Oh YUMMY! This bread turned out sooooo good!! I left out the nuts as the Flying Monkey's wouldn't touch this bread with 'em. Makes 2 loaves. I'm not sharing though.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
2 egg whites
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions: In a large bowl, beat the sugar, applesauce, oil, egg whites, egg and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in the zucchini, pineapple and walnuts. Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

NI:

One serving: 1 slice
Calories: 159
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 9 mg
Sodium: 158 mg
Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 3 g

Applesauce Bread

This was so good! I love how low fat it is and the Flying Monkey's scarfed it up. DH ate 1/2 the pan himself. I don't think I'd change a thing. It's very dense and moist. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Applesauce Bread

1 C white flour

1 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce

1/4 C canola oil

3 Tblsp skim milk

1/4 C brown sugar

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, applesauce, oil and milk. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Transfer to a 9x5x3 in. loaf pan coated with non-stick spray. Combine brown sugar and remaining cinnamon and sprikle over top of loaf. Bake at 350 F for 50-60 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pan to wire rack.

NI:

1 slice equals

139 cal

4 g fat (trace sat fat)

13 mg cholesterol

180mg salt

24 g carb

1 g fiber

3 g protein

She shops....she SCORES!!!!

O...M...G. I scored the deal of the year today. I got ALL OF THIS for $100 and change from Lowe's. Score!






The chairs came in a set of 2 and were regularly $260 (as if!). On clearance, they were $64 for the set (including the cushions and accent pillow!) The table was $34 and regularly $70.

Island Jerk Chicken and Seasoned Baked Potatoes

Oh my. This marinade made the juiciest chicken EVER! I only marinaded it for about 7 hours and didn't baste during grilling simply because I was too lazy. Park Duex LOVED it and had like 3 helpings (thank you Jesus!) and Uno ate it but didn't care for it too much. DH and I loved it. It's almost got a sweet taste without the sweetness if this makes any sense LOL. It's not spicy so if you want heat, add more hot pepper sauce and maybe some red pepper flakes.

Island Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
4 teaspoons ground allspice
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
Directions: In a small saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Pour 1/2 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight. Transfer remaining marinade to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate for basting. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 4-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Yield: 4 servings.

I served this along with the chicken and with a little sour cream, it was an easy peasy baked potato. I'll make these again for sure.

Seasoned Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 medium baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Scrub potatoes and cut in half lengthwise; place cut side up on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with basil, onion salt and garlic powder. Bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until tender.

Yield: 4 servings.

Tell EVERYONE!

Watch and take heed. This is the BEST PSA I've ever seen.

Spinach Lasagna

This is my favorite vegetarian lasagna EVER. It's easy to add zucchini, mushrooms, etc. as you wish. I'm a purist so I make it as written. This is even better the next day.

Spinach Lasagna

12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 10oz pkgs frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15 oz cartons fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 egg white
1C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
3C shredded mozzarella
2 15oz cans tomato sauce

Cook noodles according to pkg directions. Rinse in cold water; drain well. In a large bowl combine the spinach, ricotta, egg, egg white, ¼ C parm cheese, garlic , basil, pepper and nutmeg. Combine mozzarella cheese and remaining parm cheese.
In a 13x9 baking dish coated with nonstick spray, layer 3 noodles, ¾ C tomato sauce, 1 C spinach mixture and ¾ C cheese mixture. Repeat layers 3 times.
Bake uncovered at 375 F for 450-50 min. or until bubbly. Let stand for 10-15 min before cutting.

NI:
Cal 300
Fat 8gr
Cholesterol 53mg
Sodium 753mg
Carb 31 gr
Fiber 3gr
Protein 23 gr.

Greek Pork Chops with Cheesy Ranch Potato Casserole

These pork chops were AWESOME! I don't usually like chops that are pan fried or grilled. I often find them tough no matter how carefully I cook them. This recipe is the exception to my own rule. The Flying Monkey's ate them up too (although they think they ate chicken LOL).

The potato casserole was delicious! It tasted like a loaded baked potato. Mmmmmm. How can you go wrong?

Greek Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 4 ounces each)

Directions: In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first nine ingredients; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain pork and discard marinade. Grill pork, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Yield: 4 servings.

Cheesy Ranch Potato Casserole

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (30-ounce) package frozen country-style hash-brown potatoes, thawed

Directions :
Preheat oven to 350˚.
Lightly grease a 11/2-quart baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup Cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, dressing mix, and bacon.
Add hash browns, stirring to combine.
Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake 30 minutes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 10 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

Crispy Waffles

This recipe does indeed make crispy waffles. Even if you don't burn them in the maker. This is where it loses me. I felt that it was too crispy and not soft/fluffy enough in the middle. The family did like this recipe as a whole but I'm not sure I'd make this again. It is convenient to be able to make the night before though. Just make sure you take care about how deep your bowl is. Mine rose right out of the bowl and made a bit of a mess in the fridge.

