Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crust

This recipe contains no gluten!! It is super simple to make and has only THREE ingredients.It has a very strong banana flavor and I think this pie crust would pair well with a banana cream pie!

Utensils Needed for Pie Crust:

Measuring Spoons

Measuring Cups

Food Processor

Bowl

Fork

1-9" Pie Tin OR 2-5" Pie Tin

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

16 Graham Crackers, Crushed

2 Large Bananas+1 Medium Banana

1 1/2 Tablespoon Honey

I added an extra banana because I really like the banana flavor, thought the combination would go good together.

Pie Crust Recipe:

We are going to start out by making the pie crust. This is free of both gluten and high fructose corn syrup. 

Fresh breeze and bright sunshine

Banana and Honey

Start out by breaking 16 graham crackers into several pieces. Then add them into the food processor. I did it in two groups because there are a lot of pieces! Then place them in a bowl and set aside. Break up the banana and put it in the processor along with the honey. Blend on Low for about 30 seconds, then on high for another 30 seconds. Once you have one consistency, it is done!

Both after being in the processor

This is what my mixture looked like

Gooey Mixture

The next part is fun for kids, if they like to help out in the kitchen. Pour the banana and honey mixture into the graham crackers and mix or let the kids mix that up with a fork. I couldn't find our big pie tin, so I used two little ones. 

They just look so yummy!

And BAM this is done! Baking times can vary depending on the texture you like your crust at, however the longer you cook it, the chewier it will be. This crust does not taste like a typical graham cracker crust you buy at the store, just so you know!! I baked mine for about 8 minutes, then added a creamy fluff filling. The banana flavor came right through!

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

I absolutely love Chinese food. I could literally eat it every day of the week. There are two things I dislike about Chinese take-out however; I don't like being hungry two hours after I eat and the other is how much syrup happens to be in actual dinner. I have tried to improve both of these two issues, by adding a more filling meat and used far less sauce then was called for, enough sauce to make the rice have a taste, but not so much we have a pool at the bottom of our dinner plate. The dinner ended up being so yummy I want to make it again tonight for dinner!!

Ready to be plated!!

Utensils Needed:

Measuring Spoons

Small Bowl

Fork

Sharp Knife (to cut meat, don’t need this if you have meat counter cut the meat for you J )

Wok/Deep Pan

Measuring Cups

Pan

Wooden spoon

Ingredients Needed:

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (for meat) + 1 Tablespoon (for sauce)

2 Tablespoons Water (for meat)+1/2 Cup Water (for sauce)

½ teaspoon Garlic Powder (for meat)

1 ½ Pound Round/Chuck Steak in about 3 inch strips

1Tablespoon Olive Oil (sauté meat) + 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (sauté veggie)

1/3 Cup Reduced Salt Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

4 ½ Cups Broccoli

Whole Grain/Brown Rice

This recipe is so easy to make and it is a quick dinner to throw together with just a few ingredients that you surely have around the house already. However we shared this amongst 6 adults and 4 wanted seconds. It is really filling however, so I was fine, maybe I can just add more next time!! It is also easy to make when the weather starts to warm up because the oven does not need to be on!

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe:

This recipe is really fast, with only 7 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of total cook time.

Start by prepping the rice by following the recipe on the box/bag. You can use instant rice as well if that is easier, however it takes less time to cook, so start the meat if that is your choice. I used rice out of a bag and it took about 15-20 minutes to cook, so it was done about 5 minutes before the beef and broccoli. I just put it in a glass bowl and placed it in the oven on very low heat to keep it warm. When you go to the meat counter, ask them to cut your meat into approximately 3 inch strips. You would be surprised how happy they will be to do this!

First off we need to make a slight coating for the beef. Or start boiling the water for the rice, whichever you prefer.

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Start by placing 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in a small bowl, followed by an equal part of water.

2 Tablespoons Water

Then add in 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder with water and cornstarch

Mix all of this together to make an easy, quick slurry.

