Grandma Meg's Spinach Salad

My Grandmother shared this recipe with me years ago. Every time I make it, I still pull out the handwritten recipe card even though I know it by heart. There's something very special about cooking her recipes that were so much a part of my childhood. This salad pairs perfectly with any meal, whether it's an upscale steak dinner or a simple summer burger. We always traveled to Connecticut to spend Easter with Grandma and I plan to serve her recipe for Easter dinner just as she served it with hers.

Grandma Meg's Spinach Salad Recipe

For the salad:
11 oz. baby spinach
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup mandarin oranges, canned
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

For the dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp. bacon bits
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. red onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp. salt

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat and serve. Store leftover dressing in refrigerator. Enjoy!

Tips: This recipe serves 3-4 people so you may want to double it if you plan to serve a crowd. The dressing goes a long way! Start with a small amount...you can always add more!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

 

This bread is so simple and fresh....it’s perfect for spring! I usually serve it for breakfast, but it would be a delicious snack or dessert too!
 

Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe

From Eat Yourself Skinny

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar (or 6 tbsp. Splenda)

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. lemon zest

½ cup milk

1 pint fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9x5x3 inch) with non-stick cooking spray. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With your mixer on low speed, add ½ cup flour and mix. Add ½ cup milk and mix. Continue to add flour, milk, flour and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Allow bread to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drizzle glaze evenly over the top.

 

Thin Mint Fudge Brownies

St. Patrick's Day is this weekend so I decided to whip something up to share at the office. Of course, my chocoholic husband snuck a few too! This recipe combines my love of brownies and girl scout cookies into one dessert. Enjoy!

 

Thin Mint Fudge Brownies

From Inside BruCrew Life

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix
3 1/4 cups white chocolate
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 7 oz. container marshmallow fluff
2 packet Duncan Hines Mint Chocolate Frosting Creations
1 cup Thin Mints (or mint chocolate cookies), coarsely chopped

Bake the brownies according to the directions on the box (use the 2 egg recipe) in a 9x13 glass dish. Add white chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk to a large saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until smooth. Stir in the mint chocolate flavoring packets and marshmallow fluff, stirring until smooth. Pour the fudge mixture over the cooled brownies. Evenly sprinkle cookie crumbs on top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours then cut into small squares.

 

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

From Life as A Lofthouse

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup sugar (or Splenda)
4 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into flour then into egg. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook until browned on all sides. Place chicken into a greased 9x13 glass pan. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake for one hour. Turn the chicken every 15 minutes, tossing with the sauce to coat. Serve with steamed rice and broccoli.

Tip: Invest in a rice steamer to make perfect rice every time! I couldn't live without mine!

Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

I make these muffins for my husband to take to work for breakfast. He loves them because they're chocolate and I love them because they're healthy. They're only about 140 calories each, but I didn't tell him!

Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

From Dashing Dish

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup oats
3 egg whites
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup hot water
½ cup sugar
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a blender, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into muffin tin. Add half of the chocolate chips to each muffin and stir gently to combine. Bake for 10 minutes. Add remaining chocolate chips to tops of the muffins. Bake an additional 5-8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Tips: Try Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar for an even lower calorie muffin!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

It's finally starting to feel like Spring is on the way and I'm getting very excited for summer! This sweet and spicy chicken is perfect for a summer barbecue or an easy weeknight dinner. It's really quick and has soo much flavor. Let's be honest...anything wrapped in bacon is pretty much amazing. Serve with some grilled veggies and a salad!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe

From Diary of a Recipe Addict

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Hot chili powder
1 lb. bacon
Brown sugar

 

Fire up your grill! Season chicken strips with spices, to taste. Wrap a piece of bacon around each chicken strip. Roll each bacon wrapped chicken strip in brown sugar, making sure they are well coated. Place chicken on grill and cook until done. 

Tip: If you're not up to grilling, try baking it at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.

Greek Baked Tomatoes

These tomatoes are a great, super easy, healthy dish. Serve the tomatoes with crusty Italian bread as an appetizer or alone as a side.

Greek Baked Tomatoes

Adapted from My Kitchen Affair

Ingredients:
Medium tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Parmesan cheese
Feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices (about 1/3 inch thick). Place the tomatoes on baking sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano and Parmesan cheese over tomatoes, to taste. Add about 1 tsp. feta cheese to top of each tomato and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

Tip: I usually turn the broiler on at the end for a minute or so, until the cheese starts to turn golden brown. You can really play around with the ingredients. Try using fresh Parmesan instead of the feta. Or fresh basil and mozzarella. The possibilities are endless!