Apple Cinnamon Oat Meal

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Old Fashion Oats
2/3 cup Fat Free Milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (or 2) tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 apple (diced)


In a small pan we will be heating up the diced apple with the cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and salt. Cook for around 1 minute.
Add the milk and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the oats, let simmer for around 3 minutes and serve, garnish with diced apples and raisins.


Enjoy!

Banana Bread Oat Meal

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

1 banana or two.
2/3 cup Old Fashion oats
2/3 cup Fat Free Milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
pecans.

(medium heat). In a small pan we will smash the banana together with the honey, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, mix together and cook for a minute.

Add the milk and bring to a rapid boil. turn down the heat to low and add the oats, let simmer for around 3 minutes.
Sprinkle your pecans on top and you are ready to eat!

Enjoy!

Monte Cristo Sandwich

Photo from cdkkitchen

Another easy peasy mid-week meal.  I've always been nervous about pairing jam with monte cristo's--but honestly it made it taste better.  Even my super picky youngins ate these! (By the way, this picture is not what they actually look like since they are made with crescent rolls--I couldn't find another one!)

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Ingredients to serve four:
Ultra thin sliced deli meat of your choice
Cheese or combination of cheeses of your choice.  Sliced or shredded.  Same diff.
Pillsbury Crescent rolls. One can makes four sandwiches.  Plan accordingly.
Jam.  We are boysenberry fans here, but raspberry or strawberry would work fine too.  But boysenberry is better.
Powdered sugar.

 Line your baking sheet with foil.
Spray it with Pam.
These guys tend to stick, or the cheese melts out the sides.  Who wants to scrape melted cheese?
Unroll the crescent rolls, making sure to keep them in rectangles.  See how two triangles make a rectangle? 
With your finger, lightly press together the seams where the triangles meet.

 Sprinkle or tear the cheese so it fits on each rectangle.
Layer on a few pieces of meat.

Fold over the neat little pile of cheese and meat.
Seal edges by pressing down with your fingers.

 Bake until golden brown at 375º for 15-18 minutes.
(Aren't you glad you used foil?)

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a heaping spoonful of jam.

Cream Cheesy Quesadillas

While not the fanciest meal you'll ever have, these are easy and very yummy compared to the amount of time invested.  Quick and different mid-week meal.

Cream Cheesy Quesadillas   
Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

• 2 cups shredded Monterrey jack and cheddar cheese blend
• 4 oz of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• additional salsa for dipping

1. In a bowl, blend together cheese, cream cheese, and salsa.
2. Divide and spread cheese mixture over 4 of the tortillas.  Top with the remaining tortillas creating 4 quesadillas.
3. Brush one side of each quesadilla with melted butter.
4. In a skilled, fry tortilla butter side down.  Brush other side with melted butter.
5. Fry quesadilla until one side is crisp and brown.  Flip and cook the other side until crisp and brown.  Continue this process until all the quesadillas are cooked on both sides just like a grilled cheese sandwich.
6. Slice each quesadilla into 4 wedges with a pizza cutter and serve with additional salsa.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Julie's Chicken Salad

Julie's Chicken Salad

You know, I would've never thought I would like chicken salad. My mother-in-law (Julie) converted me. I guess I am becoming an adult afterall. All of these ingredients alone I DO.NOT.LIKE. Especially Miracle whip (lets hear it for mayo!), celery and cold chicken. But, somehow, this congolomeration of ingredients is a beautiful mixture that is so satisfying. YUM ! Can't wait to eat another tomorrow for lunch.

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts, boiled
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bunch of green onions
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced and diced
Sliced almonds toasted to taste
Miracle Whip enough to liking

Directions: Dice chicken, celery, eggs and green onions. Combine in a bowl with Miracle Whip and S&P. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before (I only did for 6 hours and it was delish!). Serve on Crossiants and sprinkle the salad with almonds directly before serving.

Chicken and Asparagus Black-bean Enchiladas

Photo from foodnetwork.com

This recipe is so refreshing and different!  A couple in our ward made it for us for dinner.  I was a little skeptical to see asparagus sticking out of an enchilada--but YUMMY!

Chicken and Asparagus Black-bean Enchiladas

Recipe from Michelle and David Chapman (in our ward)

 Double this recipe for a 13 x 9 pan of enchiladas!

4 slices bacon

½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ½ cups salsa, divided

1 (15 oz) can black beans, un-drained

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ cup sliced green onions

salt and pepper to taste

4-6 flour or fresh corn tortillas

¾ pound blanched asparagus (about 3 stalks per enchilada depending on the size of stalk)

¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

½ cup light cream

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp, remove from skillet, drain and crumble.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.

Cook chicken strips and garlic in drippings until tender.

Stir in ¼ cup salsa, beans, bell pepper, cumin, and chili powder.  Season with salt/pepper.

Simmer for 7 or 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in green onions and crumbled bacon.

Spoon bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. 

Add 2-3 asparagus stalks and top with cheese, reserving ¼ cup cheese for garnish.

Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in a greased 9x9 (or 9x13 if you double recipe) baking dish – Pyrex dishes are best.

RECIPE CAN BE PREPARED TO THIS POINT AND REFRIGERATED UNTIL READY TO BAKE!!!

Combine remaining salsa with cream and pour over top of enchiladas.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.  Served with rice, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and additional salsa!

Southwest Pasta Salad

photo courtesy of ourbestbites.com

Southwest Pasta Salad

Oh, the dreaded salad assignment! It seems so boring when you are asked to bring a salad to a dinner. I was dying to mix it up and so searched on ourbestbites.com and found this gem. YUM!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. cooked bowtie pasta (I used whatever I had on hand which was whole wheat Rotini)

1 14oz. can black beans rinsed and drained

2 roma tomatoes diced

1 large pepper of any color, diced

1/2 C sliced green onions

1/2 C frozen corn (no need to thaw)

Zest from two limes

optional: add chicken

1/2 C cheese Queso fresco or Cotija cheese (found in the mexican cheese section) or pepperjack cubed

Dressing:

6 T fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)

1/4 C rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 t chili powder

1 t cumin

1/2 t coriander

1/2 t salt

2 t sugar

3/4 C canola oil or EVOO

1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro