Pear Pancakes with Cinnamon {Breakfast Recipe}

Pin It

Every morning we wake up and decide what to have for breakfast. Sometimes it's eggs, sometimes it's yogurts and berries, and sometimes it's cereal. But every once in a while we get a special treat.

Pancakes! 

Now, it's not that pancakes are hard to make. Or that they're labor intensive. We just don't eat them all the time. So when we do, we make them special. And I have to admit, when I run out of my Alton Brown pancake mix, I grab a box mix.

But I don't leave it at that! We spice up our pancakes with the fruit and spices we have on hand and make them extra special and nutritious. When my kids were small I would add different purees into their pancake mix but now that they're older we like to dice up our fruit before adding it in.

And here's how we do it:

Pear Pancakes with Cinnamon

• 1 cup Trader Joe's multigrain pancake mix
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 egg
• 1/4 pear
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Dice up the pear into small pieces.

2. Mix together the pancake mix, milk, and egg with a whisk until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.

3. Add in the diced pear and cinnamon. Fold in gently.

4. Let pancake batter sit while you prep the pan. Heat pan on medium heat.

5. Coat pan with butter. Take a towel and wipe off the excess batter (thanks, Alton, for that tip!)

6. Using a measuring cup, pour 1/4 to 1/3 of the batter onto the hot pan.

7. Let cook until batter is bubbling and edges look firm and underside is golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip.

8. Let the other side cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

9. Repeat with the rest of the batter. If making large batches, store cooked pancakes in a warm oven (I set mine on the lowest setting and place pancakes on a plate with a towel on top to keep warm while I finish the rest of the batches).

10. Enjoy!

Makes 6 pancakes

Pancakes are so easy and versatile! Why stick with the same old plain pancakes when you can jazz them up? Switch up apples for pears and add some peanut butter on top and you have a tasty, and healthy meal perfect for this Fall!

Chicken Parmesan Bites {Toddler Approved Meals}

I have been trying to come up with healthy, fun dinners that my preschooler and toddler would be more interested in. Lately all they want is carbs and sweets so I've been thinking up ways to turn typical chicken dishes into more kid-friendly meals.

And I've been craving chicken parmesan for a while so why not make it into parmesan bites? Put a side of noodles and sauce on the plate and I had one meal my son and daughter were more than likely to enjoy. Right? Right! 

I put a plate of three chicken parmesan bites, 1/4 cup of noodles w/ sauce and a few broccoli florettes in front of them and they went to town! And the best part? I used only one chicken breast to feed my whole family. Isn't that awesome? And budget friendly!

Pin It

 
Chicken Parmesan Bites 

• 1 chicken, breast, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tablespoons 1% milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup Progresso® Italian-Style Bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Place chicken breast pieces in a bowl and cover with milk. Let soak for a few minutes while prepping the other ingredients. Place 1/4 cup of flour into a large ziploc bag. Measure out 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and place into a container with salt and pepper. Grate parmesan cheese into the same container, stir to combine and set aside. Place egg white in a small bowl.

Take chicken and place in bag with flour. Shake vigorously until the chicken is well coated. Put coated chicken in bowl with egg white and stir to coat chicken. Place bread crumb mixture in bag you just used for flour. Put chicken back in the bag and shake again coating the chicken with bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add coated chicken to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. When chicken is cooked thoroughly remove from pan and serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce. Add some steamed veggies or a nice salad to make this a complete meal.

3 servings* (5 bites) | 7 WW+ Points

* Does not include spaghetti & marinara sauce

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars {Dessert Recipe}

When Fall comes there is one thing I am most excited about. The return of canned pumpkin on the shelves! I start out small. Buying maybe 4 cans of pumpkin on my first spotting. Then I get a bit crazy. I need to stock up for the rest of the year. How can I not have 10 or so cans of pumpkin in my pantry by mid-October? And what do I use these cans and cans of pumpkin for? Healthier recipes!

Pumpkin is a great ingredient in baking, cooking and no-bake recipes such as this one. It's simple and easy to use and best of all... it's super tasty and healthy! Now I've already been making my pumpkin waffles, pumpkin muffins and even a pumpkin oatmeal shake. But I hadn't yet tried anything with pumpkin and cheesecake before. So this past weekend I decided to try out a no-bake recipe for pumpkin cheesecake bars. And they were delicious.

If you have a can of pumpkin lying around you have to try it!

Pin It

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

• 1 package (8 oz.) neufchatel cheese, softened*
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (or 1/2 cup sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip Free whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 package graham crackers (about 24), crushed
• 4 tablespoons light butter, melted

Line an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with plastic wrap. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until the crumbs resemble moist sand. Push crumb mixture into dish with your fingers evenly to create a level crust on the bottom. Make sure to get the crumbs into the corners of the dish as well.

Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, agave and pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Increase speed to medium and mix for another 3 minutes or until no lumps are visible. Gently stir in 2-1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate remaining whipped topping for later use.

Spoon cream cheese mixture into crust and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Serve topped with remaining whipped topping. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

*How to Soften Cream Cheese
Place completely unwrapped package of cream cheese in microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 10 to 15 seconds or until slightly softened. If you cannot find neufchatel cheese in your grocery store just go for the reduced fat cream cheese. Same thing, different name.

Serves 16 | 5 WW+ Points

Low-Fat Turkey Chili with Beans #SFSmarties {Dinner Recipe}

Pin It

One thing that has become very apparent these past two weeks is that it is, in fact, football season again. My tv is once again taken over and Sunday afternoons and Monday nights are filled with the sound of yelling and cheering.

I have to be honest though, I'm not really that into football. But I am into football food! The excuse to invite people over to sit around and eat appetizers and yummy bbq is just too enticing. And one of my favorite go to recipes to make is a delicious turkey chili with beans.

Not only is it quick and easy, it can simmer in the slow cooker all day and be used as needed for munching. Plus it's versatile. We put chili on just about everything. Hot dogs, nachos, fries, etc. It makes just about anything better. And it's low fat! That's right. This recipe is filled with low fat turkey chili, tons of veggies, and spices and seasonings to create a flavor you will love.

Yesterday I headed out to Smart and Final to get the key ingredients for my turkey chili. I picked up some First Street ground turkey, First Street kidney beans, and lots and lots of veggies! Plus a few sides for the family to enjoy (including some yummy Blue Moon seasonal ale).

All of the fixings and sides for $30! Can't beat that.

Turkey Chili with Bean

• 1 1/4 lb First Street Ground Turkey
• 1 can 48oz First Street kidney beans, drained
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1-2 yellow squash, diced
• 1-2 zucchini, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1-2 jalepenos, ribbed and seeded (unless you like your chili hot!)
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili
• 2 teaspoons cayenne red pepper
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
• 1/2-1 bottle of beer of your choices
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat large skillet on medium. Divide ground turkey in half. Season with garlic powder and salt & pepper.

 2. Brown turkey. Drain if it gets too watery as you are cooking so the meat doesn't boil.

3. While waiting for the meat to finish cooking, chop up the veggies. Don't worry about dicing finely. It'll all meld together in the slow cooker.

4. Once the meat is cooked, add to the slow cooker. Add some olive oil to the pan and saute veggies in olive oil until tender. Drain kidney beans. Then add veggies and beans over meat in the slow cooker.

5. Pour 1/2 a beer over the mixture and enjoy the other half as you let the chili cook on low for 8-10 hours.

 6. Once chili is cooked it will be thick and well combined.

7. Now that your chili is done, enjoy it by spooning some into a bowl and topping with some cheese, sour cream and diced onions.

