Krispy Kale Chips

 I will admit I'm not a big veggie eater. I feel bad for my husband who loves broccoli and never gets it at my house because I can't stand it. But I do want my children to eat a lot healthier than I do/did, so I have been trying to incorporate all kinds of interesting ways to incorporate more vegetables.

My sister, who has been eating super clean over the last year (she has lost almost 50 pounds!) first told me about kale chips a while ago. I thought they sounded a bit strange, but since I now see them all over Pinterest, I figured I'd give them a try this week.

There are a lot of recipes out there for kale chips, but here are the most important things you need to know about kale chips:

Weekly Menu #1!

Some of our dedicated readers may remember us doing monthly menus about a year ago. They were a big hit and earned us lots of pins on Pinterest (thank you :), however they were a bit of work to format on our part. Especially because both of the magical moms contributed to each monthly menu, there was a lot of formatting and fonts between computers that just wasn't easy to work with. And because most moms usually go grocery shopping on a weekly basis, we thought this format would work a little better for us, and make it a little more organized for you.

We put the weekly menus together with our tried and true recipes, and you get all the adoring compliments from your family! We will suggest a starch and veggie/fruit dish for each main course (pasta meals already have the starch). And remember, all of our posts are recipes that we use, and the pictures are our actual meals (have you ever made a recipe from Facebook and they show ingredients that aren't even on the ingredient list? Well that's because a lot of websites use stock photos- paid for photos of other food!) And we always welcome comments and questions for each of our posts. We are magical, but that doesn't mean we don't make mistakes, or that someone may alter a recipe that really needs to be shared with everyone, so comment away!

Each week we'll try to have a good mix between beef, chicken, pork, pasta, seafood, etc. Our weekly menus will also be relative to the time of year... not a lot of grilling recipes during the winter months, and less crock pot in the summer. We also realize that it may not be realistic for you to cook at home all 7 nights of the week (don' think that's ever really happened at my house), so our weekly menus are just Monday-Friday for 5 dinners a week. Shift them around as needed of course, but that's just how we'll lay it out for simplicity's sake.

Monday
Herb Butter Steakhouse Steak
2-Step Potatoes with Loaded Sour Cream
Henderson House Salad

Tuesday
Coco Loco Chicken Tenders
Better Than Rice-a-Roni  Broccoli Cheddar Rice
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans

Wednesday
Spicy Bacon Carbonara
Low Carb Italian Chopped Salad

Thursday
Buffalo Thigh Surprise
Garlic Rosemary Potato Wedges
Herb Butter Corn on the Cob

Friday
Spicy Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Oven Roasted Asparagus

I'm sure this will be a weekly menu your family rave about!

Follow the Magical Moms on Facebook and Pinterest for weekly menu ideas, crafts, and Disney Magic.

HOT and Spicy Chicken Fajita Piles

Fajitas, Tacos, burritos, enchiladas- you name it we LOVE it!  In order to eat these things on a weekly basis, they have to be changed up a little bit.  This alternative eliminates the tortilla shell and just piles the same stuff onto a bed of Cilantro Brown Rice.  The flavor of the chicken is awesome!  The lime and chipotle peppers are a perfect combination.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• Peppers
• Sliced Mushrooms
• Onion
• Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Fat Free Sour Cream
• Cilantro Brown Rice

Marinade

• 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 1/4 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 3 teaspoons Lime Juice
• 2 Tablespoons water

Combine Marinade ingredients in small food processor until well blended.  Place chicken in zippered storage bag and pour marinade in.  Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 Grill chicken breasts until cooked through.

 Removed chicken from grill and thinly slice.

 While chicken is cooking, begin steaming peppers and onions.  They will take the longest.  Add the mushrooms last as they will take just a couple of minutes.

Place Cilantro Brown Rice on plate and pile on the chicken and veggies and top with lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, or cheese.


This recipe was featured on the Marvelous May Menu, be sure to check out the rest of the May Menu.

Frozen Blueberry Bites

Frozen Blueberry Bites are a perfect hot weather treat!  They taste like blueberry cheesecake!  Only with A LOT LESS fat and calories.  You can substitute other types of berries like raspberries or strawberries.  You can pick them up with your fingers or put a few in a bowl and eat them with a spoon.  Either way it is a yummy guilt free treat!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Fat Free Cool Whip
• 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
• 2 oz 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
• 1 Cup of Blueberries

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, blueberries in food processor or blender.

 Place in bowl and hand stir in cool whip.

 Place in silicone baking tray (or ice cube tray) place in freezer for at least two hours.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

I used to be completely against both fruit and nuts in my salad, recently I opened my eyes to the endless combinations and my taste buds are extremely happy! This salad dressing is so good the sweet and tangy flavors compliment each other perfectly.  Make sure you try this SOON!

