Crumbl Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

 original recipe found here

Graham cracker cookies

½ cup butter softened

⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup graham crackers finely crushed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder

⅓ cup crushed graham crackers for rolling cookies in 

Cream cheese frosting

4 oz cream cheese softened
4 tablespoon butter softened, salted or unsalted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
raspberry jam for drizzling

--Preheat the oven to 350°F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. 

--Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add in the egg and the vanilla and mix again. 
--Add in the flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix just until the flour mixture disappears. 
--Using a large cookie scoop, scoop out equally sized cookie dough balls, roll them between the palm of your hands then roll them in the ⅓ cup of the crushed graham crackers. 
--Place the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, gently flatten to about ¾th inch in thickness and bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

--In a stand mixer whip the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth. 
--Add in the powdered sugar and the vanilla and mix on high speed again until light and fluffy.
--Fill a piping bag with a large round tip with the cream cheese frosting and frost each cookie. Top the cookies with a drizzle of raspberry jam and enjoy!

**Alternate topping: drizzle caramel and drop a few flakes of flake salt on top

Spinach Apple Salad

11 oz. fresh baby spinach

1 apple (any kind)

1 cup toasted, slivered almonds

2-4 TBSP real bacon bit

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP minced red onion

1) Wash spinach and chop apple. Combine with nuts and bacon.

2) Combine oil, sugar, salt, vinegar and red onion in a blender until smooth.

3) Pour sale dressing over salad, mix, and serve.

Creamy Pasta Primavera

 original recipe found here

1 lb linguine pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large carrots, peeled & diced
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets 
2 small zucchini (or 1 large), cut into bite size pieces
1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4-1/3 cup basil paste
salt & pepper to taste

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta to water and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add diced carrots to heated oil. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until carrots are softened. 
• Add broccoli and zucchini to skillet. Stir and cook another 3 minutes. Then add all the bell peppers. Continue to cook and stir vegetables for another 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and basil paste. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat off and remove skillet from burner.
• Drain water from linguine. Return linguine back to the pot and add the cooked vegetables, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Carefully fold and stir to combine everything. Season again with salt and pepper. Serve warm with extra basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Blackened Shrimp Fajitas

18 oz. uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

 --> Mix spices together in a ziplock bag, add raw shrimp, and shake zipped bag to coat raw shrimp.

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 green pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1/2 cup scallions, diced

--> Sauté vegetables in olive oil for 5-7 minutes until tender. Add shrimp mixture and cook 3-5 minutes.  Serve in tortillas, topped with shredded cheese, sour cream and sliced avocado.

Mac Salad

 original recipe found here

1 lb. macaroni
2 cups celery
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups mayo
6 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 TBSP sweet OR dill relish
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp salt

1) In a large pot, cook the elbow macaroni in salted water according to the instructions on the package. Do not overcook. Drain well and rinse it under cold water to stop cooking.

2) To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, relish, mustard, salt and pepper a small bowl. Mix well.

3) In a large bowl, add the cooled macaroni, the dressing, celery, carrots, red pepper, and onion. Mix well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.

4) Refrigerate the macaroni salad for at least 1 hour before serving.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

Blend & dress salad

Raspberry Chia Pudding w/ Sweet Walnut Cream

 recipe from Grow With Jo

3 cups almond milk, separated 

12-16oz raspberries

6 TBSP Chia Seeds

1/2 cups -- 3/4 cup walnuts

5 pitted dates

1) Put 2 cups of almond milk, raspberries and chia seeds in a blender and blend for 15-ish seconds

2) Pour into a container and let chia seeds expand in fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight

3) Blend together one cup almond milk, 1/2 cup walnuts, and dates. The consistency should be like pudding, so add in a little more walnuts to thicken as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4) Place 1/2 cup chia pudding in a bowl with 1/4 cup of sweet walnut cream on top. ENJOY!