Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

Friday, April 14, 2017

Peanut Post: Preschool Lunches Part I

You didn't think I was going to pack Peanut's lunch several times a week and not take at least a few pictures, did you?  Psssh, of course not!  For the first time, I'm realizing "the big deal" with packing healthy, easy to eat quickly lunches that can be kept cool with an ice pack for several hours.  It's not as simple as it sounds!  But, never fear, here are a few fun ideas from this Mama's kitchen:
Also, see Part II here!


1.  Leftover pasta salad, whole grain fig bars, grapes (This is one of her favorites)

2.  Turkey/cheese/spinach wrap, whole grain fig bars, strawberries
(and extra leaves by request)



3.  Half PB&J sandwich, hummus with feta and carrots, dried cranberries with almonds
4.  Leftover pizza, spinach/cherry tomato "salad", blueberries, craisins/mixed nuts
5. Chicken/cheese/spinach wrap, cucumbers/tomatoes, grapes, whole grain cinnamon crackers

6. leftover pizza, tomatoes/olives, quinoa bar

7.  whole wheat pancakes/syrup, pecans, grapes
(be sure the syrup part is sealed well... ours was not)

8. apples/celery with peanut butter, cheese stick, almonds/raisins, whole grain fig Newtons.

9. turkey slices, spinach/tomato salad, olive/cheese toothpicks, cheddar bunny crackers






General tips:
- Pack for multiple days at a time and store in the fridge, ready to go.  Pack your own lunch while you're at it to cut down on time in the morning.
- Preschoolers don't eat much of any one thing, so split the wrap/sandwich and use it to make two lunches.  Cuts down on waste and time!
- Try a variety of foods and rotate so your child doesn't get bored or in a routine of eating the same thing.  Once they do, they may not want to try something new.
- Incorporate whole grains, protein, dairy, fruit and veggies, if possible.
- Use leftover lunch food as their after school snack - that way, you know they are getting all of those carefully balanced nutrients you worked so hard to include.  And again, less waste.
- Finger foods are always a bonus for this age.  But it never hurts to send a fork/spoon once in awhile for favorites, such as pasta salad.
- Pack realistic portions for your child's appetite and the time allotted for lunch.
- Not a must, but out of courtesy, try to limit the number of lids/wrappers/containers the poor preschool teachers have to unwrap - remember it could be whatever you send times 20! Practice with your child to see if they can open them on their own.  Sectioned containers work well - at the very least, it's only one lid. (Annalyn has no problem with these containers.)





Monday, August 15, 2016

No Cook Refrigerator Dill Pickles

What do you do when you find yourself with more cucumbers than you can eat, and a couple of crazy kids?  Make pickles, of course!  I chose not to go through with canning them (did you read the part about the crazy kids?), so we went the refrigerator pickles route.  I even tossed in some yellow squash for color and variation.  And because I can only come up with so many things to do with it!  Being a science geek, I couldn't help but try slight variations in each jar until I found my favorite.  Granted, it may have backfired because Michael and I prefer two different recipes, but it's all good. Seriously, though, they are ALL good!  And super easy with no cooking required.  Here's how Mama and her crazy kiddos make it:


Refrigerator Dill Pickles






Ingredients:
(makes 3 pint jars)
- 3 medium-large cucumbers
- 1 small-medium yellow squash
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 c. vinegar (white or cider)
- 3-6 T. sugar (more on this later)
- 3 T. kosher or canning salt
- 4 1/2 T. dried dill weed, or 6 T. chopped fresh dill
- 1 1/2 t. mustard seed
- 3 T. minced garlic, or about 6 cloves
- 3 wide mouth pint jars

Friday, August 12, 2016

Homemade Frozen Pizza

Yes, you heard me right.  Homemade FROZEN pizza.  No, it's not shaped like Olaf or one of Elsa's magical snowflakes.  It's good ole homemade pizza, with the ease of the frozen ones.  The more we add to our plate, the more I'm finding that we can't always keep up with making everything from scratch.  At least not in real time.  Enter the ever-popular make ahead freezer meal!  I see a few of these in my pregnant sister-in-laws' future ;)


Basically, I use the same recipes that I use for my weekly pizzas, but pre-cook the crust slightly so it sets up before adding the toppings then popping in the freezer.  From there, you can just pull it out and bake!  I'm thinking when I do make them in real-time, I'm going to just double it to stock up the freezer. Imagine the possibilities!!






Homemade Frozen Pizza

Ingredients:
For our favorite pizza recipes, including crust, toppings, etc., see this post on Family Pizza Night.
 


