A "Sludgey" Thursday

The other day, I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, when I saw an interesting recipe I just had to try. I bookmarked the page, and today I finally got to make it!

Savannah from Muffin Topless creates some awesome healthy recipes that look so tempting! One of her more, shall I say, quirky recipes is called Sludge. Sounds appetizing huh? This is a fantastic low calorie/ low sugar option for dieters or if you are just in the mood for something light and chocolatey after dinner! I tallied up the recipe, and all together  the bowl was only 160 calories! Enjoy the Sludgey goodness!

My Peanut Butter Cup SLUDGE

Ingredients:

• 1 Scoop chocolate casein (I used MOM's "Show Me The Whey" Protein Powder)
• 2 TB PB2 (powdered peanut butter) or you can swap this out for 1 TB natural peanut butter
• 2 TB unsweetened baking cocoa
• Stevia to taste (I used a packet of Pure Via)
• 1 TB Nevada Manna sugar-free chocolate chips (I omitted these)

Before the freezer...

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Then, add water BY THE TABLESPOON. This is very important, as you will soon encounter a watery mess. I stirred in one tablespoon, then mixed, then another, mixed, and one more until it reached the perfect texture- similar to icing. Then, just pop it in the freezer for a half an hour before you gobble it up!

After!! Yum!

This stuff was soo good! I smell a new go-to dessert!! It tasted like dark chocolate pudding and I loved the texture. Next time, I will be sure to add more sugar, as it was just a touch under-sweetened. Live and learn...

What's your favorite easy recipe?

A Non-Mexican Cinco de Mayo

Happy Monday my fab friends!! I come to bring you yet another delicious recipe from my adventures in the kitchen! But first, a little recap of my weekend, shall we?

On Saturday evening, I organized a pre-cinco de mayo gathering at a yummy Mexican restaurant in town. A bunch of my friends came and we feasted on mango margaritas, burritos, and enough chips and salsa to choke a horse!

Sooo yummy..

The weather yesterday was lovely, so RJ and I took Daisy and went on a picnic in the park, followed by a long walk. It was nice to just be outside in the sunshine with one of my favorite people :)


When dinnertime rolled around, neither of us were in the mood for more Mexican food (a sin on Cinco de Mayo, I know), so I perused my cookbooks for a recipe to use up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts I had thawed. I found this recipe from a Cooking Light cookbook and adapted it to fit the things I had in my cupboards.

Ingredients

• 
  1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Cooking spray 
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves 
• 1/3 cup seedless apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Combine thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to skillet; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon apricot sauce over chicken.

As you can see, this recipe was very easy and perfect for a weeknight meal. I have made this recipe before with the raspberry preserves, but I much prefer the apricot. It added a completely different flavor that I was quite happy with!

Do you ever alter recipes to accommodate what you have? Was it successful?

Butter of the Peanut

happy Friday loves! Sorry for the inactivity as of late. My life has taken a pretty boring turn and I don't have much to post. Unless you want a rousing post about cleaning... I will try and post more in the future, because I truly enjoy it and I know you all can't go about your days without knowing what I'm up to ;)

Breakfast this morning was a good ol' standby-an egg sandwich!! I have perfected this sandwich recently and now I can't seem to get enough of them! I fried two eggs over hard and slapped them on a wheat English muffin with cheese and turkey. It kind of reminded me of an Egg McMuffin, but obviously with turkey instead of ham. On the side, I chopped up some fresh strawberries for some sweetness and nutrients!! Such a great way to start my Friday!

The other day, I was reading one of the many blogs I follow and she mentioned making your own peanut butter. I was intrigued, especially after my parents bought some raw peanuts from a farmer's market a few weeks ago. Apparently, if you out the nuts in a food processor and blend the heck out of them, they turn into creamy, yummy peanut butter! The end result didn't have as much taste as regular peanut butter (there is no oil or sugar in it), but it is alot healthier and great for those eating "clean". 

Before...

A billion years later...

Have you ever made your own nut butter? How did it turn out?

Five Ingredient Muffins!

Apologies for the long absence my loves!! It's been a crazy few days and I am just now able to get online to update you all!!

Let's start with something easy, like a quick breakfast recap!! This morning, I was in the mood for something savory for my morning meal. I fried up two eggs over hard (I have a texture issue with runny egg yolks) and the slapped them on a wheat English muffin with some cheese. On the side, I cut up some gorgeous strawberries and of course my vitamins! I take vitamins everyday to help me feel and look my best. I take a multivitamin, a cranberry pill, vitamin D and Biotin every day.

Egg sammy!

I also have a pretty interesting recipe to share!! I am always browsing the net for easy recipes with a short list of ingredients. I love to cook, but sometimes you just want to make something easy. So, I found this recipe for 5-ingredient Paleo muffins from Tessa the Domestic Diva I hope you enjoy!!

