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  • 60 Minutes or Less
  • ABOUT
  • 60 Minutes or Less

  • Stove-Top Brown Sugar & Maple Baked Beans (with bacon) by Real Food Girl: Unmodified.
    Barbeque,  Side Dishes

    Brown Sugar Maple Baked Beans with Bacon

      Several weeks ago my grandkids came over for the weekend. I spent most of my time in the kitchen and my granddaughter, Little Miss B. helped me out. One thing she was particularly interested in helping me with was a baked bean recipe that I had found in one of my many cooking magazines.  We were going to grill hamburgers one night and I thought baked beans would be a nice addition.  Turns out I should have just opened a can.  Kidding! Sorta. Let me explain… We followed the recipe to a ‘T’.  Those beans soaked for at least 12 hours, and they baked in my oven for 7 hours, were  lovingly tended…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Easy BBQ Chicken on the Grill. Saucy, Juicy, Tangy, Perfect! realfoodgirl.com

    Easy BBQ Chicken on the Grill

    June 25, 2014
    BBQ Spice rub for ribs Real Food Girl

    Real Food Girl BBQ Spice Rub

    August 24, 2014
    Caramelized Onion Burgers by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Caramelized Onion Burgers with Gruyere

    July 16, 2013
  • Creamed corn with bacon and poblano pepper by Real Food Girl: Unmodified
    Barbeque,  Side Dishes,  Vegetables

    Creamed Corn with Bacon and Poblano Pepper

      I’m pretty excited about today’s recipe. I really like corn. I especially like sweet corn. When we moved to South Carolina I noticed that they had all sorts of farm stands along the sides of the roads. I was in fresh produce heaven. That is, until I found out that the one I was frequenting got their produce from WalMart and I was buying GMO sweet corn. Yep, you guessed it. I was no longer in heaven. It’s getting harder and harder to find organic sweet corn. This makes me sad because I can do wonders with an ear of corn. When I was out and about running errands last week, I found…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Slow Cooker Saucy Country Style BBQ Ribs by Real Food Girl Unmodified. Pin now, make these tonight!

    Slow Cooker Country Style BBQ Ribs

    February 14, 2014
    Sweet & Zesty BBQ Sauce from Real Food Girl. It's sauce for a fingers only meat buffet folks!

    Sweet & Zesty BBQ Sauce

    May 28, 2013
    Caramelized Onion Burgers by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Caramelized Onion Burgers with Gruyere

    July 16, 2013
  • Lentil Salad with Bacon| Real Food Girl: Unmodified
    Gluten Free,  Grains, Rice, Pasta,  Salads

    Lentil Salad with Bacon

    It’s that time of year.  You know, when the days start to get warmer and out of nowhere an 80+ degree day pops in and dinner time rolls around and you’re like, “Um, no.  It’s not happening. I’m not cooking, uh-uh, no way, no how, it’s too hot. Bleh!”  Tell me I’m not the only one who feels that way on really warm days? I love salads and I have a ton of great recipes written down, but I’ve yet to feature any of them on the blog because my salads feature so many components I’m pretty sure y’all be like “She’s crazy, there is NO way I’m doing all that just for…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Cream of Mushroom soup by Real Food Girl

    Mmmm Better Cream of Mushroom Soup (Non-GMO and GF)

    March 19, 2013
    Classic Tapioca Pudding. Old-fashioned goodness made GMO-Free. This pudding is so good, I ate the entire first batch ALL by myself. No lie, hand to God, it was that good and I snarfed it all down!! Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Classic Tapioca Pudding

    March 6, 2013
    Caramel Apple Nighttime Sleepy Snack by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Caramel Apple Nighttime Snack

    October 1, 2013
  • 30-Minute Mondays-- Onion Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese by Real Food Girl
    Lunches

    30-Minute Mondays–Onion Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese

    Bacon, caramelized onions, Gruyère cheese and golden, buttery, toasted bread. Are you hungry yet?  If not, please have someone check you for a pulse.  Maybe even take your temperature.  Go ahead. I’ll wait.   Pulse?  Good.  Hungry now?  Perfect. I knew probably didn’t hear me mention bacon and melted cheese. For the past two weeks I’ve been working hard on updating some old posts with new photos, and even revamping the recipes enough where I felt it was best to just write a new post and link to the old one for a couple of reasons.  One- we all get to see just how far I’ve come since I started blogging, and two- these…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Who doesn't love a tuna melt? You know you do! Try my tuna- it's anything but boring! #Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Tuna Salad and a Tuna Melt

    December 13, 2012
    Amazing Italian Salame with Brie, Pesto and Arugula Panini's from Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Prosciutto, Calabrese Salame & Capocollo Panini’s with Melted Brie, Pesto and Arugula

    August 5, 2013
    Asian Chicken Pasta Salad with Crispy Wontons by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Asian Chicken Pasta Salad with Crispy Wontons

    May 9, 2014
  • Savory Balsamic Onion-Bacon "Jam" by Real Food Girl: Unmodified.
    Condiments

