Leslie's Peanut Butter Cookies

Leslie's Guilt Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 c. flour (I use whole wheat)

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix sugars, pumpkin, peanut butter, and egg.  Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients.  Form into balls and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy! Guilt free (kind of)!

Cashew Coconut Nut Clusters from The Lean and Clean Eating Machine

Cashew Coconut Nut Clusters

Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine

Recipe type: snack

Cuisine: american

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  16 mins

Total time:  26 mins

 

A deliciously healthy way to get your coconut on

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw cashew halves
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• ½ cup raw, whole almonds
• ½ cup organic puffed millet
• 2 Tbsp. organic brown rice syrup
• 2 Tbsp. raw organic honey
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine your wet ingredients, heating if necessary to soften.
3. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients.
4. Pour your wet ingredient mixture over the top of your dry ingredients and mix them together until evenly coated.
5. Transfer your mixture to a parchment lined baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 glass Pyrex dish), and pat down with a plastic spatula to make a single, even layer.
6. Place mixture into a preheated oven (400F), and cook for 16-20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden. When finished, remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring it to a wire rack to cool.
7. After about an hour, your mixture should be pretty firm, and at this point you will want to start gently breaking it into several ‘clusters’ of varying sizes.
8. Let your clusters completely cool down and harden before placing them into a Ziplock bag to store.  http://theleancleaneatingmachine.com/2014/03/07/cashew-coconut-nut-clusters/   photo from leanandcleaneathingmachine.com

Spinach Salad with Apples & Bacon by Cuisine at Home

Makes 6 servings
Total time:  30 minutes

FOR THE SALAD, COOK:
12 strips applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced shallots
1 T olive oil
2 Pink Lady apples, sliced
1 pkg. fresh baby spinach (5 oz., 8-10 cups)
6 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE, WHISK:
1/3 cup apple juice
2 T cider vinegar
2 T honey
1 T Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 recipe Candied Walnuts (optional) *see below

For the salad, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.  Pour off all but 1 Tablespoon drippings.  Add shallots and cook over medium heat until softened, 2-3 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the same skillet and saute apples until just beginning to soften, 1-2 minutes; transfer apples to a plate.

For the vinaigrette, whisk apple juice, vinegar, honey and Dijon into skillet; simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.  Remove skillet from heat.  Whisk in 1/3 cup oil; season with salt and pepper.

Toss vinaigrette with spinach, bacon, shallots, apples and eggs.  Top salad with Candied Walnuts (optional).
_________________________________________________________________________________
Candied Walnuts Recipe:
Makes 6 servings (1 cup)
Total time:  15 minutes

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1 cup walnut halves
1 t kosher salt

Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray; set askide.

Heat sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a nonstick skillet over medium-high; stir in walnuts.

Cook and stir sugar-nut mixture until walnuts are toasted and the sugar melts, coating walnuts.

Remove skillet from heat and pour walnuts onto prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with salt.  Working quickly, separate the walnuts using two forks; let cook completely.

Almond-Honey Power Bar from Eating Well

Almond-Honey Power Bar

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/almond_power_bar.html

From EatingWell:  January/February 2010

Great for breakfast on the go! Golden roasted nuts, seeds and oats are enveloped by flavorful almond butter in these delectably chewy, no-fuss energy bars. Unrefined turbinado sugar adds a deep caramelly undertone. Feel free to use light brown sugar instead. Bars stored at room temperature will be softer than those that are refrigerated.

8 bars | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour (including                                                                                                     chilling)

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon flaxseeds, preferably golden
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened whole-grain puffed cereal (see Note)
• 1/3 cup currants
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup chopped golden raisins
• 1/4 cup creamy almond butter (see Note)
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (see Note)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray.
2. Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cereal, currants, apricots and raisins; toss to combine.
3. Combine almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 2 to 5 minutes.
4. Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer (wait until the mixture cools slightly if necessary). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes; cut into 8 bars.

Nutrition

Per serving : 244 Calories; 10 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 5 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 74 mg Sodium; 313 mg Potassium

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month; thaw at room temperature.

