Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my weakness foods. Just looking at a plate of it makes me drool.

My family is not Italian so I always grew up eating spaghetti with Italian sausage. I had never tried a real, authentic meatball until a few years ago. Of course now I don’t eat pork or beef and needed a solution so that I could still enjoy one of my favorite comfort foods. These lovelies fit the bill!

These are so tasty and you would never know they are healthier with the simple switch of using ground turkey!

Because I’m the only one in my family who doesn’t eat red meat (and my family refuses to give up their pork eating ways), I made a big batch of these meatballs, laid them out on a tray (UNCOOKED), and stuck them in the freezer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Then once they were solid, I tossed them all into a ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer so I can use as many as I need whenever I want by just cooking them a little longer!

But if your family is willing to eat healthier meatballs with you, then just bake ‘em all like normal and serve with spaghetti sauce and whole wheat pasta. Your family will be amazed when you surprise them with the fact that they are better for you than normal!

Turkey Meatballs

serves 4-6

1 pound of ground turkey

2 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread (Or gluten-free whole grain bread)

1/2 cup of milk

1 egg

1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, lay down the slices of bread and pour over milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

2. In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the minced onion and garlic for about 3-5 minutes.

3. Add all ingredients to the bowl with soaked bread and combine all ingredients with hands.

4. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

♥ These can be made gluten-free by using gluten free bread.

It’s the first giveaway on the Act Like a Lady, Eat Like a Man blog! I’m so excited to treat my readers to some free stuff!

And I’m especially excited to host a giveaway with Bob’s Red Mill!

They have a great variety of high-quality organic and gluten-free products and so I’m giving away 3 products from them!

1. Gluten Free Brownie Mix:

This stuff is great! I have been missing baked goods (probably for my own good) since I went gluten-free but these brownies fit the bill!

You will LOVE these if you love dark chocolate flavor! They did a really good job of coming up with this mix because they don’t taste like they are gluten-free at all! They kind of have a fudgy kind of texture once you let them cool.

My brother has been really picky about any food we make that is gluten-free but he loved these brownies! So even if you aren’t gluten-free, you will still love these! I had also brought some to my non-gluten friend and she loved them also!

My bro did the styling for this brownie sundae

2. Gluten-Free Quick Cooking Oats:

One thing that bugged me when I went gluten-free is that a lot of companies can’t confirm that their oats are gluten-free because wheat can grow into the oat fields. Luckly, Bob’s Red Mill is really careful not to let ANY wheat contaminate their oats!

I have been cooking these oats on a daily basis with just a dollop of whipped butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar or sometimes a tablespoon of dried cranberries and a tablespoon of dark chocolate if I’m feeling indulgant! But you should try the oats by making my apple pie oatmeal or homemade granola!

3. Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

THIS IS MY FAVORITE!

I made a buffalo chicken pizza and everyone in my family thought the crust was delicious!

The dough mix makes 2 12″ pizzas so I used half of the dough for the pizza and the other half for cheesey bread sticks! YUM!

It doesn’t taste like cardboard like some gluten-free pizzas I have had!

Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter for this giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once the winner is choosen, I will contact the winner and pass their info onto Bob’s Red Mill who will send you the products!

Who has ever been to the Mellow Mushroom?!

My family and I love that place! It is definitely one of my favorite places to go because they have a great atmosphere and most importantly, some of the best pizza around!

My entire family has come to the conclusion that their Buffalo Chicken Pizza is the BEST pizza on their menu.

Unfortunately, while I was there with friends during my gluten-free period, I learned that they don’t offer the buffalo chicken pizza as gluten-free!

So when Bob’s Red Mill agreed to send me some samples of their gluten-free pizza crust, making a copycat of the Mellow Mushrooms famed pizza was the first thing that came to my mind!

And boy did it turn out amazing! The whole family agreed that it tasted just like the Mellow Mushroom’s!

If you have never had buffalo chicken pizza, then you must make this.

I demand it.

You wont regret this one.

P.S. If you haven’t already entered for the Bob’s Red Mill Giveaway, then you can do it here! The giveaway ends 2/10!!!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

serves 3-4

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 of a batch of prepared Bob’s Red Mill GF Pizza dough (or use some other prepared pizza dough that will make a 12″ pizza)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup cooked and shredded chicken

1/3 cup buffalo sauce of your choosing (I use Texas Pete)

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 slice cooked turkey bacon, chopped

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1. In a saucepan with a lid, melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat. Add in the sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook until carmelized, about 25-35 minutes.

