As Sweet as Pumpkin Pie

10/07/14

     I'm excited to share my favorite smoothie recipe with you because it tastes like dessert, is low in calories, and high in protein. It sounds too good to be true, but it's not! Canned pumpkin is not only a great fall flavor, but it's cheap and provides a great consistency in smoothies and in many baked goods. Whether it's in the morning, after a workout, or a bedtime dessert, this smoothie is perfect any time!

Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Pure Canned Pumpkin

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

1 Packet Stevia

4-5 Ice Cubes

3-4 Frozen Banana Slices

1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients together (liquids first). Feel free to add in different amounts until you get a smooth, frozen consistency.

Warming up to fall with pumpkin pasta

09/23/14

     Happy first day of fall! This is my favorite time of the year and it definitely gets me into the cooking and baking mood. Lately when I have been walking around the grocery store, I have been seeing pumpkin spice flavored EVERYTHING. These fall flavors inspired me to whip up both savory and sweet pumpkin dishes.
     To start off the season, I decided to make a pumpkin pasta casserole. While I was studying abroad in Florence, one of my favorite dishes was a pumpkin pasta from the restaurant Aqua Al due. At first, the thought of pumpkin being combined with pasta grossed me out a bit. After trying it, my thoughts immediately changed! The texture of the pumpkin really helps to create a creamy texture for the sauce and is much healthier than adding heavy cream. It's definitely a different taste, but very good!

Easy Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb Box of Rotini-style Pasta
2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Shallot, Minced
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Bunch Kale (3-4 Cups)- Remove the Stems
2 15 oz. Cans Pumpkin Puree
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Skim Milk
1/4 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt & Pepper

                        

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cook Rotini pasta according to the directions on package (al dente).

3. Melt butter over a saute pan on medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for a minute. 

4. Sprinkle in the pumpkin pie spice and thyme.

5. Add the kale to the pan and let it begin to wilt. Add in the pumpkin puree, cheese, and milk to the pan. 

6. Stir the mixture until everything is combined and cheese is melted.

7. Drain the pasta and add a generous amount of salt and pepper.

8. Pour the pasta into a casserole dish. Top the pasta with the pumpkin mixture and stir until the pasta is coated and everything is combined.

9. Sprinkle the top of the casserole dish with panko bread crumbs.

10. Bake for 30 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden and crispy.

(Oh, if you want to add meat to your dish, feel free! In the picture above, the top is Justin's side filled with chicken sausage)

More pumpkin recipes are coming your way! Stay tuned =)

Get that Glow

9/17/14

     Even though it's pretty much fall now, I've just recently been on a bit of a smoothie kick. I was feeling a bit sluggish and tired, so I decided to try making green smoothies once in a while to get a boost of energy. This is pretty much my go-to recipe. It's easy and tastes like it should be a dessert! After having a smoothie packed with nutrients, I feel like my mind is a bit clearer and more alert (or maybe that's just a placebo effect!) Anyway, if you're looking for a great smoothie recipe that looks like grass but doesn't taste like it, this is the one! Blend away my friends =)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Spinach
1/2 Cup Frozen Banana
1/4 Frozen Apple
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
Sprinkle of Chia Seeds
1/2 Packet of Stevia
A Few Ice Cubes

Directions: Add everything to your blender (liquids first) and blend up until fully smooth.

*Drink in the morning or after a workout!

A Stir-Fry Upgrade

09/12/14

     One of my favorite things to do is create a last-minute healthy recipe with ingredients I already have in my kitchen. I think about the protein, grain, and vegetables I have and then try and tie them together to come up with something simple and delicious. This time it turned out to be quinoa, chicken, and oriental-style frozen vegetables. This shows that you can pretty much take anything and turn it into a healthy stir fry. Check it out!

Oriental Chicken Quinoa Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1-2 Small/Medium Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup White Quinoa
1 Bag Frozen OrientalVegetables
4-5 Tbsp Sesame Ginger Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Sprinkle a frozen chicken breast with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 45 min.

3. Cook quinoa according to the directions on package and set aside.

4. Grab a saute pan and add evoo and garlic. Once garlic is slightly golden, add the frozen vegetables and cook until they defrost.

