Recipes – Page 9

Bite Size Raspberry Tarts

September 1, 2015 by Danielle 1 Comment

We are finally back in the swing of things as school started this week and we’re starting to create our new schedule. With this comes a tad bit more time during the day without all three kids at home as I work. So I’ve had some time while the baby sleeps to actually have some fun and bake a bit more. Using the same basic tart dough as the strawbery cream tarts and lemon blueberry tarts, I made some raspberry tarts for a fun weekday dessert to enjoy after dinner.

What I love about this recipe is how easy it is to throw together. And how many variations of a similar recipe can be made. Next time I’m planning on adding a little cocoa to the cream for these to pair the raspberry with some chocolate. With a little chocolate drizzle over these, they’d be perfect for my next girls night in paired with some delicious wine!

Bite Size Raspberry Tarts

Basic Tart Recipe, baked and cooled
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
fresh raspberries, washed and dried
Mint for garnish (optional)

In a mixing bowl on high speed, whisk whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff. Add additional sugar if desired.

Spoon into prepared tart shells and top with raspberry and mint garnish.

Serve immediately

Makes 24

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Baking, Dessert, desserts, raspberry, Recipes, tart, tart dough, tartlets

Cinnamon Zucchini Cake

August 10, 2015 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Getting creative with what we harvest from our garden has never been too tough. There are so many ways to make veggies delicious and fun. This time isn’t any different. I had the kids help me cut up the zucchini and shred it in our food processor. They love getting involved in the kitchen and are even more apt to try things that they make. Even when it’s zucchini.

Since it’s almost the end of the summer and I really didn’t think I’d still be growing zucchini out of my ears, we’re making the best of it and even incorporating veggies in our baking. And these zucchini aren’t the little dinky zucchini you find in the grocery store. They’re huge!! So huge that one would probably make enought for 3-4 times this recipe easily. But we don’t need that many baked goods in our home right now.

This cake is moist, slightly sweet but not too sweet, and amazingly delicious. It’s perfect for an afternoon snack without the icing but adding the icing takes it to dessert level. And it pairs perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Cinnamon Zucchini Cake

Cake

3 eggs
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup cinnamon applesauce
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×9″ baking pan* with non-stick cooking spray (we like coconut cooking spray).

Beat eggs, coconut oil, cinnamon applesauce, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Mix 1 cup flour mixture into egg mixture until combined. Repeat using one cup at a time until all of the flour mixture is used.

Fold in zucchini and stir until completely mixed in. Pour batter into prepared 9×9″ pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake cools, mix together frosting ingredients and spread over the top of the cake. If desired, sprinkle the top of the cake with cinnamon and sugar. I love the cinnamon sugar grinder from Trader Joe’s for this!

*If using a 9″x13″ pan, bake for 35-40 minutes. If making into 24 cupcakes, bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: baked goods, Baking, Cake, Cakes, cinnamon, zucchini

Strawberry Cream Tarts

July 29, 2015 by Danielle 1 Comment

I almost want to cry. Its nearing the end of another strawberry season and those sweet, juicy, red bits of amazingness are starting to become scarce again. But I couldn’t just give up on my beloved strawberries. I had to celebrate our last delicious bit by making these strawberry cream tarts.

Like the lemon blueberry tarts we made a few weeks back, they start off with a basic tart dough recipe that can be baked up in advance. That makes these an awesome party favorite.

If you are having friends and/or family over, whip up a batch of these and watch them disappear just as quickly as you add them to the serving tray.

Strawberry Cream Tarts

Basic Tart dough, baked and cooled.

Strawberry Filling

8 ounces heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
mint, if desired for garnish

In a large mixing bow, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add whipping cream and beat until stiff. You can add more sugar, a tablespoon at a time to sweeten to your taste.

Spoon filling onto prepared tarts and top with sliced berries and mint garnish. Serve immediately.

Makes 24

What’s your favorite tart filling?

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: cream, Dessert, desserts, Strawberries, strawberry cream tarts, strawberry tarts, tartlets, tarts

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

July 28, 2015 by Danielle 4 Comments

We’re featuring easy lunch ideas for busy moms in partnership with Social Moms and Foster Farms. Read on for great lunch ideas to prep ahead and grab on the go!

