Black Bean Fajita Vegetarian Quesadillas

These "Ready in 20" Vegetarian Quesadillas are a quick and easy way to feed your family and friends! Served along side a 3-ingredient guacamole, they're substantially satisfying and offer more than 3 full servings of your daily Veggie and protein quota! ;)

Huzzah!

Ingredients that make Four (4) Quesadillas:

• 8 burrito sized flour tortillas
• 1 - 16oz bag of mexican blend shredded cheese
• 1 - 15oz can of black beans, drained
• 2 green bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 1/2 large white onion, sliced thinly
• 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, washed
• 1 lemon or lime wedge
• salsa to taste
• sour cream to taste
• and our not-so-secret ingredient Chipotle Tabasco (it makes everything a little better!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or broil on low. 
2. In a skillet combine sliced green peppers, sliced onion and salt and pepper. Saute Vegetables until tender and lightly caramelized. 
3. Meanwhile in a saucepan, warm beans until hot, drain excess liquid. (add Cumin seasoning to taste for an extra Mexican kick!)
4. On a large cookie sheet arrange flour tortillas and layer warm black beans mashing slightly with spoon on tortilla to create a good base for the fajita veggies. Next add fajita veggies equally. 
5. Layer Cheese and Chipotle Tabasco sauce to taste.
6. Bake on 375 or broil on low until tortilla is slightly crisp  and lightly toasted.
7. While Quesadillas are in the oven, combine your mashed avocado with a handful of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix. 
8. When your Quesadillas are slightly crisp to perfection add topping or dips of your choice including guacamole, sour cream and fresh salsa!

Pro Tip: Quesadillas cut best right out of the oven while the ingredients are hot and before the tortilla starts to cool. Use a Pizza Cutting Utensil for perfect Quesadilla slices!

Enjoy! 

Fancy, Fruity, Bubbly, Four Drinks Under 200 Calories!

This Holiday season I have some solid plans which include, Eat, Drink and be Merry! I plan to thoroughly enjoy myself through Christmas and on to New Year's Eve!

I've also been making great progress on getting fit (25 lbs down) and I don't want to sabotage my efforts over these next weeks. I've did some digging and found four great drinks us ladies can indulge in with absolutely no guilt :) 

Fancy, fruity and bubbly, a low-cal drink option for every taste. :)

Fancy:

Pomegranate Martini

A 4oz serving made with pomegranate vodka and pure pomegranate juice (about 50/50) only has 185 calories! Delicious and full of antioxidants. 

Red Wine

A glass of red wine boasts 120 delicious calories per 5 ounces. Remember a jumbo glass can hold 10 ounces or more so remember glass half full ;)

Fruity:

Strawberry Daiquiri

You can whip up your own low calorie daiquiri using frozen fruit with no added sugar. Strawberries make a perfect choice because they're naturally sweet. Mix three partially thawed berries in blender with ice, half oz lime juice and one and half shot of Rum. Add a little water to blend and you're set for 195 calories!

Bubbly:

Champagne

Pour Champagne into flutes and add a few raspberries. Pretty, delicious and only 100 calories per 5 ounce glass. Your best drink option! You can also make your own spritzer with club soda and ice added to white wine. 

4 Delicious drinks under 200! I'll toast to that!
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Seasons Greetings & Happy New Years Friends! :')

Cranberry Pistachio Holiday Biscottis

These Cranberry Pistachio Biscottis are a festive and tasty treat for your Holiday Breakfast or Brunch. Easy to prepare and share for a great gift! This recipe is courtesy of Giada from the Food Network

What you'll need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
3. Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 30 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.
4. Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

This 3 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie recipe just might be the easiest cookie you'll ever bake! Packed with protein, flourless and gluten-free you'll have no guilt and no regrets after baking this little treat! Grab your Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar and Egg and you'll have delicious peanut-buttery cookies in minutes! 

What you'll need:

• 1 cup peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium sized bowl mix peanut butter, brown sugar and egg. Mix well. 
3. Roll dough into 1-1/2" balls and place 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet. 
4. With a fork, gently press down on cookie criss-cross to form easy, yet attractive cookie design. 
5. Bake cookies for 8 minutes and let cool on baking sheet 5-7 minutes before transferring to racks. 

Also try: Dip cookies into melted chocolate and set to harden for an extra peanut-buttery chocolate treat!

 Enjoy!

Starbucks Discoveries Caramel Macchiato Review

The quest to find the perfect cup of coffee never ceases, especially a delicious and affordable one I can drink at home. Getting coffee out is one of the biggest treats of my day, but the coffee shop can put quite a dent in the Piggy over time. I do love visiting Starbucks on occasion, my Starbucks regular changes from a Caramel Frappuccino to a Carmel Macchiato depending on my calories for the day. ;) 

Last night while shopping at Target I was surprised to see that Starbucks has a ready to drink Iced Coffee called Starbucks Discoveries in Carmel Macchiato!

I know that Seattle's Best and Silk makes an iced Coffee drink but I had yet to see a ready to drink Starbucks in this size. Best of all they had my beloved Carmel Macciato and the ingredients were whole and simple, so I just had to try!

