Chocolate Avocado Pudding... AMAZING!

So, I was told by the doc that my girls go to, that the oldest needs WAY more good fats in her diet. The doc also mentioned her eating more avocado, nuts, using coconut and olive oil more, etc. Oook... sooo, off I went to look for stuff she would eat. She is a picky one. SOOO picky. I had remembered seeing a recipe for chocolate pudding floating around the interwebs, using avocado. I found A LOT of various recipes, but decided to combine a couple. I wanted fast and easy. I mean SUPER easy. What I came up with is DELICIOUS and AMAZINGLY easy! I was very skeptical about this, really, I was. But, I had to do the chef taste test, of licking the spatula clean, after I scraped the food processor clean. It is SOOO good. Seriously. I am impressed.

The only change I might make, next time, is to use a little less cocoa powder. This had a pretty strong chocolate flavor, but still YUM!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 ripe avocado

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
pinch of salt (approx. 1/16 tsp.)

Cut avocado in half. Scoop insides out and put them in a food processor. Add cocoa powder, honey or maple syrup, and salt. Blend up until all ingredients are mixed together and smooth. This can take a little bit, to get it all smooth and creamy. 

Taa Daaa!! 

Super Easy Chicken Thighs

I have been super lazy today and wanted a quick and easy supper. I was scrounging around for ideas, when I remembered that I had a bag of frozen chicken thighs in the freezer. I set them out to thaw and then went to the Holy Land, aka Pinterest to look for ideas.  These chicken thighs are so easy and VERY juicy. 

Here you go! Enjoy!!

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs (however many you need)
Soy sauce
Garlic Powder
Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish or 9x13 with non-stick spray. Place chicken thighs in pan. Sprinkle each thigh with garlic powder and smoked paprika. Don't go too crazy on those poor thighs. They only need a slight dusting. Then, put approximately 1 tsp. soy sauce on each thigh. I just shook some on each thigh, I didn't measure it out. Ssshhhhh... Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until thighs are cooked through and skin is browned and crisp.

One Skillet Sausage Supper!

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads out there!! 

The girls and I took my dad a nice plate full of his favorite cookies, oatmeal raisin. After spending some time with Daddy-O, I took off for town. The girls stayed with my mom and dad, for some cousin time. The plan was for mom to bring them home around 2. Well, after a stop in town, a trip back home, and enjoying a movie, with NO interruptions... I dove into cleaning and organizing the office. For those of you whom have never seen my home office... it is a disaster zone. One of embarrassing proportions! I kid you not!! After a call from Mommy Dearest around 2 to see if the girls could stay later, I continued to take advantage of my child free time. The CHILD FREE TIME is a rare commodity around here. It was WONDERFUL!! I cleaned for 4-5 hours on the office and I am still NOT done. Sigh... With that being said, supper needed to be quick and easy.

Enjoy!

One Skillet Sausage Supper

1-2 pkgs. smoked sausage, sliced

1 small onion, diced or sliced

4-5 md. potatoes, sliced

Creole seasoning, salt/pepper, optional

1-2 Tbsp. Coconut oil or oil of choice

Warm oil in skillet. After skillet and oil are warmed, add sliced potatoes. Fry potatoes until browned, stir occasionally. Add sliced, smoked sausage and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is warmed/browned and onion is cooked through. Add Creole seasoning, salt and pepper, or any other seasonings that you choose.

Sticky Chicken Wings

I have a child that will ONLY eat chicken that is, "chicken on the bone." If you present her with chicken in any other fashion, forget about it! She will not even touch it. Why "on the bone" is so special, I have no idea. I decided that we had not had any kind of "chicken on the bone" for awhile, so I went digging around in the Mother Land, aka Pinterest, for a recipe for chicken wings that sounded delicious, but was also quick and easy. Not feeling very motivated here lately... So, this is the recipe that I decided to try out tonight!!

Sticky Chicken Wings

1- 4 lb. package chicken wing sections
1 can Dr. Pepper
1 C. ketchup
¼ cup butter, melted

Smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried onion (to taste)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place wings in baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour over wings. I used approximately 1 tsp. of each of the seasonings listed above. You can mix and match whatever seasonings you like. Bake until done, approximately 1 hour. Turn the broiler on high for approximately 3-5 minutes, or more, to thicken sauce and brown the tops of the chicken wings.

Original Recipe: Allthecooks

Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Salad

So, after a busy morning, I was looking for something yummy have for lunch this afternoon. I love avocados... I mean, I LOVE avocados. And, bacon... So, when I come across a recipe that has bacon AND avocados, it makes my heart (and tummy) VERY happy!!! This is SSOOO delicious!!

Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Salad
6 chicken breasts, cooked

(3 C. Schwan's fajita chicken meat)
5-6 green onions, diced
1 package bacon (I used 6-8 slices)
1 avocado, cubed
2 Tbsp. mayo
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook bacon, until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to get excess grease off. Finely chop.
Season chicken breasts as cooking (original recipe suggested garlic, salt, pepper and onion.) and let rest. Cube when cooled. I used the frozen Schwan's fajita chicken meat, it is amazing in any chicken salad. Dice green onions and cube the avocado. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add mayo. Just enough to give it a little moisture, you add more, if needed or to your liking. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sandwich buns or alone.

I modified the original recipe. The original recipe called for the 6 cooked chicken breasts, I substituted Schwan's fajita chicken meat. It also called for a whole package of bacon, cooked. I used 6-8 slices of the Schwan's precooked bacon slices. 2 avocados were used in the original recipe, I only used 1 cubed, avocado. 2-3 Tbsp. mayo were listed in the original recipe, I only used 2 Tbsp. AND I used 2 Tbsp. prepared guacamole. 

Original Recipe: A Kitchen Cafe

Home From Vacation and Bacon and Cheddar Pork Chops.

Well, I survived a family vacation! You may question that comment, but when you have a child with Asperger's and ADHD, who exhibits problem behaviors due to diet and other factors, driving for 7 hours and staying away from home for 5-6 days is something that can cause anxiety. At least for this momma, it does. It was a nice trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We had a really nice condo, that had a full kitchen, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The youngest is now in love with balconies!! Anytime that we were in our condo, she was on the balcony. 

We hit a lot of the typical "tourist" attractions, but it was a good "first" vacation for the girls and for me. I feel more comfortable do other vacations and possibly hitting destinations that are farther away, next time.

Bacon and Cheddar Pork Chops

4 pork chops
2 eggs
1/4 C. of milk
1.5oz real bacon bits
1 C. gluten free bread crumbs
1-1/2 C.  shredded cheddar or cheddar blend cheese
chopped green onions to garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In one wide dishes, whisk together the eggs & milk. In another, mix together the bacon bits, bread crumbs, & 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Dip the pork chops in the egg/milk mixture & then into the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess crumbs & then dip back into the egg/milk mixture again. Dredge in the breadcrumb combination a second time & press the mixture into each side. Place in a sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle on any remaining breadcrumb mixture, and press down lightly. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese & return to the oven for 2 minute, just enough to melt the cheese. Garnish with chopped green onions, optional.

Original Recipe: MrsHappyHomemaker