Lent? What are you giving up?! COOKIES!!!

I decided to give up cookies for Lent! I haven’t given up anything in a few years, let alone even really “cared” about it in the least. BUT! I decided that since I’m working toward losing this gigantic butt of mine, I might as well give up something this year! It can only help, right?! Ugh! riiiiight! I think that this will be the most difficult. Honestly, I don’t really even like cookies that much. Here’s the thing though… My daughter, Scarlett is in Girl Scouts for the first time this year and we over-bought Girl Scout cookies because of that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She sold that most in her troop and is totally proud of it! But I’m not going to let my butt pay for it!

Also, my Etsy bakery has been getting more orders! It is so hard to make a batch of delicious cookies to sell without snagging a few myself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously!? Nobody better order between now and Easter! HAHA! No… I will be okay. Because I am strong, and I can totally handle this challenge! Because… I have a goal! I am currently just over 250, and my plan is to be under 200 by New Years Day 2013! My hope is that my husband and kids will eat up all the cookies and leave none for me to consume after Lent is over. Okay… maybe they could leave me just ONE measly Samoa?! MY FAVORITES! 😀 Okay okay… enough of that!  I am NOT weak! I will not be weak!

So instead, I will be working hard on my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD and keeping myself occupied with my other Etsy shop! 🙂 I am working on some new items, like headbands and burp cloths to be added soon! So excited!

Super yummy meatloaf with NO EGG! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My youngest son is allergic to eggs, so I decided to make this without! And also, trying to get a little extra veggies in my kids diet is always hard!

They loved this, and I think it tastes even better this way!
Ingredients:

1lb LEAN ground beef

1lb ground turkey

2 slices cooked bacon(chopped into bits)

1 large carrot, shredded

1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach

1/8 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic(minced)

3 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

 

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, use hands to mix all ingredients together.
Divide this evenly and fill 4 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Half of a mini-loaf pan is a serving, but with all the goodness of this, you will want to eat a whole one! 😉

Cheesy Quinoa Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes ~24 bites

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 stalks green onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.
3.  Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each).
4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

I made these bites with a simple teriyaki marinated pan-cooked chicken and steamed brussel sprouts! Light or fat-free honey mustard salad dressing is a great dip for these bites!

Quinoa with Spinach and Feta Cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh spinach

1 ounce feta cheese

1 cup cold water

 

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer until all of the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic until edges turn a very light brown color, being careful not to burn it (reduce heat to low, if necessary). When the quinoa is done, add it to the skillet, along with the spinach. Stir it together until the spinach wilts. Add the crumbled feta and stir to combine.

I made this with a simple pan-cooked chicken in olive oil, but you could make this as a vegetarian meal(alone), or as a side with a variety of delicious meats!

 

Bacon-wrapped chicken cordon bleu

6 boneless and skinless chicken halves
6 slices ham
6 slices mozzarella or swiss cheese
6 slices bacon

Pound chicken until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top each with 1 slice ham and 1 cheese.

Fold the chicken over the ham and cheese; wrap each with bacon.

Place side by side in shallow baking pan, folded side down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bacon is brown.

So delicious!!! And EASY!

Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos with Chili-Lime Mayo

These tacos are sooo easy and delicious

First, you make the Chili-Lime Mayo

(If you don’t like HOT, don’t add the hot sauce at all. Just make it with mayo, lime and cilantro. Very spicy!)

Mix together : 4 Tbsp Hellmann’s Light REAL Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce

1 Tbsp lime juice

1Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

and let it sit in the fridge covered, for at least an hour.

 

Then, you want to choose the amount of shrimp based on how many people you are cooking for. I usually use 5-7 per taco.

Put the defrosted, pre-cooked shrimp in a bowl. (I use pre-cooked because my husband is allergic to RAW seafood.)

add a little lime juice, a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper. mix it a few times.

 

Heat a pan with a little olive oil and cook the shrimp for 1-2 minutes. There will be a lot of extra liquid, but the shrimp will be deliciously seasoned!

 

Now, put everything together in a tortilla!

Lettuce, tomato, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, cooked shrimp and then top with the chili-lime mayo!

 

 

Black Bean-Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cans of Goya black beans, drained

1 large mango, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 of a green pepper, chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 loosely packed cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 fresh lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a reusable plastic container.

DO NOT TASTE YET! (The salt needs time to soak in, and will NOT taste good right away! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!)

2. Close the container and refrigerate for at least an hour, but overnight is best!

I like to serve this with organic blue corn tortilla chips, or over grilled chicken or tilapia for dinner! Yum! 🙂

Lightened-Up Guacamole! Yum!

Okay so I found a similar recipe online, but changed a bunch of things, to taste. This was WAY better! And surprisingly, you don’t taste the peas, at all! Love it! I ate mine with organic blue corn tortilla chips, but it’s also great with sliced veggies!

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained
2 medium avocados, mashed
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
6 oz. fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Dannon GREEK)
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1 large jalapeno, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Place drained peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or use food processor/blender. Add all other prepared ingredients to the bowl and mix. Season to taste with additional lime juice, salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy! MAKES 7-8 SERVINGS.

This stuff is great as a spread for sandwiches, pitas and wraps – and it’s an excellent omelette topper.

Two tablespoons of it has just 29 calories and 1g fat, plus 1.25g fiber!
Serving Size: 1/3 cup
Calories: 78
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 320mg
Carbs: 10.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 3.5g

 

Chicken Gyro Wrap

I made a super-fantastic chicken gyro wrap today! yummm!

Chicken gyro: 1/2 large pita (cut edges and pull apart to make 2 large circles), 20-30 baby spinach leaves, 1tbsp thinly sliced onion, 1/2 medium tomato, carrots (I used a potato peeler to get thin strips), 1/2 large grilled chicken breast (thinly sliced), 1-2 tbsp feta cheese, 6 kalamata olives (halved), 3 tbsp skinny tzatziki

 

Skinny Tzatziki

• 6 oz fat free greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup cucumber (peeled, seeded, grated and drained)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Strain the yogurt to remove as much liquid as possible.  Set aside.

Scoop seeds out of the cucumber with a small spoon. Place cucumber in a mini food processor or grate with a cheese grater. Drain the liquid from the cucumber in a strainer and sprinkle with a little salt (this helps release the liquid). You may want to use the back of a spoon to help squeeze out any excess liquid.

Combine strained cucumber, garlic, yogurt, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Store in refrigerator. Good for about a week.

Best Chicken Spinach Salad EVER!

Now THAT’S a super salad!!! 🙂 Spinach, carrots, red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, grilled chicken, feta cheese & chopped almonds! yumm!

I like to look around the kitchen and keep adding stuff until it looks good! 🙂 Avoid croutons and other BAD things! Choose nuts instead!