Or enjoy a great heap on some hot dogs topped with cheese! Pair with your favorite drink and enjoy the big game. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Smart & Final. All opinions are my own. #CBias #SocialFabric 

Lighter Sesame Chicken {Dinner Recipe}

Since I'm back on track and counting points, I've been reverting back to old favorites! Favorite recipes that is. I absolutely love how simple and delicious this meal is. I can make it under 30 minutes and the longest part is waiting for the rice to finish cooking.

If you're looking for a quick and easy take out meal without the cost of take out, try your hand at this delicious lighter sesame chicken! Feel free to play around with the flavors a bit as well. Add a little orange zest, or maybe some flaked red pepper. This dish is so versatile and can be changed up to fit any flavor profile.

Pin It

Lighter Sesame Chicken

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch chunks
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.

Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

Serves 4 | 6 WW points

Healthy Ranch Yogurt Dip {Snack Recipe}

Pin It

My family is absolutely obsessed with ranch dressing. If the kids have veggies, they want to dip them in ranch. So I've tried to change up the way we make ranch and have ditched the sour cream!

Now sour cream isn't bad. I love the stuff. But by swapping out sour cream with greek yogurt I not only am cutting calories but I'm increasing protein! All in all I'm very excited about the swap and the kids can't seem to tell the difference.

Ranch Yogurt Dip

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ranch mix (see below for ranch mix)

Mix ingredients together until well combined. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Serve with your favorite veggies or chips.

Ranch Dip Mix

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine ingredients and store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Feel free to double or triple and use as needed.

Keeping Kids Healthy with Great Snack Options {Back to School Special}

Now that the kids are going back to school and the craziness of summer is coming to an end, it's time to start talking healthy snack options!

One of my main concerns with my kids is the fact that they want to snack all.day.long. So I've tried my best to offer a variety of foods to not only keep them open minded about what they eat, but also keep them aware of the colors they eat and trying to make sure they get to every color of the rainbow!

If they're going to snack, they're going to snack the right way. 

Pin It

Create a special snack area
In an effort to make sure they are grabbing the right things to eat I've created a shelf on the fridge just for them. And right at their height. They simply open the door, take what they want, and come to me to open it for them.

But I didn't stop at just the fridge... I wanted to make other fruits and veggies readily available as well. So I grabbed a salad bowl and placed my kids favorite fruits inside so that they can grab them when they like.

Let Them Choose New Fruits and Veggies
My son also now chooses one new fruit or veggie every time we go to the store. This last trip he chose mango. When we got home we cut it up and everyone tried it. He didn't really like it but when I blended the rest of his into a smoothie he had no problem drinking it down!

We will also try and be adventurous while at the local farmers markets and try new fruits and veggies that are in season. Most vendors will even offer to give you a sample before you purchase so you know your kids will like it. At the beginning of summer my son wanted to try the figs from a local grower. He had pieces on the ends of tooth picks ready to go for everyone to taste. We went home with a whole bag!

Be Creative

When preparing snacks for the kids be creative in how you prepare them. We recently had a Lego Duplo Party and in an effort to make the food more fun I made some cheese and cracker sandwiches into the shapes of lego bricks.

The kids loved them! And my daughter ate two whole sandwiches. Unheard of in this home.

You can find a lot of great ideas for snack creations on Pinterest, other blogs, and magazines like Family Fun (like these adorable after school snack ideas) and Parents (with their 20 best snacks).

For great healthy snack suggestions check out 20 Healthy Snacks for Kids!

"Roasted" Whole Chicken {Slow Cooker Dinner Recipe}

Pin It

With the heat of the summer upon us the last thing I want to do in the afternoon is prepare for dinner. I don't want to go anywhere near a stove or oven and have been quite bad about forgoing a traditional meal for one my husband can pick up on the way home more than once.

Since I am over being lazy about my health I decided to cook a whole chicken in the crock pot this week so that I could not only enjoy delicious, slow roasted goodness, but also have leftover chicken for meals later on in the week (as well including a great topping for salads for lunch)!

