Full disclosure: Staples provided me with these items for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own. Feel free to shop their entire line of Keurig Coffee Makers and K-Cups online.

Cutting back on caffeine is one of the (many) things you have to get used to when pregnant. Thankfully for me, I’ve been cutting back for years  – trying to stick to a nice cup or two first thing in the morning and no caffeine after lunch time (the older I get the more it affects me I guess), so it hasn’t been a huge shock to my system. What I do seem to be missing is that second cup I like to have when I return from dropping off the kids at school. Sometimes it’s a hot cup that I enjoy while sitting on my laptop catching up, sometimes I prepare it iced and sip it while folding laundry. Hot or cold, it’s a cup that I’ve been missing the last 5 months that’s for sure.

When Staples contacted me a few weeks ago to ask me if I wanted to review and host a giveaway of one of their Keurig coffee makers I got SO excited. I’ve been on the fence about buying one for us for a while now,  I haven’t been able to justify the splurge since our coffee pot seems to have been working just fine for us. I was very happy to be sent one to test out and believe me, so was my husband (the primary coffee maker of our household).

Setting up the Keurig OfficePRO was a breeze. I’m not one to handle reading directions very well but I got this baby brewing its first cup of coffee within minutes of opening the box. One of the things I was most excited about was sampling all these K Cup flavors I see constantly in the store. In addition to the ones that were sent to me to try out by Staples, my husband came home with a few of his own. So far, I’ve been enjoying brewing Emeril’s Big Easy Bold (dark roast) and Newman’s Special Decaf daily and I can’t wait to pick up some tea as well. Even my kids are have been enjoying a treat of hot chocolate some nights.

The best part about having a Keurig? There’s no more “did you set up the coffee?” exchange happening in sleepy voices late at night. Waking up to an easy cup of coffee has been truly enjoyable, it’s agreed by both my husband and I. We still have our work horse of a coffee pot set up for when we have several coffee drinkers over, and also to brew our special monthly coffee club coffee, but for the most part we’ve been using the Keurig daily (me, several times daily).  It’s been a treat to brew up a quick cup of decaf in the late afternoons too…something I never used to do because I didn’t want to brew a pot (even a small one) for just me.

And thanks to Staples, I’m excited to be able to share a coffee maker and some coffee with one of you!

Giveaway Details:

Keurig OfficPRO Single-Cup Commercial Coffee Brewer in Black/Silver (see here for details on this coffee maker)

One package of K-Cups (your choice!)

To enter simply leave a comment telling me what your favorite brand of coffee is.

For additional entries, share a link to this giveaway on one or more of your social media outlets. Once doing so, come back and leave a separate comment on this post telling me you did!

Giveaway starts Tuesday May 14 and ends Tuesday May 21 at noon (EST). I will pick winner using randomly using Pick Giveaway Winner tool on my blog. Winner will be contacted by me via email and will have 48 hours to reply before another winner will be selected. Sorry, but giveaway open to US addresses only.

Good luck and thanks for entering!

(note: if you are commenting on Aggie’s Kitchen for the first time, it may take some time to see your comment appear. Thanks for your patience!)

Did all the moms out there have a great Mother’s Day? I know I did. My husband and kids treated me with a relaxing day that started with a delicious French toast and fresh fruit breakfast. The rest of the day was very low key and poolside, my favorite kind. I actually got a ton of reading in, which is what I was hoping for, finally finishing up a book I had been reading for a couple of weeks and starting up a new one. And I didn’t have to wash one dish all day.

(me with the little guy who first made me a Mom…at his 2nd grade class’s Mother’s Day Muffin Breakfast on Friday – it was honestly the sweetest thing ever)

I almost didn’t post this recipe for you, because it’s embarrassingly simple. For me, “simple” seems to be becoming a reoccurring theme in the kitchen – and really, sometimes it’s hard to mess up simple when you have good fresh ingredients like this. Let’s face it, that kind of simple just tastes GOOD.

