Dairy-free deliciousness {Spinach, Bacon, & Goat Cheese Pasta and Crockpot Bacon Ranch Chicken}.

Since Kiernan's dairy allergy diagnosis, I have been working really hard to think outside of the box when it comes to dairy free recipes.  We are I am a big fan of cheese.  And butter.  And milk.  In a pinch, I can always whip up an easy meal involving cream of whatever soup.  

That isn't an option anymore, so I've been trying to think differently about how I prepare dinner.  We've done a lot of the obvious dairy-free staples - roasts, pork loin, tacos, stir fry.  But I've really been jonesin' for something hearty and creamy.  Especially because it's winter.  So I feel the need to fill our bellies with warm yummy foods before the temp dips from the 70s during the night into the 50s at night.  Brrrrrrr.

It's fine to hate me.  I'm a total smart ass.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of our favorite successfully dairy-free recipes from this week.  Both were huge hits with all 4 boys, and I like anything with bacon.  So it was a total win.  

First up, is Crock Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken from Six Sisters' Stuff.  If you've never visited this website, do it as soon as your done reading this post.  They have soooo many awesome recipes.  

This recipe was very clearly not dairy-free, but I found some Tofutti Sour Supreme (sour cream substitute) at Publix the other day and was anxious to try it in a recipe.  I was nervous as I think that even using fat-free sour cream can sometimes make a recipe taste weird, but this was a big success.  

(I forgot to take a picture of mine, so I'm borrowing theirs.  It's way prettier than mine would have been anyway.  Mine looked a bit different, but not much.  You can find the original recipe here.  )

Crock Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken

4 strips bacon, cooked & chopped/crumbled

2 tsp minced garlic 

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

1 can creamed corn 

1 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme

1 whole boneless skinless chick breast

8 oz pasta (I used elbow macaroni since it was in the pantry)

Cook and crumble/chop bacon.  Mix garlic, ranch mix, creamed corn, Sour Supreme together.  Place chicken in crock pot (I put it in frozen since it was a last minute dinner choice, but I think you're really not supposed to put frozen chicken in the crock pot).  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours, depending on your crock pot.  When cooked, shred chicken with 2 forks and mix with cooked pasta.  

I mixed in a can of peas before I served it to add in some more veggies.  Check out the original recipe for the dairy-lover version if you're not sure about the creamed corn or the Sour Supreme.

The next recipe was a direct result of my lack of menu planning lately and my need to use up random things in the fridge.  The rest of the bacon that I didn't use in the crockpot chicken needed to be cooked and used, I had a half package of spinach that only had a day or 2 of life left in it, and a wedge of goat cheese that I knew wouldn't last much longer either.  

When I have items that I need to use but don't know what to do with them, I type them into a Pinterest search and gather some inspiration and wing it.  My biggest inspiration for this dish was found here, but I changed it quite a bit.  This was a HUGE hit with all of the boys.  It's a little creamier than Brian generally prefers his pasta to be, and I could have thinned it a bit, but I like things creamy.  So there.  

Spinach, Bacon, and Tomato on Goat Cheese Pasta 

adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

8 slices bacon, chopped/crumbled

1 onion, diced

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 cups packed spinach

1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes (I like the kind with basil, oregano, & garlic)

4 oz goat cheese

8 oz linguine

Boil water for the pasta and begin to cook the bacon.  Once the bacon is cooked, dry it and chop or crumble it.  Set aside.  Drain some of the bacon grease if you'd like, but reserve enough in the pan to saute onions, garlic, and spinach.  Saute onions and garlic until tender, then add spinach and stir until spinach wilts.  Drain the can of tomatoes, reserving the liquid in a separate bowl.  Add tomatoes and bacon to spinach and onion pan.  Cover and simmer on low.  

Meanwhile, drain cooked pasta in a strainer.  Melt goat cheese in pasta pot on low heat.  Add the reserved tomato juice and stir into a sauce.  If it isn't thin enough, use a spoon to get more of the tomato juices from the tomato, spinach, and onion pan.  Add until satisfied with the consistency of the sauce.  Return pasta to pan and toss to coat with sauce.  Serve tomato mixture on top of pasta, or mix all together.

Delish.  You could use turkey bacon and whole wheat or veggie pasta to healthify it up a bit.  Either way, I'll definitely be making this again!

