A Different Kind of Salad!

This week I felt tired of salads, but I wanted to make sure I incorporated my daily supply of fruits and vegtables. I have always loved Hawaiian Haystacks, but these haystacks are a little different because I added a ingrediant that would either produce, "Oh gross" or "Genious." I love to eat healthy! This meal may not be ultra exciting, but my goal is to create meals that will inspire people to eat healthy and still have good flavorable foods. So enjoy being healthy, you will find yourself feeling really good about yourself!

Ingrediants needed (more or less)

Enriched Minute Rice or Brown Rice
Chop the following:
Olives
cucumber
celery
pineapple
tomato
add cheese or your choice
Chow Mein Noodles

Bonus Ingrediant: Golden Milled Flaxseed. Just mix it with the rice and add a little olive oil. Flaxseed has a very good flavor similiar to wheat. It contains all sorts of vitamins including Omega 3.

Bake chicken tenders with onion soup mix. Bake and cut chicken into pieces. Top the rice with all the items above. Voila!! You have just created a very healthy meal!

Fondant Covered Valentine Cupcakes!

I was ridiculously excited to make these cupcakes. I had always heard that fondant was disgusting and hard to work with, but I found an online recipe that used mini marshmallows. The fondant turned out perfect to my suprise and was super easy to make!

Marshmallow Fondant:

4 c. mini marshmallows
4 c. powdered sugar
2 T. water

Makes enough for about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

In a microwave safe large bowl, combine marshmallows and water and heat for 1 minute. Stir marshmallows until smooth and melted and then add a cup of sugar stirring between each cup mixed in. Add food coloring if you like. Knead the fondant with greased hands on a greased surface over and over until firm and shapeable. If fondant starts to stick, add more oil to surface. Roll fondant out and take small amount (slightly larger then cupcake) to be placed over cupcake. With knife, cut and shape fondant around the cupcake and cut remaining fondant off. If small amoun of excess fondant left around cupcake, either cut or fold fondant under to make it shape better to cupcake.

To top fondant with candy pieces, use icing made with powdered sugar and about 1 T. milk. Dab candy with icing and place on top of fondant. I thought these would be fun cupcakes for kids.

Garden Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is so good you will want to eat it all day. Very healthy, it contains great garden veggies, and a great Italian taste of Italian dressing, balsamic vinager, and lemon juice.

Garden Pasta Salad

1 box of Tri-colored Rotini 12 oz
1 cucumber
1-2 tomatoes
1 can olives sliced
1 avocado
1/2-2/3 c. Italian dressing (to taste)
1/4 tsp. balsamic vinager
1/4 tsp. red wine vinager
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. red onion (optional)

Toppings
Avocado
bacon bits
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside. Peel cucumber, slice, and soak in balsamic vinager, red wine vinager and 1 T. of lemon juice for about 10 min. Drain vinager from cucumbers. Combine with pasta the cucumber, olives, tomatoes. Add the Italian dressing and 1 T. lemon juice. Mix well. Let chill in fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Top with above toppings.

Baked Oatmeal Clusters

These baked clusters are soooo good, and a great form of fiber. For breakfast or dessert, this dessert is sure to please anyone. Warm or cold, with or without milk, it is a combination of sweat oatmeal and delicous fruit of your choice.

Baked Oatmeal Clusters

3 c. oatmeal
1 c. oil
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 c. brown sugar

Combine all ingrediants and sprinkle with more cinnamon if you like. Grease a 8x8 cassorole pan and put mixture in pan. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 min.
Serve warm, and top with fruit.