WIAW 2: Preparing to Move Edition!

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

Well, I had to kick myself in the butt to put together my “What I ate Wednesday” post for this week, since my husband and I have spent the past few days cleaning and packing up our things to get our house ready to sell before we move in July. My husband is going back to school and so we’ll be literally moving across the country, from North Dakota to Mississippi! I’m sad to be leaving our families (especially since my cutie nephews live literally BLOCKS from us right now) but will definitely not miss the winters here!

We cleaned out our entire basement, so nothing is left except my workout equipment (the realtor said it could be a selling point for potential buyers to see the space as somewhere they could set up their own home gym):

Here, the lonely punching bag I got for my hubby for his birthday last year!

At the end of the day, many of our belongings were packed up into totes in our sparkling clean garage (seriously, the floor is shiny now!):

Anyhoo, enough of that–now to the eats! I had a quick gourmet breakfast of my absolute favorite granola bars, Kashi dark mocha almond (I put them on a plate so they look even fancier):

I had a craving for some chocolatey goodness at lunch, so I made a variation of my chocolate protein pudding. This time I added fiber one and raisins (yum!) as well as some coconut extract since I’m trying to empty out a bottle from the cupboard (double extra yum!!). I also had another granola bar with this, as well as some mixed nuts from the cupboard.

For the rest of the day before supper I subsisted on handfuls of one of my favorite cereals (try it if you haven’t–it’s addicting):

I didn’t photograph supper because things were really busy, but I had one of my favorite quick and easy meals, the creamy chicken flavored ramen noodles with frozen broccoli/cauliflower and some canadian bacon I got on sale last week. Mmm!

Luckily for me, my husband didn’t see me taking pictures of my food while we were trying to get everything done. But I’m happy I could snap at least a few to share with you!

I’d better get back to work. Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Question: What’s your favorite “quick” food to eat when you’re super busy?

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What I Ate Wednesday #1

Posted on May 2, 2012 by


Well, here it is folks! I’m officially jumping on the “What I Ate Wednesday” bandwagon and posting up my eats for a day. If you’re not familiar with WIAW, it’s a day hosted by Jen from Peas and Crayons where bloggers show just exactly what it is they eat throughout a day in their life! I wanted to share what I eat to show that it really is possible to eat things like pizza (as you’ll see below) and everything else you love as part of a balanced, healthy diet! What else do I love about WIAW? It’s a chance for those of us who sometimes get in “food ruts” to get new ideas–after all, fitness requires fuel!

Now, let’s get to it!

Breakfast was one of my faves, my Sweet ‘n Salty Protein Breakfast Bowl:

For lunch, I had my pumpkin pie oatmeal. I followed the recipe on my blog, except I left out the cranberries and nuked it a little longer in the microwave so it had a more cakey consistency (Mmm):

I had a mish-mash of things for a snack later (LOOOVE honey and PB on crackers, topped with raisins, chocolate, marshmallows, etc. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth the effort it takes to put them together but then I eat them and realize the answer is yes!)…

Followed by some of the granola I made the other day for my hubby and I.

For supper I made some homemade pizza for the two of us! It keeps getting better every time I make it. Total YUM. We like to top ours with plenty of protein (canadian bacon, turkey sausage, and chicken) and lots of veggies (I nuke a stir fry blend in the microwave, then pat off the extra moisture before topping)!

All in all, I’d call that a great day!

Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Justine

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Healthy Master Granola Recipe

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

My husband and I love to stir granola into our yogurt, and since I forgot to buy it when I went to the grocery store this weekend, I had the perfect excuse to do some baking! After what seemed like an eternity of searching, I found a “master” granola recipe that seemed pretty healthy, inexpensive, and extremely versatile for endless flavor combinations.

I was able to trace the original recipe back to USA Today Weekend (find it here.) As I normally do, I tweaked the recipe to be a little bit healthier, as well as to match what we had in our cupboards. I think you’ll be just as pleased as we were with the results!

Here’s What You Need:

2 cups Old-fashioned Oats

1/2 cup Quick Oats (to help it clump together)

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons sugar free maple syrup (or regular)

1 Tablespoon Water

2 Tablespoons applesauce

1 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

1/3 cup mixed, unsalted nuts

1/3 cup flaked coconut

1/3 cup raisins

Here’s What You Do:

1. Make sure your oven rack is in the middle position, and preheat your oven to 275. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Stir your oats, brown sugar, salt, nuts, and coconut together in a large bowl.

3. Put your honey, syrup, water, applesauce, oil, and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on the stove. Then drizzle it gradually into the oat mixture, stirring to combine.

4. Pour the mixture into the pan, then use your hands to clump it together.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, then stir in the raisins and bake for another 15 minutes, or until it is a nice golden brown!

