Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies

Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies 

From: 100DaysofRealFood.com

Modified by Allison Whalen (click the title for the original recipe link)

Original Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup applesauce
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened but not melted
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.
2. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl using an electric mixer beat the applesauce, maple syrup, butter, egg, and vanilla.
4. While beating the mixture on a low speed add the dry ingredients until well blended.
5. Fold in the nuts with a spatula.
6. Drop onto prepared cookie sheet with a spoon. Bake for 8 – 9 minutes or until they start to brown.

Here are Allison's modifications:

i added one ripe banana,

increased oats to one cup,

added 1/4 cup of flaxseed,

added about 1/2 cup of raisins,

sprinkled about 2 tbsp of coarse sugar on the top before baking,

and spread into a square pan, baked for 20-25 minutes, then cut out hearts.

you could also use a slightly larger pan - mine came out pretty thick from the 8x8 square pan. you would just need to reduce the cooking time. but any way you cook them they will be great! i hope you enjoy them!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup, 100% organic and GMO free

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
From the kitchen of Stephanie, adapted from this recipe from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1/3 cup organic all-purpose flour (for a gluten free option, see original recipe)
2 cups water
4 cups organic 1% milk
1 large organic celery stalk, chopped
1/2 medium organic onion, chopped
8 oz (1 container) sliced organic button mushrooms
3 tsp organic chicken Better Than Bouillon
fresh ground pepper
big pinch of thyme
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup frozen organic peas
1 cup frozen organic sweet corn
12oz organic baby carrots, chopped
2 organic medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed small
12 oz cooked organic chicken breast, shredded or in small cubes (I will give instructions for how I cooked mine)
salt

Directions for Chicken:

So that the soup didn't take that long to make, I made my chicken earlier in the day, while Hudson was napping. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. I sliced each chicken breast in half (so that it was thinner), then I place it in a glass 9x9 dish....no spray, no oil, no butter. Just place it directly on the glass. Then I seasoned the top with garlic powder, pepper, and salt. I baked it, covered with foil, for 55 minutes. (I have found that Organic Chicken Breasts take a little bit longer to cook, which is why the time seems a little longer). Another option you could do is use the chicken from a rotisserie chicken, but just know that would stop the soup from being 100% organic and GMO free.

Directions for the soup:

Mix 1/2 cup of cold water and flour in a small bowl and set aside for later.

Pour water and milk into a stock pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, so that you don't get a film on the top. Once the liquid has come to a slow boil (takes about 5-10 minutes), add all of the veggies, spices and Better Than Bouillon and stir. Let this cook over low heat, partially covered with a lid for about 20-30 minutes. The length of time will depend on how small you diced your carrots and potatoes. Remove the lid and add your chicken. Once incorporated, add your flour and water mixture. Make sure to stir as you add the mixture. Let cook for another 5 minutes, taste and adjust your seasonings if needed.

Enjoy!!!

Total Calories per cup of soup:

195 calories
1 gram of fat
27 grams of carbs
17 grams of protein

Healthy Taco Salad

Healthy Taco Salad
From the kitchen of Stephanie


Ingredients:

1 cup Kale (deribbed and chopped)
1 heart of Romain (chopped)
4 oz of extra lean ground turkey
Taco Seasoning (I prefer Trader Joe's...no additives and great flavor)
1/2 Yellow Onion (chopped)
2 Green Onions (chopped)
1/4 cup of Light Mexican Cheese Blend (I also use Trade Joe's...no GMO's)
1/4 of an Avocado
Tortilla Chips (I used the Reduced Guilt Trader Joe's Tortilla Chips...great flavor)
1/2 cup Tri-color Bell Peppers (chopped)
1 lime
2 TBSP Salsa (I prefer the Homestyle Salsa Especial from Trader Joe's)


1. Cook the ground turkey with about 1-2 tsps of the taco seasoning (depends how spicy you'd like it to be) along with the onions. Literally all I did to cook this meat was use a non-stick pan, dumped the meat in with the onions, sprinkle the taco seasoning on top and I added a couple tablespoons of water...no oil, no butter, no sprays.
2.While the meat is cooking, chop all of the veggies
3. When the meat is done, combine all ingredients together (this makes one BIG serving or two smaller servings).

Nutrition:
(for the whole thing)
383 Calories, 8 grams of fat, 39 grams of carbs, 49 grams of protein



***The only thing I think I'd do different next time is add some pinto beans to the taco meat once it's mostly done cooking.

Oatmeal Walnut Banana Pancakes

Oatmeal Walnut Banana Pancakes

From the Kitchen of Amy Day

OK, so I pinned a banana pancake recipe on Pinterest the other day.  It was just 1 ripe banana, 2 eggs, mix them together and cook like a pancake.  They were fantastic!

Since the kids loved them so much I decided to monkey with them a little bit over the past few days, and this morning I had one for my own breakfast, and it was delicious.  Here's what I did (this made 6 large pancakes):

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

4 eggs

tsp vanilla extract

tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

3/4 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats (uncooked - I am sure you can use instant, but probably not steel cut unless you've cooked them first)

tbsp of bisquik (can leave out, but I like the texture better)

Mix it all together and cook as you would a pancake (I used butter for the kids, nonstick spray for myself).  Depending on what portion you eat you can figure out your nutrition info, but for one very filling pancake this morning, mine came out to just 210 calories, with 11 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and 350mg of potassium!  They don't need anything on them.  And it was both filling and delicious - and for my pancake fanatic children, who I will of course not give flour-based pancakes to on a daily basis, this makes all of us very happy :)  I'm going to continue experimenting with other nutritious additions I can sneak in there!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
From the Kitchen of Amy Day

Ingredients:

Chicken (2-3 breasts or bone-in chicken breasts)
Plain Yogurt
3-5 TBSP Butter
1 small onion, diced
1 TBSP fresh ginger
1 TBSP Garam Masala Blend
1/2-1 tsp each of gound ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and curry powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TBSP fresh garlic, minced
1-2 boxes of creamy tomato soup
half and half

1.  Cook some chicken (I like to roast bone-in, skin on breasts, but I'm sure you can handle this part on your own.  I think it's best for this recipe if you marinate your chicken in plain yogurt before cooking, but basically a few chicken breasts cooked any way will work).

