Recipe Box: Pumped Up {Healthy} Cookie Dough

March 21, 2016 by kpjenn

I don’t know about you, but I love to bake. And even more, I love to eat. While I’m baking. Don’t get me wrong, I love cookies and cakes and brownies – but even more, I love cookie dough and cake or brownie batter. Something about the pre-baked goodness just makes me feel some kind of way.

Now, I know there’s always the risk of the “raw egg” situation – but I’m a risk taker. Honestly, until the cookie dough betrays me, I’m going to keep eating it. I like to live dangerously.

However, worse than the raw eggs is all the sugar. My favorite cookie dough makes my favorite cookies: oatmeal chocolate chip. My great aunt’s recipe calls for both brown and white sugar. They’re delicious, but generally, not that good for you. And I gave up junk food for Lent. So while I may want to eat cookie dough, I can’t.

I’ve also set some higher fitness goals for myself with regards to the weight room and that means upping my protein intake – I typically get my protein from a protein bar in the morning, tuna or grilled chicken at lunch, a protein shake after the gym and either more chicken or ground turkey as part of dinner.

This all gets me pretty close to meeting my protein goals, but some days I just need a little more umph.

Enter one of my favorite snacks: Healthy Cookie Dough Dip from Chocolate Covered Katie

photo source: www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Now, her recipe is pretty well on-point. I’ve made small tweaks to fit my needs.

1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
just over 1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I prefer peanut butter, but any will do.)
up to 1/4 cup milk of choice (unsweetened almond milk is my go-to)
1 scoop of protein powder of choice
~~Sweetener of choice~~ (No sweetener needed for me!)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (Or none. Again, Lent)
2 to 3 tbsp oats

Throw all of these things (except the chocolate chips) into a food processor. Let it spin for a minute or two, empty into a bowl (or a tupperware if you’re me and you like to snack on it over a couple of days), mix in your chocolate chips if you’re using them and enjoy! You can serve it with graham crackers or don’t even bother and just use a spoon. #guilty.

The biggest changes I made to Katie’s recipe are taking out the sweetener – Lent, duh – and adding the protein powder. Obviously, you can use whatever protein you prefer, but right now, I’m a little obsessed with this:

Quest Peanut Butter Protein. This shizzzzz is so delicious. Easily the best-tasting protein with the best composition. Less than 1 gram of sugar, 23 grams of protein and only 110 calories per serving. It tastes mixed just with water or almond milk as a post-workout shake and it is incredible in any other kitchen concoctions. That’s one of my favorite things about Quest products – they bake so well! Granted, I’m not actually backing this cookie dough, but you totally could!

Needless to say, I’m obsessed. I think the last time I went to Wegman’s, I picked up four cans of chickpeas. Specifically so that I have them on hand to make this whenever I want.

The best part? It fulfills my cravings for something sweet without blowing up my entire diet, which is always a win. Maintaining a healthy relationship with food is a thing I am alllll about. Food is delicious and I enjoy eating it and I don’t like feeling guilty when I do. This absolutely keeps that from happening. Happy tummy, happy Kyle.

Recipe Box: Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Salsa

February 10, 2016 by Meridith

We’ve got a favorite book in the Daniel household. It’s called Dragons Love Tacos. Have you heard of it? Well, there are dragons (obviously) and they L-O-V-E tacos (again with the obvious – I guess that’s what you get when you’re reading children’s books). There are taco parties, which, I would be all for attending because quite honestly, I LOVE TACOS TOO.

(Just not spicy salsa. Spoiler: Dragons do not like spicy salsa.)

Anyway, the point is, we Daniels are fans of tacos. And books. And books about tacos.

Naturally, this taco recipe is a big hit here. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t actually prepare this recipe. My darling husband was the taco chef; I was busy painting dots on the floor of our son’s 1st grade hallway.

Say what?

This is a special treat for the first graders of our school district! We celebrate their individuality and creativity.

