Cinco De Mayo

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Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I plan on enjoying today to its fullest!  I started off right with a delicious breakfast, that I called my Cinco De Mayo breakfast, though only for the eggs.

I scrambled 3 egg whites, with a little bit of spinach, added 1/4 of an avocado and my favorite salsa.  Then finished it off with a little bit of pepper.  Oh man, so good!

My favorite salsa by the way is most definitely Trader Joe’s Habanero and Lime:

It has in my opinion the perfect amount of spiciness, with a slight lime flavor.  And it has carrots in it!

John and I are going to ride our bikes all day, so I wanted a protein filled breakfast.  along with my Cinco De Mayo eggs, I also had a whole wheat, low carb tortilla with my Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter and fresh pineapple.

I’m looking forward to enjoying Mexican food, chips and salsa and of course margaritas tonight too!  Hope everyone has a great day!

 

Healthier Alfredo Sauce

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We had such a busy, yet great weekend in York/Hershey/Harrisburg!  We did a tasting tour at Troegs Brewery and also went to Hershey’s Chocolate World.

Beer and Chocolate you know…what could be better than that? This was all in the morning/early afternoon before my friend Rachel’s wedding which was beautiful!

On Sunday after church we went to a Japanese Restaurant for lunch, then went hiking at Rocky Ridge followed by Rita’s Italian Ice before heading back to Pittsburgh!  A day filled with a lot of my favorite things, including spending time with my parents. The Exercise trail at Rocky Ridge is always a fun time!

I learned through all of this that I really need to work on taking pictures to make my blog more interesting.

This weekend was the beginning of lots of weekends to look forward to, then summer with even more to look forward too!  I love that feeling!

Last week I was so busy that I didn’t eat dinner at home once.  This week I was excited to plan out meals and start cooking and eating at home again. We’re getting into different types of foods for the spring/summer season and I’m excited to try several new recipes, including a lot of salad.  Last night however, I made a hearty meal of Broccoli, Chicken, and Pasta with Healthier Alfredo Sauce.  We went for a bike ride last night so I thought this would be a good, fulfilling meal to have. And it was!

Broccoli, Chicken, and Pasta with Healthier Alfredo Sauce

Prep

I had John grill a chicken breast on our George Foreman with a little bit of salt and pepper before I got home to save some time.

Then I boiled water on the stove, and added the pasta and broccoli.  Brought to a boil again, and boiled for about 8 minutes or until the pasta was al dente or however you like it.

Healthier Alfredo Sauce

1 tbsp butter or oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 c 0% Greek yogurt
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
2-4 tbsp water

Melt butter or oil, then add minced garlic. Saute for about 1 minute.

Stir in salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.  Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add Greek yogurt and stir until softened.

Add cheese.  Stir until combined and cheese starts to melt.

Add water to desired sauce consistency.  Stirring until sauce is heated through and cheese is melted.

Drain pasta and broccoli and put back in pot over low heat. Stir in chicken chopped into bite sized pieces.  Add Alfredo Sauce.  Stir until combined.

Serve with a little more Parmesan cheese on top, and you’ve got that delicious Alfredo Sauce you crave with a fraction of the calories.  Enjoy!

Snacking and Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

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I love to snack.  It’s really hard for me to just be sitting around and not have something to chomp on occasionally.  This is one reason I am glad I don’t have a desk job! :) Obviously when it comes to snacking, I like to have mostly healthy options.  When I went grocery shopping this past weekend, I bought a package of freeze dried raspberries from Trader Joes:

I should have bought more because they go so fast!  One of my favorite ways to eat these is with a few chocolate chips.

When I am at home, I periodically go to the kitchen to get a small handful just like this.

I also recently made Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter which I love!

I have a small break between nanny-ing jobs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in which time I spend driving to the next location then either catching up on Scramble with Friends, Words with Friends, or Draw Something, or doing a little shopping.  However, yesterday I really just wanted to go home so I could have an apple with my almond butter.  So I went home for a mere 20 minutes just to enjoy this treat!  It was worth it!

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

1 c almonds
3 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut oil (optional)

Spread almonds on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 tsp maple syrup, and sprinkle with the salt.

Roast for 10 minutes at 325, stirring every 3 or 4 minutes (I was super nervous I was going to burn them so I probably checked them every 2 mins)

Let cool for 10-20 minutes.

Transfer to the food processor and process, adding the rest of the maple syrup and the cinnamon.