Of all the things I struggle with as a work at home mom, actually finding the time to eat lunch is at the top of the list. I don’t know what it is about making sure I am covered come lunch time but if I don’t pack a lunch like I would if I were working outside of the home, I just don’t eat lunch. It may be the fact that my littlest always decides to take her nap on me when I realize I haven’t eaten in a while…

So I’ve started to pack my lunch in my Bentgo lunch box and am getting a little creative in what I put together. No sandwiches day after day. Though there’s nothing wrong with a good sandwich! I’ve stepped outside the box and have come up with 4 delicious lunch ideas that are easily prepared the night before for a delicious lunch. I’ve even been sharing them on Instagram each day and hope to continue sharing!

In addition to mixing up my lunches with leftovers, I also use my new favorite lunch meat. Foster Farms All Natural Lunchmeat is unique in that it uses high pressure pasteurization to eliminate bacteria and seal in PURE flavor INSTEAD of using natural preservatives like vinegar as an antimicrobial, which often results in a sour aftertaste. And it’s nitrate free with no hormones or steriods OR preservatives. Perfect for the whole family!

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

Turkey and Havarti Wraps

Includes:

Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast
Havarti cheese
dill pickle slices
baby carrots
1/2 of a fuji apple
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Chicken Ceaser Salad

Includes:

Foster Farms Simply Seasoned Mediterranean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and diced
cherry tomatoes
1/2 an avocado
1-2 cups romaine leaves
parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons ceaser dressing

Turkey Wraps

Includes:

For the wrap

1 small tortilla
1 tablespoon tomato basil hummus
Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast
spinach leaves

Sides

handful of spinach
sliced cucumbers
1 tablespoon tomato basil hummus (for dipping cucumbers and to be used as dressing for spinach)
handful of blueberries

Chicken and Broccoli

Includes:

Foster Farms Simply Seasoned Mediterranean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and sliced
1/2 cup broccoli, steamed
1 bunch grapes
probiotic drink

Now that I’ve started preparing my lunches the night before, I haven’t forgotten to eat once in the past week. And I’m not as grumpy. Imagine that! While most of these meals are simple, they’re also a way tp guarantee that at least one meal a day is full of healthy choices.

Interested in trying Foster Farms Honey Roasted & Smoked Turkey Breast? Save up to a $1 now by downloading the coupon found here.

What is your go-to lunch on a busy day?

Disclosure: This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Foster Farms blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Lunch, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Healthy Lunch, Lunch, lunch box ideas, lunch recipes, Lunch Time

The Importance of Routines + A Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

July 27, 2015 by Danielle 1 Comment

This post is brought to you by CafeMom and Chex^TM

As I’ve mentioned before, my kids need to know what’s going on each day. Whether it’s going over the days of the week and where they’ll be, or letting them know that they have some free time, they do better knowing what their routine is. Now that summer is here, they’ve been a bit out of whack, moody, and overall different. And I know it’s because of their lack of routine.

When school is in session we know what’s going on. Monday through Friday we wake up at a certain time, eat breakfast, brush our teeth, get dressed, and head out the door to start our day. We get home at a certain time and my kids know when daddy will be home so we can all enjoy dinner together. However with our summer schedule a bit everywhere, we’ve gotten bad about sticking with routine.

The Importance of Routines

In an effort to keep the kids on track and make them a little healthier, I’ve created a new summer routine and have printed out a calendar for each month of summer. That way they can look at the calendar whenever they’d like and can see what they’re doing. When they see their child care provider’s name on one day, they know they’re going to her house. When they see a wave, they know they’re going to the beach or a swim suit for the pool. I’ve kept it simple but it works for them. And we always make sure to start our day with a healthy breakfast as part of our routine.

This weekend as I was shopping for our weekly groceries, I picked up some of the kids’ favorite cereal from the store. A variety of Chex^TM flavors filled my cart. Vanilla^TM Chex cereal for my daughter, Honey Nut^TM Chex cereal for my son, and Chex^TM Clusters cereal for me. That way if I don’t have much time in the morning, we can grab our favorites, pour on some milk (or sprinkle over some yogurt), serve with a side of berries or fruit and enjoy a delicious breakfast so we’re ready to start our day. Plus our favorite Chex^TM flavors are Gluten Free, have no artificial flavors, and include no colors from artificial sources while still tasting great with a variety of flavors.

