I'm back!!!!

I can't believe it has been 7 weeks since my last blog! I have been crazy busy at work and being married. I have tons of recipes to catch everyone up on. I am hoping to post a few recipes a week so I can fill everyone in on what I've been cooking and life being married the last few weeks. School is almost over! Only 15 more school days left! Can't wait to to have my summer and enjoy some carefree days! Tonight I made low carb pizza. I was at Target this past weekend and saw a boxed pizza that sounded amazing so I had to make my own version this week. Roasted red pepper with garlic sauce on a low carb tortilla with chicken, parmesan cheese, spinach, and goat cheese. So yummy! It definitely hit that spot!

Low Carb Pizza

1 Low Carb Tortilla Wrap

Sauce:

3 or 4 roasted red peppers pieces 

1 garlic clove

A drizzle of EVOO and White Wine vinegar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.

Toppings:

5 spinach leaves finely chopped

2 ounces of cooked chicken chopped

1 hand full of parmesan cheese

1 hand full of crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spread sauce on tortilla. Top with parmesan cheese. Then layer with chicken, spinach, and goat cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until tortilla is crispy. I used a whole wheat low carb tortilla and 10 minutes made it crunchy with out browning it too much.

Chocolate Lava Cake with Berries...aka Low Carb Dream!

Its been way too long since my last post. It isn't that I haven't been cooking because I have...a lot actually! I just haven't had time to post recipes and talk about my day lately. I am seriously ready for summer! Today has been our first day of Spring Break and it has given me a taste of what is to come in about 2 more months...I can't wait to hit the gym in the mornings around 9 then come home lay out in the sun for a few hours then cook a healthy dinner and dessert! Summer time is the best!!!!
Today I got up and ran tons of errands then came home to cook a meal for my friends who just had a baby. I made them some Baked Ziti, Garlic Bread, Caesar Salad, and for dessert Peanut Butter Snicker Brownies with Peanut Butter Icing. None of which is low carb but all of which is delicious! After I dropped their meal off I came home and cooked a very yummy and healthy meal for Brock and I. We had baked chicken and steamed broccoli....then dessert...to die for amazingly delicious Chocolate Lava Cake!!!!
So I don't have pictures of the Chicken or Broccoli but they are super simple to make and very healthy. For the chicken I just make them in little foil packets. Take a piece of foil and place a chicken breast in the middle. Cover with your choice of seasoning. We really like the spicy chicken seasoning. I sprinkle that on the chicken breast then take a tablespoon of butter and cut it in three slices and place it on top of the chicken breast with seasoning. Seal up the packet and bake on 425 for 30 minutes.
Walmart has started selling fresh broccoli in steamable bags! Its amazing! Poke a few holes in the bag with a fork, place the bag on a plate in the microwave for 3 minutes and bam...its ready! Perfect meal in about 35 minutes! :)
Dessert.....the good stuff! I am obsessed with reading other food blogs. One blog that I am loving right now is All day I dream of food. The lady who write this blog is a diabetic and has to eat low carb/ sugar free.  As sad as it is to have that disease she has totally made lemonade out of her lemons in life and has become an amazing cook for others who are diabetic or that follow a low carb sugar free diet. You should all definitely check out her blog! This dessert is one of her recipes. The only thing I might try next time is adding a little bit more splenda. She uses granulated erythritol and I substituted it for Splenda...I think I should have put more because it was kinda bittersweet. It was delicious but could have been sweeter. :)

Chocolate Lava Cake:

Ingredients:

4 tbsp of butter, plus more for the ramekins

6 squares of Lindt 85% cacao chocolate

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp of granulated erythritol (I'd say 2 tbsp of splenda)

1 tsp of flour

Directions:

Melt butter and chocolate together in a small bowl set on top of a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth.  On a medium size bowl beat egg, egg yolk, and splenda together until light in color and thickened. Add chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the flour. Divide the mixture between the ramekins, bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Sides will be set but center will soft. Invert onto plate and let sit for 10 seconds or so. Then lift ramekin. Cake will fall out onto plate! Serve immediately with whipped topping and/or fresh berries.

Sometimes it doesn't go as planned....

Yesterday was Sunday...not just any Sunday it was time change day! Normally it's not a big deal. I really don't ever feel affected by the change but this time was different. Saturday night Brock had to deejay a fundraiser for the Arkansas Museum for Children. It was a nice, fun change from weddings, clubs, and parties. We got all dressed up and had a great time together. The down side to our fun evening was it was a late night. We got home around 1 am. By the time I was ready for bed it was way after 2. Brock reminded me to set the clock back...we had a discussion that went a little like this....

