A Million Times Better than Bananas

Frozen.  Covered in a rich, chocolate, peanut butter heaven.  Bananas never reach their full potential unless they are doused in chocolate.  They didn't teach me that in my nutrition classes, I've just developed that theory after much personal research.

Simplest recipe ever.

1. Heat a bowl of about a cup of milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter on high in the microwave for about 45 seconds.  Stir, then heat for another 30 seconds or so until it's all melty and mixed together with no lumps.  I actually chose to use crunchy peanut butter- so in my case there were chunks of peanuts looking deceivingly like unmelted chocolate chips.  
2. Cut up a couple of bananas into bite-sized chunks and dunk them in the chocolate/peanut butter deliciousness.  
3. Place on parchment paper to go in the freezer for at least an hour (preferably 3-4 hours to become entirely frozen).  

This is really all a test of will-power.  Mine just went in the freezer about.... 10 minutes ago.  I keep peeking in at them, hoping my freezer is working quicker than usual tonight.

Peek...

From now on, I'll forever turn my nose up at plain bananas.

The original recipe can be found here, at (never home) maker.

Celebrating

My best friend since Kindergarten had her first baby last year, and unfortunately we live 4 hours apart.  I really miss seeing him grow up, but I was lucky enough to make it back to my hometown this weekend for his first birthday party.  Will and I have no plans of having kids in the near future, but this little guy always gets me excited for when we do!

SunButter

I got the inspiration to try a new type of "peanut butter" today from a fellow blogger.  It's called SunButter, and it's a peanut butter alternative made from sunflower seeds.  It really does taste just like sunflower seeds!   Obviously, I know, but it's still surprising how powerful the flavor is.  It's a little pricey for the jar (about 2-3 times as much as peanut butter), but it's so delicious I think I may start keeping some around regularly.  I was interested to compare the nutrition facts labels on SunButter and peanut butter.  The calories and sodium content are nearly the same, but there's slightly more unsaturated fat and twice the fiber in SunButter.  Enough excuse for me to make the switch!  I ate it on pretzels today, but I can't wait to try it on a million other things...

SunButter vs peanut butter

Today at Work

During my lunch break today, I enjoyed a concoction of couscous with garbanzo beans, red peppers, asparagus, and yellow squash (with a good seasoning of salt and pepper).  I had some asparagus in the fridge that was threatening to go bad, so this is what came of using what I already had.  I love when I can just toss some stuff into a skillet and end up with something super tasty!

Current Lunch Favorites

A couple of my recent sandwich favorites... How could you go wrong with avocado and mozzarella cheese?

Tomato, cucumber, sprouts, avocado, provolone cheese.

Caprese sandwich.  YUM.

A Two-Cat Household

Things are bound to get interesting with 2 cats around.  Most of the time they're giving me dirty looks and/or harassing me for providing only half-full cat food dishes (they prefer an overflowing bowl), but these critters never cease to entertain me.

Love.

Love?

Uh oh...

...

Don't worry, she got him back.

Snippets from a Lazy Weekend

It's been one of those leisurely weekends that you wish wouldn't end.  Now I've got vegetables roasting in the oven, making the house smell delicious, The Wedding Singer is playing on the tv, and I'm hoping Sunday lasts forever.

Waiting to be entertained.

I love being able to throw some bruschetta together on a Saturday afternoon.

I have the best looking husband ever :)
He doesn't like me to take his picture (can you tell by the expression?),
and he's probably going to kill me if he sees this on here...

Back at Tea Buds for "tea for two."  Mmm.

Moose seems to be enjoying his weekend, as well.

Our casa.

Can you spot the pug?

Jackie's 1 Month Update

Our foster pug, Jackie, has officially been with us for 1 month now.  She's already so much healthier, and despite her near-blindness, she bounces around the house and up/down the stairs like she owns the place.  Her spay went well the other day, too.  I've now been asked to send in a bio and photographs of her for the Kentuckiana Pug Rescue website, so she can be viewed on the adoption list.  I'm definitely beginning to feel the attachment... she's sitting on my lap as I'm typing this.  This might be harder than I thought...

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's not officially Valentine's Day without heart shaped strawberry marshmallows!

Dinner at my favorite restaurant, Cooper's Hawk. Love an excuse to dress up and drink wine with my husband!

