quick Archives - Page 20 of 25

healthy blueberry strawberry blackberry yogurt smoothie

Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie

March 11, 2013 ·

This Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie is quick and easy to make and perfect for breakfast on a busy morning, a post-workout recovery drink, or an afternoon pick me up. Made with just a few healthy ingredients, it’s a vitamin-packed smoothie that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime (and portable too for when you’re on-the-go!).

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try Ocean Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks and thought it would a tasty addition to this smoothie recipe. At only 5 calories per serving, swapping out full-calorie juices in favor of Ocean’ Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks can help save calories (and carbs, if that’s a concern), while still tasting delicious. For this recipe, I used Ocean Spray’s Diet Cranberry juice and it went nicely with the berries used in the rest of this smoothie. For next time, I have my eyes on the Diet Blueberry Pomegranate!

To learn more about Ocean Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks, visit http://www.oceanspray.com/Products/Juices/Diet-Light/Diet-Cranberry-Juice-Drink.aspx.

Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie

Yields: 1 servings

Ingredients

½ cup Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Drink, any flavor
½ cup frozen mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
1 ripe banana, frozen and cut into slices
3 ounces fat free plain or berry-flavored Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon flaxseed (optional)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender (or Magic Bullet). Blend on high speed until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into a chilled glass. Enjoy!

Notes

Tip: slice banana before freezing...it's much easier!

Adapted from Ocean Spray

I have partnered with Ocean Spray through DailyBuzz to help promote their new Ocean Spray Diet product. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product, however my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Filed Under: Admin, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: beverage, drink, easy, quick, smoothie, snack, tastemaker, yogurt

Baked Balsamic Chicken

February 7, 2013 ·

Baked Balsamic Chicken is wholesome, easy and delicious! This dish can be customized to use whatever herbs you like (or have on hand) and is perfectly paired with Minute® Multi-Grain Medley! Thank you Minute® Rice for sponsoring this post.

This Baked Balsamic Chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years. The recipe was created when Greta was first born over 3 years ago and has been a regular feature on the dinner rotation ever since. The marinade takes minutes to prepare and then is poured in a zip-top bag with the chicken. Let that sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Then you just pour the chicken and marinade in a baking dish and bake. Simple!

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Filed Under: Featured, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: baked, balsamic, chicken, dairy free, dinner, easy, marinade, quick

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

January 31, 2013 ·

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake

We had a special surprise arrive last Friday ~ our baby decided to arrive a little early! Naturally, when there is a birthday, there must be a birthday cake. This Lemon Buttermilk Cake is quick and easy enough for a sleepy mama to whip together in minutes. It’s not only simple to make, but the lemon cake is perfectly lemon-y, refreshing and delicious. To dress it up, I added a simple lemon buttermilk glaze to drizzle over the loaf, with some extra to drizzle on the slices. This cake is so good as-is, but the glaze adds a little something that makes it feel extra special. Adam could not get enough of the baby’s birthday cake, and I discovered that despite not being a frosting person, he loves glaze. Who can blame him!

Now to the baby details! We had a baby girl named Greta Rose. She is an easy baby so far and super sweet. Seems fitting I guess, because the same could be said about Lemon Buttermilk Cake! 🙂

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake with lemon glaze

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

Yields: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
¾ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated, approx 2 lemons)
¼ cup lemon juice (approx 1½ lemons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk, well-shaken

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8"x4" loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until well-blended. Drizzle over cooled cake, as desired.

Sources: Real Simple for the cake, Cooking Light for the glaze

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: brunch, buttermilk, cake, easy, lemon, quick

Apricot White Chocolate Scones

January 3, 2013 ·

lighter dried apricot white chocolate chip scones

Happy New Year! For a special New Year’s Day breakfast, I made these Apriot White Chocolate Scones. I always forget how quick and easy scones are to make, plus they are much more economical to make at home than to buy them from a local coffee shop. Tastier too! The slight tartness of the dried apricots and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips are such a wonderful complement. I made several changes to the original recipes to lighten it up a bit: used fat free evaporated milk instead of half and half, used light butter and also replaced some flour with whole wheat pastry flour. The result was a delicious scone with a nice, moist texture (no dry scones here!).

Apricot White Chocolate Scones

Yields: 8 scones

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅓ cup cold butter, cut in pieces (I used light butter)
⅓ cup chopped dried apricots
⅓ cup white chocolate baking chips
1 egg
⅓ cup fat free evaporated milk
melted white chocolate and additional chopped apricots, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside
In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar and baking powder until combined.
Add butter to food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Pour mixture into a medium bowl.
Stir apricots and white chocolate chips into flour mixture. Stir in egg and gradually add evaporated milk until dough forms a ball (Note: You may need slightly less than ⅓ cup). Knead dough a few times while in bowl.
Pat or roll dough into 8-inch round on prepared cookie sheet. Cut into 8 wedges (a pizza cutter works well) but DO NOT separate.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit on pan for 5 minutes and then separate wedges (Note: I used a serated knife to ensure clean cuts). Let cool completely.
Optional set: Drizzle melted white chocolate and sprinkle with chopped dried apricots, if desired.

Slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: brunch, dried apricots, easy, light, quick, scones, white chocolate

Chewy Ginger Cookies

December 13, 2012 ·

This is my favorite recipe for Chewy Ginger Cookies. They are soft, chewy, with warm flavors of ginger and molasses, plus they take 10 minutes to prepare!

When it comes to holiday baking, I enjoy trying new recipes, but I also like to have some go-to recipes. Standby recipes that are guaranteed to be crowd pleasers and are easy to make. For years, I have been trying to find that special recipe for a ginger cookies. These Chewy Ginger Cookies are the top contender for becoming that special recipe. They are super soft and chewy with the warm flavors of ginger and molasses in each bite. The dough takes less than 10 minutes to make, which is always a bonus!

This marks the final week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Meal Planning Mom. Be sure to check out the thumbnails at the bottom of this post for more delicious holiday treats!

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Yields: 30 cookies

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup molasses
¼ cup water
Additional sugar, for rolling

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
Mix molasses and water in a liquid measuring cup, and stir until combined (Note: you may need to stir again before adding to butter mixture).
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined. Beating on low, alternately add flour mixture and molasses mixture to the butter mixture, until fully combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Roll a rounded tablespoonful of dough into a ball and then roll the ball in granulated sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are set (be careful not to overbake). Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home: Best Loved Cookies and Bars

We are to Week #12 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Meal Planning Magic. Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop.

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, chewy, christmas, cookies, easy, entertaining, ginger, holiday, molasses, quick

Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes

November 21, 2012 ·

So I couldn’t help myself…I had to share one last pumpkin recipe with you. It’s a good one. Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes are a moist, delicious pumpkin cake with a cream cheese surprise in the middle. A little sprinkling of powdered sugar on top is all these cupcakes need before presenting, which makes them ideal for travel or eating at a gathering since they won’t get all messy. While these cupcakes can hold their own without any frosting, they would also be really good with a little Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting if you want to get fancy. Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes are an easy, portable and fun little pumpkin alternative to tomorrow’s traditional pie.

By the way, can you believe we’re already in Week #9 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday, many of us are posting starting today through the rest of the week, so be sure to check out all of the yummy treats by clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom of this post.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
Powdered sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, gently folding until well-blended.
FILLING: In a separate small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and beat on low until just combined.
Fill muffin cups approximately one-third full. Distribute evenly among cupcakes, dropping a generous tablespoonful in the enter of each cupcake. Cover with remaining batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin cake portion comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving (or frost as desired).

Source: Taste of Home

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop. And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us.

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, christmas, cinnamon, cream cheese, cupcakes, easy, entertaining, frosting, make ahead, pumpkin, quick, thanksgiving

Cranberry Cornbread

November 13, 2012 ·

Cranberry Cornbread puts a fun, fall/wintery twist on traditional cornbread. We have been making chili almost weekly these days, and of course what goes better with chili than cornbread. I used a cornbread muffin recipe from Cooking Light for the base, making a few adjustments to accommodate the cranberries. Fresh cranberries add just the right amount of tartness which is balanced nicely with brown sugar. Buttermilk lends a moist crumb, and the result is a delicious tart-sweet cornbread. Cranberry Cornbread would make a nice side dish for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, and of course pairs very well with a spicy chili!

Speaking of chili, I am working on a fabulous new chili recipe to share with you soon. In the meantime, this Three Bean Vegetarian Chili can be made in less than 30 minutes and is our current chili of choice.

Cranberry Cornbread

Yields: 16 servings

Ingredients

1¼ cups buttermilk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl (or in a liquid measuring cup) combine buttermilk, oil and egg.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add milk mixture to flour mixture, folding until just combined. Gently fold in cranberries.
Pour mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light, September, 2012

Filed Under: bread, Recipes, sides Tagged With: buttermilk, christmas, cooking light, cornbread, cranberry, easy, holiday, quick, snack, thanksgiving

Mounds Brownies

October 25, 2012 ·

With Halloween just around the corner, the excitement is building for fun costumes and candy. We always somehow end up with more candy than we need to give out (thanks to the person who buys the candy, *ahem* Mike). While that may be intentional, I’m always happy to try new and tasty recipes using “leftover” candy ~ these Mounds Brownies being one of them!

Mounds Brownies take a basic brownie recipe and dress it up with coconut, simply by adding Mounds candy bars. It’s amazing how such a simple addition can really transform an otherwise ordinary dessert into something unique and seemingly decadant. You get a nice-sized chunk of candy bar in each brownie, and fans of chocolate and coconut will enjoy the complementary flavors.

