Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I posted last. Thanksgiving and family time and what-not. . . . But I just had some left overs of this recipe and I thought, "I must share this. . . NOW!" Seriously, it's that durn good - plus it makes a TON, so woot-woot, freezer leftovers!
Ingredients
~2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed or frozen, either works)
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 package of low-sodium taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup low-fat sour cream or non-fat, plain greek yogurt (optional)
Directions
Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Mix next three ingredients together in a separate bowl (or large liquid measuring cup), then pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, on high for 4 hours. When finished cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts. The mixture will appear to have too much liquid at first, but after shredding the chicken should absorb most of the liquid. If desired, mix the sour cream (greek yogurt) into the shredded mixture. Serve on warmed tortillas with a little Mexican blend cheese on top and a side of black beans for a yummy dinner!
Helpful Notes
- This will make a LOT of food, but it freezes really well. So, if you aren't a fan of the same dish two nights in a row, freeze and enjoy this dish a week later!
- When I made this, the idea of mixing the greek yogurt into the shredded meat mixture didn't appeal to my boyfriend. So, I left it out of the shredded mixture and then just topped mine with a dollop of greek yogurt - yum!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Cherry Cheesecake
This recipe is the brainchild of a dear friend of mine and it may be the best cheesecake I have ever had. And though I have never made it myself, I can promise you it is totally amazing. So, get ready for something really magical - and remember, always add more cherries. ;)
Directions
Ingredients
Crust:
¾ cup walnuts
¾ cup almond meal (or almond flour)
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
Butter (for pan)
1lb Farmer’s cheese
1lb cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 tbs cornstarch
1 can cherry pie filling (for filling and topping divided)
½ c to 1 cup sour cream for topping
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Crust:
Butter a 9 in spring form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food
processor, pulse walnuts until fine. Add
almond flour, sugar and cinnamon and process briefly to blend. Cut margarine
into small pieces and add until crust mixture becomes moist. Pour into bottom
of spring form pan and press to cover bottom and seam of pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Filling:
Reduce temperature of oven to 300 deg. Beat farmers cheese
and cream cheese to make as smooth as possible. Add sugar, vanilla, eggs to
make the mixture creamy and smooth. Blend in sour cream and cornstarch. Place
half of the batter in the pan.
Place canned cherries in a bowl. Remove cherries with fingers and shake off
excess filling. Scatter cherries in the
batter (as many as you want). Pour in some more batter, add more cherries.
Swirl some filling on the top.
Bake cheesecake at 300 deg for 1 to 1.5 hr (or until it jiggles
like a custard). Mix sour cream and
remaining cherry filling, sugar, and vanilla to taste. Carefully spoon over
top. Return to oven to bake .5 hr
more.
Remove cake from oven.
Let cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Helpful Notes (from the Recipe's Author):
- The 1 lb of farmer's cheese and cream cheese is not strict - she uses what she has
- If you can't buy farmer's cheese where you live, you can make it by boiling whole milke for awhile and then pouring it through cheese cloth. (This would be an appropriate step for our all-star readers who are more the Suzy Homemaker/Amish Cheesemaker type . . . I can see myself buying the cheese. . . )
- It's common for the cake to crack a bit. This is why the frosting is a good idea - make the cake more presentable/professional. (Also, who doesn't love frosting???)
Holiday Popcorn Cake
This recipe comes from my boyfriend's mom, and it looks like the perfect kind of yummy treat to take to holiday parties. She suggests using holiday-appropriate M&Ms to make it fun and festive. I'm definitely making this for our "Ugly Sweater Holiday Party" this year - yum!
Ingredients
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 vegetable oil
12 cups popped popcorn (be sure to use plain, unsalted, unbuttered popcorn)
2 cups M&Ms candies
1 cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts
1 stick unsalted butter
1 pound marshmallows
Directions
Grease a large cake pan with 2 teaspoons oil, set aside. In large bowl, mix the popped corn with the candies and peanuts. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, remaning 1/4 cup of oil, and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When mixture has melted, pour over popcorn mix, then stir to combine. Pour into cake pan, press down firmly to fit, then cover with aluminum foil and allow it to rest until firm (about 3-4 hours). To serve, invert cake onto a large platter and shake gently to release. Serve at room temperature in small slices. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Helpful Notes
- I haven't actually made this yet, so when I do, I will report back!
