Cauliflower Flatbread

This totally carb free appetizer was a hit at Christmas, so I thought I'd share it here.

What you'll need
1 head of cauliflower
2 cups mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan (or add more if you want it to be more cracker like)
1 clove garlic
1T Italian Seasoning (oregano etc, you can add more to your taste)
Salt to taste
1 egg (if you want it a little more bready like for pizza dough you can add 2 eggs)
Olive Oil
Parchment Paper

Directions

Pre Heat Oven to 375
Wash well and then grate entire head of Cauliflower
Steam
While cauliflower is hot add cheese, beaten egg, grated garlic, and seasonings. Mix Well
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and grease pan well with olive oil
Press Cauliflower mixture onto pan in an even thin layer.
Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly and brown.
Cool and slice

Enjoy with your favorite dip, sandwich fixings, or pizza toppings.

Pinterest inspired heart pies

I used the cherry heart pie recipe from Pinterest, but used strawberries instead. I had some extra pie crust from Thanksgiving and decided to make a special dinner for just the two of us. In all honesty they were not great, but it was fun. Maybe the original cherries would have been better.

Just roll our some pie crust and use cookie cutters to make your desired shape. Put in a little softened cream cheese, a few diced strawberries, and 1 T of sugar or splenda. Place another piece of pie crust on top and close with a fork. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20mins. Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza Recipe

I'm not a huge fan of "fast food" but every once in awhile it's nice to have something easy for dinner. One thing I do like is a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell. I wanted to make a better version at home and this is what I came up with.

What you'll need

2 whole wheat flour tortillas

Olive Oil Spray

Mexican Cheese (can be low fat)

Ground Turkey

Organic taco seasonings

Organic refried beans with no fat

optional toppings

jalapenos

salsa

tomatoes

sour cream

guacamole

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray each side of your tortillas with olive oil

Place in oven and bake for 5-7 minutes then flip and bake for an additional 5 minutes

Brown your ground turkey and season

Warm beans

Spread a layer of beans on one tortilla

Spread your ground turkey on top

Place second tortilla on top

Sprinkle cheese on top

Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted

Top with desired toppings

Enjoy!

Sorry for the bad pictures, but you get the idea.

Pinterest Inspired Ice Box Cake "Recipe"

I love Pinterest, I've found a ton of new recipes to try.

Josue and I bought a new patio set and decided to have a BBQ. I thought this Icebox cake I found on Pinterest would be the perfect dessert for the hot day! This is super easy to assemble and quite delicious.

What you'll need

8 Sugar Free Ice Cream Sandwiches

Sugar Free Cool Whip or homemade whip cream

Caramel, Fudge or both

Candy Bar (I used a twix & snickers) Chopped up

Assembly

Place 4 Ice Cream bars on the bottom of a small casserole dish

Use a spatula to spread 1/2 of your whip cream

Drizzle some caramel

Put another layer of ice cream bars down

Spread another layer of whip cream

Drizzle fudge

Sprinkle chopped candy bar on top

Place in the freezer.

Serve frozen

Enjoy!

Super Easy Ranch Dressing

If you want a healthy alternative to ranch dressing than this super easy recipe is perfect!

All you need is a blender bottle, equal parts greek yogurt & milk (buttermilk or almond milk are also good) pick your favorite ranch dressing mix & place everything in the blender bottle. SHAKE :)

If you like your ranch a little thicker you can add some extra yogurt.

Enjoy!

Healthy Option for Pasta Lovers

I've been doing a lot of research on healthy food options lately. I'm trying to make healthier decisions when it comes to what I put in my mouth. But I still want things to taste good. I came across Miracle Noodles, they are a no carb, no sugar, and no calorie "noodle". Miracle Noodles taste a lot like pasta with a very similar texture. They are a high fiber eatable coming from the konjac plant which means that they are mainly soluble fiber. Which fills us up and keeps are hunger pains at bay for a longer period of time. The best way to prepare them is to take them out of their bag and rinse with water & a small amount of vinegar then water again. (they don't smell very appetizing but just keep rinsing it will get better) Put them in a pot with your favorite sauce and heat.   I think the rice version is great for soup recipe.