Directions:
1.  Make the dough.  For freezing, I split one batch of the dough into 6 smaller pizzas that would fit inside a gallon freezer bag. 
Side pony, beads, and bedhead
that's how everyone makes pizza dough, right?

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Ratatouille, Disney Style

Who doesn't love a little Disney magic in their life?  I sure do!  So when we watched Disney Pixar's "Ratatouille" and Annalyn asked if she could eat ratatouille, I was happy to oblige.  Especially since we have an abundance of summer squash and zucchini in the garden right now.  Unlike the traditional method of chopping the vegetables and serving more like a stew, I made it "Disney style" like in the movie with thinly sliced, beautifully presented veggies.   Here's how this Disney Mama made it:


Ratatouille, Disney Style



Ingredients:
- 1 each (preferably long and skinny, very thinly sliced):  yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce
- 3 T. olive oil, divided
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 2 T. minced garlic
- 2 t. balsamic vinegar
- 1 t. fresh thyme
- s/p to taste
- parchment paper

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Family Pizza Night



We've accidentally developed a little pizza night tradition in our family.  Somehow, Sunday nights became synonymous with pizza just as much as Sunday mornings are with pancakes.  We are creatures of habit and when it comes to two of our favorite foods, why not?!  After realizing that we were spending quite a bit each month on weekly pizza nights, we decided to start making our own, with the occasional ordering out.  We've experimented with a couple different crust recipes, and made some fun discoveries, including the best breadsticks ever.  These aren't so much my own originals, but more of my collection of pizza night favorites in case my girls ever find their sentimental sides and want to duplicate it someday (hey, a mama can hope, right?).  Here's how our family does Sunday pizza night:






Crust:




Martha Stewart's Quick Basic Pizza Dough - this dough is not only easy, but also super versatile.  It makes a nice hand-tossed or thin crust and THE BEST BREADSTICKS!  I like to use 3 c. all-purpose and 1 c. whole wheat flour.


Ingredients:
  • 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

   
Directions:
  1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.
  3. To freeze, you can wrap the dough in plastic and freeze it in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for half a batch, divide it before freezing.



Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Pierogi Lasagna

This little creation was thought up/seen somewhere by my dear husband and since it's way less time consuming than actual pierogis (which he's been excited to try making since he got me a pasta attachment for my mixer), I decided to humor him and give it a shot.   I mean, carb overload aside, what can go wrong by mixing noodles, mashed potatoes, and sautéed onions?  I say win/win.  So, the result of my Saturday experiment is this yummy comfort food classic, pierogi lasagna. It would also be a great use for leftover mashed potatoes (though probably on a smaller scale). Here's how Mama makes it:




Pierogi Lasagna


Total time: 90 min
servings:  8




Ingredients:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 6 T. butter
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 6 c. garlic mashed potatoes* (see my recipe below)


*garlic mashed potatoes:
- 3 lb. bag red potatoes, washed, peeled, and quartered
- 4-5 whole garlic cloves
- 6 T. butter
- 3/4 to 1c. milk
- salt/pepper, to taste



Saturday, February 27, 2016

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cone Cakes

This recipe combines two, well three, of my favorite desserts into one yummy, kid-friendly, creation.  Strawberry mini cupcakes baked into mini ice cream cones, dipped in chocolate, and covered in sprinkles.  The best part is that the chocolate hardens, making storage a breeze.  Plus, they are tiny enough not to ruin your summer-is-right-around-the-corner diet.  Take a look at how Mama makes these beautiful little cone cakes:


Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cone Cakes




Ingredients: (makes 42 mini cones)
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- 1 c. water
- 1/2 c. oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 (42 ct.) package mini ice cream cones
- 1 package semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- sprinkles of your choice

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Banoffee Pudding

Remember this crazy delicious banoffee pie that I made (and then made again about 823,304,329 times...)?  Well, when we had an abundance of ripe bananas, I decided to make banana pudding. You know, the traditional wafer cookie, banana slices, and pudding all layered together in a pretty trifle bowl.  Then I added cinnamon to the cream before I whipped it, because well, who doesn't like a little cinnamon with everything banana (really? Just me?).  That one little change instantly reminded us of my cinnamon whipped cream topped banoffee pie.  So I did what any self-respecting cook would do - I made another batch and tweaked it some more until this recipe was born.  Instead of plain sweetened condensed milk, I used dulce de leche (or in my case, boiled sweetened condensed milk for about 2 hours until it made dulce de leche).  Again, I added some cinnamon to the cream and layered in some mini chocolate chips.  It was heavenly.  Go ahead, try it - here's how Mama makes it:

