Ideas for the Lunchbox: Grilled Cheese Rollups

The budget cuts aren’t just for the US government these days. Here at our house, we’re working on a new budget with the intent to save as much as humanly possible! I’ve always considered us a money-minded and frugal family, but we are working to try and be even more watchful about unnecessary spending.

Man, I really do sound like the US government now.

What is more frugal than a grilled cheese sandwich? Hmmm, I wonder if grilled cheese could be the answer to the US’s debt crisis?! Maybe if all the lawmakers up in Washington would agree to eat them, then we could start saving some REAL money around here. They could put them in their lunchboxes. Now THAT would be a sight!

I saw this idea over at Chin Deep as I was preparing some ideas for Addie’s lunchbox. I can’t claim I came up with these gems, but I knew I had to make them as she has recently found a deep love for grilled cheese. She gets that from her father. I hated them as a kid!

It all starts with some plain and simple sandwich bread. Whatever you can find or afford. Cut off all of the crust leaving as much of the meat of the bread as you can. You’ll also need the sliced cheese of your choice. I cut mine in half and then cut those halves 2 more times to equal about 8 small pieces from each slice.

It’s a pretty simple process. I spared you most of the step by step pictures as to not insult your intelligence. Place a piece of cheese on the very end. Roll. Add another little piece. Roll. And continue in this manner until you’ve come to the end of the bread. I used about 4 pieces for each of mine. Yours may differ depending on the size of your bread.

You can use a little bit of water on the end to help attach it and close it up for frying.

Heat up 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat.

This is where things get hot. The butter absorbs, the cheese melts, and the bread browns! It’s heavenly. It’s around 2 minutes or less on each side. You’ll just need to watch it and determine your favorite color of brown. 🙂

As a side note: you may need more butter depending on how many of these you are planning to make. The butter does absorb pretty quick so it’s possible you’ll have to refill a few times.

Voila! These are so simple and tasty. They would be great for eating with my Homemade Tomato Soup! These would also make a great finger food for a kid’s party.

UPDATE: After seeing how these fared in her lunchbox, we have decided that putting them in the microwave for a few seconds before placing them in the lunchbox helps. My Addie doesn’t prefer them to be cold, but room temp is fine. We’re going to keep trying and figure out a way to make them work. And if you have any ideas, they are surely welcome!

Ideas for the Lunchbox: Grilled Cheese Rollups

Recipe Type: Snack, Lunchbox

Cuisine: American

Author: Adapted a little from Chin Deep

A new way to enjoy grilled cheese and the perfect idea for the lunchbox!

Ingredients

  • 6 pieces white bread
  • 3 pieces sliced cheese of your choice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • Tomato soup or marina sauce for dipping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Remove the crusts from your bread leaving as much as you possibly can.
  2. Roll them flat with a rolling pin or with your preferred method of flattening.
  3. Cut your slices of cheese into smaller little slits. I was able to get about 8 out of each of my slices.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat.
  5. Layout your bread and place a piece of cheese longways on the edge of the bread. Roll inward. Place another piece of cheese and then roll inward again. Until you’ve come to the end of your bread. Using a little bit of water, try to crimp the end so it attaches and closes up the rollup. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just helps the frying process.
  6. Place the rollups in the skillet and fry each side for about 2 minutes or until desired brownness.
  7. Let cool on paper towels and serve with tomato soup or marina sauce!


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

It’s only the first week out of school and I’m finding my snack stash to be a little on the low side. Sure I’ve bought the same as usual like I’ve always done throughout the year, but then it dawned on me….she’s home now.

When Addie would have been learning to spell small words, she is now asking for a Pop-Tart. When she would have been learning to add simple addition problems, she is now asking for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And when Addie would have been out burning off energy on the playground, she is now asking for a piece of candy or popsicle. It’s a never-ending viscous cycle.

She comes to me and asks for something to eat.

I say no.

She comes back 3 minutes later.

I say no.

And the process continues. Am I the only one experiencing this? I feel bad sometimes, like I’m depriving her of her basic needs! But I have to remind myself that she just ate lunch 15 minutes ago and that her main reason for snacking is boredom. I, myself, have that same issue so I can relate. But do as I say, not as I do!

So as I’m telling you all of this, I’m realizing that it’s not exactly a great way to relate my life to these super tasty treats. But I digress and will now tell you about this awesome new discovery that I made!

So I told you earlier this week that I put together a super cool Mickey Mouse party for my now 2 year old. I had so much fun planning this party, it’s ridiculous. This idea came to me when I was figuring out the color scheme.

