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June 5, 2010

Crumby Chicken~EASY Recipe!!!

*From Karen Call

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray
Clean chicken (chicken tenders, not breasts)
Dip in melted butter
Dip in crushed saltine cracker crumbs
Lay on cookie sheet and sprinkle with pepper
Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes depending on your oven.

Don't over cook them or they will dry out.

My 2-year-old LOVES this chicken!

March 15, 2010

Lemon Pepper Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cucp water
Lemon Pepper marinade

Marinate chicken in lemon pepper (I use Lawry's) for at least 30 minutes.
Place chicken in crock pot

In a seperate bowl mix cream of chicken soup, milk, and water.
Pour over chicken.
If the chicken isn't covered, add more water and/or milk.
Cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Cook rice
When chicken is done cooking remove from crock pot.
(I shred my chicken, but you can leave it whole if you'd like)
Pour sauce from crockpot into a pot.
Mix a very small amount of cornstarch with water and add to sauce.
Bring to a boil.
This will thicken sauce. Continue this until sauce is as thick as you like it.
(I add my shredded chicken to the sauce at this point).

Serve over hot white rice.

Caramelized Onion, Walnut, and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwiches

*From Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Slow Cooker magazine
*This is not the original recipe, it is slightly adapted to my preferences :)

FOR THE CHICKEN:
4 1/2-5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
Ground Thyme
Parsley flakes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Black pepper
32 oz. chicken broth

Put thawed chicken in a 4-5 quart crock pot.
Add chicken broth and garlic
Sprinkle Thyme, parsley, and pepper evenly across the surface of the chicken and broth.
Cover and cook on low-heat for 7-8 hours or high heat 3 1/2-4 hours.

When chicken is done cooking shred with 2 forks. You will have A LOT left over after this recipe, so freeze it for later use in other salads, quesadillas, burritos, or any other chicken recipes you love!!

FOR THE CHICKEN SALAD:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Cup chopped onion (sweet or yellow)
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (can be bought already chopped), toasted (optional)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. clipped fresh cilantro (I used about 4 times that much because I LOVE cilantro!)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Salt and pepper (optional)
Bread
Baby spinach leaves

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat.
Add onion
Cover and cook 13-15 minutes or until tender, stir occasionally.
Uncover
Cook and stir over medium high heat 3-5 minutes or until golden

In large bowl combine onion, chicken, and walnuts
Add mayonnaise, cilantro (I just cut it from the bushel with scissors), and lime juice.
Toss to coat
If desired season to taste with Salt and Pepper
Place chicken on bread and top with spinach leaves

Makes about 5 sandwiches using full slices of bread. I served them on store-bought sweet rolls. Another option is to top with tomato slices as well as spinach leaves.

March 14, 2010

Homestyle Chicken & Biscuits

1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen veggie combination ie brocolli, cauliflower, carrots
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 pkg. refrigerated biscuits (10)

Stir soup, milk, cheese and black pepper in 13x9 baking dish.
Stir in vegetables and chicken
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
Stir
Place biscuits on top and bake for 15 more minutes or until biscuits are golden.

February 1, 2010

Deceptively Delicious-Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I borrowed this cook book from a friend of mine and fell in love with it! Its a wonderful way to incorperate veggies into your family's diet. Here is a mashed potato recepie that I adapted from this book.

1 lb baking potatoes-peeled, cubed
1/2 Cup cauliflower puree
2 Tablespoons butter/margarine
1/2 Cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 oz. grated parmesean cheese
1 1/2 cloves of garlic-minced

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by about 3 inches.
Bring to a boil over hight heat.
Boil on medium heat about 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
While potatoes are boiling:
Put milk and garlic into a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Drain potatoes and put in a bowl for mixing or beating.
Add milk, parmesean, salt, butter, and cauliflower.
Beat until desired texture is acheived!

My husband claimed that these are the best potatoes I've ever made, but the only thing I did different from my usual recipe is add cauliflower. Go figure!

