Healthier Chicken Fried Rice

I had some left over brown rice in the refrigerator and decided to make somewhat healthy fried rice. This recipe was originally found on Skinnytaste.  It's packed with protein from the edamame, eggs, and chicken breast. Joe was bummed to miss out on this one.

You will need:

Left over brown rice, about 3 cups

cooked chicken breast, chopped

1 cup edamame

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 egg

2 egg whites

5 shallots, greens and white separated

1 garlic clove, minced

cooking spray

tamari soy sauce

In a frying pan, add cooking spray and scramble the egg and egg whites. Set eggs aside. In the same frying pan, turn up the heat and sauté the garlic, chicken, carrots, and the white part of the shallots for about one minute. Add the rice, edamame, scrambled eggs and green parts of the shallots. Mix all together and heat until rice is hot. Top with soy sauce to taste. DELISH! And super filling. I'm stuffed!

**This goes great with a glass of white wine!  Next time I might consider adding some sesame seeds to mix it up a little bit. Also, the original recipe called for a chopped onion to be included when sautéing the first set of ingredients, but if you know my blog... I don't do onions. 

Turkey Baked Ziti

My roommate and I both accidentally purchased 4 pounds of ground turkey at Costco. So we have a total of 8 pounds of meat in the freezer! I had to think quickly in order to make some space in our itty bitty freezer, and decided to try out baked ziti. It turned out really good! We made way too much, so I put some in the fridge for leftovers, gave some to Joe, and froze a small tupperware full (which doesn't help with the small freezer dilemma).

You will need:

1lb ground turkey

1 box ziti like pasta

16 oz jar tomato sauce (ours was sausage flavored)

1 cup reduced skim mozzarella

parmesan to sprinkle on top

Cook pasta and drain. In the mean time, brown the turkey. I added a few spices in with the meat: oregano, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning. Drain the fat. Add in tomato sauce in the same pan as the turkey.  The sausage flavor in the sauce really made a yummy difference. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour a layer of pasta, a layer of meat sauce, and top with cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are gone. Be sure to top with lots of mozzarella! Bake in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted on top. Serve with a yummy salad and of course a glass of vino!

**This could be extra healthy if made with whole wheat pasta.

Chicken Nachos

What kind of cheese is not yours?? NACHO CHEESE!

We had so much fun making our own nachos last night! I set it up as a "nacho buffet" where we could both pick our own toppings. We both built our nacho structures in two 9x9in casserole pans lined with tinfoil. Once the cheese melted, we transferred the nachos via tinfoil onto a plate for easier consumption. Plus, NO clean up, except for the crockpot. Here's how it goes...

Mexican Crockpot Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts

1 package taco seasoning

1 16oz jar of salsa

Combine all ingredients in the Crockpot and cook on Hi for 4-6 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. This was so yummy and the chicken can be used for tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or whatever other Mexican food your tummy desires.

Nachos

Tortilla Chips

Mexican Cheese

Jalapeños, sliced

Black Olives, sliced

Avocado, peeled and chopped

Salsa

Mexican Cheese

Black Beans

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

I don't think I really need to explain how to make nachos. Use whatever toppings you prefer, we just used what I already had in the refrigerator and pantry. EASY! Bake in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. I topped with salsa and avocado after we baked the nachos. 

My nachos are pictured above. Here is Joe's lovely concoction: Broiled, with extra cheese. 

Oreo Truffles

I didn't indulge in any sweets over Easter, so I decided to make my own post-Easter treats. Plus, I'm on Spring Break and wanted something to do. This was messier than I expected. I think little kids would love to help participate in this one!