Brock: Don't forget to set your clock back before you set your alarm.
Me: Ok...baby I don't think I have to set this my alarm clock back it does it automatically.
Brock: No babe...your cell phone sets automatically not the bedside clock.
Me: Are you sure???? I don't know that I've ever set this clock. And I can't figure out how to change the time.
Brock: Seriously babe...just hit the hour button.
Me: There isn't one....just a time zone button.
Brock: Well set it on eastern time.
Me: Ok baby.

So not a big deal right?!? WRONG! I woke up, so I thought, late...6:20 on my clock (suppose to get up at 5:45). Ran in, jumped in the shower and I'm running around like a crazy woman. I go back in the bedroom to have this conversation with my sweetheart of a new hubby.....

Brock: Kim turn off the lights and be quiet...
Me: Baby you need to get up and start getting ready we are running late. Its 6:45.
Brock: No its not, your clock is wrong it's only 5:45.
Me: No baby remember the time change....
Brock: Check your phone, your clock is wrong, I am tired and you are making noise...Go back to bed! You are up too early!

Sure enough my alarm clock does set itself...and since I changed the times zone I lost 2 hours of sleep! Worst night of sleep ever! I only got like 3 hours and that was the first thing that day that didn't go as planned. Some things to know about me are I love plans and following them out and if I don't get enough sleep I am one grouchy girl!

Wondering why I have bored you with the time zone alarm clock story? Well our day Sunday was super busy. We had church Sunday morning and then lunch with our friends the Shane and Mendy Roth (and kids). Love them! We invited them back to the house to hang out while their son, Max, went to a birthday party a few blocks from our house.

We got home and picked up a little before company and I baked cookies. Shane has a gluten allergy and a dairy allergy so he can't eat a lot of stuff. I discovered this recipe back when Brock and I started our low carb lifestyle. These cookies are now Shane's favorite cookie....ever! (So he says!) These Peanut Butter Chocolate cookies are a delightful little low carb, no sugar, no dairy, and no gluten dessert! They are super soft and chewy. We drank an afternoon cup of coffee and ate cookies! So good. We decided to cook burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner. Well that was the plan...but just like my alarm clock problem we had some more bumps in our road. I made a list of things that we needed from the store which included an extra package of hamburger meat, 5 sweet potatoes and some medicine. Lets just say Brock tried and got 1 out of 3 correct. He got the right hamburger meat, but regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, and he got me powdered medicine instead of pills. Again he tried. So we just made regular fries instead. I decided to make gourmet burgers with my Italian seasonings with sauteed tomatoes and onions with a special homemade mayo sauce, and fresh shredded mozzarella. So Mendy and I start cooking. Cutting potatoes and making burgers. I go to put the burgers in the pan and start cooking them. All is good until...I go to flip them...7 out of 10 burgers just crumbled to pieces...like it looked like I was browning hamburger meat for something other than making burgers. Disaster!!!! Needless to say dinner didn't turn out as planned. Instead of having hamburgers we has meat blobs on buns. LOL. Oh well....it looked awful but everyone loved them! So I guess that is all that matters! And no I didn't take pictures of the meat blobs and regular fries. I don't have clue as to why the meat fell apart but we had fun and I realized sometimes things don't go as planned but that is ok! :)
I thought I'd share my cookie recipe and pictures of those since they were the one thing that actually went how they were suppose to that day!!!

 Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

(adapted from baking bites)

Ingredients:

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup of splenda brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp of water

1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl mix together cocoa powder and water. In a medium size bowl mix peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Once well combined mix in chocolate water mix. Stir until all combined. Add chocolate chips. Drop by the teaspoon on a cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. Eat them up!!!

Peanut Butter Snicker Brownies!

Tonight was our family bingo night and teacher bake sale at school. Our PTA host a family night with a silent auction of baked goods that the teachers make. The kids get so excited about buy the things their teacher has made or bought. This year it was no different. Tons of delicious baked goods lined the tables in the cafeteria for some friendly biding wars.
Leading up to the bake sale I was racking my brain trying to find something that was going to be some what easy to make but more importantly didn't need refrigerating and could be transported easily. Several months ago Snickers came out with their new peanut butter snickers squares. As soon as I saw them I told Brock not only had I died and gone to heaven that I was more excited to figure out what to make with them! These could be used in so many different baking opportunities! My options were endless! Three days later I was catching up on my favorite cooking blogs when I found a recipe using my God sent heavenly treats....that is right my Peanut Butter Snickers!!!! So hands down I totally decided to use this recipe when making my bake sale item. Needless to say they were a success, bringing in a grand total of $28.00!!!!
So with out farther ado I give your the most delicious dessert treat that has ever been.....well at least one of the best! :)