I had a pile of produce that had to be used up the other night. When I mean pile, I mean random stuff like a whole jicama, some carrots, a mango and limes. There were probably a few other friends in this random pile, but these guys jumped out at me when I was struggling with what to put on the side of some bean and cheese quesadillas I was making for dinner. Well, the answer was right in front of me – and this fresh little salad happened.

I think you’ll love it.

My sweet Amber happened to insert herself into this picture I took of our dinner on Instagram. She cracks me up. Don’t feel too sorry for her – she’s fed very well

More easy side dishes from me to you:

Herbed Wild Rice Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Corn, Tomato and Basil Saute

Roasted Red Potatoes with Smoked Paprika

Sweet and Sour Garden Peppers

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by McCormick via The Motherhood, I received compensation for recipe development and my time. My recipe was created using McCormick spices, which you would already find in my kitchen.)

Taco night is finally becoming a go-to dinner option in my household. My husband and I have always loved tacos of every kind, but my kids have been a little hit or miss over the years. I think it’s safe to say that each of us is happily on board with taco night as of now – and since Mexican food, especially the taco, is some of the easiest to prepare this mama is oh so happy.
As a matter of fact, my kids just recently proclaimed we should have taco night weekly – I am all over it!

Fish tacos are some of my favorite to prepare, especially during grilling season. I love taking a simple white fish and seasoning it up just right with a few spices and fresh lime juice. When McCormick asked me to participate in their Taco Night Fiesta I knew right away that with the beautiful warm weather we were having I had to make fish tacos. For these fish tacos I wanted to try out a new-to-me spice that was sent to me by McCormick, dried diced jalapeno peppers. I was so intrigued when I saw this spice in their collection and I couldn’t wait to try it out. What I love about it is the mild jalapeno flavor it adds, without much of the heat (or fuss) of dealing with fresh jalapenos. It’s a nice way to infuse a little jalapeno flavor into a dish easily and conveniently.

I paired up the dried jalapeno with some ground cumin, salt, pepper and oil to marinate over the fish before putting on the grill. Using my fingers, I ground up the dried jalapeno so that it would work into the marinade a little easier, but you could always use a the back of a wooden spoon or a mortar and pestle to grind up too.

McCormick challenged me to come up with a 5-ingredient recipe for their fiesta so I kept the base of these fish tacos simple with this flavorful marinade using their spices as well as white corn tortillas and a very important and substantial squeeze of lime to finish them off. The lime truly brightened up the flavors that were cooked up on the fish. I love adding a squeeze of citrus after fish or seafood is cooked as opposed to including it in the marinade so that the acid doesn’t interfere in the pre-cooking process (hello ceviche) and so that the citrus flavor is fresh, lingering and very obvious. Citrus and fish should always be the best of friends in my opinion.

The fish and the tortilla are definitely essential to the taco making business. No question about that. But…my favorite part of tacos is always the toppings!

And lots of them!! I stuck with a green theme to keep these fish tacos fresh and light (and for a little fun!). Our toppings included shredded green cabbage (you can always use lettuce!), lime, avocado, and of course lots of fresh cilantro. My kids are loving Greek yogurt on everything these days so I had to include that too.

My family loved these Grilled Green Fish Tacos, my daughter probably the most. She couldn’t keep her hands off the fish, and pretty much finished it all off taco-less.

Needless to say, this perfectly seasoned grilled fish would be great on its own maybe paired up with some Fresh Corn Salad or Cilantro Rice for a completely different dinner. (I truly love successful family dinners like this one!)

But for now, enjoy these fish tacos instead.

McCormick is also hosting a Pinterest Taco Night Challenge over on their very own Pinterest page. To be entered to win one of 30 assorted spice kits, all you have to do is pin any taco recipe with the hastag #McCormickTacoNight and tag the bloggger (you can do this by including @bloggername in your description). See below for more details – good luck!

