Rosemary Chicken and Red Potatoes
2.5 lbs Chicken Breast
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Rosemary
1 tbsp Garlic
Salt or alternate seasoning
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tsp Pepper
3-4 Red Potatoes
Heat oven to 425
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss chicken and potatoes to coat. Place in a glass cooking dish, separating potatoes in one and chicken in another. The potatoes go in first and cook for 15 mn. Then, add chicken and cook for another 35 mn, or until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked thoroughly.
This is a delicious dinner, super easy and saves well if you have leftovers. You can also pair it with rice, add to a salad or pasta. You can play with the seasonings to your personal taste. I LOVE garlic and paprika so I add more.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
1 Carton Veggie Broth, or Chicken Broth. Low sodium preferred
1 Large Can of Diced Tomatoes. Fire roasted works well.
1-2 cans of Black Bean. Low sodium preferred.
1 Sweet Potato, roughly peeled and diced
1 Green or Red pepper, chopped to your liking
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Red Onion, diced to your preference
Cilantro, chopped. As much or as little as you want!
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Taco seasoning, or whatever seasonings you like. I sometimes use Chili Pepper, Cayenne, paprika...
In a large pot, add olive oil and and onion and cook down for about 5 minutes, then add garlic for another minute.
Add sweet potato and green pepper for and cook for 5 minutes.
Add balck beans, tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are soft. Add cilantro towards the end.
Super easy, very satisfying and makes enough for 1-2 weeks worth of soup!! I have also added kale, carrots, and different kinds of beans, or even chicken! Make it your own!
Homemade Granola Bars
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 c wheat pastry flour, or use gluten free flour if desired
1/3 c raw honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c coconut oil
1/2 of a chocolate bar roughly chopped
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup dried fruit. I love dried cranberries!
Heat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Mix coconut oil and honey together. Add in oats and flour.
Fold in chocolate bar, nuts and dried fruit.
Spread mixture onto baking sheet. I only use about half of the baking sheet, so the granola bars are thicker.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until desired texture is reached. I prefer mine softer.
I play with this one a lot! Sometimes I just get trail mix from Sprout's and use that. As long as it is about a cup, use whatever excites you!! I eat these as a snack, or as fuel on long rides or runs. If you make them crispy, you can break them up and use them as cereal or a topping for yogurt, fruit, etc.
PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt. I use Kosher.
2 sticks real butter, softened. Important! Use REAL butter!
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chocolate chips. Semi-sweet, milk chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate. Whatever you like!
Heat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and beat until completely smooth.
Mix in flour and baking soda until combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop about 1 tbsp of dough, about 1-2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Each cookie sheet will hold about 12 cookies.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies begin to look golden on the bottom. Take them out before they are too brown.
I have played with so many different cookie recipes, until I finally figured this one out! It makes the perfect soft and chewy cookie. It really doesn't get much better then a fresh cookie, out of the oven, all soft and chewy and PERFECT!
....And now. If you have come this far...I am about to disclose two recipes that I receive a lot of compliments on. The Fruit Crisp, and the Pumpkin Cheesecake. I was reluctant to share, but I think that you should be able to enjoy these with out me, if you want. Or, feel free to bake them and bring me your version. I promise I wouldn't mind!!!
Fruit Crisp
6 cups of fruit. Apples are my go-to, but berries, peaches, or any other fruit can work too! Apple and cranberry is a great combo, and so is strawberry blueberry!
1/2 cup sugar. If you use apples, try brown sugar.
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Lemon Juice. Meyer lemons are perfect if you can find them.
1 tbsp Cinnamon if using apples
3/4 c flour. For gluten free, use gluten free flour. Cup For Cup is a great one.
1/2 c Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 375.
For the filling: Mix fruit, lemon juice, sugar and transfer to an 8" baking dish.
For the topping: Cream softened butter and sugar. Add in oats, flour, baking powder and salt. Mixture will be a rough texture.
Sprinkle the topping onto the fruit. You can make little clumps so it's kind of a streussel topping.
Bake until bubbling in the center, about 1 hour.
This is super-easy, and not as high-calorie as a pie with a crust. It's easy to serve, and if you add ice cream, everyone will remember you until the end of time!
Okay...here it is. I have been making this for years now. It started as a recipe I stole from a doctor at work. Then, I got adventurous and started playing with it. I think I have perfected it. It now stands alone amongst any dish. When Thanksgiving arrives, we all start talking about it. When you eat it, you just melt. I have never seen so much love for a cheesecake, as this one. It is worth the time, and the energy, to see people eat this. I swear I have more friends now, just because of this cheesecake. You might think, "It's just a cheesecake." No. It's not. It's pure magic, I promise.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Graham Cracker Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs. Don't buy the already crushed crumbs. Go big. Buy the graham crackers and crush them yourself. More love, more flavor and more fun to crush them!
1 stick melted butter
3 tbsp sugar. Brown sugar brings more flavor and makes it chewier. If you like a crispier crust, use white
Cinnamon, to taste. You don't HAVE to, but come on...
Crush crumbs, add sugar and cinnamon. Mix in melted butter and combine. Press into a cheesecake pan, making sure to come up on the sides. I dump it all in the pan, get my hands wet, and work my way out. Set pan aside. Move onto the magic.
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1 1/4 lbs of cream cheese(about 3 boxes) softened to room temp(leave out of the fridge for about 4 hours to soften)
1 1/4 cup sugar. I use about 1 cup of brown and 1/4 white.
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp Allspice
Nutmeg, if desired
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350.
Place cream cheese in large bowl and beat with a mixer for 1 minute. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides.
Add sugar and mix for another minute.
Add in flour and spices and beat for 1 minute.
Add in vanilla and sour cream and mix until incorporated.
Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then slowly beat into the mix.
Add pumpkin last and mix until combined.
Pour into the cheesecake pan and put in the oven, on a baking sheet, in the middle rack.
Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the middle looks set, and not liquid. Then, turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open oven door, and let sit for another 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Refrigerate for at least four hours, to over night. The longer you let it cool in the fridge, the more "set" the cheese cake will become. Ideally, it's the best when refrigerated over night.
There it is!!! In all it's glory. The best cheesecake. Ever. The original recipe calls for heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream. I prefer the sour cream because it gives the cheesecake more of a sour, tangy flavor, while the heavy whipping cream seems flat. Also, the brown sugar is a recent change, because the molasses of the brown sugar really gives it a nice, rich flavor and pairs really well with the pumpkin. The original recipe called for ginger and cloves, but I find these spices really overtook the cheesecake and made it taste too much like a cookie, and less like a cheesecake, so I prefer cinnamon, Allspice and sometimes a dash of nutmeg. But, play with it to find what you like. I sometimes add a whipped topping, mixing heavy whipping cream white sugar, and cinnamon. You don't need it, but it sure is good!
Well, phew! There it is! A few of my favorite recipes. As you can probably tell, I'm all about balance in life. I eat pretty well, but I also believe in enjoying the sweet things in life on occasion. I really hope you can try some of these, and share them with your loved ones, friends, and family. Let me know how it goes for you!!!! And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Enjoy!