Banoffee Pudding


Ingredients:
- 1 large package instant vanilla pudding (about 2/3 c. mix)
- 1 1/2 c. water
- 1 (14 oz) can dulce de leche* 
- 3 c. heaving whipping cream
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1 box vanilla wafers
- 5 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1/3 c. mini chocolate chips
*(or sweetened condensed milk, boiled in the can for 2-2.5 hours)

Friday, November 20, 2015

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy

Here's a super simple way to make turkey and gravy if you only need to serve about 6-8 people or less.  Maybe you live away from family and are having a small Thanksgiving meal. Maybe you have to work on Thanksgiving so you don't have all day to tend to and baste a perfectly roasted bird. Maybe you have only a few people that like turkey and the rest want ham. This is a great way to free up the oven and make turkey and gravy all at once!  I made it this week with a small 3 lb. turkey breast as an easy weeknight meal.  Based on this recipe, here's how Mama makes it:

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy


Ingredients:
- 3 T butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 c. Flour
- 3 c. Chicken stock
- 2 sprigs Rosemary 
- 4-5 sage leaves
- 1 t. Thyme (dried or fresh)
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3-8 lb turkey breast (bone in or boneless)
- 2 T. Cornstarch

Friday, October 16, 2015

Russian Black Bread Crackers

Here was the train of thought that lead me to this recipe:

"I wonder how hard it is to make homemade crackers... It can't be that hard, right?"<looks up several recipes for crackers>

"This doesn't look so hard, I'm going to try it... I HAVE to try this."

<random thought creeps in> "I bet I could make a cracker out of Grandpa's Russian black bread recipe... Rye, molasses, coffee, chocolate..." (recipe)

"And what to put on top of the cracker? Well, Grandpa always liked cream cheese on the bread, so that would be good... Or butter, you can't go wrong with butter. But not stick butter, the soft whipped kind..."

"Ah-hah! I'll make my own butter! Fresh  soft butter, that will do it justice!" <see how to make butter post here>

And without further random thoughts, here's how Mama makes Russian black bread crackers:

Russian black bread crackers 






Yield:  about 3 dozen crackers
Ingredients:
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 c. Rye flour
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/4 t. Salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 1 t. Sugar
- 1 T. Instant coffee
- 1 t. Crushed fennel
- 2 t. Cocoa powder
- 3 T. Molasses



Thursday, October 15, 2015

How to Make Butter

Until I had done it myself, I would have never imagined how easy it is to make your own butter.  All you need is some heavy cream, a little salt, and a mixer and in a matter of minutes, you have fresh homemade butter.  From there, you can obviously add things like honey/cinnamon, garlic/herbs, etc. to make flavored butter spreads.  For today, we stuck to the basic, lightly salted butter.  It was a great learning opportunity for Annalyn - we talked about what goes in the bowl (cream, salt), where cream comes from, what we do to the cream to make it into butter, and what we call the liquid that comes off when the butter forms (buttermilk - pancakes, anyone?).  Emma liked to be picked up to see each step, too, but her favorite part was definitely sampling the end product on saltine crackers (and later our homemade crackers.)  Here's how Mama makes fresh, creamy, 2-ingredient butter:

Homemade Butter

 
Ingredients:
- 2 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 t. salt (optional)

yields:  1 c. butter plus 1 c. buttermilk

Friday, October 9, 2015

Apple Cider Coffee Cake

Here's a fun fall twist on one of my favorite family recipes, my mom's coffee cake.  The way I see it, you can never go wrong with adding apples to any baked good during the fall and winter months. I made this one in honor of the apple trees Michael planted for me as a birthday gift. Starting a home orchard has been a dream of mine for awhile now and I can't wait to use our own apples for fall baking here in a few years! But for now, here's how Mama makes apple cider coffee cake:

Apple Cider Coffee Cake




Ingredients:
- 1 c. sugar
- 5 T. shortening
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. apple cider
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
for the topping:
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1 T. flour
- 2 T. cold butter
- 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
 (I actually made 1 and 1/2 times this recipe in a 9x13" pan since my whole family was visiting)


Friday, September 11, 2015

Runza Casserole

Remember when I made these runzas because I had a major craving for one and Michael wouldn't drive 11 hours each way to get one?  Yea, well, still not feasible apparently.  If anyone has a private jet they could loan me on a whim a few times a year when I really need a runza, I'd really appreciate it.  I'll even pay you in pie.

