Low Fat Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch today using a lower in fat recipe and I liked it better than the real thing.

Recipe:
1 1/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup fresh dill chopped
1 tbsp chives chopped
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 stalks celery diced
1 cucumber peeled and diced
1 rotisserie chicken

1. Mix the Greek yogurt, mayo, vinegar, dijon, chives and dill.
2. Take the skin off the chicken and shred into pieces and cool, then add to the dressing.
3. Mix in the chopped celery and cucumber and season with salt and pepper.
4. Chill in the frig 1 hour before serving.

I served these with Great Harvest whole wheat bread or croissants (but the whole wheat bread is better for you). This was simple and perfect on a hot day.

Beverage suggestion: Make iced tea and pour over a bag of frozen berries and ice. Let it sit for 30 minutes and you have a natural berry iced tea.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad

This is what I had for lunch today. The pasta salad recipe is from my new Food Network Magazine (of course) and I added my own twist to it.

I put the pasta salad on top of greens with some cherry tomatoes and avocado. I squeezed the salad with lemon and added a little pepper. This is a refreshing salad on a hot day today.

Recipe:

Ingredients
Kosher salt
12 ounces mezzi rigatoni or other short tube-shaped pasta
2 bell peppers (red and/or yellow), halved, stemmed and seeded
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup almonds
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn
Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Shake off the excess water.

Meanwhile, place the bell peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan, add the garlic and broil until charred, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover and set aside about 5 minutes.

Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, shaking the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Squeeze the garlic from its skin onto a cutting board. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt; mince and mash the garlic into a paste with a large knife. Peel the roasted peppers and slice into strips; transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic paste and drizzle with the olive oil. Finely grate about 1 teaspoon lemon zest into the bowl and squeeze in all of the lemon juice. Add the bocconcini, basil, almonds, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; toss.

This Weeks Meal Plan

Saturday- Cilantro Lime Marinated Flank Steak w/Steakhouse Grillin Beans and Farmer's Market Salad.

Making 3 loaves of whole wheat bread and made the easiest strawberry preserves this morning.

Sunday- Picnic @ church- Going to make a red pepper and fresh mozzarella pasta salad and homemade bread.
Dinner- Lemonade panko crusted chicken legs with leftover pasta salad.

Monday- No kids! Not sure if we are going out or if I am cooking?

Tuesday- Rotisserie chicken salad (Like a chicken salad with mayo, Greek yogurt, dill etc... but you use rotisserie chicken)

Wednesday- No hubby so something easy and fast for me and the kids (leftovers).

Thursday- Carnitas with all the fixings

Friday- Out to dinner

4th of July weekend BBQ with the family in Shaver.

Desserts: I am going to make a batch or two of cookies and freeze some so there will always be something in the house for those little monsters.

Summer and Farmer's Market

I love going to Farmer's Market in the summer. There's tons of produce and fruit to choose from. Today's load included:
Strawberries
Pluots
Apricots
Peaches
Nectarines
Mild mix lettuce
Carrots
Basil
Jalapenos
Cucumbers
Green Beans

I am making strawberry preserves right now and when I get some more yeast I will make some bread to go with it. I am so happy that I will have time to cook again!

Yummy potato salad recipe

I made this potato salad for Father's Day lunch and it was a big hit. I even liked it and I am not a fan of potato salad.

Recipe:

3 lbs red potatoes
1 tbsp of kosher salt plus 2 tsp after salad is made
1-1/4 cups mayo
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 to 2 jalapenos chopped
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
6 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or fresh parsley

1. Cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil over medium hear. Add 1 tbsp of salt and simmer until tender. Drain and cool slightly.
2. Combine mayo, vinegar, jalapenos, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and stir gently.
3. Cut the potatoes into slices or cubes, depending how you like it. Gently fold in the potatoes.

I made this salad the night before and before I served I added a little more salt and tossed then added some fresh green onions on top. It was very flavorful and not too spicy with the mayo and potatoes. I used 1 jalapeno, but next time I will use 2.

Meal Plan Monday

This is my last week of school and I have tons to do. I am still winging dinner's these days. I did go to Farmer's Market on Saturday and picked up lots of fruit and veggies. Here it goes...I think.

Monday- Turkey burgers with watermelon and left over potato salad.

Tuesday- School?? Sandwiches??

Wednesday- Tilapia (I am thinking w/mushroom sauce and brown rice).

Thursday- School??

Friday- School?? Probably pizza

What a week! Can't wait until Friday night when I am done and get a break! Kids at VBS this week and so is hubby. Should be a fun and busy week for us all!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I thought I would make chocolate chip granola bars for the kids (and me too). They like to have something sweet if they eat all their dinner, so I thought this would be a good alternative. All it has in it is oats, sliced almonds, cinnamon, vanilla, egg whites, blue agave and chocolate chips. I made a double batch since they will most likely be gone soon. I also did a batch with dried cranberries and coconut for my vanilla yogurt that I am making in the slow cooker.

