five ingredient fridays: traditional taco salad

there are those traditional meals that just always taste good. taco salad is one of those for me. i like it just the way we've all always made it. and it's a great summer meal - fast and cool!

traditional taco salad

romaine lettuce
1/2 to 1 lb lean ground beef - cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning (or garlic, cumin and chili powder)
tomatoes
black olives
light ranch dressing (i love kroger brand at Smith's -super cheap too!)

other delicious, but optional ingredients: cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, hearts of palm, anything else that sounds good to you!!

top shredded lettuce with taco meat, tomatoes, olives, dressing and any other topping of your choice. easy as that!

just reposted....

the thai chicken wraps below... i forgot the soy sauce in the sauce in the original post. ahhhh!!!! i'm so sorry to anyone who made these. they are fabulous... i promise. with the soy sauce though!

five ingredient fridays: make-ahead lunch wraps

happy friday! and happy blogging. summer is too much fun to find time to blog much. i'm sorry for abandoning you so much!

i've recently ventured into the land of crisped wraps. they are great for summer since they require minimal cooking. the thing i like best about these, though, is that i can freeze them and they make a perfect lunch to-go for my hubby for work.

here is a 5-ingredient variation first and then another that we liked. the possibilities are endless with these. combine some of your favorite ingredients and i'm sure they'll be a winner at your house too!

make-ahead lunch wraps
from allrecipes.com

4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
cooked brown rice (amount suggested - 2 cups rice cooked in 5 cups water for 45 minutes)

cheese and tortillas

1. combine beans, corn tomatoes, rice and desired amount of cheese. may season with chili powder, cumin or garlic if desired. roll up in tortillas and crisp on both sides in pan on stove to seal ingredients inside.
2. let cool. wrap in plastic wrap and then tin foil. store in freezer. reheat in microwave. serve with salsa, sour cream.... or ketchup if you're ridiculous like my husband.
here's another recipe we love at our house. these freeze pretty well, too, but they are extra yummy fresh!! i made them for while i was gone this last week and my husband was in heaven every day for lunch!

crispy southwest chicken wraps
see recipe at mel's kitchen cafe

summer cooking

the faces of summer

i love summer - swimming, parades, the way cold treats taste so good on a hot day, all of the fun free stuff to do, watermelon for 12c/lb, peaches for 33c/lb... (i'm the bovine - i just had to throw those in there)

that being said, there are some things i don't love about summer. putting my babies in a 140 degree car, for example. and honestly, cooking. sometimes it is hard to get myself cooking motivated when it is 117 degrees outside - yes, i said 117. i've been trying to think of ways to cool off your kitchen in the summer (less oven, less stovetop) and here are some ideas i've come up with:

• crockpot - my crockpot doesn't make me feel like i'm baking in my own house, so i'm trying to use that a little bit more.
• barbeque - use more recipes where you can bbq your meat instead of use the oven or the stove top. keep the heat where it belongs - outside!
  
• prepare ahead - freeze stuff. i bought 6 whole chickens for 67c/lb a few months ago, boiled them all, shredded them and then froze them in quart-sized freezer bags (2 cups of chicken in each bag). enchiladas? salads? sandwiches? you name it and i can grab a bag of this out of the fridge and never have to turn my stove on to cook the meat. i also froze 12 lbs of straberries last month (got them for 75c/lb, thank you very much), which brings me to my next point.
• make smoothies - they cool you off, fill you up and they are a great way to get your fruits and veggies for the day. yes - your veggies. green smoothies only at our house. i make a really big smoothie almost every day that fills 2 whole glasses with about 5 strawberries, 4 chunks of pineapple, a banana ice and water. some days i throw in a pear. i made one the other day with a peach, a handful of blueberries, a banana, ice and a dash of soy milk that was amazing. add a teaspoon of sugar if it's a bit tart for you. and never forget your veggies - spinach and kale are my favorite greens to add. if you're looking for something a little more on the dessert side try my avocado shake (below) if you haven't already. it's to die for.

so if i'm trying to avoid my oven and stove top as often as possible, what am i eating?

• sandwiches - i actually don't eat lunch meat so i'm talking chicken salad type sandwiches. try this one (chipotle chicken salad). it's yummy!! any meat you can do in the crock pot is great too. like french dips. i'll post a bbq pork sandwich some time soon as well that is out of this world good.
  
• pasta salad - i'll post a good one soon.
• salads - refreshing. the best hot weather food.
  
• anything off my grill - grill chicken and put it in corn tortillas for some awesome chicken tacos. one of my all time favorite meals.
• smoothies, smoothies and more smoothies.
• u-swirl and yogurtland - this is what i wish i was eating every day. darn budget. have you tried either of these? holy cow. so good. and 30 or less calories an ounce. love it.

what do you love to eat/cook when it's hot? please share!!

happy 4th of july - wave your flag cheesecake!

happy 4th of july. i majored in early american history in college, so this time of year gives me warm fuzzies. hope it does you, too!

worst. picture. ever. i know.

celebrate with this delicious and festive dessert... and you're much better off eating this than lots of other things you could be eating this weekend!

and yes, i realize this is the worse. picture. ever. ever. ever. yikes. in my defense i was participating in the annual traditions of sit in the sun for 3 hours and watch the parade and then spend the rest of the day in and out of the water. lovely. the cheesecake looks delicious, though, right?

wave your flag cheesecake
modified from kraftrecipes.com

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided

1-1/2 cups boiling water

2 packages (3 oz. each) strawberry flavor jello

ice cubes

1 cup cold water

1 boxed yellow cake mix, baked according to directions accept use applesauce for oil and sliced into strips

1-1/3 cups blueberries (or blackberries), divided

2 packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) fat free cool whip (or the store brand!)

slice 1 cup strawberries; halve remaining strawberries. set aside. add boiling water to gelatin mixes in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. add ice to cold water to measure 2 cups. add to gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. refrigerate 5 min. or until slightly thickened.

meanwhile, line bottom of 13x9-inch dish with cake. add sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries to thickened gelatin; stir gently. spoon over cake. refrigerate 4 hours or until gelatin is firm.

beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with whisk until well blended. stir in cool whip; spread over gelatin. arrange strawberry halves on cream cheese mixture to resemble stripes of flag. add remaining blueberries for stars.

enjoy!

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by the way, i've been brunette for 3 1/2 years now, but as of next week, the blonde is back in town. i'll post pictures.

mexican rice

you know that delicious, fluffy, reddish-colored rice you get at mexican restaurants? it isn't spanish rice. it isn't a cilantro-lime type rice. it's a perfect side dish with burritos, tacos or its great in salads. you know the one i'm talking about.

well, i found it. then i made it healthier. and quicker. you're welcome. :)

mexican rice
8-10 side dish servings
modified from here, where everyone said it was the mexican rice they'd been looking for for years!

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 medium white onion
2-3 medium jalapenos
2 cups long grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil (or none if you prefer really low cal - original recipe was 1/3 cup!)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 lime (optional)

1. process tomato and onion in processor or blender until pureed and smooth. transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. save excess to use in something else (a smaller batch of rice, the filling for your enchiladas, dump it into a tortilla soup).
2. remove ribs and seeds from 2-3 jalapenos and discard. mince flesh and set aside.
3. place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear - about 1 1/2 minutes. shake rice vigorously to remove excess water. this step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. if you omit this step your rice will not be dry and fluffy.
4. heat oil in large skillet (or just heat skillet) over medium heat. add rice and stir fry until rice is light golden and translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. reduce heat to medium, add garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
6. stir in broth, pureed mixture and salt. increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
7. cover pan with tight fitting lid and reduce heat to low. cook 20-25 minutes until liquid is gone and rice is done.
8. stir in cilantro and squeeze lime over the top if desired.

this rice is amazing in a cafe rio style salad with this sweet and spicy slow cooker chicken and cilantro lime vinaigrette dressing. okay, now i'm drooling.

up next - a super yummy 4th of july desert i made 4 years ago... yes it will include a terrible picture of the skinny bovine. :) look for it thursday so you have time to make it for this weekend's festivities!

wheaties fuel no bake cookies

sorry for the lack of blogging, but we got some weird stomach bug and didn't eat pretty much all last week. we just felt yucky.

luckily, we're back to our favorite family activity - eating. :)

i've been wanting to create something delicious with wheaties fuel cereal since i got a couple of boxes really cheap couponing. they have a super yummy honey flavor and i like to eat them as a snack with a tiny spoonful of peanut butter mixed in. add a few more ingredients and you've got a seriously show stopping cookie. i like these lots better than regular no bake cookies (our friends we shared them with last night did too) and they don't have any butter so they are way less unhealthy for you! and they were super easy and quick. enjoy!

wheaties fuel no bake cookies
2 1/2 dozen cookies

3/4 cup light caro syrup
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 heaping cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 heaping cup wheaties fuel cereal

1. combine caro syrup, sugar and cocoa powder in good sized sauce pan (you're going to add the rest of the ingredients to the pan so make sure you have enough space). stir frequently over medium heat until it begins boiling. stir constantly once boiling and only leave it on the heat long enough that all of the ingredients are combined and smooth.
2. remove from heat. stir in peanut butter and vanilla until melted and smooth. add oats and cereal. stir until combined.
3. drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (i used my cookie scooper) onto wax paper and let cool. store in an air tight container.