Archives for February 2016

[Ad] Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad #SimpleSatisfyingSalads #EverydayEffortless

February 15, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimpleSatisfyingSalads #EverydayEffortless #CollectiveBias

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad is a simple and easy way to have a delicious dinner prepared for your family in under thirty minutes!

[Ad] Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad from LoveandConfections.com #SimpleSatisfyingSalads #EverydayEffortless

I grew up having dinner with my family almost every night and that instilled the importance of eating a meal together. Fast forward to the present and I am now a mom to a rambunctious toddler whose favorite word is “no”. I love cooking for my family and eating dinner together. It isn’t always easy to get a meal ready for everyone at the same time, and some days when #ToddlerLnC boycotts nap-time we don’t all eat together.

Lots of families have work, after school activities, or any number of reasons why family meals don’t happen. I get it – life is busy, but I am a firm believer in eating meals together – and I try my hardest to “unplug” during those times as well. Family meals don’t have to be elaborate affairs, but I also don’t want to have fast food every night. I like to cook fresh meals for my family, and this Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad made with Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing is full of protein, flavor, easy enough for any night of the week.

Mozzarella, tomatoes, and fresh herbs give my quinoa an Italian twist. I love making Tex-Mex Quinoa Salads, and this Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad will definitely be a repeat meal. Quinoa is a breeze to make, and can be made day-of if you want a warm salad, or ahead of time, if you want a cool salad.

Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips from the freezer section at Walmart, and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing are the perfect one-bowl salad mix-ins. Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips are made with 100% all natural ingredients and white meat chicken, no preservatives, and are fully cooked. Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing is full of herbs, seasoning and a boost of zesty flavor while not containing high fructose corn syrup.

Since they go perfectly together, you can enjoy both Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing from Walmart too with these available coupons:

“Save $.75 on ANY ONE (1) Tyson® Grilled & Ready Chicken” coupons will be on Wishbone® Italian Dressing bottles.
“Save $.75 on ANY ONE (1) Wish-Bone Salad Dressing” coupons will be on Tyson® Frozen & Refrigerated Grilled & Ready products.

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious one-bowl Italian Chicken Quinoa Salad with Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips and Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing.

Your family is sure to love it!

Follow Love and Confections | Terri’s board Salads & Dressings on Pinterest.

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad
A Love and Confection original recipe
Serves 4

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad Ingredients:
– 4 cups prepared Quinoa
– 8 ounces Mozzarella Pearls
– 1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved optional
– 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley
– 2 tablespoons fresh chopped Basil
– 12 ounces Tyson® Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips, prepared according to package directions
– 1/2 cup Wish-Bone® Italian Dressing

Italian Quinoa Chicken Salad Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and gently toss to combine. Serve warm, cool or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

February 14, 2016

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade is tart, sweet, refreshing, and absolutely delicious – the perfect drink for a healthy and nutritious Valentine’s Day!

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade from LoveandConfections.com #SundaySupper #FLStrawberry

This post is sponsored by Florida Strawberry Growers Association in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Strawberry season is one of our favorite times of the year. Aside from eating them straight off the bush, my family and I enjoy all kinds of baked goods and treats with strawberries, like Freezer Jam, Strawberry Fraisier Cake and Strawberry Daiquiri Pie. Since we have quite a bit of warm weather almost year-round, frozen drinks are always welcome. Fresh Florida strawberries are often a main ingredient, like in my Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.

Did you know that 8 medium strawberries equal your daily requirement of vitamin C? My family loves supporting locally grown, nutritious, and delicious Florida Strawberries. #ToddlerLnC has fun picking strawberries in the field, and enjoys everything I make with them. She usually is a strawberry-covered mess even before we get in the car, because she eats just as many as we pick out in the fields.

I love letting her pick and eat something that is nutritious and healthy, especially locally-grown Florida Strawberries, which are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Fresh from Florida Strawberries are available December through April, so everyone can get flavorful and nutritious strawberries all Winter long.

Citrus is great in strawberry recipes, especially lemons, because they are so bright and really brings out the flavor in strawberries. I decided to use Meyer Lemons in my frozen drink, since they are in season. Meyer Lemons have a bright yellow-orange skin, and are sweeter and less acidic than conventional lemons found in the grocery store.

Vanilla Greek Yogurt was also added, which is a healthier mix-in for drinks and makes it extra creamy. The tart lemon and creamy yogurt are such a delicious combination for strawberries! It is almost a mix between a smoothie and a daiquiri – so tasty!

I hope you enjoy all the delicious and nutritious strawberries this Florida Strawberry season and grab a glass of Frozen Strawberry Lemonade too. Cheers!

