Ham & Pineapple Kabobs

I think ham and pineapple compliment each other very well. It's one of my favorite choices for toppings on pizza, but my hubby doesn't particularly care for it on pizza, so I found a new way to combine the two flavors that he likes.

Ham & Pineapple Kabobs
Serves: 4 to 6
Adapted by: http://faithfulnessfarm.blogspot.com/2012/02/gooseberry-patch-early-bird-review.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds smoked ham, boneless
8oz can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
-Thread ham and pineapple pieces on a skewer. Continue with all ham and pineapple until all your skewers are filled.
-Combine reserved juice with soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger.
-Pour marinade over kabobs and place in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate.
-Grill kabobs over medium heat for 10 minutes, making sure to turn over frequently to prevent burning.
-Serve hot

Enjoy! :)

Buttermilk Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

This is one of my husband's favorite breakfast meals. Every now and then I can get lucky and make this as "breakfast for dinner", which is just what we did recently. I love to make flaky wheat buttermilk biscuits (previously posted on my blog) and then this sausage gravy recipe. You can definitely buy buttermilk biscuits from the store if you don't want to make homemade, but I strongly suggest making them homemade. :) This meal is super filling and so delicious. We always have this meal with some fresh fruit on the side.

Buttermilk Biscuits & Sausage Gravy
Serves: 4
Adapted by: http://thefreshfridge.com/2011/11/homemade-biscuits-gravy/

Ingredients
Homemade buttermilk biscuits or canned buttermilk biscuits
1 12oz package lean turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
2 cups skim milk or reduced-fat milk
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
-Bake biscuits according to your recipe or directions.
-Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. I recommend a cast-iron skillet.
-Add sausage and cook until browned. Drain 3/4 of the grease and return to pan.
-Add butter and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
-Slowly add in the flour and turn heat to medium. Whisk together the butter and flour.
-Slowly stir in the milk, stirring until the mixture is combined and starting to get thicker.
-Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
-Add additional milk if the mixture is too thick.
-Place 2 buttermilk biscuits cut in half on a plate and top with desired amount of sausage gravy.

Enjoy! :)

Potatoes & Green Beans Au Gratin

Looking for a side dish that is a little different than just your usual veggie and starch side? Well, here is a scrumptious side dish that pairs wonderfully with some smoked ham steaks.

Potatoes & Green Beans Au Gratin
Adapted by: http://somekindofdelicious.blogspot.com/2010/07/potatoes-green-beans-au-gratin.html

Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, thinly sliced
3 cups reduced-fat milk
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup green beans (I used frozen)
3/4 cup reduced fat monterrey jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Directions
-Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.
-In a large stock pot, combine milk, potatoes, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent milk from scorching.
-Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
-Drain potatoes, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Discard both bay leaves.
-Coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and put half of the potatoes on the bottom. Arrange green beans over the potatoes.
-Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper. Top with remaining potatoes.
-Stir in nutmeg into the reserved liquid and pour over the potato mixture.
-Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
-Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes or until cheese is browned.

Enjoy! :)

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Trust me when I tell you this, these quesadillas are delicious. It's a different take on using flour tortillas. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The bbq sauce and pineapple gives this dish a sweetness but it's not overwhelming.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Serves: 4
Adapted by: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/bbq-chicken-quesadillas-3/

Ingredients
2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced
1 cup barbecue sauce (sweet baby ray's is suggested and that is what we used)
8 whole grain/whole wheat flour tortillas, or whatever tortillas you prefer
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat colby-jack cheese, shredded
nonstick cooking spray

Directions
-In a bowl, combine the chicken and bbq sauce and set aside.
-Spray a nonstick skillet or cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Lay one tortilla in the skillet and top with 1/4 of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with onion and pineapple. Top with shredded cheese and lay other tortilla on top.
-Cook about 2 minutes per side or until crisp and melted.
-Repeat with remaining ingredients.
-Serve immediately.

Enjoy! :)

Pasta Primavera with Light Mozzarella Sauce

This dish is a must try! It's incredibly delicious and still feels light for a pasta dish. You won't need any sides because it is filling and it has protein, starch, and veggies.

