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Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

7/5/13

Heavenly Blueberry Pie with crumb topping ~ Easy as PIE!

Blueberry Pie.  



I never knew the beauty of blueberry pie until a few years ago.

You see we live in blueberry country.  

There's a place called Gingerich Farms right down the road from us and they have a Blueberry Blowout Event each year (July 19th & 20th this year) where they sell their delicious, locally grown, freshly picked blueberries to the public at wholesale prices.  Ever since the first year we discovered them we've been going back and buying flat after flat of fresh blueberries for freezing.  That way we can use them throughout the year without paying those crazy supermarket prices for fresh or frozen berries.  These frozen blueberries go great in cereal, yogurt, fruit smoothies, and of course PIES.  

Now I've never been a big pie eater (except at Thanksgiving) but the first year we went to the blueberry festival we also purchased a pie made by Gingerich Farms employees and, boy, let me tell you IT WAS FLIPPING GOOD!

It was July and we'd been eating those fresh blueberries by the handfuls for days on end (they are so good!) so I wasn't expecting anything phenomenal from that pie.  We'd almost blueberrie'd ourselves out at that point.

I made homemade ice cream that day and we cooked the pie and served it up nice and warm after a BBQ, with a scoop of that creamy homemade vanilla ice cream on top....and I swear to you it got completely quiet as everyone experienced that first moment of warm, blueberry pie bliss.  

Talk about heaven!  


I vowed that day that I would learn how to make a crumb-topped blueberry pie that would make a small crowd go silent with it's irresistible gooey blueberry goodness!

Now I have to admit that I've learned many things since that first pie making experience.  Like how easy it can be to make your own pie crust.  My friend Julie (the Redhead) has a wonderful pie crust recipe that would work great with this pie: 


She said she would be happy to have us steal her EASY pie crust recipe.  You may want to nab the rest of her apple pie recipe at Redhead Can Decorate while you're there.  Man does it look good!

But if things are really just too crazy...you've got a house full of out-of-town guests and a BBQ to light up and homemade ice cream to churn and parades to attend...then you could even get away with using frozen pie crusts and just add the homemade blueberry filling and crumb topping.  It will still be unbelievably delicious (and I won't tell anybody you cheated.  That's one of my favorite cheats when I'm low on prep time too).  :)



Have a heavenly summer my friends!

Heavenly Blueberry Pie with Crumb Topping

Ingredients:
1 pie shell (homemade or store bought)
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch of salt (1/18 teaspoon)

Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 stick chilled butter cut into pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl and pour into pie shell.

In another bowl combine crumb topping ingredients:  flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut chilled butter into small pieces and mix into other ingredients with your hands ~ working the butter into clumps.  Pour over pie shell with fruit filling.

Place pie on foil lined baking sheet and put in lower portion of oven.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 1 1/2 hours.  You may need to cover with a foil tent if topping is browning too quickly.  When fruit bubbles and crust is brown your pie is done.  Enjoy!





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3/22/13

Guilt Free Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Being on a diet SUCKS!
You probably don't need me to tell you that.
That's why I'm not dieting.  :)  
I'm enjoying these amazing Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies today...totally Guilt Free too, I might add.


So, do I have your attention now?

I truly believe that it's time for us...(yes this is me speaking for an entire unnamed group of people)...anyhow ;)...It's time for US to quit 'dieting' to get to where we want to be with our weight and overall health.  We truly need to change our habits and lifestyles.  We can bury our heads in the sand and continue eating processed, modified, genetically altered foods because they are easy, convenient and inexpensive.  And we can continue to wonder why we are experiencing so many health and wellness problems and feeling a general decline in our energy.

OR

We can change the way we look at food in general.  
We can choose all-natural foods whenever possible. 
We can limit our intake of processed carbs and sugars to an occasional treat.

And we don't have to feel guilty about having a treat now and then. We don't have to 'fall off the diet wagon' if we allow ourselves something good.  

If we just exercise some common sense and self~control when are making choices.

Anyway...I'm stepping down from my soap box now.  I have some cookies warm from the oven that are calling my name!

The best thing about these cookies is they are just a tiny blip on the radar of my allowed calorie intake for the day.  Oh yeah!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Weight Watchers Online recipe modified)

If you have a family you may want to double this recipe because you are going to need the extras!
These taste just like regular chocolate chip cookies and if your family likes chocolate chip cookies they will devour them.  

Ingredients 

2 Tbsp salted butter, softened
2 tsp vegetable oil or canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg white
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and oil.  Add vanilla and egg whites; mix thoroughly.

In another small bowl combine flour and baking soda; stir into batter.  Add chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly.

Drop dough by half teaspoons onto two large nonstick cookie sheets leaving a small space between each cookie. 

 
I like to cover my pans with parchment paper...thank Martha Stewart for this tip!


Bake until golden brown on the edges, about 5 minutes; cool on wire rack. 
 

1 cookie per serving
1 WW point per cookie
Approximately 25 calories each! (3g carbs, 1.35g fat)


Seriously, grab a few and enjoy.  


They are absolutely delicious and they won't ruin your whole day of eating healthy ~ if you stick to just a few.  :)


They go great with a glass of ice cold skim milk.


I'm just so happy that I can eat healthy and still enjoy some of the treats that I love.


I don't even have to add a bunch of extra Cardio into my routine to offset these little puppies...Yeah!!!

Enjoy!


I'm not the only one baking up some cookie goodness in the kitchen today.  My friend Julie made these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies over at Redhead Can Decorate


Julie and I must be on the same anti-diet wave length today...after all...why should we be forced to give up cookies!?  Eat responsibly people!!!

