THE BEST kookin and kuteness!

So I guess I am down to one post a week now until school is done at least! But I have to share for some special people my best day ever this last weekend.

#1 For "Get Outside Week" and Earth Day I spent my time with some of my favorite people and OWLS! Here is a photo of the Great Horned Owl nest with owlets in it we found on a beautiful hike:) (momma owl was flying around keeping watch!)

#2 Healthy Crab Cakes! (from a couple weeks back)
Ingredients:

1 can (16 oz.) Jumbo lump crab meat (we used left over imitation crab about the same amount and just as good!)

2 tbsp. minced jalapeno

2 scallions, chopped

½ cup minced red bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup bread crumbs

Fresh Cilantro to taste! (I added a lot:))

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. Gently mix everything but ½ of the bread crumbs and using your hands, loosely form the crab mixture into 8 patties. Spread the remaining bread crumbs on a plate and roll each crab cake over the crumbs to lightly and evenly coat. As the cakes are formed, place them on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until golden-brown on the outside, about 12-15 minutes!
So tasty! We ate it with some spinach and a special Jake made!

#4 Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo!
Feelin like pasta lately? I was! Had this tonight so good, man approved!

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
2 cups roasted broccoli florets
8 ounces fettuccine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plain FAGE Total 0% greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in the flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, Greek yogurt, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring gently, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan.
Add cooked chicken and broccoli to sauce mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine and serve with more Parmesan, if desired.
*I would make maybe a little bit more sauce if you like sauce like me:)

#5 GLUTEN FREE Ooey Gooey Goodness PB Choco Cookies!
So easy, only 6 ingredients, new favorite recipe and for my gluten free ladies!

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used 1/2 creamy Adam's natural and a little bit of an organic crunchy honey kind from the market this saturday)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces semi-sweet, dark, or bittersweet chocolate chips

Let the dough chill for at least 2 hours (I let it sit all day). Bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 in the oven! Cool and enjoy! xoxo

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! I have a few things to share that maybe you want to try this weekend:)

#1First off Spring is here...sorta...it was warm now it's kinda cold it can be a bit depressing but I was looking for something refreshing and different from my normal cran-water so I added some left over cucumber slices (just 2) to my water bottle! It is so yummy! I am addicted to it haha.

#2 A little snack/dessert
So remember those Fried Nanners from a day ago? Well I made them again (or you could use left overs) in my oatmeal! I also added a spoonful of peanut butter, some sliced almonds, and unsweetened HERSHEY'S COCOA powder (only about a t), and some unsweetened almond milk. Such a wonderful snack mmmm who doesn't like chocolate, peanut butter, and banana?

#3 What to do with left over Honey Sesame Chicken Sauce
Okay so if you tried the Honey Sesame Crock Pot Chicken the other day you probably noticed the left over sauce in the crock pot and possibly some left over rice??? Well I LOVE that sauce so I saved it and put it on a spinach salad with left over salmon slices I had (from sushi) that I broiled in the oven with EVOO, lemon and seasoning. I then decorated with sesame seeds left over, cucumber I had, half an avocado I had, and rice on the side! Sooo yummy as a dressing!

Have a great weekend!!! Don't forget to be awesome:)

Already Another!

Two days in a row I can not believe it but I am just too excited to share this banana recipe! haha So Yummy!

#1 Fried Nanners:
1.5 cut Bananas
cinnamon
1T honey mixed with .5T water (warmish so honey mixes well:))
Spray a pan with oil let banana's fry and flip over when brown on the bottom side. Add the honey/water mixture after flipped over and take off stove. Sprinkle with cinnamon as desired and voila!

#3 Honey Sesame Crock Pot Chicken:
Next, is a crock pot recipe I made a week ago that is just too darn good and simple. The picture includes ingredients and literally just mix ingredients together poor over frozen chicken in crock pot, cook on low for 4 hours take chicken out and shred if you'd like, then add the cornstarch disolved in water to the sauce in the crock pot and wait about 10 minutes or until it gets a little thicker (I made white rice during this time to do with:)) then poor over chicken and rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions! yummy with an Asian flair!

Enjoy! :)

Been SO Long!

Oh my goodness it has been so long since I have blogged! Guess I have been slightly busy ;) I have a lot to upload but I'll start with what I made for dinner tonight...my all time favorite meal...Zucchini Quiche!! This recipe is from my Grandma Jan, all though I am sure I don't quite make it as good I like to think about her when I make it hoping she will join me for dinner <3

#1 Zucchini Quiche:
4 cups thinly sliced Zucchini { I shred mine in the food processor}
2 med. sized onions- chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped parsely {Ive used both fresh and dried before}
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon leaf basil
1/4 leaf oregano


2 eggs slightly beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese{ you can buy it already shredded}
1 can pillsbury refridg. quick crescent dinner rolls
2 teaspoons dijon mustard

Saute zucchini and onions in the butter in lg. fry pan over med.low heat until Zuch is tender {prob. about 10 min,stir frequently}

Stir in parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano, remove from heat.
Stir eggs and cheese in large bowl
Add zucc. mixture to the eggs and cheese

Separate rolls into triangles and arrange in 9x9 or 11x14 dish or a glass pie plate, depending on how thick you want the crust and how deep you want the quiche to actually be. If you use a pie plate or 9x9 you will probably have too much egg mixture left over. Obviously a quiche pan works too.
Press the dough together over bottom of the dish and up the sides just a little{it will be thin}
Spread mustard over the top of this and add your egg mixture

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 min. pie plate 30 min.

#2 /#3 DIY Body Scrub!
Before we went to Florida I wanted to get a spray tan, but I also wanted to scrub the dry wintery skin right off me! So I looked up DIY scrubs on Pinterest and combined my favorite ingredients/what I had in my apartment. This is a MUST TRY, so easy to make and my skin felt SO GOOD, not to mention it smelt delicious as I showered and I think the coffee woke me up! (Recipe in pic, I stored it in an empty Almond Butter jar-keeps in fridge:))

#4 Dr. Seuss before his time: here is a funny, ironic, true picture I came across via a past professor that I have to share! What Dr. Seuss books really mean, I would rather read about these things in Dr. Seuss language for sure! What do you think?

It has been a busy few weeks and it's not calming down any so no crazy diets or workout regimes to share. I am still having a smoothie once a day, tryin to eat healthy, and workout at least 3-4 times a week (I find I am actually more productive when I do!). This part of the semester/ year is hard I am not trying to kid myself but we can do it...warm weather is on the way! More things to come later in the week or possible next week haha. xoxo