Carb Free anyone!?

We all know that going on a low carb diet helps to lose weight fast but really, who wants to give up breads, pasta, cookies?  I know I don't!  But I also know that I need to limit myself.  I am determined to lose 3 babies worth of weight before I turn 30...I don't know I just feel like if I don't do it before 30 it may NEVER come off!  But I have a MAJOR sweet tooth....I love bread too. 

So I have adjusted a few things in my diet so I don't feel SO bad when I need a little extra 'comfort food'.  When I make bread I use White Whole wheat flour.  I am also substituting flax seed for a lot of the fat in my baking.
 I made chocolate chip cookies this weekend with half whole wheat and half non-bleached flour....baby steps!  I also used some of the flax seed for the fat.  They turned out great!!!  I want to 'perfect' them before I give anyone a fool proof recipe but even my husband ate them!!!

What I tried today what called Cloud Bread.  It is a virtually carb free 'bread'.  I have to say I was very sceptical about this but if you need a little bread with your salad or chicken breast this will do it!  IT WILL NOT FILL YOU UP!!  so don't just eat a bunch of this thinking it will make you full.  Eat your Fiber with it!!!  The great thing about this is that it is easy and even my kids like it. 

3 eggs , separated

3 tablespoons whole milk cottage cheese or 3 tablespoons cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 (1 g) packet artificial sweetener

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Separate the eggs very carefully, there must be no yolk in the white.
3. In one bowl, mix together the egg yolks, the 3 T. of Cottage Cheese OR Cream Cheese and the one packet of Sweetener until smooth.  {I used cream cheese}
4. In the other bowl add 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to the whites and beat the whites on high speed until they are fluffy and form nice peaks.
5. Very carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until mixed, but try and not break down the fluffiness of the egg whites too much.
6. 
   Spray two cookie sheets with Pam or other fat-free cooking spray.
7. With a large spoon, "scoop" the mixture into 10 even rounds on the sheets (about the size of the top-half of the McDonald's hamburger bun; roughly 3/4 inch thick and 4 to 5 inches across).
8. Bake on the middle rack. Here is when you have to watch them, because the cooking time the same on any two batches. It is somewhere around 1/2 hour, but it could be less or more. You just need to watch them until them become nice and golden brown (again, the color of a McDonald's bun).
9. Remove from the pans and cool on a rack or cutting board.
10. 
    While warm they are crumbly and similar to cooked meringue - but don't let this fool you! Once completely cool, seal them in a ziplock storage baggie or a tupperware over night. They will totally change their consistency, to something much more like bread - a softer texture that is nice and chewy. If you do not like softer chewy bread, then eat them as they are, nice and crisp.
11. Since the sides that were facing the pan are perfectly flat, you use these to spread things on, or make sandwiches, or even as a burger bun! The choice is up to you, and you will be quite amazed at how much like a bun these really are!

....Okay, The first batch I made did not come out 'crumbly' but I still thought they tasted fine.  I need to spray my pan a bit better next time!  Also, I don't think these will last long enough to 'change consistancy' in our house....I will have to hide them

Easter Ideas

Like most moms the weeks leading up to a holiday I like to have lots of relevant activities.  For Easter we have been doing the Resurrection Eggs.  I am doing it in 6 days so each kid can open one egg.  My 4 year old loves hearing the story of Jesus sacrifice for us!  I re-cap each day of what we have learned already and they always want to know what is going to happen next!

Another thing we did last night for dessert is yummy Resurrection rolls.  They were so delicious but what was fun was to have the kids help make them. 

{You take 8 large marshmallows (Jesus)

Dip them in melted butter (the oils)

roll them in cinnamon sugar (the spices)

wrap them in a crescent roll (the burial clothes or the tomb)

****make sure to seal them VERY well because I thought I did and the marshmallow still came out of most of them!

You dip the top of the roll in the butter and the cinnamon sugar

and then place on a baking sheet and cook at 350 for about 10 min.

When you take them out Jesus is gone!

(You can use the oven as the tomb symbolism but my kids didn't seem to understand that) }

This last thing is fun for your kids Easter baskets....Play dough carrots!