Ingredients:
Salad

• Fresh Spinach washed and dried
• Strawberries cleaned and sliced
• Sunflower Seeds
• Blue Cheese Crumbles

Dressing

• 1/3 Cup Raspberry Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1  teaspoons poppy seeds

Place all dressing ingredients in a container or jar that can seal tightly.  Shake well.  Refrigerate about 20 minutes.  

When ready to serve, place spinach in large bowl.  Toss with dressing.  Top with strawberries, sunflower seeds and blue cheese crumbles.

Store left over dressing in sealed container in refrigerator.

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

Deep Dish Portabello {Pizza}

Pizza is a favorite at our house.  I try to only order pizza delivery when I am really in a pinch.  Traditional deep dish pizza is loaded with fat and calories.  By using a mushroom as the crust you eliminate a lot of the calories but still get your pizza fix.  To keep this even healthier I suggest only filling it with veggies, but you could also add in turkey pepperoni or sausage.  I like to cook mine on the grill but this can easily be cooked in the oven.  My favorite part of the pizza is the toppings so eating this makes me very happy!

Ingredients:

• Large Portabello Mushrooms
• Pizza Sauce (I use my homemade marinara sauce)
• Tomatoes
• Sauteed Onions
• Fresh Spinach
• Mozzarella
• Peppers
• Any of you favorite pizza toppings

Make sure all veggies are clean.  To fit more toppings in your mushroom you can remove the stem or just leave it there.  Put a layer of sauce on mushroom and then pile on the toppings saving the cheese for last or next to last.  Grill for 10-15 minutes

Kahlua Pork Tostadas (and Gluten Free)

This recipe is inspired by a dish we had at Disney's Polynesian resort. Captain Cook's is a quick service restaurant that we ate at while hanging out at the volcano pool at this resort back in 2011. My husband got these pork nachos and they were amazing! By no means is my recipe a duplicate of the one they use there, that's why I call it "Disney inspired." Their nachos had a delicious and tender pork and pineapple salsa, which is what inspired me to make my own version. I however am serving this on a tostado to cut back on some of the calories from the chips. For the pork, I am basically using my recipe for the Best Darn Pork BBQ and just substituting pineapple juice instead of orange juice to make a Polynesian BBQ sauce. Then I took my Mango Tango Salsa recipe and just omitted the mangos to get a pineapple salsa. I love using my tried and true recipes and changing an ingredient or two to create an entirely new meal! The best part is that you can use the leftover pork and make the Best Darn Pork BBQ for another meal during the week!

This recipe is about 275 calories for one serving, which is one tostada, pork, BBQ, salsa, low fat cheese and fat free sour cream. I get all my nutritional info from My Fitness Pal. Have you tried this app? It lets you enter a recipe and all the ingredients and it calculates all the nutritional info for the recipe! I love it! I have to admit I ate two though, so I'm a little over 500 calories for dinner, which isn't so bad. If I keep breakfast and lunch under 300 calories, then my snacks to 100 calories, then have this for dinner I'm still only a little over 1200 calories.

Here are the ingredients for the pork roast:

• 2-3 lbs. pork roast
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup liquid smoke

I'm going to be honest and say I never measure out those spices. I just rub them all over the meat until it looks well coated in the spice rub. Use however much you think is appropriate for your taste. After you rub the spices on the pork, place in slow cooker and pour in liquid smoke. Cook on low for at least 12 hours.

Pineapple Salsa:

• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 3 Tbsp. diced red onion
• 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro 
• Dash lime juice
• Sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and store in fridge until ready to serve.

Polynesian BBQ sauce

• 1 cup ketchup (Heinz for gluten free)
• 2 tbsp.  Pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins or Kroger for gluten free)
• Dashes of liquid smoke, cayenne pepper and dry mustard

For the Tostados:

• Oil
• Corn tortillas
• Low fat or fat free cheese and sour cream*

To make the tostados, you'll need corn tortillas and a little bit of oil. You need the oil to crisp up the tortillas. Heat the oil in a skillet and add tortillas. Cook until they start to brown and get crispy. You can finish crimping them in the oven at 450 degrees.

When the pork is fully cooked and shreddable, remove from slow cooker and place in a bowl and shred. Place about a tablespoon or two of the pork on the cooked tortilla. drizzle with BBQ sauce and top with low fat cheese. put back in oven until cheese is melted and starts to brown. remove from oven and top with pineapple salsa and fat free sour cream. Enjoy!

