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Deceptively Delicious THRIVE Macaroni & Cheese

12/27/2012

2 Comments

 
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I received the THRIVE CHEESE BLEND last week and was excited to dig in to some homemade mac & cheese!  I experiment with a few different recipes this summer and found that it is the perfect lunch food for my girls!  I fill small small containers, pop them in the freezer and pack them in their lunch boxes.  A nice change from their normal pb&j!

My favorite recipe thus far was Jessica Seinfeld's Macaroni and Cheese with pureed beans from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook.  It was full of flavor, creamy, and I felt good about feeding my girls a protein-packed lunch!

The Cheese Blend came with its own recipe which I tried but found to be a bit too soupy for my taste.  So, I headed to the web and found that Thrive With Hemsath had performed her own macaroni and cheese quest using the THRIVE cheese blend.  I LOVE it when someone else does the hard work :)

However, I wasn't willing to give up the nutritional perks of the Deceptively Delicious recipe.  So, I threw on my apron and combined the two recipes and created MACARONI & CHEESE NIRVANA!  if I do say so myself....

Buy thrive cheese blend at my shelf reliance store
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LGM's Deceptively Delicious 
Mac & Cheese Recipe
*in case you don't believe me, Hazel, my 3.5 year old, declared it YUMM-O and Heidi, my 1.5 year old shrieked until I gave her seconds (wish I was exaggerating).



Ingredients:
1.5 cups dry elbow noodles
1 cup THRIVE Instant Milk, reconstituted (can use 1 cup of any milk)
1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed & drained (can use navy beans or chickpeas)
1/2 cup THRIVE CHEESE BLEND
1/2 T oil
1 T butter
1 1/2 T flour
1/2 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t paprika
1/8 t pepper

Directions:
1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions until it's al dente (about 9.5 min for me).  Drain in a colander.

2.  Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender (my favorite), puree the beans and milk together until smooth.  Heat this blend on the stove or microwave until hot, but not boiling.  Add the THRIVE Cheese Blend and whisk till smooth.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

3.  Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan.  When the butter melts, add the flour, whisking constantly, cook for about 2 minutes until nicely browned.  Slowly add milk/cheese/bean mixture, whisking to combine.  Heat over medium until desired thickness (a few minutes!).  Remove from heat and add spices.

4.  Pour cheese sauce over noodles and stir till combined. 

Bon Appetit, 

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2 Comments

Drastically Reduce Your Pantry Clutter ::  THRIVE Tomato Powder Recipes

12/20/2012

6 Comments

 
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First, let me confess something... I am a pizza addict   I make it almost weekly.  But in this house, when we have pizza night, we have (jutting out chest and raising nose)...homemade pizza dough slathered in melted butter & garlic, homemade marinara sauce, extra extra cheese & tons of veggies on top.  I set the bar high only because I LOVE PIZZA so much!

THRIVE's Tomato Powder was probably the first product review I read online and though I'm not typically a tomato product connoisseur, I was quite intrigued.  For pete's sake... I have about 2 feet of pantry space just for tomato products:  Tomato Sauce, Marinara Sauce, Tomato Soup, Tomato Paste, Tomato Juice...  Seriously, does anyone else have a disproportionate of pantry space allocated for tomato?


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Read below for recipes including:
  • Tomato Paste
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Tomato Juice
  • Tomato Soup
  • Marina Sauce
  • Ketchup
  • and CLICK HERE for Creamy Enchilada Soup recipe


Read More
6 Comments

Pinecone Birdfeeder ::  A quick and simple nature craft

12/19/2012

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As snow begins to fall, the birds that decided not to fly south are looking for nourishment everywhere they can!  Help them out with this fun craft that even my 1.5 year old can do!

To add an educational component, learn to identify the birds, visit:  www.whatbird.com


Materials:
● pinecones (if not available in your neck of the woods, try any household item that can withstand weather like a wooden spoon)
● peanut butter (crisco is a great alternative for those with allergies)
● bird seed
● yarn
● child-friendly knife

How to:
Tie yarn around the top of each pinecone, leaving a long tail to hang.  Pour birdseed into a shallow container.  Using the knife, slather peanut butter all over the pinecone.  Roll in the tray containing birdseed.

If transporting, place pinecone birdfeeders in plastic bags since some of the birdseed may flake off.


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0 Comments

Simplify Life :: Say Good Bye to the Grocery Store!

12/7/2012

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Dear Q, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

If you DISLIKE GROCERY SHOPPING or STRESS ABOUT IF THE PRICES ARE RIGHT, the Q is going to transform your life!

The Q is like Netflix for food.  Wh-wh-what?  Yup, you choose the amount you'd like to spend each month, choose the date you want your credit card charged & your food shipped and BA DA BING... THE FOOD ARRIVES AT YOUR DOOR!

Other benefits of the Q:
  • It SAVES YOU MONEY!  Less trips to the grocery store mean less impulse buys!
  • Once you have a Q, you ALWAYS GET PARTY PRICING!  Typically you only get the lowest prices at a party or through a consultant.  With a Q membership, you can order online and get the party pricing.
  • You buy better quality food!  No more will I throw away 3/4 of each bunch of celery.  Nope, my celery has a 25-year shelf life and always tastes fresh!
  • With a $100 Q, you become a Platinum Member and earn a free gift each year, earn points with every dollar to cash in on product, get special Q-pons and occasional shipping discounts.



Not sure how to start your Q?  Try the THRIVE SMART START!  It's a 3-month plan ($150/month) which walks you through a great variety of THRIVE foods, THRIVE EXPRESS meals and recipes to use those ingredients!  At the end of 3-months, you'll have a nice variety of pantry-sized cans, a repertoire of favorite recipes and well, a wish list a mile long for more THRIVE food :)  

*How I determined my Q amount:  My family of 4 spends $600/month on groceries.  Since the average person throws away 1/4 of the food they bring home from the grocery store, I took a 1/4 of that budget and spend $150/month on THRIVE!  I'm also doing one less grocery shopping trip each month, so that is saving us even more money!

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