Yes, while I was getting my paint on, Jay was pitching in and making us this YUMMY dinner. We tweaked the recipe slightly but you can find the original here. We originally found this when we were doing the Advocare 24 day challenge last summer and it’s tried and true.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

First things first, start prepping this a few hours before you want to eat. Because it takes some time to mix together and soak up the flavor. Cool? Cool.

Strawberry Salsa Ingredients

8 ounces of fresh strawberries – chopped
1/2 red onion – diced
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground pepper

Squeeze that lime, Dude. RAWR!

Prepare the salsa first. It’s easy, yummy, and you can throw it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the tacos. (Or, you can take little spoonfuls if you’re hungry.) (Not that I would ever do such a thing.)

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (Do not make my mistake and buy ones that aren’t peeled. Because I’ll tell you what, Jay was not impressed with that task. Whoopsies.)
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, minced (I keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge) (#lazy) (#lessworkforme)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

goya

marinate

Mix all the ingredients listed above in a bowl and then pour over the prepared shrimp. We throw them in a Ziplock freezer bag and shake it around before putting it in the fridge for about a half hour. Prior to shaking it around, make sure it’s really and truly zipped. Again, I speak from experience.

And hey, while these marinate, grab a drink and chill. While you’re waiting, you can also prepare the toppings for the tacos.

Taco Topping and Taco Taco Ingredients
8 4 inch corn tortillas – warmed (microwave for 30-45 seconds)
1 cup shredded cabbage
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (I sometimes can’t find this in my regular supermarket but I’ve had good luck at both Aldi and the Mexican mart nearby.)
1 lime, cut into wedges

After those 30 minutes tick by, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put a glug or two of olive oil in the pan and put the marinated shrimp in the skillet. (Any extra marinade in the bag can be chucked.) Cook the shrimp 1 to 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp and cook a couple more minutes until they’re pink.

shrimpcooking

Set the table with shrimp, toppings, salsa, and tacos. Prepare your taco whichever way you’d like and proceed to stuff in your face.

shrimptaco

A taste sensation! (Seriously, I need to lay off the children’s books.)

In unrelated but still AWESOME news, you might notice the new badge over in the sidebar for The Mermaid Club. I just found out this week that I’m a new ambassador! Isn’t it the most? More on that soon! Live life, make waves!

Cooking & Prepping & Eating, It Must Be Fall!

September 21, 2015 by Jennifer

You guys, fall arrives this week! Are you ridiculously excited and on your eleventh Pumpkin Spice Latte? I know, me too! Which is unusual for me, spring is my favorite season followed by summer. Something is different this year, though. With the cooler nights and my garden producing its late-planted bounty, I’ve been cooking and meal prepping and eating A LOT. I thought I’d share my recent escapades and ask for you to share with me; I’m on the hunt for an amazing pumpkin scone recipe.

Our first garden ever!

For the record, I’m not a great cook but I’m a passable cook. Yes, it’s hard to admit that. I recently told my husband that for me, hearing him make yummy sounds over my cooking is just as important as hearing him make other sounds when, well…you know. It’s a pride thing.

These Spaghetti Squash Fiesta Bowls are a current favorite!

He did make some fantastic yummy sounds when I made my great grandmother’s banana bread recipe for the first time this week. I had never attempted Grandma Maxine’s family favorite but my mom and aunt had with limited success, theirs didn’t turn out as moist as grandma’s. Since I had some ripe (but not super ripe) bananas around, I mustered up the courage to give it a go. I must say it turned out as close to grandma’s as we’ve tasted in 15 years since her passing.

Add the buttermilk when you add the egg and oil.

Looks pretty perfect if I do say so myself.

