Thai Basil Chicken

I am always looking for easy midweek meals to throw together. I found this on Skinnytaste.com and loved it! Super easy to make and lots of flavor. Definitely use all the basil, I thought I might not need all of it, but it definitely adds to the flavor!

Thai Basil Chicken

Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (keep seeds for extra hot)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
• 3 cups fresh Thai or regular basil leaves
• cooked jasmine rice, optional for serving

Directions:

In a bowl marinate the chicken with oyster sauce and soy sauce 10 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat, when hot add the oil, garlic and chili and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Increase the heat to high and add the chicken and cook, stirring until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the basil and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

Serve over rice.

Read more at http://www.skinnytaste.com/thai-basil-chicken/#0uHu43VZlL9Jtgt4.99

Tips for Keeping Cocktails Low-Calorie

Tips for Keeping Cocktails Low-Calorie
First of all, avoid sugary bases for drinks, including syrups, regular soda, and juice "imposters" (juice "drinks" that aren't 100% fruit juice).

Use strong-flavored garnishes that add a lot of flavor for little to no calories. A wedge of lemon, lime or orange and fresh mint leaves add bursts of flavor without adding tons of calories.

Opt for margaritas and other summer drinks without sugar on the rim. Although the sugar makes the drink look pretty, it adds extra calories unnecessarily.

Seltzer water (sparkling water) is a great base for low-calorie drinks because it provides fun bubbles but is calorie-free. Other low-calorie bases include diet sodas (fruity sodas provide amazing flavor) or light lemonades or fruit-flavored mixes (like those by Crystal Light, Minute Maid Light or similar brands).

Additionally, consider blending your beverages with ice to give them more volume, which will not only fill you up faster, but will trick your eyes into thinking you're eating a lot more.

To make enjoying a low-calorie cocktail even easier, consider purchasing pre-made light cocktail mixes.
Light Libations
Skinny Screwdriver
This traditional cocktail gets a makeover when you use diet lemon-lime soda to halve the calories and provide a flavorful, fun fizz. Combine 8 ounces of diet lemon-lime soda with a shot (1.5 ounces) of vodka and a shot of orange juice. Pour over ice, garnish with orange slices or orange peel, and enjoy for just 138 calories.

Peachy Keen Chiller
Nothing screams summer like fresh, juicy peaches. In a blender, combine a shot of white rum, 1 medium (2-2/3 in diameter) chopped & peeled peach, 1 cup cold Ocean Spray Diet Cranberry Juice, the juice of 1 lime, and a handful of ice cubes. Sip this frozen fruity concoction for a mere 171 calories.

Lean Piña Colada 
Skip the usual fat- and sugar-laden piña coladas and swap out several high-calorie ingredients to create a lightened-up version of this popular Caribbean cocktail. To prepare, throw ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks, ½ cup pineapple juice, 1 shot coconut-flavored rum, ¼ cup light coconut milk into a blender. Blend until smooth, add 3-4 ice cubes, and blend again. This lighter version clocks in at 244 calories, a far cry from a typical piña colada, which contains over 500 calories.
Candyland Cocktail
Who would think a cotton-candy inspired drink would be low-calorie? To whip up this sweet sip, combine ½ cup seltzer water, 2 Tbsp pineapple juice, 1 shot vanilla vodka, and 1 tsp of grenadine and serve over ice for a measly 132 calories.

Iced Hot-Chocolate 
An easy, low-calorie adult beverage for chocolate lovers: Simply prepare 1 packet of diet hot chocolate (25 calorie version) according to packet directions, add 1.3 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream, and pour over ice for a slim 119 calories.


Source: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/skinny-summer-cocktails.html?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=

White Sangria Sparkler

Ingredients:

2 bottles of crisp white wine

2 ripe local peaches, sliced

1 pint raspberries

2 kiwis

several sprigs of mint

Stevia

Directions:

1. Simply add the sliced fruit and mint to the wine and add Stevia until desired sweetness is reached 
2. Let sit for at least an hour in the fridge to let the flavors infuse. In the summertime, it’s also nice to freeze half of the fruit and add right before serving so they act as ice cubes in the Sangria.