2.  In a large pot, melt a few tbsps of butter and sautee a diced onion in it.  Add about 1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger.  Cook over low heat for a while.  (It's important to use fresh ginger.  While there are other spices that go into it, they're not "spicy" at all, and the fresh ginger is really the one thing that adds any heat).

3.  Add your spices.  I start with about a tbsp of garam masala blend, and then I add about 1/2 tsp each from the list of ingredients in garam masala (increase quantities of these things if you don't have garam masala): ground ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom (go a little heavier), cumin (go a little lighter), and curry powder.  Cook the spices with the onion and ginger for a little while (you might need to add more butter).  Add a decent amount of salt and pepper. 

4.  Throw in a tbsp of minced fresh garlic.  Cook for a little while.

5.  Add any creamy tomato soup.  I get boxes of it from Henry's.  I use about 2 boxes for this, depending on how much I'm making (I like to keep a large quantity in the fridge for the week); 1 box is fine for a small quantity.  Sometimes I do 1 box of creamy tomato soup and one can of diced tomatoes.

6.  Rip or chop up your chicken and add it.  Cook it all for a while.  Taste the broth, and if it's underseasoned, add cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg or curry powder.

7.  Add a splash of half-and-half to make it as creamy as you want it.  More is tastier, but more calories :)

The traditional way to serve it is with jasmine rice and naan bread.  Since that's not the healthiest, I've been eating it over lentils lately, and that's super yummy.  I've also been adding a lot of various light-colored beans and cauliflower to bulk it up and add nutritional value.

Peanut Brittle

Peanut Brittle
From the Kitchen of Kristin Sumption (The Domestic Doozie)

Ingredients

• 
  
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (make sure it's fresh)

Directions

1. Tape Parchment paper down on your countertop. In a glass bowl, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook in microwave for 6 to 7 minutes on High (700 W); mixture should be bubbly and peanuts browned. Stir in butter and vanilla; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
2. Quickly stir in baking soda, just until mixture is foamy. Pour immediately onto parchment paper. Let cool 15 minutes, or until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container. *You may need to alter the cooking times based on the wattage of your microwave.

Healthy Turkey Chili

Healthy Turkey Chili,
From the kitchen of April Warner

Chop up one small onion and a medium sized pepper.  If you want to add more vegetables you can-it really doesn't add a lot of calories. Spray a small amount of pam (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan lightly) into a pot that you will later use for the chili) and stir fry the vegetables. Side note- I always use pam as opposed to oil or butter.  You only need a small amount! a lot less calories!

In the mean time, get the lean ground turkey (I use about a pound usually-depends on what the package has in it or how much I have prebagged/frozen before hand.  I think yours was a little over a pound if I remember right) and brown the meat and drain the grease.  I don't add anything (oil, etc) to the pan when I brown this.  If you want to make it spicy, you can add chili powder and crushed red peppers.  

After the meat is browned, put it into the pot with the vegetables.

Add 1 cup of kidney beans and 1cup of black beans.  I actually experiment with different types of beans sometimes but those are the types I used when I made yours.  I usually get low sodium when available.

Add 46oz (about a large can) of tomato juice.  I use low sodium, 100% juice. Heat the whole mixture until it boils.  If you want, you can add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar.  It just helps with the taste and will only add about 30 cals to the entire recipe.  Depending on how liquidy or thick you want it depends on how much juice you use.

The calories will vary slightly depending on brands you use, but it shouldn't vary too much.  The only time it should significantly vary is if you use different types of meat (lean vs not lean), etc.  Also, the weight of the meat will cause it to vary a bit if it is a pound vs 17oz or something.  Other than that, it should be about the same as I told you last time (116 calories I think it was).  I calculated it again and it was within a few calories per serving (with different brands).

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar
From the kitchen of Brittney Beard

1 can of back beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of shoepeg corn (drained and rinsed)
chopped jalepenos (about 4-5 depending on how much kick you want it to have)
1 whole red onion (chopped)
3 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and diced)
A LOT of fresh cilantro
1/2 a bottle of Italian Dressing

Mix all together and enjoy with triscuits or tortilla chips!


So tasty....I personally sampled some of this tonight and it was amazing! I can't wait to make it myself! It's perfect for parties!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Homemade Pizza Dough
From the kitchen of Melissa Williamson

Items needed: Bread Machine

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Warm Water
2 TBSP EVOO
4 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

Put into bread maker in that exact order, before adding yeast, make a well in the middle of the flour and then add.

This dough makes enough for two pizzas. I typically use one and then put one in the freezer (in a ziploc baggie) for the following week!

Cashew Chicken

I am making this tonight (I found it on Pinterest):

Cashew Chicken
by eclectic recipes

Cashew Chicken Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped
8 cloves garlic
1 cup cashews
1 bell pepper, diced (optional)
4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
8 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch
3/4 water or chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
steamed white rice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook white rice according to package directions. Preheat large skillet or wok over low heat. Add olive oil, garlic and cashews to skillet. Saute over low heat until garlic becomes golden, but don't let the garlic brown, or it will become bitter.

2. Salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add cornstarch to a small bowl with the water and mix well. Add cornstarch and water to chicken. Then add hoisin sauce and vinegar. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Just before serving, add green onions and serve with rice.