Crispy Chicken Burritos

I found this on Pinterest and had to try it! I picked up a rotisserie chicken to shred and it was a fast, easy, yummy meal! Click HERE for the recipe.

Vegetable Tian

Found this on Pinterest and it will definietly be used again! I wish I'd had more tomato to use, but it was still SO yummy!! Click HERE for the recipe.

Chopped Salad with Bacon and Roasted Garbanzo Beans

We love having a big salad for dinner- so when I saw this, I thought I'd give it a try!

INGREDIENTS:
Olive Oil
Garbanzo Beans
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Bacon (I used turkey bacon)
3 TBL red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
English cucumber, peeled and chopped
Lettuce (Romaine or Butter)
Butter Beans
Feta Cheese
Ranch Dressing (I used the spray kind)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat some olive oil in a saute pan and add in the garbanzo beans. Cook 5-7 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove onto a plate covered with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder. Cook the bacon in the skillet and when cooled, crumble. To make the salad, add lettuce, beans, bacon, tomatoes cucumber and feta cheese. Mix the red wine vinegar, basil, oregano, 3 TBL olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl to make the dressing. Add some ranch dressing as well. Pour over when ready to serve, and toss well. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

From Sarah


A sweet friend made this meal for us and we loved it SO much I begged for the recipe. We made it this week- and it is SO good. It makes a lot, so I froze half of it to save for another time, which is a bonus in my opinion. I served with a loaf of Italian bread and a glass of wine!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Italian sausage

1 cup chopped onion2 garlic cloves3 cans beef broth½ cup red wine1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)1 can peeled whole tomatoes (28oz)1 can tomato sauce (15oz)1 cup sliced carrots½ tsp dried basil½ tsp dried oregano1TBS parsley flakes1 cup sliced zucchini1 large package of fresh cheese tortellini1 med green bell pepper choppedParmesan cheese




DIRECTIONS:
Remove the casing from the sausage. Brown sausage over medium heat in a 6-quart stock pot. Set aside, reserving drippings in the stock pot. Cook the onions and garlic in the sausage drippings for about 10x minutes. Add the cooked sausage, beef broth, red wine, crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, basil, oregano, and parsley flakes. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30x minutes. Stir in the zucchini, tortellini, and bell pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-25x more minutes until the tortellini are tender. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Key West Chicken Kabobs

INGREDIENTS:
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cubed (3-4)
Kabob Skewers
3 TBL Soy Sauce
2 TBL Honey
1 TBL Sweet Chili Sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 TBL vegetable oil
1 tsp minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the marinade ingredients together with a whisk. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. If using wooden skewers, put those in a sink of water. Arrange the chicken on the skewers and grill. Delicious!

Mexican Green Beans

With the gorgeous weather we've been having, I was looking for a fresh, simple way to make veggies (the hot ones just don't sound as appealing right now) and I was a little bit unsure how this would turn out- it sounded like an odd mixture of ingredients, but it was AWESOME. I ate about 4 servings... and there were no left overs. I made it with the Keywest Chicken Kabobs, perfect combo!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb fresh green beans or a bag of frozen
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 TBL white vinegar
1 TBL olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp oregano
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup chopped, jalapenos (the pickled kind you buy in a jar)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (mine was feta/black pepper mix)
1 avocado, diced
1-2 tomatoes, diced

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add in green beans and boil about 5 minutes, then drain and rinse under cool water. The green beans should be just about room temperature- not cold or hot. Add in remaining ingredients and toss. Letting sit for at least a half an hour would be good to let the flavors blend.

Corn Salsa

I made this to go with the Pork Carnitas, but it would be yummy for other sides/appetizers, as well! I just used regular chili powder, as I couldn't find the chiptole kind, but it was still great! Click HERE for the link.

Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

I love a good crockpot meal, and this one was SO easy and a fresh new spin on our (almost) weekly Mexican night! I found this on Pinterest and love the Skinnytaste blog. CLICK HERE for the link. I also have found these yummy tortillas- they are LaTortilla Factory's Smart & Delicious Tortillas. They are whole wheat, high in fiber, low carb and low fat- and they taste great and don't tear/break when you fill them up! I served the pork on the tortillas, with Corn Salsa, guacamole and sour cream (or Greek Yogurt). I also spooned the juices from the crockpot onto the shredded meat- this helped keep it moist and tender and put some fresh cilantro on top. We've been fighting over the left overs- I think everything tasted better the next day!

