Last Minute Rice & Beans

4 servings of brown rice
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chilies
1 can pinto beans, drained

In a small sauce pan, mix beans and Rotel and cook until hot. Prepare the rice according to package instructions. Combine bean & Rotel mixture with rice and enjoy.

Making burritos for dinner tonight, I went to the pantry to grab some spanish rice and behold...there was none. Since I had already made the rest of the meal, I decided to try a new concoction and it turned out very yummy. It's a great side dish or a burrito/bowl filling. Since it's a lot healthier than the processed rice packet from the store, this may become a new staple. Beware, it does have a bit of a kick to it and may be too much for the little ones.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 Pizza Crust (dough or prepared)
Ranch or Blue Cheese salad dressing
Buffalo Chicken
Mozzarella Cheese

Arrange pizza dough as required. Top with dressing (in place of pizza sauce) and chicken. Top lightly with cheese and bake as directed (per pizza crust type).

My hubby thought it could use less cheese than pictured, thus the specification of 'top lightly'

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Baking Potatos
Olive Oil
Seasoning/Sea Salt
Cheese

Topping ideas:
Chicken
Chili
Broccoli
Cauliflower

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes and prick each multiple times with a fork to prevent steam from building up and causing the potato to explode in your oven. Rub or spray Olive Oil on potato jacket and sprinkle seasonings and/or sea salt on the outside for a tasty and tough jacket. Bake for 40 - 60 minutes (baking time will vary on size and number of potatoes).

Place each baked potato on a plate, slice open lengthwise, separate the two halves and mash slightly. Top with shredded cheese & desired toppings. You can even add a little sour cream, BBQ or ketchup.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

adapted from allrecipes.com

4 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce (Frank's Red Hot)

1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix

6 buns, rolls, or flatbreads
Ranch or blue cheese dressing
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Place frozen chicken breasts in crockpot and top with ranch mix and entire bottle of buffalo sauce. Cook 6 hours on low. Using 2 forks, shred chicken at least 30 minutes before serving. Spread dressing on both halves of each bread serving, top with chicken & cheese. Enjoy!

You can make extra chicken to be used for Buffalo Chicken Pizza :)

Banana Oat Muffins

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

I made mini muffins, cooking for 12 minutes

Pasta Salad

1 box rigatoni pasta, cooked
1 medium/large sweet bell pepper, chopped
1/4 large onion, chopped
1 box frozen chopped broccoli, cooked & drained
1 small can sliced olives
5 slices of turkey cold cuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups Wishbone Red Wine Vinegar Dressing*

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, and refrigerate overnight.

*I am guessing I used about 1 1/2 cups of dressing. I just added it to taste (about 1 cup), but once it sat it needed more (hence the additional 1/2 cup). I'll update when I make it again, in the meantime, I would suggest you add dressing to taste and then add a bit more.

Chicken Fajitas

1 medium onion
1-2 bell peppers
3 chicken breasts
olive oil
flour or corn tortillas

Cut onion and peppers into strips. Spray or drizzle a small amount of oil in a large skillet. Add veggies and stir often as you cut the chicken into strips. In a second skillet, cook the chicken and season as desired. Once the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through, add chicken to veggie mix, remove from heat & stir.

Place fajita mixture on tortillas and top with desired toppings.

I like to make double the amount and save left overs for Tex-Mex Pizzas :)

Snack Ideas

A friend of mine posted a request on Facebook today for toddler friendly snack ideas (specifically peanut butter free) since her family was getting tired of crackers & cheese sticks. I thought I would compile the list of responses here as a reminder and a refresher for us busy mommies who need to change things up once in a while :)

• Cereal
• Quaker oatmeal squares
• Yogurt
• Jelly toast
• Whipped cream cheese with ranch dip mix as a spread on ritz crackers
• Applesauce
• Jello
• Fruit cups
• Cheese cracker snacks
• 100 calorie pack snacks
• Dried fruit
• Pretzels
• Pretzel sticks
• Craisins
• Raisins
• Granola bars
• Popcorn
• Trail mix
• Banana chips
• Veggie chips
• Cheerios and marshmallows
• Fruit a bu
• Cheez its
• Popchips
• Pumpkin bread
• Banana bread
• Graham crackers
• Natural Cheetos
• Animal Crackers
• Brothers All Natural fruit crisps
• Rice cakes
• Veggie sticks
• Baked chips
• No Sugar Cookies
  

Here is also a list I had saved from a while ago of some healthy snacks. Many of these include peanut butter if your family doesn't have peanut sensitivities:

Ants on a Log: Spread peanut butter or cream cheese on celery sticks and top with raisins.

ABC Snax: Mix together 1 cup Post Honeycomb Letter Alpha-Bits; 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries; and 1/4 cup peanuts for a healthy trail mix.

Fruit Burritos: Spread a tortilla with peanut butter and add sliced fruit such as strawberries, apples, and/or bananas. Fold the ends and wrap up tightly.

Granola Bars: These are a much better alternative to candy bars. But read the label to make sure the fat or sugar content is low.

Nuts and Seeds: This delicious snack choice has lots of protein, minerals, and vitamins. They are also high in fat – but in a good way.

Frozen Fruit Bars: Make and freeze juice pops with real fruit juice. You can also add small chunks of fruit for added fiber. Frozen grapes are also a great kid pleaser.

Ready to eat cereal: Many ready to eat cereals such as granola or those which contain whole grain and no added sugar, are very nutritious.

Homemade muffins and quick breads: If your child likes muffins, they will love munching on homemade quick bread. Many of these recipes include pureed fruits and vegetables, which add to the nutritional content.

Non-dairy yogurt or jello packs and cheese: Make sure that these are purchased from the grocery shelves, not the chilled dairy compartment. These foods stay fresh and safe unless they are opened. Individual unsweetened applesauce servings is another good choice.

Please leave a comment if you have something to add :)

Banana Split Bread

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 tablespoons milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. beat in egg. In a small bowl, combine bananas and milk. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
2. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

This is a REALLY GOOD banana bread recipe take or leave the chocolate chips :)