Debbi Does Dinner... Healthy & Low Calorie

Mu Shu Chicken

2013-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of tortillas around here. I don't believe that it needs to be a mexican or southwestern meal in order to go on a tortilla. Pretty much everything around here goes on a tortilla.

This meal is no exception. I made rice to put it over but after eating a bit of it, I just decided that it needed to go on a tortilla. With the rice.

This was a delicious meal and quite easy to make.

Mu Shu Chicken

1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. hoisin
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 - 14 oz. bag coleslaw
3/4 cup scallions, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
Tortillas or rice

Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and hoisin in a small bowl. Whisk in cornstarch. Set aside. In a large frying pan, stir fry the ginger and garlic in the sesame oil for about a minute. Add coleslaw and scallions and stir fry until wilted. Add chicken and soy sauce mixture. Cook until heated through. Serve on tortillas or rice. I ate these on corn tortillas.

Mexican Rice Skillet

2013-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love meals that come together quickly. I like to make extra rice so there is often rice in the refrigerator ready to use. Ordinary ingredients come together to make a fantastic tasting dish. Everyone loved it.

Mexican Skillet Rice

1 egg, beaten
1 lb. chicken, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minces
2 cups rice, cooked (I used brown)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (or a couple cups of frozen corn)
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped
1 jar of taco sauce (8 oz)
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet, coated with cooking spray, cook and stir egg over medium heat until set. Remove and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir fry chicken and onion in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cooked rice, beans, corn, peppers, taco sauce and green onions, heat through. Stir in the reserved egg, sprinkle with cilantro.

Chcolate Chip Brownie Stuffed Cookies

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

The nice thing about having a food blog is that people like to give you recipes. I have several friends who love giving me ideas for things to make. When my friend sent me an email with this recipe, my 11 year old declared that HE wanted to make these.

We got right on it and made them. This is the perfect recipe for little hands. Pretty hard to mess up.

We chose to make these with both Oreos and Peanut Butter Cups. We also made a few with a glob of peanut butter in the middle.

These were so good and didn't last long at all. The kids all gobbled them up in no time.

Chocolate Chip Brownie Stuffed Cookies

1 pkg. refrigerated cookie dough, (the kind that you break apart)
Brownie mix and ingredients to make it
1 package of Oreos
Big pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Spray 2 cupcake trays lightly with cooking spray. Make batter for brownies but do not bake, set aside.

Put half of piece of cookie dough in each cupcake. Press down to cover the bottom. Place an Oreo or a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup on top of the cookie dough. Top with a heaping tablespoon of brownie batter, so cup fills up about 3/4. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes.

Ham and Potato Casserole

2013-05-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ever since I've found that you can buy hard boiled eggs, I've been looking for more recipes and ideas to make with hard boiled eggs. Cheesy ham, potato casserole is always a favorite. I figured adding hard boiled eggs would make it even better and give it a breakfast flair. Not that we ate it for breakfast.

I'm going through camera issues so these are not the best pictures. Trust me that this was good. Very good.

I did use a bit of velveeta cheese. I know there are many who really don't consider it cheese. Well, it tastes good and melts great. Use a different cheese if you want but don't judge.

Ham and Potato Casserole Recipe

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup flour, I used gluten free
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream
4 oz. velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
6 hard boiled eggs
4 cups cubed cooked potatoes
2 cups cubed cooked ham
2 tbsp. dried minced onion
2 green onions, shopped

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheeses. Cook and stir over low hear just until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the eggs, potatoes, ham, and onion. Transfer to a 9 x 13 in baking pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until bubbly and edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with green onions.

Parmesan Chicken Bake

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of chicken here. Sometimes I think that I've done pretty much everything with chicken. I've seen this same recipe, slathered with mayo. I love the thought of using greek yogurt instead of mayo. So many less calories and so much less fat.

The pictures are not very appealing. I realize that. But trust me, it tasted delicious and we all loved it.

Parmesan Chicken Bake
Adapted from Finding Joy in my Kitchen

2 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, I used tenderloins
1 cup plain, greek yogurt
2 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. dried minced garlic
pinch of turmeric
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Arrange chicken flat in a 9 x 13 in. pan. Mix together yogurt, minced onion, garlic and spices. Stir well. Mix in 2 tbsp. of the parmesan cheese

Spread the yogurt mixture over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese over the chicken breasts.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, uncovered

When chicken is browned and internal temperature reasches 180 degrees, the chicken is done.

Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa

2013-04-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

Small, fried, finger food. Gluten free and delicious too? What's not to love?

I had a blast visiting Mariel and Mary Anne's blog Feast on the Cheap. They have amazing recipes and fantastic pictures of their recipes. I chose several to make but decided on the Jalapeno Corn Fritters to showcase this month.

