Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

One of our favorite dishes at PF Chang's is the lettuce wraps.  They are so flavorful and refreshing, we can never get enough of them.  This homemade and entirely different recipe is just as flavorful and refreshing.  We all (kids most definitely included) scarfed them down and then wished there were more.  What I loved most about these was how simple they were to prepare, there's really only about 4 main ingredients and chances are you probably have most of them on hand.  I'm sure there far more than that in a PF Chang's knock-off.  Which means this version is a totally doable last minute week-night meal.  Perfect, fast, and healthy for busy summer nights.  Enjoy!

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
{Adapted Recipe from She Wears Many Hats. com}


For stir fry sauce:  (which I doubled and didn't regret one bit)
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground ginger (fresh would work well also-maybe 2 teaspoons worth?)
1 t sesame oil (I'm not a huge fan of sesame oil, so I only do a couple drops)

For Cashew Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, diced
3 T veggie oil
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t soy sauce
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced
optional: shredded cabbage
Several leaves of greenleaf (our pick) or iceburg lettuce

For sauce:  Mix all ingredients making sure to dissolve brown sugar.  Set aside.

For cashew chicken:
Heat oil in pan over med-high heat.  Add diced chicken and brown (4-5 minutes).  Remove chicken from oil.  Add onions, garlic, 1 t soy sauce to pan (and shredded cabbage if using); brown.  When mixture is brown and tender, add stir fry sauce, browned chicken, cashews, and water chestnuts.  Saute a few minutes.  To serve:  Spoon chicken mixture onto individual lettuce leaves, may add some hot sauce (sririachi), more cashews, and maybe even some cilantro is desired.  Roll up and eat--kind of messy, definitely awkward, but oh so worth it!

Fruit Rainbow

So here's the thing. I know this is not a recipe. It's an idea and it's a cute one so I'm sharing it. We're on spring break this week and it's been lovely. We've been doing one fun thing each day and boy has it helped the week be dreamy and frankly gone too soon. One of our fun things was to have lunch and play with several friends at another family's house. This was our contribution to the day and most of the fruit was gone in a jiffy and (no surprise) the rolos were gone, gone, gone in a flash. Seeing as how it's St Patty's Day on saturday a rainbow of fruit with a bowl of chocolate gold seems appropriate. Thank you pinterest for a festive, healthy, holiday treat!

Fruit Rainbow

In order from outside-in:

strawberries

oranges (mandarin or fresh navel sectioned)

pineapple (fresh or canned)

kiwi (or green grapes)

blueberries (i didn't use these this time)

red grapes

rolos

optional: mini marshmallows for cloud like shape at opposite end of rainbow or white colored fruit dip for similar effect

Arrange fruit starting with strawberries and working your way in creating a rainbow shape. Simple as pie!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I am on a serious muffin jag lately. Almost every single muffin recipe I come across makes my mouth water with anticipation. I think I like to trick myself into believing they're somehow a healthy alternative to other baked treats. And perhaps they are (or aren't), but nonetheless I can't stop craving them and making them! I suppose there are worse things?

Now these have got to be of the healthy variety...they're chock full of whole wheat flour and studded with juicy sweet apples. Whatever else they may or may not be, they are most certainly delicious. "MMmmMMMmmmmmmm"uffins!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

{Recipe source: king arthur flour via smittenkitchen.com-slightly adapted by muah-I opted to use all whole wheat flour instead of half wheat/half white}

2 cups whole wheat flour (or half white/half wheat)

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 T cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed and divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and rough chopped

Preheat oven to 450. Line 18 muffin cups with liners, sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, set aside. Cream together butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, stopping once to scrape down sides of bowl. Mix in buttermilk, gently. Stir in dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins, sprinkling with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then turn heat down to 400 and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Tropical Green Smoothie

I've come late in the game to the whole green smoothie fad. (I seem to come late to a lot of things: pinterest, avocados, mushrooms, running, school pick-up the list goes on) But at least I have come and I dare say no one would challenge that I've embraced it whole-heartedly, think kale, spinach, flax seed, wheat germ, groats and the like. Better late than never then? And after a dozen misses in the kitchen lately (yummy keepers of meatless meals are hard to come by, man or things that were scrumptious but we ate them instead of photographing them so we'll have to catch them next time around), sprinkled with a couple cookie failures (really?) smoothies and snacks are about the only things we're getting right around here. But as the baby and I gulped this one down, I realized "hey this is actually worth sharing"!

