Breakfast "Cupcakes"

If you made the Taco "Cupcakes," you may have some leftover wonton wrappers...

(if not, I see you purchasing some more ;)

Why not take the same concept and add some breakfast foods?!

Now, they aren't as wonderful as the Taco "Cupcakes" but they are a quick and easy way to add a little pizazz to your morning eggs and sausage!!

I swear, these wonton wrappers are amazing!

These are the ingredients that I used:

(But be creative and add anything that you think would taste great!)

• 4 Turkey sausage patties
• Mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 eggs
• Wonton wrappers
• Cooking spray

And a few dashes of hot sauce before indulging.

(If I would have had some onion and green pepper, I would have added some of that too!!)

Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly mist the cups in a muffin tin with the cooking spray.

Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the sprayed cups.

Scramble the eggs.

Add the cooked sausage, chopped into little pieces (I cheated and cooked it in the microwave while I was making the eggs).

Add a couple of spoonfuls of the egg and sausage mixture into each cup.

Add a pinch of the shredded cheese on top of that.

Now press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.

All ready for the oven!

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.

Add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce and enjoy!!

Nothing too complex and you can add basically anything your heart desires :)

Just another way to use those amazing wonton wrappers!

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

Another great Pinterest find!!

I found this recipe on www.pipandebby.com

Who doesn't love a crock pot or slow cooker....?

If I was creative enough to use mine every day, I would.

I don't think it could get any easier then throwing frozen meat into a crockpot and leaving it to cook all day.

I LOVE IT.

This chicken recipe could be used for a number of meals:

You could eat it over rice,

add some cheese and tortilla chips,

eat in a taco salad,

or as an easy way to spice up boring tacos!

(which is exactly what we did!)

So, if you have a busy day ahead of you or you just don't want to go through a lot of hassle cooking dinner one night, I highly recommend this EASY, delicious recipe.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Chicken

Did I mention how EASY this is??

Here is what you will need:

• One 24oz jar medium or mild salsa
• Juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• One package taco seasoning
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)
• 4-6 boneless chicken breasts

Yes, that is all you will need to make the chicken.

You will have to get other ingredients, depending on what you plan on making with this chicken...

Such as taco supplies, nacho supplies, rice, etc.

Ready for this tough recipe??

You will need to pay close attention...

In a slow cooker, mix together:

The salsa, juice from one lime,

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, taco seasoning, and chopped jalapenos.

Add the chicken breasts (either frozen or defrosted) to the slow cooker and coat with the salsa mixture. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

THAT.IS.IT.

That is all you need to do... then you can walk away and forget about it until dinner!

Like I said before, we went the taco route with this recipe.

So I shredded the chicken and spooned some of the salsa mixture over top.  Then put the chicken in a tortilla and added our favorite toppings!!

Way better then the traditional beef taco!!

Don't forget some Corona's ;)

Greek Turkey Burgers

OMG! OMG! OMG!

(that is to let you know how excited I am about this recipe!)

I have been trying to do these recipe blogs in the order that I cook them...

I just could not wait to put this one up!!

I have never, ever used ground turkey... I honestly thought it looked & sounded very unappetizing.

I WAS SO WRONG!

So, if you share those same feelings and don't think you would like ground turkey either...

I am telling you, you should try this recipe! There is so much flavor, it is crazy!

I luckily stumbled upon the blog, www.budgetbytes.blogspot.com and that is where I fell in love with turkey burgers.

Make these Greek Turkey Burgers and maybe you will too!

Drooling... all over again.

Here is what you will need:



• 7oz. Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 medium fresh lemon
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp dried dill
• 1.25 lbs ground turkey
• 6 halves sun dried tomatoes (about 1/4 cup chopped)
• 1 medium red onion
• 2 oz frozen spinach (thawed) (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 lg. egg
• 1 med. cucumber
• 6 hamburger buns
• salt & pepper, to taste

First, make the yogurt sauce.

