S'mores Cookie Bars

From: All You

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups marshmallow topping (like fluff)
2 cups milk-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil. Mist with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; mix well. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough in half. Press half of dough into pan until dough is uniform and flat. Spread with marshmallow topping and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Scatter remaining dough over in clumps. Don't worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should peek through.

Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Place plan on wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan, peel off foil and cut into bars.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goooosh I really liked these. I actually liked them the most about 10 hours after they were cooked. Very simple, straight-forward recipe and absolutely yummy! I will be making these again.

Nutrition information: (based on my ingredients; 16 bars; 1 bar per serving)
Calories: 329
Carbs: 59g
Fat: 9g
Protein: 3g

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

From: Kitch Me

Ingredients:

3 to 4 tilapia fillet, depending on size

1⁄4 cup bread crumbs, or crushed buttery round crackers

1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 kosher salt, to taste

1 pepper, to taste

1 garlic powder, to taste

1 olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking dish.
2. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder on a plate; mix well.
3. On a different plate, pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
4. Working one at a time, place a fillet in the plate with lemon juice, season to taste with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Turn fish over in the lemon juice and season the other side.
5. Dredge fillet in the parmesan mixture, patting it all over to coat.
6. Place in prepared baking dish; repeat with remaining fish.
7. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over fillets and drizzle or spray them lightly with olive oil.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fish easily flakes with a fork and edges are brown.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I really like the flavor of tilapia and am trying to incorporate more fish into our diet. I figured I would start with a recipe that isn't too outlandish. My son (3 years old) ate a ton of this. I also really liked it. My daughter (5 years old) said it was too spicy for her, which I guess is the tilapia flavor. I'll definitely be making this again though.

Nutrition information (based on my ingredients; 1 fillet serving)
Calories: 121
Carbs: 3g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 20g

Holiday Tortellini Soup

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 oz. bacon or pancetta, finely diced (I used turkey bacon) 
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (49 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 package (9 oz) cheese tortellini
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
8 oz fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and chopped (I used canned)
salt and pepper (I left out)
Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta. Cook until crisp. Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute. Add broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add cooked tortellini to soup mixture. Stir in tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'm sure I've made similar recipes before but I really liked this one. Very filling and hearty. Great flavors. And simple! So I would definitely make this again in the future.

Nutrition information: (based on my ingredients; per cup)
Calories: 159
Carbs: 20g
Fat: 6g
Protein: 6g

Italian Herb Marinated Chicken

From: McCormick

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil 
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp McCormick montreal chicken seasoning
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Mix oil, vinegar, Chicken Seasoning and Italian seasoning in small bowl. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well.
2. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade.
3. Grill chicken over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Verdict:
Well, here's the deal. My whole family and I found the herb flavor of this chicken to be too overwhelming for our tastes. So I shredded mine and made a wrap out of it. I found that to be the perfect offset to the herbs. If you like strong herb flavors such as oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. you will really like this chicken. I would actually make this again and just not use as much of the seasonings.

Nutrition information: (based on my ingredients; per tenderloin)
117 calories
1g carb
6g fat
16g protein

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake

From: Recapture Fitness

Ingredients:
1 scoop protein powder (chocolate)
2 tsp coconut flour (I used white-wheat)
1/4 tsp baking powder
sweetener of choice (I added two packets of Great Value no calorie sweetner; their version of Splenda)
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa (I did not add this)
2 egg whites
1 tsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp almond milk (I used 1% milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together well in mug.  Cook mug in microwave for 45-60 sec.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! The website I got the recipe from added a peanut butter fluff to the top. I added Smuckers caramel topping because - YUM! I also overcooked it so it was a little dry but the caramel topping made up for that!