I wanted RED Rice Krispie Treats. I was thinking what can make things red? Food coloring? Yes, but it’s weird sometimes when things are an unexpected color, but don’t taste any different. (Anybody remember the green ketchup years ago?) Kool-Aid? Maybe. J-ELLO! That’s it!

The rest is history y’all. I whipped up a batch of the original Rice Krispie Treats, but added a box of sugar-free Strawberry J-ELLO to the melted marshmallows before adding them to the Rice Krispies! They turned out delish. They remind me of the Crunch Berries in Cap ‘N Crunch cereal!

You should have seen me when I realized the possibilities. You can make them any flavor that you’d like! Simply add the box of J-ELLO to your melted marshmallows before mixing them with the Rice Krispies. Done deal.

And for the record, I was a teensy bit saddened that they didn’t end up red. I should’ve known that red and white make pink, DUH. Either way, I was very happy with the way they turned out.

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
Recipe Type: Snack, Dessert
Author: Pennywise Cook
This simple trick can get you several different tasty flavors of marshmallow treats!
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 4 Cups Mini Marshmallows
  • 6 Cups Krispy Rice Cereal
  • 1 Pkg Sugar-Free Strawberry J-ELLO Mix (or any flavor you like)
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in marshmallows and until melted.
  2. Add package of J-ELLO and mix until disolved. Remove from heat.
  3. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until well coated.
  4. Place into a well-greased jellyroll pan or casserole dish and let set.
  5. Cut into squares and enjoy!

 


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Hot Boiled Peanuts: It’s a Southern Thang

Sometimes you feel like a nut…

And sometimes you feel like a boiled nut.

My husband and I are doing the Daniel Fast right now. We’re on day 11 of 21 right now. If you’re not familiar with the Daniel Fast, I’ll sum it up by telling you some of the guidelines.

  • No meat, dairy, sugar or artificial sweeteners, leavened bread, or caffeine
  • You can have all vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and whole grains
  • No fried foods
  • Only water to drink
  • It’s based on the book of Daniel in the Bible and 2 of his fasting experiences
  • It’s not only physical, but meant to be a spiritual experience

The first time that Daniel did this fast was for 10 days. The second time was for 21 days. We’ve done the 10-day before without issue so we’ve challenged ourselves to try the 21-day. It’s gone really well so far. Considering that my husband is a cheeseburger and french fry kinda guy, it’s VERY surprising how he gets along with this type of fast. Praise God!

And me? What do I do about my sweets you say? Well let’s just say that bananas and raisins are my best friend these days. Remember my Peanut Butter Choco-Banana Ice Cream? I can actually eat that on this fast! But I have to eat it out of a bowl instead of a cone. Darn…

But I digress…

We’ve also been eating a lot of nuts lately. Almonds and peanuts mostly. You can get these HUGE, I mean HUGE bags of salted and roasted peanuts (in-shell) at Sam’s Club for around $5. It’s amazing how much peanuts will fill you up while providing you with energy.

If you’re from the south or have visited the south before, you’ve probably heard of folks offering Boiled Peanuts. There are signs just about everywhere once you get into Alabamer (yes, Alabamer) and Misippi (yes, Misippi). No need to pronounce words correctly around here, we’re too busy enjoying our boiled peanuts. I wish I could insert an audio clip of how I say boiled for y’all. Words like coil, boil, toilet all come out of my mouth a little on the Paula Deen side. Oh who am I kidding? It sounds a LOT like Paula Deen says boil. 🙂

So with all the nuts we’ve been eating, I wanted a little change in the nut department. So I though why not boil them?

Since the Hamptom Farms peanuts that I bought were already salted, I knew I didn’t need to salt them again. And I didn’t want them swimming in a bunch of oil (once again, just imagine a little Paula Deen accent). So I used water!

1 big pot full of water, a huge amount of salted and roasted peanuts, and 5 hours later you have hot boiled peanuts good enough to make you slap yo mama! It honestly didn’t get any easier than that.

And we didn’t even have to make a trip down to Alabamer!

Hot Boiled Peanuts: It’s a Southern Thang
 
Recipe Type: Snack, Appetizer
Author: Pennywise Cook

There is nothing to making hot boiled peanuts just like they make on those road-side stands in the south!
Ingredients
  • Any amount of in-shell roasted and salted peanuts
  • Water- to cover the entire amount of peanuts
Instructions
  1. Place the amount of desired peanuts into a large pot.
  2. Cover with water.
  3. Bring to a boil, then lower the temp to a simmer.
  4. Cover and let simmer for 4-5 hours or until the shells begin to give a little and the peanuts inside are soft.
 