Ingredients
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 vegetable oil
12 cups popped popcorn (be sure to use plain, unsalted, unbuttered popcorn)
2 cups M&Ms candies
1 cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts
1 stick unsalted butter
1 pound marshmallows
Directions
Grease a large cake pan with 2 teaspoons oil, set aside. In large bowl, mix the popped corn with the candies and peanuts. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, remaning 1/4 cup of oil, and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When mixture has melted, pour over popcorn mix, then stir to combine. Pour into cake pan, press down firmly to fit, then cover with aluminum foil and allow it to rest until firm (about 3-4 hours). To serve, invert cake onto a large platter and shake gently to release. Serve at room temperature in small slices. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Helpful Notes
- I haven't actually made this yet, so when I do, I will report back!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
This recipe comes from my lovely sister and it is definitely a crowd-pleaser (and super easy, so good stuff all around). In general, this works for whatever sized pork roast is on sale at the grocery, but my sister has also used this for chicken and beef and it's turned out great each time. So, pick your favorite meat and get ready for a reminder of summer time picnics!
Ingredients
1 chuck roast or pork loin or some frozen chicken breast - whatever tickles your fancy
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Directions
Mix last three ingredients together, pour over meat in slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours. Once everything is done cooking, use two forks to shred the meat. (The mix will probably look like it's going to be too wet, but once you shred up the meat, everything soaks in and you get a nice liquid/meat ratio.) Serve on buns with a pickle and enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- I used Newman's Own Light Italian dressing and it worked really well, plus it's pretty low in calories, so win-win.
- I served this on King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and it was magical. I definitely recommend them!
- You can also add a little coleslaw on top of your pulled pork sandwich and it's quite yummy. :)
Ingredients
1 chuck roast or pork loin or some frozen chicken breast - whatever tickles your fancy
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Directions
Mix last three ingredients together, pour over meat in slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours. Once everything is done cooking, use two forks to shred the meat. (The mix will probably look like it's going to be too wet, but once you shred up the meat, everything soaks in and you get a nice liquid/meat ratio.) Serve on buns with a pickle and enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- I used Newman's Own Light Italian dressing and it worked really well, plus it's pretty low in calories, so win-win.
- I served this on King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls and it was magical. I definitely recommend them!
- You can also add a little coleslaw on top of your pulled pork sandwich and it's quite yummy. :)
Friday, November 16, 2012
4 Ingredient Potato Soup
Last week, as I was pinning away, I saw this recipe and thought it seemed super easy and likely quite yummy - I was 100% correct. :) (I will post the reference link later.) This is a slow cooker recipe, so it's great for the colder weather we are having because you come home from work and there is a warm, yummy meal waiting for you!
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen shredded hash browns
1 can low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 box (32 ounces) of low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 blocks cream cheese, softened
Directions
Mix first three ingredients into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4 hours. 1 hour before eating the soup, add cream cheese and allow it to melt into the soup. Add bacon bits, chives, and cheddar cheese for toppings when serving. Enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- I found the soup to be a wee-bit thick - so, when I make this again, I will either 1) add more chicken broth or 2) add some water to the mix prior to cooking.
- I used neufchatel cheese in place of cream cheese and I thought it tasted great, plus you save yourself a few calories.:)
- The recipe said to cook for only 8 hours max, but as a graduate student getting back to your apartment within 8 hours is nearly impossible. So, I let mine cook for 10.5 hours on low and I thought it worked out fine. If you have a timer on your slow cooker, though, that would be the preferred method.
- I think the next time I make this, I'm going to try and add some broccoli to the mix when I add the cream cheese. The soup was good, but I felt it was too starchy and needed some green veggies to boost it up a bit.
