Lowfat Banana & Peanut Butter Shake

Try this delicious shake for a quick breakfast on the go or after you leave the gym!



Ingredients:

1/4 C Lowfat Organic Skim Milk (Try Kroger's)
1/2 C Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
Medium Banana
Peanut Butter (All natural is better for you)
Handful of ice-- I tend to add more as I go

260 Calories.

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy! Enjoy!

Variations:

Use 1C Unsweetened Almond Milk (Less fat--less calories!) Instead of milk and yogurt
Add a scoop of Vanilla Protein powder!

** Dairy products hold water weight so if you reduce the amount of dairy you will look and be leaner!

Use What You Got: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Healthy and delicious. Quick and easy.

I found these ingredients in the kitchen and decided to get creative. The bell pepper gives everything a healthy pop of flavor. And mixing in whatever veggies you have, will boost your day with extra nutrients that most college students lack.



Ingredients:

2 Bell Peppers  (Green Bell Peppers are slightly cheaper)
1/2 C. TruRoots Quinoa
1-1 1/2 C. Boiled Chicken Breast
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 C. Mixed Veggies of your choice


Boil the chicken breasts until thourally cooked. Check the center of the chicken breast to make sure there is no pink. Follow the directions for the TruRoots Quinoa (takes about 10-15 minutes). While your chicken and quinoa are cooking, preheat the oven to 350. Mix the cream of mushroom soup, and veggies. Finally add in the quinoa and the diced chicken. Cut bell peppers in half, place the mixture into both halves. Place on sprayed baking sheet, cook for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Makes 2 Servings

Make this Tuesday, Taco Tuesday!

Taco Tuesday

So yummy and so easy oh and you guessed it, inexpensive!

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Beef
Lime Juice (optional)
1/4 Onion (chopped)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper (chopped)
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
Taco Shells
Shredded Cheese (optional)


Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet brown the ground beef. Add in the chopped up onions and green bell peppers. Squeeze a little lime juice for a pop of flavor. Drain the meat. Place back in skillet and add in the taco seasoning. Place the taco shells on a cookie sheet. Add the beef mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Place in the oven for a few minutes. This will warm the taco shells and melt the cheese! Super easy! Enjoy!

Shhhh. The Secret Ingredient Is...

<Honey3

Homemade Valentine's Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day!

These are so delicious and perfect for your special Valentine! You can also use this recipe for Christmas cookies.

Cookie Dough Ingredients:

1/2C Butter Softened

1/2C Sugar

1/2C Honey (secret ingredient)

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3C All Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1. Beat the butter, sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2. Roll and cutout. **Tip: if you use wax paper on top and bottom you get a more even roll.

3. Place in the oven on 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:

3-4C Powder Sugar

1Stick Butter Softened

A little milk

1 Teaspoon of Almond Extract

(Your favorite food coloring)

Mix all of the ingredients together and then frost your Valentine's cookie! Try not to eat them all before you give them to your Valentine! Enjoy!

Gone In 60 Seconds: Upside Down Pizza

This is sure to please the masses. I am not joking when I say, "gone in sixty seconds." I had to try and snap a picture before this delicious pizza was all gone!

You will need:

1lb Regular Sausage

1Pkg Pepperonis

1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

1Pkg of shredded cheese (I prefer the Italian blend)

1/2 Onion

1/2 Bell Pepper

1Pkg Pillsbury Pizza Crust 

2TBS Butter

Garlic Salt

Parmesan 

Preheat the oven to 350. While the oven is preheating, brown the sausage on medium and add the onion and bell pepper. After the sausage is browned, add the pepperonis. This will help the pepperonis separate. Drain the mixture. Place back into the skillet and add the spaghetti sauce. Turn the stove top on low. Spray a 9x11 pan. Place the meat mixture on the bottom. Layer the cheese on top of the meat mixture. Roll out the pizza dough on top. Finally, melt the butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesan and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

College Cooking Essentials

This list may seem long, but I can assure that these items last a long time. 

