Found on: Recipe Girl

Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado and Goat Cheese

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

SALAD:
8 cups chopped spinach (1 bag)
1 cup halved cherry or pear tomatoes
1/2 cup corn (frozen, canned, or cut off the cob) I omitted corn and added frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 large avocado, sliced
1/3 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese I used feta cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
DRESSING:  I completely forgot to do this part!  Guess that is why my husband kept saying it needed more flavor!  It was plenty moist, but just needed this added zest.  I will try this dressing next time! (My hubby says it was a blonde moment!)
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place spinach in a large salad bowl. add remaining salad ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss (a little at a time... as much dressing as you desire).

Source: RecipeGirl.com

 Trying to eat healthy is easier to do for dinner and lunch than it is for breakfast.  Cutting carbs can be so annoying and such a task when all you can think of for breakfast is boxed cereal, or my family's favorite, waffles and pancakes.  Eggs can only be cooked so many ways and eaten so many times in a week.  At least for me that is.  Now granted, these do have carbs, but to me, they are healthier than pancakes or waffles drizzled in syrup and butter and better for you than boxed cereal that has who knows what in it and where it came from.  So, these were a good breakfast for us this week and every single one of us liked them! 

Found on: Gingerbread Bagels




Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used 1/8C brown sugar and 1/8C agave nectar; more gooey than the regular recipe probably is, but still turned out fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.
Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

Just to clarify If you found my recipe on Pinterest with the suggestion about using applesauce in place of the brown sugar…Do not use applesauce in place of the brown sugar.
Applesauce is not used as a sugar substitute in baking, it’s a fat substitute.
It’s also a liquid and will mess up the texture of the squares because of the added liquid.
So please use brown sugar, it’s only 1/4 cup for an entire pan. Not that much.

And because I keep getting this question: do not use honey. Honey is a liquid…brown sugar isn’t. The added liquid will mess up the texture of the squares. Honey also causes whatever you’re baking to brown more quickly and you would have to change the temperature and baking time. It also has acid and would need to be neutralized with baking soda.

This was my Mother's Day dinner that my hubby made for me this year.  It was a decent meal and I didn't have to cook it!  Even better!  We did realize that the honey was a little too much though and might try 3/4 cup next time.  We didn't add all of the pepper it called for and will do more next time as well.  Our sauce didn't quite thicken as well as we would have liked, so add more cornstarch.  Good paired with brown rice and steamed green beans with coconut oil.

Found on: Chef in Training


CROCK POT HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
recipe form: Baby Center

(we doubled the original recipe, and even then we still wanted more! This is the doubled recipe)
2.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons diced onion
4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.
Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

I have a TON of recipes I have tried lately but I have been lazy and only putting comments on my recipe board from Pinterest. So, I am going to try to go back and put them on here. Unfortunately though, I do not have pictures for most, so you can check out my Pinterest board if you want others' pictures of the food. So here we go....

Found on: Food of Love
* Do NOT use the temp. in the recipe.  It is WAY TOO HIGH!  Mine burnt on top and I had to salvage what I could.  Try cooking them at 325 or 350.*

1 cup milk
        2/3 cup sugar
        1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
        1 stick unsalted butter, softened
        2 large eggs
        2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
        1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
        4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
        One 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, not thawed
        1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
        1 teaspoon cornstarch
Icing-
        3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
        3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
        1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
         1 tbsp fresh lemon juice       1 tsp good vanilla extract

    In a small saucepan, warm the milk over moderately low heat until it's 95°. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir in the sugar and yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, eggs, grated lemon zest and sea salt. Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 10 minutes longer. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 times. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. Butter a 9x13 glass baking dish & set aside.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll it into a 10-by-24-inch rectangle. In a medium bowl, toss the frozen raspberries with the sugar and cornstarch. Spread the raspberry filling evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough (cinnamon roll style) to form a log & cut into 12 pieces  and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up. Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy and have filled the baking pan, about 2 hours.   Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the rolls for about 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 & bake another 10-15 minutes or until they are golden and the berries are bubbling. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 30 minutes.   In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the butter  heavy cream & lemon juice & vanilla extract until the glaze is thick and spreadable. Top warm rolls with icing. Are you drooling yet?? YuMM!!