ButcherBox REVIEW – A Trustworthy Source Of Top-Quality Meats Delivered To Your Doorstep Each Month

Today I would love to spread the word about how fantastic ButcherBox is in my special ButcherBox review on this Tried It Out Tuesday! If you love to cook with top quality meats like 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork then ButcherBox is going to blow your mind! ButcherBox only ships out the best high-end meats. I will be sharing with you some ways to use the beef that you receive from ButcherBox. I included a way to use the beautiful 36oz chuck roast, also a great way to serve up the gorgeous ribeye steak, and how I served the ButcherBox flat-iron steak with eggs.

The ButcherBox meat delivery service keeps up to their promise of delivering quality, convenience, and value. ButcherBox is a trustworthy source of meat to satisfy all of your carnivore cravings.

Standard disclosure: I was sent a ButcherBox free of charge for review purposes. All statements and opinions in this ButcherBox review are my own.

My Honest ButcherBox Review

How does ButcherBox work?

Choose your ButcherBox – Choose the Classic Box for small families and the Big Box for larger families.
Delivery to your doorstep – ButcherBox takes great care in their shipment.
Cook with confidence when you order from a trustworthy source!

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ButcherBox allows for customization with their meat delivery service. The ButcherBox’s that are available are listed below. For this ButcherBox review, I will be sharing my first-hand experience with the ButcherBox All-Beef Box.

The items shown below in each box are last month’s cuts that were sent out and are shown for example purposes only. Your shipment will vary. This is only shown for example.

Custom Box – The custom box is completely customizable and you can choose from over 20 different cuts of beef, chicken, and pork. The Custom ButcherBox gives you total and complete control over the meats you will receive.
Mixed Box – With the Mixed ButcherBox you will receive a mix of meat that totals anywhere from 8.5-11lbs. The Mixed ButcherBox includes the following meats: 2 lbs of Ground Beef, 2 NY Strip Steaks, 4 Top Sirloin Steaks, 1lb of Whole Pork Tenderloin, and 3lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Beef & Pork Box – 2 lbs of Ground Beef, 2 NY Strip Steaks, 4 Top Sirloin Steaks, 4 Boneless Pork Chops, 2 lbs of Whole Pork Tenderloin
Beef & Chicken Box – 2 lbs of Ground Beef, 2 NY Strip Steaks, 4 Top Sirloin Steaks, 3lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, and 3 lbs of Chicken Drumsticks
All Beef Box – 2 lbs of Ground Beef, 2 NY Strip Steaks, 1lb of Premium Steak Tips, 2+ lbs of Chuck Roast, and 4 Top Sirloin Steaks

Want to add some extras to your ButcherBox?

You are in luck if you want to add some extra items to your ButcherBox shipment. You can click HERE to see them all. Here are just a few of the available add-ons: salmon, bacon, and breakfast sausage.

My first impressions of ButcherBox

I received my first delivery on Wednesday, May 1st. My order was shipped out the day before, so my first shipment of meat did arrive the next day. I was really happy with the speed of delivery. I could not wait to see what was sent to me in my first box. Opening up this package gave me flashbacks of Xmas morning!

My first ButcherBox arrived quickly and in great shape!

I opened up my first ButcherBox shipment and everything was packed really well. All of my meats were frozen solid and the box was insulated quite well.

Everything was frozen solid and packed really well with my first ButcherBox.

What was inside my ButcherBox

Right off the bat, I could see that I did receive one meat that I was really hoping for and that was my chuck roast. I was hoping to make another Mississippi roast next week and the gorgeous hunk of meat that was sent will be absolutely perfect for that dish! The chuck roast that I received in my ButcherBox came in at 36 oz and it will be the perfect size to feed my family. This piece of meat was quite honestly, the most impressive looking beef roast I ever had to pleasure to cook with. I usually get my meat from the grocery store. The grocery store that I shop at has this cut of beef on sale often at buy-one-get-one-free but it never looks as nice as what ButcherBox has to offer!

I also received two 10 oz ribeye steaks, which will be perfect for a special Sunday dinner this week. Ribeye is my favorite steak cut of meat. It is a very simple steak to cook with simple ingredients. I create an herbed ghee mixture and rub it on the meat and cook it for a few minutes per side in a cast iron pan. I cook my steaks medium-rare and I am really thrilled to give ButcherBox’s meat a whirl.

Everything that I received looks completely and totally super duper fresh! I was really impressed with the gorgeous red hue of all the meat and the marbling on everything.

The other cuts of beef that I received in my first ButcherBox were the following: 2 lbs of grass-fed ground beef (in one pound packages), 2 6 oz flat iron steaks, 2 packages of sirloin tips (1 lb packages), and a package of ButcherBox’s very own bacon!

My first ButcherBox shipment was the All-Beef box

My first ButcherBox contained meats with a gorgeous deep red hue and nice marbling

The 36 oz beef chuck roast in my ButcherBox shipment - Beautiful cut of beef! — The 36 oz beef chuck roast in my ButcherBox shipment – Beautiful cut of beef!

Grass-Fed Beef Ribeye Steak from ButcherBox

Ground Beef (grass-fed beef) from ButcherBox

ButcherBox offers a wide variety of different meats! I chose the All-Beef Box!

Here is what I did with meat from my ButcherBox

ButcherBox Chuck Roast

For the chuck roast that was sent to me from ButcherBox, I immediately knew what I wanted to create with it… my Paleo Mississippi Roast. This is a really awesome recipe to use with a nice piece of chuck roast meat. The recipe tells you how to create your own ranch seasoning rub for the meat and how to create this set-it-and-forget-it beef dish. The chuck roast that I received from ButcherBox was the best chuck roast I had ever seen. I had the most perfect red hue and great marbling on it. This chuck roast did not have much fat on it and the meat came out extremely juicy and tender!

This ButcherBox chuck roast sure made for one memorable meal with lots of ooo’s and ahh’s at the dinner table!

Paleo Mississippi Pot Roast made with a BUTCHERBOX Chuck Roast

Paleo Mississippi Roast Melt In Your Mouth Meat Recipe (Slow-Cooker) (Gluten-Free)

ButcherBox Ribeye Steaks

Sometimes simplicity is best! For the ButcherBox ribeye steaks, I simply cooked them in a cast iron pan with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. This was a very easy approach but it results in big flavor and a juicy, unforgettable meal. I served my ButcherBox ribeye alongside some ButcherBox bacon-wrapped asparagus. The ButcherBox bacon was the perfect addition to this paleo, primal meal!

Oooh yeah check out those ButcherBox ribeye steaks on the cast iron pan! This will satisfy your primal cravings.

ButcherBox Ribeye Steaks are big on flavor! Served with ButcherBox bacon-wrapped asparagus

Steak & eggs

Here is another simple way to use your ButcherBox meat. My husband has never had steak and eggs so I decided to serve up this for dinner last week. We call it brinner when we eat breakfast for dinner. It doesn’t get any easier than this folks! To cook the ButcherBox flat-iron steak I simply warmed up some avocado oil (you can use olive oil too) in a cast iron pan and seasoned the steak with some steak seasoning on both sides. I got a nice sear on each side of the steak, let it rest a few minutes, and then sliced and served.

Can you see that I like my steak still mooing? lol!

Steak & eggs served with ButcherBox flat iron steak

The ButcherBox flat-iron steaks are perfect for steak and eggs! How do you like your steak cooked?

Final thoughts on my first ButcherBox shipment

I am really thrilled that I had the opportunity to review this subscription box and give these top-quality meats a try in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. I hope that you enjoyed this ButcherBox review and that it will inspire you to give it a whirl soon! ButcherBox was perfect for our small family and we completely and totally enjoyed our shipment of beef, and trust me when I say that we enjoyed it! It was love at first bite! It’s not hard to see that ButcherBox only ships out the finest of meat. Every single meal that had ButcherBox incorporated into it had tender, juicy, and flavorful beef! Certainly was the best beef we ever had and it sure beats the stuff that you get at your local grocery store.

Ready to sign up and get your first ButcherBox?

Click HERE to see pricing available options for your ButcherBox, and to sign up for your first shipment of top quality meats!

Current offers at ButcherBox

Ready to sign up and receive your very own ButcherBox? Simply click the link below or the image below to get started. They are currently offering 2 free pounds of Wild Alaskan salmon with your order.

Join ButcherBox today and get 2 lbs of Wild Alaskan Salmon free!

Or you can claim a free BBQ Bundle with your next order by clicking HERE.

The BBQ Bundle includes babyback ribs, 2 pounds of ground beef, and 2 NY Strips.

Question Time! Which ButcherBox would you love to give a whirl first? Will you choose the all-beef box, beef & chicken, beef & pork, mixed box, or will you be going with a custom box? Leave me a comment and let me know how you like your steak cooked as well! Would love to hear your thoughts.

Want to learn more about ButcherBox?

Sign up for ButcherBox

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Here is a recipe post at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

Click the image below to read more!

May 14, 2019 4

How I Created These Colorful, Super Duper MOIST Cake Balls With Instant Pudding Packets

Super Duper MOIST Cake Balls by Give It A Whirl Girl

This past weekend was Mother’s Day weekend and I wanted to do something special to celebrate it. My husband and I had some kid-free time and we came up with the grand idea of creating these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls together! Ok, I lied, it was actually ALL my idea and I just employed his help. Does that mean I can call him Give It A Whirl Boy since he helped me with one of my blog projects? Keep reading to find out how I added a secret ingredient to make these cake balls the moistest cake balls you ever did have.

So many pretty colors on these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls!

Here is how I created these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls

The secret ingredient is…

Want to know what my key ingredient is with any cake mix I ever use? Sugar-free instant pudding packets from Jell-O! Yup, and I use the whole entire packet. For these two batches of cake balls that I whipped up, I used one packet of sugar-free cheesecake pudding for the pink and blue balls, and for the green cake balls I had to use my favorite pudding mix, pistachio pudding (sugar-free as well). I always opt for any of the sugar-free pudding packets since I think it is unnecessary to add even more sugar to the cake, but you can feel free to use any pudding packet your heart desires.

Baking the cake

First things first! For these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls, you need to decide on a boxed cake mix to use. I went with Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Rainbow Chip mix. I created two batches of cake balls so I needed two boxes of cake mix. To add a much-loved moist cake ball you then need to choose a pudding mix. You will also need to choose a can of frosting that you would like to mix in to hold these balls together. I used Betty Crocker’s Rainbow Chip frosting.

Make sure you have some decent bakeware to use! I love my Circulon nonstick set.

PRO TIP!

The cake mix calls for 1/2 cup of oil. I used ghee (butter) instead and they came out marvelous!

I used a 9×13″ cake pan and baked the cake for 28 minutes. After the cake cools I then scrape the top and middle part away and pour the crumbled cake into a large mixing bowl. I do not use the bottom part of the baked cake because it has that baked texture to it. The top of the cake has plenty of that baked texture to it and that is plenty for cake balls. You will want to crumble all of the cake into the smallest pieces. You do not want large cake pieces in your mixing bowl.

Some of the key ingredients for my Super Duper Moist Cake Balls! — Some of the key ingredients for my Super Duper Moist Cake Balls

Here are the two cakes crumbled up and awaiting the frosting

Frosting to hold them all together

The frosting is what you will be using to hold these balls together and to give them a big punch of sweetness for that sweet tooth of yours. Once you have all of the cake crumbles in the large mixing bowl, add 3/4 of the frosting to the bowl and mix it all up until well incorporated. I use a soft spatula to do this. You might need to use the entire can but I do not recommend it. This is going to take a bit of muscle to stir this all up so pull up your sleeves and get ready to mix, mix, mix!

After the cake and frosting is completely mixed you will want to make sure you have VERY CLEAN hands and you will want to take the mixture with your hands and form 1-inch cake balls

Chill them balls!

After you form those cake balls with the cake crumbles and frosting you will want to freeze the balls for a short period of time. 15 minutes is plenty! Just be sure that you do not freeze them for too long. You don’t want them completely frozen.

Wilton Bright Candy Melts

I wanna dip my balls in it!

Oh my goodness! Who here remembers this show The State? Truth be told, that while my hubby and I were working on these balls there were some humorous injections pertaining to balls jokes! Yeah yeah… I am 38 years old and still haven’t grown up! lol!

Anyway…

You will need to choose some candy melts to dip your balls in. I went with the Wilton Candy Melts. I was able to locate the new Brights colors and got bright pink, bright green, and bright blue.

Here is our work area for the Super Duper Moist Cakes Balls that we created

Sprinkles galore!

Hello and welcome to the fun part of this post! Here is where we get a bit messy and have a bit of a sprinkle explosion. You can get creative here and use the sprinkles of your choice to decorate these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls! I had a wide variety of many different rainbow sprinkles on hand so my moist cake balls have a lot going on.

You might LOVE these rainbow sprinkles for the Sweet Tooth Fairy

Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch - Available at JoAnn's - This is one of my favorite sprinkles to use! — Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch – Available at JoAnn’s – This is one of my favorite sprinkles to use!

Which Super Duper Moist Cake Ball will you try first? The cheesecake or pistachio?

Each and every Super Duper Moist Cake Ball is unique

Final thoughts

Boy! These Super Duper Moist Cake Balls sure were a labor of love and completely and totally worth all the time and effort put into making them. My family came over after Mother’s Day dinner and we played cards and ate cake balls! These moist cake balls were enjoyed by all, both children and adults. They are a joy to eat, that is for sure! How many will you eat? Always remember to save room for dessert!

Question & Answer Time!

Tell me what ingredients you will use to make a batch of cake balls.

Stunning array of our Super Duper Moist Cake Balls

Super Duper Moist Cake Balls ready for you! They sure are a labor of love!

