Ginger Snap Cookies

These are 'OMG melt in our mouth delicious, so delicious cookies'. I know you are going to devour these and then be so mad because there aren't left! Most cookies can be very unhealthy, but if you follow my recipe they will be healthy and so, so good!

Ginger Snap Cookies
1/2 c. apple sauce
1/2 c. white sugar
1 mashed banana
1 egg
2 cups. of whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. ground ginger
3/4 c. brown sugar

1. mash the banana and then add it to the apple sauce - mix well
2. add in the egg
3. mix together the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon
4. mix your flour mixture with the apple sauce mixture and then add in your ginger
5. cover and place in fridge for at least 1 hour (no more than 4)

Preheat over to 375

Make small balls and place on baking sheet and then use a fork to push down on balls.

Sprinkle with colored sugar if you must for a holiday feel.

Bake for 18 minutes

Graduation Hat Treats

So this graduation season!
I have a neighbor graduating from high school, I graduated high school 10 years ago, my cousins graduated college this year and many other people all around the globe graduated. So in honor of the graduates we will be making GRADUATION HAT TREATS. Yah! Congrats to all the grads!

Graduation Hat Treats

1 package of Peppermint Patties
Peanut Butters
M and Ms
Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Red Licorice (Not Twizzlers LICORICE)

1. open all the Mini Reese's up and spread across your table
2. Put a dab of peanut butter on the bottom of peppermint patties and then stick it to the cups
3. Cup the Licorice into small pieces
3. put another dab of peanut butter on top of the peppermint patties and stick on the M and Ms and Licorice on top.

All Done!

Candy Blondies

Sometimes you just can't eat healthy and need to have a little something sweet. So here it is!

Candy Blondies
1 stick on unsalted butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of 100% natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of 100% whole wheat white flour
1 1/2 cups of your favorite crushed candy (M&M's, Butterfinger, Crunch, Heath, Kit Kat, Hershey's)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking dish  with parchment paper. Lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Mix well and then add egg and vanilla
3. Mix the peanut butter and make sure all wet ingredients are mixed well.
4. Add salt and flour and 1 cup of your candies
5. Spread brownie batter in a the dish evenly and then sprinkle with remaining candies
6. bake for 25-35 minutes- test with tooth pick.

YUMMY!

Butterfinger Blondie 

M&M Blondie 

Candy Corn Blondie 

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

Eating outside is fun and this a fun dish you can easily make outside as well as eat outside with your family. It is super healthy and super tasty. I promise you that everyone in the family will devour it!

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
2 - 4 large boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of crushed garlic
1/4 tsp. dried ginger

1 pineapple cut up
2 green peppers
1 large red onion

1. In a bowl marinate the chicken in soy sauce, oil, ginger and garlic for 2 hours or overnight. The longer the better
2. preheat the grill and then put the chicken on the grill - for about 7 or 8 minutes on each side
3. the cut the pepper, pineapple and onions and throw in on the grill for about 5 minutes - or until lightly browned.
4. allow all food to cool long enough for you to be able to touch it.
5. then place then on the skewers alternating between each food.


Preheat oven to 350

place skewers in oven for 5 minutes to reheat. The serve! Delicious! 

New Year's Eve Menu

Happy New Year's Eve! It's 2014 for only one more day. On this day I'd like to take a moment and look back at all the wonderful recipes I've posted. I hope you enjoyed them. Do you have a favorite?

For New Year's Eve I've decided to post a menu of what you can serve at your party.

Appetizer
Serve both these items with whole grain chips or crackers
Spinach and Cheese Dip (Serves 4)

1 cup of low fat olive oil enhance mayo
2 spoon fulls of regular cream cheese
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
squirt of lemon juice
1 8 oz. package of frozen spinach (drained well)

Mix the mayo, spices, lemon and cream cheese well and then add in the spinach and mix on high with a handheld blender.

Easy Crab Bite Dip (Serves 6)

3 cups of imitation shrimp - shredded. 1/2 cup of mayo, 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, onion salt and garlic powder to taste. Mix well. Add shredded mozzarella sheet evenly and lightly over it.

Bake in oven at 250 for ten minimizes


Main Food

Mini Subs (Serves 10-15)

Tuna with Swiss
Egg Salad with Lettuce and Tomato
Cheese, Tomato and Basil

Buy 3 loaves of Italian bread (1 foot each) make 3 large subs.
Tuna - 3 cans of tuna, mayo, 6 slices of swiss, onion and tomato

Egg Salad - 6 eggs, mayo, romaine lettuce, tomato

Cheese - sliced mozzarella, tomato slices, fresh basil slices, red wine vinegar and olive oil

Cut each sub into five sandwiches

Snack Foods

Just buy popcorn, pretzels, nuts and ice cream

Popcorn - melt caramel and pour over the pop corn - place in fridge for 20 minutes- Remove & Serve

Pretzels - melt chocolate and pour over pretzels - add multi color sprinkles. - Place in fridge for at least 1 hour - Remove and Serve

Ice Cream - random flavors for whoever wants! (My parents like to eat ice cream on New Year's)

Peppermint Brownies

Okay, so I will admit these are not exactly healthy but they are festive and at Christmas time while you still want to be healthy and stay on your diet you also want to enjoy the ymminess of life. So here's to something not so healthy! Merry Hanukah and Happy Christmas!

