Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbs canola oil

In a medium sized bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. In another large bowl add eggs, yogurt, pumpkin puree, and two tablespoons oil. Beat well. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Then just cook your cakes! These are light and fluffy and kind of remind me of the pancakes I made with ricotta. I was looking for a use for all my yogurt so this was perfect. This recipe makes a lot of pancakes, but we love leftovers at our house. They freeze and refrigerate great!

Apple Pie

This is an annual tradition at my parents house. We make atleast 12 pies to freeze and enjoy for the year ahead. The recipe for the crust is enough to make atleast 12 pies. The apple pie filling recipe is enough to make 1 pie.

Flaky pie crust starter
12 1/2 cups flour
2 T salt
5 cups shortening

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. With pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed. Mixture will resemble cornmeal in texture. Put in a large container, label and store in the freezer.

Flaky pie crust
2 1/2 cups flaky pie crust starter
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg, beaten
1 T vinegar

Crumble flaky pie crust mix, if frozen. Put mix in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine ice water, egg and vinegar. Sprinkle a spoonful of water mixture at a time over the flaky pie crust mix and toss with a fork until the dough barely clings together in the bowl. Roll out dough to desired thickness between 2 sheets of floured wax paper. Place dough in a 9 inch pie plate without stretching. Flute edges. If you are using the pie crust for a apple pie fill with apple filling. Otherwise you can bake the pie crust at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

Apple pie filling
6 to 8 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 -1 cup sugar
2 T flour
1/2-1 t cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together and add to pie shell. Top with 2 T butter cut up into small pieces and top with additional crust or crumble topping. Freeze. To bake from frozen bake 20 minutes at 425 and an additional 50 minutes at 375.

Homemade yogurt in the crockpot

I was wanting to get a yogurt maker but then read on another blog that making yogurt in the crockpot IS possible. It is so easy too!

Ingredients
8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk
1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)
thick bath towel

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. Let it sit for 8 hours.

Fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch. It isn't quite as thick as store bought, but still has a nice consistency.

I'm so excited about this, but now need to think of ways to use all this fresh yogurt I made. Any ideas?

Root Vegetable Lasagna

This was delicious and both James and Todd LOVED it! It was very time consuming though and something that I would probably only make on the weekends.
Root Vegetable Lasagna from Cooking Light
Ingredients
6 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 1/4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)
2 cups coarsely chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking spray
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated Parmesan
9 packaged no-boil lasagna noodles
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine squash, potato, 1 cup chopped onion, and oil in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat vegetables. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once; set aside. Combine remaining 1 cup onion, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return milk mixture to pan. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, salt, and pepper to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup milk mixture. Repeat layer with noodles, squash mixture, mozzarella, and milk mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour(divided)
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup brown sugar (divided)
1/2 cup butter
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

To make crust combine 1 cup of flour, oats and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into bottom of an ungreased 9 X 12pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. While the crust is cooking mix up the filling by combining the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Pour filling over crust and continue to bake for 25 minutes. To make streusel topping coming remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs and stir in the pecans. Sprinkle with topping and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Cool for 1 hours and then chill for atleast 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream!

Chicken enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Dash of black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
3 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 cup salsa
6 (6-inch) whole wheat flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat large skillet over medium heat until hot and add a touch of olive oil; add bell pepper and onion. Sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Combine flour, coriander, and black pepper in a medium bowl; gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Add to saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and sour cream. Combine 1 cup cheese mixture, turkey, and salsa in a bowl.

Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining cheese mixture over tortillas. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Pita chips and hummus

Yumm, this is so good. Seriously addictive. The pita chips are a little spicy so you can definitely leave out some of the spices if you don't like things with a kick.

Spiced Pita Chips by Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 whole-wheat pitas, cut into 1/8's

Combine olive oil and all spices in a large bowl. Add pita wedges and toss to coat, Spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, tossing once, or until pita is brown and crisp. Cool completely before serving.

