Recipes

Fresh Strawberry Limeade

June 16, 2015 by Dana

With summer in full swing I am really hot and pregnant here in Pennsylvania! The humidity this week is the kind that smacks you right in the face as soon as you step outside. All of my Floridians are rolling their eyes right now but seriously… the heat!!

Dear Humidity,

You can go away any time now.

Sincerely,

The lady that looks like she is ready to pop but is only 26 weeks along. *sigh*

I guess I should start preparing myself for the “Is it twins?” question that is surely coming my way very soon. FYI men, women, and children alike…. don’t ask a pregnant lady if she’s having twins. I get it, I’m large and in charge, I don’t need a reminder. I know, you are curious. I am curious about lots of things too! Mainly why people don’t have sensors. Can you tell the heat is taking a toll on my patience? Thankfully I have a place to vent. 🙂

You could also probably refrain from asking a pregnant lady what kind of delivery she is having. Yes, a young woman asked me that this week while I was on vacation. Ummm…the kind where painful contractions start until I decided I can’t take anymore… get an epidural… then wait to push the baby out of the birth canal and get sewn back together?? Is that the answer you were looking for?? Ok, I’m done complaining about the joys of being with child.. let’s move on, shall we?

Like I said, I need some refreshment over here in the form of something that doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and a bunch of artificial colors and flavors. So naturally, I stirred up my own pitcher of Strawberry Limeade and *Ta-Da* the preggo is happy again. Indoors. With air conditioning. And no humidity. Enjoying my fresh, cool, non-alcoholic or caffeinated drinky. So much fun, so little time to create this magical concoction. 🙂

So the recipe itself is super easy! Sugar, water, berries, lime… heat… add water. Done! After enjoying this Strawberry Limeade you will be wondering why people drink that bottled stuff to begin with. You can definitely taste the difference between fresh, real berries and artificial strawberry flavorings. There is no comparison either, fresh strawberries all the way!

Easy Homemade Hamburger Buns

May 22, 2015 by Dana

Today I’m ditching the whole wheat flour for a soft and fluffy Homemade Hamburger Bun made with unbleached bread flour (King Arthur’s brand). Let’s be honest here… the two are just not the same!

I’ve been experimenting a lot with baking breads lately and I’ve come to realize that using all whole wheat flour will NOT yield the same result as using bread flour. I used to think I could just sub whole wheat flour in for anything. The more and more I experiment the more I’m coming to see that making that substitution has been causing me to think I’m just not good at baking breads. I’ve been longing for a perfect result…and have come up short time and time again.

I’ve known bread flour was a completely different animal for years, after all I did spend $25,000 on Baking and Pastry School. You see, bread flour has a higher protein content which makes it better for gluten development. This is going to give you a nicer rise and a fluffier product. I’ve seen people making substitutions between all purpose and bread flour, however I strongly recommend using bread flour for this recipe because I promise….it is just perfect!

I know yeast breads are scary… and believe me… I know why. With all of my experimentations lately I fully understand the complete letdown you feel when you’ve dedicated time, energy, and money into something that just doesn’t produce the results you were looking for. Today I’m taking the “scary” out of Homemade Hamburger Buns because if you follow this recipe I promise you will get the same results pictured. All of my Hamburger Buns were perfect, and far superior to those processed, shelf stable buns you buy at the supermarket that NEVER mold!

A few other notes about these Buns:

Do not skip the egg wash! Egg wash is simply an egg + a bit of water brushed onto your buns before you bake them to give them that nice golden brown color. I have tried to cut corners by skipping the egg wash on yeast breads over and over again and every time I end up thinking “Gee I wish I would have used that egg wash” when my product isn’t nice and golden brown like I hoped it would be.
Temperature matters. Temperature is a crucial part of baking yeast breads. You can actually kill the yeast if your water is too hot, so be careful. I never take the temperature of the water with a thermometer, but when my water feels ever so slightly warmer then lukewarm, that’s what I go with. Obviously, that’s not the “professional” method of figuring out water temperature but it has never failed me. How quickly your dough rises also depends upon the temperature of the room your dough is in. My kitchen is always a little warmer then the rest of the house, which is great for rising dough. In the winter I turn my oven on and sit the dough on top of the oven. Again, nothing “professional” about this, just my own experience.
This dough can be turned into a number of things: Hamburger Buns, breadsticks, garlic bread, hoagie rolls…. you name it. I adapted the recipe from this Almost Famous Breadsticks recipe from Food Network. It is definitely my new favorite dough!

Equipment I Used

Products from Amazon.com

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

April 28, 2015 by Dana

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and these slow cooker pork tacos are the EASIEST Cinco meal ever! Ok, ok, maybe guacamole is easier but who is really keeping tabs?

Let’s dive right into talking about the recipe, shall we? For being a slow cooker meal I kind of have a lot to say about it!

First, I’ve brought this taco meat to a few gatherings and people have always enjoyed it. This is a great meal for transporting and I’ve even served it with tortilla chips just to keep things simple. I love being able to transport meals that I know won’t somehow end up all over my car or something terrible like that (think soups!). Crockpot = Safe transporting! Plus once I arrive I know I will have a way to keep things toasty until serving.

Second, I love putting a bunch of fresh toppings on tacos like these to boost the nutritional value and make them even yummier! For these tacos I used fresh cilantro, tomato, and avocado. I also added shredded Colby jack cheese and sour cream. So basically I stuffed the heck out of the shell and called it a day. 🙂

And last but not least this taco meat is soooo a “second day meal.” You know, something that sits in the refrigerator overnight and magically tastes even better then it did the day before? Yeah, totally these tacos. If you decide to make this for an event, or just for your family, I would highly suggest allowing the meat to soak up all the saucy goodness overnight. I’m not saying it isn’t good straight up the first day but so much more flavor develops overnight. With the ease of the recipe I find it super convenient to make the day before so the next day I can think “Dinner is already done. Yess! No dishes, no cleanup.” Love those days!

Spinach and Tortellini Salad

April 23, 2015 by Dana

Summer is approaching…. and I need to get my salad game in order. 🙂

I mentioned in my last post that I was searching for the perfect “summer pasta salad” dressing, and boy did I ever find it! My Creamy Italian Dressing is just that… creamy, oh-so-delicious, and great for salads and pasta salads. Hello summer BBQ’s, get togethers, and warm weather!

This spinach and tortellini salad is the perfect combination of healthy + yummy. I mean, a big bowl of spinach, who could really argue with that? I love using spinach in salads because it is packed with nutrients. Just one cup of spinach gives a healthy dose of Vitamins A & C, plus calcium and iron. Popeye was really on to something, wasn’t he!?!? 🙂

Now let’s talk tortellini because the question is, does it fit the “unprocessed bill”? I’d say no, not exactly. The pasta is not whole wheat. However I’ve noticed that frozen tortellini is a pretty good convenience item when it comes to ingredient lists so I do occasionally use it in a pinch or when I’m going to an event. We consume 99.9% whole grains so letting go a little is fine with me. Food is all about balance to me and it feels good to let go sometimes.

I separated the dressing from the actual recipe because I realize sometimes ingredient lists can be confusing when you are combining a few things. The dressing recipe will give you the appropriate amount of dressing for the salad. Enjoy!

Creamy Italian Dressing

*This is 1/2 of the original dressing recipe. Full recipe for salad follows.

Ingredients

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 and 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons organic mayo
1 teaspoon white wine (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Add all ingredients except oil to food processor. Blend until combined. Slowly add oil while continuing to blend. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. ** If you don’t have a food processor, no problem! Just use a large mixing bowl and whisk.

Creamy Italian Dressing

April 23, 2015 by Dana

This Creamy Italian Dressing recipe is one of my all time favorite recipes I have ever published on this blog! I even come to my own blog to look up the recipe for this dressing frequently. I guess I should write it down somewhere, but coming here is just as easy.

It is April 19, 2020 and I just so happen to be updating some older recipe posts that I have been popular. The original recipe was posted on April 23, 2015. How could this have been 5 years ago?

I didn’t quite like the writing style so I decided to re-do the whole thing. Over the last 5 years I have made this recipe dozens and dozens of times. It is perfect for everything from a good old salad dressing, to a pasta salad dressing, and even great for grilling. There isn’t much I haven’t done with this recipe in the last 5 years!

Creamy Italian Dressing Tips and Tricks

One thing that I realized over the last 5 years is that not all Creamy Italian Dressings are created equal. In fact, you can use the same recipe and yield different results depending on what you are using to mix the dressing. What I found was that my more expensive blender (Vitamix) did NOT yield the same result as my $20 mini food chopper from Ninja. I actually far prefer the mini food chopper for making all of my dressings. If you like making dressings at home, or are looking to cut out processed ingredients in store bought dressings, I think the $20 price tag for the mini Ninja is totally worth it! In fact, I would buy it just to make this recipe over and over again.

*Side note: I still totally love my Vitamix and nothing else I have made in it was a flop.

When it comes to homemade dressings I highly suggest looking for a very mild extra virgin olive oil. I have made dressings with very robust olive oils in the past and they can be overpowering. I look for oils that are specifically labeled mild.

