Ovaltine, Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie.

My sister in law has been drinking this smoothie for a while now, and I deciede I would try it.  I really am not a smoothie person, and thought it would be way too much work for breakfast.  Boy was I wrong, this takes 3 minutes to make and is so filling.  I drink this at about 8 in the morning and am not even close to hingry till about 2.  It is very good for you, much better then stopping for a breakfast sandwich.  This really is the perfect smoothie for the morning.

Prep time: 1 minute
Cook time: 2 minutes
Serving size- 1 smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 banana (any size you want)
• 2 heaping tablespoons of ovaltine
• 2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1.5 cups of ice
• 1 cup of milk

Directions

1. In your blender place all ingredients and blend for about 2 minutes.
2. Enjoy!

Home-made Taco Seasoning

This may sounds like a very easy recipe, but I never knew how easy it was to make your own taco seasoning.  I have tried many different mixtures of spices, and this is definitely the best tasting.  This is 1000 times better for you than using the packaged seasoning, and cheaper.  This cuts out all the preservatives, and really can't beat the taste.

Serving size: This particular recipe is for 1.5 pound of ground beef/ ground turkey
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

Directions

1. When your taco meat is done browning remove from heat, and add 1/4 cup of water. (I do not like my tacos with any sauce, so if you want more liquid you can add)
2. Add the above ingredients, and mix well
3. Enjoy!

Final Product

Skinny Bang Bang Chicken

When I was in my first job I loved going to happy hours.  One of my favorite happy hours was at Bonefish Bar and Grill.  I would never get dinner, only appetizers and drinks.  They have this appetizer called Bang Bang Shrimp, and it was seriously one of my favorite appetizers EVER.  I was on the search for the recipe, but everyone I at   was pretty unhealthy.  I found a skinny version, and was so excited to try it.  It did taste different than the sauce at Bonefish, but it was equally as delicious, and a lot better for you.  I decided also to do it over chicken, and not shrimp.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 4 people

Recipe adapted from:  The Cookie Rookie

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used the thin sliced ones)
• Adoba seasoning 
• 1 5.3 oz container of plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons of Siracha sauce
• .5 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Green onions for topping.

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. While oven is pre-heating sprinkle your chicken breasts with Adoba
3. Bake chicken for 10-15 minutes (until cooked through)
4. While chicken is baking, place you Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, Siracha, sugar and garlic in a small bowl and mix well.
5. Once your chicken is cooked, place your sauce on top of chicken and place back in the oven for 3 minutes to warm sauce.
6. Serve over your choice of rice or pasta, and sprinkle with green onions

Final Product

Blackened Cajun Chicken

Now that the holiday's are over, and I have ate all my leftover I get to cook again.  I received a lot of  fun cooking things for Christmas, that I am very excited to use!  I went out to dinner with my mom and had a blackened chicken, and it was really good.  I wanted to figure out how to make it and finally tried last night.  This was so easy to make, and it was really good.  It had a different taste then the restaurant (I believe they blacken theirs on a grill) but I liked it just as much!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serving size: 4 people

Cook time: 20 minutes

Recipe adapted from: Flavor Mosaic

Ingredients

I did not use measurements on the seasonings, because you only need to sprinkle the seasonings on each piece of chicken.

• Paprika
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Black pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil'

Directions

1. Place your chicken on a large plate, and sprinkle both sides with each of the seasonings.
2. While seasoning your chicken, place oil in a large pan with a lid, and let heat.
3. Once oil is heated place your chicken in pan, and cover.
4. Cook for 6-8 minutes on each side (until blackened!)
5. Enjoy,

I served my chicken with yellow rice and corn, and it was a great combination.

Final Product