20min Breaded Tilapia

Breaded Tilapia

Tilapia Filets (as many as desired)

1 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 cups plain or italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup Panko Japanese bread crumbs

If using plain bread crumbs, add the following:

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp italian seasoning

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix bread crumbs with seasonings (if needed) until well combined.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in skillet.  Coat tilapia filets evenly on both sides with bread crumbs and place in skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown filets for 5 minutes and turn to brown other side for another 5 minutes.  Remove tilapia from skillet and place on sheet pan.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees until fish is golden brown.  A fool proof, super easy and delicious meal in minutes!

Variations:  Use any type of fish filets if you don't fancy tilapia or add 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper to spice it up!

Easy! Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Easy! Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Just in time for turkey day, here is a super simple recipe for homemade cranberry sauce with very few ingredients!  Don't bother buying or eating the yucky canned stuff.  There is NO reason your cranberry sauce should have an imprint of a can on it!

Ingredients

2 bags of fresh cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 sugar
Zest and juice from a medium/large orange

Add rinsed cranberries, and rest of ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 mins.  Cranberries will burst and sauce will thicken when cooking time ends.  Remove from heat, cool, store in refrigerator.  Remove cinnamon stick before serving.  For added orange flavor you may cook with a portion of the orange (like I did in this picture). 
Variations:
You may make your cranberry sauce plain by simply removing the cinnamon stick from the recipe.  Or if you want it cinnamony but don't have a stick, add 1/4-1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon to the orange juice to dissolve, instead and depending on how much you like cinnamon.

Easy Granola



(This freshly made batch has mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, and walnuts)

Easy Granola

An easy, yummy treat good with yogurt for breakfast, or as a snack after a workout or during meals.

4 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil or Butter (melted)
1/4 Honey
1/4 Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1 tsp Vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine oil or butter, honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Heat on medium heat and stir until combined.  Cook until mixture lightly boils and remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir. 

In a large bowl add oats and pour warm mixture over oats.  Stir mixture until all oats are covered.  Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spread mixture onto cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until oats are lightly browned.  Let cool for 5-10 mins.

Variations:
I will eat the granola plain with yogurt, but I love to have this as a filling snack.  To do this, add your favorite trail mix or make your own.  Dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or candies make a great and  addition to plain granola. 
For a lower sugar recipe, double the honey and don't add the brown sugar.

Easy Roasted Chicken

Simple prep, few and affordable ingredients, outrageous flavor!

Oven Temp: 350F

Cooking time: 2 hrs

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 Whole chicken fryer (3-5lbs)

2 Garlic cloves

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp of dried rosemary

1/2 large onion

3/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

2 tbsps of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Rinse fryer and pat dry with paper towel. Place fryer in baking dish. Add rosemary, onion (peeled and cut in 4 lg pieces), and peeled garlic cloves in the chicken's cavity. Rub olive oil with hands all over chicken. After washing hands (with soap), add salt and pepper over entire chicken.

Bake in oven, uncovered for 30 mins. Remove from oven and cover with foil and continue cooking. Remove foil for last 20 mins of cooking. Chicken is done when temperature reaches 165-170F.

Super Simple Shrimp & Pasta

An easy shrimp and pasta dish just in time for Lent (for my Catholic peeps) but can be made in no time at all!

Yield: 2 servings

1/2lb-1lb of shrimp (fresh-devained, shelled, cleaned or frozen)

1/2lb linguini or preferred type of pasta

1/4 tsp fresh or powdered garlic

1 whole lemon

2-3 tbsps butter

1/2 tsp chopped parsley, dried or fresh (optional)

Salt to taste

Cook pasta and drain with about 1-2 mins left for cooking. Set aside. In a pan on low to medium heat add butter and squeeze lemon juice from one lemon along with garlic, into melted butter. Once butter is melted, add shrimp and cook 2-3 mins until shrimp is pink. Immediatley add pasta to mixture, add salt and toss to coat with lemon butter mixture. Finish with chopped parsley (optional).

For healthy and added variations, add fresh veggies-squash, asparagus, broccoli, fresh peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes. Many, many choices to dress up this super simple dish!

Grandma V's Chocolate Mexicano (Hot Chocolate)

Nothing says the holidays like Grandma V's hot chocolate. I don't make it exactly the way she did, cause who ever does. But none the less, it is a great effort and is simple, easy, and a tad different than your everyday day packaged hot chocolate. It's hard not to miss or think of Grandma when savoring this yummy, warm cup of love.

2-12oz cans of evaporated milk

1/2 cup of cocoa powder (preferably Hershey's Cocoa)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar (more or less depending on preference)

3-4 cups of water

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cinnamon sticks

Milk, if needed

Pour milk in large sauce pan. Add water-I recommend adding water to empty milk cans, twice for each can and pour into milk mixture. Add cocoa and ground cinnamon. Turn stove on low to medium heat and whisk vigorously until well combined and somewhat frothy. Taste and adjust with milk, sugar or cocoa if necessary. Add cinnamon sticks. Heat for 15-20 minutes, whisking constantly to prevent scorching. If scorching occurs, lower heat and remember to continue whisking. Pour and enjoy---CAUTION, let cool! Mixture will be VERY hot.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Interested in a turkey day, pumpkin flavored dessert but tired of the same ol' pies?? Here is an alternative kick to that boring pumpkin pie that is sure to please and easy to make!

Yield: 12-15 pieces

Preheat: 350F

INGREDIENTS

2-1/4 cup of all purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 sticks of butter (softened)

1-1/4 cup of sugar

15oz can of pumpkin

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup of walnuts

Optional Frosting:

1-2 tsps milk

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together (slowly) with a fork. Set aside. Beat with electric mixer, butter and sugar in seperate bowl until combined and butter is fluffy-about 3 to 4 minutes. Once combine add remaining wet ingredients-pumpkin, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Beat on lowest speed until combined. Add nuts and mix. Pour into buttered/oiled bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Loosen cake from pan but do not take out of pan until after cake has cooled (1-2 hrs). Add icing, if so desired or top with whipped topping.