Red Velvet Shake

As I've mentioned before I love me some red velvet so when I came across this recipe I couldn't wait to try it.  The original recipe comes from Hungry Girl (love her) so it's very figure friendly.  I did modify it a little so it's probably not as low fat/cal as Hungry Girl's, but it's still a healthier option than a regular red velvet milkshake would be. It turned out to be super yummy and surprisingly filling. Even the hubs said so!

Red Velvet Milkshake

What you need:
1 packet diet hot cocoa mix  (20 - 25 calories)
1 tbsp. French vanilla powdered creamer
1 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips plus additional for garnish if desired.
4 drops red food coloring (optional)
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or skim milk
1/4 cup chocolate frozen yogurt
8 ice cubes
Reddi-Wip topping

What you do:
In a tall glass, combine cocoa mix, powdered creamer, and chocolate chips. Add 2 tbsp. very hot water and stir until mostly dissolved. Thoroughly stir in food coloring if desired.

Pour mixture to a blender. Add milk, frozen yogurt, and ice. Blend at high speed until smooth.

Pour into the tall glass, top with Reddi-wip and additional mini chocolate chips.

  Recipe adapted from:Hungry Girl

What's for L?

One thing I look forward to when I actually work my real job is LUNCH!!  Doesn't take much to please me... No, but really when I'm home with the kiddos I may not always have the time for a real HEALTHY adult lunch.  My intentions are always good to eat something healthy but sometimes it just doesn't pan out that way.  When I work I know I have to preplan my lunch for the week or else I starve :) So I  will make a big batch of something or other that's loaded with veggies and other good for you things for me to eat throughout the week. And yes sometimes I do this when I'm home too, but being home can make me lazy because I think oh I'll be home I'll just make whatever at lunchtime.... and that kinda thinking gets me into trouble and has me eating hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for lunch . BLEH.

Anyways one dish I do like to make when I'm home because it's so easy and quick to throw together at lunchtime is this broccoli salad.

All you need is:
Broccoli
Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
Carrots (cut into bite sized pcs of whatever shape your little heart desires - sticks, coins, etc)
Cottage Cheese (I use lowfat 2%)

All you do:
Throw desired amounts of veggies in bowl and toss with 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

ah...YUM!



Double Dare Squares

When we first moved into our house we had the pleasure of living next to some of the greatest neighbors one could ever imagine living next to.  It was an older couple, both retired from the medical field, and parents of 6!  Not too shabby when you're raising little ones of your own to have some experts right next door hey?! They had hearts of gold and were always welcoming our family into their home, sending over leftover desserts, helping out if we needed a hand, just all around great people.  They were also great for conversation!

They have since moved down south but before they did, they left us with some wonderful memories and this wonderful recipe too!
 
The husband made these for us once and my oldest begged us to get the recipe from him. They are called Double Dare Squares, and I'm not sure why except perhaps because I double dare you to only eat one square??? Trust me, it'd be nothing to finish off a pan of these bad boys...

I changed the recipe just a touch.

Double Dare Squares

What you need:
2 cups (12oz pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
9 cups (16oz pkg) mini marshmallows (or the majority of the bag if you have a 2 year old that needs a few handfuls of 'smarshmallows' before you get to making these)
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use creamy)
1-1/3 cup rice krispies (the original recipe calls for 1-1½ cups roasted peanuts)

What you do:
Lightly grease 13x9 baking dish.
In LARGE sauce pan over low heat melt chocolate chips and peanut butter stirring constantly.
Allow to cool 5 minutes.
Gently stir in marshmallows and rice krispies (or peanuts).
Pour into pan, refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.
Cut into squares
Try not to eat them all in one sitting.

YUMMMMM!!!

The GREEN post

Green... weird how one word can take on so many different meanings... color, young, jealous, earth friendly, money...

Green Breakfast

Spinach for breakfast? Sounds inviting right?  Ya didn't think so. I had a hard time just pulling the bag of spinach out of the fridge before 8am until I tried this super yummy but extremely healthy drink.  Even those who don't like spinach will like this because well, you can't taste the spinach but you will reap the benefits of eating it! Sounds like a win win to me.

