Obsessed with Hawaiian Rolls

We love Hawaiian rolls.  They are so versatile, useful to accompany with any meal, but in addition, they can be used for these amazing recipes!

Asian Bread Pudding:

Ingredients:

8 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

16-18 Hawaiian rolls 

4 cups of half and half

1 cup of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

dash of cinnamon if desired

Instructions: 

1. Whisk in bowl yolks, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon to make the custard base

2. Dice into quarters Hawaiian rolls and let soak in custard bowl.  Place bottom halves in a baking dish or sheet pan that fits. Pour half of the custard mixture on top soaking bottom halves.

3. Put on top halves of croissants and pour over rest of the custard mixture. Let whole thing soak about 15 minutes.

4. Have oven preheated to 350 degrees

5. Place the dish/pan with the mixture on to a larger pan that is filled with about an inch of water. Creating a water bath. Cover pan on top with foil.

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Then take foil off.

7. Continue baking for another 45 minutes until done. Test by poking a toothpick in pudding.  If it comes out clean, then it is ready.

Hawaiian French Toast:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of milk or coconut milk

1 T sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs
8 Hawaiian rolls cut in half

Mix the ingredients (except the rolls) in a bowl.  Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half, soak in mixture for about 20 seconds, then cook on medium until nice and french toasty brown.  Eat with syrup, whipped cream, and pineapple slices!

Sliders:

We love having sliders - mostly turkey sliders on Hawaiian rolls.  It also works great with hot dogs.  MMMmmmmmm how we love our Hawaiian rolls!

Granola with Coconut Oil

I love coconut oil.  It is heaven sent.  You can just mix some of it with chocolate chips, melt it in a microwave and BAM!  You have an instant chocolate shell for your ice cream!

I also discovered that you can use it as the oil for granola!  Preheat your oven at 350 degrees.

Butter a 9x 12 pan and then pour in the following to be mixed:
4 cups of oatmeal
2 cups of sliced almonds
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1/3 cup of sesame seeds

In a small pot on the stove at medium, heat

1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1-2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 cup of honey

Usually takes about 5 minutes to melt everything.  Then, pour the sugar mix over the oatmeal in the pan and mix.

Bake for about 45 minutes, mixing every 15 minutes.  I like mine browner so sometimes I do five minutes after the last time - you basically want the granola to be a bit browned.

Here's what ours looked like!  Goes great with vanilla yogurt and raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries (or all of the above!)

Why Pregnant People Get Fat

I know my title sounds harsh but I can't tell you how often I feel like giving into pregnancy cravings, thinking that the growing abdomen of mine is just a baby, when the reality is, my body is just as susceptible to bad fats and no food group indulgences (think chocolate, cookies, etc.) as a skinny un-pregnant person!  So often, I think of how easy it is to give in and just eat bad.  Just to have that second or third serving of ice cream.  To have another harmless cookie.  To get some donuts.  Pasta for dinner yet again.  Creamy yummy deliciousness.  And then, like so many women before me, I start to make note of the weight loss methods for post pregnancy and how healthy I will eat, as if suddenly my body will jump back and all the bad habits formed during pregnancy will magically disappear along with the baby weight.

The reality is.. healthy eating is healthy eating.  It shouldn't be an ends to a means.  It should be a way of life.  Just because I'm pregnant does not mean I get an excuse to eat bad while my stomach grows anyway.  Just because my body craves some sugar doesn't mean I don't have to moderate it and stay balanced.  You know when you eat bad and then regret it, trying to lose the weight?  Not only that, but you feel awful!  Well.. that happens with pregnancy - only worse because the weight you've gained from the baby camouflages the actual bad weight you put on that the baby really didn't need.

And that is why pregnant people get fat.  Or why this pregnant woman is going to get fat this time around.  Well, that is... unless I keep telling myself and reminding myself that being pregnant is not an excuse to get fat.  You grow for the baby, that is it.  Even worse is the fact that much of the lose skin and excess flab around my waist has not yet made its way off of my body after baby number 1.  So I've got more fat to begin with which means..... I will definitely have more difficulty shedding the baby weight for baby number two.

Oh my.

And yeah, I am not eating for two.  I'm eating for one and a half.

Sara's Chex Mix: AKA BEST chex mix recipe EVER!

I have loved this chex mix recipe from my college buddy Sara, ever since she first gave me some in college.  That's more than ten years ago!  It is absolutely delicious, not too sweet, but just enough, that you can sit there and eat an entire bag full without realizing it.  I have obtained the recipe from her so many times, lost it so many times over the years, that I'm grateful for this blog for which I can forever eternalize the recipe in all its glory!!

