Zuchinni boats!

Boy am I loving being a vegetarian again! And I'm crossing my fingers it makes me lose weight! ;-) Tomorrow will be day 4. I love it. For real. I seriously don't miss meat at all. I'm excited to go to Taco Bell & order a Crunchwrap supreme without beef & a side of nachos or something. Or a 5 layer burrito without beef. Or a bean & cheese burrito! But that won't be for a while since my fridge is now stocked full of organic fruits & veggies!

This what I'll be making tomorrow. :)

Ingredients:
4 zucchini, halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Get ahead
Prepare and stuff the zucchini a day before.
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a small spoon, scoop out the zucchini flesh, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick shell. Wrap the zucchini flesh in a paper towel and squeeze out any excess liquid; discard the liquid and set aside the flesh. Place the zucchini shells cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the zucchini flesh and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the bread crumbs, and toast the bread crumbs for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the nuts and oregano, then combine with the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.

3.Flip over the zucchini shells and line the bottoms with the mozzarella. Pack in the filling. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. Bake until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

Courtesy of: (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/side-dish-recipes/Cheesy-Zucchini-Boats)

Vegetarian super healthy pasta!

I'll be the first to admit that this picture of the pasta doesn't do it justice. It's delish! I made up the recipe myself :)

*Why I love this recipe: It makes tuna taste delicious! And it packs protein! about 25-30 g. in this meal alone. Great for vegetarians. You can skip the aflredo sauce or find a lowfat option to reduce fat & calories. It tastes good with just the red wine vinegar as well. It's creamier with it though. :)

1 can drained tuna

1 tomato

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

red wine vinegar

2 tbsp lowfat alfredo sauce

1/4 cup dry whole wheat macaroni

salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chipotle pepper powder

italian cheese (optional)

Get water boiling & boil pasta until al dente.

While pasta is boiling start cooking your tuna on the stovetop on medium heat. Add spinach, red onion, & tomatoes. Season generously & cook for about 8-10 minutes. Add alfredo sauce & red wine vinegar (to taste; I used about 1 tbsp). Pasta should be cooked now! Drain & add to sauce. Put in bowl & top with cheese. I used 1 tbsp. to keep it lowfat. :]

Serves one.

Homemade Chipotle!

So last night I made homemade Chipotle for my whole family including Randy. :)

It took me two days to make! But soo worth it. This long post made of many different recipes might take me a while to post since I customized everything haha. :)

Tortillas-

I bought 10" standard large tortillas from a Mexican supermarket but any tortillas will suffice. If you can get your hands on some huge 12"-13" tortillas I'd suggest doing it! The tortilla's texture threw off the burrito but it was still great!

Cheese-

One part shredded white cheddar cheese, two parts shredded monterey jack cheese. Mix well.

Sour cream-

12 oz. Daisy sour cream plus 1 tablespoon water. Combine with a whisk over very low heat on a stove top. Keeping whisking until you get a thin, creamy texture. Then take off heat & serve.

Rice-

I tried combining a couple methods of rice & it was good, but it definitely could have been better. The rice got mushy. This is what I'd do next time:

2 tbsp oil (canola/vegetable/olive)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp - 1/4 cup lime juice

1 tsp- 1 tbsp salt (kosher)

2 cups long grain white rice

4 cups water

As you can see I keep the amount of lime juice & salt a broad range because that's completely preferance. I like a lot of lime. Just add both to taste. Same could go with the cilantro. :)

Bring the rice & water to a boil then bring it down to low & let it simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat & let the rice steam & fluff for 5-10 minutes. Remove the rice from the pot & put it in the mixing bowl. Add the oil & everything else to the rice & mix fully.

Enjoy :)

Chicken-

Beans-

Guac-

2 Hass Avocados

1/3 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced

1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped

2+ heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped

1/4 of a lime, juiced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth. Add additional lime juice, cilantro or salt to taste.

Corn salsa-

6 Ears Sweet Yellow Corn

2 Poblano Chilies

1/2 Red Onion

2 Red (or Green) Jalapenos

1/3 Cup Chopped Cilantro

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Roast the corn and Poblano chilies on a grill or BBQ and let cool. Cut the corn off the cob. Dice the Poblano chilies, onion, and red jalapenos. Combine all the ingredients and season to taste.

*I used frozen corn, boiled it for like 2 minutes then roasted it in the oven along with the Poblano Chiles.

Hot Salsa-

BBQed Burritos!

Recipe can be found here!

Chimi Chili Dog!

Recipe can be found here!

Taco Ring!

Find the recipe here!

Chili Mac Casserole!

What I thought would be the easiest recipe to find, turned out to be my hardest yet! I wanted something super simple, but still delicious! This sounds wonderful! I'm considering substituting the polish sausage for regular ground sausage when I make it. :)

1 (12 oz.) pkg. elbow macaroni, cooked

1 can chili

1 pkg. Polish sausage

(I'm using cooked ground sausage)

1 lb. Velveeta or Cheddar cheese

(Shredded sharp cheddar for me!)

