{Yummy and Quick Vegetarian Salad}

The main reason i am avoiding chicken is b/c it is helping me save about $30.00 a week on groceries. I sometimes cook it once a week and sometimes not at all during the week. I never use hamburger...if i do, again, it's once a week. I am not strictly vegetarian. I am just saving money. I refuse to buy only 80% lean hamburger. And the 93% lean is expensive. Anyway, i found AND tried this yummy vegetarian salad. I did it a little different from the original. I like to eat something different than my kids do for lunch. They like macaroni(but they can only eat it twice a week). Otherwise they eat pbj sandwiches or turkey(all natural, no added stuff) sandwiches. They have turkey lunch meat like that at wal-mart, in case you are wondering. It doesn't have those nitrites(is that correct?) in it and other added stuff they say you should avoid in lunch meat. I might eat a turkey sandwich with avocado on it and spinach and tomato with olive oil mayo. ANYWAY, getting to the point, this is a yummy healthy lunch. I enjoyed it and it filled me. I couldn't eat it all. Plus, garbanzo(aka:chickpeas) beans are so good for you!

Ingredients:

2 TBS. olive oil

3/4 TBS. red wine vinegar

1 TBS. mint, chopped

1 TBS. Basil(i didn't have basil so i put in about 1 tbs. pesto, which i keep on hand)

1 cup grape tomatoes(sliced in half)

Walnuts(i crush them up with my hands and put the amount in to my liking)

Feta cheese(however much you would like in it)

1 can garbanzo beans

Directions:

Mix it all together and enjoy!

Source: merrygourmet.com

{Italian Veggie Salad}

I LOVE LOVE LOVE eating my vegetables like this. For me, it is sooooo good. I love it. Try it out! I make it for a side dish for one of our dinner meals and then i will snack on it the next day...all day long! :)

Ingredients:

About 1/2 head cauliflower(pulled apart into Bite Size florets)

1 can of black olives

Large Tomato(cut up into bite size pieces)

1 Red Bell Pepper(cut into bit size pieces)

Mushrooms(Cut in half or fourths, depending on what you like)

1 cucumber

1/2 to a whole red onion(cut into bite size pieces)

1 package of zesty italian seasoning(follow the directions on the back of the package)

Feta cheese

Directions:

Throw all the veggies in a cake pan and pour the mixed zesty italian dressing on top. Stir it up good so that each piece is covered in the dressing. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to soak up the dressing. And occasionally stir it while it's in the fridge sitting. You can eat it right away, but it tastes so much better the longer it sits! :) Sprinkle some feta cheese all over. The quantity depends on your liking.

Also, you put in however much of the vegetables you feel you would like. There really is no set recipe for the amount of each vegetable. That's just what i usually put in.

{Beans-and-Greens Tacos With Goat Cheese}

If you like vegetarian meals, try this one. It actually was pretty good and my family of boys ate them with zero complaints. I take that back...Shane(my picky eater) wasn't too faund of em. He said "Where's the meat?" I am trying to save money by fixing vegetarian b/c meat is pricey and really hikes up my grocery bill! There are so many things i would eat if i didn't have to consider Shane's eating habits. :) I really enjoyed these. I didn't feel stuffed afterwards, or weighed down by the food. It was very light. They DID taste good too. I would make them again for myself over and over. They were very easy to make, quick, and tasty! :) If you want the salsa for it that you are supposed to put on top, you will find it under this recipe in the same post! I didn't make the salsa b/c i forgot tomatillos! DARN! BUT i think it would have made these even better!

Ingredients:

3 TBS. Olive oil

2 red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lb. Swiss Chard, stems and ribs removed, leaves washed well and coarsely chopped

1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

8 white corn tortillas

1/3 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

cilantro

Directions:

1.Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Chard, beans, and stock. Cook until greens are wilted and beans are warmed through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2.Using tongs, hold each tortilla driectly over a gas flame, turning, until heated through, about 5 seconds.(Alternatively, wrap tortillas in foil, and warm in a 350 degree oven.) Spoon filling onto tortillas. Top with cheese and cilantro.

