richola granola

i traditionally really like granola, but i wouldn't say i've ever ever loved it.

well that changed.

i've mentioned that my dad is a fabulous cook. he found this fancy shmancy granola at whole foods about a year ago and decided he wasn't willing to pay $5 for a few ounces of it. so he experimented until he mastered it at home.

it's the perfect granola. i could eat it every day. with milk. over yogurt and berries. just a handful by itself. mmm...

it's a little pricey to make since it has nuts and agave, but definitely less expensive than buying even the cheapest bag/box of granola from the store. and way better for you.

and it's adorably named (by my dad) richola granola (his name is richard). love you dad! thanks for sharing!

richola granola
more than a gallon ziploc bag full

8 cups rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
1/2 cup almonds (whole or sliced, i like sliced)
1/2 cup walnuts, broken up
1/2 cup pecans, broken up
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (i omit - pumpkin seeds are pricey!)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, craisins, cherries, whatever you can afford!)
2 teaspoons sea salt
11.5 oz agave nectar (just less than 1 1/2 cups)

1. mix all ingredients except agave nectar in huge bowl (i use my roasting pan). add agave nectar and mix thoroughly til everything is wet and evenly distributed.
2. you can eat it raw, this way (store in ziploc bags or large tupperware containers).
3. or you can toast it - spread on 2 cookie sheets and toast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring at 10 and 20 minutes. (my dad toasts it longer, but this works for my oven and my tastes.)

creamy baked penne with sausage, red peppers and asparagus

okay, i didn't used to be an asparagus person, so if you aren't don't let this freak you out - use some chopped spinach instead! (especially if your asparagus is pricey - i found mine at the dollar store. and in it's defense asparagus is soooo good in this!)

it seems like everyone has their own version of this favorite. i really love baked pasta so i thought i'd bake mine. hubby gave it a good strong 9 so it was a hit at our house!

creamy baked penne with sausage, red peppers and asparagus
4 servings

8 ounces cooked penne pasta
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (don't pay more than 88c ish for it!)
1 heaping teaspoon chopped garlic
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (mine was short of a pound i think) (don't forget you can use a few cups of chopped spinach here instead!)
salt and pepper
1/3 lb spicy sausage (spicy really is good here, but if you don't want it spicy, use what you like. and chicken sausage would be awesome! we just used leftovers from a work party!)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (diced would be fine too, i was out!)
3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
a few handfuls of parmesan cheese

1. cook and drain your pasta! :)
2. heat a few teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add onion and bell pepper and cook until onion is translucent. add garlic. cook 1 minute, stirring. add sausage (if your sausage is raw i'd add it with the onions and peppers). heat 1-2 minutes.
3. add broth and tomatoes. bring to a boil. reduce to simmer until sauce begins to reduce. add asparagus (or spinach) and cover, letting asparagus get just crisp tender and letting sauce finish reducing, about 5 minutes (but watch closely - don't over cook your asparagus!).
4. stir in ricotta until melted (this makes a creamy sauce without having to use heavy cream)
5. stir in cooked pasta. mix well. pour into 13x9 baking dish. sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and parmesan. bake at 350 until cheese passes gooey and starts to get crispy - about 20-25 minutes.
6. serve immediately and don't bet on leftovers the next day. :)

honey lime fruit salad

i love plain fruit salad with nothing on it. i just can't get enough fruit.

but every now and then it's fun to change it up. i wanted a fruit salad a few sundays ago with dinner, but not one that added jello or cool whip or something crazy sugary.

i stumbled across this honey lime fruit salad on mel's kitchen cafe a while ago and have been going crazy waiting for strawberries to get to $1/lb so i could make it.

the stars aligned. the strawberries went on sale. and make it, i did!

oh my. we all couldn't get enough of it. so simple and so amazing. enjoy!

honey lime fruit salad
from mel's kitchen cafe (link above)

4-6 servingscute little 3 year old couldn't keep her fingers out of the salad!

