Easy Dinner, no cooking?

Healthy Tuna on Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans Tuna Fish in water

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 sprinkle of fresh dill, chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, diced

salt and pepper to taste

cut romaine lettuce

sliced cucumber

Make it:

1. Mix Tuna, greek yogurt, dill, hard boiled eggs, and lemon juice in a small bowl until well blended.

2. toss chopped salad on a plate, top with sliced cucumber.  Top with a scoop or two of tuna, and sprinkle salt and pepper of the top! 

3. Enjoy for a healthy lunch, or no cook dinner! 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I got this recipe originally from Suzanne at a church function (her recipe can be found here)!  I found that it was amazing, and even the pickiest eaters ate it!  So I have tuned it up to fit our family, and am now giving it to all of our friends!

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST

2 head cauliflower, riced and squeeze all the water out (you want this to look like quinoa)

1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp parsely

1/2 crushed basil

1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

To prepare cauliflower:  Cut it off the head, and rice in a food processor until mealy. Put in a bowl and cover. Microwave for 10 minutes on high. Use cheese cloth or a paper towel to squeeze out as much water as possible.

 

To assemble:  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until it represents a dough. Place on a piece of parchment paper sprayed with Pam. Press out and shape into the shape you prefer (we do square). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with sauce and toppings. Return to oven for approx. 15-20 more minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to brown.

 

Enjoy!!!

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PS. Wish I had a picture to share, but my hard drive crashed and I lost all the pics!  Sorry!  When I do take another one, I will be sure to post it!

Freezer Meals - Oven Stew

Oven Stew
Ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 (10.75-ounce) can beefy mushroom soup
1 (10.75-ounce) can golden mushroom soup

Directions:
1. Cut beef stew meat into 1-inch cubes. Arrange stew meat, onion, carrots and mushrooms in a baking dish. 2. Combine soups and pour over all. Cover tightly with extra heavy foil and bake 3 hours at 325. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place in freezer bag. Label and freeze. 8 servings.

To serve: Thaw. Heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over hot mashed potatoes.

Oven Stew is especially delicious served over Mashed Red Potatoes. See recipe in On the Side, Sample Recipes

My favorite way to prepare, freeze, and cook are int he Glad Ovenware dishes.  This makes for easy storage, and easy clean-up!  You can prepare them in the pans, freeze them, then go straight from the freezer to the oven and bake them in the same dishes!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Fruit Salsa
ingredients:
1 apple (granny smith are great but really any variety will do!)
2 bananas
2 kiwi
1-2 cups strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, mandarin oranges (frozen will even do!)
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
1. Peel and dice your apple, bananas and kiwi and place in a medium size bowl.
2. Mix with lime juice. Then add your additional fruit (dicing up the bigger ones into salsa-sized pieces), sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well.
3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to let the juices mix. Serve with cinnamon chips and ENJOY!

Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients:
1 package of flour tortillas
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
2. Cut your tortillas in to chip-sized pieces (I use a pizza cutter to cut them, this way they don't tear).
3. Melt butter and brush both sides of the tortilla chips and then dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Cool and serve with fruit salsa!!

*A little side note from me to you...instead of using butter, you can just spray your tortillas with cooking spray and then dip them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. They come out just as tasty although I will say that the butter adds a little something extra, call it a buttery-cinnamon gooey-ness if you will :)
*for a gluten free version use corn tortillas.

My kids love these, I know you will too!
~Mommy of 6 <3

Gluten Free Chewy Granola Bars

Gluten free chewy granola bars

1 3/4 cup gluten-free quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/4 cup gluten-free crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup miniature gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey

Ingredients:
1. Mix oatmeal and rice cereal together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, mix together brown sugar, oil, and honey.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and pour over oatmeal and rice cereal. Stir until well-coated. Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray, and pour mixture into an 8x8 pan; lightly pat into pan. Sprinkle chips and fruit on top and press down into pan. Let bars to completely cool, cut into bars and enjoy!

~Mommy of 6 <3

Grilled Halibut and Tomato-Avocado Salsa

Grilled Halibut

1 1/2 pounds halibut, tuna or swordfish steaks, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons canola or soybean oil
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Tomato-Avocado Salsa
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

Directions:
1. If fish steaks are large, cut into 6 serving pieces. Mix remaining ingredients except Tomato-Avocado Salsa in shallow glass or plastic dish. Add fish; turn to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no longer than 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix all tomato-avocado salsa ingredients together. Set aside until ready to serve.

3. Heat coals or gas grill for diirect heat. Remove fish from marinade; reserve marinade. Cover and grill fish 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, brushing 2 or 3 times with marinade and turning once, until fish flakes easily with fork. Discard any remaining marinade. Serve fish with salsa.

