Baked Kale Chips

 I am again looking to put healthy things back into our diets. Not only to be healthy, but for me to help take off this baby weight for good! :) I had heard about kale chips but hadn't tried them. I decided to give them a go and they were a hit! Super easy, yummy and good for you! I served them as a side with Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. I will definitely do this again!


Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

 

Peach Whiskey BBQ Chicken

 I found this adapted version of one of the Pioneer Woman's recipes. It was really yummy! Sean said it was one of the best things I've ever made. Super easy. I think it's even inspired me to try the original recipe on the stove top. :)

I served it over rice that I boiled in chicken stock. I chopped up some fresh peaches, green onions and pecans added them to the rice, as well as adding some of the sauce from the chicken. Next time I think I'll just not add the extra sauce to the rice. It was a little too much that way, but do whatever you like!


Peach Whiskey BBQ Chicken


Peach Whiskey BBQ chicken and tweaked (from the Pioneer Woman) it to make it a crockpot version- fantastic!!!
1 jar peach preserve
1 cup whiskey
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 white onion chopped and sautéd
1 Tbs worchester sauce
4 chicken breasts
Dumped it all in and cooked on high for 6 hours

Seafood Bisque

 Ok, let me start by saying this is very rich, yummy, but rich. If you intend to just use it as an appetizer soup, you could make it as is. However, if you are making it as your meal, this is what I would suggest. I would turn it into more of a chowder. I think next time I will definitely add a couple of chopped potatoes and probably a bag of frozen corn. I used as much low fat or fat free ingredients as I could and it was still rich. Also, since we live in Kansas and can't get fresh seafood, I just picked up a bag of frozen shrimp. You could probably even use more than 1 pound of seafood in it. It's a pretty flexible recipe. Experiment with it and let me know what you come up with! Enjoy! :)


Seafood Bisque

pint half and half
2 blocks cream cheese
teaspoon old bay or zatarans seasoning
1 can cream of potato
1 can cream of shrimp ( OK if you can't find it just use two potato)
 1 pound of crawfish OR shrimp OR lobster ( just whatever is local or easy to find)
cook on low
It is rich but you could use fat free cream cheese and fat free 'cream of' soups
Can add canned corn if you feel it needs a little color or textureteaspoon old bay or zatarans seasoning

Green Chili Pulled Pork

I made this last weekend and it was easy and tasty! We originally had tacos with it, but also made nachos with the leftovers. I'm pretty sure that you could freeze extra if you have it. We had a lot of leftovers!
Green Chili Pulled Pork

1 small pork shoulder/butt
1 8 oz jar of green salsa
1 small onion chopped 1 cup cilantro (washed) chopped

Dump all in crock pot. Cook on medium all day. Serve as soft corn pork tacos with mexican rice.

Balsamic Chicken

 If you are looking for a healthier crock pot recipe, this is it! I added a few pinches of sugar toward the end to combat the tangy taste from the vinegar. I served it over whole wheat spaghetti and topped with a little grated parmesan cheese. We all liked it!

Balsamic Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion thinly sliced (Not chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp each: dried oregano,basil, and rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil on bottom of crock pot
place in chicken breasts, salt and pepper each breast
put sliced onion on top of chicken
then put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves
pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes

Cook on high 4 hours, serve over angel hair pasta.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yum! I was looking for some things to make ahead and stash in the freezer to have as easy things to eat after the baby comes. I came across a blog post that had a link to the recipe for these muffins at Annie's Eats. I will definitely be making at least one more batch to freeze. The thing I really like is that they aren't too sweet. Just right! They are very pretty, too. If I wasn't so darn lazy, I would post a picture. :) Make a batch yourself and enjoy!

Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole

• I can't believe I haven't ever posted this recipe! It's a great summer/fall side dish, especially for Mexican food. I do recommend making sure your squash is as dry as possible. I usually use some extra flour with it to make sure it's not too mushy. It can be a bit on the spicy side, so adjust jalapenos and chiles to taste. Enjoy!
• Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole (Eating Well)
•  
• 2 1/4 pounds summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 10 cups)
• 2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
• 1 4-1/2-ounce can chopped jalapenos, (about 1/2 cup), drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, (about 7 ounces), divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup mild salsa
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine squash, onion, chiles, jalapenos, salt and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour; toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
3. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the squash is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Spoon salsa over the casserole and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden and heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with scallions and red onion.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat, covered, at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Garnish just before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 101 calories; 5 g fat ( 3 g sat , 0 g mono ); 15 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 217 mg sodium; 265 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (30% daily value).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 high-fat meat

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