Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

My name is Molly and I am an almond butter addict.

Seriously.

I had to give myself a rule yesterday that I wasn’t allowed to have it because I’ve had it in some form every day for the past week…at least. You’ll find that out when you look through some of my recipes 😉

These are my almond butter oatmeal cookies and they will rock your socks.

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup date paste
1 egg white (3 Tbsp)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp gluten free, sugar free vanilla (omit if on whole 30 or paleo diet)

So how do you do it?

It’s super simple.

1. Mix your baking soda and oats in a bowl.
2. Whisk all your other ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth.
3. Using a cookie scoop, place them on a baking sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes or until the bottom starts to brown.

Done. That’s it. It made about 13 cookies for me.

Now, since these are made with oatmeal, almond butter (especially), and date paste, they are kind of dry. I keep them in a plastic bag and the moisture in the bag will make them less dry. Just keep that in mind. But when you can’t have gluten, lactose, and you’re trying to eat less sugar…these are delicious!

My family liked them other than the fact that they were a little dry.

You could add chocolate chips too. Or cinnamon. Or banana. Or whatever your heart desires. Yum! Enjoy!

Almond Butter Banana Waffles

Ah, good morning!

I’m sharing a super simple, super nutritious, and super delicious waffle recipe with you today. Believe me, you’ll be begging for more before you’re even done.

These waffles have LESS carbs, MORE protein, and the same amount of fat as a serving of eggo waffles!! WITHOUT the sugar either (they have 6g)!

Ingredients (makes 1 waffle):

1 ripe banana
1 egg white (3 tbsp)
1/2 tbsp almond butter + more for serving
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tbsp cinnamon (I personally like a lot)
1 tsp vanilla extract (if not on Paleo, Whole30, Sugar Free diet)

Method:

Mash your banana with a whisk. Mix in the egg white, chia seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Once mixed, add in your almond butter.

Grease your waffle iron and spread the mixture. Cook as you normally would. I personally like mine on a darker setting. It takes a little longer for these ingredients to form together as there isn’t any flour.

Serve with melted almond butter and sliced bananas. Serve with syrup. Serve with jam. Regardless of how you serve it, you’ll love it.

The best part is…if you want, you can double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to make ahead and then store in your freezer. Wake up, toast a waffle, spread some almond butter on top, and breakfast is on the table in seconds!

Nutrition (per 1 serving):

223 calories
6g fat
27g net carbs
9g protein

I love that while you’re still getting carbs from the banana and chia seeds, they are low glycemic. Which is why we like those ingredients! Plus check out all the health benefits of chia seeds that I linked to above.

I’ve never known a single waffle to have 9g of protein…i’m all about it.

These waffles are high in fiber with 8g. Me oh my.

You’ll think you’re cheating with this recipe, but you’re really not. Make the waffles and let me know how they turn out!

Friday Favorites: Favorite Lactose Free Products

I’m coming at ya PUMPED this Friday morning because it is SPRING BREAK fo’ yo girl and I am headed out of town tomorrow.

But i’m still linking up with Andrea, Narci, (and Erika but not this week) for another Friday FAVORITES before.

I get asked alllllllllll the time what I eat with my food allergies. “Can you even eat?” Yeah, peeps. I DO EAT. I just have to make modifications.

A couple weeks ago, I promised posts on my FAVORITE lactose free and gluten free products. Many of you already are gluten and lactose intolerant, and many of you are just now being diagnosed with these intolerances. Seeing as it’s taken me about 4 years to finally find products that I enjoy, I thought I would share to spare y’all. Not only did it take a long time, but it took a lot of money and throwing foods away. I mean my poor tastebuds hate me by now too 😉

So when I say these are my FAVORITE products it’s because I have tried them and continue to buy them. There have been some that I have tried where I can say “oh, that’s not awful” but these are the products that I buy over and over again.

Cheese

Cheese was the hardest. There’s nothing like some good ol’ cheese and I missed it…for shredded cheese, Go Veggie is my FAVORITE.

They have Cheddar, and Cheddar + Monterey Jack as well. The Mexican style tastes different than the others but it doesn’t bother me anymore since i’ve gotten use to them. This grated parmesan isn’t bad either and it’s good for pasta dishes!

Sliced cheese is weird because they all taste different! Strangely I’m not a fan of Go Veggie’s sliced cheese but I found this Borden brand that is delicious for grilled cheese and sandwiches when the craving hits.

But this Finlandia brand is what I have been buying for turkey and swiss melts or whatever else i’m needing some sliced cheese for.

Cabot is lactose free. I liked it for wine and cheese nights with my parents, but we don’t do that often enough so this cheese goes bad way too fast. If you have a big family with lactose intolerance, totally get this!

I really don’t used sliced cheese that much. I only have it in the fridge on occasion. But I always have my FAVORITE Go Veggie shreds. And the best thing about each cheese that I mentioned is that they all melt!!! I’ve used some that don’t melt before and that’s awkward.

What happens when it comes to pizza? Well, I don’t buy frozen pizzas because none of them are good to me…so either I just get it without cheese if we’re eating somewhere like Pie5, or we get Papa Murphy’s and i’ll put my own cheese on top before it goes in the oven! That’s mine without the cheese right there on top 😉

Ice-Cream

Ice-cream is by far my FAVORITE lactose filled product. I miss frozen custard so much. But this Lactaid is the absolute best. GET IT IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED IT. Honestly, you’d like it even if you weren’t lactose intolerant…that’s how serious I am.

If I just want a plain ol’ ice-cream for a shake, Breyers is a great one.

I am way too excited about this coming out, i’m on the hunt right now. I have heard such good things.

And I just found out that this is lactose free, so as soon as I am done with my sugar detox it’s coming home with me.

I have gotten this before because chocolate chip cookie dough is always my favorite kind of ice-cream and it was good. But it’s not as good as the other ones i’ve mentioned.

Any other brand…don’t trust it. If you want some good lactose free ice-cream, you have to go with these name brands to get something remotely edible. I’m not kidding!

Mayo

Mayo is one of those things that you don’t need in your fridge all the time like cheese, but you need it for recipes. And you want a good one!

This is the best mayo brand that I have found…

…but I have also tried their salad dressings and don’t like them. It’s hard telling with some products.

I use it in my basil mayo.

And when I make my own Chick-Fil-A sauce.

I’d keep this on hand if I were you, it stays good for a while too.

Sour Cream

I have yet to find a sour cream that is lactose free. But I was at my local Sprouts the other day and saw this one, which I am pretty excited about because there are a lot of recipes that I have had to forgo due to sour cream.

Cream Cheese

Same goes with cream cheese. I have actually tried this one though, and it’s pretty good. So far i’m really liking the Green Valley brand.

But as I was googling that cream cheese, I found this bad boy and i’m over here like…”Where have you been all my life?!” It’s not in any of my stores!

Cottage Cheese

I ALWAYS have cottage cheese in my refrigerator. It’s a staple for me. A good source of protein,  calcium, and mine is low fat. You need it. I go through this container like a baby goes through diapers. Okay that was a bad comparison…but roll with it.

Butter

This is the only one that I know of that’s dairy free. I couldn’t tell a difference with this one, so I recommend! Shhh…don’t tell but I have used it on my brother’s FAVORITE english muffins and they couldn’t tell either.