- Do note that if the cream cheese is not fully softened, you'll get lumps of cheese in your soup. Not a terrible thing to happen, but also not the most pleasing while trying to enjoy creamy soup.
- My last tip is specifically for fellow graduate students. Adding the softened cream cheese is a particularly difficult step in my opinion. Once you get home, the last thing you want to do is wait for cream cheese to soften (which, PS, takes FOREVER!!!) and then wait another hour for it to melt into your soup. . . terrible idea. . . So, this is what I did: I took the cream cheese to work with me, and about an hour and a half before I went home, I took it out of the office fridge and set it on my desk. By the time I got home, it was perfectly soft. I whipped it in my mixer for a few minutes to make it extra creamy, then added it to the soup. It was perfect and it melted super fast. In about fifteen minutes, the cream cheese was melted, the soup was creamy, and dinner was served!
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen shredded hash browns
1 can low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 box (32 ounces) of low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 blocks cream cheese, softened
Directions
Mix first three ingredients into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4 hours. 1 hour before eating the soup, add cream cheese and allow it to melt into the soup. Add bacon bits, chives, and cheddar cheese for toppings when serving. Enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- I found the soup to be a wee-bit thick - so, when I make this again, I will either 1) add more chicken broth or 2) add some water to the mix prior to cooking.
- I used neufchatel cheese in place of cream cheese and I thought it tasted great, plus you save yourself a few calories.:)
- The recipe said to cook for only 8 hours max, but as a graduate student getting back to your apartment within 8 hours is nearly impossible. So, I let mine cook for 10.5 hours on low and I thought it worked out fine. If you have a timer on your slow cooker, though, that would be the preferred method.
- I think the next time I make this, I'm going to try and add some broccoli to the mix when I add the cream cheese. The soup was good, but I felt it was too starchy and needed some green veggies to boost it up a bit.
- Do note that if the cream cheese is not fully softened, you'll get lumps of cheese in your soup. Not a terrible thing to happen, but also not the most pleasing while trying to enjoy creamy soup.
- My last tip is specifically for fellow graduate students. Adding the softened cream cheese is a particularly difficult step in my opinion. Once you get home, the last thing you want to do is wait for cream cheese to soften (which, PS, takes FOREVER!!!) and then wait another hour for it to melt into your soup. . . terrible idea. . . So, this is what I did: I took the cream cheese to work with me, and about an hour and a half before I went home, I took it out of the office fridge and set it on my desk. By the time I got home, it was perfectly soft. I whipped it in my mixer for a few minutes to make it extra creamy, then added it to the soup. It was perfect and it melted super fast. In about fifteen minutes, the cream cheese was melted, the soup was creamy, and dinner was served!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Kale, Tomatoes, and Pasta
Two nights ago, I made an entire box of spaghetti and then I remembered how much stinkin' pasta comes out of a full box - approximately the equivalent of three cubby toddlers. Soooo, last night I was staring at the giant left over mountain of pasta and the bunch of kale right next to it and thought "That should work!" This is very similar to a previous post, but the secret to this awesome dish (and most awesome dishes) is the melted butter. . . Mmmmmm. . . . Butter. . . . . .
Ingredients
1/2 box of pasta of your choosing
4 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium tomatoes, cut into small chunks
1 bunch of kale, washed and stems cut out, cut into small pieces
1 cup Mizithra cheese, grated
Directions
Cook pasta according to box directions. Place butter in small pot and heat on medium. You want to heat the butter until it begins to turn brown and almost burns. This will take about 10 minutes and make your kitchen smell awesome. Stir the butter gently every so often, and keep close attention if it starts to foam. If it boils over or gets too hot, it could catch fire - bad deal. So be careful! While butter is cooking, pour olive oil into the bottom of a large pot, followed by minced garlic. Gently heat the oil and garlic on medium, stirring frequently. Don't let the garlic burn - another bad deal. Once oil is hot, add tomatoes to pot and stir. Be careful, if the tomatoes are really juicy you are going to have a flash of steam in your face - bad deal all around. Cook those for awhile until they start to reduce and some of the liquid boils off. Once your tomatoes are cooked to your liking, slightly reduce heat and add kale. Place a top on your pot and allow the kale to steam for 3-5 minutes. Check the kale for appropriate tenderness before turning off heat. Once veggie mixture is warm and butter is browned, pour butter on top of a heap of pasta, followed by veggie mix. Then sprinkle grated Mizithra on top of the pile and mix everything together well - this will allow the butter to evenly coat and the Mizithra to be distributed throughout. Hope you enjoy! :)
Helpful Notes
- I used yellow tomatoes because I had them in the fridge and they turned out great, but I think really any type would make this dish tasty.
