Break

Since it is summer, I am going to take a week off. I'll be back next week with more fun and yummy recipes. I hope you have a great week and until next week...

Happy Healthy Eating!!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

This is the powdered milk alternative I used for making sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk from Wisdom Wednesday, Dari Free non dairy milk alternative. There are also Soy and Rice powdered milk alternatives that you can also use. I chose to use this one because it was a little cheaper, and it was casein free, dairy free, gluten free...the list goes on. I wanted to be able to share with you that there are many alternatives out there. I tried this made up just with water and the power, it really wasn't that bad as far as flavor is concerned, and it really does make a nice sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk alternative too.

I found this at the health food store.

Lime Cupcakes

These cupcakes are delicious. They took many, many, MANY tries to get them right. And I'm here to tell you it was worth it! Even those who don't like a lot of lime love these cup cakes. They are light and have a fresh taste to them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup applesauce

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 recipe (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (from yesterday)

1 recipe meringue frosting

4 tablespoon grated lime peel

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Fill cupcake tins with cupcake liners. In a medium sized bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Then add eggs, 3 tablespoon lime juice and applesauce. In a small bowl mix remaining lime juice with sweetened condensed milk. Pour 1 tablespoon batter in each cupcake liner. Then add 1/2 tablespoon of the sweetened condensed milk mixture to each cupcake liner. Next add 1-2 tablespoons of the batter to each cupcake liner until they are 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. Add the grated lime peel to the meringue frosting before frosting each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!!

Meringue Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup evaporated cane juice

2 large egg white

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a sauce pan that can hold an electric mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the evaporated can juice, egg whites, water, cream of tartar and salt in a bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and beat with an electric hand mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, stir until completely incorporated.

Wisdom Wednesday!!

How To...

Today for our Wisdom, I thought it would be fun to tell you how to make Sweetened Condensed Milk at home. I love that you can make this at home and control what goes into it.

To be able to make sweetened condensed milk you have to also know how to make evaporated milk.

Evaporated Milk

Ingredients

2/3 cup Dari Free powdered milk substitute*

3/4 cup warm water

Directions

Add both ingredients in a bowl and whisk until completely dissolved. Makes 1 cup.

Now I can show you how to make...

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ingredients

1 cup evaporated Milk

1 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice

Directions

In a sauce pan over medium heat add evaporated milk and evaporated cane juice. Stir until completely dissolved. Then remove and let cool. Make sure it is cooled completely before adding it to any recipe. Makes 14 oz equal to 1 can of store bought sweetened condensed milk.

It may seem like a lot of work, but really it is soo easy to make these and they taste the same as the store bought stuff. At least you can now tell people that you know how to make them at home :]. Happier Healthier Eating!!

*On Fun Food Find Friday I'll show you what Dari Free is.

Tuna Cakes

Yesterday was a holiday in my state, so today feels like a Monday. I'm a little mixed up this week. :]

I'm trying to branch out a little in my cooking, adding more variety to what I cook. A lot of that is because my husband is backing living full time with us. He used to work 2 and a half hours away, so he would live by his work during the week and come home on the weekends. He loves to try new things. When we used to go out to eat I would always order the same thing and he never did. To this day he doesn't have a favorite food, just variety.

I am happy to say that I'm enjoying 'branching out'. My kids do not like tuna. They won't even eat a tuna sandwich. So I was completely shocked when they loved these tuna cakes! I'm not much of a fish eater and I like these too. They are very moist, the have great flavor (not too tuna-ie) and good texture. My kids like dipping the cakes in a mixture of tartar sauce, ketchup, and relish. I'm sure you can try different toppings. :] Hope you'll try these, they're worth the "branching out".

Tuna Cakes

Ingredients

2 cans (6 1/2 oz each) tuna in water, 1 can drained

1 cup crushed crackers (I used these GF ones)

2 egg whites

2 1/2 tablespoons braggs liquid aminos

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons each finely diced red, yellow, and orange sweet peppers

Directions

Heat oven to 350* F, and lightly spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Place crushed crackers in a bowl and add tuna, eggs whites, braggs and garlic powder. Mix until well blended. Then add peppers and stir until well distributed. Form mixture into 8 evenly sized patties and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and turn each patty over. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes. Then remove serve and enjoy with your choice of sauce.

Find orginal recipe here.

Fun Food Find Friday!!

As promised our Fun Find for today is a cake mix, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. I really liked this cake. The texture was perfect, just like a cake that isn't gluten free. It was very moist and had a very good chocolate flavor.

I bought this at a normal grocery store on sale.

Chicken Murphy

I'm not completely sure why this was called Chicken Murphy. But it was good. I changed many things from the original recipe. I love how it turned out, it needed more flavor. Not only did I love the taste of this chicken but it was another quick meal. It didn't take long to put together and it's healthy and delicious, what more could you ask for?

