Chocolate covered strawberries

This is super simple and is delicious! Ingredients needed- 1 lb. strawberries washed and completely dried, 1 1/2 cup  semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 3 Tbls Crisco( not oil the solid form) You will also need a double boiler or 1 sauce pan filled 1/2 way with water and a heat resistant bowl that fits securely on top(you don't want a ton of steam coming out the sides and getting water in the chocolate or burning your hands)

Put your sauce pan on the stove with the pan on top. put the semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 1/2 Tbls Crisco. Stir with a whisk until melted all the way through. Dip the strawberries one by one.(you may need to whisk here and there to keep chocolate smooth and evenly heated) Set on parchment or wax paper. Set aside and let set. Take the semi sweet of the heat and put a new bowl on the heat with the remaining Crisco and the white chocolate chips. Use another whisk and stir continuously until they are smooth and creamy. Use the whisk to drizzle white chocolate over the strawberries. Let set and enjoy!

Chicken Caesar Salad

Easiest of the recipes mostly because most came out of a bag :) Ingredients needed- Croutons(8-10 per salad. I like the garlic butter croutons), Mixed greens and  large chopped romaine lettuce( I usually give 1-2 cups per person) Your Favorite Caesar dressing(Or home made if you have a good recipe),1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 chicken breast cut into small cubes, ground black pepper,1 Tbls of olive oil and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Chicken-

Mix 1-2 Tbls of Caesar dressing into cubed chicken. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat a medium skillet to medium high heat and add the olive oil. Let heat. Add chicken and sauté until just cooked through. Sprinkle black pepper over the chicken. Set in a shallow dish and place in fridge uncovered for 15 minutes. Just long enough to cool so it wont wilt your salad.

 

Mix your salad greens together and set aside.

Assemble your salad. Place greens on a plate and add your chicken, Parmesan cheese and croutons then drizzle with dressing.

 

Easy night but this is a great Dinner meal that will be a go to favorite! Even better if you double the chicken you can refrigerate and take for lunch salads :)

Ground Turkey Lettuce wraps

This was a nice easy night because I used leftovers from last nights stir fry. Ingredients needed- 2 cups leftover stir fry finely chopped, 10-15 butter lettuce leafs separated, rinsed and patted dry, 1 lb. ground turkey, 4 Tbls peanut butter, 3 Tbls soy sauce, 2 Tbls brown sugar, 2 tsp  finely grated ginger, 1 tsp lime zest, 2 Tbls lime juice, 1 garlic clove finely minced, 2 Tbls Sambal,1 Tbls  vegetable oil, 2 tsp Sesame oil, 1 Tbls sesame seeds, 4 slices of lime and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.

Sauce for filling-

Mix 2 Tbls peanut butter, 1 Tbls lime juice, 1 1/2 Tbls soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp sesame seeds, 1 Tbls brown sugar and 1 Tbls Sambal. Mix thoroughly.

Filling-

In a large skillet heat to medium high heat and add a small amount of  vegetable oil. Ad the finely chopped vegetables, garlic, 1 tbs ginger and lime zest. Cook for 1 minute and stir. Add ground turkey and stir and break up the turkey. Pour the first sauce over and let simmer for about 5 minutes occasionally stirring. Add 2/3 of the cilantro. Once cooked through remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Peanut sauce-

2 Tbls peanut butter, 1 tsp finely grated ginger, 1 Tbls sambal,  1 Tbls lime juice, 1 1/2 Tbls soy sauce, 1 Tbls brown sugar and remaining cilantro. Mix thoroughly.

Serve

Enjoy.