- I had never heard of Mizithra cheese before my boyfriends parents had made a similar dish for me. It's quite salty and I LOVE it, but if you're not a salt fan, this may not be the cheese for you. We found the cheese at Whole Foods, so if you are having trouble locating a hunk, check there.
- Please keep a close eye on the butter. We don't want any fires in the kitchen - safety first!!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Marinated Salmon
I got this salmon recipe from one of my lovely labmates who can pretty much cook anything. She's the girl who you say "Hey, I have 14 lbs of radishes, what should I make?", and she will have a recipe for you. This salmon dish is one of my favorites and goes great with some steamed greens or a side of rice or even a fresh salad.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced garlic in olive oil
1 lb fillet of salmon
Directions
Place salmon fillet in a deep tupperware container. Mix first three ingredients together and pour over salmon fillet. Allow to marinate overnight in the fridge. When ready to cook salmon, preheat oven to 475F. Place salmon on a foil-lined cooking sheet. Bake salmon for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- If you remember to marinate the salmon overnight, it will definitely be delicious. But you can also just pour the marinade over the salmon and allow it to soak up the maplely-soy goodness while the oven heats up. Still quite tasty.
- Fresh salmon is definitely preferred, but I've used frozen and this still tastes amazing. I usually wait for the fresh stuff to go on sale, but frozen is usually the cheaper option and you won't miss out too much on delicious flavor.
- Be VERY careful of letting too much of the marinade leak out on to the cooking sheet. The first time I made this I thought, "Why waste all this extra marinade, I will just dump it on top of the salmon for extra flavor." Bad idea. The maple syrup burns quickly when it's on the foil and then your house/apartment fills with giant smoke plumes. Not good.
- If you don't have mined garlic in olive oil in jar in your fridge, you can just skip it - or make your own with a clove of garlic and some olive oil!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced garlic in olive oil
1 lb fillet of salmon
Directions
Place salmon fillet in a deep tupperware container. Mix first three ingredients together and pour over salmon fillet. Allow to marinate overnight in the fridge. When ready to cook salmon, preheat oven to 475F. Place salmon on a foil-lined cooking sheet. Bake salmon for 15-20 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- If you remember to marinate the salmon overnight, it will definitely be delicious. But you can also just pour the marinade over the salmon and allow it to soak up the maplely-soy goodness while the oven heats up. Still quite tasty.
- Fresh salmon is definitely preferred, but I've used frozen and this still tastes amazing. I usually wait for the fresh stuff to go on sale, but frozen is usually the cheaper option and you won't miss out too much on delicious flavor.
- Be VERY careful of letting too much of the marinade leak out on to the cooking sheet. The first time I made this I thought, "Why waste all this extra marinade, I will just dump it on top of the salmon for extra flavor." Bad idea. The maple syrup burns quickly when it's on the foil and then your house/apartment fills with giant smoke plumes. Not good.
- If you don't have mined garlic in olive oil in jar in your fridge, you can just skip it - or make your own with a clove of garlic and some olive oil!
Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken
This recipe is something I made up (though stuffed chicken isn't the most creative or new idea) last night because I had some spinach that needed to used up and some chicken in the fridge. I wasn't sure how it'd work out, but I was happily surprised and it was super yummy!
