Creamy Lowfat Avocado Dressing

Romaine salad mix, egg, ham, cheese, and avocado dressing 

I have a confession to make. I love ranch dressing. I put it on everything: salads, sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs, mac n cheese, pizza...you name it, I've probably tried it with ranch. But right now I'm trying to drop a few pounds before an event next week, so I'm doing a Salad A Day challenge as well as cutting out bread and sweets and drinking a lot of water. Let me tell you, it's difficult to do while on the road! So I decided to come up with a lowfat dressing for my daily salad, so that the ranch doesn't undo all the work I'm doing. Here's the delicious result!

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup lowfat sour cream
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup 1% milk
A few leaves cilantro, finely chopped
1 garlic clove or garlic powder to taste
Seasonings as desired

Thoroughly mash the avocado. Mix all ingredients together, using a food processor or blender if available; if not, whip as well as possible. Use more milk or water to thin dressing if necessary. Serve with salad or wraps and enjoy!

Pizza Dippers

This is actually an idea my hubby came up with and it has become our favorite movie time snack. We like to dip them in marinara sauce, but feel free to get creative! Try adding different toppings, or maybe dipping in a white sauce. You can't go wrong with something this easy!

Ingredients:
1 roll refrigerated croissant dough
16 pepperoni
4 sticks mozzarella string cheese
Additional pizza toppings or seasonings, if desired
Pizza sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 and mist a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Roll out the croissant dough and separate into triangles, placing 2 pepperoni on each triangle. Cut each string cheese stick in half and lay a half on the dough triangles. Add any additional toppings or seasonings. Roll each triangle up tightly, sealing the ends as much as possible. Place the rolls on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until croissants are golden brown. Serve hot with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

My poor hubby has caught another cold ad is currently feeling miserable. I'm trying to take care of him best I can and fight to keep from catching it. We'll see if I evade the cold, but in the meantime, as I had no soup on hand, I made chicken pot pie pasta for lunch. It was warm, soft, and soothing, just the thing for feeding a sick hubby!

I like that this recipe makes 4+ servings and is made completely from non-perishable items: canned meat and veggies and dry pasta and herbs. That means I can keep the ingredients on hand and make it whenever necessary. I made it in my crockpot, mostly because we're on the road and the crockpot, electric skillet, and microwave are really all I have to work with, but it can just as easily (perhaps more easily) be made in a pot on a stovetop. For serving a larger family, simply double the recipe.

A note on the seasonings: I used garlic powder, dried herbs, and a squirt of bottled lime juice for flavor. Other suggestions would be powdered or minced dried onions, dry ranch or Italian dressing mix, salt and pepper, or whatever seasonings you prefer. You can also add any fresh veggies you have on hand in place of the canned veggies, or use precooked chicken instead of canned. For the pasta, I used mini bowties as they cook relatively quickly, but any smallish pasta would work, such as penne or shells. Also, I used only half a small can of evaporated milk to make the sauce; if you prefer a creamier soup-like consistency, use a full can or more.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb small pasta, cooked and drained
1 can cream of potato condensed soup
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 small can mixed peas and carrots, drained
2 12oz cans white meat chicken, mostly drained
Seasonings to taste

After cooking and draining the pasta, place pasta back in the pot and turn to low. Add the condensed soup and evaporated milk, stir. Drain and add the can of peas and carrots; mostly drain and add the cans of chicken (a little of the water is okay). Add seasonings and stir well. Simmer 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken

As y'all know, I LOVE easy, simple recipes. This ond is about as easy and simple as it gets - just 2 ingredients! It's literally a half and half ratio of the two ingredients, so it can be quickly modified to any amount of chicken you wish to grill.

Grilled chicken, potato wedges, corn salad, and cheesy garlic biscuits!

I wanted a chicken marinade for the grill that would impart good flavor without being overwhelming. This marinade forms a pleasant layer on the outside of the chicken without being tough or leathery, and the chicken is still tender and juicy inside. Of course, you can also bake or pan fry the chicken using this recipe, but I think it's best grilled. Ready?

Ingredients:
4 medium chicken breasts
3/4 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup zesty Italian dressing

Butterfly the breasts if desired, for faster cooking time. Mix the ranch and zesty Italian dressings together in a cup. Using a gallon sized zipper baggie, layer the marinade and chicken breasts. Zip the baggie shut and vigorously squeeze and smush the chicken breasts around until thoroughly coated. Place in the refrigerator and turn over every few hours; let sit for 8 hours or overnight. Grill till tender and enjoy!

Easy Homemade Ice Cream

Warm blueberry cobbler and homemade ice cream!

I was looking for something simple and easy to serve with my Blueberry Cobbler, and this recipe was perfect. It requires no churning and minimal preparation. It was serveable after 8 hours of freezing, though it was certainly firmer the next day, so I would advise freezing overnight if possible. I poured the mixture into a round pie tin, which made a layer about half an inch thick that was easily cut into pieces or slices. If you prefer to scoop ice cream, try a loaf pan. Also, use the regular versions of the ingredients, not the lowfat or fat free ones, or you will lose the creaminess of the ice cream. I added a little lemon extract to the mixture to help cut the sweetness of the blueberry cobbler, but that's up to you.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 tsp lemon extract

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, checking for lumps. When it is well mixed, pour into a metal dish or pan and freeze for at least 8 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Blueberry Dump Cobbler

Folks, this one is husband approved. I mean, this is coming from the hubby who hardly EVER eats fruit! He eats bananas, sometimes strawberries, and maybe a sliced apple once in awhile. He told me that he can tolerate blueberries if they're mixed into something, so when I made this cobbler, I was hoping for at least an "it's okay". The verdict? Not only did he tolerate it, he declared it to be "really good" and proceeded to eat second and third helpings and finish off the leftovers the next day! I call that a smashing success!

This recipe is for a 9x13 pan, but I modified the recipe for a 9x9 pan pretty easily. I used about the same amount of blueberries but only 1 stick of butter and not quite all the cake mix. I served it warm after dinner, along with my Homemade Ice Cream, and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Warm blueberry cobbler and homemade ice cream!

Ingredients:
2 large cans of blueberry pie filling
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 boxed yellow cake mix
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease pan. Dump blueberry filling in pan and spread to even thickness. Sprinkle fresh or frozen blueberries evenly, then layer the cake mix, making sure to cover all the blueberries. Drizzle the melted butter on top, as fairly as possible. Bake for about an hour, till top crust is firm and golden and blueberries are bubbly below. Serve warm and enjoy!