Butter Pecan Crunch Cake

by penji1

Courtney is having a big party here tonight with all of her work friends and so I offered to make a treat for them.  Lately Cort has been loving all things butter pecan so I thought I’d make a butter pecan cake.  I found this one on a blog called “Eat at Home”, here is the link http://eatathomecooks.com/2011/01/butter-pecan-crunch-cake.html.  It is delicious!  Tastes like a butter pecan version of “Nutty Chocolate Chip Picnic Cake” which is on the blog and is one of Cort’s favorites.  Bob and I just sampled a piece and then tried to convince Cort that it was terrible so that she wouldn’t serve it to her friends but she didn’t fall for it.  🙂

1 butter pecan cake mix

1 stick butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

2 – 4 tablespoons cold butter (I used 4)

1/2 cup pecans

1 cup toffee chips

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Measure 1 cup of cake mix and put it in a bowl, save for later.

2  Beat remaining cake mix, melted butter, milk and egg until well combined.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13″ pan.

3  Cut the cold butter into the cup of dry cake mix with a pastry blender or a fork to make crumbs.  Stir in toffee chips and nuts.  Sprinkle over the top of the batter.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

by penji1

I am always on the lookout for low cal baked goods recipes, found this one on a blog called “Healthy is Always Better.”  The link is http://healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com/post/6583755120/lessthan300kcal-triple-chocolate-chunk-muffin.  Mine did not come out as pretty as hers did but they are extremely tasty and super chocolatey!  Also it was my first attempt with our new Blendtec blender that we got at Costco last weekend and it could not have been any simpler to make with that blender.  If you get 24 smaller muffins from the recipe like I did, then the calorie count is 58 calories per muffin but if you get 12 larger muffins then it is 116 calories per muffin.

1 3/4 cups oats

3 egg whites

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granules) or 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Stevia

1/2 cup chocolate chips (or white or peanut butter chips)

1  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 (12 cup) muffins pans with foil liners or spray with cooking spray.

2  In a blender or food processor, mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.

3  Place mixture in bowl and gently stir in 1/2 the chocolate chips.  Scoop mixture into prepared pans.

4  Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven and sprinkle remaining chips on top of muffins.

5  Return to oven and bake for an additional 2 – 5 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  (You can add all the chips at once in step 3 and skip step 4 if desired.)  Cool muffins before removing from pan.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

by penji1

Bob and I were talking about some of the foods that we miss since we’ve been trying to eat healthier and Ranch dressing was right up there towards the top of both our lists so I did a little searching around on the internet and found this recipe on a blog called the “Caffeinated Chronicles of a Supermom”.  Here’s the link to her blog: http://fluffimama.blogspot.com/2012/03/little-something-for-your-time.html.  It is super easy to make and pretty tasty, definitely better than the fat free Ranch dressing that you can buy in the store.  She says this whole bottle of dressing has only 255 calories!  It definitely cured the Ranch dressing cravings.

1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (make sure you get the dressing mix and not the dip mix)

1/2 cup 1% milk

Whisk ingredients together and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Bacon Chicken Grilled Pizza

by penji1

I’ve been wanting to try out my new Pampered Chef BBQ Pizza Pan

and so today was the day and it came out great!  Picture perfect and delicious!  Here’s how:

16 oz frozen pizza dough (Bob went to Winco for me but they didn’t have any frozen pizza dough, they did however have fresh pizza dough in 16 oz bags for $1.50 that they make daily there in the store so he bought the wheat version, there is white also, and we used that and it was awesome!)

1 recipe Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce (found under “Grilled Pizza” on the blog, I cut the olive oil down to 2 tablespoons and it worked great)

cheese, your choice (I used cheddar cause that’s what was in the fridge)

toppings, your choice (we used 2 grilled chicken breasts and a package of bacon which was enough for 2 pizzas)

1  Preheat barbeque on low.  Spray pizza pan with Pam.

2  Let dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes then roll out to 12″ circle on cornmeal covered pastry mat.  Transfer to pizza pan, pushing crust out to edges.  Top with sauce, cheese and toppings.