Protein Packed "Frosty"

Want to indulge in a Wendy's Frosty, without all the guilt?

First you'll need to make your own sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 oz) can evaporated skim milk
1 1/2 c nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 c Splenda
In large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Refrigerate.

This recipe makes more than you'll need but it keeps well in the refrigerator.

Ok now to make the Frosty

You will need 6oz of the "sweetened" condensed milk
8oz of sugar free Cool Whip or a similar brand
1/2 gallon of low-fat milk
2 tbsp of sugar free chocolate syrup
1-2 scoop(s) of your favorite protein powder

Mix all ingredients in an ice cream maker for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies

It's that time of year, the time for all things pumpkin & fall. This recipe was adapted from my friend Julie. I usually make them using her recipe and they are always a huge hit! But this year I wanted to make a few changes and I tried to make them a little bit healthier.

Ingredients:

1 Egg
2 1/2 Cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups Splenda (or one cup white sugar 1 cup Splenda)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup grass fed organic butter
1 cup organic pureed pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla

Icing Ingredients
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c powdered sugar
1 c Splenda
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp grass fed butter
1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside
Cream together Splenda and butter. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients.

Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls (works best with a cookie scoop) flatten slightly. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.
While baking mix all ingredients for the icing. While the cookies are cooling drizzle icing with a fork.

These cookies are slightly cakey and can be turned into whoopie pies by placing cream cheese frosting sandwiched in between two cookies.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Double Chocolate Brownies

This recipe comes from my Uncle's blog Healthy Fellow. It is seriously DELICIOUS! & HEALTHY!! I just had to share.

This brownie recipe doesn’t taste like a stereotypical health food brownie. You’d never know that it’s dairy free, gluten free and low in carbohydrates. That’s part of the fun of making this type of treat. You can share it with the people you care about and later inform them that they unknowingly ate something that was actually nutritious. This even works with kids. Or, you can keep it your own little secret.




In order to transform a conventional, refined grain and sugar laden brownie into something genuinely health promoting, you’ll need to swap out several ingredients. Start by ditching the wheat flour in favor of almond meal. Instead of using a milk chocolate base, opt for non-alkalized, organic cocoa powder. Next, skip the butter by using full fat, organic coconut milk. Finally, employ an all natural sugar substitute in place of caloric sweeteners such as agave syrup, evaporated cane sugar and honey.



Unrefined cocoa provides an excellent source of antioxidants, dietary fiber and magnesium. Study after study indicates that this form of dark chocolate supports a healthy cardiovascular system via improvements in circulation, inflammation, lipid levels and oxidative stress status. But, the key to accessing these health benefits is to select cocoa products that haven’t been “mellowed” using a process known as alkalinization or Dutching. Valuable antioxidants including catechins and procyanidins are lost during this common processing technique. Be sure to check labels before buying your cocoa ingredients. (1,2,3)



The rationale for replacing butter or cream with organic coconut milk is found squarely in the scientific literature. Recent studies reveal that coconut milk and oil may: a) elevate HDL (“good”) cholesterol and reduce waist circumference in women; b) lower oxidative stress in the energy producing portion of heart cells or mitochondria; c) offer protection against liver and ulcer damage in experimental animal models. (4,5,6,7,8)



Healthy Fellow Double Chocolate Brownies



1 cup almond flour/meal

1 cup organic coconut milk

3/4 cup Truvia (stevia blend)

1/2 cup organic cocoa powder

4 large organic, omega-3 eggs

3 Tbs 60% semisweet chocolate chips

1 Tbs organic apple cider vinegar

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp organic instant coffee



Nutritional Content: Calories: 110. Protein: 4 grams. Fat: 9 grams. Fiber: 2 grams. “Net” Carbohydrates: 3 grams. Based on a serving size of one brownie. There are 16 brownies per batch.



