Pinto Beans and Corn Muffins

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Sometimes you need a little bit of Southern flare in the kitchen. And while I can’t take all the credit for this beauty. I can tell you it was absolutely amazing.

My grandma likes to can things. Veggies, jam, salsa. So when she brought me two jars of pinto beans, I knew they would be delicious. She always puts bacon grease in her beans. Like a true Southern lady. Bless her for that. Bacon grease gives a depth of flavor that can’t be matched anywhere else.

I whipped up some Jiffy cornbread muffins to sop up all the juices, and I was a happy, happy camper. Doesn’t get any quicker or easier than that.

The perfect, lazy dinner.

What have you been cooking lately?

Shrimp and Broccoli 

So I’ve been on a downward spiral of terrible food choices this past week. 

Pizza. Wine. Cookies. Cheesesteaks. Chips. 

The true killer was a delicious plate of cheese ravioli with pink sauce. I’ve been in constant pain since yesterday afternoon. 

Dairy and gulten are my enemies. 

In a desperate attempt to heal myself, I’ve reached into my Whole30 bag of knowledge to restart my body. 

My craving for Asian food has been out of control since I got the boyfriend takeout yesterday. One thing on the menu stood out. 

Beef with broccoli. 

As I grocery shopped in pain from the ravioli lunch, I decided to make my own Whole30 version of Shrimp with Broccoli.


My take is a little different. Instead of adding the broccoli to the sauce, I used it to make rice. Amazing. 

What you need:

  • One head of broccoli 
  • One pound of shrimp, peeled 
  • One onion, sliced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • One pack of mushrooms, sliced 
  • Two cloves garlic, minced
  • Coconut aminos, to taste
  • Salt and pepper
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Avocado oil

Chop the broccoli into florets, and put in a steamer basket on the stove. Steam until fork tender

In a large pan, heat the avocado oil.  Add the onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Sauté a couple minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cool on medium high heat until vegetables soften and start to get a little color on them. 

Add the coconut aminos. This is your Whole30 approved soy sauce. It’s a game changer. Cool until sauce begins to thicken. Add the shrimp, and cook until pink throughout. 

In a food processor, add the steamed broccoli and pulse for a couple seconds. This will make broccoli rice. 

This was super easy. And very much delicious. I was surprised by how much I loved broccoli as rice. I didn’t feel like I was giving anything up. And it’s Whole30 approved. 

Tell me what you do to get out of a mindless eating rut. 

Asparagus Lemon Chicken 

This recipe is a knock-off of one on the Whole30 Recipes Instagram page. 

Instead of broccoli, I used asparagus because it’s what I had in the fridge. 


Thinly sliced lemon, cherry tomato halves and coconut milk take this to the next level. 

So much goodness. I can’t even tell you how much I love this. 

I even remembered to remove the lemons from the pan. Last time, the boyfriend thought the lemon slices were squash, and he didn’t enjoy this meal. In his defense, it did look like squash. 


What’s for dinner at your house? 

Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

If you crave Asian food like I do, then you need this in your life. It is like take-out, but you know exactly what’s in it. Plus, you can use whatever you have in the fridge. 


What you need:

  • Three chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
  • Two packages of Ramen noodles, seasoning packets removed
  • Riceland Rice Bran Oil
  • One Napa cabbage, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
  • One onion, thinly sliced
  • One clove garlic, minced
  • One pack of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
  • 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • Garlic powder, to taste

Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add the rice bran oil. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces, and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sauté the chicken pieces until golden. Remove from pan, and set aside. 


In the same pan, add a little more rice bran oil. Add the onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots and mushrooms. Season with pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté until cabbage starts to wilt. 


Add the teriyaki sauce. Add the chicken back into the pan. Cook on low until noodles are ready. 

In a large pot, heat water to boil. Add Ramen noodles. Do not add the seasoning packet. Cook until noodles are al dente. 

Add noodles in with the veggies, chicken and teriyaki mixture. Stir until well combined, and let the noodles soak up the sauce. 


This is my new favorite dinner. The rice bran oil cooks the chicken and veggies to perfection. Very high smoke point allows everything to sear up nicely. And I love any excuse to use teriyaki sauce. 

I highly recommend you get yourself some rice bran oil. Check out the Riceland eStore, and get it shipped right to your door. 

Lazy Sunday Brunch


Today is the first Sunday we’ve been home to have a lazy breakfast.

Eggs and toast are a staple at our house. And today we have two variations. 

Mine was wheat toast, stone ground mustard, guacamole, sliced tomatoes from the garden and a farm fresh double yolk fried egg. 

The boyfriend had wheat toast, stone ground mustard, a fried double yolk egg, diced jalapeño and raspberry jam. 

Black coffee all around.

Perfect Sunday morning.