Peanut Butter Snicker Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting...

aka....a piece of heaven! :)

(Cookies and Cups)

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar (splenda)

2 eggs

2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 cup of butter (melted and unsalted)

1/2 cup of cocoa powder

2/3 cup of flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 and spray muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl stir sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Then add in melted butter. Mix well. Sift in cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Scoop brownie batter into muffin tins. Press an unwrapped PB Snickers in the center of the brownie batter. Use the back of a spoon to spread the brownie mix across the top of the candy bar. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until edges are set and the center is no longer jiggly. Let them cool for 30 minutes before removing them from the pan.

While they are cooling go ahead and mix up the frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

2 1/2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar

3 tablespoons of milk

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl with a hand mixer beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly add in sifted powdered sugar and then milk. Beat until smooth. Fill a piping bag with the frosting and then decorate however you want! Feel free to pipe any extra frosting directly in your mouth....its that good!

Eat and Enjoy!!!! :)

Chocolate Walnut Blondies (low carb! )

I have a major sweet tooth...as if that isn't obvious! I try to keep it in check and not make too many desserts. But today I thought Brock and I deserved a treat. We have been eating healthy all week and I have been craving some chocolate this weekend. So I made these yummy chocolate walnut blondies. They are very nutty and the chocolate gives them just the right amount of sweetness. They are also a quick and easy treat to make. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did! :)

Chocolate Walnut Blondies

(adapted from I dream of Food)
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of walnuts

1 cup of almond flour

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 cup of melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup splenda

2 tsp of vanilla extract

10 drops of stevia extract

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of sugar free chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven at 325 and grease an 8x8 pan. I just used non stick spray. Chop 1/2 cup of walnuts and  toast them. Set them aside. In a food processor take the rest of the walnuts (1 cup) and grind them till they look like course cornmeal. Combine grounded walnuts, xanthan gum, and almond meal in a bowl and set aside. In a medium sized bowl melt 1 cup of butter (2 sticks). Beat melted butter and splenda together till smooth. Add in vanilla and stevia extract. Then stir in the almond flour mixture. In a small bowl beat all 4 eggs then pour eggs into batter. Stir till well combined. Add in toasted walnut chunks and chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes till edges are slightly browned.  Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before serving.

Chicken Pizza and Cheese Sticks (all low carb!)

I feel like our lives are so busy and we don't even have kids! I shutter at the thought of having to balance our crazy life style with kiddos! Hopefully we won't have any of those for a long long long time! Yesterday was the end of a long week and so I wanted something super easy and little mess but still hardy and full of flavor! So I went with Brock's favorite again and yet made another dish that is low carb for pizza lovers! That is right low carb Chicken Pizza. It was super easy and can be made however you like your pizza just use flattened chicken breast as your dough.

Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

 6 Chicken Breast (flattened to about 1/2 and inch)

butter

salt and pepper

oregano

3/4 cup of tomato sauce (about a tablespoon or so per chicken breast)

onions

peperoni

jalapenos

mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Either grill chicken or cook it in a skillet. I did mine in a skillet with a little butter salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked place in a oven safe dish. Spoon sauce on top of chicken then layer with favorite pizza toppings. Peperoni, jalapenos, onions, and cheese. Sprinkle with some oregano. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Mozzarella Sticks 

(low carb)

Ingredients:

12 cheese sticks

1 egg

splash of water

1/2 a bag of original flavored pork skins

Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Take pork skins and crumble them into crumbs. I used my food processor for this step or you could use a rolling pin and place them in a ziplock bag and crush them. Mix egg and splash of water together in a shallow bowl. Take cheese stick and dip it in the egg wash then roll in the pork skin crumbs. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until finished. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 8 so they don't complete melt together. You still want them to resemble a baked cheese stick. Dip in ranch or marinara sauce.

Stuffed Meatballs

Brock and I are back on the healthy low carb eating wagon! Last night we had baked chicken and steamed broccoli. Tonight we had stuffed meatballs and cauliflower mash* (a mock mashed potatoes). These meatballs take a little bit of prep time but are super easy to make and well worth it in the end.

Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix

A handful of grated parmesan cheese

1 1/4 pounds of hamburger meat (I only use 96/4)

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a cookie sheet (with sides) with non-stick spray. 

Take your fresh mozzarella cheese and scoop out about one teaspoon of cheese. With your hands roll it into a ball. Make about 12 balls. Set them aside while you get the meat mixture ready.

