Chicken & Asparagus Tostadas

So with the school year starting back my meals to go business has be SUPER busy again!! Which is awesome & I am so thankful for the pickup in my business, but as you can tell it has left me with no time to post recipes :( Well today I had a day off so Tracy & I got a little time to recipe experiment!! We started off our day with a some Cheese & Egg Biscuit Minis. These are great to do on Sunday to have for a quick breakfast during the week. I put our extras in snack size ziplocs (2 minis in each bag) to be able to grab & go!!

Cheese & Egg Biscuit Minis
6 large eggs
Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Butter Tastin Biscuits
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbs lite sour cream

Preheat oven to 350
Take the biscuits out of the tube & cut each one on half giving you 16 mini biscuits. Bake for 10-14 minutes. Remove & let cool on a rack.
While the biscuits are baking beat eggs in a medium size bowl. Add sour cream & cheese to the eggs. Spray mufin tins & divide the egg mixture between 16 muffin cups. Bake for 10-14 minutes.
When the biscuits have cooled  cut each one open & add a cheesy egg piece.

Servings: 16   1 biscuit= 142 Cal 7.7g fat 3 WW pts 


We also got a little creative with dinner tonight!!! I had some asparagus in my fridge & wanted to use it because I LOVE asparagus & so does Tracy. This recipe may sound a little odd but trust me the flavors definitely work together to make a yummy & lite dinner.

Chicken & Asparagus Tostadas
3 cups of chopped asparagus ( or 1 bundle chopped into bite size pieces)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 chicken breasts cooked & cubed (about 2 cups)
1 can Green Giant Mexican corn
1 can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp Slap Ya Momma (or other cajun seasoning)
12 white corn tortillas
12 Tbs of your favorite hummus
1 cup of shredded Fiesta cheese

Preheat oven to 400
Spread the 12 tortillas on a stone baking sheet or cookie sheet. You can drizzle with olive oil if you want, but I didn't this time. Bake for 15-20 mins until they are crispy.
Heat oil in a large pan. Using a garlic press mince garlic cloves. Add asparagus & garlic to the pan & cook for 10 mins.

Add the chicken, Mexican corn & black beans.cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, & seasoning. Cook for 15-20 mins or until the chicken is heated all the way.

Spread 1 Tbs of hummus on each tortilla to start your tostadas. Divide the chicken & asparagus mixture between the tostadas & top with the cheese.

Servings: 12   1 tostada= 242 Cal 8.9g fat 5 WW pts

Sausage & Peach Pork Chops

Sometimes the greatest recipes are ones that combine flavors that you'd NEVER think to combine like fruits & cheeses. To me pork chops are a comfort dish that can be simply seasoned with salt, pepper, & rosemary or smothered with onions & gravy, or of course down in the South fried pork chops!!! However after finding this recipe I must say out with the old ways & in with these new mouth watering stuffed pork chops. This dish combines sausage, peaches, & pepper jack cheese for a stuffing that is out of this world!!! Definitely comfort food worthy.

Sausage & Peach Stuffed Pork Chops
6 boneless pork chops
1 pound mild sausage
1/2 of a red onion chopped
 4 peaches, peeled & diced
1 1/2 cups of pepper jack cheese grated
1/4 of a cup of Italian dressing

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbs lemon pepper
1/2 Tbs garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown sausage in a skillet breaking up the meat until done. Drain. In a large bowl combine the sausage, onion, peaches, cheese, Italian dressing, & the red pepper flakes. Stir until mixed well.

With a sharp knife butterfly each pork chop by slicing horizontally, almost through to the other side.

 

Fill each pork chop generously with stuffing then place in a baking dish.

Sprinkle lemon pepper & garlic salt on top of the pork chops.

Bake covered for 45 mins.

Serves 6

1 serving: 501 Calories 36.5g fat Carbs 13.1 WWpts 13

A Pretty In Pink Treat

I know this is not a recipe but I must share my newly discovered treat!!! So after making it 4 days straight running I decided a reward was in order, especially after today. This morning my mom & I walked over 3 miles then around 5:30 decided to go run...and that we did. We only jogged an extra mile but it was our fastest mile so far!!! Yes I feel a "WOOHOO" is in order. For the first time in 4 days this evening I felt like I kicked that run's butt, instead of the run kicking mine.

Anyway back to my must share........

