Sweet N Spicy Brown Rice Cereal

Not spicy like hot spicy, spicy like cinnamon, allspice and clove spice!

This was good! Filling, tasty and healthy!!

1 C brown rice - rinsed
2 C H2O
A pinch or two of flax seed
A dash of cinnamon, allspice and clove
A little apple, dried cherries and raisins

Simmer covered for 45 min

Serve warm with maple syrup!

Tomorrow I'm going to have it cold with milk and maple syrup!

Yum!!

Before...



 and after!!!

Punkin Seeds

This is the real reason I cut open Bailey's pumpkin!

If they look extra salty that's because they are! After scooping, separating, cleaning and spreading out to dry, I left Bailey in charge of salting them. She must have thought that they were supposed to be crusted in salt. Sometimes she's right and this is one of those times!

After letting them sit over night to dry, I baked them @ 300 for 1 hour. I mixed them around on the cookie sheet a couple of times which did knock off some of the salt but what was left is absolutely perfect!

These are way too addicting!

Bailey thinks we need to get some more pumpkins just so that we can make more seeds! I agree.....

Apple Fritters

My version of a semi low fat, healthy apple fritter! Super easy, super quick and SUPER delish!!!

-2 peeled, chopped Jonathan apples
-pancake mix
-cinnamon
-sugar
-butter

Make 1 recipe of pancake mix but only mix until it is like the consistency of biscuit dough.

Add in chopped apples and mix thoroughly. The juice from the apples will loosen up the batter a little bit.

Sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar a mix again.

Melt 1/2 T of butter in a pan on med heat. Add heaping portion of batter and brown on each side. Reduce heat for a while to ensure that the batter cooks all the way through the middle.

Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar!

It's really good and won't make you feel A's guilty A's you would if you were eating a deep fried fritter!

Promise!!

My personal fritter sized pan! Also perfect for one dippy egg! 



Fritter-tasticness!

Apples galore!!!!

Bailey and I made a stop at the local apple orchard and picked up a 1/2 a peck of Jonathan apples. So far we made fresh apple juice (thanks the an electric juicer), apple fritters and a real apple pie! Recipes to follow!!!

Roasted Jack-O-Lantern

Bailey's poor little pumpkin became my dinner!

Roasted @ 325 for 45 min covered
•pumpkin meat w/ skin removed
•drizzle w/ olive oil and grade B maple syrup
•season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg

It is delicious just like this but I think I might attempt to make a bisque with what is left if I don't eat it all first!

I love bacon!

I don't cook with it or eat it very often at all, but I do love bacon! Every once in a while I'll cook something and think that the addition of bacon would be the perfect ingredient, but I never have any. Today I made Bailey bacon for breakfast with our homemade apple fritters (recipe to follow) and decided to trim off a good portion of the fat and just a bit of the meat to freeze for those times when I need that smokey good lard flavor ingredient!

Hot Chocolate Coffee

- Powdered hot chocolate mix
- Hazelnut creamer
- Coffee
- Whipped cream
- Cinnamon N Sugar

Mmmmm, mmmmm good!!!

Homemade Pho w/ Ox Tail

Pho w/ rice noodles and veggies is a staple meal for me. Broth straight from the can. This is real, homemade beef Pho broth w/ shredded ox tail meat that my pal Cory cooked and sent home with me! Absolutely amazing!!!!

Feel free to share your recipe if you would like to Cory!!

Cucumbers, goat cheese and hummus

= new favorite snack!!!!

Crispy, Crunchy, Fried Garlic Flakes

What wouldn't this be good on?!?!?

This might be one of my best discoveries ever!!!

Sweet-N-Spicy Stir Fried Tofu

I made a trip to the Chinese market today. 

Serena, the cute little lady that owns it, sent me a text to let me know that my

veggie buns finally came in.  I love her! 

Of course I couldn't just get veggie buns. 

Bailey has been asking for Miso Soup so I got tofu and miso paste

for that and decided to experiment with some of the tofu tonight. 

1. I used the same sauce that I made for the dumplings the other day.

Here is the link.

