Supper-Time Sunday!

I gotta say... of all of the posts that I do these ones are probably my favorite. I really love sharing all of the delicious eats that we have been able to enjoy lately with my lovely family and friends - and all of you that I don't know but would love to! We had another great week of eats this week!

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FRUIT SWEETENING PASTE (PURE FRUIT SWEETENER)

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of Primally Inspired

I have to talk about this one first because it is the one that I am most excited about. When you are sugar intolerant it is easy to feel that your options are very limited - because they are. When I saw this all natural fruit sweetening paste on Primally Inspired I knew that I wanted to try it out!

Our local Winco Foods has a large section of bulk bins and I was able to get all of the ingredients for this paste from there. The recipe says that you can use any amounts of any combination of dried fruits so, really, the sky is the limit. I got the recommended fruits and made sure none of them were listed with added sugar. (Another great benefit to Winco Foods bulk section - they list the ingredients and nutritional information on all of their bins). I got 0.47 lbs Deluxe Raisins for $0.36, 0.36 lbs Dried Apricots for $1.23, 0.57 lbs Dried Adriatic Figs for $1.18, and 2.94 lbs Dried Whole Pitted Dates for $1.46. Total weight = 4.34 lbs for $4.23. Pretty awesome, right? 

What is even more awesome is that it tastes DELICIOUS! My husband had some spread on a piece of toast and I had some spread on my Tone It Up Protein Pancake at breakfast IMMEDIATELY after I finished making it.

And if that weren't awesome enough... We ended up with about 40 ounces of the finished product ~ 40 ounces for $4.23. If you buy honey at Sam's Club it costs $12.80 for 80 ounces. And pure maple syrup (grade A) at Costco is over $13 for 33.8 ounces. This is a delicious and very cost effective alternative!

You can see that we have already dug into the smaller jar

I am so happy to have this all natural product to sweeten my eats with and to finally have something that resembles jam again! 

PIN IT!

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SUPER THICK SHAMROCK SMOOTHIE

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of Lauren at Oatmeal After Spinning

There have been a lot of St. Patrick's Day eats going around right now. Since today is St. Patrick's day it seems to make sense, right? Well it is no fun to be left out of favorite traditions when you are trying to eat healthy so there have been a lot of copycat shamrock shakes going around as well. I even blogged about one last week that we enjoyed.

However, this one takes the cake for me. I loved this recipe and made it twice this week. One time I hoarded it for myself as my lunch and hid away from the kids so I wouldn't have to share. The second time I was feeling more generous so I made the same amount but distributed the goods throughout my little family so everyone could enjoy it. Cute hubster is not a fan of peppermint but even he enjoyed it!

I made a couple of changes to this recipe. The first time that I made it I didn't have a frozen banana or peppermint extract.... so instead I used 1 whole small banana and pure mint extract. I used 1/2 tsp mint extract (*DISCLAIMER! Only use this much if you like STRONG mint flavor!) and I used frozen kale instead of the spinach. It got incredibly thick and I ate it in a bowl just like mint ice cream - DIVINE!

When I made it for the family I actually had peppermint extract. I kept my other changes the same but used 1/2 tsp peppermint extract. It was pretty good still but I liked the strength of the mint extract and will probably continue to use it for my own hoarding smoothie purposes.

Overall this is, by far, my favorite copycat Shamrock Smoothie!

PIN IT!

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CROCKPOT JAMBALAYA

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of With Just a Bit of Magic

This is a recipe that my wonderful sister-in-law posted about and I knew that I wanted to try it. I love Jambalaya but usually can't eat the ones that you get at restaurants around here because they are made with noodles. (No gluten for me!)

I had a bit of a hectic day and didn't get the ingredients for this one in the crockpot until there were only about 4 hours left to dinner time. I placed the ingredients in my "depths of Mordor" crockpot and set it to high hoping that it would be ready in time. 

Well, it was and it wasn't. The brown rice is extremely finicky about when it will cook right and it was still a little crunchy by the time it was time to eat dinner. We didn't mind it and we ate the jambalaya anyway. Cute hubster took the leftovers to work and didn't mention any bad crunchiness so I assume it was fine.

What we particularly enjoyed about this recipe was the delicious flavor. I used all natural Sweet Apple Chicken sausage and the contrast of the sweetness with the hot sauce we added to our bowls was divine. 