 

Not too rich, not overly sweet, not too big...this creamy pink bar of deliciousness is JUST RIGHT and it's only 100 calories!!! These bars are definitely now a staple in our freezer!!! Check them out for yourself & let me know what you think.

Dinner Scavenger Hunt

So after a busy day ends & dinner time closes in on you, sometimes the only choice you have is to raid your freezer/fridge & pantry on a "Master Chef" type mission to find something...ANYTHING you can throw together for dinner. Today was that day for me. On my scavenger hunt I managed to find 3pieces of grilled chicken breasts, brown rice, & frozen peas....woohoo!! Well not really however a recipe idea came to me. Earlier today I did an order of honey glazed chicken for a customer & my house STILL smelled like yummy curry & honey, so I decided to make a kind of stir-fry with my findings!!! This was a really quick & easy meal & it was really tasty too!!! Please feel free to let me know what you think of this recipe.

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry
3 grilled chicken breasts
1 cup of brown rice
2 1/2 cups of water
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup of honey
1/8 cup of brown sugar
2 Tbs of low sodium soy sauce
the juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp curry
8 oz of frozen peas
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet combine brown rice & water. Bring to a boil & cover. Reduce temperature & simmer for about 35 mins or until almost done.

Meanwhile cut chicken into bite size cubes. 

When the rice is ready add the cubed chicken, onions, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, & curry. Cook until the rice is finished & chicken is warmed completely (about 10 mins). Add the peas & stir to combine. Turn heat off & cover skillet. Let stand for 5 mins.

Serves: 5    1 serving: 320 Calories  3g of fat  4.3g of fiber  6 weight watchers points

Vi-Shape Smoothie

Ok so I have a confession.....I did not even come close to 30 days without meat :( There are, however LOTS of fruits & veggies in our house AND I have started running again in the park. Today my mom met me & we did a little over 3 miles jogging & walking both but the goal is eventually NO walking....except to the car when we are finished. I normally don't get super excited about  running, sweating ridiculously or growing GILLS to breathe outside down here in south Louisiana, but I did like the energy boost afterward. I do get excited about a post run smoothie though!!! I use a shake mix called Vi-Shape by Body by Vi. It tastes really good, it's gluten & lactose free, loaded with vitamins & only 90 calories or 2 scoops. These recipe options are endless but this was one of the yummy creations we made today!!

Honey Berry Smoothie

1 cup of mixed berries (frozen or fresh)

2/3 of a cup of fat free milk

2 scoops of Body By Vi shake mix (or your favorite protein mix)

2 tsp of honey

1/4 tsp of cinnamon

3-4 ice cubes

 Combine all ingredients into a Pampered Chef Manual Food Processor (or blender) & blend until smooth!

 Nutritional info: 278 Calories  1.2g Fat  50.9g Carbs  18.1g Protein 633.3mg Potassium

The Fruit Of Summer

On a hot humid summer day, there is nothing better than super cold fresh pineapple!!! I know, I know, watermelon is supposed to be the official summer fruit but fresh pineapple is a tiny bite of summer in your mouth. It's sweet, tangy, juicy, sticky, and sunny....the definition of summer in my opinion. I don't know too many people that don't like pineapple, but I know plenty that either don't know how to cut up the fruit, or just don't want the trouble of messing with it. Well Pampered Chef's pineapple wedger solves both those problems. It's really easy to use & I soooooo LOVE this product!!!!

To remove the top lay the pineapple on it's side and twist until it comes off. Cut both ends.

Place the wedger in the center of the pineapple lining up the middle circle with the core.

Holding the handles use a rocking motion to press down & cut through the fruit.

Remove the peels. Then remove the fruit halves.

Slice & enjoy!!!!!!!!

To order your "summer saving" pineapple wedger visit my Pampered Chef site: www.pamperedchef.biz/theredheadedcook

Happy 4th Of July

Grilling outside is a necessity on the 4th of July & it is totally unpatriotic not to eat a hamburger on this day!! So yes my 30 days of no meat has been compromised. Instead of a normal grilled burger, we took a yummy favorite recipe & put a little "swamp flare" to it!!  These turtle burgers are a really fun way to get the kids involved in the kitchen. Not only did Tracy have a blast creating her very own turtle burger, so did her uncles.

