The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~Spicy Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these last night for a party, and they are yummo!  I've made them a couple times, and they never fail me!  The kids usually take out the stuffing because it's too spicy, but it's a great appetizer for a party!!  I usually double the recipe for larger groups and have extra filling so be sure and load the mushrooms up!

Ingredients

• 12 whole fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (use reduced fat if desired, but NOT FAT FREE!)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (Use 1/8 if you don't like too spicy. These are spicy!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
3. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Happy Eating Friends! ~Trina

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~ Stir Fry in a Tortilla

This was the perfect meal for a Friday night.  Cheap, easy...and quick.  As you know, I'm very into health-friendly foods.  I like to find amazing recipes that are lower in bad fats and high in protein and healthy carbs.  Anytime you can sneak in a ton of veggies into a great meal, it's going to be a winner all the way around.  This will be one I make again, for sure! Enjoy!





Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper sliced
• 1 box 0 oz mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced red onion 
• 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut up into bite-sized peices
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• salt & pepper
• 8 whole wheat tortillas
• 1/4 cup whipped light or fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice

Instructions:

Warm oil in large, nonstick skillet.  Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, and red onion and cook, stirring frequently for five minutes or until tender. Reduce heat to medium and cover, cooking five minutes longer.

Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to mix well.  Cook and stir until heated through well.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas in oven.  Spread each tortilla with cream cheese, then top with chicken & veggie mixture, then with cheese.  Roll up tortillas, and enjoy. 

We just ate these alone, no sides.  Like I said, easy for a Friday night!  Happy Eating Friends! ~Trina

15 Fun Ideas for Kid Lunches

In a rut with what you're feeding your kiddos for lunch? Here are 15 ideas that I've collected that are sure to get them running to the table this summer!

1. Pita Bread Pizza
2. Chicken Panini
3. Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
4. Veggie Wrap Rollups with Cream Cheese
5. Turkey Avocado Wrap
6. Honey Chicken Kabobs
7. Peanut Butter Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Honey Lime Slaw
8. Barbecued Turkey Sloppy Joes
9. Tomato and Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich
10. Chicken Lollipops
11. Egg Salad Sandwich
12. Ham and Cheese Quiche
13. Asian Noodle Chicken Salad
14. Bean and Veggie Quesadilla
15. Strawberry and Cream Cheese Sandwich

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement~Pasta Pie

 This is one of my oldies, but goodies.  Pasta has always been one of my favorite comfort dishes, and usually is pretty easy to convince the kids to eat as they love spaghetti.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust: 

7 oz of whole spaghetti noodles

1 egg

1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Filling

2 cloves fresh minced garlic

1 pd lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1-14 oz jar of pasta sauce\

Topping

1/4 or 8oz cup light cream cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9 1/2-inch glass deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray.
3. In large bowl, beat egg. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add cooked noodles; toss to coat. Spoon mixture evenly into pie pan, pushing mixture up sides of pan to form crust.
4. In 12-inch skillet, cook ground beef with garlic, bell pepper and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce. Spoon evenly into noodle-lined pie pan.
5. Drop cream cheese by rounded teaspoons over filling, then top with mozz cheese.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until pie is thoroughly heated and crust is light golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes. To serve, cut into wedges.

Happy Eating Friends! ~Trina

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Dessert - Angel Cherry Pie

For as long as I can remember, this has been my dad’s favorite dessert.  My mom, an amazing baker, has always perfected the  meringue (click here for more of her recipes).  Though I have done well with the coloring of the meringue, I cannot make it look as pretty as her work of art along the rim. 

Meringue Shell

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• 3/4 c sugar

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Click here for more info on making the perfect meringue. Beat egg whites until quite stiff. Gradually add cream of tartar and sugar, beating until stiff and satiny. Spread about 2/3 of meringue over bottom and sides of well-greased 8" pie plate. Drop remaining meringue in mounds along rim of plate. Bake 1 hour or until shell is light brown and crisp. Cool on rack.

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 3oz. package cream cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/ 2 t vanilla
• 1 c Cool Whip
• 1 c mini-marshmallows
• 1 can cherry filling

Beat softened cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. Fold in Cool Whip and marshmallows. Spread cherry filling on top. Refrigerate until serving.