I used my favorite play dough recipe for these and I just doubled it.  It made 5 carrots.  I put the dough in sandwich bags and tied with some green ribbon!  These will be great fun for my nieces and nephews (and my kids too!)

{Just in case you want the recipe for the dough here it is:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

2 tsp cream of tarter

1/4 salt

1 TBS oil

food coloring

Mix everything together in a pan and then cook over medium heat until it forms a solid (it takes a while...keep stirring so it doesn't burn!)

When it is done take it out...kneed a little and let cool.  You end up with a nice soft dough that is oh so fun to play with!!!}

Ingredients mixed together

It starts to get lumpy

Final product!



Ranch Macaroni and cheese!

When I am having a birthday party or just looking for a way to change things up around the dinner table I turn to this old favorite Ranch Macaroni and cheese!  It is definitely a comfort food!  My kids love it and it is always a crowd pleaser!  The best part is you can make the whole batch (4 cups of dry macaroni) and freeze what you don't eat.  Gotta love a meal that you can eat and freeze some too!

Here's what you need:

{        16 oz of macaroni or 4 cups,
           1 cup milk
                1/4 cup butter
    1 envelope ranch mix
          1 tsp. garlic salt
       1 cup monetary jack
             1 cup colby cheese
   1 cup sour cream
          1/2 cup crushed saltines
              1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese }

Cook the macaroni and set aside
In a sauce pan combine milk, butter, ranch mix, salt, cheeses and sour cream.  Combine until cheese is melted.  Add to the noodles and mix.  At this time you can add the crushed saltines and mix them in or leave them on top.  I made mine ahead of time so I left them on top and then warmed it in the oven.  The Parmesan is to top it off with!! 


ENJOY!!    

Homemade tortilla's

I have found that it is so rewarding to make things from scratch.  It not only makes me feel good about what I am feeding my family but I get comments like "you are the best mama ever!" and "Honey these are so good.  You can make it anytime!"

Those words are enough for me to keep making things!  So here is the recipe that I use for Tortilla's.  I got it from HERE.  It is so simple...four, baking soda, salt, butter and water!  I always have these on hand!

My tortillas are not perfect circles but they taste the same :)  We like a thinner tortilla so I rolled them out nice and thin.

Then I put just a tiny bit of butter in the pan to help brown and give a little more flavor..see it bubbling up nicely!?

Flip it over and brown both sides

And here are my not so perfect but really yummy D.I.Y tortilla's!

Not I just added a beef, bean, rice mixture and we had our own Chipotle :)

Donut muffins

This is such a treat in our house...these yummy little muffins dipped in butter and Cinnamon sugar.  I decided to make these today because it was my son's second day of preschool. My husband even delayed going into work just to take some with him!  They MUST be yummy!

They are so simple to make and besides the 15 min of baking time they don't take long to whip up (the 15 min is a very long time for a 4 and 2 year old who are waiting!).

I got the recipe from smashed peas and carrots.  She has lots of other yummy recipes too!! 

The BEST peanut butter frosting

So we were watching cake boss the other day and when you watch a show like that you get hungry for CAKE! There is one cake that my husband always ask for and that is a homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.  This frosting is so yummy...take a spoon eat it all  yummy!  So do I keep something that good to myself?  NO!  I thought I must share this peanut butter goodness with the blog world. 

About 1 Cup of peanut butter (I always do a little more)

1/2 cup crisco

1 stick of butter softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2- 3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the above ingredients

Then slowly add about 1/2 cup milk or until you get the right consistency

Then Enjoy!!

homemade coffee creamer

Good Morning!  After having my babies I decided I needed to become a grown up and start drinking coffee....and to give me a little get up and go in the morning!  Unlike my husband I cannot stand coffee black!  Although I love the taste of the store bought creamers have you ever looked at what they are made of??!!  So like so many other things in my home I decided it was about time to make my own flavored creamer.  I do like the recipe's from this PIN but like a little richer flavor so I am experimenting with that.  This morning I made the chocolate almond creamer.  I just love this idea and found the perfect jar just sitting in my cupboard collecting dust!! 

I hope that you try this also and share if you have any other great flavored creamer recipe's!!!  Have a wonderful Friday!

