Skinny Red Velvet Cupcakes.

I baked a batch of these babies last week for J to take to his co-workers during their long week. I think I will tweak the frosting a little bit, but apparently, everyone liked them. They were polished off within a few hours. :)

RED VELVET CAKE

1 (16.25 oz) box super moist white cake mix (or sugar free white cake mix) (I used yellow cake mix)

1 1/4 cup reduced fat buttermilk (I made my own with nonfat milk and lemon juice)

1/2 cup low fat vanilla or plain yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt)

3 egg whites

1 large box vanilla sugar free pudding mix (2 tbs for the cake, save the rest for the frosting--I used regular vanilla pudding mix, I don't do aspartame and the like..)

2 tbs cocoa powder

1 tbs red food coloring

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1/2 cup skim milk (or milk alternative--I used nonfat milk)

remainder of vanilla pudding mix (listed above)

1 (8oz) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup light cool whip (or Truwhip for a natural alternative)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12 cup) muffin tins with cupcake liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

For the cupcake batter, mix together cake mix, buttermilk, yogurt, egg whites, 2 tbs dry pudding mix, cocoa powder, and food coloring. Beat mixture until smooth. Divide batter evenly between 24 cupcake tins. 

Bake cupcakes for 18  minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking, mix together the milk and pudding mix. Add cream cheese, and beat until smooth, (this is best done with a hand held mixer, or kitchen aid mixer to get frosting smooth). Fold in cool whip. Set frosting in fridge for at least 10 minutes, to firm up.

When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost cupcakes, and top with sprinkles if desired. Place cupcakes in a covered container, and store in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Calories: 113 calories per cupcake (82 calories per cupcake without the frosting)

Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 4 per cupcake

Original recipe here.

Healthy Chicken Nuggets.

16 oz (2 large) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into even bit sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp olive oil

6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tbsp panko

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

olive oil 

Preheat oven to 425°. 

Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.

eason chicken with salt and pepper, then put in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.

Put a few chunks of chicken at a time into the breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turnover then cook another 4 - 5 minutes or until cooked though.

Original recipe here.

Recipe Round-Up.

So, I am going to try to start posting recipes Jason and I have tried and enjoyed.

I have several to share today. :)

Crockpot Gingered Chickpeas & Spicy Tomato Stew

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 whole onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger (ginger is hard to find here, so I omitted this)

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp coriander seeds (I omitted this also)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

2 cans (15 ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until the onions begin to brown. Add garlic cloves, ginger, ground coriander, coriander seeds, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil. Spread the chickpeas in the bottom of a crockpot (slow cooker). Pour the tomato mixture over the chickpeas and stir well.

Cover the crockpot and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in spinach. You could use any leafy green that appeals to you, such as Swiss chard or kale. Serve as a side dish or over rice as an entrée.

**We actually did not use spinach, but I put cilantro in the bottom of our bowls, then topped the cilantro with the chickpea mixture, then sprinkled some cumin and pepper. It was very good! We will definitely make this one again.

The original recipe can be found here.

20-Minute Black Bean Soup

serves 4

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

2 15.5-oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed

15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 1/2 c vegetable broth

1 t salt

1 handful chopped, cilantro

1/4 c feta cheese 

10 chives, chopped

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and garlic, and cook 6-8 minutes, until beginnning to brown. Stir in cumin and chili powder. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt and cilantro. Bring to a boil, and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Transfer 1 c to a blender, and process until smooth. Stir back into soup. Remove from heat, and serve topped with feta and chives.

**I didn't use feta for topping mine. I used chopped scallions and a little cheddar cheese.

Original Recipe here.

Chicken Florentine

 1 tsp olive oil

4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14-oz canned crushed tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp fresh basil (or tsp dried)

10 oz fresh spinach

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook chicken until lightly browned on each side, approximately 6 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomatoes, oregano and basil; place spinach on top of the chicken and cover tightly.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, approximately 15 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper and top with cheese. 

Original recipe here.

A couple more posts with pictures of other recipes to come. :)

xoxo.

Chocolate Chip Blondies.

I tried this recipe today.

They definitely don't taste like traditional blondies, but you can't beat how good for you they are! :) I actually substituted almond extract because I am apparently out of vanilla extract. Oops. I liked the almond taste, though. I also omitted the flax, because I don't have any of that either. 

If you try them, enjoy!

Lower Calorie Shake Recipe.

In an effort to cut back on so much white sugar and sugar in general, I have been being a bit more conscious of what I am putting into my body and how it is helping or hurting me. Don't get me wrong, this girl loves her sweets, so I'm not giving them up, rather I'm trying to find healthier and more beneficial alternatives.

So, tonight, I tried a 'shake' recipe from here and adapted it.

The base shake recipe:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

5-10 ice cubes

1/2-1 cup of water

2 Tbsp honey

(I used honey as the sweetener, because in my opinion, it is more beneficial than low-cal sweeteners and I did not use protein powder, because I don't have any, YET. :)) I also used 6 cubes and 1/2 of water which made for a thicker shake.

