Tuesday Treats: Banana Blueberry Muffins

Check out these delicious, yet super healthy, muffins on my new blog at Two Green Foxes!

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday Treats: Paradise Cookies

Maybe its because I will be in paradise soon…in St. Kitts and Nevis…but something just told me to try out these cookies…and that's just what I did this weekend.  

Our neighbor is suffering from complications from a broken foot and I thought these would be nice to bring along to she and her son, along with the "Crabbies" I made and some other goodies, in hopes of making her smile!  I think they did the trick…check 'em out and try them yourself!  They are a recipe from Paradise Bakery (per Pintrest, that is).

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

bag of chocolate chips ( I had extra and threw them in, as I need to get them out of my house so I can get into my bikini!)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition.  

3.  Add vanilla….then, flour…then baking soda….then salt (I did not combine dry ingredients in seperate bowl as I was instructed to…I was just too lazy, quite frankly).

5.  Stir in chocolate chips.

6.  Scoop individual portions on ungreased baking sheet.

7.  Bake until golden brown around edges.

8.  Allow to cool.

ENJOY!!!

Doggie Party

Super Bowl parties aren't just for the humans.  Baxter was able to have a "play date" with his friend, Sampson on Super Bowl Sunday!  I'm not sure who was more excited, the pups or me, as they entertained each other and wore each other out just in time for the game to start!

Because they were so good and I was making "treats" for the party I was going to, I only felt it was fair to let them have some goodies too, so homemade treats it was!  I even let them eat the "cookie dough" while we were baking!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup low fat milk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 2 baking sheets and put to the side.  

2.  Combine peanut butter and milk in mixing bowl.  

3.  Add dry ingredients and beat well. 

4.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough, and cut shapes with cookie cutter. 

5.  Place on prepared baking sheets and bake for about 20 minutes.

6.  Allow to cool on wire rack.

Let the handsome pups ENJOY!!!

Super Bowl Sunday…GO RAVENS!!!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Heading to a party later and thought I must bring something "Baltimore-y" for our RAVENS!!!  

Crab Melt-A-Ways it is!!

Ingredients

1 pkg English Muffins

1 stick butter

1 jar Old English Cheese Spread

2 Tbsp mayo

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat 

Directions

1.  Half and quarter English Muffins.

2.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

3.  Melt butter and add cheese spread.

4.  Add salt and mayo until creamy.

5.  Carefully fold crabmeat into melted mixture.

6.  Place tablespoon of crab mixture on each piece of english muffin. 

7.  Place in freezer.  

8.  When frozen, put in ziplock bag until ready to use OR throw in oven and broil until bubbly and crisp.

ENJOY!!!

 We got up early today and headed to the grocery store to get the lump crabmeat (it sold out last night, so we were set for the 6am batch this morning!).  Bax headed out in his jersey and got to be the center of attention at the grocery store, Starbucks, and Office Depot (more projects!).

Bax smelled those warm delicious donuts baking in the grocery store, so we took two to his "grandparents" while they were still hot.  Bax is smart…he knows he gets a bite of anything from his grandparents!

Off to get ready for the BIG GAME!  

Hope you enjoy your parties!

GO RAVENS!!!

Christmas Treats

Since I'm redoing my living room and kitchen this year, our house is not very warm and cozy and lacks the Christmas spirit.  I'm a little bummed about it, but I know next year it will be even better for our cocktail party!  This weekend I decided I needed to do something around the house to make it seem more cozy and inviting so I decided to make some Christmas treats for our neighbors, mail lady, and my hair girl, all of whom I owe big thank you's to this year and always!  This was the perfect way to spend the day, as it made the house smell of the holidays with the cinnamon floating in the air!

To give you an idea of how much this recipe makes, the above picture shows the 7 mini baggies I made for those special people.  I also had two other baggies I filled for my parents and my friend, Katie, who was busy baking for her neighbors and coworkers all weekend, too!

I saw a couple different recipes online, most for pecans and some different ingredients, but this is what I came up with, and I have to say, they turned out pretty darn good!

Ingredients

32 ounces of raw, unsalted almonds

3 cups sugar

3 cups brown sugar

6 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

4 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup water

Directions

1.  Spray crockpot with butter spray very well, coating the entire pot and turn on low heat.

2.  In large mixing bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon and salt.  

3.  In crock pot, with a spoon, mix together the eggs and vanilla.  Add the almonds and coat with the mixture, stirring for a couple of minutes.

