Strawberry banana oatmeal smoothie

I saw this on Pinterest and tweeked it to my liking.

 1 ripe banana
 5 strawberries
 1 pack of instant oatmeal(plain,cooked)
 Almonds(handful)
 1 pack Splenda
 1 5.3 oz. greek yogurt(I used Oikos honey yogurt)
 Ice(couple handfuls,it depends on the consistency you like)

 Add all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy:)

Vibrant veggie pasta

Ingredients:
 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
 1 tsp red pepper flakes
 2 cloves of garlic
 2 small zucchini
 1 bunch asparagus
 1 pint grape tomatoes
 10-12 baby bella mushrooms
 1 13 oz box of whole wheat penne pasta
 Grated parmesan cheese
 1/2 tsp pepper
 Salt(optional)



 Put olive oil in a large frying pan and heat to med-med high heat. Grate garlic  into olive oil and add red pepper flakes also. Cook while stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Cut  asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes. Cut zucchini into coins and slice mushrooms. Add those and tomatoes into pan. Season with pepper and stir while cooking until asparagus is tender crisp(10-12 minutes). While that is cooking,cook pasta according to directions,drain,set aside,saving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add pasta and veggie mixture back into pasta pot on low heat. Add half of the reserved pasta water and a palmful of grated parmesan cheese,mix together gently.If you like it saucier,add rest of water w/ a little more cheese. Enjoy:)

Twisted corn muffins

 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread muffin mix
 2 large eggs
 2/3 cups milk
 1 jar of sliced jalapenos(you will only be using a little bit of this jar,but there are so many other uses for these,they will not goto waste)
 1/2 cup finely shredded cheese


 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together muffin mix,eggs, and milk in bowl. Then,take 2 tbsps. of the jalapeno juice in the jar and add to bowl. Dice 6-8 jalapenos and add. Last,add in cheese. Mix gently until blended together. Put in a greased muffin pan and cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy:)

Simply grilled Asian salmon

 4 salmon fillets(around 6 oz. each)
 2 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
 1 large red bell pepper(sliced into thin strips)
 1/4 cup sesame,soy,ginger salad dressing
 Pepper to taste


In a bowl,combine veggies and dressing. Mix gently and set aside. Place salmon on double thickness tinfoil. Add a pinch of pepper to each fillet. Distribute even amtount of veggie mixture to each piece of salmon. Fold tinfoil up into a pocket. Grill on med heat,covered for about 15-20 minutes or until it becomes flaky. I serve this over brown rice(with a little dressing mixed in) Enjoy :)

Chicken and 'shroom bake

 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast tenders
 1 bag pre washed spinach
 Baby bella mushrooms(2 cups,chopped)
 Garlic(2 cloves,grated)
 1 16 oz box of ziti or rigatoni
 2 10 oz. bags Sargento shredded swiss/guyere cheese
 Sherry(couple of splashes)
 Olive oil (2-3 tbsp.)
 Thyme(1/4 tsp.)
 Oregano(1/4 tsp.)
 Butter(1 tbsp.)
 Salt and pepper to taste


 In a pot boil noodles to aldente and set aside. In a large bowl,add chicken,thyme,oregano,salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix well. Put onto a cookie sheet and bake in a pre heated oven(375 degrees) for about 12-13 minutes or until cooked. Take out of oven and dice chicken when cooled a bit. Set aside. While the chicken is cooking,use a large non stick pan. Add the remaining olive oil,heat on med heat,add grated garlic cloves and continuously stir for about 2 minutes. Add spinach to garlic and cook until wilted. In another pot,add butter and cook on med high heat,add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of sherry to deglaze pot. Let it cook out for a few minutes. Take a large bowl and mix all cooked ingredients together. Add about half to a non stick cake pan(or whatever pans you have for oven use) add 1st bag of cheese. Add rest of mixture and top with remaining cheese. Cook in a preheated 375 degree oven until cheese is melted. Enjoy:)

Enchilada casserole

1 14 oz. bag of shredded Mexican cheese
2 lbs. chicken breast(diced)
1 19 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 15 oz. can black beans(drained)
1 15 oz. can corn(drained)
1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles(drained)
1 pack white corn tortillas
Pepper to taste
Non stick pan
Non stick spray


 Pre heat oven to 375.
 Spray pan with non stick spray and put chicken in pan. Season w/ pepper and cook on medium heat until not pink. Add black beans,corn,chiles,and a little bit of enchilada sauce to chicken and heat through. Take your pan(I use a 14 x 10 cake pan),spray w/ a little non stick spray,then put a few tbsps of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Then just start to layer. First,take the tortillas,5-6. Then use maybe a third of the chicken mixture,on top of that spread some enchilada sauce,and a sprinkle of cheese. Repeat 2 times. When chicken mixture is done,layer top with tortillas,remaining sauce,and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. OLE!


 They are many variations to this recipe. If you do not like the taste of corn tortillas,use flour. We like the chunkiness of diced chicken,but ground chicken or ground beef is very good too.

HELLO

I will be returning to the blog,finally next weeek with more yummy recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you then.