*Side Note* I just used regular whole wheat flour tortillas and warmed them up in the microwave.

Tomatillo and Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients:

6 tomatillos

3 garlic cloves(do not peel)

4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp. sugar

coarse salt

Directions:

Cook tomatillos and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and let cool slightly. Peel garlic. Finely chop tomatillos and garlic.

2.Mix together tomatillos, garlic, chipotles, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Source: Martha Stewart

{Chicken Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette}

This was a quick and easy meal to make. I put the chicken in the crockpot for a few hours. And when the chicken was done i just mixed everything together. It was a pretty tasty meal. I will make it again. It was easy, quick, and tasty. I served it with a fresh fruit salad. Yummy! Go for it!

Ingredients:

2 TBS. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 TBS. sun-dried tomato oil

1 TBS. chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast(about 3/4 lb.)

1 cup chopped tomato(medium )

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Whole wheat Pitas, cut in half

3 cups mixed baby greens

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomato oil, sun-dried tomatoes, pepper and garlic. Stir in the chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil. Line each pita half with 1/4 cup greens. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.

*SIDE NOTE* For the sun-dried tomato oil, i just used the oil that's in the packed sun-dried tomatoes. Also, i didn't use asiago cheese. It would add a little more taste, but i didn't have any. It still tasted good without it. ALSO, i had to double this recipe. It was just enough for the five of us.

Source: www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

{Green Smoothie}

Yes, i am into smoothies. I love em. What can i say. So, a friend of mine posted a green smoothie recipe on her blog a couple years ago. I made it for awhile and then stopped. I wanted to make those again , but couldn't remember the exact recipe so i decided to just put in what i remember and then add what i think i would like. It turned out DELICIOUS! I make this after my workout. It's my recovery drink! You can drink it anytime though! TRY IT!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vanillla yogurt(any yogurt you prefer)

a squeeze of agave nectar, which is about 2-3 TBS.

juice of an orange

1 scoop of protein powder

About 1/8- 1/4 cup Flaxseed

one banana

6-7 strawberries

2 handfuls of spinach

6-8 ice cubes(your preference)

Directions:

Mix the liquids first along with the protein powder, then add the spinach, strawberries, bananas. And lastly, the ice cubes. Enjoy!

I am going to be totally honest. I can be a pig. This makes about 4 cups. I drink 3 cups of it. Tanner drinks about one cup. It's a lot, but man it tastes so good after a hard workout. I gulp it down quick! :)

I will be experimenting more with smoothies again soon.

{Healthy Strawberry Banana Smoothie and MORE...}

Seriously, this was sooo good and creamy. This is my very own recipe! Man i am good. haha! :) Granted, i did look into smoothies and what would be good to put in it, so i kind of grabbed different ingredients from different recipes and put it all together. I put in the amounts that i felt i wanted in it. TRY THIS! It's the best smoothie i have had, but maybe i haven't had many smoothies, which might be why it's the best smoothie i have had. Usually when i eat a "smoothie" i like it to be more like a slushy with the ice bits in it. I don't usually go for anything without the slushy taste. BUT i did with this! There is a fabulous after taste that stays with you after every gulp. I didn't need this to be like a slushy in order to like it! YUMMY! :)

Ingredients:

1 whole banana

About 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

2-3 TBSP. honey

1/3 of an avocado

Juice from one orange

1 cup Coconut milk

1/4 cup Original plain greek yogurt

6 ice cubes

Directions:

Blend it all in your blender! Wahlah! Makes about 4 servings.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

6 strawberries, medium to large size

1 cup frozen mango

3 TBSP. Agave nectar

1/2 of an avocado

Juice from an orange

1 1/3 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup original plain greek yogurt

Directions:

Blend well.