Pasta Primavera with Light Mozzarella Sauce
Serves: 4
Adapted by: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/pasta-primavera-with-light-mozzarella-sauce/

Ingredients
1 cup or 8 oz dry pasta - I used whole grain orecchiette pasta
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/3 cup frozen mixed veggies
2 links all natural chicken or turkey sausage, diced
1 teaspoon black pepper

sauce
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons reduced fat milk

Directions
-Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente.
-While pasta is boiling, warm a skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and saute veggies (bell pepper, zucchini, broccoli, and mixed veggies), and sausage together.
-Drain pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of pasta water.
-Add all ingredients together on medium low. Stir in the diced cheese, garlic powder, lemon juice, black pepper, and milk. Stir together until cheese melts. If it is too thick or dry looking, add the reserved pasta water.

Enjoy! :)

Healthier Cherry Crisp

I love different kinds of crisps and cobblers in the fall. You can do apple, peach, blueberry, mixed berry, cherry, etc... This cherry crisp is one of my favorite "go to" recipes when I want something sweet but don't want it loaded with fat and sugar. This tastes absolutely delicious topped with some vanilla frozen yogurt.

Healthier Cherry Crisp
Serves: 8 (cut recipe in half for 4 servings)
Adapted by: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cherry_almond_crumble.html

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sweet cherries (5 cups), fresh or frozen, pitted (I like fresh but used frozen because that is what the store had)
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts

Directions
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees and coat an 8 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
-In a bowl, combine cherries, raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Place in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
-In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt with a fork. Add butter and use a pastry blender or fingertips to make mixture crumbly. Add oil and stir together. Add orange juice concentrate and blend until all ingredients are moistened and crumbly.
-Remove baking dish from oven and sprinkle topping over the entire dish. Sprinkle walnuts on top.
-Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes.
-Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! :)

Green Chile, Sausage, Scrambled Egg Burritos

I love breakfast burritos. They are incredibly healthy, if you make them the right way, and they are super filling. You can make breakfast burritos almost any way you prefer, but this is one of my favorite kinds to make. I like to throw in a little spicy salsa on top of my eggs before I wrap up my burrito. Salsa verde is the perfect salsa if you wish to do this with these breakfast burritos.

Green Chile, Sausage, Scrambled Egg Burritos
Serves: 4

Ingredients
8 eggs
8oz Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage crumbles (much healthier than regular sausage crumbles)
4oz can diced green chiles
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
low carb/wheat flour tortillas
Salsa - optional

Directions
-In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add eggs and scramble lightly with a spatula. Cook until they are almost set and then stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
-Once eggs are scrambled and fluffy, add the sausage crumbles and green chiles. Stir gently but don't break up the eggs too much.
-You want the eggs to look a little wet still so they are not overdone and dry. Remove from heat.
-Add 1/4 of the mixture to a flour tortilla and top with salsa before wrapping like a burrito
-serve hot

Enjoy! :)

P.S. You could enjoy this on top of some wheat toast if you don't have tortillas. It is delicious either way.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Hash

It's Fall, which means I make lots of different butternut and acorn squash recipes. This truly is my favorite season of the year. I love the fall colors, the delicious and comforting fall foods, and I love being able to use some of my favorite veggies in meals.

This hash is really great with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I had it with some grilled pork chops for supper and then used leftovers in the morning in a whole wheat tortilla with scrambled egg whites.