Oooooor, we can make a runza casserole, says the logical, practical, realistic mama in me.  This is about as easy of a "runza" as I can come up with.  For about 30 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking time, you can have a runza-esque dinner!  Just like regular runzas, you can get creative and personalize them.  My suggestions:  cheeseburger runza - add ketchup/mustard, bacon, and pickles; spicy runza - pepperjack cheese and jalapenos; mushroom swiss runza - swiss cheese and mushrooms.  You get the picture!  I decided to start with the classic cheese runza since it's always a hit, and it did not disappoint.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Runza Casserole



Ingredients: (makes 6 servings)

- 2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls (get the dough sheets if you can find them, they don't have the perforations!)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 c. chopped cabbage
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. black pepper
- 1/2 t. garlic salt
- 2 t. sugar
- 1 c. shredded cheese

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Basil & Spinach Pesto

Do you ever find yourself with an overabundance of basil?  After making many a caprese salad, two big batches of these strawberry tarts, several glasses of blueberry basil lemonade, a couple watermelon orzo salads, and these beautiful lasagna roll-ups, I still had more basil than I knew what to do with this summer.  Especially since my tomatoes haven't done so hot this year.

Hmm, what to do with lots of extra basil....

Uh, make pesto, of course!  And then make some more (it actually freezes well, too!).

Pesto is great as a pasta sauce (leave about 1/2 c. cooking liquid in with the pasta before stirring it in), as a dipping sauce for veggies, to top chicken, or as a quick appetizer with some crackers.  I like to use half basil, half spinach to tone down the basil flavor a little for the kiddos and also add some dark green leafy veggies (always a plus in my book).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Basil & Spinach Pesto


Ingredients:
- 1 c. packed basil leaves
- 1 c. packed baby spinach
- 1/3 c. pine nuts
- 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/2 t. salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of paprika, optional

Friday, August 28, 2015

2 Minute Apple Crisp

Is anyone else loving this fall(ish) weather?  I sure am!  (Even if it's going to be near 90 next week...) I couldn't resist making something reminiscent of fall food, but since we've been trying hard to eat healthy, I didn't want to completely splurge on something like pie.  So I opted for this super easy apple crisp-type snack (for under 200 calories!).  All you need is an apple, a little cinnamon, and a handful of granola (I used pre-made this time, but I think it'd be extra yummy with this homemade granola with dried cherries/cranberries).  Here's how Mama makes it:

2 Minute Apple Crisp




Ingredients: (per 1 serving)
- 1 Apple, sliced
- 2-3 T. Water
- 1/4 t. Cinnamon
- 1/4 c. Granola
Optional - feel like splurging? Top with a scoop of ice cream! Feel like splurging big time? Top the ice cream with caramel syrup. 

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

Last Monday, my new tech, Nancy, and I were talking about meatloaf.  Because everyone has lengthy work conversations about meatloaf... right?  Well, anyway, at some point she asked me if I'd ever stuffed a meatloaf.  

Me:  WHAT?  Stuffed meatloaf?  Wait, with what???  

N:  Oh, you know, broccoli and cheese or something like that.

Me:  <mouth hanging slightly open, obviously in deep, deep thought>  So, frozen or fresh?  Walk me through this...

N:  I usually just use the frozen broccoli with cheese sauce.

Me:  So easy! I must try this!

And so I did... the very next day.  Using my tried and true meatloaf recipe, I whipped up a batch and for once, actually put it in a loaf pan so I could effectively stuff the broccoli in the middle.  And it was awesome.  It tasted great and sparked a rousing dinner conversation I'd like to adapt into a short story entitled, "Foods we could stuff inside a meatloaf."  Chapter 1 - Sausage, bacon, and cheese.  Chapter 2 - Mushroom and swiss.  Chapter 3 - Pickles.  Chapter 4 - Any combination involving cheese and jalapenos. Chapter 5 - Meatloaf-induced heart attack and how to respond.  (How many chapters can a short story have before it's considered a book?  I'll have to look into this...)

