Double-Baked Mashed Potato Recipe

I made this last night and it was delish! I had made potato skins for the super bowl and frozen the extra potato that I had scraped from the skins. I've been going through my freezer this week and trying to use up what is in there - a Spring cleaning of sorts! I made this Taste of Home recipe last night with some salmon and asparagus (a typical Mueller week-night dish). It was delish! I lightened it up with Fat Free Sour Cream, 2% shredded cheddar, light butter, NO bacon and NO milk - it turned out great!! Here is the recipe.

Crock Pot Fajitas

I made this Crock Pot Fajita Recipe yesterday and it was SO easy and made the house smell SO good - oh and it was yummy. I have modified the recipe a little from the original.

Cook 4 hrs. on high or 8 hrs. on low

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas Recipe

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs (3-4 pcs)
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1/2 - 1 tablespoons chili powder (depends on how spicy you like things - you could always use less and put hot sauce on it later as a topping)
Squirt of lime juice ( I used the bottled kind)
Tortillas (we used gluten free corn tortillas)
Fajita toppings - For me: cilantro, salsa and avacado. For Dave: same as me but with cheese and sour cream

Sides: 1 can of black beans with cilantro and lime juice heated in a sauce pan. Plus yellow spanish rice sprinkled with peas.

Directions:
Lay the sliced veggies down in bottom of crockpot.
Add chicken stock
Lay chicken over this mixture
Sprinkle the salt, cumin and chili pepper
Add lime juice

4-8 hours, done!

Shred chicken and use a slotted spoon to serve on tortillas.

Cilantro Lime Garlic Shrimp

I made last night for dinner. It was delish and shrimp were on special at Harris Teeter today :)

It's a Gina's Skinny Taste Recipe so it's light. I served it with rice pilaf (which was recommended with it on Pinterest) and with asparagus.  Here is the link for the recipe - it's super simple!

Salmon and Potato Dinner

Monday night we had salmon, green beans and potatoes. It was super easy and delish. Of course we both had to have ketchup with our potatoes but that's just how it goes at our house lol.

For the salmon I put it in a baking dish and squeezed one lemon over it, sprinkled on a heavy amount of dried dill and a light amount of garlic powder. Salt and Pepper and presto! It was really yummy. Popped it in oven for 25 min on 325.

For the potatoes I cut them in fourths and tossed them into a bowl. Then I sprayed them with a good amount of non-stick cooking spray. And the final touch, tossed them with a packet of ranch dressing mix. Popped them in the oven for 25 min on 375.

Dirty Brown Rice with Shrimp

I made this tonight for dinner and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!! Here is the recipe!

Skinny Taste Stuff

Spotted this Arugula salad recipe on Gina's Skinny Taste site and had to share - looks SO yummy! I could sub the pasta for GF pasta and no cheese of course.

Barefoot's Yummy Soup

You can't go wrong with Ina.... doesn't this look yummy? I'm considering making it tonight....Potato Leak Soup. Here's the recipe.

*So I made this but I think I went too much on arugula and less on potato.... the color came out a big greenish haha. So maybe less on the arugula next go around. I didn't do the onions for the top only because I ran out of time BUT it didn't matter because the soup was delicious. I have not been doing dairy so I had to make another batch for myself but it still was as tasty as Dave's batch because of course I tried it!!! Haha.

New Thanksgiving Recipes that you MUST try!

This is SUCH a fantastic recipe for Sweet Potatoes!! Truly a hit at work and completely delicious AND healthy! Get the recipe here. Instead od doing the topping like this I made chunky stripes with the marsh mellows and the pecans :)

Another big hit was the spinach artichoke dip! It is super simple to make if you have an emersion blender or a food processor :) The recipe is my sorority sister's and she is known for THIS dip. I brought it to our family Thanksgiving in VA and it was gone with in minutes! FAR faster than my usual cheese ball so I guess this is the "new" go to recipe for future get togethers!

Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe: Preheat oven 350

1 frozen block of spinach - thawed and drained completely

1 block cream cheese - room temperature and cut into cubes

1 bag shredded parmesan cheese (2 cups)

2 bags of shredded mozzarella cheese (4 cups)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

12-16 oz (2 small jars) marinated artichoke hearts - drained

Put everything into a food processor or everything into a big bowl if using an emersion blender

Blend together

Scoop mixture into sprayed pyrex dish

Spread evenly

Bake for 35 minutes until edges are bubbling

Autumn Chopped Salad

This looks SO yummy and with the chicken it can be a dinner one night this week! :) Recipe is here.

Source: espressoandcream.com via Zina on Pinterest

Making for Books n Cooks....

I am going to try out these Chicken Bacon Bites for our Books n Cooks next week - I am hosting! It is a paula dean recipe that I found on Pinterest! We have one girl who is lactose intolerant so I try to do one cheese app and one no cheese app. Don't these look yummy?

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps1 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)1 pound sliced bacon2/3 cup brown sugar2 TBSP chili powder1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper, if using. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

TIPS: Do yourself a favor and line your pan with aluminum foil. It makes for much easier cleanup. Also, spray the baking rack thoroughly with cooking spray to help with the cleanup as well.

Great idea for a Spa Shower or Mother's Day!

Hungry Happens blog made these ADORABLE cookies that look like slippers!! She made them with nutter butters! Find the recipe here.

New Orleans Night!

We went over to our friends Lauren and Jeremy's last night and we had a whole New Orleans feast! We watched the super bowl from when the Saints won and the four of us were there. And in the mean time enjoyed Jeremy's home made shrimp gumbo (family recipe) and Lauren's fabulous cocktails. The Muellers brought some Abita beer, shrimp spread and bread pudding. I got the recipes for the spread and pudding from my Commander's Cookbook (a fabulous and famous restaurant in NOLA). Both recipes turned out great!!

Here is the Bread Pudding Recipe

If you are ever in New Orleans, here is the restaurant!

Low Fat Lemon & Feta Chicken!

This was delish! I made it with a big salad but I think next time I will do a starch or atleast some roasted veggies along side. The salad just didn't seem like enough to me. But the chicken smelled and tasted delicious!

Lemon Feta Chicken with Oregano
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 thighs • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 203.8 • Fat: 8.2 g • Protein: 29.1 g • Carb: 2.2 g • Fiber: 0.5 g

• 8 skinless chicken thighs
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tsp oregano
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375°. Trim all fat off chicken. Season chicken with salt, pepper, oregano, and lemon juice. Place in a roasting pan and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes. When chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and sprinkle with feta.

Broil on low for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese is golden brown (careful not to burn).

Corn and Shrimp Tortilla Soup

This is what we had for dinner last night and it was delish! It is a cooking light recipe that you can find online here. Warning: there are jalepenos that have to be chopped for this recipe. I didn't know that if you touched them that your fingers would burn like no other for hours on end. SO wear gloves people! I had to soak my fingers in rubbing alcohol... vaseline... and finally milk. Not fun! Other than that, this recipe was awesome! lol Also, at Trader Joe's you can get a bag of frozen already prepared and cooked shrimp for this recipe. They also have frozen roasted corn which works really well for this recipe also. Oh and I forget to get the cheese topping so used sour cream instead.

Peanut Butter Heaven

Doesn't this look dangerously divine? You can get the SUPER easy recipe here.

Cookin stuff.

Okay so here are some fun and innovative (if I might say so myself) things that I made this week!I even had lunch left overs..... DUH-lish.

So I made chicken skewers and grilled them on my stove. I marinated 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a little mixture I threw together - 1 squeezed lime, heavy sprinkle of kosher salt, olive oil AND 4 smashed garlic gloves. Marinate for 30 minutes! I cut them into pieces and put on skewers with onion and peppers. After they were cooked I put them on corn tortillas and covered them with a squeeze of lime, shredded white cheddar cheese and a sauce of sour cream mixed with a spritz of lime, salt and cilantro. :) So lime lime and more lime. Plus lots of garlic equals YAY successful dinner!
AND I made one of my mom's favorites with some lemon cucumbers. To make a cucumber and onion salad.... slice both veggies thinly add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar, 1 tb. of vegetable oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp sugar - marinate in the fridge! GREAT summer side salad!! If you have never had this before, it tastes like pickles :)

What a week!