Chicken Murphy

Ingredients

4 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch chunks

1 large red sweet pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1/2 large sweet onion, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Cooked quinoa

Directions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook garlic, onion, and chicken. Stir occasionally until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another three minutes. Add sweet pepper and parsley; cook for an additional 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Serve over cooked quinoa and enjoy!

Wisdom Wedesday!!

Ever since my children were really little I've tried to introduce them to new and different foods, mostly in the vegetable and fruit worlds. Sometimes they love the new fruit or veggie, and sometimes they don't. If they don't, I try to give it to them in different ways. So far the hardest vegetable, by far, for me to get them to eat is Celery. I've put it in soups, I've smothered it with dressing, I've put it in stir fry, I made 'ants on a log' for them and still they don't like it. Even in the soups they can tell and they pick it out! When I came across this article I decided that with celery, it wasn't that big of a deal to get them to eat it. In this article it lists three vegetables that have the least nutritional value. Celery is on the top of the list. I have never looked at the nutritional value of celery before. So I've come to the conclusion that if my kids never eat celery again it's okay, and I'm not going to try and sneak it in to anything any more. The next time I have this hard of a time getting them to eat something, I'll look at the nutritional value to see if it's worth my time and effort or if it's just better if they eat something else. :] Check out the article here for the other two veggies they talked about. And remember Happier Healthier Eating!!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Meringue Frosting

There are a lot of Gluten Free cake mixes out there. I bought a few of them to experiment with. It was my husbands birthday a few weeks ago and I thought it would be fun to try out of those mixes on him. Don't worry I asked him first. I'll show you what mix I used for this cake on Friday. I really liked how it turned out! It was perfectly moist and you couldn't tell it was a gluten free cake. I followed the directions on the bag, except for the oil I replaced it with applesauce. You know me, I'm always trying to cut the fat out of everything. :] I really think the frosting made this cake. It was unbelievably delicious!! It will be my go-to chocolate frosting from now on. If you are a chocolate lover and if you want to cut out some fat and not taste this is the frosting for you! Try it you'll love it!!

Chocolate Meringue Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup evaporate cane juice

2 large egg whites

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

3 oz. semi sweet mini morsels

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold an electric mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the evaporated cane juice, egg whites, water, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl. Set the bowl above the boiling water and beat with an electric hand mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and mini morsels. Gentle stir until morsels are completely melted. Then add cocoa and vanilla extract until well combined. Let frosting cool before frosting cake, and enjoy!!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

When I was young my Grandma would bring us a bag of candy every time she came to visit. One of my favorite things she brought was a mixture of nuts, candy, candy covered nuts, and candy covered licorice. I was so excited when these Panda Candy Coated Licorice candy came out. They remind me of my Grandma, and now my kids and I can enjoy this healthier version of the yummy treats I ate in my youth. Try them you'll love them!

I bought these at the health food stores.

Grilled Chicken with Tomato and Cucumbers

My tomatoes are growing in my garden, green but still growing. And I saw my first cucumber starting a few days ago. I've been experimenting with recipes that I can use my own veggie in once they finally are ripe. I found this recipe on disneyfamily.com. It's really easy to make, simple to put together, and has a very light but filling taste to it. It's one of those yummy summer dishes you can make and it doesn't add heat to your already hot kitchen. :] Try it you'll love it!

Grilled Chicken with Tomato and Cucumbers

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped, about 1/2 cup

1/2 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped, bout 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh or dried cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heart grill over medium flame, or coals

In a medium bowl toss together tomatoes, cucumber, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While those flavors marry together, cook chicken on grill until no longer pink in center; about 7-8 minutes per side (make sure while turning chicken you do NOT poke holes in it. It will cause the juices of the chicken to dry and it will not be moist. ALWAYS turn chicken with tongs). Drain salsa if necessary. Serve over chicken and enjoy!

Gluten Free Pizza Dough

If you've ever tried to make Gluten Free pizza dough and you've given up because you can't find one that tastes good, look no further. This recipe is by far the best recipe for Gluten Free Pizza Dough!! The flavor and the texture and perfect. It doesn't feel like you're eating something that is gluten free. Very delicious! And if that wasn't enough it goes together really quick. Oh and did I mention it's fat free? Try it, you'll love it!

Gluten Free Pizza Dough

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups gluten free pantry french bread and pizza mix

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon gluten free dough enhancer

1/2 teaspoon guar gum

Directions

In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve honey in warm water. Once dissolved, add applesauce, salt, and one cup flour mix. Mix well. Then add yeast, dough enhancer, guar gum and one more cup of the flour mix. Mix well. Slowly add the last 1/2 cup of flour you may not need it all of it. Then leave mixer on for 5 minutes. Dough will be a little sticky. Turn off mixer and let dough rest for another 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Spray hands and cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. Roll dough out on a sprayed surface to about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cool slightly before devouring. :] (Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your dough)

Chicken Casserole

In the summer time I like to have a few meals that are easy to throw together. It seems like we're always running around having fun, so having a few quick dinner recipes are great to have on hand. This casserole is really easy to put together, and your kids can help too. I had mine tear up the corn tortillas. They loved it! This casserole has a smooth texture with slight heat, you can always increase the heat by adding more chili powder. :] I loved the flavor.