Preheat oven to 350ºF. Sift the dry ingredients (almond flour, baking powder, cocoa and coffee powder, sea salt and stevia) into a large bowl. Stir well before adding the wet components (apple cider vinegar, coconut milk, eggs and vanilla). Use an electric mixer to blend the ingredients until completely smooth. Grease a 9″ x 9″ pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top of the brownie batter. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. Start checking for doneness at the 25 minute mark. I always use a wooden toothpick as a guide – poke it in the center of the brownie pan, if it comes out reasonably clean it’s time to take the pan out of the oven. We like our brownies a little “gooey”. I suggest refrigerating any leftovers you may have.

White Chicken & Potato Pizza

This is adapted from a recipe that my Mom made up. It's a family favorite, and a must try!

I have used many different pizza dough recipes but this one is my favorite. But using any pre-made dough is totally fine too. In fact the original recipe from my Mom is made with a Boboli Pizza Crust.

Pizza Toppings you will need;

Grilled & Sliced Chicken Breast (seasoned with Italian seasonings & garlic)

When grilling your chicken you can add some sliced purple onions if you'd like

Lite Alouette Garlic and Herb

Most of the time I also put some pesto in with the spread or while grilling the chicken

4 Red Potatoes Cooked and sliced (you can quickly cook them in the microwave and add a little garlic salt)

Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

Optionally you can add some fresh mozzarella which it makes it extra yummy!

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

After you roll your dough out on your greased stone spread the Alouette & pesto evenly

Place the sliced chicken, onions, and chicken all over the pizza. Then sprinkle the shredded cheese, and add the fresh mozzarella if you wish.

Put it in the oven for about 20 mins

This one is made with a Fresh and Easy pre-made dough



This one is made with Pioneer Woman's pizza dough recipe

Enjoy :)

Yummy ways to keep cool this summer!

Sugar Free Strawberry Popsicles

12oz of Diet Lemon Lime Soda
20 Large Strawberries
2 cups crushed ice
10 drops of liquid stevia or more to taste (clear, lemon, or vanilla flavored are good choices)

Blend all ingredients together well
Pour into six Popsicle molds

Makes 6-8







Rainbow Sherbet Float
3 Scoops of Fat Free Rainbow Sherbet
8oz of Sprite Zero
Put them in a glass and enjoy :)

Cherry Limeade Freeze

4 Scoops Lime Sorbet (can be homemade, sugar free, fat free, etc)

12oz of Sprite Zero

1oz of grenadine

(you can also just use Black Cherry Soda)

Blend together and pour in a glass

Freeze for a couple hours

Enjoy :)

Sugar Free Ice Cream Cake

I guess it was a couple years ago that I started making the birthday cakes for special occasions in my family. I really enjoy doing it so when I my sister asked me for an ice cream cake this year I was up for the challenge. I wanted to secretly make it sugar free since I am on this new stevia kick. So except for the little pink and yellow chips on top this cake is sugar free. Feel free to use real sugar. But I was pleasantly surprised how yummy this was. :)

Chocolate Cake


2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups Splenda No Calorie Sweetener Granular
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate, shaved (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºF Grease two 9-inch round cake pans

Combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add to mixture. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for two minutes. Stir in boiling water slowly and mix thoroughly. Add shaved chocolate. Pour into pans. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for ten minutes then remove from pans to wire cooling rack. Then put the cakes in plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

Make the ice cream while the cakes are freezing.

Ice Cream

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup of Splenda or 1 Cup Stevia Extract in the raw or 3 t of powdered Stevia
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I bought pure mint extract, but peppermint is easier to find and just as good)
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup shaved pieces of Simply lite milk chocolate bar (trader joes)

1.In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, Splenda, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the Splenda has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.
2.Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate shavings. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later place it in the freezer until ready to use. ( you may want to have the cake ready at this point because it is better if the ice cream is soft to 'frost' the cake with it.)