Cut Polish sausage into bite-size pieces. Place on bottom of pan. Then place macaroni over sausage. Put chili over macaroni. Then put cheese over chili and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts and dish is warm.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,178,145179-227193,00.html

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas!

See recipe here.

Chicken empanadas!

Ingredients
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Water

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chicken-empanadas-recipe/index.html

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies!

Brownie Base

1 box Betty Crocker® Gluten Free brownie mix
Butter and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk

Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter

Heat oven to 350°F. Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box, using butter, eggs and any of the pan choices—except line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only for easier removal. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In medium bowl, stir filling ingredients until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds. Stir until smooth; cool 10 minutes. Spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. Store covered in refrigerator.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-truffle-brownies/10f03c1d-1135-463f-a3ab-afe0762ab2de

Better than Sex cake!

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm. (Hint: I crush my candy bars into small chunks as opposed to crumbs - I like to have pieces I can chew on!)
Let cake cool completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 194 Total Fat: 7.7g Cholesterol: 10mg

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/better-than-sex-cake-ii/Detail.aspx

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The only peanut butter cookies I like!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped semisweet chocolate
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 246 Total Fat: 11.6g Cholesterol: 28mg

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chewy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/Detail.aspx

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles!

Recipe can be found here.

Ham & Cheese Sliders!

Recipe can be found here.

No bake cookies!

Recipe can be found here.

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies!

Recipe can be found here.

Jello Pretzel Salad!

2 1/2 c. pretzels (crushed fine)3 Tbsp. brown sugar3/4 c. butter1 (6 oz) pkg instant strawberry jello1 10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries or small container (16 oz) sliced fresh strawberries (I prefer fresh)
1 ( 8 oz ) pkg cream cheese
1 c. sugar
8 oz. cool whip
Combine pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter and press into a greased 9 X 13 pan. You can use more butter if the crust isn't sticking together and make the pretzels more crushed than I did. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes.
Make jello according to directions and add the strawberries. Refrigerate until partially set. *If it is not set enough it will leak through your cream cheese layer and make your pretzels soggy.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in cool whip. Spread over cooled crust. Pour jello over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.

http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/2009/07/jello-pretzel-salad.html

PB&J Bread!

Recipe & Instructions here.

My special "Extra B" BBLT Sammiches!

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon cooked extra crispy (must be raw; none of that precooked crap; you may cut the bacon down to 4-6 slices if trying to watch your weight)

4 slices of good white bread

1-2 thinly sliced tomatoes seeded & salt & peppered. Only use the meaty part of the tomato so your sammich doesn't get soggy!

Handful of washed romaine lettuce

Mayo! Light or regular will do. Approximately 3 tbsp.

Directions:

Toast all your slices of bread to a nice shade of medium brown. Spread your mayo on nicely. Don't overdo it though. Too much mayo will kill your sammich. Just a nice even amount on all the slices of bread. Next throw on half of your tomatoes on one slice of bread, the rest on the other. Evenly distribute out your bacon onto each sammich. (Four slices on each sammich.) Do the same with your lettuce. Put the top slices of bread on your sammich. Next get out a knife & firmly hold one side of your sammich and cut it directly diagonally across your sammich. Then do it the other way so you have 4 triangles of sammich! The cutting is the hardest part. You have to make sure everything stays put so you can enjoy your sammich later. Now can your other sammich the exact same way. Now enjoy with your lover or friend!

Makes 2 sammiches.

Cheesy broccoli pudding!

Ingredients:

10 to 12 ounces frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Dash pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
3 large eggs, beaten

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/2-quart casserole. Arrange the cooked and drained broccoli in the casserole.
Heat the butter in a large skillet; add onion and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes, until onion is tender. Stir in flour until well blended and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pepper, nutmeg, salt, and half-and-half. Continue cooking over low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese and cook just until cheese is melted. Add about 1/3 of the hot mixture to the beaten eggs; add back to the hot mixture, blending well. Pour over the broccoli. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the broccoli custard comes out clean. Serves 6.

by: Michelle

http://southernfood.about.com/od/broccolicasserolerecipes/r/r70929b.htm

Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Ingredients
6 green bell peppers
salt to taste
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
water as needed
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 467 Total Fat: 24.3g Cholesterol: 89mg
Protein: 27.4g

Posted by: Michelle

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Green-Peppers-I/Detail.aspx

Cream Cheese Danishes!

Ingredients
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, diced
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons sour cream

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Line bottom of baking pan with 1 can of crescent rolls. Pinch all seams together to seal.
In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream. Spread filling on top of rolls. Place second can of rolls on top of filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar, milk and butter. After Danish has cooled, drizzle with icing.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 498 Total Fat: 29g Cholesterol: 53mg

Posted by: Michelle

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Cream-Cheese-Danish/Detail.aspx

New blog!

This is a blog where me & Randy can post recipes that we want to try in the near future(or recipes that are tried & true)! We will later update the posts after we've tried the recipes & tell you how they are. :-) More for our own personal use, but feel free to follow!