It's Liz Parker

PIVOT!!

The freezer mishap has really slammed into my dinner plans. I am here to tell you I was looking at everyone else to blame for not closing the door to the freezer. I believe the saying goes.. If you are pointing 1 finger at someone else, you have 3 pointing back at you. UGH, It was ME!! I did it and doggonit, I am so glad it was not worse.

3 lbs of ground beef
A pack of chicken
A bag of Safe Catch tuna patties
A bag of salmon
And a bunch of melted ice cream.

BOO TO THE HOO!

That said, I grabbed the chicken, 4 medium potatoes and a bag of frozen California veggies and slapped it all in a pot with 5 cups of chicken broth and cooked it until the 'taters were tender.

I took a cup of cottage cheese (I KNOW!) and 1/2 cup of milk and blitzed that up with some of the veggies from the pot. This is an instant way to thicken your broth so it comes out as a Stoup. Rachel Ray anyone? 😁

I digress... toss in your favorite cup of cheese and stir until melted. Sound familiar? lol Anyway.. This is dinner tonight and I am adding some garlic bread and calling it done!

Tomorrow? no pizza. Taco Bowls are on deck to use up some of the ground beef. Life, ya gotta love it? Grateful that the freezer was not broken. Thankful that I was the nimrod who was not paying attention. Blessed we did not lose hundred/thousands of dollars in food. That would've ben heart breaking.

What is on your dinner table tonight?

HAPPY FRIDAY EVE!

xoxo,
Liz
SW.JS.

Hello, October. 🍂

We made it to pumpkin season, cozy dinners, cooler mornings, cinnamon everything, and all the little things that make fall feel like fall.

This month around here, we’re leaning into: simple recipes, cozy food, real life, and a little bit of pumpkin without going completely pumpkin-crazy. 😂

I’ve got new dinners, fall treats, old favorites coming back, and plenty of Still Sweet. Just Smarter. goodness ahead.

What are you most excited about in October?

xoxo, Liz
SS.JS

Well… tonight’s dinner is officially NOT what was on the menu. 😂

We had a little freezer mishap last night, which meant a whole bunch of food thawed that absolutely did not need to thaw.

So today turned into an unexpected “cook all the things” day. 🤦🏼‍♀️

And now? I’m honestly just not that hungry.

So instead of making dinner just because it was written on my little weekly menu, I’m listening to my body and calling an audible.

That’s real life.

Meal planning helps me tremendously, but it is a PLAN, not a contract. Food gets moved around. Plans change. Sometimes leftovers happen. Sometimes I’m hungry for something completely different. And sometimes I’m just… not hungry.

Tomorrow we reset and keep going. ❤️

Please tell me I’m not the only one whose perfectly organized meal plan occasionally goes completely off the rails. 😂

xoxo, Liz
Still Sweet. Just Smarter.

**Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake**

The roasted Just Bare chicken chunks are making another appearance this week because they make getting dinner on the table so much easier. i love these SO much!

**What you’ll need (about 4 servings):**
• 1 bag roasted Just Bare chicken chunks
• 8 oz dry Aviate or Kaizen pasta
• About 2 cups marinara
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Optional: Parmesan and fresh basil
• Bagged salad for serving

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While it cooks, heat the chicken according to its package directions. Toss the hot pasta, chicken, and marinara together in a broiler-safe baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and broil for a few minutes, just until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep an eye on it because the broiler moves fast!

Add a bagged salad, and dinner is done in about 20 minutes.

Tell me, what’s your favorite shortcut for pasta night?

xoxo, Liz
SW.JS

**Spicy Chicken Taco Bowls**

So wicked easy. And SO delicious.

This is one of those dinners where I almost feel silly calling it a recipe. 😂
Spicy chicken, rice, roasted corn, tomatoes, a little cotija, crunchy tortilla chips and because I apparently believe ranch makes everything better... RANCH.
Dinner does not have to be complicated to be really, really good.
Simple Recipes, Big Smiles. ❤️

That’s dinner. No complicated prep and no complaints about what ended up in someone else’s bowl. What would you put on yours?

xoxo, Liz
SW.JS

Okay, apparently I needed to make this one SAVEABLE. 😂
The Sugar-Free Brownie Biscotti made its debut last week, but this time I put the whole recipe right on the graphic so you can save it and actually find it when you're standing in the kitchen wondering what to make.
These are chocolatey, crunchy, ridiculously easy, and yes... they still look a little questionable. 🤣
Save this one for your next coffee situation. ☕️

xoxo, Liz
Still Sweet. Just Smarter

Friends, these Gluten-Free Cookie Butter Scones are such a fun little breakfast treat. They are cozy, simple, and full of that cookie butter flavor I love. I used ChocZero sugar-free cookie butter, cookie butter syrup, and ChocZero sugar-free speculoos cookies for these, and they turned out so good. If you are a cookie butter girl like me, this one is for you.