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped (red or green)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)

1 10oz can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 10oz can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 10oz can diced tomatoes

1 4oz can diced green chiles

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*F. Saute onion and bell pepper in large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until tender. Stir in chicken, soups, tomatoes, chiles, chili powder, and garlic powder; remove from heat. Tear tortillas into 1-inch pieces. Layer one-third tortilla pieces in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with one-third chicken mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Our Fun Food Find for today isn't a treat but noodles. Brown Rice Pasta Shells. These have really good flavor. They are a great substitute for wheat noodles. They are gluten free. When I cook with these my kids don't even notice the difference.

I buy these at health food stores.

Raspberry Vanilla Marshmallows

What a fun extra long weekend we had with family! I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great 4th of July celebration. Now back to food fun. :]

It's summer, so that means camping and s'mores over the fire. These marshmallows are divine! When you melt these and make them into a s'more it is unlike any s'more you've ever tasted. To me they taste like raspberry cheese cake with chocolate drizzled on top. Really they are that good. I've shared them with even those who don't like marshmallows and they have liked them. You'll be the hit at the fire pit if you bring these. :]

Raspberry Vanilla Marshmallows

Ingredients

3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons but 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water, dived

2 cups evaporated cane juice

1/2 cup agave

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large egg whites

3/4 tablespoon raspberry extract

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

3 drops red food coloring

1 to 2 cups organic powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Grease bottom and sides of a 13 by 9 inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with organic powdered sugar. In a bowl of a standing electric mixer sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, and let stand to soften and absorb completely.

In a sauce pan cook evaporated cane juice, agave, second 1/2 cup cold water, and salt over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until evaporated cane juice is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate, cover, and boil mixture. Once boiling, insert candy or digital thermometer and continue cooking until temperature reaches 240*F (soft ball stage). Remove pan from heat and pour cane juice mixture over gelatin mixture. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing mixer, beat on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl with clean beaters beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Then add into gelatin mixture with raspberry and vanilla extracts until just combined. Add food coloring and slightly swirl. Pour marshmallow mixture into prepared pan. Sift organic powdered sugar evenly over top. Chill in refrigerator, uncovered, until firm at least 3 hours or up to one day.

When marshmallows are set, run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers, loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into one inch cubes. Pour organic powdered sugar into empty baking pan. Dip each side of marshmallows into organic powdered sugar to avoid sticking together once they are cut. Place in zip lock back and leave in refrigerator until ready to use. Store for 2 to 3 weeks, and enjoy!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

I love cookies. I love to eat them. I love to make them. And when they are good enough I even like to buy them from the store. These KinniTOOS are really quite good. I was surprise to be honest. A lot of gluten free treats like these have funny textures to them. Especially when these are also dairy free, casein free, and nut free. These cookies are a little addicting and the cookie part isn't as crumbly as most gluten free cookies. I enjoyed them, my kids loved them.

I found them at the health food stores and you can also order them online at their website http://www.kinnikinnic.com/

Flag Cake

Repost from last year: Since this weekend is the 4th of July I thought it would be a good idea to show you again the flag cake. When I saw the demonstration on how to put a flag cake together here, it looked so fun. I knew I could make it a healthy cake. And I wanted to make it for the 4th of July. I'm posting it now because I live in Utah and we still have our statehood celebration coming up on the 24th. So it can be made again. If you live outside of Utah keep this in mind for next year. :]

It doesn't have food coloring, which is nice because in the original recipe you have to use tons of red food coloring to make the stripes, and it's made from a cake mix. You really can't tell very well in the picture the white and red stripes, white is on the bottom layer, then red, white, and red again. I guess you could put a few drops in this cake if you wanted to make them a little more visible. The only thing I wish I would have done different is frost it the day I served it. I frosted it the night before because I wouldn't have time the next day and the frosting started to blend into the layers. Other than that it was a very moist, yummy berry cake! Have fun with it!

Low Gluten Flag Cake

Ingredients

2 cups LG flour mix

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1 cup rice milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-----

3/4 cup applesauce

3/4 cup blueberry puree

3/4 cup strawberry puree
Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease and line bottom of three 9" round cake pans with parchment paper.

In two separate bowls (you're making a double batch, the recipe above is for a single batch) mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, salt, and evaporated cane juice. Then add eggs, oil, applesauce, rice milk, and vanilla and mix well. Divide the batters into thirds, about 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups, into three separate bowls (If there is left over batter you can make cupcakes). In one bowl add 3/4 cup applesauce, this will be your white layer, and mix well. In a second bowl add 3/4 cup blueberry puree, this will be your blue layer, and mix well. In a third bowl add 3/4 cup strawberry puree, this will be your red layer, and mix well. Bake each cake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. Take another piece of parchment paper and top each cake with it, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze over night.

