#593: Flourless Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Sorry for the terrible picture

My bananas always turn brown before we finish them (even if I buy them slightly green!) so I was super, super excited to see this recipe on one of my friend's pinterest board.  The girls have been eating the Butternut Squash muffins everyday for breakfast now for the last 3 days and just finished them this morning.  So I was very excited to throw these together for the girls for breakfast tomorrow. 

These are so yummy, we ate some with our dinner.  These are NOT going to last long in our house, I can guarantee it!

2 /1/2 cup oats (old fashioned kind, not quick cooking)
1 single serving cup of plain low fat greek yogurt (I used low carb pear yogurt b/c that's what I had)2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (next time I'll try using 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 bananas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (this batter sticks to paper liners!) Place all of the ingredients, including bananas in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
This batter made 24 mini muffins and 5 large muffins for me.

#592: Grilled Marinated Chicken with Fresh Herb Sauce

When I made this, I did not leave any dressing left to use as a dipping sauce.  My family would NEVER have eaten it this way, so I just poured everthing over the chicken and I let it marinate in the fridge for about 4 1/2 hours.

This was very, very good.  I was afraid the kids (yes, I'm lumping Brian into that mix) would not eat this because of "the green stuff," but both Allison and Brian at all of theirs.  Chloe (my pickiest eater--she just doesn't care about eating as much as the rest of us, unless it's candy) ate it but didn't love it.  Personally I think she liked it, she just didn't want to eat it. 

3/4 cup Italian Dressing

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)

Mix dressing and herbs; pour 1/4 cup over chicken in shallow glass dish. Turn chicken over to coat both sides. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.

   

Heat grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 7 min.; turn over. Add tomatoes to grill; brush with 1/4 cup of the remaining dressing mixture. Grill 6 to 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).  Serve chicken with remaining dressing mixture.

#591: Oatmeal Blueberry Coffee Cup Bake

I found this recipe on my friend Jaime's pinterest board and when I clicked on the link it took me to a message board on my fitness pal.  It looked easy, it looked healthy and it looked quick, so I figured I would throw this together for breakfast this morning. 

First of all, I didn't think there was any way mine would come out looking like the original photo.  In that picture it looked like it was baked in a tall muffin tin and came out nice and solid and muffin-like.  Shockingly, mine did that too! 

I'm actually super surprised that I liked this and it's pretty good.  Every few bites it tastes a little too eggy for my liking, so next time I think I'll try making it with applesauce instead.  This would be an easy breakfast to throw together in a little bowl, and pop in the microwave at work (in a coffee cup of course) when I get there.  Yep, I'd make this again!

It would be great with any fruit you have on hand and like in your oatmeal.  It sure is a great way to get a little protein in too (if you use the egg/egg white).

1/4 cup quick oats (mine weren't quick cooking)
1 egg (I used 1 egg white)
small handful of blueberries (mine were frozen)
little bit of brown sugar
tbsp soymilk or regular milk
1/2 tsp honey

Mix it all up and pour into a coffee mug.  Put it in the microwave for 1 minute, make sure it doesn’t overflow.  Add an extra 30 sec if it needs to firm up. (I cooked mine for 1 1/2 minutes).

#590: Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

This was the perfect meal to throw together on this 90+ degree day AND when it was 11 am and I hadn't taken the chicken out of the freezer yet!  This was easy and delicious.  Let me repeat, this was easy!  Yep, we'll definitely make this one again. 

 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halfs or 12 to 15 chicken tenders
1 (12 ounce) bottle bbq sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Small rolls or hamburger buns

Place frozen or thawed chicken in a slow cooker. Cover chicken with 1/2 c chicken broth and 1/2 cup Italian Salad Dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 3 hours or until chicken is almost done, but not quite. They will continue cooking after you add the BBQ Sauce.

In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper. Pour over the chicken.

Cover, and cook on low for about 1 hour or until chicken is fork tender and pulls apart easily.  You might need to slightly offset your crockpot lid to let a little steam escape so the sauce starts to thicken.  Shred with 2 forks and serve on toasted rolls or hamburger buns.

#589: Grilled Philly Cheesesteak

Although I've never actually had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich before, I'm pretty sure from watching endless hours of food network and cooking shows that this is NOT a traditional Philly cheesesteak sandwich.  (Phew, that was one long sentence!).  However, even Allison enjoyed this version and I would absolutely, definintely make this again...with one minor change.

