Crunchy Mexican Chicken

This is a pretty basic dish, but still full of flavor. You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen! When I cook chicken it usually ends up chopped or shredded, sometimes its nice to just leave it as is and enjoy!







Crunchy Mexican Chicken

Ingredients:
3 Chicken breasts
4T lime juice
4T honey
1.5t chili powder
1/2C crushed tortilla chips
1/4C shredded cheese
1/2C Salsa

Dorections:
-Marinate chicken in lime juice, chili powder and honey for at least 30 minutes.
-Roll in chips and bake at 425F for about 20 minutes
-Remove from oven and spinkle with cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted
-Top with your favorite salsa

Swedish Meatballs

This dish was AMAZING! Seriously, I couldnt stop eating it. I even stole a meatball from my 1 year old.....dont judge me! Serve these meatballs over whole wheat egg noodles and you have an awesome, EASY dinner.





Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1lb ground beef
2 slices whole wheat bread-torn into chunks
1/2C 2% milk
1t garlic powder
1/2t onion powder
1/2t ground nutmeg

Sauce:
2T butter
1T flour
1 can beef consomme
1C whole milk
S&P to taste


Directions:
-Mix all the ingredients for meatballs, roll into balls and place on baking sheet
-Bake at 450F for 15 minutes

- In a saucepan melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth.
-Add consomme, milk and S&P. Bring to a boil
-Boil 5 minutes, add meatballs, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
-Serve over whole wheat egg noodles

Mixed Up Lasagna!

The original idea of this was to be a lasagna soup, but after multiple changes and tweeking its more of a skillet lasagna....in a pot. Ehh whatever you want to call it, it's good! You get the great taste of lasagna without all the work, seriously, what could be better? I did things the super simple way and used powdered onion and garlic, but if your full of energy (can you pass some my way please??) then fresh would be even better!








Mixed Up Lasagna

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
4C beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes- 14.5oz
1 can tomato sauce
1t Italian seasoning
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/4C Parmesan cheese

Directions:
-In a large pot, brown beef (If using fresh chopped onion and minced garlic and while browning beef) Add broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and seasonings.
- Bring to a boil.
-Break lasagna noodles into pieces and add to the pot.
-Cook over med heat 10 minutes, or until pasta is done. Stir in cheese and serve!

Blueberry Oat Scones

I have never had scones before today and these did not disappoint. They are not too sweet and you get a nice bite of blueberry with every bite! This is a nice snack I dont have to feel guilty about giving to my kids...or eating myself! Oh and you should know ahead of time......these are ugly! Mine were anyways, but they taste so good!





Blueberry Oat Scones
Adapted from weelicious

Ingredients:
1C AP Flour
1C Whole Wheat Flour
3T sugar
2t baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2C butter (1 stick)- chilled and cubed
3/4C buttermilk
1 egg
1t vanilla extract
1C blueberries

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375F
-In a bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients until combined
- With your fingers, rub butter into flour/oat mixture until it resembles coarse meal
-Whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla in a bowl.
-Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until combined.
-Scoop about 2T of the batter onto a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes

Mashed Potato Chicken Potpie

Despite the title, I didnt really think of this as a potpie. To me a potpie has a yummy flakey crust which this is lacking. My husband and I both thought stuffing this between a warm crust would make it even better! Either way, we both enjoyed it. For the veggies I used green beans, corn and carrots. Perfect cold weather comfort food.






Mashed Potato Chicken Potpie
Adapted from BHG

Ingredients:
3T olive oil
1/3C flour
1/2t pepper
1/4t salt
14oz chicken broth
3/4C milk
2C veggies- your choice
2.5C cooked chopped chicken- 3 breasts
2.5C mashed potatoes- about 3 medium potatoes
2T parmesan cheese
1/2t minced garlic

Directions:
-In a large saucepan heat oil. Stir in flour, pepper and salt. Let cook abotu 5 minutes constantly stirring.
-Add broth and milk. Cook over med hear until thick and bubbly.Stir in veggies and cooked chicken. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.
-In a bowl combine potatoes, cheese and garlic. Stir into the chicken mixture.
-Bake at 375F uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

Chewy Granola Squares

I know I said I would post the recipe for the buns today, but these granola sqyares are so yummy I had to share. The recipe is versatile, so feel free to add different things that your family will enjoy. My 11 month old would survive on these if I let him! They are chewy and wont crumble when you take a bite, which means less mess when little ones are running around with these. I like to stick a few of these in my purse for a healthy snack on the go.







Chewy Granola Squares

Ingredients:
2C old fashioned oats
1/2C brown sugar
1/2C flax seed
3/4t cinnamon
1C whole wheat flour
3/4t salt
1/4C honey
1 egg
3/4C applesauce
2t vanilla
1/2C crispy brown rice cereal
3/4C mix of dried fruits/nuts/chocolate chips- I used dried apples only this time

Directions:
-Heat oven to 350F
-In a bowl mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
-Spray a 9x13in baking pan with non-stick spray. Lightly press mixture evenly into the pan.
-Bake 25-30 minutes. Cut and remove to a cooling rack.

