Baked Chocolate Pecan Raspberry Banana Oatmeal

I saw this and thought, Oatmeal... Good, Raspberries... Good, Chocolate... GOOD.  So I gave it a shot.  It was delicious and especially liked the crunch the pecans added, however might be a little too much chocolate for me in the morning (says the girl who has been known to eat dessert for breakfast). But I did eat the leftovers later that day as a snack.    I'm not sure if I liked this better or the Fruity Baked Oatmeal, but I think next time I might cut down on the amount of chocolate chips, or maybe use mini chips instead.

Baked Chocolate Pecan Raspberry Banana Oatmeal
From: Urban Nester
Prep Time:
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pecan or walnut pieces
1 cup raspberries (or strawberries)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously spray the inside of a 10 1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. (I didn't have a 10 1/2 by 7 inch, so I just used my...

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the nuts, half the raspberries, and half the chocolate.

3. In another large bowl whisk together the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract.

4.  Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish.  Arrange remaining berries, nuts, and chocolate on the top.  Add the banana slices to the top, then pour the milk mixture over everything.  Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.

4. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. Serve with milk and extra brown sugar if desired.

Sunrise Green Smoothie

 

We've been having lots of smoothies lately for breakfast with the warm weather.  I saw this recipe and thought, I wonder what a smoothie with spinach is like.  There seemed to be enough fruit in it to mask the vegetable taste so I thought I would give it a try. Plus I can always use more fruit and veggies in my diet.  In the recipe they use a fancy juicer/smoothie maker, but since I just have a regular blender, I ended up needing a little more milk, and a little less frozen stuff for my blender to be able to do the work.  So below is the amounts I used of everything which I suggest for a regular blender!

Sunrise Green Smoothie
From: Hell if I Gnaw
Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (probably could use regular milk, but the vanilla almond adds a nice sweetness)
1 1/2 - 2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
2 Tbsp ground flax seed

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.  (if too stiff add more almond milk) Serve!

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni with Peas

This recipe is a copy cat of one from Bucca di Beppo which is one of Bill's Dad's favorite places to eat.  Their Spicy Chicken Rigatoni is quite tasty, but with the family style eating, I feel like there are so many other things to try that I don't usually end up with much of this.  This is similar to the one I posted a while ago for the Noodles and Co Penne Pasta, but a little spicier and a little creamier - plus I love peas in pasta!  It was delicious, although I didn't have Rigatoni pasta, so I used Penne and it was just as good.  I will make this again (although not to often as it isn't light on calories) since it is a meal in a bowl and is very quick to make!

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni with Peas
From: Tastebook
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
6 oz chicken, sliced
3/4 cup Marinara sauce
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup peas
1 lb rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions (I used Penne obviously)
additional 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (for garnish)

Directions:
1. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and saute just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil.  Add sliced chicken and saute briefly to coat in spices and garlic.

2.  Add marinara sauce first and then Alfredo sauce and bring to a simmer.  Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has cooked through (6-10 min). Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.

3.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package but cut cook time 1-3 minutes short.  Toss with sauce.  Place pasta, chicken, and sauce in bowl. Garnish with red pepper if desired and serve.

Flank Steak Marinade

I bought a great looking flank steak at our local butcher and was looking for a marinade and went straight to Pinterest.  This one was easy and I had all the ingredients in the house.  I really liked the flavors on this, but I only had a few hours to marinate and I think it could have been even more if I had let it marinate all day. This is perfect for summer BBQs!

Flank Steak Marinade
From: Mrs. Mama Hen
Prep time: 5 min
Marinading time: 3 - 8 hrs


Ingredients:
2 Flank Steaks
1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh Ginger
6 cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 cup Red Wine (I totally misread this and used red wine vinegar, whoops!)
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
3/4 tsp Red Pepper flakes

Directions:
1.  In a bowl, combine all of hte ingredients except the steaks.  Whisk them together until the Honey dissolves.

2. Place the steaks in a large zip-log bag.  Pour marinade over the steaks, close the bag (removing as much air as you can.  Refridgerate for 3-8 hours. Turn the bag over a few times during the marinating time.

3. Cook marinaded steaks on grill or in a skillet discarding the marinade.  When Cooked to desired tenderness, let rest and then cut into strips across the grain of the meat.

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken Tacos

I love Crock Pot meals, even in the summer. Give me a Mexican/southwest crock pot recipe and you better believe I'm going to try it.  As you can probably see from my picture that I forgot scallions and what you probably can't see is that I didn't have any onion powder (but I think I disguised it well since all my spices are in my tiny bowl). So I used some dried onion instead.  Figured it would be ok, and guess what it was better than ok... it was delicious (I really need to find new words to describe my meals... I use delicious a LOT)!  And best part is that it made so much that we had left overs for lunch for the next couple of days. This is a great one to keep in my back pocket when having guests... easy to make, tastes great, and makes enough for a decent sized group.

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken Tacos
From: Chef in Training
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time:10 hours on low

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb chicken
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 can corn (drained) or frozen
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.

2. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.

3. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.

4.  Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.  Adjust salt and seasoning.  Serve over rice or in tacos.

Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad

My mom makes this great Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad/Dessert - I have tried other people's variations of this, but I still like my mom's the best.  It is creamy and cool and the pretzel crust pushes it over the top.  It is perfect for a 4th of July BBQ.