Milk

So here’s the thing. I’ve never liked milk. When I was a kid I would only have with cereal in the mornings…but I never drank the milk at the bottom. Sometimes I would even eat my cereal dry. My mom said when I was younger I had a hard time with breast milk.

However, Lactaid is my absolute FAVORITE lactose free brand. I got the eggnog during the holidays, I get the fat free high calcium milk, the ice-cream, the cottage cheese, everything. It’s all good. I have yet to go wrong.

Sometimes we will get the big jug at Costco that i’ll use for recipes, or when i’m making this frozen coffee.

But most of the time I will just get the store’s name brand because #cheaper and #costeffective and #college.

But to be honest…I don’t buy dairy milk anymore. I now only use my FAVORITE unsweetened almond milk (the cheapest kind of course). I don’t eat cereal or drink it plain, so I just use this for my protein shakes or in recipes. Again, if you like dairy milk – Lactaid should be your go-to. Or even your grocery store’s name brand.

Yogurt/Kefir

If i’m craving some yogurt, Yoplait carries lactose free that is good.

And Green Valley is a great option too. Yogurt-wise, I just keep this plain kefir in my fridge. I use it for smoothies, or put it in a bowl with fresh fruit. Kefir is such a great way to  get your probiotic in as a snack! Always get plain because the flavored kinds have a ton of sugar.

So I will say that I have tried all of these Daiya products. Lots of lactose free people swear by this brand and use it all the time…

…but I do not like a single one of these. It is my LEAST FAVORITE. Except Daiya has a lactose free greek yogurt at the bottom of the picture that I recently figure out about, so I tried it and really enjoy it. But that’s it.

And when it comes to coffee…?

I just get some soy milk or coconut milk. But I totally prefer soy.

Really and truly if you can, get the name brand “lactose free” products. I have found that if you try some sort of off brand it’s just not as good.

OKAY FELLOW LACTOSE FREE PEEPS…does that help? Do you have any questions? If you’ve tried some of these what are your opinions?

Have a great Friday. Hopefully you’re writing your grocery list right now and these products are making the cut 😉

What’s Up Wednesday + Recipe Club (November)

Good Morning!

Link up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What’s Up Wednesday today.

First, if you missed Erika’s guest post yesterday. Make sure you read it right here! It’s all about online shopping!

So now, what’s up with me????

As always…i’m starting off with a little Recipe Club with Andrea.

What we’re eating:

Right now one of my fitness goals is meal planning. But I have found that this is really hard because 1. I end up with a ton more food than I can eat and it sits in the fridge forever. and 2. Since I still live at home, my mom will cook and we have leftovers that i’ll usually clean up as I take to lunch.

But these past couple weeks i’ve been digging my Peanut Butter Cup Protein Pie.

And since Thanksgiving is tomorrow (YAY), my FAVORITE Thanksgiving dish. Yep, Green Bean Casserole!

What I’m reminiscing about:

I’m reminiscing about my first year at Oklahoma. Morgan came home from her first semester of college, so i’m just sitting here thinking about when I was there and came home for my first holiday break. My first night back I celebrated with Alyssa and her family as she turned 18!

What I’m loving:

Not having classes this week. While I still have a lot of school-work to do, i’m just thankful that I don’t have to drive 45 minutes to school and sit in lectures for 5.5 hours straight twice this week.

What we’ve been up to:

Christmas shopping like a crazy person!

What I’m dreading:

If anything, I think it would be my finals next week and the week after.

What I’ve been working on:

A FUN post that will be going live December 1st. You won’t want to miss it! Seriously…

What I’m excited about:

Our online Bible Study (not the same thing that i’m talking about above) that so many of you want to join. I’m thrilled beyond belief that you all are wanting to go on this fun journey with me as we dive into God’s word while getting to know each other a little better along the way. I mean, i’m just antsy!

What I’ve been reading/watching:

I’ll talk all about what i’m reading on Wednesday, December 2 for Bookworm Wednesday!! But let me just say three words….Candace. Cameron. Bure.

What I’m listening to:

The Voice is playing and so is Dancing With The Stars. Mom and I are catching up on our shows tonight.

What I’ve been wearing:

Work clothes. And work-out clothes.

Because this is life; and this is all I wear.

What I’m doing this weekend:

Jonathan will be celebrating his 22nd birthday next week, so he’s having a birthday party on Saturday night!!

What I’m looking forward to next month:

1. No school.
2. Christmas.
3. Family.
4. Putting out this cute tree skirt I won from Andrea last year.
5. Yes. Just yes bring it all on.

What else is new:

Nothing that I haven’t already shared!

What is my favorite Christmas tradition:

Seriously, everything about Christmas makes my heart happy.

Getting the tree out, hanging the stockings, putting the wreath on the door. And our Elf on the Shelf, Fritz!

Whoo! I tried to keep it as simple as possible! So now, what’s up with you??

What’s Up Wednesday + Recipe Club (August)

Hi!

Link up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What’s Up Wednesday today.

As always…i’m starting off with a little Recipe Club with Andrea.

What we’re eating:

First off, I apologize for these pictures being bad quality. I don’t know what happened but the lighting got all screwed up. My go-to breakfast if I eat one is an omelet. I sautee all my veggies and turkey bacon in the skillet.

Set them aside and cut up your maters.

I then pour my egg whites in the pan ’til one side cooks, and then flip it for the other side to cook.

Once it’s flipped I top it with my cheese and veggies and make it look a hot mess.

Take out your salsa and enjoy!! It’s super easy and super delicious.

Zoodles and meatballs are my thing right now. Mom bought me a spiralizer thing (sorry I forgot the actual name) and after I get my zucchini all spiraled out it’s 15 minutes before a delicious and easy dinner is ready. It looks a lot more pretty than thic picture. Don’t you hate when you’re halfway through eating and you’re like “I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE FOR MY BLOG!” Haha #lifeofablogger

And then of course fajitas. Basically I live off my stove. With pre-cut tyson chicken breast strips we put them in the skillet to thaw and get warm.

Take them out and sauté our peppers and onions.

Throw them all together to makes sure everything is heated through.

And again top my tortilla with cheese and the veggie/chicken mixture and pull out some guac. YES yum delicious so good.

And of course my Quest Bars. I did a protein bar test and if you missed it you need to read it for sure!

What I’m reminiscing about:

I’m reminiscing about my early back to school days like this picture I already shared here. Oh to be young and naive again! Life was so much better that way 😉

What I’m loving:

That you all are loving the giveaway that I announced Monday. I appreciate every single one of you and i’m so happy to be giving a little something to one of my lucky readers. 🙂

What we’ve been up to:

Going to see a certain someone play in her first collegiate soccer game. More on that coming later this week!!!

What I’m dreading:

I’m not really dreading anything but from now on my Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to have me in class until 7:00pm. Does that sound like the most fun thing in the world? Not so much.

What I’ve been working on:

Trying to get more sleep and taking better care of myself. Angie knocked her post out of the park yesterday (sorry – baseball reference) when she talked about how important self care is for us in our daily lives. You really need to read it if you haven’t!

What I’m excited about:

September!!!! Everything about September. The fall weather, the fall everything, visiting friends over Labor Day weekend, so many people’s birthdays (like this guy’s below!). Just everything. Bring on September!