In a bowl mix meat, dressing mix, and parmesan cheese until combined. Divide meat into 12 to 15 meatballs. Take one ball at a time in your hand and flatten it out as if you were going to make a hamburger with it. Place one ball of cheese in the center of the flattened meat patty. Wrap the meat around the cheese ball. Place the stuffed meat ball on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all meat is used. You should be able get about 12 meatballs.

Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Look at that yummy mozzarella cheese! Yummo!!!

*The mock potato recipe can be found on the February 13 post (Valentine's Day Dinner).

Carb-o-loading!!!!

Ok...so I have to admit that I have fallen off the healthy eating wagon for about 2 weeks now. I have been craving baked goods and pasta's and all sorts of yummy bad for you foods! Tomorrow though I am back on the low carb hard core lose some weight mode!  It is almost March 1st which means my race is 8 weeks away + bathing suit season is right behind that = BIG MOTIVATION!!!!! :)
But before I swear off all heavy duty carbs again I thought I'd share with you all a few things I have made or eaten while on my "carb binge". :)

Last weekend Brock took me to Dallas for the weekend. We left Thursday after he got off work and drove down and stayed with some friends. Friday morning we went to brunch with my dear friend Bethanie Skipper. Her parents were missionaries to Argentina when my family lived in Uruguay. I have know her since I was 5 and she is very much like a sister to me. She took us to eat at Bread Winners. A must eat if you are ever in Dallas. Amazing food and very cool atmosphere. Bethanie got the fresh made granola with yogurt and fresh fruit...healthy and amazingly delicious choice! Brock ordered the Monterey Enchiladas, which were 2 flour tortillas stuffed with eggs, beans, queso, pico de gallo, and ranchero sauce, with a side of breakfast potatoes. Of course when on vacation you might as well live it up so I ordered the Normandy French Toast. Which is sourdough bread stuffed with cream cheese and raspberry jam topped with whipped cream and fresh berries! Oh my goodness gracious! There were no words to describe the taste of that this fantastic creation!

Me and Bethanie outside of Bread Winners.

Plate of Pastries they give you while you wait on your food....Yummy!

Brock's Monterey Enchiladas.

Bethanie's healthy granola breakfast.

My stuffed french toast! Scrumptious!!!

 That afternoon we went to Sprinkles Cupcakes.....I have to say I was slightly disappointed. The cupcakes looked great and were very well decorated and looked amazing but they were dry and not very flavorful. Definitely not worth $7.00 for two cupcakes! We also went to IKEA!!! Best place in the world! We spent all afternoon there and bought lots of fun things for our new home. When we get everything in place I will post pictures of all our IKEA stuff. :)

Cupcakes from Sprinkles...Cinnamon Sugar and Peanut Butter Chocolate.

Brock....playing at IKEA

That evening we went to dinner at Victor Tangos. Very cool place and the food was tasty.....the only downfall was that you order your meal for everyone in your party to share. So basically we spent $40 to get one bite of each item we ordered. We were still hungry when we left. Not a place to go if you are super hungry but a great place to go for finger foods and cocktails. Since we were still hungry when we left we decided to go to The Cheesecake Factory. You can never go wrong there. I ordered just cheesecake...of course it was the Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake....to die for!!!!! Brock ordered the Cuban Sandwich with Sweet Potato fries. We were both completely satisfied and completely happy with our choices!

On Saturday we spend the day mall hopping. I must say that is one thing Brock and I both love doing...SHOPPING! I know ladies...I am a lucky woman to have a husband who loves going shopping and loves planning a day going from mall to mall in order to go to all the stores we wanted to hit up. We also went to The Container Store...I'm in love! I had never been to an actual store. I had only made purchases online. I could have spend hours in there picking out all sorts of organizational things for the house and my classroom! Fantastic store! A must shop if in Dallas and you have never been to one. We ate at El Fenix, Brock's favorite Mexican place ever! It was good. I ordered chicken nachos and he got enchiladas. No pics of this meal due to the fact I didn't have my camera. So sad! We also end up eating Mexican food for dinner and lunch the next day. All of our friends were in the mood for Mexican. Needless to say we were Mexicaned out! No more Mexican for a long time for us!

So now that I have bored you with my trip to Dallas lets move on to the baked goods I've made during this so called "carb-o-feast"!  I made Blueberry Scones with a Lemon Drizzle (no pics this time), Blackberry Upside Down Cake, and my version of Cranberry Bliss Bars from Starbucks! They all turn out incredible!
Due to time...I will post my favorite recipe tonight and this week post the rest. So tonight's recipe is my version of Starbucks amazingly delicious Christmas treat.....