Sometimes we don’t have time for a bowl of cereal or a yogurt parfait, so I made some delicious blueberry granola muffins on the weekend for us to grab and go during the week. Not only are they super tasty and full of what we love, but they include our favorite breakfast flavors! And we stick with our routine. Please note that these muffins are not Gluten Free.

Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

For the muffins

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon for blueberries
1 cup Chex^TM Clusters Cereal, crumbled
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons coconut sugar*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt, plain or vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the topping

1 cup Chex^TM Clusters Cereal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or coat with butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour,Chex^TM Clusters Cereal, brown sugar, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and combine using a rubber spatula just until moist. Don’t over mix.

In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon flour and coat blueberries in flour (just like I do with my blueberry coffee cake). Add blueberries and gently fold in.

Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray using a muffin scoop or measuring cup. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with granola. Place into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

* you can also use white granulated sugar or vegetable oil if you don’t have coconut sugar and coconut oil on hand.

Since starting our summer routine and using a calendar to let the kids know what’s going on, we’ve started to see much happier kids. I never understood the importance of a good routine until I had kids. Now I know just how much we need routines in our life. Routines are just as important as breakfast in my book.

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast to keep your kids on their routine?

Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: blueberries, blueberry, Blueberry Muffins, Breakfast, muffins

2-Ingredient Nutella Banana Ice Cream

July 15, 2015 by Danielle 2 Comments

While I’m watching what I eat in an effort to get down to my ideal weight (no number just yet, just more comfortable in my body then where I am now) I do enjoy a little indulgence every once in a while. Since we didn’t have any ice cream on hand for a late night snack, I decided to turn to the frozen bananas I had in my freezer for smoothies and turn them into something a little more decadent… 2-Ingredient Nutella Banana Ice Cream.

I love how easy banana ice cream is. Normally just one ingredient if you want something sweet and creamy but by adding just one more ingredient, something simple is taken to the next level. I’m always amazed at how two ingredient recipes can be so amazing!

Nutella Banana Ice Cream

What you’ll need:

3 bananas, sliced and frozen

1/2 C. Nutella

What you do:

Place the frozen banana slices into the food processor and pulse.

Nutella Banana Ice Cream - banana in food processor

Add in the 1/2 a cup of Nutella and pulse until the bananas and Nutella are combined.

Nutella Banana Ice Cream - nutella in banana

Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer safe dish, cover and freeze for an hour prior to serving.

*Makes 2-3 servings

Looking for more 2-ingredient desserts?Try this 2-ingredient chocolate hazelnut cake!

How do you keep dessert simple?

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2 ingredient, Banana, chocolate, hazelnuts, ice cream, ice cream recipes, nutella

Girls Night In Appetizers: Cheese Platter On A Stick Ideas

July 7, 2015 by Danielle 3 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerToGo #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.

Friendships are very important to me. Making time for my girlfriends is something I need to do to keep my sanity and with three kids that can get difficult. Especially when one of them is 5 months old and isn’t too good at taking a bottle. So in order to get my girl time in I often have friends come over for girls night in instead of girls night out. Sure, girls night out is fun, but girls night in is just as fun and can save me a little money too.

I love being able to come up with creative ways to make girls night in interesting. From My Favorite Things parties, to pairing afternoon kid snacks with wine, to prepping some appetizers in advance and popping open a box of Black Box wine, there are tons of ideas on making girls night in enjoyable.

This time I paired my love of cheese platters with an on-the-go solution to enjoying them easily whether we’re at my house, or having a girls night in at one of the other ladies houses. All I have to do is pack them up and grab a box of wine and we have a portable girls night. Easy peasy.

I grabbed a few things we had in the fridge and pantry and paired them with some cheeses and meats I’d normally serve on a cheese platter. The classic combo of flavors found in a caprese salad, some melon and prosciutto with provalone, and my favorite pizza toppings. Each trio pairs perfectly with either a glass of cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay.

