Ultimate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I have practically lived on peanut butter and banana smoothies this summer.  No exaggeration whatsoever here, people.  This smoothie has been my lunch more days than I should admit.  So easy to whip up, you should totally make one today.

Ultimate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1/2-cup Almond Milk

1/2-cup Plain Yogurt

1 Frozen Banana

2-Tablespoons BP2 (or creamy peanut butter)

5-ish or so Ice Cubes (optional)

1-Tablespoon Honey (optional)

Blend.  Drink.  Enjoy.

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?  I’m always eager to try new ones!

Happy smoothie whipping, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Sugar Snap Pea Quinoa Salad

Our meals rock a lot of quinoa around here.  It’s healthy, easy to fix, and  adaptable to just about any cuisine that it’s a staple at dinner quite often.  This is one of my favorite quinoa salads.  Just toss the cooked quinoa with the veggies and eat warm as a dinner side dish, or cold by itself for lunch the following day.  The prep to this is so minimal, even all you other non-cooks like me can give this a go.

Sugar Snap Pea Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: 

1 cup quinoa

3/4 pound sugar snap peas, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1) Cook the quinoa according to package directions and 2) Toss with all the other stuff.  Then 3) Eat up.

So a couple of things:  We use our rice cooker to cook our quinoa.  Add quinoa and water, push cook, and I never have to think about it again.  Makes perfect quinoa.  And, I never actually measure out the sugar snap peas.  I love snap peas, and some days I feel like eating a million of those sweet little pods so I’ll use up a ton for this recipe.  Some days, however, we only have a handful of the little gems hanging out in the bottom of the crisper so I’ll just toss in what scarce bit I have.  The point is, this recipe is good with either a lot of peas, or with a few peas- adapt it to your liking.

Are you a fan of quinoa?  What are some of your favorite quinoa recipes?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

~julee~

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Mini Red Velvet Cakes

I made these mini red velvet cakes for my Oscar Party and, naturally,  I’m in love with their cuteness.  (And their tastiness is pretty awesome, too.) 

Because I have never pretended to want to be a baker, I have no shame in telling you that I used a box mix for these little cuties.  However, I used Belle of Beechmont’s alternate red velvet donut recipe.  No fancy pans needed for these; this batter bakes perfectly in your cake pan to create a more dense cake that is easy to cut into round, bite size cakes before filling with cream cheese frosting. 

Red Velvet Mini Cakes

1 Box Red Velvet Cake Mix

1 Stick Butter

1 Cup Whole Milk

2 Eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 Stick Butter

4oz Cream Cheese

2 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Mix the cake mix with the wet ingredients.  Line cake pan with parchment paper so that the ends come up and over the side.  Thinking about the thickness you want your cakes, pour  a thin layer of  batter into the pan(s).  Spread the batter as evenly as possible.  Bake at 350-degrees for 10-15 mins.  Let cool in the pan for ~10-mins, and then using the parchment paper sides, pull out of pan and let cool on a cooling rack until ready to cut.  Using a round cookie cutter, cut circles from the cake.  Fill layers with cream cheese frosting, and add a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top.  I garnished my cakes with stars cut from chocolate and powdered sugar.

Mini cakes = cupcake’s fancier cousin.  Perfect for parties, and easy to gobble down.

Happy baking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Valentine Red Velvet Donuts

Valentine red velvet donuts with cream cheese glaze.  And sprinkles.  You.Guys.  These will rock your socks off, no lie.  And if you serve these to your sweetheart for breakfast on Valentine’s Day morning, they’re sure to thank you with a giant smooch.  Or at the very least you’ll give them a sugar high that’ll have them buzzing sweet nothings to you for a good hour.



These donuts were a collaboration with my friend Amy of Belle of Beechmont, who is always willing to teach me how easy baking can be.  To prove it, she used a box of red velvet cake mix to whip up these yummies.  She altered the wet ingredients slightly from the directions on the box to give these a denser, more donut-y consistency.  The result?  Delicious red velvet awesomeness in a mini heart-shaped form.



Red Velvet Donut Ingredients
1 Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 Stick Butter
1 Cup Whole Milk
2 Eggs
Also, Donut Pan (round or heart shape) and Nonstick Spray

Mix the cake mix with the wet ingredients.  Spray the donut pan with nonstick spray (very important!).  Fill the donut pan with the batter and cook at 350-degrees for 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Glaze Ingredients (from Martha Stewart)
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Milk

Martha’s directions are all fancy, but I just whisked the ingredients together by hand and it turned out fine.  Why must you be complicated, Martha? 