What I’ve been reading/watching:

Some good stuff….but i’m not spilling until Katie and I’s link-up. Grab this picture and be sure to link with us next Wednesday, September 2.

What I’m listening to:

Lots of “Today’s Christian Hits” on Pandora. In the car, while i’m walking or running, at work. No matter where it is it’s so great!

What I’ve been wearing:

Work clothes, work out clothes, and school clothes and probably anything else I can find in my closet at this point. However, check out these new shirts from Taralynn‘s (i’ll post about them another time!) But aren’t they cute?!

What I’m doing this weekend:

I’m not exactly sure, but this is my one weekend in town for the next month or so. I have a feeling i’ll just try to do as much relaxing as possible.

What I’m looking forward to next month:

Everything…literally. Except for the whole school thing. But especially for these bad boys to come back out in stores. Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes for the win!!

What else is new:

Nothing with me…but i’m keeping this the same as last month because I still don’t know how to upload videos to my post??? I thought I knew how but they won’t upload to YouTube and sad face because I think i’m just technologically challenged right now or something. SOS.

What is my favorite back to school tradition:

We really don’t do anything for back to school. We’re all just too old now…so sad but so true. This year our back to school was moving girly into college.

And that’s what’s up! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!

Protein Bar Test

Well, after months of telling myself to find a protein bar, I did a little 9th grade science experiment and I think I found one. I never thought i’d find the perfect one for me, but I truly think I have now!

**I know sometimes bloggers do protein bar reviews, so just to clarify…I was in no way compensated for this review. I strictly did this test for myself.**

Protein is so so good for you. That’s why they stress it everywhere. It protects your body, helps your muscles rebuild, and is essential just to function. One of my goals lately (especially with my 5K training) has been to get more protein in my body just because I know I need to and I know it’s good for me. They say eating protein at about 25-30% of calories consumed will rev your metabolism by 80 to 100 calories a day.  Protein makes you feel full longer, so for the people wanting to lose weight, that’s why they say to eat more protein because the more you eat of it the longer your stomach is satisfied. The amount of protein one should consume in a day is dependent upon their weight. One way to figure that is taking your body weight, divide by 2, then subtract 10. So someone like me should be consuming about 40-45 grams per day. Yikes.

A couple weeks ago I was at the store with dad’s credit card and I decided that would be the perfect time to do my protein bar test hehe…so I went to the aisle that had the individual bars for sale so I could sample.

At first I looked at the macros of the different bars but then realized I needed to just get every one that was gluten and lactose free. That was hard in and of itself, so I just grabbed whatever that fit that criteria.

Here’s the 5 that I ended up with:

QuestBar, Simple Truth (Kroger’s brand), Pure Protein, ThinkThin, and a Luna Bar.

The 3 major macronutrients are fat, carbs, and protein so I decided to compare them after I ate each of them. But I always look at sugars, fiber, and usually calories too.

QuestBar ($2.59 per bar)

Calories: 190
Total Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 21g
Fiber: 17g
Sugar: 1g + 1g Erythritol
Protein: 21g
*No complaints about this one at all.*

Simple Truth ($0.89 per bar)

Calories: 190
Total Fat: 4.5g
Carbohydrates: 16g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 21g
*After I was 3/4 of the way through I realized this one wasn’t gluten free. Ugh. Bye Felicia.*

Pure Protein ($1.00 per bar)

Calories: 180
Total Fat: 4.5g
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 3g
Protein: 21g
*I snacked on this one for a couple days actually. The flavor I got was chocolately but I think it would be so good as dessert at night, all the while getting your protein in. I’d recommend it.*

ThinkThin ($1.25 per bar)

Calories: 150
Total Fat: 6g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 5g
Protein: 10g
*They had a high protein bar, but I didn’t see that one in order to try it. I don’t really remember this one that much but I did like the flavor. This could be my second favorite actually.*

Luna Bar ($1.00 per bar)

Calories: 180
Total Fat: 5g
Carbohydrates: 27g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 9g
*The Luna Bar wasn’t actually a protein bar like I thought. They have one, but the sugar were way high. I also thought this bar was too sweet and I didn’t like that it had more sugar than protein. That totally defeats the purpose in my opinion.*

Mattie, I looked into your Odwalla bar and it’s not gluten free 😦 Thanks for the suggestion though!!

And the winner of this little test was…

The Quest Bar

It was this bar hands down. No question. I got the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for my taste test and it was delicious. Like eating cookie dough for breakfast and feeling good about it delicious. The macros were perfect in my opinion, but I did think the carbs seemed a little high. Their packaging claims that subtracting the fiber (which wow a lot. love it! help those bowels.) and the erithyrol makes it only 3g of net carbs. I’m going with it. The Quest Bar is actually the most expensive (fortunately I didn’t pay), but I knew I didn’t want a protein bar with any more than 200 calories in it because the point of me getting protein bars isn’t as a meal replacement, it was more to add extra protein in a snack.

My next test will be my favorite flavor. And i’m currently in the middle of doing a test on my favorite protein shake. Woo! If you have any suggestions on protein shake brands I should try, or quest bar flavor for my next tests, leave them in the comments. And if you have a favorite protein bar, tell me that too! I love to hear people’s favorites 🙂

What’s Up Wednesday + Recipe Club

Link up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What’s Up Wednesday today.

As always…i’m starting off with a little Recipe Club.

What we’re eating:

Every year when we go to Iowa, we make these chocolate scotcheroos. And every year I probably eat my weight in them.

I made Shay’s sweet corn chili. My dad was a fan as well as me. This makes a pretty big batch and within probably 3 days it was all gone. Yummy.

What I’m reminiscing about:

I’m reminiscing about our vacation we just took. I just got back and while it is good to get into my routine again and sleep in my own bed, I miss it. I miss my extended family, I miss vacation, and not having to work. So instead i’ll choose to store the memories and wait until September when I get to see grandpa again.

Day 1
Day 2 & 3
Day 4, 5, 6
Day 7, 8, 9
Days 10-13 coming soon to a blog near you 😉

What I’m loving:

Redbridge’s gluten free beer. For my 21st, my brother wanted to get me gluten free beer because he loves to make fun of my food allergies. So he got me mom bought an assortment six pack of gluten free beers. The first couple that I tried were not good, so I threw them out, but this one I actually liked. And mom thought it wasn’t half bad either!

What we’ve been up to:

Well, since we just got back from vacation, that’s what we’ve been doing. Otherwise it’s just getting Morgan’s stuff all ready for her move-in day. Another milestone is happening for our family next week. In case you missed my post, read about the 10 things i’d tell her before she leaves for school.

What I’m dreading:

If I had to choose one thing that i’m dreading it’s the fact that school will start this month. Like, by the next time I do one of these posts I will have started classes. I love learning new things, but I don’t love the homework, the tests, the constant studying, the projects, the papers, etc. But on the bright side it will be my last first day of school. Yikes i’m old 😉

What I’ve been working on:

I’ve just been trying to work on myself lately. And this month it’s been a lot of my physical self. I worked out 6 out of the 7 days last week and my goal for the rest of the year is to do some sort of exercise 5 days out of the week. It’s crazy how I feel so much better mentally when I feel good physically. I don’t know, maybe that’s weird?

What I’m excited about:

Getting to see my baby cousin Tommy again in September. Even if he tries to push me away.