Cheese Platter on a Stick Ideas

Caprese Salad

basil
tomato
mozzarella
sopressata

Melon and Proscutto

mint (optional)
cantalope ball
prosciutto

Salame and Olive

mozzarella
salame
black olive

The pairing possiblities are endless. Brie, apples, and figs; arugala, gorgonzola, and pear; etc. And each is a great way to bring out the various flavors in the wines we love.

Visit the Simple Entertaining Social Hub for more great entertaining ideas! Black Box has won over 50 Gold Medals for its quality, it’s available for 40% less than comparable bottled wines, and it stays fresh for up to 6 weeks. And don’t forget to enter the sweepstakes to win a trip to the California wine region of your choice. Did you know San Diego has some amazing wineries within driving distance?

What’s your favorite on-the-go appetizers for girls night?

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Baby, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: appetizers, cheese, cheese platter, wine, wine pairings

Easy Snack Ideas plus Green Juice Recipes

July 6, 2015 by Danielle 2 Comments

This shop featuring green juice recipes has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreshOnTheGo #CollectiveBias

Do you ever have a day where you are just starving? Didn’t have time to grab a snack because the baby has been sleeping on you all day and opening or making anything would wake her up? Or you’re running around doing errands with the kids in tow and didn’t have time to individually bag their favorite snacks before you left and need something quick because they’re whining and complaining about the fact that you’re starving them?

Many a day I find myself getting to the afternoon and realizing I hadn’t even had breakfast. And I wondered why I was so irritable and moody by the time I picked up the kids. So I’m changing things up. Prepping meals, having snacks on hand, and making sure I take the time to enjoy snacks and meals even when I’m busy. Working from home means that I have to fit things in. Schedule them. So I’ve started to schedule snack and meal times too.

Easy Snack Ideas

I love snacks. Especially ones I don’t have to prep. With limited time, as I mentioned, I need easy. When I was at Costco I saw these awesome Ready Snax filled with some of mine and my kids favorite snacks already packaged together. Carrots, grapes, cheese, and pretzels. All awesome snacks I normally spend time preparing in baggies individually only to have 1/2 wasted or forgotten somewhere. And, lets face it, I’m eating their snacks too so I want something I enjoy.

Now I can grab a few Ready Snax and everyone’s happy. At least until lunchtime.

The kids both love the green juice I prep ahead since I mask the kale and spinach taste with apples and cucumber. Even I wouldn’t like just kale or spinach juice. The fresh juice is much better than the sodas and processed juices I could buy for them elsewhere. I simply juice everything in the juicer on Sunday and put in a large pitcher in the fridge to use throughout the week. It lasts 2-3 days and is a great way to get veggies into me and my kids in addition to our snacks. Plus, they know what they are drinking. I don’t really hide anything.

Green Juice Recipes

Basic Green Juice

2 handfuls spinach, rinsed and dried
2 handfuls kale, rinsed and dried
3 celery ribs
2 cucumbers
2 green apples
1 lemon, peeled

Add all ingredients to your juicer alternating the greens with the fruit and cucumber. Enjoy as is or chill in the fridge! If storing, make sure to shake well before drinking.

Alternatives

In addition to green apples and/or cucumbers you can add pineapple, mint, pears, ginger root, other types of apples, etc. The awesome thing about green juices is the variety in what you can create! There are many benefits to juicing.

As I mentioned before, you can find Ready Pac Ready Snax at Costco. I found mine in the refridgerated section on an end cap with the pre-packaged salads.

Looking to go beyond the green juices? Try this delicious carrot tangerine juice or green monster juice as well!

What do you grab from the fridge at snacktime?

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: green juice, green juice recipes, healthy snacks, juices, snack, Snack Ideas, snack recipes, Snacks, vegetable juice

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers

June 30, 2015 by Danielle 2 Comments

This shop featuring Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetSaucy #CollectiveBias

Do you ever get a craving for something but don’t have the time to make it properly? Or have someone in the house who isn’t as crazy about it as you? One of my favorite dishes is chicken parmesan. It’s delicious comfort food that hits the spot. And paired with homemade noodles, it’s the perfect dinner any time.

But I have one problem. My husband doesn’t care for pasta that much.

I know! He’s crazy, right?

Normally I’d just make it and let him “suffer” through a homemade meal but since it’s our anniversary today (8 years!) I figured I’d be nice and recreate one of my favorite dishes into one of his. Burgers. Win-win!