5. While the frozen vegetables are cooking, cup up the cooked chicken into small pieces.

6. Add chicken, quinoa, and sesame ginger sauce to the vegetable mixture and let the flavors combine for 2-3 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Everything Is Better Homemade

08/28/14

     I have been a puppy chow fan for ages because it has the best sweet and salty flavor... oh and because it is so easy. However, I think puppy chow has met it's match. Justin and I found a recipe that was pretty much a homemade Twix bar and ever since we've made it, we've been hooked! It is SO easy and tastes like a mix of a Twix and those cute little koala yummies. If you have a labor day party to attend this weekend, you should bring these! I originally made these for Ravinia last weekend as a birthday treat for my Mom because she loves chocolate and caramel =). They are awesome in the form of bars, or you can mash them up into little pieces and throw them in the freezer- my personal preference. I hope everyone has a lovely labor day weekend with family and friends, Cheers!

Homemade Twix Bar

Ingredients:

2 Sheets of Whole Wheat Crackers

Caramel:

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream

Chocolate Topping:

2 Cups Dark Chocolate

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:

1. Line up one layer of crackers side by side in a baking dish on top of parchment paper.

2. Add sugar and 3 Tbsp of cream into a stovetop pan and mix until the cream is dissolved.

3. Turn stove to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes (you will notice it start to thicken into a heavy caramel consistency).

5. Add the vanilla extract and butter to the mixture.

6. Once everything is evenly combined, spread the caramel mixture over the crackers.

7. While the caramel is still warm, place another layer of crackers on top.

8. Next, place all of the chocolate topping ingredients in a bowl and microwave for about 1 minute and 15 seconds until completely melted.

9. Evenly spread the chocolate mixture over the crackers so that it is fully coated and no crackers are showing.

10. Finish by topping the bars with a sprinkle of brown sugar and set in the refrigerator to cool.

11. After about an hour, remove the pan from the refrigerator and slice into little bars.

12. Enjoy!

*Depending on how much caramel you like, you can add another layer on top of the second cracker layer followed by the dark chocolate. (I wish I would have done that, but ours was still AWESOME!)

Coco-"nuts" for Granola

08/12/14

     Lately as I have been walking up and down the cereal and breakfast aisles of the grocery store, I've noticed that granola has become pretty expensive. Originally I believed it was because it contained almonds, but there actually aren't that many in a bag of granola. I had been wanting to make my own for quite a while, and now that I have, I've realized how simple and cheap it is! The best thing about making your own granola is that you can control the ingredients and how much oil you add to your mixture. This granola is great on yogurt, in cereals, and even just by itself. I must warn you...it is fairly addicting! (Probably because I added chocolate chips). Enjoy =)

Homemade Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola

Ingredients:

3-4 Cups Plain Oats
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
5 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Honey
3-4 Tsp Cinnamon
Sprinkle of Salt
Handful of Almonds
1/4 Cup Coconut Flakes

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Add brown sugar, coconut oil, and honey to a pan and place on stove over medium-low heat until melted.

3. Combine oats, cinnamon, salt, almonds, and half of the coconut flakes in a bowl.

4. Slowly pour your melted mixture over the dry ingredients until they begin sticking together. Try and avoid pouring too much of the melted mixture because you do not want them fully coated, just enough to become sticky.

5. Spray non-stick cooking spray onto a baking sheet and spread granola evenly onto the pan.
6. Bake for a total of 45 minutes and take out of the oven in 15 minute intervals to flip the granola.
7. When the granola is golden brown (and your place smells divine), take it out of the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Right after, place granola in the refrigerator (This will allow the chocolate chips to adhere to the granola but still stay in chip-form).
8. Once granola has cooled, remove it from the refrigerator and break it up into pieces. Add an extra sprinkle of chocolate chips or coconut flakes and dig in!

What's a party without cake pops?

8/4/14

     I don't think there's anything cuter than cake pops (ok, maybe my cats), buy anyways, I love whoever decided to form cake into pops and cover them in chocolate. GENIUS. So, when my friend from work asked me to make some for her parents' anniversary party, I decided to give them a try! Cake pops are pretty simple and fun to make. There are so many varieties since you can switch up the cake, frosting, and coating flavors. For this party, the theme was silver and blue. I used some fancy silver sprinkles and blue mini cupcake liners to keep things festive. For all of you still making boring boxed cake, switch things up and try these beautiful cake pops! Enjoy =)

Ingredients:

1 Box Devils Food Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Package Vanilla Almond Bark
1/2 Tub Vanilla Frosting
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Container Sprinkles
40-50 Mini Cupcake Liners
40-50 Pop Sticks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven and bake chocolate cake according to the directions on package.