 

What I’ve been reading/watching:

I’ve done a lot of reading this July. I’ll post about those books probably next week, but here’s what I read.

and i’m currently in the middle of “The Husband’s Secret”.

When i’m not reading, i’m catching up on Season 10 of Grey’s!!

What I’m listening to:

I love listening to our sermons online. I haven’t been to Church in the past three weeks since we’ve been out of town, so I have been catching up a lot online. I love sitting down, watching our pastor speak, and being able to pause whenever I want to take notes. If you’re looking for sermons to watch online, our pastor is phenomenal.

I’ve also listened to my friend’s mom talk about their experience with embrace grace. It’s awesome!

What I’ve been wearing:

Thanks to summer I have been wearing this home tank from Taralynn’s lately. I posted about this outfit a couple of weeks ago, and this tank is in the wash A LOT. Yep.

And when i’m not in that tank, i’m usually in a tank and shorts to work out in. I have been so proud of myself lately for getting work outs in like I have been.

What I’m doing this weekend:

Moving sister bear to college. Ugh. So sad my baby sis is leaving 😦

What I’m looking forward to next month:

To be completely honest there’s nothing about August that I just LOVE. It’s probably the hottest month here in Texas, classes start again, Morgan’s going to college, and my friends all leave. But my brother will get his license so that’s pretty exciting!

What else is new:

Nothing with me…but I need some assistance from you all! How do I upload videos to my post??? I thought I knew how but they won’t upload to YouTube and sad face because I think i’m just technologically challenged right now or something. SOS.

What I’m going to miss most about summer:

You know, i’m going to miss not having classes. For the rest of summer I have Tuesday and Thursday free to myself right now. And I love it. But the thing i’ll miss most is having my friends here. These friends all leave me to go to college far away and it gets a little lonely without my pals around.

And that’s what’s up! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!

The 10 Day Sugar Detox

Back in June, The Today Show hosts participated in a 10 day sugar detox. I heard about it because I was looking for something on their website and the detox was on the front page. I read through the article and thought it sounded really interesting. I wanted to see what sugar did to my body, my mood, acne, etc. So I said what the heck and decided to try it! Now, in some of the recipes below that I didn’t completely follow the rules. But I did learn a lot about it…so that’s why i’m sharing today!

Changes I made:

– No “pumps” of anything in my coffee. Just my coffee and my soy milk.
– Unsweetened almond milk is what I used at home when I needed milk.
– I omitted sugar from any recipes that I was using…for the most part.
-I drank unsweetened tea with lemon as a sweetener.
– Mints weren’t allowed, “sugar free” wasn’t allowed, ketchup, and some other simple things you wouldn’t think of.

Here’s what my food looked like during the detox. To be honest, it’s not much different than a normal day’s food in my world. When you’re limited to what you can have (thank you food allergies) it’s fairly boring. But for instance this first pancake recipe below, I would have normally used a pancake mix. But those usually have sugar.

Banana Pancakes:

2 Frozen Bananas (or 1 if you don’t want as much of a banana-y flavor)
2 Eggs
Ground Cinnamon to taste
1/2 package travel sized flax seeds
Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Chips (if you don’t care about going sugar free!)

Banana, Flax seeds, egg, all put into a pancake. Warning: These smell weird when you first make them, so don’t be freaked out! I thought something was rotten but it’s just the smell of those ingredients mixed and heating up on the stove!

Butterscotch Fudge Brownies

– 1/2 cup of flour (I have to use my gluten-free flour)
– 1/2 cup of sugar (I didn’t want to completely cut the sugar out, but I probably would’ve been okay with less)
– 1/3 cup of cocoa (I used unsweetened – this may give a bitter after taste)
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Mix these all together. Then add:
– 2 eggs
– 1 teaspoon vanilla
– 1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola, whichever)

Omelet

Egg whites, turkey sausage crumbles, my lactose free cheese, and bagged spinach/kale mix with one tomato sliced and a bowl of blueberries and cherries on the side.

Quinoa Bowl

This day I threw a bunch of leftover things we had in the refrigerator together and called it a Quinoa bowl. I made some quinoa in the microwave, added leftover steak, snap peas, peppers, and onions. Then some Picante on top. I just loved the crunch and the salsa brought it together. I really liked it!

Cheeseburger in Paradise

HA! Totally kidding. Actaully, it probably wasn’t paradise because this was a late night at the office and I came home STARVING. Enter already grumpy Molly. But then we were getting our roof re-done and as I was trying to enjoy my good ol’ burger I heard “bang bang bang bang bang” (is that the sound a hammer makes??). I may not have enjoyed my cheeseburger in peace but we have a better roof now??? #halfglassfull But, this dinner is pretty self-explanatory served with snap peas and some cherries on the side.

Blueberry Chocolate Pancakes

Gluten free flour mixed with other ingredients (I took the flour back because it was disgusting and the recipe was on the back) with some bluberries, some chocolate chip, and some made plain.

Omelet #2

This particular morning my omelet was made up of egg whites, cheese, peppers, grape tomatoes, and mushrooms. And that thing on the side is the first pancakes at the top. It kind of looks like sausage here, but it really is that pancake!

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I am obsessed with spaghetti squash right now and when I saw this recipe I knew i had to try it. Guess what? It was weird tasting and I didn’t like it, so i’m not going to put that recipe on here. Haha i’m thinking of you guys okay!! But just so you know….I do make some things that taste terrible and end up being thrown away! 🙂

Conclusion:

– Did I really see a difference? No. Maybe if I would have continued it longer than 10 days I would. But I didn’t even make it the full 10 completely sugar free hence the 1/2 cup of sugar in the brownies.
– Food you wouldn’t normally expect became really sweet. I had an apple the other day and it tasted so sweet! I got a pump of mocha in my coffee yesterday morning and it was really sweet! I was so surprised!
– The more you cut it out, the less you crave it.
– I’m still cutting out sugar because according to the AHA (American Heart Association), the average person consumes about 20 teaspoons a day…calculated out that’s FIVE POUNDS of sugar in one month.
– However, everyone needs sugar in their body….but the ways you get that sugar is what we need to focus on. Modify your brownie recipe like I did, do what you need to. It’s all about the moderation!
– Overall, I think it is good to be aware of, but cutting out all sugar is just plain crazy. In fact, Hoda actually said she was up 3 pounds from when she started after the detox, because you’re just going to make up those calories usually somewhere else.

Hehe ^^ Well, have you done any kind of sugar detox? Did you think the same as me or differently??

What’s Up Wednesday & Recipe Club

Another last wednesday of the month means another What’s Up Wednesday post with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer. It also means another edition of Recipe Club with Andrea.

What we’re eating:

I’ve decided to go on a 10-day sugar detox with the Today Show hosts. I saw that they were doing it and really wanted to try it to see what kind of benefits and effects it had on my body. So this pancake recipe is Molly-certified sugar free. I saw a pin on Pinterest and was “pin-spired” to make this. Let me just start by saying i’m really not good at giving recipes. Normally I just dump things into a bowl until I think it’s good, so my measurements may not be exact or to your preference.

Ingredients:
2 Frozen Bananas (or 1 if you don’t want as much of a banana-y flavor)
2 Eggs
Ground Cinnamon to taste
Flax Seeds
Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Chips (if you don’t care about going sugar free!)