*Tip*: If you don't like the taste of coconut, then use almond milk. I found that i like coconut milk better than almond milk for my smoothies.

{Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs}

This chicken is delightful. Chicken thighs are a bit more fattening, BUT they do taste so much better than regular frozen chicken breasts. Really, they are so good. My brother made some last year for us on the GRILL and man they were Gooooood! I made this chicken and shane said "This tastes like one of the selections at the chinese buffet. We like chinese buffets. :) It was good. TRY IT! You will be glad you did! :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. cold water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. black pepper

12 skinless chicken thighs

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a saucepan on low heat. Let simmer and stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Preheat oven to 425.

Place chicken pieces in a 9x13 pan. Spray the pan with PAM first. Poor half of the sauce over the chicken, brushing the chicken to make sure each piece is covered in sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over and poor on remaining sauce. Bake another 30 minutes.

YUM! ENJOY!

Source: www.dineanddish.net

{Homemade Granola Bars}

These are good granola bars!! I love them and they are so addictive. Next time i am going to try honey instead of the molasses b/c the molasses was too strong in the bar. But i still enjoyed them. OR i could do 1/3 cup honey and 1/4 cup molasses. That could be good. These are easy to make! No need to buy store bought anymore. These are healthier for you too. ALSO, i added flaxseed to my granola bars. I add flaxseed to anything i think it would be good in. It's great for you!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup nuts, seeds, or spices OR a combination of all three ....totaling 1 cup

1/3 + 1/4 cup honey, agave, molasses, or maple syrup. You can mix up flavors or just use one.

1 cup total dried fruit

1 cup apple butter or almond butter

Directions:

I just combined all the ingredients. If you want the pieces chopped up more fine, then use a food processor. Line your cake pan with parchment paper. Poor the mixture in and press down really hard on the mixture to pack it in good. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the freezer until they are firm. Then cut into the size you want.

They can be stored in an air tight container for a week. OR will last frozen up to a month. Enjoy!

Source: www.goodlifeeats.com

{Strawberry Stuffed French Toast}

If you feel like totally feel like forgetting healthy and want to think fattening then indulge and eat this. I made this at breakfast for the men in my life on Valentine's Day. They loved it. I loved it too. It was sooooo good. :)

Filling:

1 Cup Sliced Fresh Strawberries

2 TBSP. sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

Toast:

4 thick slices of bread, such as challah or Italian Bread

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

2 TBSP. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/5 tsp. salt

Unsalted butter

Directions:

For filling, Stir together the strawberries and sugar and set aside for 15 minutes. Then stir in the cream cheese until blended well.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Carefully cut a pocket into the center of your bread. In a shallow baking dish, wisk together the egg and milk. Wisk in the melted butter and the vanilla. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, and salt until well blended.

Fill the pocket in your bread with the filling mixture. I stuffed mine full. :) Place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, allowing to soak about 30 seconds each side.

Add 1 TBSP. butter to the skillet. Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet and cook until golden or about 2 minutes each side.

Source: www.annies-eats.com from Williams and Sonoma

{Fiber One Parmesan Crusted Chicken}

This is very good. Tastes like your eating fried chicken, but it's healthy! Try it! It's simple to put together and the kids loved it.

Ingredients:

5 pieces of chicken(i buy the bags of frozen chicken)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup Fiber-One

1 tsp. Onion powder

1 tsp. Garlic powder

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

2 egg whites

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a food processor, mix together the parmesan cheese, Fiber-one, onion powder, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. If you don't have a food processor, then you can put the ingredients in a ziploc bag and crush it with a rolling pin.

Turn the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with PAM cooking spray.

Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken. Dip the chicken in the egg white and then dip it in the fiber-one mixture. Put it on the baking sheet and spray the top of the chicken with PAM spray.

Throw in the oven for 25 minutes.

