Double Chocolate Protein Cookies

They're real, and they're spectacular!

Looking for a tasty protein packed snack that is a cookie in disguise? I fed these to coworkers and they had no idea they were good for them. SCORE.

That is totally my go to test for if a recipe is a win or not. Pass it on to coworkers and see if they happily eat it, and then the most important part, ask for more :D

Check out the recipe for these chocolate protein cookies on Food Fanatic.


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BIG CUP - giveaway

I'm a snacker. I like to eat little bits throughout the day. It's more satisfying to me than 3 big square meals. But even with so much snacking, fruit cups can be kinda tiny. I feel like I need more than 1 of them to make ends meat of things. I think Musselmans read my mind. Introducing... the BIG cup

BOOM. Look at that thing! 3/4 of a cup of YUM.

I must admit I like to go all kindergarden snack time with them and use animal crackers as my own personal dunking devices/spoons. Don't hate, it's totally normal for an adult to be sitting at work dunking animal crackers into her BIG CUP of applesauce. The all natural no added sugar is my for sure go to favorite. I do love cinnamon but tend to bring my own bottle along to snack time and shake a dash in on my own.

Another great snack. Applesauce oatmeal. Yup. It's fall people, bring on the oatmeal mixins!! Warm and over the top delicious. (recipe at the end)


Want some more BIG news? Next Saturday, October 12, they are attempting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ achievement for the “Largest Bowl of Apple Sauce” at the Baltimore Running Festival. You can find more info about the event here.

Want to win a giftbox with all three flavors? Just comment here about your favorite thing about apple sauce! US residents only. Enter by Sunday Oct 13th 2013 for your chance to win.

Apple Oatmeal
recipe by ::steph chows::
makes 1 serving
prep time: 2 minutes
cook time: 5 minutes

½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup apple cider
¾ cup apple sauce (all natural no added sugar)

optional toppings:
nuts
granola
cinnamon
added sweetness of choice

Mix oats, apple cider, and apple sauce in a large bowl. Microwave on 50% for 5 minutes. Remove an top with preferred toppings. Enjoy.


Applesauce was provided to me for free. Opinions are all mine.



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Pretzel and Nutella Ice Pops

It's a popular birthday day today. THREE members of our bridal party celebrate today. Jen and Maria the same year even! And Paul... just a few older. :) Happy birthday you three!!!

So lets celebrate with pretzel nutella pops! Need I say more?

Head over to Food Fanatic for the Pretzel and Nutella Pop Recipe.



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Skinny Protein Brownies

Protein and brownies, I know, those two words aren’t ones you normally think of going together. But if you can bake a brownie without fat and packed with protein… and they taste delicious, wouldn’t you do it too? I saw this recipe posted on a friends facebook page, it was one of those “shared” recipes that gave no credit to the author and I couldn’t track down where it originated from… so this isn’t my brain child, but I did make some changes to the original posting. Whoever originally came up with this, thanks for the inspiration!

Chocolate, low fat, packed with protein AND deliciousness. What more can you ask from a snack?

Find out how to make them at Food Fanatic. You know you want some Skinny Protein Brownies.



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Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Secret time. I also love making this minus the chicken... I know I know I go on and on about how awesome rotissory chickens are... but sometimes I just love me some extra bonus mushroomy goodness! If you want the recipe for this delicious quick Chicken and Mushroom Pasta Meal, head on over to Food Fanatic for the recipe and post!

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Coconut almond biscotti

Hey guys! I've got a super delicious whole grain recipe for coconut almond biscotti over on Food Fanatic! You should totally go check it out! You wont be sorry. I make a batch of these 1-2 times a week. Love um!

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PB Energy Balls

Love love love these things. No bake, vegan, gluten free.

You can find my post over at Food Fanatic. And you can find the recipe for these Peanut butter oatmeal balls here.


YUMMM!


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Ewwey Gooey PB Perfection

How could you say no to this cookie? It's like eating cookie dough... but warm. Undeniably decadent and delicious... except for the decadent part. These things are healthy. No really, they are.



They may look innocent enough but these are grain free, vegan, and low in sugar. I know what you are thinking, they must taste like saw dust. But they don't!! I promise!

The weirdest part is there is a cup of canned chickpeas hanging out in these cookies. I know, weird. But you don't taste them, and they give the cookies this buttery dough dough texture which I am in love with.

You can find the recipe here at the Texanerin, she has some wicked tasty looking recipes. She uses honey but I went with agave and it worked great! I admit I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in the photos... but if you use dark chocolate chips these bad boys will be vegan and grain free! And don't serve your vegan friends skim milk (as pictured)... that would just be mean.



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#AppleSauceInstead and giveaway

How much butter and oil do you use in your weekly baking that could easily be eliminated? I think you'd be surprised.