3  Grill on barbeque for about 10 – 15 minutes, watching carefully.

4  ENJOY!

(Bob just came in and told me that he added up the calories and estimates that for 2 slices the calorie count is about 450.)

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

by penji1

It was Bob’s birthday yesterday so I made him these cupcake instead of a cake.  I found this recipe on a website called “Bakers Royale”, here is the link: http://www.bakersroyale.com/cupcakes/toffee-crunch-cupcake/.  They looked spectacular; if you go to her website you’ll notice that her cupcakes have frosting on them in addition to the chocolate/toffee topping but my frosting did not turn out, it was way too gooey to use.  Her instructions were difficult to follow so I’ll copy them here but also edit as I go to try and make it easier for you but in some cases I just wasn’t sure what she meant.  The cupcakes tasted great but it was a frustrating process trying to figure out how to make them from her instructions.

cupcakes:

1 cup flour

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons instant coffee (she never says when to add this in the instructions so I ended up leaving it out)

1/2 cup hot coffee

1/2 cup chocolate covered toffee bits (she never says when to add this either but in reading the comments after the recipe it says to add it to the batter)

caramel frosting:

5 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened and diced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/3 cup caramel sauce

chocolate dipping sauce:

2/3 cups dark chocolate (about 10 ounces)

2 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

5 – 8 tablespoons warm water (I only needed about 2 so add them 1 at a time till you get the right consistency)

1  Preheat oven to 350.  For cupcakes, add flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt to a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Beat butter, eggs and vanilla on medium for 1 minute.  Add flour mixture and beat for 20 seconds.  Add hot coffee and beat for 20 – 30 seconds until smooth.  (Add toffee bits here.)  Batter will be thin enough to pour.  Divide evenly among 12 paper lined muffin cups.  Bake 18 – 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

2  For frosting, combine egg whites and sugar in double boiler over simmering water.  Bring mixture to 150 degrees while whisking constantly.  Transfer mixture to mixer bowl and with whisk attachment beat on medium until mixture cools and doubles in volume.  Add butter a piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition.  The mixture may appear clumpy and almost curdled looking but this is normal.  Add salt and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add caramel sauce and mix to combine.

3  For sauce, place chocolate and heavy cream in double boiler over simmering water.  Let chocolate and cream sit 2 – 3 minutes to melt without stirring then slowly stir mixture to combine.  (I just melted my chocolate and cream in the microwave.)  Add powdered sugar and mix to combine.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached.

4  To assemble, (I’m just going to tell you how I did it and not the way she did it), dip tops of cupcakes in chocolate dipping sauce then in toffee bits.  Let sit for a couple of minutes to allow chocolate to set.  Fill pastry bag fitted with large round tip with frosting and pipe in decorative pattern on tops of cupcakes, allowing chocolate and toffee to show at bottom (that is if your frosting turns out!).

2 Ingredient Lemon Bars

by penji1

And the last baking adventure of the day . . . so sad to see it end and to have to go back to work tomorrow!  Last week the wardrobe girls got Diet Coke Brownies and tomorrow they are getting these, 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars which are pretty good considering how they are made and that they are about 97 calories a square.  Not the same texture as traditional lemon bars more cakey than that but a great lemony taste and did I mention already that they are only 97 calories a square?  Found them on a website called “Practically Living” and here’s the link: http://livingpractically.blogspot.com/2011/04/two-ingredient-lemon-bars.html.

1 angel food cake mix

1 (15 oz) can lemon pie filling

1 lemon (I added the zest of 1 lemon for a little extra zip)

powdered sugar for sprinkling, if desired

(OK, so technically mine are 4 ingredient lemon bars!)

Mix cake mix, pie filling and zest together by hand until moist, do not overmix.  Bake in a lightly greased 9 x 13″ pan at 350 until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, before cutting.

Roasted Summer Squash

by penji1

Dinner tonight along side some grilled salmon with lemon, yum!  Bob literally scraped the baking sheet clean they were so good!  Found this on a website called “The Gracious Pantry” and here’s the link: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-roasted-summer-squash/.  Next time I’m going to try some other veggies as well such as onion slices and potato slices.