One last photo of our Super Duper Moist Cake Balls

Shop for items to create these cake balls

Unique Rainbow + Unicorn Gifts - SHOP Perpetual Kid — Unique Rainbow + Unicorn Gifts – SHOP Perpetual Kid

You might also enjoy these posts at Give It A Whirl Girl

May 13, 2019 14

GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - ALL ABOUT ME - KIMMY RIPLEY

I wanted to do something a little different today and instead of sharing reviews and recipes I want to share some details about ME, in case anyone was wondering who I am! My name is Kimmy Ripley and I am from the city of St. Clair Shores in Michigan. I am very very VERY passionate about food and drink. I try my best to always eat with an open mind and I live for the thrill of trying out new things. This Give It A Whirl Girl food blog was started last June and it such a big joy to share my food and drink experiences with you all!

Today I will be sharing 10 questions and answers on the blog so you can get to know me better! There are going to be a ton of photos in this post so get ready! I know some people who “read” blogs don’t read and just check out the photos, so if you are one of those people you are in luck today!

Me! Kimmy Ripley AKA Give It A Whirl Girl

My hubby and I at Kona Grill for one of my birthdays

Give It A Whirl Girl with some Enlightened ice cream pop

Me and my daughter, Chloe Pearl, at the Heidelberg Project

You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

This is a tough question. I am not a very picky eater and I consider myself to be a foodie! There are so many foods out there that I absolutely love but if I had to choose one thing, just one thing, it would be…

Sushi! – I love love love sushi but I am also a big fan of things like crab legs or lobster tail because they are such a pricey and super rare treat for me.

My go-to place for sushi is Inyo in Ferndale, MI. We discovered this fantastic Asian fusion restaurant through Groupon. Inyo Ferndale is almost always on Groupon, so if you are local be sure to grab a Groupon for this spectacular Asian restaurant. You can thank me later… wink! wink! Their food is top-notch and we are regulars there.

And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pear, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale — And just for fun! Here is a photo of my daughter, Chloe Pearl, with her chicken teriyaki dinner at Inyo Ferndale

Ok guys! I am obsessed with Inyo. Here is a photo of my Walnut Lobster. This was the most recent meal that I ordered

Honorable mention:

Gotta love a big bowl of noodly pho at Minh Chau restaurant (they just changed the name to New Asian Star). Pho is comfort food for me. The broth here at New Asian Star is on-point! The pho that I enjoy ordering has sliced beef, brisket, meatballs, and soft tendon in it. Yeah I said tendon… and it is a weird meat to eat but I do enjoy it here. They also have a pho available with tripe if you are feeling really adventurous.

You can also stop in here for a bubble drink!

Big bowl of yummy pho at Minh Chau (now known as New Asian Star)

Pure comfort food right over here. I love pho at Minh Chau (New Asian Star)!

2) Least favorite food:

Oh this is an easy one. I used to eat some funky stuff when I was a little girl… things I could not fathom stomaching now!

Herrings in cream sauce (ew) I used to eat these fishy fishes straight out of the jar.

Giblets and hearts in my stuffing (ew! ew!) My mom always put those nasty things in my Thanksgiving stuffing. NEVER AGAIN

Liverwurst (ew! ew! ew!) All by itself or on some plain white bread. No thank you!

3) Favorite fruit

Want to know about my favorite fruit? This is an easy one to answer for me… dragon fruit, and that is followed by passion fruit, another favorite of mine. I am a HUGE fan of exotic fruits and I love to create exotic smoothie bowls with these fruits. If you are local, you can usually pick up a wide variety of exotic fruits at Nino Salvaggio.

Dragon fruit can have either a white center or pink center. You never know until you slice it!

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Exotic fruits that I purchased at Nino Salvaggio

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Truth be told, and many of you all know, cooking and baking is my #1 passion in life! I love to serve up a delicious dish for my little family of 3

Italian drunken noodle is hands down the family favorite over here in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen. You can find the recipe for this delicious dish on my blog. Italian Drunken Noodle features Pappardelle pasta, Italian sausage, and mix of peppers with chardonnay wine.

A big plate of Italian Drunken Noodle and a glass of chardonnay

Italian Drunken Noodle - Give It A Whirl Girl's favorite meal to cook — Italian Drunken Noodle – Give It A Whirl Girl’s favorite meal to cook

Honorable mention:

Gigantic mozzarella stuffed meatballs are a big favorite and I have the recipe for these on my blog. This is the kind of meal that I invite my family over for. This recipe serves up a generous portion of meatballs.

CLICK HERE for my Huge Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE!

Huge mozzarella stuffed meatballs simmering in the slow-cooker

A big plate of mozzarella stuffed meatballs served over spaghetti noodles

Pineapples stuffed with a teriyaki chicken is another family fave but it is somewhat complicated and tedious to create. You can find the recipe and learn more about this gluten-free dish on my blog.

Pineapples stuffed with teriyaki chicken are a fabulous summer meal

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5) Favorite desserts I have created

I love to bake cakes even though I am not the most talented baker and cake decorator. I created a bubblegum cake and a cotton candy cake. These cakes and cupcakes were a ton of fun to create and even more fun to eat!

Here are some photos of my favorite baking projects:

Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake - Let's Get The Party Started — Bubblegum Gluten-Free Cake – Let’s Get The Party Started

COTTON CANDY CAKE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL - Gluten-Free - How I Created It — COTTON CANDY CAKE

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

I don’t know how I can pick one here. I am a self-confessed coffee addict and I am also addicted to my energy drinks (have to have at least one a day!). My favorite energy drinks are by Bang Energy. With flavors like Unicorn and Cotton Candy, how can you resist?

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

I recently started getting into craft beer and hard ciders. I was always attracted to the labels and packaging. It is so fun and colorful! I grew up my entire life, hating on beer, and saying it tasted like pee. Then one day I went to Hop Cat and I went there with the intention of giving beer a whirl and I ordered a flight with three different craft beers. Guess what? I enjoyed each and every one of them! I was impressed with myself that I gave craft beer a chance. I love craft beer and the entire drink experience with them. I love all of the unique flavors out there… Lucky Charms cereal, etc. etc.!

So sorry for the poor quality photo! I apologize but here is a photo of me with my first craft beer! I gave it a whirl at Hop Cat in Royal Oak, MI

First flight of craft beer for me at Hop Cat and I loved each one of them!

Rekorderling Passion Fruit hard cider – This was the greatest hard cider I have tried!

An assortment of craft beers... all delicious! — An assortment of craft beers… all delicious!

Cranium Crush - Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale — Cranium Crush – Raspberry Waffle Cone Ale

An assortment of craft beers that I tried out. And we save all of the bottles and cans and display them in our basement.

8) Favorite candy

Jelly Belly Raspberries & Blackberries are my favorite candy! What is yours?

There is no better candy than Jelly Belly’s Raspberries & Blackberries! These berry flavored candies are extremely highly addictive to me and I will kill a bag in just a couple of minutes!

9) Favorite post on the blog

I am nearing 200 published posts on the blog and if I had to choose one favorite post I simply can’t. I am going to declare a tie here. The two posts that were my favorite to do were both local reviews. I would love to visit more places nearby and review them. The local reviews I have done are my top performing posts. Here we go…

Modern Cone Review

and

Kawaii Bubble Tea Review

Modern Cone is an ice cream shop in St. Clair Shores that specializes in creative ice cream concoctions. This is the place to go if you want a unique ice cream concoction that is fun to eat, and very Instagrammable!

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Cereal Killer ice-cream Stacker available at Modern Cone

Kawaii Bubble Tea is located in Clinton Township, MI and they have some of the best bubble teas (boba) that I have ever tried. They also have a wide variety of macarons available. If you have never ever tried boba you definitely need to check out this place. It is a very fun drink experience.

Enjoying our boba drinks and macarons at Kawaii Bubble Tea in Clinton Township, MI
What a fun experience for all of us!

Honorable mention:

Tou & Mai is located in Detroit’s midtown area and they offer some very unique desserts. I tried their halo halo (Hello Hello is what they call it). You can read the review on my blog where I spill all the beans about this awesome dessert destination!

Tou & Mai Review

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

Hello Hello (Halo Halo) at Tou & Mai in Detroit, MI

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

This is an easy question to answer. Menchie’s and Orange Leaf are definitely my favorite place to grab a dessert. I am obsessed with frozen yogurt, also known as froyo. You can read my Menchie’s review on the blog.

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation — Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) Build-Your-Own Creation
Edible art!

Menchies Heritage Village in Warren, MI toppings bar

Final thoughts

I truly hope you enjoyed this post over here at Give It A Whirl Girl. I would love to hear from my readers so leave me a comment here and tell me about your favorite food!

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

Also…

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

Follow Give It A Whirl Girl on social media

Give It A Whirl prepping a from-scratch pizza

At Tony's I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split — At Tony’s I-75 in Birch Run, MI with our gigantic banana split

Learn more about this COLOSSAL banana split in my Tony’s I-75 restaurant review

Chloe Pearl and I cooking a from-scratch pizza in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen

Did you enjoy this post? Here are more posts at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

SHOP PYKNIC ON AMAZON (One of my favorite brands… all food/drink related items too!)

April 26, 2019 12

Huge Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE (Slow-Cooker) Oozing With Melty Cheese (Gluten-Free Option)

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE by Give It A Whirl Girl (Slow-Cooker)

I have a special recipe to share with you all today! This past weekend I invited my mom over for a special Sunday dinner. I love having family over and preparing a tasty dish for them. So today I am sharing my Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs recipe to my loyal readers. This recipe is a family favorite and this meal will surely fill you up! These meatballs are stuffed with oozy mozzarella cheese pearls and they are mighty huge meatballs! This Italian meatball recipe might just become a family favorite in your home too. There is a gluten-free option for my gluten-free readers.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE

This mozzarella stuffed meatball recipe is the perfect meal to whip up in your slow-cooker. Once you do all of the work to prepare the meatballs it is smooth sailing after that. The meatballs should take about 15-20 minutes to create. I have also included a pasta sauce recipe for these mozzarella stuffed meatballs, but you can feel free to skip that part and use the pasta sauce of your choice. I often avoid the jarred pasta sauces and create my own sauce with some crushed tomatoes.

If you want a great jarred pasta sauce I highly recommend Rao’s. They make an excellent marinara and if you like bit of heat in your sauce, Rao’s has a fabulous Arrabiata Sauce.

The pasta!

The best pasta to go with these mozzarella stuffed meatballs is the spaghetti noodle. You can go thick or you can go thin. We went thick!

The Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs homemade sauce

You have to have a great pasta sauce to go with your mozzarella stuffed meatballs. I have included a great pasta sauce recipe to go with the meatballs. The pasta sauce is simple and easy to create. If you want a sauce that tastes great you have to use good tomatoes. I used DeLallo’s crushed tomatoes and they were some of the best I ever had. Muir Glen is also another great brand to go with.

And a blend of ground beef and ground Italian sausage is essential to this dish. The mix of meats is going to give you a flavorful, zesty meatball. Ground Italian sausage always lends awesome flavor to Italian pasta sauces.

Gluten-Free Options

If you are following a gluten-free diet and still would like to enjoy this mozzarella stuffed meatballs recipe, simply swap the breadcrumbs out for some gluten-free breadcrumbs. You would then serve the meatballs over the gluten-free pasta of your choice.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs (With Gluten-Free Option)

This recipe is for my famous mozzarella-stuffed meatballs… a family favorite! These hearty meatballs are stuffed with mozzarella pearls. When you dig into these meatballs you will love the oozing melty cheese! This is a slow-cooker recipe that serves approximately 8 people. Serve with the pasta of your choice. We love spaghetti noodles with this recipe!

Meatballs

1 pound Ground beef (I use grass fed beef)
1 pound Ground Italian sausage
Mozzarella pearls (You can stuff each meatball with 1 or 2 pearls (depending on how large you make the meatballs))
1 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs (Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you are gluten-free)
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons Minced garlic
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 tablespoon Garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil

Pasta Sauce

28 ounce Can of crushed tomatoes (I used DeLallo)
6 ounce Can of tomato paste (I used Muir Glen)
2 tablespoons Minced garlic
2 Shallots (Diced)
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Salt (To Taste)
Black pepper (To Taste)
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil

Meatballs

Use a large mixing bowl for the meatballs. Place all ingredients (except for the olive oil) for the meatballs into a large mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix and incorporate all of the ingredients.
Form large balls (approx 2 – 2 1/2 inches across) and stuff the meatballs with either one or two mozzarella pearls. Make sure the meatballs are tightly formed so the cheese does not melt out of them. Set aside the meatballs on a large cookie sheet.
Warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Once the oil has warmed place the meatballs in the pan and brown all sides of the meatballs.
Set aside the meatballs while you prepare the pasta sauce in the next step.

Pasta Sauce

Warm a bit of olive oil in a saute pan and then add your minced garlic and diced shallots. Cook until translucent and fragrant. Add to the slow-cooker.
Add the rest of the pasta sauce ingredients to your slow-cooker. Stir well.
Place the meatballs in the slow-cooker and cook on low for 4 hours.

Final preparations

Prepare the pasta of your choice. Spaghetti noodles work best with meatballs.
Serve, eat, and enjoy your meatballs!

If you are gluten-free, sub the Italian breadcrumbs for a gluten-free breadcrumb. Serve over gluten-free pasta.

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs oozing melty cheese!

Zesty Spaghetti Sauce RECIPE With Ancient Harvest Pasta, Bell Peppers, & Italian Sausage

Final thoughts about the mozzarella stuffed meatballs recipe

These mozzarella stuffed meatballs were loved and enjoyed by all of us at the dinner table! You just can’t go wrong with a recipe like this. This recipe is a keeper! This is a fabulous meal to create when you have guests over for dinner. Because you use two pounds of meat to make the mozzarella stuffed meatballs there is a lot of food to go around! And these meatballs are huge! I could only pack in two of these gigantic mozzarella stuffed meatballs. How many will you eat? 3 might just be the limit with this dish. A lot of meat!

