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.