Cranberry Bliss Bar

(adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 sticks of butter 

1 1/4 cups of Splenda brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of orange extract

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups of dried diced cranberries

6 ounces of white chocolate chunks

Frosting:

4 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature) 

3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons of orange extract

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Drizzled Icing:

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of milk

2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening

orange zest (optional)

Sprinkle extra white chocolate chunks and dried cranberries on top to make it look pretty! :)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. I used nonstick spray.
Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, ginger, and salt; beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Stir in (by hand) dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Pour batter in prepared dish. Bake for 35 minutes.

Once the cake part has cooled prepare the frosting. Combine all ingredients for frosting with an electric mixer until smooth. This is going to be real thick, so be careful when you are icing the cake since it will be very moist it will tear easily if you press too hard when spreading the icing. 

When you are finished icing the cookie combine frosting drizzle ingredients together in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. I put this in a ziplock baggie and cut off the tip for an easy drizzle look. Topped it with extra cranberries and white chocolate chunks. 

This is a super sweet dessert! I cut them in small squares because most people can only eat a few bites.

I am stuffed and feeling gross after the crazy amount of carbs that I have consumed throughout the last 10 days. I am ready to get back on the healthy low-carb wagon and stay for a while! :) I am off to bed for the night and will be posting healthy dinner recipes and the rest of my crazy yummy carb filled treats this week.

Simple week night meal

I know today is Valentine's Day and most people are going out for dinner or cooking a gourmet meal for their significant other. Well I made Brock's meal yesterday and we are headed to Dallas on Thursday for a long weekend and Brock will be taking me out to celebrate our love some time this weekend. So tonight I just planned a simple meal since this week is parent teacher conference week and I wanted to keep things simple.

Steak Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries, and Brown Sugar Sauce

Steak Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries, and Honey Dip Sacue

Caesar Salad Cube Steak Burger

(adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds of cube steak
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can of beef broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Sandwich you will need:

Romaine Lettuce

Fresh Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 or 2 piece of toasted bread (I used low carb)

1 teaspoon of Honey Dip Sauce (recipe to follow)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and marinate the meat for 2 hours (or all day...I put mine together this morning and had it ready when I got off work). Place the meat and marinade in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook about 7 minutes each side.  When the meat is finished start with toasted bread, cover with honey dip sauce, then lettuce, place your meat then smother with freshly shredded parmesan cheese.

Honey Dip Sauce

(adapted from Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:

8 ounces of Sour Cream

1 1/2 tablespoons of Mayo

1 tablespoon of Sugar Free Honey

a few sprinkles of cumin, parsley, oregano, salt, and onion powder (all to taste)

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate will use. You can also use this dip with the Sweet Potato Fries. It is a more savory option rather than the sweet brown sugar sauce. 

This sauce taste like a homemade french onion dip. Very savory and full of flavor. Taste great with sandwich and fries!!!

Sweet Potato Fries

(Our Best Bites)

Ingredients:

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

1/8 tsp black pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper. 

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. 

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp.

Brown Sugar Maple Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter melted

1/4 cup of sugar free maple syrup

1/8 cup of Splenda brown sugar

1 tablespoon of sugar free honey

 

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with warm bake sweet potato fries! Yummo!

Dessert

Melt milk chocolate of choice in microwave with some shortening. Dip strawberries in them and let them set on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Melt white chocolate with some shortening then place in a ziplock bag and cut off the tip. Drizzle white chocolate over the strawberries. Super easy and always delicious!!! 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

Valentine's Day Dinner

I love Valentine's Day! It is such a fun little holiday...I guess you can call it a holiday. It a day that I love to do things for the man I love. This year Valentine's Day is on Monday...not just any Monday but the first day of Parent/Teacher Conferences! Which means I won't have time tomorrow to be in the kitchen and make dinner and dessert for my new hubby. So today I decided to spend some time and make a nice little romantic dinner for my amazing husband! On the menu....Rosemary Brown Sugar Marinated Pork Chops, Mock Loaded Mashed Potatoes (Cauliflower), Parmesan Asparagus, Salad, and for dessert.....Coconut Creme Brulee with fresh berries and fresh whipped topping!

The candle lit table

 Needless to say dinner was a success! Brock loved it and was surprised with Creme Brulee...which is his favorite! I had never made it but decided to try it and it was amazingly delicious! Here are the very simple recipes I used. The creme brulee took the longest but the meal itself can be done in less than an hour! :)

Pork Chops, Cauliflower Mash, Asparagus

Rosemary Brown Sugar Pork Chops
(Sweetpeas kitchen)
Ingredients:
4 boneless porkchops
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
3 tablespoons of Brown Sugar (I used the Spenda brown sugar)
1 tablespoon of dried rosemary (or 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary)

Directions:
Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and rosemary together and marinate the porkchops in the mix for 3 hours or longer.
Preheat oven 350. Place meat and marinade in a baking dish. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes flipping them halfway through.