 2. Chop the tofu and marinate in the sauce.

3. In a little bit of sesame oil and olive oil I sauteed garlic, ginger, onion and red pepper.

Remove them from the pan and set aside

4. Add a little more sesame and olive oil to saute the tofu.

Brown the tofu, add the veggies back in and pour in the sauce. 

5. This would be great over noodles or rice. 

I made brown rice to serve it over.

6. Topped with chopped green onions. 

I would have also added chopped cilantro but I'm all out.

Tofu eez goooooood!

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza...

I bought some pizza crusts at The Andersons this weekend so I decided to experiment with some different pizzas. 

Veggie Pizza

Shaved Carrot

Shaved Zucchini

Red Pepper

Cremini Mushrooms

Shallots

Black Olives

Chipolino Onions

San Marzano Tomatoes w/ Fresh Basil

Goat and Mozzarella Cheeses

Blackened Chicken w/ Red Pepper and Cremini

San Marzano Tomatoes w/ Fresh Basil

Shallot

Chipolino Onion

Cremini Mushroom

Blackened Chicken

Mozzarella Cheese

Black and Blue Chicken Pizza

No Sauce!

Season crust with Miracle Blend

Blue cheese

Sauteed Cremini Mushrooms, Shallots and Chipolino Onions

Blackened Chicken

Mozzarella Cheese

This one was my favorite!

P.S. The pizza crusts from The Andersons are NO competition for my favorite frozen crust dough from Meijer.

Smoked Salmon Appetizer

This was a collaboration of many to produce an amazing outcome!

My dad caught this Coho Salmon in Indiana!

The smoke masters (The Rodgers), smoked it to perfection!

I made a couple cream cheese spreads to serve with it!

Dill and lemon cream cheese- lowfat cream cheese, fresh chopped dill, splash of lemon juice, lemon zest and salt to taste!

Chive cream cheese- lowfat cream cheese, fresh chopped chives and salt to taste!

Served on top of Triscuits and Wheat Thins, it was delicious both hot and cold!

I had this for breakfast today! Yummo!

Sweet-N-Spicy Chinese Dumplings

This is a quick, easy lunch or dinner. Cook frozen dumplings as package directs. I love the pork, shrimp and chive dumplings.

Toss in sauce!

~Sweet-N-Spicy Dumpling Sauce~

Equal parts Spring Roll Sauce and soy sauce

Squirt of Sriracha to add heat (a little goes a long way!)

Fresh chopped cilantro

There is no need to even heat the sauce. The hot dumplings will warm in up just enough!!!

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Beets w/ Blue Cheese

There are no words to explain how good this is!

•bake whole beet w/ olive oil, sea salt and fresh garlic clove all wrapped tight in foil for 45 min @ 350

•peel, slice, drizzle w/ olive oil, salt and pepper

•top with Blue or Gorganzola cheese crumbles

•broil on low until cheese just starts to brown

Eat, love, repeat....

Props to Cory on this one too!!!

Pearled Barley

Props to Cory for introducing me to this delicious grain! I love the texture of it. So good!!!

Follow cooking directions on the bag. Add dried shiitake mushrooms, shallots, sea salt, pepper, and caraway seeds before you cook it so that the flavors infuse into the barley!

I used this as a side dish, mixed with my vegetable soup recipe from the other day and then also topped with a marinara tomato sauce! It's very versatile!!!

Veggie Tacos

~Steamed Corn Tortillas
~Refried Beans
~Sautéed red onion, garlic, zucchini, carrots (seasoned with sea salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and chilling powder)
~Fresh Salsa (tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, sea salt and pepper)

These were very filling and satisfying!

Brown rice breakfast

Yum!

{{{Brown Rice • Flax Seed • Freeze Dried Cherries • Pure Maple Syrup}}}

Colon cleansing foods!

In an attempt to kick a cold that I've had for over a month, I'm doing my best to eat lots of veggies! Today I made a vegetable soup with lots of these beautiful veggies. The flavors were awesome! I will be using this soup as the base for some more meals down the road!

Maple Syrup - Grade B

This stuff is delicious, but very expensive. It's liquid gold! I will be using it very sparingly! I don't think I will be offering any to Bailey for her waffles in the morning.