Recipe:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp of blue agave or honey (depends on how sweet you want it)
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a square baker with parchment paper. Mix together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla and blue agave. Mix 4 egg whites with a mixer until they form soft peaks. Add your chocolate chips to the oats and fold in the egg whites. Press the granola down into the pan and cook for 25 minutes. Let them cool for a couple of minutes and take them out of the pan on the parchment paper and slide the granola off onto a cutting board. I use a spatula to help me. Cut them up into bars and enjoy.

This weeks food line up.....

Sunday- Giovanni's for fish and chips (I will probably have fish tacos). We had fish tacos Friday night too...LOL. I could eat them everyday!
Dinner- We may be eating a late lunch, so we will see.

Monday-
Breakfast- Seaside cafe for the best oatmeal that I have ever eaten with fresh fruit (can't wait)!
Dinner- Klondikes pizza.....homemade dough, sauce....mouth drooling!
Doc Burnseins for ice cream afterwards.

Tuesday-
Breakfast- Fat Cat's for blueberry pancakes (my son's favorite breakfast place) and they give you so much that me and the kids eat off of one plate of pancakes.
Dinner- Mei's Chinese food for the seafood special. We have to go to the coast to find a good Chinese restaurant? The fish is so fresh and cooked perfectly.

Wednesday-
Breakfast- Probably the Seaside Cafe again because it rocks!
Lunch- Fish tacos off the pier (yea, I like fish).

Lunches usually consist of a light snack since we go out to breakfast. The kids like to eat on the beach. We pick up fresh fruit and goodies at the Avila Valley Barn in the morning for the day.

Win a 60-inch Mitsubishi TV

DO NOT ENTER THIS CONTEST ON MY BLOG!
GO TO Mrs. Moneysaver to enter.

Dads Rock Giveaway Bash: 60-Inch Mitsubishi DLP Home Cinema TV #DadsRock
by Dana @ Mrs. Moneysaver on June 10, 2010

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So, how would you like that TV in your home?

It might look a little something like this when it’s all set up:


Maybe the Dad on your Father’s Day gift list needs a new TV and you want to splurge on him this year. Or maybe, your family has been saving for this purpose and is in the market for a new TV.

Either way, if you’re looking to “go big”, you’ll want to check out Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America’s 60-inch 3D DLP Home Cinema TV. This Home Cinema TV from Mitsubishi boasts a theater-like TV experience, and with 3D technology, you’ll be ready for the advances in home theater 3D technology.

Here’s how Mitsubishi describes the 3D DLP Home Cinema TV-

According to Mitsubishi, the TV’s features include “3D technology , Stream TV™ Internet Media, Smooth 120Hz™, Advanced Video Calibration Mode, JADE Activity Based User Interface, Improved DeepField™ Imager, SharpEdge™, Video Noise Reduction, UltraThin™ Frame, EnergyStar™ 4.0 qualified, and Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America’s exclusive 6-Color Processor™, which uses not only the red, green and blue primaries, but also extracts cyan, yellow and magenta to ensure accurate and vivid color. Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America’s 3D DLP Home Cinema TVs utilize the same core DLP technology that is used in the vast majority of 3D movie theaters. MSRP on the WD- 60737 is $1,399.”

To sum it up- this is one sweet TV.

And you guess what? Mitsubishi wants to give one of you this very TV!!! What a surprise that would be for the Dad on your gift-list or for your family!

Are you ready for this giveaway?!

The prize: One winner will receive a Mitsubishi Digital Eletronics America 60-inch 3D DLP Home Cinema TV.

Open to U.S. residents only.

Entries: You have several ways you can enter, and you can pick as many ways to enter as you’d like. Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If you are reading this post from an email, you must click over to the Mrs. Moneysaver site to leave your comments.

1. Leave a comment and tell me why you should win this TV and also a memorable TV moment with you dad. (I remember watching Atlanta Braves games with my dad as a kid.)

2. Subscribe to my email newsletter or to blog updates via RSS. If you’re already subscriber, add an entry as a comment below too. Click here to subscribe by email or feed reader.

3. “Like” Mrs. Moneysaver on Facebook, then copy & paste this message onto your personal wall so your friends can see it:

@MrsMoneysaver is giving away a 60-inch Mitsubishi. The contest ends June 14th. http://bit.ly/92sKVV

You may enter once a day by sharing on your Facebook wall for the duration of the giveaway. Each daily Facebook wall update counts as one entry. Leave a comment below for each wall update.