• Ingredient notes: For this recipe, we like unsweetened puffed multi-grain cereal, such as Kashi’s 7 Whole Grain Puffs.
• Almond butter can be found at natural-foods stores and large supermarkets, near the peanut butter.
• Turbinado sugar is steam-cleaned raw cane sugar. It’s coarse-grained and light brown in color, with a slight molasses flavor. Find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets or at natural-foods stores

Lemon Rosemary Chicken by Simply Recipes

Skillet Lemon Rosemary Chicken

If you don't have fresh herbs, use half as much of a dry Italian herb mix.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 3 to 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• Zest of one lemon (1 to 2 teaspoons)
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 pieces)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 3 or more shallots, peeled, halved (optional, can use 1/2-inch thick wedges of red onion, or skip)

METHOD

1 Place the rosemary, lemon zest, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper in a mini-chopper and pulse until well ground. (If you don't have a mini-chopper, just mince the rosemary and garlic very fine, and mix with the rest). Then add the tablespoon of olive oil and pulse again.

2 Place the chicken thighs in a (non-reactive) bowl and rub all over with the rosemary lemon herb rub. Arrange the thighs skin-side down and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Let marinate for an hour at room temperature, or chill several hours or overnight, and let sit at room temp for an hour before cooking.

3 Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a cast iron (10 to 12-inch) or other large relatively stick-free oven-proof skillet (hard anodized aluminum will work well) on medium high to high heat. As soon as the oil is shimmery hot, pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and lay them skin-side down in the pan. Sear the thighs without moving them for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn the thighs over in the pan so they are skin-side up. Remove the pan from heat.

4 Place garlic cloves and either shallots or onion wedges in between the chicken thigh pieces in the pan. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reach 175°F.

Remove from oven.

As a safety note (having burned my hand in the past), I recommend rubbing an ice cube on the handle of the hot pan as a way to cook it down quickly. Then be sure you keep the handle covered with a pot holder so that someone (including yourself) doesn't inadvertently pick up the pan with the hot handle on their bare hands.

Serve with a side of rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes, or over a bed of baby arugula or spinach leaves for a low carb option.

Simply Recipes http://www.simplyrecipes.com

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/skillet_lemon_rosemary_chicken/#ixzz3SVV4WwuH

Baked Chicken by Mayo Clinic

Healthy Recipes

Recipe: Baked chicken and wild rice with onion and tarragon

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Serves 6

Ingredients

1. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2. 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
3. 1 1/2 cups whole pearl onions
4. 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
5. 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
6. 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
7. 3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
8. 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. Combine the chicken, celery, pearl onions and tarragon plus 1 cup of the unsalted chicken broth in a nonstick frying pan. Cook on medium heat until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a baking dish, combine the wine, remaining 1 cup chicken broth, and rice. Let soak for 30 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and vegetables to the baking dish. Cover and bake for 60 minutes. Check periodically and add more broth if the rice is too dry. Serve immediately.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/recipes/baked-chicken-and-wild-rice-with-onion-and-tarragon/rcp-20049636

Nutritional analysis per serving

Serving size :About 2 cups

• Total carbohydrate 37 g
• Dietary fiber 2 g
• Sodium 180 mg
• Saturated fat 1 g
• Total fat 3 g
• Trans fat 0 g

• Cholesterol 73 mg
• Protein 21 g
• Monounsaturated fat 1 g
• Calories 330
• Sugars 0 g

Heart Spinach Calzones by superhealthykids.com

Heart Shaped Spinach Calzones

1 pkg yeast (or 1 Tablespoon of yeast)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 cup warm water

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cup white flour

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Filling: 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup marinara sauce

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Instructions 

1. Combine yeast, sugar and warm water and let set for 5 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients and then add yeast mixture. Let dough rise, in a warm place, for about 30-45 min., until double in size.

2. Roll out a small portion of the dough at a time, cutting two equal sized hearts with a cookie cutter. Fill middle with filling, thin layer marinara sauce, cheese, and spinach, and then crimp edges with a fork. Set on baking tray. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Test to make sure dough is done baking. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Additional Filling Ideas: -Pineapple Tidbits -Diced Green Pepper -Sliced Black Olives -Sliced Mushrooms

WWW.SUPERHEALTHYKIDS.COM