All mixed together

After this is all one consistency, add the meat and mix. I thought it was easiest to mix it with my hands. There is not a lot of sauce, but it will cover all of the meat.

Meat covered in slurry

Now is the time to start the rice, if you haven't already. Place 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil in a wok/pan. Wait until it heats up and add the meat to the pan.

Remember to wait until the oil is warm before adding the meat

Once the oil is warm, add the coated meat to the pan to cook. The meat took approximately 8 minutes to cook completely through. Make sure to keep an eye on the meat so it is cooked thoroughly. While it is cooking I started making the sauce.

Cooking the meat

In a bowl add the following ingredients: 

1/3 Cup reduced sodium soy sauce ( I don't add any extra salt in any of my recipes!),

1/3 Cup Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (this will add a sweet taste to tone down the bitter taste of the soy sauce) however the original recipe called for 4 Tablespoons, I thought that would add too much of a sweet taste so I cut it in half, turned out yummy, 

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger,

 followed by the final Tablespoon of Cornstarch (this will help to thicken the mixture once over heat),

Used as a thickening agent

And lastly add 1/2 cup water.

The water looks brown cause I used the same bowl as the soy sauce! NO EXTRA DISHES HA!

Keeping an eye on both the rice and the meat, mix the ingredients together until one consistency. The meat should be just about done by now. Again I placed the meat in a glass bowl and put it in the oven. The rice should be just about done now too with just a few more minutes left. I used the same pan/wok as I did to cook the meat. My dad always told me that it adds extra flavor and I don't like washing dishes :P. Next place the olive oil in the pan followed by the broccoli. 

The stuff in the bottom is leftover from the meat

4 1/2 cups broccoli

The original recipe calls for 3 cups of broccoli, however I love broccoli and this is an easy way to get an extra serving of veggies!!

I stir fried it for about 4 minutes, continuously stirring. Then I added just a splash of water and covered it to steam it for another 4-5 minutes.

You will know when the broccoli is done because it will be a vibrant green

Things are really starting to come together!! The rice should be done now. Fluff it with a fork and place it in a serving bowl. Place it in the oven and take out the beef.

This is 6 servings of brown rice

Add the beef to the broccoli and stir.

The broccoli looks very green!

Mix the two together and add the sauce.

The smell is really starting to fill the house

Mix it around and let it come to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 3 minutes. Once the sauce is absorbed into the meat and broccoli, it is DONE!!! This was by far in my top 3 favorites of recipes to make! It tastes just like take-out with less fat, less salt, and less calories! 

Finished, plated, and ready to eat!

If you have any comments about this dish, feel free to leave them in the box below! Hope you all enjoy this.

Baked Chicken Alfredo with Whole Grain Penne

This is a wonderful dinner to have when you are planning a quiet romantic evening in, when you are having a few people over, or to make for the hungry family after the kids have been playing outside in the nice weather. This recipe has six servings and fed us six adults just fine! The whole grain pasta really fills you up and the creamy home aid Alfredo sauce is just to die for!! Altogether this dinner was delish! 

All ready for the oven!

Utensils Needed:

Pan

Colander

Measuring Spoons

Measuring Cups

Pot

Large Spoon

Baking Dish

Ingredients Needed:

16 Ounces of whole grain penne pasta

4 Quarts of water

2 1/3 Cups cooked chicken, bite sized pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves minced garlic (Did I mention I <3 Garlic?!)

6 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 Cups low sodium chicken broth

2 Cups skim milk

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Lots of fresh cut parsley

1 1/2 grated/shaved parmesan cheese

1 Cup grated mozzarella

This is a super easy recipe that even people who claim to "not be able to cook" can surely cook! The only thing needed is the ability to multitask. 