How to assemble:

Take cakes out of freezer. Allow to sit on counter for a few minutes to thaw slightly. Remove plastic wrap and parchment paper. Take white and red layers and cut in half length wise. Put one half of a red layer on plate and frost and very thin layer of white cream cheese frosting. Place one of the white layers on top and frost a thin layer also. Off to the side stack the remaining red and white layers on top of each other and place the full blue cake on top of them. Take a bowl, about 3" in diameter, and place it upside down on top of the three layers. Take a long knife and while holding the bowl in place, cut down through all layers of cake along the out side edge of the bowl. When finished take the outside part of the blue layer and place it on top of the slightly frosted white layer of cake. Frost the inside edges of the blue layer. Next take the inside round part of the last red layer and put it into the round hole of the frosted blue layer. Thinly frost the top of the red layer. Then take the inside round part of the last white layer and put on top of the red layer inside the blue layer. Frost the entire cake, top and sides. You can choose to top cake with extra blueberries and strawberries or just leave all white. You can either throw away the remaining pieces of cake or make them into a trifle. I did the trifle option, I post that recipe later.

This cake is a huge hit at any 4th of July party. It is a big surprise to see the flag on the inside when you cut into it. Have fun and enjoy and healthier alternative!

Wisdom Wednesday!!

If you've followed this blog for a while you know how much I LOVE finding good HEALTHY snacks. Sometimes they are easy to find and other times I've had to search for them, another reason why I do Fun Food Finds Friday, so you don't have to do the work. :] Well Yahoo Shine posted 13 healthy snacks. I went through the list and there was only one that I've tried. Of course I have tried different name brands of healthy dried fruit, but not the one that they listed. It's always fun to see new things pop up. So go check out the list here. And remember happier healthier snacking!!

Tahitian French Macarons

These are sinfully delicious!! I've made them several times and I've taken them to baby showers and to neighbors. All of the reactions are the same, "Don't these have tons of coconut in them" nope, "Are you sure these are gluten free?" yep, "They're not really fat free are they?" pretty close. The texture is so fun, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I didn't change that much from the original recipe for the macaron base except for the rootbeer variation (click here for original recipe), but I used a completely different filling to make them almost fat free. Try these you'll love them!! Oh and I've frozen them and they freeze great! Just thaw and they taste like you've just made them.
Tahitian French Macarons

Macaron Base

Ingredients

3 egg whites, aged*

5 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

2/3 cup almond flour

1 1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (amount will differ with variations)

Directions

In a food processor, mix almond flour and organic powdered sugar until well mixed. Sift the mixture through sieve, and divide in half.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whip egg white until foamy. While beating on high, slowly add evaporated cane juice. When soft peaks form, add extract and food coloring if desired. Beat until stiff peaks form, has a glossy texture, and mixture doesn't drip from the beaters.

Fold half of the almond mixture into the whipped meringue. When just blended, add additional dry mixture, folding until mixture is blended. Don't over mix. Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with round tip, or a large zip lock bag and cut off one corner. On a parchment lined baking sheet, pip small circles, about the size of a quarter. Once cookie sheet is full, tap sheet firmly against the counter, or flat surface. This helps the macaron to get it's pied shape.

Let dry, uncovered for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 300* F. Once they have sat for 30 minutes bake for 15-17 minutes. Tap cookie sheet firmly against the counter one more time before baking. Cool completely. Pipe a small amount of meringue frosting (see recipe below) on flat side of macaron, top with other half making a sandwich. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Aged egg whites: covered and set at room temperature overnight. (left mine out for about 3 hours and they were at room temperature)

Meringue Frosting

Ingredients

6 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

1 large egg white

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (amount will differ with variations)

Directions

Bring a few inches of water to boil in a sauce pan that can hold an electric mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the evaporated cane juice, egg white, water, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and beat with an electric hand mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat; beat in the vanilla. Pour into a piping bag fitted with a round tip, or a large zip lock bag cutting off on of the corners.

Variations:

Rootbeer Float

-Use 1 teaspoon Rootbeer extract in place of vanilla to the macaron base

-Don't change anything with the meringue frosting

Guava Raspberry

-Use 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in place of the vanilla, and 3 drops pink food coloring to the macaron base

-Use 2 -3 tablespoons frozen guava passion fruit concentrate to meringue frosting in place of vanilla, and 2 drops pink food coloring to the meringue frosting.

Kiwi Lime

-Use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and zest of 1 lime in place of vanilla, and 5 drops neon green food coloring to the macaron base

-Use 3 tablespoons kiwi puree and 4 drops neon green food coloring to the meringue frosting. (For every 1 kiwi I pureed I added 3 teaspoons evaporated cane juice)

Pina Colada

-Use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon banana extract in place of vanilla and 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the macaron base

-Use 2-3 tablespoons frozen Pina Colada concentrate (Bacardi's) in place of vanilla to the meringue frosting.

Banana Cream Pie

-Use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon banana extract in place of vanilla and 5 drops of yellow food coloring to the macaron base.

