Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Yes you read it right.  I said it. It is:

1. Chocolate

2. Cake

and

3. Can be made in a mug

Chicken Cheese Ranch Pockets - Easy Hot Kid Lunch

Here is a fun little lunch idea for the kiddos. I think it will be great for lunch boxes too.  These little sandwiches definitely got my kids stamp of approval.

Here's What You Need:

• 1 can of crescent roll dough
• approximately 2 cups of cubed chicken (I was lazy and bought precooked kind)
• approximately 1 cup of shredded cheese
• couple tablespoons of ranch

Here's What You Do:

Take two crescent roll triangles and press them together to form a rectangle.

Drizzle a bit of ranch dressing down the middle.

Add in a spoonful or two of cheese and chicken.

Fold the sides over so the chicken and cheese is wrapped up.

Pinch the ends to close.

Bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes.

Enjoy!!

I may double this next time so I can freeze some.  So warm and yummy on a cold rainy winter day.

Baked Doughnuts - Need I Say More?

So I found this cute little doughnut pan at the store and I just had to try it out.  I had a great friend bring some healthy doughnuts to a play date one time and they were delicious. So I called her up and tested our her recipe.

These little things were a hit right out of the oven. Elli helped me bake them up and both kids helped me eat them.  No  questions asked.  We made chocolate chip baked doughnuts but you could add fruit or cinnamon or anything your heart desired (but you know my heart desired chocolate).

Pumpkin Pudding in a Bowl

This may be the last pumpkin for breakfast recipe (although I'm not making any promises).

This idea of pumpkin pudding made from bran cereal intrigued me.  I will admit it is a bit more in the prep work than the other two pumpkin recipes posted this week. Don't worry -  it isn't super labor intensive unless you consider pushing the button on a blender labor intensive.

What do you do with the left over pumpkin you have after making the pumpkin parfaits from our previous post? Well, you make pumpkin pudding in a bowl!

This comes from one of my favorite food blogs. Seriously, I haven't been disappointed on her blog yet.  See the link at the bottom to check out more of her stuff.

Pumpkin Parfaits

Here is another pumpkin infused breakfast idea.  I know - I'm pumpkin crazy right now. I love trying out these new ideas on the kiddos and just seeing how it goes.

So pumpkin parfaits for breakfast....why not?

Banana Split Breakfast

Get ready guys - a few breakfast ideas coming your way. These are not technically recipes but fun ideas I want to archive. I hope that you enjoy them too.

Today's topic:  banana split breakfast.

So this is super simple, super versatile, and super popular in our house.  

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - Yep

So I am kinda obsessed with pumpkin right now. I can prove it. I have pumpkin waffles, pumpkin butter, pumpkin coffee, and pumpkin creamer in my house at this very minute.  Needless to say, when I heard about making pumpkin cinnamon rolls, I had to try it.  This recipe was a lot of fun to create with my 4 year old. It is really easy to make and only bakes for 20 minutes. Try this out. You will NOT be disappointed.

Oatmeal Freezer Cups - A Quick and Easy Breakfast Option

My kids love oatmeal.  They really do.  They eat it all year round and I admit - I just buy the packs. I've always just done the packs because I am lazy and don't want to clean up the pot afterwards. When I saw the idea of freezer ready oatmeal cups, I figured I would give it a try.  These were very easy to prep and I love that you can do tons of different flavors and combos.  These make a great option for anyone really - hubby, me or kiddos.  My daughter wasn't home when I made these or she would have loved to add the toppings in.  Next time!

Single Serving Vegan Brownie

A quick post to share something so delightful with you.  

I just discovered this amazing single serving brownie tonight and immediately came to the computer to share it with you guys.  

So easy to make.

So fun to make.

A healthy twist on a brownie.

And...no huge pan of left overs to trip you up all week.

Cauliflower "Fried" Rice

This is an awesome recipe a challenger shared with me in one of my recent Clean Eating Challenges.  I was skeptical at first - very skeptical.  Would this be worth having to go through getting the cauliflower in the right format. And would it really tasted like "fried" rice?  But I love trying new recipes so I went for it and the answers to those two questions are yes and no.

YES this recipe is totally worth it and not difficult at all.  

No it isn't like a big bad bowl of fried rice from your favorite Chinese restaurant but it is an awesome substitute for a fried rice dish if you are working towards a clean healthy life style.  

(There isn't anything wrong with the occasional bowl of fried rice from the restaurant but definitely not something we can do all the time so enter cauliflower!)

If you have a food processor this recipe is a piece of cake. If you don't have one - GET ONE. I resisted having a food processor for a while but I finally picked up a $30 at Target and it has opened up a world of recipes to me.  So get a little one today, come home, make this recipe.

Frozen Peanut Butter Treat (aka smudgies)

I have been using this recipe for months now and many of my challengers LOVE it. Kids love it, adults love it, and all the while we are eating something clean and healthy. I decided it was time for me to write it up and get it archived on my own personal little recipe book.  I only put my favorites on this blog so that I can find them easily and share them easily with you guys.  So here you go!  An awesome little treat for summer.