Question Time! Do you have a family favorite recipe that you would like to share? I would love to hear all about your family favorite meal!

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March 19, 2019 8

MengK 1500W High-Speed Professional Blender REVIEW & A Dragon Fruit Smoothie RECIPE

MENGK BLENDER REVIEW & A Dragon Fruit Smoothie RECIPE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL

Today I would love to share my experience with you that I recently had with my new blender in this MengK blender review. This blender is quite simple to use and it is built like a professional blender. When I received my blender I was astonished by how professional the model looked and I was excited to give it a whirl with a dragon fruit smoothie bowl recipe. My hopes for this blender were that it would be capable of blending up frozen fruit because I am a huge smoothie fan and every blender I have ever owned prior was a big letdown to me. Keep reading this MengK blender review to find out how it performed in my test.

First impression of the MengK 1500W blender

Let’s kick off this MengK blender review with my first thoughts when I unboxed the blender. My first impression with this blender was the massive footprint it has on my countertop! This blender is a beast! Now, this can either be a positive or a negative for you. If you don’t have much storage space in your kitchen or home this blender might be an issue. This MengK blender couldn’t be any simpler to use either! If you look at the blender you will see one dial on the face of the blender and this determines the speed at which you will operate your blender. Big tasks call for dialing up on the knob for more power and speed.

Professional Blender MengK 2000W Peak Horsepower Electric High Speed Blender REVIEW — Professional Blender 1500W MengK 2000W Peak Horsepower Electric High-Speed Blender

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission from items purchased through these links with no extra cost to you.

What can the MengK blender do?

If you are in the market for a blender that is versatile, MengK has you covered with this blender! You can use it for smoothies, nice creams, soups, milkshakes, hummus, alcoholic beverages, homemade nut butter, baby foods, and more. This MengK blender features a very well-constructed 67oz professional blender jar. Please note that this blender jar is not a glass blending jar, it is made out of some very heavy duty, thick, plastic. The blending jar for the MengK blender is BPA-free.

MengK blender motor

The MengK blender has a whopping 2.6 HP-2000 watt motor, and this commercial blender can reach a rotational speed of up to 27,000 r/min. This powerful motor makes it possible to crush ice, fruits, and vegetables.

The controls on the MengK blender are simple

You might also enjoy this post: Mindblowing Smart Home Products For Your Kitchen

The MengK blades

This powerful blender features 6 stainless steel, sharp blades for maximum blending power. The MengK blender crushing blades make it possible and perfect for ice crushing, blending, pureeing, and controlled processing.

The 6 blades on the MengK blender are razor sharp

My experience with the MengK blender

The first experiment with this high-speed blender was to see how well it would process and blend frozen fruit. I placed two frozen bananas, a cup of frozen dragon fruit, and a bit of milk in the blending cup. I was really excited to try this out because I have not had much success with frozen fruit in any blender I have ever owned.

The capability of blending frozen fruit is top priority to me. I need a blender that can do this.

I turned the blender onto medium with the dial. I then turned it on. The blender was loud and I could tell it had a powerful motor. The blades efficiently chopped up my frozen fruit and blended it up with the almond milk. After a few short moments, I had a delicious smoothie bowl waiting for me.

I performed one other smoothie test with my MengK blender. For that test, I used a fresh banana, frozen dragon fruit, and frozen mango with a splash of some unsweetened nut milk. The blender performed wonderfully and as expected. In a very short time, without any hesitation, I had a delicious, tall smoothie waiting for me!

Overall, I am quite pleased with this MengK blender and I am excited to try more smoothie recipes with it.

The MengK blender is simple to clean

Cleaning the MengK blender is simple and easy to do! All you need to do is add a bit of soap and warm water to the blending cup. Turn the blender onto a mid-high speed and it 30-60 seconds the cup and blades will be clean. Rinse after cleaning and carefully dry.

Satisfaction guaranteed from MengK

If for any reason you are not satisfied with your MengK blender purchases, MengK offers a money back guarantee and a warranty on their product.

3-month warranty on commercial Cups and a 6-month warranty on household cups, unified TWO years warranty about this pedestal, and 30-day refund guarantee.

Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl

Take a trip to paradise with this dragon fruit smoothie bowl. You will feel like you are transported to a tropical place with this exotic fruit smoothie bowl recipe.

2 Bananas (Frozen and chopped)
1 cup Dragon Fruit chunks (Frozen of fresh)
1 Kiwi Fruit (Sliced)
1 Star Fruit (Sliced and seeds removed)
2/3 cup Unsweetened nut milk of choice

Place the frozen bananas, dragon fruit, and milk in the blender and process until smooth.
Pour the smoothie mixture into two bowls.
Top the smoothie with fresh sliced kiwi fruit and star fruit.
Serve, eat, and enjoy!

Dragon Fruit Smoothies created with the MengK Blender

Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowls topped with kiwi fruit and star fruit

MengK 1400W Blender

If you want to get yourself a MengK blender that is a little more friendly on your budget there is a 1400W model on Amazon.

There is also a clippable coupon to save on this model!

MengK 1500W Blender

The blender that I reviewed is currently available on Amazon.

Final thoughts

The MengK blender is a lot of bang for your buck! For this price point, you are getting quite the powerful blender. I am hoping that this MengK blender will stand the test of time. I have a great feeling that it will be outperforming the last blender that I owned prior to this one. I took a chance with this off-brand name and I am very pleased with it.

It is not a Vitamix or a Blendtec but for the price you are paying for this one you are getting a powerhouse blender. If you are like me and dream of owning a fancy blender like a Vitamix, this blender makes a great clone of one and you will save yourself a ton of money going with the MengK.

The MengK blender makes a delicious smoothie in seconds!

Question Time! What will you be using the MengK blender for first? What will you create with this powerful blender?

Find out more about MengK and their other products

Website

Disclosure: I was sent this product in exchange for a review. All opinions stated here are my own.

Zesty Spaghetti Sauce RECIPE With Ancient Harvest Pasta, Tri-Color Peppers, Ground Beef, & Italian Sausage (Slow-Cooker)

Zesty Spaghetti Sauce RECIPE With Ancient Harvest, Tri-Color Pepper, Ground Beef, & Italian Sausage - Slow-Cooker by Give It A Whirl Girl

I am just going to come out and say it… this is some thick ass sauce right here y’all! This zesty spaghetti sauce recipe with Ancient Harvest pasta is nowhere near being skimpy and naked. We got it all going on over here with grass-fed ground beef, ground Italian sausage, three colors of bell peppers, oodles of minced garlic, half an onion, and a whole lot of basil and oregano! How does that sound? Keep reading to find out how I made this set-it-and-forget-it sauce. I will also talk about the Ancient Harvest gluten-free pasta that I used with this zesty spaghetti sauce recipe. I tried them out for Tried It Out Tuesday!

Tri-Color Pepper, Ground Beef, and Italian Sausage Spaghetti With Ancient Harvest Pasta — Tri-Color Peppers, Ground Beef, and Italian Sausage Spaghetti With Ancient Harvest Pasta – A very zesty spaghetti sauce recipe that you will love!

This zesty spaghetti sauce recipe does require a little bit of prep but it is essential. You can’t just toss raw ground meat products into your slow-cooker and expect good results. You gotta brown that meat. Next you are also going to want to saute your onions and garlic until they achieve a translucent appearance and become aromatic and fragrant. I also take the time to soften up the three peppers.

Continue reading “Zesty Spaghetti Sauce RECIPE With Ancient Harvest Pasta, Tri-Color Peppers, Ground Beef, & Italian Sausage (Slow-Cooker)” →

March 1, 2019 2

Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast RECIPE (Gluten-Free, Slow-Cooker)

Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast RECIPE by Give It A Whirl Girl (Slow-Cooker, Gluten-Free)

I think you are all going to fall in love with this simple and easy slow-cooker paleo root vegetable pot roast recipe! This is pure comfort food right over here! This dish was created with a chuck roast, carrots, parsnips, and one really huge turnip! This paleo pot roast gets its fabulous flavor from one of my favorite seasonings, Herbs de Provence. Not only is this meal pure comfort food on a plate, but this paleo & gluten-free dinner is simple to create at home.

Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast RECIPE by Give It A Whirl Girl — Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast

Roast preparations

First things first though. Let’s discuss this Root Vegetable Pot Roast from the beginning. The meat is the highlight of the meal after all. The first thing I do for a slow-cooker roast is salt and pepper that slab of meat, throw it on a hot saute pan with olive oil, let it sizzle and brown. When you brown your meat you lock in the juice of the meat and your meat will be so tender when dinner time rolls around. I used a small 2 pound roast for this recipe but I believe you could use any chuck roast up to three pounds. If you are looking for a great deal on a chuck roast, I have had great success with shopping at Kroger.

Chuck roast for the paleo pot roast with root vegetables

Soften & season up the vegetables

Once you get a beautiful sear on all sides of the meat it is time to soften and season veggies. This recipe includes carrots, parsnips, and a turnip. What you need to do is slice the carrots and the parsnips. With the turnip, you are going to chop it up into little square or rectangular pieces.

My huge turnip for the paleo root vegetable pot roast

Season it up with Herbs de Provence

This paleo root vegetable pot roast was seasoned with Herbs de Provence from Spice Islands. I honestly do not know what the exact ingredients are in this blend. It only says “spices & lavender” on the back label. No clue on why it is so top secret but it is. I wish I could fill you in on the exact seasonings that go into this blend. I read the label on another Herbs de Provence label and it had the following ingredients: marjoram, savory, thyme, rosemary, basil, fennel, sage, lavender.

This is a very fragrant and aromatic spice. It is not a seasoning that I use often but I do enjoy seasoning a big hunk of meat with this.

The Instant Pot Aura

This paleo pot roast can be cooked with a regular slow-cooker but I would love to let you know exactly how I cooked my meal. I just recently gave the Instant Pot Aura a whirl and published a review on my blog. I have been using this small appliance in my kitchen for about one month and I am head over heels in love with it! The Instant Pot Aura is a 6-quart multicooker that is a 10-in-1 small appliance for your kitchen. Instead of using a saute pan AND a slow-cooker the Instant Pot Aura is capable of both browning the meat AND slow-cooking it.

Final thoughts on this Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast

If you are looking for great comfort food, this Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast recipe will hit the spot! My little family of three chowed down and there were some mmm’s and ahh’s going on at the dinner table! Not only is this slow-cooker pot roast recipe simple but it is very healthy as well! You will not find any gluten lurking around in this paleo recipe… just savory meat and vegetables. This is a meal that you can feel good about eating and you can enjoy this paleo meal without all the guilt!

Question Time! What are your favorite ingredients in a pot roast? Leave me a comment and let me know what ingredients you enjoy in yours!

Paleo Root Vegetable Pot Roast For Your Slow-Cooker (Gluten-Free)

This paleo root vegetable pot roast recipe is a simple and easy recipe for your slow-cooker. This dish is pure comfort food and this meal is also gluten-free.

2 pound Chuck roast (You can use slightly larger)
3 Carrots (Sliced)
2 Parsnips (Sliced)
1 Turnip (Diced)
14.5 ounces Fire Roasted Tomatoes (Drained)
2 tablespoons Minced Garlic
2 Shallots (Slivered)
1 1/2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
1 Bay Leaf
2 tablespooons Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (To taste)
Pepper (To taste)

Slice and dice your vegetables.
Warm the olive oil in a saute pan. Salt and pepper the meat. Place the meat in the saute pan and brown the meat on all sides to get a browned crust on the outside of the beef.
Add in the garlic and shallots and cook until translucent.
Add in the vegetables (carrots, parsnips, and turnip). Saute until slightly softened.
Place the meat and vegetables into the slow-cooker. Add in one can drained diced fire roasted tomatoes.
Add in your bay leaf and herbs de provence. Stir until well incorporated. Salt and pepper the mixture.
Place the slow-cooker on low for 5-6 hours.
Once 5-6 hours have passed you can remove your meat and cut into small chunks. Place it back in the slow-cooker and give it a good stir.
Serve, eat, and enjoy.

It is best to go light on the salt and pepper and season to taste depending on the size of your chuck roast. You can always add more as time goes on.

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Other recipes you might enjoy!

February 28, 2019 4

Why Your Kitchen Needs The Instant Pot Aura Multicooker REVIEW & RECIPE For Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

Instant Pot Aura REVIEW by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL

The Instant Pot Aura is a multi-cooker that will replace ten common appliances in your kitchen. Even though this small appliance carries the Instant Pot name, this device is not a pressure cooker. And guess what? I am completely and totally fine with this small appliance not being a pressure cooker. I guess I am what you would consider old school when it comes to cooking and have always preferred a slow-cooker method over pressure cooking. This Instant Pot Aura review will show you the many functions of this multicooker device for your kitchen.

The Instant Pot Aura allows for a customizable cooking experience in your kitchen. This small appliance from Instant Pot has 10 different functions on it that are programmable. You will find that the Instant Pot Aura is a versatile tool that can be used for your next cooking project. This device can be fine-tuned to tailor the needs of what you are cooking and it even remembers the last setting that you programmed.

The Instant Pot Aura! The appliance that you didn't know you need! REVIEW by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — The Instant Pot Aura! The appliance that you didn’t know you need!

Instant Pot Aura review

Advantages of the Instant Pot Aura – my takeaway

For me, the number one advantage to this Instant Pot Aura is that I can also sear/saute all in one convenient appliance and then use the slow-cooker function. Makes for fewer dishes! When I make something like a pot roast I always sear my big hunk of meat and I like to soften the veggies with some olive oil. The Instant Pot Aura is the perfect cooking device for your next big roast.

Another great function of this Instant Pot Aura multicooker is that you can use this to roast an entire chicken. With the Instant Pot Aura, you can perfectly roast an entire chicken. This was actually the first thing that I did with my Instant Pot Aura and the meat came out so flavorful and juicy. I simply just stuffed the cavity with a halved lemon, a shallot, and some rosemary. I then made an herbed ghee mixture with minced garlic and rosemary and spread this all over the skin of the chicken.

