Asparagus Gruyere Tart

This is such a great fake-out recipe! Looks fancy and difficult, but totally is not!

I used swiss instead of gruyere since I had it on hand.
Make sure you roll out your dough some before baking it. I somehow didn't read that step and mine was really puffy and thick (but still yummy). But I would have liked it thinner so that my asparagus didn't overlap.

Would make this again :)

http://www.marthastewart.com/318340/asparagus-gruyere-tart?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/spring-produce-recipes&center=276955&gallery=275174&slide=284861

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cupcakes

These are so good! I used the exact same ingredients as listed. I made the regular sized muffins and it made twelve large ones. You can fill them up to the top because they don't rise much. Use an electric mixer so that it all gets incorporated. The batter will be very thick.
Definitely a great alternative to a high-calorie, high-fat muffin or cupcake! She says these are only 1 point on the Weight Watchers program- wow! Will make these again :)

http://nomadicnomnom.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/1-point-weight-watcher-cupcakes/

Chicken Dumpling Casserole

This was a great comfort food meal. Probably should have saved it for the winter, but it was delicious even in July :) I would make this again. It would be great for a potluck or to take to a family in need.

I added frozen mixed veggies to this, so mine took around 45 minutes to bake. Next time, I might only use one cup of chicken broth instead of two as it seemed to take a while to cook.

So easy and delicious!

http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicken-dumpling-casserole.html

Royal Blue Velvet Cake

I made this for Ben's birthday cake in a giant cupcake mold. I thought it would be cute to do blue velvet since he's a boy. :)

Changes:
I found "royal blue" gel food coloring at Party City and used that instead of the two colors listed on this recipe. It made it VERY dark blue!

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/royal-blue-velvet-cake/bce7c4e4-8c6a-49cd-ac3f-9fe629722d9c

Carrot Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these for Ben's birthday party. I thought they turned out pretty yummy. :) I did use full-fat cream cheese, but next time, would probably use the 1/3 less fat kind. Loved the lemon zest in the frosting- very nice flavor!

I bought shredded carrots at the grocery store but had to put them in the food processor to get them small enough to add.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/carrot-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-recipe/index.html

Tortellini Spinach Salad

Made this for Ben's birthday (for everyone else!) So easy and yummy! Great summer salad!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/01/tortellini-spinach-salad-with-balsamic-tomato-vinaigrette.html

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

This is delicious! I made this on Sunday evening and have had it every morning since! A perfect breakfast - It has fruit (berries and bananas), oatmeal, milk and nuts. I will definitely make this again. Might try the raspberry version next time :)

http://www.sohowsittaste.com/2012/06/blueberry-raspberry-baked-oatmeal.html

Chicken Tortilla Bake

Such an easy recipe! I made this last night and really enjoyed it. If you don't like things too spicy, make sure you get the mild Rotel or maybe just use canned diced tomatoes instead. This would be great to take to a family in need or just on a busy week night. You can make it more "figure-friendly" by using the fat-free cream of chicken soups and reduced-fat cheddar! :)

http://homemakingchallenged.blogspot.com/2012/01/chicken-tortilla-bake.html

Lemonade Layer Cake

My mom made this delicious cake for family birthday lunch today and it was fabulous! If you like lemon, you will LOVE this cake! :)


http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemonade-layer-cake-10000000249959/

Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake

Made this tonight and it turned out pretty yummy! Definitely something I will make again. This would be great to take to a family in a time of need or to a pot luck.

Here are my tweaks:

Used whole wheat penne pasta instead of rigatoni

Used reduced fat cream cheese and mozzarella
Added two tablespoons store-bought pesto sauce to the mixture before baking- delicious!

Pesto is my new "go-to" ingredient for Italian dishes. It makes just about everything yummier :)

http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/06/chicken-spinach-pasta-bake.html

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

I found this recipe through a church friend of mine and it is really delicious! I will be making these again. It will cook even faster if you will cut up the pork chops before cooking. They take a good while if the stuffing is on top of them. Can't beat only three ingredients!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/pork-chops-apples-stuffing-111258.aspx

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Chicken

So simple and yummy! I made sure to really coat the chicken with the seasonings before wrapping it with the bacon. I made mine in the oven, but the grilled one in the picture looks even better!!

http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweet-spicy-bacon-chicken.html

Marinated Tomato Salad with Herbs

Saw this on Pioneer Woman on Food Network and made it the other day. It's one of the few healthy dishes I have seen her make on her show. :) Pretty tasty! I "jazzed it up" by using red AND yellow tomatoes. Oh yeah, I'm fancy haha! You could add anything to this that you'd like. Very easy!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/marinated-tomato-salad-with-herbs-recipe/index.html

Southwestern Chicken and Cornbread Salad

I made this last night and it's definitely a keeper! And soooo easy! It's probably about the only thing I would attempt from marthastewart.com! haha!

