Summer Treat

Many of you know I have a ridiculous obsession with coconut. I try to work it into EVERY recipe I make and everything I eat. I sometimes fear that this obsession keeps me from trying new things. Important things. Like raspberry cheesecakes and hip cocktails at happy hour.

It looks like I'm gonna have to ride this one out though because I'm too in love to break up.

So this afternoon, as usual my coconut cravings set in and I decided to make something new to get me through the rest of the summer. You see, I've been wanting a coconut snow cone SO bad that I almost can't take it. So here is what I came up with and I wasn't disappointed.

Coconut & Pineapple Snow cone/Shake

2 cups ice
3 ounces coconut water
3 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce milk of your choice
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp raw honey (if you want yours a little sweeter, I do!)

Add all ingredients into your blender (the magic bullet worked great here) and serve!

Simple and delicious and much healthier than a sugar saturated snow cone. And if you have a Tervis cup it will keep it cold all the way until the last drop. ;)

Happy Texas Summer!

Granola Bars Revised

I've recently challenged myself to get rid of white flour, use less butter and only use whole foods that are natural and unprocessed in my cooking/eating.

With that said, I've made some changes to a few of our favorite recipes, including our go-to granola bars and I'm happy to say that I love them even more! 

We've decided to use coconut and almond flour as our primary "grain" around here so I was able to sub coconut flour for the all-purpose flour (if you haven't baked with coconut flour it's definitely something you'll want to look up, it's unlike other flours). 

I've also started replacing recipes that call for butter with coconut oil and have found them to be fantastic!

So the below is the new version of the granola bars that have now been adapted MANY times since I originally found the recipe, but this may be my favorite revision since it makes me feel like a real health champ! ;)

Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Bars    

• 4 cups organic old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 heaping Tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, liquified
• 1/2 cup raw organic honey
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (we do 72%)
• 1/2 sliced almonds (walnuts and pecans work well here too)
• 1/2 cup organic dried coconut pieces (you can use any dried fruit, we use cranberries or apricots sometimes)

1. Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease one 8x8 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey. Use a mixer to thoroughly combine. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups assorted chocolate chips, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 for 9 minutes and then take out and press mixture into pan again. And then cook for another 9 minutes, press down in pan again when taking out of oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. 

 

Oldie But Goodie

Just a little Friday recipe... for cleaning. :)

This has been my 'go to' spray for years now and even though I've posted the recipe before I made a batch last night and it reminded me of why I love it. 

It smells delicious!

It gets the job done!

It's WAY too easy to make!

And I don't have to worry about what it's doing to our home/us.


All Purpose Cleaning Spray

2 cups warm water
2 tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Magic Soap
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
4 drops of patchouli oil
4 drops of orange oil

Mix all ingredients in clean spray bottle and shake! Easy enough. 

I have about 10 different essential oils that I alternate between and patchouli isn't one of them. I just use 8 drops of orange oil instead. Orange oil is a great cleaning oil since it is a natural degreaser and it's naturally antibacterial. Score!

Feel free to give it a try!

Larabars!

As I mentioned in a previous post I've come to love Larabar's. I also mentioned that I would be finding a recipe for them since I love them so much.

Well, it didn't take long after that post for me to find one and I made my first batch last Thursday (the first batch was not too hot since I didn't use dates). But by the second batch I got the hang of it and I have to say that Daniel and I love the ones that I've made a 100X more than the actual Larabar's! I'm not sure how that happened but I'm glad it did since it's much more cost efficient.

I found a website called Damy Health and it has tons of recipes for these. So far we've made two batches of the key lime pie, one peanut butter cookie, and one chocolate coconut macaroon. Don't worry, we haven't ate them all yet. :) I made three batches on Sunday night for Daniel and I this week to take for snacks.

I'm constantly looking for things for us (mainly Daniel) to take to work to have something healthy to eat. I'd have to say that the one thing that makes me feel like an awful wife is if he goes to work without a lunch and snacks. I know...I know. He's a grown man who can feed himself. And he's never once gripped or complained if he doesn't have something to eat from home. I just feel like it's my job for us to eat healthy even if we aren't at home. I have mixed feelings about eating out anyway since you never know what's in the food. I like to think of it as limiting our unknown food intake. ;)

Anyway....

Please know that these bars are healthy in moderation. They have good fat, sugar, calories in them. Your body needs all of those things just from the right foods. This is not a food that will aid in weightloss, it is a healthy all natural snack.

When I was visiting my mom on Friday I let her try one and she was curious to know what was in them and seemed to like them as well! When we were eating one I said, "These are pretty much like a candy bar!" My mom looked at me like I was delusional! So I'm not sure if the lack of sugar in my diet makes these things seem amazing, if I'm crazy, or if they are actually as good as I think they are. But my husband loves them too, so that must be a good sign.

