Raspberry Crumb Bars

I bought organic natural raspberry spread the other day, because I love raspberry and was hoping it would make an awesome PB and J, but it was to sweet for me. So, I needed a recipe that I could use it in, so it didn't go to waste. I found this recipe on pinterest from cookingclassy.com for these amazing raspberry crumb bars. I was very impressed with the recipe, it was easy to make and it cut the sweetness of the raspberry spread so it was not over powering with sweetness. One warning though, they are addicting!!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 cup of all purpose flour

- 1/4 tsp of baking soda

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 1 cup of rolled oats

- 1/2 cup of light brown sugar

- 1/2 of unsalted butter, softened

- 1/4 cup of raspberry spread

1) In a large mixing bowl add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix together.

2) Stir in the oats and brown sugar.

3) Add the butter, use clean hands and work the butter into the dry mixture, until every thing is evenly moistened.

4) Add 2 cup of the mixture to the bottom of a 8 X 8 foil lined glass baking dish. Pressure the mixture down into an even layer.

5) Pour the raspberry spread over the oat layer and spread out, coming within a 1/4 inch of all the edges.

6) Then add the remaining oat mixture and slightly press into the raspberry spread.

7) Place in your preheated oven for about 33 to 38 minutes or until golden brown.

8) Once finished and removed from the oven, remove the foil from the pan and allow the 8 X 8 square to cool on the foil on a cooling rack. Once completely cool cut into even bars.

I cut mine into 25 small bars (to help portion how much we ate at once, I ate less when they were in smaller pieces). These were so good, it will be hard to eat just one. I hope you get a chance to try them, I highly recommend them.

Enjoy!!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

I love muffins; well my husband and I were talking, I think I like almost any thing with flour. So, this is how my search started for an awesome apple muffin, one catch was I wanted to use my box of yellow cake mix too.  During my search I found this recipe on ourbestbites.com; and let me tell you, these muffins are AMAZING!! I could not believe how good they were, I was going to share some with friends, but by the time I got around to it my family had devoured them all.  Give them a try some time, I highly recommend them.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 box of yellow cake mix

- 1/2 cup of canola or vegetable oil

- 2 tsp of cinnamon

- 3 large eggs

- 1 cup of sour cream

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract

- 3 medium granny smith apples, peeled and chopped (I used 2 large stayman apples)

- 1 tbsp of lemon juice

- 2 tbsp of all purpose flour

Topping:

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

- 1 tsp of cinnamon

- 3 tbsp of butter, softened (I used salted)

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cake mix, oil, cinnamon, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat for 30 seconds to mix all the ingredients together and then beat on high for 3 more minutes.

2) Peel and chop the apple and then toss them in lemon juice, then add the flour and toss to coat the apples evenly. Add the apples to the batter and mix in. 

3) Divide the batter evenly between lined muffin pans. Then mix together the topping starting by mixing together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon, then cut the softened butter into the dry mixture until the topping becomes crumbly. Sprinkle over top the batter in the muffin pans.

4) Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

These make an awesome grab and go breakfast. I hope you get a chance to try these, I know I will definitely be making them here often. They are super moist and delicious. This recipe makes 24 muffins or you can also use a loaf pan and make this a loaf coffee cake.

Enjoy!!

Crock-pot Fried Rice

Everyone loves a good crock-pot recipe and I love a good rice recipe. I found this recipe for my left over rice on crockpot365.blogspot.com; and my family really enjoyed it. I had to alter it a little because I didn't have every thing it called for but really wanted to try it. So, here it is.

Ingredients

- 2 cups of leftover rice (I used brown rice)

- 3 tbsp of butter (I used salted)

- 2 tbsp of soy sauce (I used lite soy sauce)

- 2 tsp of worcestershire sauce (I didn't have this so I read you can substitute steak sauce and a dash of vinegar)

- 1/2 tsp of pepper

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 1/2 diced onion

- 1 cup of any frozen veggie of your choice (I used peas, a fresh carrot diced, and mushrooms)

- 1 large egg

1) Add EVERYTHING to the crock-pot.

2) Stir everything together and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 3 to 4 hours.

3) Once finished transfer to a serving dish and enjoy as a side dish.

So simple. I love easy recipes like this, that do not take much effort to prepare, but still provide you with an amazing side dish.  Next time I am going to try this with a different combination of vegetables. Give it a try and let me know what combination of vegetables you came up with.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Last night when I was looking for some thing to make for dinner for my kiddos I came up with an idea.  I decided to make them homemade chicken nuggets that I added spinach to; a good way to get their vegetables in (for those picky eaters). I know my son will not eat chicken unless it is breaded (not sure why), but this was a good solution for us. They are so full of flavor, even adults will enjoy them. Give it a try some time.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 lb of ground chicken

- 1 cup of spinach chopped

- 1/2 tsp of dried parsley (you can use fresh if you would like)

- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

- Dash of salt

- Dash of pepper

- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

- 1 to 2 eggs

- 3/4 cups of bread crumbs

1) Place the ground chicken in a large mixing bowl.  Chop the spinach (I stack the spinach leaves on top of each other, then chop them, it makes it easier).

