S'more Cupcakes

Alright my foodie friends. Unfortunately this is not one of those posts that is healthy and delicous. This recipe is just delicious. I haven't baked anything since I got pregnant and I was having baking with drawls.  I found this recipe in a magazine and thought my husband and family would like it. I, of course, had to modify the recipe a little to my liking.

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate cake mix
• 1 package of chocolate pudding mix ( 3.9 oz)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 jar of Jett-Puffed Marshmallow creme (7 oz)
• 1 can of cool whip
• a few marshmallows to top it off
• a few graham crackers to crumble on top

Directions

1. Prepare cake mix as directed. Cool cupcakes then slice in half horizontally
2. Make pudding mix as directed
3. Place bottom half of each cupcake in any container you choose. I used clear glasses.  Top with a spoonful of pudding, then a spoonful of marshmallow creme. Cover with the cupcake top. Add some cool whip and toppings as you like. 
4. I would put cupcakes in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. The cool whip tends to melt into the cupcake. 

This is a really easy recipe but a little messy.

Baked Tomatoes With Cornbread Crumbs- Gluten Free

Here is another delicious Gluten Free side dish.  The first step is to make the G.F. cornbread. You will use the cornbread to make the Baked Tomato Dish.

GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour ( or another G.F. flour that you like)

3/4 cup stone-ground organic cornmeal

3 Tablespoons of sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon butter

3 medium eggs 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt) together in a bowl and set aside.

Melt the one tablespoon of butter in a 10 inch cast-iron skillet or a round baking pan in the oven. Coating the bottom and sides of the pan with the butter.

In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup butter. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Pour batter into the hot skillet or baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 

Baked Tomatoes With Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons minced garlic or 3 cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

30-40 grape or cherry tomatoes 

1 1/2 cups gluten-free cornbread crumbs

2 teaspoons fresh or dried organic basil

1 Teaspoon black pepper

1 Teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Pour a little olive oil onto the bottom of a 9 in square pan

Cut the tomatoes in half. 

In a food processor, process all the garlic till minced if it wasn't already. Process the cornbread until you achieve an even crumb. Add in the  basil, sea salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the crumbs and pulse briefly to distribute.

Place half of the grape tomato halves into the pie plate, split side up, tightly.

Sprinkle with the seasoned cornbread crumbs. Top with the remaining tomato halves, rounded side up. pour a little more olive oil over the tomatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes, until tender.

Serve warm. Makes about 4 servings worth.

Sorry no picture yet. This dish came out of the oven and got eaten immediately. Next time I will get a pic first. Trust me, this dish is delicious!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Gluten and Sugar Free

Let me start off by saying WOW. I was really surprised by the results of this recipe. When I first saw this recipe I had my doubts, but curiosity got the best of me and I had to try them. I am glad that I did. Not only is this recipe cheap, about 3 dollar to make a dozen and a half, but they are actually good! Its hard to find a dessert that is good and not terrible for you. On a scale of 1-10 I would give these an 8. They are best when warm. If you don't like chickpeas, don't worry, you can't taste them in the recipe.


Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups canned organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), well-rinsed and laid out to dry
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter 
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips ( I used dark chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and then process some more. Put in the chocolate chips and pulse once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto parchment paper or a sprayed cookie sheet. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes. Yields about a dozen and a half.

Artichoke Frittata with Roasted Potatoes - Gluten Free

Wow. This Frittata has so much flavor. This is my first time making one and it was so easy and it turned out great! This would be a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The roasted potatoes are so much better than plain french fries. Try adding sea salt to them. This is a 30 minute of less meal.

Roasted potatoes
Ingredients:

enough potatoes to feed the people that will be eating with you. about 2-6
olive oil to toss potatoes in
salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

Cube potatoes. Place potatoes and 1/4 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Cut a few vent holes. Microwave till soft. About 6 minutes for 3 potatoes. Set oven to broil. Mine was set at 550 degrees. After microwaving potatoes toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for about 6 minutes.

Frittata 
Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 green onions sliced
1 orange pepper ( deseeded ) chopped
1 pt. grape tomatoes
1 can ( 14 oz. ) artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped
4 lg. eggs plus 4 lg. egg whites

Directions:

In a nonstick skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add green onions and orange pepper. Cook until golden. 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts. cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
In a medium bowl beat together eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. about a tsp each.
Pour eggs over vegetables making sure to distribute well. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes.