Chicken Parmesan Alfredo

April 22, 2015 by Dana

Have I told you lately how much I LOVE my cast iron skillet? Yes, it’s true. A few years ago I traded in my non-stick cookware for all stainless steel and cast iron. It did take me a while to get used to not burning stuff to the bottom of them like EVERYTIME but after adjusting my heat (much lower!) I realized I didn’t need those chemical laden pots and pans after all! 🙂

Today I’m sharing this chicken parmesan recipe that goes to a whole new level by adding a super yummy Alfredo sauce to the pasta and lots of mozzarella cheese before baking it in the oven to get that nice, crusty mozzarella we all love. The best part is I used my wonderful cast iron skillet to get a nice, crispy piece of chicken without a deep fryer or any unhealthy oils. If you don’t own a cast iron skillet no worries, you can do this in just about any sauté pan, however I do love the results I get from my cast iron. Just take a look and you’ll understand! Now that’s a piece of chicken to be proud of!

Another thing I love about his recipe is the versatility. If you are short on time and don’t feel like taking the extra steps to make the Alfredo sauce you can absolutely toss your pasta in extra red sauce and call it a day. Sometimes I go the red sauce route, sometimes I go the Alfredo route. Sometimes I even toss my pasta in extra red sauce AND ricotta cheese and that is delicious too. Either way you will end up with a dinner your family will love!

Whenever I use a convenience product like the panko bread crumbs I used in this recipe I always caution folks to READ INGREDIENTS! These are the products most notorious for adding a bunch of crappy ingredients that don’t need to be there just for the sake of keeping the product on a shelf for years without it going bad. I get so frustrated with brands like Progresso who willingly put profit and production above ethics. When it comes down to it, there should be no reason any breadcrumb product contains ingredients like partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. When I started reading labels one of the first products I immediately threw away were the breadcrumbs that had been lingering in the back of my pantry forever. That alone should have indicated to me that something just wasn’t right with the product to begin with. Since that time I’ve experimented with making my own breadcrumbs (which works wonderful too!) but this time I opted for an organic panko product I’ve found in most mainstream grocery stores (check their organic section).

Here’s the product I used as well as my favorite cast iron skillet! 🙂

*This is a bulk listing.

Easy Cheesy Tacos

March 24, 2015 by Dana

This easy and delicious taco recipe includes a few extras so your from scratch tacos turn out perfect! Saucy, cheesy, spicy. Yes!

Well hello there delicious, easy taco dinner just waiting to be gobbled up by my boys!

This taco recipe is definitely one of those “I just don’t feel like making dinner tonight” recipes because it comes together in literally just a few minutes and your family will love it! Even better, it doesn’t contain any random ingredients like the ones you will find in those pesky little taco seasoning packets.

When I started reading ingredient lists I realized quickly that those packets contain more additives then they do actual spices. Weird, I know. But if I know all the big name companies like I do, it doesn’t surprise me one bit! They never fail to add a bunch of crap to something seemingly super simple. Not to mention those packets-o-random-ingredients are more expensive then just buying real spices.

When I ditched those packets I realized something about seasoning tacos without them, and that was the texture was a little different and sometimes my meat ended up a tad dry. Don’t get me wrong, we still slapped a bunch of cheese and sour cream on those babes and the problem was solved, but one day I decided to experiment to try to achieve that “extra sauce” that I felt the meat needed.

Welcome…..strained tomatoes and cheddar cheese! Viola! 🙂 My trusty strained tomatoes solved my problem + added additional flavor to my meat. Yes and yes!

Ok, I’m sorry but here is an obnoxiously large picture. That sauce though!

One last tidbit… I did add fresh cilantro because I had some on hand. If you don’t have fresh cilantro I would go ahead and just omit it all together. Your tacos will be just as delicious even without the cilantro!

Cheesy Stuffed Garlic and Herb Chicken

February 15, 2015 by Dana

**To check out more about Simply Organic’s Steam Gourmet Line and to help me win the Win @ Blogging Grand Prize (a ton of blogging goodies that will help me bring you more recipes this year) PLUS be entered to win prizes for YOURSELF follow this link: http://bit.ly/19msUDo. Simply Organic is giving away prizes until the end of February so head on over to vote!

Hello EASY and delicious dinner, cooked in 1 parchment paper bag (sides and all!), with minimal cleanup. Is this real life?? Yes! With Simply Organic’s new Steam Gourmet line this can happen in your kitchen in 40 minutes. 🙂

When the folks over at Simply Organic reached out to me to try their new product, it was an obvious win-win situation for me! I get to work with a brand that I already know and love, AND I get to bring their new product to your attention so you can try it as well. Since I was already familiar with some of their products I was confident this would be something that my family would enjoy because it is a simple, easy way to get a healthy dinner on the table. With baseball season right around the corner, I’m going to need minimal effort, maximum flavor meals that I can have prepared when my son gets home from school. Enter this glorious product that requires little to no brain power when you have nothing left to give on a busy day when you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off, trying to get your child dressed for a game, while looking for hats/gloves/other baseball related items that are seemingly right in front of your face. Whew! I know. Been there, done that! Did I mention easy, delicious, no brain power?

I have to admit, I did really enjoy the Cheesy Stuffed Garlic and Herb Chicken that I cooked up for a few reasons:

No potentially harmful plastic bags that other seasoning kits often come with.
My sides were cooked in the bag too, allowing the seasoning packet to season the whole meal.
A protein/veggie/starch meal all in 40 minutes!
After preparing this I only had two dishes to wash. TWO!!!! (cutting board, glass baking pan that was almost clean already)
Organic seasoning packets contain mostly 100% spices, and very little sodium. Most of the time you’ll find companies using an array of random, unpronounceable ingredients in seasoning packets, with LOADS of sodium. After I started reading ingredient labels I got rid of all of those packets I may have used before because I realized the main ingredients weren’t spices at all. Something just didn’t seem right about that. Simply Organic hit the nail on the head by using real spices, and you can definitely taste the difference.
There is no need to add any extra fats or oils to your parchment bag, so if you are looking to cut calories or are on a diet the Steam Gourmet line would be an awesome addition to your weekly meal prep.

When I was asked to create a recipe using one of their new products, I really wanted to keep the integrity of what the product was. Simple, EASY, quick, real. I didn’t want to add a bunch of extra steps because I felt that took away from the whole concept. What better way to do that then stuff a little cheese inside the chicken breast and Viola! Done! So I grabbed the Garlic and Herb Steam Gourmet box, pulled out one seasoning packet and one parchment bag (each kit comes with two of each) and added two slices of provolone cheese to each breast after they were seasoned. Truth: I even used a paper plate to dip the chicken in the seasoning. Gahhhh! Seriously I don’t have a dishwasher and dishes are my worst enemy. Please don’t judge. 🙂

So I threw everything in the parchment bag, folded that baby up and about 10 minutes later a glorious smell filled my kitchen. Then I had to wait another 30 minutes to actually taste it. Perhaps a con? A small one but yes!

Why yes that is cheese and seasoning on those green beans! 🙂

**To check out more about Simply Organic’s Steam Gourmet Line and to help me win the Win @ Blogging Grand Prize (a ton of blogging goodies that will help me bring you more recipes this year) PLUS be entered to win prizes for YOURSELF follow this link: http://bit.ly/19msUDo. Simply Organic is giving away prizes until the end of February so head on over to vote!

Salty Sprinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 26, 2015 by Dana

Oh hey there pretty little salty and sprinkled chocolate chip cookies! Oh how I’ve been waiting for February to show it’s face just to have reasons to use all of my naturally dyed sprinkles I’ve been stock-piling! Ok, so it isn’t exactly February yet, but it is really close, right?!?! 🙂

Yes, that’s right. Valentine’s Day is upon us. For some couples this “holiday” means going on extra special trips and doing all kinds of fabulous, lovey-dovey things. For couples with kids this “holiday” means reminiscing about the days before you had kids and you could do those things. HA! Ok, you know sometimes we just have to be real and this my friends is the truth about Hallmark “holidays” after having kids!

I think last year we all went out to eat as a family. My husband can tell you, I’m always the voice of reason when he suggests such outtings.

“Buuuut remember last time we tried that and it was a horrible event that I never want to relive, like ever in my life again?”

Yeah, it never really goes the way you were thinking when you have small children. Two of our kids are past the *NEVER TAKING OUT TO EAT, EVER* age, but we still have little baby Christian who is kind of still unpredictable in public. So that means I’ll probably just get my husband a plant for Valentine’s Day again and then we can name it Heart-y or something. Then of course I will have a huge tray of fresh, just out of the oven chocolate chip cookies to go along with my completely random present. Works like a charm every time!

Ok, now that I’ve just given all of you un-married and un-kid-ed folks the truth about well…life… let’s move on because Hello! These cookies are pretty and delicious and slightly better then your average cookie. By slightly I mean that we subbed some whole wheat flour, and added sprinkles that aren’t so offensive because they don’t contain trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils), like most sprinkles, and they are naturally dyed. No laboratory chemicals in these cookies! 🙂

Ok, so you might be wondering why I’m not going 100% whole wheat on these because normally, I do. The truth is I just can’t get a 100% whole wheat cookie to taste good. I’ve tried, and tried, and failed, and failed. Then I realized it is a damn cookie. Just put some white flour in it and forget about it! So I did, and they were perfect, and delicious, and gooey, and chocolatey, and ever so slightly salty in the most perfect cookie way. The End!