Cooking Essentials to have readily available:

• Cooking Oil
• Butter
• Eggs
• Fresh & Frozen fruit and vegetables
• Cooking Spray
• Dried Herbs such as
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Salt
• Italian Seasoning
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Season All
• Chili Powder
• Brown Rice (I prefer Quinoa, try True Roots)
• Pasta-- whole grain.
• Keep shredded cheese on hand
• Condiments such as:
• Low fat Mayo
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Soy Sauce
• Salsa
• Minced Garlic (works wonders)

For all of your baking needs I find having these ingredients makes baking a breeze:

• All Purpose Flour: **Different from self-rising**
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Powdered Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Cinnamon
• Honey
• Almond Extract
• Vanilla Extract

You are going to need cooking utensils such as:

• Pots & Pans
• Mixing Spoons
• Cookie Sheets

All of these items can be found at discounted prices at stores such as Ross, TJ Maxx, and Big Lots! It's a great way to find durable utensils for a fraction of the cost. Click on the store names to find a location near you.

Quick & Easy Superbowl Sunday Favorites!

Wait! Before you order that Pizza! Hang up that phone. I mean it! Here are some fast, inexpensive, and healthier options to veg on during the Superbowl! Impress yourself, your friends, and ladies lets be honest... the way to mans heart is through his stomach. Go ahead... Impress your date... Or future date? You know what I mean! Lets get crackin!

Here's whats on the menu:

Easy Peasy Guacamole 

Southwest Bean Dip: Skinny Girl Style

Mama's Buffalo Chicken Dip

Zaza Salsa

Lil Smokies

Puppy Chowmallows 

Easy Peasy Guacamole: 

Ingredients:

5 Avocados (.99 each)

1 Tomatos (1.25each)

4 chopped scallions (.78each)

Lime Juice (2.00 depends on the kind you get!)

Salt 

Pepper

Peal and dice the avocados. Chop up the tomato (use as much or as little as you like). Chop up your scallions. Place all of these ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until the avocados start to blend. Add lime juice, juice, salt and pepper to taste! Yummmy and super delicious! Also, very inexpensive to make. 

<-- Tip: **Leave the seeds in to keep your Guac fresh!

Southwest Bean Dip-- Skinny Girl Style!

Ingredients:

1 Can Fat Free Refried Beans

1 Can Black Beans

4 Scallions (Chopped)

1/2 C Salsa

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder

Jalapenos to your liking (I used 1/4 C)

Fat free Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

1 Tomato

1 Avocado

A small drop of sour cream (I got the fat free kind)

This is so simple and so fast you don't even need an oven, mixer, or skillet of any kind! It only took me about 10 minutes to make! Mix the beans, Salsa, Cumin, Chili Powder, and Jalapenos together in a medium mixing bowl. Then sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top. Microwave for two minutes (or until the cheese has melted a little bit). Then place some sour cream in the middle (to your liking). Finally sprinkle how however much you want of the tomatoes, scallions, and avocados.

Mama's Buffalo Chicken Dip 

(Adapted from the back of Frank's Redhot Sauce! Sure to please any guy!)

Ingredients:

Boiled Chicken Breasts (I placed about three frozen breasts in)** 

1/2 C Blue Cheese

1/2 C Frank's Redhot Sauce 

1 8oz thing of Low Fat Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)

1/2 C Crumbled Blue Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350! Boil your chicken breasts until throughly cooked through. I am neurotic about checking to see if there is any pink. So make sure this NO PINK ladies and gentlemen! You don't want to make this an infamous Superbowl Party! Next in a oven safe container combine all of these ingredients and stir. Next place in the oven for 20 minutes! This is to die for and takes less than 30 minutes to whip up! Its cheap, and A LOT healthier than fried chicken wings thats FOR SURE! Enjoyyyy!

** Buy frozen packaged chicken breasts, it is much cheaper than buying individual thawed pieces. These are still 'fresh' and will save you A LOT of money over the course of the school year!

ZaZa Salsa: Less than five minutes and VIOLA!

I had left over sour cream so I thought I would do something with it! Never throw the extras away, is what I always say. You can make your own creations! 

Ingredients:

Fat Free Sour Cream (I believe I had a 1/2C-1C left from the SW Bean Dip)

Salsa (I used medium)

Simply Mix and serve with some chips! So yummy, easy, and again inexpensive... hey, I think we are catching on to something here!

Lil Smokies-- Under 7 bucks! 

Another guys favorite! (Anything with bacon right?)

Ingredients:

Lil Smokies (I used Hill Shier Farm-- GO BEEF! Less than 3 dollars)

One Package of Bacon (3 dollars)

Some good ol' Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 350. You need a cookie sheet (an easy way to avoid doing dishes and saving money on your water bill is to place aluminum foil on your baking sheets) spray your baking sheet so these little guys don't stick! Then cut your bacon in strips and wrap them around your little smokies. Place on the cookie sheet, sprinkle some brown sugar on! And cook for 25-30 minutes!

Finally some quick and easy dessert!

Marshmallow Puppy Chow (This is not your dog food relaxxxxxx. This is chocolate peanut butter HEAVEN.)

Ingredients

1 C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

1/2 C Creamy Peanut Butter

6 C Chex Cereal

3 C -- more or less (up to you) Powder Sugar

1 Cup Marshmallows 

Melt the chocolate and the peanut butter on the stove top. Keep a close eye, I put mine on medium for about 2-3 minutes) Stir frequently, you do not want your chocolate to burn (yuck, trust me). In a big mixing container (easy way to avoid cleaning a lot of dishes) place you cereal. Then pour you chocolate-peanut butter mixture on top and stir. Finally add your powder sugar. Wait about 5 minutes and if you want add some marshmallows (my favorite). This is great and so easy to share at big parties, takes less than 15 minutes, cheap, buttttttt not so healthy... sorry. Hey its Superbowl Sunday-- calories don't count duh. That's what I am going with.

If you are trying to watch your caloric intake instead of drinking beer, opt for some white wine like a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. If you like sweeter wines, add some Diet Seven Up. I promise you will not be disappointed (Thanks Hollie Seamster for getting me hooked.)

Enjoy the Superbowl and be safe my fellow college students! 

Keep on the look out for this coming weeks: Must Have Ingredients for the Cooking College Student's Kitchen!

Thank's http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/southwestern-layered-bean_n_1049820.html

Mmm mmm Pulled BBQ Chicken Biscuits

I played hooky from school today. It was raining outside! What do you expect? Okay that is bad... But I wanted stay dry and... use my crock pot (guilty). Unfortunately, I didn't have an exact idea of what to make! So I began to look in my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for some ideas!

I found some BBQ sauce, chicken, soy sauce, brown sugar, and a thing of biscuits! Viola, BBQ pulled chicken biscuits yummm! Perfect for a dinner for two with left overs for lunch or breakfast burritos! 

Here is what you need: 

Chicken breasts (I used four small frozen chicken breasts)

1-2 Cups BBQ Sauce

2 TBS Soy Sauce

2 TBS Brown Sugar

1/4 of an Onion Chopped

 (Feel free to make it your own! Throw in some green peppers if you like!

Place all of these ingredients in your crock pot on high for 4-6 hours or 6-8 hours on low. This is perfect you can put this in before you go to class and have dinner ready for you when you get back!

After your chicken is done. Turn on low and begin to pull apart the chicken. The chicken should be really tender and easily pull apart. 

Don't forget the biscuits! I used the butter biscuits from HEB and followed the instructions on the back 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes!

Once your biscuits are done, cut them in half and add some BBQ pulled chicken and ENJOY! 

Easy, Cheesy, & YUMMY! Chedder & Apple Wheat Sandwich

Before you 'neg' this... Give this sandwich a try! Its healthy, cheap, and takes less than 10 minutes to whip up! I started just grabbing random ingredients out of my refrigerator and viola you have a quick, filling, cheap, and most importantly HEALTHY lunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Medium Sized Apple (cut into slices)

• Only use a few slices-- save the other to eat instead of chips with your meal.
• The slices that I used for the sandwich I cut up into small chunks

2 Slices of Wheat Bread

1 TBS Mustard

Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Two Slices of Cheddar Cheese

Putting It all Together:

Slice up your apple slices into small cubes.

Spread mustard on both sides of the wheat bread slices.

I used shredded cheddar cheese but if you have slices of cheddar cheese place on each side of the bread.

Then place the cut up apples on one slice of bread.

Now I used a Panini Maker (it should take less than 2 minutes to melt the cheese).

You can also place your sandwich on a sprayed skillet and cook each side on Medium-High heat for about 2 minutes on each side or until each side is golden brown.