Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In true fall fashion I bring you a new recipe that Kyra and I tried. These turned out delicious, I made a huge batch and they were devoured in a matter of days!!

Not my own recipe,but I only share recipes with you that are worth trying!!! Also on a side note....I don't have it planned yet, but would you all be interested in 25 days of Christmas again this year like I did two years ago? Lots of crafts, recipes, trips, etc? I only wanna do this if it would be interesting to everyone and would get views!

These were delicious, give them a try maybe as a dessert for Thanksgiving!! 

Yonana's Review

So as many of you know with this pregnancy I have had a sensitivity to dairy products. Luckily it seems to finally be getting better!! But all I wanted was what I couldn't have!! And ice cream was the number 1 thing!! Soy Ice Cream was just not cutting it and Sorbet didn't have the same texture!! But I was online watching YouTube Videos when one girl I am subscribed to did a review about her Yonana's Machine. You can see that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnyzBJVWg2M&list=PL5A6K4T29SbXpgJakFt3UcpcR9Mc7LqRy 

 I looked it up and was so excited, Ice Cream made with no Dairy at all but with the texture and flavor of ice cream. It only took me a couple days to decide I was gonna buy one. It took about a week and a half to get here, Yay for living over seas haha. And than we had to buy bananas and wait for them to get ripe. Than had to freeze them. So it took us a little while before we got to use it the first time!!

It is super easy the main ingredient you need is Bananas (however you can make it without bananas it just wont have the creamy texture just more of a sherbert feel) and than frozen fruit of you choice. You can buy them fresh and freeze them or we just buy the already frozen kind.

Once you have frozen your fruit, you need to than set them on the counter for about 15 mins you want them to be defrosted a little bit before you start to use them or you ice cream is gonna be very crispy which ours was the first time!!

After defrosting you simply stick the fruit in the hole at the top, and out the bottom comes the yumminess!! Than you just simply mix it all up until its well blended and creamy!! And add toppings if you choose, I think like pineapple chunks would have been awesome too!!

Note that I had not mixed it up yet so you can see where the banana flavor and raspberry are separately...

Obviously since I am doing this review in a positive matter I was pretty darn pleased with this machine. Cleaning takes a whole like 3 mins its very easy to clean if you use hot water and all the parts that actually touch food are all machine washable too of course!!

I give this puppy an A+ its worth buying!!!

Schupfnudlen mit kraut und speck

Okay okay maybe you saw that title and thought h no she has gone full German in us. Okay I haven't gone that far, but I have been working on my German, and Dustin and I have tossed around the idea of getting a work visa and staying here forever!! We just love the culture, the food, and the beauty of Germany!!

This fantastic little recipe came to us by trying something new at a festival, and now we have had it a few times so it is an obvious go to for us now.

Schupfnudlen roughly translates to potato noodles. Here in Germany we can buy these noodles, in massive packages mind you, in the refrigerated section. I am not sure that they are available in American stores however, I will look into it when I am in Colorado in May. But if you can't find them, the recipe to make them your self seems fairly easy. 

http://germanfood.about.com/od/potatoesandnoodles/r/badischeschupfn.htm

Than all else you need is bacon, a little bit of chicken broth, and a jar of sauerkraut 

Directions:

In one pan heat the sauerkraut with 2 tbs of broth. 

In another pan cube the bacon, ( we buy it cubed already here again not sure if this is possible in states) and begin to cook it. 

Once the bacon has started to cook add the noodles, just cook them long enough to add a bit of a crisp brown coloring to them. Than mix the two pans together and devour!! Even Kyra eats this meal, she loves the kraut and noodles!!

Project 52: Food

I knew that obviously food went with thanksgiving!! But I am not the best photographer when it comes to inattimate objects like food! Here are my two best attempts at it, Sweet potato Casserole, and Stuffing muffins!!

For complete list of all pictures from my Project 52 follow this link to Resolutions which has links to all of my project 52 blogs.

Turkey Sweet Potatoe Shepards pie

This recipe is originally a Rachel Ray recipe. But since I am too lazy to write it word for word it is kinda dumbed down by me. Her version served 4-6 people mine serves about 3.

Need:

1 lb or ground turkey
1-2 sweet potatoes
1/2 onion diced
1 bell pepper (red)
1-2 sweet peppers diced
2 pieces of garlic
1 small can of tomato paste
Shredded chedder
small sour cream
little milk
salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, nutmeg and chili powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Start out by peeling and cubing the sweet potatoes, and put them in a pot cover them with water and boil 10-15 mins until soft.

2. While potatoes boil brown turkey, about half way through add the onions. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Once turkey is cooked add the peppers, garlic and tomato paste and let good for another 5-10 mins taste and season as needed. I needed more salt.