March 5, 2009

Strawberry Yogurt Pie


12 oz. Cool Whip Dessert Topping
16-24 oz. Strawberry Yogurt (I just kept adding more until it tasted good and ended up using 24oz.)
2 any brand ready-made graham cracker crusts
1 cup fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

Mix Cool Whip, Yogurt, and Strawberries together in a bowl.
Pour into pie crust
Cover with pie lid (I used the one that comes with the crust)
Freeze for 3 hours or over night
Remove from freezer about 20 minutes prior to eating
Top with additional Cool Whip and Strawberries if desired
I like to crumble graham cracker over the top for a little extra decoration

*You can use any flavor Yogurt and any sliced fruit you want
*To make it a lighter, healthier dessert, use Lite or Fat Free Cool Whip and Yogurt!

December 16, 2008

Very Healthy Chocolate Banana Pancakes

1/2 cup Rolled Oats - I use Bob's Red Mill
1 whole egg, 2 egg whites
Couple TB of low fat cottage cheese
sliced banana
Scoop of Prograde Lean Chocolate Meal Replacement
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of vanilla
Real Butter for cooking the pancakes

Toppings - fresh sliced fruit, cinnamon, heated berries, apple/apricot butter, all natural preserves...

~ use food processor to thoroughly blend pancake batter ingredients. Blend for about a minute.
~ heat butter in skillet over medium heat
~ add small batches of batter
~ watch carefully, when sides begin to brown carefully flip

October 28, 2008

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

*From Carissa

Yoplait vanilla yogurt
strawberries
blueberries
granola

October 21, 2008

Whole Wheat Waffles

*From Mr. Breakfast

1 and 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons melted shortening
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Beat egg yolks well; add milk and shortening.
Combine salt, sugar, and flour.
Add to first mixture.
Beat until smooth.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
Sift baking powder lightly over the mixture and fold in quickly.
Bake in hot waffle iron.

Another Whole Wheat Pancake Recipe

*From Mr. Breakfast

2 cups fat-free milk
1 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup fresh (or thawed frozen) blueberries (optional)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg whites (or two eggs) - beaten
1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, mix together the two flours, baking powder and salt.
In a seperate bowl, mix together the milk, egg, oil and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened and combined.
Fold in the berries.
On a lightly greased skillet set at medium-high heat, dollop batter in 1/4 cup amounts to make each pancake.
When bubbles appear at the top of the pancake and the edges start to look dry, flip the pancakess and cook the other sides until golden brown.
These are really good with fresh berries and blueberry syrup. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

*From Calorie Count

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar

mix this together really, really well. i use my fingers to blend it thoroughly.
in another bowl, (i use the tupperware shaker-mixer) mix
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons of oil

make sure the griddle is really hot. then just before spooning onto the griddle, mix wet and dry together. i use a whisk for about 10 seconds. pour immediately onto griddle.
bake until bubbles form, and turn over and bake.
after i learned what "double-acting" meant in the baking powder, i refined my mixing technique. (the first action happens when adding the liquid, the second is in the heating), so you want those to be as close together as possible. this gives you a really light 100% whole wheat pancake.

you can use skim milk (but delete the baking soda) and egg white instead of whole egg, too.
also, you can add 2 tablespoons of plain whey powder to boost the protein. it doesn't seem to alter the taste at all.

i think to make it into a waffle (i haven't tried this yet) i would use 3 tablespoons of oil, and separate the egg, and add the beaten egg white just at the last minute before baking.

October 20, 2008

Homemade Waffles

*I got this recipe from manual to my Toastmaster Waffle Iron.

2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3 egg YOLKS, beaten
1 3/4 cups milk
1/3 cup oil
3 egg WHITES, stiffly beaten

Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Blend.
Combine egg YOLKS and milk in seperate bowl.
Add to dry ingredients.
Stir in cooking oil.
Carefully fold in egg whites, don't over mix.
Pour into waffle iron and follow cooking directions for your particular iron.

On my waffle iron this recipe made 5 BIG waffles. You know the ones with 4 square waffles all connected.

October 17, 2008

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

*From Holly J

2 1/4 C All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 C Butter Crisco
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Large Eggs
2 Tbsp Evaporated Milk
1 C Gram crackers, crushed
Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine: flour, gram crackers, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl beat butter, sugars and vanilla.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Gradually, beat in flour mixture.
Add milk and chocolate chips.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. Enjoy!

