1 and 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything in a bowl.  Let chill in refrigerator for about an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy.  Store in tupperware and keep refrigerated.

I added extra oatmeal and chocolate chips to make up for the missing coconut.  After I made them, I read in the comments that some substituted crushed cheerios for the coconut.  I’m definitely doing this next time!  They formed into balls easily in the beginning but by the end my hands were a mess!  I think adding crushed cheerios would help with this.  So, I’ll cut the oatmeal back down to a cup.  Original calls for 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, but I may keep that at 3/4 cup.  It didn’t feel like too much to me!

This makes about 20, and I’m not kidding when I say we have about 5 left from yesterday.  Yummy!

Pinterest – seriously amazing.  Ok, the original recipe here came from pinterest.  But, I did make some changes and used leftover skinny crockpot chicken in mine. So good.

• 10 soft taco shells
• 2-3 cups skinny crockpot chicken (original recipe calls for 2, I used more like 3)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9×13.

Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to a boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Kayla did eat a bit of this.  The other two wouldn’t touch it.  One is better than none, right?

• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed (I just used minced garlic from the jar)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pork tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (if preparing in oven) – we grilled since we are having such a mild winter.  wonderful.

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl.  Rub the paste all over pork.  If you like or have the time, marinate overnight.  If not, no worries, it’s still great!  I did this in the morning and it was awesome.

Grill preparation:

Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes.  Grill until internal temp is 160.

Oven preparation:

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat canola oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Working in batches if necessary, add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven.  Roast pork, turning occasionally, until internal temperature is 160, about 20 minutes.

This was so, so good.  All three kids tried it.  Only one liked it enough to eat more.  I don’t know why, but my kids aren’t huge meat eaters unless you count chicken nuggets as meat.  Or lunch meat.  Seriously, what is wrong with them?!?  :)

Here’s how I did it (this serves 2, and I didn’t eat all of mine):

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed and finely chopped (you can use the part of the stem above the knobby part)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 tsp olive oil
pizza sauce (probably around 3/4 cup)
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
12 slices of turkey pepperoni (or more if you want)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute the chopped mushroom, onion and pepper in a non-stick skillet with the olive oil. Remove from the pan when done, and let it sit on a couple of paper towels to remove excess moisture.

While the vegetables are cooking, put a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet (or lightly oil the pan to keep the mushrooms from sticking). Lay mushrooms on the sheet, gills-side up, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until softened. If there is liquid in them when you remove them from the oven, dab dry with a paper towel.

Lightly salt the mushrooms, and then add the toppings: first sauce, then vegetables, followed by shredded cheese and pepperoni.

Return to the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and barely starting to bubble/brown.

Enjoy!

Original here.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4-5 oz light cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces chocolate chips – I used about 10 oz, but all I had were milk chocolate chips…will use semi-sweet next time!

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine dry ingredients (flour through soda) in a bowl and set aside. In mixer, blend butter, sugar, egg, cream cheese, and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing with each addition, until all are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Grease a cookie sheet. Drop dough by the spoonful onto sheet lined with parchment paper, or better yet, a silicone mat, at least 1 inch apart.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, but watch carefully…I took these out of the oven right before the “golden brown around the edges” stage and they were PERFECT.

lovely, i know, cooling on a paper towel...but i was lazy and didn't get out my cooling racks.

recipe found via pinterest

4 cups golden grahams cereal
2 cups cocoa puffs cereal
2 cups thin pretzel sticks
1 cup reese’s pieces (I’ve already admitted my love for these)
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
10 oz white chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, mix cereals, pretzels, reese’s pieces and peanuts; set aside

In a microwavable bowl, microwave white chocolate until melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.  Pour over ceral mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

In a large resealable plastic bag, toss half of the cereal mixture with 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar until evenly coated.  Repeat with the remaining cereal mixture and remaining powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Inspiration here via Pinterest, of course. (Aaaand realizing now that I completely forgot the pepperoni when I made these, so I won’t include that in the recipe, but I’m sure it’s delish. Oh well.)

Here’s what you need:
bread (I used a loaf of artisan french bread – any will do, but I prefer something that like for this kind of sandwich)
slices of provolone and/or mozzarella cheese
slices of avocado
slices of tomato
butter
garlic salt

You’re basically just making a grilled cheese sandwich here, so no rocket science. Butter a slice of bread, lightly sprinkle with garlic salt, and put on a skillet or griddle. Top with a slice or 2 of cheese (we used a slice of provolone and a slice of mozzarella), a few slices of avocado and tomato, and another piece of bread with butter and a light sprinkling of garlic salt.

NOTE: Flipping these sandwiches is difficult, so use caution not to let them come apart!

this was the second time we made these, and i smashed the avocado up a bit, which made them easier to flip BUT harder to eat. i'd still recommend slicing the avocado.

Serve with a bowl of soup or a salad. YUM.

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cups shredded mexican cheese blend, divided
2 packages (1.9 oz each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells

Cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in taco seasoning and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 cup cheese blend.

Place tart shells in an ungreased 15×10 baking pan.  Fill with taco mixture.

Bake at 350 for 6 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend; bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/3 cups Reese’s mini pieces candy

Heat oven to 350.  Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Beat shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until fluffy;  beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to sugar mixture.  Stir in oats and candy pieces.  Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool 10 (TEN) minutes on cookie sheet.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

I know lots of people call this Texas Caviar, but I kind of think that’s a dumb name, so I call it New Year’s Day Dip. This particular recipe came from my parents!

1 can black-eyed peas
1 can red kidney beans
1 can shoepeg (sweet white) corn
1 jar diced pimentos

Put all ingredients in a colander and drain; transfer to a large bowl, and to that add:

1 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly (I use the light green part, but not the stalk part)

In a small saucepan, combine:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Pour liquid over the bowl of vegetables, and refrigerate for a couple of hours. STRAIN BEFORE SERVING (so your serving bowl should not be full of liquid).

this is what it looks like before it's strained.

Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos – Scoops work best!