Pork Chops with Apples over Cheesy Zucchini Rice

I love the Pioneer Woman but I feel like she always uses way too much butter and oil and fatty stuff.  Nevertheless, she never fails me!

I made the pork chops with apples (slathered in maple syrup) and then instead of topping it on grits (which we don't have any of), I put it on cheesy zucchini rice.  Delicious combination to say the least!

Ingredients:
Pork Chops with Apple
2 Fiji apples
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cups of Maple Syrup
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
3 pork chops (no bones)
salt and pepper

Cheesy Zucchini Rice
1 cup of rice
1 T olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
3 T butter
1 cup of cheese
1 zucchini, grated

Instructions:
Pork Chops with Apples
Heat a large pan over medium-high and add olive oil and butter.  Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops, brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter mix until both sides are brown and golden.  Remove and set aside on a plate.  Reduce the heat to medium, add apples and stir them with the oil and butter still in the pan.  Pour in the wine and vinegar, whisk the bottom and cook until liquid is reduced and boiling, about 5 minutes.  Pour in the maple syrup, add some salt and pepper, and then return the pork chops to the pan.  Cover the pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Heat a large pan on medium with olive oil.  Add the rice and toast the rice for about 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and let simmer for 15-20 minutes (rice should be pretty ready when you look again).  Add in the grated zucchini, butter, and cheese, and then put back on low-medium for another 5 minutes.

French Toast with Leftover French Bread

We used french bread to go along with our delicious cauliflower soup on Monday, but this was an easy way to get rid of the remaning bread.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
pinch of salt

Directions:
I heated on medium, about 2 T of butter.  I soaked each piece of thinly sliced french bread for about 30 seconds on each side, and then cooked it until brown on each side.  Sifted some powder sugar over it (with my tea bag holder haha.. you gotta make due with what you have!), enveloped it in syrup, and served it to my boys.  It would have been nice to have fruit garnishes, alas we didn't.

Cauliflower Soup

I really wanted some cauliflower soup today, to my disdain, cauliflower was quite expensive!  But after tasting this soup, it was well worth it!

Ingredients:
3/4 head of cauliflower broken into little florets
1 carrot - peeled and shredded
1/2 small onion - diced
1 chicken bouillon
2 cups water

3 T flour
3 T butter
1 t pepper
1 t salt
2 cups milk
1 cup white cheddar
1 T corn starch


Directions:
Combine cauliflower, carrot, onion, water, and chicken bouillon in a pot until boiling.  Then simmer for 15 minutes.  The last 5 minutes of the simmer, in a small pot on medium, combine flour, butter, pepper and salt, and mix well.  Once melted together, slowly add in milk, then cheese, then add to the vegetable mix on low or medium, add the corn starch, continue to mix, then taste... add salt and pepper as needed.  Tastes great with french bread or garlic bread or saltine crackers.  Enjoy!

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

Easy Spaghetti Squash

This is an easy great dish as a side, or as a main (but you'd have to eat a LOT of it).

Ingredients:
1/2 spaghetti squash
1 16oz can of diced tomatoes
1/3 medium yellow onion diced
feta
salt and pepper, sprinkle
olive oil, for cooking

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and attempt to cut spaghetti squash in half (long ways) - I always have issues with this and normally have my husband help if he's around.  Remove the seeds from the squash, place in a pan or cookie sheet with open sides facing upward, and cook for about 35-40 minutes.

You'll know the spaghetti squash is ready when you scrape it with a fork and the stringy particles (like spaghetti) are easily removed.  If not, cook it a bit longer.  When ready, scrape it all and be prepared to throw it into your other pan as needed.

Dice 1/3 of a medium yellow onion.  Heat a medium pan on medium, put a tablespoon of olive oil in, and after about 1-2 minutes (so pan is hot) throw in your onions and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant, adding salt and pepper on it  Pour in the can of diced tomatoes (with juices) and cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Then, add your scraped spaghetti squash, cook it with the tomatoes and onions for about 3 minutes, and then you're all done!  Sprinkle crumbled feta before eating (if you add it while cooking, it looks really gross).

My Favorite Skinny Veggie Sandwich

Much of this is inspired from Panera's Mediterranean Veggie, which is by far, my FAVORITE sandwich ever!  Alas, I do not have their wonderful tomato country bread nor do I love the red onion on theirs so I have adapted it and added what I love to make it the best skinny veggie sandwich EVER!

Ingredients:
2 slices of Country Hawaiian Bread
Hummus
4-5 slices of cucumber
4-5 slices of tomato
roasted red bell peppers (mine are from a jar)
sliced banana peppers (also from a jar)
crumbled feta cheese
half an avocado

Instructions:
Spread hummus on both sides of the bread.  On one side, spread half of the avocado (mush it up and make it as flat as possible, doesn't need to be pretty.  Layer on the cucumber, tomato, red bell peppers, banana peppers, sprinkle some crumbled feta, and pour yourself a tall glass of water to go with the BEST VEGGIE SANDWICH EVER!!!

