Easy Harvest Chicken Salad

 
Doesn't this lunch look delicious? It was! Harvest chicken salad...yum. Quinoa vegetable salad....also yum.  And topped off with a Twin Bing candy bar? Yes, please!

To make the Chicken Salad you will need need:

1 pound cooked chicken breast-diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced apple
2/3 cup grapes, halved
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Serve on buns or lettuce. It is also delicious enough to eat on its own! 

Enjoy!

Easy Refreshing Summer Drink

We've had some hot summer days this past week and I've been craving a nice, refreshing adult beverage. Finally today my hubby bought some tequila and then whipped me up this tasty drink! Lucky me!

Whatchya need:

Frozen Minute Made Limeade
Sprite Zero
Tequila

In a tall glass (12 oz), add in a shot of tequila, a couple spoonfuls of the frozen limeade, then top it off with the sprite. And viola! A tasty, summer drink. 

Enjoy!

Orzo Pasta with Roasted Broccoli & Chickpeas

You Need:

-1/2 lb Orzo Pasta
-15 oz canned Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), rinsed & drained
-1 head Broccoli, cut into small florets
-Curry Powder
-Cracked Black Pepper
-Garlic Salt
-Olive Oil
-Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 375. Cook orzo pasta, toss with olive oil and set aside. Dry chickpeas with paper towels. Toss broccoli and chickpeas with olive oil, curry powder, garlic powder and pepper. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, roast the broccoli mixture for about 25-30 minutes.

Mix together orzo with roasted broccoli & chickpeas. Mix in a bit of lemon juice and additional curry powder, pepper and garlic salt if needed.

Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

Ooh, this one is good.

All you need:

Grilled or Baked Chicken Breasts
Pepper Jack Cheese
Pineapple Slices
Buns

Pile 'em up and ENJOY!

Eggs Baked in Avocado

So I saw this recipe and was intrigued. I love eggs and avocado so I decided to give it a whirl. And it turned out pretty good! When I make it again, I'll make sure to scoop out a bit more of the avocado so the egg can bake a bit more inside the avocado. Other than that, I loved the avocado and yolk flavors mixing together.

Enjoy! 

Broccoli Salad with Bacon

My sister passed this recipe on to me a while back and boy is it good. Its one of those recipes that tastes even better the day after when all the flavors mixed together.

Mix together:

5 cups finely chopped broccoli
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup bacon bits (or 1 lb cooked bacon)
1 cup light mayo
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Continuing on my greek yogurt food posts...I present to you some light chocolate chip cookies!

Combine:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

 In a separate bowl combine:
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla

Stir in flour combination. Once thoroughly mixed, add in 2 cups chocolate chips.

Back at 375 degrees, for 9-11 minutes on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Cool on rack.

Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Ice Cream Deliciousness

Get ready for a delicious snack...

1 Small Container of Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1Tablespoon Chocolate Chips (ok, ok, so I put in a few more...)

Mix it all up and...

Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue S'mores

I saw this idea over here and umm, let's just say that in 60 seconds flat I had inhaled more than one of these...

All you need for this delicious mixture:

Graham crackers
Lemon Curd
Marshmallows

Throw a marshmallow in the microwave for the lazy gal's way to make a s'more. 10-15 seconds will do. Have some lemon curd spread on one of the graham crackers--the more the better! Layer all the ingredients and eat away!

Current Three Favorite Food Items

So I've been addicted to these three foods recently...

Toby's Tofu Dip & Spreads (perfect to dip veggies in!)

Fage Greek Yogurt--I love the separate fruit section.

Orange Flavored Cranberries from Trader Joe's--a fun twist on cranberries!

(Somewhat Healthy) Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe was first created (here) as a healthier version of chocolate chip cookies. Now I have to ask...if a cookie is so tasty that you eat the entire batch in one day...should we not refer to it as healthy? These cookies are soft, chewy, and gooey. And not too bad for you!


Here is what you do!

Toast 3/4 cups rolled oats on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oat bran (I added this but it wasn't in the original recipe)

In another bowl mix with an electric mixer:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 TB butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3 TB egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix in dry ingredients, chocolate chips, and toasted oats. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Don't ignore this part...I tried it first without cooling it and they didn't turn out nearly as gooey delicious!