This smoothie is full of sweet tropically goodness and spinach. I used to be afraid of the green and masked it with blueberries and pomegranate juice and still do because that's a tasty combo, but now I also say embrace the green! Let all that healthy, leafy green goodness stare you in the face. So here you go, a kitchen success. Now if I could just gets my hands on a vitamix...

Tropical Green Smoothie

{Lightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod-as an aside: I think some coconut in this would be tasty and while I used canned pineapple as it was what I had on hand, fresh pineapple would be even better}

1 cup vanilla almond milk

1 cup pineapple (canned or fresh-if canned may want to add some of the pineapple juice)

1 cup frozen mango

1 banana

2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 cup crushed ice

Not exactly rocket science here-blend up all the non-frozen items till smooth, then add the frozen (mangos and ice) till smooth again. Drink immediately.

Restaurant Style Blender Salsa {in 5 Minutes!}

A new found love, this salsa has been made and rapidly consumed by us no less than 5 times in the past 2 months. It literally takes all of 5 minutes and is remarkably fresh tasting despite the use of canned tomatoes. The fresh onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice all help with that. I have zero desire to use store bought salsa from a jar now that we've tried this. And although it doesn't keep nearly as long as jarred salsa (through infinity and beyond?!), it does stay fresh in a screw top container in the fridge for a good week or more. Perfect for healthier snacking and semi-homemade condiment using. Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Blender Salsa

{Recipe only slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!}

1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes with juices

2 cans (10 oz each) Rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes and green chilies)

1/2 onion, chopped (we prefer white, but seem to only ever have yellow on hand)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno quartered & thinly sliced (may scrape out seeds for heat control)

1/4 t sugar

1/4 t + kosher salt

1/4 t ground cumin

1/2 cup + cilantro, coarse chopped

1/2 to 1 whole lime, juiced (to taste-we tend to like more)

This makes a very large batch as in barely fits in my blender. We usually do it in 2 batches and then mix it all together. A large food processor is recommended, that way everything doesn't get completely pulverized, but alas we don't have that option so the blender it is-and it tastes great regardless.

Combine first 8 ingredients (through cumin) in large processor or blender and blend until well combined. If using blender try to be minimal here, perhaps having everything basically finely diced to begin with (not tomatoes or course though) would help? Add lime juice and cilantro just till combined. Taste and adjust. Serve with tortilla chips or whatever your mexican food loving heart desires. If you can, make it ahead at least an hour so that flavors can meld together. But straight outta the blender ain't bad either!

Snack Time: 2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

This is really more of an idea than an actual recipe. I've had be sure to have 4 servings of fruit each day this week and while that's never a problem for me--it is yummy sweet fruit after all--it's nice to mix it up a bit. Most fruit dips I've come across are tasty and wonderful because of a sugary something and you betcha I'm a fan of that. But in consciously watching my sugar consumption I've had to think outside the box a bit. I found this idea on pinterest and we're already a houseful of fans. 2 ingredients: vanilla yogurt, peanut butter, and voila you're done. I've yet to try almond butter in any form, but might need to add it to the grocery list and see how well it takes the place of peanut butter sometime. Snack time has reached new and healthier heights, yay!

Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

Fruit of choice-apples seem to the obvious what with the peanut butter and all

2 parts vanilla yogurt (we go greek) to 1 part smooth peanut butter (or almond butter?)