Hummus- my version
Ingredients
1 16-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Process first 6 ingredients in a food processor 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yogurt marinade for chicken

This is a great marinade for grilled chicken. Since James loves yogurt we seem to always have this on hand.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups(12 oz) plain yogurt
1 T canola oil
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T montreal steak seasoning or seasoning of your choice

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc plastic bag. Add chicken and marinate for 2 hours before grilling.

Toasted Pita Panzanella

This is an Italian dish with a twist. Panzanella is widely known in Italy as a "bread salad" or "leftover salad", so the sky is the limit with this one as far as which ingredients to use. It is great for an August meal with so many fresh ingredients readily available this time of year!

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat pitas
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 t sugar
1/4 cup EVOO
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Chop pitas into 8 sections(like cutting a pie) and toast for 14 minutes, turning halfway through. Set aside and cool. Once cool break into smaller pieces.

Combine tomatoes through basil and add pita pieces. Combine lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper and slowly add the olive oil. Drizzle dressing over salad and let set at room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving. This serves 2 adults and one baby James!

Pork Spare Ribs

I must admit, I was a little intimidated about making ribs, BUT not anymore. These were so easy, delicious and really impressed my husband! The best part is after a little prep work they finish cooking in the crock-pot and simmer all day!

Ingredients:
3 to 4 pounds spareribs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 onion sliced
2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce

Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Place ribs(meaty side up) under broiler for 15 minutes to brown. Put sliced onion in crock-pot. Slice ribs into serving pieces and put in crock-pot. Pour in BBQ sauce. cover; cook on Low 8 to 10 hours (high for 4 to 5 hours). Enjoy!

Twice Baked Potatoes

My mom is the expert at these, but I made them for Todd's birthday today because they are his favorite.

Ingredients:
6 baked potatoes
6 T sour cream
4-6 T butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (divided)
4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Once the baked potatoes are cool enough to handle cut the potato lengthwise towards the top. You can reserve the tops to make potato skins. Scoop out the insides of all the potatoes into a bowl and add the sour cream, butter and half the cheese. Beat until smooth. Put the filling back in the empty shells and top with remaining cheese and bacon. If you are lucky you will have some extra mashed potatoes to enjoy as a snack!!! You can make these ahead and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Asian style bbq pizza

This is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe that I've been making for years and it is one of my favorites. I love bbq sauce. What can I say, I'm a KC girl! The main difference from the original recipe is I use more plum/bbq sauce than the original.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound thin cut (cutlets) boneless, skinless chicken breast
Extra-virgin olive oil
Grill seasoning blend (I use Montreal Seasoning by McCormick) or salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cornmeal or all-purpose flour
1 package store bought pizza dough (you are making 1 12-inch pie)
2 to 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/3 cup plum sauce or Peking Duck Sauce
1/3 cup barbecue sauce, any variety or brand(I usually use KC masterpiece).
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat. Drizzle oil over chicken cutlets and season with grill seasoning blend or salt and pepper. Grill chicken 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Cut chicken into bit size pieces. You can also omit this step and use leftover chicken.

Sprinkle a pizza pan or baking stone with cornmeal or flour. Press the dough into a pizza shell, working all the way to edges of the pan. Sprinkle the edges of your dough with sesame seeds. Cover the dough with sauces. Cover pizza with cheese. Top with sliced chicken and scallions and red pepper. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp and cheese is bubbly. Cut into 8 slices.

Margaritas

Directions and Ingredients. Equal parts(12 oz of each makes 4 margaritas): Sprite, Limeade concentrate, Tequila, Corona.


Abby's instructional video

Michigan Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
6 oz strawberry gelatin
2 baked 9 inch pie shell, cooled
enough Michigan strawberries to fill a pie shell
fresh whipped cream

Blend together cornstarch and sugar. Combine in saucepan with water. Cook, stirring until thick 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add gelatin. Stir until dissolves and cool slightly. Add strawberries to cooled pie shell and pour the cooked strawberry liquid over the pie. Cool for 2-3 hours. To make whipped cream use 1 container of heavy cream and beat on high with 2 T sugar and 1 t vanilla until stiff peaks form. This is my favorite dessert to make when we are in Michigan.

