Baked Ziti

This is a quick and easy recipe.  Try it.... you will LOVE IT!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb ziti pasta
16 ounces ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Boil ziti, following package directions, drain and place in a large bowl.
3. Mix all the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella with the ziti.
4. Spray a 13X9 pan with Pam.
5. Cover the bottom half of the pan with about half the sauce.
6. Put the ziti mixture on top of sauce.
7. Pour remaining sauce on top of ziti.
8. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
9. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and it is lightly golden.

ENJOY!

Banana Pudding to die for!!!

We've been trying to eat better since we got our gym memberships because what is the point of paying for a gym pass if you're still going to eat like crap??? Well, we totally blew our diet this weekend when I made this banana pudding that is so super yummy!! It is so good, so try it. Just make sure you share it with someone or you just might eat it all yourself. I may or may not be guilty of that :-)

(Photo and recipe courtesy of www.restorativeliving.blogspot.com)

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 Big box of instant vanilla pudding
1 8oz. tub full fat cool-whip, thawed
4-5 bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice to prevent browning
1 box Nilla wafers

Combine the sweetened condensed milk and the cold water until mixed well. Add the box of pudding mix and stir until there are no lumps and it is all mixed up. Chill in the fridge for 5 minutes. Once it's chilled, fold in the tub of cool whip. Now it's time to assemble. Put about 1 cup of pudding mixture in a bowl. Then layer with sliced bananas and then Nilla wafers on top of the bananas. Spoon another cup or so of the pudding mixture covering the first layer and top again with bananas and Nilla wafers. Spread remaining pudding mixture on top and top it off with a layer of Nilla wafers. Easy peasy!! It is so so good, try it and let me know what you think!

Sweet and Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken

This recipe was yummy yummy!! We put it in flour tortillas for a taco type meal. The site where
I got the recipe from said that when she makes this she usually doubles or triples it because it freezes so well.

2 boneless , skinless chicken breasts
1 (14 oz.) can petite or regular diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like extra heat - with this amount it is mild enough for kids to eat but spicy enough to help offset the sweetness)

Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken, Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-9 hours. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and mix the chicken with the juices from the tomato/brown sugar sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in flour tortilas or over tortilla chips with toppings of choice: lettuce, sour cream, cheese, avocados, etc.

Chili Rubbed Pork with Orange Glaze

We don't usually eat a lot of pork and I wasn't sure about this recipe when I saw it. It is super yummy though. Jed was unsure of the cilantro in the sauce at first, but he likes it know. We really like this recipe.

2 (1 pound) pork tender loins (we used 5 little pork tenderloin cutlets)

Spice Rub:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 small limes, juiced

Place chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar or bowl and blend well. Rub spice mixture onto pork tenderloins and refrigerate overnight.
Prior to grilling, melt orange marmalade in saucepan over medium heat. Remove pan from the heat and stir in remaining glaze ingredients. Plance half the glaze in a serving bowl and hold for later.
Prepare grill at medium-high heat. Grill pork tenderloins for 15-20 minutes, or the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.
When approximately 4 minutes of cook time remains, brush the pork tenderloins with the orange glaze remaining in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the pork tenderloins and bush glaze on other side. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove pork from the grill and let set for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with reserved glaze over rice. Enjoy!!

Honey Sauced Chicken

This recipe is sooo yummy. I reined it a little bit the first time I made it because I let it cook too long in the crock pot. The second go around, I doubled so we could have leftovers and I made sure I didn't cook it so long. It was delicious. Be sure to double the recipe if you are feeding more than 2-4 people.

2 Chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium if you don't want it so salty)
1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)
1/8 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. Be sure to take the chicken out and shred it half way through, return it to the pot and toss with sauce and continue cooking until the time is up. DON'T OVERCOOK!! You'll know because the sauce will thicken up a lot and get really dark. Serve over rice or noodles.
Yum, Yum!!

Catalina Apricot Chicken

Jed and I really liked this recipe. It might sound a little nasty, but it is actually really good. Sorry I don't have any pictures, and I can't remember where I got this recipe. Try and see if you like it.

2-3 Chicken Breasts (or more)
1 Cup Sweet Honey Catalina dressing
1 Cup Apricot Jam/Preserves
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

--Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken on the bottom of slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine the dressing, jam and soup mix. Pour over chicken in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Once it has been cooking for about half the time you decided on, take it out and shred the chicknen. Put it back in the slow cooker once it's shredded to cook for the remainiing time Serve over rice. Enjoy!!