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

• 
  

Fiesta Meatloaf

Okay, I usually do not post things I haven't actually tried before, but I made one of these this morning to freeze for after baby comes. It sounds yummy, so I thought it couldn't hurt. In my quest to prepare some freezer meals I found out that you can freeze meatloaf raw or cooked, so why not try it?! As I find freezer meals I'm trying, I will post them for you. I know how to cook, but was baffled by how to do freeze ahead meals. I have found some good blogs and articles, so here goes!

FIESTA MEATLOAF

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 min. 6 servings

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup frozen corn

2 eggs, lightly beaten (or 1/2 c eggbeaters)

1/2 - 1 tsp. chili powder

1 cup Taco Bell Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided or favorite brand

1 cup Kraft Mexican Style Shredded 2% Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients except 1/4 cup of the salsa and 1/2 of the cheese.

SHAPE into loaf in 8x8 -inch baking dish; top with the remaining 1/4 cup salsa.

BAKE 1 hour or until cooked through (internal temp 160°F). Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese; continue baking 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting into six portions to serve.




If you want to make this and freeze it, you can either freeze it raw or cooked. For raw, just line your meatloaf pan with foil and form into a loaf and place it in the foil lined pan. Place in the freezer covered for a few hours or overnight. Remove foil wrapped loaf and wrap again in foil and place in a ziploc bag. Mark on the outside the baking instructions and take it out when you are ready to eat. Top with salsa and cheese as per directions before and during baking. Enjoy!

Mini Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatloaves

 I started looking for recipes that I have tried but not posted. Funny how many I've found, so hopefully I can keeping them coming for awhile. Here's a healthy family friendly one for you! We were just talking about "meatloaf muffins" the other night at our BBM gathering. Here's a good one for you girls! :) Enjoy!


Mini Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatloaves

1 ½ lb ground turkey
¼ c Japanese breadcrumbs (Panko)
1 medium onion, shredded
1 medium Granny Smith apple, shredded
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp pepper
1 c reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Gently combine ground turkey, next 6 ingredients, and ½ c cheese just until combined, using hands. Spoon turkey mixture into 12 lightly greased muffin cups.

Bake at 375 degrees for 16 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ¾ c cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat thermometer inserted into centers of meatloaves registers 165 degrees.

Southwestern Hominy

 I'm always looking for new side dishes, especially ones that include vegetables and might be somewhat healthy. If you haven't tried hominy before, it's kind of a cross between corn and a chickpea. It is really tasty! This is a great side dish to anything Mexican or for a cookout. It can be a little spicy, so if your family doesn't care for the heat, just omit the green chiles. Another easy substitute is just to use Rotel in place of the chopped tomatoes and can of green chiles. Now I've made myself hungry for this. I'll have to put Mexican on our menu soon! Enjoy! :)

Southwestern Hominy

Ingredients

    * 1 cup chopped onion
    * 2 garlic cloves, minced
    * 2 (15 ounce) cans yellow hominy, drained
    * 2 cups chopped tomatoes
    * 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
    * 1 teaspoon chili powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    * 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    * 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1.    In a large skillet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add the hominy, tomatoes, chilies, chili powder, cumin and pepper; mix gently. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing (crock pot)

I decided to try this recipe out on my dad and hubby since I am not a big fan of either baked apples or stuffing. We still had some of that ginormous pork tenderloin to use up, so this was a perfect recipe! This can be made either in the oven or crock pot. Since I got to have a Mom's Night Out last night, I threw it in the crock pot and it was a hit! Did I mention that it's easy, too? Three ingredients is all it takes!

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

4 - 6 1 inch boneless pork chops or BSCBreast
1 box chicken or pork stuffing mix
1 can no sugar added apple pie filling

Directions

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Add in apple pie filling. Next layer the pork chops and then the dry stuffing mix on top. Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. That's it my friends...easy peasy! :)

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

I had seen this recipe in my new Fix It and Forget It Lightly cookbook awhile back and thought that I needed to try it! Well, my FIL who has started to watch the grocery sales thanks to me, his neuortic sale and coupon loving DIL, brought us a ginormous pork tenderloin the other day! We made 10 pork chops and 1 tenderloin out of it and I will still have enough for about 3 more 1 1/2 lb. tenderloins! Crazy! Anyway, I finally got around to trying this super easy recipe and it was delicious!

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, aka Tasty Pork Tenderloin (according to FI&FIL cookbook)

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
12 oz. chili sauce
14 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
2 Tbls. brown sugar
5 cups cooked rice of your choice (or just enough to serve your family)

1. Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker.
2. Mix together chili sauce, cranberry sauce, and brown sugar. Pour over pork.
3. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours, and then on low 3-4 hours.
4. Serve over rice

Side note from me: I have noticed that my new slow cooker seems to cook a lot faster than my very old ones. Another friend said her newer model tends to cook quickly and burn things, too. So, you may not want to cook this near as long as it says if you have a newer slow cooker. I think I cut the cooking times by half and it was great!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Potato Soup

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Potato Soup

3 cups water
1 cup ham, diced
5 medium sized potatoes, diced fine
8 oz. pkg. fat free cream cheese, cubed
half an onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed (I omitted this)

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Turn to low until ready to serve.

Tips from me: Cut down a bit on water if you like a thicker soup. It does thicken the longer it cooks, though. I mashed the potatoes down a bit to make it thicker as well.

If you don't want to chop onion, just buy frozen chopped onions and add to taste.

Top with bacon bits, scallions, shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.

If you want to use this recipe during Lent on a Friday, omit the ham. How easy is that?

Nutrional Info.