I didn't want to buy fresh thyme so I used 2 tsp dried thyme instead of the 2 tbsp fresh that it calls for. I also didn't want to spend the money for the shrimp so we just left it out completely. If you have a food processor the chopping of the veggies for this dish is a cinch, otherwise it would be a bit time consuming. 

*Side Note: I have found the PERFECT method for cooking even the most finnicky and stubborn of brown rice:

COOK THE PERFECT BROWN RICE

Photo + recipe courtesy of Pinch My Salt

Seriously. This technique has NEVER failed us. We love it!

Overall, this jambalaya recipe was very good and if I am in the mood for jambalaya again I will probably pull this recipe out of the archives; however, there are so many other recipes out there that I want to try that unless I am specifically craving jambalaya I will probably not revisit this recipe.

PIN IT! (Jambalaya)

PIN IT! (Brown Rice)

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CARROT CAKE OATMEAL

Recipe courtesy of Life After Bagels

I love my morning oatmeal greatly and I am always interested in finding new ways to switch things up. I used to love carrot cake greatly when I was still eating sugar and gluten and so this recipe particularly caught my eye. Especially since this is a great way to add some veggies to the most important meal of the day!

And it was delicious! Very hearty, flavorful and filling. However.... I did change several things about the recipe.

I didn't want to bother cooking steel cut oats so I just used my normal 1/2 cup of gluten free old fashioned oats. To that I added all of the gratings of 1 medium carrot, 1 small banana (sliced), 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional), and a large sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. I cooked it on high in the microwave for 3 minutes and then added 2 tbsp of unsalted almonds to the finished product. Like I said, it was delicious and it was quite sweet enough for me with the carrot and the banana to not need the additional maple syrup.

I am sure the original recipe is just as delicious - this is just what worked for me!

*Note: If you would like to see a picture of this recipe, the recipe itself, or pin this recipe please click on the "Life After Bagels" link under the title above. This link will take you directly to this particular recipe on Life After Bagels site.

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QUESTIONS FOR MY DEAR READERS: What was the best thing you ate this week? Are you doing anything special with your food for St. Patrick's Day?

Loves...Shayla

WIAW: Monday Eats

I have another WIAW for you this week! These are my eats from Monday this week. Mondays are a bit unusual in our house because I have school in the evening so I usually have to throw something together that I can eat on the go. Again, I apologize for the Smartphone photos. Easy and convenient doesn't necessarily equate to beauty in photography...

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BREAKFAST 7:20 AM

Cocoa Protein Apple Oatmeal

I know that it doesn't look very appetizing and, truth be told, a lot of people probably wouldn't like it. It isn't very sweet and is VERY thick. But I love it and it was my breakfast so that is all that matters! I mix 1/2 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats with 1 scoop of my vanilla plant protein powder and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed. I add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 apple (chopped). I thin it out with water and cook in the microwave. Usually I add almonds as well but I completely forgot today so oh well!

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SNACK 1 10:35 AM

Banana Yogurt

I know that the perspective on this one isn't really great. The bowl my oatmeal is in is from our "normal sized" bowl set. This one is actually a little bowl that you can buy for kids. They come in fun colors, all neon. 

Anyways! I decided to go with something a little bit different today. I am horrible about my calcium intake and so I wanted to make sure my snack included some calcium. I sliced a small, frozen banana and put it in my mini chopper with about 1/2 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. I added a splash of pure vanilla extract and a few sprinkles of Saigon cinnamon and chopped away until it was smooth. I topped it with some chopped, unsweetened coconut. 

This picture is actually the one I made right after I made mine for my girl [A] because she determined she had to have some. I didn't have a second frozen banana so I just used one off the counter for her. I definitely liked the frozen banana version better but this one was good as well.

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LUNCH 1:55 PM & DINNER 5:00 PM

Deconstructed Sweet Apple Burger & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

This turned out to be quite the creation! I started with a large sweet potato and peeled it. I cut it in half and put a big slit in each half. Then I wrapped each half in a sopping wet paper towel and microwaved it for 3 minutes. After it was finished I cut it (very easily) into fry sizes, tossed with a little EVOO, chili powder, minced onion and freshly ground black pepper and stuck it in the oven at 375. I think I let them cook for about 30 minutes.