Dip the donuts into the glaze and sprinkle with fun festive sprinkles if that’s your thing.
 


Once the glaze had hardened, I packaged these babies into these cute cellophane bags from Wholeport.  They are the perfect size for these treats and you can still see the yummy donuts inside. 



How about it?  Have I convinced you to make these for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day?

Happy Valentine baking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

Check out the Love Banner DIY here.
Check out Easy Crème Brulee by Amy here.

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Easy Holiday Crème Brulee Recipe

This post and recipe was written by Amy Talbott of The Belle of Beechmont as part of a guest blogging partnership. 

What’s not to love about crème brulee? The name sounds fancy, it looks fancy in little ramekins and this version is super easy to make! The three kinds here are for the holidays, but they can be modified at any point. Just add your own flavorings (fruit or liqueur would be awesome!) to chocolate or vanilla Jell-O.

I used instant Jell-O for these recipes, but the cook and serve kind works just as well. They can be made a day in advance. But wait until right before serving to top them with sugar and caramelizing the tops.

While we’re on the subject of caramelizing the crème brulee, using a butane torch (available at stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond and Williams-Sonoma) will totally impress your guests, but don’t worry about it if you don’t have one. The oven burner turned on high works just as well.

This recipe made 4 creme brulees in the 3-inch diameter ramekins I used.

P.S. Aren’t those ramekins cute? I bought them at Kroger last week for 99 cents! They should still be at most area Kroger stores.

Cinnamon Eggnog Creme Brulee
Crust: 2 cups gingersnap crumbs
    3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling: 6-ounce package vanilla instant Jell-O pudding
     4 cups cinnamon eggnog
Topping: 4 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw
         Whole gingersnap

Chocolate Peppermint Creme Brulee
Crust: 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
    3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling: 6-ounce package chocolate instant  Jello pudding
    4 cups heavy whipping cream
    1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Topping: 4 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw
         Peppermint stick

White Chocolate Cherry Creme Brulee
Crust: 2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
    3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling: 6-ounce package white chocolate instant Jello pudding
    4 cups heavy whipping cream
    1 6-ounce jar maraschino cherries, liquid drained
Topping: 4 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw
         Maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. If you haven't already, make the cookie crumbs in a food processor or blender
3. Combine cookie crumbs with butter with a fork.
4. Press cookie crumb/butter mix in oven-safe ramekins. Press down with fingers.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.
6. Mix instant Jello powder and eggnog or heavy whipping cream, whisking quickly, set aside to thicken.
7. When crust is out of the oven and cool, spoon filling into ramekins. Refrigerate until serving time.
8. Right before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon Sugar in the Raw onto each ramekin.  Using a butane torch, caramelize sugar until it's dark brown. This can also be done under a broiler if you don't have a torch.
9. Top with desired garnish and serve.

Many special thanks to Amy for sharing her talents and desserts with me over the holidays.  Enjoy!

~julee~

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Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

A big gigantic ooey gooey easy-to-make chocolate chip cookie?  Are you kidding me?  I was all over this recipe when I saw it in Every Day Food a couple of months ago and had to make it immediately. 

And then devour immediately. 

And you should make it, too.  (Immediacy optional.)

The (supposed) allure of this recipe is that you only need one bowl to mix your ingredients and one cast iron skillet to bake your cookie.  Hence, very little mess to clean up.  But the real allure is that one giant cookie slice so much more enticing than a bunch of little cookies.  Am I right?

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (from Every Day Food)

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars with a wooden spoon.  Stir in egg and vanilla.  Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in chips.  Transfer to a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  Smooth top.

Bake until cookie is golden brown and just set in the center, 18-20 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes.

The only thing I altered in the recipe was switching out the all-purpose flour for 50/50 flour.  That made my cookie a little crumblier, but no less tasty.

Fun fact:  Cooking in a cast iron skillet adds iron to the foods cooked therein.  Not to create any delusions that that makes this healthy by any stretch, but you know, bonus iron.

Looking for more delicious fall baking ideas?  Check out the recipes for Applesauce Bread, Cherry Pie Cookies, and Chocolate Gingerbread Cake.

