Healthy Oatmeal Mint Cookies

These are a nice healthy cookie that you don't have to feel bad for eating.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups of large flaked rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 TBLS cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup applesauce

1 TBLS molasses (brown sugar + maple syrup)

1 egg ( beat w/ one TBLS water)

1 tsp vanilla

mint chocolate chips 

Mix all dry ingredients together, then mix wet separately. Add wet ingredients to dry. 

Cool mix for 20 min. in fridge to let oats expand.

Preheat 335 degrees

Bake 10 min. 

*I cook for less than ten minutes and pull them out while still gooey. If they are cooked longer they dry out more and are more similar to a granola bar which can be good, just different.

**If you don't like mint substitute for rasion + walnut, white chocolate chips + cran-raison, chocolate chips, or whatever is your favorite addition.

Fish Panini

I make this when I'm looking for something quick and easy to cook for myself, yet still delicious.

Ingredients:

Fish (Talapia is cheap and tasty)

Onion

Garlic

Lime

Lettuce

Tomato

Mozzarella Cheese

Wheat Bread

Cook fish in pan with lime, garlic, and onion. When almost cooked sprinkle on Mozzarella Cheese. Use some sort of good wheat or nine grain bread. Lightly brush olive oil on outside of bread. add Tomato, Lettuce, and maybe avocado. Then grill in Panini press or in pan. 

Artichoke Dip

1 Large can of artichokes, drained, and chopped

½ C. Sour cream

1/3 C. Mayonnaise

½ C. Parmesan Cheese (its better if it real and fresh)

Pre-heat oven to 350 .Combine artichokes, sour cream, and mayonnaise plus ¼ C. of the Parmesan cheese, mix well. Pour remaining ¼ C. of Parmesan cheese over tip. Bake 25-30 minutes in shallow baking dish. Enjoy!

Note: Low calorie sour cream and mayonnaise may be used. Serve with your favorite crackers and cut up carrots, zucchini, and other veggies.

*I always do at least double the cheese when I make it. Just buy a container of the cheese and use half when your mixing it and the rest on the top and it will be like how I make it. But the fake cheese doesn’t work! So make sure it’s the good kind. Make sure it bubbles in the  center before taking it out.

Popovers.

Popovers are delicious. Enough said.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. beat together eggs, flour and salt. Put thumb size dabs of butter {yum} in each cup of a muffin pan. Heat the pan in the oven until the butter is bubbly. Beat in milk to the flour mixture {i just blend it all the ingredients my blender, so easy}. Remove pan from oven. Pour batter into cups, filling 2/3 full. bake 20 minutes, turn oven off and leave in oven 5 more minutes to prevent immediate collapse of popovers. Makes 12 popovers.

We love these with raspberry jam. When I make them for me and the hubs I halve the recipe, it's perfect.

Baked Potato Soup

I made this soup tonight and let me tell you, it was delish. There is nothing better than hot soup on an icy night.

Ingredients:

5 large baking potatoes
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk
1 {8 ounce} package shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 {3 ounce} package real bacon bits {i just fry up my own bacon}
1 bunch fresh green onions, chopped, divided
1 {8 ounce} carton sour cream

Directions:

Cook potatoes in the microwave or bake 1 hour at 400 degrees. Cut potatoes lengthwise, scoop out flesh and save. Discard potato shells.

Melt butter in large soup pot over low heat, add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in potatoes, half of the cheese, bacon, 2 tablespoons green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until hot, but do not boil.

Stir in sour cream and cook until just hot. Spoon into soup bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese and green onions over each serving.

When making this recipe for 2-3 people I half it. I served my soup with popovers...recipe coming soon! Enjoy!

Salsa or Pico de Gallo

So in my little family we LOVE to eat homemade salsa. So much that we go every Friday in the summer to the farmers market to get the ingredients. We are always so sad when October 31st comes and we have to buy the ingredients at the regular grocery store. We still make it though every week. My kids love it everyday. They eat omelets with fresh salsa every morning and chips and salsa for an after school snack.

I don't really have a recipe... we make up as we go. Steve actually makes up a better batch than me but his is always a bit hotter.

INGREDIENTS:

Onion (red and yellow)

Tomatoes (we like roma best & sometimes throw in another brand for the juice)

Peppers (jalapeno, habanero, anaheim & chili) whatever looks exciting

cilantro

garlic salt (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

fresh limes (sometimes if I don't have limes I cheat and use bottled lime juice)

Dice everything up and stir together - Try it a couple of times with tortilla chips before serving.

It turns out a little different every time. We just keep adding ingredients until it looks and tastes great.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

When I want something good and cheesy, I make this. I can make it a lot healthier than it would be if I got pizza anywhere else, and it's delicious!

 Ingredients:

Chicken

BBQ Sauce

(Sweet Baby Ray's)

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Basil

Garlic Salt

Jalepeno

Onion

Thin Wheat Pizza Crust

This is super quick and super good.

First start cooking the chicken. Cook it in a pan drenched in BBQ sauce with diced onion and jalapeno. Take it out when it's almost cooked.

Cover the wheat pizza crust with BBQ sauce, then add the BBQ chicken. Cover lightly with mozzarella and shaved Parmesan or other white cheese. Then lightly sprinkle on garlic salt and Basil.

Throw it in the oven, and make sure that it doesn't burn!