French Toast

If you're looking for a good french toast recipe, you're in luck! 

You'll need:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 8 pieces of sliced bread (we use wheat, although white has a better flavor)

You'll do this:

1. In a medium bowl wide enough to completely submerge a piece of toast, mix together eggs and milk.

2. Add in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. After ingredients are well mixed, add one piece of bread at a time to the bowl, completely coating both sides.

4. Using a non-stick skillet, cook each piece of toast on medium heat (325-350 degrees) for 2 minutes on each side until each side is slightly browned. Do you see the yumminess starting to show?!

If you want to keep the pieces that are done nice and warm, you can store them in the oven at 200 degrees, but don't leave them too long or they'll get lonely! They want to be in your belly after all.

Don't forget nutrition. Apples keep the doctor away...

....and also feed little Truetts who are hungry.

5. To serve, I add cinnamon and sugar and cover this warm goodness with maple syrup. How else is there to serve it?

Golf Cake

You'll need:

• 1 box dark chocolate cake mix (and ingredients to make it...like eggs, water, & oil)
• 2 cans vanilla icing
• green food coloring
• frosting bag and grass tip (or a star shaped tip)

1. Make the chocolate cake, baking it like normal.
2. Let it cool completely. 
3. Take a cup and medium sized cup and press the top of the cup down into the cake, making a hole. Twist is gently to break the cake evenly and remove the cup and the round cake piece very carefully.
4. Ice with 1 can of vanilla icing
5. Dye the second can of frosting green (I used 10 drops of coloring) and ice how you like grass to look! :)

I realize I'm not the world's best baker or fancy cake-icer :) but I sure did try! I wanted to make something special for my father-in-law Wes' birthday and I think that he liked it. :) That's all the matters to me!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

For those of you looking to cut back on carbs, this is a WONDERFUL alternative. I was pleasantly surprised! Thanks to my great friend, Holly for the recipe!

You'll need:
2 cups cooked riced cauliflower
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed garlic
a little olive oil (optional)

Pic taken from this blog, although mine looked just the same!

To rice the cauliflower: Take on large head of fresh cauliflower and remove the stems and leaves. Chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Don't overdo it or you'll get a puree, which is not what you want! Microwave the riced cauliflower in a bowl for 8 minutes. You don't need to add water because there is enough water already in it to cook. One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower and extra can be stored in the fridge up to 1 week.

To make:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix together all ingredients (except olive oil). Transfer this mixture to your pizza baking sheet or stone and form a 9" round pizza crust. Optional: brush olive oil over the top to help with browning.
3. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from Oven.
5. Top the crust with sauce and any other toppings and cheese you would like. Place under a broiler at high heat for 3-4 minutes, just until cheese is melted.

Note: Obviously the toppings, like meat, should be precooked since this isn't adequate time in the oven to cook them completely.

The crust is not as hard and formed as bread, and probably has to be eaten with a fork, but I have found that it's irrelevant to me because it's just THAT GOOD. :) Happy cooking!

S'mores Popcorn

In my quest to cut back on sugar, I do have an out. It's called the weekend. If I make it through the week, I can have the weekend to splurge a few times. So yep, I made this! Funny thing is, I could barely eat any because it was so sweet. I guess that's what happens when you don't eat as much sugar. Ah-hem. So how to make it. You won't be sorry you made this!

 It took me a total of maybe 5 minutes and then an additional 30 minutes for the chocolate to dry. 

Grocery List:

box of Golden Grahams Cereal

bag of mini marshmallows

bag of milk chocolate chips

2 bags (or 1 large and one small) of microwave popcorn

1. On a large baking sheet, mix together half a box of Golden Grahams, half a bag of mini marshmallows, and 1.5 regular sized bags of popped microwave popcorn.
2. Melt the whole bag of chocolate chips (Seriously? You thought I was going to use half the bag of chocolate? Why would I cut back on the best ingredient?!) in the microwave in 30 second segments, stopping to stir until it is completely melted. (Mine only needed to be cooked twice at 30 seconds.)
3. Drizzle the chocolate on the mixed up mess and let the chocolate dry before crumbling up again.

It's good for you!

Baked Acorn Squash

Have you ever had one? If you're not sure you'll like it, try out this easy recipe and take a little risk! :)

You'll need:

1 acorn squash

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350. In a 9x11 pan (or something a little smaller is okay too) put just a little water in the bottom of the pan so that it covers (maybe 1/4 inch). Cut your squash in half just like this and place it face DOWN into the water. This will help it absorb the water and cook without burning the edges. Put it in the oven for 30 minutes.

2. Take out your squash. Flip over the halves face up (careful...they're hot!) and add 1 Tbsp butter and brown sugar to each half. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Wahla!

