Buttery Coconut Oil Popcorn

I love popcorn. It's one of my favorite snacks regardless of the time of day or if  I have a movie on. I'll not only eat it for an afternoon or evening snack, but sometimes for lunch....or even dinner sometimes if Marshall is gone : )

I used to think of movie theater popcorn whenever I thought of popcorn. I loved it when I was a kid. In fact, I think I usually liked the popcorn more than the movie, not because the movie wasn't good but because the popcorn was simply unbeatable. Hot, salty, and buttery! Or shall I say "buttery". I wonder what that stuff really is because I'm sure it isn't just butter. I'm probably better off not knowing though because I loved it as a kid and I'll let my own kids enjoy it as well if they so desire.

When I heard about popping popcorn in coconut oil a couple years ago I was honestly confused and could not imagine that being good. I certainly didn't want my popcorn tasting like a tropical island. However, after hesitantly hopping on the coconut oil bandwagon, I gave it a try.

I was not only pleasantly surprised, but I was amazed at how good it was. I liked it so much that I haven't made it any other way since. Well, I did make one change. I added butter to coat it at the very end, and now there is no turning back.

If you want this to taste like movie theater popcorn you will be disappointed because that's not even what I was going for. But if you want this to taste delicious, be healthy, and satisfy your salty/crunchy craving, there is no reason you shouldn't make this. And I think that once you try it you'll be hooked, just like me : )

This popcorn and movie theater popcorn cannot be compared, and I happen to prefer this version.

Buttery Coconut Oil Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1 tablespoon butter

Salt to taste

Directions:

Place oil and popcorn kernels in a large pot over high heat, covered. Leave it be until a lot of the kernels have popped, and if your pot isn't quite big enough, carefully dump some of the popped popcorn into a bowl and place the pot back over the heat to finish popping. Once it has finished, transfer the popcorn to a large bowl. Place the tablespoon of butter in the still hot pot (the heat should be off though), and let it melt. Dump the popcorn back into the pot, cover it with the lid, and toss until the popcorn is well coated with the butter. Season with salt to taste.  

It will take some time to figure out what setting you need to use on your stove. I have an electric stove and I set it to 7 and it works perfectly, but all stoves are different.

Enjoy hot and enjoy often!

Menu

Monday - 3 bean turkey chili, cornbread casserole -- Marshall and I made this together tonight and it was so yummy.

Tuesday - Tim's making shepherd's pie for house church

Wednesday - Crockpot corn chowder -- though I'll probably spice it up a little more than the recipes says.

Thursday - Leftover 3 bean turkey chili and cornbread casserole

Friday - Chicken nuggets (but with turkey) and roasted sweet potatoes


I'm so looking forward to Fall cooking. I have some favorite recipes I can't wait to make, along with some new recipes to try. The 3 bean turkey chili is one I really enjoy and the Crockpot corn chowder is a new one.

Enjoy your cooking this week!

What I Ate Wednesday

I haven't done a what I ate Wednesday post in a while, and though my eating has been back to normal since the start of my second trimester (should've done one of these posts during my first!) I know people tend to like these posts. My goal with these posts isn't to show exact amounts (though they obviously all do except the dinner picture), and definitely not to make you feel like you should eat like me because everyBODY is different. My goal is to give you some ideas of things you might like to eat that you've either forgotten about or never tried.

Breakfast - Buttered toast, black grapes, and a cup of intensely beetroot tea with honey

Mid-morning snack - Apple with peanut butter

Lunch - Simple banana muesli (oats, milk, bananas, and cinnamon), Quaker sweet chili rice poppers, carrots, olives -- random, I know.

An afternoon glass of kombucha

Dinner - Spicy shrimp sauteed with cabbage and onions, buttered bread on the side -- Yum! Loved this meal.

An evening pot of chamomile with honey and milk

I wouldn't call anything about this day of eats particularly inspiring, but maybe you completely forgot about apples with peanut butter, have never heard of Quaker sweet chili rice poppers (they're delicious!), or like the idea of chamomile with milk and honey for dessert. Hopefully something grabbed your eye : )

Menu

Monday - A version of beans and rice using up extras in my fridge

Tuesday - House church gathering - Tim is making a beef roast of some kind and broccoli, and I'm making pretzel rolls
                                                                                                   
Wednesday - Spicy shrimp sauteed with cabbage, homemade bread

Thursday - Caramelized fennel on herbed polenta

Friday - Baked French onion soup

Saturday - Hot ham and provolone sandwiches, peas

Sunday - Corn fritters, sausage patties, fruit


Happy cooking!

Apple Peanut Butter Oats

This breakfast has been waiting a long time to be made. I had this idea months and months ago, maybe even a year, and for some reason I never got around to making it. I have no excuse either because it's rare that I don't have all of these ingredients sitting around.

What actually triggered me to make this (besides the note I've had on my computer all year) was that I wanted to prepare breakfast for the next day the evening before so I could sleep a little longer in the morning. I even prepared most of Marshall's lunch ahead of time (which I typically do in the morning) so that I could get up after he showered just in time to have breakfast with him before he left for work. Muesli is a common make-ahead breakfast around here but I wanted to send him with that for part of his lunch and didn't want him to have to eat it twice in one day. 

That's when I remembered about this idea I had oh so long ago, and I had just purchased some good looking apples for the first time in a while. I typically buy apples year round since Marshall likes them so much, but this year they just really weren't good during the Summer so I mostly stuck with seasonal fruits. These were the first good looking and affordable apples I've seen in a while. 

I wanted there to be just enough milk in this to thin out the peanut butter so that the oats could soak in it. It's not intended to be like a bowl of cereal or muesli, but more like apples and oats coated in a peanut butter "sauce".

The verdict: Love! Healthy, fast, tasty, and ready to go as soon as you wake up if made the night before. Marshall liked it as well so this will be added to our breakfast list. 

Apple Peanut Butter Oats

Ingredients:
1/2 a medium apple, finely diced
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:
Add the peanut butter to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk and all other ingredients, stir well, cover, and refrigerate overnight.


Enjoy!

Menu

Monday - Pasta with tomato sauce -- Hadn't gone to the market yet and I had no vegetables. Oh well.

Wednesday - Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes

Thursday - Corn cakes, sausage patties, and fruit

Friday - Kaesespaetzle, sauteed kale

Saturday - Salsa chicken, rice, broccoli

Sunday - Creamy chicken crepes, not sure about a veggie

A 5 Day Menu

Monday - Tuna cakes with creamy chive sauce, steamed cauliflower on the side

Tuesday - Spaetzle (this recipe but without the cheese) sauteed with sweet potatoes and onions, peas on the side

Wednesday - Trader Joe's Mandarin orange chicken served over rice, roasted cauliflower on the side

Thursday - House church night, not scheduled to cook.

Friday - Tuna noodle casserole (no mushrooms or Parmesan, and I won't make it "skinny")


This is the first day of school at Georgia Tech for the Fall semester. It's hard to say "Fall" semester because it's still so hot, but I can still feel Fall coming and it's getting me excited about soup season! Nothing reminds me of my childhood more than eating homemade soup and bread on a chilly day when the sun goes down before dinner. Not to mention pumpkin season is right around the corner! Can't wait to make curried pumpkin pasta with chicken peas and toasted walnuts!