Category: Food

It’s goes without saying that 2020 has been a whirlwind. With so much uncertainty, it seems like stress levels are through the roof. I love mixing up a little refreshing mocktail to free me of stress from the inside out.

I love something sweet and refreshing, but not TOO sweet. I don’t like to drink my calories, so I always tend to go for something a little on the healthy side. Something sparkling, light, and fruity. The key ingredient is the HOLISTIK Wellness CBD STIK. It helps relax my mind and body and helps me stay calm and focused. Oh, and did I mention that this would make a great drink to serve around the holidays? What’s better than something refreshing and something that will keep you relaxed and stress free during the busy holiday season?

Ingredients:

• 1 HOLISTIK Stress Stik
• 1 orange freshly juiced
• 1 can coconut LaCroix (can substitute for any sparkling water of choice)
• 2 tablespoons cranberry juice
• Ice

Instructions:

1. Add the coconut LaCroix, cranberry juice, and freshly juiced orange into a glass and mix well
2. Add HOLISTIK stress STIK (peel and stir or pop and pour)
3. Add ice
4. Optional: top with orange slices and cranberries

I hope you enjoy! Please tag me and @holistikwellness if you try this recipe and use the hashtags #HOLISTIK #STIKtoHOLISTIK #CBD #FindYourStik.

You can use the code SARA25 for 25% OFF your order at www.holistikwellness.com

You can shop my look at www.liketoknow.it/sara.baker

CHEERS!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day & a meal that I never skip! While I love sweets, there is nothing like a good savory breakfast in my opinion. I always need lots of protein in the mornings and these bowls seem to be the perfect balance to start my day. I’m sharing the super easy recipe below!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of shredded hash browns
• 1 pack of pancetta
• 5 eggs
• Shredded cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Toppings of your choice (I used green onions & sriracha)

Instructions:

1. Cook hash browns in skillet.
2. Cook pancetta in another skillet.
3. When pancetta is finished cooking, lay aside on a paper towel covered plate to absorb access grease. Leave remaining grease in the skillet.
4. Cook scrambled eggs in the skillet with the leftover pancetta grease. Once eggs are finished cooking, top with shredded cheese of your liking. Cover with a lid until melted.
5. Add hash browns, eggs & cheese, and pancetta to bowls.
6. Optional: add toppings of your choice (green onions, sriracha, salsa, avocado, etc.)

Tag me if you try this recipe!

Enjoy!

Y’all these are my favorite way to have ribs! They are always so tender and juicy. This recipe is SO EASY and ONLY 4 INGREDIENTS!!!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Rack Pork Ribs
• 1 bottle Barbeque Sauce
• About 6 ounces of Coca-Cola
• Dry Rub Seasoning

Directions:

1. Cover both sides of ribs with dry rub seasoning and place in the crockpot. (Cut in 1/2 if needed.)
2. Combine BBQ Sauce and Coke in a bowl and mix well. Pour about 3/4 of the mixture over the ribs.
3. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or LOW for about 8 hours.
4. Once ribs are finished, pour remaining sauce mixture on top.

That’s it! It’s that easy! Serve with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn or sides of your choice!

 

Enjoy!

Anyone who knows me knows I like EASY and CONVENIENT when it comes to dinner! My crockpot is one of my favorite kitchen tools and gets SOOOO much use! This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes! I pair these Crockpot Creamy Ranch Pork Chops with Garlic Parmesan Smashed Pototoes. I love using the creamy mixture from the pork chops over my potatoes like gravy! However, you could easily pair any side you’d like with these. If you try it, please let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

For Crockpot Creamy Ranch Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops
• 1 packet of dry ranch seasoning
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• Salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

For Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

• 6-8 medium size potatoes
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 3/4 cup of warm milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

For Creamy Ranch Pork Chops:

1. Place pork chops in crockpot
2. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste AND add 1/2 of the ranch packet
3. Add the cream of chicken soup
4. Add the other 1/2 of the ranch packet and additional salt, pepper & garlic powder
5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours

 

For Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes:

1. Peel & cut the potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water
2. Cook the potatoes until soft
3. Drain & place back in the pot
4. Add butter, milk, garlic, parmesan and salt & pepper to taste
5. Smash the potatoes

To Serve:

• Place desired amount of Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes on plate & top with Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and gravy!

 

Enjoy!

I can’t lie to y’all…I have never been a fan of guacamole and am still not a fan of some. However, this recipe changes that. I LOVE this guac so much that I have to share my FAVORITE recipe with you all!

 

Ingredients: 

• 2 large avocados
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1/6 of a red onion
• 5 small tomatos
• Juice from 2 limes
• Pinch of cilantro
• Salt & Pepper to taste (I like a lot!)

Directions: 

1. Slice the avocados in half & remove the seed and skin.
2. Mash the avocado to make as smooth or chunky as you’d like. (I use a hand chopper to start then move to mashing with a fork.) 
3. Chop the jalapeño, onion and tomatos into very small pieces.
4. Add all the ingredients together and stir.

Enjoy! 

I’ve always been someone who is looking for an easy and yummy way to get my protein in every day. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good kale smoothie with all the green goodness. However, today I’m sharing my go-to pink smoothie recipe! It’s less than 300 calories and around 20 grams of protein. This fruit smoothie is so refreshing and perfect for warmer weather!

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 of a Dragon Fruit Organic Smoothie Packet (I put the other 1/2 in a ziplock bag and save it for the next day)
• 2 Scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder (This protein powder is great for skin, hair, nails and joint support!)
• 8 ounces of Organic Orange Mango Juice (Optional: substitute for any juice that is your favorite.)
• 2 Whole Frozen Strawberries
• 1/4 cup Frozen Pineapple Chunks
• 1/4 cup Frozen Mango Chunks

Directions:

1. Place ingredients into blender (I use a Ninja) and blend for about 10-15 seconds.
2. Add ice and blend for about 30 more seconds.