 Gather your ingredients

Combine in blender until smooth

Enjoy

Green Smoothie Recipe
1 banana (previously peeled, sliced and frozen)
1 spoonful of peanut butter
1 cup of almond milk (you could use regular milk but why not up the health benefits with the almond milk?)
1 single serving container of vanilla Greek yogurt (once again you could use regular yogurt but why not make it more healthy?)
2 handfuls of spinach

Put all ingredients in blender in order they are listed and blend until smooth.

Original recipe found at:Iowa Girl Eats

Green Nail Polish

Seeing as mint nail polish seems to be one of the in colors this season I figured I'd give it a try.  Since I wasn't quite sure I was going to like it I just picked one of the cheap-os up at Target.  I got the Sally Hansen Extreme Wear in Mint Sorbet. I painted my fingers and toes.... While I'm not an overall fan of this particular brand of nail polish (it's thick and clumpy) the end result isn't too bad. 

While I didn't love it when I first applied it, I must say after a day or so. It's starting to grow on me.  It definitely won't be my go to color but I think it will make it into the rotation of a fun spring/summer color.

Green Cleaning

As I mentioned in a previous post about vinegar, I would like to start cleaning my house with more earth friendly products.  I have since then started to switch over to homemade 'green' cleaners and I must say the switch has been a lot easier then I thought it would be.  As a matter of fact over the weekend I cleaned with my store bought 'chemical' cleaners and I didn't realize how much I prefer the homemade ones.  Here's the recipe for the glass cleaner that I'm loving!

Glass Cleaner

¼-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent (I use Mrs Meyer's dish soap in the basil scent seriously this must be the best smell on earth as far as clean goes)

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups water

Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

At first I found this recipe to be too "wet" and I thought oh no that's going to streak my mirrors right up. In fact it does the opposite.

Also, try using newspaper instead of a paper towel to clean windows and mirrors... Much better results! No matter what cleaner you are using.

Green with Envy

My brother and sister in law moved into their new house this past week and I must I am green with envy of how much space they now have... Mostly all the closet space! Congratulations on the new house!! It's beee u tiful!

Chocolate Eclair Squares

My favorite type of dessert to make (and eat) is a trifle. They're so easy. And while this is not a trifle per se, it is layered dessert which makes it just as easy.  The hardest part is waiting the 4 hours for it to set up!

What you will need:

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding (I use sugar free)

2 cups cold milk (I use skim)

1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed (I use lite)

64 NILLA Wafers

2 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate

What you will do:

Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in whipped topping. Arrange 16 wafers on bottom of 8-inch square dish; cover with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 4 hours.
Microwave chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until melted when stirred. Drizzle over dessert. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Kraft Foods

On a side note I finished the first book of the Hunger Games over the weekend and am waiting very impatiently to start the second.  Christian forgot it at school. Ugh.  But on the upside my bff and I are going to see the movie tonight!! 

Poppy Seed Chicken

Since the weather is starting to warm up, I figured I'd better get my need for "cold weathered" comfort foods outta my system now.  This casserole is so easy and quick to put together.  You could also, double the recipe, make up two and bake one now and throw one in the freezer for another time.

 

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

What you will need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup (8oz) sour cream (I usually use low fat)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup (I usually use the 98% fat free one by Campbell's)
1 stick of butter, melted
55 Ritz crackers, crushed (put in a Big Ziploc bag and roll out with your rolling pin)
1 TBSP poppy seeds

What you will do:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine butter, crackers, and poppy seeds.  Put half of the mixture in the bottom of a greased casserole dish (the one I use is 2½ qts).

Combine chicken, sour cream and soup.  Spread on top of cracker mixture.

Sprinkle remaining cracker mixture on top.  Cook at 350° for an hour.

Source: Unknown

Not your average Lasagna

I LOVE me some Italian food and lasagna is one of my favorite dishes.  I inherited this recipe from an old family friend.  It really isn't your typical lasagna since there's no ricotta (or cottage cheese) involved and it includes....dare I say it....Velveeta.  I feel since it includes Velveeta it can no longer be label as an Italian dish but nonetheless it's deelish! Try it... You'll like it.