Please give them a try for yourself! They are SO easy to make and such a great alternative to all those other fruit/snack bars that 'claim' to be all natural. 

Here are the three recipes I've made so far but the website above has many more.

Key Lime Pie

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup Seedless/Pitted whole Dates
• dash of sea salt
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/3 shredded coconut

Peanut Butter Cookie

• 1/2 cup Seedless/Pitted whole Dates
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup peanuts

 Chocolate Coconut Macaroon

• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup Seedless/Pitted whole Dates
• 3 tbsp dark chocolate
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

Sugarless Cookies

Photo & Recipe from LuxHippie

So I'm almost a month into my sugarless lifestyle change and for the most part I have been able to control my cravings and they've happened less and less as the month has gone by. (I do still have one cheat day a week though, I'm positive I will never give this up.)

Anyway, last night Daniel and I were sitting on the couch and I though I might go crazy if I didn't get sugar in my body ASAP! So I began to think of ways to 'sneak' it in. Daniel finally remembered me raving about finding a recipe on Pinterest last week that didn't us any sugar in the cookie recipe.

I jumped on the computer and as fast as I could (during The Biggest Loser commercials) I found the recipe and made them. They literally took one commercial break to make. These cookies are just that easy.

Now I do have to say that if you are wanting a sticky sweet cookie, these aren't for you. But if you need just a little sweet to get your through and you don't want to feel bad for eating say, 5 of them in a row, then give this recipe a try.

 

Of course I changed a few things since I hate leaving recipes alone.

1. I added two teaspoons of vanilla instead of one.

2. I made sure to use all natural peanut butter without any added sugar.

3. I used honey instead of syrup

4. I used all purpose flour. I already gave up sugar. I'm not giving up tasty carbs.

5. NO CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Not because I didn't want them but, they'd undo the sugarless thing. 

6. I added pecans (about 1/2 cup) next time I think I will add some unsweetened coconut too! 

7. Super important!!! Only cook them for 10 to 12 minutes. :)

 

Original recipe below....

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2-1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (depending on how much peanut buttery goodness you want)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, mix bananas, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup into a creamy consistency (best to do with a hand mixer).

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder and salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until they are well combined, the batter should be slightly sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be somewhat runny, this is ok.

Place heaping tablespoon-sized balls of the batter onto a ‘greased’ baking sheet (can also place on wax paper) and cook for 15 minutes.

Makes around 2 dozen cookies

 

This Past Weeks Eats

I've added some recipes that were on our menu last week that we really liked. I was not meaning to turn this blog into a place with tons of recipes but it seems much easier when I'm searching for them to just pull them up on the blog. So I will probably continue to add them along with other little snippets of our life. A few new recipes on the menu this week as well. So stay tuned!

We had this Chicken Piccata tonight and really enjoyed it, we paired it with the carrot salad below which was also really yummy :) Adjustments....no capers!    

Chicken Piccata w/ Pasta & Mushrooms from Eating Well 

• 6 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 chicken cutlets (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons butter    

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in parsley, capers, butter and the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

 Carrot Salad from Country Living

• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon(s) honey
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
• Salt
• 1/4 pound(s) carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced dried apricots
• 3 small scallions, sliced

1. In a medium pan over low heat, cook lime juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, and red pepper until warm, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook carrots until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer carrots to a serving bowl.
3. Add dried apricots and scallions, then toss salad with warm honey-lime dressing. Sprinkle with lime zest. 

 I made these muffins for breakfast on the go for us a week or so ago and we really loved them! Adjustments... I reversed the all-purpose and the wheat flower since I'm not much on a total wheat taste with my pastries. I also used almonds instead of macadamia nuts

.

 Blueberry Coconut Macadamia Muffins from Eating Well website

• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
• 5 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Source) or whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine coconut, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, butter and coconut (or vanilla) extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add blueberries and the remaining 3 tablespoons nuts; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.
4. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes more before serving.

 I found a recipe from All Recipes a year or so ago and kept adapting and adapting it until it seemed pretty much perfect (to us) for chewy granola bars. It looks nothing like the original recipe but it was a good base to start. We LOVE these so much! I try to make a batch of these or some sort of muffins on Sunday (as well as the Earth Balls) for our breakfasts on the go for the week.

Granola Bar Recipe

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4cup honey
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts 
• 1/2 cup cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 for 9 minutes and then take out and press mixture into pan again. And then cook for another 10 minutes, press down in pan again when taking out of oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving. 