3. After these cook, it's best to mash up the middles and stir in the melted soupy mixture. It tastes better! I don't cook with butter all that often, but this recipe is worth it!

Bierocks

My mom used to make bierocks on special occasions for all the kids. Now I make them a few times a year, and every time, I remember just why I love them! They are homemade rolls stuffed with hamburger (or turkey) and sauerkraut. And don't you dare dis em til ya try em!

Ingredients:

Filling- 1 lb hamburger meat (we sometimes use lean turkey)

1 can sauerkraut

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c chopped onion

little bit of salt and pepper

Bread- 3 1/2 c white flour

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 1/4 c milk

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c shortening

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown 1 lb hamburger, then add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and sauerkraut. Let this simmer for a bit while you make your bread.

3. Mix 2 cups of flour and yeast in a large bowl (I use a kitchen aid with the bread hook for this). In a seperate bowl, heat and stir milk, sugar, shortening, and salt (when warmed) into the flour mixture. Add the remaining flour and egg. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then beat on high for 3 minutes. You want the dough to be moderately stiff, so knead it until it is (about 6-8 minutes).

4. Then you'll form small flat circles about 4 inches in diameter and fill with your warm hamburger mix. Pinch the dough around the meat so it is completely enclosed and flip the roll over so the pretty part is on top. :)

5. Bake 20 minutes.

I recommend serving these with mustard!

Enjoy!

Quick 1 minute brownies!

Have you ever wanted brownies, but you just need one? That's me, because I don't like sweets sitting around (or I eat them). :) Just so you know, this recipe is phenomenal, but only for the people who like "fudgey" brownies. These aren't the dry crispy kind. :)

Mix in a safe microwavable mug:

4 Tbsp Flour

4 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsp Water

dash of salt

Microwave 1 minute. You can thank me later.

Easy Potato Soup

Most potato soups are cream based, but not this one! This recipe is simple, quick, healthy, and really really good! Trust me, I made it tonight for dinner!

1 bag (32oz) frozen hash browns

1 carton (32oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

3 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk (I use Soy Milk)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup real bacon bits

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Optional:

1/2 diced onions

1 stalk celery, sliced

HOW TO...

1. Dump the hash browns, chicken broth, and water in a crockpot on low. (You can also add 1/2 cup onions and a stalk of celery if you wish, but I prefer it without.) Let this sit 6-8 hours.

2. After step one is finished, mix the milk and flour together in a small bowl and then add to the soup mixture. Turn the crockpot on high for 30 minutes and it should thicken.

3. Add the cheese, bacon bits, and green onions to the top of the soup.

Happy Cooking!

Korean Noodle Bowl

So, after my last post about Sushi, and wanting to further my hot recipes streak, I decided to try this new one, and DING DING, it's a winner! I used what I had at my house, so feel free to alter it based on whatever you have in the fridge!

Ingredients:

1 lb whole wheat linguini noodles

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger (I used pickled ginger that I already had instead)

2 large cloves of garlic, grated

1/4 cup dark soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

3 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp hot sauce (I used a Tbsp cause I like it hot!)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used EVOO instead)

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken meat, cut into thin strips

1/4 c small cabbage, thinly sliced or chopped (I left this out because we didn't have any on hand)

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain. While the pasta is cooking...

2. Combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, sesame oil, and hot sauce and stir it up really well.

3. Chop all the remaining ingredients up for a quick stir fry. In a large hot skillet (high heat) using your EVOO or vegetable oil, add the chicken and cook until browned. Add the cabbage and bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add the scallions and ginger sauce and toss for 1 minute. Pour over the drained noodles and top with the sesame seeds! Serve with hot sauce, of course!

Sushi Date $20

What happens when you're pregnant and want sushi? A veggie sushi date, of course! We made quite the amazing sushi at home the other day (and no I've never taken a class or done it before, so you can do it too!) so I wanted to share my recipes here in case you feel the need for a fun, healthy, $20 date! You can really choose any vegetables you wish, but these were some that Jonathan and I picked for ours. If you want to add crab meat or salmon, that's appropriate too, but I prefer to keep in simple.

Sushi Roll Ingredients:

Seaweed Sheets (also called nori) - plan on 2 per person

white sushi rice

1 red pepper

1 cucumber

1 jar of pickled ginger (not raw ginger)

1 avacado

rice vinegar

soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1 pkg cream cheese

Directions:

1. First, make 1 cup dry rice following to the package instructions (sushi rice is a little sticky, which is good). This will make approximately 2.5 cups after it's cooked.

2. While the rice is cooking, thinly slice your vegetables in long strips so they're easy to roll. You don't want them diced for this, trust me.