Topping

Ok I'll admit it I didn't make this part I was planning on make fresh whip cream, but I read that it wouldn't freeze well so I used all natural Sugar Free Whipped topping from Whole Foods. However Cool Whip will work just fine.

Putting the cake together:

Pull the cakes out of the freezer and place the bottom layer on your serving dish or on a plate. make sure the top is flat. "Frost" the cake with a very thick layer of soft (but not liquidy) ice cream. Put top layer of cake on top of the ice cream and wrap with plastic wrap. Put in the freezer until an hour or so until you are going to be serving it. When you are ready to frost the cake with the whipped topping do so. For fun you can add some sprinkles or maybe some more chocolate shavings. Place back into the freezer until you are ready to eat.

Enjoy :)

Home made green enchilada sauce

Green Enchilada Sauce

I love making green enchilada casserole, but I used to always use this stuff for my sauce.

Until one of my best friends Ana taught me how to make the 'real' stuff. It is very simple and makes a huge difference so I thought I'd share :)

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes unless you want it spicy (you can even use a Serrano for some real spice!)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 c. chicken broth


In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt & pepper. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lot faster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.




When using as a dip for chips I love adding the sauce to the blender with some salt and a few avocados. Seriously best dip ever!!

Magic Bars

Every Christmas my Mom makes a ton of sweet treats. My favorites of her many recipes have to be the fudge and her magic bars. This year I decided to make her magic bars with my special twist.

Ingredients:

1 yellow or even chocolate cake box mix

1 stick of butter

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1 bag of white chocolate chips

1 Can of sweetened condensed milk

- For fun you can use colored white chocolate chips they ususally have green and red around Christmas

Optional Items

Coconut

Nuts (walnuts or almonds work best)

Peanut Butter Chips

Carmel Pieces

Butterscotch chips

The easy how to:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt the stick of butter

Mix butter and cake mix

push into greased 9x13 pan

bake for 15 mins

take out of oven and layer all you chips, nuts, coconut etc.

Pour condensed milk evenly over top

Bake for 15 more mins or so

I forgot to take pictures this year, but I really wanted to share this yummy recipe so I borrowed pictures from Sprinkles of Parsley Blog

Ground Beef or Turkey Eggrolls

This is my favorite Eggroll recipe. It takes a few steps but is actually pretty easy.

I don't have an exact recipe as I usually just make it as I go but I will to the best of my ability share the recipe with you.

First you will need

Eggroll wrappers

Soy Sauce

Head of cabbage

Shredded carrots

Ground Beef or Turkey

Small dish of water

Oil for cooking

Tempura Dipping Sauce (optional)

First brown your ground meat with a little bit of soy sauce. Shred/chop your cabbage. Add cabbage, carrots and to taste soy sauce to the pan of meat.


When mixture is done cooking and looks like above picture you can start to assemble your eggrolls. Place wrapper at a diagonal. Place meat and veggie mixture in the center. Wet all corners of the wrapper.

Fold like this picture and create a roll

After this process you can let them sit the fridge for a while or go straight to cooking. You can bake with a little oil, boil them, or the best (& worst) way is to pan or even deep fry them.


I like to enjoy them by dunking them into tempura dipping sauce, yum!

I've also made them by adding additional veggies like celery or even broccoli

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

I had a potluck to go to on Monday. I didn't want to go to the store so I thought what crowd pleaser can I make (as I am stuffing Jalapeno Poppers in my mouth) Then I realized I can't make poppers since I didn't have enough but I could put all the components together. So I created Jalapeno popper dip. (I did a google search later and realized I hadn't invented it, it was still really good all the same) I wasn't sure how it would go over, but everyone loved it and asked for my recipe :)

So here ya go!

Ingredients

1 bar of cream cheese softened
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of Mexican crema
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1-2 cup(s) of panko crumbs
4 Jalapenos diced and seeded. (You can add some seeds into mixture to give it a little heat)


Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
In a saucepan add cream cheese, sour cream, crema, jalapenos and 1/2 cup of panko crumbs. Melt and add to a oven safe dish cover with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes and broil for a minute to brown. Serve right away with tortilla chips or Club crackers. ENJOY!