2. Spray a pizza stone with cooking spray and flatten out the pizza dough onto it until it is about 12 inches in diameter.

4. If you are using the Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Dough, then bake at 425 degrees for 7 minutes (if you aren’t using Bob’s, then just follow the instructions for your specific dough)

5. Toss the shredded chicken in the buffalo sauce until coated and set aside.

6. Spread the olive oil onto the pizza and sprinkle with garlic powder. Top with the cheese and then layer on the remaining ingredients of chicken, turkey bacon, parmesan cheese, and the carmelized onions. Then just drizzle the left-over buffalo sauce all over the top of the pizza.

7. Put the pizza back into the 425 degree over for 15 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.

This recipe is gluten-free

Taco night is always my favorite dinner.

Mexican food is probably my favorite type of cuisine.

You better believe that I could eat enchiladas, burritos, black beans and rice, salsa, and guacamole everyday for the rest of my life and I would be perfectly happy.

So when I saw a post for deconstructed mexican street corn by the Little Leopard Book, I knew I had to try it!

I have never tried Mexican Street Corn but it sounded/looked great so I made a couple of changes to make it single-serving and because I did not have fresh corn on hand.

It’s a great little side dish to have with dinner! I will definitly be holding onto this one for a while!

Mexican Street Corn

serves 1

from Little Leopard Book

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 tablespoon sour cream

1/2 teaspoon lime juice

dash of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro

1. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add in the corn. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Turn off the heat and add the sour cream, lime juice, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese, and the dried cilantro. Mix together and pour into a small, greased ramekin. Top off with the remaining tablespoon of parmesan cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes or until the parmesan cheese is slightly browned.

♥Gluten-Free Recipe

(P.S. If you have never checked out the Little Leopard Book’s blog, you totally should! She has some great food over there!)

I can’t even tell y’all how excited I am to do another giveaway!

Chobani is a great company who makes some of my favorite yogurt! I tried greek yogurt for the first time over the summer and I can genuinely say that out of all the greek yogurts I have tried, Chobani is my favorite. In fact, even since I first tried Chobani, I don’t even like normal yogurt because it’s not as thick and creamy as Chobani! My go-to flavor is always strawberry and it’s what I always stock up to eat for lunch at school!

Chobani sent me a ridiculous amount of yogurt (but I’m not complaining!); however, within minutes of my dad finding it, he had consumed an entire 16 oz container of pineapple greek yogurt! :/

He could have at least asked me first…

It’s fine though because I hid a 6 oz cup to make my fresh start smoothie!

The wonderful people at Chobani originally told me that they would send me a big container of plain greek yogurt so I could try it in some recipes but I was disappointed to see that they didn’t do so… They did send me a 6oz container though which was enough for me to at least try a couple of recipes with it!

I had seen the apple cinnamon flavor in stores recently but had never really tried it. IT. WAS. AWESOME. It’s totally one of my new favorites!

Some other highlights were the raspberry, pomegranate, mango, black cherry, and surprisingly blood orange! I’ve never even seen a real life blood orange and I was kind of terrified to try that flavor… But I actually really liked it!

I also did not have high hopes for the strawberry banana but it suprised me and I actually ended up liking it!

My brother and I were bored on Saturday night and we used the vanilla chocolate chunk yogurt to make some muffins! I don’t really like the vanilla chocolate chunk just straight up but the muffins were AWESOME! My brother and I can’t stop eating ‘em! A recipe can be found on the Chobani website but we made a few changes so I will post about the muffins soon enough!

I also mangaged to make my healthier chick-fil-a peach milkshake using frozen peaches and the peach greek yogurt! Ahhh…. reminds me of warmer weather

Because this is an honest review, I will say that I don’t like blueberry. I LOVE BLUEBERRIES, but I hate blueberry flavored things…. but if you are into that kind of stuff then I’m sure you will like it!

Chobani’s greek yogurt does make a great post-workout snack! It’s super high in protein to build muscle, which is good because I’m FINALLY getting into running again.

You can enter to win a case of assorted Chobani 6 oz cups using the Rafflecopter link below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What flavor are you most interested in trying?

