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Cabbage and Pineapple Slaw Burgers | juicy burger made with MIRACLE WHIP and topped with a cabbage pineapple slaw! #ProudOfIt

Cabbage and Pineapple Slaw Burgers

Celebrate summer with a this unique, delicious and easy to make Cabbage and Pineapple Slaw Burger!  Thank you to MIRACLE WHIP (through the Mom It Forward Blogger Network) for sponsoring this post.    

Cabbage and Pineapple Slaw Burgers | juicy burger made with MIRACLE WHIP and topped with a cabbage pineapple slaw! #ProudOfIt

With the 4th of July just around the corner, we are looking forward to a fun celebration (plus a day off work!)  We are planning to have a super tasty backyard barbecue with some old favorite recipes as well as tasty new ones!

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Lemonade Cake | An easy cake made with real lemonade and topped with a lemonade marshmallow buttercream frosting!

Lemonade Cake

Celebrate the taste of summer with this extra special Lemonade Cake topped with a lemonade marshmallow buttercream frosting!  
Lemonade Cake | Made with real lemonade and topped with a lemonade marshmallow buttercream frosting!

One of my favorite sayings is ‘A party is not a party unless there is cake!’   I actually don’t know if that is a real saying or if I just made it up, but they seem like good words to live by.  Who doesn’t love a good party and cake!

Olive Oil Fudge Brownies | easy made from scratch brownies made with heart healthy olive oil #PantryInsiders

Olive Oil Fudge Brownies #PantryInsiders

Olive Oil Fudge Brownies are an easy from scratch brownie recipe made with heart healthy olive oil instead of butter.   

Olive Oil Fudge Brownies | easy made from scratch brownies made with heart healthy olive oil #PantryInsiders

I have a thing for brownies.  I also have a thing for doing things to brownies, such as making them with bananas, or zucchini, or s’mores.   So while olive oil may not be a natural transition from those goodies, it seemed like a good idea.  It ended up being a tasty one too!  …

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Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies | the BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! #SundaySupper

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies #SundaySupper

 Chewy, chocolaty and delicious, these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best chocolate chip cookies ever!

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies | the BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! #SundaySupper

I have tried many different chocolate chip cookie recipes  in my day.  There was a fantastic recipe I used to make when I was a kid,  and then my grandma’s recipe, plus many others in between.  There were pros and cons to each recipe, but in the end they were chocolate chip cookies and therefore delicious, right?  Then one day we had our real estate agent, and dear friend, over for a visit.  She generously brought us an oven mitt, a bag of chocolate chips and a recipe.  The recipe was for these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies, which ended up being the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had in my life!  

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Lighter Chipotle Beef Tacos #SundaySupper #ChooseDreams

Lighter Chipotle Beef Tacos #SundaySupper #ChooseDreams

Lighter Chipotle Beef Tacos are an easy recipe for a healthier beef taco. {Gluten Free}

Lighter Chipotle Beef Tacos #SundaySupper #ChooseDreams

Back when Mike and I were first married, I tried to cook dinner every night.  At the time, I was still working and often ended up at the office much later than he was. He could tell how tired I was after working 10+ hour days and wanted to help with dinner.  He has always made a mean frozen pizza and used to cook a lot during his bachelor days. He told me he used to make tacos all of the time – meat plus a seasoning kit.  Oy!  I was excited for tacos, but my first thought was…where are the vegetables?  He is very good at following a recipe, so we decided that I needed to come up with a healthier beef taco recipe that is easy to make….

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Caprese Pasta Salad | tomatoes, basil and mozzarella mixed with pasta, tossed in a light balsamic vinaigrette with a protein boost from chickpeas #WeekdaySupper #ChooseDreams

Caprese Pasta Salad #WeekdaySupper #ChooseDreams

 

Enjoy the taste of summer with this light, refreshing Caprese Pasta Salad.  Made with garden fresh tomatoes and basil, mozzarella cheese and a bonus protein boost from chickpeas, it is quick, simple, delicious – and perfect for a weekday supper!

Caprese Pasta Salad | tomatoes, basil and mozzarella mixed with pasta, tossed in a light balsamic vinaigrette with a protein boost from chickpeas #WeekdaySupper #ChooseDreams

Over the past month, our herb garden has grown and flourished.  I usually have to plant two basil plants, but this year our basil is towering above the rest.  Never at a loss for recipes using fresh basil, this Caprese Pasta Salad recipe is one of our favorite summertime weeknight dinners!  

