Chicken Parmesan

This was ummm... good. I needed to make something quick and easy the hubbie had to go to halakah so this was perfect. I wasnt too excited with the end result, I hate using a recipe from all recipes and people are all like "OMG this was the best thing since sliced bread". Next thing you know you make it and feel like you wasted your ingredients. My husband really liked it, but i felt it didn't live up to the hype. Next time will use the chicken for Alfredo or something more yummier.The chicken itself was really good, the combination of it with the noodles...umm not so much. Maybe more sauce was needed. Who knows. lol. I used this base recipe from all recipes and changed a few things, I added more garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning to the bread crumb mix. I also salt/pepper the chicken before I added the egg and crumb mix.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 ounces seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 ounces pasta sauce
• 6 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Pour beaten eggs into a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish or bowl, mix together the grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip chicken breasts into beaten egg, then into bread crumb mixture to coat.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add coated chicken and saute for about 8 to 10 minutes each side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
4. Pour tomato sauce into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add chicken, then place a slice of Monterey Jack cheese over each breast, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Easy Spinach Lasagna

I wanted to some lasagna but wanted to use a quicker recipe than what I normally use. This was quick and easy and so good. Made a brownie cheesecake to go with this . Stay posted for the recipe and pics.


Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1/2 lb sausage

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 jar pasta sauce :-)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1(15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup asaigo cheese
  
• Easy just bake lasagna noodles (12)
• half bag frozen spinach
  

Directions : In skillet saute garlic and sausage, add ground beef and spices cook till brown. Add pasta sauce and tomato sauce to meat. Steam spinach and set aside .Add Spinach to large bowl. Add 1 egg , salt, to ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and mix. Layer pasta sauce mix, noodles, ricotta spinach mix, pasta meat sauce, mozzarella cheese, asaigo cheese and continue until done. Bake in preheated oven for 40mins.

Rosemary Salmon Burgers with Portobello Mushroom caps...And Sweet Potato Fries ! Yum

I wanted to try something new with salmon and these burgers were so good, very flavorful and the mushroom caps instead of buns made a nice juicy combination. I paired these burgers with home made sweet potato fries and turned out delicious . Nice healthy dinner!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds king salmon fillet, skinned and de-boned
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Prepare the salmon by cutting into strips, cutting the strips crosswise, and chopping the fish until well minced. Be sure to remove any remaining bones.
2. In a large bowl, mix the minced salmon with bread crumbs, red onion, Dijon mustard, horseradish, and eggs. Season with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Chill at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Form the salmon mixture into 8 burger patties. Lightly coat each patty with olive oil.
4. Place salmon patties on the grill, and cook 8 mins.I used my George forman grill and the burgers turned out nice and juicy didn't miss the beef at all.
5. Grill 4 large mushroom caps to use instead of buns.
   

Sweet potato fries: Cut 2 large sweet potatoes into fries, place 2tbs Olive oil into zip lock bag, add seasoning salt, garlic powder and peper , shake....and bake for 40 turning fries every 20mins.

Pastrami Grilled Cheese with provolone and cheddar

Yum Yum and then some. Made this the other day for lunch just now getting around to blogging about it. Used whole wheat 7 grain bread, few pieces of pastrami and lots of cheese. Ok so for those of you who need the directions for a grilled cheese sandwich , hmm well I feel sorry for you. Kidding ...ok here are the ingredients and simple steps to make a quick easy satisfying lunch. I paired this with some sliced apples so my lunch was sort of healthy. Sometimes you have to apply the 80-20 rule to cooking. As long as you work out, it will work out in the end.

Ingredients :
2 pieces whole wheat bread
2 pieces pastrami
1 slice provolone cheese
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter or landolakes spreadable butter

Directions:
First heat pastrami in skillet on med heat for 3 mins. Set aside.
spread butter on bread place 1 piece of bread butter side down in skillet. Add provolone cheese, pastrami , cheddar cheese slice, then other piece of bread butter side up. After about 2 mins flip sandwich , allow bread to cook on other side and voila , quick yummy meal/snack if your greedy.