I also love that these are easy enough to make without turning the whole kitchen upside down, which is always a win in my book.
If you make them, let me know. And if you want to save this one for later, go right ahead because this is a good one to keep in your back pocket.

Gluten-Free Cookie Butter Scones

Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup Truvia brown sugar
- 1/3 cup ChocZero sugar-free cookie butter
- 2 Tbsp ChocZero sugar-free cookie butter syrup
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 packet ChocZero sugar-free speculoos cookies, crushed
Topping
- ChocZero sugar-free speculoos cookies
- ChocZero sugar-free cookie butter, for drizzling
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.
3. Mix in the cookie butter, cookie butter syrup, and evaporated milk.
4. Fold in the crushed speculoos cookies.
5. Scoop onto the baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Cool for 10 minutes.
8. Top with speculoos cookies and drizzle with cookie butter.
9. Cool completely and enjoy.
If you want the ChocZero products I used, here are my Amazon favorites:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/itslizparke0b/photo/amzn1.shoppablemedia.v1.collage.2e09c4b2-b01d-4965-9ac3-3d6a068496d7?ref_=aipsfphoto&tag=itslizparke0b-20
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Come back and let me know if you try it!

xoxo, Liz
Still Sweet. Just Smarter

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are having a good day with your family.

Okay, here is the menu for the week. You may see a theme from last week to this week and that is: Just Bare Oven Roasted Chicken Chunks.. These little morsels of delight make my whole week Well, no not really my whole week, but it sure makes it easier to get dinner on the table.

One note, the shared baked potato.. I love me some taters, but sharing is really a good way to portion control and have the carbs but not over indulge. It is all about moderation!!

What is on your menu this week?

Friends, sometimes you want a dinner that tastes like you worked WAY harder than you actually did.

This is that dinner.

Tender steak. Chunky potatoes. Creamy, cheesy broth. And a crispy little baguette on the side because obviously we need something to drag through that bowl. 😂

And this one uses two of my favorite kitchen workhorses. The Instant Pot does the hard work on the rump roast, then everything moves to the crockpot while the potatoes get tender.

Here’s what I did:

🥩 2 lbs rump roast, cut into cubes
🧄 Kinder’s Buttery Garlic & Herb, to taste
🥄 1 tsp beef bouillon
💧 1 cup water
🥔 5 medium potatoes, cubed
🥣 1 cup cottage cheese
🥛 ½ cup evaporated milk
🧀 ½ cup shredded Velveeta
🧀 ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack

Season the beef however generously your heart tells you to. I used the Kinder’s Buttery Garlic & Herb.

Toss the seasoned beef with 1 teaspoon beef bouillon, add it to the Instant Pot with 1 cup water, and cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes.

When it's done, transfer the beef AND all that gorgeous beef stock into your crockpot.

Add the cubed potatoes and cook on HIGH for about 2½ hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Now for my favorite little trick!

Scoop out about one cooked potato's worth of chunks and blend them with the cottage cheese and evaporated milk until completely smooth.

Pour it back into the crockpot and stir it through. Then add the Velveeta and Monterey Jack and stir until everything is melted, creamy and glorious.

Don't love my cheese choices? Use your favorite! You need about 1 cup of a good melting cheese.

Serve immediately with some crusty bread. I tossed two mini baguettes into the air fryer, and they were PERFECT for dipping.

No flour.
No heavy cream.
No complicated gravy.

Just a big bowl of cozy. Simple recipes, big smiles. ❤️

xoxo, Liz
Still Sweet. Just Smarter.

Sheet Pan Fajitas do NOT get any easier than this. 🌮

Just Bare chicken bites.
Frozen peppers and onions.
Fajita seasoning.

I am using the air fryer option on my oven for 20-30 minutes. Boom-done!

That’s it.

Toss everything on a sheet pan, season it, roast it until everything is hot and those peppers get a little color, then pile it into your favorite tortillas and add whatever toppings make you happy.

Because some nights we are cooking from scratch.

And some nights we are opening three packages and calling it brilliant meal planning. 😂 I will toss a pix of my lovely fajitas in the comments.

Simple Recipes. Big Smiles.

xoxo, Liz
Still Sweet. Just Smarter.