Mock Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen cauliflower
3 ounces of cream cheese
1 hand full of shredded cheddar cheese
1 hand full of crumbled bacon (2 to 3 slices)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil then add in the cauliflower. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 30 minutes. In the mean time in a medium sized bowl put the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and bacon. When the cauliflower is done spoon it out with a slotted spoon into the bowl with the other ingredients. With a fork mash and mix till all the cheese is melted and the cauliflower is mashed to resemble mashed potatoes.

Parmesan Asparagus
Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus
a drizzle of oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
sprinkle of shredded parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil (for easy clean up). Take  your asparagus and chop off the bottom inch or so. Spread them out on the cookie sheet. Toss with a little oil. Make sure they are all coated (not drenched) with oil. Salt and pepper to taste...just a few sprinkles. Bake for 15 minutes. Pull the tray out and sprinkle with some shredded Parmesan. Bake for 3 to 5 more minutes. Just enough for the cheese to melt.

Salad....fresh spinach leaves, feta cheese, bacon crumbles, almonds, and dried cranberries drizzled with sugar free Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.

Coconut Creme Brulee

(Get off your butt and Bake)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of sugar (I used real sugar since it was my first time making it...next time I will try Splenda)

1 teaspoon of cornstarch

8 large egg yokes

1/2 cup of heavy cream

14 ounces of coconut milk

4 teaspoons of sugar in the raw (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300. Sift sugar and cornstarch together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the egg yokes. Whisk in the coconut milk and heavy cream. Set four 6 oz ramekins in a deep baking dish. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour hot water in the baking pan till it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes and then loosely tent the pan with foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. It the foil is too tight it will make the custard curdle so be careful. Remove the pan from the oven and take the ramekins out of the baking pan with water and let them cool on the counter about 10 to 15 minutes. Then refrigerate several hours or overnight. Before serving sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar in the raw on top of each ramekin. Then use a torch to caramelize the sugar.

I served mine with fresh berries and fresh whipped topping. For the whipped topping take heavy whipping cream, a little vanilla, and a sprinkle of splenda and use a mixer and beat it until it becomes thick and whipped cream. :)
So yummy! This meal was a success. The only thing I would like to do different next time is to try making the creme brulee with splenda.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day with the one they love...and if you are single do something for yourself! Take a long bubble bath, bake a dessert, hang out with friends, pamper yourself...but have a great day! :)

Stuffed Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

One of Brock's favorite dishes that his mom makes is Chicken Cordon Bleu.  So I thought I might just give it a low carb whirl...and it turn out great! He loved it! Yay...cooking success!!!! It is very tasty and doesn't have a thick batter on it. It was covered with little sauce...yummo! I paired it with a broccoli cheese casserole but you could serve it with pasta, or any other veggie you want! This is a super easy and hardy meal. It will definitely be a week night special in our house!

Stuffed Chicken
(adapted from Get Off Your Butt and Bake)

Ingredients:

3 Chicken Breast

3 pieces of Swiss Cheese

3 pieces of Deli Ham

1 1/2 tablespoons of Flour

1/2 teaspoon of Paprika

1/4 teaspoon of Salt

1/8 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1/8 teaspoon of Pepper

3 tablespoons of Butter

1/4 cup of Chicken Broth

1/2 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 tablespoon of Cornstarch 

toothpicks

Directions:

Either pound chicken to about 1/4 inch thick or butterfly it (cut it in half horizontally). Place one piece of ham and one piece of swiss cheese in the middle of each chicken breast. Roll it up and secure it with toothpicks. In a small bowl mix together flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Roll chicken lightly in mixture.

In a medium sized skillet melt butter over medium/high heat. Place chicken breast in skillet. Brown all sides of the chicken breast. Add in chicken broth to skillet and reduce heat to medium/low and finish cooking...about 25 to 30 minutes. When chicken is cooked remove the chicken from the skillet and keep it warm in the oven or microwave. In a small bowl whisk together heavy whipping cream and cornstarch. Pour it in the skillet and keep stirring until mixture thickens. Take out the toothpicks from the chicken breast and pour sauce over the top right before serving. Enjoy!  This can easily be doubled to make 6 servings instead of 3...well 2 because Brock will eat two pieces of chicken! :)

Super Easy Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen broccoli florets

4 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

3 ounces of cream cheese (room temp)

a handful of Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese plus a little extra to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven 425. Spray a square baking pan with non-stick spray. Set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add Broccoli and let boil for 15 minutes. In a small bowl put your cream cheese, bacon crumbles, and handful of cheese. When broccoli is done strain it then add it to the bowl with cheeses and bacon. Mix well. Pour broccoli mix into prepared pan. Spread it out to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with some extra cheese and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. 