Crispy Waffles

1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
2 cups warm milk
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp baking soda

Combine the yeast and 1/2 c water in a measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine yeast mixture, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Whisk eggs and baking soda into batter. Cook in a preheated, oiled waffle iron until crisp.

Yield; 16 (4-inch) waffles.

Let's get this party started!

OK...so in light of me being gone from the blogging world for a while and in light of work STILL calling people off due to a low census, I've decided to challenge myself.

My recent thrift store find (see photo at end of post) has prompted me to clean out my recipe books and magazines in order to organize them in the new buffet. It has become increasingly clear that I have a HUGE amount of magazines that I've bookmarked recipes in to "try" that I haven't even begun to make a dent in. That and the fact that my hours have been cut have inspired me to make some changes to what we eat for dinner. I will make a new recipe at least 3 times a week, post the recipe and my thoughts on how it turned out, finally try these great recipes AND save money by reducing the times we eat out weekly.

Whew! I'm ready to get this party started so stay tuned!



Here is that thrift store find:

Finally....a diet that works!

Weight Watchers, Adkins, Jenny Craig, Hydroxycut be damned. I've finally found something that will make me drop weight faster than you can figure out the point value on Little Debbie Zebra Cakes.

Here's what you do:

1. Wake up at 6:30 am with abdominal pains that make you swear your giving birth. Realize that you need to get to the bathroom STAT before your non-period panties become period panties.
2. Stand up only to collapse on the floor as the labor pains have now shape- shifted to what can only be described as an ice pick being rammed in your lower back...repeatedly.
3. Crawl to bathroom.
4. Rejoice when you find that the panties have been saved. Wonder how you'll be able to stand upright to pull said panties up not to mention wash your hands.
5. Grunting as if you were entering transition, hoist your fat ass into an upright position. Turn 90 degrees so you are facing the over the toilet cabinet.
6. Retrieve vicodin that you have from the last time you gave birth from the far corner in the cabinet where you hide it in case any relative or friend decided to raid your stash at the next kiddie birthday party.
7. Pop pill in mouth, washing it down with a palmful of water from sink.
8. Wonder how you'll get back into that upright position.
9. Gingerly creep along the walls from the bedroom to the kitchen where the acid in your morning coffee is sure to assist in the breakdown of that vicodin in your empty belly, thus resulting in a faster labor relief.
10. After 1/2 hour, feel the viky work it's magic. Embrace the warm, fuzzy feeling.
11. Decided to make some scrambled eggs with some shredded cheddar cheese. Warm up two biscuits from yesterday's lunch and devour breakfast. All the while grinning from ear to ear because you feel so-damn-pain-free.
12. An hour later notice how you are so freakin' tired you could sleep for a week. Wonder if you're coming down off the viky already.
13. Notice that you can't form rational thoughts or coherent sentences. Somewhere in the back of your lint covered mind you realize that this could be an issue as Flying Monkey Uno needs to go to the bus stop and Part Duex to preschool. This requires you to operate an automobile.
14. Uh-oh.
15. Wake The Beast, otherwise known as DH.
16. Prepare for the worst. Forget what you're preparing for because your head feels like it's a merry-go-round.
17. Start to cry that you don't feel good and you now know that Drugs are Bad Mmmmkay?
18. Note that The Beast is pretty pissed off because you've collapsed on the couch without feeding the kids breakfast or making lunches after they've been up for an hour and the bus comes in 5 minutes.
19. Start crying again. Mention menstruation being a curse between nose blowing.
20. Nod off as DH fights with Part Duex to brush his teeth.
21. Wake 2 hours later feeling as if you ate couch stuffing.
22. Call DH to see if he'll bring you a Tim Horton's coffee after he picks Part Duex up from preschool.
23. Note the sarcasm in his voice as he suggests a raw steak to replace the iron that your losing due to your "curse".
24. Begin to tell him to "piss off" but realize that he's the key to that Tim Horton's coffee. Say "I love you" instead. Even in your high-on state, you're not stupid...you NEED that coffee.
25. Look at the clock and realize that it's 8:00 pm and you haven't eaten since 9am.
26. Note that you aren't hungry. You feel like shit, you're tired, greasy haired, un-showered, pissy but not hungry.
27. Go to bed wondering how you can make 5 vikodin last 1 month in order to drop 50 lbs.