Fast oven fries

This recipe came about because lately I don't seem to get things done quite as quickly as I used to.
 It turned out working really well though and using less oil so that is always good.  You can use any potatoes you want, baby reds or Yukon's are good and you don't need to peel them just give them a good scrub. Sweet potato fries are good also, you probably just want to cut them a little smaller.
There are no exact times because everyone has different microwaves and your potatoes will be different sizes.

Cut potatoes into wedges, about 8 pieces per potato

Put in an microwavable bowl with some water, it does not need to cover them completely.
Microwave on high for 5- 10 minutes checking and stirring ever few minutes.
This step helps speed up the cooking but also kind of seals in the starch so you don't have to use tons of oil and so they don't stick to the pan.

Turn oven on to 425
Drain potatoes and toss with 1 T oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper or desired seasoning
Bake for 15 minutes then turn over
Finish baking until potatoes are cooked through and are as crunchy as you like

Turkey and black bean enchiladas

The original recipe for these made for some tasty enchiladas but I am pretty sure they were not super healthy so I tried to swap out of few things and they are still really good.   You could try different beans or use lean ground beef instead of the turkey also.
These are pretty rich so have a big salad with them, enjoy!

1 pound ground turkey, check to make sure it is the lean kind
1 can black beans rinsed
1 onion chopped
1 can green enchilada sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown turkey, add onion and cook until soft. Stir in beans and enchilada sauce and heat to a simmer.


Sauce

1 can FF Cream of chicken soup
1 cup FF sour cream or plain yogurt
1 can diced green chili's

Heat corn tortillas in a skillet with cooking spray until they soften up

Put a layer of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Fill warmed tortillas with turkey-bean mixture

Put the rest of the sauce on top.

You could add cheese on top if you wanted to.

Bake at 350 until bubbly

Banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart that I have changed a little. It had about 3 times as much butter and sugar so I just added more bananas and I think they are still really yummy.  It is a good snack to make if you have bananas that go brown before you can eat them. I also like to use the mini chocolate chips in these. I think you can get away with using less chips because they are small and you get little bits of chocolate. 



2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
Chocolate chips I used 1 cup of mini
Combine dry ingredients set aside

Cream together
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
3-4 bananas
1 t salt
1 t soda

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and bake at 350 until set

Groovy rice crispy treats

Rice crispy treats are one of those easy treats that you can really change up. This batch I made some with crunch berries and one with fruity pebbles. We like them with half cocoa pebbles and half regular rice crispies too.  Try some different cereals next time you make them.

1/4 cup butter

10 oz bag mini marshmallows

6-8 cups of cereal

Melt butter in large bowl in microwave

Add marshmallows and cook until just melting

Mix in cereal and spread in a 9x13 pan.

Colored sugar popcorn

My sister gave me a Whirly Pop popcorn maker for my birthday. We love it, it makes the best popcorn. I like it because you can control the amount of oil you use. This recipe would probably work if you cooked it in a pan with a lid you would just have to shake it to make sure it doesn't burn. It is important to use fresh popcorn or it won't all pop. If you have had the kernels for a while put in an air tight container with a tablespoon of water and let sit a day. The kernels will soak up the water and pop up better.

1/3 c popcorn kernels

1/3 cup sugar

3T oil

food coloring if desired.

Add everything to the pan and start cooking. Cook until it stops popping being careful not to let it burn, it burns faster with the sugar. Let cool on cookie sheet. Try to find someone to share it with so you don't eat the whole batch.