Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

Happy Sunday and St. Patrick's Day! I always forget about the holiday until I leave my house and see everyone dressed in green. Needless to say, we didn't go out and celebrate. For some reason in my mind breakfast on the weekends can be indulgent. Maybe it is because you have the time to make something different and delicious, or maybe it's as a reward for the work week. These "skinny" chocolate chip buttermilk scones are that fix. Made with whole wheat flour it gives them a little bit nuttier and denser flavor and texture but are delicious. And being under 200 calories makes it so you can feel indulgent without feeling guilty. I made these for some company that came over for coffee since I couldn't just serve a beverage without any food!

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
Yields: 12
Source: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cold buttermilk (lowfat if possible)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips
cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.

Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 199.6 • Fat: 8.1g • Protein: 3.7g • Carb: 29.8g • Fiber: 2.3g • Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 257.4mg

Honey Chicken Kabobs

One thing I love about living in Florida is that it is always grilling weather. And grilling is such a quick, easy and usually healthy way to make dinner. These Honey Chicken Kabobs were a huge hit with us! We made them to take over to Jason's parents house for an easy and transportable dinner. I let the chicken and vegetables marinate about 4-5 hours to ensure they soaked up the marinade. By brushing the reserved marinade on top it sealed in the flavor. The chicken is a little sweet from the honey and tangy from the soy sauce. The best part is that they are only 180 Calories! You can use whatever vegetables you prefer or have in the house.

Honey Chicken Kabobs
Source: All Recipes
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better). 30 minutes before you are ready to start, soak the skewers in water so they won't burn on the grill.

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Mexican is up there with one of my favorite types of food to eat. And like most people I am a sucker for Chipotle, even though it is awful for you. This is a spin on their pork carnitas that we made into tacos. It is packed full of flavor and can be made spicier or more mild depending on how many peppers and how much seasoning you add. I had never used adobo seasoning before, which comes from the Spanish word meaning "to marinate" and is rich in flavor and spice but not hot. This recipe was definitely a keeper, but it does require you to brown the meat before putting it in the crock pot, something I normally feel defeats the purpose of the ease of a crock pot recipe, but in this case took about 10 minutes and adds more flavor so don't skip the step.

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Source: Skinnytaste
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 4 oz (1/2 cup)
Calories: 176 • Fat: 7.7g  Protein: 25.8 g  Carb: 1.3 g  Fiber: 0.1 g

Ingredients: 

2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
4 cloves garlic, cut into sliver
1 tsp cumin
dry adobo seasoning (I used Goya)
1 tsp powder
3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste)
2 bay leaves

Directions:
Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crock-pot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

Chili's Copycat Salsa

Happy Monday! One go to food to have out if guest come over is always chips and salsa. It is easy, tasty and pretty much everyone likes it. I kept seeing recipes for a copycat version of the delicious blended salsa you get at Chili's, which is definitely one of the perks to eating there. Since this makes a lot I first made some for a Mexican night with some friends. They had recently eaten at Chili's and said it tasted exactly the same, it was like music to my ears. And even if it hadn't tasted exactly the same it was still pretty good. My husband and I are not big tomato fans so this version that is mixed in the food processor (or blender) is much better than other fresh salsas that have chunks of the ingredients.

Chili's Copycat Salsa
Source: Six Sister's Stuff

Ingredients:

2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained

3-4 canned, whole jalapenos (not pickled)
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.