Breadsticks

I think I found this recipe out of a cookbook a long time ago. It's one of my many favorite. Since I had so much marinara sauce left over from the meatloaf, I started craving breadsticks to dip into it!

2 1/2-3c flour or bread flour
1T rosemary
1T sugar
1tsp salt
1pkg yeast
3T olive or vegetable oil
1c very warm water
shortening
1/4c parmesan (The shredded kind not the grated Kraft kind you put on pizza. Shredded is the only way to go when you're using it to cook with!)
coarse (Kosher) salt
cornmeal

In a large bowl mix 1c of the flour, rosemary, sugar, salt and yeast. Add oil and warm water. Beat with mixer on medium speed 3 min. Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Place on lightly floured surface and knead 5-8 minutes until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening and roll dough ball around to coat. Cover loosely and let rise 30 minutes. Dough is ready when indentation remains when touched. Spray cookie sheet to grease. Sprinkle cornmeal if desired. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll and shape each. Place 1/2in apart on sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and parmesan. Cover loosely and let rise 20 minutes while you heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Before the oven^^

After the oven^^

YUM!

Italian Meatloaf

Surprisingly, I love this meatloaf. The recipe came from the P90X nutrition plan as well. Serves 4.

1/2c onion, diced
2T chicken broth, low sodium
2T garlic, minced (or 1/2tsp garlic powder)
1 1/2lb ground turkey breast
1/2c bread crumbs
1/2c + 2T marinara sauce
2T fresh basil, chopped (1/2-1tsp dried)
2T parsley, chopped (1/2-1tsp dried)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in the chicken broth until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool slightly. In large mixing bowl, combine onion mixture with turkey, break crumbs, 1/2c marinara sauce, basil, and parsley. Form mixture into loaf. Place in an ungreased loaf pan. Brush with the remaining 2T marinara sauce and bake 30-45 minutes. Drain off fat and let cool 20 minutes before cutting into 8 slices.

Protein packed deliciousness. :)

Sorry I forgot to take a picture before I cut into it!!!

Grilled Chicken Burrito

Here's another recipe from the P90X nutrition plan. :) Tastes good!

This is what you need to make one serving, not an entire batch:

6oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2c tomatoes, chopped
2T cilantro, chopped
2T red onion, chopped
1/2c lettuce, shredded
1/8 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
1T low-fat sour cream
1 whole wheat tortilla
1/2c salsa

Grill or bake chicken breast at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Cool and slice into thin strips. Place tortilla in mircrowave between 2 wet paper towels and cook 10 seconds. Add the tomatoes and onion to the salsa. Take tortilla and put chicken, salsa mixture, cilantro, lettuce, avocado, and sour cream. Roll it up and enjoy!

The pictures for this one didn't turn out, but I assure you it's quite tasty. ^_^

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

I got this amazingly delicious recipe from the P90X nutrition plan! It's good for you and tastes delicious!

1/4c soy sauce
1/2 red onion, chopped
1T garlic, minced (or 1/4tsp garlic powder--but fresh tastes better!)
1 1/2lb top sirloin steak, sliced 1in thick strips (I actually used 1lb of ground beef instead--I like it alot better and it's cheaper!)
1T sesame oil
2T rice vinegar
1T ginger root, minced (or 1/4tsp ground ginger)
4c broccoli
8oz dried soba noodles

Bring 2qt of water to a boil. Meanwhile heat soy sauce in a large skillet; add onions and garlic and saute until opaque. Add beef and saute, turning often with tongs for 7-10 minutes until no longer pink. Stir together sesame oil, rice vinegar and ginger root, and mix well; add to saute mix. Boil the broccoli in the 2qt of water until they are tender. Remove broccoli from the water, and add to the meat mixture. Boil the soba noodles in the same water for 2-3 minutes. Drain the water and toss the noodles and meat/broccoli mixture together!

This tastes sooooo good it's made it into my top 10!

Slow Cooked Tri-Tip Roast with Vegetables

This roast was heaven, especially after a good workout lol. The meat was so juicy and delicious it just fell apart on your plate. The only thing I changed when writing it is taking out the dillweed. I greatly dislike the smell and taste of dillweed so I won't use it the next time I make this.

Rub Paste Mixture:
2 1/4T chili powder
1/2tsp oregano
1/2tsp cumin
1tsp onion powder
2 dashes cayenne pepper
dash black pepper
2T olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
2tsp worcestershire sauce

3-4lb tri-tip beef roast
2-2 1/2lb medium potatoes, quartered or cut in 1-2in chunks
1lg onion, cut in wedges
1lb baby cut carrots
2T olive oil
1tsp parsley
1tsp rosemary
1/2tsp oregano
1tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper

Combine rub ingredients; rub the roast all over and put in a food storage bag or cover in a shallow dish. Refrigerate and let marinate for 1hr or overnight.
Put potatoes, onion and carrots in a 6 to 7qt slow cooker. Drizzle with olive oil and add seasonings. Toss to coat thoroughly. Place the roast on the vegetables. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Before

After :)

Healthy Food

For the next week or two I'll be posting healthy recipes for dinner and/or lunch. Many of them will be from the P90X nutrition plan. Hope you guys enjoy!

