Change is coming….

It happens. It does.

New Years Resolutions are being made…. or not.

You have to learn how to write 2014 instead of 2013.

A new social media website takes the world by storm. (Just when you think you’ve got the last 12 mastered!)

I get a year older.

I finish another semester of school. Whew…. almost there!

The seasons change – unless you live in Florida.

Plans change.

My plan for this year was to get back into blogging a lot (because I love it), and cook healthy a lot (because I love that too!).

I faired half and half on both I think.

You see, Ima working momma machine, a gone back to college kid, and a fulltimer with a big commute twice a day.

My plate is generally overloaded but come next year things will be a changin.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m ready for things to get back to some kind of normal. Those are things that I want. I think God may have other plans for me waiting in the wings. I feel a shift coming. I feel like I need to be prepared for something. I feel like what I want might not be what I end up doing. I feel the door opening to a whole new world and I’m scared to walk through it. It is a good walk. Nothing scary. Well I’m scared but not in a –the boogie man is after you kinda scared.

Yes I just said boogie man. You believed in him right?

Life changed a lot in 2013 and its gonna change even more for us in 2014. I can’t wait really!

I have ideas for the blog and ideas for encouragement – myself and y’all.

I have plans and I’m making moves. It will take time. Things will be hectic for me in the beginning of the year but believe you me, before the calendar hits December again, we will be having a whole new conversation here at Skinny on a Dime! Just you watch and see!

Happy Thanksgiving (because I missed it)

Merry Christmas (its 2 weeks away!)

Happy New Year! May all your dreams and wishes for the new year come true!!!

Cook a meal, read a good book and I’ll be seeing all y’all real real soon! Maybe with a recipe or two  =)

(Buffalo) Chicken Wraps

Buffalo – Not everyone likes Buffalo sauce or hot sauce. I do. I can’t get enough of it.

I tend to make my own buffalo sauce though….. but it’s a secret (that I share) =)

Generally I get my recipes from other blogs, tweak them, eat them and post them but this one comes courtesy of The Wing House!

Yeah, yeah we frequent the wing house. They have a killer chef salad too that we tweaked with Mahi Mahi Fish. We will talk about that later.

I couldn’t get enough of their buffalo chicken wraps at the wing house. Well wait, I did get enough of the chicken wraps at the wing house because I gained like 50lbs and couldn’t bring myself to eat them anymore. I wanted to still eat them, but at home, without the fried chicken tenders, and butter filled buffalo sauce. Without the full fat ranch and yummy potato chips.

So I improvised, I planned, I tried, and I baked my own.

They left me feeling like I’d been at the wing house, minus the wings, the grease, the servers, the boobs and the bill.

You can feel like you are eating at the wing house too. Even better, mine includes potatoes – not chips!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 3 4oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into strips
• 2 cups Progresso Bread crumbs – or any brand bread crumbs
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/8 cup of seasonal seasonings or Slap yo mama mild seasonings – if you dare :)
• 4 Large Flour tortillas – you can also use whole wheat
• Non stick cooking spray
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup Reduced fat shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup Diced tomatoes
• 4 1/4 cup Individual servings of Fat free ranch dressing for dipping
• 1 Cup buffalo sauce or homemade hot sauce mixture to your liking (recipe below)
• A batch of Onion Roasted Potatoes

Directions:

1. Turn your oven on and preheat to 425.
2. Rinse and cut your chicken into strips.
3. Beat the eggs, adding the milk and stir together. (Like your gonna make scrambled eggs, but your not)
4. Pour the breadcrumbs and seasonings into a zip lock back that you trust when it is closed.
5. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then in plastic bag and shake, shake, shake! (You will have to do this in a few batches)
6. Place the covered chicken strips on a baking sheet that you’ve covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with Non stick cooking spray. Repeat this until all of your tenders are covered in bread crumbs and on the baking sheet. Spray the top of them with non stick cooking spray to give them a little crisp as they cook.
7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning them over half way through. Cook until done and golden brown.
8. Once the tenders are done, dip them into the hot sauce/buffalo sauce mixture.
9. Warm up your tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Cover them in damp paper towels. This helps keep them moist.
10. Begin layering your wraps. First chicken tenders, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
11. Roll them up and grill them on both sides in a skillet. Just so they melt the cheese and the outside of the tortilla is a little crisp.
12. Cut in half and serve them up with Onion Roasted Potatoes! Best part – they both cook at the same temp so you can cook chicken and potatoes at the same time!