Enjoy!

 

 

If you guys try this recipe, let me know how you like it!

I linked my Ninja blender and the protein powder below!

amazon.com/shop/sara.j.baker

Can you really be from the South and not love comfort food? One of my favorite things to make in the Winter on a cold, deary day is a big pot of hot soup. Yes, it’s always easier to grab a can at the store and just warm it up. But does it really taste better? Is it better for you? Absolutely not. This homemade chicken noodle soup is so easy to make and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 bag of egg noddles (I used No Yolk. These are low fat & low sodium.)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 stocks of celery
• 2 large carrots
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 16 ounces of chicken broth

Directions:

1. Cook chicken breast for approximately 30 minutes or until done. (I added 8 ounces of chicken broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to the water to give the chicken some more flavor.)
2. While the chicken is cooking, chop up the celery and carrots into very small pieces
3. Bring another pot of water and remainder of chicken broth to a boil
4. Add egg noddles
5. Add both cans of cream of chicken soup (I try to avoid getting those small processed pieces of chicken in there.) Whisk to avoid any clumping.
6. Once chicken is done cooking, take it out and shread into small pieces
7. Add shreadded chicken, celery and carrots to soup mixture.
8. If you need more liquid, you can add the broth your chicken cooked in for some more flavor
9. Add salt and pepper to taste
10. Boil for 5 minutes after all ingredients are in
11. Serve and (optional) top with crackers

You can shop some of the key ingredients at https://www.amazon.com/shop/sara.j.baker!

The holiday season is finally here and I LOVE getting together with my family for all the tasty meals. I don’t know about you all, but I’m so excited for that turkey to come out of that oven that I can’t wait 5 more minutes without grabbing a taste of something. This is the perfect salad for a holiday appetizer OR even for a summer cookout!

After many different combinations, I finally found the perfect blend of harvest grain. In case you don’t know much about quinoa, it is super good for you! Compared to rice, it has fewer calories, WAYYY fewer carbs, and DOUBLE the protein! Oh, & adding the flaxseed will help make you feel full and helps with weight loss. Flaxseed is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids AKA “the good fats” which also help with hair growth for those wondering. So to get to the point, it’s healthy and it’s yummy. Best of both worlds, right?

Ingredients:

For salad:

• 2 cups quinoa
• 5 tablespoons flaxseed
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 English cucumber
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

For dressing:

• 1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

For salad:

1. Prepare quinoa as directed on the package
2. While cooking the quinoa, cut the red onion and red pepper into small pieces.
3. Cut the cucumber in half and hollow out the seeds before cutting. This will help to not make the salad too watery.
4. Add quinoa, flaxseed, red onion, red pepper, cucumber, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix well.
5. Add dressing to the whole bowl if serving at one time. The full amount of dressing will make it SUPER moist. Add and stir and base how much you add off of your liking. If not serving all at one time, I recommend only adding a couple tablespoons per serving.

For dressing:

Mix water, vinegar, and the packet of Italian dressing and mix well. Add oil and mix until well blended.

You can shop http://www.amazon.com/shop/sara.j.baker to find the key ingredients to this recipe: quinoa and flaxseed. 

Y’all, this is one of my all-time favorite meal preps and it is SO easy! This week has been a low-carb week for me. So while I didn’t cut carbs from my diet completely, I just lowered my intake. I try to lower my carb intake throughout the week so I can splurge on the weekends with pasta, bread, and sweets. It’s all about balance, right?

Everyone’s body is different. For me, lowering my carb intake through the week and splurging on the weekend is a good balance. Let’s be real, I like to eat. I like to eat fried chicken, cake, ice cream, cookies…(the list goes on). So for me, it’s all about balance and maintaining.

This recipe is great for a low-carb meal. Low-carb is the key word here. The Italian sausage is high in fat. According to your diet and body, you may want to swap it out for shrimp. Low-carb, high-fat and moderate protein is the way to go if you’re looking to burn body fat. If you’re looking to lose weight, stick to the shrimp or chicken for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of Hot Italian Sausage
• 1 onion
• 3 large carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 1 squash

Seasonings

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of creole seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut sausage, onion, carrots, zucchini, and squash. Place the veggies and sausage evenly on the pan.
3. Add olive oil and seasonings to the top. Toss the sausage and veggies to evenly season every piece.
4. Bake for 15 minutes then remove. Toss and turn the veggies and sausage and return to the oven. Bake another 15 minutes.
5. Remove and serve. You can serve this on top of brown long-grain rice if desired.

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You can shop some of the key seasonings at http://www.amazon.com/shop/sara.j.baker!

I’m always searching for low-carb meals that aren’t the same old lean meat and greens. These skinny, stuffed peppers are one of my new favorites and I had to share it with y’all!  They’re full of flavor and perfect for a low-carb diet!

Ingredients:

• 5 bell peppers
• 1-1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
• 1/2 an onion diced
• 3/4 cups of water
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 3 tsp of garlic powder
• 3 tsp of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown turkey and onions until no longer pink. Drain the grease and return to skillet.
3. Add taco seasoning, garlic powder, hot sauce, and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and hollow out, removing all seeds. I also trim the bottoms of the peppers to help them stand up better. If there are small holes in the bottom, that’s ok. It helps the grease drain out.
5. Fill the peppers with the meat and top with cheese.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until peppers are tender. You can top the peppers with optional toppings such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, chive, etc.

You can shop some of the key ingredients at https://www.amazon.com/shop/sara.j.baker!