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
Serves 4

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Ingredients:
– 1 pound cut and diced fresh Florida Strawberries
– 1 cup Meyer Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
– 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
– 2-3 cups Ice
– 1/4-1/2 cup Honey or Simple Syrup, depending on taste
– 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Directions:
1. Place all ingredients into high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy consistency. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

It’s easy to add flavor and nutrition to your favorite dishes with Fresh from Florida Strawberries. For more Florida Strawberry Recipes visit Strawberry Sue’s website. Click here for more strawberry nutritional information. You can also see the Florida Strawberry Association Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for strawberry inspiration. Also follow Strawberry Sue on YouTube and Twitter!

Follow Sunday Supper’s board Fresh Florida Strawberry Recipes on Pinterest.

Beverage

Sparkling Strawberry Sangria from Family Foodie
Strawberry-Basil Spritzer from Eat Picks
Strawberry and Cream Smoothie from Flour On My Face
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade from Love and Confections
Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake from Ruffles & Truffles

Breakfast

Skillet Baked Strawberry Oatmeal from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Strawberry Banana Hazelnut Crepes from The Crumby Cupcake
Strawberry Coffee Cake with Greek Yogurt from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Sweetheart Strawberry Scones from Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Salad

Basil, Brie and Strawberry Salad from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Chef Salad with Strawberry Croutons from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Herbed Strawberry Salad from Magnolia Days
Strawberry Waldorf Salad from Food Done Light

Main

Balsamic Strawberry Walnut Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil from Soni’s Food
Mahi Mahi with Strawberry Sauce from Cooking Chat
Strawberry Mole Chicken from Curious Cuisiniere

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Parfaits from Daily Dish Recipes
Flourless Almond Cake with Strawberries and Coconut Cream from Casa de Crews
Strawberry Cannoli from Palatable Pastime
Triple Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Plus: Nutritious Fresh Strawberry Recipes plus Strawberry Almond Milk from Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars #StonyfieldBlogger

February 1, 2016

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars are the perfect, healthy, grab-n-go meal for a busy week!

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars from Loveandconfections.com #StonyfieldBlogger

This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and Ball Canning. All opinions are my own.

I love all kinds of Mexican flavors, so-much-so that we usually have a Tex-Mex meal once a week. For unknown reasons (i.e. poor planning) it usually isn’t “Taco Tuesday”. We mostly do Tex-Mex on Wednesdays, so I have gotten into the habit of calling it “Mexican Miercoles” – coined the term from a family friend.

We have a lot of the popular toppings or sides, like tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, corn, rice, and black beans. I have been using Stonyfield Greek Yogurt to top all my Tex-Mex dishes because it is way healthier than sour cream, plus you can have more than 2-3 tablespoons per serving… seriously, check the back of your sour cream containers versus Greek yogurt!

The toddler even loves Mexican Miercoles, she loves black beans, guacamole, rice, tomatoes and Greek yogurt. She even sometimes eats salsa too, if it’s not too spicy. I actually got the idea for these Quinoa Jars from her meal. She doesn’t like the beef or chicken we have with tacos, so it’s more of a vegetarian night for her.

I didn’t like quinoa until a few years ago, and now I have it quite a bit. I prepare a big batch of it, and use it in salads or as a side throughout the week. It is perfect for these Tex-Mex Jars and gives the perfect nutty flavor to balance out the mix-ins and dressing. You can eat it out of the jar, as-is, or add it to a bowl with some lettuce or arugula for an even better lunch option.

Click here for more information on Ball Canning, and follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars
A Love and Confections original recipe

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars Ingredients:
– 1/4 cup packed Cilantro
– 1/4 teaspoon Salt
– 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
– 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
– 1/2 cup Stonyfield Greek Yogurt
– 1-2 teaspoons Lime Juice, to taste
– 1 cup prepared Quinoa
– 1/4 cup diced Tomatoes
– 1/4 cup Black Beans, drained and rinsed
– 1/4 cup diced Avocado
– 1 ear oven-roasted corn kernels
– Baby Kale and Arugula, optional
– Hot Sauce or Salsa, optional

Tex-Mex Quinoa Jars Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the Cilantro, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Greek Yogurt, and Lime Juice, and mix until consistency of salad dressing. Refrigerate.
2. Combine Quinoa, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Avocado and Corn in a mixing bowl, and disperse into 1-2 Ball Canning Jars. Use immediately with dressing, mix into salad, or refrigerate 1-2 days. Enjoy!

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with Stonyfield as a member of the Clean Plate Club. I receive product, coupons and/or compensation for posts featuring their products. As always, all opinions are my own. #stonyfieldblogger #sponsored.