Recipes Etc.

Justin and I have a trip to Hawaii looming in the near future and have decided that we are definitely NOT ready to be seen in swimsuits. As a result, we have been trying to eat healthier and be a little more active. I went through my many many cookbooks and pulled out a bunch of low-fat recipes to try out and last night was new recipe #1: Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry. It was from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I was hoping to find a picture of it on the website, but no luck. ANyways, it was DELICIOUS. Here's the recipe:

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken brest halves or thighs

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cooking oil

4 cups cut-up veggies (for this one, I just bought the package of 'stir-fry vegetables' from the frozen aisle at the grocery store. Saved lots of time).

1. Cut chicken into bit-sized strips; set aside. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together honey, vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce, and cornstarch; set aside.

2. Pour oil into a wok or large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add veggies. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove veggies (or use a different skillet for the chicken). Cook and stir chicken for 3-4 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Stir sauce and add to the chicken. Cook and stir until it is thick and bubbly.

3. Add veggies to the chicken/sauce mixture. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Serve over rice.

This next recipe is for Charee, since we can't ever seem to get coordinated. :)

Almond Joy!

4 cups Powdered Sugar

1 can Sweetened condensed Milk

1 lb shredded or flaked Coconut

Pinch of Salt

Chocolate for melting/dipping

Blanched almonds

Mix everything but the chocolate and almonds together and knead until well mixed. Shape into balls and insert one almond in each. Put on a cookie sheet to chill or freeze. When chilled, melt chocolate according to direction on the package and dip balls. Let cool on wax paper.

Finally in other news for this week, Justin and I are big nerds (in case you didn't already know that). We were at Wal-Mart on Saturday and found a big lego set on super clearance. So, we bought it. And I spent last night putting it together....