Greek Yogurt and Berries Smoothie, by Diane

I have been making breakfast smoothies using frozen fruit and skim milk for a while, but lately they have not been filling and energizing enough for me. I decided on a whim to add greek yogurt to my morning smoothies because greek yogurt is not only naturally good for you but it is filled with protein which means that it will fill you up and keep you going. Greek yogurt comes in all kinds of flavors, but I like to use the honey flavored one so that I don't have to add any sweetener. Plus, it is really thick and gives the smoothie a great consistency.

For the remaining ingredients, you can really play around with what you like to eat. I have found that frozen fruit gives the smoothies a better consistency than fresh. I love Yoplait Smoothie kits- they contain frozen fruit and some frozen vanilla yogurt and it makes things easy in the morning. Sometimes I chop and freeze fruit before it goes bad so that I can use it later in a smoothie as well. An unfrozen banana thickens a smoothie as well, or you can whip frozen chopped bananas in the blender/food processor for 4 minutes on high to create an ice cream-like consistency and then add in the remaining ingredients (or just eat it plain for healthy banana 'ice cream'!). Finally, organic popsicles such as fruit bars or sorbet bars are another healthy and natural way to add flavor to your smoothie!

My current favorite mix of ingredients is the Yoplait Smoothie Kit in Triple Berry flavor, honey flavored greek yogurt, skim milk, and half of a coconut fruit bar. The result is a milkshake-like consistency, which I love. I crave it when I wake up and sometimes have it later on again as a snack! It definitely gives me enough energy to workout and get through my day. I am including the recipe below for this mix.

Ingredients:

3 oz. honey flavored greek yogurt (I use Chobani, so this amount is half a small container)
1/2 packet Yoplait Smoothie Kit in Triple Berry flavor (strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry)
1/2 bar Edy's Creamy Coconut Fruit Bar
1/2 - 3/4 cup skim milk (you may need the higher amount to get it to blend properly in the blender)

Directions:

1. This may be obvious, but blend all ingredients in blender on high until smooth. Add in more milk if mixture will not spin properly in blender or is still too chunky. Enjoy!

Fish Tacos, by Cheryl

Last weekend we were very fortunate to visit our friends Dave and Carla in Denver. Besides being very close friends, Dave and Carla are also the ones that set me and Jon up so we of course always will hold them dear to our hearts. Being that Jon and I had just spent a week in Vail spending money like rock stars, we were thrilled when Dave suggested making fish tacos and staying in on the night that we came. Dave is an amazing cook and everything that I've tried has been delicious. Where does he find the time??

I actually had never had fish tacos before that night... I always thought that fish in a taco was a weird combination, but I was wrong! I made them tonight because I'm already addicted to them! A lot of the fill ins are optional, but I'm listing exactly what Dave put in his, which is what I put in mine :) The one thing to keep in mind is "layers of flavor". There are three layers of flavor on the fish that makes them taste oh so good!

Ingredients:

For the fish:
1 lb tilapia, cut into long pieces
1 egg
3/4 cup of flour
cumin
cayenne pepper
chili powder
salt
vegetable or canola oil

Fill ins:
1 tomato, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
some radishes, sliced
tortillas
white or brown rice
olive oil

Directions:

1) Put spices on a plate (I estimated measurements, but used more cumin than the others), plus flour and mix. Set aside. On another plate beat one egg. Mix another set of spices with the egg.

2) Heat some olive oil in a pan. Cook onion and pepper until it starts to brown, but not burn (I had it on heat the whole time I cooked the fish).

3) While the peppers cook, heat vegetable/canola oil in another pan. Pour in enough oil so the fish will be at least halfway covered. While it heats take a few pieces of tilapia, drench in the egg mixture, and then dredge in the flour. Once the oil is hot place fish in pan and cook for a few minutes on each side. Continue until all pieces are cooked.

4) Cook rice according to package directions.

5) Put it all together! Tortilla with rice, fish, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, and radishes.

