we all need a cookie once in a while.

and these are just TOO good.

It's been a while since i've made real chocolate chip cookies.
ok, ok...
you caught me.
you want the truth?
i've never actually made real-homemade chocolate chip cookies.
(that worked, or in other words, didn't end up in the garbage.)
i know,
i'm admitting to my amateur cooking right now.

i've bought the store-bought dough before...
and we've eaten those.
(and maybe that's what i would make to take to friend...on my own plate of course!)
but quite honestly, i get a little intimidated by baking.

but since THRIVE has greatly improved my cooking confidence,
i thought...
"what the heck, i'll bake!"

so here you go, best cookies we've EVER had at our house!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup THRIVE white sugar
1 cup THRIVE brown sugar, packed
3 THRIVE whole eggs, rehydrated
(3 Tbsp powder + 6 Tbsp water)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon THRIVE baking powder
3/4 cups THRIVE white flour
2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 F

In a large bowl, whip butter. Add sugar and brown sugar. whip together for about 5 minutes
Slowly add prepared eggs, while constantly stirring the mixture. Add vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Blend well.
Sift in flour and gently stir to incorperate. Increase speed and blend for another 5 minutes. Mix in chocolate chips.

place portions on greased cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until cookies turn golden brown.

Enjoy.

recipe from the THRIVE cookbook.

Why i LOVE my Home Store.

To you, I'm a Shelf Reliance Consultant

to me....I'm a mother.
so excuse me while i gloat in my son's adorable-ness.

me: "hey bud, what should we make for dinner tonight?"
bo: "oh mom, can we please have some of the shwelf rewiance?..i LOVE that food!"

isn't that cute?

..wait...now before you go off believing that i deceive my kids in an effort to get them eating more vegetables..i don't. bo is fully aware that vegetables grow from seeds in the ground...and that they are not magically chopped and ready to eat.
but heck, maybe i don't need to spend my days teaching the kids about this.
perhaps the future will include all our groceries coming to our door, fresh, clean, chopped and delicious.
hmmm....maybe we ARE the future!

anyway, i'm off my soapbox
(for now)

the reason for this post was to tell you why i love my Home Store.

I love food.
(isn't it obvious?)
thus i am a fan of food blogs.
i found one a few years ago. it was simple home cookin'.
and since i'm simple...i was on board.
i would find a scrumptious new recipe on the blog and write down all the ingredients so that the next time i was at the store i would be sure to get everything i needed.
sometimes this method worked like magic.
everything was purchased, AND, i remembered where i had found the recipe and what i was planning to make with it.
other times it did not.

now things run differently,
no matter the blog,
no matter the recipe,
i have the ingredients on had!
i am confident NOTHING has gone rotten in the back of the fridge.
(cause it's not in the fridge, just our yummy leftovers are!)
i am certain the meal will be eaten, and possible cleaned up,
LONG before the suggested cook time.
and i just KNOW everyone at the table will enjoy!
so now, when i find something that sounds good..
i make it!
right then.
not after going to the grocery store.
or making a list for hours.
right then.

and i love that.

here's what we made tonight...

Potato Casserole, aka. Shepherds pie.

from Caviar Shmaviar.
clever, huh!

here is her recipe:

1 lb Hamburger
1 Can Kitchen Cut Green Beans - drained
1 Can Tomato Soup - not sauce, soup
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Large or 4-5 Medium Russet Potatoes
2 Tbsp. Butter (or Margarine in my case)
Paprika

Mashed Potatoes: Peel potatoes, wash and cut. Put in a pan with water an inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and set timer for 15 minutes. Drain water and mash. Add a little butter or margarine and a little milk or lactose free milk :) Mash a little more.

Hamburger Mixture: While the potatoes are cooking, brown hamburger. Remove grease. Add beans, tomato soup, and salt and pepper. About 1/2 Tbsp of each. Place hamburger mixture in baking dish. Then add potatoes. Place pieces of butter or margarine on top of the potatoes and then sprinkle with Paprika to your liking. Cook on 350 for about a half an hour until it's completely warmed through.

I added THRIVE onions, while browning the meat...
THRIVE carrots
THRIVE peas, and
THRIVE green beans.
after reconstituting them together in the same bowl of cold water for about 3 minutes.
(and no, i didn't measure)

then i dumped it all in a stone to bake.
(now, i'm thinking some THRIVE corn would have been yummy in their too.)

put your mashed potatoes on top.
I added THRIVE sour cream to my mashed potatoes.
(how ever much sour cream powder you add, add half that much water.)

then spread some butter cubes on top, and some paprika!

walaa...bake at 350!

now, don't be a hater, give this good ol' fashioned casserole a shot. it won't disappoint.

Super foods, to save to day!

today i felt kind of blah.

oh come on,
you can't say it's never happened to you.

but i've always been a believer in food.
i believe it's the foods we eat that can lift our spirits and heal our bodies.

however, before my THRIVE days...these were beliefs that i couldn't necessary live by.
though i would try. there were many days that high-nutrient foods were out of my budget, and just plain...not in my home.

but unlike days past. I have ample supply of high-nutrient foods in my pantry.
including the superfood, Spinach!

so i made a "green drink" to lift my spirit!

what i did:
1 cup THRIVE spinach (reconstituted)
1 banana
2 Tbsp THRIVE peach drink
8 oz water
about 1/4 c. THRIVE pears
about 1/2 c. THRIVE strawberries
ice.


and lifting my spirit... it did!
i love that everything our bodies need...we can find in food.
and now, i love that every kind of food i need, i can find in THRIVE!
(without breaking the bank!)

and guess who also fell in love with our "green drink".


we were all happy tonight!

Check out this great article about the benefits of Freeze-dried foods:

Luckily, though, there is a way to get the best bang for your buck where nutrients are concerned. According to scientific research, freeze-dried green and berry extracts can contribute to optimum health and free radical oxidation in ways that traditionally stored and prepared fruits and vegetables cannot. While other cooking methods remove nutrients from your food, freeze-drying simply removes the water, leaving the antioxidants and phytonutrients intact.

And freeze-drying is not only superior in nutrient retention when compared to cooking methods, but with other storage methods as well. For instance, studies have shown that more than 90 percent of some nutrients can be lost in green beans even when refrigerated; freezing, though, resulted in stability of nutrient retention. Similarly, canning and blanching resulted in significant nutrient loss (2).

see the full article here.

hello winter.

So, winter finally showed up here in Utah. oh joy.

but no worries,
we had the BEST tomato bisque soup today for lunch.
thanks to our "produce in the pantry."
(aka. THRIVE)
Tomato Bisque

by Chef Todd Leonard

1/2 c. THRIVE chopped onions
2/3 c. THRIVE carrot dices
1/2 c. THRIVE celery
2 qts. water
1/2 c. THRIVE tomato powder
1/2 c. THRIVE tomato dices
1/2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tbsp seasoned salt
3/4 tbsp THRIVE iodized salt
1/2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce (the secret ingredient :)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

directions: in a 6-quart stock pot, combine the onions, carrots, celery, water, tomato powder, diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and spice blend and bring to a simmer, stirring to blend well. Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes covered, until all items become tender. Add the hot sauce, vinegar, cream, and parmesan and stir well to blend. (for thicker soup, reduce more before cream is added). Place soup in a blender or use a handleld blender and puree soup to a silky smooth consistency. Pour soup back into pot, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.

top with some THRIVE sour cream.
chopped herbs or balsamic reduction are also nice accompaniments.

bon appetit!