Homemade Vanilla

I made my own vanilla!  I've always wanted to because it is supposed to be so much cheaper and so much BETTER tasting that the store bought stuff.  It was SO easy.  All you need is vanilla beans and vodka.  You make a slit through the vanilla bean, and put in a jar with the vodka.  I used 3 vanilla beans per cup of vodka.  Then you have to let it sit about 4 months until it is ready.  The best part, the beans never go bad, so as you use up your vanilla you can keep topping off your bottle with vodka.  I made a lot, and when the 4 months is up, I plan to divide it up into pretty bottles, label with pretty labels, and give out to family and friends :)

This is just 2 of the 5 jars I made (I ordered the vanilla beans through Amazon, and had to use them all of course!) The hard part now is waiting the 4 months!

Easy and Delicious Oatmeal and Flax Seed Bread

I found this recipe online, but added flax seed and changed a few other things to make it healthier.  It is SO good and easy.  I always throw my ingredients in the bread maker and put it on the dough setting, and then take it out after it is mixed up, let it rise one more time, and then bake it in my oven.  I much prefer the crust on bread that is baked in my over versus the bread maker, but I like the convenience of the bread maker doing my mixing for me!  The best of both worlds!

By the way, this bread is delicious with the honey butter I posted about earlier.

Ingredients: 1 Cup Water
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Honey
1 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup rolled Oats
2 1/3 Cup bread flour (I use regular flour or half whole wheat, half white)
1/4 Cup Flax seeds
1 tsp active dry yeast

Throw all ingredients in your bread maker, set it on dough setting.  When it beeps, put it in a greased loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise until loaf sized.  bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Easy and DELISH honey butter

This honey butter is so good on fresh rolls, bagels, or any homemade bread.  Makes a great hostess gift in a pretty jar!  My family likes it on homemade bread for breakfast.

In a saucepan over medium heat combine 1 cup of honey, 1 cup of heavy cream, and 1 cup of sugar.  Stir continuously for a few minutes until combined well and all sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil for just a minute, then shut off the heat and add 2 sticks of butter (cut into chunks) and 1 tsp vanilla.  Stir until butter is all melted and combined, then let cool and pour into a jar.  Enjoy!

Grilled cheese roll-ups

Today we did our grilled cheese a bit differently!  I got it from this PIN.  Thank you Care's Kitchen for the idea!  The kids loved them and I did too :)

Cut the crust off of the bread and roll it out.  Put a slice of cheese on top

Roll them up

cook in some melted butter

Light Strawberry Cupcakes

So this is my second cupcake post, which probably tells you a lot about me.  These are pretty much the opposite of the Salty Carmel cupcakes though.  I got the idea from this pin on Pinterest.  You buy a strawberry boxed cake mix and a can of diet 7-up.  Mix the two and bake as directed.  I found that it made less cupcakes (about 18) instead of the normal 24.  I put some whipped cream on top and then had a tea party with the kids!  I promise there will be a more interesting post tomorrow.  Janell and I are getting together to do a project and the kids will be doing some painting!

English Muffin bread

I spend much of my day in my kitchen with my kiddos doing a project and cooking.  If I have one weakness it is breads and sweets!  Today we tried a recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee.  English muffin bread.  This was so easy!!  It is ingredients that I always have on hand and you just dump them all in at one time...it doesn't get much easier than that with bread making!  I did cut the recipe in half because if it didn't turn out I didn't want 4 loaves.  But it did turn out and next time I will be making the full batch and either freezing it or giving it to friends!

You can click  HERE to get the recipe

While it was just lovely to eat warm out of the oven with a bit of honey butter we did use it to make french toast for dinner and it was also very good!  AND PLEASE SHARE ANY OTHER GREAT BREAD RECIPES THAT YOU HAVE!

Salty Carmel cupcakes....

Yum, yum....that is what I said when I decided to make salty Carmel cupcakes.  After searching for a great recipe I decided on a brown sugar cupcake with a Carmel filling and salty Carmel butter cream frosting!!  Here is the link for recipe I used.  I am not a big butter cream frosting fan so I think next time I will make a lighter whipped frosting....still good though!

http://pinterest.com/pin/51087776992853379/

cupcakes after filling was added

added the frosting