Personally I would not add the olive oil to this meat.  It made it "oily" (duh!) and not as much of a grilled taste.  Maybe it's just our grill, but I would have liked mine a little more charred. 

Regardless, make this recipe.  The directions say to have you butcher shave your meat....well our grocery store wouldn't do that, but he did cut it as thin as he could.  Good enough for me!

1 large onion, sliced (1/2 inch)
1 large green or red bell pepper, quartered
1 1/2 lb. boneless rib-eye or top round steak, thinly sliced (1/8 inch)* (I used boneless rib-eye)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
6 oz. thinly sliced provolone or American cheese, or Cheez Whiz (I used mozzarella)
4 steak sandwich or hoagie rolls (8 to 10 inches long), split

1. Heat grill. Insert toothpicks through side of onion slices to hold together on grill. Brush onion, bell pepper and sliced steak with oil; sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

2. Oil grill grate. Grill onion and bell pepper, covered, over medium heat or coals 6 to 8 minutes or until charred and crisp-tender, turning once. Grill steak, covered, 2 to 6 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Coarsely chop steak and vegetables together.

3. Place cheese on bottom of sandwich rolls; top with steak and vegetable mixture.

TIP * Thin slices of beef are essential. Ask your butcher to shave or chip the beef on a meat slicer to about 1/8 inch or less. Or, if you’re working with a knife, freeze the meat for 30 minutes, then slice it about 1/8 inch thick.

#588: Butternut Squash Muffins

I think I've had this recipe pinned on my Pinterest board since last fall.  I keep intending to make it and then I don't.  Well not anymore, because I whipped this together tonight after the kids went to bed.  It was ridiculously easy to make and I especially liked that I didn't have to take the skin off the butternut squash (I HATE doing that job!)


These made my kitchen smell wonderfully as it baked.  It smelled a little out of season as you could smell the cinnamon, but that's okay with me. 

This recipe calls for you to add raisins to the batter, but I decided to finely chop a square of semi-sweet chocolate instead.  I knew if I put raisins in this the girls would pick them out (even though they like raisins). 

These are YUMMY.  So, so yummy.  We are into freezing muffins right now because just about every other morning Chloe requests a muffin for breakfast.  These are going to be a perfect addition to our current mini muffin freezer stash. 

PS: 1 butternut squash would be enough to double this recipe...unless you get a tiny squash. 

By the way... the girls LOVED these.  They each probably ate 4 mini muffins for breakfast and said they were "delicious."  Score 1 more for mommy and veggies!
7 oz seeded and roughly chopped butternut squash, skin on
1 cup light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp oil (I used 3 tbsp applesauce and 3 tbsp vegetable oil)
1/4 c raisins (I used 1 square of semi-sweet chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a food processor, finely chop butternut squash, leaving the skin on. Add the light-brown sugar and eggs. Whiz again to combine.


Add salt, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and oil. Whiz just until combined.

Line a muffin pan with 12 paper cupcake liners. Evenly distribute the mixture into the muffin cups and sprinkle a few raisins over the top of each muffin. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (if it's slightly sticky, they'll need a bit longer—bake 5 more minutes, or until cooked through and golden on top). Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool.

#587: Frozen Yogurt Drops

I don't know if I can actually call this a recipe.  There isn't any cooking involved in this at all.  Regardless, I found this on Pinterest (thanks to it originally being pinned by my friend Amy), and as soon as I saw it, I went to my fridge got out some yogurt and made these. 

I was so excited for the girls to try these today, and am so happy to report that they LOVED it; especially Allison!!  She couldn't stop talking about the "ice cream yogurt."  That's pretty much what it tastes like, little yogurt ice cream balls.

Mine were not nearly as pretty as the original recipe photo, but my kids don't care what it looks like!

Yogurt, any kind or flavor (although I wouldn't use low carb because it's so thick)
Sandwich size Ziploc bag
Wax paper

Spoon or pour the yogurt into the ziplock bag.  Snip off a tiny bit of the corner and pipe little yogurt circles onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place in freezer until firm. 

Pop off the wax paper and enjoy frozen.  Easy AND delicious!

#586: Saucy Ground Beef and Noodles

Here is a very easy recipe you can make when you don't want to spend any time in the kitchen.  Most likely you probably have most of these ingredients on hand too (you might have a different shaped noodle, but that would be okay too). 

