This past week I have made this snack mix not once, but twice.  That's how good it is! And the best part is that it takes just a few minutes to make, so it is dangerously delicious and easy to make!  I found the recipe on Pinterest like almost all of the other recipes I make.  It comes from a blog called Averie Cooks.  I have modified the instructions with some tips from my experience making this, so feel free to head over to the blog to see the original instructions and beautiful photos.

No Bake Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup canola, vegetable, or olive oil 
  
• One 1-ounce packet ranch dip seasoning mix powder
  
• About 4 cups popcorn, popped
  
• About 3 1/2 cups pretzels (I used regular twist pretzels, not waffle as shown above)
  
• 1/2 to 1 cup peanuts, almonds, cashews, or favorite nuts or mixed nuts, optional 
  
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated 

Directions:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the oil, ranch mix, and stir to combine. Add the popcorn, pretzels, nuts, and anything else you'd like to throw in there. 

Toss to evenly coat the mixture; it may seem a bit on the oily side, this is okay and it absorbs. Heat on high power for 2 minutes, stopping after 1 minute to toss the mixture because the oil has a tendency to pool at the bottom of the bowl. Add the Parmesan and toss to coat evenly. Serve mix immediately. Mix will keep for up to three days in an airtight container or large ziptop plastic bag; but is best enjoyed same day, noting that cheese has been added and some may wish to refrigerate the mix if storing it longer term. 

Optional Instructions: When you're almost done eating the snack mix you may find that there is a bunch of oil coating the bottom of the bowl.  Instead of throwing it out, I decided to make my mixture last even longer by adding more popcorn and pretzels to the bowl and re-heating it.  This worked well for me because my air-popped popcorn machine makes more than 4 cups in one batch, so I already had extra popcorn on hand.  After heating again I tossed on more parmesan cheese and it was like I had a fresh new batch.  By doing this my mix lasted me a couple of days, so I stored it in the fridge due to the parmesan cheese.  

I am going to continue posting my favorite recipes every Thursday, so please let me know if you have any recipe requests as far as dessert, side dish, entree, etc. goes.

Lately I have been experimenting with healthy dessert recipes that I have been finding on Pinterest.  It's amazing the things you can find on there, isn't it?  

The best part about the recipes I have been finding is that they are quick and super easy.  This recipe, for example, has two ingredients total.  The original post I found was on a blog called Sweet Verbena and it called for using either a yellow cake mix or devil's food cake mix. First I made this recipe using devil's food cake mix and the muffins turned out delicious.  Weirdly enough you can't taste the pumpkin in them at all.  

Next, I found the same recipe with a twist on a site called Meg's Every Day Indulgence.  She followed the same two ingredient instructions but used spice cake mix instead.  I thought these were even better than the chocolate muffins, which hardly seemed possible since chocolate is my all-time favorite flavor.  But there was something about the spice muffins that made them that much more amazing.

Next Thursday I'll be sharing another easy recipe that only has three ingredients.  Stay tuned for more!

Today I'm sharing one of my all-time favorite recipes that I just made again for the first time in a long time.  These no bake energy bites are healthy and delicious.  This was one of the very first recipes I tried from Pinterest and I've tried 235 recipes since then, but I still haven't forgotten this one.  This is just one of the recipes  that I have tried from GimmeSomeOven and they always taste amazing.  Here are the directions:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.
2. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
3. Makes about 20-25 balls.

I'm always on the lookout for healthy snacks, so let me know in the comments if you have any that you would recommend!

I know that I've found a favorite recipe when I keep going back to it every few weeks and it becomes a staple in my rotation of favorite recipes.  I've been making Tomato Basil Chicken regularly for quite a while now and finally decided to put it on the blog to share with everyone.  The recipes comes from MenuMusings.com.  Here is a link to the original recipe, including some amazing pictures.

Tomato Basil Chicken

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 2 chicken breasts (I use 4 pieces of Quorn Chick'n, a vegetarian option)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish

1. Season chicken breasts with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
   
2. Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your skillet.  This may seem like quite a bit, but it will form the base for the sauce.
   
3. While waiting for the oil to heat up, go ahead and get your water going for the pasta.  If you don't do it early, you'll have to sit and wait on the pasta to be done at the end.
   
4. When the oil is HOT, add the chicken breasts.  If the oil does not start sizzling immediately, then its not hot enough!  Adding meat to cold/cool oil will give you greasy meat!!
   
5. After about 4-5 minutes, the chicken breasts should be ready to turn.  You'll want to cook them on the second side another 4-5 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce them with a small sharp knife.  You don't want to OVER cook them, or they will be dry and tough.  If you pounded yours out thinner, they will cook faster than this.
   
6. After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, go ahead and add in the fresh tomatoes that you have chopped up.   There will be lots of steam, spitting, and sputtering!
   
7. Next, add the fresh basil that you have chopped into ribbons.
   
8. Next, add in the cold butter.  This will make the sauce silky.
   
9. Then the minced garlic.
   
10. You will probably want to add some more kosher salt and black pepper to season the sauce.
    
11. Now give it all a good stir so all those flavors will marry together.   When your chicken is "done," turn the sauce down on the lowest setting to keep it all warm until the pasta is cooked, which should be any minute now.  At this point, if still waiting for the pasta, you can remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and after resting just a couple of minutes, cut the chicken into slices on the bias.
    
12. Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and top each with half of a chicken breast, sliced into pieces, and equal portions of the tomato basil sauce.  Top with more fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiana reggiano cheese.
    

What is your favorite pasta dish?  Please share in the comments section!