5 Minute Muffins – High Protein, Grain Free, Sugar Free!

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  8 mins

Total time:  13 mins

Serves: 24

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup any nut butter ( I have used cashew, peanut, almond, and sunflower seed. My favorite is cashew)
• 2-3 VERY ripe banana w/ tons of black spots (I have also used some prunes to help sweeten in place of the some of the banana)
• 2 eggs (I have also tried a chia/flax egg, and while very delicious, the texture is more moist and they do not rise as high)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 10 drops liquid vanilla creme stevia, or a a tablespoon or two of honey to taste (optional) This amount here greatly depends on personal taste and the sweetness of your bananas.
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
3. Blend until well mixed: batter will be sticky.
4. Pour batter into a greased mini muffin tins.
5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes or so, slightly longer with chia eggs. I am sure you could use regular muffins too, but you will have to increase the cooking time to 12-15 minutes

Overall, these muffins turned out pretty yummy. The texture is not that of a regular muffin because there is no flour but they taste peanut-buttery and keep me full for a while. An excellent snack!

Where do you find most of your recipes? 

I find mine on Pinterest usually..

Randomosity

Sorry for the long-ish absence guys!! It's been a crazy weekend full of friends and fun! I just thought I would pop in for a random post so you guys didn't think I skipped town on you ;)

So, I absolutely love trying out new variations of my favorite recipes. I was surfing the net the other day and I found this recipe for cinnamon raisin cookie over night oats. I was so excited to try it. I made the recipe exactly to her specifications, and jumped out of bed to try my new creation the next morning. I took a big bite expecting a big bowl of cinnamon cookie goodness. That isn't really what I got  :( The mixture was waaay too sweet and had a ton of cinnamon. I tried to take a few more bites but it was just too much for me so I ended up tossing it. I don't blame the recipe at all. I added too much sugar and cinnamon and I guess the flavors were enhanced by the refrigeration process overnight? I don't know how these things work. I am willing to try again, this time cutting back on the sweetness.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Overnight Dessert Oats

Yield: one serving

Ingredients

Step 1:
• 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 2-6 packets Sweetener* (to taste)
• 1/2-3/4 tsp Cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/16 tsp Salt
Step 2:
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbs - 1/4 cup Raisins
• 1 tbs Raw Almond/Walnut Butter
• Optional:**
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder + 2 tbs Almond Milk

Instructions

1. In your serving bowl, add the Step 1 ingredients and give it a stir (add the optional ingredients if you wish)
2. Add the Step 2 ingredients in the order shown and give another stir (I like to top the oatmeal with nut butter in the morning). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, enjoy the next day!

Notes

*I used 6 stevia packets (I told you I'm a sweet tooth!) but you can use whatever sweetener you like, such as Truvia, erythritol, sucanat or even maple sugar

**If you want to stay fuller for longer (and enjoy creamier oats), add this!

This recipe is: sugar free, high fiber, gluten free, vegan!

I wanted it to be good!!!

This blog is amazing. I have been on it for the past three days saving recipes and mentally planning out which ones I want to try!

Oh! and look at my brand new shoes I got yesterday at the outlets! They were five dollars at Charlotte Russe and I absolutely love them!

I'll be back soon with a regular post! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Easter Recap!

As promised, here is a recap of my Easter Sunday! I woke up after a late night out and was ready to start the Easter festivities! I had decided about a week or so ago that I wanted to cook a complete Easter meal for my family and I was a determined woman! The menu for the night looked like this:

Slow Cooker Apple Cider Braised Pork
Rosemary Potatoes
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
Bunny Cake
*I also baked up some frozen whole wheat rolls on the side

The meal got rave reviews from my whole family, especially the pork. You guys, this pork is painfully good. It was basically pulled pork that was lightly sweet from the apple cider. YUM!

In between cooking and watching HBO movies, I found time to dye some Easter eggs with RJ and my mom. I haven't dyes Easter eggs for years and it was so fun! I even got to use that awesome white crayon that shows up after you dye the egg (does anyone remember that thing??). Anyways, learned that RJ had never dyed an Easter egg before. Yes, you read right. NEVER EVER. He said that they didn't dye eggs in the Philippines where he grew up. He seemed to enjoy it, however and even made an "RJ" egg with his name on it.

The day was full of lounging and cooking, just the way I like it!

Dying his first egg! 

Have you ever made an entire meal on your own? How did it turn out?

Chickpea Chili!

Happy Friday blog friends!! I have quite a post for you lovelies, today. I found out some very interesting things about my feet (exciting stuff huh?), and I have a new yummy recipe for you to try out.

First things first, chickpea chili! It was very cold in Maryland yesterday and I was in the mood for a warm bowl of soup. I looked through my kitchen and found some very random ingredients that I thought would make a great soup! It is roughly based off of this recipe, but I switched it up
based on what we had on hand.