*I used 3 different naturally dyed sprinkles on these cookies but my most recommended naturally dyed sprinkles are these India Tree sprinkles. The price reflected is for a bulk order but you can find them individually in stores and on Amazon. I’ve found them in stores for $4-5 a jar so it is cheaper if you can find them locally. Wegman’s carries a ton of their line.

*Recipe adapted from Chocolate Chip cookie recipe printed on Wegman’s Organic Chocolate Chip bag.

Greek Kale and Orzo Salad

January 13, 2015 by Dana

New Year, New You? Right? 🙂

Here we are… two weeks into the new year and I’m wondering who is still sticking to their “let’s get healthy” resolution? If you’ve fallen off the resolution train already, don’t worry! One calendar day means nothing, however a new attitude about food means everything! Forgetting about that mark on your calendar might be the best “should-have-been resolution” out there because every day is a new day to change how you eat. Every grocery store trip, every meal is a new chance to check ingredient lists and care about what you are putting into your body. Yes, there are times when I eat things that I know aren’t in the game plan, but I don’t dwell on it for too long because I have new meals coming up that can and will be healthy.

I have to start this with a story about my mom. She’s been on diet after diet after diet her whole life and I think she might be beginning to understand that she NEEDS to check ingredient lists for everything. It doesn’t matter if it says “light” or “natural” because chances are it probably isn’t. She was telling me all about her new eating plan, yet mentioned she was still using a bottled dressing. Now, don’t get me wrong, we are all going to fall short somewhere. If 95% of your diet consists of unprocessed foods, then you are doing really great! However, bottled dressings just make me want to throw something. They are so counterproductive it is just upsetting. Big pile of delicious veggies? Here, let’s pour some unhealthy GMO soybean oil and MSG on it! Unhealthy fats, gimmicky lies on the front of the bottles, addictive ingredients, tons of sodium, artificial colors, preservatives, I mean I could write a book about this crap.

At the end of the conversation I told my mom “Listen.. it is all about seasoning your food. Even if it is a salad it needs salt and pepper. Olive oil, vinegar, spices, salt, pepper. That’s all it takes to make your own dressing that you will love to eat. But the key ingredients are salt and pepper. Nobody wants to eat food that is bland, and this is the key to making your own dressing that actually tastes good. TRUTH! 🙂

Other then the obvious health benefits kale is an awesome green to use in make ahead salads because it doesn’t wilt. That’s right, you can dress this salad the night before and you will still have a crisp and fresh green to take for lunch or enjoy at home. Kale can be a little rougher then spinach/romaine so I’d suggest chopping you kale thinly.

One Pot Italian Pasta

January 7, 2015 by Dana

Once upon a time I asked my husband for a Dutch Oven for Christmas. Do I need ONE more pot? Probably not. But I couldn’t resist the thought of cooking up a delicious roast in the oven with a pretty colored, straight-out-of-a-magazine looking Dutch Oven. However, instead of getting the Dutch Oven I got a….wait for it…. a cheese shredder and a dish drying rack from Walmart!*insert sarcastically excited emoji here* The best part about this is we never go to Walmart. Like ever. Everything about that place irks both of us, so how he ended up there shopping for me for Christmas is beyond me. *insert confused emoji here*

Ok, so he tried. I’ll give him that. Heck, he even braved the busted carts and weird people at Walmart! But really? A dish drying rack for Christmas? Ok, so long story short I ended up with a beautiful, photo-worthy Dutch Oven anyway, thanks to a gift card from my Grandmother and my heckling skills at Boscov’s. I used it today for this One Pot Italian Pasta and it was just glorious! Husband officially forgiven for his random Walmart presents! 🙂

As I was putting this One Pot wonder together today I just couldn’t help but marvel at the deliciousness that was about to happen + wholesome, healthy ingredients! This beautiful pot includes:

100% whole wheat linguini
mushrooms
cherry tomatoes
strained tomatoes
spinach
fresh basil

Big plus: This recipe is completely customizable! Don’t have spinach? No problem. Hate cherry tomatoes. Leave them out! Want to sub something else? Give it a try! Want to force more greens on your family? Double the spinach. Is there anything this pot can’t do?

……And then that huge picture happened. 🙂

Cooking Tips and Techniques (Full recipe below)

Biggest tip: Must stir pot while pasta is cooking! I’ve made a few one potters before and didn’t need to stir as much as I did with this one. Not sure what was making things stick, but I was stirring frequently. It is worth it though!
This recipe makes a fairly large batch. If you are cooking for a family this should be enough for 4+ people with leftovers. If you are cooking for just 1-2 people I’d suggest halving the recipe.
Beef, mushrooms, and garlic are browned first then everything else is added.
I use Bionaturae strained tomatoes because they come in glass jars. If you can’t find this product I would suggest subbing a 15 ounce can of whole tomatoes in juice and crushing them before adding them to your pot with juice included.
Depending upon what stock/tomatoes you use (I used no salt added tomatoes and low sodium homemade stock) you may need to adjust your salt. I would suggest starting with 1/4 tsp and adding more as you go if you are using any products that are salted. I used about 3/4 tsp of kosher salt, but like I said I was starting with a pretty bland base.
And that’s all folks!

*Here is a link to the tomato product I use. Price is based upon bulk quantity.

Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup

January 4, 2015 by Dana

This super silky milk based soup will have your family smiling ear to ear on cold winter days. Great for thermoses and leftovers!

This soup will hit your mouth like BAM! The perfect dreamy, creamy, comforting chicken soup + dumplings. Does it get any more comfort food then this? I think not. 🙂

While the Holiday cheer was wrapping up I was all like *Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup must happen now!* Parties are over, gatherings are over, and I don’t have to share with anyone! This soup = Not for sharing! That is, unless your trying to impress your hunky new man (or woman), or trying to prove to your kids that you are indeed the best cook ever and nobody will ever come close to Mama’s home cooking.

Speaking of Mama’s home cooking… I have an 8 year old that is determined to tell me about every single time in his life that he hated my food. Today in the car I heard something along the lines of:

“Remember that time that you made that lasagna with the broccoli and squash and you promised me that you were going to save a corner with no veggies for me, and then you didn’t, and then you actually burnt it and I hated it. Remember that time?”

Of course I remember that time honey, the time I actually tried to get you to eat broccoli and you acted like I was trying to kill you. How could I possibly forget that you don’t understand that cruciferous veggies are loaded with all the good stuff to keep your little body growing the right way? How could I possibly forget that I didn’t make enough béchamel to cover the noodles completely and ONE BITE got a little crispy on top? One….bite….!!!!! Kids, they don’t forget a thing!

Cooking Tips and Techniques

I used chicken breasts for this soup, however you could sub 2 cups of shredded chicken if you’d like.
I added 1/2 cup finely chopped kale for some extra nutrients. I added it very last so it didn’t get soggy and gross. I promise, you can’t even tell it is there! Oh Hi Kale! 🙂
I adapted this recipe for the dumplings. I used whole wheat white flour, which does yield a courser dumpling. I advise using whole wheat flour MOST of the time, but if your family isn’t used to whole grains you might want to sub 1/2 all purpose. I loved the dumplings, they had a great flavor, and the longer they sat in the broth the better they were!
The dumplings will get bigger after you drop them in your pot. Small dumplings = better dumplings because if you make them too big you will end up with a weird center.

Coconut Cherry Matcha Smoothie

January 3, 2015 by Dana

This antioxidant loaded smoothie is not only great for your health, but delicious!

What better way to kick of 2015 then with a delicious antioxidant bomb like this Coconut Cherry Matcha Smoothie?!? Oh me, oh my this one is super delicious, and with a touch of coconut cream tastes like a dream boat. I mix up quite a few smoothies every week but this one is here to stay!

With the New Year in full swing I know there will be a ton of “getting healthier” resolutions being made. Incorporating smoothies with whole foods in them is a great way to begin cutting processed foods. Simply substituting a healthy smoothie for a processed snack is a great start! Even if you try doing it for a week, you will see how much more energy you have, and how much better your body feels. The energy I get from a smoothie like this one is unlike anything you can get from a packaged, processed power bar. If you have a “getting healthier” resolution I’m with you. Even a person who has a food blog about not eating processed foods can fall off the wagon at times (Hello M & M’s my kids got for Christmas). What I’ve noticed this year with not eating processed foods is that I’m the minority. Anywhere we go, there is junk all around us. When you start making choices NOT to eat those things, people notice. All of a sudden you become the “health freak.” This year I want to own the way I feel about food and not let social situations make me cave and feel like I have to eat those things. Here’s to not letting social pressure get me this year! 🙂

I have been eyeing the matcha powder at Wegman’s for quite some time, I must admit. Hello! Aren’t all the cool kids doing it or something? Of course they are…. of course they are. Now, not that I’m really cool or anything because let’s face it, when you chase 3 kids around everyday your cool factor kind of goes down a little. You know, like when you are at the grocery store in a “mom hat” and you’ve been wearing yoga pants for the last 365 days? Yeah, I’m totally that mom. But, but… I just kind of hate jeans. It’s not me, it’s them of course!

Moving on, I know matcha powder can be a tad on the expensive side, so fear not because you can use a teabag with 1/2 of water to substitute for the matcha powder + water. I paid $8.99 for a small tin of matcha powder at Wegman’s, however it can range anywhere from $5 – $80+ depending on the quality you are looking for. I wouldn’t spend more then I spent at Wegman’s simply because you only get a few teaspoons of product in the tin.

