Taco Soup

    I know many of you may already have a recipe for this. There are many variations, but this one is our favorite. It is super easy, quick, delicious, healthy, and economical. What more could you ask for in a recipe? My kids love it and it is even better as a leftover. I love soup season!

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained.
1 quart jar canned tomatoes or 48 oz. stewed tomatoes, blended
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can ranch style beans
1 can kidney beans
1-2 cups corn (canned or frozen)
1 packet taco seasoning

Sour cream, cheese, avocado, and chips for garnish.

Directions:

Brown beef in a large stock pot. Drain. To beef, add all other ingredients. Simmer 20 minutes or until ready to serve. Garnish as desired. (I told you it was easy!)

Source: Aubrey Adams

Frozen Grapes

I am one of those moms….you know the ones that don’t like high fructose corn syrup, food dye, ….etc.  So we usually don’t have Popsicle in our home unless they are homemade.  I don’t know why but homemade sometimes just seems like too much work, so I found an easier way.  Frozen Grapes!  They have a wonderful icy crunch, are prefect for those hot days, and super easy!  
Wash Grapes well (I use food wash for grapes to get off all the pesticides)
Pull off the vine and place individually on a cookie sheet
Freeze
It is that easy.  Once mine have frozen (I usually leave them in for 3 hours), I put them in a zip lock bag to save space in my freezer.  Enjoy!

Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets

   
    I have really fallen in love with fresh basil. My problem is, I always have more than I need. This recipe is a great, easy, delicious way to use more of it. You can also use dried, but it is awesome with fresh!  The beautiful thing about this recipe is that you only have to marinade the meat for 10 minutes.

Garlic Marinated Chicken Cutlets

1 Tbsp EVOO
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (or more) dried basil (use more if using fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded flat

Mix marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Add chicken and turn several times to coat each piece. Let marinate at room temp for at least 10 minutes, then grill until browned and cooked through.

Source: Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart’s Great Foods Fast cookbook.

HEALTHY Deep Dish Cookie Pie

This recipe is going to SHOCK you!

I’ve been trying to eat better so I can drop a few pounds and improve my health. BUT I LOVE A WARM HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!!! I have to get my cookie fix, so I searched and found this healthy alternative.

How can a deep dish cookie pie be healthy? BEANS! You might be skeptical, but just read it and try it! It will take the guilt out of your guilty pleasure!

Deep Dish Cookie Pie

Ingredients:

2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) 
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (I only used 1 cup) *see notes for sugar free
1 cup chocolate chips (maybe not truly healthy, but definitely yummy!)

Directions:

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor,  except the chocolate chips. If you do not have a food processor, mash the beans as well as you can first, and then use a hand mixer or Bosch or Kitchen Aid (or something like it) to mix the batter. 

2. Mix in chips, and pour into an oiled pan. I used a deep dish pie pan, but you can use a small casserole dish, a springform pan, etc.  

3. Cook at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes or so before cutting and removing from the pan. 

4. Serve with ice cream, chocolate syrup, nuts and whipped cream….or whatever your heart desires. YUM!

Notes: 
* If you want to go sugarless, you can omit the brown sugar and use 4 packets of Stevia, and/or 2 cups of pitted dates, blended up in a food processor. You might want to half the recipe and play around with it a bit to suit your tastes and dietary needs. This definitely has the potential to be an amazing treat that is gluten free and sugar free! I don’t mind having a little sugar, and I thought it was great with 1 cup of brown sugar, but my children would have preferred it to be a little sweeter. I’m making it with dates next time!

Source: Chocolate Covered Katie





2 Ingredient Cookies

I love cookies. And chocolate. And pretty much all things sweet. Since I’ve been doing Weight Watchers, I’ve had to really temper my sweet tooth. I saw these lovely little cookies floating around the internet. I knew that I had to try them. Really, 2 ingredients? No butter or sugar? I’m in!

Ingredients:
2 (Old) Bananas
1 Cup Quick Cook Oats

If you want… add a mix in of your choice.
Want some ideas?
– mini chocolate chips (what I used)
– coconut flakes
– nuts
– raisins
– craisins

Directions
1. Mix your ingredients together. Make sure that the mixture isn’t too wet, if it is – add some oats. Don’t add too many mix ins – you need to make sure that your cookies stick together.
2. Divide into 16 cookies, (i used my cookie scoop, worked perfectly)
3. Bake on a greased pan at 350 for 15 minutes.

**Depending on your mix ins, for the whole batch – it would be 7 points. Not too shabby, eh?

Source

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

With Easter around the corner, I thought that this would be a great time to share my favorite way to cook and serve asparagus. Although this asparagus is wrapped in [turkey] bacon, it has a very light taste and fits easily into a healthy diet.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Serves four. (I usually double this!)

Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus, about 20-25 spears, stems removed
4 slices turkey bacon (you could also use pork bacon)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top (I used a cooling rack). Spray the rack with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together oils, brown sugar and garlic. Set aside.
3. Bunch together 5-6 asparagus spears and tightly wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place on the wire rack seam-side down and repeat.
4. Using a brush, a spoon or hands ;-), brush the spears thoroughly with the oil/sugar mixture. Give each bundle a hefty sprinkle of sesame seeds. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Serve warm.

