NEW Apple Cinnamon Chex Cereal

Look what I saw at the grocery store yesterday!

I bought it, and of course I ate it for breakfast this morning.

It is DELICIOUS!

I am so exciting to have one more breakfast option! Woohoo! Thanks General Mills!

-Anita

Plain Greek Yogurt + Ranch Seasoning Packet = Healthy Ranch!!!!!

Thank you Pinterest! Thanks to you, I don't have to feel guilty about drowning my salad in ranch dressing!

Maybe I'll actually eat salad now...

All you need is

plain Greek yogurt and a ranch seasoning packet!

You just mix the two together, and that's it!
(I used about half of the ranch seasoning for a 6 oz container of Greek yogurt. This can be adjusted to taste)

How easy is that?!

It was delicious! I'm never buying real ranch again!

Enjoy!

-Anita

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Last Saturday, I went to On the Border with some friends. I ordered a salad to be 100% gluten free. When I was almost done with the salad, I took a bite that had a tortilla strip in it! I freaked out and dug through the rest of the salad, and I found another tortilla strip. Even though they were very apologetic and professional about it, it does not change the fact that I was sick for FOUR DAYS (yes, that's right, a tiny tortilla strip made me sick for four days)! 

Needless to say, I am not eating out for awhile. Especially at On the Border! 

But, I do love Mexican food, especially fajitas! When I saw this recipe on pinterest, I knew I had to make it! 

I found the recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff

Here's what you need! 

(Serves 4-6)

·         1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

·         1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used garlic roasted tomatoes! It was so yummy!)

·         1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

·         1 medium onion, sliced

·         1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

·         2 tablespoons canola oil

·         2 teaspoons chili powder

·         2 teaspoons cumin

·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

·         1/4 teaspoon salt (I thought it needed more, so add to taste)

·         Corn tortillas, warmed to serve

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

 

Serve with warmed tortillas and enjoy!

It was really yummy! I ended up adding quite a bit more salt. I also had some jarred queso in the fridge, so I would spread some on the tortilla, and then put the mixture inside. It was DELICIOUS! It was really quick and healthy! I could definitely do this in the middle of the week! You definitely will not be disappointed!

Enjoy!

-Anita

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

My mom wanted steak.

So I gave her steak! 

This was SO delicious, and this is how I made it! I based it off of Paula Deen’s Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

·         1 tablespoon light blue bonnet (or butter/margarine)

·         1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

·         1/3 cup yellow onion

·         3 cloves of garlic

·         1 (1 ½) pound beef tenderloin

·         Salt and pepper

·         Soy sauce

·         butcher string or just cotton string 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter/olive oil and cook the shallots or onion over low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over low heat about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Let cool.

Butterfly the beef tenderloin by cutting the beef lengthwise down the center to within 1/2-inch of the other side. Set the beef aside.

To stuff the tenderloin, open the beef and sprinkle in the inside with salt and pepper and rub with soy sauce. Spoon the mushroom mixture down the center of the tenderloin. Bring the 2 sides of the tenderloin up and around the filling to meet. Using butcher string, tie the tenderloin together at 2-inch intervals. Place the tenderloin in a roasting pan.

Roast for 40 minutes for medium rare. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice about 1 1/2 inches thick.

WE LOVED IT!

It’s not exactly cheap. 1 ½ pounds of beef tenderloin cost me $20. But, considering 4 of us ate this, and there was leftovers, it’s still a MUCH better deal than going to a steakhouse. And we didn’t have to worry about getting glutened. 

It’s delicious! Try it! You won’t be sorry! 

-Anita

Light Cajun Chicken Pasta

Light Cajun Chicken Pasta

I wanted to make the Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta for the longest time! I never did because it just seemed SO unhealthy! Heavy amounts of cream, wine, and butter...those are not ingredients I would feel comfortable eating and serving to my friends and family!

So, I went on a (Google) search for a light and healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta, and I found the perfect recipe! I got it from Skinnytaste.

You've got it make it. It's delicious! 

You'll need 

• 8 ounces of long pasta noodles (I used De Boles gluten free spaghetti)
• 1 pound of chicken, cut into thin strips
• Cajun seasoning (1-2 teaspoon, or to taste) (I used Tony's Creole Seasoning)
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1/3 cup of skim milk
• 1 tablespoon of flour (I used gluten free)
• 3 tablespoons of light cream cheese 
• salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste
• cooking spray

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning.

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with to taste with Cajun seasoning/garlic power/black pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat.

What did I think? I made it, and we ALL loved it! I'm not exactly a master with my knife skills, so it took me awhile to prep all of the vegetables. After that, it went by quickly! 

I will definitely make it again!

Enjoy! 

McAlister's Gluten Free!

Starting on April 1, McAlister's started carrying gluten free bread! I was pretty concerned about cross contamination, especially since the Subway gluten free bread hasn't been very successful for me...

BUT I called McAlister's and they sounded like they took many precautions to prevent cross contamination, so Daniel and I tried it.

And guess what...

I didn't get sick!

Now, I'm not guaranteeing that you will not get sick, but I do have a very sensitive stomach.

We went to the McAlister's in Denton, TX on 4/27.

You have to give it a try!

They said they can make any sandwich gluten free, and they told me the sides I could have. I had a difficult time finding the information on the website, so you might need to call ahead if you have any questions about the menu.

Yall should go try it! I am VERY excited about this new restaurant option!

-Anita

 

(The sandwich on the top is the sweet chipotle chicken, and the sandwich on the bottom is the french dip. They were both delicious!)

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

I have a little philosophy. If I’m not working out, I’ll eat fairly healthy. Since this year has been so crazy with my student teaching, you better believe I’ve been eating healthy!

Here is a delicious and easy soup to throw into the slow cooker.

I got the idea from CrockPot 365

I used….

· 1 pound chicken

· 1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)

· 4 cups chicken broth

· 1 cup sliced mushrooms

· 1 can of corn (I used Fiesta corn because it’s what I had)

· 1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)

· 1 ½ tsp cumin

· 1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in the end)

If you know you are going to make this the night before soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two. I did an hour, but 2 would really be better if you have the time.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersion blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving.

I loved this soup! It’s delicious! It makes A LOT! Which is convenient when you don’t have time to cook in the middle of the week and don’t mind leftovers…

(Check out all the leftovers..)

Enjoy! :)

-Anita