Coconut Tutti Fruities by J. Massie

2 cups oats
1 1/3 cups flour (i use 1/2 whole wheat)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup packed br. sugar
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup EACH diced dried mango, apple, cherries (any dried fruit is fine)
3 cups shredded coconut, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
2. Stir together dry ingredients (minus the sugar)
3. Beat sugars and butter with electric mixer until fluffy. (i just used a spoon)
4. Add the egg, honey, and vanilla; beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in dried fruit and 1/2 cup coconut.
5. Spread the remaining coconut in a shallow bowl. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into the coconut; roll until it is all coated.
6. Bake for 15-17 min.

Chili-Killis by W. Russell

A family favorite.

1 garlic clove
Olive oil
1/2 Can of Mole sauce (found in Mexican food section of grocery store)
2 C Chicken Broth
1/2 Bar of Semi-Sweet or Milk chocolate (or chocolate chip equivalent). Don't use "mexican chocolate" or dark chocolate, it'll be too bitter.
1T sugar
Tortilla chips (or cut up corn tortillas in small triangles)
1C shredded cheese (either cheddar combo OR mexican cotija cheese)
Served w/ Scrambled Eggs & any side condiment you like (avocado, lite sour cream, etc.)

1. On medium heat, Saute whole clove garlic in oil (enough to cover bottom of pan - 1-2T)
2. Remove garlic.
3. Add in mole (make sure to remove oil from top of can before pouring into saute pan), 2C broth, stir until blended.
4. Add in chocolate (cocoa), Add sugar & Simmer and Stir until melted and blended (be careful and watch).
5. Add in tortilla chips and stir until chips are covered in sauce.
6. Stir in cheese.
7. Put a lid on it, heat through until cheese is melted.

8. Make eggs (your choice, we prefer scrambled)
9. Serve in 3 parts on plate - Mole/Chips, Eggs, Condiments.

YUM! perfect weekend brunch.

Summer Tostadas by W. Russell

A californian twist on traditional mexican tostadas.

Pre-made corn tostadas
1-2 Chicken breasts (1/2 kind) with bone-in & skin
a handful of dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 - 3/4C thinly chopped celery
3T thinly chopped chives
1/2C plain yogurt
1/2 C sour cream
1/8C mayo
1t minced garlic
olive oil
butter
salt/pepper to taste.

1. Saute garlic, oil and butter (enough to cover) in saute pan - just hot enough to melt butter, then add chicken. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to cook thoroughly.
2. Remove chicken. Remove skin & bone. Shred chicken.
3. While chicken is cooking - In a bowl combine yogurt, sour cream & mayo
4. Add chicken, cranberries (or raisins), sliced almonds, sliced celery and chives to #3 mixture.
5. Serve atop pre-made crunchy corn tostadas

T&T Grilled Cheese by M. Lazaro

*Sandwich bread
*Honey Roasted Turkey from TJs
*Havarti Cheese
*Fresh sliced tomato
*Garlic salt

Butter 1 side of each bread slice
Add 1 slice of cheese on the non-buttered)/each side
Add 1 slice of turkey to each side
Place sliced tomato in the middle
Sandwich together, place on grill/pan on med-hi heat
Once cheese starts to melt, press down with spatula, sprinkle garlic salt on top, let it cook another 30 seconds then flip. Repeat & Serve.

Serve w/ tomato soup for a dinner meal.

Quick Mex - by J. McGuckin

1 package of the cooked bell Pepper sausage sliced and heated or browned
3 pepper salsa in a jar
Shredded cheddar
Cooked rice
Mix salsa and sausage and serve over rice and top with cheese

Pizza/bread appetizer- by J. McGuckin

One package of fresh herbed pizza dough
½ container of lemon artichoke pesto
Fresh parmesan
Roll out dough and top with pesto and cheese and bake about 12-15 min at 425.

