White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I saw these muffins on Pinterest & realized I had all the ingredients in my pantry, so I went ahead and made them for us and our neighbors.  So far, my husband says they are the best ever, the neighbors want the recipe and my kids are raved over how delicious they are, so I would say they are worth making!  Turned out incredibly moist and perfect!

 Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup of walnuts (Optional) I didn't use any nuts

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

4 oz unsalted butter, melted

6 oz white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, pumpkin, and unsalted butter. Add in the chocolate chips and nuts (I omitted the nuts).

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.

5. Scoop batter into greased or paper cup lined muffin cups. (I used muffin cups) Bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed and springy to the touch. Cool then remove from cups. Makes 12 muffins. ( I found it made more than 12, it made about 16 muffins)

 Yum, they were so good!

Grilled Balsamic Flank Steak

Grilled Balsamic Flank Steak
 serves 4 ( 5 points + )

• ¼ c. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb. flank steak
• salt and pepper

Combine first four ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Add steak, turn to coat; marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Grill until desired doneness. Let stand, covered loosely with foil for 10 minutes, before cutting in thin strips against the grain

 This was more than delicious, served with cheesy potatoes and asparagus!

Skinny Baked Chicken Parmesan

So I got this recipe from www.skinnytaste.com, I pinned it on pinterest! I love this recipe, tastes so delicious, quick, easy and fool proof!

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 piece • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts 
Calories: 224.5 • Fat: 8.6 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 14.2 g • Fiber: 1.3 g    

• 4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese (I used HEB brand)
• 1 cup marinara or Filetto di Pomodoro (I used Marinara)
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve this over spaghetti and it makes the perfect little meal! I brought this to a friend who started her teaching week and her husband was gone, so she needed something to eat and feed the kids, her daughter ate it and my kids ate it! AND it's figure friendly!

Sorry I forgot to take the pictures of it done! That would've look prettier, but I was in a hurry!

 These were small skinless, boneless cutlets, worked perfectly!

 Sorry I didn't get a picture of the melted cheese!

Creamy Avocado Lime Cilantro Chilled Pasta Salad

I made this and it was so delicious, it has cilantro in it, but if you don't like cilantro you can use very little or leave it out, so very good! :) I would make this again and again and bring it to places I had to bring a dish to pass, I used greek yogurt instead of mayo so it was much lighter!

 while pasta is cooked, drained and cooling, mix all remaining ingredients in food processer

 add into pasta and serve!!

Creamy Avocado Lime Cilantro Chilled Pasta Salad
that name is a tongue twister!
 Ingredients

• 1 1/2cup dry shell pasta or short pasta of your choice
• 1 ripe avocado
• handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2Tbsp lime juice
• 3Tbsp mayonnaise (I used plain greek yogurt)
• 1tsp garlic paste
• salt & pepper
• chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well, set aside to cool.
2. Peel avocado and remove the pit. Put it in a food processor together with chopped cilantro, lime juice, mayonnaise and garlic paste. Blend it until it’s creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in a refrigerator if you have time.)
3. Transfer the avocado sauce to a medium sized bowl. Add cooked pasta and toss them well. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and/or jalapeno on top.

*Cowboy or Cowgirl Casserole*

First off I wanted to say sorry I have been so MIA lately.  I kind of put my blog and checking other blogs and really reading any blogs on hold for awhile while I concentrated on the Summer with my kids and while I started up my YouTube Beauty Channel.  I have also been on a diet that doesn't allow for pretty much any food but a specific purchased food from the Doctor so cooking is hard for me, but I have gotten back into just cooking for my family and having willpower to eat what I should be eating! So, I'm going to get better at posting.  Here is an old classic Tater tot casserole.  I never had this as a child so I don't know, but everyone tells me this is the same thing.

 Brown the meat, with the already cooked onion and garlic

 lay the tater tots on the greased pan...

 add meat mixture to soup and sour cream, add corn..

 spread over the tater tots

Cowboy Casserole
adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream(I used plain greek yogurt)
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots 

Before I got ready to make this casserole, I let the tater tots sit on the counter to defrost for an hour or so. The original recipe used still frozen tater tots, but I felt they wouldn't cook as well if they were still frozen solid.

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

South Of The Border Sandwiches

This Sandwich was so yummy!!

 Cut the french bread and lay it out on the Baking sheet

 Chop olives and green onions

 Mix in sour cream and chili powder & Mayo

 Spread on bread

 top with turkey

 Tomatoes

 top with avocados then cheese!

 Bake until cheese melts! yum!!

South Of The Border Sandwiches

 Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4" thick slices

½ cup olives, chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 pound sliced turkey
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture. 

Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture (I didn't add this because I didn't think it needed it). Top with avocados and cheeses. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. Makes 8-10 servings.

Mini Mexican Pizzas

 Cut Tortillas and arrange them...

 put mixed up meat mixture into the cups...

 Top with cheese and green onions and bake...

Mini Mexican Pizza's

1lb of Ground Beef

1 can of Salsa

1 can of Refried Beans

1 Package of Taco Seasoning

2 Cup of Mexican Cheese Blend

6-9 Tortillas (when they are cut smaller you need less to make 12 mini's)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

M

Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, glass cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap. ( I only had an oval cookie cutter, so I used it and it worked fine)

Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. (Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!)

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and refried beans. Stir until well combined.

Scoop 1/8th cup of meat mixture into each wrap

Top with shredded cheese, (dividing evenly between each pizza), and olives if desired, (I used green onions instead because I like that better

Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Wait for mini Mexican pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza’s should pop out with ease!

Serve with a side of salsa, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or shredded lettuce if desired!