Peanut Butter Pop 'Ems

I stumbled across the original recipe on Pinterest.  The first time I made them, they came out sweet, and by sweet, I mean sweeeeeeeet.  Also, I wanted to modify the recipe by packing these little balls of goodness with power.  That's right, power.  So, each time you pop one, you'll get a burst of energy - sustained energy.

Now, I'm not going to lie.  These little pop 'ems are sooooo yummy, you'll just want to pop a few at a time.  I agree.  Hey, they are better than eating an over processed chocolate bar or power bar.  Even better, a whole batch is way cheaper.  So, pop 'em without guilt!

Oh, and you can throw one of these bombs into a banana power smoothie.  That's right.  Do it.  I dare you!

As always - enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup almonds

3 tablespoons ground flax seed and/or hemp seed

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter

3/4 cup oats (I use certified gluten free)

2 tablespoons carob chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

optional:  coconut

Blend the walnuts and dates in a food processor on high speed (I use my Ninja blender) until you have chunky pieces.  Add almonds and carob chips and again, blend on high speed.  This mixture should be too fine, but instead pieces.  Add agave nectar, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Process the mix until combined.  Add the oats and again, process.  If you want, add a little coconut here - The Husband hates coconut, so I leave it out.  Otherwise, I'd be all over the coconut.  

Now, roll the mix into small, bite sized balls.  Yes, the mixture will stick to your hand.  If it's too sticky, add a bit more of the oats.  Here's another add coconut moment - you can roll the balls in coconut (oh yummmm).  When finished, store in the fridge.

My Comfort Food: Pasta!

It seems as though it has rained everyday in south Florida.  I know, I know...we live in a tropical environment, but in the past it would rain for 45 minutes and stop.  Not anymore!  Now, it rains, and it rains, and then it rains even more.  So, after 500 lunges and 250 squats, I wanted pasta - warm, cheesy, comfort food pasta.  Plus, as an added bonus, this dish is sooooo easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 links organic chicken sausage, casings removed
Olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
sliced mushrooms (I use however much I have in the house)
1/3 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
sundried tomatoes
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup Cottage Inn White Wine Broth
red pepper flakes
pepper
juice from a half of a lemon
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
arugula and/or spinach (I used a combo of both tonight)
Parmesan cheese
1/2 package pasta (I cook for two - tonight I used Spinach Garganelli Pasta, but usually, it's whole wheat)

Cook pasta according to instructions and set aside.  While pasta is cooking, brown the sausage in a pan.  Break up into small pieces.  Once cooked, put sausage onto a paper towel to remove excess fat.  To be honest, the chicken sausage barely has any extra fat.

In the same skillet, and olive oil to the pan.  Once warm, add onions and mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Sprinkle with black and red pepper. Then add sundried tomatoes and artichoke quarters. Cook one more minute. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and toss to coat.  After another minute or so, add chicken broth, lemon juice, and butter.  I'm sure you can use regular chicken stock, but this stock has such great flavor. Bring mixture to a small boil, then reduce heat.

Add a handful of spinach and/or arugula and cook for a few minutes more.

Place pasta in a large bowl and pour the sauce over the top (yummmm).  Toss the mixture and top with cheese (sometimes I throw a little cheese into the sauce while it's cooking too).

Seriously, this meal is the perfect soft blanket on a cold winter night (although it doesn't get very cold here).  Those squats and lunges were surely worth it!

Nutella and more Nutella: Nutella Bites and Fruit Pizza

The days seem to wiz by in a blur.  I'm not even sure if I remember the weekend!  Remember skipping stones across the water when we were kids?  Well, that's how my days seem and my stone just skipped straight over the weekend.  I did, however, figure out how to merge by music together for spin class.  Now I have one continuous playlist with no dead air between songs.  But, that's for another blog.  I have so much catching up to do.

Nutella Bites

Last Thursday I made these yummy Nutella Bites for my book club girls.  Yep, we finished them all.  This is a simple recipe that takes no time at all.

Ingredients:
Pastry dough - any kind that does not contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil
Nutella
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
a pinch of cinnamon sugar
fresh cut strawberries

Preheat the oven at 400.

Roll out the pastry dough and cut in to small squares.  Pop in a spoonful of nutella and fold the dough over to form a pocket.  Seal the edges by pinching them together. Place the bites on a non stick cookie sheet.

In a small bowl whisk the egg, water, and cinnamon sugar to combine.  Brush the egg wash mixture on the top of each Nutella Bite. This will also help seal the edges.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

I topped them with strawberries and salted chocolate drizzle (from Target...I LOVE this yummy goodness). Make sure you eat these while they are still warm.  The Nutella just oozes from the pastry.  Combined with the strawberries, it's the perfect mix of savory and sweet.