Functions of the Instant Pot Aura

10 appliances all in 1! How does that sound? Sounds pretty magnificent to me and that is exactly why I was so eager to give the Instant Pot Aura a whirl!

With 10 Smart Programs your favorite dishes can now be prepared to perfection by simply pushing a button.

Roast
Stew
Bake
Steamer
Slow-cooker
Sear / Saute
Rice Cooker
Yogurt Maker
Fermenter
Warmer

The functions on the Instant Pot Aura A REVIEW by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — The functions on the Instant Pot Aura

Microprocessor Technology

With the Instant Pot Aura’s microprocessor technology you are in control over temperature and time. This technology ensures consistent cooking results.

I will discuss some of my favorite functions now of the Instant Pot Aura.

Slow-Cooker

For the slow-cooker mode, there are two settings: high and low. You can program the slow-cooker for 30 minutes all the way up to 24 hours.

Sear/Saute

The sear and saute mode on the Instant Pot Aura is incredible. There is a flexible temperature setting that ranges from 250-degrees to 425-degrees. This function is perfect for getting a good sear on your meat, sauteing your vegetables, and for caramelization. The time for this mode ranges from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

Roast

The roast setting has a flexible temperature range from 250-degrees to 425-degrees. I roasted a whole chicken in the Instant Pot Aura for 90 minutes at 425-degrees and the outcome was excellent. So simple and easy to use and even the cleanup was a breeze. The Instant Pot Aura also comes with a roasting rack for the roast setting. The roast setting is not only perfect for chicken but imagine the big hunks of beef you could roast in here!

Delay-start mode

With the Delay Start mode, you can program the Instant Pot Aura so your meal can be ready at dinner-time.

Keep warm

The Keep Warm function is a wonderful setting as well. This setting keeps your food nice and warm and this setting can be programmed for whatever duration of time you need. One great way that this setting would come in handy is during the holidays so food can be kept warm at your next big feast.

Dishwasher-safe too!

The Instant Pot Aura is dishwasher-safe, which is a big bonus because I certainly don’t feel like washing it!

Instant Pot Aura Simple Sausage Pasta Sauce RECIPE

I am including a recipe in my review of the Instant Pot Aura. This is a super simple recipe for some very zesty and flavorful ground Italian sausage pasta sauce. This recipe can be served up with the pasta of your choice. I opted form some cheese tortellinis and that turned out to be quite the excellent choice. This recipe is a great one to start with for the Instant Pot Aura newbie (like myself).

Simple Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce with the Instant Pot Aura Multicooker served with cheese tortellini RECIPE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Simple Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce with the Instant Pot Aura Multicooker served with cheese tortellini

Simple Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce with the Instant Pot Aura RECIPE by GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Simple Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce with the Instant Pot Aura

Simple Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce In The Instant Pot Aura

This recipe is for my Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce. This is a very zesty and garlicky sauce and it is so simple to create with your Instant Pot Aura Multicooker! This recipe will serve approximately four people. Serve this pasta sauce with the pasta of your choice. We enjoyed this sauce with cheese tortellini.

1 pound Ground Italian Sausage
28 ounces Crushed Tomatoes
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 Shallots (slivered)
2 tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 1/2 tablespoon Italian Seasoning Blend
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Turn your Instant Pot Aura on and hit the sautée button. The Instant Pot Aura will warm up. Place one tablespoon of olive oil inside. Add your garlic and slivered shallots. Cook until translucent and fragrant.
Add the ground Italian sausage to the Instant Pot Aura and brown the meat. Season with one tablespoon Italian Seasoning.
Add in the can of crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste. Give it a good stir and incorporate all of the ingredients.
Add in an additional 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasonings.
Set the Instant Pot Aura on the slow-cooker mode on low for one hour.
After the hour is up it is time to eat. Serve this pasta sauce with the pasta of your choice.
Serve, eat, and enjoy!

Question Time! How will you be using the Instant Pot Aura in your kitchen? What would you love to create first?

Ready to get your very own Instant Pot Aura?

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Instant Pot Aura also has a sous vide function on a different model.

You can get yours HERE.

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February 24, 2019 13

Greek Caulipower Pizza RECIPE With Primal Kitchen (Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)

Greek Caulipower Pizza RECIPE Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

If you are not a fan of garlic it might just be time to walk away from this post. Today I will tell you how I created a Garlicky Greek Caulipower Pizza using a blank Caulipower crust and some Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette. You can adjust this recipe to your taste with the garlic but the amount that is noted in here is for garlic lovers only. This is, believe it or not, my first time ever having a Greek pizza. I love Greek food so I kind of had an idea in my mind that everything would turn out wonderful to me. Guess what? I nailed it and that is why I am sharing this recipe to you for my Greek Caulipower Pizza! This pizza does not contain any meat so it a vegetarian pizza and would be perfect for any veggie lover. I have a feeling that you will love this Caulipower Pizza recipe that I am sharing with you today!

Garlicky Greek Caulipower Pizza With Primal Kitchen

Caulipower Crust – The Caulipower Greek Pizza All Starts Here

If you are looking at my post and my photos here and are drooling a bit and craving this Greek Caulipower Pizza then you are going to need your base to start with. This was my second time trying the Caulipower crust. I bought a veggie Caulipower pizza not too long ago and dressed it up with some additional toppings. This time I wanted to be the artist and the chef and create my own on a blank slate. The blank Caulipower crust pack contains two crusts and if you want you can double this recipe so that you have two Greek Caulipower Pizzas. The recipe has enough servings and slices for two people. That is of course unless you have a huge appetite and can eat an entire pizza by yourself.

The Power of the Caulipower

Let’s talk a bit about why I love this Caulipower crust so much.

First of all, it is paleo friendly. If you do not add any cheese this pizza will fulfill your paleo diet needs.

Secondly, we all know that cauliflower crust is all the rage these days because it is low-carb. A cauliflower crust pizza is leaning in the guilt-free direction of things. You can take a peek at the nutrition facts below (source). A serving size is considered 1/3 of the pizza and considering this is pizza it only comes in at 26 grams of carbs (with net carbs it is lower). A regular pizza is at least twice that amount and averages about 36 grams of carbs for just one slice!

Nutrition Facts for Caulipower Crust (*source*)

And third, this Caulipower crust is nice and crisp! Often times a cauliflower crust can result in sogginess from the moisture that can be found in cauliflower. If you ever make your own crust you really have to squeeze the moisture out. I made my own cauliflower crust last year and while it was good, the texture of it was mushy. I did not get enough of the moisture out. Caulipower takes the frustration out of cauliflower crust. These blank crusts have endless possibilities.

Ingredients used for Greek Caulipower Pizza recipe

Primal Kitchen Greek Marinade/Salad Dressing

This pizza uses Primal Kitchen’s Greek Marinade/Salad Dressing for the sauce. I am pretty confident that most other greek salad dressings will work for the Greek garlic sauce but Primal Kitchen is the brand that I use because I am a huge fan of all of their products. This dressing is made with only the finest all-natural ingredients. When an item is Whole-30 approved, you know it is going to be a healthy element in your dish.

Primal Kitchen Coupon Code - 10% Off

Coupon

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Save 10% off your next order at Primal Kitchen.

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Garlic! Garlic! And More Garlic!

There. I said it three times so you get the point. This Greek Caulipower Pizza recipe is chock full of garlic. I put three heaping tablespoons of it in the blender with my Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette. When I need minced garlic I skip the knifework and I grab my Spice World Minced Garlic. My knife skills suck if I am going to be honest here and minced garlic can be tricky. I really need to improve in the knife department. Spice World does all of the work for you and they are my go-to brand. They do also have an organic minced garlic available and I often try to use that but my Kroger was out the last time I shopped so I just went with regular.

Bring On The Cheese Please!

A Greek Caulipower Pizza would not be Greek if it was not for the feta cheese! No Greek pizza is complete without feta. For this recipe, I went with a blend of feta and mozzarella. I used one small container of Kroger’s Simple Truth Feta Cheese and I used a handful of Tillamook mozzarella, which is my favorite shredded mozzarella cheese.

Greek Toppings

For the rest of the toppings on this Greek Caulipower Pizza, I used cherry tomatoes, sliced kalamata olives, pepperoncinis, and half of a slivered and sliced shallot. Next time I make a Greek pizza I am going to add some sliced beets to it. I think beets would have been awesome on this pizza, so now you know! You might just want to add them to yours.

Final Thoughts on this Greek Caulipower Pizza recipe

I would love for you to know exactly what came out of my daughter’s mouth when she hesitantly took her first bite of this pizza. I did not think she would agree with it because of the potent taste of feta cheese BUT the first thing she said was,

Wow! Mom! This pizza has sooooooo much flavor!

It does have quite a potent garlic flavor so just scale back a tablespoon if three is too intense for you.

We were both impressed with the crisp texture of this Caulipower Crust! Could it be magic? I do not know how they do it but it sure turns out crisp after 13 minutes baking in the oven! It is very impressive to me that Caulipower has the power to transform cauliflower into a pizza crust that does disappoint. This Caulipower Pizza recipe might just be one of your recipes that are in regular rotation! Love it!

Would love to hear from you!
Will you be giving Caulipower Pizza recipe a whirl? How will you dress your pizza up? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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February 13, 2019 14

Kettle & Fire COUPON & REVIEW – How I Made Healthy Chili Made With Bone Broth

Today I will be sharing my experience with Kettle & Fire Bone Broth. This is an excellent source of nutrients and a splendid way to warm up on a cold winter day. These paleo, Whole 30, and keto-friendly bone broths should be a part of your diet regimen for various reasons. There are so many health benefits to incorporating bone broth into your diet.

I also have a special coupon code to save you some money at Kettle & Fire. Drumroll please, I am also giving away a 6-Pack of Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth. Keep reading so you can find out how to save and enter the giveaway. Good luck everyone!

What is bone broth?

Let’s start things off here by discussing what exactly Kettle & Fire Bone Broth is and why you should be giving this product a whirl! Bone broth is sourced from the bones of animals and their connective tissues. These bones and tissue are boiled into a broth and cooked for 10+ hours (up to 20 hours). They are boiled with vegetables, herbs, and spices to enhance the flavor.

The benefits of sipping Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

Bone broth is known to be a superfood. Bone broth is a nutrient powerhouse and a super source of collagen. There is a lot of talk about collagen nowadays. Collagen is extracted from the bones after simmering for a long time. The longer the bone broth simmers, the more collagen that can be extracted. The benefits of collagen in your diet are noted below.

Benefits of collagen in your diet

Repair torn cartilage
Relieve joint pain
Soothe an inflamed digestive tract
Strengthen the gut lining
Maintain bone density
Boost immunity
Improve sleep quality
Improve your skin’s appearance

You can view the Kettle & Fire Bone Broth video below for all of the information you need.

Bone Broth is not just about sipping

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth can be used in more ways than just sipping on it. There are ways you can get creative with it. You can use bone broth in place of regular broth in any recipe. There are also several suggested flavor enhancers that you can incorporate into your bone broth.

Acid: lemon juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar
Salt: Himalayan or Celtic Sea, miso paste
Healthy fat: avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, ground flaxseeds
Spice: ginger, garlic, lemon zest turmeric, rosemary, cayenne, and cinnamon

The possibilities here are endless, folks! Just use your creative powers in the kitchen.

Kettle & Fire Bone Broths

The 3 varieties of Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

Beef Bone Broth

Kettle & Fire’s Beef Bone Broth is a superfood with some very remarkable health benefits. This broth is super rich in collagen and amino acids. Their broths are all free of hormones, antibiotics, additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. What you get with Kettle & Fire’s product is the real wholesome deal. The beef broth is simmered for up to 20 hours with the bones of grass-fed cattle.

All bone broths produced by Kettle & Fire are perfect for those following a paleo, Whole 30, or keto diet. It is also the perfect product to use in your recipes if you are a clean-eating fanatic like myself.

WHAT IS IN OUR BEEF BONE BROTH?Marrow Bones From Pasture-Raised, 100% Grass-Fed & Finished Cattle (6 grams of protein per serving, 10 grams of collagen per serving) Onions, organic carrots, organic celery, organic parsley, sea salt, black peppercorn, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary extract, and apple cider vinegar (which extracts even more nutrients from the bones)

Chicken Bone Broth

The Chicken Bone Broth from Kettle & Fire is another nutrient dense superfood that is full of health advantages. The Chicken Bone nutrient-dense with the bones and chicken feet of chicken feet.

WHAT IS IN OUR CHICKEN BONE BROTH?Organic chicken bones and feet (which add extra collagen) (10 grams of protein per serving, 6 grams of collagen per serving) Organic celery,organic roasted Poblano pepper, organic green pepper, organic onions, organic carrots, organic garlic, organic scallions, organic tomato puree, organic herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil), organic spices, sea salt, and apple cider vinegar (which extracts even more nutrients from the bones)

Mushroom & Chicken Bone Broth

The Mushroom & Chicken Bone Broth from Kettle & Fire is one you are going to definitely want to give a whirl! This bone broth is similar to the chicken bone broth but with the added health benefit of Lion’s Mane mushroom, which are another known superfood! So what can Lion’s Mane mushrooms do for you? They are known to improve cognitive function as well as improve your energy levels.