Kale Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and dry kale and cut off of rib into 2" pieces.  For one bunch of kale, use about 1 T of olive oil (or less, I use only about 1 t) and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until you can smell the kale, check the kale and the sides should start to curl.  It will be crispy and "chip" like, that's when you know it's ready.

Blue Velvet Cupcakes and Piping Tricks!

I am not a baker.  So when I saw blue velvet cupcakes on Pinterest, though it sparked my interest.. there was absolutely no desire to try them, only eat them.  The problem with that is.. who is going to make 'em for me?  I suppose... me.  *le sigh.

With football season starting and our team being blue... this was the perfect time to try them.  So Jordan and I got all the ingredients in place and we attempted to make cupcakes and pipe them.  We even went so far as to purchasing a big fat 2M star piping tip from JoAnn Fabric for about $2.  I am usually not a fan of messy things but after learning my piping trick (see below), I am all about piping now.  If only I could get the texture of the icing right. ...

Here's the cake part.  There are spaces in between the ingredients that correspond with the instructions, it just helps me for future repeat cupcake making.

Cake:

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 T cocoa powder

1T blue Wilton food coloring (icing color or something)

1 dab of Wilton violet (I did this but mine still came out bright blue, which I kinda liked anyway)

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 t salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t baking soda

1 T vinegar

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream sugar and butter, then mix in one egg at a time (mix after each egg)

Separately, mix cocoa and food coloring into a paste.

Add to sugar mixture and mix well.

Sift flour and salt, then add to colored sugar mixture alternating buttermilk as well.

Add in vanilla extract, mix.

Separately, combine baking soda and vinegar.  Then add to batter and mix.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  Mine were ready around 23 minutes.  And I made 28 total (but a few were runt looking.. )

This is how you do it Mom...

Watch me!

The ingredients.. and one cute boy!

The cocoa powder and icing dye (which Jordan is holding)

up close and personal (great movie!)

I'm blue dadeeeba doooo daba do badee ba doo doo

it's blue alright!

Frosting

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter

2 of the 8 oz cream cheese packages (I always use light)

4 cups of powdered sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Instructions: Mix butter and cream cheese until mixed and fluffy, add vanilla, then slowly add sifted powdered sugar all while mixing.  If not thick enough for piping, add more powdered sugar.  

Piping Trick:

This is my absolute favorite thing to do because it's clean and makes piping fun (I hate messes... I'm the girl who is cleaning her bowls in between the cake and frosting because I'm anal like that).  

You will need saran wrap, a freezer size ziploc bag, scissors, and your piping tip!

1) Begin by laying a piece of saran wrap on the counter top - I usually tear one about 8 x 15.  

2) Scoop up some of your frosting into the middle of the saran wrap.

3) Wrap the icing the long way (hot dog) 

 4) Now take the sides and holding it, start to toss the icing around until it wraps up like a piece of candy, like this:

 5) Taking scissors, cut one side of the wrapped candy like icing, and one corner of your ziploc bag.

 6) Now place the cut part of the wrapped icing, and place it into the ziploc bag, after placing the piping tip into the hole you cut in the ziploc bag.
I used a 2M Wilton tip (but the inscribing says 2D), found in the baking aisle at my local JoAnn Fabric!

 

Should look like this:

 7) Now ... you pipe!  And no mess!!!  SOOO awesome.

I'm still learning how to get the icing the right texture to pipe.  I think you need more powdered sugar to make it stiffer?! Bah, who knows.  It's a Mone!... looks good from far (but far from good).

8) When you're done... you'll have an almost empty thing of saran wrap to just dispose of. Like this:

I'm not crafty, I'm just cheap.  

They tasted pretty good!

Love me some potlucking....

 And kids running around...

And husbands standing to watch their game intensely while the kids ask if they can go home now

 And leftover cupcakes for breakfast.

And blue poop for days.  No photo of that one.  Sorry, maybe next time. 

Dual-Purpose Your Cleaning Routine

There are two things I like to get done around the house but never manage to find time for.

Clean.
Work out.

Today, I tried to prioritize both.

Made bed.
25 jumping jacks.
Loaded laundry.
15 girly push-ups.
Tidied up living room.
50 bicycle sit-ups.
Prepared son's breakfast.
Jumped with son on medicine CORE ball for 2 songs (about 6 minutes) - must have a strong core to do this, otherwise you'll fall off with your kid!
I am sweating.. and the house doesn't look so bad.  An idea worth revisiting!