Happy baking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Last Minute Halloween Cupcakes

Looking for a quick but cute last minute Halloween cupcake decorating idea?  Create ghost cupcake toppers out of white bark.  It only takes a few minutes to create these cute, edible ghosts.

Not every party calls for time-consuming homemade desserts.  I am the queen of throwing a party and setting up dessert tables last minute, so I make sure I always have boxes of cake mix, cans of frosting, and white chocolate bark in my cabinets.  Even with these basic items, you can make your Halloween dessert table look fabulously festive.

To create white chocolate ghosts, simply melt the white bark in the microwave according to package directions and spoon the melted bark into a plastic baggie.  Then, snip of a tiny corner of the baggie to create your piping bag.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and pipe out a ghost shape.  You can also draw a ghost form on a piece of paper and slide it under the wax paper as a template.  Once you have all the ghost shapes you need, pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for a few minutes. When they are hardened, gently peel them off the wax paper.  The back side will be smooth.  Use icing or gel to create a ghost face and they are ready to spook atop your Halloween cupcakes.  So easy and cute!

Add a few extra elements to up the fun factor on your dessert table.  This bitty cupcake stand and these jack-o-lantern cupcake liners are from Wholeport.  They give your dessert table the perfect spooky vibe for your edible ghost toppers.

Other last minute Halloween dessert table ideas include filling decorated paper cups with store-bought candy and making Peep suckers by adding a lollipop stick.  These adorable black and white polka-dot cups also come from Wholeport.  Paper straws always add a festive element to your party.

What are your favorite last minute decorating tips?  Share in the comments – I’m always looking for ways to save time on party planning!

Happy Halloween party planning, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

These blueberry oatmeal breakfast muffins have been a serious lifesaver these first few weeks of back to school mornings.  Bursting with blueberries, they are healthy, hearty, and delicious served warm.  It feels just like eating a cuter version of your favorite bowl of oatmeal.  No joke.

I made a batch in mini muffin size and froze them three in a snack bag.  Perfect sizing for pulling out and warming in the microwave for a few seconds on hectic mornings.  (And I suggest adding a guiltless dollop of butter to increase their yummyness.)

I’m not a baker by any means, which is to say I have no instinct for whipping up kitchen concoctions.  I looked online at many blueberry muffin recipes and pulled from a few different sources based on what I had in my cupboards.  I’ll share with you how I made these, and if you don’t have the exact ingredients, I hope it inspires you to make something similar to help ease morning stress.

Healthy Blueberry and Oatmeal Breakfast Mini Muffins

1 1/2 Cup Oats  (I used Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain Rolled Oats)
1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup  Packed Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Honey
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
2 Egg Whites
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup 50/50 Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries

If your oats are thick, or rolled, or steel cut, pulse them in a blender a bit to thin them out.  Then, soak the oats in the almond milk for 30-minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, honey, applesauce, vanilla, egg whites, and oil.  Add in the oats and almond milk (after the soaking time).

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. 
Add the dry mix with the wet mix.  Don’t over mix, only until just combined.

Fold in blueberries.  (Tip:  If you don’t want the  berries to bleed color or get soggy, toss the frozen berries with a light coating of flour before adding to the mix.  I didn’t, because purple soggy muffins are more fun to eat.)

Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray.  Fill the tins with batter and cook at 400-degrees for 22-minutes.  Makes 24 mini muffins.



If you’re looking for additional freezer mini muffins, check out these chocolate chip mini muffin and healthy autumn muffin recipes.

How do you save time on hectic mornings?  If you’ve tried any easy breakfast recipes lately, I’d love to hear about them!

Happy stress-free mornings, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Spiced Apple Chips Recipe

Last week I shared healthy back to school snack recipes to make ahead and have ready for easy after school snacks.  Our fridge is always stocked with apples, but when my daughter gets bored with them, she starts to reach for unhealthier choices.  She loves apple chips, so I was excited to try this spiced apple chips recipe to use up some of our apples and give her an alternative snack.  I have never made these before, but the recipe was simple:  apples baked with a fragrant combination of four spices.
 


Spiced Apple Chips Recipe (from Whole Foods)

You’ll need:
3 Apples
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dash of kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 200-degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.  Slice apples crosswise as thin as possible.  Using a mandolin is ideal, but I didn’t have one.  Remove seeds and place the apples on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle the spice mix over the apples and use your fingers to spread the mixture thin and even.  (I didn’t do this part, but in hindsight I wish I had.)  Flip apples and repeat on the other side.  Bake at 200-degrees for one hour, flipping the apples after 30-minutes.  If your apples are cut thicker, you may need to leave in the oven for another 30-mins or longer.  When apples are done baking, leave in oven until cool.  Apples will become crisp upon cooling.