Hope you enjoy this side dish as much as we did. :)

Butternut Squash & Bacon Hash
Serves: 2 to 4
Adapted by: http://greenlitebites.com/2012/09/04/butternut-hash-with-bacon-bits/

Ingredients
3 cups of cubed butternut squash (you can peel or leave skin on; I prefer to peel it with a potato peeler first)
4 tablespoons of center-cut, reduced fat bacon (you cook this separately and then crumble it up)
1/2 small red onion, diced - optional, but recommended
nonstick cooking spray
salt and pepper, for seasoning
1/4 cup of water
Optional - ketchup, for dipping

Directions
-Peel and cut squash into 1/2'' cubes.
-Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray or add about 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil.
-Add squash, diced onion, and a sprinkle of salt to the skillet. Cover the skillet.
-Let the squash cook for about 4 minutes, or until it starts to caramelize a little. Toss around and let it sit for another 4 minutes or so. Repeat and cook 4 more additional minutes, so 12 minutes total. You want the squash to be fork tender but not mushy.
-Add 1/4 cup of water and bacon bits. Toss everything together for 2 minutes.
-Remove lid and toss everything together one more time and then pile on a plate and serve warm.

Enjoy! :)

P.S. It's really good if you dip it in ketchup.

Homemade Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is one of those recipes where everyone makes it a little different. I actually make about 4 different variations of this in our house. This is just one of the recipes I use when I decide to cook this for meal.

Homemade Shepherd's Pie
Serves: 6
Adapted by: http://picky-palate.com/2010/09/07/homemade-shepherds-pie/

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds peeled potatoes, diced
3 tablespoons light butter
1/2 teaspoon lite salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Lawry's garlic salt
1 cup skim or reduced-fat milk

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon lite salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups green beans (can be frozen or canned, just drain if using canned)

3 tablespoons light butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour OR white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon lite salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
-Place potatoes in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water and add butter, salt, pepper, garlic salt and milk. Use a mixer or potato masher and make mashed potatoes. You want them nice and creamy.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, garlic, salt and pepper; cook until browned. Drain any grease and then return to pan. Stir in green beans and turn heat to low.
-To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, and slowly add in chicken broth. Mixture will become thick and creamy. Add this sauce to the meat mixture and stir together. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and pour mashed potatoes over the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
-Serve warm

Enjoy! :)

Bubble Up Enchiladas

I love Mexican food and I am always down for having it on the menu at least one a week. These bubble up enchiladas were perfect because they didn't take a lot of time to make and they were incredibly delicious and filling.

Bubble Up Enchiladas
Serves: 6
Adapted by: http://www.recipe-diaries.com/2011/05/23/bubble-up-enchiladas-weight-watcher-recipes-part-2/

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 10oz can enchilada sauce (you can use the red enchilada sauce or the mild green enchilada sauce)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 16oz can reduced fat biscuits (from the refrigerator section at the grocery store)
1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican Cheese

Green onions, salsa, reduced fat sour cream, etc... for toppings

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a skillet, brown the ground turkey and season with salt and pepper. Drain any grease when it is done cooking.
-Add enchilada sauce and tomato sauce to the cooked meat.
-Cut each biscuit into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture.
-Dump the entire contents into a greased baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.
-Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
-Add additional toppings and serve.

Enjoy! :)

Slow Cooker Garlic Ranch Chicken

We are now home from vacation. We had a great time in Tennessee and wish it had not gone by so quickly. When we come home from vacations, we really try to eat healthy and light for the next few weeks to make up for eating out a lot on vacation. This slow cooker recipe was perfect because I was exhausted and didn't want to put a lot of effort into our dinner last night. We had this chicken with some whole grain garden veggie rice and roasted green beans.

Slow Cooker Garlic Ranch Chicken
Serves: 4 to 6
Adapted by: http://cookingmimi.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/slow-cooker-garlic-ranch-chicken/

Ingredients
4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 10oz can cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
-Place chicken in the slow cooker.
-In a bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, garlic, ranch mix, and pepper.
-Pour mixture over chicken and cover the slow cooker.
-Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 4 hours.

Enjoy! :)

Nutella Kiss Cookies

It wasn't until this past year that I realized I liked Nutella. My mom never bought it when we were growing up so I just never had the thought to try it. I'm obsessed with it now and probably eat it more than I should. I put it on top of waffles, in my oatmeal, on graham crackers, etc...

These Nutella kiss cookies are like peanut butter kiss cookies but a million times better, in my opinion.