White Castle Sliders

I have never been to a White Castle restaurant so I cant be a good judge of how close to the real thing these little burgers are, but I can say they were very good! I love how simple they are to make and they are full of flavor with very few ingredients. My husband LOVED these! I served mine one homemade hamburger buns. I will be sharing that recipe in the next post. You could use regular buns for large burgers, but I think they are best with the mini buns I made, or you can buy small rolls.






White Castle Sliders
Adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

Ingredients:
2 lbs hamburger meat
1 onion-finely chopped
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1T peanut butter
1/2C milk
Rolls or Buns
Sliced Cheese- I really recommend the velveeta slices

Directions:
-In a large bowl mix the hamburger, onion soup mix, peanut butter and milk. Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet that has a rim. A rolling pin can be used to help roll it out evenly
-Heat oven to 350F and bake for 10 minutes.Take it out of the oven and place diced onion all around the edges of the meat.(The meat will shrink while cooking) Place back in the oven for 15 minutes. Take it back out and add cheese slices and bake for 7-10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove and add the tops of your rolls and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. (The bottom part of the rolls will just sit on the counter) Slice the meat and pick up the slider/top bun with spatula and set it on the bottom bun.
-Enjoy!

I know, I know!

Sorry I have been slacking again! Things have been pretty busy around here.

My amazing-beautiful-smart-energetic-creative-funny-attitude filled daughter turned 5 and I have been planning her party which was shared with her handsome-curious-amazing-smart-chunky butt brother who turns 1 on October 7th!








And she had her very first day of Pre-K! It was a very sad but very exciting day! I cannot believe how much she has grown in the past 5 years. Here is a picture of her on her way to school! She was so excited!




Now that the chaos has settled, I have some yummy new recipes to share with you all. Stay tuned....

Best Ever Dinner Rolls!

Ok, so these are the only rolls I have ever made but they were so delicious! They were light and fluffy in the middle and a little bit crisp on the outside. Spreading some melted butter on top equals HEAVENLY! They are really simple to make too, bonus!! My 4 year old wanted to just eat the rolls for dinner, and I had one for breakfast this morning. Yumm Yumm







Best Ever Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:
1C water
2T butter-softened
1 egg
2C bread flour
1 1/4C whole wheat flour
1/4C sugar
1t salt
3t active dry yeast
Melted butter for tops-optional

Directions:
-Place all ingredients in bread machine in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select dough cycle. (Mine takes about 1.5 hours)
-Remove dough from pan, using lightly floured hands. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Grease a large cookie sheet. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2in apart. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30-45 minutes, or until doubled.
-Heat oven to 375F. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter and serve!

Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Glaze

This was an easy to throw together, flavorful dish. The title says it has a lemon glaze, but to me a glaze is thicker so it was more of a saucy type thing. Either way, I just spooned a little over the chicken and let it soak up all the delicious lemon flavor. I also made the dijon because I thought I had some in the fridge and realized I used the very last of it a few days before and well lets face it, I was to lazy to run to the store. I never realized how simple it is to make! I will never buy another jar of dijon!





Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:
1lb chicken breasts- pounded thin
1T dijon mustard -recipe below
1 egg
1C breadcrumbs
1/2t Italian seasoning
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
2T olive oil for frying

Lemon Glaze
1/2C chicken broth
4T lemon juice
1/2t salt
1 lemon- sliced thin

Directions:
-In a shallow dish whisk together mustard and eggs; set aside. In a seperate dish combine breadcrumbs, italian seasonings, garlic, onion and salt.
-Dip chicken in egg mixture (shake off excess egg) and the coat in breadcrumb mixture.
-Heat oil in a skiller over med-high heat. Cook chicken about 5 minutes on each side, or until it is no longer pink; remove and keep warm.
-For the glaze: in the same skillet add broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, scraping down any brown bits from the pan. Add in lemon slices and parsley, cook 1 minute.
-Spoon sauce over the chicken.





Dijon Mustard

2T dry mustard
1T mayo
1t water
1t white vinegar
Pinch of sugar

Mix together! Makes about 2T dijon.

Simple Chicken Stir Fry

Making a stir fry is a great option when you are short on time and your pantry is looking a little bare. They require few ingredients and you really can throw whatever you have on hand in and it will still taste fabulous! The ingredients for this particular stir fry I pretty much will always have on hand and its packed with flavor and can be done in a matter of minutes. I will go ahead and admit that I used a pack of 90 second Uncle Bens brown rice instead of making my own but whatever, I was in a hurry!