2) Place the spinach, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl and used your washed hands to mix/combine all the ingredients together.

3) In 3 separate smaller bowls add the eggs to one (beat them), flour to another bowl, and the bread crumbs to the third bowl.

4) Grab a small scoop of the chicken mixture and form it into the shape of a chicken nugget, then roll it in the flour, then the eggs and last the bread crumbs. Place your nuggets on a baking sheet and repeat until all the chicken is coated. 

5) Place in your preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes on one side, flip them and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes on the other side.  Remove from the oven and enjoy with your favorite sauces.

There you have it. Simple, yet delicious and you can get the kids to eat some veggies. This recipe will make about 16 to 20 chicken nuggets depending on the size you form them. You can also make chicken patties out of this recipe, if that is what you are craving instead.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Okay every one, it is time to ditch the store bought chocolate syrup and try this homemade version of it. I love it! So did my family when we enjoyed our ice cream this weekend, not to mention my son requests it almost every day for his chocolate milk. I have never tried homemade chocolate syrup before, but it is amazing how you can really taste the cocoa in it, it gives milk and ice cream such a better flavor then the store bought kind. Try it some time.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups of sugar

- 3/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

- 1 cup of water

- Dash of salt 

- 1 tsp of vanilla

1) In a sauce pan add the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt; and gently whisk together.

2) Then add the water and mix to together.

3) Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute. Then, remove from heat and add the vanilla 

4) Once the vanilla is mixed in, pour into smaller glass containers and allow to cool. Store in the refrigerator.

There you have it.  Add it to milk for chocolate milk (heat it up for hot chocolate), pour over ice cream, or make milkshakes out of it; so many options. One thing I do want to note in that as it heats up in the saucepan make sure you stir it so it does not burn as it starts to boil. 

Enjoy!!

French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

I love a good morning cup of hot or iced coffee, as I am sure a bunch of you do as well; so, give this recipe for homemade french vanilla coffee creamer a try.  It could not be any more simple to make and it gives my coffee the perfect flavor. Another thing that I like about this creamer is that it has it's own sweetness factor that I can cut back on the sugar, always a plus.  Give it a try.

Ingredients

- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

- 1 1/2 cups of milk (I use skim milk, cuts back even more on fat and calories)

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract

1) Add the sweetened condensed milk to a mason jar, then the milk and vanilla extract.

2) Once all the ingredients are added to the mason jar place the lid on (tightly) and shake vigorously. Be sure the lid is on tight, it can make a mess if not. If you are more comfortable you can just use a spoon to mix every thing up.

3) Pour into your coffee and drink up.

Simple as that.  I love how cute it looks in the the mason jar too. (I just love mason jars in general). Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Raisins

For those of you who don't know, about 3 weeks ago I broke my arm playing soccer, which has made it super hard for me to make new recipes and type. So, now that my arm is starting to heal and feel slightly better, I am back.  I have so much catching up to do, so please bare with me.

I will start with one of my kids favorite snacks, raisins.  I decided to try my hand at making homemade raisins with my food dehydrator.  The key to making the raisins is to submerge them in hot/boiling water in order to break the skins.  If the skins aren't cracked before placing them in the dehydrator there will not be a way for pressure/moisture to escape while they dehydrate.  (I learned my lesson when I tried making craisins, not all the skins were popped and most didn't turn out.) Give it a try, it is actually rather simple.

Ingredients

- Grapes, your choice of color (I used red grapes)

- Boiling Water

1) Remove your grapes from the vine and rinse well. Meanwhile, have a pot of water on the stove to heat up, to boiling.  Once the water reaches boiling you can pour the grapes in and turn the heat off. The skins of the grapes will start to crack and the grapes will float to the top.  The grapes only need to be in the water for a minute or two. Remove the grapes from the water.

2) After you have removed the cracked grapes from the water place on the tray of your food dehydrator. Place the lid on the dehydrator and turn it on around 135 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 to 10 hours.

3) After your grapes have been in the dehydrator for about 8 hours check them to see if they resemble raisins, because when they do they are done. Remove from the dehydrator and enjoy.

I hope you get a chance to try these, I know my family really enjoyed them. In my opinion they taste better then the processed, sugary store bought ones. One note that I want to say is that I didn't give a portion size for the grapes, because it is really up to you how many you want to make; I used about a pound of grapes and that makes about 2-3 servings of raisins.

