New fav smoothie

So my new fav smoothie is:

1 cup kale
1 orange peeled
1 cup another fruit
1 cup apple juice
1 cup ice

blend...
yummy

Greek Chicken & Orzo

A group of friends & I do this thing called "Meals in Heels". See my friend Danielle's post about it.

One of our favorite meals to make & freeze is Pampered Chef's Power Cooking Recipe for Greek Chicken & Orzo!

What you need:
1 lb. of cooked chicken (cut chicken into cubes and cook over olive oil on med-high heat until no longer pink)
2 medium zucchini, cut into
1/4 in. pieces
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans,
drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) garlic and onion-
flavored diced tomatoes
3 tbsp Greek Seasoning (found at Publix & Walmart)
2, 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 box (16 oz) Orzo pasta (found at Publix prob walmart too)
Feta Cheese for topping
Kalamata olives for topping if you like

Directions:
• Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, greek seasoning, two cans (14 oz each)
chicken broth and 1/2 cup water to (12-in.)
Skillet; cover. Bring to a simmer over
medium-high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium; add 1 lb uncooked
orzo. Cover and cook 5 minutes (or halfway
through cooking time according to package
directions), stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken & zucchini. Cover and cook 5-7
minutes or until orzo is tender and zucchini
begins to soften. Remove from heat; top with
2 oz crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with
coarsely chopped pitted kalamata
olives, if desired.

yummmmmmmy! We've made it without chicken and it's great. we've made it without chicken or beans and it's STILL great! so for all you veggies out there, this is a good one!

veggie burgers anyone?

Hey again! I tried to take off my comment about not having made them before, and the whole post disappeared! We tried them, but used our own black beans we soaked & cooked- didn't work too well.

Just use canned black beans and canned corn and it should be great!

Thanks Dawn!

Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup whole kernal corn

1/4 cup think and chunky salsa

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1. Mash beans. Finely chop onion. Add onion, corn, salsa, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper to beans. Mix well. Add bread crumbs and egg whites to bean mixture; mix well. Form bean mixture into four round patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Heat skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; cook patties 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cucumber-Lime Smoothie!

Any of you doing a co-op or with a garden, have cucumbers coming out of your ears?

I found this...and I think it needs a little something extra...i'm going to try it again with strawberries too! Let you know how it goes.

This came from Diana's Desserts
Comments:
A healthy (yes, healthy, each serving has only 21 grams of carbs and fat-free) and refreshing drink to serve your guests during the warm summer months.

Ingredients:
3 quarts water
3 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Crushed ice (optional)
Slice of lime or mint sprig, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1. Pour 1/2 cup of the water and 1 cup of the cucumbers in blender. Blend until cucumbers are pureed then add more cucumbers and water until all cucumbers are pureed.
2. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain cucumbers into a pitcher to remove seeds and pulp (I DID NOT DO THIS..didn't need to). Stir in remaining water, lime juice and sugar.
3. Chill before serving over crushed ice garnished with a slice of lime.

Makes 4 servings (Serving size: 9 ounces/269 grams).

Variations:
Instead of cucumbers, use tropical fruits like papayas, guava, pineapple or traditional fruits like orange, pink grapefruit, cantaloupe, watermelon or a combination of 2 or more.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (9oz./269g)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount per serving
Calories: 86
Calories from fat: 0
Total Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 5mg
Total Carbohydrates: 21g
Dietary Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2g
Vitamin A:10%
Vitamin C: 35%
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 4%

Swiss Chard Pot Stickers!

We got some Swiss Chard a few weeks ago and the farmers gave us a recipe, I lost it so I found this one on Whole Living! We left out the mushrooms. Alex LOVED them to say the least. Great way to sneak in some veggies!

Makes 24

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 8 ounces Swiss chard (one small bunch), leaves coarsely chopped, stems minced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps chopped (I DIDN'T USE MUSHROOMS B/C WE DON'T REALLY LIKE THEM...)
  
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons rice-wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (DIDN'T USE THIS EITHER B/C IT WAS EXPENSIVE)
  
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 24 round dumpling wrappers (FOUND THESE AT ASIAN STORE)
  

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chard, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and cook until chard stems are crisp-tender and liquid has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from chard. Transfer to a bowl; stir in vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet dry and set aside.
2. Place 1 rounded teaspoon filling toward the edge of a dumpling wrapper. Moisten one edge with water using your finger. Bring two edges together, forming a half moon and enclosing filling. Pinch a couple of small pleats along top layer of wrapper. Seal by pressing pleated and unpleated edges together. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat. Keep dumplings and unused wrappers covered with damp paper towels while working.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings in pan, tightly, flat-side down, and cook until deep golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of water. Return to heat. Cover and cook until heated through, all the water has evaporated, and bottoms are crisp, 4 to 6 minutes more (remove the lid for the last 30 seconds of cooking). Slide dumplings onto a serving platter, and serve with dipping sauce (we used duck sauce).

cinnamon baked french toast

So easy! You can put it all together the night before, stick in fridge and put in oven in the morning! I've made it twice. Alex liked it better the second time when I cooked it a little longer.


The Pioneer Woman's French Toast!

veggie lasagna

1 9oz box whole wheat lasagna (no bake, the brand she used was Gia Russa, but I am sure you could use any no bake noodle)
2 24 oz jars tomato basil spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 medium sized zucchinis or 3 small (my mom used a combo of yellow squash and zucchini)
1 8oz package baby bella sliced mushrooms
1 6 oz package baby spinach
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic minced (she used more garlic)
additional grated parmesan and romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9X13 glass baking dish (if using a foil pan it says to allow 10-15 extra minutes to cook) with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl combine:ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese, eggs and parsley; set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic; add zucchini, squash, mushrooms and gently saute for approximately 2-3 minutes (careful not to overcook, they will continue to cook while baking); set aside
4. remove lasagna from box, DO NOT BOIL
5. To assemble, cover the bottom of the baking dish with 3/4 c sauce
6. Layer 4 uncooked noodles (slightly overlapping), 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture, 1/3 of veggies and 1/3 of spinach. Drizzle 3/4 cup of sauce over veggies. Next layer another row of noodles and press down slighlty, repeat previous steps until there are 4 layers. Top with 3/4 cup sauce
7. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 min or until hot and bubbly.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 15-20 min before cutting and serving. Heat remaining sauce and serve with lasagna.