Texas Sheet Cake

COMMENTS:
This recipe is from my mom! :)

INGREDIENTS:
CAKE:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:
1 stick butter
6 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Using cake ingredients:

• Mix flour and sugar in mixing bowl.
• Bring butter, cocoa, and water to a boil. Stir; it will stick!
• Add mixture in pan to the flour and sugar mixture along with eggs, milk, baking soda, and vanilla.
• Beat well. Bake at 350 degrees in jelly roll pan for 17-20 minutes.

While cake is baking, begin topping/frosting with frosting ingredients:

• Bring butter, milk, and cocoa to a boil.
• Add powdered sugar and vanilla.

Pour frosting over HOT cake. Yum!

Mediterranean Chicken Stir Fry

COMMENTS:
I found this recipe in the book Always Hungry? and adapted it only slightly.

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil
4 chicken breasts/thighs, cut in bite-size pieces
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped onion
1 T minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pound green beans (fresh or frozen)
feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a skillet. Add chicken and salt and pepper, cooking for about 5 minutes.
Add the onion and garlic, sautéing about 5 more minutes.
Add the tomatoes and garbanzo beans, bringing to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
Finally add green beans and cover for five minutes.
Garnish with feta cheese.

Veggie Chickpea Stirfry

COMMENTS:
I found this recipe on mywholefoodlife.com and we really enjoyed it! My family was not too happy looking at the chickpeas in with the stir fry but they found out they liked them!

INGREDIENTS:
1 T oil
2 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 T ginger
1 T minced garlic
1 small head cabbage
2 carrots, shredded
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 T liquid aminos
1 head broccoli
sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Saute oil, ginger, garlic and peppers on medium heat.
Add cabbage and carrots. Stir well and cover for a few minutes.
Add chickpeas and liquid aminos. Stir and cover for a few minutes.
Add broccoli. Stir and cover for a couple more minutes.
Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet

COMMENTS:
A Pinterest find from spoonfulofflavor that we all loved! Serve alone or over lettuce, chips, tostadas, or tortillas! Here is the recipe with my (minor) adaptations.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup frozen diced onion

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 ounce can diced green chilies

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

14.5 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup jarred salsa

1/2 cup rinsed quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey)

DIRECTIONS:

Grease a large skillet with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter; heat over medium-high heat.

Add the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften.

Add the turkey and garlic, cooking until the meat is almost cooked through.

Stir in all the spices and the diced green chiles, cooking for another minute or so.

Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and quinoa, stirring until everything is combined.

When the mixture starts to bubble add the water and cover the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and cover with the lid cooking until the cheese is melted.

Blueberry Breakfast Cookies

COMMENTS:
These are SOOOO good! And look at all of the healthy goodness in them! Thank you, Ambitious Kitchen for sharing your recipe! (Mine is slightly adapted - I left out the walnuts and cut down on the chocolate.)

INGREDIENTS:
2 T melted coconut oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 banana, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup oats
1 T chia seeds
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together coconut oil, sugar, banana, and extracts until creamy.
Next add flaxseed, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. A thick dough will form.
Now add the oats and chia seeds.
Finally, add the blueberries and chocolate chips.
Use a large cookie dough scoop and pack dough tightly before scooping dough onto stoneware. (The creator of this recipe used parchment paper on a baking sheet.) You may want to press down on the tops a bit before baking.
Bake for about 14 minutes until edges become slightly brown.
Allow cookies to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan (or else they will fall apart).

Loaded Chicken Salad

COMMENTS:
I found this recipe on Pinterest and cut down on the mayo and sour cream. (I don't like my chicken salad runny.) Delicious! Here is my adaptation.

INGREDIENTS:
2 large cans of chicken
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayo
6 pieces of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Blend together sour cream and mayonnaise. Then add chicken and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or chilled.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

COMMENTS:
I found this recipe (via Pinterest) from #Gimmesomeoven

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Bragg's)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker, cooking 4-6 hours (depending on your appliance) until chicken shreds easily.
If you would like to add to or thicken the remaining sauce, whisk together 1/4 cup cold water with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add this to the remaining sauce in a small saucepan. Allow it to boil 1-2 minutes and pour over the chicken.
We served this with rice and sprinkled the top with sesame seeds. Yum!

To freeze, just combine all ingredients in a freezer bag before cooking. When ready to serve, dump contents of bag in your slow cooker and you are good to go!

SPECIAL NOTE:
If I have labeled a recipe as GlutenFree or Dairy Free but it appears to have those ingredients in it... that means the recipe is still delicious with substitutes/replacements. Ex: soy milk, lactose-free cheese, Bragg's liquid aminos (for soy sauce), all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter is my favorite), etc. Please check your individual ingredients to be sure they are GF or DF, if that is what you need.