Pancakes for Dinner?

Yup, that's right, we ate breakfast for supper......what is better than that? I love breakfast for supper. Sometimes I make pancakes from scratch but the mix makes things so much easier on school mornings and let's just be honest, who has time for things from scratch when everyone oversleeps and the bus seems like it is going to round the corner at any minute.......I know this was for supper and I had the time to make them from scratch but as mentioned before, I am more of a semi-homemade kind of gal....

I usually toss in a teaspoon of cinnamon:

baking up nicely...

Yummo!

Enjoy your pancakes~no matter what time of day you eat them!!

Happy Eating!

Garlic, Tomato, Basil Grilled Chicken

Can I just say that today was a good day, I got floors mopped and vacuumed, dusting done, baseboards washed, laundry done~you know, it was one of those days that just seemed to go smoothly and then just as I sat down to type up this post JD runs inside and says, "I need the peroxide!" Hmmm...this can never end up good! Turns out Jimmy cut his finger....ended up getting two stitches. Never a dull moment!

Now back to dinner~I love everything chicken (almost) and this is no exception! This marinade is so simple and with grilling season knocking on our doors, this is a great go-to, quick, grilling dish!

This is ALL you need (I actually used a balsamic vinegar and it was fantastic)!):

Marinate your chicken for the recommended 15 minutes, or do like I did and marinate all day....I think it gives you a TON more flavor if you marinate it all day.

I sliced about a 1/2 of one of the chicken breasts and put it on top of salad~it was delicious.

For the rest of the family (who like plain, old salad...JD's words not mine), I served a plain salad and some baked potato salad, which they scarfed down!

Happy Eating!

Mexican Rice!

This is a great and EASY side dish to serve alongside some yummy chicken enchiladas or tacos. If you really wanted, you could make a meal out of just the rice!
These are the only ingredients + some water, that you will need:

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some black olives.....

Mexican Rice
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 C. long grain rice, uncooked
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. Tomato Juice (i.e. V-8)
1 1/2 C. Chicken Broth (I used the chicken bouillon and mix w/ warm water to make the broth)
DIRECTIONS: Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add rice and cook for a few minutes, add garlic salt and cumin. Add onion and continue cooking until tender. Add tomato juice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approx. 20 minutes. Serve!!

Happy Eating!

Mmmmmm......meatloaf!

So, I have been sick and have not had much of an appetite however, this meatloaf baking in the oven smells so good! I don't have pictures to post because I mixed this up last week and placed it in the freezer so I would have some quick meals because I am working every day for the next week! :)

Here is the recipe (from Kraft Food and Family):

BBQ Meatloaf

2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing
2 Eggs
1 C. Water
1/2 C. BBQ Sauce
DIRECTIONS: Combine ground beef, stove top, water, eggs and 1/4 C. BBQ sauce. Mix well and shape into a loaf in a 9x13 pan. Top with remaing 1/4 C. bbq sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Happy Eating!

Cuteness on a Stick!

I know, right? Who would have thought little balls of cake and icing could turn into something like this! I promise that I will post sometime how to make them, but they can be time consuming because things are done at different times so I forget to take pictures, because well, my memory just isn't what it used to be, I'm just being honest!
Anyway.....I need to try the bunnies next, I didn't have enough white chocolate to make those!

Just hatched......(ha, ha)

Good reason not to let your kids have the camera unattended......

I have about 10 random pictures of Riley's doll (Elizabeth is her name), playing soccer.....

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Jamba Juice and Banana Muffins!

Good Morning everyone! I hope that your day is starting off glorious! I actually had some time this morning to make banana muffins for the kiddos breakfast and then whipped up the Jamba Smoothies to go along with their muffins!
Just follow package directions - the only thing I did different was add milk instead of apple juice!

You also need 3 ripe bananas with these ingredients~

Piping hot muffins~

Banana Muffins

1 1/2 C. All purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3 large, ripe bananas - mashed

1/2 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. brown sugar

1 Egg

1/3 C. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Mix together ingredients. Scoop into muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes. (10-15 if making mini muffins).

ENJOY!

Happy Eating!

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole!

Yesterday was our anniversary~13 years....WOW! The time sure flies when you are having FUN!! So, I didn't have to cook last night, we went to Iron Hill Brewery, with the kids, I know real romantic right....but actually, the kids LOVE going out to eat and do a fabulous job (I do not have picky eaters) ordering, minding their manners, etc.....plus, kids are what we are about right now, that is the phase in marriage that we are at and we wouldn't have it any other way!!

I am trying to do better at planning our menus and spending less time at the grocery store (that is a real stretch for me, because I love reviewing recipes and could spend hours at a grocery store trying to find just the right ingredients). I stumbled across this recipes at www.skinnytaste.com and knew I had to try it.

This recipe could be made meatless, although, the ground turkey really adds nice flavor and texture!! I don't have a photo of the ingredients needed but I have "how-to" photos.....

First you want to brown your turkey and onion; add peas and tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes on low:

Coat a 9x12 (I only had a 9x13) with cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of seasoned bread crumbs:

Take 1/2 the rice mixture (a little more if needed) and pat into bottom of pan:

Top with turkey mixture and sprinkle w/ 3/4 C. Cheese:

Top with remaining rice, sauce, cheese and 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs:

Enjoy!

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole (adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes)

2 Cups, uncooked long grain rice

4 Cups Water

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1/4 C. Onion, Chopped

5 oz. peas

24 oz. Spaghetti Sauce (homemade or store bought)

3 Egg Whites

1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese

4 Tbsp. Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 1/4 C. Shredded, Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS: Cook rice, in water, according to package directions. Set aside to cool. Saute turkey and onion until browned. Season with Salt and Pepper if desired. (I added a tsp. Italian Seasoning). Add peas and 8 oz. of sauce. Simmer on low, 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl combine rice, parmesan, egg whites and 4 oz. of sauce. Mix well, rice should be a bit sticky. Spray a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs, roll around to make sure pan is coated. Take 1/2 the rice mix and cover bottom and sides of dish. PRess to form bottom layer. Add meat and peas. Sprinkle 3/4 C. mozzarella on top. Add remaining rice mix and press until even. Top with remaining 1/2 c. sauce, cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer. Cut into 8 pieces and serve with a salad!

For any of my weight watching friends this recipe is 8 pts. for 1 piece.

Happy Eating!!