Basically I just plop 2 heaping spoonfuls of yogurt and 1 heaping spoonful of peanut butter in a small bowl and stir to combine. Serve with fruit of choice. Enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie {The drink that's saving my bacon right now}

So remember how I mentioned that we're on a mission to be healthier? {AKA Operation: Lose the Donut around my midsection by not eating Donuts?) Ya so that's meant a rigorous (and yes it has felt rigorous to me) crackdown on sugar consumption-and a bunch of other things but those don't really pertain to this post. What does pertain though is the 6 days a week of no sugar (including honey), 1 day a week of blessed sugar. You should see my pinterest account, FULL of amazing baked treats that I'm somehow able to avoid actually baking. Go me! Anyhow, a life without chocolate and treats would be a depressing life indeed. So naturally I had to find a healthy alternative and I really think I have with this one.

It's cocoa powder, bananas, almond milk, and ice with an optional shot of cream and dash of vanilla. It's been a wondrous revelation. Sweetened by the bananas, no sugar needed. (Could even be vegan if you forgo the cream) Now I'm not gonna lie and tell you that it's just as good as a scoop of chocolate ice cream whizzed up in the blender, but you know it's almost as good and some might argue better since it's actually healthy. And you don't feel disgusting after eating it. It's truly saved my bacon these past weeks. Let it save yours too. (or just eat an extra cookie for me ;0)

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup almond milk

1 T cocoa powder

Crushed ice (1/2 a cup or so)

Optional: 1 t vanilla & 1 T whipping cream-not as healthy but really good all the same!

Place everything but ice in blender and process till smooth. Add crushed ice and blend till smooth. Serve immediately.

Note: The above amounts are definite guesstimations. Really I just throw it all in there and taste/observe as I go. And it's easily doubled/tripled. Our family is hooked so we need lots to go around.

Multigrain Bread

This my friends is our new favorite homemade bread recipe. It's wholesome and healthy, chock full of the goodness of 7 grain hot cereal, wheat flour, and a touch of sweetness. It's hardy and makes superb toast and sandwiches. And although it's a double raise special with an hour of letting the cereal soften before you really get started, it's not fussy and so far has turned out consistently great results for me. And I'm no yeast bread pro! Definitely worth the effort and perfect for a cold winter's day indoor project.

Multigrain Bread

{Recipe from Our Best Bites. Makes 2 loaves}

1 1/4 cups seven-grain HOT cereal mix (make sure it's marked "hot", I found my in the bulk organic section)

2 1/2 cups boiling water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

NOTE: I opted to use all wheat flour, a combo of white wheat and regular whole

1/4 cup honey

4 T butter, melted and cooled a bit

2 1/2 t instant or rapid-rise yeast (I think active dry would work fine, if you find yourself without instant)

Slightly less than a full Tablespoon kosher salt

Optional: 3/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Place cereal in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle and pour boiling water over it. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. Should resemble thick porridge. Mix flours together in a separate bowl.

Once grain mixture is ready, add honey, butter, and yeast. Mix on low until combined. Add 2 cups of mixed flour and mix for 2 minutes. Remove paddle and attach dough hook. Add remaining flour a 1/2 cup at a time until dough is tacky but not sticky. I found that I used all the flour every time. Cover bowl rightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes. Add salt and knead on med-low for another 5-7 minutes. Add seeds (if using) and knead another 20 seconds. Knead by hand (5 or so turns) into a smooth round ball. Place in lightly greased bowl (i reuse the mixer bowl), cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Grease 2 loaf pans. Transfer dough to lightly sprayed surface. Divide in half (I cut mine). Shape each chunk of dough into a loaf shape. Place in greased bread pan and spray lightly with cooking spray. Gently press a generous amount of rolled oats on top of each loaf. Cover lightly and let raise 40 minutes.

30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375. Bake until loaves register 200 degrees on a thermometer placed in the middle of one loaf, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Removed loaves from pans and continue to cool on wire rack. Slice and serve. Store in bread bags. Baked loaves may be wrapped well and frozen.