Tag

baking

Preparing For For My First 5K And A Healthy Snack

homemadegranola.jpgHere is a funny tidbit of information about me. I worked as a regional manager for a chain of health clubs for about 10 years, I married a marathon runner and I absolutely hate exercise. Everyone always assumed that I was a health nut. Nope! While my husband is running marathons, I am trying to find my way to the finish line with a forty ounce of beer. I don’t workout & I definitely do not run. For years my husband has been trying to convince me to run a race with him, but I just would not budge. I just could not understand why he and so many others loved this. Running hurts my knees and my shins. I am a big baby. I just was not interested in putting my body through this torture for no reason. Lately, I have begun to find myself more and more curious as to why so many loved to run. I know that obviously it is great for weight loss, but there are other ways to do it, so what is the draw. I have been gaining motivation through watching my husband, friends and even some of my fellow bloggers, Runsaltrun .

Soooooo, I, Kim the anti-runner have agreed to do my first 5K. I am a registered participant for one at the end of next month.  This week, I began my training. What I have discovered is that I am grossly out of shape, but I am working on it.

When ever I start a exercise routine, I know that I am going to need some extra fuel to keep my body going. One of my favorite energy foods is granola. It is healthy, delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 cups of quick oats

1/4 cup organic honey

1/4 cup organic peanut butter – Make sure to stir the peanut butter well before measuring out as organic peanut butter can have an inconsistent texture if not stirred well.

1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds

1/4 unshelled sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dark chocolate

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp of sea salt

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix oats, honey and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix well, breaking up any chunks of peanut butter and evenly distributing honey and peanut butter through the oats. Mix in the almonds, sunflower seeds and chocolate. Add the vanilla and sprinkle in the sea salt. Stir well. Spoon on your mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Spread out the mixture compactly to form larger granola chunks or scatter for smaller bites. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Watch carefully not to burn. Remove from the oven & let cool. Toss in the cranberries and crumble granola in to chunks.

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I bagged up snack sized portions in snack baggies to take to work.

The great thing about granola is their are so many possibilities and different fruit and nut combinations. Granola is great alone or sprinkle over yogurt or even ice cream.

Stay tuned for more on my 5K training saga…

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

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I think I have mentioned before that my work has a monthly pizza party to celebrate all of the birthdays in that month within our company. On pizza day, they bring in a variety of different topping pizzas and a ton of desserts. Oh the desserts, oh so many delicious desserts. Ever since the last pizza party I have become obsessed with cheesecake. Not that I didn’t love it before, but now I find myself craving it all the time. Last week it was french toast with cheesecake filling and this week, it is cheesecake bars. This does not really fit into my diet, but oh well. These are super simple to make and so good.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Cookie crust

A package of Betty Crocker oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

1 egg (per directions)

1 stick of margarine (softened) (per directions)

Filling

1 8oz  package of cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of vanilla greek yogurt

1 egg

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare cookie mix per package directions. Press 1/2 the cookie mixture into a square 8″ baking pan. In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar & yogurt on low speed until blended and smooth. Do not overbeat. Add the egg & quickly beat in. Add the chocolate chips & stir. Pour the cheese mixture over the cookie crust. Take the remaining cookie dough & press and flatten between hands and place over the cheese mixture. Do this in pieces and spread out evenly. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cookie is golden & is firm in the middle. Cook times will vary. Let cool before cutting and serving. They will set as they cool.

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Related Topics:

http://rhythm-of-food.com/2014/04/26/banana-and-cacao-muffins/

http://toniandrukaitis.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/friday-life-is-short-eat-dessert-first/

http://toosexytocook.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

Chick Pea Burgers

ChickPeaBurger.jpgI have a love/hate relationship with food. I love food, but it hates me. If I have one day of bad of eating, my body pays for it for days. I am in the throes of body payback right now. I don’t know when I will learn my lesson. The funny thing is I enjoy eating healthy, sometimes it is just too fun to be bad. Today,I am back to being a good girl. I am a big fan of veggie burgers & bean burgers. They are a staple in my diet. The same thing is the case with chick peas. I was craving falafel today, but as I am trying to stay away from fried food I wanted to make a baked version of one of my favorite meals ala a burger patty.

