Artichoke Dip with Chopped Pecans

My favorite artichoke spinach dip recipe topped with chopped pecansCourseAppetizerCuisineAmericanPrep Time10 minutesCook Time30 minutes0 minutesTotal Time40 minutesServings12 servingsCalories289kcalAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
• 14 oz. artichoke hearts one can, drained and chopped
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium pan melt the butter and saute onions and garlic until onions are soft
• Remove from heat
• Stir in artichokes, cream cheese, mayo, cheeses
• Put into an ungreased 1 1/2 Qt. dish
• Bake for 24-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly
• Remove and add chopped pecans to the top and and return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes

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Meal Plan #28

 

This weekend I am in Miami attending Blogher Food.  If you’d like to follow along be sure and follow me on Instagram.  I’ll be back next week with more details and photos!

Here’s this week’s Meal Plan to make your meal planning adventure easier!  I’ve got a couple of meals for the grill, one for the crock pot and a main dish salad for you.

Monday:

We’ll start the week out with Cashew Sesame Chicken.   It’s delicious and it’s gluten free!  Serve over rice with a  Perfect Summer Salad.

Tuesday:

Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad  is perfect for dinner now that the weather is warming up.  How about a some stuffed cheesy garlic bread to go with it!?

 

Wednesday:

Sticky Coconut Chicken is one of our kid’s favorite meals.  It uses chicken thighs which make it nice and moist and is cooked on the grill.  We always serve it with rice pilaf.

 

Thursday:

Pull out the crock pot for today’s BBQ Pork Sandwich.  Serve it on hamburger buns with some creamy cole slaw salad.

 

Friday:

Balsamic Chicken & Peppers is an easy dish to end your week of cooking with.  Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.

 

Sunday:

Heat up the grill again for this carne asada.  Serve with some salt & pepper potatoes or with tortillas.

 

For a fun treat this week try this easy 3 ingredient lemonade ice cream pie!

 

For last week’s Meal Plan go here.

 

Enjoy!

Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

 

 

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Meal Plan #27

This week’s Meal Plan is a day early.  Tomorrow, Saturday, is the 10th of the month which means it is our Monthly 10 Creative Blogs Blog Hop.  We have a fun theme planned for you this month so be sure to come back tomorrow to check it out.

You can get a head start on next week’s Meal Plan with today’s post!

 

Monday:  

Really Good Noodles & Chicken uses it’s description as it’s name.  It is really good! This recipe was shared with me by a blog reader and it has become a family favorite.  Serve with a tossed green salad.

 

Tuesday:

Spicy Honey Chicken   has a little heat and a little sweet.  A perfect combo!  Serve with Lime Cilantro Quinoa.

Wednesday:

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken.  This smells yummy as it cooks and tastes delicous.  Serve with jasmine rice and some soft wrap bread.

 

Thursday:

Baked Tacos.  I quick and easy dinner for tonight.  We love this one and it is so easy to make.  Serve with a spinach salad with strawberries and poppyseed dressing. 

Friday:

Quick & Easy Tomato Soup with BLT Salad.  Instead of soup and sandwich have your soup and salad.  A BLT sandwich in salad form!  A complete meal

 

Sunday: 

Easy Crock Pot BBQ Ribs – it doesn’t get much easier or delicious than this recipe!  Serve with Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes.

Check out last week’s meal plan here.

Enjoy!

Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram

and Google+

 

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Meal Plan #26

 

This week is Cinco de Mayo so I’ve included some fun Mexican dishes in this week’s plan so you can carry the celebration through the week and it is also one of our favorite things to eat at our house!!

Monday:

Chicken Enchiladas:  Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with my favorite enchilada recipe.  If you aren’t feeling the enchiladas check out the 48 Cinco de Mayo recipes I shared here.

 

Tuesday:

Pesto Chicken is a quick and easy dinner to put together.  Serve it with rice pilaf.

 

Wednesday:

Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga is full of amazing flavor.  I like to serve it as a tostada over lime cilantro rice .

Thursday:

Slow Cooker Brisket Tacos with Mango BBQ – don’t skip on the Mango BBQ sauce on this one.  It is so yummy!   Serve with Mexican Cole Slaw.

 

Friday:

Tomato, Garlic and Chicken Pasta – uses roasted tomatoes and zucchini but feel free to add in whatever veggies you have.  Serve with these yummy biscuits.