If you’ve been reading my blog a while, or follow me on any social media platform, or are my real life friend…then you probably already know that I’m obsessed with salads. I really love a good salad (and I really really appreciate a good salad at a restaurant too – those can be tricky to find!). I’m probably not alone when I say this, but I don’t always love making salads at home. Especially lately it seems (pregnancy + salad = eh). But pregnant or not, I’ve gotten into salad ruts plenty of times – and I always know how to get myself out of one.

Whenever I find myself in any kind of cooking rut, I feel the need to break out of my normal grocery shopping routine. I take myself to a store I don’t always visit (like Fresh Market or other gourmet grocery shops) and just find new stuff to try. When I’m in a salad rut though, I take myself straight to my favorite little produce market and immediately get inspired. There is a family owned local market by me that’s basically set up like an indoor farmer’s market – but it’s open daily (minus Sundays). It’s run by very nice and hard working people, and I never know what I’m going to walk out with when I go there. They have the biggest variety of fresh fruit and vegetables I’ve ever seen, and great prices. It’s the kind of place where you can smell how good the tomatoes taste, and where you can find a little leftover grit from the earth on the zucchini – no waxy coating stuff here.  I love this place.

(check out all this gorgeous green!)

They have a huge selection of fresh greens which immediately get me in a salad making mood. The last time I was there, I came home with a head of red leaf lettuce, a head of green leaf lettuce and a small head of radicchio (picked this one up for fun). When I got home, I immediately went to work cutting up my lettuces and putting them in my salad spinner. Immediately and salad spinner are key words here.

When you are using your salad spinner, try not to over stuff it with your greens – makes it harder to get fully dried when spinning. I like to put the greens into the basket, then into the plastic bowl and place into the sink to fill with cold water. I let it sit for a minute or two then lift and drain out the water completely from the basket before I spin. Spin your small batches a few times to get it really dry.

(this was a tad overstuffed – put less in for dryer greens)

To store my salad so that it stays fresh the longest – and is easy to grab – I use large Ziplock bags. I usually fill about two large bags full, then adding a folded paper towel to each bag to absorb any leftover moisture from the greens (it’s good to change out the paper towel every couple of days if you see that it’s very moist). To seal the bag up so that it stays freshest, I make sure to squeeze out every little bit of of air I can before closing the bag up completely (do this after opening every time – it will become a habit). This is important and will keep your salad greens very fresh!

This cost me $5 and a little time to make. I’m not knocking any of the bagged salad mixes out there, but this really is more appealing and tastes just so much better in my opinion. From here you just grab a handful of freshly cut greens and throw on whatever your favorite salad fixins are at that moment. Lately I’ve been enjoying radishes, baby carrots, hard boiled egg, avocado and some sort of seed or nut. And of course, your favorite dressing. Earlier this week I even threw some leftover barbecue chicken on my salad and that was seriously so good.

This works for me. I find myself eating way more salad when I take a little time to do this for myself and my family. With a couple of bags like this in your fridge, you can easily even add a small green salad to your dinner every night, dressed simply with a little oil and vinegar, lemon or whatever dressing your heart desires. Now that my daughter has started to embrace the salad I’m really trying to make an effort to serve a small side salad with our dinners to make it familiar and a habit (and to hopefully start appealing to my non-salad-eating son).

Let me know if you do this already or have any other healthy prep ahead tips! I’d love to hear from you.

More Healthy Habits from Aggie’s Kitchen:

Empty The Fruitbowl

Make Your Own Smoothies

It’s hard to mess up a smoothie in my opinion. Once you get a basic formula down, and you’re using a blend of naturally sweet fruit with yogurt, milk or a little juice, then really the sky is the limit as far as combinations go. If you look in my freezer you could pretty much always find a few bags of frozen fruit ready to be put into a blender. Though I love to eat fresh fruit daily, frozen fruit is usually my go to when it comes to smoothies because I find that it makes them extra creamy and thick, and keeps them extra cold. If your blender isn’t a high powered blender like the Blendtec I use, then I suggest you let the frozen fruit sit in your blender jar a few minutes to defrost a bit and slightly soften up to make it easier on your blender. Always add your liquids to the jar first, then layer with your softest to hardest fruits to get a better blend.