We had this side with some baked salmon the other night and we seemed to like it. Our only complain was too much lemon and garlic. I'd say half the garlic and I may even leave out the lemon juice altogether next time.

Quinoa Side Dish from All Recipes

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 dash fresh lemon juic

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.
2. In a bowl, toss quinoa together with garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and onion. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.

I made the mixture for these the other morning before I left for work (they stay together much better if they are cold when cooking) and popped them in the oven when I got home. As always a few little changes. Dry the beans with a towel after they are rinsed. I put mine in the kitchenaid mixer after to get them nice and mashed up. I increased the breadcrumbs by another 1/4 to 1/2 cup since I could tell the mixture was too mushy.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers from All Recipes

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. 

Weekend Update with Recipes

This past weekend Daniel & I headed into Athens to spend some time with our families. We got in Friday night and were exhausted so we just chatted with Daniel's parents and brother and headed off to bed.

But on Saturday morning my mother in law, momma and I got up and did some thrift shopping at some garage sales/estate sales/thrifty stores. We found a few good things which mainly included fabric for some upcoming projects but the day was mostly just fun because we got to spend it together. After shopping we met up with the guys and had a little Mexican dinner at  one of the O'Neal favorites, Mercados.

We made it back after a little more shopping after lunch and soon got started on dinner where my mother in law and I tried a new spaghetti sauce recipe that turned out quite yummy! As always there were a few changes since we just used what we had on hand being a last minute meal.

First off, we halved everything in this recipe. It makes a lot. We used ground beef instead of sausage. Added some bell pepper with the onions. Used stewed tomatoes (because it's what we had). Italian seasoning instead of just basil. No brown sugar. And simmered for about 30 minutes. And everyone seemed to like it. :) 

Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti 

• 1 small onion , chopped (optional) 
• 2 lbs. Italian sausage 
• 3 -4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)
• 3 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

1. In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
5. Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
6. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce.

Today we spend most of the day relaxing in Athens until Daniel and his Dad started working on trucks and chopping wood (such men, I love it :). Thanks to Daniel's parents we now have enough fire wood to last us through the winter. If we ever get one in Texas this year.

We made it back to Dallas and pulled into to our apartment and saw this little table just outside.Please excuse how frumpy our couch looks today, it needs a little fluffing.

But Daniel and I unloaded it (and all of our fire wood) from the truck and got the table all cleaned up to see it was from Pier 1, which means it was decently made and free. We'll take it! We weren't really looking/wanting a coffee table but it matched so nicely. We probably will sand it down (there are a few small chips in the wood on one side) and then re-finish it. But we like DIY projects around here, especially free ones.

We got settled back into the house and I started making manicotti, one of our favorite pasta dishes.
I use this recipe below and stick to it pretty closely. I do half the ricotta cheese and use fresh spinach and no parm cheese.

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 6 1/2 cups Classico® Tomato and Basil Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together pasta sauce and water.
3. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

Another recipe we tried earlier this week that we thought was AMAZING was Zucchini Rice Casserole! We left of the turkey sausage and kept it just a veggie meal and we used whole milk instead of low fat (we're whole milk drinkers at this house ;) We also used about half the cream cheese. We really LOVED this recipe! But I have to warn that it takes an incredible amount of time. I made it on a Sunday which was perfect. I wouldn't recommend it for weekdays.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups diced zucchini , and/or summer squash (about 1 pound)
• 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese , (Neufchâtel)
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pour rice into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini (and/or squash), bell peppers, onion and salt. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups Jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Jack cheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole. Top with jalapeños.
6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

I think those are all the 'new' recipes that were tried for dinner this week. Although, the manicotti isn't new. This week we have a few new recipes on the menu so we looking for them soon! Hope everyone has had a Happy Sunday!

Recent Recipes

We're always cooking something up in our kitchen. We TRY our hardest to keep it healthy although slip ups happen from time to time. :)

I've added a few of the recipes we've tried recently and have enjoyed.

First off, I had seen the recipe for Earth Balls a while back on another blog and then when my friend Erin posted the recipe for them again recently I figured I needed to make up a batch and see what all the fuss was about. I like to think of them as a great little energy snack! The only change that I made to the recipe was to leave out the raisins and add in pecans.

 Earth Balls

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey OR maple syrup (I prefer honey)

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

 

Mix peanut butter, honey OR syrup and cocoa powder with mixer

Stir in raisins and half of the coconut

Chill for 1 hour, in separate bowl mix coconut and sunflower seeds together

Roll batter into small balls, then roll into coconut and sunflower seed

Keep chilled until you eat them

 

 

Any easy meal to make in the week that I got off of the Eating Well website is this recipe for Black Bean Quesadillas. Both Daniel and I really enjoyed these. We try to have two to three meatless dinners a week and this is an easy recipe to use. The only thing I changed was not using the oil.

