Laura's Energy Bites

Laura's Energy Bites

My neighbor brought these over one evening and I selfishly snacked away on them and begged for the recipe. They are GREAT for a quick snack out the door for the kids. 

1 cup whole oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey {using less makes them less sticky to roll and a better flavor}

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix together thoroughly & roll into balls. Let chill for 30 minutes before eating. You can store them covered in the fridge. I would say a week, but they don't last that long! 

Ry's Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Creama

Ry's Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Creama

{it's as good as it sounds!}

SWEET POTATOE AND FILLING

-1 medium/large sweet potato

-heaping spoonful of black bean salsa (the recipe recommends Trader Joe's Cowboy Caviar Salsa but I just made my own)

-Sprinkle of cheese

DIRECTIONS:

-I microwaved my potato for a few minutes but you can bake it as well. 

-While the potato was in the microwave I heated the oven to 375 on broil

-Remove potato, slice in have lengthwise and redistribute a section in the middle so it is like a little bowl.

-Put your black bean salsa in the hole and sprinkle with cheese

-Place it in the oven on a cookie sheet and broil about 3 minutes (until cheese is melted)

-Put a spoonful of the Avocado Creama on the top and EAT IT!

 

AVOCADO CREAMA

-1 ripe avocado

-1/4 cup sour cream

-2 Tbsp lime juice

-salt and cilantro if you want

DIRECTIONS:

Put everything in the blender and mix it up.  If you want a smoother texture just ad a little bit of water or milk.

Jessica's Southwest Chicken Salad

Jessica's Southwest Chicken Salad

Cooked chicken breast {this can be done with chicken spread out on foil in the oven sprinkled with salt & pepper, until internal temp reads 165*}

Romaine or salad mix 

Black beans 

Corn 

Grape tomatoes 

Purple onion

Avocado

Rinse all produce & slice up chicken breast to bite sized pieces, add ingredients to bowl. 

Dressing:

1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies

Start with 1 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. 
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt

Mix dressing ingredients. Serve on side. 

Nay's Thanksgiving Rolls

 Nay's Thanksgiving Rolls

4 c. Flour, divided

5 Tbl Sugar

1 tsp. Salt 

2 pkgs yeast or 4 1/2 tsp

1 c milk

1/2 c water

1/4 c butter

Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar & yeast in mixing bowl. 

Combine milk water & butter in pan & heat until very warm. 

Gradually add milk mixture to the dry ingredients & stir 2 minutes.

Add rest of flour to make soft dough (about 2 1/2 cups) 

Knead 5 minutes. Cover let rise 15 minutes.
Punch down. Shape, place on greased pan and let rise 15 minutes. 

Bake approximately 12 minutes 400*

Does great when you double it.

Can also swap 2 or 4 cups wheat flour for white. 

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

We LOVE these. My friend halved the Parmesan cheese and added mozzarella cheese, and it was gooey good. 

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
original Joelen recipe

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.


http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/pesto-chicken-stuffed-shells.html

Jiffy Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Admit it...you like Corn Dogs. Besides these are the perfect potluck food. 

Jiffy Corn Dog Mini Muffins

1-8.5 oz. box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup skim milk
1 TBS honey

4 Oscar Mayer Turkey Hot dogs, each cut into 5 pieces 

1. Spray the wells of a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2.  In a med bowl, combine the mix, egg, honey and skim milk.  Allow to sit for 3 - 4 min.  Stir batter.  

3.  Fill each mini muffin well with about 1/2 TBS batter.  Place a piece of hot dog into each well, pressing in.  

4. Top each hot dog with about a tsp. of batter, covering hot dog.  

5.  Bake in oven for 10 - 15 min.  or until golden brown.  Allow to cool in pan for 5 min. before removing to platter. 

http://mykitchenadventures1.blogspot.com/2011/01/jiffy-corn-dog-mini-muffins.html

Mini German Pancakes

I make these almost every Saturday. They are delicious with pureed fruit or yogurt. These are a mini version of the pie pan sized ones I grew up with.

