Homemade Protein Bars

I have begun a rigorous exercise routine….P90X. It’s hard and requires more calories and protein than I am used to eating. Of course the P90X people sell protein bars for you to eat, but I do not want to pay $15.95 + $5.95 shipping for 12 bars! That’s almost $2 a piece. OUCH! No way! I searched the web and modified a recipe to make my own. They are so good to0. I have been eating one everyday to up my calorie and protein intake. Dallas likes them as well and has been taking them in his lunches. I haven’t calculated out the cost, but I know it’s not $2 each!

Homemade Protein Bars

4 cups oatmeal

3/4 c unsweetened applesauce (I used my homemade applesauce from the freezer)

7 scoops protein powder (I use EAS Vanilla, since they sell it in huge bags at Sam’s Club)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup chia seeds (I got mine from amazon, great source of omega 3, and fiber)

1 cup chunky peanut butter

3 tsp cinnamon

1 cup craisins

Mix everything together. It will be thick. Spread in 9 x 13 pan and press down. Refrigerate for 30 min or so. Cut into 16 bars. Wrap in wax paper. I store mine in the freezer for freshness and pull one out as I need it.

In case you want it:

301 calories

13 g fat

6.5 g fiber

33.5 g carbs

12.4 g sugar

17.6 g protein

Homemade “Sun Dried” Tomatoes

Last week I bought 12 lbs of tomatoes. I was planning on making a whole lot of tomato soup, but silly me forgot to check how much basil I had. I didn’t have enough to make 12 lbs of tomatoes into soup! So I decided to make sun dried tomatoes in the oven with the left overs! I just quartered my tomatoes and removed the seeds by scraping the tomato with my nail. I then placed them on one of my pizza racks that is not solid. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper and italian seasoning and dried (baked) them on the oven at 175° for about 4 hours. Take them out when they are leathery but not brittle. I had to take out a few before the others were done. They are so good and sweet. They taste like a little piece of pizza! A great low calorie, on the go healthy snack that can also be frozen. Use them on salads, pizza or pasta. Check out the before and after photos:

Peanut Butter Balls

Last week I said that I was going to make some peanut butter balls for Lance’s lunches. He loves these little protein balls. They are simple to whip up and store wonderfully in the freezer. I don’t really follow a recipe. I just dump things together to make the consitency of a thick cookie dough.

This batch had:

About 1 cup peanut butter

1/2 c  or so dry milk powder (can use protein powder)

1/2 c or so ground flax (or chopped nuts)

2 T or so honey

Mix them all up and scoop with small cookie scoop. I rolled mine in some crushed apple cinnamon cereal and a few in some nesquik chocolate drink mix to keep the stickiness at bay. Freeze on a cookie sheet until hard then put in a baggie.

Frugal Tip of the Week: Homemade Daily Granite Spray/Cleaner

Being a former health inspector I like to make sure that my countertops are clean and sanitized especially after working with raw meat. I have granite counters (by the way I DO NOT recommend them!) First I was using Target’s Method daily granite spray. It was ok. It cleaned the counters but did not sanitize and had quite a strong scent for me. I don’t like scents in my products much at all. Then I moved to using my homemade clorox anywhere spray, but I wanted something without the chemicals in bleach, as I am trying to reduce the chemicals we use in the house for cleaning. A quick search online and revealed I can use Vodka to kill bacteria and clean my counter with no residue or smell left behind. I had to try it! We had some vodka stashed in the cupboard, so I gave it a shot and I really like it. It’s safe around my kid and my pets (as long as they don’t drink a bunch ) and it gets the job done!

The “recipe” for Vodka daily spray:

1 part vodka to 4 parts water.

Put in spray bottle.

I have a small sprayer (my old method one) that takes 1/4 c vodka and 1 cup water to fill.

Go to life as mom for more frugal tips.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Yesterday’s shopping trip prompted me to search for a tomato soup recipe online last night. With 3 lbs of tomatoes I needed a good use for them! After stuffing and roasting some of them for dinner last night, I had just enough to make tomato soup based off this Tyler Florence Recipe. Of course I modified it a bit to suit what I had on hand, but it is still absolutely wonderful. It would be fantastic with a grilled cheese sandwich…too bad I can’t have one right now! Here is what I did for the recipe:

Tomato Soup

2 1/2 lbs roma tomatoes

1 onion cut up

6 cloves garlic peeled

olive oil (I just drizzled…1/4 c or so I suppose)

salt and pepper

3 c chicken broth (I used bullion and water…out of chicken broth/stock)

4 tsp butter (I used a lower fat yogurt margarine for my diet restrictions)

2 bay leaves

dried basil (I just dumped…maybe  1 T or so)

Cut tomatoes in half and put them the onion and garlic on cookie sheet with sides. Drizzle with olive oil and douse with salt and pepper. Roast at 450º for about 25 min. Bring stock, butter, bay leaves, and basil to boil. Add roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic. Simmer 20 min. Puree in blender.  I portioned mine out and froze most of it.