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. serve.

comfort food makeover

the season for comfort food is quickly coming to a close. we were at 80 degrees yesterday!

while that is wonderful i find myself a little sad this year, not having made as much comfort food as i would have liked with hubby eating dinner at work most of the winter.

so we're trying to squeeze a few more in.

i love that creamy casserole thing with chicken and broccoli and lots of cheese. i recently figured out it's called broccoli chicken divan.

the problem with it is the problem with most comfort food - the veggies are an afterthought and the main show is the butter and cheese. same with this dish - it's mostly cheese and butter, negating all the good of the broccoli and chicken.

so i fixed it. lots more broccoli. lots less cheese and butter. delicious result and much better for you. just ask my little monsters who both pounded through their huge servings of it last night. :) (for those of you who know my little guy - don't tell him there was cheese in it! ahhh! bad mom award!)

and it uses my new favorite seasoning - kirkland's no salt seasoning, available at costco. it's a little pricey so ask for it for easter or something! :) it's great on everything i've put it on.

healthier broccoli chicken divan
6 main dish servings

3-4+ cups steamed broccoli florets (i filled 1/2 of my 13x9 with broccoli, adjust on if your family is iffy on broccoli; less if they are, more if they aren't)
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt, pepper, no salt seasoning
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (adjust to your liking)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon coriander (adjust to your liking)
2 cups (approximately) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 heaping cup crushed reduced fat ritz crackers
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. cook chicken seasoned with salt, pepper and no salt seasoning. set aside.
2. combine soup, milk, garlic powder, coriander and a few dashes of no salt seasoning. stir well.
3. place broccoli into a 13x9 glass baking dish. top with chicken. pour soup mixture evenly over the top. top with cheddar cheese to your liking.
4. combine crushed crackers and melted butter in a bowl. sprinkle evenly over casserole in baking dish.
5. bake at 350 for 12 minutes, the turn up oven to 450 and continue baking until browned on top to your liking. watch it carefully so you don't burn the crackers!
6. serve over brown rice or mashed potatoes, or eat it plain and let the crackers on top be your carb for the meal! (i ate mine plain and it was awesome.)

five ingredient fridays: vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad

sorry... it's saturday. i know.

this salad is sooooo yummy! my 1 year old would eat it by the truck load. it tastes like a treat, but it's good for you. no sugar even.

they were serving samples of something like it at my gym a few months ago and i knew i had to recreate it! here it is!

vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad
4 snack servings

1 sweet apple (so no tart ones like granny smith) , grated
1 pear, grated (peel it if pear skin is too rough for you)
1 banana, grated (has to be ripe for flavor, but still firm... and really grate it, sounds weird but it's a consistency thing in the salad - don't mush it)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
less than 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1. combined apple, pear, cinnamon and vanilla. stir to combine. gently fold in bananas.
2. if you have extra, store in refrigerator and enjoy for 1-2 days.

jamaican chicken

wow, people! i'm really disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for my last two posts. these are some seriously amazing meals. both 9 out of 10s at our house. i hope you're all too busy making and eating them (or at least drooling over them) to comment. :) you are out there, right?

on to the chicken. i'm always up for a good chicken marinade. it makes for such a simple meal to have yummy chicken to serve with rice, potatoes, veggies, etc.

we love this marinade at our house. really distinct and perfect flavor. it looks spicier than it is. enjoy!

jamaican-spiced chicken
from cooking light, here
(only real modification is same amount of chicken, but more marinade!)

1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon thyme (i use a little less)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (i just use crushed red pepper)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied

1. combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl. add chicken, tossing to coat. let thighs sit in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes and breasts for 4 hours or so. cook on hot grill until done(or dry pan fry with cooking spray if you prefer). brush with extra marinade as it cooks.

serve with your favorite side dishes and veggies!

apple poppyseed spinach salad

with a little bit of the apple poppy seed dressing left over from the magical coleslaw and a bag of spinach on the verge of wilting in my fridge, there was nothing to do but create a salad to go with my sunday night roast and mashed potato dinner.

this might be my new favorite salad - made by me, panera bread, cafe rio or anyone else for that matter. use your leftover apple poppyseed dressing and whip this one up!

apple poppy seed spinach salad

baby spinach
slices of a sweet apple (i used fujis)
feta cheese
craisins
roasted almonds or walnuts (both good - whatever your preference)
apple poppy seed dressing (here)

1. no exact recipe here - just top a pile of spinach with apple, feta, craisins and nuts and then toss it with the apple poppy seed dressing. viola!

then let your mouth water between bites.