Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Rainbows & Butterflies Pasta Salad

OK, so as you can probably tell from the title of this recipe, I found it under a link for great lunches for kids. I liked it so I am posting it with it's silly name and all.

8 oz bow tie pasta, preferably whole grain
3 Tbsp plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 cup shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt

Cook the pasta as the label directs. Drain and toss with 1 tsp olive oil to prevent sticking; let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the corn, edamame, bell pepper and carrots. Drizzle with the remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan and 1/4 tsp salt; toss again and season to taste.

I also added a sprinkling of Italian Seasoning. =)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Mayo Free Chicken Salad

I'm on a search for new lunch recipes. We usually have left overs for lunch or Lean Cuisines. Sometimes neither of these exist in our house. So I realized I need to bulk up our lunch menu a bit. I want to find recipes that use ingredients that I likely already have around the kitchen. So I started with this chicken salad recipe.

I hate mayo. It was created by the devil. I once had to mix a dip that used mayo and I thought I might throw up my lunch just from the smell.

So I was really excited when I found a chicken salad recipe that used NO mayo. I tweaked it and made it my own.

1 can (12.5 oz) chicken, white meat
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 of a red onion, chopped finely
18 grapes, halved
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper + more to taste
pinch of salt

Drain canned chicken and place in a bowl. Use a fork to shred the chicken. Add the yogurt, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and combine. Add the celery, onion, and grapes and then cover and place in refrigerator.

Chill for a few hours or overnight to allow all the flavors to combine.

Serve on sandwich bread or a croissant.

This makes 3 servings and is 3 PointsPlus per serving (no bread included).

Get creative and try your own combos. I plan on trying cranberries and almonds in place of the grapes and also trying apples and walnuts. Those change would change the points value, but my be worth it if you want something different.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Weekly Meal Plan

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Today's quick Publix trip

4 boxes of Nutrigrain Bars
2 bags frozen cheese ravioli
2 bags frozen cheese tortellini
2 containers Lysol wipes
2 (big!) bags of Chex Mix
2 boxes Ritz crackers
1 Publix apple juice (penny item)
2 jars of Secret Popcorn

All of this would usually cost me $69.88 (tax included). Today I only paid $22.90. Paid ~68% less than the normal retail price because I combined my coupons with sale items.

I am getting better at this!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Quick update!

I haven't posted an update on Colin lately. Where to begin?

Colin turns 2 in 11 days! And I am pretty sure the terrible 2's have started. =) They probably started about a month ago...

He is talking so.much.more these days. I am not sure how many words he says but it seems like a lot. He also has started with some short sentences that he says frequently. My favorites being:
  • "I need it."
  • "I got it."
  • "Oh, man."
  • "Hi-ya!"
  • "Hold it."
  • "Come on!" (talking to Molly)
  • "Move Molly." (also talking to Molly)
  • "Where are you?"
He is also a pretty good actor. I let him old the boo-boo cold pack the other day,a little gel filled shark. He would pretend he had a boo-boo and I would lay the shark on the phantom injury. I had to stop and put something away and be proceeded to hold the boo-boo shark in the crease of his elbow and pretend to cry and be in pain. Then he was done.

He is also in to Toy Story. He loves it. Luckily we own 1, 2, and 3 so we can rotate them and not get tired of them.

He has his 2 year old pedi appointment in a couple of week and I am interested to see his weight and height!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Weekly Meal Plan

  • Asian Grilled Chicken with rice and Asian medley veggies
  • Lasagna
  • Left over Lasagna
  • Nachos
  • Subway
  • Wedding - Colin with Grandparents

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Low Fat Baked Onion Rings

We made these last night to go along side our chicken sandwiches. I cut them a little too thin, but other than that I thought they were great! Another winner from Skinny Taste!

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
salt to taste
olive oil baking spray

Place slices of onions in a shallow dish. Pour buttermilk over the top and let them soak for 1-2 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 450. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine panko, bread crumbs, and corn flakes and place half the crumbs in a large dish, season with salt. Reserve the rest for when the first batch is used up. This should help avoid clumping and they should stick better to the onions.