This is so yummy and super cheesy! :)

Crustless Italian style Quiche

Another snow day locked in the house and literally we can't go anywhere. We woke up starving and freezing! So off to the kitchen I went to try to make some sort of  breakfast dish with what I had left in the fridge. We desperately need to go to the store for groceries sometime today or tomorrow morning if we can ever get Brock's car unstuck in the snow. I drive a Mazda 3 and it is parked in the garage....and that is where it is staying since the snow in front of the garage door comes up about even with my trunk! On to the delicious Italian style quiche.....

Italian Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

6 eggs

a few splashes of half and half (or milk)

Italian Seasoning (or basil, tyme, oregano)

1/4 cup of feta cheese

a handful of fresh spinach leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with non stick spray and set aside. Fry bacon til crispy. Once it is cool enough to handle crumble into pieces. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil chop spinach into bite size pieces. Make sure you remove the stems before you chop the spinach. Once water is boiling place chopped spinach into the pot. Boil for only about 2 minutes. While you wait for those two minutes get a bowl of ice water ready to transfer the spinach into when it is finished. Scoop it out with a slotted spoon and place in ice water bowl. Scoop out of the ice bowl after about thirty seconds and place on a paper towel.  In a medium bowl crack 6 eggs and beat well. Add in half and half, Italian seasoning, feta cheese, spinach, and bacon crumbles. Mix well. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until middle of quiche is firm. Let it cool for about 3 to 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Thai Chicken and Mock Rice (Cauliflower)

This meal is super easy and so yummy! I found the Thai Chicken recipe on eatbetteramerica.com. Which is a great place to find low calorie and low fat recipes. I found this one and make a few adjustments to make it low carb. You can adjust the spices to your taste. We like it with a little kick. Of course everything I make has to have a little spicy kick to it! The mock rice recipe I found from www.gnaw.com. This lady had a website dedicated to low carb recipes. I have used a bunch of her fabulous recipes and tweaked them for out taste buds!

Thai Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breast

1 tablespoon of oil

3 garlic cloves minced

3 jalapenos (I left the seed in and added an extra jalapeno then what the original recipe calls for)

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of splenda

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon of dried mint leaves (or 1 teaspoon of fresh mint leaves)

1 handful of chopped unsalted dry roasted peanuts (or more if you want)

Directions:

Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces. 

On a stove over medium high heat put some oil in a skillet and mix jalapenos and garlic together and simmer for a few minutes. Add in chicken. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. If there is a lot of juice in the pan try to scoop it out with a spoon. Don't strain it or you will loose the garlic and some of the jalapenos. Stir in soy sauce, splenda, basil leaves, mint leaves, and peanuts. Cook for about 5 more minuets until soy sauce is bubbly and all the chicken is coated with sauce. 

Serves about 4 people. or 2 people with left overs! :)

Mock Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower (grated-I used my food processor)

2 cloves of garlic

Cooking oil (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 egg (beaten)

3 green onions (I didn't have these so I used onion powder just to give it the onion flavor)

a dash of pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in wok over medium high heat. Add cauliflower and garlic, stir fry until cauliflower is nearly tender, don't over cook or it will be mushy. Stir in soy sauce. Push all the cauliflower to one side of the wok and pour in the beaten egg on the other side and lightly scramble it. Mix it into the cauliflower. Add the green onions and pepper. Toss together and serve! 

Thai Chicken and Fried "Rice"

Superbowl treats!

Sunday night we threw a Superbowl party for some friends of ours. I decided to make lots of treats for our company. One of my favorite places to eat is the Cheesecake Factory. We don't have one here in Arkansas and the closest one is in Tulsa (2 hours away). We obviously don't eat there a lot but every time we are in Tulsa I beg Brock to take me there. His favorite appetizer there are the Buffalo Blasts. They are a fried buffalo shredded chicken with cheese in a wanton wrap then deep fried and served with Ranch! They are amazing!!! So I decided to recreate these for him for a Superbowl treat. I also made strawberry cake balls, chocolate peanut butter cookies, bacon wrapped wienies with a brown sugar glaze, and extra spicy cheese dip. My friend Mendy made an amazing bean dip, meatballs, and guacamole! Blake (Brock's brother) made pizza dip and Beau (Brock's little brother) brought sugar cookies! We also had peanut butter M&M's, pretzel M&M's, cinnamon sugar pecans, and pizza! We had a massive feast and my Buffalo Blasts were a huge hit!!!! So I thought I'd share the delicious recipe with you all....now keep in mind these are by no means low carb or low calorie or low fat...but they are amazing!!!!

