Kale Chips

kale chips are a good way to get your greens with a satisfying crunch.
they're good for you, addicting & you can play around with them by adding different seasonings & even Parmesan cheese to mix it up.

i should also mention that they're super easy & cheap. i think you can grab 1 ton of kale for like $3.99.
score.

Kale Chips
You Need:
1 bunch of kale
olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
seasoning to taste (garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, etc etc)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

rinse your kale & dry it well. use a salad spinner or some paper towels.
line a baking sheet with parchment paper & lay out your kale (try not to over crowd)

rub down your kale with a small amount of olive oil (just enough to give it a sheen) & sprinkle liberally with sea or kosher salt (& other seasonings if you so desire)

pop your baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 min (keep an eye on them- you just want them crispy, not burnt)
if you're adding parmesan cheese, taken them out at the 10 minute mark- sprinkle with cheese & pop them back in for another 3-5 minutes)

remove, shovel them into a bowl & enjoy.

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks

asparagus makes your pee smell funny. like, right away. you can eat it, pee 3 minutes later & you'll be like, "la la l...what the hell..?"
& if your 2 1/2 year old is in the bathroom with you she may not have mastered the art of manners yet & she'll say something like, "mamma, i smell something...is that your pee? your pee stinks!"

i love you too kiddo.

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks (adapted from how sweet eats)
You Need:
1 bunch of asparagus
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions: Pre heat your oven to 425. Cover a baking sheet with foil & set a wire rack on top.
Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears. On 2 plates lay out the beated eggs & panko+flour+cheese. Toss in some salt & pepper if you wish & start coating each spear frst in egg & then in the breadcrumb mixture.

 Lay each spear down on the wire rack.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or so, until brown & crispy.

Eat them all & don't feel guilty.

Avocado Mac & Cheese

 a long time ago (like 6 months) i used to not like avocado. i know, wtf right? that stuff is crazy good. creamy, buttery, fresh...i could go on but this a PG blog.

well, since getting away from that dark period in my life i've been trying to incorporate avocado into just about everything. & what better way than macaroni & cheese? none.

Avocado Mac & Cheese (adapted from 2 peas & their pod)
You Need:

10 ounces dry macaroni (i used shells)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or 1 tblsp of the stuff in the squeeze bottle)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in the pasta Stir and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime/lemon juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in shredded cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy.

5. OPTIONAL- Place the panko breadcrumbs in a bowl with about 1 tblsp melted butter. Stir together. Grease a few (or 1 large) baking dishes & spoon in the macaroni mixture.

Sprinkle the Panko over the top & bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

 Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.

Note-the lime/lemon juice keeps the avocado from browning. The mac and cheese is best eaten the first day, but it is still good the second day. The pasta may turn slightly brown, but not bad. You can totally change up the cheese flavors as you wish.

Skinny Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

eating a cheesburger is something i used to do without batting an eye. but now days, after 2 kids & 28 years on this earth, i have to actually think about what passes my lips. not because i'm incredibly healthy or striving for a clean, raw diet- but because sometime my pants don't button & that makes me stabby.

but this creation allows me to indulge without guilt. i approve.

Skinny Grilled Cheesburger Wraps (adapted from skinny mom's kitchen)

You Need:

1 lb lean ground beef (93/7)

1 tblsp worchestershire sauce

1 tblsp ketchup

1 tblsp grated Parmesan

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp pepper & 1/8 tsp salt

6 80 calorie wraps (i used Fiber One)

6 slices of American cheese (2% works)

2 large tomatoes, slices

1-2 cups lettuce

addtl ketchup & mustard

Directions: In a medium skillet brown your beef & toss in all your seasonings + the 1 tblsp of ketchup. Mix together & make sure the beef is cooked through. Drain your meat (if needed)

Start putting together your wraps. Lay out a wrap, add the cheese & top with about 1/2 cup beef. Then layer on the lettuce & tomatoes. Lastly, add the addtl ketchup & mustard.

 Heat up your indoor grill (or you can be like me & use something that goes on your stovetop) & fold up each wrap as tightly as you can. Place seam side down on the grill & let it ride until you get some sweet grill marks.

Flip over your wraps & grill for another 2-3 minutes.
Let your wraps sit for about 2-3 minutes, slice on the diagonal & start feeding your face hole.

These were crazy good. & at only 300ish calories per wrap...well, that's a wrap.

p.s. i wrapped one in foil & re-heated it in the toaster oven for lunch the next day. it was still awesome.

Chipotle's Inspired Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef

another staple (besides Cilantro Lime Rice) in my Chipotle burrito is their Barbacoa Beef.  it's a spicy shredded beef that they braise in magic. magic that i assume consists of chipotle adobe, cumin, cloves, garlic, onions & etc etc. 

sadly, the 1/2 cup or so serving that they allot you is not nearly enough.

& sadly again, daily Chipotle is not in the budget. but snagging a $10 rump roast from the grocery store & popping it in the crockpot is more than doable. 