3. When your rice is finished, add 2-3 Tbsp of rice vinegar per 1 cup of rice and mix well.

4. On a wet surface (I used a wet cutting board), lay out a sheet of seaweed paper.

5. Spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed, being careful not to get it too close to the edges. After all, you don't want a mess. You want pretty sushi.

6. Lay whatever vegetables you choose to use in a thin line and then roll as tightly and gently as you can with wetted fingers. (We just added ingredients that we wanted, not everything. You can see our sushi rolls below if you need suggestions.)

7. To get the roll to stick shut, just add water under the edge. The nori sheets will stick really well together with water.

8. To slice, make sure to use a very sharp, wetted knife and cut slowly. Each roll should make about 6-8 pieces. (It cuts much easier if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes...if you have the patience) I betcha it turned out great!

9. Make and use your sauces! Don't skimp! It's the best part! May I recommend the Sesame Ginger Sauce? A-MAZING.

Dynamite Sauce: (surprisingly good!)

1/2 cup low-fat mayo (I used fat-free miracle whip)

2 Tbsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Sesame Ginger Sauce: (SUPER WINNER!)

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp ginger root (I used chopped up pickled ginger from above ingredients)

2 1/2 tsp water

Jonathan's Sushi:

Red Pepper

Avacado

Cucumber

Michelle's Sushi:

Cream Cheese

Avacado

Cucumber

Ginger

Pumpkin Fluff

So just as I began to lose all hope that Oklahoma was ever going to cool off this year, today we had a morning of 70s! So, of course, I won't waste a moment sharing one of my very favorite fall treats. I have to mention that this is easy, of course, or why would I be making it? :) Well, lets get to it, huh?

You'll need:

1 can pumpkin

1 regular sized container of Cool Whip (I use Lite)

1 small package of instant vanilla pudding mix (I use sugar-free)

graham crackers, apples, pears or whatever you want to dip!

Get yourself a bowl and dump in the pumpkin, the pudding mix, and the Cool Whip, and whip it up!

When you're finished, you'll get something yummy like this! I love serving it with graham crackers, apples, pears, or baked cinnamon sugar tortilla chips. If you're like my husband, you may just eat it with a spoon. :) Welcome, fall!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

These cookies are called muffin tops because they're really more soft and fluffy like muffins, and less like cookies (which means you can eat them for breakfast, right?) :)

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Stir in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use the back of the scoop or measuring cup to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

OPTIONAL: Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Cooking

A solid 4 square meals is all this girl is hoping for this week. I'll try to add the recipes/pictures of the success stories in the coming days for ya! I'd love to know what you're cooking tonight!

Want to see our menu?

Monday- Grilled Chicken, Watermelon, grilled okra (summer fave), mac & cheese

Tuesday- Sloppy Joes (biggest loser version), potato salad, and frozen hot chocolates

Wednesday- Baked Potatoes, salad, and yogurt & fruit parfaits

Saturday- Chicken and zucchini tomato pasta in creamy lemon-yogurt sauce

Don't know what to make at your house? Let me jog your thoughts real quick... tofu & black bean enchiladas, greek pita wraps, garlic lemon kabobs, enchilada soup, baked ziti, cilantro chutney pizza, chicken & rice casserole, veggie lasagna, homemade chicken noodle soup, bbq meatballs...

Only have 5 minutes? Try this Pulled Pork Sandwich that is stupid easy to make. Check out the awesome recipe here.

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

-1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch wide strips

-2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-2 tsp. Garlic powder

-1 tsp. Paprika

-2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese

Directions

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

-In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with EVOO until lightly coated.

-Add all remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

-Spread potatoes, in a single layer on a large baking sheet.

-Bake for 8-10 minutes, then flip potatoes, cooking 5-10 more minutes.

-Let fries cool for 5 minutes before serving!

5 Minute Dessert

Need a dessert in literally 5 minutes? This is a dessert without a name, but I guess if I named it, it would be the "too easy to complain" cake.

What you'll need:

1. Box of ice cream sandwiches (12 pack)

2. 1 package of Cool Whip

3. 1 large candy bar with toffee in it (I recommend Heath or Skor)

4. Chocolate Syrup (optional)

Directions:

1. Open the ice cream sandwiches and lay them flat until they cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2. Cover these completely with Cool Whip.

3. Drizzle Cool Whip layer with chocolate syrup using as much or as little as you like.

4. Crush your candy bar BEFORE opening it and then sprinkle on top.

Done-zo. Cover and Freeze. This was a winner.

Apple Pie

This is an easy recipe that is completely from scratch. It will take you about 20 minutes to make. Although the pictures may be misleading, you should make the apple filling first, set it aside, and then make the crust.

