Fruit Dip

Every Monday, a few of us girls have Bachelorette night.  We get together to watch the latest drama of one woman dating 25 men, drink wine, talk about life, and of course, eat.  Each week is a themed potluck, challenging us to bring out our inner creative chefs.

One of the first themes we did was dips, because let's face it, who doesn't love dip-- salsa, guacamole, spinach and artichoke..the list goes on and on, and the smile on my face (and grumble in my stomach) gets bigger and bigger!

I challenged myself to find something on the healthier side, that was still just as delicious, and wow, did I hit the jackpot.  Luckily, I came across another recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff, and I went to work!

Fruit Dip

(Recipe from: Six Sisters' Stuff)

What's In It?
-8 oz. whipped creamcheese
-7 oz. marshmallow creme

How Do I Make It?
Scoop both ingredients into a bowl, and whip! That's it!  My only advice would be to let the creamcheese soften a bit before whipping- it'll make it much easier.  Serve with your favorite fruit!

And, if you feel like being a little crazy, split the dip into two bowls and add approximately 1 tsp of cocoa powder to one of them.  Now you have a regular and chocolate version-- wild, I know!

Caprese Bites with Balsamic Drizzle

I promise that you won't find an easier appetizer or party dish than caprese bites!  Every time I make them, they always seem to disappear.

And bonus-- these are especially great if you're short on time or money!

Caprese Bites with Balsamic Drizzle

What's In It? 

Bites:
-1-2 packages cherry or grape tomatoes (I used grape this time)
-1-2 packages basil leaves (probably about 1-2 cups, not packed)
-1 package fresh mozzarella pearls

Balsamic Reduction Sauce:
-1 cup balsamic vinegar

Extras:
-toothpicks or medium skewers

How Do I Make It?
After washing tomatoes, chop each in half and place in container.  Then, wash basil and place in a second container.  Remove the pearls from their packaging and place in third container.
 

I find it easiest to do this as an assembly line.  Start with a mozzarella pearl, add about 1/2 basil leaf (more or less depending on your taste), a tomato half, and then top with another mozzarella pearl.  I would recommend laying them directly on your serving dish as you make them (I love any way that I can save time on dishes!).  Then repeat! And don't worry- it's perfectly normal to eat a few along the way :)

Once done (this should make between 75 and 100 skewers), put the dish into the fridge so they stay nice and cool.  At the same time, pour the balsamic vinegar into a small pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, lower to a simmer for about 10 minutes until the texture becomes more like syrup.  I'd recommend keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't start burning (not speaking from personal experience here or anything!).  When you're happy with the consistency, pour into a glass or ceramic bowl (just not plastic tupperware) and let cool.

Before serving, use a spoon to drizzle the balsamic reduction right over your skewers.  And the crowd will go wild!!

Enjoy!!

Asian Slaw with Sweet Peanut Dressing

Sometimes it can be difficult to find different healthy and easy side dishes- I mean, how many times a week can we eat brown rice, quinoa, couscous, or simple veggies?  So when I decided to make Sesame Chicken, I knew this was my chance.  And then I came across an Asian Slaw recipe from Once Upon a Chef, and let me just say, YUM!!

I changed a few things around, but used the recipe as something to go off of-- I find myself doing this more often as I get more comfortable in the kitchen-- it's actually really fun!! The recipe made so much that we had  two servings with our dinner, brought leftovers to girl's night, turned it into a salad for lunch the next day, AND enough for Dr. J and I to snack on over the next two days.

I will DEFINITELY be making this for future parties too! SO simple and healthy, and please believe me when I tell you, it's so delicious, you won't be able to put your fork down.

Asian Slaw with Sweet Peanut Dressing

(Recipe adapted from: Once Upon a Chef)

What's In It? 

Dressing:
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 ½ tbsp peanut butter
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
-1 ½ cloves garlic, minced (=1 ½ tsp prepared minced garlic)

Slaw:
-4 cups shredded coleslaw (you can buy this in a pre-made package at your grocery store; I found mine in the produce section with the other pre-made salad bags)
-2 ½ cups shredded carrots
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-1 ½ cup shelled edamame, cooked
-1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
-1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, whole
-2/3 cup fresh cilantro, lightly chopped

How Do I Make It?
Combine all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl.  Whisk until the peanut butter is dissolved in the other liquids.  Put aside.