Using these ingredients ^^

Combine the yogurt, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, dry dill, juice of half the lemon and a dash of salt. Stir everything to combine and then refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend while you make the burgers.

Next, squeeze as much moisture out of the thawed spinach as possible (you will be surprised how much juice you squeeze out!! Use a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel, or whatever works best for you!).  Roughly chop the spinach to prevent long stringy pieces.  Also chop the sun dried tomatoes and 1/4 of the red onion.

Now, in a bowl combine the ground turkey with the spinach, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, dried oregano, egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt and some freshly ground pepper.

(Yes, there is ground turkey in there somewhere!!)

Stir everything until it is evenly combined. 

Shape the mixture into six patties.

Cook the burgers on a counter top grill, outside grill, or a non-stick skillet (or whatever you think would work best for you!).

*I read on this blog that if you don't have a non-stick skillet, you have to use a lot of oil to keep the burgers from sticking! Just so you know!

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!

I cooked SIX burgers on this grill and I was AMAZED that there was not ONE drop of grease (or anything for that matter) in this tray, when I was finished!

Another reason I will be using ground turkey again!

Spread the yogurt sauce on both sides of a bun, add a warm burger and top with thing slices of red onion and cucumber.

You are going to want to scarf this down, without taking breaths but

don't...

Try hard to eat slowly and enjoy each bite :)

(Don't mind the cheap looking paper plate... I was in such a hurry to taste these, I grabbed the closest thing to me!! You're lucky it wasn't a paper towel!)

Steak & Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

This recipe is from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/

Any recipe with steak or pasta, my husband loves.

Put the two together... how could I go wrong??

(even if it is consider "clean eating.")

Steak & Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Here is what you will need to make this tasty dish:

• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb lean eye round steak, cubed
• 16 oz whole-wheat farfalle pasta
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 medium yellow onion- finely diced
• 1 28-oz jar or can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 8 oz low-fat sour cream

Here are the ingredients you will need to prepare the marinade.

Yes, that is cinnamon! I have never used cinnamon in any marinade that I have made, but it was surprisingly good! It added a nice warm taste to the entire meal. So, if you are hesitant because you think cinnamon and steak do not go together... just give it a try!! You may enjoy it!

Let's make that marinade:

Steak, cubed

In a bowl, whisk together 3 cloves garlic, vinegar, Dijon, cinnamon and pepper.

 Pour marinade over steak cubes in another container, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. (You can also leave steak to marinate overnight.)

The rest of the ingredients you will need.

Cook farfalle according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

(I had a major brain fart at the grocery store, knew that I was looking for farfalle pasta, was certain that was what I had picked up. Then when I got home and started putting everything away... I saw that I bought penne pasta. Great. So, I used about a quarter of a box of farfalle and the rest penne. Yay, me.)

Drain steak cubes and discard marinade. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over high heat for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to medium-high, mist with cooking spray and saute steak until browned on each side, about 4 minutes total.

Remove steak from pan and set aside.

Mist same pan with cooking spray again, add onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic and saute until brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and reduce the heat to medium low.

Add seasoning, basil, sour cream and combine.

Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, then mix in reserved steak and cook for 2 more minutes, until the meat and sauce are completely warmed.

Serve 1 cup farfalle (or penne...) with 3/4 cup steak sauce. Garnish with an additional sprinkling of Italian seasoning, if desired.

Serves: 8

Hands-on time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Chicken Supreme

This recipe isn't from Pinterest...

(shocking, I know!)

This one is actually one from my family cookbook,

passed down from my Grandma Gifford to my Mom.

This is a comfort food recipe if there ever was one

but if you would like to make it a little healthier, there are always to do so!

Whenever I make this dish, it smells like home.

I am immediately in my childhood home at the dinner table with my family.

:) I smile just at the thought.

Not only does this meal smell amazing,

it could not be any easier to make... I swear.