I didn’t think about taking pictures until I mashed up my bananas…

Take your desired amount of frozen bananas and mash them up with a wisk.

Next, crack your eyes into the bowl and mix.

We bought these travel flax seeds packet, so I decided to put in about half of one of these packets. I’d never had flax seeds before. Flax seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and magnesium. What a simple way to add these nutrients to your diet. You don’t even know they are in there!

I’m a fan of cinnamon. I shake it on my coffee, sprinkle it on some fruits, so for me the more the merrier. I’d say I probably put in about a tablespoon or so.

Mix those ingredients together…cook it on a griddle or pan just like a normal pancake and voila! It’s not your typical pancake and surely doesn’t look like it, but I liked it as a little change from the regular. And I felt healthy eating them….alongside one of my favorite fruits 😉

My sugar detox isn’t technically over until Sunday. But homegirl was CRAVING some brownies. Listen, i’ve been really good about not having sugar. The other day I drank straight coffee and milk (and I even liked it!). I walk past the chocolate container at work. I’m drinking unsweet tea (SHOCKER!) and everything in between. I decided to cheat a little and go ahead and make these brownies with a recipe I found on google, but tweaked a little. They are homemade, so I knew exactly what was going in them. Now my mom and all her unhealthy food loving ways ate that corner and the top and was so grossed out. But really I liked them.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of flour (which is good because I have to use my gluten-free flour)
1/2 cup of sugar (I didn’t want to completely cut the sugar out, but I probably would’ve been okay with less)
1/3 cup of cocoa (I used unsweetened – this may give a bitter after taste to some)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Mix these all together. Then add:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 oil (vegetable, canola, whichever)

Grease your pan. Bake them at 350 for about 15 minutes. AND YUM! I added a couple butterscotch chips just to see what that tasted like and actually liked it. I wouldn’t want too much, but I thought it was a different kind of edition!

I’ve heard so many treviews about whey protein powder. I read on the ingredients that it contains lactose so i’ve been testing it out these past couple days to see what it does. I haven’t been adding the full amount it calls for, but so far it’s been working for me. A good way i’ve been getting my protein is through smoothies mixed with this whey protein powder. I’ll hopefully be posting some recipes soon!

What I’m reminiscing about:

Lately, I’ve been reminiscing about the fact that I’ve been at my job for 6 months already. My job has been nothing but a blessing and I still find it hard to believe that 6 months ago I was all dressed up, jamming out to Taylor Swift’s new album not knowing what on Earth to expect. I’ve learned a lot in just this short amount of time and cannot wait to see where the future takes me with my company 🙂

Month One                                Month Six

What I’m loving:

My new favorite spot in my house. Okay i’ve lived in my same house since I was in Kindergarten, but 15 years later found this relaxing spot that I can take all to myself. It’s within walking distance from my room (get it?) and I get to look over our pool, with the sound of waterfalls, my Bible and coffee in hand, and a blanket or the outdoor fan on if I need to. Nobody else in my family goes out there…so i’ve officially claimed it MINE 🙂

What we’ve been up to:

We’ve been celebrating the man himself, we’ve (dad and I) have been working, and we’ve been gardening up a storm!

What I’m dreading:

I really try not to dread anything….but it’s really hard when you have to sit in the same chair for 2 hours at 8:00 in the morning 4 days a week listening to a lecture over “Matrices, Vectors, and Linear Programming” during summer. I mean someone tell me who required this class for business majors so I can have a word with them.

What I’ve been working on:

Lately, i’ve been working on being better about my Quiet Times, spending time with Jesus, and reading through my Bible. On my to-do list right now is to go through all the pages I have tabbed in my Bible and re-highlight the important verses I marked or make notes of what I wanted myself to remember. I’ve had this Bible for so long that things are starting to get faded…and we can’t have that! 🙂

What I’m excited about:

I’m excited about having today off of work. I asked my boss if I could take today to catch-up/get ahead on my homework for this summer class. I’m going to run my errands that i’m really far behind on. I’m going to watch Hoda and KLG with momma. I’m going to go golfing with my siblings. And i’m going to hang out with Emily. Who says Wednesdays weren’t good days?! I think in honor of knowing it’s going to be a great day, i’ll treat myself to one of these bad boys. And that’s enough to get me excited!!

What I’ve been reading/watching:

I talked about what i’ve been reading and watching last week for book club. If you missed it, look here. I’ve found my new favorite movie and a good book. (Still wanting recommendations for more summer reading!)

What I’m listening to:

As I started to answer this question the air conditioner kicked in and I realized…wow am I thankful for air conditioning. And at the same time I can hear our printer going off because my mom just sent something from downstairs. And I say wow am I thankful for technology. And I can hear Star Wars playing on the other side of the wall because my brother is watching it in the next room. And I think wow i’m thankful to have not just one brother, but two other siblings. And then it gets me all happy because I realize…the good Lord has truly blessed me.

What I’ve been wearing:

I have been wearing lots of Taralynn’s lately. I posted about this outfit a couple of weeks ago, but seriously this shirt is worn weekly. Not to mention the fact that the short can go on any girl’s night. And her jewelry??? Yep, always decked out in it. I love her website and her business.

What I’m doing this weekend:

I have no plans this weekend, just like last weekend. Thankfully my weekends start Thursday when I get home from work so I have longer weekends than most people. They still seem to go by fast, but I have a feeling i’ll be enjoying some of this….aaahhhh relaxation!

What I’m looking forward to next month:

I love July…I think it’s one of my favorite months of the year. While it’s always scorching hot here in Texas, we do A LOT of celebrating around here. Dad gets another year old, Ryan gets another year old, America gets another year older and we make our annual trek to Iowa to visit our grandpa 🙂

What else is new:

I think i’ve covered it all. I’ve probably just made your eyes bleed from this long post, i’ll spare you on one question. 😉

What I’m doing for the 4th:

Right now, I have no set plans for the 4th. My work is observing Friday the 3rd so i’ll have a long weekend. The 4th is my favorite holiday, so as long as I get to see some fireworks and spend time with some of my favorite peeps i’ll be happy.

Can’t wait to go through and read what’s up with all of you 🙂 Happy Wednesday!

Recipe Club: #FoodieToosdy

 

It’s already the last Wednesday of March, I can’t even believe that. But i’m so excited for April, SO EXCITED! Because classes will be over for three months. Cue the hallelujah chorus. I know you’ll be hearing that a lot on the blog in the upcoming weeks, so I apologize in advance. Actually I don’t, hehe. But let’s talk FOOOD today with Andrea!

Back in the Fall, I did a #foodietoosdy post every Tuesday morning. I started to slack after 9 weeks of that series because I got so slammed with school. I just plain ran out of time to cook.

Today for Recipe Club I thought i’d re-visit all of those posts, since some of y’all are new around these parts and might not have seen these posts back then. I’m sorry i’m not a food photographer, I really wish I was. Someone teach me how to shoot angles of food to make it look that much better. I’ll pay you with appreciation.

Now, for some reason I can’t seem to find week 1 of #FoodieToosdy so I know that’s not a good sign, but I found the rest! Haha

#FoodieToosdy Week 2 was all of my random, homemade, thrown together meals. Gluten Free BBQ Chicken pizza, tuna salad, and taco salad.