Just some of our food! (Before Mendy came with her goodies.)

Buffalo Blasts

(a knock-off the the Cheesecake Factory)

Ingredients:

1 pack of wanton wrappers (which they were out of so I used egg roll wraps)

3 chicken breast cooked, cooled, and shredded

Buffalo Sauce (I used 1/3 cup...use more or less depending on taste)

Monterey Jack Shredded cheese (about 3/4 a cup....a pinch for each wrap)

1 egg with a splash of water (beat well)

Oil (for frying)

Ranch and extra Buffalo sauce for dipping

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with lots of paper towels for after frying to help blot off the extra grease.

In a medium sized bowl mix shredded cooked chicken with buffalo sauce. Make sure all the chicken is covered in buffalo sauce.

Take a wanton or egg roll wrap and lay it like a diamond shape. Scoop a spoonful of the chicken mixture on the middle of the wrapper.

Sprinkle with cheese on top of the chicken.

Bring the bottom of the wrap up then fold in the sides. Brush some egg wash on the top to ensure that it stays sealed and none of the yumminess comes out.

Bring a large skillet 1/2 filled with oil to about 400 degrees (I used a candy thermometer...if you don't have one a way to make sure the oil is ready is to get your fingers wet with water and kinda splash the oil...if it sizzles then it is hot enough to start frying)

Fry each side about 2 to 3 minutes each. When both sides are browned transfer to cookie sheet to soak up the extra oil.

Serve with Ranch and Buffalo Sauce! ENJOY!!! I know we all did!!!

I'm done with Winter!!!!

 I can't tell you how over Winter I am!!!! I have never been one for cold weather in the first place but this weather is ridiculous! Can't wait for it to all go away!!!! While it is beautiful when it is coming down and fresh the after effects just plan stink! Brock had to work early this morning at the coffee shop...which seriously who in this weather gets coffee at 6:30 in the morning?!?! So he gets up and heads to the bathroom....like most people do first thing in the morning and he discovered we don't have water!!!! Apparently the pipes are frozen which means we are out of water until they defrost!!!! Which could be a long time considering the temp outside is 3 degrees! AHAHAH!!!!! This is a no bueno situation!
Since we had no water I got up and when Brock went to work I decided to venture to Wal-mart. Thank the Lord that Wal-mart was fully stocked with water and all the other things I needed. It was freezing outside and by the time I got home I couldn't feel my toes, my nose, or my fingers!!! My body was frozen!
So to cheer me up on this cold waterless day I decided to make a low carb cinnamon swirl loaf and a delicious cup of coffee!!!
This recipe is super easy and I got it off the Carbquik website. Which if you don't have any and you are living the low carb life style it is a must!!!! It is basically a low carb version of Bisquick.  I can make almost anything with it and it is only 2 carbs a serving! If you don't care about carbs at all I am pretty sure you could probably substitute the Carbquik with Bisquick.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

www.carbalose.com

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Swirl

1/3 cup of Splenda

1/8 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons of grounded cinnamon (I doubled this) :)

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

Batter:

1 1/2 cups of Carbquik

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of butter (unsalted..1 stick)

3/4 cup of Splenda

3 eggs

2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract

1 cup of sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven 350. Spray with non stick spray or butter a loaf pan. (9x5x3)

Cinnamon Swirl : 

Mix the two sugars together.

Batter:

1. Mix Carbquik, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl

2. Melt butter (1 stick) then with a mixer add splenda. Beat until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and beating it in the mixture completely before adding the next. Then add vanilla.

3. Starting with the dry ingredients start alternating dry mix with sour cream. Starting with dry ingredients and ending with dry ingredients.

4 When it is all mixed together pour half the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture. Repeat with the rest of the batter and sprinkle the rest of the sugar mix. Take a knife and swirl it into the mixture. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle it on the top.

5. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.

6. Let it cool for about 5 minutes on a cooling rack before taking it out of the pan and serving.

-Next time I make this I will probably add some chopped pecans.

cinnamon swirl bread with some butter

 

 

 

   

BREAKFAST!!! :)

 

Today's plan is go to the gym...more so to shower, then head home to watch movies and tv...it is Thursday so all my favorite shows are on tonight!!!!Chau!