WHAT IS IN OUR MUSHROOM CHICKEN BONE BROTH? Organic chicken bones and feet (which add extra collagen) (10 grams of protein per serving, 6 grams of collagen per serving) Organic Portabella mushrooms, organic celery, organic roasted Poblano pepper, organic green pepper, organic onions, organic carrots, organic garlic, organic scallions, organic tomato puree, organic herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil), organic spices, sea salt, Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom powder (Lion’s mane mushroom is an adaptogen, which means it can help reduce your stress response) and apple cider vinegar (which extracts even more nutrients from the bones)

Other products by Kettle & Fire

Healthy Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash soup is definitely one of my favorite soups of all time and this Healthy Butternut Squash Soup from Kettle & Fire delivers as far as taste and quality go. With this soup, chicken bone broth is used as a base and coconut milk is also used. This soup is a wonderful paleo, Whole 30, or keto treat for your palate!

INGREDIENTS

Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth for a protein and collagen boost
9 grams of protein per serving
Organic apple cider vinegar (which extracts even more nutrients from the bones)
Organic olive oil and coconut milk for a dose of healthy fats
A variety of organic herbs and spices to make the flavor pop

Healthy Tomato Soup

This tomato soup from Kettle & Fire got taken up a notch so it can earn the title of Healthy Tomato Soup. Chicken Bone Broth is used as a base to flavor it and to load it up with those extra nutrients that your body desires and craves. Just like Grandma’s homemade tomato soup, only better!

INGREDIENTS IN HEALTHY TOMATO SOUP

Healthy Miso Soup

This Kettle & Fire Miso Soup has that umami flavor that you are looking for but this one is packed full of nutrients and will give you a great boost in collagen.

INGREDIENTS IN HEALTHY MISO SOUP

Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth for a protein and collagen boost
11 grams of protein per serving
Organic apple cider vinegar (which extracts even more nutrients from the bones)
Organic olive oil
A variety of organic herbs and spices to make the flavor pop

Healthy Thai Curry Soup

This Healthy Thai Curry soup from Kettle & Fire can best be described as spicy, sweet, and BOLD! This soup was created with the chicken bone broth and is chock full of collagen to give your hair, skin, and nails the treatment that they deserve.

INGREDIENTS IN HEALTHY THAI CURRY SOUP

Chicken Bone Broth, Organic Coconut Milk, Organic Chicken Meat (Organic Chicken Meat, Water, Organic Rice Starch, Salt), Organic Potato Starch, Organic Jalapeno Peppers, Organic Red Bell Peppers, Organic Portabella Mushrooms, Organic Celery, Organic Onion, Organic Carrots, Contains 2% or Less of Organic Chicken Flavor, Organic Honey, Organic Spices, Organic Chilies, Organic Ginger, Organic Garlic, Organic Lemongrass, Natural Flavor, Yeast Extract, Organic Cilantro, Sea Salt, and Organic Guar

Grass-Fed Beef Chili

Mmmm… nothing beats a great big bowl of warm chili this time of year. This Grass-Fed Beef Chili from Kettle & Fire was created with grass-fed beef, kidney beans, and various spices to season it.

INGREDIENTS IN GRASS-FED BEEF CHILI

Beef Broth (Filtered Water, Beef Bone Broth Concentrate), Ground Beef, Organic Tomatoes, Organic Kidney Beans, Organic Tomato Paste, Organic Green Bell Pepper, Contains less than 2% of Organic Tapioca Starch, Organic Chili Powder, Organic Jalapeno Peppers, Organic Spices, Organic, Honey, and Sea Salt

How I used Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

I decided to give the Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth a whirl first. My daughter, Chloe, requested another batch of my Farty Party Chili that I made last weekend because it was so good. I did not want to eat the same exact meal two weeks in a row so I made a few modifications. I ended up calling this one Gas Blaster. Why? Because I used three cans of beans in it (dark kidney, light kidney, and pinto beans). I also added in two cups of the Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth, seasoned it up with a good amount of turmeric seasoning, and used some Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste to thicken it up.

This 3-bean & tri-color bell pepper chili turned out amazeballs and dare I say the best chili that I have ever whipped up!

Farty Party Chili w/ added Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth

I do not normally use a beef broth in my chili because I like my chili thick. I used this Beef Bone Broth this time around and thickened it with tomato paste and it was absolute perfection as far as flavor and consistency goes. The bone broth gave this batch of chili some exceptional flavor that blew my mind.

Ever have one of those meals where you are eating it and can’t shut up about how good it is? That is what happened with this chili I created with the Beef Bone Broth from Kettle & Fire!

3 Bean & 3 Pepper Chili with Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth

To learn more about this chili that I created click the link below and just add bone broth to it and tomato paste to thicken it up.

FARTY PARTY 3- BEAN CHILI

Nice warm bowl of grass-fed beef chili made with Kettle & Fire Bone Broth — A nice warm bowl of grass-fed beef chili made with Kettle & Fire Bone Broth

Final Thoughts

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth is a product that I will be keeping my pantry stocked with. I was very impressed with the taste and the quality of these products and I can see myself getting creative with them in the kitchen. Not only are these great for sipping but they can be incorporated into any recipe that calls for broth. This bone broth will give your dish a much-needed boost in nutrients and it will lend some extraordinary flavor to your meal.

Pro tip!

Also, if you are looking for a great way to season your chili, look no further than to Paleo Powder! I used Paleo Powder Pink seasoning in my chili and this gives your meal an incredible flavor with only all-natural, wholesome ingredients.

Are you ready to shop?

If you are ready to stock up on Kettle & Fire Bone Broth simply click the banner below to get started.

Current offers and deals at Kettle & Fire

Kettle & Fire is currently offering free shipping with any order of 6+ cartons of their fabulous bone broth. Click the bold link below to shop and save and apply the Kettle & Fire coupon to save.

Kettle & Fire Coupon WHIRLGIRL!

You can also save yourself a good amount of money by signing up for a subscription of bone broth. They offer discounted rates on a subscription order and you can cancel at any time.

Question Time!

How do you think Kettle & Fire Bone Broth will fit into your diet and lifestyle? What is the first dish you will create with it?

Want to learn more about Kettle & Fire?

PALEO POWDER coupon GIVEITAWHIRL

SHOP PRIMAL KITCHEN COUPON CODE GIVEITAWHIRL10

SIGN UP FOR PALEO BY MAILEO

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

Enter the giveaway in using the entry form below.

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Shop Kettle & Fire Bone Broth on Amazon

December 12, 2018 64

GIVEAWAY – CHOCOLATE – Happy Holidays and Thank You

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CONCLUDED. Thank you all for your participation. More giveaways soon!

I would love to wish all of my readers happy holidays and a huge thank you to all who take a moment out of their day to read my blog. I just recently hit the 6-month mark of blogging so YIPPEE and HOORAY! As a thank you I would love to gift one person ten pieces of gluten-free, organic chocolate from a wide variety of different brands. I am hosting this chocolate giveaway as a thank you to my loyal readers that have followed along on my blogging journey.

One lucky reader will receive ten scrumptious chocolate candies

I gotta say that so far the 6 months have been quite the journey. Blogging is always an uphill battle to get better and better at it. There is always something new to learn and this information helps me improve upon myself. I learn something new about blogging every single day and I am constantly feeding my brain these tips and tricks. I have a voice when I create a post and I wish and hope for that voice to be heard. That is why I am so thankful for those who read, comment and share my blog posts.

I am very very very thankful for each and everyone of you!

I am so excited to share this special giveaway with my audience. I hope that this chocolate brightens up the winner’s day. I know I would be flipping thrilled to win a prize pack like this.

CHOCOLATE GIVES ME LIFE.

I have carefully selected these brands of chocolate confections because I hold their products near and dear to my heart. I’m not the type of person to pick up a Hershey Bar. I always long for something better. The ten brands of chocolate products represented here all strive for quality and they use wholesome ingredients to produce their products.

Winner will receive one product (one piece) from each of the following brands:

Alternative Baking Company – Colossal Chocolate Chip Cookie
Lily’s 40% Chocolate, Salted Almond & Milk
Justin’s Organic Peanut Butter Cups, Dark Chocolate
Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom Dark Chocolate
Theo Cranberry Orange Dark Chocolate
Eating Evolved Classic Coconut Butter Cups, Dark Chocolate
Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Cranberries & Orange & Cinnamon
Alter Eco Chocolate Bar Dark Super Blackout Organic
Newman’s Own Organics 70% Cocoa Chocolate, Super Dark
Heavenly Organics Honey Patties, Chocolate Mint

These ten brands can all be found on Amazon and many ship with Amazon Prime. If you are not yet a Prime member you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

The chocolate giveaway

Alternative Baking Company

I am giving away one chocolate chip cookie from Alternative Baking Company. This cookie is gluten-free and vegan. They offer a wide variety of cookies to choose from and they come in 12 different flavors. You can find out more in their online store.

Lily’s Sweets

The winner of my giveaway will receive one Salted Almond & Milk chocolate bar from Lily’s Sweets. Lily’s chocolate bars are sweetened with Stevia and they do not contain any added sugars. The chocolate is also free of GMOs and is vegan-friendly. These bars are wonderful for those of us who are watching our sugar intake. If you are curious about these chocolate bars why not pick up a variety pack on Amazon with 6 fun flavors!

Lily' Sweets Salted Almond & Milk Chocolate Bar — **Lily’ Sweets Salted Almond & Milk Chocolate Bar**

Justin’s Organic

The winner of my chocolate giveaway will receive one package of dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Justin’s. If you love the combination of dark chocolate with peanut butter you will be swooning over these with your first bite. These taste 10x better than your average Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and they are only made with all-natural, organic ingredients. These peanut butter cups are also available in milk chocolate.

And I just discovered that these peanut butter candy cups are available in white chocolate as well. So something for everyone!

Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups — **Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups**

Enjoy Life Foods

Enjoy Life Foods is one of my favorite brands and I love their vegan and gluten-free chocolate with all of my heart. The winner of this giveaway will receive one Dark Chocolate Boom Choco Boom bar. This brand makes the most incredible chocolate chips and chocolate chip cookies.

Theo Chocolate

I love the gourmet flavor of a Theo Chocolate bar. The winner will receive one Cranberry Orange bar from Theo Chocolate. Here is a variety pack of holiday flavors available on Amazon. Make sure you check out their 12-bar variety pack also.

Eating Evolved

Eating Evolved makes primal and paleo products that are gluten-free and vegan. They only use all-natural ingredients to create their mouthwatering treats. I am giving away one Dark Chocolate Classic Coconut Butter Cup to one lucky reader of my blog. If you want to try three different flavors of these Eating Evolved Coconut Butter Cups there is a 12-count variety pack available on Amazon.

Endangered Species Chocolate

Amazon offers a variety pack of several different flavors of Endangered Species Chocolate. The winner of my giveaway will receive one bar from this brand and it will be Cranberry Orange flavor. What I love about this brand of chocolate is that they give back to the environment. Endangered Species Chocolate has donated $1.4 million towards conservation efforts of endangered animals.

Alter Eco

This Super Blackout Bar from Alter Eco is not for the faint of heart. This chocolate bar is for the real, true chocolate lover out there. This bar is super dark and one lucky reader of my blog will get to give this bar a whirl. I love this bar paired with a glass of port wine. Alter Eco also produces a variety of decadent chocolate truffles.

Newman’s Own Organics

This is another brand that gives back. Newman’s Own contributes 100% of their profits to charity organizations. You can read more about their mission statement on their website. The winner of my giveaway will receive one 70% chocolate bar from Newman’s Own. This bar is organic and made with wholesome ingredients and love.

Heavenly Organics

These Chocolate Mint Honey Patties from Heavenly Organics are gluten-free and made with only three natural ingredients: chocolate, raw white honey, and peppermint oil. The winner of my giveaway will win one package to try out.

Here are some of my blog highlights that feature chocolate I would love to share:

Paleo & Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake Recipe

Slice of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This recipe turned out quite fabulous and I am really proud of this one and had to share it here on my blog! I am a lover of pretty much anything this is cookie dough. This was a delectable treat that truly pleased my palate. This recipe is perfect for anyone that loves to indulge in chocolate.

Paleo & Vegan Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe

A nice slice of the Vegan Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ahhh yes… we have another cheesecake recipe that I would love to share with my readers. So yeah I am a big time cookie dough lover but you want to know what else I love? The combination of dark chocolate and raspberry. Pure bliss! This is another recipe for the chocolate lovers out there. I am quite obsessed with all of these paleo and vegan cheesecake recipes. It is nice to know and reassuring that those of us who need to opt for a gluten-free diet have a wide variety of things to choose from nowadays.

Paleo Chocolate & Matcha Cheesecake

One more cheesecake recipe. This recipe is paleo friendly. I could have made it vegan-friendly as well but silly me decided that sweetening this up with honey was a great idea. Great idea, yes, but not friendly for the vegan readers. This chocolate and matcha combination had a very unique flavor.

So tell me… what is the first product that you are going to give a whirl if you win my chocolate giveaway? Leave a comment below and make sure you enter the giveaway. Good luck to all!

Enter the chocolate giveaway through the entry form below.

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

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December 11, 2018 111

Meal Kit Subscription Boxes That You Need To Try – Current Deals

3 Meal Kit Subscription Boxes and Current Deals

What a time to be alive guys and gals! There are so many meal kit subscription boxes to choose from it makes my head spin. Today I am breaking down my top 3 of all of the kits I have tried and I will share with you the top steals and deals that are currently happening. As many of you may already know, cooking is something that I am truly and deeply passionate about. These meal kits are always a pleasure to prepare and we all join the Clean Plate Club every single time.

My top three favorites will be discussed in this post. Continue reading to find out more about Sun Basket, HelloFresh, and Marley Spoon.

These meal kit subscription boxes also make great gifts for your loved ones. The holidays are quickly approaching and when you give the gift of food it is always a memorable gift to receive.

Ingredients for the Marley Spoon Meal Kit (Steak & Oven Fries w/ Charred Tomato Salsa)

Cooking the veggies for my Sun Basket meal

The great thing about meal kit subscription boxes

There are a variety of benefits and perks to trying out these meal kit subscription boxes.

