Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

I love anything involving a tortilla! These were so good and spicy. Of course, you can adjust the spiciness based on your tastes. I had these awesome wraps. They're 100 calorie soft wraps - 12 g of dietary fiber! But obviously you can use whatever kind of tortillas you like.

The filling: 
1/2 tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp chili powder 
1 whole pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, minced 
1 tbsp sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin 
4 dashes cayenne pepper 
1 can Pinto beans, drained/rinsed (15 oz) 
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed (15 oz) 
1/2 c water 
2 c brown rice (cooked according to pkg directions) 
1/2 c salsa 

For the Burritos:
tortillas (burrito sized)
fat free cheddar, shredded 
shredded lettuce 
green onions, chopped
nonfat, plain Greek yogurt (or fat free sour cream)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add in drained and rinsed beans, and water. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to medium-low and cook for 8 minutes, mashing the bean mixture slightly. Remove from heat, and stir in cooked rice and salsa.
Put mixture on a tortilla, top with cheese, lettuce, green onions, and Greek yogurt. Roll up, serve, and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Oven "Fried" Okra

My mom gave me two bags of okra from her garden... so I made baked "fried" okra. So good! Crispy and crunchy. I wish I had more.

About 3+ cups fresh sliced okra (or 16 oz bag frozen sliced okra, thawed)
1 tsp Cajun or creole seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 c yellow corn meal
canola oil spray
1 gallon Ziploc bag

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray the inside of gallon bag generously with cooking spray. Put sliced okra in bag and add Cajun seasoning and garlic salt. Seal bag and shake well. Let rest for 10 min so the juices extract from the okra. Add cornmeal to bag, seal, and shake well again. Let rest for another 10 min. Give the bag one more good shake, then pour out over a colander (in the sink) so the extra cornmeal will fall off. Line a cooking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray, and spread out okra. Spray the okra with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the okra over, lightly spritz with spray, and continue baking 20 more minutes. Enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Laughing Cow Cheese Chicken Roll-Ups

Oh man. This is unbelievably easy and delicious. We were both blown away. I expected the Laughing Cow cheese to bubble out, but it didn't. It was so creamy and I just can't say enough good things. I used the Garlic & Herb cheese on 3 of them, but I only had 3 of those cheese wedges. So I did the last one with Queso Fresco and Chipotle. Both flavors were amazing and I'm pretty sure any flavor you use will be awesome.

I cut down on time by buying the thinly-sliced chicken, so I didn't have to cut and pound the chicken into 1/4 inch thickness. The original recipe called for seasoned bread crumbs only, but I had Panko as well (and I like how it's so crispy), so I did a mixture of both and it turned out nice and crispy.

 Can you see the spiral of cheese in the chicken? YUM!

4 pieces thinly sliced chicken breasts
4 wedges Laughing Cow cheese (any flavor!)
olive oil cooking spray
1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 c Panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay each chicken breast flat. Spread 1 wedge of cheese evenly over one side of each piece of chicken. Roll them up and seal each with toothpicks.

Mix together the bread crumbs, parsley flakes, and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Spray the chicken rolls with cooking spray and dredge them in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove toothpicks and serve!

 Original recipe found here.

Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken

Oh my gosh, this was delicious! So juicy, crunchy, and the sauce.... mmm. It's a Weight Watchers recipe too! Like I've said before, I rarely just eat a huge piece of meat... I may eat half the chicken breast and Will finishes the rest. But I ate all this! We both agreed that it was awesome and should be made again soon.

1 c light honey mustard dressing (I used Ken's Lite)
1/8 tsp salt, pepper, each
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 c cornflake crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (I bought thinly sliced ones)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top of it. Spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard, salt, pepper, dill, and green onions. Remove about 1/3 of the sauce and set aside. Place cornflake crumbs in a bowl and sprinkle in onion powder. Dip each piece of chicken into the sauce first, then into the cornflake mixture; place on wire rack (which is on top of the baking sheet). Bake until chicken is golden, about 20 minutes. Drizzle the sauce that was set aside over chicken and serve. Yum!

Original recipe found here.

Taco Pizza!

So fun to make and awesome! Easy too. All around amazing! I love Pinterest. :)

1 lb lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (10 oz) can refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans
2-3 cups red-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
4 green onions, chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to package directions.

Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a 10x15 inch cookie sheet). Let dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Press dough over the bottom and up along all 4 sides the of cookie sheet. Bake pizza dough for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven.

Place refried beans into a bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well and then spread beans evenly over the top of the warm pizza crust. Top with the cooked ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then add the tomatoes, black olives and green onion.

Return to oven and bake another 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Sloppy Joe Squares

I could have eaten the whole pan of this! I love sloppy joes, and I love crescents.

1 tbs light butter (I use Can't Believe It's Not Butter)

1/4 c chopped onion

1 lb lean ground beef

1 c ketchup

1/2 c water

1/4 c brown sugar

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 can red-fat crescents

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt your butter and then throw in your onion and cook until soft. Add the meat and cook until browned. Drain the grease. Add all the rest of your sauce ingredients, stir until well combined, and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. In a 9x13 ungreased baking pan, roll out your first roll of crescent dough. Press into the bottom to completely cover and also press 1/2 inch up on the sides. Pour your hot sloppy joe mixture on top and spread out evenly over dough, and then cover the mixture with your other roll of dough. Bake for35 minutes. If the top starts to look really golden brown, put some foil over the top. I( added foil to mine for the last 5-8 minutes or so. Let cool 5-10 minutes before eating!

Original recipe found here. 

Lasagna Roll-Ups

These were fun to make and delicious! The site I got this from has great step-by-step pictures (link below). These are way easier to serve too!

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoe
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 (15 oz) container Ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 1/4 c freshly grated mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 c freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 c freshly, finely grated Romano cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large non-stick fry pan with olive oil spray. Heat over medium high heat, crumble ground beef, add chopped onions, and cook mixture stirring occasionally and breaking up meat, until browned. Drain any fat from beef. Pour beef mixture into a food processor and pulse for about 5 seconds until it is ground into fine pieces.  Pour beef mixture back into fry pan and add crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, oregano and stir.  Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste then cover with a lid and simmer over low heat while preparing pasta and cheese mixture.

Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling water along with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil to al dente according to directions listed on package. Once noodles are cooked, drain and immediately line noodles in a single layer on waxed paper.  

Prepare cheese mixture (I did this while pasta cooked) by stirring together Ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with a fork in a large mixing bowl until well combine. Stir in chopped fresh parsley. Add in 1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup Romano cheese, stir mixture until well combined.

Stir meat sauce and spread 1/3 cup evenly into a 13x9 inch baking dish by tilting pan back and forth. Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto each cooked lasagna noodle, then spread 1 heaping tablespoon meat sauce along the top of cheese covered noodle. Roll noodles up jellyroll style and arrange seam side down in baking dish. Cover rolled noodles with remaining meat sauce then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese evenly over roll ups. Tent lasagna roll ups with foil (don't allow foil to rest on cheese or it will stick you just want to loosely tent to prevent the cheese from browning) and bake for 35-45 minutes in preheated oven. Serve warm garnished with additional chopped fresh parsley.

Original recipe found here.

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

These were amazing. So creamy and delicious. The original recipe called for one serrano pepper, but I used two. I took some of the seeds out, but left some as well. Depending on how much spice you like, that's how many peppers you should use.

Sauce:
1 tbsp light butter
1 serrano pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 c fat free chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1 c medium salsa verde
1/2 c fat free sour cream

Enchiladas:
2-3 c chopped cooked chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
8 oz Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded & divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8-10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute serrano pepper and garlic, for 1 minute. Stir in flour, constantly stirring, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken (I cubed mine), 3/4 of the cheese, diced onion, and chopped avocado. Spray a 9x13" baking dish. Add 3/4 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with leftover cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling. Serve immediately.

Original recipe found here. 

Szechuan Chicken & Veggies Stir-Fry with Pasta

This recipe calls for YOSHIDA sauce!! I love Yoshida sauce, but you can't get it at Kroger. My mom usually gets it for me at Sam's. It makes this stir-fry awesome! I loved the veggies in this too.

2 chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch pieces

1 c 'Yoshidas' Original Gourmet Marinade

1 tbsp light butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 c broccoli, steamed/cooked

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp paprika 

1/2 lb linguine

Start by boiling a large pot of water for your linguine. Boil according to package directions while you make the other ingredients.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 1 tbsp butter. Add your diced chicken and cook until chicken turns white and is no longer pink on the inside. (About 10 minutes) Meanwhile, in a small skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until soft. Once softened add to the cooked chicken. Then add the gourmet sauce, minced garlic, and paprika. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 5-8 more minutes or until marinade is thoroughly heated. Add in cooked broccoli last.