4.  Add the sugars and stir well to coat. 

5.  Every 20 minutes, stir the mixture for 2 hours.

6.  In two hours, add the water and stir well, continuing to stir nuts every 20 minutes for an additional hour.

7.  Spray baking sheets with butter spray.  Drop dollops of nut mixture on prepared baking sheet and allow to cool for a couple minutes.  When mixture is cool, place in airtight containers, or in my case, little baggies for neighbors, family and friends.  Try not to eat any…I dare you.  It will not happen…they are just too good!

Since you are home for a good couple hours, make sure you have something to do.  Baxter and I decided to wrap our gifts with Christmas music on in the background.  We had a great time…well, I think Bax did, too, that is until I put his Santa hat on him for a quick pic!  

 I used a twist tie to ensure freshness and then just tied some colorful ribbon around the bags.  I will add a card to each and deliver this week.  

ENJOY!!!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I took this a couple weeks ago to our Christmas Brunch with the babies.  Although, we were too busy playing and didn't to taste it as much, I shared the wealth with other friends and family who are asking for the recipe as its so moist and delicious!  

Ingredients 

1/2 unsalted butter, softened

zest from one large lemon

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar 

additional 1 Tbsp sugar (for sprinkling on top)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (minus 1/4 cup to toss in with berries)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 in square pan and set aside.

2.  Cream together butter, lemon zest, and 3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla.

3.  Mix flour (minus 1/4 cup), baking powder and salt.  

4.  Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and alternate with buttermilk.

5.  Mix together berries with additional 1/4 cup flour.  Fold mixture into wet mix with spatula carefully.

6.  Spread batter into prepared pan.

7.  Bake for about 35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

8.  Allow to cool and serve warm or cool.

ENJOY!!!

Healthy Shrimp Dinner

Easy peasy weeknight meal that you can through together!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup rice

1 container of low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 pound shelled and deveined raw shrimp

2 heads of broccoli 

1/2 tsp ground cumin

S&P

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 lemon

olive oil

Directions

1.  Add chicken broth and rice to pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover for 40 minutes. (I always use chicken broth instead of water, butter, salt for a healthier alternative, plus I think it tastes more delicious)

2.  Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small pieces, add to ziplock bag with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/8 tsp chili powder and shake well to get everything mixed (I think I probably used 1/4 tsp salt…you know I don't like salt).  

3.  In a bowl, combine shrimp, 2 Tbsp olive oil, zest from lemon, and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (again, I probably used 1/4 tsp).  Place in refrigerator until ready to use.  

 4.  Once rice has about 20 minutes left, preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spread broccoli on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  

5.  Add shrimp to baking sheet for an additional 10 minutes.

 6.  Serve shrimp and broccoli mixture over a bed of rice…Viola!  

ENJOY!!!

Healthy Enchiladas

Inspired from, yes, Pintrest, I tried out this warm recipe on a chilly night after work last week.  Goal:  healthy and warm up the house.  Bonus:  Tasty.  Check, check, and check!

Ingredients

1 can chopped chili peppers

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1 small sweet potato, chopped (I kept skin)

1 small onion, chopped

1 can corn, no added salt

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

olive oil

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 

2 tsp minced garlic

S&P

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups pico de gallo, or fresh salsa

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

~8 tortillas, halved

2 cups shredded cheese (I tend to use mozzarella on these types of dishes)

Sour cream, if desired

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly grease a cooking 9 X 13 cooking dish.

2.  Place chili peppers, red pepper, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion and corn in dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with cumin, garlic, S&P.  Mix well with spoon until distributed evenly. 

3.  bake veggies for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned, while stirring every 10 minutes.  

4.  Meanwhile, combine salsa and cilantro in bowl.  

 5.  Lightly grease a 8 X 8 pan.  Spread 1/4 cup of salsa mix on bottom of pan.  Add layer of tortilla pieces.  

6.  Once veggies done baking...

…top with 1/3 of veggies….

 ….half of black beans...

 …handful of spinach...

 …and top with cheese.  