Brian, Allison and I enjoyed this meal.  Chloe refused to even try it, but I'm sure she would have liked it if she did.  Oh well...more for us and leftovers for Brian for lunch.

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef (I used ground turkey)                                          
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
3 cups uncooked extra-wide egg noodles (5 oz)
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar (1 lb 10 oz) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) or marinara sauce
1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I omitted)

In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef, onion and bell pepper over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 to 12 minutes or until noodles are tender.

4th of July Menu

I was super excited that my mom gave me free reign to make the menu for the 4th of July week.  For anyone interested, here is my intended plan for our menu/meals:
PS: Almost all of these are new recipes...I hope they are good!

Breakfasts all Days:
English Muffins or Bagels
French Toast Sticks or Waffles
Cereal
Fruit

Wednesday:
Lunch:
Hamburgers/Hot Dogs
Chips
Summer in a bowl pasta salad

Dinner: 
Grilled Italian Sausage
Motivation Beans
Red, White and Blueberry Coleslaw 

Thursday:
Lunch: 
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Nutella sushi for kids
Viva Panzanella Salad

Dinner:
Spiced Rub Flank Steak (needs to marinate 8 hours-2 days)
Summer Succotash
Fresh Cucumber Salad
Baked Potatoes

Friday:
Lunch:
Crockpot cheddar beer chicken tacos
Grilled cheese for kids (if not eating chicken in shell)
Edamame black bean salad

Dinner:
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken (marinate)
Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Olive Garden Copycat Salad
Corn on the cob: Made in the cooler

Saturday:
Lunch:
Hamburgers/Hot Dogs
Crispy Edamame
Avocado corn salsa and chips

Dinner:
Pork Chops w/Carolina Rub
Double bacon potato salad
Thai salad with peanut dressing or Greek Pasta Salad



Sunday:
Lunch:
Sausage on the grill served with salsa and chimichurri
Quinoa and veggie salad

Dinner: 
Leftovers for anyone remaining

#585: Blueberry Pop Tarts

What do you get when you buy blueberry pie filling and open the can, then realize you were supposed to have canned blueberries instead?  You use up the filling to make pop tarts.  This was the perfect recipe because I had extra pie crusts in my freezer just waiting for an excuse to be used. 

So easy and so yummy.  Allison and I definitely enjoyed these; Chloe didn't like the filling.  These certainly aren't lasting long in our house!  This is an excellent way to use up some left over pie crust and filling. 

1 cup blueberry pie filling2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
1 egg white
1 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.
Place the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into squares. Spoon a bit of the blueberry pie filling on one side of the square, making sure not to go to the edges. Fold the dough in half and gently seal the edges with your fingers. Take a fork and crimp the edges of the pop tart closed. Using a knife, carefully trim off the uneven edges.

Slice two little vents into the top of each pop tart. Brush the tops of each pop tart with the egg wash. Sprinkle each pop tart with the raw sugar.

Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack. Serve warm.

#584: Blueberry Gelatin Salad

I've almost made this recipe multiple times, but it keeps getting bumped off my menu for one reason or another. I made this to take to a family gathering this weekend. First of all, the recipe calls for canned blueberries NOT canned blueberry pie filling. I didn't know there was a difference. I also didn't have canned blueberries so I substituted frozen blueberries instead.

I loved this jello; it went over well at the party too.  So easy to make and so yummy and refreshing.  Definitely plan to make this one again!

By the way, Allison loved this so much she said, "You did a good job making this.  I loved it.  It was DEEElicious.  Can you make this for my birthday?" 

2 packages (3 ounces each) cherry gelatin

2 cups boiling water
1 can (15 ounces) blueberries, drained
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup chopped pecans


In a large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in blueberries. Pour into a 11-in. x 7-in. dish; chill until set.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and sour cream; mix well. Spread over the gelatin layer; sprinkle with pecans. Chill several hours or overnight.

#583: Garden Potato Salad

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Kraft Foods Magazine.  I tend to make several potato salads during the summer to take to different events so I instantly book marked this recipe.  I made this recipe to take with to a family gathering.  I liked that it had garden veggies in it and that it was best to make ahead of time to let the flavors meld. 

The Dijon mustard in this recipe gives it a nice tang, but the zesty Italian salad dressing keeps it from getting too thick. 