Make Ahead Holiday Mashed Potatoes

I would have to say that mashed potatoes are one of my all time favorite foods. They are the ULTIMATE comfort food for me. If I’m sick, or stressed or just hungry, they are a go to staple for me. I just don’t like having to make them every time I am craving them. That’s where grandma’s Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes come in really handy. They can be made and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen without losing their texture when thawed. Plus they taste amazing! Give these babies a try for the holidays. Who doesn’t love side dishes you can make in advance? One less thing to do on the big day, just heat and eat!

Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs russet potatoes peeled (if you don’t want peelings on) and cubed

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

2 tsp onion salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Boil and mash potatoes. Add everything else and beat until creamy. Put in a casserole and and dot top with butter. Bake at 350º until hot about 25 min. If refrigerated, they may take up to an hour. To freeze these, I like to use my large cookie scoop (1/4 cup) and plop them down on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard…about 2 hours. Then place in baggies. Just pull out what you need for dinner and microwave or heat in the oven if you like. Mashed potatoes any night of the week or for breakfast…I don’t know ANYONE who does that. Oh wait, maybe that’s me!

Holiday Staples with New Flavors

 

 

I am all for family traditions…can anyone say “green salad”, and no I don’t mean lettuce, but that is a recipe for another day. When it comes to the holiday table, I like to vary my flavors. I cannot have the same foods on the holidays year after year after year after year after year. You get the picture right? Today I would like to share with you two new recipes for traditional holiday side dishes: stuffing and sweet potatoes. I encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to your holiday menus.

I must confess….I love just about any kind of stuffing, but I get sick of the same general flavors of poultry seasoning or apples. A few years ago, we were at my Aunt’s house for one of the holidays (Thanksgiving or Christmas. I can’t even remember which now!) and she had a new stuffing recipe that has become my new favorite! It’s spicy and flavorful and not your “typical” stuffing. I LOVE it! Even my non stuffing eater of a husband likes this one. I am not sure where the recipe originally came from, so I cannot give credit, but I will share it will you all.  At least this way I will have it online too, instead of jotted down on a piece of scrap paper! Note: I have never made this inside a bird.

Cornbread, Chorizo and Jalapeño Dressing

3/4 c butter

1 1/2 c coarsely chopped onion

2  jalapeño peppers seeded and minced

1/2 lb chorizo sausage with casings removed browned, drained and crumbled

1 6 oz. package cornbread stuffing mix

3 c dry bread crumbs

2 c warm chicken stock

1 egg beaten

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

5 chopped celery stalks

1 red or green bell pepper

1/2 c fresh parsley chopped

1 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp dry coriander

1/2 tsp dry sage

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Melt butter in a pan and add onions, celery, and bell pepper. Saute 5 min. In a large bowl add bread crumbs, sausage, chicken broth and remaining ingredients. Stir together and place in 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes at 375º.

Now, for the sweet potatoes pictured above. Don’t they look wonderful? They sure taste wonderful! One thing, I don’t like your normal marshmallow covered sweet potato casserole. And the thought of canned sweet potatoes or yams make me want to hurl. This is for the real deal…fresh sweet potatoes or yams. I bought the  ones to make this recipe on sale last week for 4 lbs for a $1! Time to stock the freezer. I am not sure how well this recipe will freeze. I will sure try it out and let you know! If it freezes well,l it would be a great side dish to make ahead for your holiday meal and just heat it up on your big day!  Update: It can be frozen! I stuck mine in a ziplock and froze. I then thawed  it in the fridge and microwaved to heat. Tasted great! This recipe is loosely based off a pomegranate glazed sweet potato recipe that I have had in the past and would work with pomegranates instead of cranberries. I just had cranberries and cranberry juice on hand, so I made my own version!

