Easy Parmesan Potato Bites, by Cheryl

These are like little mini baked potatoes. They would be really good as hors d'oeuvres and appetizers if you're hosting anything. I got the original recipe from here, but I changed it some due to the ingredients I had on hand. These were cute little bites and I'd make them again! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb small potatoes
olive oil
sour cream or Greek yogurt
grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp minced chives
salt

Directions:

1) Put the potatoes into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook about 12-15 minutes, until tender.

2) Drain. Preheat broiler.

3) When potatoes are cool enough to handle, coat them with olive oil and cut in half. Slice a sliver off the bottom of each one so they stand upright.

4) Spoon one teaspoon of sour cream or yogurt on each potato. Put some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

5) Broil until golden brown. Sprinkle a tiny bit of chives on top and serve.

Meatballs in Pomegranite Sauce, by Diane

Yeah, there's no way to make this recipe look pretty....

So this recipe tasted as good as it looks in the photo- in other words, a hot mess. I saw this on fb via Cleanfoodcrush, and it looked like an awesome recipe with interesting flavors. Unfortunately, the cooking directions were way off in almost the entire recipe so it wound up being a liquidy, unformed, overcooked mess. I stepped in a made a new sauce at the end but even that couldn't save these things. Good thing I doubled the recipe so that I could have it for lunches for the whole week...


Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef (grass fed if possible)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 Tbsps avocado oil, or olive oil
1 cup pure pomegranate juice
1/2 cup unsweetened almond, or coconut milk
1 cup beef stock

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix the beef with the ground cumin, chili flakes, cayenne pepper and salt. Add the egg and mix thoroughly until all is blended well.
2. Form the meatballs, by taking one full tablespoon of the beef mixture and roll it between your palms until you have created nice, evenly round meatballs.
3. Place a large skillet on medium heat, drizzle with oil, and when it’s hot enough start adding your meatballs. Sear them for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip them on the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add the pomegranate juice, beef stock and milk to the skillet, cover with a tight lid and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.

Basic Stuffing, by Cheryl

I love stuffing. I love everything about it and I especially love it with some cranberry sauce and yummy turkey for Thanksgiving! I've never made homemade stuffing before and was excited to make it this year for Jon's family's dinner. This is a really easy and tasty recipe! A couple of adjustments - I added another cup of chicken broth to my veggie mixture because it didn't look like enough. And then I still had to add another cup the next day and bake it again for about 20 minutes since not all of the bread cubes got covered. And honestly, I'm not sure how much the egg and parsley mixture adds to the dish since it was hard to cover even a quarter of the pieces, but I wouldn't eliminate it. Overall, a very successful and loved dish! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced celery
1 tablespoon minced sage
1 tablespoon minced thyme
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cups chicken broth
16 cups cubed stale bread (I bought a pre-cut bag of an already stale mixture of cubed breads from Whole Foods)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375.

2) Melt one stick of butter in a pan and add the onions, celery, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

3) Whisk the eggs with the parsley in a large bowl. Add the bread to the bowl and pour the vegetable mixture over it, tossing to coat.

4) Transfer to a baking dish and dot with more butter.

5) Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20 minutes until golden.

Thanksgiving Monkey Bread, by Diane

We found this recipe on Tasty via Facebook on Thanksgiving morning, and at the last minute we knew we needed to add this to the appetizer list! It was a good thing we did- this was unreal. It took significantly longer to cook through than the recipe stated, so next time I would bump up the cooking temperature and time, or lay them in a single layer in a casserole dish. I also increased the herbs for more flavor. YUM!

Ingredients:

2 packages of biscuit dough
1 large wheel of brie
2 tsp each rosemary and thyme
1 can whole cranberry sauce, mixed well so it spreads easily

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 (the recipe said 350 but I think it needed a higher temp). Spray a bundt pan and set aside.
2. Cut brie into small pieces (32 to be exact!). Rip each biscuit in half, and wrap the dough around a brie piece to form a ball.
3. Place a single layer of balls in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with herbs and cranberry sauce. Repeat for about 3 layers in all.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the dough is cooked on the inside of the ring. Place a plate under the pan to flip over and serve.

Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, by Diane

This recipe came from someone on Facebook, and we thought it was a good spin on the classic version of apple pie for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit, and really easy to make!


Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
1 package of pre-made unbaked cinnamon rolls with icing
4 granny smith apples, chopped into bite-sized chunks
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Spray a 8 or 9 inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll out the cinnamon rolls and place them in the pie pan to cover the bottom and sides like a crust.
4. In a large bowl, combine apples, 4 tbsp butter (cut this into small chunks), cinnamon, and white sugar. Stir well and pour into the pie pan.
5. In a smaller bowl, combine 2 tbsp butter, flour, and brown sugar. Cut the butter into the mix until crumbs appear, and then sprinkle the crumbs on top of the apples.
6. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then reduce heat to 350 and tent with foil for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and top with icing (you may need to warm this in the microwave for 10 seconds until it can pour easily).

Pumpkin Hummus, by Diane

This was another recipe I pulled out for the BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) carving party this weekend. I was searching for something healthy to balance out all the other menu items (see previous post!) and came across this recipe. I've had it at a party in the past and thought it should be easy and delicious! The recipe itself wasn't the best because the ingredient proportions were way off so I'm writing what I did below. I also mixed in some pumpkin seeds to give it some crunch in addition to adding them on top for garnish. I served this hummus with colored peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and orange and black tortilla chips for halloween (not pictured!). In the end it was a big hit and would be a great snack or pre/post workout boost!


Ingredients:

5 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon olive oil

1.5 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoon pumpkin seeds 

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients except pumpkin seeds in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

2. Stir in 2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds and mix well. 

3. Garnish with the remaining 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds and serve with your favorite chips or veggies!

Updated Caramel Apple Dip, by Diane

This weekend I had a BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) carving party and I wanted to make a spread of fall-themed apps. I immediately went back to some of my favorite fall recipes on the blog, so of course the best cookies and dip in the world, the Maple Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix, the Mulled Apple Cider Sangria, and the Salted Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Spread. But the last time I made the cream cheese spread, the caramel sauce and all the toppings slid off the cream cheese making it hard to have an bite of anything except cream cheese. So I revamped the recipe and gave it a new form, and it was WAY better. Super easy to make (like maybe 2 minutes tops!) and really good with just about anything you can think of- party guests were dipping pretzels, corn chips and even veggies in this.

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. container of whipped plain cream cheese (so it's light and fluffy- and most importantly, easy to blend without those cream cheese lumps!)
4 oz. salted caramel sauce
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup crushed pecans
4 red apples, any kind


Directions:

Mix the first 4 ingredients together (I whipped them with an immersion blender so it still stayed fluffy but you can use a spoon or whisk). Slice the apples and have at it!

Healthy Chicken and Dumplings, by Diane

This Sunday I am going on day 13 of being sick with a devil cold, and I've been having a really hard time wanting to eat anything except broth, which I am frankly sick of by this point! So I created this version of chicken and dumplings in an attempt to convert what I would normally put in a healing chicken soup into an actual meal that I would be tempted to eat. I borrowed the dumpling idea from this website, but converted it into a quinoa flour dumpling boosted with fresh thyme to get some extra protein and healing herbs in here too! I used coconut oil throughout this recipe for it's antibacterial and antiviral effects, but other oils can be used as well. Finally, I used bone broth since it's renowned for it's healing properties, which I usually make but ran out of- and I was surprised to see that my grocery store carried a brand called Pacifica which makes it!

I can't write enough words in here to describe *just* how freaking amazing this turned out. I have never attempted chicken and dumplings before, and at the beginning before I let it simmer it looked like it was just going to be a clear, thin soup with lots of veggies and chicken in it with the occasional dumpling. But once I stirred it after an hour, I saw that it was transformed into a thick and creamy consistency very much like the chicken and dumplings I've had at restaurants in the past! I have no idea how this magic happened! The dumplings turned out to be soft, airy, herby pillows of goodness too! The combo of the texture and the flavors had me eating bowls of this stuff- my first real meals in weeks! Now if that isn't a testament to how good this is, I don't know what is. Make this NOW. Like, yesterday. Go!!!



Ingredients:

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 large carrots, sliced
2 large celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 small baby bella mushrooms, diced
1.5 cups frozen green peas

2 cups quinoa flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 cup milk (any type- I use unsweetened almond milk which accidentally was vanilla flavored but it still worked!)
1 tbsp dried thyme
3 chicken breasts, cubed
5 cups chicken broth (bone broth preferred)
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. In a large soup pot over medium high heat, add in 3 tbsp coconut oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and peas. Cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are softened and onions are translucent.

2.  While the veggies are cooking, whisk together flour, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add in 3 tsp melted coconut oil, milk, and thyme, and stir together well until combined. Set aside.

