Savvy with Abbie

I forgot last night that I had a whole package of drumsticks in the freezer so I decided to make these Tex-Mex Chicken Drumsticks. This is another recipe from Davita for Game Day Recipes (page 19) and all of us loved these. This recipe was super easy to make with only five ingredients! These drumsticks combine sweet honey with green chilis to make the ultimate marinade. Ingredients: 8oz canned green chilis 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 3/4 cup honey 2 tsp chili powder 1/3 tsp ground cumin 12 chicken drumsticks Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (except the chicken wings).  Add the wings and toss to coat. Place the wings in a baking dish and bake for 35 minutes.  I ended up cooking for about 20 more minutes since they were still a little bit frozen. Serve with Asparagus. 

It's been 107 degrees this past week but chili was still on the list. This was the perfect weekend meal. My mom came into town this weekend with my stepdad so I spent a lot of time cleaning, finishing up some glitter tumblers, and at the grocery store. Because of this, I wanted a recipe that was fairly easy to just set and go. There were a lot of ingredients to this one but it wasn't hard to make. The original recipe can be found HERE . Although not kidney healthy or approved, it was still fairly healthy overall, super light, and filling. For this recipe, we added one container of chicken broth (not 7 cups), two cans of cannellini beans and two cans of white beans, basil instead of parsley, no jalapeno, and onion powder in place of actual onion, and no cilantro. Don't let this huge ingredient list fool you, it's not that bad :)  Ingredients: 1 container of chicken broth 2 cans of cannellini beans 2 cans of white beans 1 tsp basil 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp paprika

Mine and Kevin's goal moving forward is focusing on a kidney-friendly diet. This Whole Wheat Spaghetti was no different. The original recipe can be found HERE.  This is another recipe from Davita which has been my go-to. For this recipe, we used onion powder instead of actual onions. We also used lean ground beef 70/30. Ingredients: 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef. 1 tbsp onion powder 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning 1 tsp garlic powder 28 oz spaghetti sauce Directions: Prepare spaghetti according to package but do not add salt. In a skillet, brown the ground beef with onion powder and drain. Add brown sugar, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cook for two minutes.  Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Drain and stir in sauce Toss and serve. 

My goal today is to write two food blogs to catch up before Mom comes into town tomorrow and I'm going down to San Luis Obispo to visit her and family later this week. A few nights ago I made this Jamaican Jerk Chicken with rice and broccoli. This Jamaican Jerk Chicken is kidney-friendly and it's on page 13 of the link which is Davita - this is where I've been getting most of my recipes from lately. This recipe has a little bit of a kick but it's super delicious with a marinade that sits in the fridge for 8+ hours. I didn't take a lot of photos because I was starving and kinda forgot ;) I used onion powder instead of a yellow onion, eliminated the habaneros, and used white wine vinegar instead of white vinegar.  Ingredients: 6 medium green onions 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp white wine vinegar  1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp thyme 1 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/

Another day, another somewhat healthy blog post! I'm excited to share this one because I was surprised that it turned out as good as it did. The original recipe is for a drumstick recipe but we used chicken thighs on top of rice and I enjoyed it better that way. This is a kidney-friendly recipe. We did not use onions but instead onion powder and garlic powder instead of garlic.  Ingredients: 1 medium tomato 2 tbsp onion powder 2 tbsp garlic powder 1" cube ginger root 5 small chicken thighs 5 tbsp vegetable oil 3/4 tsp cumin seed powder 1 cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 1/4 tsp peppercorns 3/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp garam masala Directions: Peel and dice the tomato. Put the onion powder, garlic powder and ginger root to the side.  In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. When hot, add the cumin seed powder, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and peppercorns. Stir once and let sit for just about one minute. This step I had to re-do because the bottom

The month of August has been filled with family, birthday parties, retirement parties, pizza, delicious food, the beach, and so many memories! My sisters came into town the beginning of August, my uncle had a retirement party this past weekend, my cousins Timmy and Rosie had their birthday party this past Sunday and my mom will be in town this upcoming Sunday! It's probably been the busiest I have been in quite some time. Jace also started school last week so that has taken some time to get used to as well. When I am at home (which I feel like hasn't been much this month!) I have been focused on healthier dinner options. Last night was no different. I made an easy Ground Turkey Sloppy Joe recipe. Of course since it's a healthier alternative, it's not as full of flavor as regular, greasy, ground beef sloppy joe's but it was still good and a great alternative. The original recipe can be found HERE from Davita.   Ingredients: 1 tbsp onion powder 1.5 pounds ground turk