Brown sugar baby carrots

Carrots are cooked with brown sugar and butter, resulting in a sweet, flavorful brown sugar glaze.
Ingredients:
16 ounces baby carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
dash salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the baby carrots with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.
Serves 4 to 6.

Baked Beans

This is a family recipe of ours and I have no idea where it came from, but they are a favorite at our house in the summer! There is no measuring for this recipe. You just add a little bit of everything and bake it in the oven for a couple hours at 350 stirring occasionally. Enjoy!
Start with 1 large can of baked beans and drain off a little of the liquid. Then add: ketchup, mustard, your favorite bbq sauce, brown sugar, molasses, and liquid smoke(take it easy on this one).

Guacamole Stuffed Eggs

This is from Krafts food which great place to get no fuss recipes. If you like hard-boiled eggs and guacamole this is a fun one! I also think it would be a good St Patricks Day recipe too!
Ingredients
6 hard-cooked eggs
1/2 large fully ripe avocado
2 tsp. lime juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
Crackers and cilantro(optional)

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; process in food processor with avocado, juice and mayo until smooth.

Stir in peppers; spoon into egg whites. Keep refrigerated. These can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Rhubarb Crisp

This recipe is from my Mother in law Robin. It is my favorite dessert that she makes. I didn't grow up with rhubarb so I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it is delicious. She always makes it for us when we visit and the rhubarb is in season. It is so good with vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Crisp:
2 lg eggs, beaten
6 Tbsps flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 cups fresh or frozen cup rhubarb
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup butter

Combine eggs, 6 Tbsps flour and white sugar. Spread in bottom of greased 9 X 13 pan. Put rhubarb over first mixture. Combine brown sugar, 2 cups flour and butter. Sprinkle over rhubarb and bake at 350 45 to 60 minutes.

Blackberry Peach Crumble

We had my parents over for dinner tonight. I made taco salad and this for dessert. I used frozen fruit so it was very simple to put together. It was delicious with vanilla ice cream.

Blackberry Peach Crumble
Ingredients:
2 cups blackberries
5 cups sliced peaches
3/4 c. sugar, divided
1 tsp cornstarch
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c. flour
1/2 oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, chilled
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare a shallow baking dish.
-In large bowl, combine blackberries, peaches, 1/4 sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest and juice.
-Toss gently and spread into baking dish.
-In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients and using fork or pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until about the size of small peas.
-Sprinkle mixture over top of fruit and gently spread out.
-Place in oven to bake until top is beginning to brown and fruit mixture is bubbling, about 35-40 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Banana Muffins

These are Todd's favorite. I don't care for bananas so they don't tempt me one bit! These are a great way to use up ripe bananas. You can store the ripe bananas in the freezer until you are ready to make the muffins.
Banana Muffins
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3 mashed ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Mix together in order; pour into muffin tins. Bake 25 minutes at 350.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Lemon? Ricotta? Pancakes? Sounds strange, but these are my absolute favorite pancakes! Love, Love, Love! It may seem like extra work to separate the eggs and beat the egg whites but it is worth it. They are so light and fluffy. These are a great spring/summer breakfast.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp. of the salt over the ricotta mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

Easy Vanilla Pudding

This is a recipe that reminds me of my childhood. My mom would make this a lot and I think the recipe originally came from the back of the cornstarch box. You can make this on the stovetop, but I make mine in the microwave and it turns out great! I love it hot, warm, room temp or cold. It is one of my favorite comfort foods!
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 t salt
2 3/4 cup milk(I use skim)
2 T butter
1 t vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in the milk. Cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Stir. Microwave 3-5 minutes(stirring every minute) until it starts to bubble. Make sure you use a large enough container because it does expand. Lastly, stir in butter and vanilla.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a family favorite. I think they are best either right out of the oven or frozen. I know it sounds strange, but frozen cookies and milk are really good! My sister Abby made these for Mothers Day! Thanks Abby!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 cups shortening
4 eggs
4 1/4 cups flour
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
2 t vanilla
Lots of chocolate chips

Combine sugars and shortening, add eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients with the last being the chocolate chips. Roll into balls and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Chimichangas

These have such good flavor but are not spicy so James can eat them. I'll be honest, they aren't as good as the deep fried version, but they are much healthier.
Chicken Chimichangas
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
6 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup bottled salsa

Preheat oven to 500°.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.

