Thankful for Baked Butternut Squash and Apples

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I'm a side dish girl when it comes to holiday dinners. When I go back for seconds, it's always to load up on more from the sides. I like stuffing and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Oh, and dinner rolls smothered in butter. Just gimme all the sides, please and thank you. I usually roast some sweet potatoes, brussle sprouts and dried cranberries as my signature side, but this year instead of the normal roasted sweet potatoes dish, I am going with Baked Butternut Squash and Apples instead. 

When I first saw this recipe on Golden Blossom Honey, I knew it was something that I had to add to my Thanksgiving menu this year. A little sweet with a hit of warmth, this dish is perfect for fall entertaining. The hardest part of putting this together was peeling and chopping the butternut squash (seriously, if you have a technique to make that chore easier, do share!), so if you want to save time or just skip the extra work, I'm sure you could replace fresh butternut squash with frozen without much difference in the final result. If you do go that route, I'd probably reduce boil time down to about 3 minutes instead of 5 so your squash doesn't come out mushy. Serve this up this holiday season and I bet you'll see your guests heading back for seconds, too! 

Ingredients

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into bite size pieces
5 medium sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup dried currants
3/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
nutmeg

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Main dish, side dish, or dessert. What's your favorite part of the holiday meal?

 

Introducing CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders! No Cluckin' Way!

This post is sponsored by CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


Why do they want dinner every single night? You ever seen that meme floating around? I'm pretty sure us mamas ask ourselves this every single day. I open the freezer each morning with a big sigh and a grumble trying to figure out something that will be quick and easy to toss together for dinner, but will be filling, nutritious and delicious as well. With my daughter on the swim team, dinner is coming later and later every night, so meal planning is really up in the air most days right now. Because she has practice before and after school, she is famished by the time she gets home. She doesn't want to wait long for me to make a complicated meal, and if I do, she's reaching for something that has little or no nutritional value just to get something in her belly as soon as she walks in the door. As a mom, that bothers me. Thankfully, there's a brand new solution that has mamas like me rejoicing. Introducing new CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders.

 
CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders are the only BAKED, not fried, chicken tenders that you'll find in the freezer aisle. The crispy coating is packed with cauliflower and other gluten-free goodness, which helps them to bake up tasty, juicy, and to a golden perfection.

The nuggets are made with premium chicken that are all-natural, raised with no antibiotics ever, and cage-free. Because the chicken tenders are baked instead of fried, they contain 86% less fat, and the entire bag is only 490 calories, making it the lowest calorie chicken tender in the freezer. That will have you saying "No Cluckin' Way!"

I have several bags of CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders stashed in my freezer for those super busy nights when we're coming in late from swim practice and Allison needs dinner in a hurry. I have her CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders out of the oven in 15 minutes, usually paired a quick side of steamed veggies, making it our go-to for a quick, satisfying meal solution.

You can find CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders in 2 flavor varieties: Original and Spicy(ish). We found ours in the freezer aisle at our local Kroger store.

Trust me busy mamas. You're going to want to stash a few bags of CAULIPOWER Chicken Tenders in your freezer to help save you time and stress on meal planning. CLICK HERE for a valuable $2 coupon to save you money on your next purchase of CAULIPOWER Chicken tenders!

Celebrate Thanksgiving With Entenmann’s and Visit Myrtle Beach

Disclosure: The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Entenmann’s® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Entenmann’s® products. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Entenmann’s®.


When it comes to Entenmann's®, everyone has a favorite. I actually have several favorites since they offer so many delicious varieties of baked goods to choose from- including donuts, danishes, Little Bites®  muffins and more. Because Entenmann's bakes their famous pies and baked goods each day, making freshness and quality the hallmark of their products, there's not a grocery shopping trip that doesn't include Entenmann's in my cart.

My girls have always loved Entenmann's Little Bites® Muffins, especially since they offer more than 10 flavor varieties to choose from. They are a pantry staple for after school snacking and lunch box fillers because this mom appreciates that they are made with real ingredients, such as bananas, blueberries and strawberries, contain no high fructose corn syrup or trans fat per serving, and are perfectly pre-portioned and portable, making snack time that much easier for busy parents, like myself.

