Granola Bars

These are really good! They basically taste like treats, but with so much good stuff in them you don't feel too guilty. We eat these for breakfast with fruit and milk. Or for snacks.

Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ - 1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix well, using clean hands is easiest. Pat the mixture out into the foil lined pan. Bake for about 20-25, or until edges start to brown. Let cool, use pizza roller to slice into bars. Finish cooling before removing or they will break apart. For longer storage you can store in the freezer or refridgerator. Enjoy.

Cashew Chicken

I got this recipe from favfamilyrecipes.com, but it didn't have any veggies in it, just garlic and green onions. It was good, but I thought it would be much better with some healthy veggies added. I was right. Here's my version. The amounts of veggies are just an estimate. You can put as much or as little as you like. I didn't add mushrooms this time, but our favorite Chinese restaurant puts them in their cashew chicken and it is good.

Cashew Chicken
1 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken, cubed
1 T cornstarch
salt and pepper
olive oil for sauteing
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped
2 T rice vinegar
3 T hoisin sauce
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cashews
Rice, for serving

Toss chicken with cornstarch and salt and pepper. Add oil to large skillet on medium-high heat and begin browning chicken. After a minute, add carrots. Cook until chicken is done or nearly done. Add peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and whites of onions and cook until veggies are tender. Add peas and water chestnuts and cook enough to warm through. Add vinegar and cook until it evaporates. Add hoisin sauce and water and cook until warmed. Remove from heat and stir in green parts of onions and cashews. Serve over rice.

Chicken Azteca

I found this recipe on favfamilyrecipes.com, which is a great recipe site if you haven't come across it yet. But I think she must've deleted it because I can't find it there now. Which is crazy because this recipe is crazy good! It was a hit with the whole family. (This was her picture, I didn't top mine with tomatoes and avocados, though I'm sure it would be yummy.) I halved this recipe and used 9 or 10 chicken tenderloins instead.

Chicken Azteca
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups frozen corn
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder (I used 1/2 cup chopped onion instead)
2 cups Pace salsa, divided
Tabasco sauce, to taste (**optional)
10 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, cubed (I used 1/3 less fat)
cooked rice (She said she made a Spanish rice of sorts by adding a little tomato sauce, cumin, onion, and garlic powder to the rice while cooking. She didn't spice it up a lot... didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the chicken)
shredded cheddar cheese

Combine beans, corn, garlic, onion, cumin and 1/2 of the salsa in slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts over top. Pour remaining salsa (and optional hot sauce) over top of chicken. Cover. Cook on high 2-3 hours or on low 4-6 hours. Remove chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Return to crockpot. Stir in cream cheese. Cook on high until it melts. Spoon chicken and sauce over cooked rice. Top with cheese.

We served it over brown rice, but it would probably be really good wrapped up in a tortilla or even just scooped up with tortilla chips. Seriously, so good!