Notes

You can of course get peanuts that aren’t salted already, just be sure to salt your water when boiling them.
Your water will evaporate throughout the boiling process, be sure to continue adding more hot water in order to keep the peanuts covered.

 


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Butterscotch Pretzel Treats

Thanksgiving is in TWO days! This year has just flown by. Have you finished all your big feast shopping? I sure hope so, because the stores are nuts about now. I was in a few stores the other day and just gave up. You know those trips to the store when you have only a couple of items. Then you get in line only to realize that for those 2 items you’ll have to wait in line for 20 minutes. That’s about the time that I start to justify whether or not it’s absolutely necessary that I get those items.

I usually just give up.

I wanted to share with you guys these awesomely yummy treats that I made the other day. When I’m feeling experimental, I pick up things I think might go well together and then kinda throw it together. As you know, sometimes it works well and other times, well, it completely bombs.

I’m human and a novice cook, so what can I say?

So this is why I was so very happy when these tasty Butterscotch Pretzel Treats turned out so yummy! So easy with just 4 simple ingredients and they take literally minutes to make.

They resemble that of rice krispie treats, but I used pretzels instead of the rice krispies. And oh did that make them yummy. I just love the hint of salty that  you get with these sweet treats.

The first thing you want to do is get all of the pretzels out of the bag. The reason that I want to unscore pretzels is because the bag tends to have a ton of salt at the bottom, so don’t just pour the entire bag of pretzels into your ziploc. Use your hand to get them out leaving all the salt at the bottom of the bag.

Use meat mallet or something heavy to break up the pretzels a bit.

It’s really not essential that you make them super small. Just get them fairly broken and be done. Put them in a bowl.

Then it’s time to melt up your marshmallows with a little bit of milk. This may be the longest step in the whole process.

Pour the melted marshmallows in with the pretzels and use your spoon to mix it all up really well. There tends to be pretzel crumbs at the bottom, so make sure to incorporate those too.

Pour it all into a greased 9×13 dish and flatten out. Set that aside while you get the butterscotch going.

Using your preferred method, melt the butterscotch chips until smooth. Some people feel comfortable using the microwave, but I’m not good at that so I always use a make-shift double boiler for this.

Pour the melted chips over the marshmallowey pretzels and place in the refrigerator to set.

Cut into bars and serve! It’s so easy to make these and they are SO good. A nice little change from your everyday rice krispie treats, don’t ya think?

Butterscotch Pretzel Treats
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snack
Author: Pennywise Cook
With only 4 ingredients, these Butterscotch Pretzel Bars and easy AND incredibly yummy!
Ingredients
  • 1 12 oz Package Butterscotch Chips
  • 1 12 oz Package Pretzel Sticks
  • 1 10 oz Package Mini Marshmallows
  • 2 Tbsp Milk
Instructions
  1. Remove the pretzels from their bag and transfer to a large ziploc bag. Make sure to use your hands to remove them and not pour the entire bag in. This will avoid getting all of the salt into your treats.
  2. Using something heavy, break the pretzels inside the ziploc until fairly small. Pour into a mixing bowl.
  3. Place the milk into a large saucepan. Pour in marshmallows and melt over medium heat until smooth.
  4. Pour the marshmallows into the pretzels and combine well. Making sure to get the pretzel crumbs incorporated well. Pour into a greased 9×13 dish and flatten with the back of a wooden spoon.
  5. Meanwhile, melt bag of butterscotch chips in microwave or over a double boiler until smooth. Pour over pretzel mixture and spread completely over top.
  6. Place in refrigerator to set. Cut into bars and serve!

 


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Ridiculously Easy Brown Bag Popcorn

I wish I had a dime for all of the “duh” moments that I’ve had in my life. I will not go into any specifics with you, but just know that sometimes I’m not the brightest crayon in the box. 🙂

Now that I’ve thoroughly dissed myself, we’ll move on to this awesome new revelation that I’ve made! It’s been a long time, but a friend of mine guest posted on Saving with Amy about how to make your own popcorn. I remember reading it and thinking oh that’s neat and looks really easy. And then I just moved on with my life to never try it out for myself.

Not sure why I didn’t because I am HOOKED on this stuff now!

You see, to make about 8 or 9 cups of your very own popcorn, all you need is a brown bag like this one. You can get 50 of them at Dollar Tree for a buck! And you need 1/3 cup of unpopped kernels. You can also get these at Dollar Tree for a buck!