Cod with Italian Crumb Topping

This was scrumptious. I used a recipe I found on all recipes to give this cod a little more flavor. It turned out really good and is really healthy only 131 calories which is awesome considering some of the other dishes I've been making lately. On a side note, I dropped my camera and it started wiggin out so my LCD screen isn't working on it right now, this is why the picture is sideways.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 (3 ounce) fillets cod fillets
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

• Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• In a small shallow bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, cheese, cornmeal, oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper; set aside.
• Coat the rack of a broiling pan with cooking spray. Place the cod on the rack, folding under any thin edges of the filets. Brush with the egg white, then spoon the crumb mixture evenly on top.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and is opaque all the way through

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Omg this was so good. I know I say this every time I make something but this was so flavorful. Ok so I wanted to make some sweet sour meatballs since its been ages since I've had them. Found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. I made a few changes to the recipe listed on the site. I only used half the amount of vinegar, and I added pineapple chunks and green pepper, also garlic power and used Italian bread crumbs and 2 eggs instead of the 1. LOL but besides those minor changes the recipe was the same . The hubbie loved it and it was super easy. I will defiantly make again. Below is my recipe.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs (Italian style)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 can of pineapple chunks
• 1/2 green pepper finely sliced
  

Directions :

1. mix , ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion, seasonings, in bowl. Roll into meatballs about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in size.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the meatballs until browned on all sides.Remove from pan and bake @ 350 until done about 10mins.
3. In skillet saute green pepper put aside.
   
4. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the water, vinegar, ketchup, cornstarch, sugar and soy sauce. Pour into pan allow sauce to thicken. Add green pepper, pineapple chunks and meatballs. Continue to heat until the sauce just starts to bubble.
5. Serve over white rice
   

Teriyaki Mahi Mahi, Crab Legs,Garlic Mashed potatoes Yummy

Yummy, Ok so I have really been slacking on updating my blog. But this meal has been by far one of the yummiest dinners I have cooked in awhile and so deserves to be blogged about. Ok, little background info on this, I never have cooked Mahi Mahi before, or tried it so it was defiantly a new treat. Originally I wanted to cook Orange roughy but they didn't have any at the market... bummer. Mahi Mahi was on sale so I picked some of it up. I made a teryiaki marinade and let the mahi mahi sit in the fridge for 35mins to soak up some flavor. When it was ready I cooked on the george forman for about 5 mins then I poured the rest of the marinade over it and baked until done. OMG so good. The hubbie is a big seafood lover so steamed some crablegs and made some garlic mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes
6 idaho potatoes cut up boiled in broth
once done added 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 table spoons butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup grated parmesean,1/4 c cheddar cheese, 2 roasted garlic cloves. Mix well . Serve

Crab Legs super easy :
Directions
In large steamer pot steam with old bay until done. Serve with garlic butter.

Oreo cheesecake

I wanted to make a really good dessert for our first Iftar dinner of Ramadan. We both love cheesecake so decided on this, this was amazing! Found this recipe on allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 2 cups cookie crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; firmly press mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 5 minutes; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually mix in 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup whipping cream, flour, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Pour 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Top with 1 1/2 cups cookie pieces; pour in remaining batter.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Combine sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; spread evenly on cheesecake. Continue baking for 7 minutes. Turn oven off and leave in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Combine 1 cup whipping cream and chocolate chips in a saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate melts, and then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour mixture over cheesecake while still warm. Refrigerate until serving time. Should be at least 8 hours for refrigerator time, remove about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before serving, remove ring from springform pan, decorate to choice and get out your fork!

Laughing Cow Chicken

I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now but have kept forgetting to get the cheese. I saw thing awhile back on Mollys blog, who got if from Monica's blog who originally got if from Lindsay. .. I did modify the recipe a bit and I loved how it turned out. My husband loved it.

I doubled the recipe I for 4 chicken breast.

Ingredients

* 4 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

* 4 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese (one per breast)

* Italian seasoning to taste

* 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (we used seasoned)

* Handful grated parmesan cheese

* Cooking spray

(I added the last 3 ingredients they're not called for in original recipe )
* 3 slices cooked bacon diced
* salt pepper to taste
* Garlic powder

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Open each chicken breast up and spread one wedge of Laughing Cow inside the middle I used 1 1/2 per chicken breast, Then topped with the diced bacon, Sprinkle Italian seasoning and garlic powder inside to taste. Fold chicken back over to original shape.

3. Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through

*I also added a little Garlic powder to the Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese mix before i coated the chicken. Was sooooo good I served it with mashed potatoes and spinach :-)

Earthquake Cake

My sister made this for my dads birthday its his favorite cake so just wanted to share this awesome recipe. We have been making this in our family for years.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 1 cup chopped pecans on the bottom of a buttered 13x9 cake pan. On top of nuts put 1 cup coconut, then pour the following batter over the nuts and coconut mixture without stirring.