What you will need:
1lb. ground beef
½ C. chopped onion
1 lb can tomatoes (this is what my recipe says, I use the big can of crushed tomatoes)
1/3 C. water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp pepper
1 6oz can tomato paste
½ C grated Parmesan
9 lasagna noodles (cooked)
2 (6oz) packages sliced mozzarella
½ lb velveeta cheese, thinly sliced

What you will do:
Brown meat with onion in large saucepan, drain.  Stir in tomatoes, water, garlic,tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In 13 x 9 baking dish, put a small layer of meat sauce down.  Then layer the noodles, meat sauce, and cheeses.  Repeat 2 more times.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. 

This may also be made up and then frozen. Just freeze before baking and when you want to bake it, let it sit out for a half hour and then bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Red Velvet Trifle

Happy Valentine's Day!

One of my favorite kind of cake is a red velvet and one of my favorite kind of dessert is a trifle. So, when I came across the red velvet trifle I thought JACKPOT! Trifles are great because they are so incredibly simple to make, and they look nice.  I made this red velvet trifle for Valentine's Day and it was really yummy! 

I used the Paula Deen red velvet cake recipe but you could use any red velvet cake recipe (or there's even a red velvet box mix now!)

Red Velvet Trifle
For the cake:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 ounce red food coloring (original recipe calls for 2oz. I used 1 and it worked out fine)
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

For the filling:
1 (3 oz.) envelope cheesecake flavored instant pudding
2 cups milk (I used skim milk)
2 cups whipped topping (I used lite cool whip)

Garnish:
Shaved Chocolate (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Prepare three 8” round cake pans with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat eggs, butter and sugar until creamy. Add cocoa and food coloring. Mix until well combined.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternating with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine soda and vinegar and add to batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tests done. Allow cakes to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare instant pudding according to the package directions using 2 cups milk. Allow pudding to set up in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, gently fold in whipped topping.

To assemble the trifle, cut the red velvet cake into 1 inch cubes. Place an even layer of cubed cake in the bottom of a trifle bowl. Top with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layer process so that the final layer is pudding. Top with shaved chocolate. Chill until ready to serve.

Adapted From:Paula Deen

MMMMMeatloaf

I.love.meatloaf. It's really not a glamorous dish, but it's oh so good. I remember my Grandma Dorothy would make meatloaf a lot when I was younger and her house would always smell so good when she was making it. I's kinda become a hobby of mine. Meatloaf? A hobby? Yea, you see I find a meatloaf recipe and I have to try it. Therefore it's a hobby...Sorta.

I have made tons of meatloaves and I don't think I've tasted a meatloaf I didn't like. However, you will never find me ordering it at a restaurant. Not sure exactly why that is, I just figure some things are better left made in your own kitchen.

I do have one tiny little problem with my meatloaf  hobby.  My husband.  He prefers I make one specific meatloaf.  Sure he will eat and like other meatloaves, but if I'm not making "the meatloaf" I will get "the look".  I try telling him if I made "the meatloaf' all the time it wouldn't be as good. Kinda like how holidays only come once a year. I mean how much fun would the 4th of July really be if it was everyday? He doesn't agree.

Below you will find the recipe for "the meatloaf". It is one of my top 2 favorite meatloaf recipes.  I found the recipe in one of my mom's cookbooks many years ago.  I'm pretty sure it came out of a microwave cookbook. I however, do not cook mine in the microwave because I thought that would just be, well, weird. I adapted it for the oven.  (I have made a different meatloaf in the microwave once when I was short on time and to my surprise it was really good.)

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf ("The Meatloaf")
What you need:
2lbs ground round or ground sirloin (I have substituted ground beef and ground chuck and it didn't taste as good)
8 oz can tomato sauce*
1/4 cup white vinegar*
1/4 cup brown sugar*
1 tsp yellow mustard*
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard in small saucepan over low heat a few minutes. Stir occasionally.  Set aside. 
Mix together meat, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the prepared sauce. (I use my hands to do this, not sure if this is the norm as far as meatloaf making goes, but I find it is much easier)
Form into loaf and put in greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour (until meat thermometer reads 160°F) basting often.
Serve with remaining sauce.