Chipotle's Inspired Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef (adapted from skinny taste)

You Need:

3 lbs beef eye or round or rump round roast, fat trimmed

5 cloves of garlic

1/2 medium onion

1/2 lime, juiced

2-4 chipotles in adobe sauce (i used 2)

1 tblsp ground cumin

1 tblsp ground oregano

1/2 tsp ground cloves

salt & pepper

3 bay leaves

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup water

Directions: Place the garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chipotles & cloves in a food chopper (i used the mini Ninja chopper & it took like 10 seconds) or blender. Puree.

Trim all the fat off the beef & cut into 4 inch chunks. Rub with the olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Toss the beef into a crock pot along with the water, bay leaves & pureed spices. 

Cook on low for 8 hours. Once your beef is tender, remove it from the crock pot with a slotted spoon. Place it into a medium sized bowl & shred with 2 forks. Once shredded, put the beef into a small saucepan along with about 1 cup of the liquid from the crock pot. Add a little more cumin & adobe sauce (to taste) & simmer uncovered on low for about 10-15 minutes.

I served this over Cilantro Lime Rice & some sauteed corn. I also tossed on a handful of shredded cheese & a scoop of sour cream. crazy good.
















this makes about 9 servings @ 4oz each.
- 161 calories
- 5.0g fat
- 24.9g protein
- 2.8g carbs
- 0.7g fiber

Chipotle's "Skinny" Cilantro Lime Rice

normally cilantro & i don't get along very well. i find it rather pungent & overwhelming. but then along came Chipotle, with their Cilantro Lime Rice, to make a believer out of me.

"would you like some cilantro lime rice with that?"
"cilantro? ew. no thanks."
"it's really good. like, seriously."
"weeeell...i don't know..."
::girl puts rice in my burrito::
"i promise you'll love it & if you don't your lunch is on us."
"oh snap. thanks!"
::i eat rice. the heavens open & shine down on said girl. she looks at me & smiles knowingly::

yes. that is exactly how it happened.

i'd eat it daily if my wallet & waistline were none the wiser.
but i'll settle for every now & again...& now with this recipe, a couple times per month.

(please see below that i have directions for your rice cooker & the stovetop)

Chipotle's "Skinny" Cilantro Lime Rice (adapted from skinny taste)
You Need:
1 1/2 cups of white Jasmine rice*
the juice of 1/2 a lime
2 cups of water*
1tsp salt
1 1/2 tblsp blended cilantro
3 tsp vegetable oil

*Rice Cooker Directions: Pour your rice, water & 1 tsp oil into your rice cooker. Cook rice according to directions. Let the rice sit for a good 15-20 minutes after it's done.
Once it's ready, add the remaining oil & the lime juice, cilantro & salt. Toss together until completely mixed.

Stovetop Directions: Cut the rice down to 1 cup. In a medium saucepan add the rice, water, 1 tsp of oil & the salt. Boil on high until the water just skims the top of the ride. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat & leave it covered for another 5-10 minutes.

Toss with the above ingredients as directed.

Now- you can go ahead & use fresh cilantro if that's what floats your boat- but since i don't keep cilantro on hand (fresh) i used this stuff instead:

it's super convenient & allows me to have "fresh" herbs on hand that last. i do think it's pretty strong so i cut it down to 1 1/2 tblsp vs. the 3 that you can use if you use fresh cilantro.

this makes 4 servings (3/4 cup) at:
- 201 calories
- 3.4 fat
- 37.4 carbs
4.0 g protein

i actually upped my rice to 2 cups & 3 cups of water & made extra to freeze for lunches later in the week. i layer it up with some corn, cheese, sour cream & Barbacoa Beef & it's like i'm sitting in Chipotle.

p.s. i ALWAYS use my rice cooker to make rice. for whatever reason i usually FAIL at stovetop rice- so a rice cooker is the way to go in my opinion.

p.p.s. this pairs perfectly with some Chipotle's Inspired Barbacoa Beef

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

cookies made with Italian cheese...intriguing. & amazing. & a great way to get rid of the extra ricotta cheese in your fridge. if you have any- like i always seem to (lofty goals to make lasagna...blah blah)

these are fluffy & cakey & packed with lemon flavor. i purposely made them on my "cheat" day so i could inhale 2...or 7.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies (via sweet peony)
You Need:
For the Cookies:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 sick unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 (15 oz) container of whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tblsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tblsp lemon juice
the zest of 1 lemon

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 & line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper
For the cookies: Sift together the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of astand mixer, cream together the butter & sugar until fluffy (3 min or so). Add the eggs 1 at a time & beat after each one until incorporated. Add the ricotta, lemon juice & zest. Combine.

Turn the mixer to low & add in the dry ingredients.
Scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets & bake for 12-15 min, or just until lightly browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool or a few mintes & transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients n a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Spoon about 1/2 tsp of the glaze onto each cookie & gently spread.
Allow the glaze to harden for 2 hours.
Enjoy!

Might I also suggest snagging one of these while still warm, spreading it with glaze & eating it asap. Divine.

* i got about 55 cookies @ 93 calories per serving (1 cookie = 1 serving)