Pinterest Recipes My Way

Sorry I don't have a soup recipe for you.  I tried some of the recipes that I had pinned on Pinterest this week instead, so I'll share those :)
I tweaked each of the recipes just a bit, so I'll share the link to the original recipe and let you know what I did to make it a bit different.
Neither of them are tough or fancy, but I think they were yummy!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I bought the ingredients to make this one exactly how it told me too, but as I was making it I decided to make some changes and I was happy with how it turned out.

Here's the original recipe: http://www.southernplate.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-cheesy-chicken-and-rice-the-downside-of-being-a-swan-princess.html

I got chicken out of the freezer in order to make this, but it wasn't unthawed in time, so I had to make a change.  I already had some shredded chicken made and figured that would work just fine.  I love crock pot recipes, but I ended up making this in a pot instead.  I put the chicken in the pot with the onions, corn, and soup.  While this was warming, I made the rice.  When the rice was finished I added it and the cheese to the pot.  I also popped a bag of steamable broccoli in the microwave and added that too.  It was looking pretty yummy, but I decided to make another change.  I set the oven to 350.  I sprayed a 9x13 pan and put the mixture into it.  Then I crumbled a package and a half of crackers (all I had were whole wheat regular crackers...Ritz would have been great, but these worked too).  I melted some butter and mixed that into the crackers just too moisten them a bit.  I cooked it for about 15 minutes.  Fairly quick, easy, and yummy meal!

Baked Ravioli

This recipe I pretty much made exactly like it says.

Here is the recipe: http://inspiredreamer.com/baked-ravioli/

The main thing I changed was that I added ground beef.  I also added Italian seasoning.

Turned out to be very yummy!  An easy alternative to lasagna.

Feel free to share any great Pinterest recipes that you find!!

Muffins Pans Aren't Just for Muffins 3 and a New Kind of Chili

Hello there!  Sorry it's been awhile since I posted.  School started back up this week, so last week was spent trying to finish some of the projects that I knew I wouldn't get to once the craziness of school started.  Also, my roommate made some yummy chili last week, so there was no reason for me to make a second soup.
First, we tried another new "cupcake" tonight...taco cups!  When I went to the grocery store earlier this week, I thought that tacos sounded like a yummy dinner.  I was going to grab the ingredients for the usual tacos, but then decided to mix it up a bit with taco cups.  I think these are my favorite cups so far!

Taco Cups

Ingredients
Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Won ton Wraps
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Lettuce
Pico
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Refried Beans (optional)

Instructions
Brown ground beef and then cook with seasoning according to directions.  When the meat is finished, put the meat in a bowl then mix in cheese and salsa (you could layer the meat, cheese, and salsa, but I thought this way was easier).  Spray cupcake pans with cooking spray and place one wrap in the bottom of each cup.  Put a spoonful of beans on top of each wrap and spread out.  Top beans with a spoonful of meat mixture.  Add another wrap.  Top wrap with a spoonful of meat mixture with shredded cheese on top.  Place pans in the oven and cook 10-15 at 350.  (Times may vary depending on how your oven cooks.)
Top with your choice of toppings and enjoy!!

I made 24 taco cups with the above ingredients, but one set had only beans on the bottom because I didn't have enough meat for both layers.

Now for this week's soup...
This recipe is perfect for those of you who are trying to eat healthy!  When I went out to visit my friend Pam on the west side of our great state in October, she made this for me.  I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it, because I didn't know if I was a fan of sweet potato and quinoa, but it was delicious so I decided to make it again!
I found the recipe here http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.ca/2013/03/sweet-potato-quinoa-chili.html

Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 large sweet pototo, diced (with or without the skin...I leave the skin on)
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• a few dashes of garlic powder
• a few dashes of onion powder
• himalayan salt to taste
• 4 cups (32 oz) water or vegetable broth, + more as needed
• avocado, cilantro and/or diced onion, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

In large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 7 - 10 minutes). Add garlic, cook for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder, cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, liquids, beans and sweet potato, stir until combined. Add quinoa, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover slightly ajar and cook for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chili is ready when sweet potatoes are tender. Add additional water if chili is too thick for your liking. 

I pretty much followed this recipe as is except that I did add 2 cups of water when I added the quinoa.
We enjoyed ours with some cornbread and it was yummy!

And here's a bonus recipe...

I tried one of the recipes that I had pinned last week and it turned out pretty well.  It was super simple.  The toughest part deciding what to serve with it.

I found the recipe here http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/06/slow-cooker-teriyaki-pulled-pork.html

Teriyaki Pulled Pork

Ingredients
1 (2-3 pound) pork shoulder butt roast (I used 5 pork chops instead)
1 medium onion, diced
1 bottle teriyaki sauce (I used Kikkoman)
1 (20 oz) can pineapple slices, undrained
Buns (I got the King's Hawaiian ones)
Optional toppings: cheese slices, onion slices, jalapenos

Instructions
Place meat in crock pot.  Drain pineapple juice over meat (I didn't use all of it because I used less meat than the recipe called for and didn't want to drown my meat).  Add 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce and then sprinkle onions on top.  Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours (or high for 5-6 hours).  Once meat is cooked, remove and shred.
After this, I emptied the juice out of the crock pot.  Then I put the meat back in the crock pot with more teriyaki sauce just long enough to warm through.  Serve on bun with a pineapple slice and choice of toppings.  I grilled my pineapple on my George Foreman and it turned out good.  I decided on homemade potato wedges as a side.  Overall it was a pretty yummy meal.
(When I made warmed up the leftover meat, I mixed some shredded pepper jack into the meat and that was quite yummy as well.)