4 large zucchini

2 large yellow squash

olive oil in an oil sprayer (I used the olive oil Pam)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

1  Preheat oven to 350.

2  Chop squash into chunky slices about 1/2 – 3/4″ thick.

3  Spray cookie sheet with light coat of olive oil.

4  Line up squash on sheet, it’s ok if they touch.

5  Spray a light coat of olive oil over the top of squash.

6  Combine Parmesan, garlic and pepper in small bowl and sprinkle generously over squash.

7  Bake 30 – 45 minutes or until they have a light golden hue and a fork is easily pushed through them.

She estimated the servings at about 77 calories each.

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Banana Oatmeal Muffins

by penji1

Here is the 2nd part of our breakfast this morning, really flavorful!  I got this recipe from a website called “Keeping up with the Joneses”, here is the link:  http://travisjessjones.blogspot.com/2012/03/banana-oatmeal-muffins.html.

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sweetener of choice (I used Splenda)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 bananas

1  Preheat oven to 400.  Spray muffin tins with Pam (paper liners don’t work so well in recipes without flour).

2  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until oats are smooth.

3  Fill muffin cups with batter and bake 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I got 16 muffins from this recipe and estimate their calorie count around 65 calories per muffin.

Makeover Sunday Brunch Casserole

by penji1

Felt like making a big breakfast this morning but one that was lower in calories so searched through my recipes and found this one and also one for Banana Oatmeal Muffins which I’ll post next and then heated up some turkey sausages and all of that ended up being about a 400 calorie breakfast (that’s 1 serving of this casserole, 1 muffin and 3 turkey sausages) which is pretty good!  This is really good and if no one told you that it was low in calories, I don’t think you’d ever know.  It’s a Taste of Home recipe.

6 bacon strips (I left the bacon out and did the turkey sausage on the side instead)

1 small onion, chopped (I added 1 tablespoon of dried onion instead)

1 small green pepper, chopped (didn’t have any)

1 teaspoon canola oil (didn’t need)

2 cartons (8 ounces each) egg substitute (I used “All Whites”)

4 eggs

1 cup fat free milk

4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (I think low fat cheese tastes disgusting so I used regular cheddar)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dill weed (left this out)

1  In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove to paper towels.  Crumble bacon and set aside.  In same skillet, saute onion and pepper until tender.  (I left out this step because of the ingredients I chose to use.)

2  In a large bowl, whisk egg substitute, eggs and milk.  Stir in hash browns, cheese, salt, pepper, dill, onion mixture and bacon.

3  Pour into a 9 x 13″ pan sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 – 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

The original recipe estimates 8 servings at 181 calories each.  I estimated, with my changes, 12 servings at 223 calories each.

Diet Coke Brownies

by penji1

This recipe has changed my life!  A brownie mix made with Diet Coke and that’s it, BAM!  No eggs, no oil, lots less calories!  Life is good!  I found it on a website called “Aunt Peg’s Recipe Box”, here is the link:  http://auntpegsrecipebox.blogspot.com/2011/02/diet-coke-brownies.html.  Bob and I have been counting calories and trying to eat better, I’ve lost almost 30 pounds and he has lost about 75 pounds so I am on the lookout for ways to still make the things that we love but with fewer calories and this is perfect!  They are delicious, moister than the regular method, light and fluffy; if you don’t tell people how you made them, they would never know!  And . . . you’re welcome!  🙂

1 box fudge brownie mix (9 x 13″ size)

1 (12 oz) can Diet Coke

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bottom only of 9 x 13″ pan.  Pour brownie mix in a large bowl and gradually add Diet Coke, it will foam up a lot.  Mix well (I had to use a whisk to get all the lumps out); the batter will be runny but that’s ok.  Pour  into prepared pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes.  Use the a toothpick to check the brownies as they might take a little longer than ones made the regular way.  Cool then cut into 24 squares.  Enjoy!