My Menu

*Please note that all menu plans are subject to LIFE! If you get your heart set on seeing a particular recipe appear on the blog within the next week and it never appears... just send me a message and I will send the recipe on to you.

MONDAY, APRIL 9TH =  Monterey Chicken (with homemade pico de gallo & turkey bacon!)

TUESDAY, APRIL 10TH = Garlic Ginger Noodles (for the... 5th time? :0))

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11TH = Eggs & Canadian Bacon in Pita Pockets

THURSDAY, APRIL 12TH = Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos

FRIDAY, APRIL 13TH = DATE NIGHT!!!!

SATURDAY, APRIL 14TH = Cranberry Sauerkraut Meatballs

(All food pictures are from Pinterest and I stake NO claim to them! I will site proper sources with each recipe as I make them this week!)

Light 100% Whole Wheat Rolls

The term "light" in this recipe title can be taken 2 ways. Firstly, they are pretty respectable on the calorie/fat gram scale as far as that goes. The original recipe lists these as 140 calories and 4.4 grams of fat a piece. You have to consider, however, that that is the original recipe which calls for half of the flour to be all purpose flour. I made these completely with freshly ground whole white wheat.

A lot of roll recipes also call for whole milk and oil in addition to the butter. This recipe has no milk, no oil and only 1/4 cup butter in the rolls and 1 egg. If you want to cut back even further, don't brush the rolls with butter.

Secondly, they can be considered "light" because they are so incredibly soft and delicious. Normally when one thinks of whole wheat breads it is automatically assumed that they are not as soft and delicious as white bread products. A lot of the times this can be the case. BUT definitely not with these rolls! If I didn't know, and if they weren't a darker brown in color, I would never have guessed that they weren't white.

Another thing I love about this recipe was that it was SOOO easy. The dough came together without any trauma and it was incredibly easy to roll out and form. I loved that.

The ONLY reason you should not make these rolls is if you don't have enough time to let them rise. They require over 2 hours to rise. Spend a Sunday afternoon working on them and your entire family will LOVE you for Sunday dinner!

This recipe is courtesy of Allrecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/light-wheat-rolls/

LIGHT 100% WHOLE WHEAT ROLLS

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast (5 tsp equivalent)
• 1 3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup white sugar (or honey or other sweetener of choice)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg, beaten
• About 5 cups whole wheat flour

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Mix sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and 2 cups whole wheat flour into yeast mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.
4. Grease 2 dozen muffin cups. Punch down dough, and divide into two equal portions. Roll each into a 6x14 inch rectangle, and cut rectangle into twelve 7x1 inch strips. Roll strips up into spirals, and place into muffin cups. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise uncovered in a warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush again with melted butter.

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Helpful hints for making rolls!

1. Visit Mel's Kitchen Cafe for a FANTASTIC tutorial on working with yeast. http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/11/tutorial-working-with-yeast.html My rolls have been SOOO much better since I watched this tutorial.

2. While letting your dough rise - if you don't have an ideal warm place for them to rise, stick your bowl on top of a heating pad set at a low heat setting. As you can see from my picture, my rolls were HUGE after doing this!

Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

This post is dedicated to my wonderful Aunt Deanne!

Before I get to the recipe I want to send a small requests for prayers, good feelings and good karma towards THIS family. She is a friend of mine from school and my heart just absolutely aches for her and her family right now. Keep fighting Celeste!

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We have made these burgers.... three times now? Yes, three. We love them. They are delicious and flavorful and the combination with the pineapple is AMAZING! We have had them with and without cheese and we actually have never refrigerated them for the 30 minutes the recipe recommends and they still have come out just fine. I would definitely not call them "Spicy." Maybe using smoked paprika makes all the difference? We just use normal paprika and DOUBLE the chili powder and still... not spicy. Oh well. Still delicious!

If you are worried about fruit on a burger - don't be. It isn't any more squishy than eating a burger with a tomato and, if I may say so, tastes a TRILLION times better. (Raw Tomato + Shayla just DOES NOT compute!)

If you don't grind the chicken yourself it can be hard to find already ground. I am happy to report that this excellent recipe works well with ground pork as well. I am sure it would be excellent with ground turkey. If you must try ground beef... go ahead; however, I am not sure it would work AS well. The spices have a very wonderful flavor and mixing them with less flavorful meats produces excellent results. Beef has a pretty dominant flavor by itself so.... good luck!

This excellent recipe and source of the picture are from Homemade by Holman and can be located at this site here: http://homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com/2010/06/spicy-hawaiian-burgers.html

SPICY HAWAIIAN BURGERS

Adapted from Homemade by Holman

2 pounds ground chicken
6 pineapple rings (or equivalent slices, cut about 1/2" - 3/4" thick)
6 slices pepper jack cheese (optional)
6 whole wheat hamburger buns
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder (if you want any kind of “spicy” you may want to double this…)
1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine the ground chicken, soy sauce, paprika, chili powder, seasoning salt and cumin. Lightly mix with your hands and divide into 6 even balls. Form patties.. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Coat grates lightly with oil. Grill burgers over medium heat about 6 minutes per side. The burgers should flip easily when they are ready to turn, if they want to stick, give them another minute. Top with cheese for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time to melt. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest. Grill buns if desired.

For the pineapple, if you are using rings, grill directly on the grates over medium heat. Carefully turn after 1-2 minutes. If you are using pineapple slices or chunks, thread onto skewers and grill skewers in the same fashion. Assemble burgers and enjoy.

