Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken and Veggies

Adapted from Eating Well

Both of us love pad thai but neither of us have the time this week to go all out and make the full-fledged dish. Instead, we searched for one that was similar but feasible to make on our schedule - and without having to buy too many ingredients. When I found this recipe, it seemed simple enough. We ended up loving it!

Ingredients

• 6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp hoisin
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 4 oz. linguine or spaghetti
• 1 12-ounce bag steam fresh vegetables; we used carrots, broccoli, snow peas, and water chestnuts

Directions:

Boil a large pot of salted water for pasta.

While water is heating up, put chicken in a medium saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to low heat, simmering until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Once cool, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

Stir peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce and ginger in a large bowl.

Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, about 1 minute less than instructions on package. Steam veggies in the microwave and then add to the pasta until both are tender, about one more minute. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir the reserved pasta water into the peanut sauce; add the pasta, veggies, and chicken; toss well to fully coat with sauce.

Yield: 3 servings

Molten Lava Cake

Adapted from Clean Eating

One night last week Lauren was about to make a decadent pie (see recipe below) for a dessert party that we were having later in the week. This meant that it would be sitting in our fridge, staring at me for three whole days. My solution? Sift through my favorite cooking blogs in search of a quick and easy recipe that could satisfy my sweet tooth that night. I stumbled upon this one for molten lava cake. It allowed us to have single servings of chocolatey goodness... yum!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup sugar, or natural sweetener of choice
• 3 tbsp applesauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsps splenda or extra sugar, optional
• Strawberries and cool whip, optional (for topping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 4 small ramekins with cooking spray.

Combine cocoa powder and sugar in a medium bowl, then stir in applesauce and olive oil. In a small bowl, whisk egg and egg white. Add eggs to cocoa mixture, whisking until smooth.

Stir in flour and vanilla until flour is combined completely but be careful to not over mix. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Optional: sprinkle a little splenda or sugar on each cake - the cocoa is too bitter for me so I like to sweeten it a little more. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Centers should be soft but sides firm.

Flip cups over onto serving plates. Leave for a few minutes before removing cups. Optional: Garnish each cake with fruit slices and cool whip.

Yield: 4 small cakes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pie

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

You need a hand mixer to make this pie, but other than that the ingredients are common and the recipe easy. This pie was a hit among our friends and adds variety to the typical dessert party.

Ingredients:

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup and 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add the cup of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined.

In another mixing bowl, beat whipping cream and 2 tbsp. powdered sugar. Slowly add whipped cream into peanut butter mixture and mix. Then add chocolate chips and mix well. Spoon into crust and chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve.

Chicken Francese

Adapted from Skinny Taste

This meal was perfect for us tonight. We didn't have a lot of time to cook since we were having friends from our program over for dessert (recipes to come!). So, we had just enough time to prepare and enjoy this chicken francese! It was easy to make, appealing to the eye, and it tasted as good as it looked! The batter from the egg whites and flour really made this different from our usual dishes. The white wine and lemon were pretty great for flavor, too! We served this with some leftover veggies (from our vegetable pizza), which we steamed while cooking the chicken.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves, thinly sliced in 3 (6 cutlets total)
• 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup egg whites, beaten
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 lemon, sliced thin
• 1/6 cup white wine
• 1/2 can chicken broth
• Cooking spray
• Salt and fresh pepper
• 1 ½ tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Pour flour in one small bowl and beaten egg whites in another. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with cooking spray.

Flour the chicken on both sides, then dip in egg whites and add to the heated pan. Sauté chicken a few minutes on each side. Once cooked through and golden brown, place on a plate and set aside.

Pour the chicken broth in the bowl with the leftover flour and stir. Add to the pan along with the lemon juice and slices, wine, parsley and butter. Simmer for a couple minutes until it reduces and thickens. Turn off the heat and return chicken to the pan. Combine with sauce and serve!

Yield: 2 servings

Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia

Adapted from The Skinny Taste

This has been one of our most favorite meals recently- extremely easy and so delicious! The hardest part is mixing together the butter and lemon sauce. We also don't bake many of our meals, but after this one we plan to do so more often. This dish does need some side items, so we'd suggest cooked okra and red potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 4 oz. tilapia fillets
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
• cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter on medium-low heat in a small sauce pan. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add the lemon juice then remove from heat.

Spray baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Place fish in dish and season with salt and pepper. Pour the lemon butter mixture on the fish and sprinkle with parsley. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings