Black & Pinto Bean Enchiladas

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fiesta corn, drained
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup diced can tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup Mexican cheese, shredded
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp. dried cilantro

7 flour tortilla (I used 4 whole wheat shells and 3 flour shells)
1 cup Mexican cheese
1 can enchilada sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray. Combine black beans, pinto beans, corn, salsa, diced tomatoes, onion, cheese, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl. Stir until completely combined.

2. Spoon 1/7 of bean mixture into tortilla shells, roll and place fold down. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with enchilada sauce and Mexican cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from One Lovely Life

Crunchy Honey Mustard Chicken

All the crunch of fried chicken, without the extra calories, and a zesty sauce for a punch of flavor! 

2/3 cup light honey mustard dressing

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried dill

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine dressing, salt, pepper, and dill; remove 1/3 cup and set aside.

Coat chicken in mustard sauce, then dredge in breadcrumbs; place in prepared pan.  

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Drizzle remaining sauce over chicken to serve. 

*Modified from Weight Watchers

Mom's Southern-Style Banana Pudding

My mom’s banana pudding has been one of my favorite treats for practically as long as I’ve been able to eat solid foods. It’s the bring-to-a-potluck, make-for-holidays, good-day-for-a-barbecue dessert staple. The technique changes a bit depending on variables like the flavor pudding we have on hand or how many boxes of Nilla Wafers are in the cabinet, but the essential Southern-style spring-is-in-bloom flavor remains untouched.

1 pkg. banana cream pudding mix 

1 pkg. French vanilla pudding mix

4 cups milk

1 lg. container Cool Whip

2-3 bananas, sliced

1 box Nilla wafers

In a large mixing bowl, combine pudding mixes and milk; whisk until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip to pudding mixture until completely combined. Layer Nilla wafers on the bottom of a large serving bowl. Pour a layer of pudding over the top, and then add a layer of bananas. Continue layering in this fashion, ending with pudding at the top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

Simple Strawberry-Balsamic Salad

Spice up a spring dinner with the simple, flavorful salad. 

Green or red leaf lettuce (or your favorite), torn into bite-sized pieces 

Balsamic dressing

Strawberries, sliced

Blue cheese crumbles

Chopped walnuts

Toss all ingredients together in desired amounts.

Chicken Vegetable Risotto

1 pound chicken thighs, cooked and chopped
1/2 medium onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (I used frozen chopped bell peppers)
2 cups broccoli cuts
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion, green pepper, and broccoli until tender. Add rice to saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Heat chicken broth to boiling; add 1 cup of broth to rice. Cook and stir constantly until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup broth at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed. Add chicken and cook until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Recipe from 1,001 Low Fat Recipes

Quinoa Fajitas

1 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp. dried cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Tortilla shells
Avocado, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, sour cream (for toppings)

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa, return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with fork.

2. Add black beans, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro to quinoa. Mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve on tortilla shells with toppings.

Recipe from Three Many Cooks

Sock Bunny

I had the pleasure of volunteering in my daughter’s class a few weeks ago and got to help out with their adorable spring craft. Try it with your kiddos!

You will need: 

1 sock

Rice

Rubberband or string

Ribbon

Permanent marker

Cotton ball or pom-pom

Button

Googly eyes

Scissors

Hot glue

Instructions:

Fill the sock with about a cup of rice. Gather the sock together and tightly secure with a rubberband or string. Fill sock with another 1/3-1/2 cup of rice. Secure the top with rubberband or string. Cut the remaining top of sock in half to form ears. Tie a ribbon around the neck portion and trim to desired length. With hot glue, secure eyes, button nose, and cotton ball tail to the face and back of the bunny. Draw on whiskers and mouth.