Tag Archives: food

Chocolate Peanut Butter

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Quick Post:  This is a new favorite! The kids inhaled this perfect after school snack, either served with apples or spread on a piece of toast. Make sure you start with the smallest amount of sugar first and taste for sweetness, adding more if necessary. This didn’t turn out too sweet – I used about 7 tablespoons. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread – adapted from 52 Kitchen Adventures

  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup unsweetneed cocoa powder
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 T canola oil (or peanut oil if you have it)
  • 1/8 – 1/4  tsp fine sea salt

Place peanuts in food processor or blender. Process until they become almost liquified (be patient: first, it will grind up, then make a ball shape, then become smooth, and then look wet – it took at least 10 minutes). Add in cocoa power, powdered sugar, oil and salt and blend for a couple of minutes until thoroughly combined. Add more salt to taste and a little more oil if too thick. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. It may need stirring before serving.

Honey Mustard Dressing

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This was absolutely perfect compliment to my salad. I’m also loving the addition of apples, walnuts and feta to my basic salad toppings. The dressing couldn’t be easier to whip up – it actually took me longer to search for a recipe than it took to make. Three ingredients are all you need for this tangy and sweet dressing. This is my new favorite salad! Thanks for reading, enjoy 🙂

Honey Mustard Dressing – adapted from Food Network

  • 5 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Directions:

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.

 

Homemade Peanut Butter

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Quick Post: I had to make this – I just couldn’t help it. It’s so much more rich and flavorful than store bought peanut butter and it’s worth the little effort it takes to make. Tomorrow I’ll post the kids new favorite chocolate peanut butter spread. They couldn’t get enough of it! Thanks for reading, enjoy:)
Homemade Peanut Butter – adapted from A Homemade Kitchen
  • 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 to 2 TBSP honey
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (optional)

Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. With lid on, pulse the peanuts until they become a smooth and shiny butter, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. If it seems your peanuts aren’t turning into a paste, slowly add the oil until incorporated and smooth. If peanuts turn into a paste easily, omit the oil. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

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I think he’ll forgive me for having to eat leftovers… I decided to surprise him with some extra decadent cookies and I know he didn’t mind being the taste tester of these. See, I’m torturing myself now because it’s been nearly a month since I’ve eaten any dessert; and so far I’ve remained strong 😉 Oreos are a weakness of mine, so imagine how hard it was not to eat the Oreos while I was chopping them up! It was rough, but I know I’m in much better shape than I was four weeks ago – that’s what is keeping me motivated to abstain from all things sugar. I guess making these was the ultimate test.

Verdict: He definitely enjoyed being the guinea pig and seeing all those smirks from him while he asked what “those” were when he came home were totally worth it. I made 32 medium sized cookies and bake them for the 10 minutes. Make sure that you let these cool for at least 7 minutes before moving to a cooling rack; but they’re pretty soft, so move them gently. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies – adapted from Sweet Eats

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (10 to 12) crushed Oreo cookies
Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and crushed oreos. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls or scoop with an ice cream scooper and set on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Turkey Chili Mac

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Tonight was my chance to make a meal that I know my husband would not appreciate, and I haven’t made a dish like this since March. It makes a lot of food and it’s so cheap and a great meal for using up my pantry staples. This time I used organic ground turkey instead of the usual lean ground beef. The turkey wasn’t much more expensive than the beef, but I knew I wanted to make this as lean and healthy; so I chose it. The texture of the turkey is less dense than beef when cooked and I didn’t need to drain any fat off. I forgot to add the brown sugar to offset some of the acidity of the tomato, but we remedied that by adding ketchup to our bowl of chili mac. Personally, I love to add ketchup to any macaroni and cheese recipe because it gives a subtle sweetness and tang to the meal. M doesn’t get it, but the kids appreciate a healthy squeeze of ketchup too 🙂 Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Turkey Chili Mac –
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pounds lean ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper to season the turkey
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 or 5 mini bell peppers (*or one large bell pepper)
  • 1 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar (*I forgot to add this)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese

Directions –

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add ground turkey. Season with a dash of salt, pepper, onion powder. Once the meat is no longer pink, pour into a bowl and set aside.

2. Saute the peppers, onions and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and brown sugar and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with garlic, elbow macaroni, and 2 cups water. Stir to combine, cover and keep at a high simmer for about 10 – 14 minutes or until juices are absorbed and macaroni is tender.

4. Stir in cheddar and season with freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt and add if needed.

Peanut Butter Pie with Oreo Crust

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Quick Post:  This is a combination of the two peanut butter pie recipes I’ve tried before. Those who tried it really enjoyed it – I only had a tiny “quality control” taste. M and I agreed that it was a little salty, (I left it out of the recipe for you) so I wont add any extra salt next time. Despite the slight saltiness it is light, creamy, peanut buttery and the crust is always a hit. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pie III – 

Crust –

  • 1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Filling –
  • 1 (8-inch) graham cracker pie crust
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
Direction:
To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and toss with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened (the mixture will be quite wet).  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes so the crust is firm, then bake until set, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.  Fold in whipped topping.  Spoon mixture into prepared pie crust.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until firm.

Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake

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Quick Post: Another morning, another healthy breakfast! I’m having fun experimenting with all these new breakfast recipes and here’s another one I found but I have modified slightly to make it more substantial with the addition of oats. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Banana and Peanut Butter Breakfast Shake – adapted from Natural Noshing
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 3/4 to 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup soaked oats
  • 1 1/2 TBSP unsalted peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 TBSP ground flaxseed
  • dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. The night before soak  1/3 cup oats in 1/3 cup of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until combined. Pour into glass and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

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I have posted this teriyaki chicken marinade recipe two other times here but each time we’ve eaten it in a different way. The first time using thighs and serving with rice and veggies, the second time as a grilled chicken sandwich and now as kebabs! I marinated the chicken for over 20 hours and it makes such a difference. The flavors penetrate all the way into the meat and keep the chicken moist and tender. This is a double batch of what I normally use because I had about 3 pounds of chicken and about the same weight of bell peppers and mushrooms. We had friends over so there weren’t too many chicken leftovers and everyone enjoyed this – it’s always a hit with company! Thanks for reading, enjoy.
Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs  –
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2  TBSP honey
  • 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2  cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 – 3 inch piece of ginger, sliced thin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast – pounded thin and cut in 1″ chunks
  • 1 pound of crimini mushrooms
  • 3 bell peppers, cut into a large chunks
  • fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into rings (*I didn’t marinade these)
  • 15 to 20 skewers – *soaked for at least 3 hours
Directions:
1. Place your diced up chicken in a sealable container and pour half of the marinade over all and refrigerate overnight.
2. Marinade your diced peppers and cleaned mushrooms for at least 6 hours, and while those are marinating, soak your bamboo skewers.
3. Pull your chicken and veggies out of the fridge and start skewering them – I always keep the meat separate from the vegetables. I skewer about four or five pieces on each stick with a good amount of space in between to ensure even cooking and caramelization. Make sure you choose chicken pieces that are roughly the same size for the same skewer – again for even cooking.
4. Place the chicken on the grill over medium heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating them once. Place the veggies on the grill for 5 to 7 minutes or until done and charred nicely.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

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Quick Post: This breakfast requires a little more time than the average, so it’s perfect for the weekend. Mine took at least 15 minutes for the liquid to absorb. My husband commented: “It looks like you’re killing your oatmeal”, to which I replied “I’m supposed to.” There is no oat texture left in this when it’s done and the bananas get all mushy, so if you have texture issues – fear not! The addition of walnuts helps cut the near slimy-ness of this oatmeal. After I took the pictures, I thought to add raisins which also helped add textural interest and a little sweetness. I can tell you that this is filling, but I’m not full – to me there is nothing worse than feeling full and bloated; especially in the morning when there is things that need to be done.
Banana Bread Oatmeal – adapted from The Edible Perspective
    • 1/3 cup rolled oats (*you can use 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup steel cut for a chewier texture)
    • 1 large egg, whisked
    • 1/2 banana, thinly sliced
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (*or cow’s milk if you’d prefer)
    • 1 TBSP ground flax meal (*I bought flax seeds and ground them up in my blender)
    • 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a small pot, over medium heat, whisk the oats, cinnamon, sliced banana, water + almond milk together. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Stir a few times while cooking, until almond all the liquid is absorbed – about 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in flax meal and continue cooking for 1 minute. Temper your egg – In a small bowl, whisk your egg quickly and add about 1/3 cup of the hot oatmeal mixture slowly; being careful to avoid scrambling the egg. Slowly add the egg/oatmeal back into the pot and stir until thoroughly combined. Let cook, without stirring, for 2 more minutes then pour into a bowl and top with nuts and maple syrup. Enjoy!

Banana and Peanut Butter Soft Serve

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I am so surprised at how good this is and my kids loved it – even my husband thought it tasted good. It’s not too banana-y or peanut buttery. The texture is smooth and creamy, like a nice custard style ice cream. This was a good fake out dessert because ice cream is my absolute favorite  – I miss it! It’s been about four weeks since I have had any “real” dessert, but I was pleasantly satisfied with this treat. I added the chocolate chips mostly for visual interest, I gave the chocolate chips to my kids because the soft serve didn’t need anything. My son wants me to make this again soon – score 2 for mom! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Banana Soft Serve – adapted from The Novice Chef

  • 2 to 3 frozen bananas, (*cut up before freezing for easier processing)
  • 1 heaping spoonful of natural peanut butter
  • optional: top with granola, slivered almonds or any of your favorite toppings
Directions:
1. I used my food processor for this, but you could use a blender to make it too. Place all the banana in the work bowl and pulse until nice and smooth. It took a little while at first, but once the peanut butter was added it