The recipe called for Old Bay seasoning. I didn't have this but I have a whole cupboard full of spices so I set out to make my own. I looked online and there were several versions of Old Bay recipes. I sorta mixed a couple and made my own. It seemed to turn out pretty good.

I wasn't sure what the texture the corn mixture was supposed to be. It wasn't thick enough to make a patty but putting heaping tablespoon into the hot oil worked perfectly.

After my bacon grease accident last month, I quickly decided that my husband would help me make these. After this first batch, I handed him over the batter and he did a great job making them.

These turned out beautiful and were very quick to put together. The pineapple salsa was such a good addition to the Corn Fritters. The sweet and the freshness were a perfect match. I really couldn't stop eating these and ate way too many.

I'm so glad that The Secret Recipe Club introduced me to Feast on the Cheap. I know I will be back visiting often!

Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish Recipe

Adapted form Feast on the Cheap

Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa

1/4 cup sweet onion, diced

1 20 oz. can pineapple, diced

1 small red pepper, or 1/2 large, diced

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. honey

Combine everything and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Corn Fritters

1 jalapeno, seeded

2 cans of corn or about 4 cups of frozen corn, divided

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning OR use spice recipe below

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/3 cup flour, I used gluten free

Salt and pepper to taste

Canola oil

In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups of corn kernels and jalapeno, process until quite smooth, about a minute.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg and milk until smooth and stir in cornmeal, flour, garlic, Old Bay (or seasoning recipe below), salt and pepper. Mix in remaining whole corn kernels and pureed corn.

Pour about 1/2 inch oil in a deep skillet and heat oil until very hot. Using a spoon, scoop corn batter by tablespoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, it only takes about 2 minutes per side tops. Transfer to plate with paper towels on it and serve topped with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa.

Old Bay Seasoning (copycat)

2 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 pinch EACH of dried mustard, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger

Falafel Patties with Cucumber Sauce

2013-04-17T13:41:00.001-05:00

My friends and I get together for dinner every month or so. We like trying different restaurants and this month we decided to go Greek! I'm not overly familiar with Greek food so I was game. My first thought was falafel. I love falafel and figured I'd be ordering it off the menu. As I was perusing the online menu, I discovered no falafel to be found at all. I did some research and found that falafel isn't Greek at all. It's actually middle eastern food. Who knew? Clearly not me.

I did still find the Greek experience to be quite tasty and fun. However, my craving for falafel hadn't been met. We then went to a restaurant that had Gyros and I ordered the falafel pita. It was very good but I ended up eating the entire pita bread. I try to avoid eating bread as it doesn't agree with me.

I knew I had to make my own. I had made it several times before but just never got around to posting it. So I gathered all my ingredients and made falafel. My mouth was watering already. I was almost done with the falafel part when I stopped to make the cucumber yogurt sauce. Much to my dismay, I found that my cucumbers were slimy and not good. Ugh, what is falafel without the cucumber sauce! I was without a vehicle to buy cucumbers so I put the falafel in the refrigerator for the next night. Sigh. My falafel would have to wait.

The next day I got some cukes and made my dressing. I finally had falafel, it was good and totally worth the wait. I ate mine on a salad with lots of cucumber sauce. My brother ate his on a tortilla. Yes, I know that might be a conflict of food interest but I didn't buy pitas and he we eat everything on tortillas. Don't judge. :-)

Falafel Patties with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce Recipe

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup parsley
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 eggs
1 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
couple of pinches of cayenne pepper
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups bread crumbs, I used gluten free
oil or cooking spray for frying

Cucumber sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. dill weed (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. mayonnaise

In a large bowl, mash chickpeas until thick and pasty. Don't use the food processor, the texture will be too thin. In a blender or food processor, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.

In a small bowl, combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture with the olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together, add more or less as needed. Form small balls and then flatten into patties.

Heat oil or cooking spray in a large pan. Fry patties until brown on both sides. You can also bake these in the oven at 425 for about 30 minutes, flipping half way.

In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayo. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

2013-04-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

I've been a lazy cook recently. I've been making more of the "throw a bunch of stuff in a pan and call it dinner" kind of mood. I haven't really been in mood to create new recipe and have been sticking with some old stand by recipes. This is a great recipe that comes together quickly and is quite versatile. I've made it several times and it's never really the same every time.

I love putting a zucchini in this but found that my last zucchini was not good. Very disappointing. So I threw a red pepper in there instead. I liked it and will probably use both next time I make it.

You can get creative with the cheeses as well. Cheddar and Parmesan combo is probably my favorite but I always have Colby jack in the fridge so that gets used often too.

This is an especially easy meal if you have leftover rice in the refrigerator. When I make rice, I always make a big batch and somehow it always seems to get used. This time I only had about 2 cups of cooked rice rather than 3 cups. I thought about making more but you know, that lazy thing kicked in and I decided that 2 cups would do.

