I was hit with inspiration the other day as I was planning our meals. I have been doing a lot of recipes with soft cheeses stuffed into flattened chicken.

I had some low fat ricotta left over from another recipe and I was trying to think how could I use this up. Lasagna was the first thing that came to mind, but I cannot do pasta.

That’s when I came up with Low Carb Chicken Lasagna!

Low Carb Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts (4 ounces each)
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup low fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 T Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1.  Pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness and season with salt and pepper
2. Mix ricotta, cottage cheese and seasoning
3. Pour 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of your crock pot
4. Place chicken breast in dish and fill with half of the ricotta mixture. Roll meat around filling. If you need you can hold it closed with a toothpick. Repeat with second breast.
5. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce on chicken
6. Cook on low for 4-6 hours
7. 10 minutes before serving sprinkle cheese on top and place lid back on crock pot to melt cheese

I cooked ours for 8 hours and it was a little dry that’s why I adjusted the timing, if you do make it and find the perfect timing let me know! Oh and yes I used cheddar cheese because I forgot to get mozzarella at the store, still very yummy.

I hope you enjoy my recipes as I’m not a great cook, but am having fun learning how to make healthier meals for me and my family.

I recently had a request for some recipes here on Pepper Scraps, now I’m the first one to admit I’m not the best cook out there. But sometimes I do a good job combining a few flavors and making something yummy. Today it was a very yummy light lunch: Creamy Shrimp Cucumber Sandwiches.

• 3 oz cooked frozen shrimp meat
• 1TB light mayo
• 1 TB cocktail sauce
• salt & pepper
• fresh dill
• 5-8 cucumber slices (cut very thin)
• 1TB light cream cheese
• 1 slice bread (my bread was 90 calories/slice)

1. Defrost the shrimp. A quick way to do this is to run the shrimp under cool water in a colander (Dry shrimp in a paper towel if you do this).
2.  Mix shrimp, light mayo, cocktail sauce, and dill in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Toast the bread
4. Spread cream cheese on bread, layer on cucumber slices
5. Spoon shrimp mix on top of the cucumbers

If you are not eating bread you can change this recipe to serve the shrimp on the cucumber slices instead if you wish or on salad.

I remember making these no bake cookies with my mom when I was little. Of course we just made them we didn’t associate them with Dinosaurs. I loved how Stacie renamed these cookies and gave each ingredient a creative dino twist. You can check out her recipe here: Dinosaur Snacks: Yummy and Icky Treat.

Ingredients: Sugar (crushed bones), Butter (fat), Oatmeal (Dead Grass), Peanut Butter (Dead Bugs), Cocoa (Dirt), & Milk w/Green Food Color (Swamp Water)

The boys took turns adding ingredients

I quickly boiled the sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk

The boys spooned out the cookies (though halfway I had to take over)

Zane practiced his letters while we waited for them to cool

They loved these cookies! My husband super duper loved them! I was surprised to find each cookie only 128 calories and way worth it!

Do you have a creative recipe that you do with your kids? Have you seen a cute food recipe you want to do with you kids?

We are going to be trying to eat more oatmeal this year. It’s filling, inexpensive and you can still make it fun.

Reading Kari’s post really encouraged me in going the oatmeal breakfast morning. I won’t be going full blown into the non-quick oats, just because I have lots of oatmeal packets I have gotten very cheap on clearance and well I’m good at burning everything. The microwave is my friend!

Now I did make sure and find the lowest sugar content possible on the packets. I was happy to find Quacker Weight Control oatmeal. I looked through the ingredients and  the only difference on these is lower sugar and more fiber! They have lower sugar than the Quacker Low Sugar oatmeal. I was able to find them at the grocery discount store for a $1 a box. I know not quite as good as 45 cents a pound but for me this is a start.

I am probably switching to bulk quick oats when I run out of packets, but I haven’t decided if I will make my own packets with snack baggies or just scoop it out. We will see how domestic I am at that point.

Now on to how to make oatmeal fun! I love making food fun and cute, remember my bento phase? I don’t make the oatmeal fun everyday, but for special days like holidays I do go all out.

Let’s make it fun with color!

One fun way to add a little pizazz to your oatmeal is color sugar. You can make all kinds of shapes. I did this special bowl on Valentine’s Day. This does add sugar to your breakfast one reason I only do it on special occasions.