 

Sunday:

Brined and Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Herb Butter.  Plan ahead and put the chops in the brine the day before for a melt in your mouth pork chop!  Be sure and enter the giveaway too!!  Serve with Fingerling Potatoes.

 

For a sweet treat this week try:

Lemon Meringue Pie Ice Cream!

 

 

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Meal Plan #25

 

Monday:

Breakfast Pizza is in order after all the cooking you probably did this weekend with Easter.  This has been a family favorite at our house for years!

Tuesday:

Oregano Chicken is a quick and easy dinner to fix.  It uses chicken thighs which I love but can be made with a chicken breast too. Serve with rice pilaf  or lemon herb roasted potatoes.

Wednesday:

Flat Bread Tacos is another easy dinner.  Quick & easy to make with store bought biscuits and so yummy!  Serve with some Cafe Rio Black Beans.

Thursday:

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches are the way to go on a busy night.  I love to serve them with a crunchy creamy cole slaw.

 

Friday:

Baked Zitu with Spinach and Sausage . I made this last week to take to two new moms and I forgot how yummy it is.  It makes a lot which is nice!  I served it with some store bought french bread and roasted brocooli.

Sunday:

Sweet & Sour Chicken is a favorite at our house.  Serve it with basmati rice and some chinese style green beans.

And for a sweet treat this week how about some lemon bars!  The Best lemon bars ever!!

 

You can see last week’s Meal Plan here.  My friend Kristen also posts a weekly meal plan.  Check her’s out here.

Giveaway!

Up for grabs: A Picture Keeper PK4 (a $29.99 value!).

How to enter: We’ll be using Rafflecopter for this one, so there are multiple ways to enter…pick one or pick them all!

This giveaway ends on Friday, April 25, 2014 at midnight PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Enjoy!

Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

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Meal Plan #24

Be sure and check out the THREE giveaways going on right now on the blog.

Chinet Gift Pack and $100.00 Visa Card   –  Ninja Power Blender  – $500.00 Michaels Gift Card.

What Leigh Anne’s Loving:

One of the things I wished I had done earlier was take better care of my skin.  As a teenager and even in my 20’s and 30’s I would go to bed without washing my face.  It wasn’t until I hit 40 that I started taking this skin thing seriously.  I am lucky that as a teenager and as an adult I have been blessed with good skin.  But even good skin needs to be taken care of.  One of the things I love using on my skin on a daily basis, every evening,  is this: ROC Daily Resurfacing Disks

The disks are two sided – one side is nice and smooth for skin polishing and the other side is for exfoliating.  It removes my makeup and makes my skin feel so soft and smooth!  It is the perfect mild exfoliater for your skin.  If you have really sensitive skin you may just want to use the polishing side.  It also helps diminish fine lines and pores. The other thing I love about them is the price – only about $12.00 for a month’s supply.  Love it!

This Week’s Meal Plan:

Monday:

Tex – Mex Chicken Salad is quickly becoming a favorite at our house, especially for the upcoming warm weather.  Full of flavor and texture.  Serve with chips, guacamole and salsa.

 

Tuesday: 

 Honey Lime Chicken can be done on the grill or in the oven.  Love the honey lime flavor combination. Serve with cashew nut rice.

 

Wednesday:

Mexican Beef in the Crock Pot can be used for all kinds of things  – tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas. My personal favorite is tacos. Have fun with it!

 

Thursday:

Bruschetta Chicken is delicious! Made with fresh tomatoes and basil.  Serve with a Sweet & Sour Salad.

Friday:

Sweet & Spicy Turkey Burgers – it’s time to pull out the grill for this yummy turkey burger.  Serve with Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.

 

Sunday:

Lemon Hazelnut Pork Chops are my favorite way to eat pork chops.  I love it served with rice pilaf.

 

For a sweet treat this week try this:

Vanilla Malts  – if you haven’t entered the giveaway to win a new Ninja Power Blender to make these at home do so now!

 

Check out last week’s meal plan here.    My friend Kristen over at Capturing Joy also shares a weekly meal plan.