Mexican Chopped Salad (also gluten free)

I love a chopped salad. I love all the bite size pieces of lettuce and fixins, avoids smearing dressing all over my lips and cheeks while trying to shove too big of pieces of lettuce into my mouth! When trying to eat healthier, the trick is to use a lot of flavor and spices to make up for the fat, salt and sugar. Experimenting with Mexican flavors is perfect when trying new healthy foods. This salad does just that, and doesn't skimp on the flavor. The best part is the dressing and baked tortilla strips! Makes you feel like you're really indulging, but the dressing is made with fat-free greek yogurt andthe tortilla strips are baked.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup low fat milk (1% or 2%)
• 1 Tbsp. ranch packet seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• Dash of lime juice
• Optional- small can diced jalapeños 

Mix above ingredients in small bowl and chill for 30 minutes.

Baked Tortilla Chips:

Take 2 corn tortillas and cut with a pizza roller into strips. Place in single layer on baking sheet, spray with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until crispy.

For the Salad:

• Romain lettuce
• Vine tomatoes
• Red onion
• Avocado
• Boiled egg
• Turkey bacon bits

Chop all ingredients, including the lettuce into small (1/4 inch) pieces. You can add or subtract ingredients for your preference. Use the amount of each item that you like.

Chicken:

I used a chicken breast I already had cooked from another night, but you can use a raw one as well. Cut into strips and season with taco seasoning, chili powder or cumin. I also add a dash of cayenne pepper to make it spicy. Grill on stovetop until cooked thoroughly. You may need to cut some more once finished cooking to achieve the bite size chopped pieces.

Mix all ingredients together except tortilla chips and toss with dressing. Add tortilla chips to the top and serve. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Bacon, Onion and Garlic Pizza

This recipe is an adapted one from Udi's website. Their website calls for what I think is a ridiculous amount of cheese, onions and bacon. This recipe is so delicious and just a little bit spicy, know one will even know it is a healthy meal! Using uncured bacon greatly reduces the sodium and sugar content of the bacon. You can substitute uncured turkey bacon for even less fat.

  Ingredients

•  1 Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust
•  1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
•  1/3 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion
•  Dash kosher salt
•  1 tsp. minced garlic
•  1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
•  3 strips uncured, gluten free bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
•  Dash of crushed red pepper flakes (more depending on your spice preference)
• 3 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add onions. Stir to cover onions in oil and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

Add the vinegar and garlic and remove from heat. Meanwhile cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook until crispy in another skillet.










Brush the pizza crust with olive oil and sprinkle cheese, red pepper and basil.

Then top with onion mixture and bacon. Bake at 424 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.

This recipe was featured on the Marvelous May Menu, be sure to check out the rest of the May Menu.

DIY Gluten-free Duncan Hines

Don't worry- we have a gluten free version of our DIY Duncan Hines! Why buy a boxed variety of gluten-free brownie mix when you probably already have everything in your pantry to make your own. You can put all of the dry ingredients in a bag or in a jar and keep in your pantry for when you want some of those deliciously sweet morsels. Or print our free printable gift tag below and tie it around a mason jar with the mix and give it as a gift. Trust me, people who eat gluten free will LOVE this brownie mix as a gift. 

Ingredients (for the jar):

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (ensure they are gluten free brand)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

When you are ready to make the brownies, just mix the dry mix with 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, 1 Tbsp. milk and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. The directions are also on the gift tag.

To print the gift tag, right click the image above and save as a picture. Depending on your printer, chose the paper or print option to print it as a 3.5 x 5 print and make sure the "fit to frame" box is NOT checked.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten free oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup nuts (I used sunflower seeds)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together oats and baking soda. In separate bowl, blend together butter and both sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter to sugar mixture and blend. Add oat mixture, nuts and chocolate chips and stir until well mixed. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sausage, Beans and Rice (Gluten-free)

Let's be honest, this sounds like a pretty smile recipe. But I try to avoid the boxed rice varieties just because they are full of fillers and preservatives. So this recipe is really about how to make the Cajun flavored rice portion of this popular dish without having to buy a boxed rice. It's also gluten-free when you make it yourself, most boxed versions are not. I also recommend buying a nitrate-free all natural gluten-free sausage. If you can't find them in the longer links, you can usually find with the bun-sized smoke sausages. There are lots of chicken and turkey varieties out there with less fat as well. For the beans, we use Bush's brand because all of their brands are gluten free. Many other brands use wheat as a thickening agent. We are not a gluten-free household, but my little sister who visits for dinner frequently does have celiac disease, so I always plan a few gluten free meals each week.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup instant brown rice
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 link gluten-free smoked sausage (or kielbasa or andouille)
• 1 can Bush's Chili Beans

Cook rice according to package directions except substitute chicken broth for water. You may need to add just a bit more water to get the correct rice to broth ratio. While rice is cooking, heat the oil/butter in pan over med/high heat and add pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until veggies get tender.

 Add cooked rice and remaining spices to the pan with cooked veggies. Cook on low. Meanwhile slice sausage and cook in separate skillet over med/high heat until cooked thoroughly. Add sausage and can of beans to the rice and cook over medium until heated thoroughly.