Mix all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl (use the largest you have!).  Add the dressing and toss.  Cover with saran wrap or tin foil and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. It's best when it's really cold!

Are there any other ingredients you'd throw in the mix? I always love getting new ideas!

5/28- 6/3 Weekly Menu

This is a big week for Dr. J! He takes the last part of his board exams on Friday and Saturday (2, 8-hour days sitting at a computer answering questions- yikes!). So I wanted to make sure to make him some comfort food that will keep him happy and give him lots of energy to make it through this last week of studying!

Honey Sesame Chicken w/ Asian Slaw

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Roll-Ups w/ Broccoli Slaw Salad

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad

Enjoy!

5/21-5/27 Weekly Menu

This week I start my internship, so I knew I'd need to go back to basics while I get my schedule figured out.  I wanted to make something delicious that also wouldn't take up too much time.  So here's what I came up with for the week:

Chicken Pasta w/ Spinach Pesto

Tilapia w/ Brown Rice & Veggies

Shrimp Salad w/ Avocado Lime Dressing

Taco Night- Turkey Tacos w/ Chips & Salsa

Honey Sesame Chicken w/ Asian Slaw

Recipes to come soon!

Chipotle Copycat: Barbacoa

www.Chipotle.com

Saying that Dr. J and I LOVE Chipotle is an understatement.  I think we'd eat it every day if we could.  So I did a bit of research and found these amazing copycat recipes that would allow us to have our very own Chipotle-themed dinner at home!!!  I started out by making Barbacoa in the crockpot, then the cilantro rice, and of course a nice side of chips and guacamole.

I found this Barbacoa recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff-- one of my new favorite blogs! They have so many great recipes and craft ideas-- I constantly find myself going to their site for one thing and ending up with another 10 ideas. It happens...

Crockpot Barbacoa Beef 

(Recipe from: Six Sisters' Stuff)

What's In It?
-3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed
-5 cloves garlic
-1/2 medium onion
-1/2 lime, juice
-2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste)
-1 tbsp ground cumin
-1 tbsp ground oregano
-1/2 tsp ground cloves
-salt and pepper
-3 bay leaves
-1 tsp oil
-1 cup water

How Do I Make It?
Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chiptoles, cloves in a blender (or food processor).

 

Trim all fat off meat, cut  into a few good sized chunks.

 Season with salt and pepper and brown on high heat in 1 tsp oil.

Add liquefied spices, water, bay leaves and simmer on low two hours in a crockpot.Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks, and reserve the liquid for later (discard the bay leaf). Return the shredded meat to the pot, adjust salt and cumin (you may need to add more) to taste and add some of the reserved liquid back. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.

After everything was done, we made our bowls by putting rice on the bottom of the bowl and then topping it with the barbacoa, salsa, shredded lettuce, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, light sour cream, and of course, our guacamole.  It was outstanding! 

DELICIOUS!

Helpful Hint:  Use leftover leftover barbacoa to make yummy quesadillas! Just heat up some tortillas, put in barbacoa and cheese, and it's done when cheese is melted, then top with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole- super easy!

Check out the other Chipotle Copycat recipes here:

Chipotle Copycat: Cilantro Rice
Chipotle Copycat: Guacamole

Chipotle Copycat: Guacamole

If you're like me and could eat a whole tub of Chipotle's guacamole, you are in the right place.  I was so thankful to come across the Budget Savvy Diva's website on Pinterest. The only thing wrong with Chipotle is that their guacamole containers are never big enough- I mean, seriously, Dr. J and I go through it in the first few chips alone! So of course for our Chipotle dinner night, I knew I'd have to make our favorite-- and believe me when I say that this tastes EXACTLY like the guac you get in the restaurant-- but you feel better about it because you control how much you get and you know exactly what is going in it!

Guacamole (Chipotle-style)

(Recipe from: Budget Savvy Diva)

What's In It?
-3 ripe avocados
-1/2 cup of chopped red onion
-1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
-1/3 cup of chopped jalepeno
-1/8 cup of lemon and lime juice-80/20 ratio
-pinch of salt

How Do I Make It?
Place avocados in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork. 

 

Add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

Perfection!