 7.  Make second layer of tortilla, salsa, veggies, black beans, spinach, cheese.  Top with layer of tortillas, salsa, veggies and cheese.  

8.  Cover with aluminum foil until ready to eat (if ready, decrease oven temp to 350).

9.  When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

10.  Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.  

11.  Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.  

ENJOY!!!

Wednesday Wellness: Turkey Spinach Ziti

Let's start here.  The wine.  Truth, Lindsey's Cuvee.  What a wonderful blend!  Especially on a cold evening.  What would you make to go with a delicious bottle of red?  

I decided on baked ziti.  But I wanted to make it a little more hearty, yet healthy.  Why not add ground turkey and spinach?!  Mmmmmmm….

Ingredients

12 ounces uncooked whole wheat ziti

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 pound, lean ground turkey

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

mozzarella cheese, full fat…I hate healthy low fat cheese…gag!

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2.  Cook and drain pasta.  Set aside. 

3.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking up meat, for about 3-5 minutes.  

4.  Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Add spinach and combine over medium heat.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  

 5.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook for about 5 minutes.  

6.  Spoon small amount of tomato mixture on bottom of 9 X 13 greased pan ( just enough to cover bottom)

7.  Top with half of cooked ziti.

8.  Layer with half of remaining tomato mixture and then half of mozzarella cheese.  

9.  Layer with remaining ziti, top with remaining tomato mixture.  

 10.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

11.  Bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

ENJOY!  

(sorry, no picture of final product, as we gobbled it up pretty quickly and took the rest for lunch!)

Tuesday Treats: Thankful Pumpkin Bread

Remember this picture?  See all those leaves?  That was BEFORE the hurricane.  Can you imagine all the leaves after the rain and wind?  My front yard was COVERED!  I attempted to rake Saturday morning.  Attempted…key word.  It was still pretty windy out and after about an hour, I gave up.  I got some leaves up, but most importantly, I was able to get the leaves off the freshly planted grass seed my mom had put down for me when I was away.  

After I came inside to get ready for lunch with my girlfriends, I heard a very familiar noise outside.  I looked out the window and almost began to cry!  Two men, that live on either side of me, had gotten out their rakes and leaf blowers, and were getting up every.single.leaf on our lawns.  They put all the leaves into bags and took them to the dump.  

When I came home, I went to take Bax out back to run around.  Oh.my.goodness.  They outdid themselves.  The two men had even gotten up every leaf in the backyard.  I can't even begin to tell you how many leaves there were with our big trees.  This was amazing!  

Did I also mention earlier that this one neighbor came over in the hurricane in the pouring rain and wind to deliver a little note from his wife.  It was the sweetest note, just letting me know if I needed anything or if Bax and I got bored, we were always welcome in their home.  How sweet is that?!

I was beyond thankful for their kindness.  I quickly got together my baking supplies and baked them Mom's Pumpkin Bread and delivered it to them in the morning, still warm.  

I had a few other people on my list to bake for, also.  My mom and dad had kept Bax and I warm while we were out of power last week, so of course I made them some, too.  And my other neighbor, poor thing, broke her heel…worst fracture, as it takes forever to heal.  I baked her a loaf and sat with her for a little while this weekend.  

I truly feel blessed how lucky Baxter and I are to have such wonderful neighbors and family close by.    

If you have anyone to thank, try sending over a loaf of this bread.  I assure you, you will get a big smile that makes you feel good inside!  

Tuesday Treats: Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies were DE-LISH-IOUS!  Melt in your mouth!

My sweet tooth struck again this past week and I had minimal ingredients in the house.  I put in the ingredients I had in the website, allrecipes.com and boom, there I had a recipe I will be using again soon, I'm sure!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla until incorporated well.

3.  Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to mixture and combine well.

4.  Add half of your flour and mix well, but until just combined (you apparently can end up with rock hard cookies if over mixing here).  Add second half and mix until just combined. 

5.  Stir in oats.

 6.  Stir in coconut flakes.

 7.  Make dough into balls and distribute evenly on baking sheet.

 8.  Bake for about 8 minutes, until edges are slightly browned.

 9.  Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes.

(since I have no patience, this did not happen for me)

 10.  Allow to completely cool on wire rack.

(or, on paper towels….this is how my mom has always done it and therefore, this is how I do it in my kitchen…easy clean up!)

ENJOY!!!