You will have to process for quite a long time.  First it will be dry, then grainy, then clumpy, and eventually turn creamy.  If yours doesn’t seem to be getting creamy and you’ve been processing for 15 minutes or so, adding the coconut oil will definitely help.  I had to do this as mine just wouldn’t get creamy.

So there you have it!  It also tastes wonderful on toast, but my absolute favorite way to eat it is with an apple.  I’m excited to try new almond butter flavors in the future!  I think my next one will be dark chocolate! Yum…

What is your favorite healthy (or not) snack?

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

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This weekend was a pretty eventful one for John and I, despite the yucky weather.  We got a new (to us) car!  A ’09 dark blue Hyundai Sonata.  It’s pretty cool..John’s been telling everyone I wanted a ‘mom car’ which of course makes everyone be like “What?! Is there something you’re not telling us?”  There isn’t. Haha…We got a kick out of it.

We also went to The Taj Mahal, an Indian restaurant near us that I have been wanting to go to for a long time.  They have a dinner buffet on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and luckily we were there for the buffet.  It was delicious!  Like a dream come true for me! All of the food there was veggie packed, spicy, savory, and just oh so good.  I couldn’t stop talking about how much I loved the restaurant and how good everything was.  John enjoyed it too, but he’s more of an American food/Brewery type of guy.  Which I like too, but this was a delicious (and healthier) change!

I have several recipes to share with you the next couple days (or weeks…).  I chose to share the recipe for Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers today because not only is it the perfect, easy dinner, for a weeknight, it also reminds me of the day we ate it (last Monday).  The weather on that day was wonderful!  Unlike the cold, rainy mess that is today..bleh.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

2 whole bell peppers (seeded and de-ribbed)
1/2 c quinoa
1 c salsa of choice (I used plain ol’ medium and it worked out well)
1/4-1/2 c water
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 c frozen corn
1/2 c pepper jack cheese

Seed and de-rib bell peppers.

Put quinoa, 3/4 c salsa, and 1/4 c water in a pot over medium high heat until boils.  Reduce heat, and simmer with a lid on it for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add black beans, corn, 1/4 c salsa, and 1/4 c water (if you think it is needed), simmer for another 10 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed.

Layer quinoa mixture and cheese in your peppers (using more or less cheese to your liking).

Place in a pan, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350.

It was so nice outside that while these were baking I was running around outside barefoot, and then convinced John to jump rope with me.  Then we ate outside on our small deck.

Looking forward to many more nights like this soon (after all, it is the end of April!)

Shoo Fly Muffins

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Yum Yum Yum!  I am excited I had luck with this recipe!  Inspired by Shoo Fly Pie, and Shoo Fly Cake that I love so so much!  If you don’t know what it is, it is an absolutely delicious Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a super moist, molasses bottom, and a crumbly sweet top.  I grew up in York, PA near Lancaster, PA so I ate quite a bit of Pennsylvania Dutch Foods growing up, some to my dismay (Hogmaw, Sous…), and some to my delight (Chicken Pot Pie, Fastnachts…)

Shoo Fly Cake, though, was always a favorite dessert of mine.  When it came to deciding what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday, it was always a struggle to decide if I wanted Shoo Fly Cake or Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing.  Two different tastes, but both super delicious!

When it comes to certain desserts, it’s hard to decide whether or not you should even try to make them healthier or not.  When the original recipe is so good, you sometimes just don’t want to mess with it.  I was scared that this recipe would be dry and not have the moist bottom that is needed for it to be true Shoo Fly, because the original recipe called for 1 cup of butter.  But I also wanted to make it into a muffin that was healthy enough to eat for the occasional breakfast but could also be served as a dessert, warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This recipe fits the bill!  And guess what?  It has NO butter at all!  Try it!

Shoo Fly Muffins
Makes 12

Crumb Topping

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c sugar (I used coconut sugar for the first time and it was perfect for this recipe)
A couple shakes of cinnamon

Melt coconut oil.

Mix in flour, sugar, and cinnamon with fingers until crumbly.  Set aside.

Muffin

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 c molasses
1 c natural applesauce
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
dash salt
dash cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients together.

Mix wet ingredients together.

Stir both together until mixed well.

Dump half of the crumb mixture into the muffin mix. Stir slightly until just incorporated.  Make sure not to stir to much.

Spoon Mixture into sprayed muffin tin.

