Strawberry Peach Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup frozen strawberry slices
3/4 cup frozen peach slices
1 med firm banana
1/2 cup skim milk


1. Place all ingredents in a blender and mix until desired thickness.

* 110 calories per cup. This recipe is 2 servings. So yummy and fast to make great breakfast on the go.

Andes Mint Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cups AP Flour
1 (10 oz) bag andes mint chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add both sugars and beat until light and airy.
2. Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time. Wait until the first one is fully incorporated before adding the next egg.
3. In a seperate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (excluding the chips) and add to the butter mixture until fully combined. Mix in the Andes Baking Chips last.

4. Chill dough for 30 minutes before portioning into 36 evenly sized balls. Lightly press with your palm to flatten the cookie a bit before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Bake the cookies for 8 – 10 minutes (I prefer mine softer, around 8 minutes). Cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Baked Cheese Sticks

Wonton or Egg-Roll Wraps, at room temperature
Light or Fat-free Mozzarella String Cheese
Marinara Sauce (Low-Sodium) for Dipping
Small bowl with water, optional


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Take one of your room-temperature wraps and lay on flat surface in front of you, like a diamond.  Put cheese stick in middle, corner to corner

3. Take the bottom corner and fold it up over the cheese stick and stick to other side of wrap tightly.  You can add a few drops of the water here to make the wrap stick better.
4.  Carefully, fold over the right and left corners of the wrap onto the cheese stick to completely cover the cheese using water as needed for your "glue"

5.  Roll up the wrap.

6.  Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.

Sticky Chicken in the crockpot

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tsp fresh spices (rosemary, oregano, etc)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion


1.In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.
2.Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels.
3.Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.
4.Add Onion to bottom of crock and inside chicken

5.When ready to cook chicken put it in the slow cooker and do not add any liquid.
6.As the cooking process goes on it will produce its own juices.
7.Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

I got this recipe from newlyweds-blog I smelled so good while it was cooking all day and it tasted great. It really did fall apart when I tried to take it out of the slow cooker. So I did not get a great pic lol but it was good.

Lime Bars

for crust—
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold

Filling-
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 6 limes)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 eggs
2 tsp lime zest
green food coloring (enough to produce desired green color)
powdered sugar for serving


 
Preheat oven to 350.

To make the crust, combine the confectioners sugar, flour and sea salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter and work with your fingers until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Press into a greased nine inch pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

To make the filling, whisk together the granulated sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the zest, lime juice and enough green food coloring to produce desired green color (but not enough to make your filling neon! watch out) and mix until everything is smooth and combined.

Pour filling over hot crust and return to oven to bake for another twenty minutes. When done, the filling will no longer jiggle. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing and dusting with powdered sugar.

* I got this recipe from eatliverun They were really good. A little sour so I think that you could cut back a little on the lime if you dont like really sour but I thought that they were perfect. Great treat. 

Pistachio Bread

 

 

 

1 yellow cake mix

4 eggs

1/4 c. oil

2 T. water

1 (3 oz) pkg. instant pistachio pudding mix

1 c. sour cream

1/2-1 t. green food coloring

1 t. almond extract

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Mix all ingredient together until well blended. 

 

Pour into prepared pans. 

 

 

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.

 

 

I got this recipe from betterthanburgers the bread tasted great and was a fun treat for st patricks day. I did not add the nuts only because the kids do not like them but I think that it would be great to add some pistachios to it to add some more of the flavor. This recipe made 2 loaves of bread.

Three Cheese Spaghetti Squash

1 whole spaghetti squash
2 zucchini, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 25 oz jar of marinara sauce
1 15oz container fat free ricotta cheese
4 slices reduced fat provolone or mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Soften spaghetti squash by poking the squash all over with a knife and cook in the microwave for 12 minutes, until soft. Let cool for about 10 minutes before handling.
3.Spray a medium sized, non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and set over medium high heat.
Add in the zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute until zucchini becomes tender, about 5 minutes.

4.In a medium sized bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, oregano and basil. Fold in the cooked zucchini.
5.Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and with a fork, scrape the flesh from the peel. It should flake off easily in strings, resembling spaghetti.

6.Place the spaghetti squash flesh in a casserole dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture and spread it evenly throughout the squash. Pour tomato sauce over everything.