Simple Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts- cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2C juliened bell peppers- I used a bag of frozen mixed peppers
1/2C broccoli florets
1t sesame seed oil
1T minced garlic
3T honey
3T soy sauce
3T lemon juice
2T water
2t cornstarch

Directions:
-In a large non-stick skillet brown diced chicken in 1t sesame seed oil. When cooked through remove from pan and keep warm.
-Saute bell pepper and broccoli in the same pan, remove keep warm.
-Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Add to pan bringing to a boil. Stir in chicken and veggies. Cook about 1 minute.
-Serve over hot rice, or noodles

ZAP-ple Muffins

Thats what I told my 4 year old they were. Not that she needs any encouragement to eat something in the shape of a muffin! These are a sweet treat packed with chopped apples and zuchinni. The yogurt ensures they stay moist, and you have to love the hint of cinnamon. I made mini muffins and it made about 32 muffins. If you have a small scoop like the ones pampered chef sell it really helps to place the batter in the muffin tins. Enjoy!





ZAP-ple Muffins

Ingredients:

3/4C Unbleached AP Flour
3/4C Whole Wheat Flour
1/2C Rolled Oats
1.5t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t cinnamon
1/4t salt
2 eggs
3/4C nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/2C packed light brown sugar
1C chopped zucchini- 1 medium
1C peeled, cored, chopped apples- About 2 small apples

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
-In a bowl mix together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
-Peel core and slice apples. Peel and slice zuchinni.Place in a food processor and chop until finely minced.
-In a seperate bowl beat the eggs. Add yogurt, and brown sugar.Mix thoroughly. Fold in zuchinni and apples.
-Spoon into muffin tin and Bake about 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. For mini muffins cook about 22 minutes.

Sneaky Sneaky

Ok let me start off by saying that im sorry for the lack of posts lately. I like to post pictures with my recipes so you can get an idea of what its supposed to look like, and lets face it we eat with our eyes too! Well, my camera batteries are dead and I cant find my charger! Grrr. If I use regular batteries it will let me take like 2 pictures before it dies, so I really need to find my charger!


So, as you may have read from me before I do Baby Led Weaning (also know as Baby Led Solids) with my son. But before I realized how awesome BLW was I bought a boat load of baby mush in jars. So now im stuck with jars and jars and nothing to do with them...until now. It is always a challenge for me to get veggies in my kids, and well me and my husband also! Before my daughter even tastes a veggie, she automatically tells me that she doesnt like them and they are gross. (Insert eye roll) Well I discovered if she cant actually see them, then they taste great! Ha! I have been putting purees into all kinds of things and they get gobbled up! If you dont have baby food then you can always just bake/steam/saute them then puree and add to your dish. For the record I dont think you should just sneak the veggies in and leave it at that. I will always serve the whole food too. So if they happen to eat the whole veggie too, then double yay! So go ahead, be a little sneaky, its good for your kids.....promise!

Haitian Style Chicken over Quinoa

Have you ever eaten quinoa? Me either, until tonight. I have read that it is a super food and well I get tired of rice and potatoes over and over for a side so I thought I would give it a try......Im impressed! My rice hating 5 year old had 2 helpings! Anyways, the star of the dish is the chicken. It has a very nice flavor to it. The sauce is great mixed in with the quinoa. Yumm, I will be making this again!







Haitian Style Chicken
Adapted from Sandy on CFYF

1/2 onion-chopped
1/2 serrano pepper- seeds removed and minced
Juice of 2 limes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2T canola oil
1C orange juice
1/4C water
1/4t dried thyme
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper

Directions:
-Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, mince onions and pepper
-Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown on all sides.
-Add in onion and pepper, cooking 3 mor eminutes
-Stir in lime juice, orange juice, water, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil
-Reduce heat to low and partially cover, simmer for 30 minutes.


Basic Quinoa
1C quinoa
1C chicken broth
1C water

Directions:
-In a small saucepan bring water and broth to a boil.
-Pour in quinoa and return to boil.
-Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes

Lower Fat Banana Bread

There are 1,001 recipes for banana bread, and I have tried a few of them myself. I like this variation because it is a bit healthier and thats always a plus in my book! This always turns out very moist and full of flavor. So, enjoy one of my favorite recipes for banana bread!






Lower Fat Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1C all purpose flour
3/4C whole wheat flour
1T milled flax seed -optional
1/3C sugar
1t cinnamon
2t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/3C low fat milk
1/4C fat free vanilla yogurt
1t vanilla extract


Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325F
-In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Then beat in yogurt, bananas, milk and vanilla.
-In a seperate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Stir dry ingredients into the wet. Stir unti lwell combined.
- Pour into a loaf pan, sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 1 hour

Graham Cracker Cookies

So I was at the store looking for snacks for the kids and grabbed a box of Graham Crackers. I was looking through the ingredients (yes this is another, OMG did you know what that was in there posts) and it had high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is horrible for you and its in everything!! Needless to say, I set the box right back on the shelf and went on my merry way. Amazingly enough I was looking on one of my favorite sits, weelicious.com the next day and homemade graham crackers was the first post I saw! It was a sign! These taste like the real deal to me, and my kids both scarfed these down. I used a small glass to cut out my circles and they tasted more like cookies, so I changed the name for my post. If you are a graham cracker fan, or your looking for a little healthier snack for the kids, you must try these!









