This is my quick go to when I'm feeding myself, but you can also dress them up and serve as a side with a bigger southwest style meal. To prepare, I preheat a griddle to medium high. While the griddle is preheating, I butter one side of two tortillas. Next, I place one tortilla, butter-side-down on the griddle. Then I add a slice of ham, chicken strips, or steak strips, and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Top it with the second tortilla, plain side down/butter-side up.  Grill for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown, flip and grill again for another 2-3 minutes.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

This is less of a recipe and more of a fun, easy, healthy meal. The only real cooking involves preparing the rice and beans and the corn.  Then its just a matter of chopping and assembling the garnishes.  For added protein, we sometimes  add pre-cooked chicken strips to the bowl (served hot or cold).  And to spice it up, Dad likes to add green chile hot sauce. 

Ingredients:

1 box of Goya Rice and Black Beans 
1 T olive oil
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 ear of corn (or small can of white corn)*
1 red pepper, washed and sliced
1 cup pea greens or baby lettuce, washed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 c salsa fresca
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Optional:

Fajita style chicken strips (pre-cooked)
Tortilla chips
Guacamole

Prepare Goya Rice and Black Beans (or any other rice and bean mix) according to package instructions (you will need the 1 Tablespoon of oil to cook the rice).   

Microwave 1 ear of fresh corn (leave the husk on) for 2 minutes. Let sit in the microwave for a few minutes before carefully peeling off the husk (it will be steamy).  After the ear is slightly cooled, slice the corn off the cob.

Slice and remove the skin and pit from 1 ripe avocado. 

Wash, slice, and remove the seeds from the red pepper.

Wash and toss together the greens and cilantro.  

In four serving bowls: divide up the rice and corn and garnish with avocado, pepper, greens & cilantro, shredded cheese, salsa, and lime wedges.  Optional: serve with fajita-style chicken strips, tortilla chips and guacamole.  Makes 4 servings.

*Note: unless you are in remission, corn can be hard to digest even when cooked, so we recommend leaving the corn out if you are in a flare.

3 lbs chicken wings
3 T honey
3 t smoked sea salt
2 t thyme
2 t smoked paprika
1 t oregano

Optional:
5  t ground black pepper
1 t crushed red bell pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack in the baking sheet.  Add the wings to a large bowl and toss with honey.  Mix the spices in a small bowl then add to the wings.  Toss wings in the spices and then arrange on the rack in a single layer. Bake 40 minutes.

This recipe is slightly adapted from a recipe from 100 Days of Real Food.  Since the original recipe was a little too spicy for the kids, we made the two types of pepper optional.  Usually I make half for the kids without the pepper and then add the pepper into the remaining spice for adult-approved wings.  We also tripled the honey,  doubled the amount of all the spices, and used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.  The original recipe recommends pressing the spices onto each wing individually.  This concentrates the coating into a dense top and bottom layer, but its a lot easier to just toss the wings in the spices evenly.  Either way, the wings are delicious! Our favorite way to serve them is with ranch dressing, raw baby carrots, and celery.

2 c rolled oats
1 c nut butter (almond, peanut, or cashew)
1/2 c honey
3/4 c ground flaxseed
1 c cocoa nibs
2 t vanilla
pinch of salt

Optional:
cocoa powder
coconut flakes
coarsely ground nuts

Combine all ingredients in large bowls.  Chill in the fridge for 10 minuets.  Roll tablespoon-sized scoops into balls.  Balls can be rolled in cocoa powder, coconut flakes, or coarsely  ground nuts for added flavor.  Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze.

A version of this recipe was shared with us by our nutritionist.  To decrease the sugar content, we substituted cocoa nibs for mini-chocolate chips and reduced the amount of honey. We also experimented with different types of nut butters (the original recipe called for peanut butter) and additional toppings.  

1 stick of soft unsalted butter
1/2 c organic honey
2 eggs

1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3 c old fashioned oats
1 1/2 c almond flour

Optional:
1/4 c chopped dates or raisins
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend butter and honey together with an electric mixer. Add eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients by hand.  Put balls on ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool on a rack before eating.

This recipe is adapted from the Quaker Oatmeal recipe, replacing the sugar with honey and the flour with gluten free almond flour.  The addition of the dates or raisins helps add sweetness and the addition of the walnuts turns these cookies into a hearty breakfast cookie or snack.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c honey
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 t vanilla

Blend the ingredients and store in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.  

When only chocolate frosting will due, this is our go-to favorite.  The result is a delicious dense, very dark chocolate frosting that is wonderful thinly spread over an almond cake. Best stored in the fridge as the butter melts easily in the heat.

2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 t butter

Preheat a griddle.  Mash the bananas  Mix in the eggs.  (Mixture will be lumpy.) Melt the butter on the griddle.  Pour the banana egg mixture onto the griddle in 5-6 circles.  Brown on each side before flipping.  
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We found this in Elaine Gottschall's classic book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle.  Her banana pancake recipe is by far the easiest and one of our most favorite recipes.  We usually mash the bananas and mom does the flipping.  We have these for breakfast most mornings.  Sometimes we make extra and eat them cold as a snack.

1 peeled naval orange (or 3 peeled mandarin oranges)
½ c orange juice
1 c homemade lactose free yogurt*
1 t vanilla extract
1 T honey
1 c crushed ice

Mix ingredients in blender until smooth.  Makes 2 smoothies.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe originally appearing in Redbook Magazine (May 2015).  The main difference is that we swapped out store bought vanilla yogurt for the lactose free yogurt our Dad makes for us at home.  Then we added back in vanilla extract for flavor.  Finally, we switched from a frozen orange and ice cubes to a refrigerated orange and crushed ice when our tired old blender started making funny noises.  The result is still cool, creamy and delicious.