White Chickpea Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

pinch  ground cloves

pinch cayenne pepper

2 cans (15oz) garbanzo beans

14 oz low sodium chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn 

1 cup frozen spinach

1 lime

Instructions:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook about 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add garlic cloves and spices, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add beans and stock. Stir and simmer for 25 minutes. Add corn and spinach, continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and squeeze lime into chili. 

If you prefer a thicker chili, puree 1/4 of the soup before you add the corn and spinach.

I was quite impressed with myself after this meal. It was warm and filling and the spinach and chickpeas added quite a bit of nutritional value!

Okay, so about my feet. I have been hearing for years that you should have running shoes that are specially made for the way you run. Everyone has a different running style, and it is important to know what your is. So, today I went to If The Shoe Fits, a store that will analyze your running/walking style and give you shoes that will be most comfortable. 

I walk in and a very nice salesman starts asking me about my running style. He asks how far I run, how often, and what kind of shoes I have now. I tell him that I've had the same shoes for about 2 years and his eyes practically popped out of his head. Apparently, you are supposed to switch your running shoes every six months and that is probably why my knee has been bothering me. He says that knee pain can be directly linked to the shoes you wear when you run. Who knew!

 He measures my foot and puts me on a treadmill with a camera attached. The camera is pointed at your feet and I am told to jog for 15 seconds. The salesman then watches the footage back in slow motion and analyzes my run! If you are interested, my foot turns out a bit when I run, making my strike uneven. Cool huh??

He gave me some shoes to try on and I fell in love with these Nike Lunarglide 4 sneakers: 

Aren't they adorable!! Buuut, they came with a $115 price tag. Yikes!! Maybe I'll wait until those bad boys go on sale? It was a very informative trip, though and I recommend everyone go and get an analysis to make sure you are wearing the best show for your runs!

Enjoy your Friday night :) Oh! and I got a brand new digital camera today so expect some beautiful high def pictures in the future! No more grainy IPhone pictures, YAY!!

Do you know your running style?

A Fishy Thursday

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thursday! I had a mellow day running errands and researching recipes! Last night, my mom and I went to the grocery store and found a great deal on fresh cod from the fish counter. We bought some, and today I was in charge of finding a yummy recipe for it!

I eventually found this one, which turned out amazingly!

Baked Cod Provencal

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 5-ounce cod fillets
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp capers (I omitted these)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
8 pitted black olives, halved (I omitted these)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cod fillets in an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion and garlic over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, capers, fresh basil, olives, lemon juice, oregano and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon sauce over cod and bake for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.
Serves 4.

Per Serving: Calories 220, Calories from Fat 30, Total Fat 3.3g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 61mg, Sodium 550mg, Carbohydrate 18.4g, Fiber 4.8g, Protein 29g

The tomatoes and onions brought out such a bold flavor and the fish was cooked perfectly. Would definitely make this one again! I rounded out my meal with boiled green beans and brussel sprouts and some fantastic couscous we got at the store. All around, a very satisfying weeknight dinner! 

A Day of Cooking

Happy St. Patrick's Day, all!! I have spent most of my Sunday in the kitchen, preparing a delicious Irish meal for my friends. I wanted to make something traditional and warm, so I decided on an Irish beef stew. I found the recipe on EatingWell.com and made some adjustments based on what I had on-hand.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used chunks of beef)
• 1 3/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed (see Tip) and thinly sliced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
•  (I used reduced sodium beef broth)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped 
• ( I omitted this)

PREPARATION

1. Combine lamb, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 8 hours. Stir in parsley before serving.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. | Equipment: 6-quart slow cooker

• Tip: To clean leeks, trim and discard green tops and white roots. Split leeks lengthwise and place in plenty of water. Swish the leeks in the water to release any sand or soil. Drain. Repeat until no grit remains.

Cooking Away...

As you can see, this recipe is easy as pie. Just literally throw everything in the slow cooker and go about your day! And it smells heavenly- I am sniffing as I write this post :)

Along with the stew, I am serving fresh ,multigrain bread and a bundt cake for dessert! I dyed the cake batter green with some food coloring to make it  a bit more festive. 

Shamrock green!

I will take pictures of the finished project and do a recap post tomorrow! Now I am off to play with these two little buggers: 

Enjoy your Saint Patrick's Day!!

Morning Muffins!

Happy Saturday to all! I am writing this post from my front yard as today was freakishly warm and me and RJ just wanted to be outside to enjoy it :) He is next to me drawing a picture heehee.