Graham Crackers
Recipe via Weelicious.com

Ingredients
1C whole wheat flour
1 1/2C unbleached all purpose flour
1/2C brown sugar, packed --I used light brown, the recipes says dark
1/2t salt
1t cinnamon
1t baking soda
1/2C butter, chilled and cubed
1/4C honey
1/4C water

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350F.
-In a food processor or with a mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
-Add cubed butter to the mixture and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
-Add honey and water and continue to mix until all combined.
-Remove and shape dough into a flat disk. Roll out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes
-Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.

Frijoles de Olla

This is a plan ahead side because you need to soak the beans and they take a few hours to cook. I didnt actually make these for any particular meal, I made them to go straight into the freezer for later meals. After reading the ingredients for refried beans I realized just how unhealthy they can be, so decided to make my own! After these are cooked you can scoop some out and puree to thicken it up, or you can puree the entire batch. These are great as a side, on burritos, in taco meat, on tostadas, the possibilities are endless!






Frijoles de Olla (Pot Beans)

Ingredients:
2C dried pinto beans
1C chicken stock
Water- Enough to cover the beans
1 head of garlic- peeled and chopped
2t chili powder
2t cumin
1/4t chili flakes
1t dried oregeno
1/2 onion-chopped
1-2 jalapenos, minced
1t salt


Directions:
- Pick through the beans and rinse carefully looking for any grit. Let soak overnight.
- Place beans in a stock pot. Add chicken stock and enough water to cover the beans. Add the remaining ingredietns except for the salt. Bring beans to a boil over high heat; reduce to low and simmer uncovered. Plan on a cooking time of 3-4 hours.
- After 1 hour stir the beans and check water level. If there isnt at least 1in more water than beans, add enough hot water to cover the beans. Keep checking and adding water as needed. Add salt the last hour and continue simmering.
- There should be extra liquid at the end of cooking, but it should not be soupy.

Shepherds Pie

It has been getting pretty cool around here lately and cool weather makes me think of warm comfort food. Shepherds pie is a great cold weather dish. I like that with this dish I can sneak in veggies and turkey and no one knows the difference. I have a hard time getting veggies in my 5 year old, and my husband! My 10 month old even devoured this!

I debated posting a picture because it turned out looking a big mess! I was in a hurry because I started dinner late so I didnt let the sauce thicken enough and it didnt really hold a shape. It was still delicious!








Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:
1.5lb ground turkey
1/2 medium zuchinni
1/2 small onion
1c baby carrots
3 cloves garlic
1.5T Worcestershire sauce
2T tomato paste
1/2t dried thyme
1 can beef broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

3C mashed potatoes
1/4C Colby Jack cheese


Directions:

-In a large skillet brown turkey until no longer pink.
-Place zuchinni, carrots, onion and garlic in food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add mixture to meat cooking for 3 minutes.
-Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.Season with thyme and cook 1 minute. Add broth and simmer 10-15 minutes or until sauce has thikened. Transfer beef to a deep baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes.
-Bake for 30 minutes at 375F or until top is brown and heated through.

Meal Plan Monday!

In no particular order....


- Morrocan Chicken with Couscous
- Shephards Pie
- Key West Chicken
- Chicken Tortilla Chowder
- Pork Steaks

Chili Rubbed Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

Delicious! There's not really much more to say. This tenderloin is packed with flavor and requires very little effort to make. If you dont like spicy food, then this probably isnt for you, or you could always adjust the heat level to suit you, but trust me it is delicious as is!






Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze
Adapted from Allrecipes

1lb pork tenderloin-trimmed of fat

Spice Rub:
1/2T chili powder
1/2T garlic powder
1/4T sugar
1/2t salt
1/2t black pepper

Glaze:
3/4C Apricot preserves
1/4C BBQ sauce- I used Sweet Baby Rays- Sweet Vidalia Onion
1/2t ginger powder
1/2t hot sauce- I used Tabasco
1 lime- Juiced

Directions:
-Place tenderloin in a ziploc bag. Mix all the Spice Rub ingredients together and rub into the meat. Refridgerate 2-24 hours.
-Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Bake tenderloin for 45 minutes. Remove and add the glaze, baking for 20 more minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160F.

Toasted Orzo with Herbs

Im posting this today because I realized I havent really posted any side dishes. Im always on the search for sides, because I get so tired of the same ol' thing. For me, sides need to be fast and easy to throw together because I usually forget about them until the last minute. Oops! The ingredients for this are beyond simple, but the flavor is fantastic! I was a little suprised at how much I enjoyed this. My 10 month old devoured it too, bonus! I got the recipe from one of the wonderful ladies over on my Cooking For Your Family board, and changed it up a bit. Enjoy!






Toasted Orzo with Herbs

1C orzo
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1/2t dried rosemary leaves
1/2t dried thyme leaves

Directions:

In a saucepan toast orzo over med-high heat until golden brown. Add in chicken broth and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until desired tenderness. Stir right before serving.