 

Black Bean Quesadillas 

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, preferably pepper Jack

1/2 cup salsa

4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 ripe avocado, diced

 

Combine beans, cheese and 1/4 cup salsa in a medium bowl. Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread 1/2 cup filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes total. Serve the quesadillas with avocado and the remaining salsa.

 

 

 This Pasta recipe below was also taken from Eating Well. I love Eating Well, Cooking Light & All Recipes websites since they list all of the nutrition facts and I can see exactly that is is I'm feeding us. Anyway, we really liked this pasta because it was so light. I find that "cream" pasta sauces are always too much/too rich for my taste. Daniel doesn't much care for them either. I made a few changes to the recipe. I added a little more whole wheat pasta (about 10oz), green bell pepper instead of red (but only because they were on sell at the farmer's market), I halved the amount of yogurt, and no pine nuts. The only thing I will do differently next time is leave out the peas and add in either some mushrooms or perhaps squash. We aren't pea lovers.

Creamy Garlic Pasta w/ Shrimp & Vegetables 

6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

12 ounces peeled and deveined raw shrimp (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip; optional)

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook 2 minutes less than package directions. Add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, 2 to 4 minutes more. Drain well. Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).

 

 

There's nothing like a good stew in the crockpot! This is what we ate tonight with some cornbread! Delicious! I love making things that we both grew up eating (soups, stews, casseroles and such). I'm always working on finding a healthier way for us to do this though. Try finding casserole's without 'cream of something' soup in them. It's not an easy task. Anyway back to my point, this recipe uses spices from around the kitchen to go into the stew which makes me happy since I'm not a fan of buying the little stew/gravy/taco seasoning packet's. It turned out amazing! I always love something I can leave to cook while we are away enjoying our weekend! The only change made was using veggie broth instead of beef.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew 

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 potatoes, diced

4 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

  

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery. 

Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

 

 

This Quinoa & Black Bean recipe has quickly become a favorite over the past few months in our home. It's another one of our meatless meals. We started replacing all of our meals that had called for rice with quinoa about that time after we did a little research on all health benefits of quinoa. Quinoa is a complete protein which is hard to find in plants and grains. There are MANY great things about it, I'd encourage you to do a little google search. :) It is more expensive than rice but I like to think of it as being "the meat" in your meal since it's a complete protein. Anyway.. we love this recipe! We eat it as the main dish instead of a side. We typically trade the frozen corn for fresh and use only one can of black beans.

 

Quinoa & Black Beans

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans

  

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, 

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

And the last recipe I'm gonna share for now is a new oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sweet tooth is my middle name. And these are my favorite kind of cookies! I always change something with a recipe. Daniel always points out that I never just leave a recipe alone. I just like to add a little something extra to it. ;) With that said.... I used applesauce in place of the butter to take out a little of the fat. I halved the amount of sugar. And I used dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet. They turned out great and I'm glad I took out a little of the bad because they seemed to fly off the counter.

 

 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chip

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. 

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

 

Like I have said, something is always cooking in the kitchen so I will try to post new recipes we try and like every couple weeks. Feel free to give them a try, they're O'Neal approved. :)

 

 

Recent Recipe Favorites Around Here

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
I teaspoon italian seasoning
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water
2 cups spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

There were crazy directions, but I just cut everything up and threw it in the crockpot for about 4 or 5 hours. It was delicous and healthy.


Eggplant Parmesan

2 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3.In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4.Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

It was such a nice alternative to spaghetti without meat. Since that's what people who don't eat much meat can be reduced to.


Veggie Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large carrots, diced
3 new potatoes
2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie ( I used this recipe, it's my favorite! I used it for all sorts of pies!)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir green beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3.In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
4.Roll out 1/2 of the dough to line an 11x7 inch baking dish. Pour the filling into the pastry lined dish. Roll out remaining dough, arrange over the filling, and seal and flute the edges.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

I can't say enough about this recipe, it was absolutely delicious!


Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken ( We used the organic Kroger brand)
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce ( I made my own, I think it's wierd to buy enchilada sauce, perhaps b/c I'm half Mexican)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth (I used veggie broth)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup black beans in a can or already cooked
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions

1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in beans and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

I added avocado to garnish on top. This was such a light healthy dinner.


There are just a few of the recent recipes I've been making that have quickly become favorites for both me and for Daniel. I'll try to add others as we make new things. :)