Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

WOW! These babies are absolutely DELICIOUS! Plus they are so easy to whip together and smell so good baking in the oven. It does have a little kick (thanks to the chili powder), so if you are a "heat baby", you may want to reduce the amount of powder to your liking. I made them last night with sides of bean dip/chips, and Spanish rice. Lets just say we were all full after devouring this meal and will definitely be making these quite often! You can search for different variations of this recipe like I did, but in my opinion, these made the best!



Ingredients:
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
Sauce:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (fresh if possible)
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic)
20 oz can green enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (half and half of mozzarella/cheddar, or Monterrey jack, whatever you have on hand)
flour tortillas (I used 16 and it made two pans)
fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Mix sauce ingredients in bowl and add the chicken. Toss chicken in sauce and cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Lightly spray a large baking dish (or 9 by 13 and 8 by 8, like I did) and pour some green enchilada sauce to just cover the bottoms. Fill tortillas with desired amount of meat mixture and cheese. Roll up and place seam down in dish.
Pour remainder of sauce over all the enchiladas and sprinkle with more cheese.
Baked UNCOVERED at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted. If desired, broil a couple minutes longer to make cheese crisp and brown. Top with cilantro if wanted. Enjoy!

Pome-Granola-Vanana Parfait

This has been one of my favorite breakfast meals the last couple weeks. My sister Christie has been in town and we got talking about our favorite things from Trader Joe's. One day I went to visit with her and she told me how yummy this meal was! Since then I have been hooked! I am not huge into eating breakfast, but do know just how important it is for your body. I try to make the most of what I intake and make sure that everything has a good amount of nutritional value! All of the ingredients I got from Trader Joe's (my FAVORITE grocery store) and it all tastes DELICIOUS!!! My hubby, and two boys prefer this over cereal any day! This meal is packed with nutrients and gives my body its energy boost! It is easy to customize the parfait to your liking by just adding your favorite berries (fresh or frozen) and use what you have on hand. I like to make a couple of these to keep in my fridge for when I am craving a sweet snack! :) This is seriously SO GOOD!!! Enjoy! Sorry about the picture....I wasn't planning on sharing this until the very last minute!

Ingredients:

Vanana Yogurt (its a vanilla-banana blend)

Vanilla Almond Granola

Pomegranate Arils (you can find these packaged, all-ready-to-eat)

Directions:

Spoon some yogurt on the bottom of a serving dish

Sprinkle some granola over

Layer some more yogurt

Again, sprinkle more granola and top with some pomegranate arils

Yummy Wraps

Below are some great ways to enjoy a healthy, light lunch! Thanks to my sisters Stephanie and Christie for sharing them with me! Stephanie's tastes delicious for picnics out by the pool and are so refreshing. Christie's is such a great and yummy way to get your protein and fruit, plus it has peanut butter on it...my favorite! Mmmmm! Enjoy!

*if you don't have a Trader Joes near you, you can just use your favorite tortilla, pita, or flat our bread, but I think that the Lavash Bread from Trader Joes is the BEST!

Stephanie's Sandwich Wrap

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Lavash Bread
Cream Cheese and Chive Cream Cheese (I usually just snip some fresh chives in some Light Cream Cheese and mix)
Peppered Turkey
Provolone Cheese
Romaine Lettuce
Red Pepper, sliced
Oregano
Pepper

Directions:
Take a piece of Lavash Bread and lay out onto counter
Spread a little Cream Cheese and Chive mixture onto the bread
Lay on a piece of turkey, and cheese
Add a crisp slice of romaine lettuce, and a couple slices of red pepper
Sprinkle some oregano and pepper
Wrap up and slice in half
Serve with some fresh fruit or a fruit smoothie for a complete meal

Christie's Apple and Peanut Butter Granola Wrap
*picture coming soon

Ingredients:

Piece of Whole Wheat Lavash Bread from Trader Joe's
Peanut Butter, your favorite kind
Gala Apple, sliced and cored
Granola, homemade or your favorite kind
Honey, optional

Directions:
Spread a layer of peanut butter onto the lavash bread
Place some apple slices on top
Sprinkle Granola
Drizzle with a little bit of honey
Roll up and slice in half

Shredded Beef Chimichangas

If you are like me and try to come up with ways to change up the usual Sunday roast dinner or use any leftover shredded meat, this recipe is for you! It is super easy, and fun to dress up! I had extra Homemade Flour Tortillas in the freezer, and whipped up some Guacamole to top it off! These are sure to give you a Mexican fix! :)

Ingredients:

Shredded Beef (cooked and seasoned)

Homemade Flour Tortillas (or whatever you have on hand)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Red onion (diced)

Guacamole

Sour Cream (optional)

Olives (optional)

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce, or your favorite store bought kind (try Old El Paso's, they are my favorite when I do not have time for homemade)

Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Place a tortilla on the counter and put a little bit of meat in the middle. Add some cheese and fold up. [I like to fold mine by folding in the sides and taking the bottom (closest to me) and rolling it to the top.] Gently place in the hot oil and wait until the bottom is browned, but not burnt. Carefully flip it over and fry till browned on the bottom. Take the chimichanga out of the oil and place on some napkins or paper towel to drain any excess oil. To assemble the toppings, pour some enchilada sauce over the tortilla, sprinkle some cheese, add some red onions and olives, and give a dollop of guacamole, and sour cream.