What are some of your favorite lazy meals to make?

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

2 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour (I used gluten free)
2 cups milk
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (or whatever kind you have)
1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
3 cups cooked rice, I used brown
3 cups cooked broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, cut in rounds and halved

Spray a 9 x 13 in. casserole pan. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about a minute. Whisk in flour and cook 3 - 4 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly stir in milk, mustard and season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add most of the cheddar cheese (saving about 1/3 cup for the top), add Parmesan cheese. Stir until mostly melted, remove from heat.

Stir in rice and broccoli florets, pour into casserole pan, sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup cheese over top. Bake 20 - 30 minutes at 400 until bubbly and lightly golden on top.

Peanut Butter Bananas Foster French Toast

2013-03-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

We eat breakfast for dinner quite often. But do know you what's even better than that? Brunch! Brunch means you get to eat tasty breakfasty items in the morning but get to sleep in later than usual.

The kids had a sleepover with several of their friends. We all stayed up way too late and enjoyed sleeping in. I love to cook for a larger group so when Eggland's Best invited me to try their eggs again and host a brunch, I knew that this was the perfect time to do it.

Did you know that all eggs are not created equal? When compared to ordinary eggs, Eggland’s Best eggs contain:

· 10 times more vitamin E

· Double the amount of omega-3’s

· Twice the amount of vitamin D

· 3 times more vitamin B12

· 25% less saturated fat

I notice a difference when I use Egglands Best eggs. They seem to cook up fluffier and just taste better. Check out Egglands Best website or their facebook page for delicious recipes.

My kids declared this the best french toast they ever had. They syrup is truly scrumptious! I used chunky peanut butter so the texture wasn't as pretty but I received no complaints. We also enjoyed fresh fruit and a ham, egg and potato casserole that I will share in a couple of days.

Egglands Best sent me this wonderful gift package. The bag is waterproof and my daughter now uses it as her swim bag. The bowl is very thick and sturdy and is a fantastic mixing bowl. Egglands Best wants to give you an opportunity to get one of these gift packs along with some free eggs. Just check out their tasty recipes on the Egglands Best website and let me know which recipe looks good! I'll pick one winner by next Friday the 5th to win this awesome gift package. Giveaway closed.

Peanut Butter Bananas Foster French Toast
Adapted from Picky Palate

4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6-8 slices bread (cinnamon bread or French)
Butter
1 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla or rum extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
2-3 cups sliced bananas depending on how many you like

1. Preheat large skillet over medium heat.
2. Place eggs, cream brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. One at a time, dip each slice of bread, both sides into egg mixture. I used both French bread and cinnamon bread. Add a tablespoon of butter into hot skillet to melt, swirling pan. Add egg dipped bread slice to skillet, cooking 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer cooked piece of toast to a clean plate and repeat until all bread has been used.
3. Place maple syrup and peanut butter into a skillet over medium heat. Stir to melt peanut butter into syrup. Stir in vanilla then heavy cream. Let mixture bubble for about 5 minutes, stirring often to thicken. Add sliced bananas and cook for 1 minute. Pour peanut butter syrup sauce and bananas over warm French toast. Serve immediately.
Makes 6-8 servings

“The Eggland’s Best coupon, information, and two gift packs have been provided by Eggland’s Best.”

Cheesy Parmesan Penne with Bacon

2013-03-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

My children love mac and cheese. For the longest time, pasta was just about the pasta and the cheese. Nothing else in there. It's only been fairly recently that they will accept foreign material in their pasta with cheese. And by foreign material I mean chicken, bacon and red peppers.

This also has what I call grown up cheese. Lots of freshly grated parmesan topped with melty provolone cheese. You could use Jack cheese but I just think that provolone has so much more flavor.

This makes a lot of food. Two whole 9 x 13 pans. When I cook, I like to cook a lot. Feel free to halve the recipe but otherwise you can pop the second pan into the freezer for another night. The leftovers from the refrigerator are awesome as well. So go ahead, make both pans.

Parmesan Cheese Penne with Bacon

1 1/2 lb. cooked shredded chicken
1 lb. bacon, crumbled
2 boxes (32 oz) penne pasta, cooked al dente
1 1/2 red bell peppers, diced
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 1/2 tsp. paprika

12 slices of provolone cheese, for the top

Sauce:
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. garlic
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine or marsala wine
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
5 cups heavy cream

Cook chicken. I cooked mine in the microwave in a covered dish for about 10 minutes until done, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper. Then I used the broth from the chicken in the pasta dish.

Chop and Shred:
Chop red peppers.
Grate parmesan cheese.
Cook bacon. I cut the bacon into chunks first and then cooked the bacon.
Cook the pasta and drain.