    Savory Balsamic Onion-Bacon Jam

    Bacon. Caramelized onions, bacon, fresh thyme, white wine, bacon, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bacon, chicken stock, bacon.  Let me guess, the only word you kept seeing was bacon.  Yeah, I’m not surprised.  This recipe was one of the first that I shared when I started my blog.  You can see it HERE.  The photos were taken with my trusty iPhone, and they’re pretty scary. I think that is why only a handful of my earliest and very faithful readers were brave enough to try this recipe.  I’m thankful they did- because to this day, they can’t stop talking about this “jam”. I felt it was time to update this post and the photos.…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    This burger is to die for. Grated Gruyere cheese, onion bacon jam, and organic grass-fed ground beef. If you like burgers, make these! #Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Cheeseburgers with Onion Bacon Jam (Organic/GMO-Free)

    January 14, 2013
    Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Balsamic-Strawberry Black Pepper Jam

    March 19, 2014
    Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes| Real Food Girl: Unmodified. I have to try these!!

    Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

    January 29, 2014
  • 30-Minue Monday's with Real Food Girl- Skillet Mac-n-Cheese. Best comfort food at its best!
    Grains, Rice, Pasta

    30-Minute Monday- Skillet Mac-n-Cheese

    I love melted, gooey cheese sauce.  I love melted cheese sauce as much as I love bacon, and because I love both, I am not only going to share a quick and simple truly comforting Macaroni and Cheese recipe, but also my secret mac-n-cheese bacon topping recipe with you.  I’ve thought long and hard and felt the world needed to be privileged with the knowledge of this amazing topping. You’ll never do boring, buttered breadcrumb topping again, nor will you ever make naked mac-n-cheese ever again.  I’m taking Mac-n-Cheese to a WHOLE new level y’all.  This recipe is so good, you’ll name your next child after me as a tribute. I’m somewhat ashamed…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Food Hippie Granola

    April 2, 2013
    Wild Rice Hotdish- A recipe remake by Real Food Girl: Unmodified. Tasty wild rice, ground beef, mushrooms, creamy sauce...

    Minnesota Wild Rice Hotdish- A Recipe Remake

    May 28, 2014
    Organic, pastured chicken baked with rice and homemade, GF Cream of Chicken soup! GMO-Free easy chicken dinners!

    Lazy Baked Chicken and Rice

    April 4, 2013
  • Real Food Wild Rice Corn Chowder from Real Food Girl:Unmodified (with chicken and bacon)
    Freezer Meals,  Soups, Stews, Chowders

    Wild Rice Corn Chowder

    It’s getting cold here in South Carolina. Granted it is still in the 50s most days, but there is something to be said for a Southern 50 degrees and a Midwestern 50 degrees.  In Minnesota we’d have windows cracked and shorts on.  The only reason we’d turn the furnace on is if it was uber windy.  Down here I’m wearing a long sleeved shirt, a sweat shirt, a fleece bathrobe, socks, slippers, a pair of fitted long underwear AND yoga pants and I’m still cold.  It’s a bone chilling kind of cold when the temperatures drop in the south. Call me crazy, but I can’t warm up.  I can’t keep taking showers to…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Cheesy, meaty, saucy bundles of lasagna! Easy to sub any ingredient you want. This recipe features Italian sausage, spinach and ricotta cheese. Must try this easy dish that can also be frozen for a future meal! Also, organic and GMO-Free. #Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Italian Sausage & Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups (Organic/GMO-Free)

    January 20, 2013
    Homemade Non-GMO Beef Stock. Easy to make and tastes so much better than canned, or boxed stocks. Much healthier, too! Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Organic Beef Stock

    March 21, 2013
    Authentic Sunday Gravy- Real Food Girl knows Marinara- and this sauce is awesome! Pin this!

    Homemade Marinara (or as we Italians call it- GRAVY)

    November 27, 2012
  • Real Food Yankee Breakfast Hash by Real Food Girl: Unmodified
    Breakfast,  Eggs,  Gluten Free

    Yankee Breakfast Hash

    We’ve recently moved to the South. South Carolina to be exact. There are numerous differences between the North and the South.  There are also numerous differences between MN and SC.  Shortly after moving here I shared some of those on my Facebook page.  That post is a good example of my sense of humor and my love of tongue in cheek. If you follow my blog, you know that I enjoy witty banter and I love to use humor when sharing my stories and experiences about food.  Our family is filled with people who possess great senses of humor.  Both my grandparents are very funny, sharp, witty people.  My grandfather reminds me a…

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    Kristine Cocchiarella

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    Double Blueberry Muffins by Real Food Girl. Tastes like a fancy bakery muffin! Gotta make these!

    Double Blueberry Muffins

    December 4, 2012
    The Stud Muffin makes banana bread- and this bread is da bomb! Seriously! #Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    The Stud Muffin Makes Manly Banana Bread

    November 7, 2012
    Spectacular Blueberry Scones by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

    Spectacular Blueberry Scones

    September 16, 2013
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Meet Real Food Girl

Hi! I'm Kristine!

I'm a classically trained chef, who thinks that every aspect of health and wellness starts with food, but I also believe that you need to make room for a slice of cake every once in a while! Join me as I show you how to navigate a realistic and achievable 80/20 Real Food lifestyle, without breaking the bank, losing your sanity, or feeling shame because you can't live up to the "perfection" preached on other Real Food Blogs. Yeah, I went there.

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