Source: www.thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

{Homemade Hummus}

I decided to make homemade hummus. Not only b/c it's a lot cheaper to make your own than buy it, but also b/c it's healthy for you AND because i needed a better alternative other than ranch dressing. We always dip our veggies in ranch. Well, not anymore. Hummus is now our choice of dip. This stuff is good! :) You must try making your own! You can dip veggies in it, you can use it as a spread on your sandwich instead of using mayo OR you can dip pita bread in it(toast your pita bread to make pita chips).

Ingredients:

water

1 lb. garbanzo beans(chickpeas)

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil

1/2 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. kosher salt

*You will need a food processor or blender

Directions:

I used dried chickpeas, which takes awhile b/c they have to soak for hours and then cook for awhile. But i get more chickpeas for a better price than i do buying canned chickpeas. You can buy canned if you want. You just mix all the ingredients together in the blender or food processor. If using a blender, put all the liquid in first so that it can mix up. You add water depending on how thick or not so thick you would like your hummus. I like mine with a bit of a thicker texture. It will be kind of slow, and you might have to turn it off and stir it up a bit in the blender and then turn it on again(a few times). I had to do it in two separate batches in order for it to work. Then i just combined it all in a bowl and mixed it up.

*Also, if you would like to add a certain spice to give it a taste of your choice, then do it. I like cumin so i added probably 1/2 tsp. of cumin. It tastes good!

Source: cilantropist.blogspot.com

{Quick and Easy Lasagna}

My husband loves lasagna. We haven't eaten it in quite awhile. He requested it for this week so i thought i better make him something to hit the spot after his hard working days. Good thing i made it for him yesterday. He had a 14 hour work day and was a happy man when he came home and saw lasagna waiting for him. :) I haven't tried too many lasagna's, but i haven't felt the need to explore more varieties of lasagna b/c we enjoy the recipe we have. And it's so easy to make! In this picture, you can see i used two different cheeses. I didn't have mozarella b/c i forgot to buy some, so i used what i had...monterrey jack cheese and cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

9 Whole grain lasagna noodles

1 lb. hamburger meat (we buy 93% lean)

1 TBSP. Italian Seasoning

1-2 tsp. Garlic

Ragu garden combination spaghetti sauce(regular size)

1 cup low- fat cottage cheese

1 cup non-fat sour cream

Cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese

Directions:

In a large sauce pan cook your hamburger. While it's still raw in the pan, poor in about 1 TBSP. of italian seasoning. Then put in about 1-2 tsp. of garlic. In the meantime, you need to be boiling your noodles. After the meat is done then add the spaghetti sauce. In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese and sour cream. In a cake pan, put a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then put down 3 lasagna noodles. Put 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture over alll three noodles. Then layer some sauce on top of that. Then add 3 more noodles. Then the cottage cheese mixture, then the sauce. Then 3 more noodles, then the last of the cottage cheese mixture, then the last of the sauce. Then put LOTS of cheese on top! We don't go lightly on the cheese when it comes to lasagna and enchiladas! :)

Cook at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese it melted and a little golden brown. So yummy! Enjoy!

Source: In the BYU-I newspaper

{Fresh Salsa}

This is a great salsa recipe. I have been wanting to try a different one for awhile. So, when i try a salsa that is better than this one, then i will be sure to post it for you! Meanwhile, enjoy!

Sorry, no pictures!

Ingredients:

28 oz. can of canned tomatoes(crushed or stewed)

1/2 tsp. sugar

2-4 fresh tomatoes(i would use plum tomatoes)

Onion, to your liking

2 cloves of garlic

Can of green chilies

1/2 green pepper

1/2 jalapeno to taste

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

Fresh Cilantro to taste

Fresh Parsley to taste

Directions:

Chop the onion and pepper and tomatoes to the size you want them. I cut mine tiny. You can also food process it if that's the way you would like it. The longer you let this sit in the fridge, the MORE tasty it becomes! So, i would at least fix it a few hours before you are ready to eat it. Remember that you can add as much or as little as you would like of any of these ingredients. It just depends on your taste!