Fruit Pizza

For Mother's Day, I made quiche (which was good!), but I also made Fruit Pizza.  I will thank my good friend Lily for introducing this one to me.  Not only was this FAB-U-LOUS on Mother's Day, but it was even better the next day.

This is another quick dessert.  I'll admit, I'm not great at baking.  Measuring seems to be a burden to me, so I never get desserts just right.  Fruit Pizza, though, I can do!  Start with a basic sugar cookie recipe or purchase a premade mix.  Roll out in the shape of a pizza and bake according to directions.  Do not overcook. All the large cookie to cool.

I used a cream cheese frosting and nutella for the "sauce".  To make the cream cheese frosting, mix 8 oz of softened cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of softened butter.  Add a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.  Start with a smaller amount of sugar and add more if not sweet enough.

Spead the cream cheese mixture in the center part of the cookie and the Nutella after that.  Top with any fruit you want.  Yep, it's really that easy.  Oh, and remember, save some for the next day!

Weeknight Minestrone Soup

I spent a little too much time at the gym tonight, which meant I needed to whip up something fast .  Luckily, I had all the ingredients for this simple meal.  To make the meal a bit heartier for my husband, I also make a melted salami and gouda sandwich.  I'd like one of these too, but I feel like it would just kill all the time I spent at the gym.  Plus, I'd rather save the extra calories for my after dinner chocolate!

Ingredients (this usually feeds four):
olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 small onion, diced
celery, chopped
carrots, chopped (I usually estimate how much to use of the carrots and celery)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Unsatlted chicken stock
Tuscan chicken stock
1 can of diced, stewed, or fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup ditalini pasta
1 small cooked chicken breast or turkey sausage (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat in a heavy medium size pot.  Yep, this is another good part of this meal - ONE POT to clean! Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more or just before the garlic turns too brown.  Add celery and carrots and cook for 5 or 6 additional minutes or until the vegetables look tender. I don't like my vegetables cooked too much.

Add one carton of the Tuscan chicken stock (so good - great flavor), half of the unsalted chicken stock, the tomatoes (I used the fire roasted), the cannelloni beans.

Bring the soup to a boil then lower the head and cover. Allow the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes (this is usually when I check my email, sort through my mail, feed the dogs). Bring the soup back to a small boil again and add the ditalini pasta and chicken or turkey sausage (I like turkey or chicken sausage better than chicken breast, but I only had a chicken breast in the fridge, so it had to work).  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with parmesan cheese. I just now remembered I had some basil on hand from last night's meal (grumble).  If you have basil, chop some up to add to the top of the soup with the cheese.

I'm starting to think my husband gives all my meals two thumbs up with the hopes that I will keep on cooking, but after he had three bowls, I believed that he really did like this soup.  Plus, we have leftovers.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken

My local grocery store stocked yellow cherry tomatoes this week.  I don't often see them, so I thought, why not?  Next, I needed to pair them with something simple and healthy.  My husband isn't a big fan of tomatoes, but I figured if I disguised them with all things good (garlic, olive oil, and balsamic) he wouldn't even notice.  

I told my husband he could move the tomatoes to the side - and that I wouldn't be offended.  Interestingly enough though, he finished the tomatoes first and piled on a few more.  So, we both gave this meal two thumbs up.  It was simple, healthy, yummy, and filling!

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

2 boneless skinless organic chicken breasts

1/2 package yellow cherry tomatoes 

1/2 package cherry tomatoes

red onion

2 cloves garlic

fresh basil leaves

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

parmigiano reggiano

salt and pepper

1 lemon

Set the oven to 400.

The sooner you get the tomatoes marinating, the better!  Cut the yellow and red cherry tomatoes in half and toss into a medium size glass bowl.  Cut two slices off of a red onion and dice.  Add to the tomatoes.  Chop the garlic and several basil leaves and toss into the tomatoes.  Next, add the salt, pepper, parmigiano reggiano, balsamic, and olive oil.  I don't really measure these ingredients.  Just add as much as you want.  C'mon, you can't go wrong.  Use a spoon to combine the ingredients (and smell the yummy garlic!). Set to the side or in the refrigerator if you're not ready to cook.  You could make this part a day ahead of time.  Imagine the yumminess the next day (is that even a word?).

Next, throw a little olive oil into a cast iron skillet on a medium high stove.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and once the pan is hot, drop the seasoned chicken into the pan.  Let the chicken cook on one side until it turns a nice golden brown (about 5-6 minutes). Turn the chicken over.  Squeeze half the lemon on the chicken and then put the pan in the preheated oven (if I wasn't trying to be healthy, I'd throw a little butter on the chicken).  Allow the chicken to bake until cooked (about ten minutes more).  Pull out of the oven and squeeze the other half of the lemon on the chicken.  Place one chicken breast on each plate and spoon a mound of the tomatoes over the chicken.  Top with a bit more parmigiano reggiano and enjoyyyy!