A few weeks ago, Chobani (grab some coupons here!) was nice enough to send me a generous sampling of their larger sized yogurts to try out. I always pick up large containers of their plain non fat Greek yogurt, but usually only stick to the single servings of their flavored ones. Having the resealable larger sized ones in the fridge constantly tempted me to add some to my smoothies, or even to spoon some over my waffle as a topping along with some berries. I even went a little crazy and baked up a version of these Peach Yogurt Muffins for my kids (I really need to do that more often, why oh why don’t I like to bake?).

This smoothie was a perfect post workout snack for me, but also would be a nice treat to take on the afternoon drive to pick up the kids from school. Smoothies are great any time of day.

Enjoy!

More smoothie love:

Refreshing Cantaloupe Smoothie

Banana and Coconut Butter Smoothie

My Green Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Smoothie | Add A Pinch

Pear Me Up Smoothie | Picky Palate

(This is not a sponsored post. Chobani provided me with a generous sampling of their product, but it’s a product I’ve been buying for years. My opinions are always my own.)

I really can’t believe we are in the month of May already. The kids have started their countdown until summer vacation starts, and to be honest so have I. It’s always bittersweet ending another school year and watching your kids grow up right before your eyes – but I truly look forward to not having to set an alarm clock or pack lunches or being on any kind of schedule for a couple of months. Lazy days ahead!!

Warm weather dinners, the kind where most of your food is cooked out on the grill or prepped ahead of time and served chilled, are my favorite. I love the early evenings of summer where the kids are jumping into the pool while I’m getting the grill ready for dinner. We had one of those nights recently, though it was a school night it felt like a carefree summer night. The kids were getting into the pool to swim for the first time this season, and although the water was still a little chilly, they hung in there for a good hour or so going back and forth to the hot tub to warm up every now and then. Seeing them outside having so much fun instantly put me into that summer mood…the one where if I wasn’t pregnant I would have poured myself a glass of chilled white wine or made myself a Captain & (diet) Coke with extra lime and sat in the lounger to watch them play. I settled for a glass of ice water instead.

Grilled chicken (like this Italian Herb Grilled Chicken) and veggies always come into play when that summer mood hits and it just happened to be on the menu that night. That and this unbelievably fresh and delicious Herbed Wild Rice Salad. I actually prepped it earlier in the day while the kids were still at school using leftover rice from the night before’s dinner (glad I made a double batch!) and fresh herbs from my little garden. I swear, I could not stop eating this stuff. It’s dressed very simply with a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse salt and pepper. But the toasted pine nuts paired with the fresh herbs put this leftover rice over the top.

I see this simple rice salad becoming a staple this summer. I love that you can make it ahead, and change it up based on what you’re serving or what you have (this one I made a few years ago might give you some ideas!). And it’s the absolute perfect side dish to bring to your summer potlucks and barbecues.

More tasty warm weather dinners:

Barefoot Contessa’s Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

Grilled Chicken Summer Salad with Mango

Blackened Salmon Fajita Bowl

Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza with Pesto

Chipotle Salmon Tacos

Blackened Fish Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

And a couple family pics taken this past weekend. My son, Sammy, celebrated is First Holy Communion – we were so proud of him. What a great day! My kids are totally growing up.

(pictured: Spring Giardiniera)

Is it me or is cauliflower popping up EVERYWHERE right now? Just this past few weeks, I think I’ve seen a new cauliflower recipe of some sort every other day. Cauliflower is one of those veggies that I think throws people for a loop, meaning, they buy it with intentions of trying something new and delicious but usually settle for something typical like raw in a salad or veggie plate, steamed, or how I like to cook it, roasted. I think Brenda nailed it when she listed it as an up and coming food trend this year during last month’s Land O’Lakes Kitchen Conversations. And based on the comments from the giveaway post, many of you are on board with that trend too!