Chicken Stir Fry and Pan fried carbless noodles in peanut sauce

This is probably my favorite recipe so far! The ingredient list is long but so worth it! Ingredients needed-2 chicken breast cut into 1in cubes, 1 red bell pepper sliced thinly, 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced, 8-10 mushrooms sliced, 2 stalks celery chopped , 4 green onions cut diagonally, 4-5 stalks bok choy, 1 medium crown of broccoli chopped, 2 regular or 10 small carrots sliced thinly, The zest and juice of one lime(separated), 2-3 garlic cloves finely minced or grated, 2 Tbls ginger finely minced or grated, 1 bunch of cilantro roughly chopped, 1/2 bag bean sprouts, 1 bag sugar snap peas(make sure to snap the ends and pull the little tough strings off), I can sliced water chestnuts, 1 can bamboo shoots, 1 can pineapple chunks(save the juice to pour over the chicken while cooking), 1 or 2 bags of Zero Carb noodles(I posted pictures so you know what they look like. You can find them by the tofu), 1 Tbls sesame oil, 2 Tbls vegetable oil, 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 Tbls unsweetened peanut butter, 2 Tbls sesame seeds, 2 Tbls brown sugar, 2 Tbls Sambal(you can add more or less depending how spicy you like it) 1 tsp corn starch.

The stir fry sauce-

In a bowl add the teriyaki, half of the soy sauce, corn starch, 1/2 of the brown sugar, 1/8 cup of the chopped cilantro, 1/2 of the lime zest, 1/2 of the lime juice, 1/2 of the ginger, 1/2 of the garlic and 1 Tbls of the Sambal. Mix until completely combined. Set aside

Peanut Sauce-

In a small bowl mix unsweetened peanut butter, 1/2 Tbls Sambal and the remaining soy sauce and  brown sugar. Set aside.


The Chicken-

Take the 2 chicken breasts and cut into 1 inch cubes or slightly smaller. In a skillet on high, heat 1 Tbsl vegetable oil and 1/2 Tbls sesame oil till almost smoking point. Add the chicken and stir immediately.(have a large lid near by because we are cooking on high heat and the oil may spatter). Add the 1/2 Tbls ginger, garlic, lime zest and remaining Sambal. When almost finished cooking through 2 Tbls of the pineapple juice that you set aside. Cook for 2-3 more minutes stirring frequently. Pour into bowl and set aside.

The Veggies-

Everything should be chopped, diced and sliced and set aside.

Time to begin cooking!

In a LARGE skillet or wok(I lost my wok in the move so I have to use a skillet but a wok would be ideal) heat 1Tbls vegetable oil and 1/2 sesame oil to almost smoking point.(Keep the skillet or wok on high the entire time) This next step must be done fast and I recommend having that lid handy because this is gonna snap crackle pop all over! Add the remaining ginger and garlic to the hot oil and as soon as it starts to pop dump the carrots, broccoli, celery, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts to the pan and stir. Let cook for 1 minute. Then add the peppers and pineapple and continue to stir. Let cook 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and sugar snap peas. Stir.  Add mushrooms and bean sprouts. Stir. Let cook about 4 minutes while stirring the entire time.(continue to keep folding the ingredients from the sides into the middle and the middle to the sides) Add the chicken to the vegetables and stir. Add the Stir fry sauce and let simmer 2 minutes or until it starts to get thicker. Remove from heat and sprinkle some sesame seeds and cilantro on the top.  This part of the dish is complete!

The Zero Noodles-

Add just enough oil to the pan to coat(maybe half of a tsp). Remove the noodles from the bag and rinse with cold water. Let drain.  Get the oil hot and add noodles to pan. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and add the peanut sauce. Stir to coat all of the noodles. They are done!

Serve up some noodles and stir fry. I like to sprinkle with a little more fresh cilantro and sesame seeds. YUMMY1

Turkey Tacos and Spanish rice

This is a nice and easy recipe. Ingredients needed: 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 chicken taco seasoning packet, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce, 1/4 cup  rough chopped cilantro, 3/4 cup rice(I prefer jasmine rice but you could use brown or any other type of rice.), 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 cup chicken broth(low sodium),1 8oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp mild Chile powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt(I use low fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream often), Salsa or taco sauce, 1 avocado sliced and peeled, freshly diced tomato, a few slices of lime, salt and pepper to taste.

Spanish rice-

In a medium sauce pan heat 1 Tbs of olive oil on medium to high heat. Pour the rice into the oil and slightly brown. Stir often so that it does not get too brown or burn. Pour entire can of diced tomatoes and chicken broth into rice and stir. Add garlic powder, onion powder, Chile powder, paprika, cumin and 1/8 of the chopped cilantro and stir to thoroughly mix. Bring back to a slight boil and turn heat down to low. Cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.