3. Once Potatoes are soft drain and mash with a small container of sour cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and as much milk as needed to make a creamy texture.

4. Pour the meat into a small baking dish, and cover with the mashed potatoes, add a layer of cheddar cheese and put in the oven at 450* and bake until golden!

5. Serve with a veggie and Devour!!!

Apple butter and pumpkin pancakes

So neither of these were huge undertakings so one shared blog of fall food goodness should subsisse!! The pumpkin pancakes were so easy probably cuz I did them lazy style by just adding pumpkin to the pancake batter only took a couple seconds!!! I was impressed I don't make pancakes after a few morning meltdowns I had given up. But these sounded so good i has to give it a go and they turned out THICK but not burnt so I'm making progress.

And Kyra loved them!

The apple butter,  just grabbed a simple recipe off of Pinterest and dove in. I have never made anything of this sort and although the pictures look like other apple butter pictures it seems odd to me. I guess cuz butter is like thick creamy and this isn't it really should just be simply called what it is, apple jam! Lol either way it tastes good! I refrigerated one and froze two, one I am gonna save for the holidays for Dustin to try!!

Apple butter however is a process to make.

Step 1: peel the apples. Why are peelers made so crappy? They are metal are hard to grip and don't do a good job has to be a simpler idea!! Maybe I just got a cheap one,  but it was all I could find at the px.

Step 2: Slice into quarters. This was like the easiest step for me!

Step 3: Cut out the core. Obviously if you have an apple slicer/ corer you are way ahead of the game and very smart my friend!

Step 4: Cube the rest of the apples, helps it cook faster. Than add 1/4 cup brown sugar, some cinnamon, some all-spice, and about 1/2 cup of water with the apples into the crock pot and let cook on low over night approximately 10 hours.

Step 5: Take a potato masher, and smash it down to mush land!!! Haha I guess you should proceed to cook it for a couple hours longer but I didn't....so mine is a bit more chunky than would be normal so mine is a mix between apple sauce and apple butter!  Also at this step you can stick it in the blender if you would like no chunks at all!!

Step 6: Can it, or in my case Tupperware it!! And store accordingly!! Or just eat it yummy!!

So my verdict on attempting them both for the first time???


AMAZING, MUST HAVE FALL TREATS, they will be made again next year!!

Yummy Pinterest finds!!!

So as one of my goals for the rest of the year was to try some new recipes...Well its only the 1st of July and I have already found 2 recipes that I wanted to put on my blog because they are THAT GOOD!  And really pretty healthy!! I didn't remember to take a picture of the first recipe as the girls and I were super excited to eat it!!

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas in Creamy Avocado Sauce

Chicken and avocado enchiladas in a creamy and spicy avocado sauce.

Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 2 avocados
• 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 handful cilantro
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 avocados, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 8 (7 inch) tortillas

Directions

1. Puree the chicken broth, salsa verde, sour cream, avocados, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
2. Mix the half of the sauce with the chicken, avocado, green onions and half of the cheese.
3. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with some of the sauce, wrap the chicken and avocado mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish.
4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese has melted and the sides are bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

 Found at www.closetcooking.com 

Comments: The amount of time it took to prep was longer than 10 mins, that is very inaccurate as it does involve a lot of cutting. But it was so worth it. I did a double recipe and put 1 whole Jalapeno, and one with the seeds out and it was like the perfect amount of spicy!! I made 8 for the 4 of us, and 2 kids. And we all only had one each, the avocado and chicken is very filling.

The other recipe was something I made for Kyra and I for dinner tonight. It was amazing, and very simple to make!! If you saw the pictures of both recipes you would laugh I guess I was feeling green, both are very green meals. I was also lucky that a good friend of mine brought me fresh lettuce from her garden!!!

Baked Chicken Stuffed with Pesto and Cheese (Updated Version)

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Basil Pesto with Lemon or your favorite commercial pesto
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 T grated mozzarella cheese
(I used heaping tablespoons of pesto, sour cream and cheese)
2 eggs, beaten (or if they're large eggs one will probably be enough)
3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 T almond flour (or almond meal, but almond flour is better for this because it's more finely ground)
black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray. Trim any visible fat from chicken breasts, then put them one at a time inside a heavy plastic bag and pound with meat mallet until the chicken is as thin as you can get it. Don't worry too much about the shape or whether there are some loose pieces, you can tuck them in when you roll up the chicken.

In a small bowl mix together the basil pesto, sour cream, and grated mozzarella. Use a rubber scraper to spread a thin layer of this mixture over each chicken breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the chicken (so it doesn't run out so much as it cooks.) Roll up the chicken breasts and secure them with a couple of toothpicks. (I roll them so the finished piece is as thin as I can get it so they will cook quickly.)