Sauce:
Saute garlic in butter. Add chicken broth and wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook to a soft boil but stir constantly and don't over boil. It will thicken slightly but not completely. This is okay because a lot of it will soak in to your al dente noodles.

Combine everything with the paprika together. You'll need a pretty large bowl for this. Pour into 2 - 9 x 13 in pans that are sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with slices of parmesan cheese. Continue baking for another 15 - 20 minutes.

If you're only cooking one pan, cover the other pan tightly with foil and freeze. Thaw before baking.

Pavlova with Strawberry Whipped Cream

2013-03-18T07:38:00.000-05:00

This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was thrilled to explore Christinas blog Mis-Cakes Oven Adventures. She has so many tasty treats on her blog, I was worried I wouldn't be able to choose just one! I immediately chose her Pavlova with Strawberry Whipped Cream. I've tried to make pavlova before, using a different recipe and was eager to see this recipe and what the difference would be.

This pavlova has the crispy outer layer that I so love. The middle is light and marshmallowy. (is that a word?)

The strawberry whipped cream was fantastic on top. My pictures are not good at all, I'm afraid we were more interested in eating the dessert than taking pictures of it!!

Pavlova with Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe
Recipe from Mis-Cake Oven Adventures

Pavlova
6 egg whites – room temp
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Strawberry Whipped Cream
1/2 c whipping cream
2 tbs confectioners sugar
5 tbs strawberry puree
1 tsp vanilla
Kiwi to garnish

Pavlova
Preheat oven to 250 F. Move oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray parchment with non-stick spray.
Place egg whites in a bowl. Beat egg whites on medium high until stiff peaks begin to form. Then add in your sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat another 10 minutes. Add in your cream of tartar and mix one more minute.
Scoop egg whites on to your parchment paper filling in your circle. Flatten out with a spatula. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until it’s firm to the touch. Let cool before garnishing with whipped cream.

Strawberry Whipped Cream
With an electric mixer pour in your whipped cream. Beat on high until soft peaks form and then add in your vanilla and confectioners sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form and then add in your strawberry puree just until mixed.
Top pavlova with all the whipped cream and garnish with kiwi or any fresh fruit you choose.

Noodles & Company Giveaway!

2013-02-24T10:06:00.001-06:00

Have you ever heard of the restaurant Noodles? We've been there several time over the last few years and love it. This last summer, I went there with a bunch of girls and I ordered the Backyard BBQ Salad. I LOVED it and kept wanting to go back and get another. It's out of season now but I hope it comes back this summer.

February is also actually heart disease awareness month. Although you don't always think of pasta being the healthiest meal option: A great pasta option that's recommended for a heart-healthy diet is whole wheat pasta. To offer you a heart-healthy pasta option, Noodles serves whole wheat linguine. It's featured in their Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine.

I went with the salad last summer because I'm trying to eat gluten free now. Well, when I explored their website last week, I found out that you can sub rice noodles for regular noodles.

I was skeptical if they'd actually be good. Uh, they were awesome. The picture above shows the Penne Rosa with chicken with the rice noodles. The portion was huge, my daughter Danielle and I split it. It was super flavorful and it had just a little zip to it. Perfect!

We also shared the Spinach and Fresh Fruit Salad. We weren't quite as impressed by the salad. There wasn't much dressing and all the chunks just fell to the bottom. My friend has tried the Med Salad and loves it.

Hubs got the Japanese pan noodles and loved them. I'm pretty sure he always gets these. He's not much for change. The portion was huge again. It might not look so huge in the picture but there are a LOT of noodles here!

My oldest son Jacob ordered the Mac and Cheese. This is certainly one of the higher calorie items on the menu but he's 13, he can handle it. He's pretty picky with his food but he loved this and said it had a ton of cheese, which he loves.

Jory stuck to his usual. Spaghetti and Meatballs. He pretty much orders Spaghetti and Meatballs wherever he goes. He did say that this spaghetti ranked right up there with his favorite. Pretty high marks for a 10 year old boy who has tried many, many dishes of spaghetti in his short lifetime.

**GIVEAWAY**

Noodles & Company' has a new "menu map" online, that helps customers navigate menu choices that are available for 500 calories or less. You can check it out here: http://www.noodles.com/nutrition/lotsofchoices.php

Noodles is letting me give one of my readers, 2 free bowls of pasta or salad. I just gave you a few of the many, many Noodles choices. Check out their website and find all the tasty, healthy choices they have. Come on back and leave a comment letting me know which dishes sound awesome to you.

Popovers

2013-02-18T10:50:00.000-06:00

I have a memory of popovers from when I was really young. They obviously didn't make a regular appearance at meals because I remember them being special. Like for company or something.

I hadn't had a popover since. Until now.

I've seen recipes now and then around the internet and always think, 'I need to make those!" But never do.

Until now.

