Raines Realm

If you've ever dealt with trying to find a healthy snack that actually tastes good or an "out of the norm" new vegetable side, this recipe is for you! Kale is often overlooked, but it is a superfood suited for many uses! This amazing vegetable has many health benefits including the fact that it is high in iron, vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and fiber; easily making kale a guilt-free, superfood addition to your diet. You can add it to smooties, stirfrys, egg scrambles, burgers, salads, as well as many other things, including these delicious chips. Kale chips are incredibly easy to make and only require three ingredients. The are light and crispy, absolutely delicious. If you buy kale already chopped, this recipe becomes even simpler, but it can be done with a bunch of kale with minimal effort. Kale Chips Recipe 3 Cups of Chopped Kale (stalks removed) 1 Tbsp Olive oil 1 or 2 Pinches of Sea Salt Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie...

That moment when you're having an amazing date night with your husband. The anticipation. The joy of making yourself extra pretty. You have your Starbucks gift card and you are ready to go! This is a tale of planning ahead and knowing thy limits. When we arrived at Starbucks, we were so excited that it was actually slow. There were maybe four or five people inside, a few others enjoying the seating on the patio. Did I mention that it was seven at night. We were both optimistic that we would be able to enjoy our highly caffeinated delights with no late-night repercussions. My husband got a chocolatey frappacinno and I ordered the smoked caramel. We got them almost immediately and they were amazing. We sipped them slowly in the peace and quiet, enjoying our view of the moon from the window. It was peaceful, romantic, delicious. We finished our drinks and decided to get refills. This one time, frugality was not on our side. I ordered an iced coffee and my husband got swe...

When you first wake up and you're resembling something more out of a Romero movie than your normal self, blindly staggering towards the coffee, do you ever wish for an effortless breakfast that doesn't consist of packaged convenience food? This recipe is your wish granted! This casserole is so easy because you mix it the night before. So, in the morning, all you have to do is put it in the oven and, bam, home-cooked breakfast without the work first thing in the morning. This was perfect for our Christmas morning and will probably be a weekend favorite as well. The only thing that actually has to be cooked the night before is the ground sausage. You could even take that a step further though. During your meal prep daus, you could scramble sausage to freeze as well, making this recipe that much easier. This recipe is great for building onto as well. You could add onions, peppers, ham, bacon, tomatoes, anything that you would like in an omelet would probably work i...

Yogurt pretzels are a simple thing to make. They are fun and tasty, although the calorie count is not for the faint of heart! Seriously, don't look it up, just enjoy these little delectables a few at a time and you'll be fine. Moderation is always key and these pretzels taste so good that they're worth it. The first time I made these, the yogurt didn't coat the pretzel as well as I would've liked, so I ended up doing the process twice. You can watch that video here . To avoid that, you can make the yogurt mixture and put it in the fridge to stiffen up a little first and then proceed with the dipping and setting. This recipe would be a fun project for children. Getting to dip the pretzels into the yogurt would also be really good for developing hose fine motor skills as well as teaching patience. And, it's vegetarian, so for those with certain dietary restrictions, this can still be an acceptable snack. Another great thing about this recipe is that you p...

Thanksgiving was wonderful, but you're left with half of a gigantic bird that's now taking up valuable real estate in your fridge. There are hundreds of recipes you could use, but this is probably one of the easiest and it's absolutely delicious! I love making chicken pot pies, so I got the idea of using leftover turkey, it's so simple yet an ultimate comfort food. The ingredients that you'll need for this recipe are all inexpensive and the prep takes about 5 to 10 minutes tops. Feel free to customize the seasoning depending on your preferences and how the turkey was originally seasoned. I normally buy the pie crusts that come rolled up in a two pack in the refrigerated section. If there's one you prefer, you can certainly use that instead. Here is my ultimate turkey leftover recipe! Turkey Pot Pie 2 Pie Crusts 2 Cups of Turkey (cubed) 1 bag of Frozen Vegetable Mix (Peas, Corn, Green Beans, Carrots) 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup Salt Pepper 1...

Thanksgiving was wonderful, but you're left with half of a gigantic bird that's now taking up valuable real estate in your fridge. There are hundreds of recipes you could use, but this is probably one of the easiest and it's absolutely delicious! I love making chicken pot pies, so I got the idea of using leftover turkey, it's so simple yet an ultimate comfort food. The ingredients that you'll need for this recipe are all inexpensive and the prep takes about 5 to 10 minutes tops. Feel free to customize the seasoning depending on your preferences and how the turkey was originally seasoned. I normally buy the pie crusts that come rolled up in a two pack in the refrigerated section. If there's one you prefer, you can certainly use that instead. Here is my ultimate turkey leftover recipe! Turkey Pot Pie 2 Pie Crusts 2 Cups of Turkey (cubed) 1 bag of Frozen Vegetable Mix (Peas, Corn, Green Beans, Carrots) 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup Salt Pepper 1...

Sweet breads are amazing, although you should never get them confused with sweetbreads, totally different ball game. One of the great things about breads like this is that they freeze well. You can make a batch or two ahead of time for when you need it and its a great way to take some of the stress out of planning teas and brunches. I always keep some in my freezer for just such occasions. This is a mild orange bread so it pairs well with a lot of things. You can serve it with butter and fruit spreads if you like, but it doesn't need them. This means that it can stand alone as part of a variety of finger foods, (such as for afternoon tea), or it can play a supporting role as a dinner bread, or perhaps even dessert. Orange Bread Recipe 1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder A Pinch of Salt 3/4 cup Sugar 1/3 cup Oil, such as Olive Oil 1 cup Orange Juice Directions ( Step-by-step video ) 1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease pan(s). 2. ...

Elderberries don't look like anything spectacular the first time you see them, but they have been used for centuries as an amazingly effective cure-all. Now you too can partake in this ancient remedy and keep you and your family healthy throughout this time of year. These deep hued, little berries are packed with vitamins A and C and raise antioxidant levels, boosting the immune system considerably. Studies conducted on the effectiveness of these amazing berries boast claims that they can lower cholesterol, improve vision, improve heart health, fight against colds and flus, tonsillitis, and bacterial and viral infections. With all of these incredible benefits, it's certainly makes sense to keep a jar or two in your fridge at all times. The recommended dose is 1/2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults and 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp for children five days out of the week, increasing to every 3-4 hours in the event of illness. The recipe is very simple and should last about 6 months refrige...

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2017 may be the year of the rooster, but goat is predicted to dominate the dinner table. The U.S. is now catching up with the rest of the world when it come to this delicious protein staple. When I was in primary school, (many moons ago), we had a guest restaurant come in and cook for us. They made goat stew. There were a lot of kids that skipped lunch that day and out of those that ate it, there was only one who went back for seconds...yep, you guessed it, it was me. I've always enjoyed trying new foods and perhaps it was then that I realized I was a future "foodie". The goat stew was amazing. The meat was tender, the potatoes and vegetables adding just the right notes of flavor and texture. It was delicious! So, imagine how excited I am that it's finally trending for the new year. And why not? Many other countries already utilize this versatile, lean red meat. Its low in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Goat meat actually ha...