FALL TREATS

Remember back in the good old days when it was nice and warm out, and popsicles were a good way to cool down? Well I have good news for you- those days aren't completely over! I am incorporating one of my favorite fall drinks, Baileys Irish Cream, and making something pretty tasty with them.

I decided I didn't want the good days to die out too soon- so I decided to incorporate one of my favorite fall drinks, Baileys Irish Cream, in to something pretty tasty with them.

INGREDIENTS:
 - baileys irish cream
 - instant espresso - mix to packages directions
 - milk substitute - like almond, soy or rice milk
 - popsicle molds

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 :  you will want to make sure you wash your popsicle molds really well, and dry them out - any residual water will freeze to the molds.

2 :  in your Popsicle molds- mix 3/4 Baileys, with 1/8 milk substitute and 1/8 espresso



3 :  put the tops of your molds on, put in the freezer and freeze overnight, or at least 6 hours, until completely frozen


4 :  remove from molds, and enjoy!

HEALTHY RECIPES SOURCES FROM AROUND THE 'NET

We all know Pinterest has some great recipes. They have pretty much anything you can think of - along with a whole lot more you've never heard of or can't imagine trying. They are probably the very best resource when you know what you're looking for. But what about when you have no idea what you want to eat? All you know is you want it to be good for you and maybe you want to use fresh ingredients. Well here are a couple of excellent resources that will help you on your quest. Some are free, some charge a nominal fee (but are well worth it)

1. Healthy Meal Ideas from the Food Network - This site has everything from healthy restaurant options to healthy dessert recipes and meals for the whole family. The layout isn't the greatest, but it's free!

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2. Healthy Recipes section of AllRecipes.com - No shortage of recipes here! And they're broken down into some unique categories, including staff picks. There's quite a bit to choose from, but don't be overwhelmed. I think the pictures and the format make browsing very easy.

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3. eMeals - This is a pay service, but they do offer a free 14 week trial. And the actual charge can be anywhere from $5-10 each month, depending on the length of service you sign up for. These meals are fantastic. They all come with a main dish and a side dish, lay out the exact calorie count along with the shopping list you need for exactly that meal. Definitely worth at least the free trial.

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4. Greatist.com - Greatist has a great section on healthy recipes as well. The best thing (or should I say greatest?) is that it's broken down by meal time. So you can look at breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. 

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5. Cooking Light - This is something you could subscribe too, but they also have free content on their website, and are a great resource when trying to make a healthier meal. 

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What are your favorite places to find a new healthy recipe? Let us know!

SUPER SIMPLE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Tonight we had a little impromptu birthday party for one of my roommates. There was going to be cake, so I decided since I got my fancy new ice cream maker at a thrift store (for 5 dollars!!) I would throw together this super easy vanilla ice cream recipe.


I'd already tried this recipe and it didn't exactly go as planned, but it meant I had some leftover whole milk and heavy cream. Perfect for another attempt at making ice cream!

The main reason I chose this recipe is because it involves no eggs and no cooking, and I already had all of the ingredients. I only had 1.25 cups of whole milk, however. So I divided 1.25 by 2, and multiplied the rest of the ingredients by .63 (I rounded to 2/3). 

Reviews were very positive, and I'm dealing with a fairly critical bunch. For a simple ice cream that involved fake vanilla flavoring, it complimented the various cupcakes we had quite nicely. 

Tips or tricks for a good and affordable homemade vanilla ice cream? I need suggestions!

PUMPKIN TREATS GALORE

I hate to say it, but it seems that Fall has found us again. Not that I do not enjoy Fall... But I know what follows it- and in Minnesota- that is not something that I look forward to...

This is the time of year that I like to lie to myself most, and have usually end up going through the steps of grief- starting with denial, which then turns in deep cold shivery depression- which then turns in to the winter blues- and so on so fourth...

Anyways................ this year I have decided that rather than going in to a 8 - 9 month slump, I am going to be optimistic... THAT'S RIGHT! Optimistic! In order to do that, I am going to be doing a fall series with sweets, treats and other yummy things to help boost me out of my moody slump.

To start, I thought it only fitting to do a Fall Flavor Round-Up- and what else do you think of when you think fall but Pumpkin! Heck Yeah the PSL is HERE!!!

1:  Pumpkin Chai Smoothie

2:  Creamy Penne with Pumkin Sauce

3: Pumpkin Ice Cream

4:  Pumpkin Pie Almonds

5:  Pumpkin Alfredo with Goat Cheese and Sage

6:  Pumpkin Mini Donuts

7:  Pumpkin Spice Iced Vietnamese Coffee

What do you like to make/eat for the fall?

Are you like me and can't get enough of Pumpkin?

BANANA MUFFINS

Today I've got a fantastic banana bread recipe for you all! I'll admit, when it comes to banana bread or banana muffins, I'm quite picky. I rarely buy it at coffee shops because it's often tainted by the lemon flavored items in the case. And if I make it myself I never add nuts. I'm a purist.

Anyway, this recipe is actually my mom's, or maybe her mom's, I'm not even sure. It's simple and delicious and just the best. I don't have too many photos of the process for this one, since it's incredibly straight forward, but I did take a couple so you can see how great they look!





As a note I did make muffins instead of bread, but this recipe is perfect for either, I just didn't have time for the bread.