Personally, I loved this potato salad (I ate some of the leftovers that didn't fit in the bowl), and hopefully Brian's family will enjoy it as much as I did.  If not, I'll be bringing home lots of leftovers for lunch. 

2 lb. new potatoes, halved

1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing (I used light Italian Dressing)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup fresh corn kernels, cooked (I used frozen corn, defrosted)

1/2 cup thin red pepper strips

1/4 cup thin red onion slices

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Cook potatoes in boiling water in saucepan 15 min. or just until tender; drain. Place warm potatoes in large bowl. Add dressing; toss to coat.
Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

#582: Creamy Peach Smoothie

I've been meaning to try this breakfast recipe for quite some time now but never had frozen peaches in the house.  Well I'm happy to report that you don't need to have frozen peaches...I had FRESH peaches and cut them up and stuck them in the freezer until frozen.  : ) 

I also am not a huge fan of orange juice and rarely have it i the house, so I made this with Cranberry Pomegranite juice instead. 

The girls and I all loved this.  The girls liked it so much I had to tell them to stop drinking my breakfast!  I will definitely make this again the next time I have peaches about to go bad.

1 cup frozen organic sliced peaches (from 10-oz bag)
6 oz Fat Free French vanilla yogurt (2/3 cup)
3/4 cup orange juice                                           
1 tablespoon honey
In blender or food processor, place all ingredients. Cover and blend on high speed about 1 minute or until smooth.  Pour into 2 glasses. Serve immediately.

#581: Eggplant Parmesan Hero

I love, love eggplant Parmesan, so I was super excited to try this recipe.  I really wanted to fry the eggplant because it tastes the best that way, but since this was a weight watchers recipe, I figured I probably should bake it like the recipe call for.  I got this recipe from my Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight Cookbook. 

I thought this was fantastic.  We enjoyed it so much, we will be eating it again tomorrow.  And I am super, super excited to report that the girls not only ate this, they asked for seconds.  Yummy!  (PS...no of course Brian did not eat this, he had a chicken meatball sub instead)

1 pound eggplant -- unpeeled, cut into 1/4"-thick slices
1 large egg
1 tablespoon nonfat milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs, seasoned -- dried
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese -- grated
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, part skim milk -- shredded
1 cup marinara sauce
4 Italian hard rolls -- split (I used a fresh French Baguette cut into small pieces)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.

Lightly beat the egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan on a sheet of wax paper. Dip the eggplant in the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, and arrange in one layer on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the eggplant with nonstick spray. Bake until the eggplant is softened and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Divide the eggplant slices into 4 equal portions on the baking sheet. Overlap each group of slices so they are no larger than the dimensions of each roll. Top each portions with 1 tablespoon of the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Transfer each eggplant portion to the bottom of each roll, top each with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Replace top of roll and serve at once.

#580: Grilled Pineapple with Lime and Coconut

I've been dying to make this recipe and just needed an excuse to make it.  Today was my excuse. :)  I LOVED this recipe.  The pineapple was DELICIOUS.  I loved the combination of the lime juice and the coconut.  Definitely, definitely making this again...soon.

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

Place coconut in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until coconut is golden and lightly toasted. Transfer to a bowl.

Preheat grill to medium. In a small bowl, combine lime juice and sugar.  Oil grill. Put pineapple wedges on grill and cook, turning once, until softened and browned in spots, 7 to 8 minutes total. Transfer pineapple to a dish and dot with lime juice mixture.

Just before serving, arrange pineapple on a platter and sprinkle with lime zest and toasted coconut.

#579: Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad

A friend was coming over for dinner and of course that meant finding new recipes to try out on her.  Unfortunately for Brian (and the girls for that matter) I cooked mainly for Erin and I and not for my family.  :) 

I decided to make this recipe since all of the ingredients are in season right now and so fresh.  Plus it was a recipe I could make ahead of time and just pull out of the fridge when we were ready to eat.

I liked this salad.  I would definitely make it again...except it needs salt and pepper next time!

2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I used grape tomatoes cut into quarters)

1 large cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup coarsely chopped green peppers (I used orange peppers)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

1/4 cup Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Combine all the ingredients.  This can be made up to 24 hours in advance so flavors can meld. 

#578: Sweet Cinnamon Pizza Rolls

I found this recipe on Weelicious and decided to make them for the girls to eat for lunch (another future lunch box meal hopefully??).  They were really easy to make, except I can NEVER get my pizza dough to roll out as big as a recipe calls for. 

