Grilled Romaine Chicken Caesar Salad

I discovered a new line of Bolthouse Farm salad dressings made with yogurt this week at the grocery store....Caesar and Ranch dressings with only 45 calories per serving but it doesn't taste like you're eating chalk, YES PLEASE!

This gave me the idea to make Caesar salads but step it up a notch but grilling everything - not just the chicken.Grilling the romaine and tomatoes brings out the natural flavor of both and really makes you forget your eating a salad for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins (about .75lbs)
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- 6oz romaine lettuce (I bought the bagged romaine with 3 bunchesand used 2 of them) with the stalk trimmed off the end
- 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1/4c shaved Parmesan cheese (I used Frigio brand)
- 4 tbsp of Bolthouse Farms Caesar Parmigiano dressing with yogurt (sold in the produce section)

HOW-TO:

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Season your chicken with garlic powder and black pepper to taste - I just evenly coat each side with a thin layer of both. Cook the chicken in the grill pan until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side. Once cooked, place on a plate and set aside.

Next add the tomatoes to the grill pan and cook for about 30 seconds per side. Place on a plate and set aside.

Finally, add the romaine to the grill pan and cook until it begins to wilt - about 1 minute per side.

Place the romaine on a serving platter and top with the chicken, tomatoes, shaved parm and dressing and enjoy!

TIP:
- When plating, separate the the ingredients into 2 different servings.
- I'm not a fan of croutons, but feel free to add them to this classic favorite for that extra crunch.

Nutritional Info per Serving (recipe yields 2 servings):
Calories: 298
Fat: 8g
Sodium: 489mg
Carbs: 13g
Protein: 49g

Chocolate Granola Banana Cookies

When it snows on a "spring" day in April, you have to do something to cheer yourself up...so tonight I baked! Justin is working late so I decided to whip up a batch of some cookies for the kids before making dinner when he gets home later.

I got the idea for this recipe after seeing a friend post a very similar recipe on Facebook a few weeks back. Plus, I've been trying to find new ways to incorporate the ever-so-delicious Whirlybird Granola I have in my pantry. Since Whirlybird is all-natural and 100% handmade, you can feel good about eating these cookies.

With only 3 ingredients and hardly any prep time, this was a very simple way to make a batch of cookies, and the result was rather tasty!!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup of chocolate granola (I used Whirlybird Granola...order yours here: http://whirlybirdgranola.com/ )

- 3 ripe bananas, cut into small circles

- 2 tbsp of Light Butter Spread made with Canola Oil (I use Land-O-Lakes brand)

HOW-TO:

Preheat your oven to 350*.

Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together using a potato masher until the bananas are pretty well mashed and the ingredients are well combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Drop tablespoons of the cookie mixture on a cookie sheet - you should get 14 cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes & then let cool for 5 minutes before eating.

ENJOY!

TIPS:

- The combo of granola & bananas makes this the perfect breakfast on the go!

- This is a great way to sneak in a fruit serving into your kids diet, and they will never know they're eating healthy.

- Using the light butter spread cuts down on fat, calories, and cholesterol.

Nutritional Facts per Serving (recipe yields 7 servings of 2 cookies per serving):

- Calories: 150

- Fat: 5g

- Sodium: 49mg

- Protein: 3g

- Carbs: 24g