I created this smoothie using two layers because I like doing layered smoothies. You can layer yours or simply mix everything together. This is also a thick smoothie, so if you like smoothies a little thinner you can add some additional water. Enjoy! 🙂

Coconut Cherry Matcha Smoothie

Cherry Layer:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen sweet cherries
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup coconut milk*
1 Tbsp coconut cream*

Directions: Blend everything together until very smooth.

Matcha Layer:

Ingredients:

1 tsp matcha powder (or 1/2 cup green tea, eliminating water below)
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup water
1-2 tsp honey
3-4 ice cubes
1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Directions: Blend everything together until very smooth.

* I use canned light coconut milk as opposed to dairy-substitute coconut milk because it doesn’t contain as many additives. Yes, this product is higher in fat but the fat naturally separates from the milky part so it is super easy for me to just use the milky part. Take a spoon and push aside the thick, creamy, layer at the top and your milk should pour right out. The 1 Tbsp coconut cream is simply the creamy part at the top. Here is a link to the product I use.

Creamy Crockpot Taco Dip

December 30, 2014 by Dana

This creamy Crockpot Taco Dip is sure to be your new “Go-To” party recipe! Throw it together the day of your party and keep in warm in your crockpot. Hello delicious!

Today my hideous crockpot is unveiled. I’ve spoke of it, I’ve joked of it, and here it is in all of it’s *older then I am* glory! Doesn’t the color remind you of something your mother got as a wedding shower present? HA! 🙂

Before we get started I’d like to point out the obvious: tomorrow is New Year’s Eve! My whole family is going to a party at our Pastor’s house so that should be fun. I know, I know, it sounds like a big snooze fest but it is not like that at all, I’m telling you! 2014 has been such an amazing year for me. I watched my boys grow up a little more *tear*, started this blog, and was surrounded by amazing people all year long. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It is amazing how every year seems to get better and better. Ok, I’m done with the sentimental stuff now, I promise! On to the dip….

Even though my crockpot is ugly it doesn’t stop this dip from being delicious, addicting, and pretty. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming this dip to be healthy or fat free….but it is one notch above the Velveeta and Rotel kind of thing because Hello! no random ingredients! So that makes it a little better, right? PLUS it has fresh tomatoes on top and that’s a veggie (I mean fruit, but hey who is being politically correct right now?) so…yeah…tomatoes = healthy. I mean, it was a nice try, right?

Cooking Tips

I only made a half batch of this dip because I was only serving it to my family. The recipe below is a full batch, that will serve roughly 12 or so people.
I waited until the end to add my beans, however you can throw them in with the rest of the ingredients in the beginning if you’d like.
If you want your dip to look like mine, use a plastic baggie to pipe your sour cream in lines! 🙂
I recommend choosing a tortilla chip that doesn’t contain soybean oil, and is non-GMO verified. We love the brand Garden of Eatin’ so check them out! I’ve also found Wegman’s has a decent organic corn chip if you live around one of their stores.
When all of your ingredients are melted together just perfectly, turn your crockpot on warm/low to keep it warm for your party.

Coconut Chicken Fried Rice

December 29, 2014 by Dana

Well Christmas just flew right by, didn’t it? Of course the last few days have been an absolute hurricane at my house, however today I managed to get a few things in order. My oldest son is home from school this week, so you know what that means, I’m officially a referee now! I think I heard the words “He hit me” more times today then I ever really wanted to hear them. Actually, I’d be totally fine if I never had to hear those words again! 🙂

Amongst all of the chaos I somehow managed to muster up the energy to put dinner together tonight and it was one of those Ohhhh-Soooo-Takeout inspired dishes that did the trick BUT was made with all real, healthier ingredients then you would typically find in takeout food. I was surprised how great the consistency of the sauce turned out because it reminded me of something JUST LIKE you would get from Panda Express. Three Cheers for creating a great sauce with a few simple ingredients that would surely rival Panda Express!

Speaking of Panda Express, I actually looked for their ingredients online and wasn’t able to find ANYTHING. Being tight-lipped about ingredients? Not cool Panda Express! Of course, I know their food is GMO-laden, and probably contains a lot of soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup, but I’d be curious to see what else is hiding in there. They do claim that they only use “natural forms” of MSG so that makes me think they use yeast extract or other flavor enhancers instead. Tricky, tricky! If anyone knows where to find their ingredients shoot me a comment! 🙂 Or better yet forget about them all together and make your own!

I put this delish Coconut Chicken over fried rice, but it would also go great with sticky white rice (GASP!) or brown rice. Ok, I know… the white rice. But there is just something about it that is so wonderful and amazing in every way that makes it perfect for a sticky sweet/spicy/salty sauce. Food heaven is that you???? I have to admit I can eat 100% whole wheat bread and pasta all day every day and never miss the bleached/refined stuff but the sticky rice with takeout-style food is my bleached grains pitfall. Just being honest! If you decide to forgo the extra fried rice steps I would recommend doubling the sauce recipe so that you have a little extra goodness for the rice.

Cooking Tips and Techniques

For best chicken results filet chicken (cut in half lengthwise) first, then cut into small chunks, and finally thin slightly with a meat tenderizer. This will ensure your chicken will cook through easily because it is thinner, and it will be nice and flat for a crispy finish. It sounds like a lot but I promise the extra few minutes of effort it takes will save you cooking time and yield a perfect bite of chicken!
Rinse pan after each batch of chicken is cooked (unless you are using a non-stick surface, then you can just wipe down with a paper towel, and add more olive oil). I used two chicken breasts, and only had to rinse pan one time. This ensures none of your chicken will end up stuck to your pan!
Heat your pan well in advance. I put my oil in the pan and allow it to heat up on low while I’m breading my chicken. When I’m about to cook my chicken I turn it up to medium. I don’t go any hotter then medium/medium low because I’m using olive oil.
Sauce can be cooked in the same pan as your chicken! Save yourself a dish, and use the flavor of the stuff on the bottom of your pan for a delicious sauce. Yumm!
Any veggies you have on hand can be used in the fried rice. Have a ball, throw in them all! I went broccoli heavy cause that’s just how we roll. Hello Cruciferous veggies!

Crispy Blackened Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

December 15, 2014 by Dana

First, who else is watching The Voice right now? All of these guys are so amazing!

And second, a big Happy Birthday to my first born baby, who turns 8 today! I know, I know, shouldn’t I be posting a cupcake or something? Well, those babies were all finished up last night around…..11:30 PM. Every procrastinating parent has been there, right? Luckily my cupcake game is on point and his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cupcakes made it to school without anything tragic happening! 🙂

So after I completely turned my kitchen upside down last night and left the mess to deal with this morning I didn’t really feel like putting something super special together for dinner. You know, when you’ve spent your entire morning with a bottle of bleach in your hands, cleaning up your kitchen and, oh yeah….the pee around the toilet (that whole boy thing is no joke), and you have little energy left for dinner? Sure, it happens to the best of us. And then we make some super easy and delicious Blackened Chicken and Broccoli Pasta and all is well! Not bragging or anything but my husband totally tasted this and said “Chik-fil-a doesn’t have anything on Mommy.” Score!

Ok so yeah, that’s a flax seed in that picture. It has nothing to do with this recipe. Opppps!

This is a two step recipe that involves just one pan. I’m going to quickly sum this up to make this real simple and easy (full recipe below):

1) Coat your chix (restaurant lingo for chicken) in seasoning, dip in breadcrumbs, BAM!

2) Into EVOO drenched and heated pan for some sizzlin’ action. POW!

3) Remove the chix when it is nice and crispy. Deglaze pan with some chicken stock to get all the goodies off the bottom. WOW!

4) Add some butter lovin’ and some flour, then liquids (stock, milk), pasta, and cheese, and simmer that goodness until pasta is about half-way cooked. Add broccoli, allow to cook, and DONE!

Is it just me, or was that really exciting? 🙂 What I love most about this is the ease of cooking the chicken. No annoying waste of an egg to coat your chicken, no 3 step flour, egg, seasoning mess, just an easy cut, coat, and cook method that delivers the crispiest pan “fried” chicken ever!

*For this recipe, I used a store-bought organic breadcrumb. Although these are not 100% whole wheat, they are a great convenience product that doesn’t include any unnecessary ingredients like hydrogenated oils, HFCS, MSG, etc. Here’s a link if your interested!

Chicken Minestrone Soup

December 10, 2014 by Dana

Can I just puuurrrty please dive head first into this pot on a cold, sleeting/freezing rain/snowy day and hibernate there until May? PLEASE?????? Ok, maybe that’s what I’ll be asking Santa for this year!

Confession: most of this soup never even made it to leftover land. It was supposed to, that was the plan. Tomorrow is my husband’s Holiday work party and the kids need a dinner. A big pot of soup is perfect, I said. It will last until the end of the week, I said. This is totally the last bite, I said. Then I lost all self control and kept coming back for more. Where did my self control go again?

Oh that’s right, my self control flew right out the window when I realized how delicious and nutritious this soup was. One more bite because it contains veggies, and then another because Hello! Whole Grains are good for you! And then just one more for the spinach! And the tomatoes! And the ground chicken is lean! And come on, one more because it looks pretty! Ok, heck just dump the whole pot in my mouth, please.