For $2, you’ll have popcorn coming out of your ears…

Have you ever looked inside one of those prepackaged bags of popcorn? There are all sorts of things in there that are pretty much unnecessary. Sure it’s nice to have salt or butter flavor, but with all the added fat too? This easy brown bag method makes it easy to make pure popped corn without adding any extra nonsense. In fact, I actually like it plain just like this. No butter or salt needed!

Just try it once and you’ll be hooked like me. It’s too incredibly simple not to.

Ridiculously Easy Brown Bag Popcorn
Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Pennywise Cook
A brown paper sack and popcorn kernels are all you need to make your very own popcorn!
Ingredients
  • 1 Brown Paper Bag
  • 1/3 c. Unpopped Kernels
Instructions
  1. Pour to kernels into the brown bag. Fold the top down about 2 times.
  2. Place in microwave and heat on full power for 1:45- 2 minutes. This will depend on your microwave, but 2 minutes is about right for mine. Just stop it once there is about 2-3 seconds between kernel pops.

Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Peanut Butter Brownies

I’m getting this yummy recipe up a bit late in the day. I apologize for my tardiness! But in my defense, I ran a half marathon this weekend. And when I said I ran, I mean I literally ran the entire time. My goal was to 1) finish and 2) not to walk at all. Needless to say, I was practicing the method of sitting for 24 hours or so after the race. I kid you not, I could barely walk that night! In the picture above, I was excited to put the 13.1 on my van.

It’s recipes like this one that are the reason that I run to begin with…

My daughter asked me the other day why I always make things with peanut butter. It got me thinking about how much I really do make things with peanut butter and she is exactly right. I have a deep love for the stuff.

Exhibit A:

I don’t think that’s too much peanut butter, do you?

I don’t ever think I’ve gotten opposition to making brownies in this house. In fact, every time I make them you can bet that they will be gone within a day. I have nothing at all against chocolate brownies, but my innovative mind was seeking a twist on regular brownies. Of course! What better than peanut butter to spice things up!

These brownies are really easy to make. The kiddos will surely want to help you out in the kitchen with these. And if not, they will definitely enjoy eating them! The batter is thick like you would expect a peanut butter batter to be. And there aren’t a billion ingredients so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen all day whipping them up.

The recipe calls for nuts on the top, but if your family isn’t fond of nuts, simply leave them off. I’ve always been under the impression that my Addie liked nuts. It was only after making these that I learned that she does not, in fact, like nuts. She brushed them off this go round, but I’ll leave them off next time.

I can’t wait to make these again. They really hit the spot when you’re craving that peanut buttery goodness.

Recipe adapted from Family Living: Our Favorite Cookies Cookbook.

Peanut Butter Brownies
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snack, Bar
Author: Adapted from Family Living: Our Favorite Cookies Cookbook
Brownies aren’t always chocolate! Try this peanut butter version for a unique twist.
Ingredients
  • 3/4 c. Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 c. Butter, softened
  • 1 and 1/2 c. Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Egg Whites
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. All-purpose Flour
  • 1/2 c. White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 c. Chopped Peanuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter with the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend well.
  4. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with peanuts (optional).
  5. Bake for 15- 18 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Cool.
Notes

I used a little white whole wheat flour for my brownies to bump up the nutrition, but it’s perfectly fine to use only all-purpose. You would just use 1 and 1/2 c. total.

Also, feel free to use whatever nuts that you have on-hand. I actually used walnuts because I was out of peanuts. Almonds or cashews would be lovely too.


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

After School Snack: Frozen Peanut Butter Bananas

These days school is jam-packed full of learning, extra-curriculars, and even a taddy little bit of fun. They’ve even moved lunch time up for many kiddos to make room for other activities. Some children eat lunch at 10:00! What is this world coming to? But they are waking up at the crack of dawn so an early lunch isn’t so bad. But as parents we must be prepared to hear those impending words each afternoon….

I’m huuuuuungry. Can I have a snack?

Can you blame them? They have been busy for 7 HOURS. All of that icky math and science can really work up an appetite you know? The least that we can do is give them a snack. Here’s a simple snack idea for your busy student (or hungry parent!).

Start by cutting up a couple ripe bananas into bite-size pieces.

Microwave 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter and stir in 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder.

Dip each banana piece into the peanut butter and set on wax paper.

You can drizzle any leftovers on the tops if you’d like.

Freeze for at least an hour and you’re done!