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1-2 cups fresh spinach (fresh is a relative term here, mine was a little droopy and it still turned out great)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board with the smooth side down, then with a sharp knife, cut a small trench down the back side of each chicken breast. Fill trench with feta and spinach. Once stuffed, dip the smooth side of the breast first in the beaten egg, then in the Panko bread crumbs. Place stuffed and breaded breasts (stuffed side down) on a lightly oiled pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Helpful Notes
- If you are having trouble getting the bread crumbs to stick, just sprinkle them on top - this works just as well.
- I used feta because I had it in the fridge, but I feel like you could stuff anything in those breasts and it'd be tasty.
- As a side dish to go along with the chicken, I made steamed spinach and sautéed some cherry tomatoes with garlic. It was a totally amazing combo.
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1-2 cups fresh spinach (fresh is a relative term here, mine was a little droopy and it still turned out great)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board with the smooth side down, then with a sharp knife, cut a small trench down the back side of each chicken breast. Fill trench with feta and spinach. Once stuffed, dip the smooth side of the breast first in the beaten egg, then in the Panko bread crumbs. Place stuffed and breaded breasts (stuffed side down) on a lightly oiled pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
Helpful Notes
- If you are having trouble getting the bread crumbs to stick, just sprinkle them on top - this works just as well.
- I used feta because I had it in the fridge, but I feel like you could stuff anything in those breasts and it'd be tasty.
- As a side dish to go along with the chicken, I made steamed spinach and sautéed some cherry tomatoes with garlic. It was a totally amazing combo.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinach
Pasta is one of my favorite things to make. One, it's super easy. Two, carbs are my friend. This pasta is something I make quite often, and I like it because you can pretty much just throw whatever you want in with it and it'll taste great.
Ingredients
1/2 box of penne pasta (really any pasta you like)
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste for garlic, or if you are trying to ward off any vampires
Few tablespoons olive oil
1 small container of cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
Directions
Boil pasta according to box directions. Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat using medium heat. Finely chop garlic and place in skillet. Gently cook the garlic for 3-5 minutes. If it starts to brown too quickly, turn the heat on your stove down. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook a few minutes. They should start to split along the side and their skin will brown a bit - that's when you know they're good to go. Add in the spinach and cook until it wilts down to your desired wiltiness. Mix everything together in the pot you boiled the pasta in and enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- If you don't want to cook the spinach in the olive oil, you can also steam it and then toss it in with pasta, tomatoes, and garlic after it's done steaming.
- To make the dish extra yummy, add some cheese. I like fresh grated Parmesan (like from a block you buy in the deli), but really, can you go wrong with any type of cheese?
- Like I mentioned in the intro, you can add all sorts of veggies to this dish, as well as meats. I personally enjoy adding mushrooms and prosciutto. If you find some particularly yummy combos, please post in the comments!
Ingredients
1/2 box of penne pasta (really any pasta you like)
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste for garlic, or if you are trying to ward off any vampires
Few tablespoons olive oil
1 small container of cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
Directions
Boil pasta according to box directions. Pour olive oil into a skillet and heat using medium heat. Finely chop garlic and place in skillet. Gently cook the garlic for 3-5 minutes. If it starts to brown too quickly, turn the heat on your stove down. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook a few minutes. They should start to split along the side and their skin will brown a bit - that's when you know they're good to go. Add in the spinach and cook until it wilts down to your desired wiltiness. Mix everything together in the pot you boiled the pasta in and enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- If you don't want to cook the spinach in the olive oil, you can also steam it and then toss it in with pasta, tomatoes, and garlic after it's done steaming.
- To make the dish extra yummy, add some cheese. I like fresh grated Parmesan (like from a block you buy in the deli), but really, can you go wrong with any type of cheese?