Ditching the pasta was fairly easy. These chicken parmesan burgers not only taste like delicious chicken parm, they’re stuffed with mozzarella cheese for an added element of flavor.

Using the traditional flavors of chicken parm and mixing them with a few surprises (have you ever added pasta sauce, a convinient pantry staple, to your burgers?) turned into a juicy, delicious burger that made both my husband and myself happy come dinnertime.

Topped with more mozzarella and a pasta sauce with the highest quality ingredients, these burgers are taken to a different level.

Quick Tip: Using your thumb, create a well in the center of your burgers so they don’t shrink while cooking.

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers

1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 cup Francesco Rinaldi pasta sauce,
2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
olive oil
buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together ground chicken, parmesan, 1/4 cup sauce, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Once all ingredients are incorporated, form 6 patties from mixture.

Get a large pan on the stove and preheat with a little splash of olive oil.

On 3 patties, divide 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella amongst them. Take the untopped patty and place it over the mozzarella topped patty. Pinch the ends together.

Using your thumb, make a well into each patty to prevent patties from shrinking while cooking.

Grab the patties and put them in the pan. Cook on either side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Then place in an oven safe dish and cook in oven until done, about 15-20 minutes.

Add patties to buns and top with mozzarella, let melt, then top with pasta sauce. Enjoy with a delicious salad!

You can find Francesco Rinaldi pasta sauce in the pasta sauce aisle at Walmart. These sauces are made By Italians and use quality ingredients like the finest tomatoes and freshest herbs for delicious and quick meals. Follow them on twitter at @FrancescoSauce for more inspiration.

How do you think outside the box with traditional meals?

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: burgers, chicken, chicken burgers, pasta sauce

Lemon Blueberry Tarts

June 25, 2015 by Danielle 2 Comments

These super easy lemon blueberry tarts are always welcome at parties and special occasions! Make the tart the day before and fill the morning of your party.

The flavors of summer are always welcomed in our home. Our lemon tree is surprising us with a few lemons and we’re in peak blueberry season. Or so it seems that way in the grocery store. The blueberries have been on sale and my kids can’t get enough.

With such an overabundence of blueberries and some juicy lemons ripe for the picking on our tree, these lemon blueberry tarts were the perfect dessert to make for a summer party we were invited to.

These super easy tarts are always welcome at parties and special occasions! Make the tart dough the day before and fill the morning of your party for a quick, make ahead treat that everyone will love.

Lemon Blueberry Tarts

Basic Tart Dough (baked and cooled)

Lemon Blueberry Filling:

8 ounces heavy whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon curd
fresh blueberries (washed and drained)
mint leaves ((optional garnish))

In a large mixing bowl, add whipping cream and powdered sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form, scraping bowl a few times. Stir in lemon curd.
Spoon into prepared tart shells and top with fresh blueberries. Garnish with mint leaf if desired.

Hint: Look for lemon curd in the jam/jelly aisle at the store.

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: blueberries, Dessert, lemon, lemon blueberry tarts, lemon tarts, tarts

Bite Size Raspberry Tarts

Bite Size Raspberry Tarts

Cinnamon Zucchini Cake

Cinnamon Zucchini Cake

Strawberry Cream Tarts

Strawberry Cream Tarts

What’s your favorite tart filling?

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

Easy Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms

What is your go-to lunch on a busy day?

The Importance of Routines + A Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

The Importance of Routines

Blueberry Granola Muffin Recipe

What’s your favorite on-the-go breakfast to keep your kids on their routine?

2-Ingredient Nutella Banana Ice Cream

Nutella Banana Ice Cream

How do you keep dessert simple?

Girls Night In Appetizers: Cheese Platter On A Stick Ideas

Cheese Platter on a Stick Ideas

What’s your favorite on-the-go appetizers for girls night?

Easy Snack Ideas plus Green Juice Recipes

Easy Snack Ideas

Green Juice Recipes

What do you grab from the fridge at snacktime?

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Burgers

How do you think outside the box with traditional meals?

Lemon Blueberry Tarts

Lemon Blueberry Tarts

Lemon Blueberry Filling:

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