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Hope it’s a good one!

Need a cute little appetizer to maybe have a night-in with your sweetheart? I’ve got the perfect thing for you!

Remember when I made spanikopita tartlets?

Well when I made those, I also made these lovelies.

These are an even easier appetizer than the spanikopita tartlets! These babies were a hit with everyone who had them and they really could not be easier. Plus phyllo shells are like $1.50 per box! Cheap and easy!

Brie Raspberry Tartlets

makes 15 tarts

adapted from Celebrate Magazine

1 package of pre-baked phyllo shells

8 oz of brie, cubed

3 tablespoons of sugar-free raspberry preserves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Line the phyllo shells on a baking sheet and place the brie cubes into the individual shells. Bake for about 5-6 minutes or until the brie melts.

3. Take the sheet out of the oven and top off each of the shells with some of the preserves. Bake for 1-2 more minutes and serve!

♥This recipe can be made gluten-free with gluten-free phyllo. You can use this recipe to make your own

Eeek!

I don’t know why I didn’t post about this yesterday but you may have noticed the little badge I now have in the sidebar of the blog!

Yesterday I got an email from Foodista that I was their featured Food Blog of the Day for my post on Buffalo Chicken Pizza!

I did a happy dance around my kitchen for about 5 minutes.

I know I don’t tell y’all this enough but I sincerely appreciate every single one of you who read my blog. You don’t even know how much it means to me.

Thank you all for your support as my little blog continues to grow!

(Oh and just a reminder that the Chobani Giveaway ends tonight at midnight!)

One of the things I love about Pinterest is finding great, easy side-dishes.
For whatever reason, I have trouble finding new side dishes so when I find a good one, it immediately goes in my back pocket to be used many times in the future.

I found this one a good while ago and have made it many times. It is always a huge hit with my family! My favorite meal to have it consists of grilled salmon and roasted brussel sprouts.
Enjoy!

Parmesan Orzo with Basil
serves 4
From AllRecipes

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
2. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, time will vary so check the cooking time for the orzo you are using.
3. Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

♥In order to make this recipe gluten free, you could try replacing the orzo with pieces of gluten-free spaghetti that is broken up into very small pieces

A normal breakfast for me goes like this:

1. Walk into pantry and pick up quick cook oats.

2. Pour into bowl.

3. Add water.

4. Microwave. Done.

Yum, right?

As shocking as it might seem, this breakfast gets really old really quick.

Lately, I’ve been trying different things to add into my oatmeal but I’m still SO BORED.

My mom bought some brown-sugar cinnamon cream cheese at the store not too long ago and I ate it all up in my crazed hunger for something that wasnt oatmeal. After looking over the ingredients though and seeing all of the chemicals I couldn’t pronounce and all of the random color add-ins, I figured that I could just mix together the 3 basic ingredients so it would be cheaper and a little less chemical filled.

Do you not just want to dive into this fluffy goodness?!
This is one of those things that isn’t necessarily a recipe…
BUT it’s something to treat yourself to on a Monday morning!

It’s kind of like compound butter: so easy and anyone can make it, but it must be shared because it just sets everything over the top!

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread
2/3 cup whipped cream cheese
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp light brown sugar

1. Use a hand mixer on medium to mix together all ingredients.

There is a little Greek grill called Greco’s not far from my house.

I’m obsessed with their chicken gyros.

But I was embarrassed when I first went there because I pronounced gyro like only an American would: “I’ll have a chicken JAI-ROW, please”.

My friends were cracking up and had to inform me that it is pronounced “year-oh”, almost like you would say Euro.

Well my chicken YEAR-OH will never live up to the ones over Greco but mine is pretty darn good if I dont say so myself.

I just love Greek food. Can I just marry into a Greek family please?

*sigh* A girl can dream.

Chicken Gyros
serves 4
3 oz greek yogurt
1 tablespoon shredded cucumber
splash vinegar
splash of lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried oregano
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 chicken breasts
garlic salt and pepper
4 pita pockets
red onion, sliced
lettuce, chopped

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, shredded cucumber, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, sea salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate with at least an hour.
2. Rub olive oil onto the chicken breasts and season each side with garlic salt and pepper. Saute on a pan over medium heat onto browned on both sides and cooked throughly. Slice chicken and set aside.
3. Spread some of the tszaki sauce in each pita pocket. Stuff with chicken, onion, and lettuce.