 

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Meal Plan #23

What Leigh Anne’s Loving:

 

A few weeks ago I spent the weekend in Phoenix with some other women.  One thing I love about sharing a hotel room with other women is getting to see what’s in their  makeup bag. I only look with their permission of course.  One of my friends was raving about Wunderbrow.    It’s a great way to get a natural looking brow.  I am one of those who over plucked as a teenager and my eyebrows are very sparse and light.  I have used lots of different things over the years, mainly pencils but you always have that drawn on look.  Wunderbrow is a brush on gel that clings onto the hair and skin.  It fills, thickens and defines your brows.  It even lasts for days!

My eyebrows are pretty light and I am using the brunette and I’m loving it!

Here’s what’s for dinner this week!

 

Monday:

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad – a delicious and healthy dinner idea!  If you have never tried quinoa before you should!

 

Tuesday: 

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki – we serve this over white rice with a yummy green vegetable.  How about Brussels Sprouts.  Don’t knock them if you haven’t tried them.  These are delicious!

Wednesday:

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad – I am in the mood for salads this week so you get two!  This is a yummy salad that is a complete meal.  Add in some bread if you’d like.

 

Thursday:

Roasted Chicken – this is so easy and yummy.  Serve with some Fingerling Potatoes.

 

Friday:  

Pork Carnitas – we loved this dish and I even ate it two nights in a row which I usually don’t.  Can’t wait to make it again.  Serve with corn tortillas, avocado and lime cilantro rice.

Sunday:

Flank Steak with Pesto – we love flank steak at our house and love to cook it on the grill.  Use a grill pan on your stove top if you don’t have a grill.  Serve with  Salt & Pepper Potatoes.

For a fun treat this week try:

Lemon Drop Cookies

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Meal Plan #22

What Leigh Anne’s Loving:

I can tell you one thing I don’t love – facial hair.  Specifically facial hair on women.  Facial hair on men is o.k. having been married to man who had a mustache the first 25 years of our marriage!  I have discovered as I have gotten older that I have more facial hair.  Fortunately for me my facial hair is light but that is not the case for all women.  A few years ago, right before my son’s wedding I had my face waxed.  Yes, it hurt but I loved the results.  My face felt so soft and smooth and my makeup went on so much nicer.  I have had it done a couple of times since until I discovered Tinkle Eyebrow Shapers.  They are actually meant for your eyebrows but they also work great as a facial razor.  Yes,I now shave the hair off my face.  The hair does not grow back in heavier or rougher.  I love these little things. Use them at about a 45 degree angle on your face.  This is the video where I first learned about facial razors.  It is pretty entertaining and will show you how to use it.

The best part is they are super cheap!! They are just slightly over a dollar a piece.  I use them all over my cheek area, my upper lip  and under my chin area.  I only have to do it about once every 3-4 weeks.  To purchase you can use my Amazon Affiliate link if you’d like!  Let me know what you think if you try it.

This Week’s Meal Plan:

 

Monday:

Curried Coconut Chicken  is full of wonderful flavor.  I served it over brown rice with some Naan bread I purchased at the store.

Tuesday:

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad.  We love to serve this with lime cilantro rice and black beans.

Wednesday:

Slow Cooker Cuban Beef is delicious and works great with rice or potatoes.

Thursday:

Asian Chicken Wraps is pretty much a meal in and of itself but a bowl of fresh fruit would be delicious with it.

Friday:  

In ‘N Out Burgers are better than the real thing according to my husband.  Why go out for a burger when you can make a delicious one at home! Serve with garlic fries.

Sunday:
Ginger Sesame Salad is a nice lighter change for dinner.  Full of flavor and texture.  Serve with a yummy Artisan No Knead Bread.

For Meal Plan #21 go here.  For even more dinner ideas check out my friend Kristen’s weekly meal plan too.

 Enjoy!

Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram

 

 

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Meal Plan #21

What Leigh Anne’s Loving!

So I live in the Pacific Northwest and I love it.  The only downside is sometimes the sun can be a little scarce.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to your skin! But if you’re looking for a nice tan that can be a bit of an issue.  Especially in the fall, winter and spring!  I had a trip to Arizona last week and I realized my legs may actually be exposed.  Wearing tights and boots when it is 80 degrees just doesn’t work.  I realized my legs were in no shape to be “exposed.”  A year and a half ago when my son got married in Arizona I was facing the same situation – white legs!  I am not a big fan of tanning beds so I set out to find a sunless tanning product.  If you have ever looked for one before you know what a challenge that can be to find one that doesn’t leave you orange and streaky!

