This week's recipe is super easy, mainly because I have been getting ready for my craft shows and haven't had much time in the kitchen.
I'm really trying to make an effort to eat better and make healthier decisions. So I decided to try some baked chicken. With a simple marinade....homemade salsa!! Seriously, this was a great idea and tasted delicious.
Take some chicken tenders...
...some homemade salsa (this was made by Papa Hicks and had a bit of a kick to it!)
Uh yeah. So I still have so many fracking apples left. I'm at a loss for what to make with them, so I thought I'd just do something super easy....cooked apples. Plus, (again...my texture eating gross-ness), I really don't eat a lot of oatmeal. But I want to integrate more oats into my diet. If I can add some cooked apples to my oatmeal, I'm pretty sure I'll eat more of it. So here goes nothing:
Cooked Apples
Ingredients:
2 pounds cooking apples (or whatevs you got around your house)
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Core and quarter apples (do not peel).
In a large heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, covered over high heat.
As soon as ingredients begin to boil, lower heat to a simmer. Simmer apples, covered for 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let apples stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.
(I apologize in advance for the fact that I forgot to post this last week. So you're getting recipe #3 and recipe #4 today. my bad. oops.)
Well, remember when I went to the apple orchard with Big Sista Burg and her rugrats? Yeah, I had 5 pounds of apples that needed to be used up. And since I have some kind of super duper weird texture eating thing...I'm not about to eat me some raw apples. Soooo, these two recipes are all-about-the-apple (how's that for an alliteration?)!
Apple Dumplings
Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powerd
1 teaspoon salt (I only used a half of a teaspoon b/c I don't like salt)
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
4 to 6 cooking apples, cored, peeled and sliced
approximately 1/2 cup of sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
butter
Syrup Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup margarine melted
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add milk, stirring to make a soft dough (side note--the dough is yummy! I may or may have eaten a ton of it while I was making this. don't judge.) Roll dough into a 1/8 thick rectangle on a light floured surface and cut into 5 inch squares.
Place 3 or 4 pieces of apple on each square. Sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons sugar and a sprinkling cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Dot with butter.
Moisten edges of each dumpling with water, bring corners to center, pinching edges to seal. Place dumplings 1 inch apart in a lightly greased shallow baking dish.
Combine 2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 cups hot water and 1/4 cup butter/margarine. Stir to dissolve sugar. Pour syrup over dumplings.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
And voila. Some darn-tootie delish apple dumplings.
Oh this is a GREAT recipe!! Definitely a keeper and will be immediately added to my ever-growing-recipe box. NOM.NOM.
Alright time for recipe #2 in the 30for30!! Only 50 more to go!
Lime Chicken Soft Tacos
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken, cut up
1/8 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 lime juiced
1 teaspoon of white sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 green onions chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 6-inch flour tortillas
Toppings:
Whatever taco toppings you like! I used Roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, a little taco sauce and light sour cream. But use whatever your little heart desires!
Directions:
Saute chicken in medium saucepan over medium high heet for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.
Heat your tortillas, fill with the delicious chicken and all your fab toppings and enjoy!!!
nom.nom.
Seriously. These were so good and super duper easy. I'm totes loving this 30for30 challenge!!!
So. It's official. I'm 30. I'm in my 30's. I'm no longer a twenty-something. I've entered a new decade, a new chapter in my life. 30. It's all new and refreshed and feels somewhat like New Year's Eve...a chance to take the world by the balls and conquer it.
And to be perfectly honest, I'm totes embracing 30. I'm actually excited about this. True, my life is not where I thought I'd be...but it's still sososo great!
Anywho, remember my list of 30 while I'm 30? Well it's begun. And #8 on that list was to try a new recipe every week. So here you go with Recipe #1.
Chili Chicken Salad Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I boiled them)
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (could also use fat free or light mayo)
lime juice (to taste)
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed (next time, I would probably only use a 1/2 cup because I'm not a big bean girl)
1-3 ribs celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped green onions
Cut up cooked/boiled chicken breasts into small, bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir to form a sauce.
