Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup butter
3+ cups confectioners sugar
melting chocolate

Method:
Mix together the graham crackers, butter and peanut butter. Slowly add in the sugar until the mixture is no longer sticky to the touch. Shape into desired size balls.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Dip peanut butter balls into warm melted chocolate. Decorate as desired.

Crispy Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Our new family favorite!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal or rice krispies
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cups flaked coconut
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Add the oatmeal, cereal and coconut and mix until combined.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, or use cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I prefer to use). Flatten dough (I just use the palm of my hand). Cookies should be about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be light brown at the edges and on the bottom. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

While cookies are baking, melt high quality dark chocolate. When cookies are cooled, dip half of cookie in melted chocolate. Let harden. Great to bring to a party when you want a "fancy" cookie.

Brownie Cookies

Brownie Cookies
(Original recipe and picture by Lindsey Johnson)

14 Tbsp. butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk together:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place butter and unsweetened chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for several minutes on 50% power until melted. Whisk to combine. Add the brown sugar and the cocoa powder. Whisk well until smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly. Add egg and egg yolk, whisking well again. Add the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and whisk well between additions. (You may need to switch to a wooden spoon towards the end. Add the chocolate chips

Use a small ice cream scoop (1 Tbsp. size) or two spoons to drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for about 8-9 minutes. (Check a little before just to make sure...) The cookies will look dry on top, but will be soft in the middle.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet and then remove to a cooling rack to let the chocolate chips set before storing.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Lemon Crusted Chicken

This is our favorite chicken recipe. Ashley even loves it!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Dipping mixture:
2 egg whites
2 tsp cornstarch
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Crusting mixture:
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
zest from 1 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice chicken into 1/2 lengthwise. Blend eggs, cornstarch and lemon juice. Set aside. Combine crumb mixture. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then in crumb mixture (both sides). Saute chicken in oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until golden and crisp. Carefully turn chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast chicken until done (about 8 more minutes). I have also carefully transferred the chicken from the skillet to an oven-safe pan, and it works pretty well. Just be careful to not remove the crust.

Butternut Squash Pasta

I took this recipe from "First Meals", a book Lisa recommended to try to entice Ashley to eat solids. I adapted it a little so that Ben and I would eat it, too. We were pleasantly surprised at how good it was:

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
pasta, whatever kind you like
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh sage (I used the ground sage spice)
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Put the squash in a steamer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Blend to a puree with 4-5 tbsp watter from the bottom of the steamer. Cook the pasta, according to the directions on the box. Melt the butter in a pan, add the sage and cook gently for 1 minute. Mix the sage, butter and Parmesan cheese with the squash and pasta. Also, we recommend adding a little salt to taste.

Margerita Pizza

Okay, here's my fast version. Trader Joe's pizza crust. If I'm in the mood, I'll do homemade crust, but when am I ever in the mood? TJs works for me. Toppings for Margerita: Olive oil, salt and pepper, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh chopped basil. I also like to add some parmesan cheese around the edge of the crust.

Chicken Soft Tacos and Healthy Refried Beans

From Robert Ferguson's DietFREELife Clinic (Marrianne's trainer/nutritionist)
Chicken Taco Ingredients:

• 2 precooked skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp grape seed oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into long strips
• 1 green pepper, seeded and sliced into long strips
• ½ large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 8 (6-inch) low carb tortilla's (La Tortilla Factory)
• Salsa of choice
• Healthy refried beans - see recipe below

Method:

Place chicken chunks in a small bowl, cover with chicken broth, and then set aside in the fridge. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté bell peppers and onions until the onions are clear. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth mixture, stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the broth evaporates. Add cumin and stir well. Cover and simmer until the tortillas are ready. Heat tortillas on a hot frying pan one at a time for 15 seconds per side. Or you can heat all of them in the over or the microwave. Fill each taco with the chicken mixture, top with salsa, and serve with ½ cup healthy refried beans.

Serves: 4 (2 tacos per person)

Approximate nutritional values per taco: 135 calories (15 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fat, 10 grams of fiber).

Healthy Refried Beans Ingredients:

• 2 tsp grape seed oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup canned unsalted whole or chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup water
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp cayenne peppers
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method:

In a large nonstick pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and cook until carrots are soft and onions are clear. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Use a potato masher to mash everything together, being careful not to scratch the nonstick pot. Cook for about 5 minutes until heated throughout. Great side dish!

Serves: 6 (serving size is ½ cup)

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 130 calories (7 grams of protein, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1.5 grams of fat, 9 grams of fiber).