Avobroc Dip

3/4 c chopped broccoli

1 avocado

1 tbsp ranch dressing

Throw everything in a food processor and blend til smooth.

Good with chips or your favorite crackers.

Cream Cheese Mac

I try to eat healthy as often as possible.  But sometimes, I just crave mac n cheese.  And sometimes, I remember that I just happened to buy cream cheese the other day and haven't done anything with it.  And think that maybe I should add cream cheese to the mac n cheese.  And darn it, I just remembered that I also have sour cream in my fridge that I should have thrown in because it needs to get used.  Oh well.  I missed out on using the sour cream, but I did use some cream cheese!

By the way, I'm currently eating my second helping.  This stuff is too good.  Maybe I'll run it off in my race on Saturday...It will only be the 2nd 10k course I have ever run.  I've done a 10k in Lewisburg for the past 5 years, but it's the only 10k I've ever done, and while my times for the past 2 years have been decent, I really really want to break 40 minutes. I'm hoping to achieve that this weekend.  New course, flatter course, and hopefully some better competition to help carry me to a PR! 

Anyway.  Cream Cheese Mac.  Deliciousness.

Boil some water and throw in about half a box of elbow macaroni.  In a smaller saucepan, combine 3 tbsp butter, 3-4 tbsp cream cheese, a bunch of heavy cream, 1/4 c wheat flour, and a big handful of shredded cheese. Once everything is all melty and delicious, and the macaroni is cooked, combine in an oven-safe dish.  Oh and by the way, grate a carrot and mix it in with all that.  Then you can pretend it's healthy.  Mix well, sprinkle more cheese over the top, and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  

I enjoyed my mac and cheese on a bed of arugula, topped with a crabby beef burger and some shaved & sauteed parsnips.  And then I drizzled ranch dressing over the whole thing because...I thought it might be too dry without it?  And...go big or go home? 

It was delicious.  

Eating super healthy all the time is overrated. 

and here's a picture of the shaved parsnips before I cooked them

just because

they're awesome

Cucumber-Ranch Dressing

1/2 large cucumber, chopped

1/4 c ranch dressing

garlic powder

ginger powder

basil

throw it all in a food processor and blend it up

I didn't have any salad greens left, so I used this as a dip for my carrots.

Artichoke-Avocado Dip

This could also be called "Leftovers Dip."  I basically through a bunch of things together in a bowl.  I put half an avocado on my burger and wanted to make some sort of chip-dip with the other half.  I also had a little bit of tomato left, so I chopped it up and added it to the avocado.  Then I chopped up an artichoke heart and added that.  And then, I squirted some ranch on top.  And mixed it all up.  It was awesomely delicious with multi-grain tortilla chips.

Baked Chicken Tenders

 Baked Chicken Tenders

Preheat the oven to 425

Clean 3 b/s chicken breasts and trim off all the icky fat.  

Slice them up into chicken tenders.  

Coat them with ranch dressing.

Toss them in a bag of flour/breadcrumbs/seasonings/crushed ritz crackers.

Spread them out on a baking sheet. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes, flip them over, bake for another 8-10 minutes.

I enjoyed a dinner of chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, and brussels sprouts & zucchini.

 The fries were leftovers, but I put them in the oven with the chicken for the last few minutes and they warmed up nicely.  

Can't have chicken tenders without honey mustard!

Or sweet potato fries without ranch!

The best part about these, (other than their deliciousness) is that the breading didn't fall off!  Whenever I try to cook tenders on the stovetop the breading almost always ends up falling off. Plus, it's healthier to bake the tenders instead of frying them in oil.  Win, win.