And, my add-ins:

2 Tbsp oats

2 tsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

dash cinnamon

If you want a thicker shake-style, use more ice cubes and less water. :)

I only added 1 tablespoon of honey to start and then tasted and it wasn't sweet enough for me, but next time I might try 1.5 tablespoons instead, to see if that sweetness would work. But, the 2 tablespoons were definitely sweet enough for my taste. 

Also, honey has many health benefits, so even if I had a few more calories than the no-cal sweeteners, I am okay with that, because I am getting honey's goodness. :)


I really liked it! Jason said it wasn't his cup of tea, though. My shake reminded me of my favorite, Doubletree chocolate chip cookies!!

This was on tonight's dessert menu. :) Pumpkin bread pudding. It was good, but I should have added more spices, I think. I made it a bit healthier by using skim milk instead of whole milk and/or heavy cream.

Here is the recipe I used.

xoxo,

Heather

Sunday Dessert.

So, I made these little babies on Sunday night.

Here's How:

FIRST: Combine the peel and juice of one blood orange, a cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. After cooling, refrigerate mixture overnight.

SECOND: The following day, strain the peel from the syrup and measure out a 1/4 of the syrup. Set aside.

THIRD: Half one blood orange and scoop out the fruit, leaving only the 'shell' of the orange.

FOURTH: Toast 1/2 cup almonds.

FIFTH: Whip 2 cups of heavy cream with the measured 1/4 cup of syrup mixture, until forming stiff peaks.

SIXTH: Fill the orange 'shells' with mixture & top with almonds.

SEVENTH: ENJOY!

Notes: The instructions I gave differ from the actual recipe because I only wanted 2 servings for hubby and I, instead of the recipe's yielding of 4 servings.

I followed this how-to for toasting the almonds.

xoxo,
Heather

Egg Cream Recipe.

Without further ado, here is my egg cream recipe.

I used my Junior's glass to measure this all out tonight, so I could let you all know. :)

You need:
A bigger type drinking glass, like a Pilsner.
Milk (I used Horizon Fat Free Organic milk, because that's what I drink. :))
Chocolate, Strawberry, or other flavored syrup (I have only used chocolate, so far.)
Seltzer Water

FIRST: Measure 1/4 cup of syrup, pour in glass.

SECOND: Measure 1/4 cup of milk, pour on top of syrup in glass.

THIRD: Fill the rest of glass with Seltzer water.

FOURTH: Use a thick straw to stir and drink.

FIFTH: ENJOY!

I also determined the calorie count in my egg cream, using regular Hershey's chocolate syrup and my fat free milk.

200 calories for the syrup used
22.5 for the milk used
0 for the Seltzer

222.5 calories for this sweet treat.

xoxo,
Heather

Sunday Egg Creams..

Jason and I used the glasses he brought me back from his trip to NYC, tonight. Homemade egg creams are so easy with these little glasses. :)

xoxo,
Heather

Giving Thanks.

Whole berry cranberry sauce cooking.


My gorgeous flower centerpiece my sweet husband brought home to me.


Decor.


My brie en croute.


...And some homemade pumpkin pie.



Today is Thanksgiving. Jason and I had some of our friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner that we prepared and cooked. Everything was homemade.

It was a wonderful day of friendship and fellowship.

We had an appetizer table that consisted of a cheese and meat tray, brie en croute, cocktail shrimp, a cheese ball that Jason and I made, onion dip and chips and my Mother-in-law's (who passed away last September) party mix.

For dinner, Jason made a Cajun fried turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cherry coke salad (my Grandma's recipe and my favorite thing at Thanksgiving and Christmas), & Jason's Grandfather's stuffing recipe. We also had homemade macaroni and cheese, made and brought by JP, always delicious. Natalie brought squash casserole and a carrot souffle, both were amazing!

For dessert, we had pumpkin pie, with a Bourbon whipping cream I made, my Grandma's apple pie, and chocolate pecan pie, made by Anna and Natalie.


Today, I am thankful for:

* life
*family
*good friends
*my home
*laughter
*everything I have been blessed with
*second chances, when I don't deserve for God to give me another
*trips
*the ability to learn and improve my photography
*my church

And, so much more, I could honestly have a list with no end. I am so blessed.

I hope you all remember to thank God for all your blessings.

Dinner, Movies and a Toasted Marshmallow Shake?

This evening, Jason and I are watching movies and just hanging out on the couch.

I baked us a pizza from California Pizza Kitchen, and when Jason went to cut the pizza, realized, I took it out of the plastic, but forgot to remove the cardboard from the underside of the pizza. Oops!

We had our pizza, then we made this. We halved the recipe.


We used Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla Bean ice cream, it's 1/2 the fat, Horizon Organic fat free milk and Daisy light sour cream.


The first batch of marshmallows that you are supposed to char.


The second batch you are supposed to lightly char.


The finished product. :)

Oh, and it tasted so delicious. And, I enjoyed every bit of it. I didn't eat until this evening, mostly because I was super busy today..so, I don't feel so bad about splurging on pizza and my shake!