Chicken Cacciatore - by J. McGuckin

4 chicken breasts (uncooked)
Salt and pepper
4 slices of provolone
1 jar cacciatore sauce
1 can Sliced olives
Put chicken in 8x8 and season top with cheese slice, pour sauce over and top with olives and bake @350 for 45-60 minutes, and serve over pasta or mashed potatoes

Fancy Mac and Cheese - by J. McGuckin

2 boxes of white cheddar Mac and cheese made per directions (or 2 of their frozen Mac and cheese containers)
1 carton of fresh bruschetta
1 lb cooked sweet Italian sausage browned and crumbled

Mix all together, one of my kids favorites

Carrot ginger soup in a box - by J. McGuckin

½ jar yellow curry sauce in jar
1 package of Thai lime rice (in vacuumed sealed bag)
Cooked chicken
Fresh cilantro
Mix all and heat and then top with cilantro

Easy Soups - by J. McGuckin

Tomato red bell pepper soup in a box (not the low sodium)
Dollop of cilantro roasted pecan dip (near all the hummus)

Heat soup and stir in dip..yummy and easy

Mango Meatballs – by J. McGuckin

1 package of frozen mini meatballs
1 jar mango chutney
Cooked white rice

Brown meatballs and simmer with chutney until heated and serve over rice with peas

3 Bean Salad –by C. Kemp

• 1 can of 3 bean salad ( in the bean section)
• 1 carton of their cut up carrots, celery and onion mix in the veggie section
• The bag of cooked lentils in the veggie section
• TJ's Balsamic Vinegar salad dressing
• Feta Cheese
  

*Add can of bean salad (drained a little)add the carrots and celery (no onions)add some lentils
Balsamic Vinegar to taste top with feta cheese

Trader Joes Co-Op July/August

Snacks
· Sweet Potato Chips
· Snap Pea Chips
· Cinammon graham crackers
· Fruit leather - kids LOVE them
· Freeze-dried Stawberries
· Organic box of lollipops - small & easy treat & relatively healthy - great flavors
· Refried beans - salsa style - easy & kids love them
· Red pepper hummus
· Mediterranean hummus w/ their pita chips.
· Triple cream blue cheese
· Manchego Cheese
· Apricot Stilton Cheese
· Sundried tomato pesto - by hummus - *really* good on a chicken dish
· Roasted tomato salsa with their blue corn chips
· Unsalted white corn tortilla chips
· Corn Salsa “tomato-less”
· Mini PB or cheese sandwich crackers - kids fav
· Righteous Rounds – (hard) chocolate chip cookies but loaded with fruits *and* veggies (kids can’t even tell)

Breakfast
· Bluberry waffles, easy and good for the kids
· Cinammon raisin bread
· Honey o's (cereal) - so good with fresh fruit!
· Pecan praline granola - divine on any yogurt
· Mini cranberry/orange scones - soooo good with a cup of coffee!
· TJs Oats & Flax instant oatmeal
· TJs French Roast Coffee - wins "family taste tests" all the time
· Chocolate Croissants – frozen
· Creamy Yogurts - TJ brand - comes vanilla/blueberry; banana/strawberry – top with their pecan and praline granola!

Bread
· Truly handmade tortillas (multiple sizes!)
· Rosemary bread with a carton of the fresh bruscetta
· Garlic + cheese croutons - a staple for all of our salads!
· Mini pita pockets – kids think it’s fun to stuff them w/ sweet & salty things. (watch out though, they are fresh and can go bad fast!)

Side Dishes
· Sweet Potato Fries - frozen
· Chipolte Fries (if you like spicy) - frozen
· Pork pot stickers - freezer section (great appetizer for above meals) serve with their Gyoza Sauce
· Tomato-less salsa (looks like corn salsa - divine!)
· Boxed Mushroom Risotto - alone = great side dish OR add favorite sautéed Italian veggies (and/or sausage) and you've got a full meal
* Fried rice w/ veggies - frozen

Salads
· Pear Gorgonzola vinegrette dressing.
· Pasadena Salad - amazing and 200 calories; easily serves 2
· BBQ Chicken Salad