Source: A college roommate, jessica paris

{Grilled Pineapple Guacamole}

Sorry, no picture!

Ingredients:

3 1/2-inch crosswise slices fresh pineapple

3 medium ripe avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons pineapple juice or orange juice

1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

For a charcoal grill, grill pineapple slices on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned, turning once halfway through grilling time. For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place pineapple on greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) Core and chop pineapple. *Side note: I just used my george foreman grill.

Place avocados in a medium bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to mash avocados. Stir in chopped pineapple, red onion, pineapple juice, cilantro, salt, and cayenne pepper.

This is a fantastic guacamole! SOOOOO good. Enjoy!

Source: Better homes and gardens

{Grilled Chicken Fajitas}

I really like these fajitas b/c they have a more lighter fresh taste than the usual fajita seasoning. They are really good. I still have yet to try them on the grill b/c it's not warm enough outside, but you can guarantee i will be grilling these when it's hot outside! :) These are a wonderful new change from the usual fajita taste, so try them out!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup squeezed lime juice

6 tbsp. canola oil or olive oil, divided

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 jalapeno seeded, ribbed, diced (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. pepper

About 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breasts, sliced

1 large red onion, sliced

2 large bell peppers, sliced

Whole wheat flour tortillas

avocado(optional)

cotija cheese(optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl wisk together 4 tbsp. oil, lime, garlic, sauce, b. sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for later. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. (Do not marinade it for hours like i did the last time i made them. It will taste too strong and not as good.)

You can either cook all of this on the grill, or do what i have done so far and cook it over the stove on medium-high heat. Of course, discard the marinade before cooking your chicken. When the chicken is done, take it out and put the chicken in a medium sized bowl. Turn the heat up to high and throw in your veggies. When they look tender, but not too tender, take them out and throw them in the bowl with the cooked sliced chicken.

Poor the reserved marinade in the bowl with the chicken and veggies and mix all together.

*Warm up your tortillas to soften them up.

For this meal, i like to add fresh everything, since that's the feeling i get from eating this meal. I chop up avocado into small bite size pieces and put it on top of the chicken mixture in my tortillas. You can also add some mexican cotija cheese, which is what i did. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkle a little bit of fresh cilantro over the top. You can add sour cream if you like, but i didn't with these. And of course, use whole wheat flour tortillas! Enjoy!

Source: annies-eats.com

{Steel-cut Oats}

I must admit, my dad makes the best steel-cut oat concoction. He has been making it for at least five years now. I LOVE when he visits or when we go to visit them b/c he makes this for us a few times. Not only this, but he makes a wonderful egg concoction too! I swear, he was a chef in another life. My oats just don't compare to my dad's. Part of it is b/c he puts a lot of TLC into making it. You think i put TLC into my cooking? Well, you should meet my dad. :) Anyway, i learned how to put this together from him. :) There are many things he puts in his oats that i don't have in mine. We have been eating steel-cut oats around here for a few years. We love em! Also, just so you know, steel-cut oats are so much better for you than regular oatmeal. They contain double the fiber and protein of that of regular oats. Yup. AND they taste BETTER! :) It does take more time, but it's worth it.

Directions:

About half way through the process of letting your steel-cut oats simmer, when you notice it's starting to thicken, i throw in raisins, chopped apples, and walnuts. By doing this, It allows the raisins to get juicy and plump and it also lets the apples get a little soft. When i notice my oats are just about done i throw in about a tablespoon of flaxseed, which is also AWESOME for you and i also put some honey in it. Use honey for a sweetener instead of sugar. You don't need any sugar as long as you get a raisin in each bite. The raisins are so sweet allowing you to feel like there is sugar already in it. So yummy! One tip: Cook your steel-cut oats until the water disappears and it's kind of creamy, not too thick or dry. You can eat your steel-cut oats however thick or creamy you want. This is just the way i like mine. :)

ENJOY! This is a great kick-start breakfast for your day! Breakfast is the most important meal of your day and by eating a breakfast full of fiber and protein it will curb your cravings for sweets later in the day. Not only that, but protein and fiber keep you full longer. So by avoiding simple carbs and sugars for breakfast your are avoiding being hungry nearly 1 1/2 hours later! Your body will love you for this!