The recipe also says to cut the pizza log into 20 mini bites.  I thought the dough was huge, so I cut it in half and then rolled it up into 2 logs, getting 30 pizza rolls out of it. 

It also says to cook at 450 degrees.  My first batch were pretty much burnt on the bottom and still raw on the top at that temperature!  I turned the oven down to 395 degrees and baked the rest of the time.  These are good served warm.  If you let them sit on the counter or in the fridge they get super chewy.  The girls only liked them right after they came out of the oven. 

16 Oz Pizza Dough
3/4 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 ½ Cups Chopped Dried Fruit (I used raisins and Craisins)

Preheat oven to 450° F.  Roll out pizza dough into a 10 x 20-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
In a bowl mix the cream cheese, honey and cinnamon.  Spread cream cheese mixture in an even layer across surface of dough.  Sprinkle with dried fruit (and nuts, if desired).

Beginning at the 20-inch side roll up into a cylinder and then cut into 2-inch thick discs (rolls).  Place rolls in greased muffins cups or on a greased baking sheet and pat down slightly.  Bake for 20 minutes, allow to cool slightly and serve.

#577: Pasta Bake (with veggies hidden)

I snuck in some veggies in this recipe!  No one had any idea they were eating broccoli or cauliflower.  (Enter maniacal laugh here!)  Not even Brian.   And the best part is, Brian and Allison loved it and Brian ate the leftovers for lunch.  Yeah, Brian ate veggies...and liked it.

I made this the night before and then just reheated it in the oven the night we planned to eat it.  I will definitely be making this again!  I got this recipe from one of my parenting or family magazines, but I don't know which one I ripped it out of.  (Sorry!)

1 1/3 cups dried elbow macaroni (I used mostaccoli)

2  cups pasta sauce

2/3 cup pureed cooked cauliflower

2/3 cup pureed cooked broccoli

1/2 8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Stir in pasta sauce, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato sauce, Parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Transfer to a 2-quart square or rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until heated through.

#576: Championship Bean Dip

This may not be pretty but it sure is yummy!

I love book club.  1.  It gets me reading more than parenting or cooking magazines.  2.  They are a great group of ladies to hang out with.  (Calling them ladies makes us sound old!)  3.  We always have fun discussing the book, our families, our lives and anything else that may come up!  But I especially love my fellow book clubbers because they give me an excuse to try out a new recipe on them. 

Obviously, I made this recipe to take to book club.  :)  It was so, so easy to throw together in the crock pot.  The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to take out the cream cheese and let it soften first.  I'm so happy to report that this got very good reviews!  And the leftovers are fantastic as a bean and cheese quesadilla and in tacos.  I put some of this in with the girls taco meat and they had no idea it was in there.  Delicious!

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

1 cup picante sauce

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the tortilla chips.  Transfer to a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or until heated through, stirring once or twice. Serve with tortilla chips.  Yield: 4-1/2 cups.

#575: Strawberry and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Oh this is yummy.  This is a nice change of pace from a typical lunch sandwich.  These will be great in Allison's lunch box in the fall.  These are nice and sweet.  I loved it...and so did the girls!

I actually served this to them as a closed sandwich, but for photo purposes, I took the top off.

The recipe below serves 1.

1 tablespoon whipped cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (I omitted because I forgot to get the oranges)

2 slices very thin whole-wheat sandwich bread (I used wheat sandwich thins)

2 medium strawberries, sliced thin

Combine cream cheese, honey and orange zest in a bowl. Spread bread with the cheese mixture. Place sliced strawberries on 1 piece of bread, top with the other.

#574: Turkey Burgers

I had a 5 lb container of ground turkey from Sam's Club and decided to make this recipe with some of it.  I love burgers (most of the time, as long as they are well done), I am NOT a fan of turkey burgers.  They are too light in color when they are cooked and just have a different taste.  So I wasn't just leery about trying these I was scared that I wouldn't eat it at all.  The girls are also not big burger fans and I'm trying to get them to eat them more often so they like both hamburgers AND hot dogs. 

I am so happy to report that we all loved these burgers.  Not just liked them, we LOVED them.  Allison asked for seconds and Chloe finished her entire burger (granted it was a tiny slider, but that's okay!)  We are definitely making these again! 

The recipe below makes 4 burgers (Or in our case 3 regular size burgers and 2 minis)

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon finely diced onion (I used dried minced onion)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

Cook the patties on a grill or in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F.