I’ve been experimenting with meal prep, too. The evenings are so short, and when we’re busy we tend to grab what’s easy. The solution in my house is to make healthy easy stuff we can grab. Well, relatively healthy anyway. I figure if I can at least cut out the preservatives and fake food factor that comes with packaged convenience foods, it’s an improvement. Homemade pizza is always a winner in my house so when I make it, I make a double batch and freeze half of it. Each batch makes two generous sized personal pizzas, and we can each put whatever toppings we want on them. I let the dough rise once, punch it down and put it in a Ziploc freezer back. It may continue to rise a little in the freezer but that’s okay. The night before we want pizza again, I pull out the dough and thaw it in the fridge. When I come home from work I pull out the dough, punch it down, roll it out, and viola! Works like a charm every time.

I like mine with pesto, fresh basil, goat cheese crumbles, and bacon !

My husband LOVES breakfast burritos, and I always seem to run out of time to pack a lunch. I decided to try making my own breakfast and lunch microwave burritos. For breakfast (disclaimer, NOT healthy), I scrambled eggs, made ranch potatoes, fried up some bacon and shredded some cheese. For lunch, I browned some ground turkey and seasoned it with a packet of organic burrito seasoning. I cooked some brown rice with red chili powder and seasoned salt, and used a can of black beans and a can of corn. After building the burritos, I wrapped them in cellophane and then in foil before putting them in a gallon freezer bag for storage in the freezer. In the morning, they are ready to pull out and toss into our lunch bags. These may not be the most healthy burritos ever, but you can certainly experiment with whatever ingredients you like. I feel better knowing exactly what’s in my burrito, and it’s better than going to the Wendy’s one block from my office which seems to happen way more than it should.

You’ll have to pry bacon from my cold, dead hands.

We add the salsa and hot sauce on the side. Because I’m a wimp.

I’m freezing all the raspberries I harvest from our bushes to make jam, and my mom gave me a TON of Roma tomatoes for making and canning sauce. I have enough zucchini to for fritters and ratatouille, bread and frittatas. I’m determined to use my bread machine constantly this winter. I feel oddly self-sufficient. We’re saving money and I’m being incredibly domestic. Taking a more active role in where my food is coming from and making as much homemade food as I can has been very rewarding so far. Next on the agenda, homemade pasta!

What is your go-to meal prep option? Do you find prepping helps you stay on track with your nutrition goals? Have a favorite recipe to share? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Recipe Box: Summer Veggies Three Ways

July 27, 2015 by bec2point0

If you’ve been following along the last couple of Fridays, me and my chicks have been posting all about eating local. You know what happens when you’re hitting the farmer’s market and getting produce delivery?

You have a LOT of veggies laying around.

I don’t even know what my counter looks like anymore.

Which is great! Except what the heck are you going to do with them all?

Here are three recipes I found to help me use up these beautiful bounties. And as a bonus, all three of these recipes are vegan, gluten free and paleo friendly, because I’m nice like that (it was mostly coincidence, but lets roll with it).

The first is recipe is adapted from the awesome vegan cookbook, The Kind Diet. If you don’t know this one, it’s written by Alicia Silverstone. I’m not a vegan (right now), but vegan cooking is happening a lot right now due to the dairy elimination. If you don’t know much about succotash, get ready to make the ‘ewww, Lima Beans’ face. Honestly, though, lima beans are awesome. And if you really, really hate them, you could swap in edamame instead. Don’t let the beans scare you off though, this is delicious.

Summer Succotash

Lima beans, the bane of my childhood existence, getting some action with my fresh corn and tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 diced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen baby lima beans, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (I used ridiculously fresh local corn, cut right off the cob)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Heat the butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until the onions begin to brown (5-7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the lima beans and saute another 5 minutes. Add the corn and tomatoes, saute 1 minute longer until heated through. Remove from heat and add parsley, basil and vinegar.

This can be served warm or chilled. And it’s great either way. Do it. You’ll love it. All I am saying, if give (lima) beans a chance.

The next recipe came from Pinterest, where I spend far too much time pinning recipes I will likely never make. But this one, Warm Zucchini Salad, I did! And it was fab. Pinterest led me to Vikalinka, a blog I hadn’t heard of before.