While those were roasting up I used my handy Kitchen Aid attachment to grind a pound of chicken. I also put 1/2 red delicious apple and a large handful of spinach right through the grinder. I mixed that all up and added 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 egg, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp tarragon, and 1 large shredded carrot. I made up six patties and cooked them on a griddle with nonstick spray until they were done. I placed one patty on a bed of organic spinach leaves, spread some classic hummus on it, topped with a few banana peppers and some yellow onion and enjoyed!

I wanted to make a lot so that I would have enough for lunch and dinner when I am running out the door to get to class. For dinner I had exactly the same thing as pictured above. I didn't eat half of that for lunch and half for dinner. Sometimes I will do that if I make something big enough but this was only 1 burger atop the spinach and 1/2 sweet potato worth of fries. It was very filling but 1/2 of it would have left me hungry. Plus making extras meant that I was able to make chicken sandwiches for my kids for lunch as well. I also had 3 bites of a red delicious apple my girl [A] had been munching on. I'll be honest... I'm not a big fan of red delicious apples! They aren't crunchy enough!

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I don't eat after 7:00 pm because of my resolution for Lent and so this was it for the day! 

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you had any delicious eats lately? I could definitely use some new breakfast and lunch ideas! Spread the love to me!

Loves...Shayla

What I Ate Wednesday

You see these around the web all the time and I wanted to join in the fun! The eats that I chose to share were from Sunday, February 17th. Weekend days can be scary and don't usually reflect the normal eating patterns you follow but Sundays aren't really like that for me. Now if we were talking Date Night Fridays... :0)

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BREAKFAST 9:55 AM

Tone it Up Protein Pancake topped with homemade almond butter and 1/2 banana (sliced), "lemonade"

I put "lemonade" in quotations because all it really is is 1/2 lemon squeezed into 24 ounces of water with a little bit of stevia to help take the super sour edge off. And I am just not sure if there is a way to make protein pancakes look really pretty; however, they taste so delicious that it doesn't even matter. This has been my go-to breakfast for the last couple of days ever since I got a new protein powder:

I am loving this stuff and since it is not sweetened with any artificial or refined sugars it is great for me! The scoop that it came with was HUGE so I replaced it with a smaller scoop that I had from a previous protein powder. This recipe is courtesy of SarahFit. The only things that I do differently are that I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg whites and I add water if I need to to thin it out. 

I don't like wasting the egg yolk but also... here is a bit from Livestrong about Egg Yolks:

"An egg yolk provides almost 2 mg of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids beneficial for eye health. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests consuming 6 mg of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin daily. An egg yolk provides 27 percent of the adequate intake, or AI, of choline for adult women and 21 percent of the AI of choline for adult men. An egg yolk also offers 17 percent of the RDA of selenium and 9 percent of the RDA of phosphorus."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544071-calcium-and-egg-yolk/#ixzz2LCIf1ULM

Anyways... onto the eats!

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SNACK 12:35 PM

1 can low-sodium V8 Vegetable Juice, 1 rice cake with lowfat cottage cheese

This is one of my favorite snack combos. I get the low sodium Quaker rice cakes and I love the Darigold 2% fat cottage cheese that you can buy in a big tub at Costco. The V8 juice is refreshing and a wonderful way to get 2 servings of veggies during a snack.

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LUNCH 2:20 PM

1 small bowl leftover Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup topped with lime juice and green onions, 1 small braeburn apple (sliced) with ~1 tbsp all natural peanut butter, 1 organic carrot

I almost always start lunch and dinner with a carrot. I have a big bag sitting in a very accessible place in my fridge and I munch away at it while I am prepping food. It helps me to not mindlessly munch on other less healthy things and helps to take the edge off of my hunger. I also really like the Braeburn apples because they are a bit sour instead of super sweet like the Red Delicious or Jonagold apples. 

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DINNER 5:45 PM

Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew

My lovely mother made us this wonderful stew for dinner. The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. It was DIVINE! The broth had an almost sweet taste to it and it was hearty and delicious with the beef tender. YUM!

She didn't dredge the meat in flour at all so that it would be gluten free for me. She didn't use any of the real onions (just the onion soup mix) and just added 1 tsp onion powder. She used red wine vinegar instead of the burgundy and just poured the onion soup mix on top of everything in the crock pot.