Convenience

First of all, these meal kits are super convenient! It doesn’t get any better than this folks… fresh food delivered straight to your door. You can skip the grocery store. You choose the day that you would like to receive your meal kit and it will show up at your doorstep!

Customizable

Secondly, these meal kit services are very customizable. They present to you a variety of different foods on the menu that you can select from. They also allow you to choose how many meals you want to receive for the week (usually 2-3 different meals), and they also allow you the opportunity to choose from a box for 2 people or for a family of 4 people

Try out new recipes

My favorite part about receiving these meal kits is that they inspire me to eat with an open mind. Many of the recipes that you can choose from are not only delicious but unique. They give you gourmet flavor in the convenience of your home and you get to be the chef! Your family will be amazed by the dinner that you whip up for them.

Simple to follow recipes

Here is another great thing about these food subscription boxes. I have tried many meal kits and found all of the recipes simple and easy to follow.

Sun Basket

I recently tried Sun Basket’s meal kit subscription box and I was very impressed with the recipes and the quality of the ingredients that were provided.

When I gave Sun Basket a whirl I went with the gluten-free paleo meal kit. Sun Basket is a subscription service that relies heavily on clean eating. They only send out high-quality organic ingredients for your meals. You can have a bit of peace-of-mind when you enjoy your Sun Basket meal because their ingredients are only sourced from the best. They will provide premium meat and seafood (antibiotic and hormone-free) and only the freshest organic produce.

They have a few different plans to choose from to suit your diet. Sun Basket has the following meal plans available: Mediterranean, paleo (gluten-free), and a vegetarian option.

Current deals on Sun Basket

Sun Basket currently has an offer where you can receive $80 off your first four orders. With this offer, you will receive $20 off your first four boxes of the Sun Basket meal kit subscription box.

$80 off your first 4 meal kits

If you want to try out Sun Basket for a 2 week trial period you can save $45 off your first two boxes of food. This is split into two tiers of savings. The first box is $35 off and the second meal kit will be $10 off.

$45 off your first 2 meal kits

Check out the photos below of the meals that I created with my Sun Basket meal kit subscription box.

Seared Steak with Brussels Sprouts and Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette (Sun Basket)

Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod from Sun Basket

Orange Chipotle Glazed Pork w/ Apple Slaw and Roasted Sweet Potato (Sun Basket)

HelloFresh

HelloFresh was actually the first meal kit subscription box that I have ever tried. They are the brand that made me fall head over heels in love with meal kits. The meal kits from HelloFresh are always a joy to cook and they are a sure people pleaser at the dinner table. HelloFresh ships out only the freshest and finest ingredients for your recipes. I have found that they are one of the easiest meal kits to prepare at home.

HelloFresh offers three plans: Classic, Family, and Veggie. You can view the menus on their website and customize your meal kit.

I have a fully detailed review of HelloFresh on my blog if you would like more details on this subscription service.

Current deal on Hello Fresh

HelloFresh has a fabulous deal taking place right now where you can receive a total of $60 off your first meal kits. With this deal you get a $20 discount on each of the three boxes.

$60 off your first three shipments of HelloFresh

HelloFresh Swedish Meatloaves w/ homemade garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and currant jam

Chicken Cheddar Fajitas w/ Lime Crema from HelloFresh

Pan-Seared Duck Breasts w/ Duck Fried Potatoes from HelloFresh

Marley Spoon

Marley Spoon is meal kit subscription box brought to you by Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart?!?! Ok then you know this is going to blow your mind. When I think Martha Stewart the first thing that comes to mind is perfection followed by gourmet food.

There are ten different options to choose from on the weekly menu with Marley Spoon. If you are following a vegetarian diet, you are in luck because there are vegetarian options available.

Current deal at Marley Spoon

$30 off your first shipment of Marley Spoon

You can read my full review of Marley Spoon on my blog.

Check out the images below to see a couple of different dinners that I prepared with the Marley Spoon subscription box.

Marley Spoon - Steak & Oven Fries w/ Charred Tomato Salsa — Marley Spoon – Steak & Oven Fries w/ Charred Tomato Salsa

Marley Spoon - Japanese Chicken w/ Bok Choy & Fried Rice — Marley Spoon – Japanese Chicken w/ Bok Choy & Fried Rice

Final thoughts

I really truly do love these meal kit subscription boxes and I think I’m ready to give another one a whirl very soon. There are so many different ones out there to choose from nowadays.

My favorite thing about them is the simple and easy to follow recipes that result in a meal that is bursting with gourmet flavor. Many of these meals, to me, are restaurant quality meals.

So what are you waiting for? Get cooking with one of these meal kits and bring the taste of gourmet to your dinner table. Your family will be amazed by the meals that you serve during the week. These deals that are currently happening are too great to pass up. These deals give you a fantastic opportunity to give these boxes a whirl.

Question Time!

Have you ever tried a meal kit subscription box? Tell me about your favorite in the comments below.

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

December 2, 2018 8

Hosting Thanksgiving At My Home – My First Time Wrap-Up!

Hosting My First Thanksgiving by Give It A Whirl Girl

Thanksgiving has came and went. Whew! This was my first year hosting the Thanksgiving Day holiday at my home. I gotta say that I was probably nervous about the whole situation for the month leading up to it. I know that a lot of work and prep goes into pulling off this festive day. Our feast that we had here was perfect and excellent from start to finish. I was satisfied with how every single element of it came out. No complaints whatsoever here! I hope all of my readers also had a great holiday and enjoyed their big plate of food!

Here is a look at my dinner plate from Thanksgiving! I have a little bit of everything on my plate: roasted turkey, redskin mashed potatoes with French butter, Brussels sprouts, wild rice stuffing with mushrooms and cranberries, White Castle stuffing, Clean Bean (green bean) Casserole, ambrosia, sweet potato casserole, and my favorite~ Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cranberry Sauce! I am hoping to do a recipe post soon for my famous cranberry sauce. I can turn any cranberry-sauce-hater into a lover! So far it has worked with two haters in my family.

Today I will be discussing Thanksgiving and how we pulled it off. I could not have possibly made this day possible without the help and support of my family. My mom, Kathie, was a huge help. She purchased the turkey and a great majority of the food that was served. Money is super tight right now with my family so I was very grateful that she pitched in (big time) to help me create this feast.

My mom bought the 19-pound turkey and an electric roaster to cook the turkey in. I spotted the roaster when we took a trip over the Costco and I thought it would be a great idea to cook the turkey in there so we could free up the oven space for the side dishes that needed to be warmed up. Turned out to be the best idea ever!

My stepmom, Evelyn, was also a huge help. She came over early on Thanksgiving to help my mom and I prep. Evelyn brought over an appetizer and a side dish to pass as well. The appetizer that she brought was unique. They were bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Well, they were delicious. These got gobbled up pretty quick. For a side dish, she brought her famous sweet potato casserole. My stepmom was incredibly helpful with the kitchen clean up as well. That helped me tremendously.

Prepping for the Thanksgiving holiday

Paleo & Vegan (Gluten-Free) Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

The day before Thanksgiving, I did what I could to prep for the big day. The first thing that I did was I created my Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake. This is my favorite fall dessert at the moment. I wanted to get that done early because the cheesecake needs to set for at least six hours. I gave it plenty of time to set by creating it the morning before the holiday. I have a recipe for this paleo/vegan cheesecake on my blog. I did modify the recipe just a tad bit. Obviously, I did something different for the topping. Instead of creating a whipped cream with coconut cream I topped this cheesecake with a ton of walnuts and pecans. I wanted to make it extra nutty. I purchased a can of non-dairy, almond milk whipped cream to top it with. Instead of using the spices individually I used a jar of pumpkin pie spice.

Paleo & Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake topped with walnuts and pecans

Paleo cranberry sauce

I also busted out my slow-cooker the day before Thanksgiving to make my paleo cranberry sauce in advance. This is one of those set-it-and-forget-it recipes. I love cranberry sauce and my cranberries have the power to turn cranberry sauce haters into lovers! My husband never eats cranberry sauce. Guess what? This year he did! And I know that he enjoyed it because he helped himself to some for his leftover plate. This cranberry sauce is simple to make. I call it my Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cranberry Sauce! There are many ingredients that go into it but it is very easy to create. There are no refined sugars in this cranberry sauce. I use an entire bottle of pure maple syrup to sweeten it. I also use fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, two ambrosia apples, walnuts, and pecans to create the sauce. The apples are a nice, welcome addition and the nuts give it a great texture. The sauce is heavily seasoned with pumpkin pie spice. I picked up a bottle of the Spice Hunter’s Pumpkin Pie Spice at Nino Salvaggio’s in St Clair Shores. This pumpkin pie spice seemed like a wonderful blend of spices. It worked out well in my Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake too, so the funds I spent on it was a great investment.

Ingredients Cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, star anise, fennel, black pepper

You can pick up a bottle of this awesome pumpkin spice seasoning on Amazon. I highly recommend using this Spice Hunter blend for all of your fall flavored foods.

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Cranberry Sauce

Continue reading “Hosting Thanksgiving At My Home – My First Time Wrap-Up!” →

November 24, 2018 3

Sun Basket REVIEW & COUPON – Clean-Eating Subscription Box Meal Kit – Special Offer Inside

Clean Eating With The Sun Basket Meal Kit REVIEW by Give It A Whirl Girl

I recently had the pleasure of trying out one meal kit subscription box from Sun Basket. If you are not familiar with Sun Basket, their meal kits are all about clean-eating and healthy, organic ingredients. They offer vegetarian subscription boxes for those eating a plant-based diet, and there is a paleo option for those who follow a gluten-free diet. My family tried Sun Basket for one week and we had 3 meal kits delivered. Today I will be sharing my Sun Basket review with you and a special Sun Basket coupon/discount. We were highly satisfied with all three meals and I plan on ordering more subscription boxes in the future. I went with the paleo box and it was love at first bite!

Simply click the link below to get started with Sun Basket and activate my special Sun Basket coupon.
$80 Off – $35 & $25 Off the First, Second & $20 Off your Third Orders with this Sun Basket coupon

Sun Basket Review

Sun Basket has clean-eating meal kits for everyone’s diet

Sun Basket makes it easy to order meal kits based on your diet. I ordered the paleo box and all of my meals were gluten and grain-free.

Mediterranean
Plant Lovers (vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian)
Paleo (gluten-free)
Diabetes-friendly

There are 18 options available on the menu at Sun Basket. Many meal kits only offer a fraction of that to choose from. I love that Sun Basket has so many menu items to choose from!

Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod from Sun Basket - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod from Sun Basket

Only the best ingredients go into your Sun Basket

All of Sun Basket’s ingredients are sourced from organic produce and premium meats that are antibiotic and hormone free. The seafood is all wild-caught. The eggs are all pasture-raised organic eggs.

Recipes are also free from:
Added sugars, processed ingredients, and preservatives

Organic ingredients!

Expect nothing but the best from Sun Basket! Here is their statement about the organic ingredients that they provide:

Sun Basket strives to source organic produce 100% of the time. Currently over 99% of our produce is organic
We develop our recipes to use the best the season has to offer, so some ingredients may be different than depicted
Mother Nature can be fickle. On the rare occasion that we are unable to meet our organic promise, we’ll let you know with a note in your basket
All our tofu is made from organic, non-GMO soybeans
We are a USDA-certified organic handler, and all organic ingredients are clearly labeled on delivery (source)

First impression of Sun Basket

My first Sun Basket subscription box arrived on-time on a Tuesday morning. This was perfect for me because I was hoping to receive my dinner kit before dinner time on Tuesday. I have ordered other meal kits previously in the past and they came much too late in the day to prepare them that day for our meal and I had to wait until the next day to prep and prepare my dinner.

My Sun Basket box was quite heavy from the ice-pack that was packed inside. The box was insulated well throughout and all of my ingredients were kept cold. When I opened up my first box everything was inside individual meal kit bags and labeled. The meats were kept separate from the fresh produce ingredients, which was great. There were no loose items and everything was super fresh and all of my ingredients looked beautiful. You can tell that Sun Basket takes great pride in the meal kits that they ship out just by looking at the quality of the ingredients.

Sun Basket Meal Kit Subscription Box - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Sun Basket Meal Kit Subscription Box

Sun Basket subscription box individually wrapped dinner kits - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Sun Basket subscription box individually wrapped dinner kits

Here are some close-up images of the three different types of meat that were included.

Steak from Sun Basket - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Steak from Sun Basket

Pork from Sun Basket - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Pork from Sun Basket

Cod from Sun Basket - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Cod from Sun Basket

Giving those meal kits a whirl!

Now I will be discussing each of the three meals and my experience preparing them and devouring them!

Seared Steak w/ Brussels Sprouts & Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette

This recipe for the seared steak was so easy-peasy! A recipe booklet is provided with your order and I followed all of the directions in the recipe exactly how it was written. The first step was to sear the steak and I did this with my cast iron pan. I love my steak medium-rare so I cooked it only for a few moments on each side and gave it a nice sear.

After the steak was cooked to my liking, I cooked the fresh vegetables that the kit came with. This particular kit came with Brussels sprouts, radishes, shredded cabbage, green onions, and garlic. I used the same cast iron pan that I cooked my steak in to cook the veggies. You do have to provide your own olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients for Seared Steak w/ Brussels Sprouts & Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Ingredients for Seared Steak w/ Brussels Sprouts & Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette

Searing the steak for my Sun Basket meal - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Searing the steak for my Sun Basket meal

Cooking the veggies for my Sun Basket meal - Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Cooking the veggies for my Sun Basket meal

And here are a couple images of the final product! I may have cooked my steak rarer than medium-rare but that was fine with me. I love my steaks to be reddish and pink throughout. You will never see me eating a well-done steak that tastes like shoe leather! This meal was fantastic and the Chipotle Mustard Vinaigrette was a very welcomed and nice touch. I never had a sauce like that EVER on my steak. It was a tad bit on the spicy side but not too spicy. I also really enjoyed the warm radishes in this Sun Basket meal. It has never occurred to me to try radishes warm because I always just thought of them as a cold ingredient in a salad. Thanks to Sun Basket I am now inspired to try out warm radishes in other meals that I cook up!