The verdict? Pretty darn amazing. I don’t think we’ll ever buy granola again! This recipe is so easy, and it’s healthier and less expensive than the stuff you buy at the store. It also comes with so many variations that you’ll never get tired of it!

Speaking of variations, if you want to try one of the other flavors, just omit the nuts, coconut, raisins, and cinnamon from the recipe above, then add in the extras for any one of the alternatives below:

  • Classic Granola
    Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dark or golden raisins
    Flavoring: ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Crunchy Granola
    You can replace the ¼ cup of maple syrup with 2 Tbsp each of maple syrup and molasses.
    Extra Ingredients: ¼ cup slivered almonds, ¼ cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, 6 Tbsp currants
    Flavoring: none
  • Granola with Tropical Flavoring
    Add the coconut along with the cashews and banana chips.
    Extra Ingredients: ¼ cup chopped roasted unsalted cashews, ¼ cup chopped banana chips, ¼ cup sweetened flake coconut, ¼ cup chopped dried pineapple
    Flavoring: ½ tsp ground ginger
  • Granola with Cherries and Almonds
    Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dried cherries
    Flavoring: ¾ tsp almond extract
  • Trail Mix Granola
    Extra Ingredients: ¼ cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, ¼ cup sweetened flake coconut, ¼ cup dark or golden raisins, ¼ cup mini chocolate chips*
    Flavoring: none
    *Note: Stir chips into the granola only after it has completely cooled
  • Orange-Berry Granola with Pecans
    Extra Ingredients: ½ cup chopped pecans, ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup dried blueberries
    Flavoring: ½ tsp finely grated orange zest
  • Pear Granola with Hazelnuts and Vanilla
    Extra Ingredients: ½ cup chopped hazelnuts, ¼ cup chopped dried cherries, ¼ cup chopped dried pears
    Flavoring: 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Orange-Flavored Granola with Pistachios, Mangos and Dates
    Extra Ingredients: ½ cup chopped roasted pistachios, ¼ cup chopped dates, ¼ cup chopped dried mangos
    Flavoring: ½ tsp finely grated orange zest and ¼ tsp allspice

Okay, so what are you waiting for? Go make some!

Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Justine

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Chocolate Protein Pudding Snack/Dessert

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

If you’ve never had it before, this “pudding” recipe is a must-try: It only has a couple of basic ingredients, it’s chock-full of protein, and it’s yummy. It’s the perfect snack anytime you need a quick pick-me-up, or a delicious guilt-free dessert! Go ahead and double it for a slightly bigger snack, or a breakfast that will keep you going through the morning.

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 teaspoon cocoa powder (I use 1/2 milk and 1/2 dark)

1/2 packet Stevia (or sugar or other sweetener)

Optional: Splash of coffee syrup (regular or sugar free)

Optional: Sliced banana

Here’s what you do:

Mix together the cottage cheese, cocoa powder, stevia/sweetener, and coffee syrup, if using. Top with banana slices, or stir them in for some chocolate-covered banana goodness!

Mmmm–try this today! Hope you love it. :)

Question: I think I eat cottage cheese about a million different ways. What’s you favorite way to have it?

Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Justine

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Strawberry Protein Breakfast Souffle

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

First off, I have to apologize that I haven’t posted in a little while–my husband and I have actually been traveling the past few days, so I haven’t been at my computer very much. I’ll share more about our trip later, but for now: Here’s one of my favorite healthy, protein-packed recipes (I think it will easily make up for my absence):

This recipe is a quick, lovely breakfast I like to make when I feel like having something a little more special. It’s a light strawberry souffle, filled with both protein and fruity goodness. The best thing about it? It only requires a few basic ingredients, and it’s so easy to prepare!

Here’s what you need:

Strawberries, sliced (about one cup)

1 T vanilla coffee syrup (regular or sugar free)

4 egg whites

Salt (just a dash)

Sugar/sweetener (to taste)

Cinnamon (to taste)

Here’s what you do!:

Slice up the strawberries, stir in the coffee syrup, and set aside.

In a large glass mixing bowl, beat the egg whites, salt, and sugar/sweetener until soft peaks form.

Fold in the cinnamon.

Fold in the strawberries.

Gently pour the mixture into a medium-large, SPRAYED baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees, for about 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the souffle comes out clean. While you’re waiting, clean up the giant mess you made in your kitchen while you were looking for the right size mixing bowl and baking pan! ;)

Enjoy your breakfast, and enjoy your day! Now, if you’ll excuse me…I’m going to go dig in myself!

Question: I’m so happy that strawberries are coming in season again. What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries?

Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Justine

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Quick & Easy, Perfect-Portion Caramel Rolls

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

I decided to be a good wife last night and make some caramel rolls, since for several weeks now my husband has been saying, “You know, some caramel rolls would sure be good.” Since I don’t normally have a ton of time to bake, and since I’ve never made completely from-scratch rolls, I wanted a simple recipe that I could do in a short amount of time. When I found one called “So Easy Caramel Rolls,” I knew I had found a keeper! The recipe I followed can be found here.

