Coconut Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chia Seed Protein Muffins

OK so honestly - I was trying to make cookies - my husband requested full sugar chocolate chip cookies and I wanted some I could eat - so I gave the coconut flour cookie method a try. Obviously - it went very very wrong lol and they ended up as muffins. I was also using a peanut butter protein "shake" I had made for myself that was way to thick (seriously thick - not like solid PB, but close) and I didn't want to be wasteful and throw it away.

This was my very first time trying to replace regular flour with coconut flour. I'd read that 1 cup of regular flour is 1/3 or 1/4 cup of coconut flour and you needed more egg to bind it all together as well as more liquid because coconut flour tends to be much dryer than regular flour. So I decided to try and translate the choc chip cookie recipe I was making my hubby into one I could eat using the above info. I added one extra egg and figured my PB "shake" would be the extra liquid. I had also read not to be alarmed if the "dough" was a bit runny because the coconut flour would soak up all the moisture during the cooking process. Well, I found that to be somewhat true, but only after I ruined one cookie sheet full of "cookies" that became like a solid super thin sheet cake lol. And that is why I decided to turn them into muffins. I also added some chia seeds to help soak up some of the excess liquid as well as make them even healthier :-)

The muffins are perfect and the flavor is out of this world delicious! I am so happy I decided to make these! They taste sooo sinful but are actually pretty healthy. I haven't even let my husband try them for fear he'll eat them all - which he's been known to do when my healthy treats taste better than the full sugar ones lol.

The only thing I don't have an exact recipe amount for is the protein "shake" but I'll try my best. I started with the thought of a PB/Chocolate Protein Shake, but once I'd already started making it, I found out we were out of the SF Chocolate Syrup. Then I thought of a banana PB shake - only to find out we were out of bananas! So I started trying to improvise, which only thickened the shake until it was too thick to drink. I could have eaten it with a spoon, but that just didn't appeal to me.

Coconut Flour Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chia Seed Protein Muffins

Protein "shake":
2 heaping scoops of Natural Isopure Unflavored Protein Powder
8 oz Milk
2 giant Tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp Chocolate PB2

Muffin mix:
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1 cup Brown Sugar Substitute
3 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Hot Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Coconut Flour
Protein "shake"
3 Tbsp Chia Seeds
2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake/muffin paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, protein "shake", chia seeds and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into cupcake/muffin liners until 3/4 full.

Bake mini muffin tins for aprox 15-20 minutes, regular muffin tins aprox 20-25 minutes. Muffins will be a darker brown but still spongy when pressed in the middle.

Let cool completely on wire baking rack - muffin papers will not peel away properly until fully cooled. Store in zip top bags or an airtight container to prevent muffins from drying out.

This recipe made 18 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins. It would have made more minis but I got impatient and filled them to the top (I only have one mini pan lol).

Like I said before - I am sooo very happy I made these. I cannot explain to you just how yummy these muffins are. Try them for yourself and you'll see!

Delicata Squash Cinnamon Sugar Baked "Fries"

When I heard that certain squash can taste like sweet potatoes, I knew I had to try it. I mean, I love potatoes, so if I can eat "potatoes" without the carbs, I'll be one very happy girl. Plus with Thanksgiving coming up, if this does really taste like sweet potatoes, I can substitute my candied yams with squash!

In looking at a few different recipes, I noticed a few common ingredients - oil, brown sugar and cinnamon. I wanted to make these as healthy as possible so I used coconut oil and brown sugar substitute. I also noticed that many recipes said to sprinkle the seasoning onto the squash. Well I don't know about you, but when I sprinkle seasoning on things, I tend to get more on my pan than on the item I'm trying to season lol. So I decided to try a Shake N Bake method and surprise - it worked beautifully!

While I will admit, these do not taste exactly like sweet potatoes, they are close enough that if you don't tell anyone, they'd never know :-)  

Delicata Squash Cinnamon Sugar "Fries"

1 Delicata Squash, peeled, seeded and cut into strips

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar Substitute

2 tsp Cinnamon

Coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat the squash strips with coconut oil. Put sugar and cinnamon In a large zip top bag. Add the squash strips to bag, seal and shake like crazy to completely coat.

Place squash strips onto a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes then flip. Bake another 15 minutes. Take out, let cool slightly. Enjoy!

These were so yummy, I can't wait to try them mashed!

Homemade Summer Sausage

My hubby decided to make some summer sausage for the first time this past week - and I must say it is so good - WAY better than any you can buy at the store! It's so moist and has great flavor - if you love summer sausage and you've got some time, I encourage you to make your own too!