Peppermint Brownies
3/4 cup of Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup of melted butter or margarine
1/2 c. simmering water
2 cups of white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1 package of Hershey's Peppermint Kisses - seasonal flavor

Frosting
2 c. confectionery sugar
2/3 c. Hershey cocoa
water
tbsp. butter
dash of milk

Preheat oven to 350
1. Mix dry ingredients together - flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda
2. Melt butter
3. Mix butter, eggs, water and vanilla
4. Add dry mixture to wet mixture - put into greased pan
5. Push in Hershey Kisses and then make sure they're covered - also when you put the Kisses in  make sure you place them where each piece will get it's own Kiss.
6. Bake for 35 miutes

Allow to cool

Frosting - Mix all the ingrediants together and then frost brownies. Enjoy!

Healthiest Pasta Salad

I know that pasta gets a bad reputation. I hear it all - filled with carbs, high in fat (which by the way isn't even true!) and filled with empty calories. Well some of this is true if you buy the white flour pasta and add lots of cheese, sauce, meat and fattening oils. But if done correctly it actually can be not only not bad for you but actually good for you and very, very healthy!


Healthiest Pasta Salad
1 pound of veggie Ronzoni tri color pasta curly
1 pound of whole grain Ronzoni pasta curly
1 head of broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
1 can of black olives
1 cup of fresh cooked corn
4 large carrots
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. of low fat olive oil enhanced mayo
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Jane's Crazy mixed up salt
1 packet of Equal

1. cook each of the pasta separately - cook them each for 10 minutes
2. mix them together and let them cool while you cook the veggies
3. clean and cut the broccoli into florets and cook in boiling water until al dente (about 3 minutes)
4. clean and cut the cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling water until al dente (about 3 minutes)
5. cut the carrots into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces and cook in boiling water until al dente (about 3 minutes)
For each of these vegetables you will want to pat down and dry to make sure the water is out.
6. cook the corn and the cut kernels off the cob
7. add the corn, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots into the pasta
8. slice the olives into thirds and then combine them with your pasta- mix it all well. Add in onion and garlic powder. Let sit while you make the dressing

9. mix the mayo, balsamic, red wine, Jane's crazy salt and equal together. Toss into salad and mix well. Allow to sit in fridge and marinate for at least an hour - preferably 3-4 hours.

Serve and Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash and Light Tomato Sauce

So my old next door neighbor had a vegetable garden and was always giving us vegetables that we truthfully had no use for. Of course we're a super healthy family and cook healthy most of the time but we are also just a family of 3 - so seriously how many veggies can one person eat? One time she dropped off some summer squash and I remember my mom saying to me "can you figure out to use this?". And sure enough I did. I came up with making spaghetti and then after the fact I found out it actually is a real recipe. I'll share with you what I made that day back in July of 2011. Now I make it as one of my go-to recipes.

Spaghetti Squash and Light Tomato Sauce

1 summer spaghetti squash

water

garlic and onion salt mixture

light tomato sauce

1. boil water

2. peel the squash into thin like spaghetti strips

3. boil it for about 3-4 minutes and then drain well - making sure it is fully dry

4. add in garlic/onion salt mixture (dash of each)

5. pour in sauce - about 1/4 cup and reheat or serve cold. 

Super Bowl Menu

The Super Bowl is an American tradition. Everyone watches the Super Bowl - or at least goes to a party. So whether you're into the commercials, the game or both - everyone wants something good to eat. But with all the choices and all the extra calories consumed it is important that we make each dish health conscious so you don't have to deprive yourself of anyone of the many fabulous dips.

Mexican Layer Dip w/ Blue Corn Chips
1 can of baked beans
1 bag of cheddar shredded cheese
1 cup of romaine lettuce
1 tomato chopped
1 can of black olives- sliced
1 tbsp. of Russian dressing
Blue corn chips

1. mash the beans and mix with dressing - spread on plate
2. add the lettuce, then tomatoes, then cheese and then the olives
3. serve with chips and enjoy!



