Recipes

Berry Blast Smoothie (Low Calorie)

Nicole


This smoothie takes the cake if you ask me!  It’s heavenly! Creamy and full of flavor oh yeah and did I mention about 120 calories OH YEAH! That’s the good stuff. I have gotten to where I have smoothies daily. At one time I was buying them from the Smoothie King, but why buy something from them that you can make at home for a percentage of the price, and a percentage of the calories! This size smoothie would be at least $5 at Smoothie King Ouch!

The coconut milk doesn’t add any coconut flavor to the smoothie, but what it does add is the creaminess for a fraction of the calories of milk or yogurt. Who can resist that beautiful color anyway? I also like to add a 1/2 tablespoon of flax seeds to mine, but that will certainly increase the calorie count on the smoothie.

Before someone asks me about the foam cups. I drink smoothies so much now especially on the way to school that I invested about $30 on 500 cups and lids at Sam’s Club. The upfront investment is a lot for cups but it’s a great way to take things with you and you get a lot for your money. It beats the $5 at Smoothie King!

Delicious!


Ingredients:
  • 2 ½ ounces of frozen blueberries
  • 6 ounces of frozen strawberries sliced
  • 4 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious Brand)
  • 4 ounces cold water
  • 1-2 packs of stevia
  • *optional* -1 ounces of baby spinach

Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick add more water to thin.


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Recipes

Avocado Orange Salad Dressing

Nicole



I was looking for a salad dressing that involved fresh ingredients and no oils or vinegars. This salad dressing hit the spot. It’s actually not too sweet but has a nice orange and avocado flavor. It’s smooth and silk and it’s super easy to make. I really like this salad dressing. It’s great on just about any kind of salad and low in calories too you can’t beat that!!

Ingredients:
  • 6 ounces Fresh Avocado
  • 10 ounces Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice (don’t use anything other than fresh or it will be too sweet)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder


Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth if it’s too thick add more orange juice to thin.


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Recipes

Stir Fry Sauce

Nicole

I purchased a bag of stir fry veggies that claimed to already have the sauce in the bag of course just my luck as I start to make dinner I realized the packs of sauce are missing from the bag! Ugh! A meal that was purchased to be quick and easy didn’t turn out to be so quick and easy. At the last minute I was scrambling for a stir fry sauce recipe.

I came across this recipe and I am sure happy I did. Not only did it come together quick and easy but it’s really tasty too. The only thing I would change the next time I made this sauce is to use about half the suggested amount of sugar. Don’t get me wrong it was still good I would just prefer it to be a little less sweet. This makes enough for 4-5lbs of vegetables.


Ingredients:
  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup rice wine
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions:

  1. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, broth, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper.
  2. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup water.
  3. Heat a pan over high heat; add the cooking oil, swirling to coat; add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
  4. Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens.

Original Recipe Source

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Recipes

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Nicole




This is really an exceptional recipe. I love how easy it is to make, and better yet it’s bursting with flavor. It’s one of those bowls of soup that you can keep eating until you pop. The carrots take a nice role in this soup not only visually for the color affect but they seem to meld well with everything else in the bowl. I noticed they gave the soup a nice earthy flavor.

I had this entire pot of soup on the stove cooking in about 30 minutes which is great considering all of the distractions around me. As weird as is sounds I never think soup is going to be very flavorful unless it’s a lot of work and it takes a long time cooking on the stove. Personally I prefer chowders or stews, but I really loved this soup!

Ingredients: 
  • 1 tsp. of olive oil
  • 1/2 sweet yellow onion
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 3 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 5 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 tsp. chicken bouillon (Try to use MSG free)
  • 1/2 tsp. dried basil
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 cup of frozen sweet yellow corn
  • 2 tbsp. corn starch
  • 2 cups milk

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery once hot. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 
  2. Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 60 seconds. 
  3. Add the chicken stock, diced chicken, rice, bouillon, basil, sea salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. 
  4. Turn the soup up until it boils. Mix the corn starch and milk thoroughly in a bowl. Add the milk mixture to the boiling soup and stir. 
  5. Lower the heat and add the corn. Mix thoroughly and simmer for a few more minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Original Recipe Source

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Recipes

Moist Roasted Turkey ….. Turkey Perfection!

Nicole


After Christmas I found a great deal on turkey’s … .10 cents per pound. I got a 20 pound turkey for $2. I knew I couldn’t pass up that deal. I decided to look for a new turkey roasting recipe when I came upon this one.

I must admit this was the best turkey we had ever had. I think the key is to start cooking the turkey with broth already in the roaster. It really helped to steam the turkey. Not only was it full of flavor but it was almost incredibly moist. I don’t think I have ever eaten a turkey so moist.

I will be honest you when I say I am not a big turkey fan, but this turkey was exceptional! I have never had one better!

Ingredients:
  •  1 (18-20 pound) whole turkey
  •  1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  •  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  •  1 1/2 quarts turkey or chicken stock 

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
  2. Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
  3. Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey or chicken stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 4 hours.
  4. Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Original Recipe Source

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