For The Secret Recipe Club this month, I was assigned NY City Eats. Lacy has a whole bunch of awesome recipes. I seriously spent about 2 hours debating what to make. I have many printed that will get made soon for sure!

I had to choose the popover recipe when I saw it though. They looked so easy. I'm not much of a baker so I had my doubts. I thought for sure they wouldn't resemble the popovers that I remembered at all. Boy was I wrong! These came out perfect! Crunchy on the outside and soft and hollow on the inside. I so should have gotten a picture of them from the inside. I was so proud of them!

We all loved the popovers but I specifically had my son Jacob in mind when I made them. He's all about bread. It seems like all he eats is bread. As expected, he loved them and at most of them. I've actually made this recipe twice. I meant to try to make a gluten free version but didn't get a chance. I have no idea if it would even work but I want to give it a shot. I'll let you know if it works. :-)

Popovers
Recipe from NYCity Eats

1 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 450.
Have all ingredients at room temp. Butter deep muffin tin or popover pan and set aside.
Beat milk, butter, flour & salt just until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time without over beating. Pour batter in pan filling cups only 3/4 full, and place in oven immediately.
Bake at 450 for 15-17 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 without opening door. Bake about 20 minutes longer or until popovers are golden brown & you can remove them from the pan without the outside walls collapsing.

Got Milk Breakfast Blitz

2013-02-13T21:12:00.002-06:00

Hey, go get that milk jug out of the refrigerator and dig a couple of them out of the recycling bin and get the UPC's! Enter this Breakfast Blitz sweepstakes and you could help your local school and possibly win 2014 Superbowl Tickets. Then go knock on the neighbors door and get their UPC for their milk. I know, they'll think you're strange but it's for the schools! Plus, you could win this adorable breakfast basket! Did you see those cow slippers? I think it's worth it, just for that.

To enter: GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Head on over with your milk UPC and enter the sweepstakes HERE. After you've registered your UPS, you'll see a link to either share with facebook or share with twitter. Choose one or both! Come on back and leave a comment letting me know you did and you'll be all set! I'll pick a winner after the weekend is up!

o The “Tackle Your Day” breakfast basket will include:

§ Spilt milk bowl

§ Spoon straw

§ Tackle Your Day Challenge Chart

§ Milk Mustache Magnet

§ Cow slippers

§ Mustache glasses

§ Breakfast Project Recipe Cards

There’s no purchase necessary. See rules for official details, enter here: http://milk.am/mbbfastblitz

Cajun Chicken Wraps

2013-02-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

This recipe combines two of my favorite foods. Chicken salad and egg salad. Seriously this is good stuff here. The first night I ate it on corn tortillas. The next day for lunch, it was awesome in a bowl with lettuce as a salad. The seasoning was awesome but I spiced it up a bit more with a drizzle of buffalo sauce.

Cajun Chicken Salad

12 oz. cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup mayonnaise, light
2 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
Hot sauce, to taste

Combine mayo, mustard, vinegar and spices in a large bowl. Mix in the chicken, eggs, celery, green pepper and onion.

Serve over a bed of lettuce and drizzle with hot sauce as desired.

Total calories = 1100
4 servings = 275 calories per serving

Game Day Recipes with Del Monte

2013-02-01T22:15:00.001-06:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Have you seen these new tomatoes from Del Monte? Chipotle and green chilies are two of my favorite flavors. I always have cans of chipotles and cans of green chiles in my cupboard. I was thrilled when I saw that they were combined with Del Monte tomatoes. I scooped these up as soon as I saw them, knowing they would be good.

First thing I tried them in was my Italian Zucchini with Tomatoes. So, so good!

Looking for some game day recipes? Try Cincinnati Sloppy Joes. Love these with the Del Monte tomatoes with Green Chilies.

Did you know...

The new Del Monte Southwestern-Style Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes are the perfect way to spice up main dishes and snacking recipes.

Del Monte canned tomatoes, fruits and vegetables contain the same essential nutrients as fresh varieties.

The majority of Del Monte products are picked at the peak of ripeness and canned on the same day, to ensure nutrients and flavor are locked in.

Del Monte is having a sweepstakes involving pinterest! Pinterest rocks! You can win an awesome home entertainment package, check it out here.

******GIVEAWAY CLOSED******
Del Monte was generous enough to give me a couple of extra cans of tomatoes and a $25 gift card. They are offering to give one of my readers the same package.

Entry #1 - Leave a comment here letting me know what you'll possibly make with these new tomatoes.

Entry #2 - Check out Del Monte's pinterest board, follow them and let me know in a comment that you did!

Entry #3 - Enter the Del Monte giveaway and come back and let me know that you've entered.

Here is one more of my favorite game day recipes. Chili is awesome but when you add buffalo sauce and these tomatoes, it's the best! Buffalo Chicken Chili.