Bing bang bong and you’ve got a very tasty (and healthy) snack! It’s a nice little change from chocolate-covered bananas. The peanut butter actually adds nutritional value with it’s healthy fats and boost of protein. Not to mention the potassium in the banana itself. But who cares about all that? The peanut buttery goodness with a hint of cocoa is super yummy!

Here they are after they are frozen. The peanut butter gets hard, but not as hard as chocolate would so you’ll want to eat them pretty quickly after removing them from the freezer. Ie- don’t leave them sitting around for long periods of time.

YUM!

After School Snack: Frozen Peanut Butter Bananas
Recipe Type: Snack, Dessert
Author: Pennywise Cook
Frozen peanut butter bananas create a healthy afternoon snack!
Ingredients
  • 2 Bananas, Cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/4 c. Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Instructions
  1. Place peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for about 30 seconds to melt. Stir in cocoa powder until mixed well.
  2. Dip banana pieces into peanut butter and place on wax paper. Drizzle remaining peanut butter over top if desired.
  3. Freeze for at least an hour. Preferably 3-5 hours or longer.

 


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

3-Ingredient Lady Fingers

Y’all know I’m a big fan of my sweets. Did you see yesterday’s recipe? I especially love recipes that don’t include many ingredients. In most cases that means that it will cost less to make and it will take less time. Cheaper and I can eat it sooner? My kinda recipe.

I can’t take credit for these sweeties today. I found this one inside the Fite for Your Life II cookbook by Janis Forbes Fite, RN. It’s a really good cookbook for low-fat and simple recipes. And she’s from my home town!

These are SO simple and perfect for a brunch, baby shower, or tea. Very light and airy and made out of things you probably have on-hand. It starts with day old white bread. Now I’m not going to lie. My bread wasn’t old. In fact, I bought it the day that I made these. So I just popped them into the toaster for a taddy bit to get them a little “stale”. Worked like a charm, but had me considering the need for a 4-piece toaster. It took a while to toast up all that bread.

So, start by cutting the crust off every piece. This will leave you with a lot of leftover crusts. You can simply eat them as you cut them off as I did. Or consider some of the options below:

  • Pop them into the food processor to make your own bread crumbs.
  • Dip them in melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Tasty sweet treat!
  • Use them to make stuffing (or dressing as we call it in the south)
  • Use them to make bread pudding.
  • Freeze for later to make any of the above!

Cut each piece into 3 “fingers”. I used my kitchen shears and that worked really well to get straight pieces. Nobody wants a crooked finger! 😉

Enter, sweetened condensed milk. The fat-free kind that is. Using a pastry brush or whatever kinda brush you’d like, spread a generous amount onto each piece. This is what gives it that yummy sweetness.

Sprinkle on some brown sugah too…

Oh yeah. Pop those loves into the oven and let them get all brown and crusty.

And if you’re like me, you’ll sprinkle on a little powdered sugar just because. They are so good! Maybe not exactly like other Lady Fingers that you’ve had. But hey, with plain old (literally) white bread and a couple other simple ingredients, you just can’t beat it.

3-Ingredient Lady Fingers
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snack
Author: Fite for Your Life II Cookbook- Janis Forbes Fite, RN
Using day old white bread, sweetened condensed milk, and brown sugar you can create Lady Fingers in no time flat.
Ingredients
  • Day Old White Bread
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk (Fat-Free)
  • Brown Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the crust off bread. Cut each piece into 3 fingers.
  2. Brush each generously with sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle each with brown sugar.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes or so until golden and bubbly.
Notes

The reason there are no specifics amounts listed on this recipe is because it is completely up to you how many you make. I didn’t use an entire loaf of bread or an entire can of sweetened condensed milk. 1 can will go a very long way. You can probably make 50- 100 with 1 can.

Store in an air-tight container or bag.


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Pops

Sometimes I wish that I had a dime for every time that my daughter came to me during the day saying “I’m huuuuuuuungry”. You don’t even have to have kids to know exactly what that statement sounds like. I can remember saying that to my mom when I was young. Even after my daughter has just eaten a complete meal, not 10 minutes later I hear those words come out of her mouth. So around here it’s imperative that we have healthy snacks available for these moments of huuuuuunger.

Some of the snacks of choice that I like to have on-hand are string cheese, peanut butter crackers, and fruit snacks. But we’re almost to summer and it’s time to cool off with some refreshing snacks on a hot day. My favorite store for produce, Aldi of course, had a great price on strawberries the other day and I stocked up! They also almost always have the best price on bananas in town. To me, nothing brings those two fruits together better than a smoothie! But if you don’t want to have to create a smoothie every time you would like one, the pops might just satisfy your strawberry banana smoothie craving!