You can substitute any gluten free beans, but if they are not chili beans just increase the chili powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Best Darn Pork BBQ

My younger sister has celiac disease and therefore cannot eat any gluten. Since she often comes over for dinner, I try to find ways to make gluten free food, or at least give her gluten free options when she eats here. Everything in this post is gluten free EXCEPT the pretzel rolls. While I wholeheartedly prefer the rolls, this meal still does taste great over rice. I ate at a Latin restaurant once that served Kahlua pork with coconut rice and bacon black beans, it was delicious! I think you could cook your rice in coconut milk and just crumple cooked bacon in your beans and use my pork recipe to create this. Maybe I'll make that with the leftover pork and post later!

Anyway, here are the ingredients for the pork roast:

• 2-3 lbs. pork roast
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup liquid smoke

I'm going to be honest and say I never measure out those spices. I just rub them all over the meat until it looks well coated in the spice rub. Use however much you think is appropriate for your taste. After you rub the spices on the pork, place in slow cooker and pour in liquid smoke. Cook on low for at least 12 hours. The longer the better. I recommend cooking on low for 8-10 hours then leave on "keep warm" overnight. I have left this on low for 20 hours before and it was deliciously (forgot to turn to keep warm before bed so it cooked on low all night). Transfer the pork to a dish and shred with a fork. Since inlet this cook all night, I store it until dinner that night, so I reserve about 1/2 cup of the liquid from slow cooker for later. I then heat up pork in the liquid in a pan on the stove. Serve with warm BBQ sauce below.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup (Heinz for gluten free)
• 2 tbsp.  Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrins or Kroger for gluten free)
• Dashes of liquid smoke, cayenne pepper and dry mustard

Again, I don't measure the last few ingredients, just a dash is how I measure. Use more cayenne if you like your BBQ spicy, none at all if you don't want any spice. You can use a bit more sugar and even add honey if you like your BBQ sauce even sweeter. Add BBQ sauce to the pork and combine. Serve on pretzel rolls.

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness and our Appetizing April Menu.  Check out the menus and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!

Chipotle Barbacoa Bowls with Cilantro Brown Rice and Corn Salsa (Gluten-Free)

Who doesn't love Chipotle, right? Even my picky kids can find something to eat at Chipotle. But most of the meat is a little on the spicy side for them, and feeding a family of 5 there isn't what I'd call cheap. So we're having our own homemade chipotle night at home, and the best part is the leftovers that we can eat for days. Yum!

The first thing I do is get the beef ready in the crockpot, but I'll post that later once it's all done and I have pics. Next I make the salsa so it has time to sit in the fridge and blend all the flavors together. Here is the corn salsa recipe...
Ingredients:

• -1 can corn or about 14-15 oz. of frozen/cut off the cob corn
• -1 diced tomato
• -1/2 diced red onion
• -1 or 2 jalapeños (depending on your spice preference)
• -2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• -juice of 1.5 limes
• -salt and pepper to taste

Now this is very easy- you just chop it all up and combine in a medium size bowl.

Now onto the rice. I prefer to use brown rice but you can also use white or basmati. I prefer the stiffer consistency of the brown, and of course it's better for you.

Ingredients:

• - 1 cup brown rice
• -3 tbsp. butter or oil
• - 2 cups water
• - juice of 1/2 lime
• -1 tsp. salt
• -3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Cook rice in water and butter until tender and fluffy. Remove from heat.
2. Add lime juice, salt and cilantro and stir.

So easy!

All that's left is the barbacoa beef. I make this in the slow cooker but you could also make in pressure cooker I guess. It has to cook until the beef is easily shredded with a fork, about 7-8 hours. It calls for 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, but you have to buy a whole can, so my tip is to put the rest in a small freezer bag and freeze until you need them again. They're not something I cook with often so they go bad if I keep in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

• -2-3 lbs. beef round or bottom roast
• -5 cloves garlic
• - medium chopped onion
• - juice of 1/2 lime
• -2-3 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• -1 tbsp. cumin
• -1 tbsp. oregano
• -3 bay leaves
• -1 cup water
• -salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients except bay leaves and roast in food processor until pureed.

2. Place Roast in slow cooker and pour mixture on top.  Add bay leaves and cook on low 7-8 hours until beef is shred able with fork.

3. Remove bay leaves and shred beef on a plate then return to sauce in slow cooker and cook and additional hour or so.
4. Serve with rice and beans or on tacos.

My kids prefer tacos to bowls so I always heat up some corn tortillas for them to eat. I also but the queso or Mexican shredded cheese versus cheddar to really get that Chipotle feel. I serve with the all natural sour cream and On the Border tortilla chips, or I fry my own with the corn tortillas.

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness.  Check out the entire menu and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!