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Monthly Archives: September 2016
I love living in New Orleans, but I always get homesick for Wisconsin during fall. The cool weather, the leaves, the crisp air… it’s as cliche as a Hallmark movie, but I love every minute of it.
I’ve decided to start fall here anyway, even though my car registered at 110° yesterday when I got in after word. I stopped at Trader Joe’s (new to New Orleans! Finally!) and got a few fall staples. So I put a few to good use this morning for a simple fall breakfast!
Be sure to add this granola to your shopping list the next time you go to Trader Joe’s!
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Step One.
You want to use plain Greek yogurt for this parfait. It’s tangy and not-so-sweet flavor is exactly what you need to pair with syrup and sweet granola.
Prep your ingredients.
Step Two.
Mix the yogurt the with pumpkin and cinnamon in a bowl before you assemble the parfait.
Step Three.
Add a third of the mix to a cup or a bowl. Drizzle with one third of the syrup. Sprinkle 1/3 of the granola on top.
Step Four.
Continue layering like this until all of your ingredients are used!
Enjoy the first bite of fall!
A sweet and tangy bite of fall that is perfect for a protein-filled, energizing breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp organic coconut palm syrup
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Country Pumpkin Spice Granola Cereal
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the yogurt, pumpkin puree, and cinnamon.
- Add a third of the mix to a cup or bowl. Drizzle with one third of the syrup. Sprinkle 1/3 of the granola on top.
- Continue layering like this until all of your ingredients are used.
- Enjoy the first bite of fall!
Football season is here!
Despite the fact that I love frosting so much, I tend to eat a very healthy diet on a day to day basis. I stay active and eat right, and it gives me energy to do everything that I want.
One thing that I cannot understand is football snacks. Whenever football season comes, all of a sudden you see field-themed chips, nachos, fat-covered carbs bombs. All you’re doing is sitting there! You don’t need 1500 calories of empty, greasy carb to fuel your football passion.
These snacks fix that problem. They are simple, they are cheesy, they are beyond addicting. And the best part – they are low carb. That means that you can eat them guilt free!
Snack without guilt this football season with these ranch-seasoned, spicy, cheesy pepper bites. You won’t even miss the chips!
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Step One.
Prep Step! Measure out your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step Two.
Prep the peppers! First, with a paring knife, cut the peppers in half so that you get two tall and deep halves, not the shallow ones.
Next, cut off the stems by making a “V” shape around it with your paring knife.
Finally, placing the blade of your knife flush with the pepper, cut off the veins.
Line up the peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. If some of them tip over, slice a small piece off of the bottom to make it flat.
Step Three.
Make the filling! Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer on high for three minutes.
Grate the cheddar cheese into the bowl and mix until incorporated.
Tip: Don’t want to take the time to grate? Buy shredded cheddar, and give it a few chops to make smaller pieces.
Add the spices and mix until incorporated.
Carefully mix in the bacon pieces.
Step Four.
Stuff the peppers!
Add about 1 Tablespoon of the cheese mix to each pepper, enough so that it is full. Careful, though – you don’t want to add too much, because then it will melt out in the oven.
Bake at 350°F FOR 20 minutes.
Serve with some greens for an added health benefit!
Snack without guilt this football season with these ranch-seasoned, spicy, cheesy pepper bites. You won't even miss the chips!
Ingredients
- Bite-sized peppers (about 15)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz block sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp ranch dip mix
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces (not bits)
Instructions
- Measure out your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F
- First, with a paring knife, cut the peppers in half so that you get the tall, deep halves, not the flat, shallow ones.
- Cut off the stem by making a “V” shape around it with your paring knife.
- Placing the blade of your knife flush with the pepper, cut off the vein.
- Line up the peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. If they are falling over, slice a small piece off of the bottom to make it flat.
- Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer on high for three minutes.
- Grate the cheddar cheese into the bowl and mix until incorporated.
- Add the spices and mix until incorporated.
- Carefully mix in the bacon.
- Add about 1 Tablespoon of the mix to each pepper, enough so that it is full. You don’t want to add too much, because it will melt out in the oven.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
- Serve with some greens for an added health benefit!
I remember the first time that I had a banana split. My grandpa had taken us fishing, and I had a really good day! This was not normal fishing, where 90% of the time is a test of your patience. This was a trout farm, where they bite the second the lure hits the water. So I was a very happy camper already, AND I got a banana split! I don’t know if I ate the whole thing, but I like to think I did. I remember liking the pineapple part the best.
This cupcake combines all of the yumminess of a banana split into one delicious baked treat that you can enjoy year round!
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Step One – Sauces!
Step Two – Cupcakes!
Prep the cupcakes! Measure out all of your ingredients. Let the butter and the eggs warm up to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F.
With a fork, mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
This cupcake combines all of the yumminess of a banana split into one delicious baked treat that you can enjoy year round!
Ingredients
- !Banana Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups pineapple, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
- 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Salted peanuts, crushed
- Sprinkles
- Ice cream (I used strawberry)
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- *Note: You want to make the sauces first so that they are cool enough to use when the cupcakes are done!
- Prep Step!
- Put the chopped strawberries into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about five minutes, until they start to lose their juices.
- Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
- One the sauce looks slightly syrupy, add the cornstarch.
- *Tip: I pre-mix my cornstarch with about a teaspoon of water so that I don’t get clumps.
- Cook for about three minutes, just until it starts to thicken and come together.
- Repeat the same steps for the pineapple sauce.
- In a microwavable bowl, heat the chocolate chips and whipping cream at 30 second intervals, stirring in-between.
- Let all sauces cool to room temperature.
- Prep the cupcakes! Measure out all of your ingredients. Let the butter and the eggs warm up to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- With a fork, mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar for about five minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Now add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until it is mixed together.
- Add the vanilla and beat until it is well-mixed.
- Stir in the mashed bananas.
- Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Now, add half of the yogurt and mix until incorporated.
- Repeat this process until all of the dry ingredients and yogurt is used.
- Now they are ready to bake! Use about 2/3 of the batter in a regular sized pan; use the rest in a mini cupcake pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on high with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Add to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment.
- Unwrap the mini cupcakes from their wrappers. Using either a knife or a fancy cupcake corer, cut the middle out of the big and small cupcakes.
- Fill the big cupcakes with strawberry filling and the small ones with pineapple filling.
- Place a scoop of the ice cream on the big cupcake. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.
- Place the small cupcake on top and “frost” with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the peanuts and sprinkles, and add a cherry on top!
