No-Cook Fast Supper

My new favorite cook book is the Cooking Light Super Fast Suppers cookbook. I'm sure you will soon come to find a lot of recipes from this cookbook on my blog, as everything is fast, healthy, and looks delicious.

The first recipe I tried came out great, and will be a staple for summer time eating in our house.

Crunchy Picante Salad

6 cups preshredded lettuce
5 cups baked tortilla chips (broken in to bite-sized pizza)
1 cup pincante sauce
1/2 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
1 large lime, quartered
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place 1.5 cups of lettuce on each of 4 plates; top evenly with chips. Spoon picante sauce evenly over chips; top evenly with cheese, beans, olives, and avocado. Squeeze lime quarter over each salad. Top each salad with 2 tablespoons of sour cream and cilantro.

Source: Cooking Light

Back in the day...

Back in the day of wonderful college years... I spent a summer waitressing at a wonderful little Mexican restaurant called Tortilla Flat. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer there, but the delicious food lives on! My favorite dish on the menu was Chipotle Chicken with Spinach in Cream Sauce served over rice. While this recipe isn't exactly how it was made at the restaurant, it tastes almost identical! It is also much faster to make this way, and is a quick and healthy dinner.

1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
10 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt to taste

Combine chopped chile peppers with 2 tablespoons sour cream. Mix together and spread mixture over chicken breasts. Sprinkle lightly with salt to taste, cover and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place marinated chicken in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish and broil for about 5 minutes (rack should be about 6 inches from the top.) Pour 1 cup sour cream around edges of chicken and turn over chicken breasts. Broil for an additional 5 minutes. Sour cream should be lightly brown on the edges. Move breasts into a separate dish and cover to keep warm. Set aside.

Pour leftover broiled sour cream into a medium saucepan over high heat. Add spinach, broth and salt to taste. Boil for about 1 minute until all melted and mixed together. Pour mixture over chicken breasts and serve.

Serve over Spanish rice if desired.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Tag!!! I'm it!!!

I was recently tagged by Allie of Zimmerman Shenanigans to complete this fun little questionarrie....

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Dancing at my wedding
2. Going on another cruise with the girls
3. Summer flowers blooming in my yard
4. Hanging out at the Five Seasons pool w/ my new membership
5. Having a fun long weekend when Andrea comes to visit in June
6. Making strawberry shortcakes with the 7 lbs of strawberries I picked today w/Ali and Lisa
7. Posting my pile of recipes and photos I have save up, but have been slacking!
8. All of the fun summer movies, concerts, and events that Indy has to offer

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Went to Work
2. Had our weekly Friday lunch at El Rodeo w/ my coworker Beth
3. Got a phone call that something was available that hadn't been before, and it made my day!
4. Drank a lot of delicious German beer. (Spaten Lager)
5. Had some brat n' kraut balls in the bier garten at the Rathskeller
6. Listened to the zee most beee-U-tee-ful music in dee vurld (aka Polka Boy)
7. Saw some very daring fashion choices.
8. Spent what felt like hours driving around looking for parking downtown.

8 Things I Would Like to Do:

1. Repaint the house
2. Fisnish the basement (very doubtful)
3. Take a cruise around the Greek Isles
4. Spend more time in Europe and Great Britain
5. Buy a boat
6. Buy a lakehouse for my boat
7. Put a pool in at the lakehouse
8. Build a swim up tiki bar in my pool

8 Shows I watch:

1. Brothers & Sisters
2. Desperate Housewives
3. 90210
4. One Tree Hill
5. Grey's Anatomy
6. Private Practice
7. How I Met Your Mother
8. Medium

Now I tag the following people:

1. Sara Burns http://kringlebertfishtibuns.blogspot.com/
2. Julie Albert http://the-albert-family.blogspot.com/?zx=4c367dbcde059311
3. Becca Carpenter http://awkward-turtles.blogspot.com/
4. Jen Saxe http://littlesttreehugger.blogspot.com/
5. Michelle Shorter http://adamandmichelleshorter.blogspot.com/

Dos baked potatoes!

I love twice baked potatoes, but they aren't always the healthiest. This recipe provides just enough cheesy creaminess, but also throws in some healthier ingredients. These were a great side dish to baked fish.

Twice Baked Mexican Potatoes

3 medium baked potatoes
1/2 cup canned black beans
1 tsp taco seasoning mix
3 TBS fat-free creamer
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
salt & pepper to taste

Bake potatoes (whatever method you prefer). Scoop out inside of potatoes into a large bowl. Mash with a fork to break up potatoes. Add all other ingredients and mix to combine. Scoop mixture back into potato skins and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Source: adapted from Hungry Girl

Southwestern Surprise!

I've had everything on hand to make this for a few weeks now, it is a great pantry meal! I'm also looking forward to freezing about 3/4ths of the recipe, as it makes a ton! I served this with some Tastefully Simple Bountiful Beer Bread (so good!).

Southwestern Surprise

4 oz. cooked extra-lean ground beef, drained
One 16oz package of frozen sweet corn kernels
Two 15oz cans pinto beans, rinsed & drained
One 15oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
Three 14.5oz cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
One 14.5oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 envelope ranch dip/dressing mix
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup minced onions
salt & pepper to taste

Pour all ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

12 servings - per serving: 168 cals, 1g fat, 702mg sodium, 6.5g fiber, 6g sugars, 9g protein

Source: Hungry Girl

Strawberries & Cream Croissants

Baby steps back into the kitchen.... Since I've been on vacation, I haven't even made it to the grocery. Luckily I did have a few things on hand to throw together for a breakfast treat. Check your fridge and you just might have everything you need to make these tasty treats!

Strawberries & Cream Croissants

1 package croissant rolls
8 teaspoons cream cheese (I used low fat)
8 teaspoons strawberry jelly (I used low sugar)

Unroll croissants as directed on package. At the larger part of the triangle, place 1 teaspoon of cream cheese and one teaspoon of strawberry jelly. Roll as directed and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake as directed. Enjoy!

Source: Me!