But baking isn't all that Julie's been up to lately...check out this bedroom!!!  I haven't laid a hand on my bedroom decor in 8 years.  She's really inspiring me to get in there and make it beautiful again.

Picture

Go see how she transformed this room from an earthy green that wasn't growing on anybody to a fresh and tranquil white retreat.  White just has a way of opening a room up, doesn't it?

Hey, have you linked up to the BEAT THE BULGE link party yet?  We would love for you to share any light and healthy recipes, or fitness tips.  Success stories would be great too.  Did you lose weight or start an exercise program that changed your life?  Have you overcome food allergies and health issues by changing your diet?  Share those stories here to encourage others that are trying to make healthy changes!

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3/13/13

Guilt Free Taco Salad ~ Part of a Low Calorie, Low Carb Lifestyle

Hmmm . . .Taco Salad . . . That doesn't sound so new, does it?

What's new about this taco salad is I've eliminated the parts that I don't need in my diet.   Like the deep fried tortilla bowls or the corn chips that come loaded with fat, carbs and calories.  Traditional taco salads aren't all that light with all those chips, tortilla bowls and refried beans, now are they?  Well, you don't need to include those ingredients to enjoy a completely satisfying taco salad.


I am really trying to eat healthy and lose some weight.  I don't want to call it a diet because my main focus is to actually change my habits and the way I look at food in general.  What I'm hoping to do is break the cycle of filling up on processed carbohydrates that seem to leave me feeling lackluster and only wanting more.  I would like to limit my overall carb intake to whole grains and unprocessed carbs.  As much as possible anyway.   Unfortunately removing carbs from your diet can leave you feeling deprived and limited in your choices.  There goes all the yummy breads, noodles, chips, and tortillas that make up so many of our go to meals, right?

What's really challenging is creating meals that will satisfy a need for variety as well as a desire for savory, spicy, crunchy, cheesy, sweet and tasty meals.

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite salads with you:

Guilt-Free TACO SALAD


That's right...guilt-free.  Here are the stats:

                                                              calories     carbs     fat     protein
Cheddar Cheese, 1 oz114097
Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average, 1 wedge (1/4 of medium tomato)7100
Ground beef, lean, 3 oz22501815
Del Monte Sweet Peas no salt added, 0.25 cup30602
Salad, Spring Mix Salad, 2 cup20301
Rosarita Salsa Verde (Green Salsa), 2 tbsp10200
Master's Touch Vine Sweet Mini Peppers (3 peppers), 1 serving25501
Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor, 1 tsp/4g, 4 gram(s)5100
Baby Carrots, raw, 1 large5100
Cilantro, raw, 1 tbsp0000

TOTALS:440202726



Preparation:
Start by cooking low-fat ground beef...then reducing the fat content even more by draining and rinsing the meat after cooking.  (After draining the excess grease into my grease can, I rinse the ground beef with hot water and then drain again.  This removes a lot of excess grease that we don't need to be putting into our bodies.  You could prepare this with white meat ground chicken or turkey as well.)

While the meat is cooking, you can prepare your salad fix-ins in a bowl and set aside.
Today I used:
Spring Mix, Mini Sweet Peppers, Carrots, Sweet Peas, Diced Tomato, Diced Onion, Diced Cilantro  

Next add some flavoring and seasonings to the cooked beef. 
Knorr Tomato Bouillon (1 tsp), 
Chili powder 
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Paprika 
Garlic powder 
Onion flakes 
Oregano
 Red Pepper Flakes 
(I generally just guesstimate my spices since I've been making my own seasoned taco meat for years.  If you want detailed measurements for the seasoned meat you can check out the recipe at allrecipes.com.) 

There should still be a bit of excess water (from rinsing the meat) which will work well to mix and cook these seasonings into the meat.  If you drained out all the water just add a splash back in.  There is no need to add any additional salt because the tomato bouillon contains sodium and you probably won't want (or need) any more.


Add your seasoned ground beef on top of your salad fix-ins and sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese.
You could save yourself 114 calories by eliminating the cheese, but I appreciate this little splurge.  I make up for it by using Green Taco Sauce as my dressing and skipping any sour cream or other dressings containing fat.

You could substitute seasoned black beans for the meat, saving yourself another 111 calories but upping your carbs by 25g.  I'm not ready to give up my meat yet either.  ;)


Here are a few other options you might consider adding or substituting for something above.  I've included the approximate nutrition information for each so you can make good choices:

                                                             calories      carbs      fat    protein
Jalapeno Peppers, 1 pepper4100
Olives, Black, Sliced - 1 Tablespoons, 1 serving25030
Light Sour Cream, 2 tbsp40232
Beans, black, 0.5 cup1142008
Salsa, 0.25 cup18401
Cheddar Cheese Low Fat Shredded, 0.13 cup45168
Avocados, California (Haas), 0.5 cup, pureed19210182


Salads don't have to be boring or plain . . . enjoy your salad!

Don't forget we are having a healthy eating, weight loss and fitness link party.  So come link up . . . just click on the image below to be taken there:




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10/28/12

Inspiration Cafe ~ Spanakopita Crescent Rolls Recipe

 

Today it's Mary's turn to share over at Inspiration Cafe!

She is sharing what inspires her.

She is also sharing her yummy 

Spanakopita Crescent Rolls Recipe...




Head on over, we'd l.o.v.e. for you to visit our cafe...



Sherry

We would love for you to follow along!
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