$35 off your first Sun Basket order with this Sun Basket coupon code

Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod with Broccoli and Preserved Lemon

This fish dish was so simple to create in the comfort of my own home and this one really packed a punch of gourmet flavor! This Sun Basket meal was exquisite and it tasted like something that a chef would have prepared for me at a fancy restaurant… true story! My family does not eat seafood so I got to hog up this meal all for myself. I did not eat the entire two helpings on my own but I almost did!

Never have I worked with preserved lemon but I know that it is an ingredient often used in Mediterranean cooking. I’m all about trying new things so I was excited and thrilled to give it a whirl. It really brightened up this dish! It gave it some acidity and gave the cod fish that lemony flavor that I adore with my cod.

This meal didn’t take too long to prepare and there was not much prep involved either. I started out with chopping the broccoli into smaller pieces and sauteed it with some olive oil. I did alter this recipe just a bit. Then I added some shallots and minced garlic to complement the broccoli and that proved to be an excellent idea. The most difficult part of the preparation of this Sun Basket meal, for me, was chopping the cod up into smaller pieces. I could really use some nice new professional chef knives. If you have a great set then this part will be simple but my dinky knives had a hard time getting a nice clean slice on the fish so my fish got mangled up just a bit.

Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod with Broccoli and Preserved Lemon - Sun Basket Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Mediterranean Tomato Braised Cod with Broccoli and Preserved Lemon

Orange Chipotle Glazed Pork W/ Coleslaw & Roasted Sweet Potato

Orange Chipotle Glazed Pork w/ Apple Slaw and Roasted Sweet Potato (Sun Basket) Review - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Orange Chipotle Glazed Pork w/ Apple Slaw and Roasted Sweet Potato (Sun Basket)

This was the third Sun Basket meal that I tried and this was another clear winner in my eyes. This recipe was simple to prepare and cook. The ingredients were all organic and clean and everything added up to a delicious, nutritious meal. I used my cast iron pan to cook the pork and I got a nice orange glaze on it. My daughter loved the pork so much she was asking for seconds.

The apple slaw was an interesting side-dish. I have never had a coleslaw like that before. The slaw dressing was two simple ingredients: apple cider vinegar and honey, and it was already prepared and ready to use so I did not have to do any mixing.

If I had one small complaint about this meal it would have only been the size of the sweet potato provided. My sweet potato was on the small side and the roasted sweet potato with smoked paprika was so delicious we were all wishing for more.

Final thoughts

I was thoroughly impressed with Sun Basket and this is most definitely is a subscription box that I will be subscribing to again in the future. I have tried other meal kits previously and this one really stood out to me with the quality of their recipes. These meals were so simple to create and they were really coming through as having gourmet flavor! What’s better than having a gourmet flavor at home and knowing that you were the one that prepared and created that dish? These meal kits brought out the inner-chef in me.

I love that they have a huge menu to choose from each week with 18 choices. Everything on the menu sounds so wonderful and it is hard to narrow it down because I just wanted to try it all! I also appreciate the fact that Sun Basket has plenty of paleo and gluten-free options.

I hope that you all enjoyed this Sun Basket review and it inspires you to sign up with the discount and give it a whirl today.

Have you ever tried a meal kit subscription box? What did you love about it and which one(s) have you tried?

Curious about Sun Basket after reading my Sun Basket review?

You can click the banner below and claim the Sun Basket coupon for $35 off your first order.

Sun Basket coupon for $35 off your order — Sun Basket coupon for $35 off

Learn more about Sun Basket online:

November 2, 2018 7

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake RECIPE (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake RECIPE (gluten-free, vegan)

Saturdays are my favorite days of the week to get in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen and whip up a tasty treat for my family to enjoy. This weekend I created a vegan and gluten-free, no-bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake. Is there anything in this world better than edible chocolate chip cookie dough? Hell no! This Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake is completely safe to indulge in and does not contain any eggs which are typically found in cookies. The filling is of this cheesecake mimics the real deal quite well and my little family of 3 absolutely loved this faux cheesecake recipe.

I think that it is a universal idea that raw cookie dough is the bomb! When I was a little girl and my mom whipped up a batch of cookies I always had to have a taste of the cookie dough on the spatula. I would give it a good lick and the taste of raw cookie dough is pure, straight up comfort food! Am I right?

Raw cookie dough almost always has eggs in it, and let’s face it… raw eggs can get you sick with salmonella nowadays and that is the last thing in the world that anyone needs. This recipe is perfect for those that admire that taste of raw cookie dough. If you don’t feel like creating an entire cheesecake with this recipe, go ahead and just create the filling and indulge in that with a spoon or use something to dip in it. The filling on its own makes a great dip!

Vegan-friendly and gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Creating the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

This cheesecake has a very rich taste thanks to the 4th & Heart ghee that I used. If you are able to get hour hands on the 4th & Heart vanilla ghee I am sure that would be fantastic in this recipe as well. In my cheesecakes, I always go with coconut oil but for this one, I swapped that out for ghee since chocolate chip cookies are full of butter. The ghee turned out the be a wise choice. When I took that first bite of this cheesecake I knew that using ghee in this recipe was a smart decision. I used coconut oil a couple months ago to make a cookie dough cheesecake, and while it was delicious this recipe with the ghee knocked it out of the park!

It may seem as though this recipe has a lot of ingredients. If you have a well-stocked pantry, chances are you already have most of the items on the ingredient list. There are also some kitchen items, such as a good-sized food processor, that you will need. A springform pan is essential as well in order to create a cheesecake. A standard 8-inch size will do. If you use anything larger you will have to increase the amount of the ingredients in the chocolate ganache topping.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake crust

The first step of this recipe is to create the crust of the cheesecake. For the crust of this cookie dough cheesecake, I used a mix of Medjool dates, raw almonds, almond flour, finely shredded coconut, maple syrup, cacao powder, ghee, and some pure vanilla extract. This results in a chocolatey crust due to the added cacao powder. If you do not want a chocolate crust, simply just omit the cacao powder. The crust is gluten and grain-free. The crust has a nutty texture (from the almonds) and the perfect amount of chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough chocolate crust pressed into a springform pan

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake filling

The filling is composed of raw cashews, almond flour, coconut flour, ghee, maple syrup, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and vegan dark chocolate chips. This is the part of cheesecake that is all about that edible cookie dough flavor. The soaked cashews mixed with that little bit of lemon juice, believe it or not, are going to imitate a cheesecake. This type of formula with the cashews and lemon juice is very versatile and you can totally get creative here with your non-dairy, vegan cheesecake. I posted some other recipes for cheesecakes at the bottom of this post.

Filling made... just need to stir in some chocolate chips — Filling made… just need to stir in some chocolate chips

Filling smoothed out over the crust. Just needs a chocolate ganche topping.

Close up of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake topping

For this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, we are going to top it off with a simple chocolate ganache that is only 2 ingredients: vegan dark chocolate chips (from Enjoy Life Foods) and just a dab of coconut oil to smooth it all out. This is my daughter’s favorite part of any cheesecake that I create. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be because she is a chocolate lover like myself? This is the first part that she always goes for when I cut her a slice.

Melting down some dark chocolate chips for the topping

Continue reading “Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake RECIPE (Vegan, Gluten-Free)” →

October 28, 2018 1

Cheeseburger Casserole From SkinnyTaste – Tried It Out Tuesday

I recently came across a Cheeseburger Casserole recipe from SkinnyTaste and I was intrigued so by it, I just had to give it a whirl! I would have never even thought of enjoying a cheeseburger in casserole form until I saw this brilliant recipe of hers. My family really enjoys their cheeseburgers and we love our pasta too so this seemed like a winner winner cheeseburger dinner!

If you are not familiar with SkinnyTaste be sure to check out her website for some brilliant recipes that will help keep you on track with a healthy lifestyle. I made a gluten-free version of her Cheeseburger Casserole and my family enjoyed this recipe. I will be whipping up this dish again in the near future. Keep reading to hear more about this unique casserole dish.

Cheeseburger Casserole is a simple & easy recipe

What I really loved about this recipe from SkinnyTaste was the simplicity of creating it. The recipe was easy to follow and the ingredients were very simple to prepare. I started out by boiling the pasta and browning the beef. There was very little prep involved. I used two shallots in this recipe and had to slice those, easy peasy! The recipe calls for garlic as well and I just use my trusty Spice World squeeze bottle. I love simple recipes… who doesn’t?? They are wonderful on busy weeknights or when you are feeling too lazy to cook.

**Ingredients I used for the SkinnyTaste Cheeseburger Casserole**

Gotta have my grass-fed beef in my Cheeseburer Casserole!

I recently made the switch to grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef is not only more beneficial to your health but I believe it tastes better than regular beef. The grass-fed beef that I purchase at Kroger is also organic. That means that the cows graze on pesticide-free grass. Grass-fed cows also mean that the meat is free from added hormones that are typically given to cows. Sometimes I think of my body as an automobile. Your body needs good to fuel to run. You don’t want to put crappy fuel into your car so why would you want to put bad fuel into your body? Grass-fed beef costs a bit more than regular beef but I believe that the added benefits are worth the extra cost.

A few modifications to the Cheeseburger Casserole recipe

I made a few modifications to her recipe for my family. Instead of using an onion I used two sliced shallots. I discovered shallots earlier this year and prefer their taste and often swap onions for shallots now. I also incorporated some onion powder to the meat while browning it. I love the added flavor that onion powder lends to ground beef. Also, instead of using Dijon mustard I went with my favorite mustard by Boar’s Head. The mustard is a Delicatessen style and it gave the dish a wonderful flavor.

**Grass-fed beef, tomatoes, shallots, and minced garlic**

Gluten-free eating

Another swap that I did with this dish was that I used gluten-free noodles. I use Kroger’s ClickList and wanted some rotini pasta but they were out of stock and they gave me penne pasta instead. That was fine with me but I do think that rotini would have been best. I used Ronzoni brand and I believe that they do make a very tasty gluten-free noodle. I don’t think they taste much different than regular pasta. This dish would have been great with Banza’s chickpea pasta as well. They are another one of my go-to brands for gluten-free pasta.

Getting cheesy

A great cheeseburger has to have great cheese. I love Tillamook’s shredded cheese and I ended up pouring the entire bag of cheese all over this Cheeseburger Casserole. The recipe calls for 2 cups of cheddar and the one bag of cheese was equivalent to two cups. I used a sharp cheddar and this was a great choice for the casserole. Tillamook creates some damn good cheese. It is my go-to brand for shredded cheese. I also use their mozzarella on my homemade pizzas. They take great pride in creating their cheese and I can always rely on Tillamook to deliver a quality product.

SkinnyTaste Cheeseburger Casserole before going in the oven

Pickles on a casserole?

Who would have thought that pickles would be an acceptable topping on a casserole dish? I’m telling you guys, this works and the pickles actually turned out to be my favorite part! Any type of pickles will work well with this casserole. I ended up going with bread and butter pickles. Dill pickles would we splendid on this as well!

Giving it a whirl

I was so excited when my oven beeped and my casserole was ready to dig into. Check out that ooey, gooey melted cheddar, OMG! I love anything with melted cheese on it and this recipe did not disappoint. When the casserole came out of the oven I topped it with some bread and butter pickles. This dish was love at first bite. The cheeseburger really translated well into a casserole dish. I was amazed! This is a dish that I would gladly make for my family again since we all enjoyed it.

Kid-friendly meal

My daughter, Chloe, really enjoyed this recipe and she really got a kick out of those pickles that we topped the casserole with. Pickles are an ingredient that you wouldn’t normally use in a typical casserole. For us, the pickles were actually our favorite part of this dish! The more the merrier! The next time I whip up this recipe I will definitely be adding an abundance of pickles on top!

Who is SkinnyTaste?

SkinnyTaste was created by Gina Homolka. She is an author, recipe creator, and a photographer. She is a pro when it comes to the recipe world. SkinnyTaste began in 2008 and now has 3 million monthly viewers on her website… can you say goals?? I would love to someday achieve greatness like her. Her philosophy of eating is to eat seasonal, whole foods and to maintain portion control while eating. Her website has a wide variety of recipes for several different diets. I am sharing this with you today because her recipes are top-notch. Yes, I am a food blogger and yes she is a food blogger. I don’t see her as competition. When I fall in love with something I feel the need to share it with the world. I am sharing her recipe website because I believe in her philosophy and I like to encourage people to eat the right way.

Does this look like a recipe that your family would enjoy? What other SkinnyTaste meals sound great to you? Leave me a comment and fill me in!

You can see all of the recipes at SkinnyTaste on her website. The Cheeseburger Casserole recipe can be found HERE.

October 23, 2018 0

Cast Iron Cooking Essentials For The Home Chef – Gift Guide

Cast Iron Cooking Essentials Gift Guide by Give It A Whirl Girl

Today I will be talking about some cast iron cooking essentials for the home chef. Here is a little story for you as well. A couple years ago I received some cast iron pans and accessories for my birthday. I will be honest and say I was not very thrilled at the moment to receive them and I would have rather received something else. I had no idea what I was going to use them for. Back then I was just getting my feet wet with cooking and I was not as passionate about it as I am today.

When I look back on the day when I received them, I laugh a little now. I am totally in love and infatuated with cast iron cooking. I use my pans frequently now and I also would like to build up my arsenal of them. And if you care for these items properly they can last you a lifetime! These are some heavy duty items and with a bit of TLC they will not let you down.

I really enjoy busting out my cast iron and cooking my meals with it. In fact, my current favorite way to prepare my steak is with my cast iron. I promise you that you will get the most tender and juicy steak when you use a cast iron pan. I will not even throw my steak on the grill anymore. Cast iron is the way to go! See the photos below for a couple of juicy steaks I recently created with my cast iron pans.