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DESSERT 6:20 PM

Chili Maple Cinnamon Popcorn

My friends who know me really well know that it wouldn't be a "What I Ate" any day without some popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. Love love love it. I air pop the popcorn and add melted coconut oil. This particular popcorn is sprinkled with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and sea salt. I definitely had more than just this one small bowl. 

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WATER INTAKE (Whole Day)

24 ounces "lemonade" + 84 ounces normal water = 108 ounces total

Not my best water intake but pretty good for a weekend day. It is harder to drink water away from home when I don't have my trusty orange cup with me. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Is there something that you eat regularly? A favorite meal or snack? Share your ideas with me!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Hello all! It is time for another recipe round-up! There are lots of delicious eats around the web and here are the ones that we have tried lately!

THE CHEW'S BAKED ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

Recipe + photo courtesy of Stacey over at Stacey Snacks

From Stacey Snacks blog, "This recipe won a contest on a television show called The Chew.

Mario Batali and others judged 3 chicken recipes made by regular people, and this won first prize!"

Confession... it has been a long time coming before I thought I would ever be okay eating artichoke hearts and mushrooms - let alone this much! But, I kid you not, we loved this meal SO much that I made it twice in two weeks. Every bite is extremely flavorful and the combination of the mushrooms with the onion and artichokes is just heavenly. 

And guess what? I did this in the crockpot! I placed all of the veggies on the bottom of the crockpot, topped with the chicken, topped with the sauce and let it go to town. My crockpot believes that it is the depths of Mordor itself and I have to keep a careful eye on my dishes so that they don't get over cooked but I think that if you go by the standard of 6 hours on low that you will be alright. I did this in the crockpot both times and both times it turned out great.

I also did not use chicken with bones or skin. I used 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs. The only other changes that I made were that I used dijon mustard and chicken stock instead of the wine. We served this over Lemon Parmesan brown rice. YUMMY!

Make this one! You won't be disappointed!

Pin it!

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CROCK POT PICANTE CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Gina over at Skinnytaste.com

Was the above crock pot recipe not really to your liking? Well I have another one for you! This came together so quickly and got rave reviews from cute hubster, my girl [A] and my boy {N}. The chicken came out tender and delicious and shredded with hardly any effort whatsoever on my part. 

Unfortunately, I waited too long to make this after buying my groceries and so my avocados were no longer good. But we did use the lime juice and sliced scallions (aka green onions). I sprinkled a little bit of cheddar cheese into the family portions - not mine though. I like my food tasting more fresh!

Cute hubster added some Greek yogurt to his 2nd portion to tone down the heat a bit. It is fairly spicy but neither of my babies complained about it. If you are worried about it I would use Rotel tomatoes without the green chiles and it should be just fine. 

I didn't have ancho chile powder so I just used normal chile powder but I kept everything else the same. I know that 2 chicken breasts seems like a small amount but it really was perfect for this recipe.

Pin it!

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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Katie over at Chocolate-Covered Katie: the healthy dessert blog

Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate! And chocolate mousse/ice cream is a delicious treat that I have not been able to enjoy for a long time thanks to my body rejecting refined sugars. 

Enter the always reliable Chocolate-Covered Katie! I love love love love her. I have never had trouble with any of her recipes and I have ALWAYS liked them. This dessert did not disappoint at all. And at only 4 ingredients there is NO reason to not try it out!

I didn't need to refrigerate my coconut milk overnight - it was thick enough when I opened the can. I used Stevia in the Raw + a little pure maple syrup to sweeten our desserts. I would normally be alright with just stevia but my family likes things a little bit sweeter than stevia can provide without going too bitter. 

I divvied this recipe up into 4 small cups and stuck them in the freezer while we ate dinner. When they came out they had just started freezing around the edges but the middle was decadently creamy. If you want a mousse like texture = refrigerate. Ice cream = freezer.

Pin it!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What recipes have you tried from around the web lately? Share your faves with me! 

Loves...Shayla

Chicken Tacos with Thick Black Bean Salsa

I am definitely the kind of cook who wants to eat something that tastes fabulous but doesn't want to spend all day in the kitchen to get there. Of course I will put in the time if it is absolutely necessary... [insert Raspberry Ribbon Pie here] but it is absolutely not my personal preference.