3. After the veggies are cooked, add in the chicken and stir well. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

4. When the soup is at a boil, drop in the dumplings by small spoonfuls (like making drop cookies or biscuits- they don't need to look nice!). Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, do not stir.

5. After 45 minutes, cover and cook for 15 more minutes.

Carrot and Apple Muffins, by Cheryl

I made these to bring in to Julia's preschool class and they were a big hit! They're pretty sweet, but very healthy at the same time. They are great for breakfast or a snack... Julia had two this morning before I had to cut her off because she was going to eat them all! I blended a few recipes together in order to come up with a recipe that I thought would be good for us. I don't think I needed the extra sugar in there (I used half a cup) and maybe next time I'd use maple syrup or honey if it needed something more. But with the carrots, apple, and banana it seems like it would be sweet enough. The kids and teachers gobbled them up. Yum!

EDIT: I tried it with 1/4 cup of sugar and it was perfect. The recipe makes about 16 muffins so it equals less than a teaspoon of added sugar per muffin.

Ingredients:

1 cup packed grated carrots (I used 4 carrots)
1 apple peeled and grated
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1 cup oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
flax seeds
apple sauce
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Mix everything together. Pour into muffin tins. Bake for 32-36 minutes. Let them cool in the muffin tin for at least 15 minutes. Unwrapping them too soon may cause the muffins to stick to the wrappers.

Mood Changer Juice, by Diane

The local juice shop by me has this delicious juice called the Mood Changer. It has all kinds of ingredients that have mood boosting effects, and it's really good! A few mornings ago, I was prepping to my make typical AM green juice (apple, kale, parsley, lemon, ginger, and cucumber) but I had some strawberries that were about to go bad. I realized that all of the ingredients except the parsley and cucumber were in the Mood Changer juice, so I threw the strawberries into the mix. I kept the parsley and cucumber too, because why mess with perfection and hydration! This combo turned out to be SO good, I will definitely have it on regular rotation now! The apples I've been using are fresh picked from a local orchard, and having them fresh and in season definitely helps as well.

Ingredients:

1 small green or yellow apple, preferably tart or sweet and sour like a Cameo
1 inch ginger (use 1/2 this if you don't like the taste)
10 small-medium strawberries
1 small handful parsley, leaves only
3 large leaves of kale, stalks included
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 lemon, rind removed


Directions:

Juice the first three ingredients together, then the greens, then the cucumber and lemon last. Stir and drink immediately!

Sick Tonic, by Diane

This was hard to get a nice shot of....

I've been meaning to post this for a while- this is my go to AM tonic when I am feeling under the weather. Whether it's a stomach bug or a sore throat, this tonic is not only really delicious but it's warm and soothing on a day when you don't feel your best. The ingredients boost your immune system, soothe any inflammation in your throat or stomach, and help boost your mood and alertness. Did I mention it's really delicious! It's also just good in general for cold winter mornings where you need something to warm you up. Sometimes I'll drink it along with some gentle yoga and twists, and in about 30 minutes I am feeling nearly all better! I always have these ingredients on hand to make this at the last minute, because you never know when you're gonna need it...

Ingredients:

3 thin slices of fresh ginger (you can use 1/4 tsp of powdered ginger if you don't have this on hand)

2 cups filtered or spring water

1/4 tsp each: turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom 

1 tbsp mulling spices (Whole Foods brand has cloves and orange peel in it as well, which make this taste so good!)

2 tbsp honey (wildflower honey is the best tasting version in this drink IMO)

Directions:

1. Combine the fresh ginger and water, bring to a boil (this really helps to diffuse the ginger into the drink).

2. Add remaining ingredients, stir and cover for a minimum of 5 minutes.

3. Either strain the liquid from the ginger slices and mulling spices, or keep them in and drink with a straw.

Jerk Chicken Potato Patties, by Diane

This recipe is a fusion of two of my favorite recipes, Crockpot Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Baked Kerala Chicken Cutlet. I wanted to make the jerk chicken, but didn't want the carbs of the usual rice and beans I make to go with it, so I made it into patties a la cutlet style. Much easier for me to grab on the go anyway, which is one of the reasons I love these cutlets so much! These turned out EXACTLY as I had envisioned, the delicious flavor of the jerk chicken with the creamy texture of the potato and the crispy crust. YUM. I didn't even need a dipping sauce to go with them!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3-4 pounds chicken breasts, cleaned
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
10 peppercorns
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds
3 large potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup each flour and breadcrumbs


Directions:

