Home made Twinkies

I had to make a dessert for my hubby's 10 year class reunion and I wanted to try these. I thought the kids there would like them. I had to scare the hubs off to be able to take enough to the party! He kept "sampling."

You'll Need:
-1 lemon cake mix
-1 white cake mix
-3/4 c. sugar
-1/3 c. karo
-1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
-2 egg whites
-1 tsp. vanilla
-2 tsp. water

Directions:
-Mix two cake mixes together in a bowl. Make cakes as directed. Put them in cupcake form.
-For the cream, mix the remaining ingredients together in a double boiler, and beat the mixture on high (with beaters) for 7 min. or until fluffy. This is done while the mixture is cooking on the stove in the double boiler.
-Let cupcakes cool.
-Put the cream mixture into a frosting baggy with a tip. Stick the tip down in the top of the cupcake and squirt the cream into the cupcake. Voila! Homemade twinkies!

*Hints: If you don't have a double boiler, get a pan and a metal bowl, then put the metal bowl on top of the pan of boiling water and it works the same way.
*Hints: If you don't have a frosting bag and a tip, then poke a hole down into the top of the cupcake and put the cream in a plastic baggy with the tip cut off. Then fill the cupcake with cream that way.

Either way....YUM!!

Yummy homemade Granola

This granola is so good! And it's super healthy. My kids have not been able to get enough of it. And I don't feel bad giving them big amounts because it's good for them. :) This has sure helped with my notty choc./sweets cravings during this whole diet. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

You'll Need:
-6 cups oats
-1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
-1 1/2 cups cranberries
-1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
-1 1/2 cups coconut
-1/3 cup evoo
-1 cup honey

Directions:
-Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix.
-Spread out onto a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 min.
*To make it a little clumpier you can add a little bit more honey.

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad

Okay, this is for the cafe rio chicken salads. It includes all the recipes for the chicken, the rice, the vinaigrette dressing and even the yummy pico de gallo! If you get confused along the way just let me know and I can answer your questions. If you make this into a small salad, (you know the half sized ones) it equals 497 calories. Not bad for a dinner! About what you want to aim for. And it's super filling. And to die for in taste!


Chicken:
-1 bottle zesty italian dressing
-1 tbs. chili powder
-1 tbs. cumin
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-5 lbs chicken breast (I used 6 large chicken breasts)
*Mix all ingredients and cook in crock pot for 4 hrs on high. Shred meat and cook one more hour on low.



Rice:
-1 c. water
-1 c. rice
-1 tsp. butter
-1 tsp. lime juice
-1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tbs. lime juice (you will be using this one in a different place)
-2 tsp. sugar
-3 tbs. chopped cilantro
*in a saucepan combine, rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, broth and water. Bring to boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 min.
*In a small bowl combine, 1 tbs. lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot rice, and mix as you fluff rice with a fork.

(didn't get a pic of this one, it got eaten too fast!

Pico de Gallo:
-3 tomatos, chopped
-1/2 white onion, chopped (almost minced, I like the bits really small)
-1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp. fresh lime juice
-salt and pepper to taste
* Mix all together. MMMM!!!



Vinaigrette:
-6 tbs. oil (1/2 olive & 1/2 vegetable)
-1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
-2 tbs. lime juice
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 small hot pepper, finely chopped
-salt and pepper to taste
*Combine all ingredients in jar. Shake & set aside. This doesn't keep for very long in the fridge, I found it didn't taste as great after a week. So use it quickly! Still so yummy!




Okay, get a small fajita size tortilla, brown it a little, then put it in a bowl, layer the rice, some black beans, a ton of lettuce, the meat, some pico de gallo and your dressing. I opted out of the tortilla chips on top, the sour cream and the parmesan cheese to cut on fat. Instead I combined some fresh raspberries, and a tiny bit of chipotle spice to make the raspberry chipotle sauce that costa vida does, and it was delicious! Here is a pic of a salad back in the day I didn't cut out fat. I kinda forgot to get a pic of my new low fat salad...I was too excited to eat it! haha! next time!