RAW Molasses PecanButter Sandwiches

Sandwich part

• 2 C Oat Flour
• 1/2 C Cacao Powder
• 1/4 C Coconut oil or coconut butter
• 1/4 C Agave
• 1/4 C Molasses 

Place all dry ingredients in food processor. Pulse to a few times to combine. Mix together wet ingredients. Add to dry and process until very well combined. If needed, you can add 1 T of water. Flatten out to a disk shape on non-stick dehydrator sheet. Cover top with wax paper or parchment and roll out to 1/4″ thick. The dough will be very sticky. Cut with a ring cutter. Peel away extra dough leaving circles on tray. Repeat until you have used up the dough.

Place in dehydrator at 115 for 4 hours. Peel off of non-stick sheet and dehydrate 2-4 more hours. These should be dry but not brittle. A little softness should remain.

Filling:

• 2 C Soaked Pecans, Drained (these should be wet for this recipe)
• 1/4 C Agave
• 1/3 C Coconut oil or Butter, softened
• 1 T cinnamon

Mix in food processor until very well combined. Use for filling between two cookies.

A New Kind Of Orange Juice

one large grapefruit
one naval orange
one cara cara naval orange (pink on the inside like a grapefruit)

Or 

one cara cara naval orange
one naval orange
one tangerine

Juice all three of these together and you have a wonderful new kind of orange juice.
Both of these taste great. I like to make up new mixtures with whatever I have on hand or whatever is in season.

Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish

If you are on a super cheap budget this is the meal for you. A whole pot comes out to about 6 to 8 dollars and is enough for like 3 meals! Even if you are not on a budget this is a great Irish meal. Super simple to make and only a few ingredients. Try it for yourself and see.  By the way, I am not a cabbage fan but I do like this meal.


Ingredients
One head of cabbage diced
1/2 an onion diced
1 package of beef country sausage cut into slices
5 - 6 regular potatoes chunked
Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
Added water till it is about 3/4 of the way to the top of the ingredients after you have put cabbage, potatoes, and onion in pot.

Directions
In a large pot layer potatoes on the bottom, then cabbage, then onions.  Add your water and spices. Cook on low till cabbage cooks down and potatoes are soft. Add the sausage about 10 minutes before it is done cooking.

The Breville Juice Fountain Plus

We decided that the juicer we were using before was way too difficult and time consuming to us. Ultimately we decided on the Breville Juice Fountain because it is super easy to use, it juices quickly, and it is really quick and easy to clean. It doesn't get as much juice out of the kale as our other juicer but overall it juices everything else very well. Having a juicer that only takes about 5-10 minutes to use will be extra motivation to use it daily!

After making your own homemade orange juice, you may never go back!

What I am eating, March 2012

February food blogging went very well. I am hoping with the warmer weather that March will bring that it will motivate me to continue to eat healthy. I am hoping to add a few new recipes also. So far this year I have not been sick; I give the praise to the Lord for this blessing and for the opportunity to eat healthier than I have before . I also have had plenty of energy for all the activity I do.

Sunday 2-25-12
So I haven't added any posts in a while. I have been having a little bit of trouble out of my allergies for the past 2 weeks. Basically what I have been doing for the last 2 weeks is juicing for two meals and eating one solid meal.  Lots of soups and fruit. I tried local honey with mint tea and that seems to help also. So far right now I feel great.  I am hoping that it is over for the year! I really think doing all the vegetable juicing helped a ton; oh, and I prayed A LOT! That probably helped the most.

Friday 3-16-12
Breakfast - juice
Snack - more juice
Lunch - Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish
Dinner -

Thursday 3-15-12
Breakfast - juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower
snack - Dates as a Snack
Dinner - Bubble and squeak. An Irish dish made with cabbage, potatoes, and country sausage ( beef)

Wednesday 3-14-12
Breakfast - juice
Snack - more juice
Lunch - organic vegetable soup
Dinner - Fish tacos with french fries

Tuesday 3-13-12
I started to get a sore throat last night from allergies so I decided to eat vegan and gluten free today. This should be easier for my body to digest therefore leaving extra energy to fight off this funk!
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, kale, beet juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower. strawberries
Snack - baked veggie chips
Dinner - Gluten Free veggie patty ( mostly made out of quinoa)  with sweet potato tater tots

Monday 3-12-12
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, apple, beet juice
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
snack - hummus with veggies
Dinner -

Sunday 3-11-12
Breakfast - Grapefruit, carrot, celery, apple, beet juice
Lunch - hummus with carrots and cauliflower.
Snack - jumbo raisins and banana chips
Dinner - one crab cake ( they were out of salmon patties at Gerst Haus) mashed potatoes, baked beans, and corn bread.