Sweet Potato Paradise Casserole

I have been wanting to try this for a while and finally decided this week was the time to jump in and give it a whirl.  You know, it is one of those recipes I found online but kept putting it off. Well put it off no more! This thing was amazing.

Let me preface - it takes some work up front but it is one of those dishes that you can prep while your kiddos eat lunch (and watch cartoons - am I the only one who does that?). Then you can just pop it in the oven at 5:00 and be ready for dinner.  So it does take some prepping but the outcome is delicious.

Roasted Veggie Enchiladas

This is seriously one of my favorite meals.  However, it takes a little more prep than I like to do so I don't cook it as frequently as I would like.  But when I am done eating it, I remind myself that it was worth every second of work I put into it. I believe there are probably tons of ways to make this dish work for you so be creative.

I am including the link to the original recipe. You will see their creation is much more intricate than mine - I tend to simplify so I can use what I have in the pantry and minimize time in the kitchen. But do glance at the original because I am sure it is delicious!

Here's What You Need for the Simple Version:

-2 red bell peppers chopped up

-1 cauliflower chopped up

-1 small sweet potato chopped

-1 cup frozen corn kernels

-1 onion diced

-olive oil or coconut oil

-1.5 tsp cumin (I even use more because I love that flavor!)

-2 garlic cloves minced (I buy mine already minced!)

-2 cups salsa

-spinach leaves

-approximately 9 or 10 tortillas (I use whole wheat flour but the original recipes calls for corn)

Optional:  shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions

Here's What You Do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 and lightly grease a cookie sheet (I put aluminum foil down for less clean up).

2.  Put all of your veggies on the sheet and drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil on top and sprinkle with cumin.  Put a pinch of salt and pepper on if you'd like and then use your hands to mix it all together.  

3.  Be sure the vegetables are in a single layer and then place in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the veggies are nice and tender. Some will have brown spots - even better!

The recipe says stir the veggies every 10 minutes for even roasting but I always forget!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I pack my hubby's lunch for work every night. It is an easy way for us to use dinner left overs and save a few bucks (plus I figure if I have to eat at home - he can't be going out every day too right?) I digress.  I usually pack him a couple of cookies as an after lunch treat and we were out of his favorite kind this week, Fig Newtons. In a scramble, I looked up easy cookie recipes and found this gem. They are super easy to make, dairy free, grain free, and delicious.

Super Easy (not just for breakfast) Breakfast Pizza

When I stumbled across this recipe I had no idea it would be so easy.  So so so easy.  Today it is snowing (again), my kids are sick, and we are bored.  I decided it would be a good day to pull up the thousands of recipes I have saved on the internet and start trying one out.  Elli and I decided the breakfast pizza was the way to go.  The reason this works is because you will most likely have all of the ingredients on hand.  If not, it is super versatile and you can make it however you want.

No more talking!  Let me give you this recipe that will 100% become a staple on our list. I envision it for dessert, for fun lunch, even for dinner (who doesn't love breakfast for dinner!?)

Here is what you need: (kinda because you can really do this however you want!)

-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-2 stevia packets (I didn't have anymore stevia so I used another sweetener we had on hand) or 2 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 cup water, juice or milk (I used 2% milk but to keep it vegan use almond or soy)

-2 tablespoons applesauce (or coconut oil, mashed bananas, vegetable oil...)

-1/8 tsp salt

-You can add any spices you wish. I added a dash or two of cinnamon but you could do pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, you name it!

-And the fun part:  Add in a few handfuls of whatever you want.  We added in 1/2 banana sliced and couple handfuls of mini chocolate chips. You could do blueberries, strawberries, walnuts, raisins, chopped apples, and the list goes on!

 Here is what you do

-Grease a round pan really well so it doesn't stick.

-Mix all ingredients together and then pour into prepared pan

-Place in NON PREHEATED oven at 425 for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (mine took exactly 10 minutes)

It looks delicious even without toppings!

Now have fun with toppings. Today I melted the Cinnamon Cheese spread I had and spread that on top (just one wedge). Then I added sliced strawberries and powdered sugar.  Seriously - this is breakfast? Both kids loved it and ate it up.  

This was delicious on top but I'm sure any cream cheese would work.

Who WOULDN'T want to eat that for breakfast?

OK you try your breakfast pizza and tell me what you add to yours.  I'm thinking next time I'll add walnuts and top with bananas and cinnamon. Or what about mini chocolate chips topped with nutella and bananas?  Oh man or what about mini chocolate chips topped with peanut butter and banana.  Yep I have a lot of baking to do!  I may very well be making this tonight for dessert while my kids are sleeping since they ate it all this morning and didn't want to share very many bites with their mom.

I want to let you know the original recipe came from Chocolate Covered Kate. I love her blog. I use it all the time. She takes desserts and makes them healthy.  She is all about chocolate and all about health. She should be my best friend. Really.  I haven't tried a recipe from her site that I didn't love.  Check it out!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/04/12/the-breakfast-pizzert/

Happy Breakfast!