#FoodieToosdy Week 3 was a pork chop dinner, Giada’s Shrimp Fra Diavlo, and Ree Drummond’s shrimp stir fry.

#FoodieToosdy Week 4 was fish themed with Ina’s Honey Mustard Roasted Fish, Giada’s Fish en Papillote, and a tilapia salad.

#FoodieToosdy Week 5 came straight from one of my favorite recipe books by Danielle Walker. She also found out that she has a small amount of food to choose from that she can eat. So she made her own cook book. And I love it. Pastry crust, coffee creamer, and fried brussels sprouts for the win!

#FoodieToosdy Week 6 was a favorite breakfast of mine, Giada’s Sea Bass, and a gumbo and sausage recipe we found.

#FoodieToosdy Week 7 was Andrea’s Enchiladas (Which i’ve mad 23985438 times since i’ve found the recipe), Giada’s Shrimp Fra Diavlo (again, ha!), and Tyler Florence’s Chicken Marsala (Delicious!).

#FoodieToosdy Week 8 was Ree Drummond’s Ranch Chicken Sandwiches, Sandra Lee’s Zucchini al formaggio, and Southwest Stratas.

#FoodieToosdy Week 9 consisted of two of my favorite blogger recipes are Andrea’s Pulled Pork.

And Shay’s Chicken Fajita Soup.

As you can tell i’m all in for fish, seafood, and flavorful meals. I hope you found something you won’t be able to live without today. Happy Eating, to you!

Show and Tell: Fav room in your house

Today with Andrea, we’re all linking up to share about the favorite room in our house. This one is pretty easy for me. My favorite room is definitely our kitchen. I know most people my age would say their bedrooms, but i’m hardly ever in my room. I don’t like hiding away in there. I love being in our kitchen, because that’s where life happens!

We have family pizza nights in the kitchen.

I catch up on my shows with my coffee on weekend mornings.

Birthdays are celebrated in our kitchen.
(I did moms in December on left) (She did mine in January on right)

First day of school and work pictures are taken in the kitchen.

Donuts await us the other ones on the kitchen table some mornings.

Grilling happens in the kitchen when it’s too cold to go outside.

Mums and garters are made in the kitchen (this is a Texas thing for all you out of towners)

The kitchen is home to our homework days. Sigh. Are they over yet?

Nails are painted in the kitchen

 

Olaf birthday cakes are eaten in the kitchen.

Crafting is done on the kitchen floor.

And best of all delicious desserts and dinners come from the kitchen.

See, our life really does happen in our kitchen. There’s always some sort of activity going on in  and I without a doubt can call it my favorite room in our house. Most of the time, you’ll find me there if you’re looking for me 😉

Recipe Club: Momma’s French Toast

Linking up three times with Andrea in one week? Oh, what fun! Today is recipe club and it’s a special one as i’m sharing my momma’s delicious french toast…that I made last Saturday morning when I randomly crave it like that 🙂

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup flour
Amount of milk desired
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
Bread slices, cut in half lengthwise

First, add your egg to your pan. I used a 12×12 glass pan. Scramble your egg, add the flour and add your milk (a little more than the flour).

Take a small whisk and blend all of those ingredients together.

Add your cinnamon (really to taste) and mix it in. At this point you should put a tablespoon of butter in a skillet to heat on the stove.

Then you’ll take your bread slices (that aren’t small and gluten free, ha) and make sure both sides are completely covered in the batter.

Then, put your bread slices in your skillet until the other side turns brown. We usually use a fork to flip them because it’s easier to do that.

Like this, and I have to cook mine a little longer because of the gluten free/lactose free ingredients, so yours won’t be as dark!

When they get brown like this take them off the stove.

And since we’re having momma’s french toast, we put blackberry jam on top like she taught us 🙂 Or you can have syrup if you’re traditional like that! Enjoy!! (I forgot to take a picture before I started to devour this goodness, sorry for the already messy plate!)

There’s really no way to mess this recipe up and it’s so simple with little ingredients, in fact some of you could have a similar recipe! But you’ll see why we love it once you try it 🙂 There’s really nothing better than your own momma’s cooking!

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

Recipe Club: Good Luck!!!

So, I just learned maybe three years ago that you were supposed to have black eyed peas on New Years for good luck. My parents grew up on the east coast and in the midwest – we’ve never done any of these southern traditions. However, I do like traditions and I do like black eye pea! (Is it just me or do you guys also think of Radio saying “black eyed pea” whenever you hear that??)

I looked up black eyed pea recipes on google New Years Day, because I was darned determined we were going to have us some peas!!! They all sounded nasty or we didn’t have all the ingredients so I took some ingredients from a recipe I found and made up my own concoction.

I really wish I was a foodie blogger who knew how to take cute food pics. I’m sorry you’ll have to settle for my iPhone pictures. Forgive me?

Grab outta the fridge list:
1 can black eyed peas – drained- but keep the juice
1 tablespoon of butter
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
salt/pepper to taste
bacon bits to taste

Step 1: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet. While it’s heating, chop up some onion to brown in the pan. Technically it should be a whole onion, but I just added whatever looked right to me. Less was more to me in this instance.

2. Brown your onion and be sure to scrape up the burned pieces on the pan (that’s the flavor, baby!). Add a clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme and some salt and pepper. Continue to stir.

3. Next, add your black eyed peas with some of it’s juice!

4. I added some bacon pieces into the pan.

5. I covered the pan and let it simmer for 10-ish minutes until all of the flavors had time to mix together.

And this is what it looks like when it’s all said and gone. If you’d prefer more of the juice from the peas, you can add it at any time. The great part is that it’s your own personal preference.

Now let me tell you, my mom does not like black eyed peas. I told her I was going to make a recipe and asked if she would try. She said yes but she wouldn’t like.
She came back for more. My dad came back for seconds. My sister tried some! We were all basically fighting over this! I had no idea that was going to happen when I made it. I will tell you this, though: the thyme is important. It gives it the flavor that sets it out from other recipes.

So if you’re in the mood for some good luck…i’m your girl today. Enjoy!

Friday Favorites: Fri-YAY edition

I’m not even going to act like I wasn’t excited for this Fri-YAY to come. Also, it’s casual day at work—do pjs count? Let me know. Now I do remember one of my New Years Resolutions went along with this…

But this was a long week. Starting school, working the other three days of the week, homework already, lack of sleep, cold weather, ugh. That’s not Fri-YAY material. That’s more like MON-DANE material. Was that clever?? Really, I would like to go hide back under my covers for a couple hours. But I won’t. I need to be adult-like and go make money. One day i’ll thank myself.

Join in with me as I link up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites!

After I got off work last Fri-YAY two of my FAVORITE girls and I went with my family to the Texas Legends basketball game and treated ourselves to a nice, healthy dinner afterwards.

Saturday night was my FAVORITE kind of night. My parents and I went to the local bar (yes, I hang out with my parents on the weekend, and yes I have fun doing it!) to hear a band play, I posted a little about this earlier in the week. Are you not caught up on your Colors of Life reading???!!!!

Sunday I turned everyone’s FAVORITE birthday….21!!!! Read about that here.

Mon-DANE was so Monday-like that I didn’t take a picture. But how about I leave you with this one today:

That could turn your Mon-DANE right around. In fact, they’re getting even lower!! Oh, happy day!