Here is the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/856896/southwestern-chicken-cornbread-salad

Here are my changes:
Omitted the bell pepper and onion
Used a rotisserie chicken from Kroger instead of grilling the chicken

This is great the next day too! I just had it for lunch! Yum! :)

Greek Yogurt Banana Blueberry Bread

Last week, I made the strawberry version of this, but I think the blueberry one is even better! I love this because there isn't any butter in it and you would never know it. The only fat is in the two eggs. I didn't have whole wheat flour so I used all-purpose. 

All of this blogger's versions of banana bread are listed on her blog. So yummy! 

http://nosugarsweetlife.com/content/greek-yogurt-blueberry-banana-bread

Spaghetti Pesto Bake

I threw this together tonight with things I had on hand. It turned out pretty yummy (if I do say so myself!) Wanted to share this before I forgot. It was really simple!

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound whole wheat thin spaghetti
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Barilla)
1/2 small jar store-bought pesto sauce (or make your own)
1/4 cup parmesan
Small ball of fresh mozzarella (sliced into discs)

Preheat oven to 350.
Boil pasta, drain and set aside.
Brown the meat and add spaghetti sauce, parmesan and pesto and mix well. Mix spaghetti until coated well. Pour into a 9 by 13 pan. Lay mozzarella discs on top. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 to melt the cheese.
Enjoy!

Great Chicken Marinade

I put this marinade together tonight and we thought it turned out pretty well. So I wanted to share it with you all... (These are approximate measurements. I always eyeball it!)

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

We used boneless, skinless thighs and grilled them. Turned out pretty yummy!

A few new recipes...

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken 

This was sooo easy and yummy! I made some changes since Chris and I don't like things to be too spicy. Definitely an easy recipe to tweak to your own tastes.

Southwest Georgia Pound Cake

I made this for Chris's birthday and it was sooo delicious with whipped cream and strawberries! To die for! It was very quick to put it together- especially if you have a stand mixer.


Here are some recipes that I have bookmarked on my computer but haven't had the chance to try yet: 

Casserole Queen Pot Pie
(Saw this on Food Network a long time ago and just now found it on their website. Looks sooo yummy!)

Southwestern Chicken and Cornbread Salad
(Looks like a perfect summertime meal!)

Recipes I have tried recently...

Baked Kale Chips

Bubble Up Enchiladas

Buttered Rosemary Rolls (from the Pioneer Woman)

Aunt Trish's Salad Dressing (from the Pioneer Woman)

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

Baked Lemon Chicken

I'm pretty sure I've made this or a variation of it before tonight, but either way, we enjoyed this chicken. Quick preparation and very flavorful! We had it with garlic rosemary bread and steamed mixed vegetables. Yum!

Here's the link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Lemon-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Green Monster Smoothies

For about the past two months, Chris and I have been making smoothies for breakfast. I will post what we put in ours and if you'd like to try them, use ingredients that you like. I promise you, you cannot taste spinach in these. (Fresh spinach doesn't have a distinct flavor like the canned kind, anyway.) We also love these because they have so many food groups- fruit, veggie, grain, protein!

These are very filling and quick to make!

These measurements are estimated. I hardly ever measure this stuff! :) This is enough for two adults. If you have some leftover, you can put it in a glass and put it in the fridge and it's usually good for a few hours.

In a blender, combine:

2-3 cups loosely packed fresh spinach

1 scoop protein powder, french vanilla flavored

1 cup milk (whichever variety you buy)

1 banana (peeled, cut into chunks and frozen)

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup raw, uncooked old-fashioned oats

1-2 pitted dates

1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Ham and Cheese Sliders

This is such a great go-to recipe when you want something different and it's very quick too! I first had these when our friend, Camille, from church brought them over after Ben was born and this week, I made them for another friend who recently had surgery.

Soooo yummy!

My only changes:

Halved the recipe from the original

Used dijon mustard instead of yellow

Omitted the mayo

http://annies-eats.com/2010/07/13/ham-and-cheese-sliders/