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Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles | easy to make dark chocolate truffles infused with Pinot Noir wine #SundaySupper

Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles #SundaySupper

Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles are easy, decadent homemade truffles,infused with Pinot Noir wine that melt in your mouth and are made on the lighter side!  

Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles | easy to make dark chocolate truffles infused with Pinot Noir wine #SundaySupper

Every holiday, or any occasion really, Mike surprises me with truffles. He insists the truffles are for me and usually refuses when I offer to share.  With both Father’s Day and his birthday coming up, I wanted to make something to surprise him (early because, well…I know he reads the blog regularly.  Hi Honey!)  I have had a ‘healthified’ dark chocolate truffle recipe bookmarked for years, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it….

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Spicy Black Bean Breakfast Burger | protein packed quick and easy healthy breakfast made in minutes!

Spicy Black Bean Breakfast Burger

Spicy Black Bean Breakfast Burger | protein packed quick and easy healthy breakfast made in minutes!Get a protein-packed breakfast in minutes with this Spicy Black Bean Breakfast Burger.  Perfect for when you want something quick, healthy and delicious!  

Lately, I have been feeling more tired than usual and end up hungry in the late mornings. With intense morning workouts and spending long days caring for the kids, I am thinking it might be time to change up my breakfast routine and get a little more protein. My usual breakfast consists of oatmeal with cocoa powder, flax seed meal and a banana.

While I occasionally deviate to something with a little more protein,  like Greek yogurt with berries or a smoothie, it always comes back to carb-heavy oatmeal.  It’s quick to make, and I really like a hot breakfast.  Thankfully this Spicy Black Bean Breakfast Burger has become the protein-packed solution to my breakfast woes.

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Buffalo Aioli | An easy recipe for aioli with a buffalo sauce twist!

Buffalo Aioli #SundaySupper

Buffalo Aioli takes a basic aioli recipe and transforms it into something extraordinary…buffalo style!  A bowl, a whisk, a few simple ingredients, and 5 minutes are all you need to make this easy recipe.

Buffalo Aioli | An easy recipe for buffalo aioli

Aioli is one of those accompaniments that I always enjoy at restaurants. It puts an upscale twist on the simplest sandwiches, burgers, vegetables and has the ability to turn a simple plate of fries into frites!  For whatever reason, it never occurred to me how easy aioli is to make at home.  Then one night, we were making oven fries, and I wanted to do something to dress them up. I had an egg yolk leftover from another recipe, we are crazy for anything buffalo, and from there it was a natural progression to become Buffalo Aioli!

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Low Fat Chocolate Cake | chocolaty fudgy cake made with coconut oil

Low Fat Chocolate Cake

This Low Fat Chocolate Cake is fudgy sheet cake is topped with a fudgy frosting and easy to make.  It is moist, chocolaty and delicious!

Low Fat Chocolate Cake | chocolaty fudgy cake made with coconut oil

I just looked at the calender and realized that Monday was my 3 year blogiversary.  And a celebration isn’t a celebration without cake…and sprinkles!  So I am sharing this simple, tasty Low Fat Chocolate Cake in honor of YOU, in honor of the blog, and just because who doesn’t like a delicious cake made on the lighter side!

Low Fat Chocolate Cake | chocolaty fudgy cake made with coconut oil

I’m not always a fan of going low fat just for the sake of low fat. But in an effort to save calories with something that is simple, chocolaty and delicious, I’m all for it. This Low Fat Chocolate Cake is made using coconut oil, both in the cake and frosting. I love using coconut oil in baked goods. This was also my first time using coconut oil in frosting, which turned out great!

Low Fat Chocolate Cake
 
Author:
Yields: 18 servings
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Cooking spray
Frosting:
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk (I used skim)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Prepare cake: In a small bowl, combine cocoa and water and let cool Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, add sugar, coconut oil and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cocoa mixture. Alternate beating in flour and buttermilk to cocoa, ending with flour - beat well after each addition. Pour cake into prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
  3. Prepare frosting: In a large bowl, add sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vanilla and beat with a mixer until combined. Add milk until desired consistency is achieved. Spread over cooled cake and decorate as desired.

Low Fat Chocolate Cake | chocolaty fudgy cake made with coconut oil