Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

This is a knock-out dinner!  It's full of flavor, so easy to make, and filled with great carbs and protein. When I took it out of the oven and added the fresh rosemary on top I felt like I was making something I'd be served at a restaurant and that feels pretty good.  You can probably substitute the fresh rosemary for dried, but I love color and the eye candy and the fresh smell that fresh rosemary brings to a platter.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 lemons, 1 sliced and 1 zested and juiced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions

For the marinade: whisk rosemary, lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl then pour into a large zip-lock bag.  Add chicken breasts and marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bag once or twice.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until the potatoes start to become tender.  Stir frequently to avoid burning.  Remove from heat.

Arrange chicken breasts and lemon slices evenly in the 9x13 pan.  Add cooked sweet potatoes to the chicken.  Drizzle some of the remaining marinade over the chicken and sweet potatoes.  Bake uncovered for about 40-45 minutes, or until chicken and potatoes are fully cooked.

Recipe Source: yummyaddiction.com

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I've noticed that almost every day around 11:30am I need that pick-me-up treat.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  When you need that little handful of some kind of sweet goodness to help reward you for the non-stop morning you've had and to help boost you into the afternoon craziness that will occur?   Well, even if you don't experience that on a daily basis... these no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars are still the perfect little "I need to reward myself with just a little something" treat.  Now let me give a little warning: These bars are addictive and not for the peanut butter weaklings.  These are creamy and wonderful and filled with a lot of the perfect combo: Chocolate and Peanut Butter.  Oh, they're good.  

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Yield: Makes one 9x13 pan (so depends on how big you cut your bars)

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups creamy peanut butter, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, 1 cup peanut butter and salt.  Spread into the prepared pan.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes to firm up a little.

In a microwave safe bowl melt together the chocolate chips and remaining 1 cup peanut butter in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until smooth.  Once all is melted and smooth stir in the cereal.  Spread on top of the chilled peanut butter layer.  Refrigerate until chocolate is firm before serving.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

*These can soften pretty good if left out of the refrigerator for too long.  I like them on the firmer side so I prefer to keep them chilled.

*This also cuts in half nicely for an 8x8 pan.

Recipe Source: TheGirlWhoAteEverything.com

Sweet Cornbread - and Creamy Honey Butter

This cornbread is perfect alongside a bowl of soup or EVEN all. by. itself!  It is so yummy that when my oldest son gets home from school he wants it as his snack.  It's almost like a cake, but not that sweet, but yes - that good.  And then top it with this yummy and super-easy-to-make honey butter and you've got yourself a keeper.  I thought with all the soup recipes I've been sharing I should share one of our favorite go-to bread recipes when we have soup.  I hope you love it as much as we do! 

Sweet Cornbread
Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients
Cornbread:
1/2 cup cornmeal
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
Honey Butter:
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup marshmallow fluff

Directions
For the cornbread:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Add dry ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk.  Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny).  Pour into prepared baking pan and bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the Honey Butter:
Whip all ingredients together with an electric mixer  until well combined.  Serve at room temperature.  You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator and then soften it up a little when you'd like to use it again.

*You can substitute some of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour if you'd like.  I like to do half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour a lot of the time when I make this.
*You can also decrease the sugar amount by almost half if you'd like.  The cornbread still turns out very sweet and delicious.

Recipe Source: melskitchencafe.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Energy Bites

I'm always on the look out for healthier snack options for my family.  Yes, the Oreo's still find their way into my pantry, who am I kidding?  But I'm trying my best (one step at a time) to feed my family healthier.  Now there are a lot of different "No-Bake Energy Bite" recipes out there and I've tried a handful of them, but my favorite so far is this one.  It has to be the combination of the cocoa powder and peanut butter that seal the deal for me.  I like the ones with chocolate chips, but I never have mini chocolate chips on hand and the regular sized chocolate chips are just too big in my opinion.  In this recipe, the smoothness of the cocoa powder and peanut butter make me happy and at the same time I love the added texture of the oatmeal and seeds.  It makes my mama heart a little happier when I see my kids reach in the fridge and grab one of these as an after-school and/or bed-time treat.  In my head I'm silently saying, "YES!"  

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Energy Bites
Yield: Makes about 20-25 balls

Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal, raw
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup coconut flakes, toasted and cooled (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional

Directions
In a mixing bowl. stir together peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined and evenly coated.  Cover mixture and chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, to make the mix easier to handle and mold.

Once chilled, roll into 1-inch balls (or whatever size you would like).  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Recipe Source: Marsha Peterson, a friend of mine from church.