I mixed a couple of bananas and several strawberries together with a little plain yogurt and a pinch of splenda and threw it all in several dixie cups. I popped popsicle sticks into each one and froze them to create these yummy smoothie pops.

It’s a snack that’s not only healthy but really satisfying and refreshing at the same time. And I love that making them in these cups make them fairly big. Maybe more than you would get from a store bought pop and way cheaper for sure!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Pops

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Pops

A natural and refreshing popsicle made from fresh strawberries and bananas.

Ingredients

  • 2 Large Bananas
  • 10 Medium-Large Strawberries, Cored
  • 1/4 Cup Plain Nonfat Yogurt
  • 1 Tsp Sugar Substitute (optional)
  • 8 Small Dixie Cups

Method

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
  2. Pour into cups and freeze until solid (around 2-3 hours).

Notes

You don't have to use "Dixie" cups. Use whatever cups you might have. We used plastic bathroom cups. Depending on the size, you may have more or less popsicles.

The sugar substitute addition is not completely necessary. The strawberries and bananas give it plenty of natural sweetness, I just like mine extra sweet!

http://www.pennywisecook.com/strawberry-banana-smoothie-pops/


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

How did your Valentine’s Day go? Oh really? Uh-huh. Interesting… Well if you had a less than satisfactory day (or even if you had a great one), you might just want to dig into this little sumthin’ sumthin’ here…

You are about to be amazed. How incredible does THAT look? Couldn’t you just dive right in? Well you really can, because it’s actually healthy. How many times have you been making cookies and stolen a bite or two of the dough? It’s almost humanly impossible for me not to. That’s probably why I don’t make cookies that often. I’d be as big as a house. I digress…

This cookie dough “dip” has a secret and it’s not going to tell anyone. I am- Chickpeas! Yes, that’s right. Those little garbanzos that no one knows what to do with half the time actually add something nutritional and special to this dip. It’s also been called “dessert hummus”, but I’m not too keen on that title. There are a ton of different versions of this dip everywhere right now. They are all very similar either being very smooth or very chunky. With or without sweeteners. With or without oats. It’s all a matter of taste. This recipe is the one that I enjoy the most, but you can feel free to adjust it to your liking.

Everyone always want to know what to dip these in. I’ve used vanilla wafers and graham crackers. And don’t tell anyone (I’m totally going to look like a pig now), but you can also pile some into an ice cream cone and eat it like ice cream. I don’t have ice cream in there with it, but that might be delicious too. I prefer the sugar cones over the others.

It’s fantastic and I can say that on my scouts honor. My husband and I devoured an entire bowl of this the other night. Not needing crackers or cookies to dip in it, it’s lovely right out of the bowl. You will want to make this tonight, I can almost guarantee it. Here’s the recipe, exactly as I made it.

You can find similar recipes for “dessert hummus” at Nourishing Flourising, Chocolate Covered Katie and Food Doodles. All fabulous! This one is kind of a mixture of those.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

A dessert hummus recipe that no one will ever guess what's in it! Healthy but equally as delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 Can Chickpeas, Drained and Rinsed
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 c. Peanut Butter (Natural if preferred although I’ve used Peter Pan Honey Roasted before and Reduced Fat even works!)
  • 1 Tbsp Milk (skim is healthiest!)
  • 2/3 c. Brown Sugar (Even Splenda Brown Sugar works!)
  • 2 Tbsp Oats (optional)
  • 1/3 c. Chocolate Chips

Method

  1. Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in food processor and mix until very smooth.
  2. Add in chocolate chips and stir. Serve with graham crackers or devour right out of the bowl.

Notes

I tried using less chocolate chips to be “good” and it’s just not the same. I usually end up adding more than the recipe calls for. 😉 If you don’t prefer the grit of the brown sugar, you can try using 1/4 + 2 Tbsp of maple syrup like Food Doodles does. This makes it very fluffy!

P.S.- you can also use White Northern Beans or Cannelini Beans in place of the Chickpeas if you’re seeking a smoother texture. I just prefer a thicker dip. 🙂 Also, I recommend refrigerating it a bit before eating. It thickens up a bit and tastes better chilled to me.

http://www.pennywisecook.com/to-die-for-cookie-dough-dip-its-healthy-too/


Like this post? SHARE it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...