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chicken all over with the rub and set into the base of the crockpot.
2. Throw the remaining ingredients through habanero peppers into the crockpot and cook on low for 5-8 hours. Remove the chicken and blend in food processor with 1 cup of the liquid (not the ginger or habanero) until just before smooth. Keep the remaining sauce in case you need to add more to the mixture later.
3. 30 minutes before the chicken is done, peel, cube, and boil the potatoes until soft. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
4. Add the chicken to the potatoes and mix well. Taste for flavor- if it needs more flavor, add more sauce!
5. Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 9X5 baking trays with cooking spray.
6. Take flour and bread crumbs in two separate plates. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl big enough to dip each of the patties. Take each shaped patty, roll in flour, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs and place them on the baking sheet.
7. Spray tops of patties with a final coat of nonstick cooking spray. Bake in oven for 18 minutes when edges are crisp and tops are golden brown. Rotate baking trays halfway through and flip, adding more cooking spray below and on top of the patties.

Roasted Golden Beet and Rosemary Chips, by Diane

I recently went to this awesome farmers market and bought a bunch of produce, including these golden beets. I love golden beets because they are slightly sweeter and less earthy than the red ones. I thought I'd make them into chips for snacking, but I was leery that they would actually turn into chips because every other time I've tried to make veggie chips they've just been soft instead of hard and crunchy like chips. I found several recipes and used the highest rated one, which said to roast them at 375 for 15-20 minutes. But they were still soft by 20 minutes, so I flipped them and kept them in another 10 minutes. At this point, not only were they still soft but some were completely burned. So, I'm not sure here what the answer to making veggie chips is other than using a mandolin with a thinner setting (mine was about 1/4 inch thick which I thought should be thin enough!). They were still good to eat, but not the same....

Ingredients:

Beets
Olive oil
Salt/Pepper
Rosemary


Directions:

1. Slice beets thinly and evenly using a mandolin if possible.

2. Place in a bowl with remaining ingredients and toss.

3. Roast at 375 for 25 minutes.

Health(ier) Alfredo Sauce, by Cheryl

Pictured with my eggplant balls in the background

This was really good and I can see it becoming a staple in our house. I'm not sure I would call it a healthy dish, but if you're in the mood for an Alfredo type sauce then this is definitely a healthier version of that! The sauce was creamy and covered the chicken and pasta very well! Yum!

Ingredients (recipe):

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup broth
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used a 4 cheese mix)

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the cornstarch and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. While whisking slowly add in the broth and milk. Continue whisking until combined and smooth.

2) Raise heat to medium high and bring mixture to a simmer.

3) Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4) Remove from heat and little by little whisk in the Greek yogurt.

5) Once combined put back on the heat, and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

6) Serve over pasta immediately or store in the fridge.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats, by Diane

This squash was the width of my hand plus about 1.5 more hands length!

My dad got this MEGA squash from a neighbor's garden, the size of which we have never seen (see photo above for reference- a whole pound of meat plus all the toppings fit in here!). We were looking for things to do and I came across this recipe, and man was this delicious!! Although ours turned out more like zucchini yachts instead of the little boats as pictured in the recipe due to the size! We topped it with parmesan cheese before roasting it in the oven, and every time we opened the oven door to check it the whole kitchen smelled amazing! I would definitely make this again. I'm adding the little changes we made here and there below.

Ingredients:

3 large zucchinis, seeds removed
EVOO
1 lb. ground turkey (we used lean turkey breast)
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 pack crimini mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes in italian herbs
1 jar marinara sauce (we used Classico rustic marinara- man this stuff was good!)
1 tbsp dried italian herbs
Salt and pepper (be generous with the salt)
Parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. Cook the turkey with EVOO, crumbling in the pan and remove.
2. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook until soft. Drain the liquid and add the turkey back in.
3. Turn off heat and add in the tomatoes, marinara, herbs, and salt and pepper. Stir well.
4. Stuff the mixture into the zucchini boats, top with parmesan, and bake at 375 for 15-20 min (or until squash is soft in the center).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, by Cheryl

I know, I know

One of my go-to smoothies is a peanut butter banana smoothie. I used to drink this everyday before work and it was a great way to start the day before teaching. I actually can't believe I've never posted it before! Anyway, I decided to switch it up a bit this morning and wowsers, this was so good! It may have been a little too sweet for me at 7:30 in the morning - I think this would be a great post-workout drink as it provides just the right amount of carbs and protein to refuel you afterward. I added a few dried figs, which added some depth and sweetness to it, and a handful of spinach. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (I used whole, but almond would work great too)
1/2 cup coconut water
2 tablespoons peanut butter (sometimes I use PB2 - if you've never heard of it look it up!)
1 banana
flax seeds
chia seeds
spinach or kale
3-4 dried figs
2 tablespoons cacao powder
handful of ice

Directions:

1) Blend it all together and enjoy!!