“The Del Monte products, information and two gift packs have been provided by Del Monte.”

Sweet Potatoes and Pears

2013-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is one of my favorite side dishes. The coconut sugar and spices caramelized beautifully on the sweet potatoes and pears. This was sweet and delicious.

I hadn't used coconut sugar before. I'd heard good things about it and heard that it was a "better" sugar. This is what I read about it.

Coconut sugar, derived from the flowers of the coconut tree, is an organic, sustainable natural sweetener that shows promising results for people who suffer from chronic illnesses or conditions such as diabetes, gallstones, cancer, heart disease and obesity. This sugar has a low glycemic index and is also a nutrient powerhouse, filled with lots of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Coconut sugar is minimally processed, unbleached and contains no preservatives.

Coconut sugar is made from the sugar blossoms of fresh coconuts found in the tropics. It is harvested by slicing the bud of the coconut tree flower to release the sap or coconut nectar. This nectar is then boiled into a thick caramel and dried into crystals. Nothing is removed during this process. Coconut sugar is similar in texture and taste to brown sugar but far outweighs its nutritional profile.

I certainly found it good and it tasted awesome! I bought some more and have used it plenty.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pears
Adapted from Laura's Gluten Free Pantry

4 large sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
4 pears, cut into bite sized chunks
1 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 in. baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, pears, coconut sugar, vinegar and spices. After tossing the ingredients together for several minutes, place on the dish or baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Rhubarb Dessert

2013-01-28T17:24:00.001-06:00

Anybody have any rhubarb in their freezer? I waited until the last minute last summer to stock up. I went to the farmers market and scooped up as much as I could.

Sara from Finding Joy in my Kitchen has amazing recipes. I've made several and love how she tries to make everything healthy. I know she's made several rhubarb recipes and I'd be willing to bet that she has rhubarb in her freezer!

This is her moms recipe. Sara says that mom makes it all the time and it is a summertime staple. I just knew that a recipe that is made that often just had to be good.

It actually is a very simple recipe. It came together very quickly. It was positively delicious and I can totally see why mom makes it every year!

I am so glad that I am able to post this rhubarb recipe for The Secret Recipe Club. I encourage you to check out Sara's blog. I know for sure you'll find something awesome to make. I promise.

Rhubarb Dessert
Adapted from Finding Joy in my Kitchen

4 T butter
2 C graham crackers

1 C sugar
4 C rhubarb, sliced
3 T corn starch
1/2 C water

1 C whipping cream
1 1/2 C mini marshmallows

1 5-6 serving instant vanilla pudding, made according to box

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Mix well.

Press into a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combined sugar and cornstarch and stir in rhubarb and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Reduce head and cook for 2-3 minutes.

While the rhubarb filling is cooking, prepare the pudding according to recipe directions. If you wish, you can use a boxed pudding mix (use the larger, 5-6 serving box). Cool (cover with plastic wrap while cooling).

Whip the whipping cream until light and fluffy and then fold in the marshmallows.

Now, you're ready to assemble the mix.

(1) Spread the rhubarb layer over the cooled graham cracker crust.
(2) Cool -- to almost room temperature.
(3) Spoon the whipped cream with marshmallows over the rhubarb layer.
(4) Spread the cooled pudding over the marshmallow layer.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pork Carnitas

2013-01-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've found that there are many different ways to make carnitas. I've made them 2 ways. The easy version and the not so easy but tastier version. The easy version is to just throw your pork into the slow cooker, rub some spices on it and let it cook slowly until it is shreddable. Voila. Pulled pork or carnitas.

I like to make my own spice mix. I like to know what's in there. I often don't measure, I just throw it together and it usually comes out fine. Don't be shy, use plenty of spice.

Sear the meat. The delicious smell will start to drive you crazy at this point. You're still a long way to go so be patient.

After 3 hours in the oven it's ready to shred. Then it's time to spread some of that savory sauce over the meat and return to the oven to caramelize and get a bit crispy.

Pile on top of corn tortillas with your favorite toppings and dig in!

I even put some on a tostada with and egg and spinach for breakfast. Topped with hot sauce and it's a perfect breakfast!

Pork Carnitas Recipe

7 - 8 lbs. boneless pork, I used boneless pork ribs but you can use pork shoulder or pork butt as well.

Spice Rub: (this worked good for the amount of pork that I used)

1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. oregano

Braising liquid:

1 1/2 cups orange juice
water to cover

Technique:

Cut pork into 2 inch chunks, trimming off large amounds of fat but leave some on for flavor. Toss pork with the spice rub.

Heat a pan (or two) on the stove with enough vegetable oil (or bacon grease) to cover the bottom. Brown the cubed pork on both sides. Do this in batches so the pieces don't overlap. We're just looking to sear the pork at this point.