Lemony Marinated Chicken

This is such a simple dish I almost didnt post it. However, after eating dinner last night my husband told me that this chicken was perfect and I have to make it again. Ok, you should know I dont think my husband has ever said something food wise was perfect, unless he made it of course, so a huge compliment from him! The chicken has a light lemon flavor and was very moist.







Marinated Lemon Chicken

1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon
1/2c olive oil
1/3c white wine
1/2t kosher salt
1/2t pepper
1t minced garlic

Directions:

-Place chicken in a ziploc bag. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze juice over chicken, throw lemon in the bag too. Place remaining ingredients into the bag, close and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
-Cook over med-high heat in a nonstick skillet until done. Mine cooked about 5 minutes or so per side.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I have never made gumbo before but have always wanted to try. I finally decided it was time! I was not dissappointed! I couldnt find any one recipe that sounded right, so I combined a few and made my own. Most gumbos that I found had a few of the following, but I decided to leave out for taste preferences: okra, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Because I have little ones I didnt add as much cayenne, but it would have been even better with a bit more! I will say now that it is time consuming and you will be standing over the stove quite a bit, but the end result is worth it. Enjoy!











Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb smoked sausage- sliced
2 onions- diced
1T minced garlic
1/2c vegetable oil
2/3c flour
1.5T parsley
1t dried thyme
8c water
1/8t cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

-Start out by filling a large pot with water. Add salt, and the diced onion. Bring to a boil and add chicken. Cook until chicken is done. Once done, remove from pan and shred. Reserve the water and onions!!!
-While the chicken is cooking, in another pan brown sliced sausage, drain and set aside.
-In a large pot heat vegetable oil, once it's hot add flour and stir constantly. This is the roux. The darker the roux the more flavor you will get. Mine was a peanut butter color and took about 10 minutes to get.
- Once you get the desired color, add the cooked sausage, garlic and parsley. Next stir in 8 cups of your reserved water and onion mix. If you dont have enough just add water from the tap. Add shredded chicken.
-Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
-Serve over hot rice!

Meal Plan Monday

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been feeling so lazy since getting back from vacation that I have slacked on cooking, and im ashamed to say...we have eaten out a lot! Anyways, im back and cant wait to try out some new recipes!!






Monday- Guiltless Chicken Alfredo, Garlic Knots, and Broccoli

Tuesday- Southwest Egg Rolls with Spanish Rice

Wednesday- Sweet Broiled Salmon with fresh veggies

Thursday- Haitian Chicken with Quinoa

Friday- Leftovers

Crepes

If you've never had crepes you should try them. The are thin, slightly sweet, and you can fill them with numerous things. I like mine simple with powdered sugar sprinkled on top.



The picture didnt turn out great, but the crepes did!





Crepes

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1c unbleached all purpose flour
3/4c milk
1/2c water
1t vanilla

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Spray a small saute pan with pam. Pour in about 2T of batter and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, flip and continue to cook for another 30 seconds or until it just starts turning a golden brown. Remove to a plate a cook remaining batter.

You can spread your favorite jam, honey, apple butter, fruit, or powdered sugar then roll into a cigar and Enjoy!

Chicken Tortellini

Let me start this post by saying that I am a huge fan of Baby Led Weaning. What is that you ask? Well, once a baby turns 6 months old you go straight to giving them finger foods. No yucky mush in a jar! I really wish I had heard about this with my daughter, I think she wouldnt be as picky as she is now. My son started out with fresh fruits and veggies cut into sticks, then into cubes. He now eats pretty much whatever we are eating. I love it, my husband loves it, and most of all my little man loves it! That being said, I am always looking for recipes that are more baby friendly. This definitely qualifies! Its simple and delicious!






Chicken Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
2T olive oil
1 small onion-chopped
1 clove garlic-minced
2C cooked chicken- shredded
4C low sodium chicken stock
1C milk
1C cream of chicken soup
1/2t oregeno
2T grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2C frozen chopped spinach
1 bag cheese filled tortellini

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, milk, cream of chicken, chicken, oregeno, parmesan, salt and pepper. Cook for about 10minutes. Add tortellini and spinach, cooking 10 minutes longer or until tortellini is heated through.

MIA

Well im going to be MIA for the next week or so. I know, dont be too sad! Haha. We are taking a long overdue family vacation....to Spain! Im sooo excited. When we moved overseas I had two places I had to see, Italy and Spain. We went to Italy in 2008 and now Spain! Ireland is next on our list. We are leaving Sunday night. Its supposed to be an 11 hour drive, I figure with 2 kids and my many bathroom breaks it will be more around 13 hours. Ughhh! We are planning on driving overnight in hopes of avoiding meltdowns from our 9 month old. We'll see how that goes. Either way, we have 7 days to relax on the beach, okay more like fight with little man to keep sand out of his mouth and chase our 4 year old up and down the beaches.

Pork Enchiladas

So I had chimichangas on the menu but enchiladas sounded too yummy to pass up! There are 3 recipes to go with my enchiladas since I decided to be brave and make my own enchilada sauce and tortillas! Yes, you read that right! I have to say, my tortillas turned out looking very ugly but they tasted amazing!!! I will be tripling this recipe in the future so I can freeze them. For the enchilada sauce I did triple it and froze 2 15oz containers for later use. I also had about 2 cups of shredded pork leftover that I froze for later. These may seem like alot of work, but they really aren't, and even if they were, its worth it!