Happy Tuesday!
You know what I haven’t done in a while?
A Top 10 List!
I realized that I have a whole section on my blog dedicated to my “thoughts” but I don’t really write that much on anything other than food.
And I figured that since I’m going away to college next year, I need to get used to writing more on random things and less on food. (Don’t worry, I won’t completely stop posting recipes, but my recent lack of posting is part of an effort to start saving up some of my food posts to post in the future so I can keep bringing y’all yummy recipes!)

OK well enough of that and lets get onto my favorite quotes that I have come across!

1.

2.

Gabby Douglas is such a good role model.

3.

I apply this to trials. James 1:2-4

4.

5.

Not going to lie, I almost cried at this one. Lately, I’ve been so excited for college that I forget to enjoy the time I have now with people that I may never see again after high school.

6.

I just love this quote.

7.

Oh and this one too. It’s on my cork board in my room.

8.

9.

Plus there’s always tomorrow.

10.

I know I promised this a long time ago…
A LONG TIME AGO.
But here it is:
Skinny Chocolate Chunk Muffins!

My brother, who is convinced that anything that is “skinny” or “lighter” is automatically disgusting, LOVED THESE.

We were really bored on a Saturday night (sad life right?), were home alone, and debating what to make for breakfast in the morning before church. I looked in the refrigerator and saw the huge container of Chobani yogurt and knew that I had to use it up.

Muffins are a pretty hot item at my house like my Bran Muffins 2.0, so after stumbling across a recipe from Chobani for chocolate chunk muffins, I knew that they must be made.

They will go fast!

Skinny Chocolate Chunk Muffins

slight modification from Chobani Kitchen
makes 18 muffins

1 (16 oz) container of Chobani Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Greek Yogurt
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix together all ingredients.
3. Spray 18 cups between 2 muffin trays and divide the batter into the 18 muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick can come cleanly out.

Nutrition Facts can be found here

I love soup.

It’s just such a comforting meal that fills you up without making you stuffed yourself to the point where you need to loosen up your belt.

And this soup may force you to tighten up your belt the next day!

It’s super healthy and extremely delicious! My dad had 3 bowls.

And not because he was still hungry but because he couldnt stop eating it!

It’s pretty much still guilt free though! It racks in below 300 calories per serving and is loaded with veggies and straight-up deliciousness!

Minestrone Soup
Serves 6
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15.5 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup whole-wheat elbow macaroni pasta
2 cups baby spinach

1. In a stockpot over medium heat, cook the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic in the oil until soft
2. Add broth, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir, reduce heat, and let simmer for 2 hours. In the last 30 minutes add in the beans and when you are close to eating, add in the elbow pasta and let cook for about 7 minutes. Then finish by stirring in spinach until just wilted and serve.

I’m no Italian but I can appreciate a good meatball.

Especially when it is in sandwich form.

When I made my turkey meatballs last, I froze a bunch for future use and then threw them into this glorious sandwich.

It’s so good y’all. And the fact that I used garlic toast makes it like holding spaghetti and meatballs in your hand. It’s kind of my guilty pleasure.

Totally indulge worthy.

Turkey Meatball Sub

serves 1

2 slices of garlic toast

1/2 cup of marinara sauce (see note below)

1 slice of provolone

4 turkey meatballs, cooked

1. Let garlic toast bake according to box instructions but place a slice of provolone cheese on one slice in the last 2 minutes of baking.

2. Lay meatballs on one slice of garlic toast and top off with marinara sauce. Cap off sandwich with other slice of garlic bread.

For the marinara sauce:

Obviously you can use store-bought if you want but for a quick one, just simmer an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, a dash of crushed red pepper, teaspoon of minced garlic, and some chopped basil.

♥ This can be made gluten-free by using the gluten-free version of my turkey meatballs and by using some kind of gluten-free bread for the sub. You can just spread some butter and sprinkle with garlic powder onto the bread and let it toast

What is your guilty pleasure food?

I hope y’all had a great Easter! I know I did!
This is a big day for Act Like a Lady, Eat Like a Man as is it is the 100th post! When I started this blog back in July, I had no idea what would happen but I’m so thankful to each and every one of you who read my blog! I’m so excited to see how my little blog will grow in the next 100 posts.
Now to the real reason I’m here: delicious chicken spaghetti! My dogs were doing some serious begging as I was making this dish. They would not get out of the kitchen.

