Buffalo Style Grilled Chicken

One of my husband's favorite appetizers when we go out to eat is buffalo wings. While buffalo wings are usually greasy and unhealthy, this chicken is not. I made a homemade marinade that is similar to the one usually used on buffalo wings, except I tweaked it a bit to have less butter and still have a good balanced, hot wing flavor. I also switched out the wings for boneless, skinless chicken.This recipe will give you a mild to medium spicy buffalo chicken, which is what I prefer and most people I know like. If you use the optional cayenne pepper on the chicken, it will be on the hot side, but not "suicide" hot. Here is the recipe:

Buffalo Style Grilled Chicken - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
* 1 cup of hot sauce
* 2 TBSP of butter or margarine, melted
* 1 TBSP of white vinegar
* 1/4 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 tsp garlic powder
* Cooking Spray
* a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix hot sauce, melted butter, vinegar, black pepper, and garlic powder together to make your buffalo sauce marinade.
2. Put chicken in a large container or bowl and pour marinade over the chicken.

3. Cover chicken and marinade chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Spray the pan with cooking spray and put chicken in a large pan over low to medium heat. Lightly sprinkle chicken with cayenne pepper if you want your buffalo chicken on the spicier side.

5. Cook 7-8 minutes and then flip each piece of chicken.  Lightly sprinkle chicken again with cayenne pepper if you want your buffalo chicken to be hot and spicy.

6. Cook another 7-8 minutes or until juices run clear.

7. Serve on its own with your favorite side dishes, with ranch or blue cheese dressing on side, or on a bun with ranch or blue cheese dressing as a sandwich.

Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili

With the weather turning cold and life getting busy again, I took out the slow cooker to do some easy, healthy cooking. I thought about foods I like and haven't had in awhile and realized that chili was one of them. While this recipe would also be good with ground chicken or beef added in, the veggies and black beans make this a hearty, vegetarian meal.

Veggie Fajita Black Bean Chili - Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 2 14oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 14oz cans of tomatoes with green chilis or jalapenos ( use regular tomatoes if you like your chili less spicy)
* 3 bell peppers cut into strips
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
* 2 tsp of cumin
* 1 TBSP of chili powder
* 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper or to taste
* 1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Dump all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix them together.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sliced avocado, and/or sour cream. Also great served over brown rice, whole grain pasta, or a baked potato for a more filling meal. Enjoy!

Sugar N Spice Baked Apples

I am a person who has a sweet tooth and often likes to have something sweet at the end of the day. Generally I try to serve myself lower calorie, healthier options for my dessert the majority of the time. While cookies, cake, pie, and other sweets have their place, they are not things I want to be eating large amounts of for the sake of my health. I tend to save those for the weekends, holidays, and other special times with friends and family. On those "regular" nights I go for healthier desserts or snacks. Here is one I have been enjoying for years, ever since my days of doing Weight Watchers in my early 20's.

Sugar N Spice Baked Apples - Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 2 apples (I used gala apples today, but most kinds of apples work for this)
* 1 TBSP of dark brown sugar, packed
* 1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
* Cooking spray or about 1 TBSP of melted butter/margarine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and dry apples. Cut the apples in half and remove the core but leave any stems intact.
3. Place apples on a small, non-stick cookie sheet with the cut, flat side facing up.
4. Mix brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
5. Spray the top of each apple with cooking spray or brush each top with melted butter.
6. Coat each apple half with sugar and spice mixture.
6. Bake apples for 25-30 minutes or until apples are fork tender and soft.

These can be eaten on their own or served with the following for a tasty treat: Vanilla ice cream, vanilla yogurt (greek or regular), or whipped cream. Enjoy this healthy, but still sweet dessert.

200 Likes on Facebook Page Giveaway

The facebook page for this blog is now at over 200 likes. We are at 204 likes and as a result are having a giveaway. If you like a post on Facebook, you get an entry. Becoming a follower of the blog is another entry. Commenting on a Facebook post or on a recipe entry and/or blog entry here gets you two entries. The giveaway starts tonight and will end on 1/19/13, 11:59 PM EST.

The winner will receive the cookbook of their choice via mail from amazon.com.

Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos

I love breakfast, it's one of my favorite meal of the day. Especially on the weekends when I get to make breakfast at home and don't have to prep breakfast ahead like I usually do on weekdays. Here is an easy to put together breakfast that you can easily enjoy with some hashbrowns on the side or some fresh fruit.

Spicy Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos - Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 2 medium sized tortillas (I used a medium sized, store brand high fiber tortilla that is 70 calories each.)
* 2 eggs
* 2 TBSP of sour cream (I used light sour cream)
* 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or pepperjack cheese (I used reduced fat sharp cheddar)
* 1/8 tsp of black pepper
* 1/8 tsp of salt
* a few dashes of hot sauce, depending on how spicy you like things (jalapeno tabasco hot sauce is great here, but regular will work as well)
* a few sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)
* 1/2 cup of black beans from a 15oz can, drained and rinsed
* Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Turn on stove and heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray.
2. Crack eggs into a small bowl and add salt and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs with fork, reduce pan to low heat, and pour eggs to the pan.
4. Scramble eggs in pan and when eggs are halfway done, add black beans, hot sauce, and shredded cheese.
5. warm torillas in a large pan or microwave each tortilla for 10-15 seconds.
6. Grab two plates and smear 1 TBSP of sour cream onto each tortilla.
7. Put 1/2 of the egg mixture into each tortilla and add cilantro on top if desired.
8  Roll up tortillas and enjoy! Serve with hash browns and/or fresh fruit for a great, filling breakfast.

Other variations include salsa in place of hot sauce, cream cheese in place of sour cream, and sliced avocado to garnish burritos. I have made this quite a bit and enjoy various variations of this now and then for breakfast.