Two of my personal favorites are Entenmann's® New York Style Crumb Cake and Entenmann's® Danishes. I like to treat myself to a slice of one or the other for breakfast every now and again because they pair so well with a steaming mug of tea or coffee, it makes me feel like I'm starting my morning with a tasty indulgence of baked goods that I didn't have to spend time baking myself.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, days are getting busier with the mounting to-do list. Before tackling the day, sometimes I'll take a few morning minutes to myself with an Entenmann's danish or donut and a hot cuppa tea, then indulge in a little light reading before it's time to get on with knocking out my work and chore list. Sometimes it's these simple pleasures that give me the strength to start my day feeling happy and relaxed.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, Entenmann's is offering a fun offer to celebrate the holiday. From November 1 through December 1, consumers can enter the Happy Thanksgiving Family Feast with Entenmann's® Visit Myrtle Beach Sweepstakes for a chance to win a family trip to Myrtle Beach!

The grand prize consists of a family trip to explore 60 miles of stunning Myrtle Beach coastline, where one can view beautiful sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean, fun beach days, lush natural wonders, and grand new adventures. Myrtle Beach is a place where happiness comes in waves!

In addition to the grand prize, fans can enter daily for a chance to win one free Entenmann's product through the duration of the giveaway, where 7 fans will be randomly selected for the sweet prize.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER ONCE DAILY THROUGH DECEMBER 1.


WIN IT!

After you have entered the Happy Thanksgiving Family Feast with Entenmann's® Visit Myrtle Beach Sweepstakes, come back here and enter MY Entenmann's® giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Virtual Visa Gift Card + (3) $5 Entenmann's Little Bites® muffins coupons. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S., and will run through 11/25/19. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new one is chosen. As some participants aren't on all social media platforms, I offer multiple ways to enter, but remember, each one is optional. Enter only the ones you'd like an entry for. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Best Baked Beans for Thanksgiving

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Can you believe it's already time to start planning out the Thanksgiving menu? I know we're still a few weeks away, but for those of us that are hosting Friendsgiving, we have even less time to get our plans finalized. Allison has a foreign exchange student from Spain that will be joining us for our Friendsgiving dinner this year, so I'll be putting out all of the traditional holiday meal staples so he can get a good feel on how we get down in the U.S. for Thanksgiving. Of course, we'll have the potatoes, stuffing, and rolls on the menu, but it wouldn't be complete without a side of baked beans on the table too. If you need a great bean recipe and you're looking to simplify your meal this year, might I suggest this Best Ever Baked Beans Recipe from Golden Blossom Honey?

Tossed together with just a few simple ingredients, this is one recipe that you don't have to spend much time on. Just mix and heat and you're all set. If you want to add a little more flavor to this dish, tuck in a few pieces of cooked bacon before heating through. My granny never made baked beans without adding in some bacon, so that's something that our family has always included in a dish like this every year. Because of that, I'll add some in when prepping for Friendsgiving & Thanksgiving this year, but this recipe is chock full of flavor even without it, so you'll be pleased with the end results any way you prepare it. 

Ingredients

1 (18 ounce) jar baked beans
2 teaspoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY MUSTARD
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Do you participate in Friendsgiving?

 

Indulge in a Sweeter World with Stevita Naturals

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Some of you may know that I cut refined sugar from my diet earlier this year. I came out of a 3 year remission from my autoimmune disorder, and since refined sugars are a big culprit in causing inflammation in the body, I needed to make some drastic dietary changes in an effort to get myself healthy again. Additionally, around the time I fell out of remission, my 14 year old nephew was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, so I have been doing a lot of research and experimenting with foods that won't cause blood sugar levels to spike or cause my body to attack itself. We're kind of a hot mess in this family right now, but with a few dietary changes, I'm certain we'll have better control of our health in no time.

I have dabbled off and on with using stevia in the kitchen for the past few years, and while I haven't fully mastered using it as a sugar substitute in my baking, I have come up with a few recipes that I have been really pleased with the end result by incorporating a little stevia into the mix. I recently heard about Stevita Naturals and after browsing through their website, was really impressed with the large assortment of products they offer that are sweetened with stevia and not refined sugars.

Here's the thing that I love about stevia: it's up to 300 times sweeter than sucrose, which makes it an excellent sugar substitute, it contains 0 calories, and has natural anti-inflammatory properties. Also, since it does not cause blood sugar levels to spike, it's great for my diabetic nephew to use so he can still indulge in sweet treats without having to worry about his health. 

