Orange smoothie (julius?)

It dawned on me today that orange Julius is basically a smoothie. Never really thought of it as such before, so I thought lets make it real, as in, use fruit!
So I bring to you an orange Julius smoothie!
1 cup milk
3 oranges pealed and broken into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ice (depends on how thick you like your smoothies)
Blend! And enjoy!
This picture is taken of the smoothie in my blender. It was yummy.

Chex muddy buddies

This recipe can be found on the back or side of most chex boxes. So I'm going to post it here, since it is so readily available. These are super good, addictingly so.
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups chex (any kind)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a 1 qt microwave safe bowl mix the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave on high 1 min. Stir and microwave 30 sec longer or until melted and smooth. Add vanilla.
In a large container with a lid, fill with the chex and pour chocolate mixture over. Stir until evenly coated. Add powdered sugar, cover, amd shake until coated.
Spread onto wax paper to cool.

Yummy stuff

1st birthday cake

It was my little girls first birthday. I made a mermaid cake for her, and was very happy at how well it turned out. It is the almond cake I made for Christmas with butter cream frosting that was flavored with almond.

Beef tenderloin with veggies

This was a super yummy dish, and the photo does not do justice to the meal at all. Modifications made in this recipe: I marinated the beef in all the sauce made, then put it in the pan, dumped the veggies into the marinade, and threw them around the beef (rather than cooking them a bit first, then adding the beef) I didn't use brussel spouts, but that is due to a personal dislike of them.
I did forget to cover the dish, not intentional. So it took longer than directed to cook. Just make sure that your meat thermometer reaches the temp for the doneness you prefer and you'll be fine
120-130 rare
140- medium
150-160 well
The recipe can be found here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Beef-Tenderloin-with-Roasted-Vegetables

Parmesan Pork Medallions and Parmesan roasted carrots

These two dishes went very well together. They were both quick to make, so it was a perfect and balanced dinner for a weekday. The recipe can be found here for the the pork: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Parmesan-Pork-Medallions

and for the carrots: 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Parmesan-Roasted-Carrots

I didn't make any edits to the recipes, just prepared them as instructed. They turned out great! I suggest you try.

Little kick jalapeno burgers

These were so yummy, but very very spicy. I had to put the burger down every few bites to give my mouth a break from the heat.  But I will be making these again.
You can find the recipe here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/-Little-Kick--Jalapeno-Burgers

Broiled sirloin and balsamic asparagus

So quick you won't believe it.  The seasoning on the steak was perfect. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms on steak, so I didn't add them. The sauce on the asparagus seemed to overwhelm it's natural flavor a bit, but it was still pretty good.
The recipes can be found here:
Steak
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Broiled-Sirloin-Steaks
Asparagus
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Balsamic-Asparagus

Chicken caesar wraps

My picture didn't turn out too well. but these were great! Quick to make, and you get your veggies too. I didn't pick up croutons, so I didn't have those in these, but I'm sure they will just add to the flavor and make it extra good.
The recipe can be found here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chicken-Caesar-Wraps

Chili beef quesadillas

This was a simple and quick recipe to make. It was super yummy, and healthy to boot!
Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chili-Beef-Quesadillas

Chicken rolls

This is my grandmothers recipe. Whenever I am missing either her, or my mom, I make this dish.  It brings me back to my childhood.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups salted water
• 1 small package cream cheese
• 1 small package cream cheese with chives*
• 1/2 cup butter separated
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 4 ounces drained mushrooms
• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
• Gravy:
• 4 Cups chicken broth
• 4 Tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

• Boil the chicken in salted water until cooked through. Let cool.
• In a bowl add the two cream cheeses, 1/4 cup butter, and pepper. Cream together. Add mushrooms and chicken.
• Mix bread crumbs, sage, and nuts in separate bowl, set aside.
• Unroll Crescent rolls. Put 1/4 cup chicken mixture on crescent roll. At small end roll up and seal. Dip in melted butter. Roll in bread crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 20 Minutes Serve with chicken roll gravy
• Gravy:
• Add cornstarch to chicken broth while cool. Heat until it boils stirring constantly until thickens 

*Note, if you can't find cream cheese with chives, just purchase 1 6oz package of cream cheese and add chives to it.

Breakfast smoothie

Super easy, Super yummy and Super quick.  Really, a smoothie is anything you want in it. What I did here is:

1/2 cup fat free(or low fat) plain yogurt
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1-3 tablespoons pomegranate juice.
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons egg beaters egg whites (optional)
Ice Cubes (optional)

The amount of pomegranate juice depends on if you use ice cubes, and how many you use. If you don't use any, you'll only need one tablespoon. I like lots of ice in my smoothie, so I had to use a few tablespoons to get it to blend.
Blend everything, but the ice cubes together first. Then add the ice cubes and blend until crushed.
If you want to add protein to your smoothie, add the egg whites. But make sure you use the pasteurized kind in the box so you don't get sick!

Rosemary pork chops

What makes this recipe even simpler (after the first time) is that the crumb mixture used on the outside of the pork chops makes quite a bit that can be saved and used for future recipes. I have made this recipe once before, prior to starting this blog. Therefore, this was made that much easier because the crumb mixture was already made.
I think the only thing I did differently in the recipe was use very think boneless pork chops. I used a lid on the frying pan to make sure they were cooked thoroughly.

You can find the recipe here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Rosemary-Pork-Chops

Pork tenderloin salad

I bet you can guess what I'm going to say. "such a simple and yummy recipe"
You are right. For the most part I don't have time for complicated recipes. Although, I do suppose one persons definition of simple can vary from another, depending on how much you like doing something.

So the recipe can be found here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Spicy-Pork-Tenderloin-Salad

My modifications are: I used lemon juice instead of orange juice... simply because we were out of orange juice. While it was yummy I think that it will be much better with the orange juice it called for.  I also didn't put the mustard in it, but that was a personal preference. I'm not a fan of mustard in my salad dressing.

What spice run didn't get used on the tenderloin, I just mixed with the rest of the ingredients to create the sauce that gets poured over the meat when cooked. It turned out really well. I will be sure to make this one often!