#573: Cornbread Hot Dog Bites

I really shouldn't even post this recipe.  It's not much of a "recipe."  But, since I found it somewhere online and we tried it, I might as well review it.  I made these for the girls for lunch.  Chloe ate one right when it came out of the oven and ate the whole thing.  I thought she was going to like these.  When she (and Allison) ate them the next day for lunch, they both just pulled out the hot dog pieces and left the cornbread on their plates.  Grr....  I guess this wasn't a successful recipe for us. 

1 box cornbread mix (plus ingredients to make the cornbread.  Check the individual box for needed ingredients)
4 Hot dogs (I used turkey dogs)

Prepare cornbread mix according to directions on the package. 

Spray 24 mini muffin tins with non-cook spray.  Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full with cornbread muffin mix.  Set aside.

Cut each hot dog into 6 pieces.  Place one piece of hot dog into the center of the cornbread muffin mix. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown and cook through.

#572: Grilled Cheesy Garlic Potato Packs

We have been eating a lot of baked potatoes lately, so I decided to make them on the grill tonight with our turkey burgers.  I had this recipe bookmarked on pinterest, so it was the perfect recipe to try.  Normally I never have chives on hand, but last time I needed some, I found freeze dried chives in the produce section, so now I always have some around. 

We loved this.  Let me rephrase that, Brian, Allison and I loved this, Chloe did not.  But Chloe doesn't really like potatoes so she shouldn't count.  :) 

1/2 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil                                           
1 Yukon gold potato (8 oz), cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used russet) 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut one 14x12-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Spray one side generously with cooking spray.
In small bowl, pour oil over potato pieces; toss to coat. Add chives and garlic salt; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese; toss to coat.
Place potatoes on center of sprayed side of foil piece. Fold foil over potatoes so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.

Cover and grill packet over medium-low heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

#571: Grilled Romaine Hearts

I've seen a lot of recipes for grilled romaine.  I am a huge romaine lettuce fan, so I figured it was worth trying.  Although I definitely ate it all, I was not a huge fan of this and probably won't be making it again.  The grill makes the lettuce a little too wilty and soft for my liking.  My lettuce has to be nice and crunchy. 

1 heart of romaine lettuce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Cut the romaine heart in half lengthwise. Trim the stem end a little, if you wish, but be sure not to cut too much–all the leaves need to stay attached.

Place on a heated grill (medium heat) and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. 

Remove from grill and sprinkle with oil and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

#570: Migas

Oh what a yummy breakfast!  (Or lunch, brunch or dinner!)  I loved this. LOVED this meal!  I will definitely be making it again and it is relatively healthy too.  Mmmm!  The only thing that would have made this better is if it had chopped up turkey breakfast sausage mixed in as well.  (Going to have to try that next time!)
This recipe serves 1.

2  large eggs 1/8 cup milk

Salt
1 tsp vegetable oil

1  (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips (I used a flour tortilla b/c that's all we had on hand) 

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced (I use red and orange peppers)

1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 medium tomato, seeded and diced (I omitted)

1/8 c shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Whisk together eggs, milk and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Warm vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortilla strips and cook, stirring occasionally, until strips begin to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add pepper and onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Add egg mixture, tomato and cheese to skillet. Cook mixture, stirring with a spatula, scraping up cooked eggs and allowing liquid to flow to bottom of pan, until eggs are set, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

#569: Carrot and Radish Salad

While searching for new vegetable recipes to make, I stumbled upon this recipe which I immediately made because we had all of the ingredients on hand.  The girls like carrots and most of the time I can get them to eat a radish, so I thought they would like this.  I was very wrong.  I enjoyed it but they sure did not!

3 large carrots
4 radishes
1 small handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
finely ground sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of butter
a pinch of sugar

Peel the carrots and then cut them into slices, about 1/4″ thick.  Using a mandoline slicer, cut the radishes really thinly into slices.

Put the carrots in a large saute pan. Put enough cold water into the pan to almost cover the carrots. Add the butter to this, and the pinch of sugar. Put a lid on the pan, and get it boiling over a high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid. Let this boil until the liquid has reduced right down, and the carrots are almost cooked through.

Let the carrots cool a little in the pan. When cooled, toss them in a bowl with the radish slices. Toss in the parsley, and a generous serving of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the olive oil and  the cider vinegar.