2 Ingredient Banana Muffins

These are ridiculously easy and customizable. I had a box of spice cake mix for pumpkin cupcakes and these bananas were going bad so I threw thia together. You could mix in nuts or fresh fruit even! I topped mine with a mix of oatmeal and brown sugar for some crunch.  The muffins came out light and fluffy (not as dense as traditional banana muffins).

Box cake mix
4-5 bananas mashed

1. Preheat oven to 350* and prepare a cupcake pan with liners or spray.

2. Mix box of cake mix and bananas together. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way.

3. Bake for 16-18min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

I modified a few no chill pie recipes I've seen floating around. I didn't want to use pre-prepared pie filling since they always have a weird taste to me. This filling makes a heaping extra large pie or could be split between two regular sized crust. You can also save the extra cup or so you heap on top to dip graham crackers, apple slices, or ginger snap cookies. I whipped this up quickly and it chilled in time to slice after dinner served with another dollop of whipped topping.

8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2cu brown sugar
1/2cu granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla
2 1/2tsp pumpkin pie spice
1tsp cinnamon
1 can pure pumpkin
8oz tub whipped topping
1 prepared x-large graham cracker crust

1. Beat together cream cheese, sugars, vanilla, and spices until fluffy.

2. Slowly add in pumpkin until well combined then fold in 1/2 the tub of whipped topping.

3. Pour into graham cracker crust and chill for at least 2hrs.

4. Serve dolloped with whipped cream

Alfredo Style Tater Tot Casserole

Last night for dinner I threw together a tater tot casserole. The great thing about tater tot casserole is you can customize it however you want. The meat, veggies, sauce, and add ons are all your choice! The only constant is using tater tots for the topping before it's baked. In this variation I used alfredo sauce and Italian herbs. All of my measurements are approximate since I just cook enough for my family. This fed 3 kids, 2 adults, and left one large portion leftover when made in a 9x13 dish. I attempted stuffed breadsticks and the cheese oozed out. They were still delicious, haha!

1cu chopped onion
2tbsp garlic
1lb lean ground turkey
14oz frozen veggies
16oz alfredo sauce
2cu skim milk cheese
2lb bag tater tots

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Take tater tots and veggies out the freezer. Sauté onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until translucent.

2. In the same skillet brown the turkey and season as you want then add in the frozen veggies. Cook for about 5min before pouring on alfredo sauce. If you want to use some on the top only use half the jar.

3. Place turkey mixture into casserole dish, sprinkle on cheese, and  cover with a layer of tater tots (I used all but about 3cu of the bag). If you saved some sauce drizzle it on top.

4. Place in oven uncovered and bake for about 30min or until the tots are as brown as you like.

Chia seed pudding

If you've never tried chia seeds they are definitely something to check out. Chia seeds are the number one plant source of amino acids and have a great amount of fiber in the small amount you get in a serving. They hydrate with whatever you add them to, so they're awesome in smoothies and juice. You can actually find them in a juice product at Costco.
  I purchased my seeds at Trader Joe's and on the back of the packet there was a recipe for pudding. Texturewise it goes down like tapioca. If you chew it there's a bit of a crunch. I've included pictures of the seeds after they hydrate, as soon as I mixed the pudding, and again when it was ready.

1/4cu chia seeds
1cu chocolate almond milk

1. Mix and let refrigerate for 2-3 hours until all liquid has absorbed.

 

 

Crunchy Chicken Wrap

This is a fast food homemade kinda post and one of those recipes where I can't really tell you what to use cause it's so customizable. The technique is what you have to get down. You layer the ingredients starting with cheese and ending with cheese. I put the greek yogurt side of the tostada down and put the cheese (which acts as glue) on top. You can substitute sour cream for greek yogurt if you have it. I just had greek yogurt leftover from making some greek pitas a few nights before. You want to make sure that this is completely wrapped in tortilla, so if when you're done folding you have a whole just trim a little of the excess tortilla off one side to cover it up. You want to keep all the goodness wrapped inside! If you don't have a George Foreman or panini press you can make these in the skillet seam side down then flip when browned. My mom had the idea of using Doritos as the crunch instead of the tostada and I think I will try that for lunch!

Cornbread Chicken Casserole

Tonight I threw together a pretty delicious dinner from what I had on hand. I made a chicken and veggie filling (like a pot pie filling), topped it with cornbread batter, sprinkled on Parmesan cheese, and baked on 425* for 20-30min. I wanted the cornbread batter cooked all the way through and browned on top, so I cooked it covered for 20min and another 10min uncovered.

3 cooked chicken breast, chopped or shredded
1lb veggies
1 1/2cu sauce
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Mix chicken, veggies, and sauce together and place into 9x13 baking pan.

2. Prepare cornbread as directed on back of box and spread over top.

3. Cover with foil and begin to bake.

Peach Pineapple Cobbler

You can thank a late night craving for this one, haha. I wanted a peach cobbler with a little tang and thought of pineapples. I easily had all the ingredients on hand in my cupboard/fridge. The bonus is it taste great AND makes your house smell like peaches. Have I mentioned how I love the Blogger iPad app? It lets me do all my editing and pictures right in the app. I wish I could adjust the hue of the pictures here since some appear kinda bluish, but you get he idea. To was definitely delicious. The edges were buttery and slightly sweet. I preferred it sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon for that caramel effect. You can easily adapt this with different fruits. You need about 4-6cu of fruit when it goes into the oven. The peaches cooked down some during baking. I'm already thinking of maybe a mango pineapple and substitute coconut milk for the plain milk in the baking mix!!

29oz can peaches packed in juice (1cu juice reserved)
20oz can pineapple chunks packed in juice, drained
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1cu sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon and brown sugar, optional

1. In a saucepan heat the peaches with juice and drained pineapple to boiling. Let cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until syrupy.

2. Meanwhile, place the butter into a 9x13 baking pan and place into the oven. Preheat the oven on 350*.

3. Mix the self rising flour, sugar, and milk. Carefully pour over butter in dish, but DO NOT stir. Spoon fruit over and then slowly drizzle remaining drizzle. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a little brown sugar if desired.

4. Place into oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the batter comes out clean.

5. Serve topped with your favorite creamy topper and enjoy! Can be served warm or cold.