-Don't change anything with the meringue frosting.

I'm sorry about missing Thursday's post. My Internet was down for 3 days! Luckily I already had made my Fun Food Find Friday post. It sure makes me think that maybe I should be thinking ahead. :] My husband is the computer tech in our family and he was out of town. I do have some great recipes for next week though, so stayed tuned. :]

Fun Food Find Friday!!

When I first walked by this Walden Farms Caramel Dip, I thought it sounded too good to be true. It claims to be fat free and calorie free and sugar free. How could that taste good? So I bought some. It does have splenda in it, which I always try to stay away from. But other than that it wasn't too bad. I'll be honest it wasn't the best caramel dip I've ever had but it was the best fat free caramel dip I've ever had. My kids didn't mind it and my sister didn't think it was too bad either.

I found this at the health food stores.

Wisdom Wednesday!!

Now that summer is in full swing around our house I find myself more and more busy. It can get like that during the school year too. But it is a little different in the summer time. Mostly, I think, because I want to be out enjoying the sunshine just as much as my children do.

When you first start cooking more healthy and cut out fast food and processed foods, it can seem like it takes for ever to get dinner on the table. So today for our Wisdom I thought I would share some tips and things that I do to help make things a little easier and go more quickly when it comes to getting dinner on the table.

The first thing I do is, I always have a salad ready in the fridge. I wash my lettuce and cut it up at the beginning of the week and put it in an airtight container in the fridge. I usually will add cut up carrots to it, but the other vegetables I don't add until we sit down to eat. That way the lettuce will stay nice and fresh and won't wilt. By doing this I don't have to prepare a salad everyday, it's already to go.

Second I always have vegetables and fruit on hand. This takes care of the other sides for dinner and cuts your time down if you were trying to prepare another side each night.

With just those two simple things it cuts out a lot of your preparation time and stress. Now you just have to worry about the main dish. And on really busy nights, when it's already 6 p.m. and I don't have time to cook anything, I just run down the street to the grocery store and buy a rotisserie chicken for the main dish and dinner is ready in less than 15 minutes.

I hope those tips are helpful for you and your family. If you have a tip you would like to share I would love to hear about it. Happy Healthier Eating!!

Mexican Casserole

I love how quick and easy this recipe came together. It has a very good Mexican flavor to it. If you had a rotisserie chicken on hand it would make this dish even quicker to put together. This recipe calls for ingredients that I always have on hand, another reason why I liked it so much. So if you're having a long day and you don't know what to make for dinner that's quick and easy, this is the dish for you!

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken, either breast or tenders, cubed

1 tablespoon butter

1 heaping tablespoon taco season mix, found here

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1/2 cup salsa

2 tablespoons water

1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese, or what you have on hand

1 1/2 cups crushed plain tortilla chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a skillet cook chicken in butter over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink inside. Add taco seasoning, beans, corn, salsa and water. Stir and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors merry together.
Transfer chicken mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with crushed tortillas chips and bake for 15 minutes. Then add cheese and bake until cheese is melted, then serve and enjoy!!

Chicken and Veggies

People ask me all the time what I eat, especially those who know me well. I've even been asked to say exactly what I've eaten the day before. Eating healthy really isn't that hard once you've started it. And if you have healthy food already in your house it's easy to just throw something together without a recipe.

Today is an example of that. One night a few weeks ago I didn't know what to make for dinner. I wasn't really feeling inspired to cook and spend a while experimenting on something new. When I looked in my fridge I found squash, zucchini, chicken, onions and garlic. So I chopped up all of the veggies and chicken. I started by cooking the garlic, onions and chicken in a skillet (If you add those three ingredients and then turn the heat on there is no need for oil or fat because the juices from the chicken and onion are plenty of liquid as long as you keep the temperature low and cover with a lid while cooking). Once the chicken is cooked through I added the rest of the veggies. Then a little salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes until the veggies are cooked to your liking and there you go. A quick, easy, healthy meal with what I had in my fridge. Happy Healthy Eating!!

Fun Food Find Friday!!

I'm always on the look out for healthier snacks I can put in my purse or in the car for the kids when they get hungry while driving or when we're out running errands. I really like these One Organic Food Bars. The blueberry flavor was my favorite. My kids like them both. They also have a lot of protein in them.

I found these at the health food stores.

Donuts

It was national donut day a few Friday's ago. So I went out and bought myself a donut maker and started experimenting. I am loving this little machine! We have had so much fun the last couple of weeks! Besides being extremely low fat, these are so easy to change flavors to make them very unique. They are fast to make and really don't take that much effort.

Basic Donut Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup kamut, spelt, or whole wheat flour

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup rice milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons applesauce

Directions

Stir flour, evaporated cane juice, and baking powder together. Then add egg, rice milk, vanilla and applesauce. Beat with electric mixer for one minute. Pour batter into a large ziplock bag. Cut off the tip when ready to pour into donut iron. Squeeze batter into each donut shape until almost full, make sure not to have any batter in the middle or you will not get your hole. Follow cooking directions of your donut iron, and enjoy!!