Sorry I have been MIA lately! I actually am in the market for a new job and am currently interviewing etc so things have been a little "on edge" lately - to say the least!! And hey, if you know of any non-profits that are hiring, you just let me know! :)

In the mean time, I've been trying more and more of Gina's recipes! Check out these turkey and bean enchiladas! They were really easy to make and are big enough for two nights and a lunch worth of left overs!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 enchilada • Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 278.7 • Fat: 8.7g • Protein: 27.0 g • Carb: 35.6 g • Fiber: 15.1 g

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 15.5 can black beans, drained
• 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1-2 tsp cumin
• salt
• 8 (6-inch) low carb whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 cup WW Mexican Style cheese
• Nonstick cooking spray

Enchilada Sauce:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 cup fat free chicken broth
• kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and sauté garlic. Add chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

In a large skillet brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is browned,add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, green chiles, diced tomatoes, cumin and chili powder. Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid andsimmer an additional 5-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Put 1/2 cup turkey mixture into each tortilla and roll it. Place on baking dish seam side down. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Top with low fat sour cream, cilantro or scallions if you wish. (Extra points) Makes 8 enchiladas.

Just in time

So just in time for July 4th - Gina posted this hot number on her recipe site! I am in LOVE

Indian Eggplant

Another piece of produce we received... Indian Eggplant! Gina has a great recipe for Eggplant Parmesan (LIGHTENED UP!)Lighter Eggplant Parmesan
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 servings • Time: 60 minutes • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 265.3 • Fat: 12.4 g • Protein: 14.1 g • Carb: 35.4 g • Fiber: 4.4 g

• 1 large eggplant (2 lbs)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 12 oz fat free ricotta
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  
• 1 medium egg
• 2 cups reduced fat mozzarella (I used Sargento)
• 3 cups homemade tomato sauce (I used jarred)
• salt
  

Start by making the sauce if you don't have any already made. While the sauce simmers, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and put in a colander to release excess moisture for about 1/2 hour. Lay on paper towels to soak up any extra moisture.

Preheat oven to 450°. Brush eggplant lightly with olive oil on both sides and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through until eggplant is golden brown.

In a medium bowl combine ricotta, egg, parsley and 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

In a 9x12 baking dish, put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish and put a layer of eggplant to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce. You can Add another layer of eggplant and repeat the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce until everything is used up. But I didn't as I used a Top with sauce and the mozzarella cheese and the remaining grated cheese.

Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and everything is bubbling, about 30 minutes at 400°. Remove foil and bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it sit about 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Home produce delivery

So this week I had my first delivery from Absolute Organics...I have been so excited about finding them and ordering my first delivery of organic fruit and veggies! Since there are only two of us, I signed us up for the $30 plan with delivery every other week. So for $60 bucks a month, our fruit and produce is taken care of! I love the challenge of trying new veggies and oh you do not have to go with the selection they offer, you can switch items out however you wish!

We were delivered some potatoes and rainbow chard this week so I went to old Gina's site and got some healthy recipes for this dinner above. I can't take credit for the fish which is breaded and baked in coconut and panko thanks to Harris Teeter.

Here are the recipes - we really enjoyed both!

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Note: next go around I will go lighter on the red pepper flakes and heavier on the salt/garlic

Rainbow Swiss Chard
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Time: 10 minutes • Points: .5 ww points

• 1 pound rainbow Swiss chard, washed and thoroughly dried
• 2 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a sauté pan.

Smash the garlic clove with the side of a knife and add it to the pan. Add red pepper flakes if using, sauté the garlic lightly in the oil until it becomes golden.

Chop the stems into small pieces and add to the oil. Mix and add a drop of water and cover. Cook about 4-5 minutes. Chop the leaves and add to the pan. Sauté until just wilted, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.

Easy garlic mashed potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs (4 medium) yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup fat free chicken broth
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 tbsp light butter
kosher salt to taste
dash of fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh herbs of choice: parsley, thyme, tarragon

Instructions

Put potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Using a masher, mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.