Pretzel Snack Recipe

I have a new show obsession, THE KITCHEN on the Food Network. I love the cast, the recipes, the vibe of the set, the DIY stuff, etc. Cooking shows aren't something I normally watch, but I DVR this one it's THAT good. The cast is funny, clever and smart. The recipes are all delicious with healthy options and products that are a little out of the ordinary which is cool. The DIY projects are usually always recycling something and having a new use for it which I absolutely LOVE. I have made DIY cleaner made from fruit that I use for our kitchen counters and just this last episode they did some very interesting things with old cans that I have to try.

 

Also on the most recent episode they made two versions of pretzels snacks, one sweet and one savory. After seeing how good they looked I had to try them so I whipped them up quickly yesterday.

 

The jar on the left is chocolate syrup (I use the 5 simple ingredients one made by Hershey's since it doesn't have all the additives in it and preservatives) and blended unsalted peanuts. I realized after blending I could've just used my PB2 and the other option is instead of blending to just smash some up so it's more chunky. You simply coat the the pretzels with the syrup and then coat that with the nuts.

 

The jar on the right is a balsamic glaze coating the pretzels with parmesan cheese, italian spices and garlic powder.

 

Both are really good! Next time I think I would coat them both more and add more toppings.

 



Success!

 

Well, day 2 of the group I have completed what I needed. I feel even more motivated now. Yesterday's workout was AWESOME. Country Heat is better than I thought it would be and a true workout. I sweat just as much as I do with any other workouts. I felt like I really accomplished something and felt good about that and myself. Parker joined in a little here and there, he loved the music and had to put his cowboy boots on for it. Too cute!

 

This program I prefer over Cize which is surprising to me because my dream for many years growing up was to be a hip hop dancer so you would think Cize would be my absolute favorite. Cize is very fun, but it's 15 minutes longer than Country Heat and that 15 minutes is a long time with you have a toddler hanging on your leg or wanting something or bored or thirsty, etc. Cize also repeats a lot throughout the workout. When a new move is introduced, you practice it and then you have to start the routine over and put it all together and this continues to the end with the last move. Country Heat has about 20 or so different moves just like Cize but once you do one or two, you move onto other moves and don't have to repeat the previous ones. I am new to country music, my son likes it. Usually I would say I would prefer hip hop, but that has now changed. Country music really is so fun! The music really kept me interested and excited. Country Heat is something I could see myself doing daily so it was well worth the purchase. Can't wait to do a different routine after work!

 

After a CRAZY day at work, a hardcore workout, making a healthy dinner for the family, prepping my sons lunch for the next day, hanging a stuffed animal hammock and other stuff around the house...

 

I DESERVED THIS! :)

 

Simple, quick and delicious!

 

apple slices

vanilla almond butter

mini chocolate chips

 

 

So good! This or something similar to it will become one of my new favorite snacks.

 



Frozen Greek Yogurt

Three things!

1.) I LOVE ice cream. It's one food I could eat daily if it wasn't a million calories in each pint.

2.) I HATE wasting food. It's like throwing money in the garbage. And I am a penny pincher! 

3.) It's getting warmer out!!! 

Those three things inspired THIS:

Last night my son had a greek yogurt with his dinner. He liked it but ate all his pasta first so he was full and didn't finish the yogurt. I didn't want to throw out the rest and covering it with foil is pointless because it usually just ends up in the trash anyways. I've wanted to freeze greek yogurt for awhile now to enjoy like I would ice cream so what better time. 

I put the rest in two cupcake liners, topped with some dark chocolate chips because my "ice cream" flavors always need some sort of chocolate in them and put them in a baggie in the freezer. 

When we got home from school/work I took them out and they looked great! The liners came off fine and they smelled amazing, I used coconut yogurt. I let them sit in a bowl for a little so they weren't as hard. 

Perfect snack for me and my son. They are toddler approved! Can't wait to make different kinds as the weather gets warmer and warmer. My new ice cream substitute! Yum. 

I think I will get small containers for the freezer and make this in bigger batches. :)

Healthy Chocolate Cake, Is There Such A Thing?

There sure is!

 

My mom's birthday was last month and my whole family is really trying to be healthy, but I still wanted to make something special for her. There is even a 90 day challenge going on with myself, my husband and brother to prep for our vacation in June. Even though we are trying to have a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean we can't have dessert. I wanted to make a cake for my mom because what is a birthday without a birthday cake. I was browsing online and found one that looked awesome. I had a few of the ingredients so I decided to try it out.

 

The recipe calls for:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

 

-- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.

-- Combine all the dry ingredients. (cocoa, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking powder and sea salt) Mix together.

-- Add the eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla. Mix together.

-- Pour mixture into a greased round regular cake pan. I just sprayed the pan with some coconut oil.

-- Bake for 25 minutes.

-- Top with shredded coconut. You could also make an icing as well or some powdered sugar. I went the healthiest route I could think of and it paired well with the coconut flour in the cake.