When you have a LOT of zucchini, make this.

Go here to check out the original recipe post, her pictures are stunning.

The last recipe came from a trip to the library, where I stumbled upon The Real Girl’s Kitchen cookbook. I didn’t actually notice that it was written by Haylie Duff (do I secretly have a thing for cookbooks written by blonde actresses? maybe.), I just liked the pictures. Thank goodness I like pretty things, because this cookbook provided me with a few great new recipes, including this one.

I hesitate to even call this a recipe, it’s that simple. Like, even if you can’t cook, you can cook this. And you should, because I’ve made it three times in the last month, and I’m making it again this week. And you know, I DON’T like repeats.

Haricot Vert Salad

Five ingredients never looked so good.

Ingredients:

1 pound of french green beans (I used regular green beans, they’re just French, only fatter, and I feel it’s important not to judge beans on their size)
1 cup of cherry tomatoes – quartered
Fresh Dill
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Blanche green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes (you want them still crunchy, but not raw), and the put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cooled down, drain and put them in a large bowl.

Cut tomatoes in quarters. Or halves. Don’t stress it. Add those to the beans, along with the chopped dill.

Mix the red wine vinegar and mustard together and drizzle over the beans and tomatoes. Or just dump those in the bowl and mix everything around. Salt and pepper to taste, and you’re good to go.

Now, get a plate. Or just stand there, eating it out of the bowl with your fingers. You know, as one does.

Don’t you just want some veggies now? Do you have any great vegetable recipes? Please feel free to share!

Breakfast Protein: And the Eggs Have It

September 26, 2014 by bec2point0

I think I featured eggs in each one of my breakfast protein posts. Yup, here, when it was so hot I couldn’t cook. Totally here, when I was all about breakfast on the go. Even here, when I featured and awesome lemon-y recipe in honor of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Million Mile Run-Walk-Ride.

So, do they need their own post?

They do. In my search for good sources of protein for breakfast, eggs showed up more than anything else. They’re versatile, generally easy to prepare and with 6 grams of protein per 78 calorie large egg, you get a lot of bang for your buck (which goes a long way, because eggs are also typically a cheap protein source, even if you’re buying the good, cage free, pastured, organic ones, or fresh from a local farm, which I highly recommend).

I’ve made eggs a bazillion* ways. Hard boiled. Soft boiled. Poached. Fried. Over easy. Over medium. Over well. Scrambled. Baked. Omelette. And they’re all good! But these are a few of my recent favorites.

*Slight exaggeration

Mexican Scramble

This is my favorite easy, throw together, toss in whatever you’ve got, breakfast.

Cheese? Sure. What kind? Cheddar? Pepperjack? Yes. Or Yes.

Black beans? Chili? Salsa? Go for it! One of those. All of those*.

Avocado? Most def. Sour cream? If that lights your fire.

Kitchen Sink Breakfast

And if you don’t have some of those things, they will still be super yummy and filling. I used egg beaters here, because I had some, but regular eggs, or egg whites, would be just as tasty.

*Okay, maybe not all at the same time. I don’t want you to need a post breakfast nap.

Italian Baked Eggs

You GUYS. These are SO good.

Italian Style Baked Eggs

And with four ingredients, it’s barely even cooking. You all probably know by now, I don’t really ‘recipe’, but I’ll break this down for you.

4 large eggs

1 cup of marinara sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and then spread the marinara over the bottom of the dish. Crack the eggs on top of the sauce, spreading them out as much as you can. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, avoiding the yolks. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Throw some fresh basil chiffonade on top.

I took a picture before I inhaled these. The struggle is real.

Shove in mouth. Cry over amazing yumminess and burnt tongue. Take picture and post on Instagram*.

*Optional, but appreciated.

