Reece's Pieces Pastel Egg Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 c peanut butter
• 1 c sugar, plus some left aside
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
• 2 c flour
• 1/2 c chocolate chips
• 1 bag Reece's Pieces Pastel Eggs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Cream together butter, peanut butter, both sugars, vanilla, eggs and baking soda with a mixer.
• Add 1 c flour and continue to mix with mixer. 
• Add the rest of the flour and mix with wooden spoon. Check texture. If dough is not sticky, you're ready to roll. If it is still sticky, slowly add more flour until it's not. 
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Roll dough into small balls (about an inch in diameter), then roll them in extra sugar.
• Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. 
• As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, place 2 Reece's Pieces Pastel Eggs on top and let cool.

Recipe from Cupcake Diaries

These were absolutely delicious and a cute Easter treat! 

Baja Fish Taco Bowls

Ingredients:

• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 3-4 tilapia filets (or other fish of your choice - mahi mahi, cod, etc.) *I used the frozen filets from Costco
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh would be ideal, frozen is next best *what I used as corn isn't in season right now, canned is last choice)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• cooked brown rice (I used 2 cups uncooked) or you use spinach for a low carb option
• Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, baja ranch (equal portions ranch dressing mixed with pico de gallo or salsa)

Directions:

1. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and rub on both sides of fish filets. I used all my seasoning, but this could be easily adjusted for your preferences.
2. In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, heat about 1-2 T of olive oil.  Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds before adding the fish filets to the pan.  Cook fish on each side for several minutes.  I flipped the fish when the white color (indicating it was cooked) starting creeping up to the top side/edges of the fish.  Fish is done when it is white all the way through and flakes apart.  Remove fish filets and set aside.  Do NOT clean the pan out.
3. In the same pan, add corn, red bell pepper, and onions without additional oil.  Stir and then let cook for a couple of minutes without stirring.  Repeat the stir and wait process a few times until the peppers and onions are tender crisp. The "wait" part of this process gives them the roasted touch and blackened edges. Add in the black beans and stir to heat through.
4. In a bowl, layer rice, corn/bean/pepper/onion mixture and top with fish (flaked apart).  Top with your preference of goodies listed above!

My family FLIPPED over this meal!  100% repeater... and probably next week even! We also did a low carb version by serving up the fish and veggies over spinach instead of rice and used pico de gallo or baja ranch for the dressing, also delicious! It was quick and easy.  Extremely healthy too depending on how you top it.  Love, love, love!  adapted from a recipe on pinchofyum blog.

Healthy Baked Apples

Ingredients: 

• 2 large apples, cut in half and cored 
• 2 T brown sugar 
• 1/4 c quick oats 
• pinch of cinnamon 
• olive oil 
• optional: whip cream or vanilla ice cream 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
2. Cut apples in half and remove core and seeds with a small pairing knife or spoon. 
3. In a small bowl combine brown sugar and oats. 
4. Spray/rub apple halves with olive oil, then spoon on top of the apple halves and sprinkle with cinnamon. 
5. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 
6. Serve warm with fat free whipped cream or low fat ice cream. 

I have a serious love of apple pie, but NOT the calories associated with it! It can be 400-600 calories a SLICE! Ugh. That doesn't count the ice cream or whip cream that must accompany it! With a 1/4c whip cream on each, these weigh in at 96 calories each! Without the whip cream, you could slice these up and eat them for breakfast! Deeeeelicious!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 chicken breasts (cooked chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces) 
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives (chopped) *I didn't include these 
• 1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 12 grape tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 english cucumber (sliced and quartered)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Bring the water, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.
2. Gently stir the chicken, onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

We absolutely loved this recipe!  We served it with some toasted pita bread cut in triangles and used them sort of like scoops/chips. The flavor was fresh and this will definitely be a repeater!

No-Bake Energy Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal (I used old fashioned oats)
2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
optional add-ins = 1/2 cup of: chocolate chips, craisins, raisins, peanut butter chips
I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Stir all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl (or mix in your mixer, I did) until thoroughly blended.  Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2.  Once chilled, roll into balls about an inch in diameter.  Enjoy!
3.  Store in an airtight container up to one week.

I originally got this recipe from my friend, Merissa.  She found the recipe on gimmesomeoven.com.

The options for mixture of ingredients are plenty!  You could substitute any of your favorite nut butters for the peanut butter, skip the flaxseed and/or chia seeds, and add any other similarly textured and beneficial ingredients.  The key is to make sure your mixture will stick together to form yummy balls of energy!

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fileted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup whole wheat flour (or almond flour for gluten free)
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
8 lemon slices
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Filet each chicken breast.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in skillet 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 
4. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
5. Add broth and lemon juice to skillet, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Add 8 lemon slices.
6. Remove skillet from heat; add thyme and basil and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and stir until butter melts. Pour sauce over chicken. 
7. Pour chicken and sauce into 8 x 8 baking pan.  Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes or until done.