Food creations made from cast iron cooking essentials

Cast Iron Medium Rare Ribeye Steak with Chimichurri

Cast iron is great for savory meals but it also great for sweets. Have you ever had a warm, giant cast iron chocolate chip cookie? No? Then what are you waiting for? Check out these two cast iron cookies I recently created. Nom nom nom!

Cast Iron Snickedoodle Cookie with gelato — Cast Iron Snickerdoodle Cookie with gelato

Cast Iron Chocolate Chip Cookie with ice-cream

I broke down my cast iron favorites in this list today. Some of these tools I already own and the others are currently on my wishlist. These items were all found while browsing Amazon and if you have Amazon Prime you will receive free shipping and receive them in a couple of days so you can quickly get started. I

If you are not yet an Amazon Prime member, no worries! Right now you can sign up for a 30-day free trial

And here we go with another one of my top 10 lists that I really enjoy creating and sharing with you.

Cast Iron Cooking Essentials

Lodge Essential Cast Iron Pan Set

This is a wonderful cast iron starter set from Lodge. This is the most trusted brand when it comes to cast iron cooking. This cooking set includes:

grill pan
a skillet
a griddle
pot holders
handle holders
and a scraper

Staub Cast Iron 5.75-qt Coq au Vin Cocotte – Turquoise

Staub is another great brand that comes to mind when I think of cast iron cooking. If you are looking for a great pot to cook your next chicken in, this 5.75-qt Coq au Vin will hold a whole chicken that is up to 5 pounds in weight. It comes in several different color options and it is also dishwasher safe. This Coq au Vin isa designed to help your meal retain moisture and not dry out.

Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5-1/2-Quart Round French (Dutch) Oven, Palm

Le Creuset is an innovator in the cast iron cooking world. I absolutely love the green color on this dutch oven. If you are not digging the color there are 12 different color options. I believe every kitchen needs to have a dutch oven on hand and Le Creuset is a brand that is designed to last a lifetime. This dutch oven can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees.

Lodge Pro-Grid Cast Iron Grill and Griddle Combo. Reversible 20″ x 10.44″ Grill/Griddle Pan with Easy-Grip Handles

This is a grill and griddle duo from Lodge. This fits conveniently over two stove burners. This grill and griddle duo would be super to have for your next big Sunday breakfast. You can use the griddle for pancakes and the grill for some breakfast sausage and big fat strips of bacon. Did I hear a tummy growl?

Lodge Cast Iron Mini Cake Pan. Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Cake Pan for Baking Biscuits, Desserts, and Cupcakes

This here is a versatile cooking essential for baking up your next batch of biscuits, cupcakes, and other desserts. Each cavity is 3 1/4″. The surface of this is non-stick and this comes preseasoned and ready to cook with.

Sotya Cast Iron Teapot Japanese Tetsubin Tea Kettle Durable Cast Iron with a Fully Enameled Interior

This is a gorgeous cast iron kettle for your next tea party. This is a beautifully crafted kettle and contains an internal tea infuser. I am thinking this would be perfect for my next cup of matcha tea.

Lodge 14 Inch Cast Iron Wok. Pre-Seasoned Wok

Whip up your next Asian stir-fry with this 14-inch seasoned wok by Lodge. This wok is designed to retain heat and evenly distribute it. Great for the oven, grill, or campfire.

Lodge 14 Inch Cast Iron Wok. Pre-Seasoned Wok

Lodge Manufacturing Company Cast Iron Care Kit

If you are going to dive into the world of cast iron cooking you will need to be equipped with the proper tools to take great care of your new pans. This kit includes:

Seasoning Spray
Pan and Grill Scraper
and Scrub Brush

I highly recommend getting a can of the seasoning spray so you can keep your pans in tip-top shape. After cleaning your pan it is advisable to oil it up and this spray is perfect for keeping the pan well-coated.

Lodge Manufacturing Company Cast Iron Care Kit

Caron Doucet – Cast Iron Care Bundle – Oil & Soap – 100% Plant-Based Formulation – Helps Maintain Seasoning

This is another great cast iron cooking maintenance bundle that will help promote the life and longevity of your pans. This bundle includes soap and oil that will improve the seasoning of your pans. The oil is made up of highly refined coconut oil and enhanced with food grade essential oils. These products will reduce rusting of your pans.

Cook It in Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All (Cook’s Country)

Here is a versatile cookbook that will teach you everything that you need to know about cast iron cooking. This cookbook is chock full of recipes for breakfast, lunch, appetizers, dinner, and my favorite part~ dessert!

Want to see how easy it is to cook a steak in a cast iron skillet? Watch the video below:

The question of how to clean and care for cast iron often arises. Here is an informational video from Lodge that breaks it down:

Final thoughts on these cast iron cooking essentials

I hope you enjoyed this cast iron gift guide. These cast iron cooking essentials will have you on your way to creating delicious meals at home. Just make sure you take great care of these cast iron items. They do need some love and TLC. If you do that for them, these cast iron cooking essentials will last you a lifetime and they can be passed on to other generations.

Question Time! Have you ever tried cooking with cast iron? What is your favorite meal to cook with it? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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October 16, 2018 0

Warm Sunbutter & Raspberry Jelly Sandwich On Bob’s Red Mill Bread

Bob’s Red Mill Wonderful Gluten-Free bread mix once again over here in the Give It A Whirl Girl Kitchen. This time I was craving a peanut butter & jelly sandwich so I ventured into the kitchen to make my own loaf of bread. I also had some jars of Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Spread that I needed to try out and a jar of Herkner Farms Champagne Raspberry Preserves that I picked up at Devries & Company 1887. I had all of my ingredients and all I kept thinking about was how this would be the greatest wannabe peanut butter & jelly sandwich of all time. This was my first time giving Sunbutter a whirl and I was so excited to try it.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Wonderful Bread, with Sunbutter, and champagne raspberry jelly sandwich — Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Wonderful Bread, with Sunbutter, and champagne raspberry jelly sandwich

It all starts with Bob’s Red Mill

Oh boy… I am blogging about this Wonderful Bread Mix once again! Let me tell you this… this gluten-free mix truly is wonderful and that is why it is in the name of the product. I have a problem getting my gluten-free breads to fluff up when I use my own recipe and ingredients. Maybe it is just me but my gluten-free bread do not rise up much. Bob’s Red Mill does include a yeast packet with the mix and that is probably why this mix results in a soft and fluffy loaf with the perfect bread crust. I had a wonderful feeling that this fluffy bread would pair well with my Organic Sunbutter Spread.

Continue reading “Warm Sunbutter & Raspberry Jelly Sandwich On Bob’s Red Mill Bread” →

October 4, 2018 0

Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops With Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts and Fingerling Potatoes & Primal Kitchen Coupon

Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops With Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts and Fingerling Potatoes & A Primal Kitchen Coupon Inside - Give It A Whirl Gir

Here we go again with Primal Kitchen. I am surely obsessed with using these marinades for my meals. I used the Honey Mustard Vinaigrette once again last night but this time I marinated some pork chops. The Honey Mustard, to me, is one of the most versatile in the line of Primal Kitchen, alongside the Balsamic Vinaigrette. We also had some thick cut slices of honey bacon from Dearborn Brand to wrap our brussels sprouts up with. And as requested by my daughter, we had to have some more air-fryer red fingerling potatoes, which are her favorite side dish at the moment. You add up all of these ingredients and it results in one hell of a delicious paleo, Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chop dinner!

Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops With Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts and Red Fingerling Potatoes

How I created Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops with Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Marinade

This is where the fun all begins, with the Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Marinade & Vinaigrette. I had two decently sized center cut Simple Truth pork chops to work with. I grabbed myself a Pyrex casserole dish and marinating the pork chops from early morning to dinner time. That was plenty of time to infuse them with the sweet and tangy honey mustard flavor that we all know and love so much! I was so excited for these Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops and I could not wait until dinner time rolled around.

Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard & Simple Truth Center Cut Pork Chops

Just gotta have my cast iron!

The cast iron grill pan was used for these Honey Mustard Pork Chops, of course! How else would I cook up a hunk of meat? I rave so much about this grill pan, I know, but I really hope it inspires someone out there to give it a whirl. It is the best method for cooking several different types of meat. I think of it as a kitchen necessity!

Dearborn Honey Bacon – The Star Of The Show Last Night

I cashed in some coins that I had laying around and got some dough at a coin shop this past weekend, for real! I had some coins and figured I would be better off going on one of my fun foodie adventures at Nino Salvaggio’s. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to get the good eats, am I right? So we went to Nino’s and loaded our little cart some new-to-us foods. I spotted the Dearborn Brand Honey Bacon. I scoffed at the $6.99 price tag, but that bacon sure was looking and sounding good. I had to have it so in it went right into my cart. You mention bacon to my husband and my daughter and they are all ears! I got this particular honey bacon because I knew it would be the perfect bacon for my Honey Mustard Pork Chops side dish.

Dearborn Brand Honey Bacon wrapped around brussels sprouts

What I ended up doing was taking five strips of bacon and cut them in half. I looked for the big brussels sprouts and wrapped ten of those up in the Dearborn Brand Honey Bacon. I roasted them in the 400-degree oven for 30 minutes and flipped them halfway through roasting. The bacon had the right amount of crispness for us. We don’t like bacon underdone or overdone, it has to be in the middle… just perfect!

Dearborn Brand Honey Bacon wrapped around brussels sprouts

My Daughter’s Favorite Side Dish – Air-Fryer Fingerling Potatoes

Chloe, my daughter, always clamors for potatoes. It does not matter what kind of potato it is but she wants her potatoes at dinner time. Our favorite at the moment is fingerling potatoes. Chloe prefers when I slice them in half and then she eats them like fries and dunks them in ketchup. I don’t do that but my husband and she does.

With this batch of fingerling potatoes, I did slice them in half and instead of using olive oil on them, I used what was the leftover of my Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard. What a great idea that was. I have never had honey mustard potatoes but that marinade sure turned out to be an excellent choice for my Honey Mustard Pork Chops. These went in my air-fryer at 385-degrees for about 15 minutes. Every kitchen needs an air-fryer for cooking potatoes. It is my favorite method currently. The texture of the potato skins on these potatoes is spot-on and exactly how I want them to be.

Fingerling potatoes marinated in Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard – Ready for the air-fryer

A duo of plates! Primal Kitchen Honey Mustard Pork Chops With Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts and Fingerling Potatoes

Final thoughts

Mmmm did this post make you hungry? I am getting hungry over here just reminiscing about this meal! The Primal Kitchen honey mustard marinade made these Honey Mustard Pork Chops full of flavor with the right amount of sweetness from the honey and the perfect amount of tanginess from the mustard. Healthy meals like this are so simple to create at home. I love cooking with clean ingredients. Primal Kitchen will forever and always be a brand that I trust and enjoy cooking with.

Have you ever tried any Primal Kitchen products? Which one is your favorite?

Did you know that with my special coupon code GIVEITAWHIRL10 you can save $$ at Primal Kitchen? Why not give it a whirl today? I say go for it!

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Jordan’s Skinny Syrups Coupon & Review – Jordan’s Skinny Mixes

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October 3, 2018 7

Surround Yourself With Squash & Gourds- Tried It Out Tuesday (Dumpling & Buttercup Squash)

My Honest ButcherBox Review

How does ButcherBox work?

Choose your ButcherBox – Choose the Classic Box for small families and the Big Box for larger families.

Delivery to your doorstep – ButcherBox takes great care in their shipment.

Cook with confidence when you order from a trustworthy source!

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My first impressions of ButcherBox

What was inside my ButcherBox

Here is what I did with meat from my ButcherBox

ButcherBox Chuck Roast

ButcherBox Ribeye Steaks

Steak & eggs

Final thoughts on my first ButcherBox shipment

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Current offers at ButcherBox

Question Time! Which ButcherBox would you love to give a whirl first? Will you choose the all-beef box, beef & chicken, beef & pork, mixed box, or will you be going with a custom box? Leave me a comment and let me know how you like your steak cooked as well! Would love to hear your thoughts.

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Here is a recipe post at Give It A Whirl Girl that you might enjoy!

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Here is how I created these Super Duper Moist Cake Balls

The secret ingredient is…

Baking the cake

PRO TIP!

Frosting to hold them all together

Chill them balls!

Wilton Bright Candy Melts

Sprinkles galore!

Final thoughts

Question & Answer Time!

Tell me what ingredients you will use to make a batch of cake balls.

Shop for items to create these cake balls

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You can also learn more about me in my introductory post!

All About Give It A Whirl Girl – Get To Know Me

1) Favorite food:

Honorable mention:

2) Least favorite food:

3) Favorite fruit

4) Favorite meals that I have cooked:

Honorable mention:

5) Favorite desserts I have created

6) Favorite drink (non-alcoholic):

7) Favorite alcoholic drink:

8) Favorite candy

9) Favorite post on the blog

Make sure you are following my Facebook page because I will be sharing a Modern Cone gift card giveaway very soon!

Honorable mention:

Sweet beans in my ice cream~!

10) Favorite place to grab a sweet treat

Want to give Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt a whirl? Grab a Groupon and save on your visit!

Final thoughts

Question Time!

What is your favorite food? Least favorite food? Please share with me. I love to hear from my audience!

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, leave a question in the comment box and I will be happy to answer it.

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Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs RECIPE

The pasta!

The Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs homemade sauce

Gluten-Free Options

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs (With Gluten-Free Option)

Meatballs

Pasta Sauce

Meatballs

Pasta Sauce

Final preparations

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Final thoughts about the mozzarella stuffed meatballs recipe

Question Time! Do you have a family favorite recipe that you would like to share? I would love to hear all about your family favorite meal!

Other posts that you might enjoy at Give It A Whirl Girl

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