I also saw a recipe online where they added some cheddar cheese to the melting process, that sounded good too. I may try that next time.

Italian Risotto

Italian Risotto

I normally make my Italian Grandmother's risotto, but I decided to use Pioneer Womans recipe. With a few tweaks of my own ;) This isn't a healthy dish, actually it is pretty rich. Pair it with a grilled piece of chicken or fish and a nice vegetable.

Ingredients
■ 2 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
■ 3/4 cups of each Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago Cheese
■ 3 cloves Garlic
■ 1/4 whole Large Onion
■ 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
■ 1 Tablespoon Butter
■ 7 cups (to 8 Cups) Chicken Broth
■ 1 cup Heavy Cream
■ 1 Tablespoon Basil, Chopped
■ Salt And Pepper, to taste

I made just cheese risotto for blogging purposes but some options that we love to add are;

Italian Sausage

Feta Cheese

Broccoli

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Pepper Flakes

Chicken

Etc.

Preparation Instructions
Grate 2 cups of cheese. Peel and finely dice 3 to 4 cloves of garlic. Dice 1/4 of a large onion.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter. Throw in the garlic and onion and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice thoroughly. Adding 1 cup at a time, add 7-8 ounces of chicken broth, stirring constantly after each addition. As soon as it appears that the rice has absorbed each helping of broth, add in the next helping. Do not stop stirring. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite.

When more of the broth is absorbed pour in 1 to 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Next add the grated cheese and stir thoroughly. Add in plenty of fresh cracked pepper and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped basil. Add salt to taste.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Pies

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I found a pumpkin whoopie pie recipe on Martha Stewart's website, but I changed it up quite a bit. It was a huge hit on Thanksgiving. They are yummy, but not healthy at all. Of course you could definitely substitute applesauce for butter, splenda for sugar, and use wheat flour, but for Thanksgiving I didn't. Here is the recipe I made:

Cookie/Cakes

1 stick softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 can pure pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

Filling

2 sticks softened cream cheese ( I did use the 1/3 less fat kind)

1 Jar Marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter softned

1 box confectioners' sugar (you can use less if you don't want it to be too sweet)

2 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together sugar and oil. Add eggs and pumpkin. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drop by tablespoonsful (the best thing to use is a small ice cream scoop) on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies.

Beat together all filling ingredients together frost the bottom of one cookie and sandwich another cookie on top.

Chill for at least 20 minutes.

Lighter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I've kinda turned this into a baking and cooking blog, but I do intend to write more about life stuff but for now here is a recipe I created. Of course they are no Martha Stewart or Mrs. Fields, but they are pretty yummy for a lighter dessert. =)

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Applesauce

1 Cup White Sugar (Substitute can be made here, I used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda)

1 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Mix

2 Eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 Cups white flour (brown flour can be substituted, but white tastes better) =)

2 Cups oat (oatmeal, ground finely can be done slowly in blender)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 bag white chocolate chips (or whatever variety you prefer)

Directions:

Cream together the first four ingredients

Then mix in eggs and vanilla

In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients then slowly add them to wet ingredients

Fold in chocolate chips (At this point I divided dough into two portions, and added white chocolate chips into only one portion)

Refrigerate for at least an hour covered

Roll into 1 tablespoonfull balls. Flatten and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degree preheated oven for 7-10 minutes . Cool on rack

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

ENJOY =)

Oreo Muffins Healthy?

So I'm on my let's make good food healthy kick, and I decided to make muffins for breakfast! So I subsituted some healthy ingreadients, but I just had to add those oreos =)
Regular Recipe
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 cup Oreos, crushed


Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease muffin tins.
Beat together the egg, milk and butter.
Stir in the remaining ingredients except the Oreos.
Fold in the Oreos; batter will be lumpy.
Spoon into prepared muffin tins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes



I used splenda instead of sugar and applesauce in place of the butter