(pictured: Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza)

Roasted cauliflower is actually one of my kids’ favorite vegetables, believe it or not. I’m not really sure how that happened because I don’t make it all the time, but when I do my kids are happy. I usually roast it with olive oil, salt and pepper and even a little Parmesan cheese (red pepper flakes on mine!). Sometimes I throw it in pasta. I’ve mentioned before that one of my most craved and favorite pizza at a local pizza place is their Cauliflower Pizza and to satisfy that craving (more often and more economically), I had to come up with my own at home.

(pictured: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Broccoli and Cauliflower)

Not only is cauliflower incredibly versatile, it’s really really good for you. It’s high in vitamin C (almost as much as some citrus fruit!), folate, and dietary fiber. It’s also falls into the cancer fighting veggie family, the cruifers aka the cabbage family. (Source: Wikipedia). I think it’s safe to say that adding cauliflower to the weekly veggie rotation will benefit you and your entire family.

I’m excited about all the recipes for cauliflower I’m seeing, I wanted to share with you a few that have caught my eye and sound like a delicious new way to try cauliflower. I like when I see a vegetable becoming a “food trend”. I’m thinking cauliflower is this year’s Brussels sprout, what do you think? What’s your favorite way to cook up cauliflower?

I’m incredibly hungry after compiling this list and I have a feeling you will be too.

Curried Cauliflower with Israeli Couscous and Grains | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce | Pinch Of Yum

Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower | Reluctant Entertainer

Garlic Beef, Broccoli and Cauliflower Stir Fry | The Little Kitchen

Cauliflower Steaks with Ginger-Soy Sauce | Two Peas and Their Pod

Grated Cauliflower Salad with Peppers, Carrots and Capers | Cookin’ Canuck

Slow Cooker Aloo Gobi (Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes) | The Perfect Pantry

Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower | Closet Cooking

Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing | A Spicy Perspective

Roasted Cauliflower Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce | Closet Cooking

Bloomin’ Indian Spiced Cauliflower | Everyday Maven

Creamy Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower | The Lemon Bowl

Broccoli and Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese | Eats Well With Others

Cauliflower Ceviche | Bake Your Day

Cauliflower Crust Hawaiian Pizza | Recipe Girl

Chicken and Cauliflower Fried “Rice” | Deliciously Organic

Cheesy Smashed Smashed Cauliflower | Green Lite Bites

Twice Baked Cauliflower | Kalyn’s Kitchen

I don’t make meatloaf – of any kind – very often, for no other reason other than it just doesn’t come to mind when I think of what to make for dinner. That’s probably because I didn’t really grow up eating meatloaf, so it doesn’t really fall into the everyday comfort food category for me. Does it for you?

There are two meatloaf recipes that I have made over the years when I have made meatloaf and they have become my go-to meatloaf recipes. They are both very different from each other and it just depends on whether or not I want a more traditional recipe like this copycat Boston Market Meatloaf recipe, or a lighter but oh so delicious one like Barefoot Contessa’s Turkey Meatloaf (I love this one!!). Anytime I do make meatloaf, my meat loving husband is a happy man. And after making these Mini Cheddar-BBQ Turkey Meatloaf Muffins apparently now I know that my children are both fans as well. I guess I know whats going into the dinner rotation more frequently.

I was inspired to make this mini versions of meatloaf from my friend Liz, who writes the blog The Lemon Bowl (I’ve been finding myself stalking her blog for dinner ideas quite frequently, along with Melanie’s blog, Nutritious Eats). It’s nice to get ideas from other busy moms that like to eat food you like to eat, and have to still feed young children food that they will like as well – I’m always inspired by both ladies! These mini turkey meatloaves came together super easily and quickly, using ingredients I always have on hand. I served them alongside this Corn, Tomato and Basil Saute and my kids and husband enjoyed every bite of dinner that night.

