"Fruit Chewies"

Tonight I came across a recipe for a "cookie" made without any flour, butter, sugar, dairy, etc. The recipe sounded so simple and it made sense to me how it might possibly actually form a decent cookie, so I decided to try it. I will give it 4 of 5 stars! It was surprising how delicious they actually turned out. The only thing is (for me) I would probably make them a bit thinner next time, they do not spread out AT ALL! What you put onto the pan is exactly the shape and size that you get when they are baked. Rich even ate some and he NEVER, ever tries any of what he calls my "rabbit food."

Fruit Chew "Cookies"

3 medium ripe bananas                                                       
2 cups rolled oats (I used Quaker "1 min" oats)                                                                   
1 cup chopped, dried fruit     (I used cranberries and did not chop them)                   
1/3 cup oil of choice (veg oil, coconut oil, etc.)                                                                              
1 tsp. vanilla     

1 dash cinnamon

1 light sprinkle of salt

Mash the bananas well with a fork. Stir in the other ingredients and allow the "batter" to sit for 15 minutes. Drop "cookie shaped balls" onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.      

 Before baking

       After baking

Mexican Chicken Pizza

I bought a rotisserie chicken at Publix today. I like to use the breast meat for salads. Thankfully Rich likes the dark meat. :) Tonight I had a ROASTED PEPPER SALAD and he had chicken pizza, Mexican-style. I really want to use up all my rotisserie chicken! It's hard with just the 2 of us!

Mexican Chicken Pizza

Tortilla or flatbread of choice (I used a Flat-Out Original Lite flatbread)
Shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack)
Shredded rotisserie chicken
Black beans
Taco Sauce or salsa (for "pizza sauce")
olive oil
salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper to taste

Spread a thin layer of taco sauce onto the flatbread. Sprinkle with cheese and black beans. Toss the shredded chicken in a little olive oil with salt and spices of your taste. You could also use taco seasoning instead of individual spices. Top the pizza with the chicken and a little extra cheese for appearance. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cool 3-5 minutes, slice, and enjoy.

Broiled Grapefruit

I saw a pin for broiled grapefruit on Pinterest and I thought it looked & sounded interesting. So, I decided to try it. I would have preferred to use ruby red, but the grocery had only the regular boring grapefruit. So, I took my boring grapefruit home and then went in search of the recipe. That's when I saw that the recipes called for a tablespoon each of butter and white or brown sugar. Um, no!

I used a tablespoon of Brummel & Brown instead and 2 packets of Truvia. In hindsight I felt like a teaspoon of B&B would have been fine. It was too "buttery." But whatever. And you know...it wasn't my thing. I like my grapefruit cold and fresh...

But anyway. I cut out my grapefruit sections, mixed in the Truvia, and returned it to the grapefruit shell, now devoid of pulp,  and broke up a tablespoon of B&B over the top. I broiled it for about 8 minutes. It was actually pretty decent, and I did enjoy the juice.

   

Smart Enough for a B-

Look, he's no rocket scientist, but he makes life pretty simple. He lays down right next to me and gives me bug eyes until I state a few choices he might be interested...the correct answer gets a "woof." Lol. Happy Thursday!

Roasted Pepper Salad

I made a delish salad with leftovers tonight. 

3 cups chopped romaine

1 cup chopped bell peppers

3 oz leftover shredded rotisserie chicken

1 oz shredded white cheddar

1.5 oz cup of Naturally Fresh Lite Ranch

paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste

toss bell peppers and chicken with olive oil and seasonings and put under the broiler about 7-8 minutes until the peppers begin to blacken. Toss with lettuce, cheese, dressing, and extra seasoning if desired. yum.

The Green Oatmeal Smoothie

I got the idea to make a green oatmeal smoothie after seeing some oatmeal smoothies on Pinterest. They all used berries as the fruit, which I didn't hate the thought of, but I rarely accept an idea as is. :) I decided to make a yummy oatmeal smoothie...so I devoted some time to it this morning.

Try #1: I used 2 oz. of avocado (1/2 of a regular Hass), 2 oz of banana (1 small), 1 cup ice, 1/2 cup steel-cut oats (that's all I keep in my house--smoothie recipes called for quick oats), 1 cup of fresh baby spinach, 1 cup vanilla coconut milk, 1 tbsp honey, and a generous dash of ground cinnamon. The overall taste wasn't bad, but the texture I could not handle. The steel cut oats did not blend up well. It tasted WICKED nutty and gritty. I tried to enjoy it but it wasn't happening. So I threw it down the sink and drove across the street to pick up quick oats.

Try #2: I used the same ingredients except a light 1/2 cup of quick "1 min" oats. I let it blend and blend and blend. I did not want that gritty taste. The result, I found delicious! I can't taste the avocado or spinach at all. The oats blended perfectly. Basically it tastes like banana-cinnamon oatmeal. It's very yummy! I wouldn't drink it on a day that I'm not working out because it's definitely higher calorie/carb/etc. than I allow myself for breakfast. :) But, quite good. I think next time I will make a smaller batch next time. This was waaaay to much, I didn't even end up able to finish one 16-oz glass and I still had a cup or so left besides the leftover in my glass!

I'm still thinking of making one with raspberries...bananas are high in carbs and sugar. I probably wouldn't put avocado in that one. That may happen next week :)

Official Green Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe (2-3 servings)
1 cup ice
1/2 Hass Avocado, chilled
1 small banana, ripe, chilled
1/2 cup quick oats
1 cup vanilla coconut milk
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 tbsp honey
dash (or two) ground cinnamon

Blend 2-3 minutes and enjoy!

Parmesan Asparagus

I love, love asparagus. Enough that I hereby dedicate this entire post to asparagus. :)

When I cook asparagus, I cut off a generous 2-3 inches at the bottom. Only the prime portion makes it to my plate! If I am making asparagus for myself, I spray it with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, sprinkle on a tad of salt, pepper, and garlic, and broil on high for 3-4 minutes.

But not tonight. No. Tonight's asparagus will be shared with the husband, which means it will be delightfully prepared. Mmmm.. First I brush the asparagus with extra light-tasting olive oil. Next I sprinkle on Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. Then, I sprinkle on real grated parmesan cheese. This delicacy goes under the broiler about 4 minutes, until the cheese turns golden, and then it is ready to eat. For proportions--I use about 25-30 stalks of asparagus, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper I just sprinkle on. Yum-O.