Most recipes call for solely using ground beef but he had the idea to use a mixture of pork and beef. He used this recipe from Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit to meet his needs and ingredients.

Summer Sausage

3 lbs Ground Beef
5 lbs Ground Pork Shoulder
8 tsp Morton Tender Quick
1/4 cup Mustard Seed
3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Salt
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp Hickory-flavored Liquid Smoke, divided
1/4 cup Brown Sugar, lose not packed (optional - gives a nice sweet glaze)

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for three days, mixing well once per day.

On the fourth day, preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Shape the mixture into logs (we made 7) and place on a wire rack over a large drip pan, or foil lined bottom oven rack. Put 1/4 hickory-flavored liquid smoke in an oven safe bowl on bottom oven rack (optional but it gives the meat that extra nice smokiness) and sprinkle brown sugar over top of logs. Bake for eight hours at 200 degrees.

Remove and set on paper towels to cool. Let logs cool completely, then individually wrap in plastic wrap. Chill completely before slicing. Store in the refrigerator or they also freeze very well.

Doesn't that look yummy? You know you want some! It's super easy to make so get out there and do it!

Low Carb Pizza

I love pizza, like - LOVE it. But living a low carb life doesn't really allow me to eat it often and I feel so wasteful picking the toppings off normal pizza and throwing away the crust. So you can imagine my excitement when I found this recipe from PlainChicken.com. We have made it numerous times with different toppings every time. It's not a pizza you can pick up and eat with your hands, but that doesn't stop us lol.

Mmmmmm delicious!

Low Carb Pizza

Crust:

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

Topping:

1/2 cup Pizza Sauce

Cheese of your choice (we like a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and asiago)

Toppings of your choice - pork sausage, Italian turkey sausage, pepperoni, beef, bacon, mushrooms, green pepper, black olive, onion (the list could go on and on lol)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix the cream cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and garlic powder in a mixer until mostly creamy. Spread evenly into the 9x13 dish. Bake for aprox 15 minutes until golden brown.

Take from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the pizza sauce evenly over crust and top however you like (cheese first or last is totally up to you) with as many toppings as you like. Bake for 10 minutes - may need to bake longer depending on how many toppings you've used. Pizza is done when cheese is completely melted.

We did half Italian turkey sausage and salami and half Italian turkey sausage and pepperoni 

This is so easy and fast you can make and it eat before your delivery type pizza even gets there and you probably have all the ingredients on hand already! I urge you to try it, you won't be disappointed.

The Best Brown Bag Apple Pie

Have you ever heard of a brown bag apple pie? Me either - until I met my husband, then boyfriend. Then I heard about it all the freaking time, especially in the fall which happens to surround his his birthday lol! You know the whole - my birthday is coming up, it sure would be nice to have some BBAP hint hint lol. He loves pie - like a lot - and since I love to bake and wanted to impress the heck out of him - I went on a quest to find out what it was and make him the very best BBAP he'd ever tasted. And guess what - I did it! I don't know that I've ever seen such joy on a persons face while eating as I did when he ate my version of BBAP :-)

This pie is 100% homemade. None of that store bought pie crust stuff. This pie takes at least 2 days to make as the crust needs to sit in the fridge overnight. The crust is very special and is extremely important in what makes it the best. It's kind of like a cross between a normal pie crust and a sugar cookie. You may even want to eat this in layers - the crust is THAT good! I confess that I have done a store bought crust for the bottom and just made the top crust really thick - more of a cookie crust feel. I did have to bake it longer because of the thicker crust though - it took a while to brown.

Also, this is meant to be a sweeter tasting apple pie than you may be used to. If you prefer a more tart pie - use Granny Smith apples. My man likes it somewhat sweet which is why I use Red IDA apples, they are sweet but tart at the same time - not to be confused with Red Delicious apples which are not tart at all, that would make it much too sweet, in my opinion.

I used an old Outback Steakhouse bag lol

The Best Brown Bag Apple Pie

Crust (makes both top and bottom layers):
2 cup Cake flour
1/2 cup Sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/3 cup Ice water

Filling:
5-10  Sweet Tart Apples like Red IDA Apples
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Small Tapioca Pearls
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground nutmeg
1 1/2 Tbsp Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 Large brown paper bag

Crust Instructions: 

Day 1:
In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until pea-sized pieces appear. Add the water and pulse briefly—it will still look crumbly.

