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I always have my eye out for something new to rotate in to our diet – so when I ran across these sandwich thins I was really excited to give them a try! They are round like a hamburger bun but thinner and a whole lot lighter on the calories. At only 100 calories, 5 fiber and 1 fat they only equal 1 Weight Watcher point and my husband loves them! So far we’ve used them for sandwiches, turkey burgers and pulled pork. These will definitely be a repeat!

The last few weeks have been so hectic that we didn’t make any big plans to celebrate the 4th. We really didn’t feel like fighting traffic and crowds so we opted out of the traditional parades and fireworks and enjoyed a quieter day hanging out as a family.

We slept in (yes – Spencer too!), went out to breakfast at a great little place here in town, attempted a little bit of creativity…

(Spencer had fun helping me stamp this paper bag and fill it with a small gift for Grammie and Pop!)

…threw dinner in the crockpot and headed out on the boat for a few hours.

I forgot how relaxing it is to sit on the boat, getting a suntan and enjoying the wind and water blowing in your face. Spencer was a little unsure about the whole thing – he didn’t want to go in the water but was content to sit on Grammies lap and eat snacks all afternoon!

It felt a little weird not BBQing on the 4th but by the time we got home I was very thankful that all I had to do was pull our roast out of the crockpot, stir together some Cheesy Beer Bread Biscuits (recipe below), throw together a spinach salad and dish up some Mango Breeze Margaritas (left-over from my TS open house – more pics of that to come later). Easy and yummy!

Bountiful Cheesy Biscuits
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
Bountiful Beer Bread Mix®
1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic^TM
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese**
2 – 3 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients; stir until dough forms. Drop dough by large tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400º for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter. Serve warm. Makes 18-20 biscuits.

*Can use any Tastefully Simple seasoning blend in place of Garlic Garlic^TM.

**Can use any shredded cheese in place of cheddar.

I was feeling in a creative, “try something new” mood the other day and decided it would be fun to BBQ my pizza instead of baking it. I’d heard about it before but had never actually tried it myself.

To start, I googled “BBQed pizza” and came up with a variety of random sites — none of which were very clear or helpful. So I did my best to combine their ideas and here’s what I came up with…

1. Preheated my BBQ to get it nice and hot.
2. Prepped my pizza (see recipe below) and placed it on a baking sheet.
3. Lined the grill with foil and placed the baking sheet on top.
4. Left for a few minutes to start a timer.
5. Came back outside to discover smoke and flames billowing out the sides.
6. Realized that the foil was a very bad idea because it trapped in the air, causing massive flames!
7. Removed the foil, put the baking sheet on the top shelf and turned the BBQ to low.
8. Cooked it for about 20 more minutes (for a total of 30) – the more you open the BBQ the longer it will take to cook.
9. Enjoyed a slightly smoky but very yummy pizza!

In the end it turned out to be quite easy and had a nice crisp crust! My husband and son loved it!

My Favorite Summer Pizza Combo:

• Trader Joes whole wheat pizza dough (did you know you can freeze it? I keep a stock in my freezer and pull it out that morning to defrost – it works great!)
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (Right now I love Smoky Bacon Grill Sauce – a little goes a long way!)
• Cheese of your choice (I use the Weight Watcher blend to help keep it light)
• Grilled Chicken, diced
• Sliced Red Onion
• Pineapple tidbits

With the right toppings a baked potato can be a whole meal in itself! Here’s an easy way to bake them in your crock-pot…

Crock-Pot Baked Potatoes

• Wash potatoes and prick with a fork
• Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and wrap in foil
• Place in your crock-pot, cover and bake on high for 2 1/2 – 4 hours or low for 8-10 hours

Topping Ideas:

• Grilled Chicken
• Steamed Broccoli
• Alfredo Sauce
• Chopped Ham
• Cheddar Cheese
• Ranch Dressing
• Blue Cheese Crumbles (or dressing)
• Bacon, Bacon
• Chili
• Tostitos Nacho Cheese
• Green Onion
• Salsa
• Grilled Salmon 
• Spinach and Herb Dip
• Chopped Fresh Chives
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Herbed Butter
• Sour Cream
• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Carmalized Onions
• Crushed Croutons

As we enter summer and the heat begins to hit the last thing I feel like doing is turning on my oven or sweating over the stove top! So I’ve been working on some easy crock-pot and BBQ alternatives.

The following recipes are easy on your checkbook and you get two dinners for the work of one – Serve Herbed Crock-Pot Chicken on Sunday and then turn the left-over chicken into a fresh and light Chicken Cabbage Salad for Monday!

Herbed Crock-Pot Chicken

• Remove the insides of the chicken, rinse and pat dry
• Place in the crock pot and baste with Meyer Lemon Infused Oil
• Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning (I like Garlic, Garlic and/or Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto)
• Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 6-8 hours, until it begins to “fall apart”

(Look for whole chickens on sale at your local store and buy a few extra to stick in the freezer!)

Chicken Cabbage Salad

Ingredients: Left-over chicken from Herbed Crock-pot Chicken, 1 Head Napa Cabbage (or a bag of a prepared Cole Slaw), ¾ cup Green Onion, 1 cup Slivered Almonds, ½ cup Sesame Seeds, 1 package Chicken Top Ramen Noodles

• Shred chicken
• Wash and chop Napa cabbage and green onions
• Toast almonds and sesame seeds in your toaster oven until light brown, stirring once
• Place Ramen Noodles in small zip-lock and crush with the bottom of a glass
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss

Dressing: Chicken Seasoning packet (from Top Ramen), 6 Tbs. White Vinegar, ½ cup Meyer Lemon Infused Oil, ¼ Olive Oil, ½ sugar (or lighten it up by using ¼ cup Splenda).

• Mix well and pour over salad just before serving

This will be part one to several Summer Cooking posts as I come up with more ideas. Please share your “beat the heat” recipes or tips – I’d love to hear from you!