50+ Lifestyles

No Bake Energy Bites

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine together the oatmeal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, flaxseed, honey and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll the mixture into 1 inch balls.

Alternative suggestions: Press dough into a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then cut into bars. You can store in zip-lock bags.

This was my first time making this recipe. I was out of creamy peanut butter, so I used crunchy. The creamy would have been better. My mixture was more crumbly. I couldn’t make the mixture to adhere to make nice balls. But it seems like a nice granola topping for yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew

• 1 pound of skinless chicken, breast or thigh or both
  (I prefer the chicken breast most of the time, but for soups and stews, a little dark meat adds extra flavor.)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped yellow waxy potatoes (Waxy potatoes are firmer and keep their shape better. Most yellow potatoes would be considered waxy. Some red potatoes will fall into this category also. Idaho russets are not)
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning dried herb mix* (see below)
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder (granulated garlic is more coarse than the fine powder)
• 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Just before serving

• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Place ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until the chicken and veggies are cooked through (about four hours on night, or 6 hours on low)

Mix together water, cornstarch and vinegar until smooth. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred or dice, then add back to the stew. Stir well, then serve and enjoy.

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup apple sauce 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cups rolled oats 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 almond milk 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the bananas and applesauce. Fold in the oatmeal. Stir in milk, the raisins, vanilla and cinnamon. Drop by heaping spoonfuls on to a baking sheet.
For easy clean-up, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

*Basic Italian seasoning herb mix recipe

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Whisk all seasonings together in a bowl until combined.
Use immediately or store in a sealed container.
Alter the spices to your taste or eliminate any you might not have on hand. For me, I doubled the rosemary.

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried herb mix* (see below right)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Sea salt and coarse ground pepper
• 12 asparagus stalks with ends trimmed
• 1 ounce Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a clean chopping board and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Start cutting each one lengthwise to create pockets. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Take three sprigs of the asparagus and a couple of tomato pieces and roll them inside a slice of the cheese. This is to hold the vegetables in place.
Now place this inside the pocket in the chicken and secure with a toothpick.

Heat oil in a large, heavy duty skillet over medium high heat. Now add the chicken and sear it until nicely golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Now place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Enjoy.