There was a question on what kinds of treats could be placed in my nephew's stocking this year, since his favorite chocolate candy is now out of the question. The solution is actually a very simple one: Stevita Naturals Sugar Free Hard Candy. 

Stevita Naturals Hard Candy is the first sugar free candy that I've tried and actually really enjoyed. Available in 4 classic flavors: strawberry, cherry, grape and orange, all delicious, but it's the orange flavored candies that I can't seem to get enough of lately. I think I'm going to need MY stocking filled with it this Christmas! Here's an interesting tidbit: Stevita Naturals Hard Candies were the first stevia-sweetened candy on the market. Since it's sweetened with 100% certified organic fair trade Brazilian stevia extract and non-GMO isomalt from cane sugar, it's ideal for people with dietary restrictions, allergies, food sensitivities, and those who are into clean eating. Here are some more great things about Stevita Naturals Hard Candy:

• Gluten Free
• Low Calorie
• 0 Net Carbs
• Paleo Friendly
• Contains 0 Artificial Ingredients
• Non-GMO
• No Artificial Preservatives

I've been playing around in the kitchen with Stevita Naturals products, and thought I'd share a few really easy recipes that I concocted that are perfect for the fall season. This is the time of year that guests like to pop over without much notice, but no worries. You can whip up tea and rice pudding in a jiffy with the quick recipes below so you have something fresh on hand to serve your guests:

 

Yield: Serves 4 Author: Theresa M

Cranberry Splash Tea

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups water
• 2 black tea bags
• 1 cup diet cranberry juice
• 6 drops Organic Stevita Liquid Drops

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place teabags into a pitcher. Bring the water to a boil, then pour into pitcher with the teabags and allow to steep 3-5 minutes. 
2. Remove teabags from pitcher. Stir in the cranberry juice and Stevita Liquid Drops. 
3. Serve warm or over ice.

Yield: Serves 4Author: Theresa M

Minute Rice Pudding

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup instant brown rice
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used dried cranberries and raisins)
• (1) 3.5 ounce box vanilla sugar free instant pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp Stevita Organic Spoonable Stevia
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the instant rice, return to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and let rice simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for an additional 5 minutes.
2. While rice is cooking, pour milk into a medium sized bowl. Using a wire whisk, beat the pudding into the milk for 2 minutes. Stir in the Stevita Organic Stevia and ground cinnamon, then place the bowl in the refrigerator, allowing pudding to set for 5 minutes.
3. Once set, remove pudding from fridge. Stir in the cooked rice and dried fruit. 
4. Spoon pudding into individual cups. Top with a sprinkle of more cinnamon if desired. Serve.

Stevita Naturals offers quite a few products that can really sweeten up your world, from liquid and spoonable stevia, to candies, cocoa powders and creamers. I'm still familiarizing myself with all of their products, but I have a few more recipe ideas in the works that I'll be experimenting with over the next few weeks and plan to share with you here on the blog once I've got them perfected. In the meantime, be sure to head over to the Stevita Naturals website to learn more about their products and why making the switch from refined sugar to stevia is a great choice for all.

Have you tried stevia? What's your favorite recipe to incorporate it into?

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for Chicken Fingers

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Around here, condiments are everything. French fries have to have ketchup, bread has to have butter, veggies need ranch, and chicken fingers better come with a side of honey mustard dipping sauce. In this house, when it comes to food pairings if it isn't done right the first time, you better believe it won't be the last time you hear about it. With tailgating season upon us, we're well stocked on the chicken fingers. But those can't be served plain! You need a high quality, tasty Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce to go along with them. Don't have any on hand? Don't worry! Golden Blossom Honey has a super simple 2 ingredient recipe that you can toss together in seconds that is amazing for your homemade or store bought chicken fingers.

Never eat bland chicken fingers again when you've got this dipping sauce recipe on hand. If you're like me, you only like a little bit of heat in your foods, so spicy ketchup works amazingly well combined with the sweetness of the honey mustard. Not too hot, but just right. However, if you like your foods to have a kick of spice where you might need to keep the fire department on standby, swap out the ketchup for sriracha sauce. That will put a little fire in your belly! Mild or hot, either way you want to serve it, this honey mustard dipping sauce is a must have every time you make chicken fingers. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup spicy ketchup
1/4 cup Golden Blossom Honey Mustard

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What's your favorite condiment?