Not a lick of butter, and look at how awesomely golden and delicious this is. The secret? #AppleSauceInstead Don't feel like you need to stop with your baked goods either, just check out what happens when you replace an energy bar with a container of it.

Personally I go with their all natural variety over the original (no high fructose corn syrup in the natural). Musselman's wants to know what you'd sub out in your life to be healthier. And if you comment below you could win an apple sauce prize pack and a yoga ball to get you started on living healthier!

I'm currently using my yoga ball as my chair at work. PLUS I brought in some weights and have been getting in a workout right in my office during my lunch hour! How's that for a replacement!?


As for the granola, the recipe couldn't be easier.

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup apple sauce
1/3-1/2 cup agave nectar (depends on your sweet level)
1 cup coconut
1 cup almonds/nut of choice or sunflower seeds

Toss everything together in a large bowl and then spread evenly on a lightly sprayed sheet pan. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350, tossing every 10-15 minutes until crispy and done.

Apple sauce and yoga ball provided to me, opinions are all my own.




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Fresh Start 2013 #CooksNetwork

Looking for a romantic evening? Or maybe a fresh and healthy start to 2013? How about both?

It's John's birthday this week and I like to celebrate in both delicious and healthy ways. Remember he's the reason this whole healthy blog started! So I wanted to take a classic William Sonoma Recipe for Molten Chocolate Cakes and health it up a bit! (Click on the image at the bottom of the post to go to the original recipe: since I know a lot of you love the full fat and sugar versions too!)

Skinny Chocolate Cakes
recipe by steph chows

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup splenda blend for baking or 1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or in this case chopped up mini eggs!)

Preheat over to 350 F
Mix apple sauce, sugar, vanilla, and beat in egg
In a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture a little at a time, stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 6 lightly greased ramekins
Bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are firm to touch. (don't over bake!)

Now for a delicious but less skinny version head over here:

This post is a collaboration with Williams-Sonoma, but all words and opinions are my own.

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Jambalaya Rice- and a giveaway!

Giveaway ended: The winner is Carmen! Congrats!!

Jambalaya Rice; definition according to John: a bucket full of yum. I have to agree, especially the recipe we found in the latest Menu magazine by Wegmans. We tweaked a few things but in the end this is a total keeper!! One major change we had was upping the amount of canned tomatoes used. They called for 1 1/2 cups, since we love tomatoes we had to use more (we used a 28oz can in full). Especially since the wonderful people at RedPack sent us this stellar giftpack!

Look at the huge can it came in! How fun is that? I want to use it as an end table (John seems to be against this idea for some reason) :) There were also tasty recipe cards in the huge can, but I wanted to make this Jambalaya!

Giveaway!
Want to win your very own HUGE can filled with all types of fun goodies? Just comment below with your favorite thing to make with canned tomatoes. Make sure you type in a valid email address (it's not published) but that's the way I get in contact with you!
Want an extra entry? Go like RedPack on Facebook and leave a separate comment telling me you did.

Jambalaya Rice
recipe by Wegmans (click for original recipe), my slight adaptation below
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 lbs Skinless Chicken Breasts, 1-inch dice
2 tsp Konriko Creole Seasoning
1 1/2 cups Chopped Onions
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 cup 1-inch diced celery (about 2 stalks)
1 Tbsp dried rosemary leaves
1 pkg(13.2 oz) Wegmans Don't be Piggy (non meat sausage crumble) - best product name EVER!
2  bay leaves
2 boxes(8 oz each) Wegmans Whole Grain 5 Rice Blend
28 oz can RedPack diced tomatoes
2 cups Food You Feel Good About Chicken Culinary Stock
1/2  orange pepper, 1-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
1/2  red sweet pepper, 1-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup frozen okra
1 Tbsp dried basil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Add oil to braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add chicken and creole seasoning to pan. Cook, stirring about 2 min, until chicken begins to brown.
Add onion; cook, stirring, 3-4 min, until onion begins to soften. Add garlic, cook, stirring, 1 min. Add celery, thyme, sausage, and bay leaves. Cook 1 min.
Add grain blend; cook, stirring, 1 min. Add tomatoes; cook 1 min. Add stock, okra and peppers. Bring to simmer on HIGH; cover.
Transfer to oven. Cook 1 hour, 10 min.
Remove from oven; let rest 10 min. Remove bay leaves; stir in basil.



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Amazeballs sweet potato soup

Amazeballs is totally a word right? Sorry people using google translate that probably makes zero sense. Basically I took amazing and balls and made it a word, hopefully that makes more sense, no? Sorry! :) Anyway John for years has told me he doesn't like soup... then in the past month he's eaten soup at 1) thanksgiving 2) multiple restaurants, and 3) LOVED IT. So he has been asking for soup lately, most recently he asked for some yellow sweet potato soup. Yup there are yellow sweet potatoes, they sell them near the orange ones. I'm sure you could sub in the orange ones but I highly recommend trying this with the yellow ones! According to Wegmans they come from NJ! Yeah Jersey! So they must be good right? ( I grew up there, hence the fanfare).