Poached Eggs and Sweet Potato & Apple Hash

Poaching might be my favorite way to prepare eggs, especially since I got these kick ass poach pods. Total game changer.

My babies

And then there’s hash. Which is awesome. And another dish where you can throw in a bunch of whatever. In this case, I had some left over pork chop, a couple of small sweet potatoes that I wasn’t sure what to do with, an apple and an onion. What am I going to do with that? Make hash, of course.

Delicious, hearty, all kinds of autumn flavored*. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Hash and eggs, healthy style.

*Flavors of autumn. Not flavored like autumn. Because what would that even taste like? Dried leaves?

So, I hope you guys have enjoyed following me on my hunt for protein-y breakfasts! I’m totally not done talking about breakfast either. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting a review of MyOatmeal.com, and I’ll be doing a taste test of all the pumpkin yogurts I’ve found. Cool? Cool!

What’s your favorite way to prepare eggs? Any other breakfast protein suggestions? Other breakfast items you want to talk about? Want to just head over to Bec’s house for breakfast? Let’s go!

Recipe Box: Lemon Cottage Cheese Potato Pancakes

September 19, 2014 by bec2point0

A.k.a. Breakfast Protein, Alex’s Lemonade Stand style.

When I was planning these breakfast protein posts for September, I knew I wanted to incorporate a lemon-y recipe that was also a good source of morning protein. This wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be! I typically like my lemon in cake form, and baked goods and protein don’t exactly go hand-in-hand for me. It usually involves adding protein powder, which just makes thing taste off to me.

And then, I stumbled upon a recipe I’d had written down for a while, but had never made. Lemon Cottage Cheese Potato Pancakes. See, still cake!

Truthfully, I don’t even remember where I got this recipe. It’s just one of those one jotted down on a slip of paper and stuck in a pile. Every time I would run into it, I would get all excited at the idea of making them, but I never would.

That was very silly of me.

These were really delicious, and one of those recipes that has few ingredients, is low on time and effort, and is both tasty and versatile. You could totally make these as a side dish for dinner, or serve them as a late lunch. But, since I’ve been writing about breakfast all month, these had a starring role for a couple of mornings.

Lemon Cottage Cheese Potato Pancakes

4 Medium sized Potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 TBSP minced shallots

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese

1/2 cup flour

Zest of one small lemon

1/2 teaspoon herbs

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Form into 16 small patties. Heat oil on a griddle or frying pan. Cook until golden brown over medium heat, about 4 minutes per side.

That’s it. No, really, that’s it. Crazy, right?

A couple of notes. I used whipped cottage cheese, so no lumps, but I think it would be just as good with regular. You can totally make the potatoes ahead, just let them warm up a bit before you start mixing. For the herbs, I used thyme and parsley, but really, use whatever is your preference. These also freeze well, just wrap them in wax paper and pop them in a freezer bag. Then, when you’re ready to eat them, a minute or two in the microwave and you’re good to go.

The cakes were creamy in the middle with crispy edges. So good! Serve them…pretty much however you like. I mean, I wouldn’t put maple syrup on them or anything, they’re not that kind of pancakes. But in this case, hollandaise made a lovely ‘syrup’. Plus, more lemon! The potato pancakes made an egg-cellent (yolk, yolk) base for my Eggs Benedict. I took pictures but truthfully, the looked like crap, sooooooo….

So, why Lemon? Well, if you don’t already know, we’ve formed a team for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Million Mile Run-Walk-Ride, to raise money for pediatric cancer research. We’re walking and running and riding and raising money for pediatric cancer research. If kicking cancer’s butt is your thing, you should totally join us!

Recipe Box: Watermelon sangria

July 18, 2014 by vfreile

Earlier this month my mama-in-law introduced me to a light, tasty adult summer drink – watermelon sangria!

We made this adult beverage at a family party and it was quite the hit. We’re a family of foodies, so know high standards were met, folks!