Turtle Burgers:
3 lbs of ground beef
1 egg
1/4th of a red onion finely diced
1/2 cup of salsa
2 tsp Slap Ya Momma (or other Cajun seasoning)
1 1/2 tsp of Pampered Chef Chili Lime Rub

2 packs of hot dog wieners
2 packs of bacon
1 block of cheese sliced into 7 pieces

In a large bowl combine beef, egg, onion, salsa, Slap Ya Momma, & the chili lime rub. Use your hands to mix until everything is combined. Pat out 14 patties.

To make the turtle's body cut franks in into thirds. This will give you enough pieces for each turtle to have 4 legs, a head, & a tail.Take your knife & make small cuts in the end of the "feet" pieces.

Cut the "tail" pieces into a triangle shape.

 

 Top 7 of the patties with cheese then place feet, tail, and head hotdogs in place. Place the remaining meat on top of each hamburger.

Take the bacon and weave it like a basket. Cut some of the fat off the outside of the bacon to make it straight. Then place the bacon weave on top of each turtle burger. You can place toothpicks into the burgers to keep the hotdogs in place.

Cook on the grill until burgers are done.

No lions, no tigers, no clowns. Oh my!

Beautiful bright colored feathery costumes, sweet sticky pink cotton candy, the booming voice of the ringmaster filling the stadium, sharp gasps from those in their seats quickly followed by the roar of applause after the tight rope walker makes it to safety....all of the things are just a tiny part of the magic that is the CIRCUS!!!! 

Saturday night we took Tracy to the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey's circus along with her cousins.To say it was a little disappointing would be a huge understatement. The most "magical" part of the show was the fact that we all sat through the whole thing...Ta-da!!! A friend that was with us summed it up quite nicely. She said she didn't know we were going to a dance recital!! 

There were no lions, tigers, or even clowns!! Now I will admit clowns aren't my favorite part but seriously a circus without clowns is not a circus at all. I did however create some circus inspired snack to get Tracy pumped up Saturday afternoon before we left. I called the first Clown Trail Mix, which only now makes me laugh since there weren't ANY clowns there! Oh well she had fun making these colorful & super easy snacks!!!

Clown Trail Mix

1 100 calorie bag of kettle corn popped
21 pieces of rainbow twizzler twists
1 cup of fruit loops
2/3 of a cup of party peanuts
40 frosted animal cookies
2 cups of mini marshmallows

Cut the rainbow twizzlers into bite size pieces. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients to combine. Then enjoy this yummy colorful treat!!!
 Serves:16    1/2 a cup: 185 Calories   7g fat   28 Carbs

 

Yogurt Covered Circus Animals

2 cups of vanilla or strawberry yogurt

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 bag of animal crackers

Sprinkles

•  
•  Preheat oven to 250°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the powdered sugar into the yogurt one cup at a time with a hand mixer.
• Dip the animal crackers, one at a time into the yogurt mixture and place them on the wire cooling rack. Shake sprinkles on the top while wet.
• (Place a cookie sheet under the wire rack to catch the excess yogurt that drips from the crackers.)
• Once all the animal crackers are coated, turn the oven off and place the wire rack and cookie sheet in. Leave the door slightly open
• Allow yogurt to harden for 3-4 hours, remove from oven, and keep animal crackers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• 
  

Where's The Chicken?

So this is day number 3 of no meat. Last night I began to crave chicken salad....I don't know about you but a good chicken salad can make my whole week go better! It is one of my absolute favorite foods whether it's on ciabatta bread, cute mini croissants, or rolled up in a crisp romaine leaf. Well instead of giving in and bailing out way before my 30 days of no meat are up I headed to the kitchen with a grand...no DIET SAVING idea: "Chickenless Chicken Salad." The finished product was a HIT to say the least, my youngest brother (who's a 5th grader) and Tracy (my 2 year old) ate theirs with nothing but a fork. As for the rest of my anxious recipe testers, we ate our salad on mini hoagies. My "Chickenless Chicken Salad" tasted exactly the same as my regular chicken salad recipe I use!!!

Chickenless Chicken Salad:

4 cups of frozen cauliflower
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup light sour cream
half of a lemon's juice
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sliced red grapes
half of a red onion diced
2 celery stalks diced
2/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
 salt & pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the cauliflower for about 10 mins until it's cooked but not mushy. Let the cauliflower cool completely.
Meanwhile in a large bowl combine the light mayo, light sour cream, lemon juice, & the red wine vinegar. Stir in the sliced grapes, diced red onions, chopped celery, & the almonds.
Once the cauliflower has cooled roughly chop, then add to the salad mixture & stir well. You can enjoy this yummy recipe right away but it is a lot better chilled. So if you can wait let it refrigerate!!