So, from my family to yours:

Chicken Supreme

Here is what you will need:

• 6 whole chicken breasts, bones, skinned, & halved (completely defrosted)
• 2 cans creamy chicken and mushroom soup
• 1 8oz crushed Pepperidge farm Herb Seasoned stuffing mix
• 3/4 c melted butter
• 6 slices Swiss cheese

Today I only used 4 chicken breasts because that was all that I had.

I also used Weight Watchers Swiss cheese, low fat soups, and smart balance butter (you could leave the butter out completely if you'd like).

And with these ingredients, it tasted no different!

To get started, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the chicken in the bottom of a buttered (I used cooking spray) 9 x 13 pan (just as you see in the picture above.) 

Place one slice of Swiss cheese over each piece of chicken.

Spread soup over the top.

The recipe calls for 2 cans of Creamy Chicken & Mushroom soup.

Today I had one can of Creamy Chicken and one can of Mushroom... That works too!

Sprinkle stuffing mix over top of the soup mix.

Drizzle the melted butter over top and bake for 1 and a half hours.

It is SO easy and SO delicious, that it is worth every minute.

Enjoy!

Taco "Cupcakes"

Once again, another find from Pinterest...

(I'm willing to bet that most of these recipes will be found on that website)

which took me to http://www.emilybites.com/

which is where I found the recipe for the MUST TRY, "Taco Cupcakes!"

Not only are these Taco Cupcakes fun but they taste amazing too!

(and not to mention an easy clean up when all is said and done)

Here is what you will need:

• 1 1/2t chili oil (found near the Asian ingredients)

*I could not find this... it probably was right in front of my face but seriously, never found it. So I just used some Olive Oil... and I don't think I really even needed that!

• 1/2 lb 95% lean ground beef

*We always use ground chicken when it comes to Mexican dishes... No real reason other then the fact that we prefer the taste! Use either or, it will still be tasty!

• 1 T taco seasoning
• 3/4 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 16 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)
• 5 T + 1t of queso dip or salsa con queso
• 1 c chunky salsa
• 1 c reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
• Guacamole for serving

When looking at these ingredients, you may notice that I have no queso dip...

I apparently thought I only needed Guacamole (which is a garnish to top the taco cupcakes).

So when I realized I needed some sort of cheesy substitute, I searched my pantry/fridge for anything that would work.

This is all I came up with.

Do not judge me.

Although this canned cheese substance has zero healthy ingredients,

the recipe only calls for about a tsp per "cupcake" so with that being said...

I didn't feel completely guilty! ;)

Before we get started I just want to mention that I did not use the recommended measurements on any ingredient. I used a whole pound of ground chicken and the whole pack of taco seasoning and the whole can of beans. (I just saved the leftover meat mixture for taco's) So don't feel like you need to use exactly what is stated in the ingredients list. Just use your best judgment and don't pack 'em too full!

So, let's get started!

1. First, pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. 
2. Heat chili oil (or Olive oil) in a saute pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and taco seasoning and brown beef, breaking it with a spoon. Add black beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until warm.

3. Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the  muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom.

See, easier then it sounds!

:) cheese.

Follow by spooning some of the meat/beans mixture into each cup (I would say about two teaspoons) and then spooning a teaspoon or so of salsa on top of that. Sprinkle a pinch of the cheese evenly over the top of each cup.

Meat Mixture

Salsa and Cheese

Got it?

Now do it all again, one more time!

Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.

Just press around the edges, as if you are putting on the top of a pie.

This is what it looks like before you pop it into the oven!

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin

Look at that crunchy, cheesy goodness!

Add a little bit of guacamole (or sour cream if you prefer)

And enjoy!

Seriously, you will SO enjoy these!

(and I have to say, if I would have left that "queso cheese substitute" out... it would not have tasted the same!)

I highly recommend you go out and buy these ingredients and make these this weekend!

Out of all the new recipes we have tried this week, this was our FAVE.

Geh, YUM!