Step 1: Make your oatmeal

Step 2: Cut out a shape from paper, I made a heart.

Step 3: Place paper on oatmeal, as close to the oatmeal as possible.

Step 4: Sprinkle with colored sugar

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and cutting a shamrock out of paper isn’t that hard.

What are some ways you dress up your oatmeal? What is your favorite oatmeal?

Zane’s First Recipe: Ants Under Rocks
Ingredients:

Graham Crackers
Raisins and/or Craisins
Peanut Butter
Banana

Directions:

1. Break graham crackers apart

2. Spread peanut butter

3. Stick raisins into peanut butter

4. Slice banana and place on top of raisins

5. Enjoy!!

Last year I was making some banana bread but once I had everything made up I realized I had no bread pan. (FYI,this is a very me thing to do.) So I looked through my pans and found a muffin tin and that was the beginning of my muffin madness.

I now try and keep muffins in the house at all times. I have tried dozens of recipes and even have come up with some of my own. If you are a regular reader you may have seen some of my muffin baking. Today I’m going to share with you my 5 top favorite recipes at Food.com.

• Put the Lime in the Coconut – Best muffins ever!! I use Real Lime packets and it makes them amazing!
• Berry Smash Muffins (Strawberry Muffins) – Hubby’s Favorites!
• Easy Banana Muffins – Must have to use up your old bananas!
• Erna’s Apple Pie Muffins – These are yummy, though I cut the sugar back and didn’t put the topping on because I’m trying to cut back on sugar for the boys. Still yummy!
• Oatmeal Walnut Muffins – These were so moist and yummy and they are fun to make with the instant flavored oatmeal too!

Have you tried making muffins? Have a recipe you want to share?

One of the things I need to do to make my life easier is to have a menu plan. I’m not a cook, I’m a pull it out of the freezer or fridge and pop it into the microwave kind of mom.

To help me try and be a little healthier and a little more creative I have created a simple menu plan that I can use each week to stop the panic I get everytime I realize it’s dinnertime.

Right now it’s just a basic outline I follow each week. Hopefully I will start looking ahead a bit more and planning each week out more. But for now this works.

The Plan:

Monday – Noodle Night
Tuesday – Finger Food (Hot Dogs, Fish Sticks, Chicken Nuggets)
Wednesday – Sandwiches
Thursdays – Chicky Night (Happy Meal Night)
Friday – Breakfast at Night
Saturday – Something Special
Sunday – Mexican

‘Chicky Night may be going away, you will see tomorrow  about that. But I’ve been thinking about doing a soup night, but Zane refuses to eat soup. We will see.

A Good Example

As a good example today is sandwich night so I made the boys Banana and Peanut Butter Sandwiches with Brocolli and for desert Strawberry Banana Yogurt with Strawberry Slices.

For me I made a Toasted Strawberry Banana Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Bagel. Which was amazing and easier to make than say!

1. Toast your Bagel
2. Spread Cream Cheese on one side
3. Spread Peanut butter on the other
4. Place sliced banana on the Peanut Butter
5. Place Sliced strawberries on the Cream Cheese side
6. Squish it together and enjoy!!

Make Your Own Plan

How to make your own plan is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Figure out the meals you make the most: Mexican, Chicken Dishes, Casseroles, Fish, Hamburgers, etc. and categorize them.

2. Give each day of the week a category.

3. Write it Down!

What is your families menu plan? What is your families favorite night of the week?

I’m known for quick and easy around the kitchen. I just don’t enjoy cooking. I found a recipe similar to this a while back and now I have my own version that is a staple in my house. Are you ready it’s so quick and easy you will be surprised! Are you ready for the secret ingredient?

That’s right Deli Meat!

Ingredients:
4 oz Chicken Deli Meat
2 T Mayonnaise
1 Stalk Celery Chopped
Fresh Cilantro (or another fresh herb you have on hand) chopped
Dried Herbs (rosemary, thyme, dill, anything you want to try)
1 T Lemon Juice

First take your deli meat and slice it up. You can do this roughly when you mix it all up it will break apart even more.

Now throw everything else in the bowl and mix with a fork.

Tada! you have quick and easy chicken salad. Now you can put this in some bread for a sandwich or if you want to go a little healthier you can place it on a bed of lettuce and pair it with some veggies like cucumber.

Do you have a recipe that is super quick and easy? Please share it in the comments, I’m always up for a quick and easy recipe!!