Fun and easy oatmeal cookies

Probably the simplest cookies you will ever make in your lifetime! Mix the first two ingredients- 1 cup oatmeal and one banana (I actually used one and a half bananas), using your hands to squish it all together. This was Trevor's favorite part. Add chips or raisins, your choice, and drop spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I let them cool in the fridge to save them for dessert, and they were a huge hit! This recipe makes only 6 cookies, perfect for my small family.

Creamy buffalo chicken soup

When I saw this recipe, I knew immediately I'd have to try it. You see, Bill is a huge wing fan. I'd say it's his favorite food, though he probably wouldn't admit that. He has been such a good sport about trying new dishes since I started the whole Clean Eating thing, and this one was definitely for him. It might not be entirely clean, hello Frank's Red Hot Sauce, but it's close enough. I doubled the veggies and used whole wheat noodles and light cream, otherwise followed the recipe as given. It was really easy, and we both liked it. I expect the leftovers will be even tastier than the first time around:)

Honey soy chicken

OMG!! This was so easy, cheap, and Yummy! You'd think we would have had leftovers with a small family of three, but not this time. Everyone had seconds, or thirds. I served it over cauliflower rice which was perfect to soak up the amazing sauce. This recipe is definitely going into the regular rotation! The one thing I suggest changing is trading olive oil for vegetable oil in order to keep it clean:)

Nana's slow cooker rump roast

OK, truth be told this recipe doesn't come from my grandmother, but while eating it I felt like I was traveling back in time to childhood meals at Nana and David's. Yum! She would be proud of this one, and I bet my method of making it in the slow cooker is so much easier than anything she ever made;) I followed the recipe, so even thought I forgot to include the stick of butter in the photo I did not forge to include it in the sauce. I also added a sliced onion and carrots to the mix for the last two hours of slow cooking. Everyone loved it and wanted more, including Trevor. Bill even agreed that this would be something great to make when we have company. It needs dinner rolls or some cauliflower rice to soak up all that good sauce. I'm excited for the leftovers tomorrow!

Broccoli chicken mac and cheese

Why this recipe? Because everyone in my family LOVES macaroni and cheese, and I'm still searching for the best way to clean it up and make it a healthy meal. This may very well be the one I've been waiting for, though you know I did make a few adjustments:

• Use less pasta to make room for more broccoli and chicken. I used about 7oz of pasta and the whole package of chicken and
  bag of steamed broccoli. 
• Steam the broccoli for about a minute less that suggested, otherwise it will fall apart when you stir it all together. 
• Use about twice the suggested amount of Greek Yogurt.
• Use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.

Parmesan zucchini spaghetti squash with pine nuts

I followed this recipe pretty closely, however I added sliced chicken because I wanted to have it as a meal, This way I would have complete lunches with the leftovers. Also, I used shaved parmesan instead of shredded, which wasn't the best idea. Some bites were cheesy, but others were not. Grated would have been more evenly distributed.
 I did like it, but I admit that I missed tomato sauce. I think it's an addiction or something! Maybe add some pepper flakes if you like things on the spicy side. 

Apricot BBQ slow cooker meatballs

I pretty much followed this Recipe, except I wasn't sure how much meat they were suggesting so I just mixed a pack of ground pork with a pack of ground beef, probably about 3 pounds total. I guessed that I should double the other ingredients in the recipe, and then added even more sauce. I used the whole jar of apricot preserves, 10 oz, and half the jar of BBQ sauce, about 8 oz. It worked out well for me to make the meatballs the day before and freeze them, then I could just add the sauce and turn it on in the morning so it would be ready for dinner.
The important part for me was to use apricot preserves and BBQ sauce that are all fruit, no added sugar or preservatives. I'm not thinking of this as a weight loss meal, but it is clean. Maybe next time I will try it with ground turkey, but I wanted to know how it is "supposed" to be before playing around with it that much. I served it with cauliflower rice, which was great for soaking up the extra sauce. They were so good, we almost ate them all before I could take a picture!