So since it’s my sister’s birthday today – and she loves all sorts of sangria – I thought I’d share this gift with everyone! And Happy Birthday Sissy!

Without further adieu, here’s what you’ll need to create my new favorite drink of champions:

– 12-14 cups of cubed watermelon, divided

– 1 (750ML) bottle of dry white wine

– 1 cup vodka

– 1/2 cup triple sec

– 1/2 cup simple syrup (sugar and water mixture)

– 1 medium lime, chopped and quartered

– 2 oranges, cut into thin sliced

– 1 cup (or so) of fresh blueberries

Got everything together? Great. Now start with the watermelon. I’d seriously chopped up 3 within the 24 hour span before making this so I was verging on expert, I like to think.

1. Place 9 cups of watermelon cubes in a blender; blend on high until very smooth. It’s incredibly wise not to do it all at once, but in parts, say 3 cups at a time. Otherwise your blender might get overwhelmed and quit.

2. Strain juice through a mesh strainer into a large pitcher. We used a huge thermos instead of a pitcher. We also used a spoon to help push the blended watermelon through the strainer.

3. Pour the wine, vodka, triple sec and simple syrup into the pitcher. Stir to combine. We used generous amounts of the alcohol.

4. Mix the remaining 3 cups of watermelon cubes (I made them really small), the lime and orange sections and blueberries into the sangria. Stir.

5. Chill for 4 hours before serving. I skipped this last step and just added ice. You could go crazy and do both.

Drink and enjoy! You will soon become the hit of the party.

What’s your go-to summer drink? Do you ever add fruit to your adult beverage?

Recipe Box: Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

February 20, 2014 by writeitdownjess

You guys!

I did it. I cooked a meal and I didn’t burn anything and the smoke alarm didn’t go off (I didn’t even have to disconnect it!) and the house smelled good and it turned out REALLY, REALLY WELL. I can’t tell you how shocked my entire family was. Mister Jess had even brought home an emergency back-up meal, even though he said it wasn’t. “Oh, mashed potatoes totally go with salsa chicken! And since I was there, I picked up an entree and a baguette and some veggies, too.”

Right. Well, we all ate and enjoyed this delicious crock pot meal, so now I offer it up to you, dear Scoot a Doot readers. It’s so, so easy and really versatile and requires about two seconds-worth of effort.

Let me know what you think!

Prep time – like, 2 minutes

Cook time – 6-8 hours on low setting

Serves – 4 good eaters with leftovers

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breasts, frozen
1 or 2 jars of salsa (I used 2)
1 bag of frozen corn (canned corn is fine too)
1 can black beans
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 block of cream cheese
Optional: 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped

Pour salsa into the crock pot, followed by the taco seasoning. Once that is in, stick your chicken breasts in. I immersed the chicken into the salsa and covered the top of the chicken with it so the flavor would really soak up.

Cover your breasts!

Set your crock pot to low heat and then fuggedaboutit. Your house will soon fill with spicy deliciousness, though, so you may end up checking the crock pot every hour and wishing you could eat it right then. That was my process.

Are you ready yet? Now are you ready? How about now?

About 30 minutes before your time is up, add in the black beans, corn and cream cheese. I found that I needed to break up the cream cheese a little bit a few minutes after I put it in, and then about 15 minutes later. It didn’t want to melt on its own.

Almost there…

Serve over tortilla chips for nachos (what we did), or use as the filling for tacos, enchiladas or burritos. Easy peasy! Yum yum!

The final product!

FYI, I did not add cilantro because I think it’s the devil’s spice, but some people like it so you may find that it adds a little something to your version.

This recipe is:

Recipe Box: Buffalo Chicken* Chili

January 14, 2014 by bec2point0

*contains no buffalo. Or chicken. I’ll explain.

With my work Biggest Loser competition starting last week, I knew it was time to get back in the kitchen. After being waylaid by the flu and strep throat, I finally got down to business this weekend, and the first order on the agenda was making this chili. I came across the recipe in Weight Watchers Magazine and my entire being was like ‘YES!!’