Source:http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/recipe/white-sangria-sparkler-recipe?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=delicious-summer-sangria-recipes# 

Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa-Stuffed Puff Pastries

Ingredients: 

1 large sheet puffed pastry, thawed (I used Trader Joe’s brand, look in your grocer’s freezer case)

1 ripe avocado, halved and mashed (approximately 1 tablespoon of avocado per pastry square)

1/3 cup cream cheese (approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese per pastry square)

1/3 cup salsa (approximately 1 teaspoon of salsa per pastry square. I used a combination of Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde and Trader Joe’s Mango Red Pepper Chutney)

salt and pepper, sprinkled to taste

1 egg, beaten

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare two baking sheets with either parchment paper, Silpat liners, or spray them well with cooking spray.

Thaw one large square of puffed pastry for about 10 minutes. Flour your countertop or working surface and roll out the pastry square as thinly as possible.  With a pizza cutter or knife, slice the puffed pastry into approximately 2-inch by 2-inch squares.  From the one thinly rolled large sheet of frozen puffed pastry, I created 18 squares.

On half the squares (9 squares for me), place a dollop of avocado, then cream cheese, then salsa, season with salt and pepper.  Use the remaining squares as the lids and place one lid over the filling mounds. Seal the pastry packages by pressing the edges with a fork, taking care to seal the edges well, pressing the fork in repeatedly, so no filling escapes during baking.

In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork, and apply an eggwash to each of the pastry packages. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until desired browning and puffing has occurred. Watch them closely after 10 minutes in case your oven is hotter or your brand of puffed pastry cooks faster.

Remove from the oven and serve.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and if desired, reheat leftovers in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds before serving.  Or, store extras in an airtight container on the countertop for a day or so, using common sense because of the cream cheese filling, and reheating in the microwave if desired.

Source: http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/

Oreo Balls

Ingredients:

1 box Oreo cookies

1, 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened

white chocolate bark

Directions: 

Start by smashing the oreos into crumbs. Put them into a medium size mixing bowl and combine with the cream cheese. You will have to take off your rings for this one, it gets a little messy. Combine well and then form into 1 inch balls. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place the balls onto the cookie sheet. Freeze them for a couple of hours until they are frozen solid. Dip them into the melted white chocolate bark (I got mine cheap at Wal-mart) and then place them back on the wax paper to harden.

Source: http://frostedbakeshop.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-05-21T15:49:00-07:00&max-results=10&start=10&by-date=false

Cake Batter Rice Krispies

Ingredients: 

3 Tbs. butter

6 cups Rice Krispies

1/3 cups yellow or white cake batter dry mix (unprepared)

1 bag - 10 oz. mini marshmallows

1 jar (1.75 oz ) multicolored sprinkles

*optional - I added a jar of the marshmallow fluff to mine to make it really gooey! Just add it to the pan when the marshmallows are almost all melted.

Directions: 

In a large saucepan, heat butter and marshmallows on low until melted.

Slowly, add dry cake mix, one small scoop at a time to the melted marshmallows. Don't dump them all in! It will lump up and won't be as smooth.

In a separate bowl, add 6 cups of Rice Krispies. Fold in the melted marshmallows and half of the jar of sprinkles.

Press them into a well greased baking dish. I like to spray my hand with Pam before I do this step because then I can really press them into the pan well without it sticking to my hand and pulling back up.

This is the fun part! You can make them big & fat like I like them by putting them into a smaller dish or you can make them skinny by putting them in a 9x13 pan. Either way is yummy! Top them off with the rest of the sprinkles. Let them sit and cool off for a little bit before you cut into them.

Source: http://frostedbakeshop.blogspot.com/

Apple Bars

Ingredients: 

1 cup melted butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups peeled, cored and diced apples

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix the butter, sugar and egg until creamy. Add in the flour, soda and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Remember, the outside will be crispy and look done while the middle might still be gooey!

Source: Frostedbakeshop.blogspot.com