{Great food Combinations for your body}

Certain food combinations give you a great nutritious powerful PUNCH! One food combination that is great for you and gives you ENERGY is....

Chickpeas and Red Peppers

When these two are eaten together it's great for you. Chickpeas contain a lot of Iron and Red Peppers contain a good source of Calcium. Iron is hard for your body to absorb, so when you eat red peppers with chickpeas, the red peppers help to absorb the iron, giving you ENERGY!

Chickpeas(also called garbanzo beans) are great for you! They contain a lot of fiber as well giving you 50% of your daily fiber intake. They are tasty! And they are very versatile! I love em! You can use them in soups, salads, as hummus, as a meat substitute for tacos(i have a post on here about how to do that).

Red Peppers are also great for you and like i said, they are a good source of calcium. You can also use red peppers in anything...tacos, salads, soups, snack, etc.

One more GREAT food combination that will help you slim your waistline....

Pasta and Balsamic Vinegar! Weird, huh?! Pasta alone wouldn't seem like a good choice alone, but when combined with balsamic vinegar it is a good choice. The acid in the vinegar helps to control the blood sugar, slashing the sugar load by 20%!! So, whenever you eat pasta, add 2 tsp. of vinegar and it will help those starchy pastas get digested slower so that you won't get a quick rise and drop in your blood sugar, and get hungry again an hour and a half later! Great, huh?!

AND if you don't understand blood sugar, let me fill you in. When you blood sugar drops to a low level you start getting hungry. Your body needs sugar for energy, but too much is bad. So, when you eat simple sugars and carbs and fat laden and unhealthy foods, they get digested quickly. They get digested quickly b/c there is nothing of any worth in those foods for you. When you eat, the pancreas releases insulin. The insulin funnels the sugars to the different tissues that need it. But b/c the food digests so quickly it confuses the pancreas and the pancreas releases too much insulin and the insulin snatches up all those sugars VERY quickly, leaving you with a low blood sugar level again about an hour and a half to two hours later. Wonder why you get hungry about an hour and a half to two hours after eating breakfast? It is probably b/c of what you are eating. Most cereals contain lots of simple sugars and carbs. If you want to feel full for longer you need to eat fiber and protein for breakfast. Breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day. Eating a good healthy breakfast full of fiber and protein can help you curb your sugar cravings later in the day! People, sugar is good, but it's bad for you if you are eating too much. I will post more about that another day. :)

{Poblanos stuffed with Black Beans}

These were really tasty. I am LOVING mexican food the more that i eat it. I have always eaten it, but i must say it is probably my favorite food...Mexican food. It's so BUENO! :) These stuffed Poblano peppers were a different and good change. The last time i made stuffed green peppers my husband didn't like them much. So when he heard i was making stuffed peppers again he was hesitant. But he ended up liking these and my boys, especially Gavin, loved them. We just ate these with rice. I ended up eating 2 halves and that filled me up. Gavin ate 2 halves too. It is a little spicy up toward the top of the pepper where the seeds were, but it wasn't bad. I don't like a lot of heat so if i could handle it then it wasn't bad. :) TRY THESE! They were fun to make and they were really good!

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup chopped onion

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut up

3 cloves of garlic, minced or quartered

1/2 tsp. salt

2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

6 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 cup water

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

3 medium fresh poblano peppers, stemmed, halved, and seeded(i used 5)

Snipped fresh cilantro or green onion(optional)

Directions:

1)Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For sauce, in a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the chopped onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Pour sauce into a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

2)In a large bowl, combine black beans, 1 cup of the cheese, the water, cornmeal, the remaining 1/2 cup chopped onion, cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and black pepper(mixture may appear wet but will firm up during baking).