Slow Cooker Mexican Pork

Ingredients:
3-4 lb pork shoulder
1 small onion- sliced
1/4t white pepper
1 1/5t cumin
1t chili powder
1t minced garlic
5t lime juice

Directions:
Place pork in the bottom of a crockpot. Slice onion and throw in with the garlic. Mix all the seasonings in a small glass bowl. Place lime juice on top of the pork, then rub seasoning mixture all over pork. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Remove and shred.








Homemade Tortillas
Makes 10

Ingredients:
2c unbleached all purpose flour
1t salt
3/4t baking powder
2T shortening
2/3c warm water

Directions:
In a large bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder. With your fingertips, rub in shortening until crumbly. Stir in water and knead lightly to make a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 10 pieces and shape into balls. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Heat a cast iron skillet, and add one tortilla. Cook for 1-2 minutes, turning over as soon as the surface starts to bubble. It should stay flexible. Remove from the pan and wrap in a clean towel to keep warm.


Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:
2T canola oil
2T flour
2T chili powder
1/2t cumin
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2c water
1t salt
1/2t garlic powder

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and chili powder, cooking for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 cups of sauce.



Now to put it all together!!!

Preheat an oven to 375F. Take a 9x13 baking pan and place enough enchilada sauce on the bottom to cover it. In each tortilla place shredded pork and cheese, then roll and place in pan. Once they are all filled cover with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Huevos Rancheros

I will admit, I had never had huevos rancheros before I made them. They seemed....interesting. Im used to eggs really only being for breakfast, so to put one on top of a corn tortilla and refried beans intrigued me. After trying them I can say, im not in love, but they were good and I can now say I tried them. If you like them and are looking for a healthier version then I think these are for you! You can also sub the refried beans for frijoles de olla, recipe coming soon!





Huevos Rancheros
Adapted from Biggest Loser Simple Swaps

Ingredients:

Ranchero Sauce:
2t olive oil
1 small yellow onion chopped
1T chopped garlic
1 (14oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1/2t coriander
1/2t cumin
1/2t oregeno
1/2t salt
Pepper to taste
1/2t dried chipotle powder

For each Serving:
1 corn tortilla
2T fat free refried beans
1 fried egg


Directions:
For the sauce:
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softed. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer, dont allow garlic to brown. Add the tomatoes, and seasonings, cook for a few minutes longer. Transfer sauce to blender or food processot and blend until smooth.

To make one serving:
Warm tortillas and refried beans, set aside.
Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook egg however you like it.
Place tortilla on a plate and top with beans. Place the egg on beans. Top with ranchero sauce and garnish with cheese.

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Summer Squash

This recipe is simple, light, and flavorful! A perfect summer dish! Both my 4 year old and 9 month old loved this, which is a keeper in my book. The squash gives a nice bite to this dish. You could sub any fresh veggies you have on hand and it would be just as delicious. Dont let the amount of oil scare you off.







Garlic Chicken Pasta with Summer Squash

Ingredients:

5T olive oil
2t minced garlic
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts- cubed
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 box penne pasta
1/2 yellow squashed- diced
1T dried basil
4T lemon juice
1/2c parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small glass bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute to blend flavors. Pour 1T of the oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper the chicken and cook in the oil over med-high heat. Add the chopped squash and saute with chicken for about 5 minutes, remove from heat. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package and drain well. Add the chicken and squash to the pasta, along with the basil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. The stir in the remainder of the flavored olive oil. Toss until all ingredients are well combined.

What's Cookin'?

Monday- Cheese Manicotti
Tuesday- Garlic Chicken Pasta with summer squash
Wednesday- Chimichangas with black bean and corn salad
Thursday-Coconut chicken curry with white rice and sugar snap peas
Friday- Tacos with spanish rice

Tinga Poblana with Chicken

This recipe does require a little more work than some of my dishes but it is absolutely worth it. I didnt have Mexican Oregeno so I just subbed regular oregeno. I also used regular boneless skinless chicken breasts which the original recipe said DO NOT DO, but mine turned out fine.






Tinga Poblana with Chicken

Ingredients:

1lb chicken breasts or chicken thighs
1 white onion- 1/2 cut into large cubes and 1//2 finely diced
4 cloves of garlic- 2 smashed and 2 minced
1T olive oil
1/2lb chorizo, casings removed and crumbled
1 can chopped tomatoes, drained
1t dried Mexican oregeno
2 bay leaves
2 canned chipotles in adobo with 1T sauce, diced

Directions:

Place chicken, onion chunks, and smashed garlic in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooekd through, 20-30 minutes. Using tongs transfer chicken to a plate. Reserve the broth. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred (If using thighs, remove skin, fat, and bones) In a large frying pan cook chorizo over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove excess rendered fat. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic. Saute until beginning to soften, but not brown, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, deglazing the pan. Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, oregeno, bay leaves, and chiles. Stir until blended. Simmer, uncovered, until the flavors blend, abotu 15 minutes. Add more broth if the mixture begins to stick. The mixture should absorb the liquid and not be runny. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve on warm tortillas with all the fixings, or on a hot bed of rice.