Veggies and Avocado Dip
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cherry Tomatoes
Baby Carrots
Celery
Red Pepper Slices
3 Avocados
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic and onion powder

1. Mash the avocados and add some lemon juice and the garlic and onion powder
2. cut the vegetables into nice bite size pieces and arrange nicely on a platter (organize each veggie together)
3. put the avocado dip in the middle and serve!


Football Sliders (makes 3)
6 slices of pumpernickel bread
2 cans of chunk tuna in water
2 tbsp. mayo
2 slices of lettuce
3 string cheeses

1.make tuna salad
2. cut the pumpernickel bread into diamond shapes
3. add the tuna and and lettuce
4. peel the string cheeses and place on bread to make it look like the threads

Serve and Enjoy! (This year will be my first time making this so I'll post a picture later)

Every party needs a dessert....but since you're probably full from the nice but not too filling dinner have something healthy and sweet while they're handing out the rings and the winning quarterback is saying
"I'm going to Disney World!!!"

1. fruit skewers (any fruit is fine)
2. cookie ingredients
3. Nutella

3. vanilla mini tube frosting

Cookies:
1 cup of softened unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda

1. mix all dry and wet ingredients together
2. use a cookie cutter to cut them like mini footballs
3. bake at 350 for 20 minutes
4. allow them to cool
5. spread the Nutella on the cookies and then use the frosting tube to create the threads.

Enjoy!


 May the best team win! 

Oatmeal Bake Casserole

This recipe is probably a favorite because once you get the idea of how to make it you can change it up every time. You won't need to remember exact measurements or specific ingredients, it's more of move as you feel type of thing. I chose the ingredients I use because they're the healthiest and lowest in calories. For example, a banana is high in potassium and has lots of fiber but also has 110 calories in just one medium banana! So I chose berries instead - which each cup has only 80 calories. (1 cup of bananas has about 200 calories) So that is more than double. But if you like bananas use them- after all it's a fruit- it isn't like you are choosing a donut or cookie!

You can make this for almost any occasion. I think it is best for breakfast, snack of if you're hosting a brunch party- maybe for a shower or on Christmas morning. Something new and difference is always nice.

Oatmeal Bake Casserole

3 cups of quick oats
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1 tsp. of honey
1/4 cup of mixed slithered almonds, raisins, cranberries
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries and blueberries
2 eggs
1/2 cup of soy vanilla milk

Preheat oven to 350
1. mix all your dry ingredients together except for the fresh fruit and honey
2. pour into a pan and spread evenly
3. add the honey and the fruit evenly across the oatmeal mixture
4. bean the eggs and mix with the milk
5. pour it over the mixture
6. bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Serve Warm!
It's so good!
Calories- less than 200 per slice.

Note- you can always add chocolate chips if you want to go "unhealthy"

Cupcakes at a Party

When you're having a party it is always a good idea to have foods that appeal to all ages and to have foods that don't need a fork. Many times people don't actually ever sit down, they tend to mingle and walk around with food in their hand. Cupcakes are always a fun thing to have especially if you are having kids at the party! Here are a few ideas of cupcakes for a party.

Cupcake Ingredients (use this for all- makes 12) 
3/4 cup butter- softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. In a large bowl mix the softened butter with the eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla on medium speed for
4 minutes
3. Lightly grease and flour cupcake tin pans and then pour the cupcake batter in the tins.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes
5. Let cool for 30 minutes before you start your decorating!

Beach Cupcakes
2 cups of crushed graham crackers
Blue frosting
12 Cocktail umberellas
12 gummy star fish candies

1. spread frosting on each cupcakes
2. crush the graham crackers in sandwich baggy and then pour the mixture over half of the cupcakes
3. stick each cupcake with an umbrella and place 1 gummy star fish on each cupcake

Enjoy!

Baseball Cupcakes
White frosting
Red Gel Frosting

1. spread frosting over each cup cake
2. with the red gel carefully from the two half circle lines and the stitching on a baseball

Play ball! 

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

White Frosting
Black Gel (in a small tube)
Blue Granulated Sugar
6 Chocolate Chip Cookies
24 white gum drop candies (for the eyes)

1. lightly frost each cupcake with frosting
2. sprinkle the blue sugar covering the icing
3. break each cookie in half and stick each half into the cupcake (where the mouth would be)
4. place 2 white gum drops on each cupcake (where the eye would be)
5. Put 1 dot of the black gel on each gum drop creating  eye balls

Gimme Cookie!!

Rotten Apple Cupcakes
Red frosting
Mini pretzel sticks
12 green gumdrops
12 gummy worms

1. frost each cupcake
2. stick the pretzel on top of the cupcake creating a stem
3. then stick the gum drop next to the pretzel creating a leaf
4. with a fork scoop out a small portion of the cupcake and stick the worm in the hole making it look like the worm is crawling out of the apple..ick! :)

It's okay you can still eat it even though there is a worm in it...just kidding!