Baked Chicken Alfredo with Whole Grain Penne Pasta Recipe:

2 1/3 cups of cooked chicken

16 ounces of Penne Pasta

First of all, preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Then set 4 quarts of water over high heat. Wait until it begins to boil. While you are waiting, cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces and begin to cook it. This will take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the chunks of chicken. The amount of time it took me to cook the chicken was about the amount of time it took the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, turn heat to medium, add the noodles, and set the timer for about 9 minutes or until pasta is al dente! 

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

8 Cloves minced garlic

Then begins the real fun part! I would recommend having all of your ingredients already pre measured and ready to just put in the pan to cook. However, I like to live on the wild side, so I didn't! No big deal, just would have been easier. First add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to the pan, I used the same pan I cooked the chicken in (mostly because I don't like doing dishes, partly because my dad always told me it added flavor). While that oil is heating up, I measured out all the garlic I needed. Now some may be thrown off by all this garlic, but I would check this out before saying no to the delicious garlic and the healthy benefits it may have. Now once the oil is hot, turn the heat down, the garlic will cook in no time at all, so making sure to keep an eye on the garlic is essential here. If you cook the garlic too long it will become bitter and ruin your sauce! And no one wants this!! Once the garlic BEGINS to brown and you can smell the yummy fragrance in the air, it is almost done. Now the sauce will begin to take form quickly. And you want it done at about the same time as the noodle timer goes off. 

The garlic smells so good!

Mix to one consistency

Next step is to add the 6 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour. Stir this around until the garlic and oil are covered with flour. This will take under a minute, but once you add the liquids it will go faster. Slowly pour in 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth. Mix this all together until it is one consistency. The kitchen is filled with the fragrant smell of garlic! YUMMY!!

Moving foreword from here add 2 cups of skim milk. Turn the heat back up to a medium high level.

Sauce will get thin now, don't worry it will thicken up

The mixture will begin to look really watery. If it is not to you liking

For a little kick

you can add another Tablespoon of flour, I would be careful with how much you add for two reasons, 1 being the sauce can thicken really fast and 2 if you use too much flour the sauce will hold that flavor. I did in fact add another Tablespoon, but once I turned up the heat, it really began to thicken nicely. Now you will add a 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, for a wee bit of flavor. At this point you will want to have a continuous stirring motion until the noodles are cooked. 

The sauce will now become thick

Even though the sauce seems pretty thin, adding the parmesan

YUMMY SAUCE!

cheese will solve this problem. Evenly add the cheese to the sauce and continue to stir. Continue stirring until completely melted. Once the sauce is almost complete, add a small handful of fresh chopped parsley. This adds a unique taste to the dish. 

Looks so good, almost can't wait until it is done

Sauce & Noodles

Adding of the chicken

By now the noodles should be just about done. I turned the heat up to high on the sauce, while I drained the noodles. Once all the water has been drained, return them to the pan. Give the sauce one final mix and pour it into the pot with the noodles. Then stir that all together until noodles are covered in sauce. Then add the chicken to the mix. Stir this all together until it is one mixture of gooey goodness.

1 cup freshly grated mozz. cheese

Bottom layer, just mixture

The final steps before the oven, grate up the mozzarella cheese, or

Then add mozz and park cheese

grab the bag out of the fridge is that is the route you chose to take. The recipe begins by saying to grease the pan, but I skipped that step since I already added some into the cooking process. This did not hurt my recipe in any way and it did not stick to the side/bottom of the baking dish. Then begin to layer the dish, much like you do lasagna. Put a layer of the chicken, sauce, and noodle mixture down first until bottom of the dish is covered. Then you add about a third of the mozz. cheese and a small handful of parm. shavings. Then add more of the mixture, more cheese, then the rest of the mixture, and the rest of the cheese until you have no more left of either item.

Keep layering until you get this!

Place into the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden! This dish is so good, and could easily be improved by adding a few vegetables into the mix.

If you have any ideas on how to make this dish better, please feel free to leave them in the comment box below. Have a wonderful night and enjoy this fantastic baked Penne Alfredo.