Mix 1 box German chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker) according to package directions.

Pour the batter gently over the coconut and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt one stick of butter (1/4 lb) and one (8 ounce) package of Phildadelphia cream cheese. Stir in one box of confectioners sugar (1 lb).

Pay very close attention to the mixture in the pan as it will scorch easily. For this reason, it's best to use a heavy bottom pan.

Pour the cream cheese, sugar and butter mixture over the top of the cake batter without stirring.

Bake in a preheated 350°F for 45 minutes.

The cake will crack in the middle. That's why it is called Earthquake cake

Slow cooker Beef Stroganoff

It was another scorching day as usual in Va. I decided I did not want to slave over a hot stove for hours and needed to put my crock pot to good use. I found this recipe online at of course allrecipes.com . With a little tweaks this came out great. The original recipe for this is kinda bland , but after reading some of the reviews I decided to make a few adjustments. This turned out delicious made this with some greens and biscuits my husband loved it. Defiantly some good summer comfort food.

• 1 pound cubed beef stew meat
• 2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teas. salt
• 1/2 teas. pepper
  
• 1/2 pack french onion soup mix
• beef bouillon cube

1. In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water.
2. Cook on Low setting for 8 hours, or on High setting for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.

World's Best Lasagna...you be the judge

So the hubbie's favorite dish is lasagna. Being the nice wonderful wifey I decide to make some. Also I wanted to make something we could have leftovers with its much to hot too cook everyday. So I scoured the internet looking for the best authentic recipe. LOL well not really, just googled a bit and found this one from allrecipes.com. This recipe has 2,785 reviews and five stars so the rumor on the steet is it must be pretty tasty. Well after making this, i must say this was the best lasagna I have ever had. The combination of th fresh basil, parsley and fennel seeds defianly do the trick. I made this with beef sausage and ground beef also I added more basil than the recipe called for. Yumm. Five stars.

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving ( I baked mine for 35mins uncovered was delish)
   

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Wow , I have really been slacking on updating this oh so fabulous blog of mine. Well here I go. I made this dish awhile back using a recipe from allrecipes.com . The lamb chops turned out delicious so tender and juicy with so much flavor. To complete the meal I made fresh steamed broccoli, cornbread muffins and mashed potatoes yummy comfort food and about a billion calories oh well . The hubbie loved these lamb chops so I will probably keep this recipe in rotation in our kitchen.

• 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• In a small bowl or cup, mix together the rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet, and keep warm on a serving platter.
• Add shallots to the skillet, and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Pour over the lamb chops, and serve.

Pineapple Upside down cake

I wanted to try this cake. Actually it was requested for me to make this . But this was my first time making Pineapple upside down cake so was a bit nervous about the whole process lol. Well I used a recipe from allrecipes.com and it turned out great. The original recipe calls for a cast iron skillet to bake it in, I do not have one. So I used 9x 11 pan instead. It came out great, moist and delicious. Will defiantly make again but will try it next time with the cast iron skillet.

The Good Stuff....who knew

Its always a good idea to keep healthy snacks on hand. Most days I end up running late for work and stop by 7-11 or Wawa to buy some over priced protein bar that taste like cardboard. I was beginning to get tired of this routine so I decided to try out these protein bars from Beachbody. Wow , seriously this doesn't even taste healthy . Taste like a candy bar, and the best part is that its so good for you. Its packed with 20grams of protein and 0 trans fat. This is the best tasting protein bar I have ever tired. I was really surprised .I ordered the new flavor chocolate peanut butter and love it. I defiantly plan to keep this in heavy rotation . Great Stuff right here.

The truth about Asparagus

Ok, so pretty much my entire life I have always stayed away from asparagus. I had only tried it once as a kid and immediately decided it was gross and vowed never to eat it again. Well ... never say never. Lately I have been making my usual veggies broccoli and spinach in heavy rotation and decided it was time to give the forbidden Asparagus another try. OMG who knew it was so good and why didn't anyone tell me? I steamed a handful of it , only a handful because I was still weary of the taste and didn't want to waste it if it was bad. I added a few dashes of Mrs.Dash spice, salt, and this yummy Olive oil butter. It was so very good. Seriously I feel jipped , like I have been missing out on asparagus my whole life. Oh well . I will be keeping this in my green veggie rotation now that I love it and am looking forward to trying out some new recipes. Stay posted.