Spread 1/4 cup beans down center of each tortilla. Top each tortilla with 2/3 cup chicken mixture; roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat tops of chimichangas with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 7 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Cake balls and Party Ideas!

My sister in law Ashley introduced me to the dangerously good cake balls a while ago. I've never personally made them because I really think I would hide out in the pantry and eat the whole batch before they became balls. They are really THAT good! My friend Jami took cake balls to a whole new level and used them as decoration at Morgans birthday party. They turned out so cute!

Cake balls - basic recipe

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container prepared chocolate frosting
1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored confectioners coating

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended.
Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Before dipping I would place them in the fridge or freezer for 15-30 minute to help set. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set. These keep great in the fridge or freezer. The possiblities with these are endless. You can mix and match the cake and frosting of your choice. If you choose to make them into cake pops you can place the cake mixture into molds instead of rolling into balls. Jami used a cute flower mold and made chocolate and strawberry cake pops! Look how cute they turned out!

French Toast

French Toast
1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
2 T milk
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
4 eggs
4-6 slices whole wheat bread

Whisk together sweet potato and milk until you get a smooth puree. Add the eggs and cinammon. Dip both sides of bread and soak for a few seconds. Use cooking spray to avoid sticking and cook on medium heat. We enjoyed these with syrup, banana, and blueberries. James gave it 2 thumbs up!

Huevos Rancheros

I've been meaning to make these for a long time, but never did until tonight. We had some amazing Huevos Rancheros 6 years ago in Durango, CO at a quant diner on main street. We were visiting Durango for the wedding of our friends Chris and Maleah Stroud. It was a quick, easy dinner and did not disappoint! I've had some queso fresco cheese in the freezer for quite a while and was looking for a good recipe to use it for. I have a chicken chimichunga recipe that I'll post later this week that calls for that cheese too.

Huevos Rancheros

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 topped tortilla)

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Cooking spray
4 large eggs (a big eater,aka Todd, would want 2 eggs)
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese or any other cheese will work fine too
Avocado, sliced (optional)

Combine the tomatoes and enchilada sauce in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and juice. Set aside.

Place water and beans in a microwave-safe bowl, and partially mash with a fork. Cover and microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until hot.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add eggs; cook 1 minute on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spread about 1/3 cup beans over each tortilla; top each tortilla with 1 egg. Spoon 1/2 cup sauce around each egg; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. If made with 1 egg and no avocado these are about 350 calories each.

Italian Meatloaf

This is a recipe from a cookbook called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She was on Oprah last year long before James was born, but I just had to have the cookbook. It is all about sneaking healthy food into regular food. It is not a replacement for fruits and veggies on your childs plate, but rather, an extra opportunity to boost the nutritional value of their food. This is officially the first thing I've made from the cookbook and I thought it turned out great. I will definitely be making this again!

Italian Meatloaf
-Nonstick cooking spray
-1 cup Italian-style (seasoned) breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
-2 T olive oil
-1/2 cup onion
-2 celery stalks
-1 lb lean ground turkey (I used a 1.2 lbs pkg of 99% fat free turkey)
-1/2 cup parmesan or any blend of Italian cheese
-1/2 cup carrot puree(I used finely chopped 3 carrots in my mini food proccesor)
- 1/4 cup ketchup plus more for dipping
- salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup bottled tomato sauce (I used some leftover Chunky Garden Prego sauce)
-4 slices turkey bacon (I didn't have any bacon so omitted it)

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in milk

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add olive oil. Cook onion 7-10 minutes until soft. Add the celery and cook another 3-4 minutes. Take off heat and let cool a few minutes. Add the breadcrumb mixture, onions and celery to all the other ingredients. Stir to combine and add the mixture to the loaf pan. Spread tomato sauce to cover the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the edges brown. This was super delicious and healthy too!