Insert Tacos! Who doesn't love a good taco? I certainly love tacos and I don't mind getting quite messy to eat them up. My cute hubster is more conservative in the packing of his tacos but I love mine busting at the guts.

I have made this recipe SEVERAL times and, once again, I will apologize for my complete lack of photography skills. There is really only so much that you can do with a camera phone at night. So... it is what it is!

CHICKEN TACOS WITH THICK BLACK BEANS SALSA
A Shayla Original
Serves 2-4 (depending on the hunger level of those you are serving!)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional, but amazing)

1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups salsa (whatever kind is your favorite)
1 tsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch if you aren't worried about gluten free)

Leafy topping of choice! I am very preferential to purple cabbage
Cheese topping of choice! Love love love the pepperjack
8 small corn tortillas

Turn on the broil option on your oven. I do high broil but you gotta keep a close eye on your tortillas if you do!

In a nonstick skillet mix together your chicken and seasonings. Cook thoroughly until no longer pink. I don't use any nonstick spray or oil to cook my chicken but you can if you must.

In the meantime, heat another nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add your onion slices and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add in your black beans and heat just briefly before adding in your salsa. You can cook it for a few minutes and leave it more runny or you can do what I do and add in a bit of arrowroot powder to thicken it up. It sticks together wonderfully and stays in the tortilla shell better. If you add in the arrowroot, turn your heat to medium and cook until salsa reaches your desired amount of thickness. (About 5 minutes for me).

Place your tortillas on a cookie sheet. Place in the preheated oven and just heat the things until you reach your level of desired crispness. You can let them go longer and eat these tostada style or just warm them so they are flexible.

Serve by topping a tortilla with the thick salsa, chicken, leafy topping of choice and cheese of choice.

YUMMMMMMM delicious!

Supper-Time Sunday!

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Rating: A+

Okay, maybe I am a bit biased but my all-time favorite "guilty" dessert is banana pudding. Why? I have no idea. Something about the flavor combination. Is this a healthy dessert? No. However, you can improve the recipe in many ways. When using a boxed cake mix the oil can be completely replaced with unsweetened applesauce. I have done it twice now and both times it turned out the most gorgeous boxed cake I have ever made. Secondly, if you whip your own whipping cream you get to control the amount of sugar that goes into it and it won't have a bunch of yucky additives like high fructose corn syrup. I added a layer of freshly sliced bananas between the pudding and whipped topping and it was soooo delicious. Everyone raved about this dessert at my baby boy's birthday party. Yummy!

Link: http://www.thecountrycook.net/2012/06/banana-pudding-poke-cake.html

Pasta with Cilantro-Peanut Pesto

Rating: F

No, I am not kidding. This dish was terrible. The lime zest was completely and totally overwhelming - So badly that you couldn't even taste anything else (and there are a lot of other ingredients that should have strong flavors!) This was bad enough that we rinsed off the noodles to try and save dinner and we could STILL taste the lime. Wow. Steer clear of this one. 

Link: The site is down right now so I can't get the link but if you really want to try this one here is the link to my pin on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/206954545347039565/

Zucchini Lasagna

Rating: A+

This meal was so tasty and I thought it tasted a lot like normal lasagna. I didn't miss the noodles at all and, even though the cute hubby wouldn't admit it, I don't think he did either. It came out with the most amazing pops of flavor. I used ground chicken instead of shredded and I ran out of zucchini and so I used part yellow squash. Ironically, we liked the yellow squash best. It takes on an almost cheesy taste to it. We will absolutely be making this dish again.

Link: http://munchercruncher.blogspot.com/2011/05/seasons-are-lil-bit-different-in-sunny.html

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Candy Bars

Rating: A- on flavor and texture

Sound healthy? Surprisingly, they are very respectable for a dessert. All natural ingredients and no added sugars except for honey (which isn't processed nearly as heavily as white sugar) and whatever sugar might be on your dried cranberries. These had a very rich and creamy flavor and texture and a little bit goes a long way. Unfortunately, a long way isn't very long for me when it comes to sweets and even after just a little bit my body went into "sugar shock" and I felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the night. *Sigh* So even though these were delicious I probably won't make them again. I bet you would enjoy them though!

