Category: appetizer

Beet, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad

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Talk about a perfect mix of flavors! I love this beet, goat cheese, and walnut salad. This salad hits all the bells and whistles; it’s earthy, a little sweet from the beets, tangy, has crunch from the walnuts, has some creaminess from the goat cheese, and just has a unique flavor-not your typical salad! Plus, there are so many healthy benefits from eating beets!

Confession time- I used to hate beets! Until one day, I went to a restaurant to meet up with some friends. My friends were munching on a salad just like this recipe. I wanted to give it a try. Yup, explosion in my mouth! Who knew beets were so delicious! I went back to the same restaurant a few weeks ago and found out they do not serve that salad anymore. Bummer. So I did some searching a found this recipe. It could not be easier! And thank goodness, now I can have the salad whenever I want! And now you can have it whenever you want!

-Tammy

Health tips:  anti-inflammatory, kidney-friendly, diabetes-friendly, vegetarian

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls with Two Dippin’ Sauces

Mel and Tammy1 Comment

Leftover corned beef and cabbage? Don’t know what to do with it? My make corned beef and cabbage egg rolls! I make two different dippin’ sauces to go with it; Guinness mustard and Guinness beer cheese sauce! Or if you’re like my husband, he likes to dip them in just plain yellow mustard (that’s how he eats his corned beef and cabbage).  It’s St. Patty’s day, so go ahead, cheat a little, and have a green beer while you’re at it!

 -Tammy

Health tips:  cheat meal

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P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Be nice to your butcher and your butcher will be nice to you! Seriously, make friends with your butcher! That’s my lesson for you today. Here’s just one of the many reasons why…This recipe requires 1 pound of ground chicken. But ground chicken was $4.99/lb. However, boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale for $1.77/lb. I bought 10 lbs. of chicken breast and kindly asked my butcher to “course grind” the breasts for me. Now I have 10 pounds of healthy, ground chicken breast meat! When I got home, I divided the meat up into 1 lb. portions and put it into quart-size freezer bags, then stuck them in my freezer. Now, whenever I need, I just pull the amount I want out of the freezer, defrost it, and make a meal out of it! I know, I know….you’re welcome!

Now, onto this recipe… If you’ve ever gone to P.F. Chang’s, I’m sure you’ve had their famous lettuce wraps! It’s good as an appetizer, but hearty and filling enough for a meal (which is what we did). This is a fun, interactive meal. I like to serve it family style! Here’s my take on the recipe. This is not my original recipe, but it’s a good one. I got the adapted recipe here.

 -Tammy

Health tips:  diabetes friendly, low carb, kid-friendly

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Sweet OR Savory Chicken Salad-Two Ways!

Mel and Tammy2 Comments

Our followers ask, and we answer! You would love a chicken salad recipe you say? Well here is my take on two of my favorites! Chicken salad two ways- sweet and savory! Try my chicken salad with apples, celery, and grapes OR my buffalo chicken salad! Both are a delicious, healthy lunch or snack! Make it for a party, make it for your lunch, or take it to go!

 -Tammy

Health tips:  diabetes friendly, kidney friendly, low carb, kid friendly

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Proscuitto-Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Bites and Stuffed Mushrooms

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Ready for a double-dose of stuffed goodness? These simple Jalapeño Poppers and Stuffed Mushrooms both use a similar creamy stuffing, making it even easier to prepare. You can also prep them ahead of time. These delicious finger foods will satisfy your crowd at your next get together!

 -Mel

Health tips: Cheat mealRead More »

Garlic Cheese Bombs

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My weakness=CHEESE. I found this insanely flavorful and super easy recipe on www.damndelicious.net and am in love. It’s also very flexible…you can pretty much stuff anything in crescent roll dough and wow your family and friends. I added fresh basil to mine and paired them with marinara sauce for the perfect bite!

 -Mel

Health tips: Cheat mealRead More »

Three Easy 3-Ingredient New Year’s Eve Appetizers

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Are you looking for some super easy and quick, yet fancy-looking apps, for your new year’s eve bash? Look no further, here are three delicious recipes with only three ingredients total each! You’ll be able to ring in the new year with your family and friends stress-free!

 -Mel

Health tips: cheat meal

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Bruschetta For a Crowd

Mel and Tammy1 Comment

Tomatoes, garlic and basil, oh my! These three things go together like a good three-piece suit. Throw in a few extra ingredients, and you have yourself a delicious topping to add onto a cute little piece of toasted bread (which toasted bread itself is actually called bruschetta).

I work at an elementary school…yup, I’m a teacher! We were celebrating birthdays for the month of December. I needed something I could feed a ton of people with. I decided to create a “build-your-own bruschetta bar”. Basically, I put out a pile of little sliced pieces of toasted baguette (bruschetta), and tons of toppings (classic tomato bruschetta topping, roasted garlic, 3 different kinds of goat cheeses, jams, pesto, herbs, and honey). Super simple, but super fun! Heck, you can even have your guests bring a topping if you’d like. If you are entertaining for the holidays, this is an easy, yet elegant way to feed your friends and family. Add a few bottles of wine/champagne, and you have yourselves a sweet holiday party! Cheers!

 -Tammy

Health tips:  kidney-friendly, diabetes-friendly, vegetarian

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7-Layer Mediterranean Dip

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Oh I wish, I wish, I wish I would have thought of this one myself! It’s genius! If you like the flavors of Mediterranean food, you’ll love this layer dip! It’s super easy to make. I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so when people come over, I am able to make it in just minutes. Thank you to Dara of Cookin’ Canuck for creating this brilliant recipe that I have used over and over again.

 -Tammy

Health tips:  diabetes-friendly*

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Chicken Empanadas with Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce

Mel and Tammy2 Comments

I was organizing my pantry and came across my empanada makers that I bought for three dollars at Ross a few years back. They’re easy enough to make without them, but it’s been a while, so I wanted to give them a try with my kiddos. I thought I’d create a healthier version of my empanadas so we didn’t have to feel guilty about eating them. For times-sake, I bought pre-made Pillsbury pie dough that you roll out yourself. I know I cannot control the sodium since it’s pre-made, so I highly suggest making your own pie dough if you have the time. But since, I made all of the other ingredients (which contained minimal sodium), I knew this recipe would be fine for my husband’s kidney diet. These contain my homemade roasted green enchilada sauce, shredded chicken breast, oh, and they’re baked, not fried…mmmmmm…Happy eating!

-Tammy

Health tips: Kidney-friendly*, kid-friendly

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