Prepare two bowls, one with the beaten egg and the other with the grated Parmesan-almond flour mixture, seasoned with black pepper to taste. Dip each chicken breast roll first into the egg mixture and then into the Parmesan-almond flour mixture, patting it on so the chicken breast roll is well-coated with the mixture.

Put chicken breasts into the casserole dish and bake until the chicken is firm and lightly browned. (Start checking after about 25-30 minutes; total baking time will be 30-35 minutes.) Serve hot.

Comments: I made the pesto with the pesto packet from the seasoning section at the grocery store, mixed with sour cream and water until it was all mixed in and smooth! Than I added a handful of the cheese. It worked out well, and Im saving the left over sauce for a toasted turkey wrap later this week.

Diet vs eating right

So I wrote saying I was starting a diet, but in reality I am simply adjusting to eating a 1200 calorie day with healthier food aka no more fast food junk, only lean meat, fresh fruit and veggies, and less carbs. I split it up between five times a day, and have to say I am rarely hungry now. I enjoy feeling full and having my metabolism running constantly! So far my only issue has been wanting sweets but I curb that with either a protein bar from Special K as a snack or tea with honey before bed.

It is going to be a way of eating I plan to keep up with. The best way to track what i am eating that I have found is myfitnesspal app. It tracks both your foods and exercise. I think it is an ideal tool for maintaining weight as it shows you how many calories you should eat at your size. It than adds extra calories to your allotment when you add exercises. So if your trying to loose weight you only wanna eat your original amount or you'll be eating the calories you just burned off.

An example of my meals if you would like to have an idea of where to start, here is what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast was a packet of fruits and cream oatmeal made with hot water.

Snack 2 hours later was a protein meal bar from Special K.

Lunch I had 3 slices of turkey lunch meat on whole wheat bread with a little mustard and a slice of Swiss cheese. With a banana.

Second snack was a slim fast shake.

And dinner was two salmon filets, half cup of rice, and a cup of boiled spinach. Delish!!

And near bedtime I was craving sweets so I had a cup of sleepy time tea with honey to sweeten it.

It really is easy to eat healthy like this most of the thought process is in portions. And eating every 2-3 hours!! Hope your weight loss journey and my own go as well as planned.

White Girl Fajitas

     Per request I am posting my recipe. These are my fajita's they are white girl fajita's because I am white and I have no idea how to cook Mexican food but this is my compromise and they have received good comments!!

1 Bag of Frozen presliced and precooked chicken or steak
1 Bag of precut frozen bell peppers and onions
1 jar of Salsa as spicy or mild as you choose
1 tsp of Cummin
2 tsp of Paprika
2 tsp of garlic salt
pepper to taste

Add all ingredients in a pan and cook on medium high until they are all hot. Serve in tortilla's with cheese and sour cream.

So easy to make and takes only about 15 mins to cook. Could be done fresh and probably with better results too!!

Taco Casserole

So I have fed a few people this delicious meal and it was something I found a while back in a recipe book. I have no idea which one it was and so make this all from my memory. But it is a family favorite in our house as we eat it at least once a month.

Finally took a picture of it in all its glory!!

Taco Casserole

1 pkg Crescents

1 lb of hamburger or ground turkey(seasoning)

1 can of beans(we used to do refried, but we have moved to black beans)

Shredded Cheese

Doritos

Shredded Lettuce

Tomatoes

Sour cream and salsa(as toppings)

This is a simple recipe and could be made by anyone. I start by preheating the oven to 375* depending on what the package of Crescents say. Than begin browning the ground beef. Cook this until there is no more red, season as you feel needed. I do salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. But have done Taco seasoning also and that tastes good too. Than stir in the beans to get the flavor into them. Once this is all cooked up, lay the crescents out on the pan (9x13 in) in a flat layer. Than you start layering. You add the beans and meat mixture on top of this. Than you crunch up the Doritos and add them, than you layer it with a thick layer of cheese. Bake them according to the Crescent package.

Once this is done cooking take it out and layer the lettuce, diced tomatoes and more cheese on top and serve with Sour cream or salsa as you see fit. This meal is a great one to include both protein and vegtables!

I hope everyone enjoys our favorite meal!! So simple yet a crowd pleaser. I made this for a friend back in Hawaii and she was shocked to see her kids scarfing it down when they normally don't like taco's!

Sweet and Salty

    We are narrowing down the 25 days of Christmas. Really happy to say that it feels like it has been a very successful month for my blog. I thank you all for following along and hope I have gained a few regular followers for the future of my blog.

     Seeing as there is only 3 days until Christmas it is time to start BAKING!!! I love to bake and more than anything LOVE to munch on all the junk. Way to become obese in the last couple weeks of the year! But if we didn't do this who would want to make their goal for the new year to be to loose weight?