Tuesday is every college student’s LEAST FAVORITE day of the semester. The very first day. I did a heavy sigh as I woke up early Tuesday morning, with my bag packed up, my shoes tied tight, hope I don’t get in a fight. Ohhh, back to school, back to school…..if you didn’t see my post on Instagram, you would have understood my Adam Sandler reference.

So I was shopping the other day and I saw one of my FAVORITE sights. These two cute little ol’ ladies were shopping accessories, purses, wallets, belts, bags, you name it. I stalked overheard their conversation and one said “I don’t want to take too long, but i’d like to go look at that purse.” The other one replied, “Oh no don’t worry, you go right ahead and look at that.” Couldn’t you just DIE????? Cannot wait to own my retirement home one day.

I’m starting to get the hang of this new school thing. The days get a little long while i’m on campus, but I know my outcome will far surpass the boredom that I have while sitting around look at funky pieces of architecture between classes.

PEACE OUT & HAPPY FRI-YAY!!!!!!

Recipe Club: S’mores Bars

It’s definitely not a secret that I like chocolate. I’m eating it right now as we speak. In fact, if you don’t like chocolate let me know in the comments. And then i’ll ask you how many times you were dropped on your head as a child. Kidding, kidding.

I’m linking up today with Andrea over at Momfessionals for her monthly recipe club. Check it out!

So, my favorite recipes are the kinds that are easy, yummy, and not expensive. This recipe happens to fit all of those categories.

What you’ll need:

• 1 pack of Hershey’s bars (My second go round was with this gigantic Hershey’s with almonds)
• 1 bag mini marshmallows
• 1 package of graham crackers (I couldn’t find mine in the pantry)
• Pam cooking spray
• 11×9 baking pan

You spray your pan with a light coat of Pam. Then layer like you would a regular s’mores. Layer graham crackers on the bottom, then cover all your cracker with the hershey’s bars. Once you have done that, depending on how much you like marshmallows cover your hershey’s with the marshmallows.

When I couldn’t find the graham crackers in the pantry, I saw these and got an idea. I might be trying to make a mini s’mores pie here in the future.

Once you put all of your ingredients layered in the pan, put them in your oven for about 18-20 minutes to make sure they are completely melted. After that, turn your broiler on for a couple minutes.
*Make sure to watch your s’mores bars. Because the broiler can make them burn!!!*

YUM……and within the minute that it came out of the oven this is what it looked like. It didn’t even last for 3 days and we had it devoured. It’s one of those recipes that you want to make when you have people to help you enjoy it because you can’t eat too much. It’s very rich. But oh so very good.

If you decide to try this recipe let me know how it turns out!

Seeeee! Now wasnt that east? ‘t fact…if you’ve missed my other recipe clubs first, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Second, you haven’t missed much because I just started participating two months ago 🙂 But the recipes are super easy as well and some of my very favorite things to enjoy.

November: My favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
October: Scotcheroos that just happen to be no-bakes.
Also, any other good food items would be found under the Eats tab on my right sidebar. It’s totally worth looking at.

Happy almost to the weekend day!

Recipe Club- EASIEST Thanksgiving side dish

I’m a little late to the party today, but better late than never, am I right??

I thought for Recipe Club I would go ahead and share with you my absolute FAVORITE Thanksgiving side dish that happens to be just about the EASIEST possible thing to make. I think Andrea has to be a genius, because this month’s recipe club is the day before Thanksgiving and next month’s is New Years Eve…brilliant. I’m ready for y’alls fabulous recipes!

Get ready, get set, let’s go!!!!

What you’ll need:

1 package of French’s French Fried Onions
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans French Cut Green Beans (These are just our favorite, any green beans will work)
3/4 Cup of milk
1/8 teaspoon of pepper

First thing’s first, mix your milk and cream of mushroom soup together in your 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. This is a lactose intolerant’s nightmare right here, but I HAVE to have it on Thanksgiving, even if it’s a bite.

Once that is mix together, add your pepper.

And your drained green beans.

And only 1 1/3 cup of the French Fried Onions.

Mix all of that together, and I threw some plastic wrap on top of it and stuck it in the fridge so I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow. I’ll pull it out of the oven and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until it is hot, then i’ll stir it up. Once I stir it, i’ll top it with the rest of the French Fried Onions and pop it back into the oven for 5 minutes until they are golden.

This is how they looked last year on my Thanksgiving plate (before food allergies, boo). Is that not pretty or what?!?!

I love tomorrow and i’m so excited for it. My stomach is growling thinking about it…Have you ever tried this recipe before? Or maybe this one below??

Tomorrow morning i’m in charge of breakfast, so I will be making Shay’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins….so pumped.

Enjoy your families, and cooking today!

Recipe Club: (No-bake) Chocolate Scotcheroos

It’s my first recipe club!! You should also link up with Andrea for this fun monthly partay.
Today my recipe is going to be Chocolate Scotcheroos. A staple in our house. Our friends used to come over and request my mom make it. You’ll definitely be the cool mom around town (and very popular with your lady friends) if you make this at your next pot-luck. Chocolate, peanut butter, sugar, butterscotch…YUM! Mix chocolate and peanut butter together in any way and i’ll eat it. Those are my two favorites. Now, y’all are going to want to pay close attention here so you don’t miss anything. And you will probably drool or hear your stomach growl when you see the final result. 😀

What you’ll need:
1 cup light corn syrup (I used Karo)
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
(Is this not the easiest ingredient list EVER?!?!)

 

Place your corn syrup and sugar into a large (important!!) pot stirring over medium heat until it begins to boil.

 

Grease your 9x13x2 pan beforehand or while mixing. Whichever is easiest.

Once boiling, remove from heat and add your peanut butter. Mix well.

  

Next add your rice crispy cereal and mix until all the cereal is coated.

Pour the mixture into your pan and press well. Then you can set it aside.

Pour your 1 cup of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips into a micro-wave safe bowl. Heat for one minute.

Then make sure you stir well, because it will burn…(i’ve learned from experience) before you put it in the microwave again.

 

Put it back in the microwave at 30 second intervals and then stir until it’s completely melted and looks like this.

Once your chips are mixed, drizzle it over your rice kris pies in the pan then set aside. And THAT’S IT!
Once it sits for a while, the milky texture of the chocolate will harden to the rice krispies and it will be easy to cut.

I love. LOVE. lOvE. this recipe. It’s quick. It’s delicious. It’s good for football. Or cravings. Or anything.

Take a big hunk out to enjoy!

BEWARE: Very addicting!!!!!!!
Have a super sweet Wednesday!

#FoodieToosdy Week 9

 Fall food is officially in the air! Last Thursday was a total weather changer for us. All last weekend was in the 60’s and 70’s. Soooo cozy. I’m a total cold weather loving girl. I had my fan going all weekend because I was getting hot. But really there’s nothing better than cozying up in 60 and 70 degree weather with some good ol’ supper.

This week I FINALLY tried Andrea’s pulled pork recipe that Shay swears by. You guys, I finally get it. This is the most flavorful delicious pulled pork I think  know i’ve ever had.

I had everything out and I put it all (by all I mean THREE INGREDIENTS) in the crock pot at 6:30 Wednesday morning.

1 pork shoulder
1 onion, chopped
2 cans soda (I used coca-cola)

This is Shay’s picture of Andrea’s pulled pork.