By the way, it’s that time of week again. We are now in Week 5 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! While this recipe is shared in part to use up Halloween candy, these Mounds Brownies would be a super fun addition to your holiday treat platter. They’re something a little different yet delicious and very easy to make too.

Mounds Brownies

Yields: 16 brownies

Ingredients

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 snack-size Mounds candy bars
Baking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square pan with baking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or a use double-boiler), stirring frequently until melted. Remove bowl from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until well-blended. Stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture. Fold in flour mixture until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Place Mounds bars on top of batter, pressing down slightly. (I did 3 rows of 4).
Bake until just set, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.

Slightly adapted from All You, October, 2012

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, bars, brownies, candy, coconut, easy, halloween, holiday, make ahead, quick

Black Bean Nacho Burgers

October 16, 2012 ·

Black Bean Nacho Burgers are a healthy, spicy, cheesy burger that tastes just like black bean nachos! {vegetarian}

As we all know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor and recognition of this, my friend Erin at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts contacted me about joining a bunch of bloggers together this week to share pink recipes or healthy recipes that are helpful for fighting cancer. What a great idea! So this week I will be sharing 2 recipes ~ today’s being the healthy one ~ Black Bean Nacho Burgers.

Some studies suggest a link between red meat consumption and breast cancer. While we don’t eat a lot of red meat in this house, I am always happy to find new substitutes for red meat standbys, such as a burger. Sometimes a burger really hits the spot, right? Even though it is an occasional indulgence, after having these Black Bean Nacho Burgers, I will be happy to never have a beef burger again! They are super easy to make, with a simple list of ingredients, and really do taste like black bean nachos! Made with black beans, crushed tortilla chips, some cheese, salsa and seasonings, these are a truly delicious healthy alternative to their red meat counterpart. Even Mike, who as I’ve mentioned before is a bit of a burger connessieur, thought they tasted incredible and did not miss the red meat.

Black Bean Nacho Burgers

Yields: 4 patties

Ingredients

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
⅓ cup salsa
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 scallion, white and green, finely chopped
black pepper, to taste
hamburger buns, lettuce, cheese, salsa, etc. for serving

Instructions

Using a potato masher, fork or a food processor, smash bean until chunky, leaving some partly whole.
Stir in chips, salsa, cheese, egg, scallion and pepper. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, and then form mixture into 4 patties.
Place patties on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place patties on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 on each side, or until browned and cooked through. (Note: Patties will be a little fragile when flipping).
Serve on a bun with desired toppings.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: black beans, burgers, easy, make ahead, quick, sandwich

easy vegetarian spinach manicotti with no boil noodles

Easy Meatless Manicotti

September 5, 2012 ·

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited for Fall. It is my favorite time of year for cooking and baking, plus I love the cooler temperatures. Even though the season has not technically changed, Labor Day is kind of an unofficial kick off to the Fall season. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I have already made a pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, chili and cornbread, beef stew, and a few other Fall-inspired goodies to be posted soon. (Ok, confession…I may have done some of this before Labor Day).

In any case, this Easy Meatless Manicotti is one of my favorite dishes and is a perfect comfort food for the cooler temperatures. There are a couple time-saving steps in this recipe to help make it “easy.” First, no boiling of the noodles is required. Not having to boil the noodles is not only a time-saver, but filling firm shells is a whole lot easier than flimsy cooked shells. This recipe also uses a jarred pasta sauce, though if you want to make your own, go for it! The filling is very flexible – I’ve used cottage cheese or ricotta, and either works fine. I have used frozen broccoli in place of the spinach; I have added onions, shredded zucchini, whatever extra vegetables that needs to be used up. Leftovers heat up beautifully, which make for great lunches or quick dinners. Easy Meatless Manicotti is healthy and delicious and a regular in our dinner rotation.

Easy Meatless Manicotti

Yields: 7 servings

Ingredients

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
¼ cup (1 ounce) grated parmesan cheese
16 ounces nonfat cottage cheese
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1½ teaspoons dried Italian herb seasoning (or dried oregano)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cooking Spray
3 cups marinara sauce (or 24-28 ounce jar pasta sauce)
1 package (14 noodles) manicotti noodles - uncooked
½ cup water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine 1½ cups mozzarella, Parmesan, and cottage cheese, along with the spinach, garlic, Italian herb seasoning, red pepper and salt/pepper to taste.
Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour ½ of the sauce in the baking dish.
Fill the manicotti noodles* with filling mixture until full, about 3 tablespoons.
Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles, making sure the noodles are covered.
Slowly pour ½ cup water around the perimeter of baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with nonstick foil (or spray foil with cooking spray) and bake for 1 hour. Let sit uncovered for 10 minutes and serve.

Notes

Filling tips: Put filling in a ziploc bag, cut off a corner and fill shells OR I have found an iced tea spoon is the perfect size for spooning the filling in the shells.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2 shells

Adapted from Cooking Light