Add chicken, shredded cheese, beans, celery and green onions. Stirl until everything is evenly incorporated.
Tada! Chicken Salad is complete. I chose to put it over a bed of shredded lettuce and eat it as a salad for lunch one day. It's so good and it is super low-fat and amazingly healthy for you!
I love when friends share insights with me. Recipes, deals they’ve found, a book recommendation, mothering advice. Whatever! And when I find something that I love or can’t live without, I love to tell others about it too. So, every once in a while, I’m going to use this blog to share my stuff…they might be old favorites, or new discoveries. Here we go…
Wholly Guacamole. This is the BEST store-bought brand of guac I’ve ever tasted. This coming from a girl who loves to make my own. I never by the nasty stuff in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. BUT…My mom found this brand first, and then, to my delight, I found 100 calorie packs of it. Also, you can freeze the packages for use a little while after the package expiration date. It is SUPER YUM. I think I found it at Target. And, to go with it, try Baked Tostitos Scoops. I had sworn off baked chips after the whole Olean-additive thing a few years ago, but these baked chips taste like the real deal, and the Brown household has switched to them entirely. Try it!
I have quickly become a HUGE fan of Cooking Light magazine. I try new recipes a couple of times every week, usually for dinners. This morning I made their Cinnamon Rolls, from the October 2009 issue (currently on newsstands), and they were awesome! They took most of the morning to make, what with waiting for things to rise and such, then punching the dough down and waiting again, but they were well worth it and only a little over 6 grams of fat per roll! Take that, Cinnabon! (And my hips thank me!)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to podcasts. I am a long-time listener of Manic Mommies. They are two hilarious moms from Boston. I found them when Wyatt was just a few months old and I would listen to them while taking walks around our neighborhood in Martinsville. Now I listen to them in the car (WITH my headphones on!) while Wyatt listens to Elmo repeatedly on the car speakers. So, they are my oldie that I would highly recommend. But my new one is the Meal Makeover Moms. (OK, I’m quickly realizing that many of my favorite things revolve around food. Oh well! ) Again, two moms that talk about making recipes that their kids will eat but are also nutritious. I made their Berry Good French Toast Friday morning for breakfast. It’s basically just French toast with a jam-like topping. I let the topping simmer while I was having my morning coffee, then whipped up the toast, and it was done. Wyatt and I loved it! Good stuff. I’ve also made, from these same Moms, Grab & Go Breakfast bars. They’re basically homemade granola bars. Another goodie! (On a side note, the two ladies talking on the podcast remind me of the SNL skit with Molly Shannon & Ana Gasteyer doing radio show “Delicious Dish.” Once I realized this, I thought some of their dry comments were hilarious!)
My new favorite time-waster website: www.etsy.com. It’s basically a community of websites on which people sell handmade items, supplies and/or vintage items…those are the three criteria for selling on the site. Kelby and I will have our own etsy site up SOON to sell our stuff, but in the meantime, I find myself just searching for things…fabric, notions, clothes I long to buy, ideas for my own projects, etc. Check it out!
New favorite late-night snack: popcorn with a dusting of shaved chocolate on top. I don’t really just crave regular old microwave popcorn, but Adam eats it often. I need a salty-sweet combo and so I shaved just one small square of chocolate over my still-hot popcorn one night and it was FABULOUS! And it seriously didn’t take much chocolate at all. A little bit of salt, and my new fave snack was made. Have a 100-calorie pack of popcorn, and it still fits within a healthy diet!
And finally, I have discovered a boxed wine that is yummy! Don’t turn your nose up at the box! It stays fresh and lasts longer! It’s the White Sangria Wine Cube (also from Target! Another one of my faves!) and it comes in 4-bottle size cubes and 2-bottle size cubes. The 2-bottle size is cute and small, and I’ve started giving it as birthday or hostess gifts, and they are always enjoyed by all! There are other flavors, but I haven’t tried any of the others yet. The White Sangria is delish!
Let me know if you try any of these things and what you think!
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