Enjoy!!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Apple Bites

I have been trying to eat healthier (this is the reason I have not posted as often, when I want to make some thing for the blog, I normally want some thing baked with lots of yummy goodness, but a lot more calories then I need).  So, today I decided to try a little experiment with apples and oatmeal that would give me a healthier snack, but also cure my sweet treat craving.  So these apple bites were created and only 35 calories a bite, which is great cause 1 or 2 do the trick for me.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup of flour

- 2 eggs

- 2 medium to large apples, peeled and sliced

- 1/2 cup of rolled oats

- 1 tbsp of sugar

- 1 tsp of cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of milk (I used skim milk)

1) Peel, core and cut your apples and set aside.  In a shallow flat bowl add your flour, in another bowl add your eggs, milk and vanilla and beat together, then in a third bowl add oats, cinnamon, and sugar mixing well.

2) Take an apple slice and roll it in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the oat mixture, then place on a large baking sheet. Note: the apples won't be completely coated but that is ok. 

3) Place the baking sheet in your preheated oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly and enjoy with your favorite yogurt, by them selves or if you would like with some vanilla ice cream.

To be honest when I was prepping these I really wanted to fry them, but I know they wouldn't be to high on the healthy scale any more if I did that, so I stick with baking them.  But, if you want you can try them fried. Also, if you want to can omit the flour and eggs all together and just roll the apples in the milk and vanilla, then the oat mixture, it just might not coat as well.

Enjoy!!

Ginger Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

I made a post for a salty/spicy roasted chickpeas before, but this time I made more of a sweet roasted chickpea.  I love them both ways, these are a healthier alternative for a snack no matter which way you make them. Give them a try.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 can of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed well

- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp of ginger

- 1 tsp of sugar (or more depending on how sweet you would like them)

- 2 tsp of olive oil

- sprinkle of salt

1) Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them to a medium bowl. Add the cinnamon, ginger, sugar and sprinkle of salt, mix up slightly. Then add the olive oil and mix well, until every thing is evenly coated. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in your preheated oven.  

2) Baked for 30 to 40 minutes, mix once baking. Remove when the chickpeas have colored and are crunchy.

Super simple process for a health snack alternative.  One thing I do want to point out is that you need to keep an eye on the chickpeas during the end of baking, as they can burn easily towards the end.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips

SO SIMPLE! I could not believe it when I did some research the other day online for how to make corn tortilla chip from left over corn tortillas; they were delicious too. I had corn tortillas leftover from the other night when I made chicken enchiladas and had no idea what to do with them (since they came in a pack of 30 and I only needed 12.  So, I made these chips; give them a try.

Ingredients

- 12 six inch corn tortillas

- 3/4 to 1 cup of canola or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil)

- salt for sprinkling

1) First you need to have your tortillas sit out overnight uncovered in a single layer or you can bake them for 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes them a little more dried out and easier to make your chips.

2) Next you can heat your oil in a shallow frying pan; the oil needs to be around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, you can tell if it is hot enough if when the tortilla is placed in the oil a slight sizzle starts (but no smoke, that is bad).

3) Then, take your tortillas and cut each into 6 small triangles.

4) Place your cut tortillas in the oil  a few at a time, enough so that each is covered with oil and they are not overlapping each other.

5) Fry for about 2 minutes or until the chips begin to color and firm up. Use tongs or a slotted spoon and remove the chips from the oil and place in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all your chips are done.  Allow to cool slightly and devour.

There you have it, super simple corn chips. When remove your second batch of chips from the oil place a new paper towel on top of the first batch of chip and place the new chips on top, once again repeat the layering until all your chips are done.

Enjoy!!

Alfredo Sauce

Once in awhile I like to switch up from the normal red sauce on our pasta with a nice homemade Alfredo sauce. I used to be intimidated to make homemade Alfredo sauce, but once  I started testing out different recipes, it is rather easy. And, not to mention a lot better for you then the jarred Alfredo; it is nice being able to control the salt level and not having preservatives.  Speaking of preservatives, this homemade sauce is best the first night you make it. Give this recipe from allrecipes.com a try.

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup of butter (I used salted)

- 1 cup of heavy cream

- 1 clove of garlic crushed or 1/8 tsp of garlic powder (I used garlic powder because we did not have fresh garlic)

- 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese (the recipe suggests freshly grated, but I did not have fresh so I used the bottled version)

- 1/4 cup of parsley (I used dry parsley)

1) Melt your butter in a saucepan over medium to low heat.

2) Once the butter is melted add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

3) Then add the cheese and garlic (powder or fresh) and whisk quickly, making sure to heat through.

4) Stir in the parsley and you are ready to serve.

We enjoyed ours over whole wheat pasta, red bell pepper, and steamed broccoli.

Honestly this is one of the best homemade recipes I have tried, it is very full of flavor. One word of advice is to make sure that the when adding the cheese to whisk it right away and make sure you heat it through, if not it can give you more of a chalky feeling; using freshly grated Parmesan can help with that issue as well.

Enjoy!!!