Link: http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.ca/2010/05/best-recipe-ive-ever-messed-up.html

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Rating: B

I really like the concept of this "cookie" and it turned out pretty good. I made a blueberry version and did agave instead of maple syrup. I also didn't have vanilla yogurt and so I added a tsp of 100% vanilla whey protein powder and just used plain, nonfat yogurt. It was tasty and I enjoyed it, however it didn't keep me feeling full for very long. That is a deal breaker for me and breakfast so I won't make this one again for me but maybe for my kids?

Link: http://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/?p=2583#.UAlqqbRDwrc

Oreo Puddin' Poke Cake

Rating: A+ according to my husband

I have to confess... I didn't actually eat this one. My baby sister turned 7 yesterday and specifically requested a "Special Shayla Dessert" and she wanted chocolate cake. I knew that she would love this cake although I don't personally eat Oreos. Once again, you can replace the oil in the cake mix for unsweetened applesauce 1:1. My sister had 2 BIG pieces of this cake and my husband went on and on and on about how good it was. He doesn't normally like cake but he said this one was so perfectly moist and the perfect amount of sweet without being overbearing. I added a layer of whipped topping on top of the pudding after it had completely set (8 ounce container) and I think that that is what balanced the sweetness out. 

Link: http://www.thecountrycook.net/2011/07/puddin-poke-cake.html

Tijuana Tortas

Rating: A+

I cannot possibly say enough to praise this meal. It comes together in no time at all (like 5 minutes) and is incredibly tasty. I think I had it for 4 or 5 meals over the course of 2 days because we loved it so much. The avocado mixture is really what makes it. The limey, oniony creaminess is just a burst of flavor. I didn't want to search for pickled jalapenos so I used chopped banana peppers instead. I am actually planning on making this again tonight. Really. We also didn't hollow out our whole wheat sub rolls - we just ate these like sandwiches. I know that that is cheating and not really a torta but they were fantastic, nonetheless. And meatless too!

Link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tijuana_torta.html

Supper-time Sunday!

Chicken Coconut Curry

Rating: B-

We love curry around here and I was excited to try this one out; however, I didn't feel like it lived up to our curry standard as it was written. It was bland and too thin. I added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and  about 1 1/2 more tsp curry powder and still topped my portion with Sriracha. What can I say? We like things spicy. I think that this dish has potential and my mom is going to try it with curry paste instead of ground curry powder. My husband liked it just fine and we might do it again but it definitely wasn't a favorite. 

Link: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/11/coconut-chicken-curry.html

Banana Vanilla Protein Pancakes

Rating: C

These ones had an okay flavor but they were really dense. They had a strange texture... it was like a mix between a pancake and a cookie. Too hard. If you are looking for a protein pancake that resembles a normal pancake really closely... this is not the one for you. I won't make them again.

Link: http://www.pbfingers.com/2012/05/26/banana-vanilla-protein-pancakes/

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Pancakes (Vegan)

Rating: B

Her method for adding the bananas is CRAZY!!! They made the pancakes fall apart and they were SOOO unmanageable I was going insane. The texture is really good and very much like a normal pancake despite being vegan and the peanut butter flavor is quite strong but good if you really like peanut butter. We just topped our pancakes with bananas after they were cooked and didn't add them to the uncooked batter. I also didn't have buckwheat flour or vanilla soy milk. Instead we used all wheat flour and regular milk and just added 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder. Not vegan, but it works. :-)

Link: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/06/peanut-butter-banana-oat-pancakes.html

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Rating: A-

This is a wonderful basic recipe for pancakes. My mom didn't have baking soda on hand so we had to use baking powder and they did NOT fluff up, but we added 1/3 cup blueberries and 1 tsp lemon extract to the batter and they had an AMAZING flavor. They were my dad's favorite. I think you could add a bunch of different flavors or fruits to this one or just top them with it afterwards. We will definitely repeat this one. 

Link: http://www.everydaybelle.com/2011/06/greek-yogurt-pancakes/

Banana Chips

Rating: B-

This was a link on Pinterest that doesn't link to anything but a picture so here is the "recipe": 

Slice banana into thin chips, dip in lemon juice, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 2 hours @ 200 degrees and flip. Bake for another 1.5-2 hours or until crisp. (They wont be totally crisp in the oven, but will harden as they cool) IMPORTANT STEP: Spray the cookie sheet with PAM

These were decent but the cooking method caramelizes the bananas and makes them really sweet. I could only eat three before they were too sweet for me. They weren't easy enough or good enough to warrant repeating for us but it is a good healthy treat.

Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread

Rating: A

Oh  my deliciousness! This one was a great one. The whole family loved it and my husband had 3 pieces after it came out of the oven. I didn't have pastry flour but so I just used normal whole wheat flour. I used agave instead of the brown sugar. And I also didn't have vanilla flavored greek yogurt so I just used my plain, nonfat yogurt and added 1/2 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder to my batter. It was just the right amount of sweet without being overly sweet.

You have to be careful about cooking it. Banana bread bakes REALLY fast on the outside and gets very dark. Mine got a little bit too dark for my liking on the outside but I was diligent about checking the inside so that it wouldn't be raw. Mine took about 55 minutes and the outside was BORDERLINE too dark. But it was still yummy and we will definitely repeat it. 

Link: http://nosugarsweetlife.com/content/greek-yogurt-blueberry-banana-bread

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Rating: A

This was a lovely and easy breakfast to put together for the family. We all enjoyed it and I didn't add any extras to the dish except for a little bit of cinnamon. It really doesn't require any sweetener since the banana sweetens it nicely. I didn't add the coconut oil but wouldn't be against trying it. I made mine in individual ramekins for easy serving to the family and topped with a bit of plain Greek yogurt. We will definitely repeat this one!

Link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/03/22/banana-bread-baked-oatmeal/

Supper-Time Sunday! (lol... ish)

Dump Chicken ~ Teriyaki Chicken

Rating: B-

Now, to be fair to this site... I think that it is a great idea and there are a TON of recipes. I only tried one of them this week. The teriyaki chicken had a good flavor but it wasn't nearly strong enough for us. Unfortunately, that may have been because of changes I had to make: #1: No sherry - substituted for apple juice, #2: No fresh ginger on hand (a CRIME!) - had to use ground. If you also have to make these substitutions make sure you use 1/4 tsp ground ginger for ever 1 Tbsp of fresh that the recipe calls for. I cooked mine in my crockpot for 1.5 hours on high and about 2.5 - 3 hours on low but this will vary with every crockpot. I mixed a bunch of sauteed vegetables in and we served it over pineapple brown rice. The final dish was very tasty and would've earned a rating of B+ but I made a LOT of changes to get it to that point. 

Link: http://whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com/2011/06/super-easy-way-to-getting-meals-ready.html

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Rating: B-

This is a great idea for a healthier spaghetti sauce, however we are pretty used to more flavorful sauces. This dish relies completely on the flavors of the onion and peppers until you add a few herbs to your individual dish. We are just too much in love with garlic to fully enjoy a sauce that doesn't call for any. The sauce was really thin too which Skinny Taste addresses but we didn't like it enough to repeat it. If you like Chicken Cacciatore I think that this is a good, solid recipe and it was really easy to make. Try it out!

Link: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/06/crock-pot-chicken-cacciatore.html

Perfect Protein Pancakes

Rating: A

I had heard of protein pancakes before this week but had never tried them - I had no idea what I have been missing! I love them and they will be my go-to breakfast for a while, at least. I don't have buckwheat or almond flour on hand so I have tried this recipe once with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and once with heaping 1/2 cup rolled oats. I just throw the ingredients in my blender and blend until smooth. My biggest complaint about this recipe is actually the cooking method. It is HARD to flip such a large pancake. I will probably start doing what is implied in the picture - make a bunch of smaller ones. I add blueberries to my pancakes once I have poured them onto the pan and top with organic, unsweetened applesauce. If you have never tried that method before - do it! It is delicious and saves you countless of needless calories from butter and syrup. 

Link: http://www.runningtothekitchen.com/2012/04/perfect-protein-pancakes/

Supper-Time Sunday!