Mini German Pancakes

(from Chris O's kitchen)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 cup milk (you can use skim or low fat milk if you want)

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

Toppings: Powdered sugar and lemon juice, or maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Spray cupcake pans with no-stick cooking spray. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt just enough to blend. (Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy.) Pour batter in cupcake pans. Makes approx. 12-16 mini German pancakes. Bake 18-25 minutes depending on type of cupcake pan and the amount of batter in each cupcake tin. Remove from oven. Let cool for just a minute or two. Remove mini pancakes from pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can also serve with maple syrup if you prefer instead of using lemon juice. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

http://momathonblog.typepad.com/momathon_blog/2008/07/recipe-mini-german-pancakes.html

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese)
12 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken(a rotisserie chicken works great for this!)
1 (1 oz) packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
20 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Salt
Non-stick cooking spray 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Cover a large baking sheet (I use a cookie sheet) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. 
Mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, and green onions. Add in about 1/2 of the dry Ranch dressing mix and taste- add more if you want more of a Ranch taste (I ended up using only 1/2 of the packet). Mix well. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla and roll it up.
Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat about 20 times (I had to use two baking sheets because all of my taquitos would not fit on one). Once finished, spray the tops of the taquitos with non-stick cooking spray (or you could lightly brush some olive oil on them) and sprinkle with salt (I like to use sea salt).
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until edges and tops are golden). Let cool for a couple of minutes. Serve with Ranch dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping (my husband also likes to dip them in "Salsa Ranch"- just mix equal parts salsa and Ranch dressing together).

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/baked-chicken-bacon-ranch-taquitos.html

Frog Eye Salad

Frog Eye Salad


Cook 4oz Acini De Pepe macaroni

While that's cooking mix:
1/4 C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Flour
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 C. Pineapple Juice (from canned pineapple below)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

2-11oz cans mandarin oranges, drained

1-20oz can pineapple tidbits, juice reserved for mixture above

1 C Miniature marshmallows

1/2 C Shredded coconut

6-8oz Cool Whip

Whisk together 1st 5 ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
Add lemon juice.
Add mixture to cooked acini de pepe & refrigerate overnight.
The next day add:
2-11oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
1-20oz can pineapple tidbits, juice reserved for mixture above
1 C Miniature marshmallows
1/2 C Shredded coconut
6-8oz Cool Whip

Christy's Oriental Salad

1 large head green or purple cabbage-sliced thinly
8 green onions-finely chopped
2 pkg Ramen Noodles, broken up (not the flavor packets)
1 C. slivered almonds
1 C. shelled sunflower seeds
4 chicken breast-cooked, cooled, cubed (or 2 cans-12.5 oz- chicken breast)

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl & add dressing. Cover & refrigerate several hours before serving.

Dressing:
1 C. oil
1/3 C. rice or cider vinegar
1/4 C. sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
Mix well in a jar with a lid, so you can shake it. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Asparagus or Green Beans

I was not a fan of asparagus until I found this recipie.
Take asparagus, was and remove woody ends (this is easy to do, bend stem until you find the point atwhich it snaps)
Line on foiled covered pan, spary with olive oil (or Pam) then sprinkle lemon pepper.
Bake 425* for 10-12 minutes.

This is also great for fresh green beans.

Edamame Fried Rice

2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups brown rice
1 med onion, diced
4 oz sliced water chestnuts
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, defrosted
2 eggs-scrambled
1 scallion -green onions
2-3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce *depending on your taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Scramble eggs, set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft about 5 minutes. Add garlic & saute 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to low. When rice is rooked, add to pan along with water chestnuts, edamame, eggs, scallion & soy sauce. Toss & serve.