- Like I mentioned in the intro, you can add all sorts of veggies to this dish, as well as meats. I personally enjoy adding mushrooms and prosciutto. If you find some particularly yummy combos, please post in the comments!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Key Lime Cheesecake Cupcakes
I felt the need to post a cupcake recipe, since I've dubbed myself the Cupcake Chemist and whatnot, so here's a yummy one! These little guys are light and creamy, and a nice way to take a break from the cold winter days and visit a place a little more tropical. When I made them last, the grocery store didn't actually have Key limes, but I just used what they had and no one seemed to notice the difference. :)
Ingredients
12 foil liners for cupcake pans
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temp
1 can low-fat sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice (about 3 medium sized limes)
1 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I prefer the lite variety)
Thin lime twists, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Line cupcake tin with foil liners and set aside. Place the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter into a bowl and stir to combine. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into each liner, then press down with your fingers to make a crust. Save some of the graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle on the top of the cupcakes for garnish and overall fancy-factor. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer on low until creamy. Turn off mixer, then add sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix at medium speed until just combined. Add one cup of whipped topping, then blend at low speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Spoon lime mixture on top of the crusts in the foil liners until full. Cover cupcake tin with plastic wrap and place in freezer until firm, 2-3 hours. Once firm, remove cupcakes from freezer and thaw for about 15 minutes before serving. To serve, remove foil liners, add a dollop of whipped topping, some graham cracker crumbs, and a lime twist for garnish. Then enjoy a delicious cool treat that will remind you of summertime!
Helpful Notes
- I made my graham cracker crumbs by taking some old, semi-stale graham crackers I had and blending them in my food processor for awhile. Once they were crumb-sized, you couldn't tell how stale they originally were. :)
- When I made these, I didn't do the extra dollop of whipped cream. I added the graham cracker crumbs and lime twist to the top prior to freezing and everything still looked and tasted great.
- To make the lime twists, cut a lime into very thin slices. Remove the fruit from the peel, then take the thin strip of lime peel and twist it around your finger a few times - instant fanciness.
Ingredients
12 foil liners for cupcake pans
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temp
1 can low-fat sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice (about 3 medium sized limes)
1 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I prefer the lite variety)
Thin lime twists, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Line cupcake tin with foil liners and set aside. Place the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter into a bowl and stir to combine. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into each liner, then press down with your fingers to make a crust. Save some of the graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle on the top of the cupcakes for garnish and overall fancy-factor. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer on low until creamy. Turn off mixer, then add sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix at medium speed until just combined. Add one cup of whipped topping, then blend at low speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Spoon lime mixture on top of the crusts in the foil liners until full. Cover cupcake tin with plastic wrap and place in freezer until firm, 2-3 hours. Once firm, remove cupcakes from freezer and thaw for about 15 minutes before serving. To serve, remove foil liners, add a dollop of whipped topping, some graham cracker crumbs, and a lime twist for garnish. Then enjoy a delicious cool treat that will remind you of summertime!
Helpful Notes
- I made my graham cracker crumbs by taking some old, semi-stale graham crackers I had and blending them in my food processor for awhile. Once they were crumb-sized, you couldn't tell how stale they originally were. :)
- When I made these, I didn't do the extra dollop of whipped cream. I added the graham cracker crumbs and lime twist to the top prior to freezing and everything still looked and tasted great.
- To make the lime twists, cut a lime into very thin slices. Remove the fruit from the peel, then take the thin strip of lime peel and twist it around your finger a few times - instant fanciness.
Turkey Meatloaf
I am a huge fan of meatloaf. It's good warm on a dinner plate, it's good cold in a sandwich, and this recipe is actually pretty good for you! I've added a lot of veggies to boost the health-factor, but feel free to add more if you like! (And if you find a particular veggie that is really yummy, please share in the comments!)
Ingredients
1-lb package of lean ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup oats
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium size green pepper, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/3 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (yellow works, too, but Dijon is so much better. . . especially the seedy kind)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix turkey, egg, oats, onion, pepper, carrots, milk, and parsley together in a bowl using your hands (mix too much and your turkey may get tough, so be gentle and don't spazz out while mixing). Shape the mixture into a mound on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or in a lightly oiled loaf pan. Mix ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard, then spread the glaze on top of the meatloaf. Bake for 45 minutes or until juices run clear.