First, I gathered the ingredients.  I used about 3/4 box of corn chex mix (generic Wal Mart brand), one full box of the toasted rice chex mix (also generic), one box of honey comb (okay, I lie.. I used a bit more than a box cuz I absolutely LOVE honey comb!), and about a half bag of pretzel sticks.  I mixed it straight onto a cookie sheet (no need to grease as the sugar mix will have butter in it)

Next, I melted in a glass pyrex for about 1 minute 30 seconds: 1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup of light Karo syrup, 3 T white sugar, and 2 drops of vanilla extract.  

 Mix it up with a chopstick or something like that..

 Now comes the hard part... mix it carefully bit by bit onto your chex mix and then mix and mix and mix.

 This is pre-sauce but you get the idea

Mmm, I just love the honey comb.

Cook it in the oven for about 1 hour at 250 degrees, mixing it every 15 minutes.  Let it cool before you package it up.  I filled about 12 sandwich sized ziploc bags (FULL).  Yum!!!

Is This For Real?!

Jamba Juice recipes from this blog.

ALOHA PINEAPPLE
10 oz. pineapple juice
1 scoop plain yogurt
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops pineapple sherbet
1 scoop ice

BANANA BERRY
12 oz. apple juice
2 scoops bananas
1 scoop blueberries
1 scoop frozen yogurt
1 scoop raspberry sherbet
1 scoop ice

BERRY FULFILLING
4 oz. raspberry juice
8 oz. enlightened base
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop raspberries
1 scoop blueberries
1 scoop ice

BERRY LIME SUBLIME
12 oz. raspberry juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop raspberries
2 scoops lime sherbet
1 scoop ice

BRIGHT EYED AND BLUEBERRY
12 oz. soymilk
2 scoops yogurt
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop blueberries

CARIBBEAN PASSION
12 oz. Mango-passion juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop peaches
2 scoops orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

CITRUS SQUEEZE
6 oz. pineapple juice
6 oz. orange juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

COLD BUSTER
12 oz orange juice
2 scoops peaches
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

KIWI BERRY BURNER
12 oz. Kiwi juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop raspberries
2 scoops raspberry sherbet
1 scoop ice

MANGO-A-GO-GO
12 oz. Mango-passion juice
3 scoops mangos
2 scoops pineapple sherbet
1 scoop ice

MANGO MANTRA
4 oz. orange juice
8 oz. enlightened base
2 scoops mangos
2 scoops peaches
1 scoop ice

MIGHTLY CHERRY CHARGER
4 oz. raspberry juice
6 oz. soymilk
2 scoops cherries
1 scoop strawberries
2 scoops frozen yogurt
1 scoop ice

ORANGE-A-PEEL
12 oz. orange juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops frozen yogurt
1 scoop ice

ORANGE BERRY BLITZ
12 oz. orange juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop blueberries
2 scoops pineapple sherbet
1 scoop ice

ORANGE CHERRY CHEER
6 oz. orange juice
6 oz. soymilk
3 scoops cherries
1 scoop frozen yogurt
1 scoop orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

ORANGE DREAM MACHINE
6 oz. orange juice
6 oz. soymilk
2 scoops frozen yogurt
2 scoops orange sherbet
2 scoops ice

PEACH PLEASURE
12 oz. peach juice
2 scoops peaches
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

PINA COLADA
12 oz. pineapple juice
1 Tbls coconut
1 scoop bananas
2 scoop frozen yogurt
2 scoops pineapple sherbet
1 scoop ice

PUMPKIN SMASH
8 oz soymilk
1 scoop pumpkin mix (from can)
4 scoops frozen yogurt
2 scoops ice

RAZANATAZ
12 oz raspberry juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

STRAWBERRIES WILD
12 oz. apple juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
2 scoops frozen yogurt
1 scoop ice

STRAWBERRY NIRVANA
4 oz. apple juice
8 oz. enlightened base
4 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas
1 scoop ice

STRAWBERRY SURF RIDER
12 oz. lemonade
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop peaches
2 scoops lime sherbet
1 scoop ice

SUNRISE STRAWBERRY
12 oz. soymilk
2 scoops yogurt
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop bananas

TANGO TROPIC
12 oz. peach juice
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop peaches
1 scoop raspberry sherbet
1 scoop orange sherbet
1 scoop ice

TROPICAL AWAKENING
4 oz. pineapple juice
8 oz. enlightened base
2 scoops strawberries
1 scoop blueberries
1 scoop bananas
1 scoop ice

WHITE GUMMIE BEAR
12 oz. peach juice
1 scoop peaches
1 scoop of each: orange, lime, pineapple, and
raspberry sherbet and frozen yogurt
1 scoop ice

PINK STARBURST
6 oz. lemonade
6 oz. soymilk
1 scoop of each: pineapple, raspberry, lime, and orange sherbet
1 scoop frozen strawberries
1 scoop ice

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MOO’D
12 oz. chocolate soy milk
1 T cocoa powder
1 heaping T peanut butter
1-2 scoops frozen banana
1 scoop frozen strawberries (optional)
2-3 scoops vanilla frozen yogurt
1 scoop ice