Based on 6 servings

220 calories, 3 g total fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 34 total carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 16 g protein

Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

 I normally do not like cooked cauliflower. I've tried it many different ways and have never really cared for it...until now. If you think you don't like cauliflower, but have a love of balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese, I suggest you try this! I happened to luck into a sale on cauliflower for $.88/head, so it was a win win. If we didn't like it, I wasn't out much. ;) Hope you like it, too! Sean's description was "outstanding".


 Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

From EatingWell: January/February 2008
Roasting isn't usually the first cooking method you think of for cauliflower but the results are quite delicious. The florets are cut into thick slices and tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and herbs. Wherever the flat surfaces come into contact with the hot roasting pan, a deep browning occurs that results in a sweet, nutty flavor.

4 servings, about 1 cup each | Active Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
•8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head; see Tip)
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1 teaspoon dried marjoram
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground pepper to taste
•2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
•1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 450°F.
2.Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Per serving : 149 Calories; 10 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 10 g Carbohydrates; 7 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 364 mg Sodium; 490 mg Potassium

Beer Cheese Dip

 This is super easy for the Super Bowl! It's also great to dip pretzels in it! :) Enjoy!


Beer Cheese Dip

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened ( you can definetly substitutue lf/ff if you'd like)
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup beer
1 (1 lb.) loaf of round bread

1. Place cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, garlic powder and beer in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend until smooth.
2. Remove and reserve top of round bread. Hollow out the loaf, reserving removed bread pieces.
3. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the hollowed loaf. Replace bread top between servings. Use the reserved removed bread pieces for dipping.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

 If you need or want something sweet, but don't want all of the fat and calories, check out this recipe! I have served it for company before and they had no idea it was low fat!  Yummy!


Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

1 box Betty Crocker devil’s food cake mix
1 sm. Box s/f instant chocolate pudding mix
1 sm. box s/f instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 cup egg substitute
1 ½ cups water
½ cup reduced-fat chocolate chips
1 cup apple sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into a sprayed bundt pan. Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes.

Serving 1/16 of cake
Points 3

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend and lots of posts on Facebook about what to make, I thought maybe I would post a few of our favorites/ideas! Hope you have fun cheering on your team. We don't have any plans for the big game yet, so if you read this and feel sorry for us, you can come over and hang out at our house. Oh wait, that would mean you don't have any plans either. We could be losers together! LOL! :)


Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serving Size : 10

12 1/2 ounce can 99% fat free chicken in water -- drained (I prefer to use cooked shredded chicken)
1/4 cup hot sauce
8 ounce pkg fat-free cream cheese
1/2 tablespoon fat-free ranch dip mix
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup fat-free cheddar cheese (obviously you can use a higher fat cheese, I'm not a big fan of ff cheese)
4 ounce can diced green chilies

In a medium microwave safe bowl; combine the chicken, hot sauce, cream cheese, ranch mix, sour cream, cheddar cheese and green chilies. Mix well to combine. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring often until the mixture is warm and smooth. Serve warm with baked tortilla chips or crackers for additional points.

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Growing up, I always liked to order Iowa's version of Swiss Steak at a restaurant called Carnforth in Victor, IA. The place has been in business for years and I am so glad it continues to thrive admist very small farm towns. I could never find a recipe that seemed close to this, so I just made up my own. Now...I'm not claiming it to be as good as Carnforth's, but it's pretty close!

Sorry this is not very precise, but you can't really mess it up. Just dump and cook. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

Cube steaks (as many as would feed your family, I had 2 small ones and had plenty of extra gravy)
1 package brown gravy mix
Water or beef broth, approximately 2 cups
Diced potatoes (I used 3 small for the 3, well really 2 of us since Sutton wouldn't touch them)

Dice potatoes and place in bottom of crock pot. Lay cube steaks on top of the potatoes. Add brown gravy mix and water or beef broth. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high 3-4 hours depending on the temperature of your crock pot. I just got a new one that cooks at the speed of light!

Red Lobster Biscuits

With the Blizzard of 2011 here in Kansas City, it was time once again for some comfort food! I had some potato soup in the crock pot and wanted something to go with it, so I looked up this recipe online. Plus, why not carbo load right before watching The Biggest Loser? 


Red Lobster Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick. baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup margarine or butter -- melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Parsley and chives to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 450. Mix baking mix, milk, cheese, parsley and chives until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min. or until golden brown. Mix margarine and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 10-12 biscuits.

Per serving (excluding unknown items): 177 Calories; 6g Fat (32% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 4mg Cholesterol; 480mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch/Bread; 1 Fat

NOTES : Substitute several cloves of chopped garlic for the garlic powder and let stand in melted butter while preparing biscuits.

Italian Style Meat Loaf

 I just found this meatloaf recipe that I had never made! I've been sort of craving Italian type foods this time around, so this sounded especially good! It basically tastes like a good meatball. I even stuffed some mozzarella in the middle of it, but apparently need to used more next time. I can't find much of it in the middle. I must say Sean took one bite and said..."This is really good". Thanks, honey! Enjoy!

Side note: For those of you would like to crock pot, you can make meatloaf in the crock pot as well. I would just google cooking time for meatloaf in the crock pot if you want to make it that way. Also...it says to make it on a broiler pan. I made it in a regular loaf pan with the same cooking time. It was a little watery/greasy, so it might it better if made on the broiler pan. However, it was really moist and tender meatloaf! Yummy!


Italian-Style Meat Loaf

1 1/2 pounds 92% lean ground beef
1 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray


Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine beef, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl. Shape beef mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce over top of meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut loaf into 12 slices.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

CALORIES 263 FAT 12.1g FIBER 1.4g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2006