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

These were really easy, yummy (almost as good as hashbrown casserole) and my kids ate them up!

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup panko
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt
olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Clean and chop the head of cauliflower into florets. Steam the florets and then mash them. Add in eggs, cheese, panko, cayenne pepper and salt. Form into patties. Heat a skillet over med-high heat with olive oil. Cook each patty until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side). Enjoy! I served with PW's steak bites and asparagus.

Crackled Deviled Eggs

Thanks to Pinterest, I found a way to make our Easter deviled eggs a little more exciting! 

The day before serving, hard boil your eggs (put them in a sauce pan and fill with water; cover. Bring just to boiling, turn off heat and wait 12-20 minutes) and then let them cool. Once cooled, tap them on the counter and roll so as to thoroughly cracking the shell. Drop each in water with food coloring (don't use vinegar, as that will affect the taste of the egg) and let set over night (we used plastic solo cups). The next day, peel the shells off and prepare your deviled eggs! I made these with dijon mustard, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and a little bit of pickle relish. They were delicious and cute!

Snow Peas and Peppers

INGREDIENTS:
Sesame Oil
Snow Peas, trimmed
Thinly Sliced Bell Pepper
Salt/Peper

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add sesame oil (about 1-2 tsp) and swirl to coat. Add in veggies and saute for 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Basil Spicy Chicken

This would be yummy alone, or I served it over sesame brown rice (from THIS recipe).

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 TBL soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp chile paste with garlic
1 tsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sliced basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add oil to the pan. Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook until fragrant. Add chicken to pan; cook until it's done. Combine the soy sauce and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add the sauce to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat chicken. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Crunchwraps

I saw this recipe on my friend Elizabeth's blog and had to try it- let's all take a moment to admit we love Taco Bell, and to make it at home and healthier...YES, please! I also loved that my kids ate this really well (they have trouble with tacos/burritos and everything falling out). It's super yummy with some salsa and guacamole. I just used ground chicken breast for my meat and regular taco seasoning (I couldn't find the chicken taco seasoning packet) but it was definietly really good!

Napa Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS:
1 TBL soy sauce
1 TBL sesame oil
1 TBL rice vinegar
1 1/2 TBL sweet chili sauce
1 tsp peeled/grated ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 cup julienne-cut yellow squash
1/2 cup matchstick carrot
1/4 cup cut green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Let stand 10 minutes.

Edamame

This is not really a recipe- just something I wanted to post to remember... this is such a good, healthy compliment to any meal- and my kids LOVE popping them out of their shells. I only found out about this a few years ago, so look for it in the frozen vegetable/asian foods section- they steam in the microwave and are so good!

Sauteed Shrimp and Sesame Rice

So easy, and light and yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lbs peeled and deveined large shrimp (I like the tails already off)
Salt/Pepper
Lemon or Lime juice
Olive Oil
Brown Rice
Sesame Seed

DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to a boil and cook rice according to package directions. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat and toss in some sesame seeds and cook just until toasted; remove seeds from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add olive oil and shrimp. Sprinkle salt and pepper over and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are done, and add lemon or lime juice on top. When the rice is done, stir in seeds and juice, and salt. Serve shrimp over rice. Yum!

Vegetable Fettuccine

I originally thought this would be a meatless meal, and then remembered my husband wouldn't approve- so I bought a link of turkey sausage and threw it in!

INGREDIENTS:
Bread Crumbs (or ingredients to make your own)
Garlic Cloves (2), minced
Turkey Sausage Link, sliced
Asparagus, cut
Frozen Peas
Broccoli
Carrot Sticks
Zucchini
Fettuccine
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1 TBL flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1-2 cups milk
8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese, grated
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Tarragon

DIRECTIONS:
Bring water to boil in a large pot. (If you are making your own breadcrumbs, you should start now- put bread in a food processor and then toast in melted butter on a skillet with garlic). Add asparagus first to water (it needs the longest to cook) then the broccoli and carrots, then zucchini and last peas. Cook until crisp-tender, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water; drain. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and 2 garlic cloves; cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Place flour in a small bowl; gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add the broth mixture and the milk to the pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Place turkey sausauge in. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat; cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper and pasta, veggies and toss well. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and tarragon.