1 large egg

1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend

16 oz cottage cheese 

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 8oz package shredded Italian Cheese Blend

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large pot of water over high heat to boiling. 

In a large pan, add olive oil, onions and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook until onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Add sausage and brown. Meanwhile, dice 3/4 of pepperoni slices (reserve about 3 slices). 

Once water is boiling, add salt and oil (as desired) and add pasta. (See those cute, chubby kid hands? Yep, Adrian helped out!!). Cook pasta al dente.

While pasta and meat mixture are cooking, add 1 jar of Heinz Classico sauce to bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan. When I make pastas, I like to use a nice, heavy, sturdy pan. This pan has been passed down two generations in my family already! Talk about a family favorite! 

In a medium bowl, beat egg. Add ricotta cheese and Italian seasonings and mix well. Add these cheese mixture to your sauce. Then add all your cottage cheese. Mix cheese and sauce. Don't worry if the cheese clumps together, it will all even out at the end. 

Add meat mixture into the pan. When I make baked ziti, I like to mix everything in the one pan. It's easier for me this way and there are less dirty dishes!

Drain pasta and add the hot pasta to the baking dish. The hot pasta will start melting the cheeses immediately. 

Add the other jar of Heinz Classico sauce on top of the pasta. Now get in there with a spoon and start mixing everything together. Make sure every noodle is coated.

Once it's all mixed together, top with shredded cheese and sliced pepperoni. 

Pop in the oven uncovered and cook for about 30 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand about 10 minutes before serving. It will be HOT!!!

My family was ecstatic. They scarfed down their first serving and all went back for seconds. I love serving a nice hearty meal to a group and watching them enjoy each other's company along with a yummy dish!

Adrian cleaned his plate. This was a miracle, as he rarely eats his dinner. "Mami, this was the best food you ever made!" 

I'm super excited this recipe turned out well. I will definitely be making it more often!

Do you like Baked Ziti? Do you like it just cheese or do you add meat and veggies?