Nutrition info: (based on my ingredients)
Calories: 205
Carbs: 10g
Fat: 7g
Protein: 24g

Tender 'N' Tangy Ribs

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
2 lbs pork spareribs
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Combine the first nine ingredients in a slow cooker. Cut ribs into serving-size pieces; brown in a skillet in oil. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until tender.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I enjoyed the flavor of these. My only problem is that I used about 3.5 pounds of ribs and I think I should have doubled the sauce. My whole family loved these and they like pretty bland flavorings, so they liked this. It wasn't overwhelming but there was definitely a tangy taste every time you took a bite. And the ribs were falling apart after about 6 hours. I would definitely make this again in the future, just double up on the yummy sauce! 

Ham and Egg Wrap

From: Kraft website

Ingredients:
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
6 slices of ham (I used Walmart brand smoked honey ham, 97% fat free)
2 tortillas (I used La Banderita brand, fat free)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Harris Teeter brand, sharp cheddar)

Beat whole egg, egg whites and ham until well blended. Heat nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add egg mixture; cook 3 min. or until set, stirring occasionally. 

Spoon egg mixture down centers of tortillas; top with cheese. Fold in opposite sides of each tortilla, then roll up burrito-style. 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I know this is a really simple, common-sense recipe but it was just what I needed today. I'll definitely be making these more and freezing them when I get a chance.

Nutrition info: (1 serving; 2 wraps) *based on my ingredients*
502 calories
39g carbs
16g fat
42g protein

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

From: Campbell's magazine ad

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (I used one can of Veg-all)
1/2 tsp onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 7 tenderloins instead of breasts)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, water, rice, vegetables and onion powder in 12x8 shallow baking dish.

Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.

Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes or until done. Top with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goodness, what a great combination of flavors. Loved this and I will definitely be making this again in the future.

Nutrition info: (1 serving)
206 calories
28g carbs
4g fat
14g protein

Homemade Banana Protein Muffins

I created this recipe based off the ingredients I had on hand and other recipes I had seen.

Ingredients:
Raw bananas, 100g (this is about 1 medium banana)
Peanut butter, 3.5 Tbsp (I used honey roasted, creamy by Peter Pan)
Flour, 1/2 cup (I used King Arthur white whole wheat)
Vanilla protein powder, 40 g (about 1/2 scoop; I used Forza)
1 egg
Coconut oil, 10g (almost 1 tablespoon)

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. You may want to adjust your oven higher and cook for fewer minutes. This was my first time making these and I was just testing the temperature.

Verdict:
These were good. They were a little bit dry but nothing a small pat of butter couldn't help! I think next time I would add a little water or maybe an extra egg to make them more moist. Also I just realized I should have had two bananas, which probably would have helped. They were still yummy though!

Nutrition information: (per muffin)
148 calories
13g of carbs
8g of fat
7g of protein

The original recipe that made me crave these for breakfast is:
200g of banana (2 bananas)
50g almond butter
60g coconut flour
15g vanilla protein powder
1 medium egg
10g coconut oil

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

From: Macheesemo

Ingredients:
English muffins (I used Arnold sandwich thins that are made with flax and fiber)
Eggs
Cheese (I used store brand cheddar cheese)
I also used Jennie-O turkey bacon

Grab a muffin tin and crack an egg into each tin. The blog where I got the recipe from used a dozen (she was freezing them) but I only did four at a time. Make sure you spray with nonstick spray or spread with butter first!

Cook at 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Toast your bread if you like (I didn't).

After I cooked my eggs for about 10 minutes I added half a slice of cooked turkey bacon, crumbled, on top and cooked another 3 minutes. I sprinkled a quarter ounce of cheese on one bun, topped it with the egg and bacon, and then put the other side of the bun on top. I cooked it for another 5 minutes just to get it all toasty and melt the cheese.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Trying to get more protein in my breakfast so this was perfect. You'll notice I had two eggs on my sandwich - that's because I used the sandwich thins instead of an English muffin. I will definitely be making these again. Check out the original recipe website for ways to freeze these!

*Macros noted are for the ingredients I used but only one egg, not the two I ended up using*

Calories: 213
Carbs: 21
Fat: 9
Protein: 14