Source

Broccoli & Cheese Quinoa

I’m in LOVE with quinoa! It’s been so nice having something new and so versatile in my diet. Have you tried cooking with it yet? You really should give it a shot. My kids gobbled this right up. We served it with some chicken and carrots on the side. Made for a tasty dinner. Plus, it cooks up so quickly!

Broccoli & Cheese Quinoa

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Put quinoa, broth and broccoli to a pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered until the broth has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender,about 15-20 minutes.
2. Mix in the cheese, let it melt.
3. Enjoy!

Want some more Quinoa Recipes? Check these out…
Quinoa Primavera
Moni’s Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Pomegranate-Avocado Dip

I hope it’s not too late and that you can still find Pomegranates in the produce aisle. If it is too late, I’m really sorry, but put this recipe away for next year. Don’t be fooled by the variety of ingredients that you wouldn’t normally see together. It has just the right amount of sweet/savory to make it ADDICTING!

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/8 tsp Cayenne (Red) Pepper

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 small Onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion)
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
1-2 Avocados, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 Pomegranate, seeded

1. Mix the chili powder, red pepper, and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Mix all the produce well in a Medium-sized bowl.
3. Pour the lemon juice mixture over and coat well.

Serve with your favorite chips or crackers. We like it with Club Multi-grained or some other multi-grained crackers.

Source: Aunt Beth

Cloud Bread

Though I found this recipe intriguing while browsing Pinterest, I never really felt a need to give it a try.  I mean, why should I try to make a nearly carb-less bread?  I’m perfectly happy with the carb-laden kind!  Well, it wasn’t long before I found out that I’m prediabetic and need to drop some weight and get my carb intake under control.  At present time, I’m still working on it.

I won’t say this recipe fulfilled any deep bread cravings, but it was nice to have SOMETHING to make a breakfast sandwich out of.  I’ve also toasted it and used it as a sort of tostada.  If you decide to give it a try, make sure to follow the directions very closely.

Ingredients:
3 eggs (separated)
3 Tbsp. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. stevia

1.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Separate the whites of the eggs into a mixer bowl and the yolks into a small mixing bowl.
2.  Into the YOLKS, whisk in the stevia until smooth and well-combined.  Into the WHITES, add the cream of tartar and mix until you get stiff peaks.
3.  Add a little of the whites mixture (maybe 1/4 c.) into the yolks mixture and stir together until combined.  This will lighten up the yolks mixture a bit before folding it into the whites.  Carefully fold in the yolks mixture into the egg whites.  Fold only!  Do not stir or whisk as this will make the whites “deflate”.  Fold gently until the whites and yolks are combined.
4.  Place a sheet of parchment or waxed paper onto each of two cookie sheets.  With a large spoon or large cookie scoop, dollop the mixture in four or five piles on the paper/cookie sheet.  Use the back of the spoon to make these dollops into nice even circles.  You want these to be at least 1/2-3/4″ thick.
5.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes (you really have to watch these, only bake until they are golden).  Since I had two large cookie sheets I switched their positions halfway through and just baked each sheet until the “bread” was a nice golden color.
6.  Allow to cool COMPLETELY on a wire rack (I just transferred the papers straight onto a wire rack).  Once cool, they will become soft but just out of the oven they are a bit crispy.  Store in a ziploc bag.

Makes 8 to 10 pieces

Notes:

  • Another recipe that I saw said you could use the same amount of cottage cheese in place of the cream cheese.  Haven’t tried that yet.
  • The recipe I used called for 1 packet of stevia, but I only had it in a large bag.  A web search informed me that 1 packet = 2 tsp.
  • The recipe I used did not suggest lightening up the yolks mixture with the whites, but I’ve watched enough cooking shows to know that this is a great tip and helps with the folding process (plus, it’s always worked better for me personally).
  • These are fairly fragile.  They stood up okay to an egg/sausage load for breakfast, but just barely and only because I sort of cradled the sandwich carefully.  Toasting them makes them crispy but may also make them taste more egg-y.
  • One piece is about 38 calories and about .25g of carbs, by my calculations.
  • I’ve learned that this recipe is also known as Oopsies.
Source:  all over the internet, but I used the recipe from Mom, What’s for Dinner?

Quinoa Primavera

My husband and I are trying to eat healthier. We don’t eat a lot of meat to begin with, but we thought it would be a good idea to have one totally meatless meal a week. I thought quinoa would be a great dish to serve since it’s high in protein and a great food.

This was actually my first time cooking (and eating) quinoa, and it definitely will not be my last. This dish is so yummy and very filling. Although we ate it as a main dish, it would also make a great side dish.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed (I used light cream cheese)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables (I used a bag of frozen mixed cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots)
Grated  Parmesan cheese

Directions
– Bring quinoa and broth to boil in a saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. (Follow package instructions)
– While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minute, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. If you are using frozen vegetables, you’ll just need to cook them until they are warm/hot.
– Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Adapted from Christy’s Culinary Collection