*I double these ingredients because my family likes having lots of sauce.

I hope you try this recipe out!

Another Oreo Dessert

Have you noticed the Oreo craze lately?  There seems to be Oreo desserts popping up all over the Internet and in cooking magazines lately and seeing as my family LOVES Oreos I will be trying a lot of these recipes out.  I made the Oreo Pudding Poke Cake this week.  Super simple, super cheap to make, and super yummy! It almost reminds me of the magical goodness when cake and semi melted ice cream meet.

What you will need:

1 Box any Chocolate Cake mix

(plus ingredients called for on box to make cake, usually oil,eggs, and water)

2 (4 oz) pkgs instant Oreo pudding mix

4 cups of milk

Crushed Oreo Cookies for topping, I used about 10
(although this is optional, I can't imagine why you would opt NOT to add it!)

What you will do:

Make cake according to directions on  box in a greased 13X9 pan.

Whisk together pudding mixes and milk 

When cake comes out of the oven use a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.  My wooden spoon has a rectangular handle... hmmm.

Pour pudding over cake. Allow cake to cool on counter about 10 minutes and then put into fridge to fully set up. About 1 hour.

Sprinkle crushed Oreos on top of cake 

 YUM!!

 

My family said they preferred the Oreo Cups over this but yet they wouldn't let me give any away to the neighbors. 

Full recipe for easy printing:

Oreo Poke Cake

Ingredients

1 Box any Chocolate Cake mix

(plus ingredients called for on box to make cake, usually oil,eggs, and water)

2 (4 oz) pkgs instant Oreo pudding mix

4 cups of milk

Crushed Oreo Cookies for topping, I used about 10 (although this is optional, I can't imagine why you would opt NOT to add it!)

Directions

Make cake according to directions on box and bake in a well greased 13 x 9 pan.

Just before cake is done, start making pudding.  In medium bowl whisk together pudding mixes and milk just to get all the lumps out.  Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes.  You want it to thicken slightly so it isn't runny but not fully thickened into pudding. 

When cake is finished and still warm poke holes all over cake using a wooden spoon handle or straw,  Pour pudding mixture over warm cake.  Allow to cool several minutes on counter then put in fridge to set up.  About an hour.

Once it is set, top with crushed Oreo cookies.

I store in fridge.

Source:The Country Cook

Those Oreo Things

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!! Can you make those Oreo things? I hear this quite often, and what's great is those Oreo things take absolutely no time at all to make and boy are they yummy!!

While on jury duty a few years back a co-juror (hmmm?? is that what you would call it?) told me about the Kraft Food magazine and I've had a subscription to it ever since.  Inside that magazine I found this recipe and thought my family loves Oreos, so I made them and now  they are requested weekly.

Cookies 'N Cream Pudding (or as known in my house as "Those Oreo Things")

What You Will Need

8 Oreo Cookies, divided (I use 11)

1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

3/4 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping, divided

What You Will Do

Break 1 cookie into 4 pieces; reserve for garnish. (I use 1 full cookie for each) Crush remaining cookies. Beat pudding mix and milk with wire whisk 2 minutes.  Stir in crushed cookies and 1/2 cup Cool Whip.  Spoon into 4 dessert dishes; top with remaining Cool Whip and reserved cookies.

You could also use sugar free pudding, skim milk, and low fat or fat free Cool Whip to make it a more figure friendly dessert :) 

I have also made this using chocolate pudding and chocolate pudding and mint Oreos! YUM!

Source:Kraft Foods

Ham Sauce

Every New Year's Day we make a ham, and a ham dinner would not be complete without my Grandma Edna's delicious ham sauce. 

What you will need

Combine in saucepan

Simmer

Here's the full recipe:

Grandma Edna's Ham Sauce
(I double the recipe)

¼  cup Dijon mustard
8oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
½ cup light brown sugar

Mix together all ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.  Serve over ham.
Enjoy! It's that easy.