*This is a great one to add cooked chicken or more stir-fry veggies

Irish Brown Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cups quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk *To make 1 cup of buttermilk add 1 Tbsp vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup, fill the rest of the way up with milk. Let sit 5 minutes.2 Tbsp honey

1. Heat oven to 425*. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda & salt.
2. Whisk together buttermilk & honey. Add to flour mixture, stir to combine until soft dough forms.
3.Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves 3in apart onto prepared baking sheet, bake 10 minutes.
4. Reduce temperature to 400*. Continue baking 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes.

Zucchini Pie

4 cups raw zucchini
1/2-1 cup butter
1/2-1 chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
2 Tbp parsley flakes
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 pkg crescent rolls
2 tsp yellow mustard

Cook zucchini, onion and all spices in butter until tender. Meanwhile, press crescent rolls into pie or 8x8 pan to make a crust. Brush with mustard. Remove zucchini mix from stove and add eggs & cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

½ cup Peanut Butter
½ cup cream cheese
6 Tbl chocolate syrup
1/4 cup carrot puree
½ teas. salt
Fruit slices, for dipping

Stir all ingredients until smooth.

Avocado Dip

1 cup avocado puree
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tbl. lemon or lime juice
½ teas. salt
1/8 teas. garlic powder
Hot sauce to taste (we like El Pato - found in the Hispanic Food aisle)

Combine all ingredients. Store in air tight container up to 2 days in refrigerator or freeze up to 1 month. **Can also be made without Hot Sauce and used as a spread**

Deviled Eggs

6 large eggs
3 tbl. of reduced fat mayo
¼ cup of cauliflower or carrot puree
1/8 teas. salt
Pepper & paprika to taste/presentation

Hard boil eggs. Let cool in cold water and peel. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolk. Combine yolks with remaining ingredients and mash with fork. Fill each half egg with yolk mix.

3 Ways with Sweet Potato

*Note: True Sweet Potatoes are more white/pale yellow in color inside & out. And have a true sweet/honey smell when cooked. Most "sweet potatoes that people think of are actually yams, the brown/orange outside & bright orange inside. But they are interchangeable ( I think the true sweet potatoes are actually sweeter)

Biscuits: Mix 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato with 1/3 cup buttermilk. Combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix(Bisquick) with potato mixture & another 1/3 cup buttermilk. Mix to form dough. Knead 12 times on a surface coated with the baking mix. Roll out to 1/2 in. cut into rounds. Bake on an ungreased baking pan for 10 minutes in a 450* oven.

Stuffed: Microwave 2 sweet potatoes for 6 minutes. Mix together 2 Tbsp each coconut flakes & chopped pecans & 1 Tbsp each melted butter & brown sugar. Make a slit in potato; top with filling. Bake 400* oven for 12 minutes.

Roasted: Peel & cube 3 sweet potatoes. Toss with 1 slice red onion, 2 Tbsp canola oil, 1 tsp each cinnamon & cumin, & 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer to a baking sheet & roast in 400* oven for 25-30 minutes until fork tender.

Mac&Cheese

Mac&Cheese cals.before 727/after 295 You save: 432 cal, 37g fat (21g sat fat), 398 mg chol, 475 mg sod
1 box high fiber rigate pasta
3Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp each onion powder & salt
1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups 1% milk
2 jars (4ozeach) pureed carrots (baby food)
1 bag (8oz) shredded reduced fat extra sharp Cheddar
1 Tbsp plain dry bread crumbs
1. Cook pasta as package directs. Meanwhile, mix flour, onion powder, salt & pepper in medium sauce pan. Whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils & thickens, about 5 min. Remove from heat.
2. Heat broiler. Coat 1 1/2 qt shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Stir pureed carrots & 1/2 cup Cheddar into white sauce until cheese is melted. Drain pasta & return to pot; stir in sauce. Spoon half the pasta into prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup Cheddar. Top with remaining pasta, cheese and sprinkle on the crumbs. Broil 4-6 inches from heat about 6-7 min until top is lightly brown.