October 14, 2008

Dangerous Chocolate Cake

*From Holly J

2 "hot chocolate" mugs
4 Tbsp. cake flour (plain, not self-rising)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
Small splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mugs, mix well with a fork (I split all of the ingredients between the two mugs).
Add egg, mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well.
Add chips, if using.
Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.
Cake will rise over top of mug--do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.
I like to add a dollop of cool-whip.
You could add frosting or anything else that suits your fancy. Enjoy!
And WHY is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world??
Because now we are all only five minutes away from chocolate cake any time of the day or night!!

Post Workout Foods

*From Holly Rigsby of FYM

These are Whole Food meal ideas that are best right after a workout - meals OTHER than smoothies (see "Drinks" for ideas - liquid meals are ideal after a workout due to rapid absorption and the fact that many of our stomachs just cannot handle eating a meal right after working out.)

If you are going to eat a whole food meal...Think Fast Digesting: Proteins and Carbs

Chocolate Skim Milk(If you choose soy, you will need to add a whey protein or casein to make up for the fact that it is an incomplete protein)
Yogurt and Fruit
Cottage cheese and Fruit

Higher GI Fruits
cantaloupe
honeydew
watermelon
pineapple
banana
raisins
Fruit Juice
Honey - high grade
dates

Avoid eating high fat foods during the post workout period for it may slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins.

October 13, 2008

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

2 bananas
1 orange
1 apple
2 chunks of fresh pineapple
2 kiwis
1/2 cups of frozen blueberries
10‐12 frozen strawberries
1‐2 cups cranberry juice
1 (14‐ounces) can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 (8‐ounces) carton plain yogurt
1 small banana, cut up
1 cup frozen or fresh whole strawberries
1 (8‐ounces) can crushed pineapple packed with juice, chilled
2 tablespoons real lemon juice from concentrate
1 cup ice cubes
Halved fresh strawberries, optional

Chill eagle brand.
In blender container, combine eagle brand, yogurt, banana,whole strawberries, pineapple with its juice and real lemon, cover and blend until smooth.

Daiquiri Twist Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 cup apple‐cranberry juice
1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cups frozen blackberries
1/2 cups kiwis
1/2 cups crushed ice
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Cocoa Berry Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

3/4 cups apple juice
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups mixed frozen berries
2 to 3 tablespoons sweetened powdered cocoa

Pour liquid ingredients into the blender first.
Yogurt is a liquid ingredient.
Addberries and cocoa.
Put cover on and blend until smooth.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 frozen banana ‐‐ peeled
6 ounces light (reduced sugar) fat‐free vanilla or cherry frozen yogurt
2 tablespoons Hershey s chocolate syrup
1/2 cups non‐fat milk

Put all ingredients into blender.
Blend until smoothie consistency is reached!

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 cup frozen vanilla yogurt
1 cup apple juice
2 cups frozen cherries

Pour liquid ingredients into the blender first.
Yogurt is a liquid ingredient.
Addcherries.
Put cover on and blend until smooth.

Cherry Cantaloupe Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1/2 cantaloupe (peeled, seeded, and sliced)
1/2 cups apple or apricot juice
2‐3 pitted cherries
1/4 cups raspberries or blackberries
3‐4 ice cubes

Put all ingredients into blender.
Blend until smoothie consistency is reached!

Cherry Berry Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 cup low‐fat cherry yogurt
1/4 cups cranberry juice
1 cup frozen, pitted cherries
3/4 cups frozen, unsweetened blueberries

Combine the yogurt and cranberry juice in a blender.
Add the cherries andberries.
Blend until smooth.

Makes about 2‐1/2 cups, serves 2.

Blueberry Orange Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

12 ounces frozen blueberries, unthawed. . . Or. . . 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
8 ounces vanilla low fat yogurt
1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whirl all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately

Blueberry Maple Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 cup low‐fat blueberry yogurt
3/4 cups low‐fat milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries, frozen

Combine the yogurt, milk, syrup, and cinnamon in a blender. Add theblueberries and blend until smooth.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

*From Holly Rigsby

1 banana, preferably frozena
handful of blueberries, frozen or fresh
1 cup of milk reduced fat or skim milk (or soy milk)

Combine in a blender or with a hand blender. Enjoy!