Black Bean Salsa

I know I have been a huge slacker in the blogging department.  Sorry.  I have been working hard at trying to get in better shape and lose some weight, and I have.  I've lost 25 pounds now and I feel much better!  I have been trying to make some better food choices and have been paying closer attention to portion sizes.  I refuse to cut any food groups completely out of my diet because I like variety.  It makes me happy to have choices. 
This is a yummy snack that I have been loving lately.  It is pretty healthy and delicious.  And I like things that I can throw together in 10 minutes or less.  I got this recipe from Taste of Home but I tweaked it a little bit to make it that much yummier to me.  When this salsa is made as written (using Daisy sour cream and olive oil mayo) it comes to about 135 calories a serving, which is good.  If you want to substitute with light sour cream or use greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and mayo that would make it even less calories.  

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or you can use canned)
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (or 1/2 tbsp dried parsley)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or substitute vinegar of your choice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, onion, and parsley.  In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and seasonings.  Pour over corn mixture and toss gently to coat.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator.  Makes 8 servings.

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Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

I love lasagna. But I also love Chicken Alfredo. Combining these two fabulous dishes makes me happier than a kid in a candy shop. That's probably the Italian in me. Or maybe it's just THAT good that it could make almost anyone happy. Give these a try sometime and see what you think. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a little bit to my liking.

Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups



Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles (have an extra couple ready just in case they break)
2 ½ cups alfredo sauce (homemade or store bought if you can stomach that stuff)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
oregano
garlic powder
3 cups shredded Mozzarella, separated
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
  
Directions:
1. Spray an 8x8 dish with non-stick spray.  
2. Add enough alfredo sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan. 
3. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Don't overcook them! If anything you want them a little bit undercooked to reduce your chance of tearing them.  
4. While the noodles are cooking, combine 2 cups of the mozzarella, cottage cheese, and egg in a large bowl.
5. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water. Lay the noodles out on a paper towel.
6. Spread a thin layer of alfredo sauce over each noodle (about 2 tbsp). Sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder. 
7. Spread the shredded chicken evenly over each noodle and top with the cheese mixture. 
8. Roll each noodle up starting at one narrow end and roll the noodle over the toppings to the other end. You will need to lift the noodle a little as you roll to prevent squishing everything out.
9. Place the roll-ups in the pan seam-side down so they don't come undone while cooking. Pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. 
10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top. If you want the cheese browned on top just turn on the broiler for the last couple of minutes to get it golden and crusty. I like it that way buy if my kids see any brown they think it is "burned". Kids...gotta love them, right?

Angel Food Cake/Strawberry Shortcake

This is one of our all-time favorite summertime treats around here.  We have it at least once a month.  It is so good and it's healthier than lots of other treats.  We always turn our angel food cake into strawberry shortcake because it's just that much more tasty!  All you do is add some slightly sweetened strawberries and a bit of whipped cream and there you go!  YUM!

Angel Food Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups egg whites (about 12)
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or you could try another flavor, like orange)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Let egg whites sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Sift powdered sugar and flour together three times; set aside. 
3. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites.  Beat on high speed. 
4. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. 
5. Gently fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.  Spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched and is not sticky.  Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.  

I found this recipe for angel food cake here. 

Here is the finished cake!

Mmm...so light and fluffy!

It looks delicious but it seems to be missing something...

That looks better but it is still missing something...

Perfect!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go eat my strawberry shortcake.

 

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

It's grilling season again.  YAY!!!!  I love grilled foods.  The fact that it doesn't add extra heat to the house is definitely a much appreciated bonus.  I saw this recipe on Kraft and I thought it looked like it was worth a try.  And it only has 5 ingredients.  How easy is that?!?  I'm glad I tried it.  It was so good!  Even my kids ate it, which is saying a lot if you know my kids...

Plus, it's healthy, which is worth a few more bonus points, right?

If you're looking for a new recipe for the grill you should try this.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken:

 

Ingredients:

 

4  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used the thin-cut ones.  They cook faster and easier)

1/4  cup KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided  (I doubled this)

1  tomato, finely chopped  (And I doubled this too...)

1/2  cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1/4  cup chopped fresh basil (I used the fresh cut basil in the nifty squeezy bottle...love it!)

Directions:

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 2 tbsp (or 1/4 cup if you double it like me) dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate at least 10 min. or all day if you remember. 

Preheat grill to medium heat.  Cover half the grill grate with a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place chicken on uncovered side of grill grate; grill 6 min. 
Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.
Turn chicken over; place on foil. Top with tomato mixture. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). 

**If you use the thin-cut breasts like me then you grill it about 5 minutes on each side.**