Since I’m all about living a healthy lifestyle, I also really liked that this recipe called for refrigerated breadstick dough–not because breadsticks are the ultimate health food, but because I knew I could use smaller breadsticks to create smaller portions for us (if you want, you could also cut the breadsticks in half to create cute mini-rolls!). After all, balance and moderation are the keys to a truly healthy diet (See my diet tip posts here and here)!

Here’s all you need for this recipe:

Topping

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted (I subbed light butter)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened (again, I used light butter)

Rolls

  • 1 (11 ounce) can refrigerated breadstick dough

Here’s what you do:

Preheat your oven to 375. Combine the first four topping ingredients in an ungreased 9 inch round cake pan. Stir until mixed well, then sprinkle the pecans on top.

In a separate small bowl, combine the tablespoon of sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside.

Unroll and separate the dough. Spread each strip with about 1/2 teaspoon of the softened butter, then sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly over the top of each of them. Roll them up loosely, then pinch the ends to seal them.

Set the rolls evenly in the pan, then bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown (mine took less time to bake since I used smaller breadsticks to make more rolls).

Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes, then invert the pan over a serving plate and let stand for a minute before removing the pan.

The original recipe also instructs you to “serve warm.” I won’t tell you to do that because I don’t think you will need a reminder at this point–the scent of them baking in the oven brought my husband to the kitchen without me having to say a word. I will, however, advise you to let them cool just enough so that you don’t burn your tongue too badly!

Our verdict: DELICIOUS. So quick and easy, with mostly ingredients we already had. This recipe is a winner for anytime you want a quick treat or have company coming. I think next time, I might try to substitute some honey for part or all of the corn syrup, since the sticky part hardened a little too much for my liking later. I also think we would like the taste a little bit of honey would contribute. Overall, though, there were two satisfied tummies in our household last night, and we will definitely be making these again! Hope you enjoy them too!

Keep in touch, and keep it real!

Justine

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“Cheeseburger” Cookies: Perfect Kid Project!

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

With a blog called “Life With Cheeseburgers,” I think a cheeseburger recipe is well-overdue. It also seems obvious that I should include two of the greatest joys in my life, my nephews!

This isn’t just any cheeseburger recipe; they’re actually completely meat-free and filled instead with (brace yourself)–cookies!! The first time I encountered these “cheeseburgers,” I was probably about four years old. My parents, brother, and I had just finished visiting some family friends from out of state, and were on our way home. The mother of the family we were visiting sent my brother and I off with these little cookies, and 20 years later I haven’t been able to forget about them. So I decided to make them with my nephews, and share the recipe with you! If you have kids in your life, this is THE perfect recipe to make with them–it’s simple and they’ll be enamored with the process.

So what are you waiting for?

Here’s What You Need:

Vanilla Wafers

Keebler Grasshopper Cookies (many recipes will call for thin mints but these taste better!)

Shredded Coconut

Yellow or Orange fruit roll-ups

Icing (Cream cheese, powdered sugar, etc.)

Green gumdrops

Honey or syrup

Sesame Seeds

Red, Yellow, & Green Food Coloring

Two quart-sized sandwich baggies

Here’s what you do!:

Place a layer of the wafer cookies upside down on a plate to make the bottom halves of your “buns.”

Place a grasshopper cookie on top of each “bun” to make your hamburger patties.

Use the green food coloring to make your coconut look like lettuce!

Give your burgers a little “lettuce love” (and give the little one something to chew on!):

Cut your fruit roll-ups into cheesy squares and top the lettuce–or, put the cheese first if you like your pretend-cheese to be pretend-cooked-on-the-burger!! Also make sure the cap is on the tube of food coloring the little one is chewing on!:

Split the icing in half; color half with the red food coloring, and the other with yellow–you now have ketchup and mustard! Cut a teensy, tiny hole in each baggie and put your “ketchup” in one and your “mustard” in the other (use cake decorating tips if you have them!).

Dress your burgers!

Slice your gumdrops up into little “pickles”, and try to convince the three-year-old to put them on the burgers, even though he insists he doesn’t like pickles (but ironically loves green gumdrops)!!

Top your burgers with the Nilla Wafer “buns”:

Brush the tops of your buns with a little maple syrup…

Refuse to stick sesame seeds to the tops of the cheeseburger cookies because “My don’t want to!!!” I mean–stick the sesame seeds on top of YOUR burger buns because your nephew says he doesn’t want them on his.

Enjoy your (Life With) Cheeseburgers!

Yum, yummy, and so much fun–hope you love it too!

Love, Hope, & Prayers,

Justine

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