4. If you have a blog, add Mrs. Moneysaver to your blog roll, or add my button of your side. (Button code in the sidebar.) Come back and leave a link to your site or blogroll in a comment below.

5. Follow @Mrs. Moneysaver on Twitter, and then tweet this message:

Hi! @MrsMoneysaver is giving away a 60-inch Mitsubishi TV! Enter here: http://bit.ly/92sKVV #dadsrock #mitsubishi4dad

You may enter once a day by tweeting for the duration of the giveaway. Each daily tweet counts as one entry. Leave a comment below for each tweet, with a direct link to the individual tweet. (Click on the time-stamp beneath the tweet to get the direct link.)

6. Post this giveaway on your blog, then come back and leave a link to the blog post.

Remember, please leave a separate comment for each entry, and enter only in the ways listed above. I reserve the right to delete comments not adhering to the above entry guidelines.

You can enter anytime now through Monday, June 14th at 11PM EDT. One winner will be selected at random. I will contact the winner by email shortly after the giveaway ends, and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within that time frame, a new winner will be selected.

Mega Swagbucks

Have you checked out Swagbucks yet? If not, you are seriously missing out! I absolutely love it and there are no strings attached. You earn points for doing your normal everyday searches, and those points can be redeemed for things such as Amazon, Sephora or Starbucks gift cards, iPhone's, HD Digital Camcorders and more!

Friday's are Mega Swagbucks days where you can earn Swagbucks in increments of 10, 20, 50 and even 100!

If you sign up, enter my name as the person that referred you and I will get points!

Homemade yogurt

This was really easy to make. It just takes a day and a half to make it but mostly it is just sitting in your slow cooker or frig.

I filled 2 ice trays with plain yogurt for smoothie packs for the mornings. I love the Yoplait packs, but this is cheaper and I know there is no added sugar etc...in it.
Just cut up what ever fruit you like or is in season. Once the yogurt freezes I will add 6 cubes to a smoothie pack.

Here you can see the fruit and yogurt.

Recipe:
8 cups milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt/live culture
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk (thickening agent)

Place 8 cups of milk in a slow cooker and set on low for 2 1/2 hours. After the 2 1/2 hours are up, unplug the slow cooker and let it sit there for 3 hours. After 3 hours take out 2 cups warm milk and stir in the yogurt and dry milk. Pour that back into the slow cooker and cover. Take 2 heavy towels and cover the slow cooker (unplugged)for 8 hours or overnight. The next morning take a large bowl and colander with cheese cloth and pour the yogurt into the cheese cloth lined colander. Let it sit in the frig for 2-3 hours until it thickens. Keep the whey and add to different foods. Go HERE to see uses for whey.

You can add fruit in it or I am going to try it next time with sugar free vanilla pudding mix.

Free Healthy Smoothie Recipe Ebook

Go HERE for you free healthy smoothie recipe ebook.

Sugar Overload

Tonight I made cookies for little man's teachers, oatmeal chocolate chip and espresso chocolate cookies. Of course I had to sample the cookies, 3 in total with milk and now I feel awful. I have been trying to not eat sugar and now when I do, I do not feel so good. After eating all that sugar I came across this article on over consumption of sugar. Go HERE if you are interested and it will take you to other links on how to sub out sugary snacks and cereals for you and your family.

What's for dinner tonight?

I have been in a BBQ mood lately since it is hot and it takes less clean up. Yesterday I made Bourbon Marinated Ribeye Steaks from the Meat Market (which I highly suggest) with macaroni salad and the new Grillin Beans (Steakhouse beans)
and fruit. It was very good and easy.

Tonight I am going to grill up chicken legs with a Chipotle rub from Pampered Chef that I ordered recently and love and 2 chicken jalapeno sausages from the Meat Market of course. I'll BBQ some corn on the cobb and make baked potatoes on the grill wrapped in foil. No sense in heating up the oven.

I love BBQ season for this reason. If you want to try another type of steak from the Meat Market, the Marinated New York steaks are really good too. The NY steaks and Ribeyes are $5.99 a pound and I only buy 2 steaks and hubby and I and the kids have plenty to eat.

I found a recipe for shrimp scampi that looks really good and is a lighter version. I may make that as well this week and then live off leftovers the days I have school.
If you know of any great BBQ meats, let me know.....we love our BBQ!

What...food?

This week had not been a food week for me. I have been stressed out with school and buys with little man's school program and parties etc... I have lots to do this coming week and will be gone 3 nights for school and an observation. I also have a mid term that I have started studying for and that is why we had take out tonight! Most likely these next couple of weeks I will only be making easy meals, plus I need to bake for the teachers at preschool since this is the last week of school. I need more time and for my parents to come back into town!! If you do not hear from me in the next week or two, you know what I am doing. Three more weeks and then I can enjoy my summer!