Not only is this chicken super easy to make, it's tasty as well! And can be made in 3-4 hours. So if you forget to set the slow cooker in the morning and are home in the afternoon, there's still hope for dinner!

"Roasted" Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 teaspoons red curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sage
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves, whole

Chop up the onion and place 3/4 of the onion on the bottom of your slow cooker. Set 1/4 aside.

Remove all giblets and neck from chicken (set aside if you want to use it to make chicken stock afterwards). Pat chicken dry.

Combine all herbs and spices in a bowl. Rub spice mixture onto skin of chicken making sure to get every inch covered.

Stuff chicken cavity (you know... were the giblets were?) with onion you set aside and garlic cloves. Place chicken breast side up on top of onions in slow cooker.

Set slow cooker on low and let cook 3-4 hours or until tender.

What do you do with leftover chicken?

Salmon Stir Fry with California Wild Caught King Salmon {Dinner Recipe}

I absolutely love fish. And one of my favorite fish to make is salmon. Eating fish at least once a week not only reduces the chances of cardiac arrest but also increases cognitive function and reduces depression.

In order to maximize the amount of Omega 3s my family is getting, I choose to purchase ocean-caught California King salmon. California King Salmon has 29% more Omega 3s then previously reported!

The fishermen who catch the California King salmon not only love what they do, they care about the fish they are catching as well. The salmon population is carefully monitored and the future supply of California King salmon is always something they think about.

If you are looking for an amazingly delicious salmon, consider checking out California King Salmon and see what you've been missing! You can definitely taste the difference in wild-caught fish versus farm raised.

Salmon Stir Fry

• 1 pound salmon, cut into strips with skin removed
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salmon seasoning
• salt and pepper

Preheat wok on medium high heat. Add coconut oil.

Season salmon and make sure all bones are removed. When pan is hot lay salmon skin side down and let cook for 2 minutes. Turn and let cook for another minute.

Add vegetables and saute for 3 minutes. Add rice and soy sauce. Cook until everything is warm and salmon is flaky. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

How do you prepare salmon?

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tomato Zucchini Soup {Lunch Recipe}

I love simple lunches. Something I can whip up or reheat easily is key. So when I was figuring out what to do with all of the tomatoes we have coming in right now from our garden, I knew that a soup would be perfect. Now I normally roast my tomatoes with some other veggies to make the base for my marinara sauce so I thought why not roast up some tomatoes for a soup as well.

This recipe, from start to finish, takes 30 minutes and can easily be made in larger quantities to store for future lunches (or dinners!). It'd go great with a grilled cheese and a salad. The kids loved it as well!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil, stems removed
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay tomatoes and zucchini on sheet.

Mix olive oil and garlic together in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Remove veggies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Add to Magic Bullet, food processor, or blender (your choice!) and blend for a few seconds until just combined. Add basil and salt and pepper. Blend until it's at the consistency you like.

Pour and serve. This soup can be served cold, lukewarm, or hot. It tastes good either way!

Serves 2-4 depending on portion size

What type of soup do you love? 

Crockpot Salsa Chicken {Dinner Recipe}

I absolutely LOVE easy crock pot recipes that can be turn into multiple meals throughout the week. And this crock pot salsa chicken is just that.

Simple ingredients, simple instructions, simple meals... but you don't have to keep the meals simple. Shred this chicken and use it in multiple dishes: enchilada casserole, chicken (tortilla) soup, quesadillas, rolled tacos, chicken ropa vieja (my favorite) and more!

And with a fridge full of yumy salsa from Wholly salsa how could I not make this? I used their mild salsa for this dish but am excited to try changing up the flavors with the pineapple or red pepper mango flavors too. 

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

• 4 chicken breast
• 1 tub Wholly salsa
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can corn

Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Dump all of the other ingredients on top.

Cook for 4-5 hours or until fork tender.

Serve whole or shred to use in multiple dishes!

I enjoyed mine the first night on my Precise Portions dinnerware!

Disclaimer: I received product for review purposes only. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.