White Chicken Chili with a Cheddar Hushpuppy Crust, by Diane

I got this recipe from food network. The cheddar hushpuppy crust was what really got my attention, and it was SO good. The chili itself was not the best, it was very liquidy and not too flavorful. Next time, I will make the white chicken chili from a past entry on this blog (http://twofriendswithspice.blogspot.com/2009/11/white-chicken-chili-and-cheesy.html). I think the crust would also be good on top of a pot pie too. The recipe calls for a cast iron skillet, but I'm sure you could use a pot to cook the chili in and then transfer it to a baking dish. I served it with sour cream, which did seem to help the flavor of the chili.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (4 1/2-ounce) can mild green chiles, drained
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 (6-ounce) package cornbread mix
1 cup shredded cheddar
Sour cream, optional, for garnish
Salsa, optional, for garnish
Fresh cilantro sprigs, optional, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a 10 1/2-inch cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, cumin, and chili powder, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the lime juice, cannellini beans, chicken, broth, and green chiles, and stir until just combined.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg.

6. Add the milk, butter, and cornbread mix, and blend well. Stir in the cheese.

7. Pour cornbread mixture over the chicken chili in the skillet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown.

Marin Joe's Special, by Diane

First I would like to apologize but this was the best photo I could get, I had to use my phone once again. So this crazy sounding and looking dish came to me via the food network show Best Thing I Ever Ate. In case you aren't familiar, it is a show where food network stars discuss, obviously, the best things they've ever eaten and where to get them. The episode theme was "Crazy Good" and everyone's dishes looked amaaaazing. But one stars dish looked just bizarre- the Marin Joe Special. It is onions, ground beef, spinach, eggs, and parmesan cheese. All in one pan. The star explained that although it sounded like a dish one would create after a few drinks at 3 am, it was indeed the best thing he had eaten. Something about this dish really intrigued us, and we set out to make it. The result- I wouldn't call it the best thing I'd ever eaten, but it was really good. The flavors came together in a way that it was really comforting, filling, and not too unhealthy! The next time I try this, I am going to throw some pasta in it as well to make it a meal. Anyway, it was a fun experiment, and although the picture and title might not be enticing, we'll be eating this again for sure!


Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1.5 pounds lean ground beef
2 cups cooked spinach (I used a bag of fresh spinach, which cooked down to about one cup)
Salt, Pepper to taste
4 eggs
Grated parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. In large pan, combine onions and beef, cooking until beef browns.

2. Drain 3/4 of the liquid fat from the pan (they didn't do this on TV but I did to keep it healthier and it turned out great!), then return to the stove on medium heat.

3. Add in salt and pepper to taste (remember that the cheese is salty too, so go easier on salt!), then combine in with spinach, mix well.

4. Add eggs into the pan, and combine well until the eggs are cooked and the ingredients are well mixed.

5. Serve hot, with grated parmesan cheese sprinkled over top!

Cranberry Sauce, by Diane

We had an extra bag of whole cranberries in our freezer leftover from a Thanksgiving recipe that never got made, and tonight for whatever reason they caught my eye. I have always wanted to make homemade cranberry sauce, so tonight I decided to give it a shot. It was super easy, and the frozen cranberries were ready to go as soon as they had a quick rinse, so they didn't even need to thaw. Of course being me, I had to add a few twists to keep things interesting, and because I wanted to sweeten it a little more naturally than using just a ton of sugar. Anyway, when it cooked it had a lot of liquid, but it actually gelled when it cooled. The end result was tart and sweet and so delicious there were no leftovers. I'll be making this next year for sure!

Ingredients:

1 bag whole cranberries (if frozen, rinse and drain to 'thaw')
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Lemon peel (1/2 of one large lemon)
3 tbsp. natural apricot preserves (orange would work too!)
1 tbsp. natural strawberry preserves

Directions:

1. In a medium size pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Add in the lemon peel.

2. Add in the cranberries, bring back to a boil and stir.

3. Reduce the heat to a low boil, adding in preserves, and stir well.

4. Slow boil for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries have burst and become tender and all ingredients are incorporated.

5. It can be eaten as soon as it cools, or it be can eaten gelled (refrigerate for 30 minutes).

Another (better) Shrimp Scampi, by Cheryl

I was really in the mood to make shrimp scampi the other night. The only problem was that I didn't have all of the ingredients for the recipe I usually use. So it was off to foodgawker.com I go in order to find a new shrimp scampi recipe. I was lucky enough to find a different recipe that tasted even better than the first one! This recipe hails from the blog big2beautiful.com (with some modifications). Yum!

Ingredients:

pasta for 2
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3/4 cups olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.

2) While pasta cooks, preheat skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, onions, and garlic.

3) Add the white wine and lemon juice.

4) Add the shrimp and tomatoes and continue cooking until shrimp are no longer translucent.

5) Add basil and serve over pasta.