It may not look the most appetizing but man is it flavorful. I need to make more. Seriously, I'm in love, John is too. Feel free to add more chicken stock (or veggie stock to make this vegan) if you want a thinner soup. I tend to like them thick and hearty! Perfect after you come in for a nice long snowshoe and look like this:

Yellow sweet potato soup
recipe by steph chows
olive oil (enough to lightly cover bottom of pot- less than 1 Tbs)
3-4 medium yellow sweet potatoes (2lbs -ish)
1 large sweet onion (about 1/2 lb)
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp jojo potato seasoning (ingredient list: garlic, paprika, salt, rosemary, black pepper, basil, parsley, oregano)
1/2 tsp Hot chili powder (more or less to your spice level)
4 cups low sodium chicken stock (or veggie stock to make this vegan)
sea salt and pepper to taste

I used a food processor with a grater attachment to make quick work of this. Heat large soup pot, drizzle in olive oil. Grate garlic and onion and simmer in pot until lightly brown. Grate sweet potatoes whole (leave skin on). Add grated potatoes and spices to onion mixture and stir. Add stock and cover, let simmer for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender in small batches) blend until smooth. Serve warm with crusty bread.




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Going bananas

How were your thanksgivings? Mine was super relaxing and spent with my Mom/Dad/Aunt Sandy/Husband/Hobbes. We had a blast hanging out and I think Hobbes especially loved how much turkey my Dad was willing to give her. She also had a blast chasing his feet around. Side note: Hobbes has never been one to attack/eat/chew on shoes, this all changed when she saw my Dad's slippers, nondescript and nothing exciting about them... but for some reason she chased them with all her might no matter how many times we said no.

On a totally non thanksgiving related note. I made banana muffins. It's a cooking light recipe and I love them. Spiked with ground flax seed and no eggs you can easily sub out the yogurt for extra banana mash to make these vegan (which is exactly what I did). My reason was because I had extra banana laying around, and no yogurt on hand. You can find the recipe here.

Side note: I used frozen and thawed bananas, they tend to have more moisture so if you are using non frozen and thawed bananas you may need to add a little milk (non-dairy to keep them vegan) to add a little more moisture to things. (AKA if you are mixing this all together and it resembled cement and not muffin batter)

Yum!



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Light me on fire soup

OK, I might have gone a little overboard with the hot curry... sure the recipe probably didn't call for hot curry, it just said said curry... note to self, and warning to all of you. DONT use hot curry unless you have a loaf of bread and an ice cold beer on hand to help with the slow burn that will be your mouth.

Other than the whole setting myself on fire part, this soup was delicious and amazingly flavorful. It pairs perfectly with a crusty loaf of homemade bread and is a hearty VEGAN meal. Yup you read that right. Not that you should be surprised the soup is vegan, lots of soups are vegan, and darn tasty too!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
recipe from The Food you Crave

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cuts)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
One 2 ½ lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp honey (sub agave for 100% vegan meal)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the squash, broth, curry powder, and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the honey, and puree until smooth in the pot using an immersion blender or in two batches in a regular blender.  Taste and season with salt, if necessary.

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Melty Cheesy Ooey Gooey

Tell someone you are using 75% reduced fat cheese in their meal and they might say what you made was "ok". Don't tell them and just use Cabot light and extra light cheeses and they will exclaim how delicious the meal was. True story! I was super excited to try Cabot's new reduced fat cheeses. I got a nice hunk of Sharp Extra Light Cheddar (75% reduced fat), and a hunk of  Jalepeno Light Cheddar (50% reduced fat). (click the link to see nutritional facts)

I must admit I loved Cabot even before they sent me some cheese, they are my go to extra sharp cheddar when setting up a cheese platter at a party. I'd never given their lower fat options a try until now, not sure why I waited so long because they rocked!

I've dealt with reduced fat cheese before that more closely resembled plastic than cheese when it was melted. Not at all the case with either the 50% or 75% reduced fat varieties of Cabot. I've been using both in everything from frittatas to paninis to just eating it straight up as a snack.

If you are looking to cut down on calories but still get some delicious cheesy taste I would totally grab some of Cabot's varieties, they melt, slice, and taste delicious!

I made the below recipe for a group and they were none the wiser to the 75% reduced fat cheese spiking their breakfast. :) Win win situation if you ask me.