3)Stuff each poblano half with about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture. Place filled poblanos on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Spoon any remaining bean mixture over the poblanos. Cover dish tightly with foil.

4) Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of the cheese over all. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with cilantro or green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Source: Better homes and gardens

Caldo De Pollo(Chicken Soup)

I bought the Better Homes and Garden magazine a few weeks ago. Every single page is full of authentic Mexican Recipes. I am in the process of trying all of them. So far, it's so dang good and i have not been disappointed. I made a pineapple guacamole a few weeks ago. YUMMY! is all i can say. That is the best guacamole i have ever had. This time i made a chicken soup. All the flavors aren't strong flavors, but with all of those flavors combined it makes for a very very fresh flavorful soup. This is now one of my favorite soups ever! I really loved it, especially since my throat was hurting. I could eat this everyday. You must try it out. :) And it tastes better the second day.

Ingredients:

1 TBS. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 32-ounce boxes 33% less-sodium chicken broth

1 pound bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned(i just used regular chicken breast)

1 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans(chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 TBS. lime juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced or coarsely chopped

8 medium radishes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Shredded Cotija cheese(it just crumbles)

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1 canned chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce finely chopped(i didn't put this in my soup and loved it without it) I can do without the heat.

Directions:

1.Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic: cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes more or until tomatoes are softened and mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to boiling.

2.Add chicken. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from pot. When cool enough to handle, shred meat.

3.Add shredded chicken, garbanzo beans, lime juice, chile pepper(i omitted this. Instead i just added a little cayenne pepper. Like 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.), cumin, and salt to pot. Heat through.

4. This part is important. Top each serving with avocado, radishes, Cotija Cheese and cilantro. Adding all of this on top is what makes the soup really shine. You want enough of these on top so that you can have a little of each in every bite! The flavors all combined just tastes so fresh and flavorful. This is like the PHO of mexican food, IMO.

*Just a side note: Garbanzo beans are also called chickpeas. They are good for you. They are rich in calcium, and protein and iron. I really like them b/c they are soooo flavorful! You can use them for many things. In salads, in soups, you can make hummus with them, you can use them as a substitute for meat in tacos. The list goes on. Also, you can find Cotija cheese at wal-mart. It isn't hard to find.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: Better homes and gardens

{White Chili}

I got this recipe from my friend Stacey in cleveland. It was such a yummy soup and i thought of it often for a whole year until finally i asked her for the recipe. I have made it a few times since. We love this soup and everyone else that tries it loves it! TRUST ME. This is my kind of soup!

White Chili

Ingredients:

3 cans of Great Northern White beans with the juice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1 cup white onion, chopped

1 cup salsa

6 cups chicken stock, 4 cups for thicker soup

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed.

Directions:

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Very important that you serve this with sour cream, monterrey jack cheese, and tortilla chips(crushed and mix into your bowl of soup). When you fix it with all the garnishes it tastes soooo YUMMY!

Source: Stacey Heaton

{Ranch Chicken}

SORRY, i am such a slacker and i have NO picture of this one. But just trust me on this one. This chicken is always a hit. Shane's friend made it for us one time and we make it ever since. I have other recipes i have made that i need to post on here! I will do it soon! For now, try this one! It's a keeper!

Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken

RITZ crackers(i get roasted vegetable flavor)

Ranch

Directions:

It's VERY simple. Buy a box of RITZ crackers. Crush them up, but not to where they are powder. You want itty bitty pieces of cracker in there. Cut your raw chicken breast in half. Dip it in ranch so both sides are covered in it. Then dip it in your crackers! Wahlah! Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes, uncovered on 350 degrees. Check on it half way through and if the crackers are getting brown then lay some foil over it to prevent the crackers from burning. This chicken is delish! Trust me! You will like it! Make as much as you want! :)