Meatless Quesadillas Two Ways

Quesadillas are a quick & easy meal in our house. Often it’s leftover meat and a bit of cheese between tortillas. Or just cheese if the girls are feeling finicky.

Either way they take only a few minutes to make and are a fun change from sandwiches.
When I want to get a bit fancier I turn to this terrific shrimp quesadillas recipe from Good Housekeeping. It’s quick, delicious and a great way to be meatless but still have the texture that most people expect with a meal. My girls gobbled this up!



Ingredients (serves 4)
* 1 pound(s) shelled and deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground chipotle chile
* 2 limes
* 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
* 1 large (8 to 10 ounces) red pepper, chopped (I omitted this)
* 1 medium (6 to 8 ounces) onion, chopped (I use chopped onion flakes, about 2T)
* 1 ripe avocado, mashed
* 1/2 cup(s) loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I use Gourmet Garden Cilantro Herb blend)
* Pepper
* 2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
* 8 (8-inch) soft-taco-size flour tortillas
* 8 ounce(s) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
* 2 cup(s) shredded romaine lettuce

Directions
1. In small bowl, toss shrimp with chipotle chile. From limes, squeeze 4 tablespoons juice; set aside.

2. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium one minute. Add red pepper and onion and cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add shrimp and cook 3 minutes longer or until shrimp just turn opaque throughout. Transfer shrimp mixture to medium bowl and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Remove pan from heat and wipe with paper towel.

3. Meanwhile, prepare guacamole: In small bowl, combine avocado with 2 tablespoons lime juice, half of cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Prepare tomato salsa: In another small bowl, combine tomatoes, serrano chile, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and remaining lime juice.

4. Heat same skillet on medium-low 30 seconds. Place 1 tortilla in skillet. Sprinkle with one-fourth of shrimp mixture, one-fourth of cheese, and one-fourth of remaining cilantro; top with second tortilla, pressing lightly. Cook quesadilla about 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Carefully turn quesadilla and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Repeat to make 4 quesadillas in total.

5. Cut quesadillas into wedges; serve with guacamole, tomato salsa, and shredded romaine.

Another Meatless Recipe

I have friends who are vegetarian. Some consider seafood to be meat, some don’t. This recipe for Bean & Cheese Quesadillas from Family Circle is also quick, delicious and uses black beans for texture and protein.

Ingredients (serves 6)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 small green pepper, seeded and chopped (I omit this)
* 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and lightly mashed
* 1/2 cup salsa
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 package (10 count) fajita-size flour or whole-wheat tortillas
* 8 ounces reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, shredded
* 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
* Extra salsa for serving (optional)

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans, salsa and chili powder. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Place one tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup of the bean mixture and 1/3 cup of the cheese evenly over the tortilla. Sprinkle some of the cilantro over the top. Place another tortilla on top and cook 1 minute. Press gently with a spatula and turn. Cook for 1 minute or until browned.

3. Place quesadilla on a baking sheet and keep warm in 200° oven. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make four additional quesadillas. Allow skillet to cool slightly if it becomes too hot.

4. To serve, cut each quesadilla into quarters. Serve 3 quarters to each person (there will be 2 leftover wedges)

Bug Party Ideas

Throwing a Bug Theme Party That Won't Make You Buggy!

I have girls, so a bug themed party doesn't seem like something they would appreciate, but when MomSelect offered me a chance to host a HEXBUG Nano party my girls were thrilled!

Buggy Fun!

First we planned a couple of buggy activities. Since our HEXBUG Nano were the super fun Easter Egg we colored and created Easter baskets. While the kids showed their artsy talents the adults hid eggs.
An alternate idea would be to buy small plastic bugs and bug nets. Have kids search you yard for the bugs. The winner gets a prize- maybe a bug house! (We can usually find all these items inexpensively at a local dollar store.)
After the bug search was over- and everyone had a HEXBUG egg and an equal number of regular eggs we played "Bug Run". If you've ever watched an ant you know that bugs don't follow a straight path. So I drew two bug trails in chalk on my driveway. Every few feet a circle would give an instruction- spin, jump, hop to the next circle- and at the end the HEXBUGS had their own race.

To play without HEXBUGS simply change the challenge at the end. Maybe worm eating (with gummy worms). Have kids dig the "worms" out of "dirt" (finely crushed Oreos make great dirt). The first to find and eat a worm is the winner.

Buggy Food!

Since our party was taking place at dinner time pizza was a given. I ordered kid friendly pizzas and added olives sliced in half as bugs. Because they were on top of the cheese they were easy to pick off.

We had Bug Juice to drink.

This very simple concoction looks best in a clear punch bowl as it can be a bit creepy to see "dead bugs" in the bottom!
Ingredients:
6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 liters ginger ale
1 small container green sherbet
1 c raisins

Combine lemonade and ginger ale in punch bowl. Mix until lemonade dissolves.
When ready to serve add scoops of green sherbet to the bowl and place raisins on top to resemble bugs!

And for dessert- Dirt Cups!


This is a very easy dessert to make:
Ingredients:
3.9 oz Instant Chocolate Pudding
1 c cold milk
8 oz whipped topping
15 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
gummy worms
small cups

Mix pudding and milk in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in whipped topping and 1/2 of Oreo crumbs.
Spoon mixture into cups and refrigerate for one hour.
Before serving top cups with cookie crumbs and gummy worms.