Transfer the crumbs to 2 pieces of parchment paper or foil and form into 2 disks. Wrap the discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2:
On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out 1 disk to a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Keep rolling until the circle is at least 2 inches larger than your pan. I find that rolling out the dough is easier with a heated rolling pin (I have a really old Tupperware one that I fill with hot water). Line the pie pan with the dough, letting the edge hang over a bit.

Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Make sure whatever rack you use leaves space all around the bag - lower your rack if the bag touches the top. The last thing you want is an oven fire!

Roll the second disk, place it on a sheet pan and chill it until you're ready to build your pie.

Pie Filling Instructions: 

Cut your apples into slices. In a medium bowl, toss the apple slices, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together. Transfer to the pie shell and dot with the butter.

Brush the overhanging edges of the dough with water. Carefully cover with the rolled-out top crust and pinch the edges together, turning them under all around to make a thick edge. To decorate the rim, press it all around with the back of a fork, or just pinch it to seal. With scissors, cut a few V-vents in the center.

Slide the pie into the brown paper bag and fold the top down. Staple bag shut and place it on a sheet pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove the pie from the oven and cut a large circle in the top of the bag. Return to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Let the pie cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Served hot with vanilla ice cream - YUMMMM

I really do love this pie - as does my husband. I hope you do too!

DIY Cinnamon Scented Pine Cones

Every year I buy a large bag of the cinnamon scented pine cones. I absolutely love the look and scent. It means the arrival of fall and holiday season to me. This year I decided to try make my own!

While camping in the Oakanogan area Labor Day weekend, there were pine cones everywhere. And they were the big beautiful good ones - just like the ones you buy! So my husband and I scoured the area and selected only the best to bring home lol

There are many different methods you can use for this project. The method I decided to use takes a few weeks before they'll be ready to set out, but I think it'll have the best scent impact and longevity. I did do two different batches though, just to see if spraying the essential oil mixture before baking made any difference. We shall see.

The first thing you need to do is bake the cones on a foil lined baking sheet for one hour at 200 degrees to bake off any sap and kill any bugs that may be lerking inside.

Once done baking. Take out and let cool. In a squirt bottle (I used an empty Febreze bottle that I cleaned out thoroughly) mix some cinnamon essential oil with water and spray the pine cones liberally. Put cones into a zip top type bag and spray once more. Shake bag to move the oils around.

My cinnamon essential oil/water mix in an old Febreze spray bottle.

The cones inside the zip top bag. You can see the moisture on the bag from the oil/water mixture. The cones soaked it right up.

Now this is where the waiting begins. The cones will need to sit in the bag to let them absorb the oil and soak up the scent. The longer you let them sit, the stronger the scent will be. You will need to shake the bag once a week to move the oils around. I will be spraying more essential oil into the bag every week because I want a super strong scent that lasts the whole season.

I was able to make 6 full gallon sized zip top bags and I think I'll wait until at least the middle of October before I set any out. The rest I'll leave to take out later in the year. The good thing about this is, once these lose their scent, I can put them back in a zip top bag and start the process all over again! Then, at the end of the season, I'll put them back in their bags and soak them with the oil/water mixture and put away till next year! Just think how yummy they'll smell by then!!

Homemade Canned No Sugar Added Gluten Free Cinnamon Applesauce and Apple Pie Filling

It's that time of year again when our apple trees are full of apples and it's time to do something about it! So my husband and I picked 2 full 5 gallon buckets worth of apples and decided to make some applesauce and pie filling.

The preparation instructions for making the applesauce and pie filling are pretty much the same. First you must cut, peel and core the apples. For the applesauce we used the Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer. It makes things soooo easy! For the pie filling, I did it all by hand because I like larger apple slices in my pies.

Apple pieces after using the Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer and cutting apples in half.

No Sugar Added Gluten Free Cinnamon Applesauce

12 lbs Apples, peeled cored and sliced

Water
3 cups Sugar Substitute
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Jars, lids and bands for canning

Prepare jars and lids for canning.

Put apples in a large pot filled with water and boil on medium-high heat for aprox 5-20 minutes, depending on how large your apple pieces are, until apples are tender. Our small thin slices only needed 5 minutes (per batch). 

Once apple pieces are soft and tender, transfer to another bowl and start mashing. You can use a food mill or processor if you like, ours were soft enough a potato masher was all it took. We had so many apples, we did this in batches. If you were able to fit all your apples into one pot for boiling - just strain the water out and way you go!