Chick Pea Burgers

1 can of chick peas (drained)
1/4 cup of diced onions
1/2 cup of diced water chestnuts
1/2 cup of diced red peppers
1 tsp minced garlic
1 egg
1/3 cup of wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tbsp of grated parmesan
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
Pepper to taste
Additional wheat flour for dusting

Preheat oven at 350. In your food processor combine, chickpeas, onion, water chestnuts, red peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper & egg. Blend ingredients leaving it somewhat slightly chunky. Add in the flour, parmesan & baking powder. Blend slightly on pulse. Dust your hands with some wheat flour to keep mixture from sticking to hands. Roll a plum sized ball between your palms. Place on a greased baking sheet & flatten the ball into a patty by pressing with your hand. Continue until all the mixture is gone. This will make about 6 patties. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve on a bun with lettuce & yogurt dressing or tzatziki sauce. https://thepinterestedparent.com/2013/11/06/greek-nachos/.

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These were wonderful. If you like chick peas, hummus and falafel, these are a must try. My husband even liked these.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Sweet Potato Chips

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I started a new job a few weeks ago. While I love my new job, it has been quite a change for me. My last job had me on my feet all day. I was used to being on the run. With my new position, I am at a desk more the majority of my day. Not only am I not getting as much activity, I am also snacking much more while sitting at my desk. I needed to find healthy snacks to bring to work that did not make me feel guilty. A while back my mother-in-law bought us a bag of sweet potato chips & I absolutely loved them. How difficult could they be to make at home?

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Wash & peel the potatoes. Slice the potatoes in thin even slices.( Try to cut the slices as evenly as possible.) Drizzle & rub with oil. Toss with cinnamon & paprika, coating each potato evenly. Spread out potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer & sprinkle with the sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (Cook times will vary) Turn off oven &

The baking can be a tricky process. Watch them carefully to make sure that they do not burn. If you have some slices that are thicker or thinner than the others they will cook differently. Thicker cut slices may not be crisp.

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I made these to bring to work the next day but ended up eating almost all of them as a late night snack. I guess I will have to double the batch the next time.

Related Topics:

http://fitdishdiaries.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/roasted-smokey-spiced-chickpeas/

http://dontforgetyourveggies.com/2014/03/12/my-favorite-granola/

http://fairyburger.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/apple-chips/

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

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Peanut butter is one of those thing that I think that you can couple with just about anything. I have always loved peanut butter… peanut butter & jelly, peanut butter on celery, peanut butter with bananas & one of my all time favorites peanut butter & apples. If you have never tried it, it may sound strange, but it is a wonderful combination.
My daughter in one of her unusual requests, asked for an apple pie & watermelon this morning for breakfast. It got a chuckle out of me & then got me thinking, an apple pie did sound good. I decided on an apple crisp instead & while in the midst of making it, started thinking about my favorite snack. This resulted in a fruity peanut buttery treat.

Peanut Butter Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

5 Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of quick oats

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of melted butter or margarine

3 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp of salt

Ice cream or whipped cream for an optional topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients. Add the peanut butter & melted butter. Mix well using a fork to smash the ingredients together. Do this until the mixture is crumbly & well blended.

Peel, core & slice the apples & place slices in a 9 1/2 inch round baking dish. Add the peanut butter crumble over the apples evenly. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool slightly & serve warm topped with ice cream or cream. Enjoy!

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Related Topics:

http://prettylittlepastimes.com/2014/03/02/national-peanut-butter-lovers-day/

Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole

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Because sometimes you just need comfort food…

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground meat (for this recipe we used venison but any ground meat will work.)