Transfer the meat as it gets done to a oven proof bowl or pan. Deglaze the pan's bottom with orange juice, stirring to break up the borwn bits. Throw the orange juice mix into the bowl with the meat. Fill with water until it is nearly submerged.

Cover and throw it in the oven at 300 degrees. Stir the pot after one hour. Stir the pot after 2 hours. After 3 hours it should be almost falling apart. Carefully put the liquid back on the stove in the pan and boil the liquid, allowing it to boil down.

Shred the pork and place it on two baking trays so that it is spread out. Turn your broiler on high and place a rack towards the top. Pour a bit of the braising liquid over the pork and gently toss. Broil for about 5 minutes, stir and broil for about 5 minutes more until the outside begins to caramelize.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2013-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a soup that I can't believe I don't make more often. It really is one of my favorites. The flavors are perfect and I like to make it really thick.

This is a very healthy, gluten free soup. It is super filling too. One bowl fills you right up.

We all love it. The only debate at my house is how spicy it should be. I like it pretty mild, I like a little zing in my mouth but I like to taste it too. So not too much spice. My husband and brother like it to be spicier. They'll add some more taco seasoning or some hot sauce to it. Not me, I think it's perfect just the way it is.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

1 1/4 lbs. boneless chicken breasts

2 tbsp. taco seasoning (my recipe below)

1 cup onion, diced

¼ cups green bell pepper, diced

¼ cups red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (10 oz.) rotel tomatoes and green chilies

32 ounces, chicken stock

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cups water

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained

3 Tablespoons cornmeal

5 whole corn tortillas, cut into strips around 2 To 3 inches

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1/4 cup chili powder
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. smoked paprika (just use regular if you don't have smoked)
3 tbsp. cumin
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix spices all together. Put in a sealed container and keep until needed. I use this for taco meat and chili.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix taco seasoning together. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp. taco spice mix on both sides of the chicken and rub in with your fingers. Save the rest of the seasoning mix.
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Or put in a casserole dish with a cover and microwave until done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Keep the juices and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add shredded chicken with juices and stir.
Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more taco seasoning and salt if it needs more spice. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it!

Cheddar Apple Mashed Potatoes

2013-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

We eat mashed potatoes quite a lot around here. Usually we just throw the usual in them. You know, a splash of milk, a little butter and some S&P. Easy mashed potatoes. My boys like them that way, they don't like me adding stuff and changing them up.

"Why change a good thing, Mom?!"

Well, change is good. Sometimes I like to add things to my mashed potatoes. So much to my boys' dismay, I made these mashed potatoes and completely fell in love with them. I've made them several times. Unfortunately to keep peace in the family, I made a batch of regular potatoes for the boys. Their loss, not mine.

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Bizzy Bakes

4 lbs. potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 cup (4 oz) cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onions
2 apples, chopped (I used fuji)
Salt and pepper
Dried chives to garnish (optional)

Chop potatoes into chunks, drop them into a large pot of water. Brink to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft. While potatoes are cooking, combine onions and chopped apples in a pan with a bit of cooking spray. Saute until tender.

Drain the potatoes and return to pot. Add milk and onion/apple mixture and mash. I like to leave a few chunks. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Sam's Club & Box Tops for Education Giveaway

2013-01-22T16:43:00.000-06:00

Giveaway closed

I used to laugh at my dad for buying in bulk. He'd buy those enormous packages of toilet paper and store them in his closet. I was seriously embarrassed. Fast forward 25 years and now what am I doing? Buying even MORE enormous packages of toilet paper and storing them in my closet. Yea, now I understand. I have 3 kids, a husband, a brother and a whole mess load of daycare kids to feed so we go through a lot of stuff here. Sam's Club has been awesome and I shop there all the time!

My daughter is obsessed with clipping box tops. Seriously. She gets excited when we bring things home that have box tops. She clips them and keeps them in her baggie until it time to mail them to her school. We home school the kids but are still able to use them for K12.

Do you clip Box Tops for Education?

We buy a lot of cereal at Sam's Club. General Mill's Honey Nut Cheerios is for sure a favorite around here. My husband has a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios every morning. While the kids like to mix it up and sometimes eat Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Cereal is big around here. I am a huge coupon shopper and have found that the prices at Sam's Club for cereal are the cheapest. Plus, my daughter gets to clip the box tops which make her super, duper happy.

Some other products we buy at Sam's Club with Box Tops are Progresso Soup and Cottonelle wipes and toilet paper. She tears those Box Tops off right away when we get those in here.

Here are some box tops offers that Sam's Club is offering.