Once all apples are smashed, transfer back into a large pot. Stir in the sugar substitute, cinnamon and lemon juice. Heat on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Cook until hot. I've seen recipes that say boil - but I think ours was way to thick because it never happened lol.

Once hot, transfer to your canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head space. Clean the rim, pop on the lid and band. Process in a waterbath for 30 minutes.

No Sugar Added Gluten Free Apple Pie Filling

8 lbs Apples, cored peeled and sliced
6 Cups Sugar Substitute
1 1/3 cup Small Tapioca Pearls
2 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
13 1/3 cup Water
1 1/2 tsp Salt
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Jars, lids and bands for canning

Prepare jars and lids for canning.

Combine sugar substitute, tapioca pearls, cinnamon, nutmeg, water and salt in a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep tapioca from sticking to the bottom. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for sauce to boil, take jars and pack them with apples.

Once sauce is boiling, fill apple jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Clean the rim, pop on the lid and band. Process in a waterbath for 30 minutes.


I cannot wait to make pies, crisps and yummy baked goods - I use the applesauce in place of oil ;-) I hope you think these recipes are as delicious as I do!

Cinnamon Sugar Toasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

While cleaning a Spaghetti Squash to make "Pasta" for the first time - I saw the seeds and immediately thought of toasted Pumpkin seeds. So I saved them and tried it out.

I'll admit, I only came out with 1/3 cup and even though I halved the baking time - they burnt just a bit. Not enough to throw them away lol but enough to say they didn't come out as yummy as I'd hoped.

I'm not sure exactly what went wrong where - but I intend to continue trying until I get it right. If you have any suggestions for me - I'd really appreciate it.

Here's the recipe I used and what I did:

Cinnasweet Pumpkin Seeds 
Original recipe is for 12 servings which is 4 cups of seeds. I only had 1/3 so I reduced recipe to 1 serving.

1/3 cup Seeds, rinsed and dried (of course I was using my spaghetti squash seeds)
2 tsp Butter, melted
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp White Sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine seeds, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir to coat seeds completely. Spread seeds in a single layer onto a baking pan.

Bake for 7 mins (original recipe says 15 minute increments but I halved it); stir and bake another 7 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle 1/2 tsp white sugar over seeds; stir to coat. Return to oven; bake an addition 7 mins.

**Now here is when I noticed they smelt a little burt. The rest of the instructions say to remove from oven, sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp white sugar and bake an additional 7 mins. Because I noticed they were burning - I didn't bake any longer. I took them out, removed from baking pan and sprinkled sugar over top. Let them cool.

This is what they looked like.

Again, they weren't horrible, but they did have a bit of burnt taste and weren't as yummy as I'd hoped. I'll be trying this again, maybe with a different recipe as I didn't really even taste the cinnamon like I wanted. I'll also may save up more seeds and bake in a larger batch - maybe that's where I went wrong?

Anyway, I'll keep you posted and if you have ANY suggestions, please let me know :-)

Spaghetti Squash

I've always wanted to try Spaghetti Squash but never had the nerve. I was really craving spaghetti, but I'm staying away from pasta - stupid carbs. So I decided to give this squash thing a try. I thought, if nothing else - it'll be a learning experience - and I'm always up for learning :-)

Too many times, I've heard people substituting veggies for starches and saying - it tastes just like the real thing - only to try it and be very disappointed because it doesn't taste like the real thing at all. Well I am happy to report, this wasn't one of those times, thank goodness! It was really really good - and I didn't miss the carby pasta at all - well once the squash was hot that is - I'll admit - just warm, the sauce and squash didn't mesh well in my mouth and I thought - here we go again. But I put it in the microwave and nuked it for a minute - and when it came out hot - seriously, I didn't miss the pasta at all! I was surprised with every bite and still am lol.

I went online to research how to cook the squash and there were so many different suggestions - boil/bake, oven temps ranging from 350-400 degrees, bake times ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, bake in water/not in water, upside down/right side up, cut in half/keep whole - (whew!) I once again, found myself a bit overwhelmed. Then I saw there was a cooking label on the squash itself, which got me really excited until I read it - it was how to microwave it :-(  I don't know about you but I only reheat things in the microwave, I don't use it to cook things start to finish. So I decided to combine cooking methods and take the middle ground with regards to oven temp. And away we went! 

This is our whole Spaghetti Squash. They say if you keep the squash in a cool dark place - it can last up to a month!