Very Easy Quick and Cheesy Cheese Dip

If you follow my posts here, this recipe will not fit the standard. But if you do any challenges with me you will hear me say 100% of the time that my motto is "progress not perfection" and "moderation not deprivation."  My philosophy is that when we deprive ourselves of the foods we love, we end up over doing it later.  Plus depriving ourselves of the things we love is not a way to live!  My health philosophy is about finding balance - a balance between feeding our bodies the things it needs while also enjoying the delicious things the kitchen has to offer us.

So that being said, during Christmas I was in charge of bringing an apetizer to one of our parties.  I decided to make a cheese dip I've heard a lot about.  It was so easy to make and really was quite delicious.  Ok it was very delicious.  So make it for your next gathering and you will be the talk of the party. It seems like it takes more effort than it really does.  I had tons of friends recommend recipes for this and I ended up sampling from all the recommendations and this is what I came up with.  

Here's What You Need:

32 oz Velveeta block of cheese

14 oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes (I did mild but you can choose based on your audience)

1 lb of lean ground beef (you can also use pork or ground turkey)

Some people also add in a cream cheese to make this even thicker or just use the cream cheese instead of Velveeta so there are a lot of variations you can try out here!)

Frosted Mint Brownies

Welcome to December!  I can't believe it's here already.  We go from Thanksgiving to BOOM. Christmas.  I must say, I kind of like it, but it makes me feel a little more rushed this holiday season.  I have been craving sweets....... but with Little Two I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so I can't have sweets (or just have to enjoy them in VERY VERY limited quantities).  These gems are already packaged up and ready to send off with DH to work.  I've had a little bite.  And can I tell you that little bite was AMAZING!!!!! Ahh.  Even better than how they taste is how simple and easy they are to come together!  

Just look.  Yes.  Just look.

Simple & Sweet Sugar Cookies

DH and I have had the conversation recently about sugar cookies.  They're his favorite.  We've been together for over 13 years and this is the first I've heard of it.  You learn something new every day, right?  I've got to admit I love his classic style because I'm all about "doctoring" up everything to the max... you know like triple chocolate fudge and chocolate chips and Oreos AND almonds in my ice cream ;)  The man loves himself a simple sugar cookie with a sugary crust.  Ahh, I'm in love. In honor of his recent birthday, I decided I'd try to make him these.  I have never made homemade sugar cookies, thinking they'd be really hard to make.  We've been settling for the slice and bake variety.  Which albeit are good, but have some weird ingredients.  Yeah. These have sugar, butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, baking soda & the weirdest thing... cream of tartar ;)  I think he about died when he tasted the first one hot out of the oven.  Crunchy from being rolled in sugar and a sweet buttery vanilla flavor... Swoon.  Birthday score for me! This recipe makes A TON.  I got 46 medium sized cookies to be exact.  So... I made 20 and froze the rest for my very own homemade version of the slice and bake variety!  Disclaimer:  I don't have pictures of steps along the way in case these didn't turn out.  The original recipe calls for a stand mixer and mixing "just so" and I didn't have time last night to do all that.  Well, folks, I'm glad to say you don't have to!  These turn out FABULOUS with a little elbow grease!! YAY!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

I'm craving sweets.  Real bad.  Lots of sweets.  Anything I can get my hands on really.  And this is happening during one of the worst possible times of the year - Halloween candy is EVERYWHERE!!  I overdid it yesterday and felt it in the afternoon.  But, nonetheless I woke up this morning with more sweets on the brain.  Pregnancy, sigh.  After a quick look on Facebook this morning, I found that Team ACT had posted a picture of her Super Easy 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins and decided it was high time for some pumpkin in these parts!  One problem.  No cake mix.  Doh!  SO, online searching I went.  These from Kitchen Treaty are moist and delicious, just like the pumpkin muffins Team ACT made, but they do require a little more time.  Good news, however, (Miss Team ACT :)) ... they're even better if you add chocolate chips to the mix!!

Freezer Friendly: Homemade Crockpot Chili

Hi there :) Missed you guys! But, do tell.  How much are you loving the easy and delicious recipes from Team ACT?  I tell you what... I am SO glad she is a part of my team! In honor of Fall being Just . Around. The. Corner - let's get some chili cooking!  Set it - forget it - and enjoy it after a long day. I've tried many crockpot recipes for chili.  Some have been better than others, but this one has been my favorite so far.  And it makes a LOT.   I had plenty to serve for dinner to 4 adults and have enough to freeze for later.  We LOVE LOVE LOVED it served over baked potatoes with some cheese sprinkled on top.  This recipe was also the first in which I made my own homemade chili seasoning.  The recipe I found and used was delicious and had a little kick.  The best part about making your own is being able to control the amount and type of ingredients - I used less salt and more hot peppers for the kick.  YUM.