Crockpot Oatmeal
Hurricane Sandy has brought the cold to Michigan this week, so I'm in the mood for a warm and tasty treat for the cold mornings. This oatmeal recipe is very easy to prepare and makes enough that you can have oatmeal for breakfast for the week. It's a pared-down version of Alton Brown's "Overnight Oatmeal", but I think it's still yummy!
Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1-3 apples finely chopped (the number used really depends on your liking of apples and their size)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
Combine all ingredient in a crockpot and stir. Place cover on crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir mixture prior to serving.
Helpful Notes
- This recipe works really well if you start the crockpot before going to bed - then you wake up to a house that smells like cinnamon and a warm, tasty breakfast!
- You can add half-and-half (up to 1/2 cup) to the crockpot before cooking if you like your oatmeal to be a bit more creamy. I prefer to add skim milk to my bowl in the morning.
- If you put a little brown sugar on the top of the oatmeal when serving, it'll make your whole day better. :)
- If your oatmeal is a bit runny in the morning, just stir and let the pot sit with the top off for 5-10 minutes before serving. The water will absorb and the oatmeal with thicken up a bit.
Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1-3 apples finely chopped (the number used really depends on your liking of apples and their size)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
Combine all ingredient in a crockpot and stir. Place cover on crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir mixture prior to serving.
Helpful Notes
- This recipe works really well if you start the crockpot before going to bed - then you wake up to a house that smells like cinnamon and a warm, tasty breakfast!
- You can add half-and-half (up to 1/2 cup) to the crockpot before cooking if you like your oatmeal to be a bit more creamy. I prefer to add skim milk to my bowl in the morning.
- If you put a little brown sugar on the top of the oatmeal when serving, it'll make your whole day better. :)
- If your oatmeal is a bit runny in the morning, just stir and let the pot sit with the top off for 5-10 minutes before serving. The water will absorb and the oatmeal with thicken up a bit.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Smoothies for Breakfast
I love a good smoothie in the morning. I never remember to take a multivitamin, so I've convinced myself that if I have a smoothie every morning, I will probably get all the vitamins I need for the day. . . or at least more than I would without the smoothie. . .
This recipe comes from my lovely sister, Beth. I've made a ton of these little packs and stuck them in the freezer for a quick and healthy breakfast in the morning. I usually have a side of toast or a small bowl of cereal with my smoothie, and then I am full until lunch time.
Ingredients
*Note: amounts are eyeballed and depend mostly on what size blender you have
Fresh spinach
Strawberries
Blueberries
In the morning, remove smoothie bag from freezer and place in a blender. Add milk, greek yogurt, and a few ice cubes, then blend away and enjoy!
This recipe comes from my lovely sister, Beth. I've made a ton of these little packs and stuck them in the freezer for a quick and healthy breakfast in the morning. I usually have a side of toast or a small bowl of cereal with my smoothie, and then I am full until lunch time.
Ingredients
*Note: amounts are eyeballed and depend mostly on what size blender you have
Fresh spinach
Strawberries
Blueberries
Peaches
1/2 Banana
1/2 Banana
1 tablespoon milled flax seed
1 tablespoon coco powder
Skim milk
1 tablespoon coco powder
Skim milk
Non-fat plain greek yogurt
Directions
Place all ingredients (except milk and yogurt) in a sandwich bag and store in freezer.In the morning, remove smoothie bag from freezer and place in a blender. Add milk, greek yogurt, and a few ice cubes, then blend away and enjoy!
Helpful Notes
- You can make a bunch of these bags ahead of time, so making breakfast in the morning in a snap.
- If your blender isn't super powerful, take the bag of smoothie ingredients out of the freezer the night before and store in the fridge until morning. The fruit will thaw a bit and make blending a lot easier.
- The fruit in the ingredient list is really just a suggestion. I've tried lots of different mixtures of fruit and I've enjoyed them all. My only suggestion is to be careful with the amount of raspberries you add - too many and your smoothie will be icky-sweet.
