Southwestern Veggie Wraps

1 small onion
1 garlic, minced
1 T oil
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 coarsely chopped zucchini
2/3 cup plus 2 T water, divided
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. cumin
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. cornstarch
flour tortillas
salsa
sour cream

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Stir in beans, corn, red pepper, zucchini, 2/3 cup water, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth.  Stir into skillet.  Bring to a boil and cook for one minute until thickened.  Serve on tortilla with salsa and sour cream.

Weekley Menu 7/15- Amy

Sloppy joes, corn on the cob, cantaloup
Delectable Chicken, potato salad, fruit salad
Salad (lettuce, pear, strawberries, craisins, walnuts, avocado, chicken)
P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps ,cantaloup
German pancakes, bacon, smoothie
Turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans

Weekly Menu 7/8 - Amy

Honey mustard chicken wraps, fruit salad and veggies
Vegetable stir fry and pineapple
Mexican salad and fresh fruit (Lime chicken, lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, cilantro, corn, black beans, avocado)
Baked oatmeal, eggs, bacon
Crockpot baked potato, fresh fruit, smoothie
Frito Salad
Salmon, rice, broccoli, carrots

Lime Chicken

1.5 lbs chicken, cubed
1/4 cup vinegar, white or balsamic
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano

Saute chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through.Add everything else; simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve in warm tortillas with cheese, tomato, lettuce or whatever else you like in your taco.

Alfredo Bake- Our Best Bites

Alfredo Bake

Our Best Bites

(in their book its called: Bacon Artichoke with Penne Bake)

8 ounces penne or bowtie pasta

1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped

6 ounces (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped

1 jar (14 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 1 decent sized bunch)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions

3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare guiltless Alfredo Sauce. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Season to taste.

4. Transfer mixture to an 8x8 inch baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce- Our Best Bites

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Our Best Bites

*Austin is super particular with alfredo sauce. I don't think I made one he really liked until I made this one. It's Good!

2 Cups milk

1/3 cup (3 ounces) cream cheese

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese

1. In a blender, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt until smooth and set aside.

2. In a large nonstick saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 30 second, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning.

3. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more or until the sauce thicken, about 6-7 minutes.

4. Once the sauce has started to thicken, remove from heat. Whisk the cheese into the sauce and immediately cover the pan.

5. Allow the sauce to stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing.

6. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. The sauce will become very thick once refrigerated. To use it, reheat the sauce and add a little milk until the desired consistency is reached.

Weekly Menu 7/1 and 7/8

Roast, carrots, potatoes, jello
"Big sandwhiches", fruit
Alfredo Bake, salad
Ribs, potato salad, corn-on-the-cob, red white and blue fruit
Pulled Pork Salad, spanish rice
Sloppy joes, homemade fries
Baked Oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs, smoothies
Pasta salad, rolls
Tacos, spanish rice
Baked ziti, salad
Crockpot baked potatoes, smoothie
Grilled chicken, rice, grilled asparagus
Pizza, smoothies

Weekly Menu 6/3/12- Elise

Salsa chicken burritos
Ham and swiss sandwiches, melon
alfredo bake, corn, string beans
Shepherd's Pie

Weekly Menu 6/17 and 6/24... Jeanine

Turkey meatball soup, rolls, salad, fruit
steak and chicken kababs, rice, watermelon
chicken salad croissants, fruit
BLTs, veggie and fruit tray
spaghetti, salad
fried eggs, black beans, rice
ham and swiss rolls, fruit and veggie tray
pancakes, eggs, fruit
pizza, smoothies
hamburgers, potato salad, fruit
german pancakes, sausage, smoothie

Balsamic Marinated Chicken

Okay... so when we were in Oklahoma I was trying to use up most of my food.  One night I made this up out of necessity and the boys loved it.  I made it on Sunday again and Rich loved it too so I thought I'd share.  It's pretty non specific.

Marinate your chicken in a combination of:
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
A sprinkle of garlic salt (to taste)

I usually put it in a ziplock in the morning and keep it in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it.  Then I put it all in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes (or until cooked through) at 350 degrees.  I serve it with a veggie and rice or homemade french fries.

Weekly Menu 6/4 and 6/10

Hawaiian haystacks
Tacos, spanish rice
Pizza, smoothie, salad
Easy lasagna, veggie, bread
Hamburgers (with swiss and mushroom), potato salad, fruit
Egg burritos, smoothies
Cafe rio pork salad, spanish rice, oj
Teriyaki drumsticks with veggies
Baked potato bar
Pasta salad, fruit
Baked oatmeal, yogurt
Grilled cheese, tomato soup

Creamy Tomatilla Dressing

This dressing is so good.  When I made it in California I bought the tomatillos but forgot to put them in, so it will be good with or without.



Creamy Tomatilla Dressing

1 envelope Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c buttermilk
3 tomatillas
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 Tablespoon lime juice

Mix all in blender and chill

Tortillas

I never knew it was so easy to make tortillas.

2 1/2 cups for flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of coconut oil

3/4- 1 cup hot water

Mix together until its the consistency of play-doh.

Seperate into 8 balls.

Roll out balls until it is as thin as possible (while one is cooking I roll out the next one)

Heat up pan on high. (make sure its slightly bigger than tortilla).

Place raw tortilla on hot skillet until large bubbles appear and the tortilla looks slightly oily (about 1 minute). Flip over and cook other side about 30 seconds.  (If tortilla doesn't cook this past, turn up the heat).

note: because the pan is so hot it may smoke so be prepared.

Cafe Rio Pork

This is the best recipe I've found so far!  It's from the Our Best Bites Cookbook. 

This is their website but this recipe is only in their cookbook.

Mexican-Style Sweet Shredded Pork

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast

1/2 tsp salt

14 tsp black pepper

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive oil.  You could also use coconut oil)

2 (10 ounce) cans enchilada sauce

1 cup brown sugar, divided (2/3 and 1/3)

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup apple juice

Cut off visible fat.  Mix together salt, pepper, chili powder and onion powder.  Massage the spice mixture over the meat.

Pour oil and pan and heat.  Sear seasoned pork roast for about 1 minute on all sides or until golden brown. 

Combine enchilada sauce, 2/3 cup brown sugar, salsa, Worcestershire sauce and apple juice in crock pot and add pork.  Cook for 7 hours on low.

Remove pork and shred, getting rid of any fat.  Place pork back in crock pot and add the additional 1/3 cup of brown sugar.  turn heat on high and cook for another 1/2 hour. 

Enjoy!

It's not such a good picture, but here's our pork before we added the salad to it.