 You may have heard of the Mediterranean “diet,” which includes a high consumption of fish, fruits, raw and cooked vegetables, the use of olive oil and wine in low to moderate amounts. A major study in Italy confirmed that eating a diet rich in these foods lowers the risk of heart disease.


Recipe from Betty Crocker
Enjoy~
Mommy of 6 <3

Chipotle Inspired StirFry Bowls

What a great dish on a cool spring night!  I really enjoyed it and think I may venture out and try other things in here too!!!  But for now, here is the recipe given to me from my sister.  This was truly yummy!!!

Chipolte Inspired Chicken StirFry Bowl


1 bell pepper- sliced
1/2 red onion- sliced
Fresh Cilantro- chopped finely
Lime
Sour Cream
Cheese- Shredded Cheddar
Salsa- whatever you prefer
Rice
Fajita Season Packett
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cubed small
black beans- we used 1 can but bagged will work the same

Directions:
1. Cook black beans add 1/4 of fajita season and 2 tbsp of cilantro let simmer until beans are soft.
2. Suate or steam peppers and onions
3. Cook rice- add half lime juice and about 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
4. Cook chicken- and add fajita season mix according to h2o and season mix directions (we used less h20)


Layer in bowls-
Rice mix
Bean mix
Peppers and onions mix
Chicken
Shredded Cheese
Salsa- this is where you can be creative and make spicy or less according to taste, as we did in our house.
Sour Cream

We really enjoyed it!  Thank you Amanda!!!  This recipe serves three.  Modify as needed! 
Enjoy~
Mommy of 6 <3

Cream-less Cauliflower Soup

Cream Free Cauliflower Soup

Makes 5 Servings (1 generous cup each)

Serve for lunch with a sandwich or as an appetizer with dinner.

1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch florets (about 6 cups)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
4 teaspoons canola oil
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3½ cups all-natural chicken broth
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk *
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, optional
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss the cauliflower, onion, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl, then spread the mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the cauliflower is softened and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Combine the roasted vegetables and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is very soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover, stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the wine and bay leaf and cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

5. Working in several batches, process the cauliflower mixture in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a clean saucepan, stir in the milk, and cook over low heat until hot.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, ladle into bowls, and sprinkle each portion with some of the chives as desired and the Parmesan cheese to taste.

* For a dairy-free soup, you can substitute the milk with rice or soy milk, or you can leave it out. For the Parmesan cheese, switch to a dairy-free cheese or simply omit it from the recipe.

Recipe and picture from "Meal Makover Moms" Blog and adapted from America's Test Kitchen.
~Enjoy
Mommy of 6 <3

Cinnamon Grilled Pineapple

A very yummy way to eat pineapple, however it was a bit too sweet, I think next time I will leave the cream cheese mixture off!  The grilling really brings out the strong flavors of the pineapple.  YUMMY!!!!
Ingredients:
1 pineapple, cut into spears

2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 (4-oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp coconut extract

Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-low heat.


2. Place pineapple spears on grill and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.

3. Grill pineapple 3 minutes on each side until tender.

4. Combine, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and coconut extract in a small bowl

5. Top warm pineapple spears with cream cheese and serve.
<3 Mommy of 6

Peanut Butter Honey Oat Cookies

I am finding that my best of friends is wearing off on me.  But not in a bad way, just healthier.  They are gluten free, and I have envied them for obeying all the bi-laws, as I love my flour far too much to go completely gluten free.  But a recipe here and there is pretty yummy.  This is one of those that I have come to love.  Her husband and mine even like them, and neither of them know it is gluten free!  LOL!  It can be our little secret!

Peanut Butter Honey Oat Cookies

Picture courtesy of "Delshad Duo" blog as well!

Ingredients:

1 C. Natural, Creamy Peanut Butter (the kind with peanuts as the only ingredient, I found that if you use the store bought kind the cookie don't set up as nicely)
2/3 C. Honey
1 Egg, beaten
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt (omit if using peanut butter that contains salt)
1 C. Oats ( I grind mine in a food processor or blender to make it fine)
Coarse Sugar (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the peanut butter, honey, egg, baking soda and salt. Stir in the oats.
3. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls (if desired, roll the dough balls in sugar - this creates a nice crunchy crust).
4. Place the dough balls on the lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.

Original recipe from "The Delshad Duo" blog ~Thank you Ashlie and Alfred
~Enjoy, Mommy of 6 <3

Black Bean Brownies

A healthier version of my favorite dessert!  Just add some vanilla bean frozen yogurt and fudge sauce, and this is one kickin' dessert!

Ingredients:
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.

2.Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.

3.Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.