Starbucks Discoveries Carmel Macchiato Ingredients:

Unlike the other brands of ready to serve iced coffee, Starbucks has simple and easy to understand ingredients. No artificial colors or sweeteners  I am slightly concerned about what the 'Natural flavors' might contain as recently a law passed that allowed artificial sweeteners to be labeled under Natural Flavors. However most artificial sweeteners have a distinct taste and I didn't notice one and 17 grams of sugar per serving is quite high so I think we're safe there :) 

Taste: 

This Carmel Macciato is ready to serve, plain or over ice. The Starbucks Carmel Macciato has a thin consistency but packs good flavor. A mild espresso base with a rich and warm buttery carmel flavor. It is slightly creamy. It seems to water down quickly over ice and tastes better served alone. It's not quite as sweet as an Iced Carmel Macciato from Starbucks but definitely does the job and satisfies the craving for tasty iced coffee! A Tall, 8 ounce iced Carmel Macciato from Starbucks has 170 calories per serving while each serving of Starbucks Discoveries Carmel Macciato has only 120! a diet friendly treat :) 

Price: 

Target Price: $3.99, 

1.5 qt sized carton that holds six, 8oz servings bringing the total cost per 8 ounces to $.67 each! A tall sized (small, 8 ounce) Iced Carmel Macciato from Starbucks costs $2.80. A Carmel Macciato from Starbucks comes with real carmel drizzle but for $2.13 cents cheaper I will choose my ready to serve Iced Carmel Macciato and no carmel drizzle, anyday ;)

Overall: 

Starbucks Discoveries Iced Cafe Carmel Macciato is definitely tasty, readily available both in fridge and at the grocery store. It's far cheaper than an iced coffee of it's kind at Starbucks and lower in calories as well! A definite WIN and a 4 out of 5 star beverage! I will repurchase this again and look forward to trying the other flavors as well! :)

Thanks for reading! 

Organic Patio Garden in Bloom! : The Daily Scoop

Happy November friends! 

It's prime gardening season here in Arizona and we're delighted to share a few photos from our blooming winter patio garden! 

Because of Arizona's unique temperature & environment, a successful harvest planting starts late summer and successes through our mild chilly winter season into late spring. 

This year, we didn't start early enough to catch the Watermelon and Pumpkin growing season but we're looking forward to starting again in the Spring!

Our patio garden and raised beds consist of numerous potted herbs and vegetables and in a few recycled pallets lying flat. We really love to use the recycled wood pallets as raised garden beds, the slats are perfect for vegetable rows!

Our blooming garden so far:

Clockwise from Left: Sugar Snap Pea, French Lavender, Green Bean, Cherry Tomato, Our Garden Guest the Caterpillar (who's been munching all of our leaves!) and Parsley. 

We've also sowed cucumbers, radishes, and a variety of cooking herbs.

 While growing this small organic garden we've already had our share of leaf munching critters. Yesterday we found two very large Rustic Shpinx caterpillars inching their way from our vegetable pallet to the tomato pot. We know the caterpillars appreciate a good organic veggie too! :)

Above: Cilantro (Corriander) Seed Sprouts

As Mexican food lovers we love to keep a few pots of fresh Cilantro growing at all times to add to fresh salsa, soup, salads, tacos, burritos and our favorite, homemade guacamole!

It doesn't matter if you have a tiny balcony or even a small kitchen window, the greatness of growing in pots is that you can grow nearly anywhere and there are many varieties of  fruits and vegetables that can grow in unique environments!

The beauty of eating something you've grown yourself is an amazing feeling! 

We will keep you posted as the garden continues to grow. :)

To bountiful harvests, happy gardening!

Garlic Kale Naan Pizza

Looking for a new healthy and alternative to takeout Pizza? Try our delicious Garlic Kale Naan Pizza! Nutrient packed Kale and Garlic, tasty tomato sauce and perfectly spiced melty cheese on a crispy Naan crust. Mmm! 

Naan is an Indian bread traditionally cooked in a stone hearth like pit over an open fire, much like pita bread in texture, it's gets a nice crisp when cooked in the oven and it's so tasty  You'll only need a few ingredients to put together this delight.

What you'll need:

• naan bread in garlic
• 14 oz can pizza sauce 
• mozzarella cheese
• baby kale 
• spices or herbs to taste: basil, oregano, pepper, salt, garlic and red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. On a baking sheet, place pre-made Naan and spread a thin to medium layer of pizza sauce, spices, cheese, kale and extra spices on top to taste. 
3. Bake 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and Naan is slightly crisp. (careful not to over bake Naan. It is quick to burn and toast. You want to your Naan to be still slightly bready, not completely crisp.)
4. Remove from oven and serve!

Also try this variation: the traditional way to cook a Naan pizza, spicy Arugula leaves and Goat cheese! Yum!

Or get it Ready to Cook:

Naan pizza frozen to perfection by Tandoor Chef. You can find this in your natural grocer's frozen food aisle. We highly recommend Cilantro Pesto and Roasted Eggplant! 

Enjoy!