Now let's get started:

INGREDIENTS:

3 bananas

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter or shortening or margerine

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

3 tbps sour milk (if you don't have sour milk use regular milk and ¼ tsp of vinegar to make it sour)

2 cups flour

½ tsp of salt

Those pesky frozen bananas

 INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the bananas into a large mixing bowl.
Once all ingredients are combined, peel those gross cold bananas and plop them into the bowl on top. I suppose if you wanted you could cut them first, but I never do.
Fold bananas into the mixture. For this you can use a mixer to make sure the bananas are well incorporated, but they combine quickly so don't mix too long.
Grease the muffin tin or bread tin you're using, and fill about two thirds full with batter.

For muffins my mom says to bake 10-12 minutes, these took me about 16. Depends on your oven.
For bread, it's about 45-60 but watch it carefully so as not to burn the bottom.

On the cooling rack

 Once you're finished, there's nothing left to do but eat them! Bring them as a snack to work or have them for breakfast. They're perfect at all times of the day!

YUM WORTHY RECIPES

I am ALWAYS looking for new recipes to make for myself and others. I sometimes struggle with coming up with new food items to make. Because I am usually so busy, being creative in the kitchen sometime falls down on the priority list.

That being said, I am SO happy that Pinterest houses thousands upon thousands of good recipes! Seriously, you can find almost anything on there- breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes, vegan recipes, gluten free recipes, vegetarian recipes, smoothie (and cleanse) recipes, and just about any type of dessert recipe you could ever want!

For me, this has made things a ga-zillion times easier to come up with a new dinner or a good snack to bring to a summer picnic.

Here are a few of the ones on my menu for the month.


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What are you cooking lately? Have you found any good recipes lately?

For more food inspiration, check out our Pinterest board dedicated to these and other recipes!

CHIA SEED PUDDING: YUMMY!

Chia seed pudding is such a great and healthy breakfast and snack option, with so many possibilities. Chia seeds are rich in vitamins, and are said to help with weight loss (a total win!). I usually like mine for breakfast, and I like to add fruits to balance out my meal a little. I have also heard of people adding nuts, peanut butter or neutella, and even eggs to their Chia seed pudding to make it something a little more their own.

Oh- I bet you are thinking "Chia Seeds? Like as in the Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia Pet?". YUP! They are the very same. Don't worry- you wont grow a hairy puppy or a Homer Simpson in your belly after you eat it.

Anyways, this is my favorite way to make it...

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup chia seeds (I use these all the time)

- 1 cup milk (I use vanilla soy or almond milk- blasted lactose intolerance!- but you can use any milk)

- fruit- I use raspberries mostly, but I have made it with mango and other berries before.

- honey, or some other form of sweetener (you can use agave nectar or sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1: Pour your chia seeds in a dish or tupperware container. I have made this so many times, that I usually just eyeball everything- this recipe is definitely not an exact science.

2: Mix in your sweetener. I like to use honey (an alternative to sugar), but you can also use stevia or just plain white sugar. This measurement is definitely up to you. I don't like it to be too sweet, so I use about 1/2 - 1 Tbls. however My Mr. likes it to be a bit sweeter, so I will usually just add sugar to his.

3: Next, mix in your milk, and stir it in.

4: Now it gets to the good stuff- the fruit. Like I said before, I like raspberries best, so I make most of mine with them. Drop in as many as you think you would like- I like to use quite a few of them, but that part is up to you and your taste.

5: Once you have dropped all of the raspberries, smash them up a little- that way they meld in with the other ingredients, and are a little easier to eat.

6: Make sure you mix all of the ingredients together!

7: Let your pudding sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour, to ensure that all of the Chia Seeds have absorbed the milk (I usually make mine the night before I want to eat it, and let it sit overnight).

what it looks like when the seeds have absorbed the milk.

NOTE: When you take it out, if it seems a bit dry (or like there is too many seeds to how much milk you used) add a little more milk.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Have you used Chia seeds before? If so, what do you use them in?

AMERICA! LET'S EAT SUMMER TREATS

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Hopefully your day is filled with family, friends, and fun!

So, I was having a pretty difficult time figuring out exactly what I wanted to post for today (if anything at all). I didn't want to discuss my love for my country, or how cute (or kind if weird looking) I think bald eagles are- so I decided I would do a red white and blue themed post. Classic!

Now, this decision could really go pretty far down a rabbit hole of themes, but what better way to celebrate your independence than with some tasty food!

So here we are folks- my version of a bombpop- my red, white and blue popsicles! I remember eating bombpops all the time during the summer as a kid- and one of the floats in our local town parade gave them out (until food was banned- what gives guys, that was the best part!). So I decided what better way to celebrate our independence, than with a tasty summer treat!

INGREDIENTS:

Red layer:
2 cups raspberries
1/4 cup coconut water- I use this one
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

White layer:
1 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt

Blue layer:
2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1: Blend the fruit for the blue layer and for the red layer with coconut water and lemon juice in a blender individually. You can strain out the seeds in the red layer if you prefer- I left about half of them in, give them some texture.

2: In a separate bowl- mix yogurt and 1/4 cup of coconut water  together.

PUTTING THEM TOGETHER:

1: Fill your popsicle molds about 1/3 of the way full with the red layer. Put them in the freezer for 45 minutes (or until firm to touch).

2: Repeat step 1 for the white layer next, and then the blue later.

3: Once frozen solid (it took them about 6 hours to fully freeze- I left mine in overnight, just for good measure), remove from the popsicle molds, and ENJOY!

NOW:  for some fun Fourth of July pictures.

Do you have any fun plans for the Fourth?

What kinds of food do you like to eat during the Summer?