2 Cups of chopped peppers (red,yellow & orange)

1 cup of shredded cheddar

1/2 tsp olive oil

1 packet of sloppy joe mix

1 can of tomato paste

1 1/4 cups of water

1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

1/3 cup of milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown the meat in a large skillet & drain. In a separate pan, add oil & peppers. Cook until tender. Add the peppers to the cooked meat. Stir in a packet of sloppy joe seasoning, can of tomato paste & water. Stir well, bring to a boil & then simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix Jiffy mix according to directions using the egg  & milk. Stir the cheese into the Jiffy mixture. Pour the meat mixture in a baking dish evenly. Spread out the cornbread mixture along the top of the meat & bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool & serve.

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Related Topics:

Polenta Baked with Tomatoes, Corn & Basil

CJ’s Baked Greek Casserole

Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

Asian Drumsticks & Family Selfies

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When you have a toddler, there are good days & there are bad. Some days, you want to just rip your hair straight from your skull and others like today make you grateful beyond belief.

Our daughter is such a love bug & loves when mommy and daddy are both home together. They don’t happen often, so when they do she takes advantage of it. I was equally as happy to have us all together this evening. Since we were all home for a family dinner tonight, I made one our favorite meals, Asian style drumsticks over rice.

Asian Style Drumsticks

Ingredients:

12 drumsticks

1/4 cup of orange juice

1/4 cup of soy sauce (Golden Mountain or Maggi are recommended)

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Flour for dusting

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. In a bowl mix orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cayenne & honey. Stir well. Dust the chicken with flour lightly & place in a baking dish. Pour marinade over the chicken, turning and coating each piece well. Add pepper to taste. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Spoon the marinade over the top of each drumstick. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, flip & move the chicken around in it’s sauce occasionally.

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I like chicken, Mama.

After dinner, Mai wanted the whole family to retire to the couch & sit under the blankets. We were snuggled up so sweetly that I wanted to take a family photo to capture it. I set the camera on the coffee table on self timer & took a photo. What developed from there was a fun filled selfie evening that had all of us smiling. Even Dukey got in on the action & fun.

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Related Topics:

http://joshuathomasbrown.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/boneless-chicken-thighs-with-a-sweet-spicy-twist/

http://dinnerforbrian.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/mango-chicken/

http://simplyfantasticbooks.com/2014/02/21/a-quick-meal-thai-chicken/

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs

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Tonight was a dinner-time victory for mommy. Every evening it is a roll of the dice as to whether we will actually get our picky little monster to eat dinner with the family. The biggest cause of stress currently in my life is my daughter’s diet. She hates to eat. I have spoken to the doctor, talked to fellow mommies & Googled advice on how to get Mai to eat. Nothing works. She eats on her terms.

Mai likes bite sized foods & anything in ball form. Meatballs are hit or miss with out finicky eater, but tonight it was a rare win. I am a very happy mama tonight. Maybe these meatballs will be a hit with your picky munchkins as well.

Cheese Filled Turkey Meatballs.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of ground turkey

2 egg whites

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

3 sticks of mozzarella string cheese

1/2 cup wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium sized bowl combine turkey, bread crumbs & spices.  Add egg whites, Worcestershire sauce, milk & mix well. Add parmesan cheese & mix until all ingredients are well blended. Slice string cheese into 3/4 inch pieces & set aside. Grab a spoonful of mixture, place a piece of cheese in the middle & roll  a 2 inch ball around it. Place on a cookie sheet. Continue until you used all of your mixture. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

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“Meatballs good, mama”

Related Topics:

http://susancancook.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/baked-pasta-with-meatballs-and-spinach/

http://hestayedforthefood.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/waikiki-meatballs/

http://foodisthebestshitever.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/baked-pasta-with-pork-and-sage-meatballs-and-kale/

Nutella Filled Crescent Hearts

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Nutella is such a wonderful thing. I want to find the person that invented the delicious nutty spread & give them a giant kiss. It is guilty pleasure of mine. I have been known to just sit there with the jar & a spoon and indulge in the sweet treat right out of the jar. I also am a fan of the crescent roll. If you stuff a crescent with just about anything it is delicious. I am guessing I would even eat a dirty shoe if a crescent was rolled around it. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to couple two of my favorite foods .