Life with 1 year old twins and an almost-3-year-old ... otherwise known as my attempt at organized chaos and staying sane.

My dear friend Lorryn recently wrote a "Day in the Life" post about the changes to their family routine now that she has started to work full time.  Their little family is thriving after this change and it's delightful to hear the excitement in her voice when she talks about their life.

Her post got me thinking that I haven't done a "Day in the Life" post in a loooooong time.  Last November, I described the complete shit-storm (literally and figuratively) that we called our life when the twins were 9 weeks old.  And in March, I wrote another post about the semi-organized days of life when the twins were 6 months old.  I could have sworn that I wrote another post this summer, but looking back I probably decided not to because it would have looked the exact same as the March post, minus the nursing and pumping.

Now that we have survived the first year of life with multiples, life has become easier and more enjoyable.  It's still not easy, it's just a different kind of chaos.  Somewhat more manageable. So here's what life looks like in our house these days....

Freezer meals.

Awhile ago I stumbled upon the website/blog Once a Month Mom.  It's run by group of ladies who do "bulk cooking".  They plan a menu of meals to make, freeze, then eat throughout the month.  The thought of cooking this way fascinated me, but I had 2 newborns and had absolutely zero time to do it.

The, back in December, my AMAZING friend Heather came to visit.  While she was here she made us a few freezer meals.  Or 17.  Yes, seventeen freezer meals.  I can't tell you how unbelievably awesome it was not to have to worry about dinner for a month straight.  I simply decided what we'd have in the evening and put it in the fridge to thaw overnight.  Or if I forgot, I'd choose something that thaws quickly for that evening.  It has ensured that we don't eat pancakes for dinner every single night.  As the meals dwindled, I decided that I was going to do a big "bulk cooking" session for the month of March.

As you may know, Brian decided to give up meat for Lent.  For my carnivore husband, this is a big deal.  This man will eat a plate of meat at a time and nothing else.  It's kinda gross sometimes.  I feel sorry for his digestive system.

But I digress.  While Brennan and I still eat meat, I decided that a great way to shake up our dinner menu would be to do a "bulk cooking" session vegetarian style.  I scoured the Once a Month Mom vegetarian menus and came up with a few things that I thought Brian might might eat (and that sounded good to me) and chose a few from Pinterest and friends.  I decided to double almost all of the recipes and made the big giant grocery list.  One giant grocery bill and a counter full of groceries later, I was set to go.

It has taken me four days of cooking on and off to get them all done.  The good news is that each night we ate one of the meals that I was currently cooking, so it wasn't too much extra work.  Here are a few of the recipes and my thoughts on them (if we've tried them!)

(Chickpea Croquettes - Photo from here)

• Chickpea Croquettes
• Crustless Zucchini and Basil Mini-Quiches
• Black Bean Salsa Quesadillas - Seriously, so insanely delicious.  I can't wait to eat them again.  I'm just hoping that they bake up nice and crispy in the oven and taste as good as they did fresh off the griddle.
• Homemade "Panera" Mac'n'Cheese - Eh, it was OK.  I'll probably try a different version next time.  There are a million different ones on Pinterest.
• Crockpot Falafel
• Lentil and Rice Ground Beef Substitute - I made this to try in spaghetti or other Italian dishes.  It tasted pretty good when it came out of the oven, but I bet it won't pass the Brian test.  Doesn't quite taste "beefy" enough.
• Cheese Beer Soup - I got this recipe from a vegetarian friend.  It's delish.  If you're interested in it, let me know and I can post the recipe.
• Pasta, Grilled Veggies, and Hummus - This was an idea from a friend.  It's exactly what it sounds like.  Haven't tried it, but I know it'll be a hit.  Hubby loves him some hummus.  So does mama.
• White Bean Enchiladas   - Delish.
• Vegetable Chowder - This was really good.  And you could easily "skinny it up" with skim milk and low fat cheese and I bet it would still be hearty.  
• I also made a big batch of oatmeal (recipe courtesy of The Heir to Blair) and put it in the fridge in small servings so I can have my daily oatmeal and save time.  

I have 22 meals in my freezer, plus four batches of ground beef substitute to be creative with.  We'll add fresh veggies and salads to meals that feel like they need something extra.  I'm so excited to have a freezer full of meals for the next month so that I don't have to scramble to figure out dinner!