One of my favorite quickie lunches is homemade Quesadillas.

They are also a really great way to use up some leftovers, I had some chicken from the night before so I broke it up in to little pieces.

behold my leftovers!

I threw on some cheese, onions and tomatos!

And I lightly pan fried it. OOPS. I need to pay more attention!

Serve with some hot sauce and some sour cream! Enjoy!

First, I removed the icky pit

Next I gathered, up my stuffing ingredients. Powdered sugar and cream cheese!

And some orange peels!

And they were good to go after a whirl in the food processor! I am pretty sure I washed the orange before a peeled it…..

I just added 2 table spoons of cream cheese with one table spoon of powdered sugar and orange peels!

Tada! How do you like my festive dates?

But the veggies happen to be good for us, so I suppose I might as well eat them.

Try this fruity salad and let me know if you are still bored with your veggies!

• Bed of lettuce
• Strawberries
• Mandarin Oranges
• General tso’s tofu
• Chickpeas
• Blue corn chips

Now that is a summer salad!!

The pasta would win.

Heck, so would a cookie.

But, what if I could trick myself into getting some green into my life?

Would you think I was crazy if I added 5, just 5 leaves of spinach to an amazing smoothie?

• Almond Milk
• Frozen Berry Medley
• Fat-free Vanilla yogurt
• 5 Organic spinach leaves

Tip: Adding frozen fruits is an awesome way to get a cool smoothie without spending too much on fruits!

Look at that color!!

Look at that color!!!!

This delicious sandwich was an “on a whim” creation that turned out to be sooo delicious! It is a twist on your run of the mill turkey sandwich.

I purchased a pack of Butterball sandwich meat that had a combination of turkey ham, turkey salami, and white turkey.

1. Before you place the cheese on the bread, spread a little bit of butter on the inside of the bread (the side that faces the cheese). I find that this helps the cheese melting process. Take two slices of cheese—whichever cheese makes you happy—and place one slice on each slice of bread.
2. Then, in a small frying pan, I cooked up some bacon.
3. Once the bacon is done, I sliced up some onion and green peppers and sautéed them with some vegetable seasoning.
4. Place the sauté mix and bacon on the cheese on one slice. The other slice should have a slice of cheese and a slice of each type of meat.
5. Put the two slices together and place the sandwich on a large skillet. Make sure the heat is on low so the bread doesn’t burn.
6. After five minutes, carefully flip the sandwich over to other side to toast the bread and melt the cheese.
7. Place your delicious sandwich on a plate and slice down the middle or diagonals, just the way you like it.
8. Add a glass of your favorite drink and a side of your favorite fruit or vegetable and that is an amazing meal!
9. Enjoy!

You start off with some warm olive oil and fry some onions until they are lightly brown. Don’t use that picture as the best example, some are clearly dark brown, but you get the idea!

Next, you can add the spices: cloves, black cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks

finally add 1/4 of a teaspoon of garlic

Mix everything in with the lightly browned onions.

Add in the washed basmati rice (I used 2 cups for a family of 5)

Just stir in the rice with some fresh cilantro.

After you are done stirring, add enough water to cover the top of the rice by an inch.

Let the rice cook until the water evaporates! You don’t need to stir at this point

This goes well with a yogurt dip. Plain non-fat yogurt, green pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of lemon juice!

Enjoy!

Ingredients: Makes 2 servings

• 2 slices of toast (pick your favorite—I recommend a wonderful French bread or wheat)
• 2 eggs
• 6-8 slices of your favorite deli meat (traditionally, it’s made with ham, but if you prefer turkey, roast beef, go right ahead!)
• 2 slices of cheese (I recommend provolone or muenster but again, use your favorite!)
• 2 tsp of Dijon mustard

Instructions: 10 minute- Prep and Cook time

1. On medium/medium-high heat, coat a skillet with olive oil (or use cooking spray) and carefully crack an egg into the skillet.

*TIP: If you don’t feel comfortable cracking it into the skillet directly, try cracking an egg into a bowl and slowly dropping it into the skillet.

2. While the egg is frying, toast your bread lightly in your toaster/toaster oven.  You want a light golden brown on both sides.

3. Cook the egg for about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Make sure you turn the heat to medium/low-medium on the second side.

4. Spread the toast with some Dijon mustard and layer on the meat.  Toast again to warm the meat through.

5. Once the egg is done frying, place it on the toast and meat.  Melt the cheese on top.  Use the stove top or the residual heat from your toaster oven.

6. Enjoy with coffee, juice, and your favorite sides!

WELCOME SUMMER VACATION!

The best way to reel in the summer is to have a fun BBQ with your closest family and friends. 

I decided to have a BBQ this past Memorial Day weekend. My most popular food item was KEBOBS! I made three types of kebobs: Pineapple Rum, Honey BBQ, and Garlic & Herb. These are the recipes I came up with to marinate the kebobs.

Pineapple Rum Marinade

• Pineapple juice
• Bacardi Rum
• Kikkoman’s Triple Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
• Minced garlic
• Olive oil
• Meat tenderizer
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Adobo

Honey BBQ Marinade

• KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Meat tenderizer
• Garlic
• Canola Oil
• Onion powder
• Adobo

Garlic and Herb Marinade

• McCormick GrillMates Garlic and Herb seasoning
• Meat tenderizer
• Olive oil
• Vinegar
• Curry powder
• Adobo

Marinade for meats!

So once you get those marinades prepared in separate dishes, add your preferred meat (chicken, beef, steak, or pork) into each marinade. Your meat must be cut into cubes that are no more than one inch thick.  Mix the meat into the marinade well. Place the meat in the marinade into the fridge over night.

The next day, soak your skewers in water for 30 minutes or more. You must do this because, if not done, then the skewers will burn and start a fire on the grill.

Don't forget to soak your skewers!

While the skewers are soaking, dice up some colorful bell peppers and red onions. They should be thick enough so that they will not burn quickly on the grill.

When the skewers are done and the peppers are diced, take the meat out of the fridge. You can arrange the meat, peppers, and onion mix in any order you prefer. I did it in this order: meat, onion, pepper, meat, onion, pepper, etc.  I did only three sets of the combination on each skewer. It’s important to take your time so you won’t get splinters or broken skewers.

Delicious Kebobs!