Serves: 6
1 serving: 238 Calories  16.4g fat  16.9g Carbs 

Strawberry Spinach Salad & Homemade bread

Since I am starting this blog I figured I'd also start some new healthier eating habits as well. I am in no way opposed to eating meat. I like chicken, steak, fish...all of God's delicious little creatures, however for the next 30 days I am giving up meat. We really don't eat enough fresh fruits & veggies at my house so for the next 30 days we are going to get them back in our diets. During the hot summers down here in the swamplands of Louisiana a simple dinner of salad & homemade bread is  more than enough to suffice! Plus my little one absolutely LOVES salads.

Strawberry Spinach Salad:
 Salad:
4 cups of baby leaf spinach
1 cup of fresh sliced strawberries  
1/4 of a medium red onion sliced
1/2 cup feta crumbled
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1Tbs water
3 tsp sugar

Dressing:
1/2 tsp honey dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs red wine vingegar
2 tsp sugar3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Serves: 5  1 serving= 16.3g fat  14.2g carbs  210 Calories

Heat water, sugar, & pecans in a small saucepan on medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and the pecans turn golden. Pour onto a piece of parchment paper and spread them out. Allow pecans to cool.

Put the spinach in a large bowl then top with strawberries, sliced onions, & feta.

In a medium size bowl whisk together the dijon, salt, poppy seeds, honey, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, & the sugar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add the cooled pecans & toss together!!

This is my absolute favorite bread recipe EVER!!! It's a little time consuming but soooo worth it. This is a great recipe to let kid's help out on too. Plus kneading dough is a surprising workout.

 
 

Homemade French Bread:

2 packages (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 c. warm water

1/2 tsp. sugar

 

2 c. boiling water 

2 tbsp. sugar 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. salt

 

7 1/2 - 8 c. flour

 

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp. milk

Dissolve the yeast and 1/2 tsp. sugar in the 1/2 cup of warm water.

 

Bring the additional 2 cups of water to a boil. Once it's at a rolling boil, add the oil, salt, and 2 tbsp. sugar and stir to combine.

 

Let the boiling water mixture cool to lukewarm, and then add the yeast mixture to it.

 

Mix together the water mixture, yeast mixture, and the flour with a wooden spoon. Once it's combined, knead (yep here's your workout segment) on a well floured surface for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn the dough, so it's coated. Cover with a floured towel or greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

 

Punch down and let rest 15 minutes.

 

Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out each half to about a 12"x15" rectangle. At this point I spread 2 Tbs of butter over each half of the dough then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan & 2 Tbs of the Pampered Chef Garlic & Herb Rub. Roll up the rectangle, starting with the 15" edge.

 

Place the two dough rolls on a greased cookie sheet and make 4 or 5 slashes diagonally across the top of each. Let rise until doubled.

 

Once doubled, mix together the egg and milk and brush on the loaves.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves: 2 loaves (about 36 slices total)  1 slice=.9g fat  3.9g Carbs   100 Calories

You can make your bread plain without anything in it, you can make it a sweet bread & add butter, cinnamon & sugar, or spicy by adding cheddar & jalapenos....the possibilities are endless.

A New That

I am a mom first and most importantly!!! I am the owner of a small meals to go and catering shop in New Iberia, LA during the day, but at night I am a monster fighting, story telling, barbie doll playing, hair braiding, fairy tale believer. Motherhood and cooking fill my day with hectic schedules, down to the wire food deliveries and LOTS of daily hilarity  from my daughter Tracy. 

I have never done a blog before but am totally in love with cooking and all things food. It is my form of therapy! I love to create new recipes and find ways to let my 2 year old "Master Chef" help me in the kitchen without too much extra mess. I have been blessed with a NON PICKY child who enjoys all kinds of foods, which allows a lot of flexibility in our kitchen. I use the word "our" because even though my daughter is only 2, she is extremely opinionated about food (among other things) and loves to help cook.  The menus I create at my shop allow a lot of room for creativity from week to week, but the tales of the "test kitchen" we call home are the most fun. Cooking is my job, my passion, and is a daily adventure that has allowed us to explore everything from Paleo recipes to homemade doggie treats and everything in between This blog is a sharing of our bites of this.....and that!