Every time my mom makes it, my brother-in-law Joe and I get in to a mini debate about if it is a salad or dessert.  He likes to call it dessert, and I like to call it a salad.  I like to call it a salad because that means I can have it with my main meal and still have dessert. Or I can have it the next day for lunch and call it healthy since it is a salad.  But lets call a spade a spade... this is totally a dessert (although it is trying to disguise itself as a salad).  Just don't tell Joe I said so.

Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad
From: My Mom
Prep time 20 min
Cook & Cool time: 5 hrs


Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 cup pretzels, crushed
4 Tbsp sugar
12 oz (1 1/2 8oz containers) cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup cool whip
1 1/2 cup cold water
2 cup boiling water
1 qt (4 cups) sliced strawberries
1 large strawberry jello (cook and serve)

Directions:
1. Mix melted butter, crushed pretzels and 4 Tbsp sugar together and press firmly into 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 6-10 minutes.  Let Cool

2. Beat cream cheese, milk, and 1/4 cup sugar.  Stir in cool whip and spread over cooled crust.  Refrigerate.

3. Stir boiling water into gelatin at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved.  Refrigerate 1 12/ hours o until a spoon drawn through leaves an impression.

4.  Stir strawberries into jello and spread over cream cheese layer.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Pecan-Crusted Dijon Salmon

I really like the recipes at Kalyn's Kitchen.  They are health conscious (she has so many recipes for SB phase 1) and usually pretty quick and easy to make.  This one is no different.  I didn't use the fish rub because after I took this picture I realized that it was really old and when I opened it it was hard as a rock so I threw it out.  But the fish still tasted good without using any of the fish rub.

Pecan-Crusted Dijon Salmon
From: Kalyn's Kitchen
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time: 10-12 min

Ingredients:
2 (6-8oz) Salmon fillets
Fish Rub for seasoning (optional)
4 Tbsp finely chopped pecans
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp mayo

Directions:
1. Spray roasting pan with nonstick spray and place fish on pan.  Let fish come to room temperature.  Season with fish rub if you are using it. Preheat oven to 425

2. Finely chop the pecans with a chef's knife.  Mix together with disjon mustard and mayo in small bowl.  Spread over surface of salmon until covered.  Sprinkle pecans over the fish pressing them down so they stick.

3. Roast salmon for 10-12 minutes, or until it feels barely firm to the touch when its pressed with your finger.  Serve hot.

June Foodie Pen Pal

This was my second month doing Foodie Pen Pals and I had such a fun time picking out again this month that I was looking forward to seeing what my foodie pen pal Kristi sent me.  You can see above that she sent a bunch of good stuff (I'm always amazed how much you can get for $15!).  She sent: Polenta, Potato pancakes, Cheese Bread Mix, Hot Pepper Parmesan Dip Mix, and Homemade Salsa.

I have to admit I was most excited for the Homemade Salsa.  I love me some Mexican food!  I'm not really a fan of bread, but my husband is looking forward to trying the Cheese Bread.  Since I hardly ever have bread in the house it will be a treat for him.  I've never made potato pancakes or polenta, so that that will be a new adventure.  And lastly, I'm a sucker for dips, so that Hot Pepper Parmesan dip mix won't last long! 

Thanks Kristi!!!

PS - If you want to see what I bought for Dawn, you can check out her blog HERE


Here are the details if you are interested in joining next month!
-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 

-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

Noodles and Company Penne Rosa

 

I'm a fan of the Penne Rosa from Noodles and Company.  Bill usually gets the Pasta Fresca.  It seemed easy enough to make so I wanted to try to make it at home.  I found a recipe through pinterest and decided to give it a try.  I added more mushrooms and spinach than it called for because it didn't seem like enough and because I always feel like I could use more of both when I'm eating at Noodles and Co. It turned out great.  Not exactly the same, but close enough and so easy!  Next time I think I will add even more mushrooms and spinach as they kind of shrink up.  Below is the recipe with the few changes to the amounts that I used.  I also added some chicken (optional at Noodles and Co) since Bill usually likes meat in his meals.

 

Copy Cat Noodles and Company Penne Rosa
From: What's Cooking at the Love's
Prep: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 lb. box Penne Pasta
2 Tbsp white wine (can use chicken broth)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
1/2 -3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 - 3/4 cup baby spinach
1 (14o) can Italian style diced tomatoes
Slices of cooked chicken (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Boil pasta according to package directions

2. while pasta boiling prepare spinach and mushrooms.  In a large skillet, heat wine, oil, marinara, mushrooms, tomatoes and red pepper over medium heat.  Stir liberally for 5 minutes.

3. Turn tomato mixture to low, stir in cream and spinach.  Then add pasta and mix well until spinach is wilted.  Stir in strips of cooked chicken if adding chicken.  Serve with sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Quinoa with Avocado, Garbanzo Beans, and Tomatoes

 

My brother brought a bunch of avocados from California when he came last week.  Most of them went to batches of guacamole, but one lucky one got made into this scrumptious salad.  It is pretty easy and really filling. We liked it so much I'm making a big batch this week for our lunches.


Quinoa with Avocado, Garbanzo Beans, and Tomatoes
From: Elizabeth's Dutch Oven
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 avocado, sliced/chunked
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can (14oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1-2 limes
salt and pepper

Directions:
1.  Cook quinoa according directions (mine: mixed 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water, brought to boil and let simmer covered for 10-13 minutes).

2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare avocado, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans

3.  When quinoa is done cooking, place in large bowl, stir in tomatoes, garbanzos and juice of 1-2 limes (I used 1 1/2 and they were pretty juice limes).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in Avocados last.  Serve.