Ham & Cheddar Strata

Wonderful recipe out of a cookbook! Smells and tastes delicious :) I wish there was a way to make the bottom bread not so soggy, though...

12 slices bread
2c cut-up fully cooked smoked ham (10oz) (I liked using 12 slices of ham lunch meat)
2c shredded cheddar cheese (I used monterey jack)
8 med green onions, sliced (1/2c)
6 eggs
2c milk
1tsp ground mustard
1/4tsp red pepper sauce
paprika

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 13x9in glass dish w/cooking spray. Trim crusts from bread. Arrange 6 slices bread in baking dish. Layer ham, cheese and onions on bread in dish. Cut remaining bread slices diagonally in half; arrange on onions. In med. bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard and pepper sauce with fork or wire whisk; pour evenly over bread. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered 1hr to 1hr 10min or until center is set and bread is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

^^The brown spots make the bread look toasted but it's actually paprika. I should have sprinkled it more sparingly but it tasted great!

Banana Nut Bread

I've tried several different banana bread recipes, and this one surpassed the rest! I think I found it out of a magazine...

2c flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp ground nutmeg
1/8tsp ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2c mashed banana (4-5 medium-very ripe)
1c sugar
1tsp vanilla
1/2c butter
1/4-1/2c walnuts

Streusel-nut topping:
1/4c brown sugar
3T. flour
2T butter (stick is better for this)
1/3c walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Make a well in the center. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, vanilla and butter. Add this mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into pan. Make topping: In small bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle topping onto batter. Bake 55-60 minutes (foil on top for the last 15). Cool on wire rack 10min. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Another Chicken Tortilla Soup

Simple. Healthy. Tasty.
:)

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled and cut up in pieces
1-2qts chicken stock (I only used one because I like less liquid)
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, minced
4 tomatoes, chopped
1tsp cumin
1tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat stock; add all peppers and the onion. Cook 15 minutes on medium heat. Put the pieces of chicken in. Add the tomatoes, parsley and cumin. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with crispy tortilla strips.

Fiesta Casserole

I seem to have quite a few mexican casserole recipes in my possesion, no two alike. Here is one from my Grandmother-in-law:

1lb ground beef
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 can tomatoes (I used diced)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can chili, no beans
1sm onion, minced
shredded monterey jack cheese

Brown the ground beef with garlic salt and pepper to taste; drain. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, chili and onions until bubbly. Layer a greased 9x13 casserole dish with tortillas, then a layer of the meat mixture, then another layer of tortillas, then a last layer of the meat mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

It was pretty darn good! :)

Lemon Bread, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, and Maple Crunch Breakfast Muffins

Lemon Bread

I found a recipe similar to this from an old family friend. When I decided to make it, I tweaked the recipe a little.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box lemon pudding jello mix
1/3c canola oil
3 eggs
1c water
1/4c-1/2c apricot nectar (or apricot spread with a little water mixed in to make it thinner)
2tsp lemon extract

Glaze: 1c powdered sugar
          2T. lemon juice

Mix apricot spread or nectar with lemon pudding mix. Then combine all cake ingredients together and mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool then remove cake. Mix glaze ingredients together and pour over cake. Cut into slices and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

I looked for ice cream recipes out of a cookbook and added a couple things to make it the kind I wanted.

3egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2c sugar
1c milk
1/4tsp salt
2c heavy whipping cream
1T vanilla
store bought or homemade chocolate chip cookie dough, chilled until hardened in the freezer
1/4-1/2c extra chocolate chips

In 2qt saucepan, stir egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt until well mixed. Cook just to boiling (steaming) over medium heat, stirring constantly (do not boil). Pour milk mixture into chilled bowl. Refrigerate uncovered 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until room temperature. Stir whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Pour into 1qt ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. While it's freezing, take the cookie dough and cut it up into bite sized pieces. About 5 minutes before the ice cream is done, drop in as much of the pieces of cookie dough you want as well as the extra chocolate chips. When it's done, serve or store in an air-tight container in the freezer.

Maple Crunch Muffins

Found this one out of a magazine. Boy they're good!

2c flour
1c whole wheat flour
1/2c granola with almonds
1T baking powder
1tsp salt
1c milk
1c maple syrup
1/2c canola oil
2eggs, lightly beaten

Maple frosting:
4oz softened cream cheese
4T powdered sugar
2T maple syrup
granola with almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with paper baking cups or 5x5in squares of parchment paper. Combine flours, granola, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk, syrup, oil, and eggs; add to flour mixture. Stir until moistened. Spoon into muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. bake 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups.
Frosting: In bowl beat cream cheese 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar and maple syrup; beat until smooth. Spoon maply frosting atop muffins; sprinkle with additional granola. Makes 18 muffins.