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.   Start slow with this broccoli and cheese stuffed meatloaf recipe.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf


Ingredients:
meatloaf:
- 1 lbs. ground beef
- 1/3 medium onion, chopped
- 1 pkg. reduced fat Ritz crackers, crushed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t. Lawry's seasoning salt
- 1/4 t. black pepper
- 1/4 t. garlic powder
filling:
- 1 package steam-in-the bag broccoli & cheese sauce

for the piquant sauce: (amounts are approximate, adjust to taste)
- 1 c. ketchup
- 1/4 c. mustard
- 1/4 c. brown sugar


Monday, August 10, 2015

Homemade Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer

Do you love the taste of store-bought creamers, but not the price or lengthy list of ingredients?  Yea, me too.  My solution was to start making our own!  It's super easy to do and with only 4 ingredients, I feel much better about indulging.  We've been making our own for the past few months and have no intention of going back.  You can use any extracts you like, but this is our favorite (tastes like Nestle's Italian Sweet Cream).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Homemade Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer



Ingredients:
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 t. almond extract
- 3 t. vanilla extract
- 3 c. half & half, or milk


Friday, August 7, 2015

Brownie Batter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Is there anything better than a mix between a brownie and a cupcake?  I mean, really?  If there is, I don't want to know - my waistline can't handle it!  This recipe was created as a last day gift to my old technician who moved out of state.  He is obsessed with chocolate and anything that I'd consider "too rich to eat more than a bite of."  They were a hit with my family and the entire pharmacy staff.  Essentially, it's a chocolate cupcake with brownie batter buttercream icing.  Yes, it is as dreamy as it sounds.  Here's how Mama makes it:



Brownie Batter Chocolate Chip Cupcakes


Ingredients: makes 30-36 cupcakes, depending on size
cake:
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 small box instant chocolate pudding
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 c. sugar
- dash of salt
- 1 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
- 3 eggs
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 c. water
- 1 T. vanilla

icing:
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 3 oz. dark chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 t. vanilla
- 2/3 c. brownie mix
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. milk
- chocolate chips/sprinkles/chocolate shavings as garnish, optional
(afternoon coffee and cute apron, also optional... but highly recommended)

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Avocado

Another low-sodium recipe in my little mini-series of DASH-friendly dishes:  grilled turkey burgers with avocado.  Again, I utilized the salt-free seasoning to add flavor without sodium to our meat.  I decided to top with some avocado slices in place of traditional burger condiments that are higher in sodium (and I'm just obsessed with adding avocado to everything these days).  If you decide to opt for ketchup, look for low-sodium and low-sugar varieties to keep with the heart healthy diet plan.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Avocado



Ingredients:  makes three 1/3 lb. burgers, 9 WW pts each
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/3 c. chopped onion
- 1 1/2 t. salt-free seasoning blend**
- 3 reduced-fat buns
- 1 avocado, sliced or mashed

**salt-free seasoning blend
- 2 T. black pepper
- 1 T. cayenne pepper (feel free to use less or leave it out if you want a milder version
- 1 T. paprika
- 1 T. onion powder
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. parsley
Mix together, store in a spice jar, use in place of salt on your favorite foods!



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken

Every now and then, I get an excuse to combine my passion (cooking) with my profession (pharmacist).  This summer, I got the opportunity to help my summer intern with a project relating to the DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension), a low-sodium/low-saturated fat diet aimed at helping people lower their blood pressure by making changes to their eating habits.  As a part of her project, she and a partner made and handed out a salt-free seasoning blend designed to be used in place of salt.  They encouraged patients to replace their salt shaker with this seasoning blend, in the hopes that they could cut some salt out of their diet, while still eating flavorful foods.  Before her final presentation coming up, I offered to design a couple recipes using the salt-free seasoning blend that she could distribute along with it.  The first in this series, this baked cilantro lime chicken is the perfect compliment to the DASH eating plan.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken



Ingredients:
- 2/3 c. nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 T. salt-free seasoning blend **
- 2 T. fresh cilantro
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into halves (about 4 oz. each)
- 4 to 6 sheets of  foil
makes 4 servings, 4 WW pts each

**salt-free seasoning blend
- 2 T. black pepper
- 1 T. cayenne pepper (feel free to use less or leave it out if you want a milder version)
- 1 T. paprika
- 1 T. onion powder
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. parsley
Mix together, store in a spice jar, use in place of salt on your favorite foods!



Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine yogurt, lime juice, spice blend, and cilantro.  Whisk until smooth.



2.  Place 4 oz. chicken on each piece of foil.  Coat both sides with yogurt sauce.  Gather foil loosely around chicken and fold over to seal.

3.  Place foil packets on a baking sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

4.  Using oven mitts, open foil (carefully, there will be steam).

5.  Broil chicken on foil until lightly browned and cooked through, about 7-10 minutes more.


printable recipe