Then all of a sudden I’m all like…honey did you eat all the soup? 🙂

This soup all started when I was at Wegman’s today and saw the organic ground chicken on sale. I kept thinking back to a few years ago when I tried to use ground chicken for tacos and it was a complete disaster. We basically just threw a TON of cheese on top and gagged it down because it had a really odd texture and was just plain awful. I used to use ground turkey quite a bit, so I thought ground chicken would be similar but in truth it really isn’t the same at all.

Today was the first time since the taco debacle that I even considered purchasing ground chicken again and I’m so glad I did! Sometimes I get so sick of using the same meats over and over again, so I thought heck, why not give it another go. I’m a much, much better cook now and I was confident I could doctor it up to make something super yummy out of it. Immediately I thought SOUP, so I went with it. I was really surprised how awesome it turned out, so I just had to share for all those ground chicken doubters out there like myself.

So what made it different then the awful tacos? Well 1) I wasn’t using a seasoning packet that contains an array of random crap added because we just don’t get down with Ortega like that anymore! Then 2) There are so many other flavors going on, and everything kind of blends together to create an overall great taste. Basically what I’m saying is that I was totally wrong for all this time and I used to be a horrible cook! 🙂

*I usually use my own chicken stock, but in a pinch today I found this organic free range Pacific stock that does not contain any added MSG/Yeast Extract. If you don’ t have any homemade stock on hand, I highly recommend checking out this product.

Strawberry Pomegranate Green Smoothie

December 6, 2014 by Dana

*Update 2018: I am now the proud owner of a Vitamix. Thank You Prime Day 2018 for making all of my blender dreams come true. I still think the Ninja Master Prep is a great blender is you are using it lightly or don’t need a completely smooth smoothie, however I can’t say enough about the Vitamix! It is amazing.

Hello Friday! I’m going all Instagram-famous-healthy-people on you today, with this Strawberry Pomegranate Green Smoothie. I mean, come on… paper straws and layered smoothies? How could one go wrong?

I’ve secretly been dying to make a layered smoothie just to make my kids go “oooooooohhhhh!” After I made this today I told my 3 year old is was a “Raph Smoothie” aka the red Ninja Turtle. He’s my smoothie boy already but the words “Raph Smoothie” intrigued him enough to want some immediately and he loved it! With no signs of anything green in sight him and the baby were fighting over the last drops. I combined some frozen bananas, strawberries, the water from a can of coconut milk, pomegranate arils, and spinach to make this and it tasted fantastic without being completely weird and chunky.

Maybe his smoothie was kind of Ninja related because I used my Ninja Master Prep to make it! I’ve talked about it quickly before, and I have to say it again, for the price I love this thing! To be totally honest, we are not the kind of family who can afford blender such as Blendtec or Vitamix. I’m sure those blenders are wonderful, but hello! They are expensive. That’s a crap ton of money for a blender. I just can’t!

Anywho, when we brought the Ninja home I wasn’t quite sure if I was convinced it would actually live up to all of it’s infomercial hype. I’ve seen far too many crappy products on those things to really trust a word that is being said! However, I think it does do what it says it is supposed to do, and the quality is good enough for using it a few times a week. I will say, I had to move the ingredients around a bit to get everything super smooth, but I’m totally fine with that if it saves me a ton of money. I use it like a food processor and obviously, for making smoothies! So far, it is living up to the infomercial hype.

Just one more quick note, yesterday I discovered how to whip coconut cream. I put a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator and then skimmed the cream off the top and whipped it. The water that was left is what I used for this smoothie, however you can sub the milk straight from the can, or any other milk you’d like!

Products from Amazon.com

Strawberry Pomegranate Green Smoothie

Ingredient (pink layer):

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries (or fresh!)
1/2 cup coconut water (from a can of coconut milk, cream skimmed)

Ingredients (green layer):

1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
1/4 cup coconut water (from a can of coconut milk, cream skimmed)

Creamy White Cheddar Baked Corn

December 4, 2014 by Dana

Corn. The glue that holds all Holiday meals together. Don’t think so? Try omitting it sometime, and everyone will just keep wondering “What’s missing here???”

I have to admit, I’ve been a corn lover my whole life. As a child I absolutely despised veggies, but corn…we got along just fine. So obviously, as an adult and a chef, I look for ways to make corn even better then it already is. I’ve found a winner here….ding, ding, ding! 🙂 Corn + cheese = yes! It doesn’t really take a genius to figure that one out though, so let’s just say I took an obvious combination and upped the ante a bit by adding a touch of white wine and a layer of crispy Fontina cheese on top!

And now… I bring to you…more processed food confessions from my childhood. Boy, I hope my parents decided my blog was too much of a snooze-fest to even read anymore because I’ve been calling them out for all the crap they fed me as a child a lot lately! I’m just going to assume they aren’t reading and proceed to call them out yet again! The cheese whiz, the frozen pretzels, and now the Kid Cuisines (among lots of other crap). I mean, seriously…why? And who? Who goes to the grocery store and thinks processed junk food in plastic containers that you cook in a microwave seem like a good idea? Apparently my parents thought it was quite nifty because let’s just say I ate Kid Cuisines a few times a week for a few years. I’m still alive! But no wonder I was fat and awkward!

In their defense, I really loved those things. I came home from school, watched Nickelodeon, ate my TV-dinner. The life of a 90’s kid! My favorite Kid Cuisine was the tacos (ok, is talking about this crap getting creepy yet?!?!?). I refused to believe the tacos had beans in them (THEY DID) because I thought I hated beans. I also was quite the little chef because I always mixed the corn and cheese sauce and it was the best combo ever. Hence…. this recipe!

One really important step in this recipe is making sure your frozen corn is defrosted! If it isn’t defrosted it will make the sauce runny when it defrosts in the oven. I made the same mistake one time but quickly fixed it by adding a few tablespoons of flour and baking it for a few more minutes. Flour fixes everything!

*I recommend looking for frozen corn that is organic/non-GMO verified! I used sweet corn that I froze this summer, but store bought is perfectly fine as well!

Bacon and Mustard Asparagus

November 30, 2014 by Dana

Bacon. Mustard. Asparagus. Hello, I’m so glad we’ve met! I’m so glad me and my *asparagus loving* one year old just devoured a whole bunch of asparagus together, covered in whole grain mustard and bacon. Ok, I’m the only one who ate the bacon, because salt-fest 5,000 isn’t exactly a good idea for a one year old. Over concerned Mommy? Possibly. Greedy bacon lover? Yes.

Ok, so I’m not teaching my kids to share bacon. Truth! But you should most definitely make this delicious asparagus to accompany your holiday party this year, and share with your family, because Hello! The table needs a bright and colorful veggie dish and the broccoli casserole just isn’t cutting it anymore. Ok, I’ve always hated broccoli casserole anyway so maybe I’m biased, but seriously this asparagus just screams delish!

I have an asparagus secret weapon that enables me to purchase the perfect, skinny asparagus every week for $2.99 a bundle, and the bundle is huge! On a past recipe a reader mentioned the cost of asparagus and I KNOW, it is super expensive compared to other veggies. If you are looking to save some green on your asparagus GO TO ALDI! GO TO ALDI! GO TO ALDI! I can’t say it enough. Go to Aldi! This time of year they have some awesome seasonal products and if you can find your way out of their junk food isle you might just find some awesome deals on real food. We shop there a lot because 3 kids and a husband that eats like a horse is expensive. We got our bacon at Aldi too, organic, for a fraction of the price of what I would pay at Giant or Wegman’s.

And now… I present to you… the most in-your-face asparagus picture ever. Guiness Book of World Records here I come!

Beautiful, right? Perfect bright colors for a holiday table, right? Yes and yes! Above all this asparagus is just amazingly delicious and I’m not just saying that because I made up the recipe. It might be the *Best Ever* asparagus recipe, but you know pulling out the *Best Ever* card isn’t really my style so let’s just leave it at this: This asparagus is awesome and could be, would be, the *Best Ever* if we used those words. The end!

I must also stress this recipe is SO EASY. Easy as in it takes less than 20 minutes to put together, and as little as 5 if you decide to omit the bacon. Healthy weeknight side dish right here. 🙂

And guess what? We picked a tree this weekend. Hello hunky husband! #Imarriedwell

And the fam 🙂 Of course everyone else is wearing boots and I’m in moccasins!

Loaded Cheese Fries

November 28, 2014 by Dana

Happy Black Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We had yet another great Thanksgiving with tons of food and time with family. My husband had to work today so no Black Friday shopping for me yet but I might venture out this evening. 🙂

And then…. these Loaded Cheese Fries happened! No mystery Kraft Cheeze Whiz, no bagged fries with tots of extra ingredients including GMO’s, just real ingredients put together to create a real food version of an all time favorite. Say something Kraft, I dare you! And please, if a word contains a Z instead of an S, that might be an indication you have a processed food disaster on your hands!

I must admit, I grew up eating Cheeze Whiz, because again my parents just didn’t understand. Almost every single day I would come home from school and eat a microwaved soft pretzel with Cheeze Whiz (cringe!). I always had to spoon the cold Whiz onto my plate without even looking at it because it actually disgusted me that bad.