Even while following the nutrition plan from Tone It Up, I still need an occasional treat from time to time.  Instead of derailing my progress by eating something unhealthy, I like to find recipes for healthy options.  Here is a link to find the original recipe for apple "cookies" on the blog by Rachel Schultz.

Apple Cookies
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 apple
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Pecans (I've also used sliced almonds)
Coconut shreds
Chocolate chips

1. Slice apple into thin rings and remove core. 
2. Spread peanut butter over one side of ring.
   
3. Top with pecans, coconut shreds, and chocolate chips.

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, so leave a note in the comments if you have any you would recommend!

I found this recipe on Pinterest just like almost all the recipes I make these days.  I pinned it to my Clean Eating board and tried it almost right away.  I was really impressed with how good the asparagus tasted!  

Here's a link to find the original posting on StockpilingMoms.com.  

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (or ½ tsp powdered garlic)
• Ziploc Bag
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper - to taste
• Sometimes I add onion powder too - ¼ tsp

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Rinse asparagus and let thoroughly dry.
3. Mince 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic or you can use 1 tsp powdered garlic.
4. Place asparagus into a gallon size ziploc bag..
5. Add garlic with 2 TBSP olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Shake your ziploc bag well until coated.
7. Spread out on baking sheet.
8. Place on top rack and bake for about 30 minutes.
9. The asparagus will start to brown up and get crunchy and that is when you are ready to pull it out of the oven.
10. It tastes AMAZING! You may need to double this it is that good!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other good recipes for asparagus!

Most of the recipes I try are found on Pinterest.  I currently have 184 recipes on my "Ones I've Made" board.  Of those 184 recipes, very few have disappointed.  Usually I try a recipe for the first time and enjoy it.  Sometimes I like it so much that I continue to make it over and over again.  Dragon Noodles is one of those recipes.  It can be found on the Budget Bytes website, which has figured out how much each ingredient costs and therefore can tell you how much a recipe will cost per serving.

The recipe calls for lo mein noodles, but I find it works just as well with fettuccine noodles.  I also really enjoy the egg in the dish, so I use two eggs instead of one.  Other than that, I've stayed true to the original recipe.  Here it is:

Ingredients

• 4 oz. lo mein noodles $1.13
• 2 Tbsp butter $0.20
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper $0.02
• 1 large egg $0.25
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce $0.02
• 1 Tbsp sriracha (rooster sauce) $0.08
• 1 handful fresh cilantro $0.22
• 1 sliced green onion $0.06

Instructions

1. Begin to boil water for the noodles. Once the water reaches a full boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil for 5-7 minutes).
2. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.
3. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper to the butter as it melts. Whisk an egg in a bowl and then add to the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking, turn off the heat.
4. When the noodles are tender, drain the water and then add them to the skillet with the cooked egg. Also add the prepared sauce. Turn the heat on to low to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the sauce. Sprinkle the sliced green and cilantro leaves (whole) on top and serve!

If you get a chance to try the recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments!

One ingredient.  Ten minutes.  Awesome recipe!  

Today I tried a recipe for cheese crackers from healthylivinghowto.com.  I already had some pre-cut pepper jack squares on hand, so I decided to bake them and see how they turned out.  Oh my goodness, they were so good!!  I couldn't even wait until they were totally cooled off before I ate them all, so they may be even better when they are crispy.  The best part is that four crackers were only 80 calories, so I could easily see myself making these as a healthy-ish afternoon snack.

Here is the recipe:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.

Add cheese slices leaving about 1/2 inch between.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until browned.

Using a paper towel, dab each cheese slice to absorb the oil.

Leaving cheese on parchment paper, transfer to wire rack to cool.

Will crisp once completely cool.

Enjoy!

I'm sure these would be great as an appetizer served with some kind of dip or as a side to soup like healthylivinghowto.com recommends, but I honestly enjoyed them all on their own!

I am always looking for new recipes, especially ones as quick and easy as this one.  Send me your favorite easy recipe so I can try it out!

It's been three weeks since I started eating clean and I've tried a lot of recipes during that time with mixed results.  This recipe is for BBQ Sweet Potato Chips and I found it on a great blog called The Sweet Life.  The brown sugar in the BBQ seasoning makes these chips not completely clean, but they're pretty healthy compared to store-bought potato chips.  

Warning: these babies can burn easily, especially if you use all of the seasoning mix instead of 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp as recommended. (I didn't read closely enough and used the entire batch!).  When I went to check on them there was smoke coming out of the oven and I had to rush to open the door and windows before the smoke alarm went off!  Thankfully the alarm didn't go off and not all of the chips were burnt, just some on the sheet on the lower rack.

Just looking at these amazing pictures from The Sweet Life has me craving these again!

Baked BBQ Sweet Potato Chips
makes 2 large sheet trays

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 -2 tbsp BBQ seasoning mix (recipe follows)

BBQ Seasoning Mix
makes about 2/3 cup

1/4 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup paprika
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
Store in an airtight container. 

Procedure: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
Slice sweet potatoes as thinly as possible. I used a mandolin set on 3mm.
Toss potatoes in olive oil and BBQ seasoning mix until well coated.
Place on parchment lined baking sheets in a single layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once half way through, until cooked all the way through.
Let cool completely before devouring.

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I've found so far on Pinterest, but I've always made it with tofu.  It doesn't exactly fit into my clean eating plan, but I'll save it for special cheat meals.

It came from a great website called Made It. Ate It. Loved It.  You can find the recipe here: http://madeitateitlovedit.blogspot.com/2012/03/sweet-and-sour-chicken.html 

Breading:
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:
3/4 cups white sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.