Top muffins with the rest of the crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

*If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute equal parts regular whole wheat flour and white cake flour.

Someone else wanted a taste…for good reason!

 

Afternoon pick-me-up

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This weekend was fun, and pretty relaxing too!  We didn’t do all that much on Saturday but it was just nice staying home.  Yesterday we went to see Michael Jackson The Immortal Tour By Cirque Du Soleil with Johns parents.  It was so good!  It was my first time seeing a Cirque Du Soleil Show and I wasn’t disappointed!

There was also an abundance of Jackson 5 songs which I was very excited about!  Although his other songs are great, I will always love Jackson 5 the most.  I worked at the farm stand at an orchard in high school, and when I was the only one working I would tune the radio to a 60′s and 70′s station.  Then I would call in and request Jackson 5 songs, mostly “I’ll Be There”…what a great song!

So now it’s Monday and it’s back to the normal everyday stuff.  It started off really well though!  This morning I went on a brisk 3 mile walk with the baby (not so much a baby anymore) that I watch, and we had a great time!  It was such a nice day and it was so great to be able to go out and enjoy it!

I don’t know about you, but I love snacks and dessert especially mid-afternoon.  Instead of finding and eating whatever I can, I like to have healthy options.  Recently I have been enjoying two delicious, healthy, and guilt free desserts quite a bit as an afternoon pick me up:  A Dark Chocolate Milk Shake and Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding.

Dark Chocolate Milk Shake

1 frozen banana (I keep a stock of these in my freezer as frozen bananas are good for so many things)
1-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (depending on how chocolatey you want it to be)
1/4 c milk of your choice (I use unsweetened Almond milk, water works too)

Blend everything together and enjoy!  No sugar needed as the banana provides enough sweetness!  So delicious!

For an extra treat (and more protein), add a tablespoon of peanut butter.

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
a dash of stevia powder
3-4 tbsp milk of choice (or water)

Mix ingredients together.  Stir.  Keep stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes until Chia Seeds “gel” and turn into a pudding consistency.

I actually carry a baggie that has the above dry ingredients already mixed together so I when I want the pudding, I can just scoop up 2 tbsp out of the bag, add water and I’m good to go.

It tastes good plain but it is also really good with fruit added.

I bought Chia seeds a couple months ago because I had been hearing a lot of good things about them.  I thought they would be a good thing to add to my smoothies.  However, that turned out to not work out to well as my smoothie turned into an abundance of super fluff:

It was pretty cool, but I’d rather drink my smoothie and not have to eat it with a spoon.

But Chia seeds are good for so much more, for Chocolate Chia Pudding obviously, but also for adding to baked goods, as an egg substitute, sprinkling on salads, etc.

So those are my two favorite treats at the moment.

What healthy treats do you enjoy in the afternoon?

 

Kitchen Love and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

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Being in my kitchen makes me happy… I wasn’t feeling very happy a lot this week so spending most of the evening in there tonight is just what I needed.  John went to watch the Penguins playoff game on a big screen that they set up outside of the Consol Energy Center with a friend so I had plenty of time to do just that.  I had a couple things I had to get first so I took a nice walk to Kuhns to get them.  While I was there I got “Footloose” from Redbox.  I figured it was a good time since John wasn’t going to be home and all…although he’s normally a good sport about watching chick flicks with me.

I mixed together the ingredients for vanilla bean ice cream that is currently chilling in the fridge waiting to be made into the creamy stuff.  I also, prepared the batter for my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.  For my dinner, I made Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. And for our breakfast tomorrow I made healthified Shoe Fly Muffins which I am SO excited about!  I can’t wait to share the recipe with you!  I say they are for breakfast, but I actually ate one tonight, so I already know just how good they are..mm mm…I’ve been wanting to try to make something like this for awhile now and tonight was a good a time as ever.

Back to the hummus,  I love the stuff.  I used to make it all the time but haven’t in awhile and it sounded great for dinner tonight with some veggies to dip in it.  I didn’t have any Tahini and normally would just use natural peanut butter, but decided to just try it without any of those and it worked out great!  If you prefer the taste of Tahini in your hummus though you can easily add it to this recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 roasted red pepper (i used jarred but feel free to roast up your own)
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp water
1 1/2 tbsp Tahini (optional)
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

My Food spread before I started the movie:  Veggies, Hummus, Salsa (I dip veggies in it sometimes…weird), my version of limeade (juice from half a lime, sprinkle of stevia, water, and a little bit of aloe vera juice), and of course a Shoe Fly Muffin.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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This past weekend was great!  We ate a lot!  A lot of sweets too…it being Easter and all.  So this week I’ve been trying to get back on track, which is hard when we also brought delicious chocolate treats back with us (4 different flavors of Oreo truffles from my mom are hard to resist), and tonight is Ice Cream Sundae night in Bible study for which I made Hot Fudge Sauce.  I’m not complaining!

I just bought myself a jump rope because I thought it would be a fun way to exercise (always looking for something fun) Oh my goodness, How did I jump rope continuously and so long when I was a kid.  It is like…killer.  I feel ridiculous that after a minute of jumping I am so out of breath and my heart is pounding.  I guess that means it’s working?  :)

Anyway, I was told about a blog several months ago but never really looked at it until recently and now it is one of my favorites.  Sarah from Peas and Thank You has some incredibly delicious recipes (of which I made the past 2 weeks)!  She also has a great sense of humor and I really like hearing the stories about her girls.  Needless to say, this is a blog I will be following for a long time.

I made her Spaghetti Squash Casserole and loved it!  Unfortunately, in Pittsburgh, a Spaghetti Squash is no longer in season so they are a tad expensive (at least where I bought mine…) but it is worth it.  I used real cheese in mine instead of vegan…because…I am not a vegan, but that is the only change I made.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Recipe Here

Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

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I am so looking forward to this coming holiday weekend.  We have off work Friday and are headed to York.  We get to see a lot of friends, and hang out with family too.  I’m really excited!  I also plan on making a Chocolate Coconut Pie while I am there to bring to our Easter celebration dinner.  Hopefully it turns out well!  But I mean….chocolate and coconut…how can you go wrong?

We haven’t been as busy on week nights so I’ve been able to make more dinners at home.  Last week was our Italian food week and this week it is Asian food.  One of the meals I made last week was Pizza with Cauliflower Crust.  It had that saucy, cheesy delicious taste we all love, with any toppings you desire…but the crust is made out of cauliflower! It’s true.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Adapted from Eat.Drink.Smile

1 c “riced” cauliflower
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 c oats
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic
salt

To rice the cauliflower, put cauliflower florets from 1 head of cauliflower in the food processor.  Pulse until cauliflower is in small pieces a little bit bigger than rice.  Make sure not to pulse to long or you will puree it.  Microwave small pieces of cauliflower for 8 minutes.

Mix together riced cauliflower, cheese, oats, oregano, garlic and salt.  Press down on a pizza pan that is sprayed or greased (I lined mine with aluminum foil for easy clean up.  I forgot to spray it first as you will see in the picture below)

Bake crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Take out of oven and add sauce, cheese, fresh basil and any toppings you would like.  As you can see I did spinach and peppers on all of the pizza and added sausage to Johns side.

Bake for 10-15 additional minutes at 350, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

So above is what happens when you don’t spray your pan first..Doesn’t make for a nice picture….Oh well!

Tiny Vegetarian Tamale Pies

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I may have a slight obsession with baking things in my muffin tin…I never noticed until I realized the past 2 recipe posts were baked in a muffin tin, and this one is no exception.  So the reason for this is….because….I guess for the most part they’re more portable, and easier to eat.  It’s definitely not portion control, because John and I scarfed all 12 of these down in no time at all.  These Tiny Vegetarian Tamale Pies could also easily be made in an 8×8 pan or a 9 inch pie plate especially if being served just for your family.  However, made in the Muffin tins, they make the perfect appetizer or snack.  The sweetness of the cornbread, along with the spiciness of the filling just really work so well together and you won’t be able to eat just one!

Vegetarian Tiny Tamale Pies
Makes 12

Filling:

1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 chopped bell peppers
1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Line muffin tin with liners.  This is very important, otherwise getting your mini pies out will be very difficult.

Saute onion, garlic, and peppers until soft.

Add chilli powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Add black beans and diced tomatoes.  Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

Polenta Corn Topping:

2/3 c polenta (or cornmeal)
1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and it added a little more of a delicious sweetness to the corn bread, definitely recommend it)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 c corn
a couple grinds of salt

Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients.  Then stir both together.

Spoon filling into lined, and sprayed muffin tin.

Spoon Corn topping on top of that.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until corn topping is slightly browned.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing muffin liners.