When linguine is done cooking. Drain and then throw noodles into the chicken/marinade mixture. Stir well to combine all, and then serve!

This is without the pasta, and it'd be great on its own too!

Original recipe found here.

Almond Joy Oatmeal

Only 230 calories for this entire bowl of goodness! I love sweets... Will, not so much a sweets person. He thought the sweetness of this oatmeal was perfect, and so did I. It feels like you're getting a delicious, creamy treat for breakfast at only 230 cal. Pair it with some fruit or something, and you've got the perfect breakfast.

1/2 c almond milk, unsweetened (a little more if you don't want it so thick)
1/4 c quick cooking oats
1 tbsp chopped almonds
1 packet Truvia (I had Splenda, so that's what I used)
1 tbsp sweetened, shredded coconut
10 milk chocolate baking chips

Prepare oatmeal as directed with almond milk. Stir almonds and Truvia into oatmeal. Top with chocolate chips and coconut, and mix it all together! Mmmm.

Original recipe found here.

"Skinny" Chicken Enchiladas!

You would NEVER think this is a light dish! At only about 150 calories per enchilada, you can't beat this recipe. It calls for shredded chicken... you can cook the chicken however you want before you shred it... I just boiled it because I was kind of short on time. This recipe comes from Eat Yourself Skinny and she's got tons of awesome, healthy recipes over there.

For the sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can diced green chilis

1-1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth

Salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the chicken:
1 tsp. vegetable oil

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Salt

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash)

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

8 (6-inch) reduced carb whole wheat flour tortillas

1 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and saute garlic.  Add green chilis, chipotle seasoning, 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, and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chipotle seasoning, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cook 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it.  Place in baking dish seam side down.  Top with sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20 minutes. Remove foil, add scallions, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

This dish is made with Panko which adds a delicious crispiness to these veggies. Yum, yum.

About 3 squash and 3 zucchini
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c milk
1 c Panko
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini and squash are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add cream/milk, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in 1/2 cup panko and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Spoon mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Panko and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Bake until top is golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

Crock Pot BBQ Beer Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw

Oh man... These were SO GOOD! You can use whatever BBQ sauce you like - we used Bull's Eye Original. I have another recipe on here for BBQ chicken sandwiches, but Will and I both agreed this one is better by far. I used Rendezvous BBQ Sauce in the other recipe, and we both love that sauce as well. I don't know what makes this so good, but if you're going to try one of the BBQ sandwiches, try this one!

3 chicken breasts
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp paprika
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt, pepper, each
1/2 cup beer (any kind)
2 c (16 oz) Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce (or whatever kind you like)
hamburger buns
coleslaw (I just used the recipe on the back of the Dole coleslaw pkg!)

Add all ingredients, except chicken, to crock-pot and whisk together well. Add chicken to the crock pot and spoon sauce over chicken, making sure it's covered. Cook on Low 6 hours. Then shred the chicken, and return it to the crock pot for about 30 more min for it to soak up the sauce. Mmm. Serve on hamburger buns topped with coleslaw!

Original recipe found here.

Spicy Turkey Sausage and Penne Pasta

First of all, turkey sausage is amazing. I really should cook with it more often. AND the sauce is cheesy and creamy. The original recipe did not call for Sriracha sauce. But I wanted to make it more spicy, and Will keeps a bottle of that stuff and puts it on everything... so I thought I'd try it out. It was awesome. So if you like spice, use it. If you don't, leave it out. This dish tasted like a yummy pasta dish I'd get at a restaurant, but likely more healthy. :)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked turkey sausage
1.5 c diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 can Rotel
1/2 c cream
10 oz penne pasta
1/2 tsp salt & pepper, each
1 c Monteray Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 c thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add olive oil to a large pan and heat over-medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and diced onions. Cook until lightly browned, about 4-5 min. Then add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, and salt/pepper to the pan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer, covered, for about 15 min. Remove pan from heat, and stir in 1/2 c cheese and 1/4 c green onions. Spray a 9x13" casserole dish and transfer pasta mixture to dish. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese & green onions. Bake about 10-15 min or until bubbling and cheese is lightly browned. Let cool and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.