Breakfast Power Muffins

I have no idea where this recipe came from. I had it randomly printed off and it just says "super power muffins" at the top. If you made it up, let me know! They're great--full of good ingredients (minus the brown sugar...) and taste like peanut butter and bananas, which is one of the best combos I can think of!

Power Muffins

1 cup brown sugar, not packed

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 banana

1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce (or use carrot puree or another banana)

1 egg

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together in one bowl.

In another bowl, mix all other ingredients well. Sift in dry ingredients and mix until blended.

Bake for 15-18 minutes in lined muffin tins.

Makes 11 muffins (probably should make 12? Mine made 11..)

Whole wheat pizza dough

When Gram and Granddad came down to teach cream puffs, they also brought a folder full of other things, including Granddad's own food photography! They also brought a recipe for whole wheat pizza dough made in the food processor, so I decided to give it a try. Then tonight, when I was making this, I realized I don't actually have a food processor. Hmm...some nights my kitchen feels stone age! I don't know that I actually would use a processor that often, but duh!

This recipe is from Eating Well, a website with a ton of good stuff. I like it more each time I try a recipe from there. I really like that you can store it for up to two days after making the dough, making it a simple make ahead recipe. Norris said I finally found the recipe I should stick to on the pizza crust, so I think I'll do that!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

1 pound dough
ACTIVE TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Moderate

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.
3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crispand golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per 12 ounces: 766 calories; 12 g fat (2 g sat, 8 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 142 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 16 g fiber; 1,882 mg sodium.Per 1 pound: 1,032 calories; 18 g fat (3 g sat, 12 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 189 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 21 g fiber; 2,509 mg sodium.
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in a plastic bag coated with cooking spray in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

excuse the terrible night lighting, but my pizza boy wanted to pose! :)

Apple Spinach Salad

This recipe came from a site with lots of other great recipes, Delicious Meliscious. I changed the amounts of some of the ingredients below--I used half of the amount of dressing ingredients, and we prefer mixed greens and romaine, so I used those lettuces instead. Make the dressing the night before to get it good and chilled--if it has too much bite for you, add a dash of honey or a little more sugar. I LOVED this salad this way and will definitely be making it again and again!

Apple Spinach Salad

from Delicious Meliscious


Ingredients:
8 oz of whatever greens you like
1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped
1/3 c. Cashews, toasted
1/4 c. Golden Raisins
2 T Sugar
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T Vegetable Oil (I used olive oil)
1/8 t. Garlic Salt
1/8 tsp. Celery Salt

Directions:Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large salad bowl. Whisk together sugar and next 4 ingredients, until blended. Serve with salad. You can chill the dressing for up to 1 day. Whisk well before serving.

Spiced Lentil Tacos

This recipe is from Self Magazine, but I had to change it a little according to our preferences and what I already had in the cabinets...I also added a little ground turkey to make it more appealing to Norris. I still had lentils left over from the soup, and still have some left in the bag, and it only cost about $1.50! They were really great--be sure to mash the lentils at least a little so that they aren't too hard on the outside. You could also soak them for a while before starting the recipe to loosen the outer shell. I thought they tasted just about the same as regular tacos, but are much better for you!

Spiced Lentil Tacos

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
1 package (2.25 oz) taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (used beef broth instead)
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
8 taco shells
1 1/4 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat (2 percent) cheddar
1 T Mexican seasoning (or chili powder, cumin, ground red pepper, whatever you have)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and salt for 2 minutes, or until garlic is releasing fragrance. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Mix sour cream and Mexican seasonings in a bowl. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula. Spoon 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with 2 heaping tsp sour cream mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

(I added in the cooked ground turkey at the very end, stirring it in with the lentils)

THE SKINNY
249 calories per 2 tacos, 7.1 g fat (1.9 g saturated), 37.1 g carbs, 9.7 g fiber, 11.5 g protein

There's no place like home, but I loved Dallas!

We had such a great weekend in Dallas! I got to meet a bunch of Norris' college friends I hadn't met before, and some other people. John and Haley's wedding was so pretty--check out this cake!

The wedding was held at a really nice winery, with a cocktail hour after the ceremony, then the reception back inside. The centerpieces were so pretty and she did a great job planning it all. We had such a good time all weekend. We wound up going to a place called the Glass Cactus (click on link to look at the pictures, click on photos at the top--it has an awesome outdoor deck!) two nights in a row because we had so much fun the first night. It reminded me more of Vegas than any other place I've been outside of Vegas.

Anyway, back to "real life", although it was great to get away for a weekend, and for a great reason to celebrate!

Steak Fajitas

As part of the culinary classes, we occasionally do food sales (mostly just cookie sales!!). The kids chose a menu of fajitas, chips and cheese, and sopapillas, so I needed to find the right recipes that students and teachers would like. I chose this fajita marinade recipe for its ease and seemingly mass appeal. The original source is Simply Recipes. The result was tender steak pieces with a hint of lime. I really loved the veggies!

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:
1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. (Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.)

2 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 fresh Jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

Directions:

Mix all marinade ingredients.

Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better. (except the lime juice--if you are marinating longer than an hour, put the lime juice in the last hour or so)

Heat to high heat a large cast iron pan or griddle.

Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan.

Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. Three minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak. (If pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium high. We want the steak browned, not burned.)Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

Reduce the pan heat to medium high.

Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary.

Add the onions and bell peppers.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent.

Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices.

If you slice the meat at a slanted angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. (Flank steak is flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.)Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas.
Serves 4.
Source: Simply Recipes

Turkey Burgers II

I am so excited for this weekend! We are going to Dallas for Norris' college friend's wedding with some other friends. Haven't been on a road trip out of our great state in quite a while! A little bummed that it happens to fall on Easter weekend, because we'll be spending our Easter driving back from Dallas. Find some extra eggs for me sis:)
Tonight's meal was definitely not planned, and it wound up being one of my favorites I've had in a while. I wanted to use up a few things before we left, so I made onion turkey burgers, fruit salad, and sweet potato fries. Really simple, not many dishes to clean, and really filling. I am still not sure how much the boys liked it (Norris doesn't really like onions, but he okay'ed the soup mix in the burger), but I loved it and will definitely make it again!

Simple Turkey Burgers

(hardly a "recipe", but simple and good!)

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 packet dry onion soup mix

Combine well with hands and form into patties. If you have time, refrigerate before you grill them (could make them the night before) to let flavors combine.
Grill!
Served on no sugar added whole wheat buns (Nature's Own--didn't even know they existed!) with a half wedge of Laughing Cow spread on the bun and broiled.

A tip for sweet potato fries:
After cutting into fries, soak in ice water for 20 minutes or so. This gives them a better crunchier outside, like a regular potato would. Drain and dry with paper towel. Toss in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper (some people like brown sugar here too). Cook at 450 for 25 minutes, flipping halfway.

Tonight is the first soccer game I am going to this season, and I am SO excited to get back in it, even if I am just watching!