Want to Make Your Life Easier???

If you know me at all then you know I like to make my life as easy as possible. So when it comes to cooking there are two key things that help me do this

1. Meal Planning
2. Cooking and Freezing


Trust me when I say meal planning can save you money in the long run. Every Saturday I sit down and plan my dinners for the week. (I run a daycare in my home so my breakfast and lunches are already planned for me. I will be quitting my job soon so I will be planning my own complete menu in the next few months.) I also plan on making snacks for the week to avoid buying boxes of junk filled with high fructose corn syrup and loaded up on sugar and salt.

I have a dry erase board in my kitchen that has every meal written down so my husband does not come home from work and ask me whats for dinner, he can take a look at the board.

The next great time and money saver is freezing! You can always make double batches one to cook, one to freeze, or you can devote a day to cooking meals and freezing for later use. This is great for days when you really dont have the time or energy to cook. You can grab something out of your stash and throw it in the oven. Simple!! Personally I cook my dishes before freezing, but alot of foods can go straight into the freezer. For things like sauces I place them in ziploc baggies, lay flat to freeze and they are much easier to stack and take up less room. You can individually freeze waffles and pancakes then place in baggies, or you can place a sheet of wax paper between them to keep from sticking. There are endless possibilities when it comes to freezing your food!!! So next time your making your kids some pancakes for breakfast, make a huge batch and freeze them to avoid buying boxes of junk that cost too much!

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

Im not a pork fan at all.I will however eat pork tenderloin. Did you know tenderloin is actually just as lean as a skinless chicken breast? I eat alot of chicken, but sometimes its nice to throw something different and just as healthy in the mix! I usually make my tenderloin in a crockpot but decided to try out the oven this time. I have to say, I prefer the oven method now! The meat turned out moist and packed with flavor. I poured a little of the red wine sauce over it and it was heavenly!






Rosemary Pork Tenderloin
2 lb pork tenderloin
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t pepper
1.5 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 T dried rosemary leaves
1 T olive oil
1/4 c red wine


Directions:

-Place tenderloin on a large piece of saran wrap. Drizzle olive oil over pork. Mix all the seasonings in a small bowl and rub into meat. Wrap meat tightly in saran wrap and refridgerate at least 1 hour.
-Pre-heat oven to 400F
-Place in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 cup red wine in the bottom. Bake about 40 minutes or until internal temp reaches 155 degrees.



Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 T butter
1 T all purpose flour
1/2 t garlic
1/2 small onion chopped
3/4 c red wine
1/2 c beef broth
1/2 T dried rosemary leaves

Directions:

In a small sauce pan melt butter. Add onions and garlic cooking about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk. Cook an additional minute. Stir in red wine, broth, and rosemary. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.


** I poured a little of the sauce over each individual serving.

Tex Mex Lasagna

Im a Texas girl at heart, and I love Mexican food so I knew I had to try this recipe! I was actually a little skeptical at first. When I think lasagna I think of ooey gooey cheesey Italian comfort food. Let me just say this was absolutely amazing!! It has layers and layers of goodness!I had 2 helpings and really thought about getting a third, but im trying really hard to cut down my portions and lose some of this baby weight. My 4 year old even loved this and she has become a very picky eater! I made this during lunch and threw it in the fridge until dinner time. This recipe would also freeze very well. Next time I will be making a double batch, 1 to eat and 1 to freeze.













Tex Mex Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 16oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c frozen corn
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning (see recipe below)
1 15oz can tomato sauce, divided
2 c salsa
12 lasagna noodles
1 bag reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese


Directions:

-Boil lasagna noodles according to package.
-In a large skillet cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in beans, corn, jalapeno, taco seasonings and 3/4c tomato sauce.
-Combine salsa and remaing tomato sauce. Spread 1/4c into a 9x13 in baking dish. Layer 4 noodles, half of the meat, 1c salsa mixture, 3/4c cheese. Repeat layers, topping with salsa mixture and cheese.
-Cover and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until edges are bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.



** I like to make my own taco seasonings. I can control the heat, salt and there is no MSG! Its simple and you can makes multiple batches and store in ziploc baggies for easy use.


Taco Seasoning:

3t chili powder
2.5t paprika
2.5t cumin
1.5t onion powder
1.5t garlic powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper

Mix together and store in ziploc baggie or use right away!

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

There's 2 things I really really love when it comes to food. I mean, its an unnatural kind of love. Garlic and pasta, of any kind. I put garlic in pretty much anything, which if you stick around to read my blog (hint hint) you will see for yourself. And when it comes to pasta, I try to minimize how much we eat because of health reasons. I also try to stick to whole wheat, whole grain pastas. Well, its a no brainer that this recipe was just calling out to me. The recipe called for fettuccine which you can see from the picture I didnt use. I used tri color rotini, still delicious! I will say now to make sure the chicken gets nice and crispy or it just wont be nearly as good. I reheated it for lunch the next day and I have to say it was even better!






Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Olive Garden Recipe

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1.5 c flour, plus 1T
2 t salt
2 t black pepper
2 T Italian seasoning
1 lb fettuccine pasta (or your favorite pasta!) cooked according to directions
5 T olive oil
1 T garlic, chopped
1 red pepper julienne cut
1/2 c white wine
1/2 lb spinach
2 c heavy cream
1 c parmesan cheese, grated

-Pre-heat oven to 350F.
-Mix 1.5c flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in mixture, shaking off excess flour.
-Heat 3T oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken over med-high heat until golden brown and crisp.
-Place cooked chicken on a baking sheet and place in oven. Cook 10-15 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165F
-Heat 2T oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook 1 minute. Stir in 1T flour, wine, spinach, and cream, bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted.
-Coat cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce.

Sloppy Joes

...or not so sloppy if you're like me. I used to hate sloppy joes. Maybe it was the name, or maybe because it had ketchup in it. Hmm probably the ketchup. Yes im a reformed picky eater and I loathed ketchup! Anyways, my husband loves sloppy joes. For the first year of our marriage he was always asking me to make them...and I refused. Well one day I broke when I found this yummy recipe. I like that they do not come from a can of any kind and I can adjust just how sloppy these get. I for one do not like a ton of sauce. It really doesnt get much easier than these, so give them a try and your kids, and possibly husband will be thanking you! Enjoy!





Sloppy Joes
Source: 4kowboys

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t dried mustard
1/4 t cumin
3/4 t minced onion flakes
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2c- 3/4c ketchup (adjust to your taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the meat adding salt and pepper to tast. Drain any fat then add remaining ingredients until heated through. Serve on buns.

Blueberry Muffins

I have been trying to eat less processed pre-packaged foods, so I needed to come up with healthy-ish snacks to have throughout the week. I found a recipe for blueberry muffins and adapted it to make it more on the healthy side. I will warn you all ahead of time, these arent really sweet.






Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
3/4 c low fat milk
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 egg
1 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c sugar
3 t baking powder
1 c fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Blend milk, applesauce and eggs in a small bowl. In a seperate bowl stir together, flours, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and pour wet ingredients in. Stir with a spoon just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy)Fold in blueberries. Divide batter inot muffins cups. Bake until golden brown. Regular size muffins- 18-20 minutes Mini-Muffins- 10 minutes. Immediately remove from pan.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

If you dont own a crockpot you really should get one! I love using mine when I know im going to have a busy day, or when its too hot outside to stand over my stove. This recipe is simple and delicious, two of my favorite things when it comes to cooking! The meat is tender and has a light citrus flavor. I wrapped it in warm wheat flour tortillas, corn tortillas would be great also. I didnt have any cheese to top it with...I know who runs out of cheese?!?! It would have made this dish even better! I paired it with a homemade spanish rice recipe which I will post later, it still needs some tweaking.


The picture doesnt look like much, but trust me, its yummy!




Slow Cooker Carnitas

Ingredients:
2 lb pork shoulder
1/2 c fresh squeezed orange juice, about 1 orange
1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice, about 1 large lime
7 whole cloves of garlic
1 t kosher salt
1 T cumin
1/2 c beef broth
Tortillas

Directions:
In a small bowl combine salt and cumin. Rub mixture into pork and place in slow cooker. Add garlic cloves, lime and orange juice, and beef broth. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork. Serve on warm tortillas!

Breakfast Skillet

I love love love breakfast for dinner. Im not a morning person so we rarely eat a real breakfast in the morning. This recipe was great. It had everything I love in a breafast (aside from pancakes) and I didnt dirty a ton of dishes to get it.





Breakfast Skillet
Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
10 red baby potatoes, diced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg for each person (or however many you want!)
1 green onion, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Dice the potatoesand place in a pot of boiling water to par cook. Boil for 7 minutes, remove and drain. While the potatoes are boiling, cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium heat. Once bacon is cooked, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Remove all but 2t of bacon grease from the pan then add the potatoes.

Cook the potatoes over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper, cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn heat to low, adding potatoes back into the pan.

Fry 1 egg per person in a seperate skillet. Place potato mixture on a plate and top with egg. Can be topped with cheese or hot sauce if desired.

Bourbon Chicken

This recipe is fast, easy and delicious, what more could you ask for?! The chicken has a definite kick to it so if you have little ones eating it you may want to use less of the red pepper. It's great served over rice, or left on its own. I served it with green beans and roasted potatoes.

Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1T olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 t ginger

3/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c apple juice

1/3 c light brown sugar

2 T ketchup

1 T cider vinegar

1/2 c water

1/3 c low sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients, heating over med. heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken to the pan and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Enjoy!