Blog Bites: Lemon Ricotta Flatbread

How amazing does that look?

Let me tell you, it tastes just as good.

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and couldn't wait to try it for an appetizer!

I only made one small change, I used 2 mini whole wheat Naan breads instead of one larger pizza crust - simply because I couldn't find it.  It didn't really change the nutrition information at all.

The recipe serves 8, so 2 slices is 5 Smartpoints!

It's excellent warm, but fine at room temperature as well.  The lemon is such an interesting touch to the romano and ricotta!

Check out the recipe!

Lemon Herbed Ricotta Flatbread

Blog Bites: The Gracious Pantry Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

Who wants a super easy chicken recipe that basically calls for dumping everything in a crockpot, is clean, and can provide meal prep for several days?

I'm going to assume you are all raising your hands.

This clean eating recipe from The Gracious Pantry is super easy and flavorful.  I did modify the dressing a bit, to reduce the points.  I made the whole recipe with 8 oz. uncooked chicken breast, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, and 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus all of the spices.

It came out to 4 Smartpoints per chicken breast (honestly, it's probably less because a lot of the sauce is left in the crockpot, but I will count it!).

I served it over some bowties and spinach with garlic and olive oil for a 7 Smartpoint meal in all!

Check out the recipe!

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

Blog Bites: Skinnytaste Ham, Veggie, and Egg Bake

I am a super big fan of all things Skinnytaste.  Her recipes are delicious and healthy and also really easy!

I whipped up this Veggie, Ham, Egg and Cheese bake and found it to be a GREAT midmorning nosh.  It's basically customizable to whatever veggies you have on hand, and I actually subbed Canadian bacon for the ham steak.  Really delicious!

Skinnytaste Veggie, Ham, Egg, and Cheese Bake

Blog Bites: Pumpkin Parmesan Quinoa

And the pumpkin obsession continues.

However, this dish from ifoodreal is on the savory side of the pumpkin, and it's really really delicious.  A perfect fall dinner or lunch!

It's very simple to make - took about a half hour.  I will came out a little thinner sauce wise than hers (next time I might reduce the amount of broth a bit) but it was still absolutely amazing.

Makes about 4 servings so it's a perfect dish that will have plenty of leftovers for lunch!

Pumpkin Parmesan Quinoa

Blog Bites: Spinach and Artichoke Egg Casserole

I'm all about brunch.  And anything I can make ahead.

When I had my family over for brunch recently, I was looking for something easy and that I could make ahead of time, but also a little bit different.

Enter this casserole I found on Two Peas and Their Pod. Sounds strange, because let's face it, you think spinach and artichoke, you think dip.  But these flavors worked deliciously in this casserole!  The only change I made was I used half egg white and half eggs.

Easy and delicious!  Definitely check it out!

Spinach and Artichoke Egg Casserole

Blog Bites: Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

I'm mildly obsessed with the Skinnytaste blog and cookbook.  Who isn't?

And it's football season.  So of course I had to peruse her snacks to see if I could find something fun and football-ish for Sunday Funday.

This spicy cauliflower bites are DELICIOUS.  I actually used a combo of broccoli and cauliflower.  The broccoli worked great because the florets really held the batter and sauce.

These are super easy and perfect for gameday!

Skinnytaste:  Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Blog Bites: Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins

Ah, football.  Welcome back!  I'm a HUGE Jets fan, and had some tickets to the home opener with some friends.  I was looking for something fun and easy that wouldn't necessarily need to be heated up. 

When I saw these muffins on Mystery Lover's Kitchen, I knew these were the ticket.  On the blog, there is a from scratch version as well as a version using a pancake mix.  I used the one with the pancake mix and they were delicious!

I only made a couple of modifications to this recipe.  One is I made mini muffins.  I doubled the batter and it made about 32 mini muffins.  I also used maple flavored bacon to up the maple factor.

Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins from Mystery Lover's Kitchen

Blog Bites: Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

I mean, who doesn't love spinach and artichoke dip?

On one of my many Pinterest black holes, I stumbled across this pizza from Sally's Baking Addiction and had pinned it.  Yesterday, when I was looking for pizza ideas, I decided to give it a go.

WOW.

First of all, it's incredibly easy.  Truth, though, I didn't make the dough like she did.  I used a ready made whole wheat pizza crust (in an attempt to make it a tad healthier), and it was great.  Though I'm sure her crust recipe is fabulous!

Most importantly, it's absolutely delicious.  If you are looking to change up your pizza game, give it a try!

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Blog Bites: Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken

So, I was having Easter, and looking for an easy, make ahead and delicious recipe that would feed a crowd.

I stumbled across the blog She's Cookin' and found this recipe from one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Ina Garten.  Seriously, I have major house envy everytime I watch that show!

Scanning over the recipe, it looked like it fit all my qualifications!

I was able to basically put everything together in the morning, cover and put it in the refrigerator, and bake it off when ready.

The chicken was tender and juicy and absolutely delicious.  And the leftovers were dynamite as well.  The longer the chicken sits in that sauce, the better it gets!

Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken

Blog Bites: Crockpot Herb Roasted Potatoes

I was hunting down some easy Easter recipes, since I was hosting, and to me, anything I can make in the crockpot is great for entertaining.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and it was super easy, could make it ahead, and really delicious!  We weren't quite ready to eat, so I just turned the crockpot down to warm once the 2 hours on high were up and they were perfect!

Blog Bites: Baked Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Thyme

Try this dip.  It's a Pinterest discovery from Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom!

This was absolutely amazing (and easy!).  It would be a great thing to make ahead and then just bake when guests arrive!

I served it with pita chips, but it would also be delicious with a nice, crusty bread.  It was bubbly and creamy and delicious!

Baked Brie with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Thyme

Blog Bites: Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Tasty Kitchen

New series on the blog!

I read lots of cooking blogs, and often try their recipes, so I figured I'd start a series where I can recommend some of the terrific recipes that are out there (and there are a lot!).

And naturally, I'm starting with a dessert.

These cookies from Tasty Kitchen are chewy, sweet, salty, and delicious.  I had my doubts at first, as the dough was extremely thick (prepare for a workout stirring!), but they came out absolutely wonderful.

So if you are gluten-free, you can make sure you use certified gluten free oats and enjoy these cookies!  And even if you're not, enjoy them anyway :)