Magic Cookie Bars

My sister in law Jennifer made these for everyone on the 4th. They were DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

• Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray 
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 
• 1/2 cup butter, melted 
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk 
• 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 
• 1 cup chopped nuts 

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork. BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds. For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars.

VARIATIONS SUBSTITUTE chocolate chips or nuts with candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini-marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

When it's time to plan the shopping list, I generally open up this blog first and browse for ideas. But the second place I go is to Taylor's blog. Taylor is my super duper talented sis-in-law, who makes the most amazing food and takes the most gorgeous photos of that food. I love her blog, and wanted to post links to some of my favorites here so that I always remember when planning what I want to eat!

Taylor's recipe for Lemon Chicken is one of my new favorite dinners. In fact, we ate it again tonight. Mmmmmmm!

This Baked Mushroom Chicken recipe is another meal we have had multiple times - it's a keeper!

These dinner rolls are to die for!

And as Taylor has definitely mastered the art of making dessert, you can't go wrong with any of these recipes.

Really, everything on her blog is fabulous, these are just some of our favorites that we've tried and loved! So if you are looking for something new, head over to her blog. You can thank me later!

Coconut Curry Shrimp and Rice

Oh, yummy! This meal from The Pioneer Woman was amazing!!  I was a little wary of the curry, as I am not a fan of super strong curry flavor, but the curry blended beautifully with the coconut, lime and honey flavors, and it was the perfect mix of deliciousness.  Click HERE for full pictures and instructions.

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-1/2 pound Peeled And Deveined Raw Shrimp (I Used U10, But Any Size Is Fine)
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
• 1 can (13 1/2 Oz. Size) Coconut Milk (I Used "A Taste Of Thai" Brand)
• 2 Tablespoons Honey, More To Taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• Hot Sauce, Optional
• 12 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped, Plus More For Garnish
• 2 cups Basmati Rice--cooked According To Package Directions

Preparation Instructions

Heat the butter in a large skillet (I used non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until fully cooked. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and stir to cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the curry powder over the onions and continue cooking the onions, stirring, for another couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Add honey, salt, and lime juice, and allow the sauce to heat up until bubbling gently. Add shrimp into the sauce, tossing to coat, and allow it to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste the sauce and add more salt, lime juice, or honey depending on your taste. Stir in the basil. (Add hot sauce if you want a little kick.)

Serve shrimp and sauce over a bed of cooked basmati rice, garnishing with more basil. Delicious!

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

One of the hardest things for me when it comes to making healthy choices is breakfast. I LOVE breakfast cereal. Right now I am doing a challenge where I am trying not to eat as much sugar, and if sugar is listed within the first three ingredients on an ingredient list, I am avoiding that food. Sugar is within the first three ingredients on EVERY breakfast cereal I like to eat. So, what to eat for breakfast?

Here is a good recipe that you can whip up in 2 minutes and that I think is delicious!  I usually half this unless I am sharing, as half is plenty for me and this is not a low calorie recipe.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

• 1/2 Oats, either old-fashioned or quick
• 2 T. nut butter (almond, walnut, cashew) OR organic peanut butter
• 1 T. honey
• salt

(optional add ins: cinnamon, chopped nuts, dark mini chocolate chips, dried fruits or ginger)

Stir together in a bowl until well blended. Eat plain, on yogurt, or (my favorite!) over fresh peaches or berries.  

Banana Ice Cream

Did you know that you could make ice cream with only a banana. Seriously, that is the only ingredient. If you have a ripe banana and a food processor or blender, you are ready to make this!  It's sweet and yummy and surprisingly creamy!!

This is my new favorite healthy treat! Read the easy how-to instructions here.

Perfect Oatmeal

I don't do a traditional list of New Year Resolutions, but each year I choose a theme to work on  throughout the year. My theme for 2015 is Physical Health. It's kind of hard for me to say this to others, because if I fail everyone is going to know. But I have decided I can handle being a little vulnerable, so there it is! Since the beginning of the year I have been working on consistently changing life habits. No crazy crash diets, or anything extreme that I cannot see myself doing for the rest of my life. Just little, good healthy habits that I plan to maintain forever, not just for a short time.  And I've already lost 9 pounds, woot!

As part of my efforts, I have been discovering and trying out some new recipes that I will share on here. These recipes are healthier alternatives to what I was eating before. Not all are low calorie or gluten free or sugar free, but all are a better choice than what I was eating before. For me, it's all about balance and moderation in all things.

Here is an oatmeal recipe that I found that I can enjoy. I am not really a fan of cooked oatmeal, usually because of the texture, but this recipe comes out with a really perfect, soothing texture every time. A great, healthy, comforting breakfast!

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (I personally have left this out, as I am trying not to eat sugar right now. It wasn't sweet, but it was still good without the sugar!)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg 
• 1 pinch salt

Combine milk, oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com.  You can find the original recipe here.

Easy and Tasty Chili

I found this meaty chili recipe on allrecipes.com and altered it slightly to fit my preferences.  I thought it turned out delicious!  Not too spicy for the kiddos, but still had yummy flavor and SO easy.  It made a nice big pot, so we served it with this delicious cornbread the first night, over baked potatoes a couple nights later.  And tomorrow we'll finish it off when we make chili cheese dogs.  A nice meal for a busy day!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef (or turkey or sausage, or mixed)
• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce 
• 8 oz. jar of salsa 
• 1 McCormick brand Chili Seasoning packet
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.

2. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans. Mix well.

3. I prefer to throw it in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours at this point.  However, the original recipe says to reduce heat to low and simmer on the stovetop for at least an hour.

4. Eat and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

One of my friends from my BYU days has a website where she tries popular recipes from pinterest or online and then rates and reviews them.  This soup received her highest rating, and so we tried it tonight.  We were not disappointed.  Oh, this one is really yummy! You should check out her website here. 

Original recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
• 2 stalks celery, diced 
• ½ cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots) 
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I like to leave the peels on red potatoes, if using them) 
• 1 cup milk (1% is my milk of choice) 
• 4 tablespoons flour 
• 1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese 
• 2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced 

Instructions

Earlier: Cook the chicken.  I prefer to stick this in the crockpot earlier in the day and let cook with a little chicken broth until done.

About an hour before eating: In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the onion, garlic, celery and carrots in the butter until the vegetables are tender.

Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Quickly whisk the milk mixture into the soup and continue to cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken. Be sure to stir the soup often so the soup doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot.

Microwave the cream cheese until it is soft. Add the cream cheese to the soup by the tablespoon. Let the cream cheese melt some more in the soup and then whisk the cream cheese into the soup until it is combine and leaves no lumps.

Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.