Hey Sara Ann, can I PLEASE have some?

Don’t mind me. I’ll just stare you down until you give me some food.

It’s not that I blame the dogs though because this is probably one of my favorite things that I have ever cooked.

No joke.

But really. I. LOVE. THIS. And so did everyone else in my family. My mom couldn’t get over it.

I switched out some of the spaghetti for spinach so the casserole still had all the volume but with some more fiber and less bad-for-ya carbs. Still tastes just as delicious. Trust me.

And you can use my gluten-free “condensed” cream of mushroom soup in it! Horray!

Chicken Spaghetti

serves 6

adapted from Recipe Girl

5 ounces whole-grain spaghetti
2 cups of baby spinach
2 chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 baby bell peppers, chopped
2 “cans” of my gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (or just 2 10.75 oz cans of reduced fat cream of mushroom soup)
1 cup skim milk
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

2. Break spaghetti in half (or smaller to make eating easier). Cook pasta according to package directions, but only cook it until it’s al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

3. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat and spay with non-stick cooking spray. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper and add in the chicken cooking both sides until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Set the chicken aside.

4. Add onion, celery and bell pepper to the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix milk and soup until smooth. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan. Stir in cheddar cheese. Continue to heat the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

5. Shred the cooked chicken and add it along with the spinach, tabasco, and cooked pasta to the soup and vegetable mixture in the skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle pepper jack cheese on top.

6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and golden brown.

♥ Can be made gluten-free by switching out whole-grain spaghetti for gluten-free corn spaghetti.

What is the best thing you have ever cooked?

Spring break is over but this just means that it’s the final stretch before I graduate!

I had a great time in Charleston, which is my favorite city in America, and it just inspired me from all of the Southern culture and food. For the record, it took me a long time to accept being southern because I am a born Northerner. Of course being raised by my small-town southern debutante mother has always caused me to be a bit southern. Despite being prideful of my Detroit heritage, I’ve come to accept the inevitable– I am southern. With a double name like Sara Ann, you had to know it was coming.

So maybe it’s the southern in me but I love me some good ‘ol cornbread.

When I got in my inbox from Betty Crocker a recipe for Southern Cornbread Casserole, so you know I had to try it. I think we ALL could use some more chicken recipes (it’s cheap and my favorite protein)!

To lighten this up, I took out the butter and egg all together in the cornbread topping. It may sound drastic but the creamed corn mixed with the cornbread mix (Jiffy Cornbread Mix is a must) is enough. I promise it’s good!

I also cut out a bit more of the sour cream and added some frrozen peas to make this casserole a nearly complete meal. Just serve it along side a small side salad and dinner will be ready to go!

Lighter Chicken Cornbread Casserole

adapted from Betty Crocker

serves 8

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup skim milk

1 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper

1 and 1/4 cups chredded cheddar cheese

For the cornbread topping:

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

1 can (14.75 oz) creamed corn

1 tablespoon minced jalenpeno

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together chicken, garlic powder, sour cream, cheese, peas, and milk. Season well with salt and pepper. Por Mixture into the dish.

3. Make the cornbread topping in a seperate bowl by mixing together Jiffy, creamed corn, and minced jaleno until just incorperated.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in center of topping and come out clean.

Enchiladas are a staple with my family.

They are so easily customizable and an easy weeknight dinner.

It is for that reason that enchilada sauce is always found in the pantry. One day, I stumbled across a homemade enchilada sauce recipe from Recipe Girl and saved it to my iPad for future use.

When my mom and I went gluten-free though, we discovered the sad truth that corn tortillas hate being folded (or moved for that matter; they fall apart really easily) for enchilada purposes.

So we figured that if we dumped enough yummy stuff along with the crumbly tortillas into a casserole dish, it would be like an enchilada layered casserole! I used the enchilada sauce recipe that I had been holding onto and this stuff was really good!

It’s basically just a mexican lasagna!

It’s got a little bit of kick though! Not overwhelming, but just be a little warned because I know some people won’t eat anything with the slightest spice.

I feel bad for those people because this is muy delicioso.