So what is Cheeze Whiz anywho? Basically a mix of dairy, canola oil, modified food starch, and preservatives. You know, some processed concoction only Kraft would be able to come up with. What do you really expect from the company who created Cool Whip? I surely don’t expect anything real from them so I made my own cheese sauce that is super easy, uses only 4 ingredients + seasoning and viola! Cheese fries with a real cheese sauce that taste 1,000 times better then that canned crap!

Now that we’ve called out Kraft, let’s talk bacon! We always try to purchase bacon that contain natural nitrates. I know some people don’t think it matter either way, so do what works for you. FYI our natural bacon comes from Aldi, and is a bit cheaper then most mainstream grocery stores. 🙂 Love me some Aldi!

Last but not least, these Loaded Cheese Fries are perfect for tailgating, football parties, Holidays, or any other gathering you can possibly think of. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who doesn’t love fries so these are the perfect crowd pleaser!

Please excuse this ridiculously huge picture! 🙂

Naturally Sweetened Copycat Frappuccino

November 25, 2014 by Dana

I’m all about the simple things in life… you know like $5.00 coffee drinks! 🙂

Ok, me kid, me kid. I’m more of a plain latte type of gal because have you seen the ingredient lists on Starbuck’s famous drinks? Unfortunately you are getting a lot more then you bargained for when you purchase a Frappuccino, in the form of preservatives and 57 GRAMS OF SUGAR. Hot damn Starbuck’s, REALLY?

Ok, now that we know why their drinks are so addicting and taste wonderful (hint 57 grams), let’s talk about solutions to this problem because I know you know someone who loves them some sugary coffee drinks. The solution is really simple…5 REAL, simple ingredients. Ice, coffee, milk, vanilla (bean or extract), and pure maple syrup. I pinky, pinky promise your coffee will not taste anything like pancakes, but will instead have a really subtle sweetness that works perfectly with the flavors of the coffee, milk, and vanilla mixed together. The best part? 43 grams LESS sugar then the Starbuck’s version. Now this is a treat you can feel okay about!

Imagine… all this time we’ve been paying Starbuck’s $5 a pop to blend coffee and ice for us in their fancy blenders. *face palm* I mean, I’m sure the person who thought this up immediately thought to themselves “No, this would never work.” But somehow, it has been working for many years and making us all fatter and poorer. Thankfully you now have this recipe with no weird, crazy ingredients (dates, bananas?????) that you can play around with to see what works best for you.

If you are used to the super sweet stuff, you might have to add some additional sugar. I’m a person who really loves the flavor of coffee so going easy on the sugar wasn’t a problem for me. Additionally, if you can’t wrap your head around using maple syrup then I would suggest looking for coconut palm sugar and using that instead. That will give you a rich, caramel flavor that would work great with this recipe. I also whipped up some real cream and topped mine with my naturally dyed sprinkles just for fun!

Healthier Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

Ingredients:

1 cup ice
3/4 cup strong brewed cold coffee (I used the cold Starbuck’s coffee in the cold drink section of the grocery store)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 vanilla bean pod or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions: Put everything in a blender and mix until smooth. Separation is natural and will happen, just like a Frappuccino you would purchase.

Whole Wheat Funfetti Cupcakes

November 21, 2014 by Dana

Will the Real-est funfetti cupcakes please stand up???? 🙂

Confession: I love sprinkles, and cupcakes, and cute baked goods. They brighten my life when everything around me is blue, green, and super hero colored. You know, the 3 boys struggle… it is real folks! I love cupcakes so much I even have one tattooed on my foot, complete with sprinkles and a candy heart. I think that means I’m the official Knower-of-all-things-sprinkles, right? Right!

But then a while ago we kind of had a falling out, the sprinkles and I. I figured out their dirty little secret. It was a little too late, ya’ know with the tattoo and all? The proof was right there, the whole time. All I had to do was flip the little plastic bottle over and take a glance at the ingredients, and we were done-zo for good! Why Wilton, why? Trans fats and artificial colors? How are you going to do me like that Wilton?

I could keep going on about boxed cake mixes, sprinkles, sixlets, and the like but I’ll shorten it up real nice for you… break it off with these products now, it’ll save you in the long run!

Since the sprinkle break-up of my own life I’ve been on the lookout for a better product. Mainly one that is naturally colored and doesn’t contain any partially hydrogenated oil (trans fat). I’ve tried a few different products and while they were all better I liked one brand the best: India Tree Natural Sprinkles. The one big thing that makes these sprinkles different is that the colors don’t bleed once they are on the product. I experienced color bleeding with all of the other brands I tried, although I would still highly recommend them over standard sprinkles any day! One thing I should mention, India Tree’s products are NOT Non-GMO verified, and do contain soy lecithin, which is an ingredient we try to avoid. With that being said, a girl can’t have everything!

You can probably imagine my excitement when a huge rack of India Tree sprinkles appeared at the super-awesome grocery store I frequent. Of course, my husband was along for that trip so it didn’t seem like the right time to go on a naturally dyed sprinkle buying spree. Husbands just don’t understand!

A few days later I was there again and let’s just say I got a few bottles. It’s the Holiday Season! I needed those sprinkles! The internet needs a #betterbaking Funfetti Cupcake recipe! Best part was I got to choose my own mix of colors. Aren’t they puuurrrttty? 🙂

Now comes my whole wheat disclaimer, because I HAVE to say this. I’ve served whole wheat cupcakes to dozens of family members and friends and not one person even questioned them being whole wheat. You know what that means? They didn’t even know. You know what else that means? If you use the right whole wheat recipe your cupcakes will not come out dense and dry like the way people describe whole wheat products. What dense and dry cupcakes? I don’t know because I don’t make them. I promise, you will probably not be able to tell a difference your kids will definitely not know, and your husband will be too busy wondering where all the naturally dyed sprinkles came from to notice either.

This is a whole lot of ‘fetti in my face and I kind of like it! 🙂

Last but not least let’s talk icing. I don’t love a sickeningly-sweet powdered sugar icing. However, I think if you prefer a sweeter icing these would be the perfect compliment! I have quite a few really delicious icing recipes so here are the two that I think match these the best:

Simply Vanilla Buttercream (sweeter):

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 stick unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 cups organic powdered sugar
1/2 vanilla bean pod or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Soften butter to room temperature while baking cupcakes. This step is very important!! Beat butter until very smooth, scraping down the sides of your bowl numerous times to make sure all lumps are out. Add sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add additional 1-2 tbsp. tapioca starch or non-gmo corn starch to thicken icing to desired consistency without adding more sugar.

Naturally Sweetened Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package full fat cream cheese
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
3-4 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 vanilla bean pod or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Soften cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Beat cream cheese until very smooth, scraping down the sides of your bowl numerous times to make sure all lumps are out. Add butter, continue beating until very smooth. Add maple syrup, tapioca starch, and vanilla.

*Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction’s: Easy Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes. Have never tried a recipe from her blog that I haven’t loved. Thanks!

Here is the Amazon link to the sprinkles. They are a lot cheaper in stores if you can find them there!

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

November 19, 2014 by Dana

I am telling you…these Gingerbread Pancakes totally exceeded my pancake expectations! So much so that I’ve made them for my kids 3 times in the last week. You know, because I just love hearing the words “We want pancakes” before I even step foot out of bed! #mommyproblems

I just read a meme that said “Honesty trumps sugar-coated bullshit.” YES! This is exactly how I feel today as I’m writing this because truth is, I am having major technical issues. ~~Scratch that~~. I’m having massive technical issues. The kind of issues that warrant taking my computer outside with a shotgun, or maybe a baseball bat. Either way, I have no idea what is wrong with my computer and it is driving me insane! Meltdown anyone?

These computer issues also warrant a big coffee, a good cry, and some chocolate. You know, because there’s nothing chocolate can’t fix, right? But seriously, if you don’t see any new posts this week just know that I’m undergoing massive reboots and techie stuff that I don’t really understand and I’ll be back soon. 🙂 Praying I can figure it out soon because my computer is virtually un-usable and SLLLOOWWW.

In (better) news, I took all 3 boys to the dentist today and nobody embarrassed me. That’s right… nobody ran away from me, I didn’t have to chase anyone down the hallway, or pull anyone off the decorations they just love to try to climb on. There were no looks from strangers, or older folks judging me. We came, we dentist’d, we conquered. Yes!!!! 🙂

Ok, now let’s get to the fun part, these Gingy-Men pancakes! I even busted out my naturally dyed sprinkles I’ve been saving just for Holiday baking to dress these pancakes up a bit, and how cute did they turn out? I’ve been known to hate on sprinkles in the past (among other things like bunnies) because they are nasty *ahem partially hydrogenated oils and artificial color-bombs.* However I can totally get down with a few naturally dyed sprinkles on some festive pancakes to put a smile on my boy’s faces! They thought it was something really special and I got to enjoy a pancake with my coffee. Win-win all around!

*Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Twice Baked Potatoes with Crispy Green Beans and Shallots

November 14, 2014 by Dana

Yesterday was the first snowfall here in Central Pennsylvania. I totally thought I was going to take a nice brisk walk to pick my son up at school but I went outside and SNOW! Seriously, wasn’t ready for that one because at the beginning of the week it was like 60 degrees. Hello November and real cold weather that I’ve been dreading since the start of school!

November also means Thanksgiving aka fata$$ fest aka my kind of Holiday. I have to be honest here, things that involve cooking and food are pretty much right up there on my favorites list. Stuffing face with lots of yummy stuff = YES! Now don’t get too carried away and dump a bunch of soup cans on anything, because you know that’s not how we do here at 3Boys!