The instructions on the squash said to heat it in the microwave for 1 minute - supposedly this helps with cutting it in half. It was still a bit difficult so I had my hubby do it cause I kinda really hate knives and have a serious fear I'll chop a finger off or something lol

Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. I saved the seeds to toast like pumpkin seeds. Why not give it a try right? ;-)

Place squash halves cut side down onto a baking sheet. I went middle of the road with oven temp and cooked squash 40 minutes at (preheated) 375 degrees. I didn't coat them with oil or seasonings of any kind. I knew they were done when the rind was fork tender.After letting them cool slightly - this is what they looked like once turned over.

When squash is cooled enough to handle, take a fork and scrape out the "pasta" strands, top to bottom length wise until you've got it all out. It's remarkable how it completely comes away from the rind!

Empty rind - pretty cool right?! I'm sure someone more crafty than I could turn this into some crazy cool squash bowl or something! Or is that too weird? 

Here's the finished "pasta" next to our homemade spaghetti meat sauce. So delicious! 

My husband took some squash and added butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for a healthy sweet dessert too! So many options for this stuff I can't wait to try more!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

So I've been craving spicy things lately and my friend told me she was making Habanero Jelly - which is WAY to spicy for me - but sounded good none the less. I had some left over Jalapenos from the Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers I made for a football party, so I decided to go for it and make some Jalapeno Pepper Jelly - and it turned out delicious! I am currently using it on/in soooo many things, kind of like a seasoning (I'll post some recipes soon), and loving every one of them!

Note: I use the Ball® FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker 

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

1 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped

5 Jalapenos seeds in, finely chopped (if you want a milder jelly, remove seeds)

3/4 cup White Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

3 cups White Sugar

3 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit® Classic Pectin

1/2 tsp Butter

Sprinkle pectin evenly over bottom of Jelly Maker Pot fitted with Stirrer. Add peppers evenly over Pectin. Pour vinegar over peppers and add the butter to help reduce foaming.

Press "Jelly" button, then hit the "-" minus button until time reads 21 minutes. Press Enter.

Wait for the 4 minute signal to add the sugar. Pour evenly while the Stirrer continues to spin. Place the glass lid on top and wait for the timer to sound letting you know the jelly is done.

Once done skim any foam off the top and put jelly into desired containers (we water bath canned ours to keep longer).

This recipe makes aprox 4 - 8oz jars or 2 - 16oz.

This jelly is spicy but not over powering. It's got some heat but it doesn't knock you on the floor. Try it with some cream cheese on a cracker for a nice snack or a quick and easy appetizer, use it as a dipping sauce for steak, chicken or shrimp! I've even mixed it with some cottage cheese for a spicy protein treat ;-) No matter how you use it - you're gonna love this stuff!

Lunch Meat Protein "Lasagna"

OK, so this only resembles Lasagna because of how you layer the meat and cheese. But it makes the dish seem fancier when you say it's Lasagna lol. Anyway, this little gem was created by my husband last night and is now going into regular meal rotation :-)  

It's basically a fall/winter (colder weather) version of my meat roll up (slices of lunch meat wrapped around a string cheese). It's carb free and protein packed - which is a win, as far as I'm concerned!

You can use any meat or cheese you want, doesn't even have to be lunch meat. I use lunch meat to control my portion size and it's easier to layer. You can make this with few layers and eat as a snack, or make many layers and eat as a meal.

Lunch Meat Protein "Lasagna"

Thinly sliced Ham
Thinly sliced Turkey
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

On a microwave safe plate, layer ham, turkey and 1 pinch mozzarella cheese. Repeat till you've created as many layers as you want ending with a slice of ham on top. Heat in microwave depending on how many layers you've made. Enjoy!

Cheesey Bean Dip with a Kick!

I don't know about you, but I love a good bean dip. Add in some cheese and homemade Jalapeño Jelly to spice it up - and you've got yourself a winner! 

I was sitting around the house this weekend feeling hungry but lazy at the same time, so cooking something just didn't appeal to me. While looking in my pantry I saw a can of refried beans and thought - add some cheese and that'll do. Well, it didn't. It tasted bland and was very dry and uninspiring. So back to the kitchen I went to see what I could find to spruce it up and behold - the cream cheese was sitting right next to my  jalapeño Pepper Jelly! A small scoop of cream cheese and an even smaller scoop of Jelly into the beans and - perfection!

I've only made this in single portion sizes for myself but next get together, I'm making a big batch. I eat this by itself with a spoon as I'm trying to stay away from bad carbs (breads, chips, etc.) but I'm sure it's devine with some chips or maybe as the base "sauce" if you're making a Mexican pizza?! Yummy!