You can easily experiment with the spices for this recipe, using what you have in your pantry. A simple cinnamon and sugar blend will be delicious, too.



I love how these look packaged in a mason jar and think they will make great gifts.  The bonus to making these is that your house will smell scrumptious with a hint of fall in the air!

Have you ever made your own apple chips?  What spices do you add to yours?

Happy healthy snacking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Eat It: Homemade Enchilada Sauce

My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and her Mexican dishes are To.Die.For.  I have still never convinced her to make me a batch of homemade tortillas, but she’s always happy to oblige at least one hearty fete when she visits.

On her past visit she taught me how to make my own enchilada sauce.  This family recipe is officially called Aunt Sarah’s Enchilada Sauce.  This isn't your average from-the-can enchilada sauce; It’s more robust and thicker.  Plus, making your own means you can avoid undesirable ingredients such as MSG and other ilk.  Want to give it a go?
 

Aunt Sarah’s

Homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup chili powder
3-4 cloves garlic (pressed through garlic press)
4 cups vegetable stock (can be more or less depending on the thickness you want)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste

*Make a roux with the vegetable oil, flour, and chili powder.  Stir in a large pot on low heat, until mixed, continuously for 15 minutes.  Use a whisk.  Avoid lumps.
*Once the roux is done, add garlic, continue to stir.
*Add in 4 cups vegetable stock (more or less depending on consistency you want).
*Continue to stir on low.
(Add more broth if it gets too thick.)
*Add a pinch of salt and cumin.
*Continue to stir until it’s the consistency you want.
*Taste test: Add salt if needed

The trick with this sauce is to never stop stirring.  If sauce is too thick, slowly add vegetable stock to get the consistency you want.  Unused sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.




To make a delicious cheesy enchilada, dip a warm corn tortilla in the enchilada sauce, saturating both sides.  Fill the inside with queso fresco, cheddar cheese shredded, chopped onion, and roll the tortilla closed.  Add cheddar, cojita crumbles, and crema Mexicana on top.  Add fresh salsa and guacamole on the side and eat up.  Yum!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

~julee~

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Eat It: Roasted Asparagus Linguine

Spring time means one thing to my husband:  Asparagus season.  Since he’s the cook in this house, we’ll be enjoying many meals that include this delicious little stem in the weeks to come.  Yesterday he came home with our first fresh batch of the season, and I found this roasted vegetable linguine recipe in an old Vegetarian Times magazine for us to try.

I am of the opinion that you can’t go wrong with a wine sauce, and the red pepper flakes in this recipe gave it just the right amount of heat. 

We didn’t alter the original recipe at all, except that since I don’t eat mushrooms, my husband roasted half the veggies without including the mushrooms.  He says the mushroom version was delicious, and I say the non-mushroom version was also delicious.  We both agreed that the asparagus was wonderful. 

Roasted Asparagus Linguine

Recipe from Vegetarian Times

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms

1/2 lb fresh asparagus cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tbs)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 pkg whole wheat pasta

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1) preheat oven to 450-degrees.  Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan.  Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2)  Add tomatoes to pan and roast 7-10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften.  Transfer vegetables to bowl.  Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from bottom of pan.  Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, and simmer 2-3 minutes, or until wine has evaporated by half; or return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes and let wine cook off.

3) Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Stir reserved cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.

4) Return pasta to pot.  Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium low heat until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.  

 

Are you ready for summer fruits and veggies?  I know we are looking forward to switching from our standard winter fare to some lighter meals.

Enjoy!

~julee~

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Eat It: Pina Colada Cake

There hasn’t been any sunshine outside this week, so I baked the summery-ist, sunshiny-ist cake ever.  The SkinnyTaste Pina Colada Cupcakes are like a day at the beach for your taste buds, I kid you not.

I didn’t alter any part of the original recipe.  The cake is a box of yellow cake with a can of crushed pineapple, and the topping is pineapple, coconut, and cream cheese.  Heaven.  (See the full recipe plus Weight Watchers points at Skinny Taste HERE.)

The only thing I did different was make a round cake instead of cupcakes. 

For easier devouring eating. 

Because sometimes I’m gluttonous like that.

Happy baking, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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