Peanut Butter Cookies- Gluten Free

These cookies are AMAZING!  I promise you won't miss the gluten/flour.  I don't think I'll ever make another PB cookie again.

Photo from original recipe

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1/8 tsp because I used salted peanuts)

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used a bit less- they don't even need chocolate chips- probably won't use next time)

1/2 cup crushed peanuts (I used a bit less)

Stir pb, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt together. Add chocolate chips and peanuts. Roll into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  (I did 13 mins). 

I was able to make 27 cookies.

Classic Macaroni Salad

16 oz. elbow macaroni
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Cook macaroni, drain and rinse under cold water.  Mix with onion, celery, eggs, parsley.  In a bowl, mix together mayo, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, olive oil and vinegar.  Pour over salad and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

This recipe is so easy, and it's a big family favorite- everyone loves it.  The kids gobble it up, and it's so healthy!

This is ALL you need...

1 spaghetti squash
1 can marina sauce (our favorite is Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara of course)
1 bag frozen meatballs (the FarmRich Italian Style meatballs are delish!)

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds and guts.  I fill the holes with meatballs (see photo below) because I can never get all the meatballs to fit in the crockpot otherwise!  Place the squash flesh side down in the crockpot (you have to do it strategically if you fill the hole with meatballs).  Place the meatballs around the squash.  Cover everything with sauce.

Cook on low for 5 hours.  Take squash out and use a fork to pull the flesh out of the squash (your "spaghetti noodles").  You can either throw it back in the crockpot with the sauce and meatballs or serve it on a platter like in my photo above.  YUM!

Four Bean Chili

I got this recipe from Weelicious and just changed it a bit.  She cooks in the crockpot, but I tried it in both the crockpot and doing it on the stove, and we all liked it much better from the stove.  It is SO good!!

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
1- 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
1- 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1- 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1- 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2- 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1.5 tbsp. chili powder
1.5 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt

In a saute pan over medium, heat the oil and saute the onions until translucent.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add turkey and cook through, until most of the juice is evaporated.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin and salt.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Crockpot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Photo from Family Circle mag

1 pkg (20.8 oz) ground turkey
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
hamburger buns

In a slow cooker, stir together all the ingredients.  Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, stirring turkey mixture halfway through.  Season with more salt, if necessary.

Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Photo from Better Homes & Gardens mag

Ever since I heard sweet potatoes are the MOST nutritious vegetable (it's true!  look it up!), I've been trying to give them to the kids at least a few times a month.  They always have them at Trader Joes, and they are SO easy to prepare- you can just poke them and stick them in the microwave- and you can eat them plain, and they are still good!  So although this recipe isn't the healthiest, it is delicious and much better for you than plain mashed potatoes.

3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup butter
2 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cup toasted pistachios
Salt

Simmer the potatoes until tender, drain.  Heat the half-and-half and butter together and mash into the potatoes.  Stir in the goat cheese.  Season with salt to taste.  Sprinkle with pistachios.

*You can really just make this to taste.  I didn't weigh the potatoes- I just used 3 large ones.  I added the butter to taste and added a bit more than 2 oz. goat cheese.  I did NOT top it with pistachios.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Photo from Real Simple

I made this tonight, and aside from the fact that it is delicious, it was one of the most simple recipes I've ever made!  I adapted it slightly from Real Simple, and some of their reviews weren't good (people said it was too lemon-y), but I found the lemon perfect (I used less than directed).  This is definitely a new go to!

Another plus: it makes your house smell divine!  I left it in the oven when I went to pick up the kids, and when we came home, it smelled so good!  Even Ella said, "what's that smell, mommy?"

INGREDIENTS
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon (half thinly sliced, half juiced)
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 tsp. crushed garlic)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 lbs. green beans (I used about half or 3/4 of the bag of TJ's frozen French green beans- I blanched them first so they weren't frozen when I put them in the casserole dish)
24 oz. (1 lb. 8 oz.) bag baby red potatoes, quartered
3-4 chicken breasts (I used 3, about 1.3 lbs.)
Chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450.  Coat a large baking dish with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.  Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice (I used only about 1 tsp), garlic, salt and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat.  Using a slotted spoon (or your hands!), remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices.  Add the potatoes to the same oil mixture and toss to coat.  Remove the potatoes and arrange around the edge of the dish over the green beans.  Place the chicken in the oil mixture and coat thoroughly.  Place chicken in dish on top of green beans.  Pour any of the remaining oil mixture over the chicken.  At this point, I pour about 3/4 cup of chicken broth into the baking dish.

Roast for 50 minutes.