Cheesey Bean Dip with a Kick (single serving)

1/2 cup Fat Free Refied Beans

1/2 low fat String or mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 Tbsp  cream Cheese

1 tsp Jalapeño Jelly (more if you want a bigger kick)

Put everything in a microwave safe dish. Heat on high for aprox 1 minute. Stir and enjoy!

Feel free to mix it up. Add more of this, less of that. It's all based on your taste preference.

This is also a great make ahead dish when you're on the go. Most convienient stores have microwaves you can use or you can heat and stir ahead of time, it'll just be cooler when you finally get to it and slightly less creamy as the cheese will have hardened a bit. I love this stuff, no matter the temp!

Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

I was on Pinterest one day - I'm on there almost every day, I love that site! - when I came across this:

Pinterest

My mouth was watering immediately, then I showed my husband, to which he said, "we're making those for the football party". 

These were so easy to make and so tasty, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I was never a Jalapeno Popper kind of gal, they just tasted ok to me - until I had these. Now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat a plain old popper again lol. 

We made aprox 40 poppers total and they did not last long at all. In fact, I had to stagger cooking them or there'd have been none left for the late comers! Everyone who ate them raved about how good they were. To which my husband took full credit for of course, the little stinker. He later explained to me that - "we're a team, so whatever I make, he makes" lol!

Now - on to the important stuff - the recipe!

One quick note - depending on how big your jalapenos are, you may only fit one cocktail sausage per pepper. Some of ours were pretty large so I did one and a half lengthwise. I also based how much bacon to wrap with on the size of pepper - smaller ones got a half slice, larger got a whole.

Oh and I didn't dare try taking any pics while making them because my hands were covered with pepper juice and I've heard way to many stories of accidental pepper burn lol sorry

Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper

12 to 24 slices of Bacon
12 Jalapeno Peppers, cut in half with ribs and seeds removed
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

24 Cocktail Sausage Links (maybe more if your peppers were large like mine)
Garlic Powder to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven safe rack or broiler plate on top - anything with slots/holes to let the bacon grease seep away from the peppers.

Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic powder in a bowl. Fill each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture. Press 1 cocktail sausage (or 1 1/2 depending on pepper size) into the cheese. Wrap each pepper with a half or full slice of bacon, depending on how large your peppers are. If the bacon won't stay wrapped, secure with a toothpick. You want to make sure to wrap them tightly to keep all the cheesy goodness inside! Place on baking rack or broiler plate.

Bake at 450 degrees for aprox 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and bacon is cooked. You can place under the broiler for a few minutes if you wish to crisp up the bacon even more.

Let cool slightly and serve! Remember - if you used a toothpick to secure the bacon, either remove it before serving or notify those you're serving it to, so they don't mistakenly bite into it :-)

Sorry my picture is a little blurry - I was having to elbow the guys away just to take it - and they only gave me one shot lol

These were the first ones out (my test poppers) - I didn't wrap them tightly and didn't use toothpicks. Once we wrapped them tightly and secured with toothpicks, they were beautiful, however, they were eaten so quickly I didn't get any pictures! They were all delicious no matter what though.

Make these at your next gathering - I guarantee they'll be a hit!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates

My husband and I went to a friends baby shower a while back, where one of the appetizers were bacon wrapped dates. Neither of us had ever had them but were hooked from the very first bite. So when my hubby decided to throw a football party - making these were at the top of my list.

I scoured the Internet looking for recipes because I've never ever used dates in anything and needed guidance. There are sooo many recipes I felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. So - I decided to make them as simple as possible and just wrap a pitted date with a small piece of bacon. But it just wasn't as good - something was missing. Then I spoke to a friend who said she makes them with cream cheese and an almond. Well, my honey doesn't like nuts in things, so that part was out but the cream cheese sounded yummy. So I gave it a go - and they turned out great!

There's really no recipe for this one. I simply bought some dates from the grocery store - no particular brand. Found them in the produce section. Made sure the pits were taken out. Sliced them down the center of one side just enough to get a sliver of cream cheese in the middle - you can stuff it too but that seemed way more difficult and I'm not a patient person lol. Then I took about a third of a slice of bacon, wrapped the date tightly and secured with a toothpick. Baked on a broiler pan set atop an aluminum foil lined baking sheet (to allow the bacon grease to drain) for 20 mins at 400 degrees.