 

 

 

This cake was delicious and very moist! It's definitely worth trying out. I am now obsessed with coconut flour. It smells so good and is a great substitute for regular white flour. We have since made pancakes with the coconut flour.

 

ENJOY & HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY WAS A GREAT ONE MOM!

Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches

I've posted this recipe a couple years ago, but what better time to post it again.  Spring is here and the warm weather is coming.  This is a super easy recipe that makes a great snack especially on a hot day.  The kids will love them and they are a lot better for them than the ice cream truck.

The two different kinds in the picture below are:  a low-fat cinnamon graham cracker with some natural chunky peanut butter and fat-free cool whip and the other one is a chocolate graham cracker with just some fat-free cool whip.  Just wrap them separately in saran wrap or foil and put them in the freezer.

You can add anything to them instead of peanut butter like nutella, chopped nuts, sprinkles, even sliced fruit.

I have been really craving ice cream lately so this is a much better alternative than Dairy Queen and Rita's.

Have the same craving?  Satisfy it in a healthy way...

The Start of Clean Eating

Goodbye processed foods, hello fresh healthy food!

I've come to realize I need to start consuming less sodium during this pregnancy.  I am going to mainly do clean eating.  Yesterday I stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables and I am excited to start putting even better foods into my body and for my little baby boy.  Other great foods to eat are whole grains like quinoa, healthy fats like avocados and salt-free assorted nuts.  All which are now in my pantry/fridge.  I ate a lot of vegetables already but adding fruits and other things I am not used to eating will be great for me and help my body out in the long run.  As a former vegetarian I am not a huge meat eater but I bought some fresh beef, low in sodium and a great protein for the baby.  I need to broaden my tastes for at least the next few months.  I also want to find some great recipes with quinoa.

So far I made a yummy fruit salad I can have for the whole week, bring it to work and have for a healthy snack.

I am starting to try to do some DIY crafts more, need to be more of a crafty mom for baby Parker...

Easter Egg Decoration

Mason Jar turned into a Decorative Q-Tip holder

Are You A Dessert Lover?

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Just a few ingredients and about only 170 calories depending on how much fat-free cool whip you add to it.  To me it was just as satisfying as a restaurant dessert, but about 1,000 calories less.  I freeze the cool whip so it's kind of like ice cream which is something I crave very often especially with the warmer weather now.

 

Heat the fiber brownie (any flavor you like) in the microwave for about 15 seconds, scoop on some fat-free cool whip and indulge in this healthy dessert option!

 

 

 

Coconut Almond Bread

The recipe calls for:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup stevia

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

3/4 cup shredded coconut

sugar to sprinkle

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-- In a large bowl mix together the butter and sugar until it is creamy.  Beat in the egg and extracts.

-- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the mixed ingredients and milk slowly to the creamy mixture.  Mix well.

-- Fold in the shredded coconut.

-- Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Sprinkle with sugar.

-- Bake for 50 minutes.

I used some lighter alternatives to make this recipe a little healthier.  Instead of butter I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and I used 1% milk.  You could also use fat-free milk, but I just used what I had.  I used Stevia in the mixture, but I prefer regular sugar for sprinkling.  I liked it warmed up a little, but it's just as good served at room temperature.

Mother's Day Cupcakes

Sometimes you have to indulge, what better day then on Mother's Day!  My mom is a huge Nutella fan so I wanted to make the dessert for our family dinner and I found the perfect recipe for her.  :)

Nutella Icing

   

The recipe calls for:
2/3 cup nutella
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs heavy whipping cream
a dash of salt

-- In a big mixing bowl, use a hand mixer and combine the nutella (I used Shoprite brand), sugar and butter.  Beat for about 2 minutes on low.
-- Add the remaining ingredients and mix on medium for about 1 minute or until the icing is smooth.

Seasonal Baking

Like I've said before I am not the best baker, but I am happy to see that I am getting better with practice. Below are two recipes for a Low Fat Pumpkin Roll and Nutella Cookies. In both recipes no regular sugar was used, instead I used Stevia. This alone lowers the calories per serving.

The recipe calls for:

3 eggs

1 cup stevia (or sugar)
3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup confectioner's sugar & some for dusting

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs butter, softened

8 oz low fat cream cheese

-- Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan & line it with parchment paper. Grease & flour the paper.

-- Beat the eggs on high for 5 minutes in a large bowl. Gradually add the stevia or sugar & pumpkin. Then add the flour, cinnamon & baking soda. Spread batter evenly in pan & sprinkle the walnuts on top.

-- Bake for 15 minutes. Immediately turn the cake onto a linen towel dusted with confectioner's sugar. Peel off the paper & roll it up carefully in the towel. Let it cool.

-- Make the filling: Mix the confectioner's sugar (1 cup), vanilla, butter & cream cheese together until smooth.

-- Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the filling over the cake to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioner's sugar if desired.

The recipe calls for:

1 cup nutella

1/2 cup stevia

1 cup flour

1 egg

-- Preheat oven to 350. 

-- Blend all the ingredients together well & form into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on a cookie sheet & press down firmly with the bottom of a glass.

-- Bake for 8 minutes. Cool. Enjoy!

Craving Ice Cream?

A great substitute to a pint of Ben & Jerry's or buying a tub of ice cream is something I started doing years ago.  Shoprite has there own brand of cool whip.  There is a fat-free kind that when you freeze it tastes like you're eating ice cream.  You could use any brand of cool whip & even use light or the regular kind, all better than the  1,000 calorie pints people buy.  And we all know when we buy them it's very hard to not eat the whole thing in one sitting, myself included.  Sometimes you need to splurge, but with summer right around the corner this is a great way to enjoy ice cream more frequently & to stay cool.





Some toppings you can add are fruit, granola or one of those 100 packs of cookies crumbled up.  You can also just use sprinkles or chocolate syrup since the "ice cream" itself isn't very high in calories or high in weight watcher points.



Graham Cracker Ice Cream Sandwich:

-- Break one graham cracker in half.  Any kind of your choice, regular/cinnamon/chocolate.  They also have light options at Shoprite.  I prefer the chocolate Shoprite brand.
-- Add a spoonful of the fat-free cool whip to one of the halves & put the other half on top.
-- Wrap the sandwich in saran wrap & place them in the freezer until frozen.  It's a great treat!

Random Food Pics

BAKING

      

PASTA

           


DESSERT

OTHER

     

           

For My Mom

Red Velvet Cake

Weekend of Food & Art

I had a very nice day in the city on Friday except for the freezing cold weather. This is insane. Where the hell is Spring? Before the city we decided to randomly stop at Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken. First time I have been there. The line wasn't too long & the prices were like any regular bakery which was really nice. We purchased some cupcakes(vanilla/resse's/red velvet), cannoli's & a cookie. The cannoli's were so good. I love all cannoli's, but these were extra delicious. Fresh & tasty. "Love at first bite" is right! Two of the people from the show we ended up seeing in the bakery, not Buddy though.

After that delicious cannoli we headed into the city. The MoMa was beautiful all around. I definitely plan on going again. We got there a little later than planned so seeing every room of art was impossible, but we saw most. Here is just SOME of the pieces I loved... (CLICK PHOTOS TO VIEW BIGGER)

     

      

And two of my favorite photograph's...

I got inspired to cook & draw after my long day out. My Saturday included buying some charcoal pencils at Michael's & making some yummy pot pies for the family. I don't think I've used these pencils before. They are a little hard to work with, but I like them & will learn as I go. I started off with something basic & I plan to draw something more detailed next time.

I stuffed them with peas, corn, onions,
potato soup, mushrooms & chicken.

Spring Is Coming!

Today was a very productive full filled day & beautiful in the 70's. I did a lot of spring cleaning including: donating clothes, cleaning the kitchen/living room/bedroom/etc. & lots of laundry. I also went to the dry cleaners, stopped at the Christmas Tree Shop & of course made a trip to Starbucks. I needed to go to the store for a broom & a new springy doormat, success! I also saw a grow your own basil pot so I had to pick that up. It was only $1.99 so who knows if it will even work, but I figured it was worth the money to give it a try. I love me some basil! I am not good at keeping plants or flowers alive so hopefully I have better luck with herbs. If all goes well I will pick up parsley & maybe a vegetable. While I cleaned my dog got her vitamin-d in while sunbathing.

 

My friend Rachel came over & we made s'more fudge. It is SO delicious. 43 calories a piece. It's made with semi sweetened chocolate chips, 2 low fat graham crackers, mini marshmallows, fat free condensed milk & a little vanilla. Super easy to make! Great for kids & adults. If you want the recipe leave a comment.

Have a nice weekend...Go to Rita's for some free italian ice from noon to 9pm on Sunday to start spring off the right way! Italian ice is 300 calories or under & they have sugar free options under 140 calories.

Starbucks - Free Treats!

Starbucks celebrated their 40th anniversary this week, congrats! Personally I don't know what I'd do without my non-fat mocha's from Starbucks. They keep me sane. New treats were added to the menu and they are low in calories! Today until Saturday from 2-5pm with the purchase of a drink you can get a free petite treat. The new treats include different cake pops, mini cup cakes, sweet squares and a red velvet whoopie pie. Click here for the descriptions. They all look amazing and I know the whoopie pie and s'mores cake pop taste amazing. The whoopie pie was better then the cake pop though in my opinion. All the treats are under 200 calories, some under 180.

They also have a new logo and at first I didn't think I would like it, but it's growing on me. I look forward to what their holiday version will look like with the new logo.

Get your asses to Starbucks!! How can you say no to free food? ;)