2. Once the cake is done, let cool. Using a fork, break up the cake into crumbs.

3. Add half of frosting from the container into a bowl with the cake crumbs. Form the frosting and cake mixture into 11/2 inch balls and place them on a cookie sheet.

4. Refrigerate the cake balls for at least an hour.

5. Melt 1 block of the vanilla almond bark in a microwavable bowl for 1 minute. Take your cake pop sticks and dip them in the almond bark and place them in the center of each cake pop. This is done so that it becomes easier to dip the whole cake pop later on.

6. Once all of the cake pop sticks are on the cake balls, melt a large bowl of vanilla almond bark. Dip each cake ball in the almond bark. Finish by immediately adding sprinkles on top. Place cake pop back on cookie sheet.

7. Allow all cake pops to cool and then place them in the mini cupcake liners. Voila! Party time =)

Call Me Pepper Ann

7/18/14

      One of the recipes on my to-try list was stuffed green peppers. The other night I was craving mexican food (surprise, surprise), but I wanted to stay on the healthy side. I decided to make a southwestern stuffed green pepper for dinner. I love these little guys because you get two meals out of just one pepper and they are the perfect portion size. Another great thing about stuffed peppers is that you can pretty much fill them with whatever you want! For my filling, I used a box of mexican rice I had sitting in the cabinet for what seems like ages. Browse around your kitchen and see what ingredients you can throw into your peppers =). If you follow this recipe, they are a bit on the spicy side so adjust it to your taste buds. Impress your friends with these pretty peppers and have a fabulous weekend!

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:
2 Large, Sturdy Green Peppers
1 lb. Lean, Ground Turkey
1 Box Flavored Rice
1 Small Onion
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Yellow Corn
1/2 Tbsp Crushed Red Peppers
1/4 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Cup Salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray a large saute pan with nonstick cooking spray and add ground turkey. Add a few dashes of taco seasoning for flavor. Cook until almost browned.

3. While the meat is cooking, chop up onion. Add it it to the pan and let cook with the turkey.

4. When the meat is fully browned, add the rice to the pan and cook according to the directions.

5. Once the rice has cooked and the water has been absorbed into the mixture, add in the black beans and corn. Add in the rest of the taco seasoning and mix everything until evenly distributed.

6. Cut green peppers in half long way (hot dog style). Hollow out the green peppers and stuff with rice mixture. Finish by topping the peppers with a heap of salsa.

7. Grab a baking dish and add a little bit of water to the bottom. Place peppers in the pan and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the peppers are tender. They turn out nice and soft and you don't even need a knife to cut them! Enjoy!

(Since it's Friday please enjoy these with a nice and strong margarita ;))

xo Jill

Cowgirl Cookies

7/14/14

     Happy Monday! Since it was a pretty gloomy day today and I didn't have too much homework, of course I decided to spend my afternoon baking. My Mom recently went to a golf outing where they gave out "Cowgirl Cookie" jars as gifts. I've definitely seen these on Pinterest and think they are adorable. Since I'm the cooking junkie, she let me steal this away!
     These cookies include oatmeal, pink m&ms, and chocolate chips. Although I normally dislike Mondays, this one was spent making cookies and watching Breaking Bad...not too shabby =). I hope everyone has a great start to the week!

I would love to share the recipe, however, I don't have it! I'm sure you can find a similar one on Pinterest.

Cookie tip: Use parchment paper rather than using oil directly on a pan. The bottoms of the cookies look much better and the clean-up is easier.

Happy eating! xox

Sweet & Salty Summer

7/9/14

     It's almost a fact that everyone loves the combination of salty & sweet. As Justin and I were hanging out at his apartment last week, we were snacking on some trail mix and an idea popped into my head... trail mix ice cream! I've never actually seen a version in stores, but there's no doubt that peanuts, almonds, m&ms, sunflower seeds, and raisins would be delicious nestled in some creamy vanilla ice cream. So, I decided to break out my ice cream maker and give it a try! I was so happy with the results. This trail mix ice cream tastes like a Dairy Queen Blizzard with all of the delicious ingredients mixed throughout. If you have some leftover trail mix, change things up and swirl it into some ice cream!