ENTER…. these totally over the top and amazing Twice Baked Potatoes! Yes, that’s right. A potato that is baked twice and quite literally stuffed with butter, sour cream, chives, and cheese. I don’t know who thought this whole thing up, but thank you!!! Not only are these potatoes stuff with goodies, they are also TOPPED with goodies. Crispy green bean “fries” and shallots. Amazing…. that’s all I can really say. Scoop it out, pick it up like a ‘tater skin, do what you have to do because you’ll be stuffing your face with these and wondering how something this delicious was so easy to make!

Let me just say these words again in case you missed them…crispy shallots! These things are like the new French fried onions that don’t come out of a canister. I promise they are so much more flavorful then those canned things anyway, and top these potatoes perfectly. Do yourself a favor and make some extra because they are a perfect guilt free topping for basically anything. Salads, sandwiches, broccoli, asparagus, you name it….crispy shallots will make it better. 🙂

Ok, some tips here:

1) Use FRESH chives. Please don’t sell yourself short on this one. Fresh chives are readily available, easy to chop up, and make a world of difference when it comes to the taste of these potatoes. They are a really inexpensive way to make your potatoes 1,000 times more flavorful.

2) Use ORGANIC breadcrumbs (whole wheat if you can find them). Why? Well, I’ve talked about this a lot on here but I’m going to say it again. The mainstream canned breadcrumb brands use horrendous ingredients that are completely unnecessary and dangerous. Hello Progresso, 4C, and the like! We’ve seen your 50+ ingredient list and we are done with your nonsense. Breadcrumbs DO NOT have to contain dangerous hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, tons of GMO ingredients, and preservatives. We are done with you and your products because they are poo-poo and we know better. Good riddance! Ok, I’m done but seriously, you can make your own using my Whole Grain Breadcrumb recipe, or you can buy an organic brand and check the ingredients to make sure there isn’t anything weird in there. P.S. – The pictures on that post are ugly. Just a warning! 🙂

3) Don’t be afraid to generously season. Potatoes are bland, therefore you need to season them. Go heavy on the salt and pepper or your potatoes will be just kind of ok. I used about 1/4 tsp for 4 potatoes. Potato sizes can vary so give your filling a taste before you bake them again. The last thing you want to happen is for your potatoes to already be served before you realize they are on their way to blander then blands-ville.

4) Use a piping bag and star tip for a really beautiful end result. Yes.. the old piping bag can even be used for potatoes! I used a large star tip and the potatoes came out really easily. Then you can throw the top back on or serve it beside the potato. Either way, they look really nice.

This is a two part recipe. It looks really time consuming but I promise, the green beans and shallots can be thrown together in just a few minutes and the potatoes basically just make themselves in the oven! Sounds like a great recipe to forget about while you are having your Thanksgiving Day glass o’ wine, don’t you think?

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes
4 Tbsp salted butter (or 1/4 cup)
4 Tbsp sour cream (or 1/4 cup)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1-2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
handful fresh chives

Directions: Wash potatoes. Wrap in foil, bake in oven at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until potatoes are soft. Remove potatoes from oven, unwrap and allow to cool slightly. Cut top off of potato, about 3/4 of the way up. With a spoon, scoop out flesh of potato, making sure to leave a decent amount of potato around the shell, in order for your shells not to cave. Mix flesh with butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Pipe or scoop into shells, top with cheese, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until tops are slightly browned.

Crispy Green Beans and Shallots

Ingredients:

2 cups French style green beans
2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (organic preferred because big name brands DO use trans fats, hfcs, preservatives)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp kosher salt (if using plain or lightly salted breadcrumbs)
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 large shallot
1/4 cup whole wheat white flour

Directions: Wash and trim green beans. Mix breadcrumbs with olive oil and spices. Whisk egg and water. Dip green beans in egg wash, then roll in breadcrumbs. Green beans will not be completely covered, however sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs on top for extra crispies! Place on sheet tray. For shallot: slice, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and place on sheet tray with green beans. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove green beans, and bake shallots for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crispy.

To assemble: Top potatoes with crispy green beans and shallots plus additional crispy breadcrumbs.

One Pot Chilli Mac

November 12, 2014 by Dana

Comfort food in the best way possible, Chilli Mac!

I know, I know, where have I been? Well, you see there’s this thing called *my oven is like a million years old* and I burnt the skin of a chicken that was supposed to be another post last week. Then there was also this thing called *the lighting in my photo-taking room sucked* and the beautiful reindeer cupcakes I made were basically poo-poo in pictures. And Rudolf even had a shiny nose! 🙁

Speaking of my old oven… that thing! I could seriously just take it outside and have a grand ol’ time with it + a baseball bat. You know your oven is THE WORST when you actually have to Google how to move the racks. I wish I was kidding, but no. I Googled how to move the racks in my oven. *Face Palm* Apparently in the 70’s (I’m guessing) somebody who probably never used an oven decided the best way to move a rack would be to lift it from the very back of the oven. Yeah, totally would of never considered trying that. Just another joyful aspect of apartment living!

But then today… This Chilli Mac happened. And my lighting was nice. And I wasn’t Googling how to use my ancient oven. And there was copious amounts of cheese and greens to throw around to make everyone pretty. I mean really, does it get any better? Comfort food + Happy blogger and boys = Yay!!!!

There is one thing in this recipe that I haven’t talked about lately on 3Boys and that is ketchup. I highly recommend seeking a brand that doesn’t use high fructose corn syrup in their product. Not only is it GMO, it isn’t good for us and the brands using it in their products basically just suck. BOO to them! Don’t buy their crap! Ok, I’m done. 🙂

Now that I got that vent off my chest let’s dive head first into a big bowl of Chilli Mac, shall we? This recipe combines the goodness of hamburger, whole wheat elbow macaroni, sharp cheddar cheese, tons of spices, ketchup, mustard and sour cream into a big, delicious hot mess. This hot mess will make you want to burn the roof of your mouth right off because you can’t wait just 1 minute for it to cool down. I know, I do it every time too. Basically take everything you have in your pantry, dump it into one big hot mess, and enjoy! Chilli Mac it is!

*Don’t forget your greens! I served this with a big ol’ spinach and kale salad and some frozen mango!

Crispy Kale Topped Mac N Cheese

November 5, 2014 by Dana

Remember when I was throwing kale into everything?

Ahhh yes… Kale. We would all love to shove it into every recipe possible but HOW? Last week I challenged myself via the #52NewFoods challenge to bring kale into my cooking. It wasn’t long before it ended up in a pizza, in from scratch tomato sauce, and now in mac n cheese. Kale doesn’t have to be scary and “healthy-freak”-ish. No, it can be used by real people who eat real food. You don’t even have to be a rabbit to eat it anymore! Nor does it just have to sit under a sandwich as a garnish anymore! Yesssss!

Ok, so maybe kale got a bad wrap because it was being used as a garnish for like the past 20 years. Thank God people have woken up to how awesome it is. So much so, I saw kale chips at the grocery store for $7.99 last week. $7.99???? Talk about capitalizing on a new-ish food trend. Not to mention even my kids can make kale chips (minus using the oven of course). All you do is cut off the stems, dry it, and season it. Bam! That’s it. I mean, come on. $7.99???? No, just no.

I bought one bunch of fresh kale (organic too) for $2.79. I used it in 3 recipes. Sheesh. Talk about a mark-up for someone basically baking kale for you. Not to mention then it sits in a container for weeks (or months, who knows) until you actually eat it. Moral of the story, just make it yourself and save like a million dollars. 🙂

Now, I promise…I mean I pinky, pinky promise that this isn’t just some “health-food” ploy. This mac n cheese is absolutely delicious! If you are a lover of a nice, flavorful, crispy topping on your mac n cheese this is PERFECT for you! Cheesy, crunchy, creamy goodness that can all be thrown together in as little as 30 minutes on a busy week night. Say whhhattt?

Now, its time for the talk because I know you knew one was coming! Breadcrumbs are a part of this recipe and I will not be the reason someone reaches for trans fat in the form of those canned breadcrumbs that never go bad. Someone, please explain to me how that is possible? Oh yeah, that’s right. Even mold knows better then to touch partially hydrogenated oils and HFCS. Be smarter then mold! Don’t use progresso, 4C, or any other company whose products appear in the commercial bread isle. Those products contain a whopping 50+ ingredients and are absolute processed junk. I opt to either make my own from toasted Ezekiel bread, or choose a whole wheat organic product that doesn’t contain anything weird. Sometimes taking random additives out of food is as simple as switching from a mainstream brand to a smaller, organic company. 🙂 Maybe one day those big name brands will take a hint!

Now back to the food porn we go!

Crispy Kale Topped Mac N Cheese

Ingredients for Kale:

2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni
3-4 cups fresh kale
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup organic (whole wheat) breadcrumbs
garlic powder
onion salt
salt & pepper to taste

Directions for Kale: Rinse and dry kale. Remove large stems, chop into small pieces. Toss with olive oil, breadcrumbs, and a generous sprinkling of garlic powder, onion salt, and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 300 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until dry and crispy. Set aside.