Rethink Your Drink

I love this picture. My mom and I were having one of our continual health discussions and she asked me, "If someone asked you what to change, if they could only change ONE thing about how they were eating, what would you tell them?" I thought about it for a minute and then said, "I would tell them to not drink soda." She laughed and said, "That is exactly what I was thinking!"

I think this picture indicates pretty much why that is the case. I cannot tell you how many times I have read health articles and they have said to cut out soda. My family has done this for a long time because my brothers were runners in high school. Athletes know the disadvantages of soda on your lungs. I really started because I have asthma and I wanted to run. I wanted to give myself every advantage. Plus, my body is heavily affected by processed sugars and drinking soda makes me feel AWFUL!

If you want to know how soda affects your body I saw this AWESOME pin on Pinterest awhile ago:

There are actually a lot of wonderful alternatives to soda. Really! There are. And if you absolutely cannot live without your Dr. Pepper, treat it as a rare treat instead of a habit. Besides the typical lemon water and skim milk, (and SMOOTHIES!) here are some of my favorite soda alternatives:

I love Simply Orange juice. It is sweet and tangy and SOOO delicious. What is hard to see in this picture is the little label under "Not From Concentrate." It says 100% juice. Juices can still be high in their sugar content, like soda, and so make sure your juice bottle ALWAYS has this label. I am a pulp free kind of a girl, but my husband is a high pulp kind of a guy so we normally compromise and go with "Some Pulp."

This is definitely my favorite flavor of juice. I don't know what it is with me and cherry but I LOVE IT! Once again, 100% juice. And just remember that if you drink this entire jug in one sitting you may as well have had a soda. Juice is not sugar free and packs over 100 calories per cup. All things in moderation. :-)

I promise that I won't turn this blog into a health soap box. I just love these pictures and since I feel so strongly about this issue I thought I would share it. I still love everyone and I am not going to condemn you if you choose a different path. Ultimately, it is your choice. However, if you are going to work towards Changing Your Way of Thinking, start with this. 

Love, Shayla

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

This recipe has gone pretty viral on Pinterest and the blogging world. It isn't really surprising though since the original recipe has only three ingredients and a lot of flavor. The sauce in and of itself is a very good sauce (sweet but just a little bit spicy), however I didn't want the dish to depend entirely on the sauce for deliciousness. The recipe below is reflective of the changes that I made. How did it turn out? Well... my husband said, "Eureka!" and had three helpings. Yeah, it was that good. We will definitely be making this easy dish again.

The original recipe is courtesy of Six Sisters Stuff and can be found at this site here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/06/crock-pot-hawaiian-bbq-chicken.html

SLOW COOKER HAWAIIAN BBQ CHICKEN

Adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff

3 large Boneless Chicken Breasts (mine were still frozen!) (or 4-6 small)

1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

½ fresh pineapple, cut into small pieces

½ yellow onion, sliced

1 small green pepper, sliced

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy cleanup!  Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Top with fresh pineapple and onion.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.  (I cooked mine for 4 hours, starting with frozen chicken breasts, and it was finished.) During the last hour of cooking, add green pepper. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving to let the chicken soak up the sauce. Serve over rice.

Flax Muffin in a Mug

I love finding new things to have for breakfast that are delicious, easy, and definitely healthy. I usually have "Biggest Loser" pancakes or my Greek yogurt smoothie but I found this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it! It was delicious. Very easy to make and filling and satisfying. Plus, this recipe is filled with heart healthy monosaturated fats - BONUS!

The recipe below is my altered recipe. For the original recipe, nutritional information and source of the picture go to this link here: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=868006

*UPDATE! 4/3/12 ~ I made this again for breakfast this morning and followed the same recipe below except I added 1 Tbsp of vanilla whey protein powder. WOW! It was delicious! I think I will continue to do so. 

FLAX MUFFIN IN A MUG

Adapted from SparkRecipes

1 tsp. butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tbsp ground flaxmeal

2 tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 – 2 tsp Stevia or sweetener of choice

Fresh sliced fruit (optional)

Spray a mug with non-stick spray, add butter and microwave for a few seconds to melt it. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mug, stir and micowave for one minute. Be careful, if you have a 1100W microwave one minute is too long. Try 45 seconds and if it isn't done, add a few seconds at a time until it is done. (Mine took about 1:10) Every microwave is different, so you may have to "play" with the recipe.

When muffin is done, just turn it out onto a plate.

Makes 1 muffin (3 net carbs)

Green Enchilada Sauce and Pico de Gallo

We had a huge family dinner tonight to celebrate the blessing of our beautiful nieces Serenthia Skye and Zakiya Mae. My responsibility for the dinner was these two dishes. Classic Mexican, right? We love these additions to burritos, tacos, or with well seasoned meat. When we got home with the leftovers (because I made enough to feed several armies...) my cute hubby announced that he wanted to eat it with rice sometime this week. Yes, they were that good.

So enjoy! And get someone to help you cut things up... otherwise these are easy dishes to make!

PICO DE GALLO
From.... somewhere on the internet? The picture is mine. (*I multiplied this recipe by 4. Yes, 4.)

3 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh lime juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and keep cold until ready to serve.

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE
From Our Best Bites
(recipe and picture source: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/03/green-enchilada-sauce/)

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (optional and to taste; I leave it out.)

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. You can turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until you reach the consistency you want; it makes things go a lot faster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.