Trail Mix Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 Cups Regular Sweet & Salty Trail Mix
1 Cup Whole Milk
2 Cups Heavy Cream
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Tbsp Caramel Sauce
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

4. Crush up your trail mix in a bag using a rolling pin, or in our case, a pan.

5. Add your mixture to your ice cream maker and let it mix for about 15 minutes. Place it in the freezer.

6. Once your ice cream has been freezing for about 2 hours (to the point where it is chunky but not frozen), add in your trail mix and stir it around evenly.

7. After about 2 more hours once the mixture is even thicker, grab the container that you want to keep your ice cream in.

6. Pour 1/3 of the mixture into your dish and top with caramel drizzle. Repeat this process two more times until all of the ice cream has been used. Place ice cream back into the freezer.

7. Leave ice cream in the freezer until it is fully frozen. When serving, scoop the ice cream into a bowl, top with crumbled trail mix topping and drizzle with a bit of caramel. Enjoy on a hot, sunny day!

If you are familiar with Jeni's ice cream, you need to try this salty caramel sauce... it's amazing!

Keeping up with the Kale Fad

 7/2/14

     If you're looking for a healthy, bright, and fruity salad, you need to try this one! I was never originally a fan of kale because of it's bitter taste, however, when you pair it with fruit and a sweet dressing it works perfectly. I also love kale because it has a crunchy texture and can hold dressing without wilting quickly. If you're wanting to add kale to your diet for health benefits, kale is packed with Vitamin K, antioxidants, iron, and inflammatory properties to boost your immune system and keep you healthy! Whip this salad up for your next BBQ party with friends and everyone will love that you brought a delicious AND healthy dish =).

Chopped Kale and Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 Bunch Kale
1 Bag Broccoli Slaw
1 Red Onion
1 1/2 Cups Shelled Edamame
2 1/2 Cups Red Grapes
1 Large Fuji Apple
1 1/2 Cups Pasta (Your Choice)
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Sliced Sugar Coated Almonds
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Cup Goat Cheese (Optional)







Directions:

1. Begin by cooking your pasta to the directions on the package. I happened to use orzo pasta in my salad because that is the only kind I had at home. However, I would have preferred to use a noodle like cavatappi, rotini, or a type of spiral shape. Once your pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Chop up kale, onion, grapes (halved), and apple.

3. Add chopped ingredients into a bowl with the remaining broccoli slaw, edamame, pasta, cranberries, lemon juice, and sugar coated almonds.

4. To make the dressing, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, and sugar to a bowl. Whisk everything together and slowly pour over the salad to incorporate all of the ingredients. Make sure to taste your dressing and adjust it accordingly! If you like it sweeter, add more honey. For a more acidic taste, add more red wine vinegar.

5. If you feel like getting even fancier, you can a topping of crumbled goat cheese. Voila!

Feeling Nutty (A How-To)

7/1/14

     As I was shopping for the ingredients in my salad (mentioned in my next post), I strolled down the aisle with the chopped nuts because I always love them tossed on salads. Every time I see the cost of almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pretty much any type of nut, I'm always shocked at the price. It was almost $5 for a small little bag! I remembered that I still had some almonds from a trail mix back at home, so I decided to make my own chopped nuts. Although it is more time consuming, I was able to successfully make my own sliced and roasted almonds. If you ever want to learn or try, follow these tips!

Ingredients:
1-2 Cups Almonds
1-2 Tbsp Sugar

Direactions:

1. Heat about a cup of water in a small stove top pan until boiling. Add in your almonds and let them boil for about 4-5 min.

2. While your almonds are cooking, prepare a bowl with ice water. Once the almonds are out of the hot water, "blanch" them by adding them to the ice water.

3. After the almonds have cooled in the ice water, you can easily slip the outer shell/coating off. Now that the almonds are soft, you can easily slice them up with a chef's knife.

4. Next, heat a small saute pan to medium heat with cooking spray or olive oil. Add your almonds and sprinkle sugar on top of almonds.

5. Cook the almonds for about 5 minutes, turning them throughout the process so they do not burn. The almonds should have a golden color. If some of them get a bit burnt, it's okay... they will still taste good! It will make your house smell like roasted sugar and will also be delightful on your salad =)

(Sorry about these blurry pictures...apparently I was too afraid of the stove!)