Hot Sauce – Sauce

I do not have a recipe for this. I repeat I do not have a recipe for this. It is just one of those things that I’m gonna give you the ingredients. Tell you how I make it and you just test the waters for yourself. Sorry….. it happens to the best of us.

You will need:

• Franks Hot sauce
• Honey
• Butter (I use Land o lakes with Canola Oil – the spreadable kind)

Directions:

1. Add about a cup to a cup and a half of Franks Hot sauce to a small pot.
2. Add about a tablespoon of butter.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of honey.
4. Let it come to a boil on the stove and dip your chicken tenders right on in.

If you don’t want to fuss with all of this just buy a bottle of Buffalo Wing Sauce, warm it up in the microwave and dip your chicken tenders right in there before adding to the tortilla.

Lastly don’t forget to prepare yourself a recipe of Onion Roasted Potatoes!

Serve Dinner and enjoy your night!

Breakfast Burritos

There used to be this little place about 20 minutes from our house that made the BEST breakfast burritos.

It closed down. Well let me back up. It got hit by a car. It was remodeled. It changed owners ~ and names, raised its prices ~ then closed down.

We were devastated. Our late night, early morning runs to grab a burrito were crushed. They are that good y’all.

Anyway, last week we took the kiddies on that (some say dreaded but I love it) annual before school shopping spree. I had a game plan.

I gave each of the kids a budget and a road map to savings! They did good! I was one proud (and exhausted) mama at the end.

On the way home my husband remembered that there is sister restaurant (probably the original) to our beloved Mexican joint that closed down. They are/were both little holes in the wall but their food is good and authentic!

So around 9:30 when we were dragging our heals we headed to the on nearest the outlet malls and all ordered the infamous breakfast burrito!

Our week has been a rough one folks. We are doing our best to get rounded up and all in bed by 10 but we are still working on that one…..

The food schedule is all out of sorts, only because I am just as tired as the kids this week, so yesterday was breakfast day.

I made my own breakfast burritos! Oh and homemade hash browns. They were both yum!

You should make these…. kinda like right now!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 4 soft flour tortillas
• 8 strips turkey bacon
• 3 slices 98% fat free ham
• 6 sausage patties (any brand) – I use Jimmy Dean
• 3 Eggs, scrambled
• 1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 Red potatoes, peeled and shredded
• Olive oil for cooking potatoes
• Olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper
• Salsa (optional)

Directions

1. Begin cooking your turkey bacon. I like my crisp but cook to your desired likeness.
2. In a separate skillet, cook your sausage until done.
3. In the same skillet you fried the turkey bacon, cook the ham.
4. Once the meats were done, dice them all up and separate them into bowls, so to create an assembly line for creating the burritos.
5. Crack 3 eggs and scramble them, using butter flavor Pam, salt, and pepper.
6. Spray a medium size skillet with olive oil spray, add your olive oil, shredded potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until they begin to get soft. Remove lid and continue cooking until they are browned and done.
7. Warm tortillas in microwave by covering them in damp paper towels. Heat for about 1 minute. This will make them soft enough to work with.
8. Begin layering each tortilla with cheese, potatoes, eggs, ham, bacon and sausage.
9. Wrap them up tight and the heat from the food will melt the cheese inside. Turn them seem side down on the plate and let them sit for about 1 minute so it can all melt together. Really as you are making the other three the first ones will be ready to serve.

I topped mine off with some salsa (and held on the sausage – not a huge fan of sausage)! Mmmmm.

At the restaurant, I added Pico de Gallo but being that I didn’t have any on hand, I just used salsa =)

You will love them. I promise, and you won’t feel guilty! Eating healthy or healthier is easier than you might think. It just takes a few adjustments but it makes all the difference!

Today is Monday……

 

Photo Source

Today is definitely Monday.

It is the first back to school Monday for the teens.

It is the first Monday of a long long year.

It is a Monday.

This is Menu Monday without a Menu.

I know we will eat - it is a Monday.

The Menu is drafted - it is a Monday.

Check out my Favorite Recipes page or my Pinterest Page for some really really yummy recipes until my eyes and body have recovered from the 4:50 wake-up call xxxxxxxxx

I have some new recipes to share and an update on my 30day challenge so stay tuned, we’re coming around…..

It’s Monday!