Chicken Shawarma ..umm

Ok so I had some shawarma spice on hand so decided to make some chicken breast. This was so good. Ok first I just want to say I made up this recipe so it has no real authenticity to real Lebanese shawarma besides the fact that i used shawarma spice lol . I took 2 chicken breast marinated them in 1/2 the juice of a fresh lemon, 1 tablespoon Olive oil. and covered the chicken breast in lots of shawarma spice. I let this marinate for a few hours. Then baked covered with foil untill almost done then removed the foil last 15mins. Chicken was nice and juicy. I served with steamed broccoli and brown rice. Total calories for the meal about 400 maybe less.

If you don't have a middle eastern meat market in your area that sells shawarma spice you can make your own. Its made of 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground cardamom 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika also fresh garlic to taste.

Fitness is a journey

I'm so excited . I decided to switch up my normal boring workout routine and will be starting slim in six from beach body. Usually I am not one to give in to the late night infomercials , BUT my friend Kenny and beach body Coach, put me on to the whole beach body wonderfulness (which im sure isn't a word ). The beach body has a series of workouts P90x, Turbo Jam, slim in 6, Chalene Extreme , Hiphop Abs , just a few fabulous intense workouts in the series. Once I complete the slim in six program I will be moving on to others in the beach body series. The slim in six is an intense 6 week workout program where you workout for six days a week for 6 weeks. After reading lots and lots of reviews and seeing Kenny's results on the P90x I decided to give the beach body workouts a try. I have ordered it and it should be arriving any day now. I will be updating my blog on the progress. Here is a little video of the wonderful beach body products I will give reviews on the programs as I do them. Also anyone interested in P90x check out Kens blog he is having great results with it.

For the Love of Cheesecake

Ok so last week a friend and I were talking about my love for cheesecake and I stated cheesecake factory has the best ever. So the other day my friend decides to give me 2 cheesecakes 1 carrot cake cheesecake and one brownie cheesecake from cheesecake factory. OMG. Seriously why when you decide to be healthy someone has to come along and try to sabotage your diet? So to be nice I had once small piece of the carrot cake cheesecake. After all cheesecake is a terrible thing to waste. Its just a crime really . Let me just say the carrot cake cheesecake is the best cheesecake in the world. If you have never tried this defiantly head to the nearest cheesecake factory and try this now! I have decided to donate the rest of the cake and the other brownie one to charity lol cant have temptation like that around. One slice is like 1000 calories. I have also found the copycat recipe from recipe zaar if you would like to try to make this yourself. I plan to make one later next with with substituting healthier ingredients.
Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE
16 ounces cream cheese (at room temp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
CARROT CAKE
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash salt
1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained with juice reserved
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
Directions
1To make cheesecake,
2In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together 2 pkgs cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.
3Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
4Meanwhile prepare Carrot Cake: In large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly.
5Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and dash salt, mixing well.
6Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.
7Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of greased 9-or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
8Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter.
9Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife.
10Do not marble with a knife.
11Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.
12Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
13When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.
14In a bowl of electric mixer, combine 2 oz cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice and dash of salt.
15Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
16Frost top of cheesecake.
17Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry

So, I was wanted to make something with Tofu and had previously made this really good teriyaki
tofu ; so I decided to make it again instead of trying something new. I'm glad I did . This recipe is super easy and very good and good for you. Its about 10grams protein and around 90 calories per serving. So instead of making my own marinade i used trader Joe's Soyaki marinade. Originally was only going to marinade this for a few hours and cook but I sort of forgot about it and it ended up marinating overnight. Oh well. I then saute 1/2 red onion , 1 teaspoon minced garlic , 1 yellow bell pepper in tablespoon olive oil maybe less. I then added the tofu which i had cut up the night before and was already marinating. I cooked until Tofu was nice and golden color. I added some broccoli and served over brown rice. Yummy.

Side note. Make sure your get the extra firm tofu.

Super Easy Sesame Salmon

Ok ,so keeping with the good protein and Omega 3s . I wanted to throw something together that was easy and good and a twist on the usual Salmon.This was super easy and so yummy. I used this Soyaki Marinade from of course Trader Joe's. Marinaded it for 2 hours. Seasoned with fresh garlic ,sesame seeds, ginger , pinch of brown sugar. Made this with Baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli. Delish
!!!



This isnt the best picture but decided to update this recipe with the Soyaki marinade I used.