FREE DAY

There's only been one vote in regards to Free Days & eating after 9. With the 4th of July Holiday drawing near, I'm going to make the decision.

Drumroll, please . . .

On your Free Days {July 4th, 24th & floater} you can eat after 9 & still give yourself the after 9 points for that day.

Enjoy!

Jana's Healthy Rice Krispie Treats

I Loooove a rice krispie treat! I have been known to eat the majority of a pan in one evening. So, I have been acquiring healthier ways to eat similar things. I found a lady's blog who had an idea for one and this is what she suggests.

1 cup peanut butter (natural of course)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Crispy Rice Cereal-brown rice option of course!

 {she found a brand called  Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal}

Diane's Mango Quinoa Salad

Here’s my healthy recipe my family loves.

Mango Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa at room temperature, or chilled. ( can be cooked in chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor.)

1-14oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium mango, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, diced

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 handful chopped cilantro (about ½ cup)

4 Tab. Red wine vinegar

3 Tab. Extra virgin olive oil

1-2 Tab. Fresh lime juice

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked pepper

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to  combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

This salad is very tasty and healthy.

Enjoy!!!

Cassie's Tropical Stir-Fry

Tropical Stir-Fry

-2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts ( chopped into cubes )

-3 cups broccoli florets- chopped

-2 medium carrots- thinly sliced

-2 stalks of celery-chopped

-1/4th of a fresh pineapple-chopped

-2T coconut oil

-4T Lite Soy Sauce

- hot brown rice

Chop up the chicken and let it marinate in the soy sauce while you chop up the veggies.

In a large skillet, stir fry the veggies in 1T of coconut oil.

After 2-3 minutes, add the pineapple.

Cook them until desired doneness- usually 4-10minutes.

Place veggies/fruit in a bowl & cover.

In the same skillet add remaining oil, cook your chicken until no longer pink.

Add veggies/fruit back to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

** there are obviously so many veggies that you can add. 

Anything you have on hand, other ideas:

frozen peas, pea pods, bean sprouts, water chestnuts**

Erica's Favorite Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal

This is a delicious baked Banana Bread Oatmeal recipe that I tried from my new favorite food blog {Budget Bytes} the other week and LOVED! This recipe calls for Brown Sugar, but you could omit that and add an extra banana, or throw in a few tablespoons of Evap. Cane Juice to sweeten it {if you need it}. You bake this, then can portion it out to enjoy through the week {or bake in muffin tins}. The secret is to reheat each serving, smoosh it up and add some milk; just like you would oatmeal. Delish! If you try to eat it like Banana Bread, you'll probably be disappointed. Beth also has a few other variations that I haven't tried yet, including a lemon raspberry, pumpkin pie and chocolate banana {that might fulfill a chocolate craving - if you've got one}.

Enjoy!

Andrea's Healthy Stroganoff

My favorite recipe right now is healthy stroganoff. 

I take 1 large pkg mushrooms(cosco size or 1 to 1 1/2 store size) and chop them up and put them in a skillet with 1 to 2 T olive oil.

Don't salt at this point because it will take the mushrooms longer to cook down. When they are browned I put them in a bowl and set aside. 

In the same skillet I put 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb ground turkey (you can use ground beef or chicken if you want) and 1 med onion, chopped fine, and brown. Then when the meat and onions are cooked I add back in the mushrooms and then salt and pepper to taste. Then add 16 to 24 oz PLAIN Greek yogurt. I also add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream to help with the taste a little (but my kids and hubby didn't know that I had replaced their sour cream with something healthy). Thin down as need with milk (I use skim).  Then mix in your favorite whole grain or wheat pasta that you have cooked.  Serve and enjoy. (Winco dose sell a whole wheat egg noodle in their bulk section).

This feeds my family of five with leftovers for lunch the next day. Hope you enjoy this!

Aunt Leslie's Favorite Popcorn

My recipe is  just a snack I like to make. I air pop  a couple of batches of air pop corn and then put it on a couple of cookies sheets. I spray it with water that I have in a sprayer that does a light mist of water. Then I put the dry butter flavor stuff on it or sea salt, then spray it again with water so it sticks & then I put the cookie sheet in the oven on broil for like 30 secs.  Watch it close cause it burns fast. {I put it on the bottom rack of the oven}. That dries out the water and makes the popcorn more crisp. I love it!  You could even try other dry flavors on it.  Enjoy!