During my snow day this week, I was in the mood to bake something while simultaneously using up the dozens of carrots in my fridge. I went a little nuts and bought a HUGE bag of carrots at the grocery store and I have been trying to use them up. After scouring the internet, I found this recipe from Martha Stewart for healthy morning muffins and I was very pleased with the end result! They were perfectly sweet and moist and have been gobbling them up! Here you go!

Healthy Morning Muffins

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used Trader Joe's whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raisins (I excluded these)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used equal parts applesauce)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 4 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt until there are no lumps. Stir in oats and raisins. Add oil, egg, milk, carrots, and banana and stir until blended.
2. Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature

These muffins are delicious  on their own as a snack or as breakfast, but if you spread peanut butter on one and wolf it down after dinner, I would'n judge you...

P.S. Today I may have hurt my left knee while running on the treadmill. That'll teach me to push myself too hard I suppose... Taking a rest day tomorrow to make sure it's not anything serious. I'll be sure to keep you updated :(

Have you ever hurt yourself exercising?

The big 2-3!

Guess what today is?? That's right my blog friends, it's my 23rd birthday!

Due to my mild obsession with anything to do with cooking/baking, I decided I wanted to make my own birthday cake this year. I combed through recipe upon recipe until I found the perfect one- I give you the Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Cake.

I did a slight variation on the recipe because not everyone in my household like peanut butter and I don't need a whole peanut butter cake all to myself haha. So without further ado, let the salivating begin..


Ingredients:

1 box of devil’s food cake
3 eggs
1 c of buttermilk
1/2 c of vegetable oil (I used applesauce)
3 c of chopped up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (divided 2 c/1 c)
8 oz of dark chocolate, chopped
1 c of heavy cream
3/4 c of peanut butter (smooth)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray two round 9 inch cake pans with non stick spray (I also lined the bottom of my pans with wax paper if you care to do that as well).

2. In your stand mixer with the paddle attached, mix the cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil/applesauce for 1 minute.  The increase the speed to med/high for 2 minutes.  Fold in 2 c of the chopped peanut butter cups by hand.  Pour 1/2 of the batter into one pan and then repeat with the second pan.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

3. Let the cakes cool completely before removing.

4. In the meantime, chop up your chocolate bar or chips (whatever you’re using) and set aside in a bowl.  In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream until it starts to boil.  Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Whisk until it is completely melted.

5. Add the peanut butter to a bowl and microwave for 1 minute.  Set aside.  Add your first cake layer to your decorative dish.  Pour the peanut butter over the top of the first cake (layer in between). Then place the second cake over top.  At this point you will pour the melted chocolate over top and let it drip down the sides.  Then you will top the cake and sides with the remaining 1c of chopped peanut butter cups.  Enjoy!

For my variation, I put the batter into a 9x13 inch pan and baked it as directed. When it came out, I let it cool for about 15 minutes, then I poked holes in the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. I filled half of the holes with the chocolate ganache and half with melted peanut butter. Then I topped the whole cake with the remainder of the ganache Reese's peanut butter cups (just on the side with the peanut butter).

MMMM.

I am SO excited for this cake you guys. I don't know how I am going to be able to wait until after dinner ;) Tonight is going to be fabulous, my whole family, including RJ, are going out to dinner at one of my favorite local spots that caters to a healthier crowd. The food is organic and everything is homemade from scratch. YUM!

See ya on the flip side with a recap!!

What is your dream birthday cake?

Artichokin'

Today was a very dreary Saturday in good ol' Maryland and a day of shopping with my sister was just what the doctor ordered. I am on a quest for the perfect birthday dress and have been searching the malls around the area. We walked into Arden B. and I found this little beauty. 

 I almost bought it but I was worried about it being white and getting things spilled on it :( Plus, it was just a little over my budget. I'm going to keep looking and will be sure to show you guys the winning look!

Anyways, when we got home from the mall, my grandparents arrived after a long drive from North Carolina, and we started to get dinner ready! Dinner tonight was an amazing crock pot meal my mom found in her recipe collection. Toss some chicken breasts in a crock pot with olives, tomatoes, and artichokes, cover with chicken broth and set it on high for 4-6 hours. The chicken comes out fork tender with such a great flavor.   Seriously a must try.

Herbed Artichoke Chicken  

11/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

Hidden chicken :)

1 can (14 ounces) tomatoes, drained and diced

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1/4 cup dry white whine

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine chicken, tomatoes, artichokes, onion, olives, broth, wine, tapioca, curry powder, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper in 4-7 quart crock pot. Mix thoroughly.

Cover: Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. 

Makes 6 servings

Tip: For a 5, 6, or 7 quart crock pot, double all ingredients, except for the chicken broth and white wine. Increase the chicken broth and white wine by 1/2.

The picture doesn't look like much, but it was soo good. The artichokes definitely stole the show. Along with my chicken, I had some green beans and a salad. 

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!! 

Do you dress up for your birthday?