How to:

In your slow cooker, place your pork and onion pieces inside.  Pour your soda on top of everything and cover and cook on high at least 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the lid after 8 to 10 hours and the meat should be falling a part at the touch of your fork.  Remove all of the meat from the slow cooker into a bowl and then drain your slow cooker of the onions and liquid.  Add your meat back to the slow cooker and shred it up with two forks.  Stir in as much of your BBQ sauce as you like.  At this point, you can serve immediately or you can turn the slow cooker to the “keep warm” setting and let it stay warm up to 4 or 5 hours until you’re ready to eat.

Here’s how mine looked.

When I was finished with classes, errands, and about to go nanny, I finished it up. Is it not beautiful?!

So by 4:30 when everyone’s rollin’ it I had it all set up, for the family to eat whenever they were hungry.

Can I please tell you that I have THE most picky brothers on the planet. One bite into his sandwich the 14 year old says “Wow, this is really good.” The next day the other brother asked for “that BBQ thing” again. My dad had two bowls that night, took it for lunch the next day, had it for dinner another night, and lunch on Saturday. We had a container of leftovers and it’s almost gone. My mom and sister didn’t even get to try it.

 

Now, my next recipe that I tried (because I was in the fall mood) was Shay’s Chicken Fajita Soup

Mmmmmm y’all. It doesn’t make you feel stuffed, it’s the easiest thing to make, and it’s very healthy and full of protein.

Here’s Shay’s…

Get:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can chopped green chiles
1 package taco seasoning (or 3 tablespoons Chili Powder) (I actually used fajita seasoning that we had)
3 cups chicken stock (or water)
1 can (10oz) nacho cheese soup (on the soup aisle)
1 cup frozen corn (I used canned corn)
1 cup prepared rice (I made minute brown rice in the microwave)
Sour cream, tortilla chips, green onions to garnish

How to:

Layer chicken, onion, beans, Rotel and green chiles in your slow cooker. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over everything. Pour chicken stock on top. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.

Remove lid, using two forks, shred chicken right inside the slow cooker. Add can of nacho soup, corn and prepared rice, stir and cover cooking another 10 to 15 minutes.

Garnish with your favorite toppings.

Here’s mine in the slow cooker yesterday.

And I added some avocado to mine and absolutely loved it!

I’d say over anything don’t forget the Nacho Cheese Soup…I would have never thought about that, but personally I think that’s what makes this soup. My dad told me he had three bowls, my sister really enjoyed it, and I did as well. I can’t wait to see what my mom says when she comes home.

So, thank you ladies for the meals this past week!

#FoodieToosdy Week 8

Ree Drummond’s Ranch Chicken Sandwich

What you need:

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard (or country/grainy mustard)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Crushed red pepper, for sprinkling, optional
1 pound thick-cut bacon, sliced in half
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
8 soft whole grain buns

How to:

With a very sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half down the middle. This will result in 8 chicken breast pieces that are thinner and uniform in size.

Next, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together the honey, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper to taste, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge, 2 to 4 hours.

While the chicken marinates, fry up the bacon until chewy. When finished cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and pour off the rest of the grease (but do not clean the skillet).

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Brush a little reserved bacon grease on the chicken as you cook it. (Or you can grill the chicken breasts on an indoor or outdoor grill.)

When a couple of minutes grilling time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast. Top with some Cheddar and allow it to melt on the grill (if you need to remove the chicken you can finish melting the cheese under the broiler).

Halve the rolls and immediately load with the bacon-and-cheese covered chicken.

This is what mine looked like:

Sandra Lee’s Zucchini al Formaggio

Now I definitely thought this was Giada’s recipe, but when I went back to find it I couldn’t, so who knows I may be delusional. Anyways, I found Sandra Lee’s that just might be as good!

What you need:

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (recommended: DiGiorno), plus shaved Parmesan, for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to:

Heat a large saute pan with olive oil over high heat. Add zucchini slices and saute for 5 minutes until slightly brown and tender. Add remaining ingredients, except shaved Parmesan, and toss to combine.

Remove to serving bowl with slotted spoon. Top with shaved Parmesan and serve hot.

Here’s how mine looked:

See they are a little different, but I liked it so much I just had to find you a recipe!

Aldi’s Mini Southwest Stratas

What you need:

• Carlini Canola Cooking Spray
• 1 tablespoon Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup Season’s Choice Super Sweet Corn, thawed
• 1 cup Dakota’s Pride Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon Stonemill EssentialsGround Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Stonemill EssentialsGround Paprika
• 2 ½ teaspoons Stonemill EssentialsIodized Salt, divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons Stonemill EssentialsGround Black Pepper, divided
• 6 Goldhen Large Eggs
• 1 ½ cups Friendly Farms Half & Half
• 10 ounces L’oven Fresh Mini Butter Croissants, cut into ¼-inch cubes
• 1 cup Happy Farms Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Tuscan Garden Real Bacon Bits (optional)

Make it the night before, freeze it and microwave them at your leisure.

How to:

Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the bell pepper, onion and corn for 5 minutes. Add the black beans, cumin, paprika, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Stir until well combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, remaining salt and remaining pepper.
Add the croissants, vegetable mix, cheese and bacon bits. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
TIP: Freeze the muffins for future breakfasts. Thaw overnight, then pop in the microwave to reheat.

This is what mine looked like:

 

 

Every single one of these recipes was DELICIOUS! Mmmmmm, happy eating!

#FoodieToosdy Week 7

It’s officially September. Yay Fall! Yay everything about fall! I always wished I was a fall baby just because I like it that much. And I don’t even mind school starting because I like it that much.

My foodie toosdy is Mexican, Italian, and chicken. Yum!

Last week Andrea posted about her enchiladas during her recipe club. Looking at those pictures I was hooked. So, I went to get the ingredients. This is the easiest recipe ever!!! She posted her own pictures on this page, but the following pictures are my own.

I told my mom that I wanted to make my family dinner one night, so I asked her when she didn’t have anything planned and she told me Sunday night. So once I got home from work on Sunday, I started up my stove! I didn’t make as much as she did, but lookey:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• Chopped onion. Your own preference (I used about 3/4)

• 1 can cream of mushroom
• 1 can Old ElPaso mild enchilada sauce

Mix those two together while your hamburger is browning.

After the meat is strained mix in about 2 cups of cheese. Fill your tortillas with the mixture. I had to use corn with my go-veggie cheese, but for everyone else I used flower and regular shredded cheese.

I put some of the sauce at the bottom, then once I filled my pan I put the rest of the mixture and more cheese on top. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes (350 degrees).

Viola!

We only had one and a half left! My dad LOVED them, my mom did as well. My picky brothers even ate some. I put Zatarain’s Spanish Rice on the side.

Listen y’all. YOU. HAVE. TO. MAKE. THESE. Thank you, Andrea for the wonderful Sunday night dinner that my entire family enjoyed!!!

Tyler Florence’s Chicken Marsala

What you need:

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces crimini or porcini mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

How to make it:

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don’t fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Lower the heat to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, saute for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

We didn’t use prosciutto but this is how ours turned out:

Really good!

Giada’s Shrimp Fra Diavlo

What you need:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

How to make it:

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

I have posted about this recipe before, but it was delicious! Ours turned out like this:

Happy Eating!!!!!