Monkey Tail Bread

I love to have some kind of quick bread in the cupboard during the week. They are great for healthy snacks and easy to take along to the store for the girls. So I usually have banana, zucchini, or pumpkin, but this week I wanted to try something new! It is a twist on banana bread, you will love it! Moist and soft, with a little chocolate for a treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup sugar

3 egg whites

1 cup mashed banana (3 medium)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Beat applesauce and sugar in bowl until combined. Beat in egg whites until light and fluffy. Beat in bananas and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in flour, baking soda and powder, salt until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely about 1 hour.

* Tightly wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh.

Potato Salad

Summer is the season for salads! I got this one out of my Country Living magazine and it is easy, fast and delicious! No peeling either! It is a great side dish and great for lunch. I am always on the lookout for a really good potato salad and this one might just be it!

Ingredients:

3 lbs of red potatoes

3/4 cup chopped white onion

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped pickles

3 hard boiled eggs chopped

2 tablespoons pickle juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup light mayo

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot cover 3 lbs. of unpeeled red potatoes with salted cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until they are easily pierced with a skewer, about 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine onion, pepper, celery, dill pickles, and egg in large bowl.

3. Drain potatoes and cut into half-inch pieces while still warm. Transfer into the bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons pickle juice and vinegar. Toss salad gently with mayo. Season with slat and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with a little dill and chill before serving.

*Use low fat mayo and you won't feel guilty about eating this yummy salad!

Homemade Granola

This granola is my mom's recipe and when I got married I just had to get it from her! It is so yummy and healthy! No oil or butter and still crunchy and sweet. I get all the ingredients from the bulk section of the grocery store. You will love this with milk or yogurt!


* This recipe can be tweaked to as big or small as you want. You kinda eyeball it as you go. I make a big batch about 14 cups worth and put 1/2 in a cereal tub and 1/2 in the freezer for when I run out!

Ingredients

4 cups quick oat

4 cups 5 grain oat mixture ( they have this at winco)

3 cups crushed raisin bran

1 1/2 cups mixed nuts, chopped

1-2 cups brown sugar, eyeball it and taste it as you go.

( You can have it sweeter or not as sweet! I like sweet!)

1 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed

1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

salt

1. Combine all the oats, crushed cereal, nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well ( I use two bowls because it is a big recipe and mix with my hands). Then give the mixture a good dash of salt.
2. Combine juice concentrate and honey/corn syrup in a glass measuring cup. Heat it up to combine the flavors. Pour over granola and mix using your hands. Mix really well.


3. Spread out over a sprayed cookie sheet. You may need two. Bake at 250 for 30 minutes. Give it a stir and bake for another 30 minutes. Stir one more time and bake for another 30 minutes. After it has been in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, turn the oven off and let it sit in the oven and cool on the sheets before transferring to containers or zip lock bags. This will make it good and crunchy! You can alter this recipe to fit you..... add crasiens, coconut, almonds, dried apples, anything! Enjoy!
Delicious and crunchy!

Mini Chicken with the blues

This is my take on chicken cordon bleu. It is faster because you use chicken tenders so dinner is ready in no time. You can have a couple because they are small and made with turkey ham! Serve with cranberries, roasted sweet potatoes and biscuits for a healthy meal! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 thawed chicken tenders

4- 2 inch strips turkey ham

4- 2 inch slices of Colby cheese

Italian bread crumbs

salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

1. Tenderize your chicken by using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to make your chicken thinner. Salt and pepper each side.

2. Get your toothpicks ready and pour about a cup of bread crumbs into a bowl.

3. For each tender put a piece of ham in the center of your chicken. Then top with a cheese slice. Roll it up and secure it with a toothpick. Carefully roll in bread crumbs and put on a greased baking sheet.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Serve with veggies and a biscuit and you are set!

* This recipe serves two adults. I figure about 2 per person. So make as many as you want! For kiddies I just cut up a chicken strip into nugget size and rolled them in bread crumbs!Bake them at the same temp with your food. Annie loved her chicken nuggets!

Caesar Chicken with Orzo

LOVE THIS!! Just tried this one and it was soooo good! It is going to become a new family favorite. Very easy, cheap, and healthy too! Can't go wrong especially if you love Caesar like we do!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 can chicken broth (14 oz.)

1 cup water

1 cup uncooked orzo ( in the pasta aisle)

1 bag (1 lb.) of frozen broccoli, green beans, pearl onions, and red peppers ( I didn't have that so I used fresh broccoli and carrots and steamed them a little bit to soften them up before adding them)

1/4 cup fat free Caesar dressing

pepper and salt

1. Heat a skillet over med. heat and cook chicken about 10 minutes until browned on both sides. ( I seasoned mine up with onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper) Remove chicken and keep warm.

2. Add broth and water to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pasta. Heat to boiling. Cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes until almost done. Stir occasionally. Stir in frozen veggies, or freshly steamed and dressing.

3. Add chicken to mixture. Sprinkle with pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until pasta and veggies are done. Warm about 1/2 cup dressing and drizzle over individual servings. Serve with muffins or corn bread!

* I buy low-fat or fat free muffin mixes at the store so I can whip up a quick bread to go with dinner!

* When I make corn bread or muffins I add a shredded carrot or zucchini to the mixture before baking to add a little extra veggies and no one can even tell! Get those kids eating veggies!

* Add any veggies that your family likes to this ..corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms.... the list goes on!