I cannot tell you just how yummy these little bite size goodies are. Everyone who tried them couldn't get enough. I think they were the first food item to go! Try 'em - you'll agree ;-)

Egg Drop Soup

I recently went on a liquid diet to rid myself of the nasty carb cravings that had taken over my eating life, not to mention resetting my brain/stomach back to proper portion size. My husband and I had gone out after work and I didn't have a protein shake with me so I was at the mercy of the menu at the Chinese restaurant. Knowing I needed soup - but not wanting to have to fish out all the yummy solid pieces only to discard them, I selected the Egg Drop Soup. I'd never had it and thought the added protein from the eggs would be more beneficial than if I asked for simple broth. I really really liked it. Fast forward to today -  my husband isn't feeling well and we had some left over homemade chicken broth (from my liquid diet days), lunch meat and celery - so I had the bright idea to make my own Egg Drop Soup! Man, was it delicious!! It was so good - my husband ate it all before I could take a picture for this blog lol!

This will be the very first recipe I made from just grabbing stuff and putting it together! Pretty proud of myself as I'm a stickler for recipes. I will give you the amounts that I used, but please feel free to recreate your own version. I threw in some ham to give it even more protein and the thought of cooked ham with the other ingredients just sounded really yummy to me ;-)

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth
8oz frozen Corn
3 slices thinly sliced Ham minced
1 Celery stock minced
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 eggs

Combine chicken broth, corn, minced ham, minced celery and soy sauce in a 2 quart pot on medium high. Cook to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes then turn heat to low and let simmer for 1 minute.

In a small bowl beat eggs. When soup is done simmering, turn off heat. Stir broth in one direction with a spoon while slowly pouring in egg. Ribbons will form and soup is done!

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

This was so easy and really hit the spot with my sick hubby. The addition of corn, ham and celery made this into a thick hearty soup. Oh and you can add any seasonings you'd like too! Our homemade chicken broth was so good (I promise to create a post), we didn't need any but some suggestions are: garlic powder, salt, pepper or maybe even some hot sauce to spice it up a bit.

Have fun with this and make it your own :-)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

It's getting to be that time of year when all I want to do is bake goodies in the kitchen. Unfortunately most of those goodies aren't healthy for you. So I'm on a mission to create recipes that are healthy, but don't taste "healthy".

These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies taste just as delicious as the full sugar version but are full of protein without processed flour or sugar! You can use different chocolate chips - regular, dark, mini, etc. You can change the texture by using regular rolled oats instead of oat flour and/or smooth it out by using creamy peanut butter instead of chunky. You can also use all natural no sugar added peanut butter and sugar free chocolate chips to make a sugar free cookie!  It's all based on your personal preference.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter (I like Extra Chunky)
1 Large Egg
1 Egg White
2 Tbsp Applesauce (I used our homemade canned applesauce)
1 heaping scoop Syntrax Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte Protein Powder
1 cup Oat Flour (I grind my own. I prefer a little texture so I don't totally grind to flour consistency, see pic)
1 cup Sugar Substitute of your choice
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (I prefer dark chocolate)

My oat flour consistency

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (you could line with aluminum foil and non-stick spray but I don't want the added oil).

Microwave peanut butter for 30 seconds so it's easier to mix. In a medium bowl, mix together your peanut butter, egg, egg white, and applesauce until incorporated. In a separate bowl combine the protein powder, oat flour (or regular oats), sugar substitute, salt baking soda and chocolate chips. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

Moisten hands to prevent from sticking and roll cookie dough into balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Let cookies cool and enjoy!

I had my husband try these before I told him they were healthy and he had no idea! He thinks they're perfect with a nice glass of cold milk. YUM!!

Quick and Easy Homemade White Bread

This bread is so good we no longer buy bread from the store. It's the easiest and quickest bread recipe I've come across. You can have three loaves of delicious white bread in half a day! And that's even after letting it rise three times! We keep one out and freeze the rest till we're ready to use them.

Homemade White Bread

3 cups Warm Water (preferable 105-110 degrees)
3 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
3 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cups Bread Flour

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly and let sponge rise until doubled in size.

Sponge

Sponge after risen

Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until flour is totally incorporated. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled.

Dough in greased bowl ready to rise a second time.

Punch the dough down, let it rest a few minutes (this is a good time to grease 3 loaf pans).

Dough after being punched down.

Divide dough into three equal parts (mine are never exactly equal as you can see). Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased loaf pans. Let rise until almost doubled (they double very quickly so check on them often or they'll over flow the loaf pans).