Yields about 35 donuts

Basic Glaze

Ingredients

Organic powdered sugar

Water

Directions

In a small bowl pour powdered sugar, add a very small amount of water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. If you need to add a little more sugar or water you can. The consistency should be a little thick but not too thick. Dip one side of donut in glaze and place on to cooling rack until glaze drys, then enjoy!

Variations

Carob Frosting

Melt Carob chips in microwave in a small glass bowl. Click here for more detailed instructions. Dip one side of donut in carob. Then place onto cooling rack until carob sets, then enjoy!
Butterscotch Frosting

Melt Butterscotch chips in microwave in a small glass bowl. Follow instructions on the back of the bag. Dip one side of donut in melted butterscotch. Then place onto cooling rack until it sets,then enjoy!

Banana Coconut Donuts

Ingredients

1 cup kamut, spelt, or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup rice milk 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

4 tablespoons applesauce

Banana extract

Water

Organic powdered sugar

Directions

Stir flour, evaporated cane juice, and baking powder together. Then add egg, rice milk, coconut extract and applesauce. Beat with electric mixer for one minute. Pour batter into a large ziplock bag. Cut off the tip when ready to pour into donut iron. Squeeze batter into each donut shape until almost full, make sure not to have any batter in the middle or you will not get your hole. Follow cooking directions of your donut iron.

Banana Glaze: In a small bowl add organic powdered sugar, a little banana extract and a little water. Stir until sugar dissolved. Add more sugar if needed to make it thick. Taste to see if you need to add more banana extract. Dip donuts in glaze, then place on cooling rack until glaze sets, then enjoy!

Wisdom Wednesday!!

I love it when I can find a second opinion that supports my opinion. On Fun Food Find Friday's I like to post about healthier treats and snacks. A lot of the things I post are things that I give my children instead of candy, or candy bars, or sugary snacks. Now that it's summer it is the time for travel and family vacations. I use a lot of those healthier snacks to give my kids when we travel but I also have a little cooler with fruit and veggies in it. It really does help my children to be more relaxed and not hyper while driving if they are eating healthy snacks instead of all of the sugar. Something every parent hopes to avoid, the "hyper/crazy" kids in the back seat. :] If you want a list of the snacks and treats I use go to my treats tab. For the second opinion click here, and remember happier healthier eating!!

Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos

Here is another wonderful recipe for the crock pot/slow cooker. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love the slow cooker for the summer so the over and stove don't heat up the house on those really hot days. We haven't have very many hot days yet this summer. But we have had one so I pulled out the crock pot. I thought this would be too spicy for my kids at first, but it wasn't. It has the perfect kick to it and a slight sweet after taste. I loved it and so did my kids!

Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa

2 tablespoons diced green chiles (I used the one in the small 4 0z can)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon dried cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Tortillas

favorite taco toppings

Directions

In slow cooker/crock pot, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chiles, chili powder, tomatoes, cilantro, and salt. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Before serving remove chicken and shred using two forks and return to slow cooker. Serve in corn, whole wheat, or brown rice tortillas with toppings and enjoy!!

original recipe from www.delish.com

Cornmeal Pancakes with Citrus Syrup

I felt like having breakfast for dinner the other night. These were so delicious!! They have a fresh taste, light feeling but also very filling. My kids loved them! To me these just feel like a summer pancake. I hope you enjoy them!

Cornmeal Pancakes with Citrus Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup kamut flour or corn flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon evaporated cane juice

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon applesauce

2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel or lemon peel

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, or regular orange juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or honey

Directions

Preheat skillet or griddle to medium heat or 375*. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, evaporated cane juice, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and applesauce. Then add liquid mixture to flour and blend.

Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto hot skillet or griddle. When sides start to dry and bubbles pop turn over and cook for another minute.

For Syrup: In a medium sauce pan combine the orange peel or lemon peel, orange juice, lemon juice and evaporated cane juice. Bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until reduced to 3/4 cup. Serve warm or cold, refrigerate remaining syrup for up to 1 week.

Orginal recipe from shine.com

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Surf Sweets Gummy Worms is our Fun Find for today. These are great, you can not tell the difference between these and other gummy worms made with refined sugar and corn syrup.

You can buy these at health food stores and http://www.naturalcandystore.com/

Chicken Chimichangas

These are so delicious!! I always thought chimichangas were deep fried, so when I found this recipe, I was more than excited to try them. My kids liked them so much they asked for them the next day for lunch. We had eaten all of them for dinner. They were so upset they couldn't have leftovers for lunch. Needless to say these have made it on our "make at least 2 times a month" list. :] I hope you like them as much as my family did. Oh and I took some to my neighbor when she was sick and couldn't cook for her family. They also loved them. :]

Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients

1 cup salsa, divided

3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 onion, diced

1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 whole wheat, or brown rice tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings of your choice: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 425* F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine 1/2 cup salsa, chicken onion, cumin, oregano and salt in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring often for 15-20 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup of mixture in the center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden tooth picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Bake for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove tooth picks before serving. Top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!!