Enchilada Casserole

serves 8
1 can (16 oz) Fat-Free refried beans
8-9 corn tortillas
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup taco seasoning (I like this recipe for a lower-sodium seasoning unlike the store-bought stuff)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup minced onion
1 can (10 oz) of diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
enchilada sauce (recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown the ground turkey in a skillet and add the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
3. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Spread one side of each of the tortillas with refried beans. Lay a single layer of tortillas in the baking dish, refried bean side up. Lay down a layer of spinach, some of the ground turkey, corn, onion, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and then finish with cheese. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used.
5. Cover with foil and bake until enchilada sauce is bubbling.

Enchilada Sauce

from Recipe Girl

I feel like the biggest slacker when it comes to blogging lately! (Well I’m being a bit of a slacker in every part of my life right now but that’s all a part of my senioritis….)

I take plenty of pictures when I make up a new recipe but I’m too lazy to get on the computer and organize it into a decent blog post… Plus I’m trying to save up a bunch of good posts so I can continue to post regularly while I’m at college next year and will only have access to a microwave.

I’ve been on a cooking roll lately because I know that I wont be doing much cooking for at least the next 2 years! D:

So anyway I’ve seen this recipe for hummus-crusted chicken circulating around Pinterest lately so when Tribe Hummus sent me 3 vouchers for free hummus, I knew I HAD to try it out!

I only have access to Tribe’s original, roasted garlic, and sweet roasted red pepper in my area so those were the 3 that I tested. Sweet roasted Red Pepper is my favorite for snacking with pita chips and I tested the other 2 before using the rest for this hummus crusted chicken!

I like the  roasted garlic the most for this chicken but I’m a bit garlic crazy so if you aren’t as much into that kind of thing, I would encourage you to try this recipe with their plain hummus.

My family adores this chicken though whether I’m using plain hummus or garlic hummus! It turns out super moist and tender.

Yum. I highly encourage you to try this one out! It’s healthy too because there really is not anything in it that would be bad for you!

Hummus-Crusted Chicken

serves 4

barely adapted from Gimme Some Oven

4 chicken breasts, trimmed and slightly pounded out

salt and pepper for seasoning

1 (8 oz) container of hummus (or use 1 cup of homemade)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.

2. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and lay in a baking dish.

3. Spread the hummus all over the tops of the chicken breasts and then pour lemon juice over the top. Finish by sprinkling the tops with the remaining ingredients.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

♥This recipe is gluten-free!

I have an addiction to pasta.

Just to name a few of the recipes I make the most: single-serving macaroni and cheese, chicken spaghetti , turkey meatballs and spaghetti, and chicken pesto shells… the list goes on.

I’ve FINALLY converted my family to whole grain pasta so now I at least don’t feel as guilty.

Now, I know that I’ve already posted a recipe for single-serving chicken alfredo bake but this one is a little different.

It’s a little bit lighter and it’s more like authentic alfredo than the “bake version”.

Oh and I know this is “fettuccine alfredo” but I was all out of fettuccine so I just used normal spaghetti. I don’t notice a differene between to 2 types of pasta but if you want to get all fancy…

Lighter Chicken Alfredo

serves 4

1 tbsp canola oil

2 raw chicken breasts, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

3 cloves of roasted garlic

1 oz reduced fat cream cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

salt and plenty of pepper

2 cups of raw spinach

whole wheat spaghetti

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add in chopped chicken, turning the pieces over occasionally. Cook until no longer pink in the middle. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

2. Cook pasta as directed.

3. Add the white wine to the skillet and let reduce by half. Then reduce heat and mix in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Once melted, add in the milk, spinach, salt, pepper, and cooked chicken. Cover and let cook until spinach is wilted.

4. Drain cooked pasta when al dente and mix into skillet of sauce, chicken, and spinach.

♥This recipe can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free fettuccine.

I love roasted vegetables.

I might choose them over chocolate…

HAHA JUST KIDDING

But I really do love them! Roasted brussel sprouts are my #1 (I literally eat them like candy), but roasted asparagus takes a close #2. Oh and when you add an awesome lemon vinaigrette over top?! DELISH.

This is a great fancy(ish) recipe.

Or not. I mean I just make it for an everyday kind of meal. But I guess its versatile. (That sounds like a good vocabulary word).

Just try it. I know you will like it.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette

from Melissa d’Arabian

serves 4

3/4 pound fresh asparagus, woody stems removed

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced