Salsa Tuna Skillet

It's not much to look at (and it doesn't help that I'm currently using an iPhone 4 to take pictures…) but this salsa tuna skillet is super tasty and super fast and easy to make. It's become a go-to for me.

I tried this one night after a work friend suggested it. I was skeptical. Tuna is not generally my thing. But this girl always brings food that looks and smells good, so I went for it. 

What you need:

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

A little butter or EVOO for sautéing 

2 cans of tuna, drained

Salsa

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

How to do it:

Heat up a large skillet with some butter or EVOO. Place the onions and garlic in the pan and sauté to your heart's desire. Add the tuna, salsa, and spices (to taste). Sauté until everything is warm. Serve over brown rice, couscous, or quinoa. 

Easy, cheap, and delicious. It's about 2-3 servings…although, you could probably make it 4. I just eat a lot!

Oatmeal Breakfast Cupcakes

Bananas have this habit of going from green to black. There is no in between. Maybe like a 5-minute window when I can handle the taste of a fresh banana. So, I find myself baking things that call for very ripe bananas. The oatmeal breakfast cupcakes are one of those things. 

These were a pretty great find from Chocolate Covered Katie (via Pinterest, of course). You can do a lot with them as far as add-ins go (I opted for raisins and cinnamon). They're easy to make ahead and freeze. Great to grab on your way out the door.  No processed sugar (unless you're the person who adds chocolate chips). Easy to make gluten-free and/or vegan.

I was actually kind of surprised by how they turned out. The outside texture is more of a cupcake/muffin, but the inside is like oatmeal. Not runny, but like sticky, gummy oatmeal. It was weird. Good, but weird. And I was shocked that the brother loved them. Seriously. He usually disses my healthy "chick" food. 

Oatmeal Breakfast Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats

3-4 Bananas, mashed (overripe) 

1 tsp Salt

5 TBSP Pure Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar

1 cup Water

1/8 cup + 1 TBSP Coconut Oil

1 1/4 Pure Vanilla Extract

Optional add-ins: Cinnamon, Raisins (or any other dried fruit), Shredded Coconut, Chopped Walnuts, Ground Flax or Wheat Germ, Chocolate Chips, etc.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 380*F and line a 12-cup muffin pan. I personally recommend spraying your liners with a non-stick spray as well…
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir well. 
• In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients.
• Mix the wet into dry.
• Pour the batter evenly into your prepared muffin cups. 
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. 

They're really good warm with butter…or peanut butter! Enjoy!

{Slow Cooker} Italian Chicken with Potatoes & Carrots

I made real food! I came across this recipe from Crock-a-doodle-do on Pinterest. I was pretty excited about it because I had everything on hand. I mean, it probably would've been better with red potatoes. But it was still pretty tasty. The chicken was perfectly juicy and tender. It's a great one-pot meal. The only bad thing is that it has already disappeared. So much for having leftovers. 

Italian Chicken with Potatoes & Carrots

4 chicken breasts (mine had been frozen)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

6 small potatoes, scrubbed & cut into wedges or cubes

1/2-1 pound baby carrots (I used almost a full bag)

16 oz Italian dressing 

Italian seasoning to taste

• Pour a little bit of the dressing into the bottom of your slow cooker. 
• Place 2 chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Top with a little dressing, 1/2 of the cheese & sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
• Place the other 2 chicken breasts on top of those, topping them off with the rest of the cheese.
• Pour in the carrots. Add a little more dressing & seasoning.
• Add the potatoes. Pour the remainder of the dressing over the top. Add seasoning to taste.
• Cook on low for 8 hours (adjust the time if your chicken is not frozen). 

Enjoy! 

Sweet Potato with Quinoa, Spinach & Cranberries

Here's a great, super easy, fast Meatless Monday dish! I came across it on Pinterest, but it didn't actually  link to a recipe...so I just kind of guessed as to how much of what went into it. I saved some time by having quinoa already cooked (at one point I made a bunch, divided it up, and froze it) and by using the frozen chopped spinach. It turned out pretty tasty!

Here's what you need:
1 sweet potato
EVOO
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup chopped spinach 
2-4 TBSP dried cranberries
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Salt & pepper to taste

This is how you do it:

• Heat up a small pan with a little EVOO in the bottom. Add the garlic & onion with some salt & pepper; cook until soft. Add in the dried cranberries, followed by the spinach and finally quinoa. Cook until everything's heated up.
• Meanwhile, cook your sweet potato in the microwave. Mine has a really great potato setting. And everything ended up being done at the same time. Perfect. 

I have to say, I'm enjoying this fall weather. And the rain. I switched out my sandals for boots. Pulled out my sweaters. Got out my big, fluffy blanket. There are various fall Scentsy smells warming throughout the house. It's kind of wonderful. Plus, I started watching "Parenthood." Why have I never seen this before?! Decent stuff. Tomorrow I will begin a work marathon of sorts...so I'll be accepting coffee deliveries through Sunday. But Seriously. 

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Last night for dinner, I made broiled tilapia parmesan. This has to be one of the easiest ways to do tilapia. Ever. Not to mention, also one of the tastiest ways. Even the brother enjoyed it and said we could have it again. He was really excited because he thought it was like some cream cheese chicken I had made....but I think we all know I used Greek yogurt. I adapted this from All Recipes. Enjoy!


Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia filets 
1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan
2 TBSP butter, softened
1 heaping TBSP Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder

Directions:

• Preheat your oven's broiler to high. Line a pan with foil.
• In a small bowl, mix together everything except the fish. Set aside.
• Arrange filets on a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil for 2-3 minutes. Flip. Repeat. 
• Remove the filets from the oven and cover them with the parmesan cheese mixture. Broil for another 2-4 minutes or until the topping is slightly golden and the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

The basic idea for this recipe was found via Pinterest. However, I naturally changed some stuff up. Like, for instance, I did not use real sugar or real eggs...resulting in muffins that are just about 82 calories a pop. I also added some cinnamon. I was a little bit concerned about how they would turn out after making such changes. Honestly, I don't think anyone would ever know. Not that I've shared them with anyone to find out. (No, I did not eat all 12 at once. I froze 10. I have found it works really well to pull a couple out before I go to bed, so in the morning they're room temperature. Then, I just put a little peanut butter on them. SO GOOD.) This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Ingredients:
2.5 cups oats (can be gluten-free)
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup egg substitute (equivalent of 2 eggs)
3/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute (I used Ideal brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda 
2 ripe bananas
Cinnamon for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with the little paper things.
Mix everything together in a good food processor or blender (I used my Ninja).
Pour into pan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon. 
Bake, oh, 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

The Easiest Burlap Wreath...EVER!

Ever since I got hooked on Pinterest, I have wanted to make a wreath.  If you don't already know this, Pinterest has LOTS of great ideas for wreaths and tutorials on how to make them.  We have an old window on our mantel, which dons ornaments in all the panes at Christmas, but has nothing going on the rest of the year.  I decided I'd to burlap since it's pretty neutral and can be dressed up embellishments.  As I was looking for some kind of tutorial I kept running into ones where you cut lots of little burlap squares, fold them just right, and pin them just right on to a foam wreath.  While I'm probably capable of doing this, it was a bit too tedious for my taste.  Then, I found a great idea from Top This Top That.  All you really need is a metal wreath form and burlap ribbon.  Genius.  It took me a couple of minutes to figure out what I was doing.  Once I got in the groove, it was smooth sailing.  I ended up using a couple different weaves of burlap, which you can see in the picture.  I like it because it gives it a little more texture without screaming at you.  I plan to add some kind of embellishment, some color, but I haven't figured out what yet!  Any ideas?