Monday, May 7, 2012

Grilled Kiwi Chicken

Kiwi Chicken with Kale Chips and Crowder Peas
My husband is the one who actually prepared this super flavorful Kiwi Chicken.  I was not feeling well this past weekend so he decided to make dinner. I gave him the original recipe from the March issue of the Rachael Ray magazine EveryDay as a guide.  

Of course he did not stick to the recipe, but we never do.  Here is my husband's version of Kiwi Chicken.


Grilled Kiwi Chicken

4-6 Chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 Clove of garlic, minced
3 Kiwis
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tsp olive oil
1/2-1 Tsp jalapeno, chopped (more if you like it spicy)

Salt and pepper each side of the chicken and grill chicken until done.

While chicken is cooking, saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat.  

Peel kiwis and press through a fine-mesh sieve (we used a fruit strainer) to extract all the juice.  

Place remaining kiwi flesh into a mini chopper and puree.  Add kiwi juice, garlic oil, honey and jalapeno, puree to combine.

Serve sauce over chicken and add chopped kiwi if you like.  This sauce was amazing!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Strawberry Sorbet Smoothie

You gotta love our 1971 Archies Glasses
As you may have read on some of my previous blogs, I have two really large buckets of freshly picked strawberries.  This week it has been my mission to find healthier recipes that incorporate strawberries.

I did find a No Sugar Strawberry Preserves recipe that I love and I also came across this Strawberry Sorbet recipe that I thought was very refreshing.  My kids did not like it though, but that was no surprise since they really don't like smoothies.

The original recipe called for a dabble of peanut butter on top of the smoothie, but after tasting it I don't believe you really need it.

The Strawberry Sorbet Smoothie is light and delicious so don't let the picture deceive you.

Strawberry Sorbet Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 Cups frozen strawberries
2 Tbsp honey or agave nectar
3/4 Cup orange juice
3 Tbsp lite coconut milk
Couple dashes of cinnamon
Dabble of peanut butter or Nutella - optional

Combine first 5 ingredients in a Vitamix or food processor until smooth and serve with a dab of peanut butter if desired.

Serving size 4

Play Dough

 Okay, I know this is a food blog, but since play dough is made with edible components (Not that you should eat it, but if you do I guess it would be okay), I thought I would post a homemade recipe for it.

My play dough did not produce the dark green I was looking for so next time I think I would add more food coloring.


 Play Dough

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
2 Cups water
1 Cup salt
4 Tsp of cream of tartar
A few drops of food coloring

Cook all ingredients in a large saucepan until thick.  Stir constantly and scrape the bottom of the pan often.  The dough will be a little lumpy and somewhat dull.  After the dough pulls away from the sides and starts to look dry you can remove.  Pour out onto counter and knead like cookie dough.  Let the dough cool completely and store in a Ziploc type bag.


Monday, April 30, 2012

Strawberry Preserves (No Sugar)

This past weekend our family went strawberry picking and came back home with two huge buckets full of strawberries.  Boy am I excited to find new recipes to use my strawberries.

My oldest son and I love strawberry preserves, but I don't love all the sugar.  Therefore, I discovered a recipe that uses no sugar, just honey and it was great.

Strawberry Preserves (No Sugar)

Ingredients:

5 Cups Freshly picked strawberries, hulled and halved or diced
1/4 Cup Honey
1 1/2- 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Combine ingredients together in a pan over medium-high heat.  You must watch this very closely and continue to stir frequently.  It can burn to the bottom, so be very careful.  

Continue to cook and lower heat to medium if it is sticking.  Cook for about 20-30 minutes until it reaches the preserve consistency that you prefer. 

This recipe only made about 1 cup of preserves.  I think next time I will double or triple.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Our Dinner Menu Plan

Strawberry Season is finally here!
Go ahead, take a look at our dinner menu and laugh.  I know the combinations are a little weird, but our week is full of activities and will require easy prep meals.

I try to remember that not all meals have to be fancy and gourmet.  The purpose of a home cooked meal is that you have control of the ingredients and most of all you get to spend quality time with your family.

Have a wonderful week!

Our Dinner Menu Plan

Monday - Tuscan Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday - Tuna Melts on Thin Bagels, Roasted Asparagus, and Pretzel Crisps

Wednesday - Black Bean and Spinach Quesadillas with Guacamole and Slices of Kiwi

Thursday - Salad with Chicken and Strawberry Sorbet Smoothie

Friday - Grilled Kiwi Chicken, Kale Chips and Crowder Peas

Saturday - Baked Vegetarian Spaghetti and Caprese Salad

Sunday - Dinner at Awana Awards Ceremony

Friday, April 27, 2012

Asparagus, Bacon, and Cheese Strata

When I came across this recipe on Weight Watchers I had never heard of the word "strata".  I looked it up on the internet and found that a strata is a casserole type dish of layers that usually consist of eggs, cheese and bread (stale).

My husband surprised me and said he really liked this dish, probably because it has bacon.  He likes anything with bacon.

I did make some changes to the original recipe based on what I had on hand.  

Asparagus, Bacon, and Cheese Strata

Ingredients:

4 Slices of uncooked reduced fat bacon, diced (turkey bacon would be better, but I did not have any)
1/2 Cup onions, diced
2 Cups asparagus, diced
5-6 Slices whole wheat bread
4 Large eggs
4 Large egg whites
3/4 Fat-free evaporated milk (you can also skim milk)
2 Tsp honey dijon
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp black pepper
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp of low-fat cheese (such as cheddar, mozzarella, or monterey-jack)

Heat a cast iron skillet or ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until brown.

Remove bacon from skillet and pour any remaining grease out.  Add onion and asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes.  

Remove vegetables from pan and set aside with bacon.  

Preheat broiler.

Remove skillet from heat and spray with cooking spray if necessary, then carefully arrange bread slices around the bottom of skillet (I did have some overlapping).

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, milk, mustard, salt and pepper.  Pour over the bread slices covering completely.

Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of cheese over the bread and egg mixture.

Place skillet back onto medium-high heat.  Cook and shake the pan to allow for even cooking of the eggs.  Cook until the eggs become a little set (about 4-5 mins.)

Place skillet under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes to allow the eggs to set further.  Remove the skillet from oven and top with bacon/vegetable mixture.  Then add remaining cheese and place back under broiler until cheese is completely melted.

Remove from oven, cool slightly and serve into individual slices.  Enjoy!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Our Dinner Menu Plan

Magnolia flowers are so pretty!


This week I am only making one new recipe.  The dinner plan below covers some of our favorite recipes that are posted on this blog, as well as other blogs.  

Have a great week!





Our Dinner Menu Plan

Monday - Refried Bean Soup with Guacamole and Spinach Cheese Taquitos

Tuesday - Eggs with Spinach, Sausage Links, Hash Browns and Fresh Strawberries

Wednesday - Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo (Healthier Version), Salad and Fresh Rolls

Thursday - Asparagus, Bacon and Cheese Strata (recipe coming soon) with a Yogurt Parfait

Friday - Vegetable Calzones and Fruit Salad

Saturday - Shrimp Kabobs with Rice and Corn

Sunday - Leftovers