Bake at 350 degrees on a parchment lined pan for 10 minutes.

Enjoy! Oh and try not to eat them all right away...

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake!

My husband offered to bring in coffee cake for one of his grad classes so we got up early yesterday to whip one up! Lucky for me, there was some leftover! It is moist and chocolatey...mmm!

Head on over here to get the recipe for yourself!

Soft (and delicious!) Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I've been craving cookies recently but unfortunately do not have chocolate chips in stock! In the depths of my despair I stumbled upon a recipe that 1) looked tasty and 2) I actually had all of the ingredients on hand. Even better...they are delicious. Seriously delicious.

 
You need:

1 cup (plus maybe an additional 2TB) creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 TB vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda

And do this:

Mix together peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add in cocoa powder and baking soda. If your dough is really crumbly still, add in increments of the additional 2TB of peanut butter until the consistency is better.

Refrigerate dough for 2 hours before baking (ok, ok, I only did one hour...) Once cold, roll dough into balls and slightly flatten onto a greased baking sheet. Use a fork to make imprints on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Leave on pan for about ten minutes then transfer to a rack.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

M&M Cookie Bars

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and was eager to make it. I've been on a healthy baking kick but I have some visitors (my parents!!) coming to town and wanted to make something super duper tasty....so I decided to try these bars out. I made a few alterations--just for kicks--and am happy with how they turned out!

Preheat oven to 325. 9x13 pan, greased


Mix together:

2 1/8 cup flour (weird, right?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In another bowl whisk together:

10 T butter, melted
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons egg substitute
1 egg yoke
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Then fold in 1 cup of a 12 oz bag of M&Ms (I used dark chocolate).  Pour into prepared 9x13 pan--and top with remaining M&Ms.

Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

A Somewhat Low Fat Carrot Cake

I made my first carrot cake last week and was happy with the results!

You need:

1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup egg substitute
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I actually didn't have this on hand so I skipped it...)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups shredded carrot
8 ounces crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Here is what you do:

350 degrees, 9x13, greased
Beat together oil, applesauce, milk, sugar, and egg substitute.
In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Combine bowls, beat, and mix in the vanilla. Mix in carrots, walnuts, raisins, and pineapple.
Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Delicious Rotisserie-Flavored Chicken

Here is a tasty and easy recipe. Almost as easy as buying a rotisserie chicken from the store! Actually...in my case I had all of the ingredients at home so it was much easier than having to bike to the store to pick up a rotisserie chicken...

1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless chicken breasts

All you need to do is mix it all together, rub onto the chicken breasts, and roast for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.

Easy and delicious!  

Apple Muffins

We've already made these twice because they are so tasty! Once for breakfast and once for dessert! 

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup apple, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, stir together four, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, stir together milk, egg substitute, applesauce, and apple. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Mix a little bit of cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle on top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

*From 500 Low Cholesterol Recipes

Quiche Nibblers

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 ounces low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add red bell pepper and onions; saute for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine egg substitute, milk, cheese, and pepper. Stir in the bell pepper mixture. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each muffin cup. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the centers are set. Let cool for 1 minute. Using a knife, loosen the quiches around the edges and remove.

*From 500 Low Cholesterol Recipes

My new cookbook

So I pretty much only use this cookbook now. See how much I love it?

 

Amazing Herbed Fish

I have never cooked fish before but I figured I might as well figure it out since my low cholesterol cookbook told me to eat it twice a week. I like tuna usually and also really like perch so I figured I'd start with some lighter fish.

While grocery shopping, my hubby actually listened to one of the over the speaker announcements and heard that fresh cod was on sale so we figured now was our chance! I found a easy recipe and gave it a try. And oh my gosh, it was SO good. I swear this recipe is my new favorite. It is just the perfect blend of flavors.  I only wish that it looked more appealing so I could share a picture!


Delicious Herbed Fish

2 pounds perch or other firm white fish (we used cod)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350. Wash fish, pat dry, and place in a 9x13 inch dish. Combine oil with garlic salt, marjoram, thyme, and pepper.   Drizzle over fish. Top with onion. Pour wine over all. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

For dessert, we had Swedish Fish which we figured was appropriate for the evening theme. If only we had played Go Fish afterwards...