A few ingredients is all it really takes to put together a great side dish during the week. This past week, I had mini turkey meatloaves on the menu (inspired by my friend Liz who always has great healthy dinner ideas) and wanted to use what I had on hand as far as our side vegetable was concerned. You can pretty much always count on finding some frozen veggies in my freezer so when I saw that I had corn, I knew exactly how I was going to prepare it. We had just picked a small bowl of fresh ripe cherry tomatoes from our little garden days before, and I knew my basil was starting to come in. I had half of an onion leftover from the Mini Cheddar-BBQ Turkey Meatloaf Muffins I was making so with all those ingredients, this delicious little side dish was created. The kids gobbled it up and my son declared the meal “the best ever”. Add a little side salad for some extra green and you are set.

Dig in.

I’m keeping things simple in the garden this year. I’m sticking to what has been working for me well the last few years, and that’s herbs and tomatoes in containers. I find them so much easier to maintain as far as weeds and watering go, my kids really help in the watering department so it’s fun for them too. I added a few new herbs to the collection this year, ones I always find myself in need of and I added two more pots of tomatoes.

We cooked with our first “harvest” just last night…

Take a look at what else is growing out back this year:

Thyme and Mexican Tarragon (new this year!)

Thai Basil (new this year too!)

Sage and Chives – these guys are so easy to keep up year after year – I’ve had these plants for at least 4 years. My son loves tasting fresh chives every time he’s out here.

Rosemary – I grow this in the ground as a shrub – it’s become more of a beast, needs a little trimming. Smells amazing if you brush up against it as you walk by. Another herb that has been with me for years, very easy to keep up with.

Mint – from my grandpa, it’s been with me forever. It always brings back childhood memories of living in NY where we had hedges and hedges of fresh mint growing along our walkway. My sister and friends and I would be constantly tasting it, like my kids do now. It goes to sleep every winter and before you know it you start to see green pop up in the dirt come spring, super low maintenance herb. Mojitos for me again come Fall!

Fresh Oregano – mild, but so flavorful. It goes wonderfully in tomato salads but my favorite is to add it along with olive oil to roasted red peppers.

Culantro – another old favorite of mine that I’ve had for almost 6 years! I gave up growing regular cilantro last year, it never lasts long for me and I’d rather use it’s more potent cousin culantro – shown here. Very easy to maintain, will continue to reproduce as you pinch off the spiky flowery looking parts. You can also pinch those off and use them as cuttings to start new plants. That’s how this one started after a neighbor gave me some from their plants, it was the first time I’d ever seen this herb. Use it as you would cilantro, just need less of it and I chop it up finer.

Key Lime and Meyer Lemon Tree – I picked this little tree up at a Farmer’s Market about 4 years ago specifically for a big pot just like this. They told me it could take a few years to see some fruit. My grandpa would rather see this little tree in the ground, but I like it in a pot. This year I grew my first key limes on it! Very exciting

One of four tomato plants – this one is a cherry tomato plant. I have 2 cherry tomato plants and 2 patio tomato plants this year. (on a side note: my grandpa has over tomato 60 plants in ground this year, he cut back from the past where he’s had over 100. I want to be him when I’m 81 years old!!!)

More tomatoes!

And how can I forget….Basil. Started from seed (always works best for me). The more you use, the more it grows!

I was a little sad to not have a full garden going this year, but I know realistically that I just wouldn’t be able to keep up with it in the heat while pregnant (learned that during my first pregnancy almost 9 years ago! ). The herbs are truly my favorite part of gardening, they bring me so much inspiration and flavor in cooking, especially this time of year. I’m really excited about this year’s container garden.

Are you growing anything this year? Share! And share how you love to cook with any of the herbs in my garden…I would love to hear ideas!

Check out past garden posts from the blog here.