Before the wedding I bought some Tan Towels that I had heard good reports on and they worked great.  No streaks, no orange and so easy to apply.  I bought some more before my trip to Phoenix and they worked great again .  I didn’t blind anyone with my white legs and I didn’t look like a streaky orange mess either.  My daughter in law also discovered them this spring before a tropical trip and they worked great for her too!  It is a towelette that you just use to rub all over your arms, legs, wherever you want some color.  Just be sure and exfoliate before using them!

So that’s what I’m loving this week – Tan Towels.  No more white legs!

This Week’s Meal Plan:

Monday:

Overnight Waffles – we love breakfast for dinner at our house.  Serve these with some yummy cinnamon syrup and fresh berries on top!

 

Tuesday:

Grilled Lemon Mustard Chicken – Spring is officially here so grilling season can begin!  Serve this with nutty brown rice and a nice green salad.

Wednesday:

Pasta ala Leigh Anne – this is a yummy concoction I came up with one night for dinner.  Serve a green salad and some cheesy garlic bread.

Thursday:

Chicken Enchilada Soup – the flavor of an enchilada in soup form.  So yummy!  Serve with bread and/or/ Lemon Fruit & Spinach Salad

Friday:

Slow Cooker French Dip – enjoy this easy and yummy sandwich on a nice crusty roll.  Serve with some fruit and some garlic fries.

Sunday:

 Balsamic Pork Tenderloin – this is so delicious and easy!  Everyone will love it.  I promise.  Serve with Patrice’s Potatoes.

 

For a fun sweet treat this week try:

Microwave Caramel Corn

For Meal Plan #20 go here.

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Meal Plan #20

What Leigh Anne’s Loving!

This week I’m sharing with you what I use as a moisturizer all over my body.

 Coconut Oil

I love it.  I keep a big jar of it in my shower area and as soon as I step out of the shower, after I lightly dry off and my skin is still nice and warm I spread coconut oil all over me.  My body just absorbs it right in and it doesn’t leave any greasy or oily residue on my skin.  It just leaves my skin nice and soft and it smells good too.  I went in to get a pedicure before I left for Arizona and I usually have them use a callous remover on my heels but they were so soft this time they didn’t have to do it – thanks to the coconut oil.  So coconut oil isn’t just great for cooking it is great for your skin too!  Using coconut oil on the skin and hair is pretty much an ancient practice and has been done for years over in Asia.

From the Huffington Post, “Coconut oil provides deep and real moisture. It helps strengthen underlying tissues and helps remove excessive dead cell on the skin’s surface that makes your skin rough and flaky in texture. It also great for shine and as a natural moisturizer for your hair.”

I buy  Nature’s  Way EfaGold  online through Amazon.  It only costs about $17.00 for a 32 oz. jar and lasts a long time.  Coconut Oil comes in a  solid form but as soon as you put it in your warm hand it begins to melt. You want to make sure your coconut oil is organic, non GMO, cold pressed, pure extra virgin, zero trans & hydrogenated fat, unrefined, nonbleached.  The one I use is all of those things.  Give it a try!

Now for this week’s meal plan:

It’s been a little warmer here in Portland so it’s put me in mood for a little more summer like fare so I’ve added in a main dish salad and a chicken recipe to be grilled to the meal plan this week

Monday:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day –  If you are planning a more authentic Irish dinner make Slow Cooker Corned Beef with some yummy Soda Bread.  And of course a green veggie like Roasted Broccoli.

And for dessert serve  up a Lime Sherbet Freeze!

 

Tuesday:

Pull out the BBQ Grill for some yummy Asian BBQ Chicken tonight.  Serve with an Asian Noodle Salad.

Wednesday:

Ginger Steak Salad is delicious!  Serve with some quick & easy breadsticks.

Thursday:

Sweet & Sour Chicken is an easy meal and perfect served over some white jasmine or basmati rice and some Chinese Style green beans.

Friday:

It doesn’t get much easier than Hamburger Soup on a busy Friday night!  Serve with some yummy Herbed Oatmeal Bread.

Sunday:

Cheesy Chicken as been a favorite of our family for years and years.  We love it best served with rice pilaf and how about some yummy Teriyaki Glazed Brussels Sprouts?!  Try them, you’ll like them!!

For last week’s meal plan go here:

Weekly Meal Plan #19

 

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