     Well yesterday we had the final give away and sadly like they all have kind of been no one seemed interested except a select few. Which is sad because I thought maybe I would continue to do crafts and give them away but may not.

     The winner as there was only one entry again was Micah Howell....her letter to Santa was absolutely adorable!! And I know she will get everything she wants for Christmas from the old man. Now to find out what is going to be filling up that adorable little snow man!

It looks like Rudolf!!!

    I hadn't made these amazing little treats in a couple years but they are always a hit! Pretzel melts!! They are pretzels with Hershey Kisses and Peanut butter M&M's! Very easy to make also.

Pretzel Melts

Ingredients:

Bag of Pretzels

Bag of M&M's

2 bags of Hershey's Kisses

Preheat oven to 170*

On a cookie sheet lay out a layer of Pretzels

Place a Hershey Kiss on each Pretzel

Place in oven for 4-6 mins I find going the full 6 is best but keep an eye out you don't want them to completely melt you want them to stay in their normal shape but be soft. Than the next step you have to be quick about.

Push the M&M's down into the kiss

Put on cooling racks in the fridge

 Now ENJOY!!!

Little Slice of Heaven

     Well one of my favorite things to do is make up recipes as I go...I had been making this one up in my head for about 2 weeks now just trying to perfect how it was gonna go. Lets just say if your my neighbor and are friendly with me you are gonna be showered in amazing food every once in a while! Not to say that my recipes don't go a bit haywire sometimes, but last night that was NOT the case.

      I made a delicious pie creation. It has no name at this time maybe one of you can come up with something for me to call it.

Yummy Pie

Ingredients:

1 Oreo Pie crust

1 container of whipped cream cheese(regular can be used but it probably will take a lot more stiring to get the fluffy texture.)

Peanut butter

Sugar

Box of Chocolate pudding

1 Banana

In a bowl mix together 3 big spoonfuls of the cream cheese, 2 big spoonfuls of peanut-butter until well blended. I did this by hand but It could probably be done in a blender or food processor if you wanted. Than I slowly added sugar until the mixture became sweet. For me it was about 1/4-1/3 of a cup of sugar, but just keep tasting until you like the flavor of it. Than carefully spread this along the bottom of the pie crust. I wasn't careful and this made it crack which made it ugly to serve. Next mix the pudding packet according to the package. If it has directions for making a pudding pie use those as you want it to end up a bit more solid.  Than pour the pudding on top. Last slice the banana into thin slices and arrange them on top. Put in the fridge to cool for at least 30 mins to let it set up a bit.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe and try it out for Christmas Dinner, or frankly for any dinner...haha you could even eat it as dinner. Not to say that would be the healthiest choice LOL!

 

Couple recipes we tried and LOVED!!!

So today I thought I had nothing to write about but than I remembered I had some recipes that I wanted to share with some friends. There are more that I just can't seem to remember. But today I am going to write about the YUMMY chicken chili, and the easy banana bread that we have recently made. The chicken chili recipe we found on pinterest but it was a little to complex with all the fresh ingredients, I like simple meals. So we substituted things that included the seasonings (garlic, basil, and peppers)

So without anymore dismay:

Chicken Chili:

1 15 oz can black beans
1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can fiesta corn
1 28 oz can of oregano, garlic, and basil diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato puree
2 tablespoons of garlic salt
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of chili powder
pepper to taste
and 4 chicken breasts (we bought pre marinated mexican flavored chicken to add more flavor)

The directions for this is very simple pour all ingredients except chicken into crock pot and mix them together. Place chicken on top, and turn crock pot to high. Cook on high for 4 hours. At 30 mins prior to serving use forks to shred the chicken up. Than serve with whatever toppings you would normally have with chili.  We like sour cream and cheese!

Banana Bread:

1 1/2 Cup(s) All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (Optional)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup(s) Sugar
1/2 Cup(s) Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Large Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/4 Cup (Half a Stick) Butter, Melted

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bread pan or 2 meatloaf pans.
2) In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, sugars. Add in eggs and melted butter. Stir.
3) Mix in the bananas and put into the pan.
4) Drop it on the counter a few times to get it evened out on the pan.
5) Bake for 50-60 minutes, or the toothpick test comes out clean.
6) Take out of the oven, let it cool for around 30 minutes and enjoy

We made this drunk it was that easy!! And was tasty tasty tasty!! So enjoy, and happy cooking!!!

Topic of the day: What is your dream job, and why?

I'm not sure what my dream job is but I am more focused on what my current AMAZING job is. I don't want anything more than to continue being a mom!! I love spending my day teaching and playing with my sweet daughter!!