Strawberry Spinach Salad

It's winter here in Wisconsin, though I think someone forgot to tell that to Mother Nature. The past few weeks have been summer temperatures. Today's normal high is 40 and they are anticipating our actual temperature to be 83 today. It's crazy and I love it, but it also makes me scared that it can't last and it's going to freeze again and my fruit trees aren't going to bare fruit AGAIN this year. They are just starting to bud out now. My plants are all coming up and it's looking more like May than March out there.

That being said, I have more energy (presumably because I'm outside and soaking up more vitamin D), and I am ITCHING to get my hands in the dirt. Along with nice weather, I always feel like eating better. Last night, I introduced my boys to a HEALTHY salad and they loved it!! It's soooo super easy and I want to try to keep things in the house to make it because it's an easy snack when I want something RIGHT. NOW. Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Dressing:

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp poppy seeds (more or less, depending on your preference. I skipped them last time because I didn't have any in the house and it was still good!)
1 tbsp honey (Skip this if you're using vanilla yogurt)

Salad:
3 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed
4 strawberries, chopped

Top salad with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Easy peasy!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

At Christmas time, I made cutting boards for some of the teachers and tucked in a loaf of banana bread with it. I thought "I don't need to make the glaze for this. It's just banana bread, what's the big deal?" Well, I'm here to tell you, the glaze makes amazing banana bread AHHHH-MAZING! Seriously yummy stuff.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Orange Glaze

3/4 cup softened butter
8 oz pkg softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 4 medium...I don't measure, I just add 4)
3 cups ap flour
1/2 tsp each: baking soda, baking powder and salt
OPTIONAL: 2 cups pecans (I skip these)


Orange Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp orange zest
3 tbsp orange juice (Use the juice of the orange you zest or use OJ concentrate)

Cream the butter and cream cheese with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well after each one. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Add dry ingredients all at once and stir until combined. Fold in 1 cup pecans if you are using them.

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans (8x4x2) or 5 mini loaf pans that you've lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (about 45 minutes for minis) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Move to cooling rack, prick with a fork a few times before drizzling with the glaze. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before you remove from the loaf pans to cool completely.

Hello Again!

I've missed you! But, I am back with a fun and simple, super tasty recipe that is PERFECT for the holiday weekend! Fruit Salsa. My SIL Christine LOVES it when I make this and it's been years since I pulled it out, so it's time again. Enjoy your holiday and please be safe!


Apple Berry Salsa
from The Pampered Chef

2 granny smith apples, sliced thin, then chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
2 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 small orange
1 tsp zest
2 tbsp juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp apple jelly

Gently stir together fruit. Mix rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and then pour over fruit and gently toss together. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with cinnamon tortilla chips.


Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

1 pkg flour tortillas
cinnamon sugar
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400*. Cut each tortilla into wedges. A pizza cutter works really well for this job. Arrange on a cookie sheet. Spray tortillas LIGHTLY with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

I got this recipe last year from Clean Eating Magazine. Since I'm the only one in the house that will eat spinach, the only hard part is keeping their paws off my stawberries!

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

dressing:
1/2 c plain or vanilla low/non-fat yogurt
1/4 orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Stir until blended.

Salad:
each serving:
3 1/2 c baby spinach leaves
4 large strawberries, quartered
2 tbsp dressing

Simple and healthy AND super YUMMY! Enjoy!

Pancakes and Orange Julius

My DH loves making breakfast. It's been so nice having him home this week because he'll make the kids great breakfast before school where I'm content to give them cereal with whatever frozen berries we hauled out of the freezer. Yesterday was french toast and today was his famous pancakes. Ok, maybe not famous, but they are super fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth pancakes. I like that I don't have to remember to buy pancake mix because it's made with things I always have in the house. YAY!! And when he makes "orange julius" smoothies to go along with it. YUMMY!! Here's the recipes, enjoy!!

Pancakes

1 1/3 cup ap flour
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tbsp oil
vanilla to taste

Mix the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients. Mix well. Cook on a griddle or frypan until golden, flip and repeat.



Orange Julius

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
8-10 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until thick and slushy. Serve immediately.
1 tsp vanilla