Dip each soaked mixture into the crumbs and coat well. Place rings onto cookie sheet and lightly spray with olive oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Canned Biscuit Dough Donuts and Holes

We don't fry much food in our house. Aside from the obvious fact that it is not good for you, it also leaves this carnival like smell on your clothes and through your house. At least that is what my sensitive nose picks up. We love fried chicken from Chick-fil-a or in our dinner from Fulin's but that is about it.

So this recipe was a little difficult for me. I had a hard time keeping the oil the right temperature and knowing the right amount to use. But in the end I ended up with some pretty good looking donuts!


I was hoping Colin would want to decorate them, but he has no interest. He didn't even eat one. It didn't hurt my feelings though - he never eats donuts.

This is Paula's Deans recipe off of the Food Network website.

Peanut oil, for frying
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
5 Tbsp milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cans large buttermilk biscuits
Colored sprinkles
Chocolate sprinkles

Heat 2 inches peanut oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to 350.

In a shallow bowl, stir together the ground cinnamon and sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 2 Tbsp of milk, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract, set aside. This the vanilla icing. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, and 3 Tbsp of milk and set aside. This is the chocolate icing.

Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry them in the oil until golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side. You can even fry the donut holes. Drain on paper towels and then toss in the cinnamon-sugar or ice and decorate with sprinkles, as desired.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Weekly Meal Plan

 Breakfast treat: homemade donuts. Mmmmmm.....

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Breakfast Pizza

What kid wouldn't want pizza for breakfast? However, I'm not talking about the kind with red sauce and pepperoni. I am talking about the bacon and eggs variety. Whole Foods has the best pizza. One day we were there early in the morning so I got to try their breakfast pizza and loved it. I wanted to recreate as best as possible.

For this recipe, I am using the instructions on the pizza crust we buy - Whole Foods Frozen Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. Check your dough for cooking directions.

1 pkg frozen pizza dough
4 eggs cooked - scrambled
4 slices of bacon, cut into chunks/pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sliced red onion
olive oil
Italian seasoning

Thaw your dough.

Preheat the oven according to the directions on your pizza dough.

Roll the dough out into a circle and place on baking sheet or pizza tray. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Some doughs (like the WF ones) will have you bake it for a while before topping it. I like it this way and suggest it. So if you choose this method, do it now.

Take the crust out of the oven. Evenly sprinkle with the scrambled eggs, red onion, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Bake for the remaining time on the dough instructions.

Add a little black pepper, slice into 6 pieces and serve.

We really liked this and I would like to try some other breakfast combinations. Next time I plan on using pancetta instead of bacon. If you try this with other topping combinations please let me know what they were and how they turned out!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto & Cheese

This recipe is from Skinny Taste and wow is it easy and so so good! It makes a lot so this is a good one to make for company and you can even assemble it early and pop it in the oven straight out of the fridge like we did last night.

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each (I beat chicken breasts until they were as thin as I wanted)
4 (2.8oz) sliced thin lean prosciutto, sliced in half
2 slices reduced fat provolone or mozzarella, sliced in half
1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lemon, juice of
1 Tbsp olive oil
fresh pepper
1/4 red onion, sliced
olive oil non-stick spray

Wash and dry cutlets well with paper towels. Combine breadcrumbs and grate cheese in one bowl and olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Preheat the oven to 450. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Dip the chicken in the lemon-oil mixture, then in the breadcrumbs to coat well. Place each cutlet on a work surface such as cutting board and lay 1/2 slice prosciutto, 1/2 slice cheese and a few chunks red onion on one side of the chicken cutlet.

Roll and place seam side down in a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, top with remaining crumbs and spray lightly with oil.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Servings size is 1 and they are 4 PointsPlus each.

I liked them like this, but my sister and mom both said they would like to try it with a sauce. So I might try to serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce next time.

And the winner is...

It's here!! Click below to purchase Colin's Hallmark card!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Weekly Meal Plan

  • Turkey Dogs, mac-n-cheese, Fresh Fruit
  • Hamburgers (daddy is out of town!)
  • Pizza & Salad
  • Easy Tetrazzini, Veggies, & Fresh Fruit
  • Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto & Cheese, Salad/Veggies, & Fresh Fruit
  • Date Night: late night take out for us; chicken nuggets, veggie, and fruit for Colin
And something new for breakfast: breakfast pizza! Recipe coming soon. Trying to copy the one they serve at whole foods in the mornings.