Divided into three greased loaf pans

Dough has doubled (more than doubled as I lost track of time lol). It's ready to bake!

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning. 

Take bread out of the oven and let cool for aprox 10 minutes. Then take completely out of the pan and put on a baking rack to cool completely.

If you plan on freezing the bread, wait until it's completely cooled before putting into the freezer (I usually wait until the next day to make sure) otherwise you may find the bread gets soggy after you take it out later.

I like to cut a slice while it's still warm and smother it with butter. The butter melts immediately and it's so so so yummy. It reminds me of the bread my mom used to make when I was a kid.

There's nothing like a warm slice of homemade bread. Give it a try - you won't be disappointed :-)

Crunchy Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal No Bake Protein Bars

Whew, now that’s a long name! But these yummy protein bars command a larger, or longer rather lol, than life name to convey their deliciousness. These are by far THE BEST protein bars I've EVER tasted – homemade or store bought. Everything in them is good for you and my husband can attest – unless you know the ingredients and know they’re healthy for you – you’d think it’s more along the lines of a candy bar than a protein bar. No joke folks – these are the best! 

Now in saying that – I feel I must warn you – you've heard of the saying, “everything in moderation” right? Well that goes for these too. Yes they are protein bars, but because they are so scrumdidlyumpcious (sp? Lol) it’s easy to eat them like candy, then before you know it, a good thing turns bad. Booooo! I know right?! It’s sad but true. Too much of a good thing is, well – too much. But hey, I won’t tell if you indulge, as long as you don’t tattle on me either.

Crunchy Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal No Bake Protein Bars

½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter

½ cup Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

½ cup Agave Nectar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 cups Regular Rolled Oats

1 cup Shredded Coconut

4 Heaping Scoops Nectar Sweets Chocolate Truffle Protein Powder

1 ¼ cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (you can use butter/shortening/cooking spray instead but I prefer not to). If you want thicker bars you can use a smaller pan.

Melt together the peanut butter, coconut oil and agave nectar over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove stirring frequently.

Once melted remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until protein powder is fully incorporated and chocolate is completely melted.

Pour into your lined pan. Spread evenly and put into the fridge to harden. After a few hours, or overnight, cut into squares and enjoy! I recommend storing uneaten bars in the fridge or freezer as they become a little mushy at room temp – still absolutely divine though no matter the temperature.

My inspiration for these decadent bars came from Money Saving Mom. I took her recipe, tweaked it a bit and viola – protein bars!

Enjoy!

Chia Seeds

Remember the Chia Pet? Cha-cha-cha-chia! Well, I’m now EATING those seeds! Instead of slathering them on a clay pot, I’m mixing them in my oatmeal, protein shakes, and baked goods!

Since the day I heard someone say they sprinkle said seeds on their cereal – I needed to find out what they were all about. I've been doing some research into these little gems and cannot believe how good for you they are and thought I’d share my new found knowledge with you.

• ·         They have been around since the Aztec and Mayan days.
• ·         They can absorb up to 12 times their own weight which keeps you fuller longer and can add in weight loss.
• ·         They have nearly 11 grams of soluble fiber per ounce – which is around 42% of your daily recommended value!
• ·         They have more Omega-3 fatty acids than salmon – almost 5 grams per ounce. They are considered one of the most concentrated sources of Omega-3 in ANY food.
• ·         They contain high amounts of Omega-6.
• ·         Per ounce these little super seeds contain 18% of your daily calcium value, which is three times as much as skim milk!
• ·         Unlike Flax Seeds which have to be ground, nothing has to be done to the seed in order to benefit from its bounty.
• ·         They are basically tasteless so you can add them to anything and everything.
• ·         Manganese – nearly 30% of the daily value per ounce.
• ·         Phosphorus – close to 27% of the daily value per ounce.
• ·         Protein – 4.4 grams per ounce!
• ·         Chia seeds have a stabilizing effect on your blood sugar and fight insulin resistance.
• ·         Some say they give you an energy boost - and who doesn't love that?!

There is soooo much information I could go on and on – but I think these are enough reasons to go out RIGHT NOW and get yourself some! I already use them in my Refrigerated Oatmeal and last night I made the hubs some Almond Poppy/Chia Seed Muffins (with added protein powder, as usual) and they’re yum yum yummy! You can’t tell the difference between the Poppy and Chia seeds and there is no change in the flavor profile.

Seriously people – the ways in which you can use this super food are endless! And you have nothing to lose, except some unwanted weight maybe – but everything to gain!