7.Layer cheese slices evenly on top and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

 

 

 

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is about 1 1/2 cup

PER SERVING: 221 calories; 6g fat; 21g carbohydrates; 14g protein; 5g fiber

I got this recipe from laaloosh.com So yummy. Its a little runny with all the sauce but the flavor is great and you get a huge portion for only 221 calories :)

Baked Peaches

1 fresh med peach
1 tsp. unsalted butter, divided (I used cant believe its not butter light)
2 to 4 tsp. brown sugar, divided ( I used splenda brown sugar)
Sprinkling of ground cinnamon, to taste

1.  Halve peaches and remove pit.  Place in baking dish, skin side down.

2.  Place 1/2 teaspoon butter in the hollow of each peach, top each peach half with 1 or 2 teaspoons brown sugar, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

3.  Bake at 375 degrees until peaches are tender, about 30 minutes.  Serve warm.

Each peach is 100 calories. (Yogurt is not calculated into the nutritional facts)

I got this recipe from thekitchenismyplayground This recipe is so good and tastes just like eating peach pie. I added about 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt.

Fruit Salad with Peach Dressing

1 cup sugar (can use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda)
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
2 cans (5-1/2 ounces each) peach nectar 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
6 large red apples, coarsely chopped
8 medium firm bananas, sliced 
2 small cans drained cubed peaches
1 quart fresh strawberries, quartered
2 cups green grapes


1.In a microwave-safe bowl, stir the sugar, cornstarch and peach nectar until smooth. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4-6 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate.

2.In a large bowl, combine the fruit. Drizzle with dressing; gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 26 (1-cup) serving.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 125 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 2 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Oreo Poke Cake

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix ( I used devils food)

Ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water)

2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding

4 cups milk (2% or higher)

Crushed Oreo Cookies (optional)

1.Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a well-greased 9x13 pan.

2.Just before cake is done, start making pudding. 

3.In a medium bowl, add milk to pudding mixture and continue to whisk until most of the lumps are removed. 
4.Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes. 

5.You want it to thicken slightly so it isn't overly runny but not fully thickened into pudding.

6.When cake is finished, while still warm, poke holes all over cake (about 1-inch) intervals
 using a wooden spoon handle or a straw. 

7.Pour pudding mixture over warm cake, making sure to aim for the holes.

8.Spread it out with a spoon and gently push down on the pudding to help get it into the holes.

 
9.Then put the cake in the refrigerator to allow it to cool completely. About an hour.

*Keep cake refrigerated   

I got this recipe from  thecountrycook.net She has such yummy recipe ideas.

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins and Bread

2 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup packed (splenda) light brown sugar
1/2 cup liquid egg substitute (like Eggbeaters)
3/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
Whisk buttermilk, brown sugar, applesauce and egg substitute in a large bowl. Stir in mashed bananas.

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups (they will be full).

Bake until the tops are golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes more before serving.
 I got a dozen muffins and a mini loaf pan out of this recipe. The bread had to cook about 15 min longer then the muffins.

Serving size is 1 muffin
PER SERVING: 129 calories; 2g fat; 36 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber

* Another recipe I got from laaloosh.com Love her site

Low Calorie Orange Chicken

 
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch strips
2 cup cooked white rice, kept hot
Rind of a small orange sliced into thin strips
Juice of large orange (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 medium scallions, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 dried chili pepper, minced
1 tbsp sesame seeds


1.In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, broth, sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and vinegar, then set aside.
In a large skillet, heat peanut oil on medium-high heat. Add orange rinds, scallions, garlic,orange juice and red pepper flakes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the chicken and cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown.

2.Now mix in the sauce and let simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce starts to get thick, this should take approximately 3-4 minutes. On a plate, serve chicken and sauce over rice and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds

Serving size = 1 cup of chicken and 1/2 cup of rice

I got this recipe from laaloosh.com She has such a great blog of healthy meals.

Moist Carrot Cupcakes

2/3 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons canola oil 
1 egg 
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots 
 CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: 
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese 
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar  
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil and egg until well blended. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in carrots. 

2.Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

  
3.In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Yield: 10 cupcakes. 

Nutritional Facts 1 cupcake equals 226 calories, 8 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 33 mg cholesterol, 244 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Three cheese italian sausage with pasta

1(16 ounce box) rigatoni pasta 
3 cups broccoli florets 
1 package (13.5 ounce)  Three-Cheese Italian chicken sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sweet red pepper, diced 
3/4 cup Italian dressing
3/4 cupParmesan cheese, grated

 

 1.Cook pasta according to package directions.  

2.Add broccoli to pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.

 

3.In a large skillet, combine sausage, pepper and Italian dressing; cook over medium heat until pepper is tender and sausage is hot. 

 

4.In a serving bowl, combine hot pasta and sausage mixture. 

5.Add Parmesan cheese and toss to coat.

 

6.Serve immediately.