Original German Pancakes

This is a recipe that my hubby grew up on and today is a staple in our own home.  It is super SIMPLE and takes just seconds to whip up!  We actually make it at least once a week, usually Sunday mornings, and I LOVE it because I don't have to stand over a hot griddle making individual pancakes for everyone.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cube butter (1/4 C)

6 eggs

1 C flour

1 C milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray.

Place butter in dish and place in oven to melt while oven is preheating.

In the meantime, whip rest of the ingredients up in a bowl.

Once oven is preheated, take dish out and pour egg mixture over melted butter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until sides are puffed up and browned.

Cut into squares and serve with additional butter, syrup and powdered sugar. 

Chicken with a Twist

Yesterday afternoon, when trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I realized I really needed to hit up the grocery store.  Luckily we still had some basics in order for me to make this new twist on both chicken and mac n cheese.  I found the recipe on CampbellsKitchen.com and it is SUPER EASY and took me less than 20 minutes to make.  Since I am pregnant and have a harder time finding the energy to make dinner on a daily basis, I doubled the batch so we have enough leftovers for lunch and dinner for the next couple of days!

Ingredients:

1 can condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup (I only had Nacho Cheese on hand.  It made it a little more spicy but still tasted yummy!)

1 C Picante Sauce

1/4 C milk

1/2 t garlic powder

1 can corn, drained

1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken

4 C hot cooked rotini

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large skillet.  Heat over medium heat until warm.  

The Taco Ring

The first time I tried this meal was at my friends Pampered Chef Party. It was so tasty and I ended up leaving that party with a couple of their cookbooks ordered to be delivered to my house. It was such an exciting day when I received my package, pulled out my newest cookbooks and supplies, and starting making this dish again all by myself. I definitely recommend that everyone has a couple of PC's cookebooks in their kitchen! I have tweaked the original recipe just a TEENEY-TINY bit (to fit to my liking), but bascially it just the same. It is so TASTY and EASY...plus it looks like a professional chef whipped it up! I made this for dinner again last night (with my little tweaks) and it was still a BIG HIT with my hubby and little men!

Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 pound ground turkey (or beef)

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 1/2 T water

2 packages crescent rolls

bell pepper

salsa

shredded romaine lettuce

chopped tomato

olives (optional)

extra cheese

sour cream

Directions:

Brown turkey/beef on stove. Add the chopped onion and green pepper and cook until veggies are softened. Drain any grease and add the taco seasoning, water, and cheese. Remove from heat and cover. On a round baking stone (or pan), place each crescent roll with the point hanging off the side of pan. Overlap each piece of dough to create a full circle. Scoop a 1/4 cup of the meat mixture onto each piece of dough. Take each point (that was hanging off) and bring up and over the filling and tuck under the wide ends of dough at the center of the circle. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and dough is cooked through. Cut the top off the bell pepper off, and clean out the seeds. Pour your favorite salsa inside and place the entire pepper in the center of the ring. Take your cut up lettuce and spread around the middle. Top with chopped tomatos, olives, and more cheese (whatever your favorite taco toppings are). Serve with some sour cream.

Chicken Pasta Parmesan

This recipe was given to me by a Relief Society sister in our first married ward! This woman is an amazing cook and I soon became a fan of all her recipes in the ward's cookbook! This meal in particular, is one that we make very often...especially when I am clueless about what to make for dinner and need something FAST, HEALTHY, AND EASY!

Ingredients:

2 Tbls vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can cream of broccoli OR cream of chicken soup

3 Tbls milk

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into cubes)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)

1 cup cooked broccoli flowerets

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Hot cooked spaghetti

Directions:

In skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat. Cook the chicken and onion until chicken is browned and the onion is tender (I like to add garlic salt and pepper to the chicken while it cooks). Stir in the soup and milk. Add mushrooms, cooked broccoli, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir occasionally. Serve over hot spaghetti and (if desired), sprinkle more cheese on top.

*You can also add 1/2 cup thinly sliced peppers (green/red) instead of the broccoli.

Tangy Turkey Melts

I absolutely LOVE sandwiches, and my brother's used to tease me, ALL of the time, after hearing me say that phrase often while growing up!  This recipe gives a little twist on the traditional grilled cheese by adding turkey, tomato and a SUPER yummy TANGY sauce.  This will definitely become one of your family's FAVORITE as it has with mine!  Served with a side of soup or salad, this makes for a GREAT quick and EASY week night meal.

Ingredients:

3/4 C chopped red onion

1 T dried thyme

1/4 C mayonnaise

1/4 C honey mustard

6 T butter

8 slices of bread (just whatever you have on hand)

8 slices of tomato

8 slices of cheese (preferably Swiss or provolone)

1 lb sliced roasted turkey meat (or whatever amount you have on hand.  I tend to use less in order to make my meat stretch!)

Directions:

Butter one side of each slice of bread.

In a small bowl, stir together the red onion, thyme, mayo and mustard.

Spread some of this mixture on the unbuttered side of each slice of bread.

Heat skillet or griddle over medium heat.

Place 4 slices of bread into the skillet, buttered side down.

On each slice, layer a couple slices of turkey, then a slice of tomato and top with a slice of cheese.

Place remaining slices of bread over the top, butter side up.

Cook, covered, on both sides until golden brown.