Last night I decided to make chicken tenders that I've never made before - chicken tenders with a cornflake cereal breading. Weird right? Well they ended up being really good. Jace and Kevin both told me that they liked those over the Sweet Potato Wedges I made as a side dish. The original recipe can be found HERE  (on page four) and they are kidney-friendly. This recipe is also very similar to the Cornflake Chicken Tender recipe on the back of the cereal box. This recipe is SUPER easy and only uses four ingredients. Ingredients: 1 pound boneless chicken breasts  2 tbsp milk 3 cups cornflakes cereal 1 large egg Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into 25-36 bite-sized pieces. Crush the cornflakes in a large ziplock bag. Beat the egg and combine with the milk in a small bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then the cornflake crumbs. Add them all to a PAM or sprayed pan. Bake for 15 minutes and check to see if they are done. I cooked mine abo

I'm gonna try and knock out two blogs today for you guys before I have to pick Jace up from school. Last night I made these Sweet Potato Wedges as well as Homemade Chicken Nuggets/Tenders which will be my next blog. These Sweet Potato Wedges are kidney-friendly, so delicious and from the National Kidney Foundation . Although Jace didn't like them, I loved them! And if you are a fan of a sweet side dish, you will want to try these. I purchased Sparkling Apple Cider and reduced it and topped it on the sweet potatoes. It gave it a nice, sweet - but not too sweet, syrup topping. This recipe is super easy to make and only uses four ingredients. I purchased the sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's. Let me know if you make this recipe below! Ingredients: 2 cups Sparkling Apple Cider 1/2 tsp Almond Extract 2 large Sweet Potatoes, cut into 8-10 wedges Olive Oil Directions: Simmer sparkling apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat for 45 minutes or until it's a little thick. Add al

I was channel surfing last night and happened to come across this show, "Superstar: Kobe Bryant" and it was so good you guys! I'll admit, I cried like a baby when I found out he passed away - and tried not to cry last night. His helicopter accident was way too similar to how my dad passed away which made it extremely tough. I recorded the show so I will probably watch again today. Jace started school yesterday and had early out. Since he has a full school day today, I'll probably watch Superstar, work on tumblers and of course, blog :)  Last night I made a Teriyaki Chicken Drumstick recipe. The initial recipe called for low-sodium teriyaki sauce and soy sauce which I did not have so I can't say it was the healthiest it could be BUT they were good! We served ours with white sticky rice and fresh green beans from Trader Joe's. If you like or make this recipe, let me know in the comments below! Ingredients: 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 2 1/2 tbsp teriy

For those who know me, I absolutely cannot stand seafood. I don't cook it, don't really know how to cook it or make it - especially since I don't eat it. But I used this recipe for a Shrimp Po Boy for both Kevin and Jace and the directions were super easy. Jace ate two sandwiches and Kevin had two as well!  Jace helped me make this and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. If you make it, let me know below! If you make any changes, I would love to hear them as well! Ingredients: 8oz frozen cooked shrimp 2 tsp cajun seasoning (I didn't have salt-free but it's a small amount anyway) 1/2 large egg 3 tbsp flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 cup beer (you can also use 1/4 cup milk) 4 cups canola oil Hoagie rolls Optional: lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, hot sauce Directions: Thaw the shrimp and pat dry. Place in a bowl and mix the cajun seasoning in with the shrimp.  Beat the egg and divide in half (discard or use the other half elsewhere). In a m

Kevin and I are still going strong on the eating-healthy dinner kick. I, unfortunately have not lost much weight. Let's just say that Kevin has stopped snoring that tells you something ;) This recipe is another kidney-friendly meal and it was originally for Grilled Sesame Chicken but we didn't feel like grilling so I just made this on the stove in a cast-iron skillet and it was delicious! We made this with a side of fresh green beans and jasmine rice.  Ingredients: 1 tbsp sesame seeds 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 1 tbsp sherry wine vinegar 2 large chicken breasts, sliced in half to make four thin slices Directions: Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl. In a large plastic bag, add the five ingredient mixture/marinade as well as the thin slices of chicken. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Spray a cast iron skillet with PAM or cooking spray. Over medium heat, let the chicken cook for about 7-10 minutes per side.  Transfer