You will need:

About 10 Oreo cookies

8oz Cream Cheese

White Chocolate Chips

Milk Chocolate Chips

Canola Oil

Assorted Sprinkles

In a food processor or blender, chop up the Oreo cookies. In a separate bowl, soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Mix in the chopped cookies and stir until it's a consistent grey mixture. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about an hour to solidify the mixture. Once cooled, shape the mixture into teaspoon size balls and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place the balls in the freezer while completing the next step. Melt the chocolate in two separate bowls, one for white and one for the milk chocolate.  I added a few splashes of Canola Oil in with the chocolate to even out the consistency. Take the balls out of the freezer. Put a ball on a fork and with your other hand, spoon the melted chocolate over the balls until they look cute (this took me a while to perfect). Return to the lined cookie sheet and add your favorite sprinkles or topping. Once all your Oreo balls are covered, return to the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate has hardened. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes about 30 truffles. 

**This is a great dessert for any occasion. By melting different colored chocolates and adding different sprinkles and toppings, the possibilities are endless!! I'm considering making these again for my sister's graduation from East Carolina University. Purple chocolate and yellow sprinkles, or visa versa!!

EASY and YUMMY Breakfast Casserole

Joe left this past weekend for his brother's bachelor party. Fifteen rowdy boys on a farm outside of Richmond... I don't even want to know.  As the best man, Joe was in charge of most of the arrangements, including the food. I volunteered to put my culinary skills to work and make some breakfast casseroles for the boys (sausage and egg is always great for a hangover). So I made two casseroles and a small one for my roomies and I using Turkey Sausage instead of Pork. [Sorry for the horrible picture.]

You will need:

Cooking Spray

1 package of crescent roll dough

6 Eggs

1lb of mild pork sausage

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

A splash of milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray your 9 x 13in casserole dish with cooking spray. Lay out the crescent roll dough on the bottom of the pan. Brown the sausage, and drain the fat. Then sprinkle the sausage on top of the crescent dough. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and pour the mixture on top of the sausage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. 

(This one was made with Turkey Sausage and Reduced-Fat crescent roll dough)

** This even taste great the next day microwaved! According to Joe, this was a big hit on Saturday morning with his friends. 

Stella and Dot Party!!

Last night I hosted a Stella and Dot jewelry party with the amazing Tamy Medalis!! She puts such an unique and personal spin on the party with "props" including vintage suitcases and cameras, beautiful display frames, and vases of flowers. Her set up is incredible, I absolutely love how she incorporates the vintage suitcases in her display. Stella and Dot is a jewelry brand that sells the goodies online and through home shows. Jewelry ranges from about $30 to $200.  Tamy is a "Stylist" for the company, meaning she comes to your home, displays the beautiful jewelry, and takes all the orders. Hostess perks are the best! A percentage of the total sales goes to the hostess in FREE jewelry, and she will also receive a certain amount of items at 50% off. So far I am up to nearly $300 in FREE goods, and that amount is still rising. Here are a few pictures from the party:

Hostess with the Mostess

Here are some hostessy things that I incorporated into the party!

I purchased Sparkling Lemonade from Trader Joe's. The bottles are too cute!! This picture was taken before I added ice and wine. I also served Jello Shooters!! 

Spinach Artichoke Dip Bites

Here's what you need:

8oz cream cheese, softened in the microwave

1 can or jar of artichoke hearts, chopped

1 cup chopped spinach

a dollop of sour cream

a dollop of mayo

garlic salt

chili powder

shredded mozzarella cheese

2 packages of Filo Cups

Mix the first seven ingredients together in a bowl. Add a handful of mozzarella cheese and mix it all together. Scoop a small spoonful of the mixture into each filo cup and top with a small amount of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Then broil on low for a few minutes to add the golden brown top. Makes 30 cups. I baked the remaining mixture in a small casserole dish and served with multigrain crackers.  These were a HUGE hit! I should have made more.

Strawberry/Angel Food Cake Skewers

One container of strawberries

one small angel food cake (mine was made with Splenda)

20 wooden skewers

Cool Whip

Wash the strawberries and cut each one in half. Cut the cake into small one inch cubes.  Add the strawberries and cake to the skewers, alternating the pattern so they look pretty. Serve with a small bowl of Cool Whip.

**Optional: Drizzle chocolate sauce over the strawberry skewers before serving.

Thank you Tamy for such an amazing night!!!