Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe is super easy and takes about 15 minutes total!  And it's really healthy too :)

Ingredients:

• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 a bag of Quinoa and Brown Rice mix
• Small amount of mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Core bell pepper, and cut in half.
3. Put Quinoa and Brown Rice mix into microwave as directed on package.

4. Layer small amount of mozzarella cheese in bottom of bell pepper halves.
5. Spoon quinoa and brown rice mixture into bell pepper halves.
6. Sprinkle one more layer of mozzarella cheese on top.

7. Bake for 10 minutes.

Super delicious, light dinner!

 Inspiration for this one was simply a picture - I didn't use the recipe provided at all.  However, in case you're curious, here is the picture link.  I want to try this one one day, she adds a lot more to her peppers than I did.  Once I'm no longer a broke college kid and can afford all of these ingredients I will improve this recipe haha.

http://citronlimette.com/recipe_archive/main_dishes/quinoa-and-black-bean-stuffed-peppers/

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen chicken breasts
• 1/8-1/4 cup hot sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1/4 packet of dry ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 tbs butter
• 2 tortillas (flour or corn, whichever you prefer)
• 1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped (appx)
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped (appx)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (appx)
• Guacamole and sour cream

Directions:

Place frozen chicken breasts, hot sauce, dry ranch dressing mix, and butter into slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Place tortilla on a baking pan.  Lay down a layer of cheese, layer of cooked chicken, layer of tomatoes and peppers, and final layer of cheese on top of the tortilla.  Top with the second tortilla and broil on high for 5-10 minutes, or until tortilla is slightly brown.  Flip and repeat on the other side.  Serve with guacamole and sour cream.

Personally, I feel like the buffalo chicken didn't really work with the Mexican food.  The chicken was delicious by itself, but the buffalo spices with the Mexican toppings and tortilla just didn't work for me.  I think I'd like to make this into a sandwich, and substituting the guacamole and sour cream with ranch.  Maybe also change vegetables to celery?  I'll experiment some more.  I highly recommend the chicken though!  And of course, taste is subjective, so just because I am not a fan of the quesadillas doesn't mean you won't be, I found a comparable recipe on Pinterest that reviewers loved!

Inspiration from: http://www.a-kitchen-addiction.com/buffalo-chicken-quesadillas/

Tomato and Artichoke Pasta

This recipe is one of my own creations.  It's really easy, a nice upscale to the typical college meal of pasta!  It's light enough to enjoy on summer evenings after spending a day outside in the heat, and leftovers also make a great lunch.  As an added bonus, it tastes great cold, so you can pack it for a school or work lunch and not worry about trying to find a microwave!  I usually make up two to three servings of this and keep each serving in its own tupperware in my fridge so that I can just grab them in the mornings on my way out the door.  Total cooking time is about fifteen minutes.

Ingredients:

(Yields 2 servings)

• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 small can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta
• Garlic, oregano, basil to taste
• Parmesan (optional)

As you can see from this photo, I buy artichoke hearts in bulk because I love them. So I estimated that the amount I used would be about 1 small can.  I go for an equal amount of tomato and artichoke, so that after chopped it looks like this:

Directions:

• Cook the noodles as instructed on the package.
• Chop up the artichoke hearts and tomato.
• Mix the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olive oil, and spices.
• Drain the pasta and mix with the mixture of tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and spices.
• Drizzle with more olive oil (if desired) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (if desired).

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

I currently have a bunch of bananas turning brown, and since I prefer to eat them when they're slightly green, I started looking for recipes to bake these bananas so that they don't go to waste.  This recipe makes 24 muffins, and they were absolutely delicious!  Perfect for a quick breakfast or a tasty treat after class :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oats (I used quick oats, but old-fashioned should work as well)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 bananas
• 6 tbsp peanut butter 
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
• In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir together until evenly mixed.  
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, bananas, peanut butter, and milk.  It is helpful to break up the banana into small pieces and use a hand mixer to get a smooth batter.  
• Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl, add the chocolate chips, and mix until fully blended.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  
• Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then set out on a cooling rack for 15 more minutes until cool enough to eat.

Inspiration from: http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/05/17/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-muffins/

DIY Tote Bag

This idea is really cute, and adaptable for many different people by simply filling the bag with their favorite things!  And it's really cheap - you can buy everything at Hobby Lobby for less than 10 dollars without coupons, and even cheaper with coupons!

Supplies:

• Tote bag
• Fabric paint
• Paintbrush
• Doily (any shape will work - I chose a heart, but I've seen circles as well.  See my inspiration link at the bottom for more ideas!)

First I laid out the tote bag, making sure there were no creases going down the middle.  Then I simply taped all around the edges of the doily and painted over the holes.  Let the paint dry for 24 hours.  During these 24 hours, I went online and looked for cursive letters and printed off one to use as a stencil.  I cut out the letter and, when the doily paint was completely dry, taped down the homemade letter stencil and painted the inside.  Once the paint is dry, you're done!  Fill it with goodies and you have a cheap, beautiful present personalized for each friend :)

Inspiration from: http://www.projectwedding.com/post/list/diy-bridesmaid-canvas-bags

DIY Ribbon Board

My first Pinterest project attempt!  I wanted to make something really cool for my Little for initiation, so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and found a DIY Ribbon Board.  I liked this idea because I could personalize it to her favorite colors, then slip little photos and messages into the ribbons to personalize it even more.  It's super easy to make - it only took me about 30 minutes.

Supplies you will need are:

• 1 cork board
• Fabric - enough to cover the board plus a few inches on all 4 sides to wrap around
• Quilt batting or polyester stuffing (I used stuffing)
• Stapler
• Hot glue gun
• Ribbon
• Buttons, rhinestones, or brads

I was able to purchase everything at Hobby Lobby for around $10.  Check Hobby Lobby's website - they usually have coupons that you can print to use on one item, making total cost even cheaper!

Step 1: Lay out the fabric, print side down, and spread the quilt batting/polyester stuffing in an even layer over the fabric.

Step 2: Place the board face down on top of the fabric and stuffing, centered.

Step 3: Fold the edges of the fabric and stuffing over the edges of the board and staple along them.  If you're having trouble getting the staples to hold everything down, use the hot glue gun.  I had to use hot glue in the corners.

Step 4: Flip the board over and lay out all of the ribbons diagonally across the board.

Step 5: Glue each edge of the ribbon down.  For this step, I lightly taped all of the ribbons down before flipping the board over and gluing them all so that they wouldn't slip.  I also recommend flipping the board over after gluing each ribbon to make sure they are all still pulled tight and not bunching weirdly due to the glue.

Step 6: Glue the rhinestones/brads/buttons on over each crisscross in the ribbons.  Glue both the rhinestone to the ribbon and the top ribbon to the bottom ribbon directly underneath the rhinestone.

Step 7: You're done!  Let the glue dry for a few minutes, then it is ready for use!

As a side note, I'm going to try to get better about taking photos after each step so that these directions are easy to follow!

Here's where I got my inspiration: http://beckaboocrafts.blogspot.com/2011/06/diy-ribbon-board.html
I made a few changes, only using one ribbon style and using the rhinestones, but other than that I followed her instructions all the way!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below and I'll answer as soon as possible - just remember I'm a college student, so life gets pretty hectic sometimes!  I promise I will reply though!  And if you make one yourself, post a picture - I'd love to see your ideas!