Taco Meat-

In a medium skillet heat the remaining olive oil on medium heat. Add the ground turkey and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add the taco packet and the remainder of the cilantro. Stir until it is all incorporated into the meat. Continue cooking the meat until completely cooked through(do not under cook your turkey) Add a few cracks of pepper and a sprinkle of salt to taste.

Toppings-

Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
A few extra leafs of cilantro
Sour cream or Yogurt
Salsa or Taco sauce
Diced Tomatoes
Sliced Avocado
Lime slices to squeeze on tacos

Assemble your taco to your liking.

I enjoy everything but the tomatoes :)

Lasagna Cups with Mixed Greens Salad

    So I am all about using leftovers to make other meals and a few nights ago I made Spaghetti with ground turkey. It was fantastic. Just basic tomato sauce with lots of Italian spices and ground turkey. The only problem was I had so much sauce left after spaghetti night I decided to make lasagna. Because we have been trying to eat a bit better I decided to do individual mini lasagna cups using a muffin tin.
   
     Ingredients needed are 2 cups of left over meat sauce(you could use meatless if you choose), 12 flat lasagna noodles sheets(the ones with out the crinkle edge cooked al dente and cut in half), 1-2 Tbls olive oil, 1 1/2 cups of ricotta or small curd cottage cheese(I use cottage cheese but that is just what I grew up on so it is my personal preference), 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 2 mushrooms sliced thinly(I made one tin with mushrooms and one with out), 1/2 tsp Garlic powder, 1 tsp Onion powder, 1 Tbls Italian seasoning(oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary) 1/2 tsp ground black pepper.

   Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place a small oven safe dish with water in the oven to create a bit of moisture while baking.
    Start by getting your muffin tin out. I have non stick so I just wiped them down with the olive oil. If you have older tins or ones what aren't non stick I would recommend placing a small square of parchment paper in the muffin tin.(You can set the pasta sheet on the parchment square then place it in the tin) Get a large pot of water and place on the stove to boil. Add a few pinches of salt to the water. Once boiling place a few of the pasta sheets in and let them reach the al dente state(offering resistance to the bite, but cooked through) remove the noodles and pat try(DO NOT RINSE). Once all of the pasta sheets are cooked cut each one in half. Lay the sheet of pasta over one of the tin holes and press in to create a little bowl. Repeat until all are in the muffin tin.
 
   In a bowl add the ricotta or cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella and all of the seasonings(Garlic, Onion, Italian seasoning and pepper) and mix thoroughly. 

  Start to assemble :) Place 1 Tbls of the cheese mixture in the bottom of each of the pasta sheets and press down into the bottom. Add 2-3 slices of mushroom to the top of the cheese mixture. Next add 1-2 Tbls of meat sauce to each of the cups. Sprinkle top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

 I served my little lasagna cups up with a nice mixed greens salad, croutons, shredded parmesan cheese and a little store bought Caesar dressing.

BBQ Pineapple Chicken Sandwhich with Mixed Greens Salad

This will be the first night of 2 weeks that I will be posting from my meal planner. It is really easy but you will need a few things. One being a crockpot :) Ingredients needed. 2 Large chicken breast cut into 2 inch cubes, 1/2 cup Water, 1 large can(or 2 small cans) of chunked pineapple(Use the juice). 1 Tbls. Sesame Seeds, 1 tsp Sesame Oil, 1/2 of one medium onion chopped finely, 2 Cloves Garlic minced, 2 bay leafs, 1 cup Bbq sauce(I used Sweet Baby Rays, My fav!) Salt and pepper to taste.

Put your crockpot on high and place all ingredients except for the BBQ sauce into the crockpot and leave for 5 hours. Once the time has passed use a large fork to shred the chicken. Add the BBQ sauce and let cook another half hour. Serve on toasted bun with side dish. I chose potato buns and a side salad.

 

I added a few slices of avocado to my sandwich. It was So yummy!