*Helpful tips

-Make sure your tortillas are warm. If they are not warm before you start to fold them, the edges will begin to crack and filling will fall out.

-Spray the entire bottom side of tortilla with cooking spray before adding filling to the non spray side. This will also help the tortilla from cracking.

Chicken Corn Quesadilla

When we finally were able to move back into our home I spent most days cleaning and painting. I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So I found lots of easy and quick healthy things to feed my family. This was one of their favorites, maybe because they can use their hands. But really there is a lot of flavor in these quesadillas for how quickly they come together. So if you're in a rush this is something you can fix up really quick.

Chicken Corn Quesadilla

Ingredients

Corn tortillas

1 Store bought rotisserie chicken

1 tomato, diced

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

grated cheese

butter

sour cream

salsa

Directions

Preheat a griddle to 375*. Remove skin, and pull meat off of the rotisserie chicken. Spread a little butter on the outside of two corn tortillas. Place both of the corn tortillas butter side down on the griddle. Spread some of the green chilies over one tortilla. Then sprinkle cheese and add some chunks of chicken and tomatoes on that same tortilla. Top with other buttered tortilla, once it is cooked, butter side out. When cheese is melted and tortillas cooked remove from griddle. Use a pizza cutter to cut into triangle shapes. Top with sour cream and salsa, enjoy!!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes

Here is another gluten free recipe using Gluten Free Pantry cake mixes. I really liked the taste of these. They don't have hardly any fat in them, even with the frosting, which is always a plus when it comes to dessert! Then you don't feel so bad when you have two, or maybe three. :]

Gluten Free Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 spice cake mix from gluten free pantry

2 eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice milk

1 1/3 teaspoons GF vanilla extract

1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350*F. In a large measuring cup add tablespoon of lemon juice, then add rice milk until it measures 1/2 cup. Then add the extra 2 tablespoons; Set aside. Place cupcake liners in cupcake tin. In a medium mixing bowl mix together all of the ingredients. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. Frost with Meringue Frosting, found here, Sprinkle with Cinnamon and enjoy!!

Recipe inspired by Wendy Paul

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Today our Fun Food Find is Gluten-Free cake mixes. This is the brand of cake mix I used for yesterday's recipe. I used a few of their products now and I'm really pleased with them so far. They have good flavor.

You can buy these at Health Food stores and some Grocery also carry them in their Gluten Free section. Just ask the store where their Gluten Free section is.

Gluten Free Churro Cupcakes

I hope you all had a fun holiday weekend. Mine was fun, and a little longer, spending time with my family and good healthy food. :]

There are lots of recipes out there that call for a cakes mix. I've been experimenting with some gluten free cake mixes. The biggest problem with them is that they are much smaller than normal cake mixes. So you have to do a lot of math to change recipes to make them work. You don't have to worry about that with this recipe, I've already done those changes and of course a few more healthy changes of my own too. :] I really liked how these Churro Cupcakes tasted. I also loved that I didn't have to make frosting for them, though you can if you want to. If you like cinnamon you love these!

Gluten Free Churro Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 Gluten Free Pantry old fashion cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons applesauce

3/4 teaspoon GF vanilla extract

1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1 1/3 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together cake mix, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Put 2 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner. In a small bowl mix well; evaporated cane juice and cinnamon. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixture on top of batter. Then fill each liner with batter until 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle the top of each cup cake with remaining cinnamon mixture. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes

Recipe inspired by wendy paul

Fun Food Find Friday!!

Our Fun Food Find for today is Lets do Sprinkelz. They are the perfect topping for cupcakes, cakes, and ice cream. They taste wonderful! They are not as bright as the sprinkles you normally see at grocery stores. These ones don't have all of the extra food coloring in them. They are gluten free too. My kids love them!

I have bought these at health food stores as well as www.naturalcandystore.com

Turkey Pasta Soup

Sorry about not posting yesterday for Wisdom Wednesday. It was a crazy day. :]

This spring has been so cold and rainy where I live. When the weather is like that outside I like to have warm food inside. This is a wonderful soup. It has lots of flavor and is very filling. Everyone who has tried it has loved it, even my children. :] Another good thing about this recipe is that it is quick. It only takes about 30 minutes to make and you have a wonderful healthy meal!

Turkey Pasta Soup

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked small brown rice or whole wheat pasta shells

1 pound 99% lean ground turkey

2 medium onions, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

5 cups water

5 teaspoons better than bullion

2 cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, cook turkey with onion over medium heat, continually breaking up ground turkey until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. In a separate bowl combine water and better than bullion until dissolved, then add to stock pot along with beans, tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the soup. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through and enjoy!!