Main Courses
· Steak kabobs - think FILET on a stick (2 for less than $6!); we marinated them in TJs Soyaki for 3 hours and served with baby broccoli and crimini mushrooms. – Melissa
· Korean BBQ - SO easy and delicious - melt in your mouth meat- serves four, serve w/ rice.
· Maui style BBQ ribs; serve with white rice and fresh pineapple.
· Frozen Chicken Taquitos - (clear top) - yum
· Frozen Mac N Cheese (slice up tomatoes, add and serve)
· Frozen Spinach Pizza (my kids love this; loads of spinach)
· Frozen Enchiladas - spicy, so "no" for kids w/ sensitive tongues.
· Frozen Tamales - you can microwave but taste SO much better steamed.
· Frozen Teryaki chicken
· Organic vege chili in a can, great on top of rice or with cornbread, easy and great!
· Organic lentil soup in a can, my kids love it and so good for you.
· Pizza bread (in the bread section), already cooked, put pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and any topping you like, so easy and really tasty.
· Chicken pesto wraps, in the fresh deli section (aaron loves these)
· Pad Thai noodles in a red box (just add water),$2.00 and a great easy lunch
· Frozen black bean and cheese taquitos dip them into there salsa verde mixed with light sour cream – Christen
· Mandarin orange chicken (loved by all!) Great with the broccoli florets (steamed) & their microwavable brown rice - freezer section
· Frozen Ham & Gruyere Cheese - in pizza section but much thinner - chartuse colored box. bake as directed, let cool, poor a bag of varietal lettuce on top, sliced parmesan cheese and a dash of balsamic vinegrette - yum! great quick dish to serve @ a luncheon, w/ friends or in my case for *me* for lunch.
· Frozen Baked Eggplant Parmesan -one of my kid's favorite. set aside any hesitations re: eggplant. serve w/ pasta and red sauce.
· Make-your-own “orange chicken" NOT fried - season chicken & saute in TJ's mandarin orange sauce (in glass jar) - sauce aisle; serve with the broccoli florets & brown rice
Desserts
· Brownie truffle mix, make them as the box says and they are awesome!
· Soy vanilla ice cream , with great taste half the fat
· Mini Peanut Butter Cups - great for a sweet & tiny treat after dinner...these would be killer atop Elizabeth's chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.
· Frozen Apple Tart - really thin
· Mini Mint Mouthfuls (ice cream sandwiches)
· Strawberry Frozen Floes (popsicles)
· Strawberry flavored licorice bites - candy section - SO yummy & again, not too terrible for "dessert"

Drinks
· Organic strawberry lemonade, in the juice section
· Blood Orange Italian Soda
· Sparkling lemonade - a few flavors
· Charles Shaw Merlot wine & Hansens Lime Soda (ratio: 1/3 wine, 2/3 soda = “tinto de verano”)

Carnitas Tacos

Yum! Are you noticing my trend of "pork" this summer. "The other white meat." There is a reason Spanairds are thin! = lots of pork & fish in their diet in small portions.

10 minutes of prep (mostly chopping, heating meat & tortillas).

• 1 pkg of TJs "carnitas" (located near sliced meats) already cooked.
• TJs Salsa Verde
• Corn tortillas
• Shredded lettuce
• Shredded cheese (white, orange or both!)
• Diced tomato
• Diced avocado
• "Dollup of Daisy" - Sour Cream

*basically top w/ any of your favorite toppings. Our family loves a "drop" of "Valentina" hot sauce, even Bella loves that stuff.

These are made similar to the "pork & chili stew" (see other blog) OR you can just heat meat, pull apart and serve. For the "stewed version" - in a saucpan, add meat, 1/2 jar of TJs salsa verde, 1 C of chicken broth - heat on medium/high until hot.

Use a fork to strain meat from saucepan, add to tortilla, family makes their own creations!

Grilled Pork Chops with Cabbage and sesame slaw

15 minutes = a meal! including prep. Kids loved the simplicity of the pork, I loved the zest of the light dressing. All around great, quick, healthy summer meal.

4, 8oz bone-in pork chops
Sea Salt and pepper
1/4C orange juice or lemonade - both are great
2T EVOO
2T rice vinegar
2t sesame seeds
1T honey
1 small head of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 C fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Heat grill to med-hi. Season pork with 3/4t salt and 1/2t pepper (I didn't measure, usually don't, but included the measurements so you could see the ratio).
Grill each side 6-7 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, chop cabbage & in a large bowl, combine all above ingredients to make dressing. Sprinkle over slaw & toss.

I ate a little slaw w/ each pork bite. Yum.