Cranberried Sweet Potatoes

3 large fresh sweet potatoes or yams or about 5 cups

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp honey

1 cup fresh cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish. Add oil, honey, salt, pepper and cranberries and give it a stir. Roast at 400º for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Stir a couple times during roasting.

Glaze:

2 Tbsp cranberry juice

2 Tbsp honey

Simmer for a couple minutes on the stove. Pour over roasted potatoes and stir just before serving.

Note: You could also add some chopped toasted walnuts or pecans…my boys won’t eat it with them, so I leave it out.

Spiderman Party….with Recipes!

My son turned 4 last week! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. He really wanted a Spiderman themed party, so he got one. I made invitations in my computer word processor that looked like concert tickets by using this as inspiration and printing them on card stock. They were a huge hit with Lance and his friends!

Of course I had to make a cake, so off to the internet I went in search of an idea. I was browsing through photos on flickr when Lance came over and said he wanted the cake I was looking at right at that moment. Luckily it wasn’t too elaborate and was totally doable. I then asked Lance if he wanted white or chocolate cake and he decided this year he wanted chocolate. We have a favorite chocolate cake recipe around here that is out of my grandma’s huge cookbook. So here it is….

Moist Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

Sift the above together (I never use a sifter, I just stir with a wisk!)

Add:

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk I used the real thing this time but you can use THIS

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Beat well. Then beat in 1 cup boiling water. The batter will be thin. Makes 2-3 9 inch layers depending on how thick you want them or 1 9×13. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Since we were making a tiered cake I needed layers, and therefore filling. I decided to take grandma’s sour cream filling and make it chocolate! YUM!

Chocolate Sour Cream Filling

1 cup sour cream

1 scant cup sugar

4 egg yolks

pinch of salt

I just realized the recipe calls for 1 tsp of flour…I didn’t do that and it was fine!

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 oz of baking chocolate squares depending on how strong of a chocolate flavor you want

Boil everything but vanilla and chocolate until thick in a double boiler. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Cool before using!!!

As far as the frosting goes I used this one which has quickly become a favorite around here. Just make sure to BEAT, BEAT, BEAT it. Mine takes about 12 minutes on high!

I also made some marshmallow fondant to make buildings on the side of the cake. To make impressions of windows on the edge I use legos! Washed ones of course!

Want to see the final product….I know you do…

I also made Spiderman sugar cookies to send home in the kids goody bags. I did them about a week in advance and kept them in the freezer until the day of the party to preserve freshness. This is the first I have used Royal Icing to decorate cookies. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too! I used this fabulous tutorial and icing recipe to learn what to do! I used a recipe from the grandma’s cookbook for the sugar cookies.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar, butter and egg. Add everything else and mix well. Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4″. Cut with your favorite cookie cutter. Bake at 350° for about 8 min. Cool then frost.

And my finished cookies looked like this:

Easy Carmel Corn

Here is a recipe that solves my salty-sweet cravings. I love this stuff and it is super easy and wonderfully good!

This is what the melted butter, brown sugar and marshmellows look like

Easy Carmel Corn

Pop 1/2 cup of popcorn popped(I used this method and added a little salt when popped) or use 1 bag of microwave popcorn

Stir over medium heat until bubbly:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

10 large marshmellows

Pour over popped corn, folding carefully with a wooden spoon. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Can also stir in nuts if desired.

Baking Day: Molasses Cookies

These cookies come out of “the book”, my grandma’s cookbook. I would have to say that these are in my top 5 favorite cookies, which is really saying something for me who has hundreds of cookie recipes. They are Dallas’ favorite and Lance wouldn’t turn them down either. He is a lot like me though, in that he doesn’t turn down much when it comes to sweets! Is the insane sweet tooth a genetic thing? Must be if you look at my family….you know who you are!!! These are also one of Lance’s favorites to make. Since they are a rolled cookie, he gets to roll, cut them out and frost. Some of his favorite things to do!

Molasses Cookies

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup molasses

1 cup sour cream

4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

7 cups flour

USE A BIG BOWL

Cream eggs, sugar, molasses, butter and sour cream. Add dry ingredients. Chill dough in fridge for about an hour. Roll dough thick (between 1/4 and 1/2 inch) cut out with 3″ round cutter or in any shape you desire. We tend to have lots of dinosaurs around here. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350°. Do not over bake these cookies should remain soft. Frost with a powdered sugar icing when cool.(I use couple cups of powdered sugar, little butter, little cream cheese, vanilla and milk to thin).  It’s a big batch and makes a ton. These freeze wonderfully.