A Birthday of Rainbows and Unicorns

For my daughter's 6th birthday party, she chose the theme of rainbows and unicorns. I loved her creative idea that wasn't the usual cartoon or toy character. AND different than the dog, cat, or pet shop parties of the last few years. I found ideas and inspiration all over the web, and came up with a few ideas of my own.

Birthday banner made with my Cricut machine and tissue paper pom-poms.

Homemade sour cream sugar cookies & a rainbow of fruit platter.

Stained Glass Jell-O squares, monogramed lollies, and white chocolate unicorn pops.

6 layers of rainbow deliciousness!!

Kelly's was the closest horn!

They decorated wooden unicorns found for $1 @Michaels.

The only picture that really shows her rainbow dress (from Target).

Happy Birthday to my little Rainbow Brite!

We can all eat Asparagus again!

         Asparagus isn't a dirty word anymore in our house. My kids aren't heaping their plates with it yet, but at least they eat a few bites of this flavorful and healthy vegetable dish. Time saving tip: Costco sells a bag of frozen pre-cooked brown rice in 4-serving portions, ready in 3 minutes, that makes this recipe so easy and fast.The back of bag had this great recipe.

 Asparagus and Parmesan with Toasted Pine Nuts - serves 3
  1 pouch Rice Expressions Natural Brown Rice (or 2 cups precooked brown rice)
  2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces
  1 teaspoon minced garlic
  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts (pignoli)
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook rice in microwave for 3 minutes.  
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts as oil heats and cook until brown. Stir frequently and take care not to burn.
Add asparagus to oil as soon as pine nuts brown and stir fry until crisp tender, 1-1/2 minutes; add a pinch of salt and a grinding of black pepper.
Add garlic and stir fry 30 seconds.
Remove rice from microwave and add to the skillet.
Stir fry until heated through, 1 minute. Add cheese and serve.

 

My Fav Veggie Side: French String Beans with Bacon

         All side dishes are made better with bacon, and my vegetables are no exception. As a kid I hated green beans, frozen, canned, fresh or steamed. Bleh. As an adult, I've tried to embrace vegetables and make healthy eating taste amazing! Here is my favorite vegetable side that's impossibly easy, healthy, and SO TASTY. If I had these as a kid, I would have changed my mind about green beans sooner!

 

Costco sells a 2-pk of fresh french string beans, and a large bag of real bacon bits. Easy, easy.

French String Beans with Bacon 

1 - 1.5 lbs fresh french string beans, washed

2 tsp. tub margarine (Smart Balance is my taste preference)

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp real bacon crumbles (more, if you really love bacon!)

(Possible additions: Almond slivers, blue cheese crumbles, toasted bread crumbs)

 Bring a small amount of water to a boil in a saucepan with a steamer insert. Place string beans in steamer basket and cover, steaming for 7-8 minutes. 

When beans are tender/crisp, place in a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Delicious and healthy!

   

Peachy Keen Crisp

Peachy Keen - def. (N)- Super duper, just perfect, hunky dory, jim dandy, two thumbs up.

I love peach desserts!! Cobblers, crumbles, cream cakes, pies, and ice cream. Crumbles are my favorite, so I had to share this delicious recipe. From "In the Kitchen THE COSTCO WAY"

Peach Crisp                                              

 Filling:                                  Topping:

4 large peaches                       1 stick butter or margarine                  

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon           3/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar       2/3 cup sugar (I use 1/2 Splenda, 1/2 sugar)

1/2 cup water                        Sprinkles of brown sugar and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 Tip: I blanch the peaches to peel them easily by dropping them in boiling water for 5 seconds. The skin easily comes off without taking the flesh with it. 

To prepare the filling, wash, peel and slice peaches. Place in a buttered 9x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Pour 1/2 cup water over peaches.

 To prepare the topping, cut cold butter into the flour and sugar. (This mixture should be grainy and chunky, not smooth.) Cover the peaches with this mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon to taste. 

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve warm, and top with vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip. Serves 8.

Are you hungry yet?!

Southwest Chicken Sausage Skillet

Quick, and full of lots of vegetables, fiber, and most importantly, FLAVOR!

This recipe was on the back of the sausage, and was a big hit, so I thought I'd share.

 Ingredients:

14-oz. Chicken sausage

1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced

2 cups frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained

2 cups cooked rice

Salsa, to taste

Shredded cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top

  Cut Hillshire Farm Chicken Sausage, zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. Cook and stir in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is browned and veggies are soft. 

I used roasted-red bell peppers, so I didn't add them until the onion/zucchini mixture was cooked.

 Stir in frozen corn, can of black beans (drained), and cooked rice. 

Season to taste with garlic salt, salsa, and top with cheese, if desired. 

Lemon-Garlic Chicken

 This healthy chicken recipe is DELISH, and a hit with everyone at our house. It's easy, too! I served it with sauteed zucchini and brown rice steamed in low-sodium chicken broth.

(The P90X fitness program is where I found this recipe.)

Start with a few basic ingredients:

Lemon-Garlic Chicken

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp molasses

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

lemon wedges

parsley sprigs

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a nonreactive dish and add chicken. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Remove chicken from dish, reserving marinade, and arrange in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Pour reserved marinade over chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. Bake without basting for 20 minutes more or until chicken is done. Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with parsley, if desired.

3 Servings; 1 serving = 153 calories, 4 g fat, 21 g protein, 8 carbohydrates, 86 mg cholesterol, 219 mg sodium.

Chunky Coco-Nutty Cookies

Full of chocolate chunks, creamy peanut butter, soft oats, and sweet coconut, this cookie is a combination of my favorite cookies in one! They could use a cool name, so if you have any suggestions, please comment and let me know! 

Chunky Coco-Nutty Cookies

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks 
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional, nobody in our house likes nuts in cookies but if you do, knock yourself out).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with electric mixer. Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla, and continue beating. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder together. Add flour mixture by hand to butter mixture. Then add oats, chocolate, coconut, and nuts. Mix well. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool a few minutes before you take cookies off cookie sheet. Store in air tight container. Yields: 2 dozen.