Healthy Baked Broccoli Tots, by Cheryl

These are seriously yummy! I originally made them for Julia, but after tasting them I think I might be snacking on them as well! Julia ate three before we even sat down for dinner, and Jon snuck in two as well. They have a good amount of crunch and just the right amount of chewiness! And for someone that isn't the biggest broccoli fan I have to say that I absolutely love these! We ate them plain, but any type of sauce or dip would go great with it too. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

2 cups uncooked or frozen broccoli
1 large egg
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/3 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley (I didn't use this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400. Grease a baking sheet or cover with parchment paper.

2) Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for one minute then remove and shock with cold tap water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.

3) Chop broccoli finely and mix thoroughly with the egg, cheddar, onions, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of mix and gently press between your hands into a ball and then press into a tater-tot shape. Place on baking sheet.

4) Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 18-24 minutes (mine took 20). Turn halfway through.

Healthy Jalapeno Poppers, by Cheryl

When my cooking partner in crime, Diane, and I were together the other week we used jalapenos in a recipe we were making. I had three large jalapenos left over that I knew I wouldn't use before they went bad. In comes a recipe for jalapeno poppers! I was inspired by many different recipes out there, but I cut the poppers in half and took out the seeds. I then filled the halves with a mix of cream cheese and shredded Mexican cheese, dipped it in an egg, and then coated it with panko crumbs. They were soooo good and very easy to make! This would be a great appetizer to bring to a party! Yum!

Ingredients:

Jalapenos
cream cheese
other cheese
egg
panko crumbs

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise. In a small bowl mix some cream cheese and shredded cheese together. Fill the halves with the cheese mixture.

2) Coat the jalapenos in egg, then coat the jalapeno in the panko crumbs. You make have to pat some on the outside as they may not stick.

3) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350.

Seared Scallops with Mango Puree, by Cheryl

I was fully planning on buying some wild caught cod today when I walked into Wegmans, but I came across these delicious fresh scallops just a few feet down that I couldn't resist. I had just put some frozen mango chunks into my cart so I thought a nice mango puree would go nice with the scallops. I got the mango recipe from here and seared the scallops in butter and garlic. Honestly, the scallops were so good on their own that I didn't use the mango sauce on them that much. But it really went well with the couscous and zucchini! Yum!

Ingredients:

Scallops
butter
garlic
Israeli couscous (or other side)
Spinach, zucchini, or other veggie

For Mango Puree:

1 cup mango
1/4 fresh orange juice (I juiced half an apple and used that)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) For the mango sauce combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and mix until combined. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

2) For the scallops I put some butter and garlic in a pan on medium-high heat. Sear the scallops (make sure they're not touching each other) for about 1.5 minutes on each side. Serve with some sides!

Whole Wheat Waffles, by Cheryl

For some reason I thought I needed a waffle maker. I don't know why. So my little red and silver waffle maker was delivered yesterday and I decided to make some whole wheat waffles for me and Julia this morning. It was actually really cool seeing her face when the batter turned into waffles. She said, "Whoaaaa".  These were really tasty and it is a solid recipe to follow. I halved the recipe and it made 3 large waffles. We had them with strawberries and some warm maple syrup. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1.75 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil (I used melted butter)
1 tablespoon honey (I used maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Optional toppings: maple syrup, fruit, etc.

Directions:

1) Preheat waffle iron.

2) Whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, syrup (or honey), cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined.

3) Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together until the large lumps have disappeared.

4) Ladle about 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron. My waffle iron has a green indicator light when it's ready, but if yours doesn't then cook for about 3-4 minutes.

5) Top with toppings!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (with spinach), by Cheryl

Julia and I decided to make some cookies today. When I asked her what type of cookies she wanted she said, "Green!" Thankfully she didn't say another color since green is easy to do in this household! I followed this recipe and took out the food coloring ingredient and replaced it with spinach that I chopped in the food processor and blended with the butter, which came out great. I had limited chocolate chips so I threw in what I had. The cookies came out a little cake like, but the flavor was delicious! Yum!

Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1.25 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup spinach
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

3) Finely chop the spinach in the food processor.