- The fruit in the ingredient list is really just a suggestion. I've tried lots of different mixtures of fruit and I've enjoyed them all. My only suggestion is to be careful with the amount of raspberries you add - too many and your smoothie will be icky-sweet.
- If you are a protein buff, you can add powdered protein to these or my sister suggests adding peanut butter.
- To make the smoothie drinkable, you want your milk/yogurt ratio to be >1. This probably seems obvious, but I promise you in the morning, when you're still a bit sleepy, you'll be very confused why your smoothie is stuck in the bottom of your blender like a purple-goopy mess.
Pumpkin Muffins
In honor of Halloween tomorrow (aka best candy holiday ever), I am going to share one of my favorite muffin recipes (which are pretty much just cupcakes for breakfast). The muffins are super easy and super yummy - so make a bunch and stick them in the freezer. They make a great healthy snack on the go!
Ingredients
1 can pure pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie stuff - straight up pumpkin for these bad boys)
1 box spice cake mix
3 tablespoons milled flax seed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Once they are combined, and you can no longer see clumps of cake mix, fill muffin tin cups ~3/4 of the way full and bake muffins for 18-22 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
Some Helpful Notes
- It has been my experience that getting the pumpkin to combine with the cake mix can be a real upper body workout. So, don't be surprised if you spend a good ten minutes mixing with a wooden spoon and start to develop calluses. Trust me, the pain is worth it. These muffins are that good.
- I always use liners in my muffin tin when making these muffins. I don't spray the tin with any kinda of cooking spray before putting the liners in and I've never had a problem with the muffins getting stuck.
- Cooking times can vary a lot with different ovens, so I usually check my muffins around 16 minutes with a knife, or you can tap the tops with your fingers. If the knife comes out messy or the muffin tops sink a bit, let them bake a little longer.
- If you are feeling fancy, add some chocolate chips to the batter. It will change your life.
Ingredients
1 can pure pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie stuff - straight up pumpkin for these bad boys)
1 box spice cake mix
3 tablespoons milled flax seed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Once they are combined, and you can no longer see clumps of cake mix, fill muffin tin cups ~3/4 of the way full and bake muffins for 18-22 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
Some Helpful Notes
- It has been my experience that getting the pumpkin to combine with the cake mix can be a real upper body workout. So, don't be surprised if you spend a good ten minutes mixing with a wooden spoon and start to develop calluses. Trust me, the pain is worth it. These muffins are that good.
- I always use liners in my muffin tin when making these muffins. I don't spray the tin with any kinda of cooking spray before putting the liners in and I've never had a problem with the muffins getting stuck.
- Cooking times can vary a lot with different ovens, so I usually check my muffins around 16 minutes with a knife, or you can tap the tops with your fingers. If the knife comes out messy or the muffin tops sink a bit, let them bake a little longer.
- If you are feeling fancy, add some chocolate chips to the batter. It will change your life.
Banana Bread
For my inaugural post, I'd like to share this banana bread recipe I found on a blog I often read. I tweaked the recipe, though, in an attempt to make it a bit healthier.
Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons milled flax seed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Using a potato masher (or something equivalent), mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix melted butter and flax seed into the mashed bananas using a wooden spoon. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda on top of the mixture, then gently mix with wooden spoon. Add the flour and gently mix. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan, then sprinkle walnuts on top (if you choose to make your bread a little nutty). Bake for 1 hour, then cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a bit of peanut butter on top for an extra yummy treat!
Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons melted butter
6 tablespoons milled flax seed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Using a potato masher (or something equivalent), mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix melted butter and flax seed into the mashed bananas using a wooden spoon. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda on top of the mixture, then gently mix with wooden spoon. Add the flour and gently mix. Pour mixture into a buttered loaf pan, then sprinkle walnuts on top (if you choose to make your bread a little nutty). Bake for 1 hour, then cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a bit of peanut butter on top for an extra yummy treat!
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