Nutella Kiss Cookies
Adapted by: http://www.somethingswanky.com/2012/09/nutella-kiss-cookies.html

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
36 hershey kisses, unwrapped

Directions
-In a large mixing bowl, combine the shortening and nutella and beat together until blended.
-Add 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until all combined.
-Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Combine well.
-Beat in the flour and make sure it is mixed completely.
-Scoop out rounded tablespoons and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
-Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until edges are set. It took mine 8 to 10 minutes.
-Once done baking, remove from the oven and place a hershey kiss in the center of each cookie. Let cool completely before serving.


Enjoy! :)

P.S. Bryan and I are going out of town to celebrate our wedding anniversary so I probably won't be posting anything for another week or so.

Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup

It's going to drop in temperature this coming weekend and I thought it would be ideal weather for soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. This soup does not disappoint. It has a great sweetness because of the corn and you can never go wrong with tomato soup. I like to serve grilled cheese sandwiches with this soup because you can dip them in the soup. :)

Roasted Sweet Corn and Tomato Soup
Serves: 6
Adapted by: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/08/roasted-sweet-corn-and-tomato-soup/

Ingredients
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 large cobs)
10 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups)
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, diced
8 oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
salt
pepper
optional: fresh herbs for garnish

Directions
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Place corn, tomatoes, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with two teaspoons olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, for seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are crinkled and roasted.
-Heat a large stock pan to medium high heat over the stove. Add remaining olive oil and onion. Saute for 5 minutes. Add roasted red peppers, chicken broth, paprika and chili powder. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
-When corn and tomatoes are done, add them to the pot and make sure to scrap all the bits left on the baking sheet into the stock pan.
-Bring to a boil and turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
-Use an immersion blender to blend some of the chunky pieces up to make the soup more smooth, if desired.
-Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
-Sprinkle fresh herbs on top, if desired.
-Serve hot

Enjoy! :)

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Casserole

I have been on a huge kick with wanting spinach and artichoke dip. I have a "skinny" recipe I've been making and we eat the dip with some wheat pita chips or multigrain tortilla chips. I decided that I wanted to find a casserole that included chicken and see how it came out. This recipe is so delicious and it was exactly what I thought it would be.

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Casserole
Serves: 6 to 8
Adapted by: http://iowagirleats.com/2011/03/21/you-need-to-make-this-casserole-ii-its-make-ahead-too/

Ingredients
8 oz whole wheat penne or bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon light butter
salt and pepper, to taste
2 small shallots, chopped
2 cups chicken, cut into small chunks (about 1 pound)
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 cut grated reduced fat parmesan cheese,divided
1 8oz package reduced fat colby jack cheese
14oz can artichokes, drained and chopped
10oz package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained completely
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon light butter, melted

Directions
-Cook pasta according to box directions.
-Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallot and chicken chunks and season. Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle and remove from heat.
-In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, italian seasoning and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Add in colby jack cheese, artichokes and spinach. Combine egg mixture with the chicken and pasta and pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.
-Cover pan with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
-While casserole is baking, combine remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, bread slice, and paprika into a food processor. Pulse until you have a bread crumb consistency. Add in melted butter.
-Once casserole has baked for 20 minutes, top with crumbs and then bake uncovered for 10 additional minutes.
-Serve hot

Enjoy! :)

Slow Cooker Adobo Pulled Pork

We love making adobo chicken, so my husband suggested we try this adobo pork recipe. It is an amazing pork dish that is super easy to make. It's perfect for a work day because you come home and it is all done. We served this pork over some brown rice and steamed some fresh green beans on the side.

Slow Cooker Adobo Pulled Pork
Serves: 7
Adapted by: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/slow-cooker-filipino-adobo-pulled-pork.html

Ingredients
1.75 pounds lean pork center loin, all fat trimmed
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
6 ground peppercorns
4 to 6 bay leaves
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions
-Place pork loin in the crockpot and top with soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and jalapeno.
-Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.
-Remove the bay leaves and shred the pork with two forks.
-Serve over rice or on it's own

Enjoy! :)

P.S. We think this would be really good in tacos or burritos.