If cake or cupcakes are more your style, use finely crushed Oreos to resemble dirt on top of the frosting. And if the cake is layered mix Oreo crumbs with the frosting in the center to resemble dirt- and don't forget to toss in a few worms- when you cut it you may just slice a worm in two! Oooh, gross!

Thanks to MomSelect and HEXBUG for giving every child at our party a limited edition HEXBUG Nano Easter Egg and the Spiral Starter Set for our game!

Creating a Meal with Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast

It's been a long time coming, but I am beginning to realize that I am busy. As in crazy busy. And when my family is otherwise occupied I need to be able to create a meal for myself quickly. Otherwise I find myself grabbing something from a convenience store that is 1) bad for me, 2) not really that tasty and 3) insanely expensive for what I am actually getting.

I try to prep food before hand but lately I've been running about on Sunday- my usual food-prep day. Recently I received a coupon to try the new Tyson® Grilled & Ready frozen chicken breast. The fact that it is fully cooked and takes only a couple minutes to heat in the microwave makes this my go-to meat for meals.

Since I mainly use leftovers and kitchen staples I am eating healthier and saving money!

Grilled Chicken Tacos

2 flour tortillas
1 cup Spanish rice
1/2 c lettuce
1 Tyson® Grilled & Ready frozen chicken breast
1/2 c shredded Cheddar
Salsa
Sour cream (optional)

Heat chicken breast, rice and tortillas. Layer as desired. Enjoy a quick and delicious meal!

Mexican Chicken Salad


Lettuce of choice
1 Tyson® Grilled & Ready frozen chicken breast
1/2 c Spanish rice
Salsa
Light ranch dressing
Shredded Cheddar

Heat chicken breast and rice. Layer salad. Mix salsa and ranch for a creamy yet spicy dressing. Enjoy an easy salad with a Mexican flair.

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 c spinach leaves
1/2 c tomato
1/2 c wheat pasta (cooked)
1 1 Tyson® Grilled & Ready frozen chicken breast
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T Balsamic vinegar
1 t Italian seasoning

Heat and chop chicken breast. Layer spinach, tomato, pasta and chicken breast in a bowl.
Mix EVOO & vinegar with Italian seasoning; toss with salad.
I usually put this in a divided container and tote it along when I know I won't make it home for dinner. It travels well and I'm not so tempted by the drive thru.

I received a coupon to try Tyson® Grilled & Ready frozen chicken breast. Thoughts, photos and meals are my own.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I prepare a “traditional” breakfast only on Sundays or holidays. I made these blueberry pancakes a couple weeks ago (because blueberries were on sale) and my family gobbled them up! I prefer to use fresh blueberries but you could use frozen- just be sure to thaw and rinse to avoid purple pancakes!

The recipe- from Everyday Food magazine- makes about 12-14 four inch pancakes.

Ingredients
1 1/4 c all purpose flour- spooned and leveled
2 T light brown sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t coarse salt
1 c lowfat buttermilk (I didn’t have buttermilk so I used 1 c sour cream. You can also substitute plain yogurt)
1/2 c whole milk
2 large eggs
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c blueberries

Directions:
In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Whisk milkmixture into flour mixture until just combined.

Heat skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease hot skillet with butter (I use olive oil). Use 1/4 c batter for each pancake; spoon onto skillet and smooth to make round. Sprinkle with 2 T blueberries.

Cook until pancake has formed some bubbles and some have burst; 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately or place on a plate in a warm oven (about 200 degrees) while you cook the rest.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Banana Split Pancakes

A few weeks ago I made a banana split pancake recipe I found in George Duran's Take this Dish and Twist It. And while his banana split pancakes were unique they were way too sweet for my taste- and that's saying a lot!

So I took his idea and put my own twist on it - using far less chocolate, adding strawberries and mashing the bananas instead of slicing them.

These little beauties were delicious and my family can't wait to have them again!

I began with my favorite pancake recipe- with a few additions:

* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon salt

* 1 medium size ripe banana, mashed
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil

* 1/3 c chocolate chips

* 1 lb. strawberries, fresh or frozen & thawed

* Whipped topping (if desired)

1. Heat a griddle or large pan to medium heat. Heat oven to warm (180°F) and place a foil-lined baking sheet inside. Only do this if you plan for everyone to eat together. In my house I serve the pancakes straight from the griddle.

1b. If using fresh strawberries: Remove hulls from the strawberries and slice thin. Combine the strawberries with 2T sugar in large bowl. Set aside at room temperature to macerate (the strawberries will release their juices). After about 20 minutes mash half the berries with a potato masher to release more juice. Do not mash all of them. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder & salt. Separate eggs and whisk egg yolks in small bowl with milk and oil.

3. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks, about 1 minute. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Add mashed banana; stir until mixed. Fold in egg whites in two additions, until no white streaks remain. Very gently fold in chocolate chips.

4. Using a ladle, drop 1/4 cup batter onto heated griddle. Repeat, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Cook 1 minute, or until bubbles in batter pop and remain open. Carefully flip pancakes and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Stack pancakes 3 or 4 high, top with strawberries and juice and a bit of whipped topping, if desired. Serve and enjoy the rounds of applause.