Ingredients:

A sheet of seamless crescent

Nutella

1/4 cup of finely chopped hazelnuts

2 Tbsp of butter or margarine

1 Tbsp of brown sugar

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Unroll the sheet of crescent dough. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out crescent hearts for the top & bottom of your treats. Gather excess crescent & roll out with a rolling pin. Cut out more hearts until you have used most of the dough. Lay one heart down on an ungreased cookie sheet & generously scoop Nutella & spread in the middle following the heart shape & avoiding the edges. Place another heart over the first heart & Nutella. Pinch the edges. Do this until you use all of your dough hearts.
In a saucepan melt butter or margarine over low heat. Add brown sugar & stir until dissolved & then add hazelnuts. Make sure they are finely chopped. Mix until coated with butter & sugar.
In the middle of your formed crescent hearts, use a smaller heart cookie cutter & press in the center. Sprinkle nut mixture in the middle of the cookie cutter until in fills in the shape. Repeat with all formed crescent hearts. Bake for about 10-15 minute or until golden.
Melt chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Heat it in 30 second intervals. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over your hearts & let cool.

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Related Topics:

http://sesamebasket.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/hi-nutella/

http://thechristinejuang.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/foodie-nutella-cinnamon-rolls/

http://butterandsprinkles.com/2014/01/29/nutella-crumb-bars/

http://weheartcards.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/no-bake-rice-krispie-cakes-with-popcorn-nutella-and-peanut-butter/

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Wheat Muffins

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Conversation with my recently turned 2 year old daughter during breakfast this morning…

Mai: Mama, jelly.
Me: You want jelly on your cinnamon bun?
Mai: Yes!
I spread a little jelly on her bun
Mai: Mama, more jelly…biiiigg jelly
Me: There is no more jelly baby
Mai: Jelly at the store
I break down in laughter & against my better judgment take out the jelly to give her just a little bit more. I’m such a sucker sometimes.
Mai: Mama, find it! (Claps her hands)

It seems as if overnight my little girl has grown up. She is talking up a storm, forming full sentences & developing a mind of her own.

She recently discovered that she loves jelly. She wants to spread it on toast, pancakes & now apparently cinnamon buns.

Let’s see if she likes it in a muffin too.

Peanut butter & jelly muffins

I try to bake with whole wheat flour whenever I can. If you chose to make these using enriched flour, you will have to adjust your measurements. For every cup of enriched flour used in a recipe, it only takes 3/4 cup of wheat flour. You will need to adjust your liquid measurements as well.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat baking flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup all natural organic peanut butter

1/3 cup of apple sauce

2 egg whites

1 cup of skim milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, both sugars, salt & baking powder in a bowl. Add the peanut butter & mix until all the oils are absorbed & mixture gets clumpy. Knead between fingers until well mixed & forming crumbles. Add apple sauce, egg whites & milk & stir just until wet ingredients are absorbed. Add a spoonful of mixture to a greased muffin tin. Add a spoonful of jelly to the center of the mixture & then top with the remainder of the muffin mix. Bake for about 20 minutes. (Cook times may vary) Let cool & serve to your favorite jelly lover.

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The verdict: My little girl gobbled them up and so did mommy & daddy.

Related Topics:

http://nourishedbycorynn.com/2014/01/23/snow-days-and-banana-cocao-muffins/

http://thelivefitgirl.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/banana-nut-muffins/

Avocado Chocolate Orange Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Vegan & Gluten-Free)