Saturday 3-10-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, kale, apple juice
Lunch - hummus and veggies
Dinner - Gluten Free pizza with turkey pepperonis, pineapple, and olives. I bought the pre-made thin crusts and added the toppings I like. It was so good!!

Friday 3-9-12
Breakfast - celery, kale, beet, apple juice
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
Snack - banana chips
Dinner - Salad with quinoa and blackened mahi

Thursday 3-8-12
Breakfast - carrot, apple, celery, beet, pineapple juice
Snack - cashews and raisins
Lunch/Dinner - late lunch early dinner. Lemon pepper trout with mashed potatoes and green beans

Tuesday 3-6-12
Breakfast - kale, carrot, beet, pineapple, apple and celery juice
Snack - banana chips, cashews
Lunch - Organic vegetable soup
snack - hummus with cauliflower and baby carrots
Dinner - salad with blackened mahi
Dessert - we splurged and had a mini date night and got some frozen yogurt!

Monday 3-5-12
Breakfast - Homemade orange juice and Gluten free cereal
Lunch - chicken sandwich on gluten free bread. Hummus with cauliflower and baby carrots
Snack - nuts and jumbo raisins
Dinner - salad and veggie chips

Sunday 3-4-12
Breakfast - Kale, carrot, apple juice
Lunch - a few ravioli and some nuts
Dinner -

Saturday 3-3-12
Breakfast - Organic Cara orange
Lunch - Veggie chips
Dinner - portobella mushroom and tilapia breaded in organic cornmeal
Snack- We got our new juicer tonight and had to try it. We juiced a few Cara Cara navel oranges. The best orange juice I have ever had!

Friday 3-2-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice
Snack - dates
Lunch - salad with a hard boiled egg and pumpkin seeds
Dinner - Prosciutto wrapped chicken breast stuffed with asiago cheese over risotto. Green beans and a house salad. This was the catered meal at a wedding we went to at Union Station. 


Thursday 3-1-12
Breakfast - carrot, celery, apple juice
Snack- Blueberries and banana chips
Lunch - salad with blackened Mahi
Dinner - RAW Flax/Chia Crackers pizzas. I put a scoop of tomato sauce and a small slice of cheddar on top of the crackers. Topped it with half on an olive.
Dessert - 2 kiwi's

Taco Night!

I really enjoy Taco Night. It is one of my favorite meals to have. It is really easy to prepare and there seems to always be leftovers for lunch the next day.

Some items that I include for my tacos

Ground Deer meat
Rice
Black beans
refried beans
olives
salsa
lettuce
cheese
tomatoes
onions

The possibilities are endless!

Pink and Green Baby Shower

Elizabeth Anne hasn't even been born yet but she sure does have a fan club already! I had the privilege of helping throw a baby shower for a very good friend of mine this weekend. I was put in charge of decorations and I am so glad that I was. I had so much fun creating and making the decor! The mother-to-be's favorite colors are pink and green so that was the color scheme.

The place mats where used as stationary for the guests to write some mother advise or a sweet note to the mother-to-be

silverware was put in folded pink napkins tried with ribbon and placed on top of decorative napkins

Guest favors. Mint candy inside

Centerpieces where made out of flower pots and feathers to match the table runners

The Mother-to-be got her very own crown

The tables where covered in bright green wrapping paper

Hand made table runners to match the other decorations

The shower was at a local Olive Garden

The Cake! I did not make the cake but is matched perfectly!

-

RAW Dehydrated Pineapple Slices

My husband got these at a whole foods store when we were in NM and asked me to make them for him. I really like how they turned out; almost like a fruit roll up.

Take a can of pineapple slices in juice and place them on a dehydrator sheet. I sprinkled mine with xylitol sweetener. Turn the dehydrator on to about 110 degrees and leave overnight or until desired texture. I think I left mine about 20 hours.