Veggie frittata
recipe by steph chows

6 eggs
6 egg whites
1.5 cups skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 small red onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped red/yellow/orange peppers
3-4 artichoke hearts chopped (I bought canned ones)
1/2 block Cabot extra light cheddar (shredded) 

In a medium pan cook veggies until lightly browned and cooked through, set aside to cool. Beat eggs, egg whites, and milk in a large bowl. In a deep 9x9 greased pan pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle veggies and cheese all over (some will sink some will float on top). Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Cabot provided me with 2 samples of their cheeses, but the opinions voiced here are all mine.



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New Look- and healthy scotcheroos

You may have noticed things are looking a bit different around here... I'm still working out all the kinks so please excuse the mess or random moving of things that may be happening. Anything you like? Don't like? Please let me know, I don't want to scare you all away with my crazy need to redesign things :)

Tell you what how about you have a healthed up scotcheroo to tide you over? I was so very excited when I came across this recipe. John's sister makes these and he secretly loves them, but hates how horribly bad they are for you. Enter in these:

YUMMMM!!!! Now I'm not saying they are super health food or anything, but they don't have any butter or oil, and they use maple and brown rice syrup to sweeten them, add in brown rice crispies and we're golden right!??

If you're allergic to peanuts just sub in some nutella or sunbutter (unless you're allergic to those too... if that's the case, don't do that.)


Scotcheroos: [no bake, high protein, GF, vegan]
(makes 9 large treats) recipe by: Chockohlawtay

150g (5 cups) Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
48g (1/2 cup) Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten free if you like)
13g (2 tbs) Ground Flaxseed
1/8 tsp Salt

168g (1/2 cup) Brown Rice Syrup
128g (1/2 cup) Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar/salt/oil added)
42g (2 tbs) Pure Maple Syrup
1 tsp Butterscotch Extract
64g (2 scoops) Vanilla Protein Powder

4oz Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped (or dark chocolate)
84g (1/4 cup) Pure Maple Syrup

Directions:
1. Line a brownie pan with parchment paper both ways.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cereal, oats, flax and salt.
3. In a large microwave-safe bowl, stir together the rice syrup, peanut butter, maple syrup and butterscotch extract (not the protein powder yet!). Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until mixture is runny. Stir in the protein powder one spoonful at a time. Scoop this mixture over the dry ingredients and fold together. Scoop into the prepared pan and flatten.
4. Add the chocolate to a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until melted. Stir in the maple syrup (it should look like a frosting). Scoop this over the krispy treats and spread to the edges, trying to make the surface somewhat flat. Refrigerate for ~30 minutes, flatten the surface with a pastry roller or a cylinder object (like a mug). Slice and serve!

CHOW!!!

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Going Greek

Summer is normally a time when I'm craving all those healthy good for you things like salads, and hummus and veggies... but for some reason my belly has been craving the winter time comfort foods like mac and cheese, pasta, and ice cream... umm ok ice cream may not be winter time.. but it's comfort food for sure!

John and I have decided to get back on the wagon and start having better for us weeknight meals. Ok who am I kidding, he didn't fall off the wagon, it was me and me alone! :)  To satisfy his need for protein, and my need for some lighter but satisfying meals I decided to make us some wraps.

Filled to the brim with rotisserie chicken (super fast and easy), field greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, (a few pop chips for a little crunch) olives, feta, black pepper and a drizzle of balsamic/oil. My belly and waistline were happy and satisfied!

How are your summer cravings going? Out of whack like mine? What's your go to summer dinner?


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PB Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers

These need a warning label... a label stating that you might just eat all the dough and not bake any of these... a warning that once you do manage to get some in the oven, when they come out they will disappear in mere minutes. These things are dangerous!!!


I was daydreaming about snack time at work yesterday... oh come now I know you do it too. And somehow I got peanut butter oatmeal cookies into my head... and then my brain added in some chocolate chips for good measure... I started jotting down a rough layout for the recipe and knew I'd be making them as soon as I walked into the door... ok fine I did manage to make dinner first.. (shrimp, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, udon noodles, in a tahini and soy spicy sauce... sorry inhaled it, no pictures) but THEN I made these.


Any guesses on what I have for snack time today?? Yup, not these, because they are already gone... maybe I should make some more tonight...


PB Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers
recipe by ::steph chows::
makes 18 cookies (need to revisit this to get the number up to 24)

In a medium bowl whisk together and set aside
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 cups old fashion oats
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt

In a large bowl beat together
1/3 cup smooth peanutbutter
2 tbs smart balance (or butter of choice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup splenda (or use 1/3 cup white sugar)
then beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry into wet, then add 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Using your hands (time to get dirty!) form into large balls and then smoosh flat onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove and let cool.


Do baked goods disappear quickly around your house? Are you good and only let yourself eat a few at a time? Or do you eat them all in one big sitting?

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