Original recipe found on tasteofhome.com

Orange Chicken Teriyaki

Here is another winner when it comes to cooking in the crock pot. I think the thing I like the most about this recipe, besides it's unique wonderful flavor, is that I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen. I love when I don't have to go to the store to make something quick when I don't have the time. So here is a recipe for just those occasions. I hope you like it as much as we did. Oh and I actually cooked this at the hotel when we were living there. I hope the aroma didn't bother the other guests too much. :]

Orange Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 large onion, minced

3 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/4 cup braggs liquid aminos

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

1/4 coup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 unpeeled orange, sliced into thin slices

2 tablespoons corn starch

Cooked rice, or quinoa

Directions

Place onions and garlic in crock pot. Place chicken on top. Mix braggs, honey, orange juice, organic brown sugar, corn starch, and ginger together and pour over chicken. Cover with thinly sliced oranges. Cook on high setting for 4 hours or low setting for 8 hours. When chicken is cooked through serve over rice or quinoa, and enjoy!!!

Adapted from betterrecipes.com

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

The reason 'Easy' is in the title of this recipe is because it is just that easy to make.

I love cooking in the crock pot and having dinner ready, or pretty much ready, when I get home from a busy day. Or when your kitchen and furniture are all over the place. Or when you're living at a hotel. :] This is perfect for one of those occasions. It is packed with flavor and the aroma will make others want to eat dinner with you. Try it, you'll love it!

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix, see below

1/2 cup water

Corn, whole wheat, or Brown rice tortillas

Favorite taco toppings

Directions

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix taco seasoning with water and pour over the top of the chicken breasts, coating completely. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. When chicken is cooked through, use two forks to shred chicken. Serve on your choice of tortillas with your favorite toppings and enjoy!!

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes

1/4 teaspoon paprika powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients well. Store in an airtight container.

Source: adapted from betterrecipes.com

p.s. I have no idea why there are so many spaced between the lines. I've been trying to fix my last few posts for weeks and I can't figure it out, so sorry. :] Amy

Fun Food Find Friday!!

With summer coming that means it's time for Carnivals, and Fairs to go to. My kids always want the Cotton Candy when we go to those types of places. So when I found this Organic Cotton Candy by Spun City, I had to order some to see what it was like. It tasted just like any Cotton Candy you would by anywhere. The only ingredient is evaporated cane juice and flavoring.

I found this at http://www.naturalcandystore.com/

I'm Back!!!

I'm Here are You?!!!!

I am so sorry for being gone so long. It really was so crazy, more than I ever thought it would be. We were living out of our house for a total of 3 weeks. Then we lived in a construction zone. Our house is almost finished with all of the repair work. Yesterday was the first time I was able to start really cooking in my kitchen again. I did get to cook and experiment while living with my mom a little bit. I'll share those recipes in the following weeks. Thank you for sticking it out with me. :]

Today, even though it's not Wisdom Wednesday, I wanted to share with you what I've learned about Eating Out.

Have you ever watched the show called "The Biggest Looser"? Well some of the contestants in past years have talked about 'learning to eat out' after they returned home. I'm hear to tell you that that is so true. When you switch to eating healthier or if you have a restrictive diet, you really do need to "learn" how to eat out. With my diet restrictions it is much harder than most people mainly because of the no fat/oils part. So these are some of the things that I've learned. I hope they help you to make healthier decisions when you eat out for fun or if you're forced to. :]

-Ask questions about everything. Most waiters know the answer or will be willing to get the answer for you. I always ask how the chicken is prepared. If it is grilled on a true grill or on a flat surface. If it is cooked on a flat surface it could possibly get grease from previous cooked hamburgers or steaks if they don't clean it off every time in between. I always ask to see the ingredients. One waiter didn't know the answer and she brought me the whole box that their chicken came in. :] You can order things to be changed. If a chicken breast is breaded, they usually put the breading on right before it is cooked in oil. You can ask to have the chicken grilled instead. If it is a marinated chicken, again I ask to see a list of the ingredients and if it came marinated or if they add it to the chicken. If they add it, you can always have them cook it plain or put the marinade off to the side.

-Always explain the reason for asking the questions. I have found that when I tell people that I have a really restrictive diet they are more than happy to help me out.

-Always be kind, say thank you, say please, I would appreciate it if... things like that go a long way.

-Look at the side options. Almost always they will have a baked potato that you can order to your liking. Most places will leave the butter off of the steamed veggies, they are good with just salt I promise. :]

-I always ask how the rice is prepared. Did you know that a lot of places cook their rice in butter and or oil? Well they do, like I mentioned before ASK QUESTIONS!

-Some places are easier to eat at than others. I have found that most steak houses have the best options (at least for me and my diet) to choose from.

I hope these suggestions help you to be more healthy while eating out. Here's to a happy healthier you!!

Update

They are cleaning up my house as I write this!!! I am so excited! I can't wait to get back into my kitchen to cook some good food to share with you. Not to mention give my mom her kitchen back. :] Then things can get back to normal. Thank you for being so patient. I'm still here, just hanging out and collecting recipes I can't wait to start experimenting with to share with you. Until then Happy Healthier Eating!!