New Plus Members will receive 100 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $10 value to any BTFE participating school)
Upgrade your current Membership to a Plus Membership to receive 50 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $5 value to any BTFE participating school)
New Advantage or Business Members will receive 25 Bonus Box Tops.* (a $2.50 value to any BTFE participating school)

*Offer valid only with original receipt of purchased membership taped to certificate. Only available in-club. Offers available to the first 50 new Plus Members at each club, to the first 100 members who upgrade to a Plus Membership at each club, and to the first 100 new Advantage or Business Members at each club.
Act now and take advantage of these Box Tops opportunities that Sam's Club has to offer. To find a Sam's Club near you, visit www.samsclub.com/clublocater. For a full list of Bonus Box Tops items, visit www.SamsClub.com.

***GIVEAWAY*** CLOSED
Sam's Club was kind enough to give me a $25 gift card to buy products with Box Tops. With a family as large as mine, this is extremely nice to have. Any help is appreciated. I would love for one of you to be able to get some help buying your General Mills products with box tops at Sams Club.

Entry 1 - Leave a comment letting me know if you clip box tops and what some of your favorite products are?

Entry 2 - Visit Sam's Club on Facebook and like them! Come back and leave a comment after.

Entry 3 - Follow Sam's Club on twitter! Come back and leave a comment after.

"Disclosure: I have received gift cards, and the information contained herein from Sam's Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs

2013-01-21T10:50:00.000-06:00

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was excited to make something from Tina's blog. She has so, so, so many awesome recipes on her blog Mom's Crazy Cooking. I chose her Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs. I had just been talking to my MIL about deviled eggs and have been craving them. I saw Tina had several deviled egg recipes but this one jumped out at me. Yea, she pretty much had me at bacon.

Her recipe was also part of her Egg Crazy Cooking Challenge so there is a ton of egg recipes on this page as well. We love, love, love eggs so I appreciated looking at a lot of these!

These were everything I would want in a deviled egg. They were creamy, salty and so, so good. I already plan to make these again as an appetizer for my next gathering. Everybody loves deviled eggs. I cheat and buy the eggs already hard boiled so they are a snap to make!

This would make a fantastic egg salad sandwich too. I can't wait to try it!

Bacon & Cheddar Deviled Eggs (or Egg Salad Sandwiches)
Adapted from Mom's Crazy Cooking

6 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup of mayonnaise (or maybe a little more if needed)
1-1/2 tsp mustard
3 or 4 strips bacon, finely chopped
¼ cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded
a few sprinkles of green onions, finely chopped
paprika

Hard Boil Eggs first, and let cool. Or cheat like I do and buy your eggs already hard boiled. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Mix together egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, bacon and green onion into a bowl. Fill egg whites with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle the eggs with a little paprika.

Cowboy Cookies

2013-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

After 17 days in a row of posting healthy, gluten free, low carb, low calorie meals. I thought I'd shake it up and post these cookies that are just the opposite of all that. Horrible aren't I?

I made these a long time ago. I love making desserts, I just need to wait until there is an event in which I need to bring a dessert.

These are awesome cookies. Packed tight with just about everything.

Cowboy Cookies Recipe

3 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 sticks butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups chopped pecans

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

Beat butter in a big bowl until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars and continue beating to combine. Add eggs. 1 at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

Drop about 1/4 cup of dough (i used a bit less) onto greased cookie sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake 10 - 13 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool.

17 Day Diet - Day 17

2013-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

So my first 17 days are up. I think I did pretty well. I had a few slight mishaps with peanut butter and pork but all in all, I stuck with it and I did see results. I lost a little over 10 lbs. and my daughter lost 5 lbs. Not bad for 17 days. I'm happy. I won't be blogging about the next 17 days but I do plan to continue. The goal for the next phase is to introduce more carbs. But only every other day. So I'll be adding some corn tortillas, beans and squash very soon.

My goal with this diet was to relearn to eat. Healthy, that is. I had the hardest time getting focused and I needed a plan. This plan worked for me but it won't for everybody. Everybody who wants to get healthier DOES need a plan though. Any plan, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Southbeach, whatever works. But get a plan and stick to it. I'm back journaling my food and that is essential for me. I don't plan to give that up anytime soon.

I thought I'd share some recipes that I plan to make in the next several weeks as I continue on the 17 Day Diet. This egg roll stir fry was really good. Especially with added hot sauce!

This Raspberry Glazed Rosemary Chicken is one of our favorites.

I haven't had this in ages but it sounds really good! Ginger Peach Glazed Chicken with sugar free jam is tasty without all the sugar.

I've only made this once but I remember. It sounds great for the 17 Day Diet, I have Bombay Chicken on the menu plan for next week!

If you're looking for more recipes, Veronica from Veronica's Cornucopia has a pinterest board all set up for 17 Day Diet recipes. I've got several of them printed up and planned for future meals.

I found a bunch of good recipes on Skinnytaste.com also.

There is a whole section on The Doctors with recipes for the first phase of the 17 Day Diet.