Ingredients for Mac n Cheese:

2 Tbsp salted butter
2 Tbsp whole wheat white flour
2 cups milk
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
splash of white wine (optional flavor booster)
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsps whole grain mustard
additional salt and pepper to taste
2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni

Directions for Mac n Cheese: Boil elbow macaroni according to package directions. Melt butter in sauté pan over medium heat. Add flour, stir to create a paste. Allow to cook for a minute, then slowly add milk little by little, allowing the mixture to thicken before adding more milk. When milk is combined, add splash of white win, cheese, and spices. Allow cheese to melt, season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Top with kale and any additional breadcrumbs on tray, and bake at 350 degrees for just a few minutes for everything to come together nicely.

White Chocolate Orange Gingerbread Cupcakes

November 4, 2014 by Dana

Hello November! So glad you are here! I officially have the next 2 months to bake up a storm. Love, love, love!

Speaking of love… these Gingerbread cupcakes totally converted me to a Gingerbread fan. I’ve been on the molasses train pretty much all year and I have been patiently waiting for the holiday season to bust out some Gingerbread recipes because molasses is kind of awesome. By kind of awesome, I mean it might just be one of my top 5 fav ingredients. Why? Because it gives such a boost of flavor to all baking! These cupcakes highlight the goodness of molasses, with a hint of orange, and a bit of spice. Can you think of a better holiday combination?

PLUS…. remember when we started #betterbaking by calling out all of the nasty ingredients being thrown into dessert recipes all over the inter-world? *Ahem….Cool Whip, Trans fat laden sprinkles* Well, you can add ANOTHER cupcake recipe to the #betterbaking books because this one is simple and to the point. No weird stuff, no convenience products loaded with random crap. Just the simple, real deal… and THAT’S IT! 🙂

Is it just me or do these guys look like they just jumped off the Candy Land board game?

Now, as if you didn’t know this was coming….We need to talk about white chocolate. Yes, the dreaded trans fat talk is coming. I know, it is such a Debbie Downer in all of this cute cupcake fun. But, but, but…. we need to talk about these companies that put dangerous fats in their products knowing full well that they are dangerous! Upon some investigation at the grocery store I came to the conclusion that ALL of the white chocolate morsels/chip contained partially hydrogenated oils (non-organic brands). Hershey’s even called their white chips “Premium” yet they were made with dangerous trans fats. Come on now Hershey’s! We know you can do better then that for us!

Soooo….. I suggest taking a look at your white chocolate ingredients before purchasing a product. If it is organic, AWESOME! Then we know that eliminates most of the cray-cray ingredients we are trying to avoid. I used a Green & Black White Chocolate Bar and it worked great, tasted great, and didn’t contain any added crap. It cost me $2.99, which was only a few cents more then the Ghiradelli bars. If you can’t find an organic bar, look for a bar that doesn’t contain any partially hydrogenated oils, or artificial flavors. Companies like to throw in additional unknown flavorings but nobody likes that weird, fake taste that comes from those flavorings anyway!

And then there was that time when I thought I was getting red cupcake liners, but apparently they were pink. The grocery store must have been convinced they were red too, because they were sitting around all the baking stuff in the middle of the grocery store surrounded by huge Christmas Trees and the green liners. *face palm* But hey, they are super cute AND match my logo, so oh well! 🙂

Whole Wheat Kale and Prosciutto White Pizza + #52NewFoods GIVEAWAY!

October 31, 2014 by Dana

Remember that time you got that genius idea to make homemade pizza with whole wheat flour and it was a total flop? Been there, done that! There has always been something I really hated about how the crust turned out, because truth be told shaping a pizza is really hard!

I was looking for recipes on Martha Stewart’s website and there it was..one of the most genius food hacks I have ever seen! A pizza in a cast iron skillet! Where has this idea been my whole life? I know, I know, Pizza Hut has essentially been doing this forever and calling it panned pizza but it never occurred to me that maybe this would be the tool I needed to fix my homemade pizza problems.

I decided to incorporated kale into our grocery list this week, because it isn’t something I pick up very often. This week was different though, because Jennifer Tyler Lee’s new book, The 52 New Foods Challenge, made me realize I have been ignoring a few vegetables that I’d like to start using regularly. You know, when you get into a grocery shopping routine and forget about all the other stuff the grocery store has? Yeah, that has been me lately and I wanted to challenge my family to trying something new!

What better a way to introduce kale to my children then pizza? I can’t remember a time my kids refused pizza and the dough is an awesome way to get the kids involved and having fun. I kid you not, my toddler had a piece of dough that he played with for hours. Who needs toys when you have pizza dough? 🙂

If you haven’t checked out my Sweet-Fire Chilli post, Jennifer’s book is based upon challenging your family to try just one new food a week. This is a genius way to handle transitioning to cooking from scratch and eating healthier because we all know how busy life with kids can get. Jennifer suggests dedicating at least one day a week to cooking with the whole family and trying something new. Not just that, she has made it into a game for kids to play to entice them to actually eat the new food! Again, where has this idea been my whole life?

Sometimes it is important to step back and take a look at the big picture. With Jennifer’s book, the big picture of eating healthier, getting your kids to try healthy foods, and cutting processed foods seems so much more attainable for families who aren’t sure where to start. Can you imagine though, a year from now having 52 new healthy ingredients to cook for your family with? How amazing is that big picture?

Pizza Dough = Hours of fun! I do believe that is Batman getting wrapped in dough!

I know this question is coming, so I’m going to go ahead an answer it! Is prosciutto processed?

No. Prosciutto is cured, which means it was heavily salted to draw moisture out of the ham and make it safe for consumption. Although this is a process, the prosciutto I used only had 2 ingredients that were ham and salt. Some companies will use nitrates as well, but shop around and find a brand that doesn’t. Since the prosciutto is cured, it is very high in sodium, so I wouldn’t suggest using it as anything other then a heavy garnish in a dish like this. Just a few shreds will give you flavor enough to bring a really great taste without adding gobs of sodium.

If you are intimidated by mixing the pizza dough and using yeast, do not be! It is honestly easier then making cookies, I promise. 🙂 The dough only takes about 8 minutes to mix up, then rests in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, although you can refrigerate it for up to 24. I highly suggest using whole wheat white flour which is a softer wheat, therefore yields a softer and less dense product. Whole wheat white flour can be confusing because it sounds like it is similar to bleached, enriched, white flour but it IS NOT.

The Giveaway

Jennifer’s book can be pre-ordered below, PLUS I am giving away a copy this week! Simply leave a comment with 1 ingredient you’d like to challenge yourself to cook with this week! Next Thursday, I will randomly select a winner. 🙂

*Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe adapted from 100 Days of Real Food’s recipe Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza. Thanks Lisa!

Lunchboxes Love Mini-Whole Wheat Pizzas Too!

If you find yourself with extra dough, simply cut it into squares and press it into muffin tins. Top with garlic oil, cheese, and veggies.

#betterbaking Whole Wheat Caramel Blondies

October 30, 2014 by Dana

That’s a big blondie, isn’t it? A big, rich, caramel-y blondie that is all whole wheat!

Is it just me or are people totally scurred of committing to using all whole wheat flour in recipes? I can’t even count the amount of times I have been foodgawking and thought to myself “cool no refined grains!” only to click on the recipe and realize it isn’t a whole wheat recipe because it contains 1/2 refined flour. What gives people, what gives!?!?!

Not only that, why label a recipe whole wheat if in fact, it isn’t? Maybe I’m missing something there. 🙂

Fear not though, because here at 3Boys we don’t play those games. All of our recipes are 100% whole wheat, and #betterbaking is taking the internet by storm! Ok, maybe the second part of that was kind of a long shot but people really seem to be interested in baking recipes using better ingredients, so I am here to give you more options and better recipes.

Whole wheat recipes don’t have to be bland, boring, and standard. They don’t have to be limited to just one version of a classic, the possibilities are endless. You don’t have to worry about trying something in whole wheat form and it turning out horrible, and I get to take pictures of pretty desserts that make me happy. Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn’t it? Even my husband thinks it is genius because he gets to taste all of my creations! After all, I have to put that Pastry Arts degree to use somehow, don’t I?

Now that ^^^^ is a caramel blondie! With this recipe I’m really tackling those boxed mixes with the little pouch of gooey caramel intact to drizzle right over those trans fat laden boxed brownies. I know, I know, I’m sorry I just can’t help myself! I have to get all health-freak up in here and talk about the nastyt ingredients in boxed mixes so people understand those mixes are not frowned upon simply because they are supposedly quicker (which I highly debate). They are frowned upon because they contain trans fats, preservatives, and a bunch of other crap. But aren’t brownies just flour, cocoa powder, and leavening agents anyway? Please, someone, anyone…. tell me how this makes ANY sense!

I got to wondering what else Ghiradelli was throwing into those gooey caramel packets and it was just the icing on top of the nasty ingredient cake! It was ugly folks, really ugly. Corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and preservatives. Just a few little extras, right?

Ok, I promise I’m off the trans fats are bad train and we are now going back to our regularly scheduled programming! 🙂

These blondies sound complicated but I promise they are not! Putting together the caramel from scratch could NOT be easier. A few simple ingredients, 5 minutes, and a stovetop is all you need. After you do it once you’ll be wondering why you ever thought caramel was complicated. Not to mention, the FLAVOR from real caramel is totally different and so much better then those plastic wrapped chunks of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Come to the real caramel dark side, I promise we have more fun here! 🙂