1. Cut up your apples. I cut them right into my empty pie plate because all pie plates are different and you need just enough to fill it up. Fill it to where it looks like the one below. It's probably about 2-3 cups, but yours could be more or less. Dump the apples out of the pie plate into a large bowl.

Mix the apples with:
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbpn. flour
1-2 tsp. of cinnamon (I use 2 tsp. because I love cinnamon!)


After you've mixed the apples, set aside.

2. It's important to not over work the crust. It will get tough if you do this. To make the crust...

Mix:
2 cups flour
2/3 c. Crisco
1 tsp. sugar
Mix these three ingredients together with a fork until pretty well blended. Now, make a well in the middle of the bowl.

Pour 6 tablespoons of ice cold water into the middle of the well and begin to stir the water into the mixture. It will turn into dough as your work it in. When pretty well mixed, cover your countertop with some flour and get use your rolling pin to make 2 flat crusts.

After you lay your first crust, fill with the apple mixtere and then put your second crust on top. You can pinch the sides to look pretty if you'd like.Make sure to put a couple of slits in your top crust to let the air out. If you don't do this, your crust will puff up huge and probably break open. Cook at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn down to 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Wahla!

Easy Mexican Dinner

When I say easy dinner, I mean that I literally made dinner in 10 minutes while talking on the phone. I made Mexican Stackup last night and you can do it too with what you have in your refrigerator! You literally put anything mexican that you love into it.

1. Line the bottom of a crockpot with corn tortillas

2. Now you will literally dump in as much or as little of the rest of these ingredients as you want! *Note: make sure to save what you need for the second layer because there are two layers of ingredients. (I made mine out the ingredients in red because it's what I had...and it turned out great!)

browned hamburger

black beans

chicken

can of chopped tomatoes (or fresh)

chopped green pepper

chopped onion

corn

salsa

cheddar cheese

3. Put down another layer of corn tortillas and do this process one more time adding all of the ingredients you love.

4. Add one last layer of corn tortillas on top and pour 1 can of enchilada sauce on top and cover with a couple of handfuls of cheddar cheese.

5. Cook 2-3 hours on high or 3-4 hours on low.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

If you want something easy and fun to make, you'll love this! It's rich, but not chocolate--fruity, but not super-sweet. I love it! This recipe makes 12 extra-large cupcakes. (I'm in love with my jumbo sized pans!)

These cupcakes are made with old-fashioned hot milk sponge cake batter, with hot milk beaten into whipped eggs. Before they are filled, these can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a month. You can take out as many cupcakes as you need and defrost them still in their wrapping for a quick dessert! The quantities I give are for 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup whipped cream for each cupcake, but you can adjust it as you like it.

Cupcakes

2/3 c. milk (whole milk is best)

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

1 1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Filling and topping (If you don't want to make this whipped topping, you could also you Dreamwhip)

8 c stemmed and sliced strawberries

1/3 c. granulated sugar

3 c. heavy whipping cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (make sure rack is in center of oven) and line 12 extra-large muffin tin cups with large paper liners or spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the Cupcakes: Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over low heat just until it is hot; Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color (about 3 minutes). Stop mixer and scrape the sides to make sure you get it all! :) Mix in the vanilla and almond. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture and then slowly add the hot milk and continue mixing about 30 more seconds. (Don't freak, the batter will be thin)

Fill each paper liner only about 1/2 full. Bake until top feels firm and toothpick comes out clean (about 16 minutes). Let them cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely. Remove liners (if you used them). They should look spongey! Like This!

You will slice the cupcakes into thirds like this, and stack the cream and strawberries in between.

In large bowl, stir together the sliced strawberries and sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes. (Juice will be released and it will shrink to about 6 cups)

To make the cream, beat the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form like these.

Until then, happy cooking!!

Spinach Skinny-Dip

photo found here

It's about the best thing in the world, and I'm sharing it here because in some small way, I hope to make your life just a little better, and this will. If you try this wondrous recipe this, let me add that you must love garlic. I wouldn't really eat this before a first date or anything, but other than that, enjoy!!

This is a Biggest Loser Recipe and is insanely good for just 21 calories per serving! Yes, that is not a typo friends. I said 21.

Spinach Skinny-Dip

1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2/3 c. drained sliced water chestnuts

3 whole green onions

2 cloves garlic

1/2 c. fat-free sour cream

1/2 c. fat-free plain yogurt

1/2 t. prepared hot mustard (I used spicy brown mustard)

salt, to taste

ground pepper, to taste

Place the spinach in the center of a clean dishtowel. Fold the towel over the spinach and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. This is important so the dip won't be watery. Set aside.

In a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, combine the water chestnuts, green onions, and garlic. Process until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the spinach. Process for 10 seconds, or until combined. Add the sour cream, yogurt, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Process for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Yum! Best of luck to you cooks out there!