Chocolate Pudding

This pudding takes literally 5 minutes to make. Seriously! That includes clean-up too. And, it is loaded with protein, which is an added benefit,not to mention it is also high in antioxidants. For a light dessert, it is quite rich though, so a little goes a long way. One recipe of this will feed 3-4 people a small amount. It won't look like you are eating a lot, but trust me, with how rich it is, it is more than enough.

1 pkg soft or silken tofu
1/3 cup pure cocoa powder
1/3-1/2 cup agave syrup
1 tbsp vanilla

Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Chill in the fridge before serving, or serve at room temperature. That's all there is to it!

Vegetable Dip

I made this dip up on a whim, and am really happy with how it turned out. My daughter loves this with crackers, but it is also great with raw vegetables as well. It is high in protein and loaded with vegetables, making it a great, and filling, snack.

1/2 cup light cream cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup raw carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted red pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Store in the refridgerator.

Eggs with blue corn chips and salsa

My daughter loves eggs! So, I tried out this recipe, and not only did she love it, but so did my husband and I. It was pretty easy to do, and a great weeknight meal. I made it for dinner, but it would be a great dish for a brunch or a heartier breakfast.
If you like things spicier, I would add a chopped up jalapeno or hotter salsa, but since I was making it with my daughter in mind, I didn’t use the spice.

1 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups blue corn tortilla chips, crushed up
2 whole eggs
8 egg whites
¼ cup skim milk
1 3/4 cups mild salsa, use hotter if you like it
1 cup cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese

In a large pan, sauté onions over medium/high heat with olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. While onions are cooking, whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl.

Once onions are cooked, add chips to the onions. Pour egg mixture over top. Cook for a few minutes, or until eggs are scrambled. Add salsa and cheese. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted.

White Bean Dip

This is great served with veggies or crackers, and only take a few minutes to prepare. An added bonus was that I gave it to my one year old on top of crackers, and she couldn't get enough of it.

1 19oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup light cream cheese
½ cup roasted red pepper, jarred is fine
1 14oz can of artichokes, liquid drained out
¼ cup sundried tomatoes

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Blend until purreed. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before eating.

Simple Lasagna

This is an easy lasagna to make and makes for great leftovers, although with how good it is, I’m not sure how much you will have leftover. When I made this, everyone had seconds, and there was only a little bit left for lunch the next day, and that was for 4 adults and 2 toddlers. Delicious!

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups Ricotta cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
2 pkgs. Frozen spinach, thawed
4 cups marinara sauce, jarred is fine, but homemade is even better. I have a recipe under pasta if you want to try to make your own.
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

While noodles are cooking, squeeze excess water out of spinach into the sink. This is very important, otherwise the lasagna will be too watery. Place spinach in a bowl once the liquid has been drained. Add ricotta and cottage cheese to the bowl. Mix well.

In a very large, rectangular pyrex or corningware dish layer ingredients starting first with marinara sauce, followed by noodles and then spinach mixture. Top with the mozzarella.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.

Rice Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

No, there isn’t a typo, and I didn’t mean slowcooker. This really is macaroni and cheese done in the rice cooker. Sounds crazy, but this recipe is unbelievably good!

Not only does it taste great, but it is easier than making macaroni and cheese out of a box. Well, maybe not that easy, but pretty close. If you try no other recipe on this blog, try this. You won’t be disappointed.

2 cups whole wheat macaroni
2 cups vegetable stock
1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup skim milk
2 cups chopped up broccoli florets
Salt to taste

Put macaroni and stock in rice cooker. Cook for 15 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes. That's it! Seriously, the pasta comes out perfectly cooked, and the broccoli is tender but not overcooked.

Next time, I am going to add 1 cup of frozen peas as well.

Baked Veggies

These veggies are fantastic! If you have kids who don’t like veggies, try this recipe. The bread crumbs and cheese are perfect for hiding the fact that they are eating vegetables. Everyone in our household loved these. And, they don’t take a huge amount of time/effort, so they are great for a quick weeknight meal.

2 cups whole grain bread crumbs
½ cup Asiago or Parmesan Cheese
2 cups buttermilk
1 bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced

Preheat oven to 425.
In a bowl, combine bread crumbs and cheese. In another bowl pour the buttermilk.
Taking a few vegetables at a time, first put them into the buttermilk, then into the bread crumb mixture. Once they are coated with the bread crumbs, place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Broil for the last couple of minutes if you prefer a crunchier texture.