So I have come to a decision. I really don't have time to be a regular blogger. I just don't. I have 2 very busy children and I am about to go back to school and I am working. So here is the new game plan. I am going to post every Sunday about recipes that I have made throughout the week that are non-original. I will post a picture, include any changes that I made, give it a rating and include a link to the recipe where you can find it. All other recipes posted on this blog will be original recipes, created by me, whenever I so happen to make something original. Sound good? Okay. Here we go:

Easy Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Rating: A+

We absolutely loved these. Really. We had them like 3 days in a row because the recipe makes a LOT. The recipe says 7-8 large patties but I made almost 24 smaller patties, not kidding. Jake liked his with a little bit of Greek yogurt ranch or mustard but I ate mine plain. I couldn't find tahini anywhere so I used a mixture of all natural peanut butter and toasted sesame oil. You use 3 parts peanut butter to every 1 part sesame oil in place of the tahini. I also baked mine in the oven instead of frying them in a pan. It took about 30 - 40 minutes at 350 and then I broiled them for just a few minutes. A few of the reviewers said that the patties easily fell apart so I added 1 egg to my batch. They kept together excellently. They reheat really well too so you can make a bunch and eat them later or the next day. This one is going in our permanent file!

Link: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html

Lemony Pesto Pasta with Edamame & Almonds

Rating: B-

This dish has a lot of good elements too it but I wasn't a huge fan of it. I love every ingredient individually but the dish relies heavily on the lemon for most of the flavor and then you get a few kicks of pesto in the mouth. It isn't one that I think we will make again.

Link: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pesto-pasta-with-lemon-145783#

Spinach and Parmesan Omelet

Rating: A+

I love this meal. I really really really do. I think I could eat it every single day for breakfast. The Tabasco sauce is a MUST and the Parmesan cheese is totally optional. This entire breakfast is part of Fitness Magazine's Fat-Fighting 300-calorie breakfasts.

Link: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/you-can-do-it/fat-fighting-low-calorie-breakfast-recipes/

Mini Chocolate-Chip Breakfast Cookies

Rating: A 

First off, make no mistake about the size of these - they are VERY mini. One big bite or two smaller bites at the most. And they don't turn out looking a whole lot like a normal cookie; however, they have an excellent taste and texture and they are certainly ones that I would make again. I love that they are healthy as well. I didn't have raspberries on hand so I used Craisins and 70% dark chocolate chunks in mine. Yummy!

Link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/04/16/mini-chocolate-chip-breakfast-cookies/#

Amy's Spicy Beans and Rice

Rating: A+

I made quite a few changes to this recipe. I drained the beans completely and rinsed them off. I added a can of diced tomatoes (15 ounce) that I mostly drained and about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn. I also used banana peppers in place of the jalapeno. I think I sprinkled a little bit of crushed red pepper in there too... we like things spicy here! We served it over gluten free Multigrain chips and myself and my husband absolutely loved it. It is definitely one that we will make again. This is a really low calorie and low fat meal.

*Just as a side note... I don't know how good the original recipe would be... just a warning!

Link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amys-Spicy-Beans-and-Rice/Detail.aspx

Chef Meg's Orange Chicken

Rating: B-

Orange chicken is not supposed to be friend with a slight hint of an orange flavor - this is more of an authentic version. Unfortunately, unless you REALLY like orange flavor, this dish isn't for you. It is very strong and the orange is very powerful. My family loved it but it wasn't really my cup of tea and not one that I would make again. (Since I am the one cooking). I followed the advice of a reviewer and added 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger, a few splashes of low sodium soy sauce and some crushed red pepper to my marinade. I also added 1 tsp cornstarch to the sauce.

Link: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=871143

Secret Detox Drink

Rating on Taste: D.. ish

Why do I drink this if it tastes bad? Look at these amazing health benefits (source HERE):

Apple Cider Vinegar is full of enzymes and good bacteria. It contains acetic acid which has been shown to lower blood pressure up to 6%. It can also help eat up the starches if you do eat grains in your diet.

Lemon juice helps balance blood sugar and has an alkaline effect on your body helping to regulate ph. It contains, Vitamin C. 

Cinnamon is one of the best anti-oxidants on the planet. It is the number one herb/spice for balancing blood sugar.

Cayenne Pepper has been shown to drop blood pressure, increase metabolism.

Stevia is an all natural sweetener made from the stevia plant and it is a great replacement for any artificial sweeteners. 

It really isn't as bad as you might be thinking. The biggest problems are the cayenne and the cinnamon. They hit the back of your throat pretty strongly and it can be hard to get the cinnamon down. The apple cider/lemon/water/stevia mixture really isn't bad at all. I would probably give it a B on taste. It is just the cayenne and cinnamon... oh man! But I have already felt the benefits of it in the 1 day I have been trying it so I will continue my love-hate relationship with this drink. 

Link: http://www.draxe.com/recipe/secret-detox-drink/