Because chili. And buffalo chicken. And yum.

The original recipe called for ground skinless chicken breast. This is all-but-impossible to find, so I grabbed ground skinless turkey breast. I also had to make a special trip to buy beer, as this is not something I ever have on hand. The rest of the ingredients are typical panty staples at Casa de Bec.

This chili is GOOD, but I’ll say this. It’s not very chili-like. I don’t know if it’s the color, or the lack of beans (which you could totally add, and I think I will next time), but it doesn’t scream ‘CHILI’ to me. What it does scream is ‘HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS’. And really, that’s more important.

I hope you guys enjoy!

Buffalo Turkey Chili

Adapted from Weight Watchers Magazine, November/December 2013

Prep – 15 minutes

Cook – 30 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients:

2 tsp Canola Oil

1 lb ground skinless turkey breast

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

12 ounces light beer

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

¼ cup hot sauce

¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

¼ cup light sour cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add beer, broth, tomatoes and hot sauce, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened (about 15 minutes). It doesn’t get particularly ‘thick’, so just cook until your veggies are how you like them.

Garnish each serving (about 1.5 cups) with 1 TBSP each crumbled gorgonzola cheese and light sour cream.

ENJOY.

No seriously, enjoy. It’s really good. Not too hot, but hot enough. And if you’re doing Weight Watchers, the original recipe lists this as 7 Points Plus per serving. That’s a good deal for a big bowl of chili with toppings. I made this for lunches this week, but it would totally work for dinner with a side salad. Or hey, if your home team has a really good shot of making the Superbowl (Go Pats!), this would be a great addition to a Superbowl party.

We hope you guys enjoy this! What’s your favorite Superbowl party food? Any healthy recipes you want to share with us??

Recipe Box: Snow Ice Cream

January 6, 2014 by vfreile

Flakes, flurries, snow.

If you haven’t lived with snow the last few days, you certainly heard about it from your frostbitten friends.

It’s been a frigid few days with heaps of snow in the northeast. More than a foot of snow blanketed my town last week, which meant shoveling my driveway three times in less than a day. And let’s not even talk about how the temps dropped to single digits with wind chills around -15. (Word on the street is that it will be even COLDER today with FEET of snow to cover parts of western NY. I’m in denial. Join me there, please.)

In all, we got about 15-16 inches in my yard last week. And that meant lots of fresh snow to make a tasty snack…. Snow ice cream!

That’s right. It’s ice cream made of snow. SNOW!

The recipe was shared by a friend and former colleague Marketta, who writes a column for the Democrat and Chronicle and writes her own blog, Simply Faithful. Last year, during a big snowfall, she shared her family recipe for snow ice cream.

Snow ice cream?

I’d never heard of such a thing before. My boss assured me it was real Midwestern treat. He also relished stories about how he enjoyed homemade snow ice cream as a child.

I printed out Marketta’s recipe and waited for some snow.

Winter ended without another huge snowfall and I forgot all about it until last week. And let me tell you, snow ice cream completely lived up to the hype. Marketta generously encouraged me to share her family’s recipe.

Here’s a list of what you’ll need:

Marketta’s snow ice cream
– 1 gallon of fresh snow
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 can condensed milk
– 1 tsp. vanilla

I collected snow from my backyard, away from trees or other debris.

Using the same stock pot I’d taken into the snow, I combined all of the ingredients and stirred them together.

Keep stirring until mixture has consistency of ice cream. Add milk if it seems too dry.

I know this looks a bit like mashed potatoes, but trust me. It’s fantastic!

Eat as much as your can stand on the first go-round. I froze what was left with plans to eat the rest the next day and it became a big sweet block of ice. But not to worry, it was still edible. It just needed to thaw for about 15 minutes before I could serve it up.

Have your ever heard of snow ice cream? Have you tried it? Would you?

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