4) With a mixer mix the butter, sugar, and spinach together. Add the eggs and peppermint extract and mix again. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

5) Add heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

S'mores Cheesecake Pops, by Diane

I made these pops for a Labor Day weekend BBQ, and they were a HUGE hit! They were the perfect sweet and cool end to a great cookout. These were relatively simple to put together, unless you fail to attach the lid to the food processor all the way and graham cracker crumbs finely dust your entire kitchen like in my case this morning. I doubled the recipe because it says it serves 10 people but used 3 oz paper dixie cups which I thought would be way too small, so I just used 9 oz dixie cups instead and it made 12 pops. My only complaint with these is that they really never froze all the way, even when frozen for more than the suggested 6 hours. So they wound up being eaten like pops for the first half over plates, and then eaten with a spoon the rest of the way. The recipe would also be good simply in a cheesecake form with a spoon for this reason. At any rate, these were delicious and everyone in attendance wanted the recipe! Success!

Ingredients:

1 8 ounce package Cream Cheese brick
¼ cup regular sour cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup almond milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup mini marshmallows
½ cup mini chocolate chips
9 whole graham crackers
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Process until well combined and silky. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.
2. Pour mixture into 3 ounce paper cups, leaving about 1/2 inch of the top empty for the graham cracker crust.
3. In a clean food processor, add graham crackers and process until fine crumbs remain. While food processor is running, add melted butter in a slow stream until the mixture resembles wet sand.
4. Divide the crust evenly between the pops, pressing down gently to compact. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze for at least 6 hours until solid. When ready to serve, gently tear the paper cups off the pops and serve.

Spring Roll Bowls with Sweet Garlic Lime Sauce, by Diane AND Cheryl!

CHERYL AND DIANE ARE BACK TOGETHER IN THE KITCHEN!!!

Today, we got together for lunch and cooked this great recipe. It was filling, delicious, and pretty healthy! We both said we would make it again!

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

¼ cup agave or brown sugar

¼ cup fish sauce

⅓ cup lime juice

⅓ cup vegetable oil

Rice Noodles

Basil, Mint, and Cilantro

Serrano Peppers

Chopped Peanuts

1 avocado

1 red bell pepper

2 carrots, shredded

3 chicken breasts, cubed

Directions:

Pulse the first 6 ingredients plus 1/4 cup peanuts together in a blender or food processor.

Cook your rice noodles by soaking them in cold water for about 30 minutes. When they're softened, transfer to a pot of boiling water for just a minute or two before quickly draining again. 

Cook the chicken, put in a bowl.

Mince the herbs, slice the serranos, and peel or julienne cut the vegetables, and cook through.

Toss the noodles (hot or cold) with the sweet garlic lime sauce and all the other ingredients.

Strawberry Chicken Farro Salad, by Cheryl

I finally had time to read all of my Eating Well magazines since I have two weeks off from graduate school and had a couple of long flights to keep me entertained. This recipe comes from the magazine and let me just tell you it was scrumptious! Normally I don't do salads as a main course for dinner, but adding the farro in with the salad makes it more like a sweet and savory bowl rather than just a salad. And I knew that by adding that grain that Jon would find it more hearty as well and would therefore eat it up! The marinade the strawberries were in was the perfect dressing and went so well with all of the other ingredients. My final product did not have toasted pecans, but instead just regular chopped ones since I burned the first batch (don't let those suckers out of your sight for a second... they burn quickly!) and I didn't want to risk burning more. Second, the recipe calls for feta cheese which we didn't have. I think blue cheese would go so well with this though. Definitely a keeper. Yum!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey ( I used maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
black pepper
salt
2 cups halved strawberries
2 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets
paprika
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1) Combine 1 tablespoon oil, the vinegar, honey, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add 1 cup strawberries, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook farro according to package directions.

3) Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon oil; sprinkle evenly with pepper, salt, and paprika. Coat pan with oil or cooking spray. Add chicken to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes.

4) Divide farro, spinach, 1 cup strawberries and onion between 2 plates or bowls. Top evenly with chicken and strawberry-balsamic mixture. Top each serving with pecans and cheese.

Green Turmeric Juice, by Diane

I came across this recipe from the website Juicing Vegetables as a good juice for inflammation and energy. I decided to give it a try, and it was just ok. Taste-wise I would reduce the lemon to a 1/2 because it's pretty bitter, and maybe even add in an apple or something to improve the overall flavor. But, I knew that health-wise it was good for me and that helped!

Ingredients:

2 inches turmeric
3 large carrots
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber
1 lemon

Directions:

Juice in the above order and drink right away!