Chocolate Bliss

Will and I went out to eat for Valentine's Day, but I wanted to make dessert myself.  Since it was on a Tuesday this year though, I knew I'd have minimal time to throw something together.  I needed something fast, easy, but still wonderful- and I found it.  I'd like to introduce you to "Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme"- a chocolate-fanatic's dream.  It's simple, requires NO baking, and is sooo smooth and delicious.  Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme (Adopted and adapted from allrecipes.com)


Ingredients:


4 oz good quality dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee (you don't have to use this, but I highly recommend it)
a tiny tiny pinch of salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 


Directions:

1. Chop chocolate into fine shards (see photo below) and add to a heat-proof bowl.  Add the instant coffee and salt.
2. Heat heavy cream with sugar and vanilla on medium heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly.
3. Just when the cream mixture starts to simmer, add it to the chocolate.  Let sit for 1 minute, then whisk together.  Keep whisking.  It will start to look like a thin cake batter.  Perfect.
4. Divide the chocolate into 2 coffee mugs.  The original recipe claims it makes 4, but this is only true if the mugs are very small.  Refrigerate for 8 hours.  We dug in after only 4, and it was still amazing!

A New Take on Lasagna: "Greek" Lasagna

I never thought I'd find a meat-free recipe as good as the classic lasagna I've always made, but this one actually blows my old recipe out of the water.  It's originally from allrecipes.com, but I made a few changes to it.  I call it "Greek" Lasagna, because rather than ground beef or turkey, it's filled with artichoke hearts, spinach, and black olives- and topped with feta.  What could be bad with that combination, right?  The recipe with my changes is posted below.  


"Greek" Lasagna (Adopted and adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients: 

2 T olive oil
9 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
2 tsp oregano
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (24 ounce) jar pasta sauce (I used Prego Chuky Vegetable)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a couple pinches of salt, then add the lasagna noodles (2-3 at a time).  Cook the noodles for about 10 minutes (according to package directions).  
3. Add the oil to a skillet and heat on medium.  Drop in the chopped onion and garlic, and cook (stirring frequently) until the onions are tender.  Mix in the broth and oregano, and bring to a boil. 
4. Next, add the artichoke and spinach.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add in the pasta sauce and black olives.  The sauce will look too soupy, but trust me, it's just right.
5. Spread 1/4 of the mixture into the baking dish.  Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, then about 3/4 cup cheese.  Repeat 2 more times, then end with a layer of the artichoke mixture topped with cheese.  Sprinkle over the feta.
6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking 10 minutes.  Once removing from the oven, let sit for about 10 minutes before digging in.

Wine to Oil

Will and I spent the summer in Spain a couple of years ago.  During our stay we visited La Rioja, one of the wine regions in Northern Spain, where we bought a nice bottle of local wine to bring back and save for a special occasion.  Once we drank the wine though, I felt so guilty throwing out the bottle.  Turns out those pour spouts used for oil or alcohol fit perfectly into a wine bottle.  Instead of just putting the bottle into storage, I filled it with extra virgin olive oil and use it just about every time I cook.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee became my drug of choice in college, when I realized I wasn't getting through night after night of studying without a major caffeine source.  I've pretty much been a cup-every-morning kind of girl since then.  Tea, on the other hand, was never my... cup of tea.  I think I tried a sample of unsweetened Earl Gray at some point that made me believe all tea was just pretty gross.  I've never given it another chance until this weekend.


We live near the Arts and Design district in our town, and a new tea shop just opened up.  It's called "Tea Buds Brewing Co.," and it's adorable.  The walls are lime green, and the furniture is bright and fun.  Loose tea samples are all lined up on the walls in small jars, so you can take a whiff before deciding which one to order.  I tried a sample of sweetened mint tea and bought a cup of unsweetened tea called "Asian Sunrise".  Turns out I like tea!  Who knew?  Good thing too... either way I'd be stopping by weekly to admire the shop.  Now I don't have to sit there like a tea-less outcast during my visits.  Below are some shots of one of my new favorite places.

Going Certified Humane

Along with cutting all meat (besides fish) from our diets, Will and I started buying Certified Humane milk a couple of months ago.  We go through quite a bit of milk in a week and have both heard the horror stories of dairy cows' living conditions.

I started researching more humane food products beginning with an application called "Humane Food Guide" on my iphone.  It's really handy to search for food in grocery stores and restaurants that's organic, cage free, certified humane, etc.  I did a little more reading about what "certified humane" actually means on the application as well as the website www.certifiedhumane.org.  Basically the regulations for the conditions and care are more strict.  Did you know most dairy farms have no restrictions for how emaciated their cows are?  Sick.  I'm not so naive to think the cows are free to graze and live happily as they wish, but at least I know many of the horrible things that happen on large commercial dairy farms are prevented.  I like to pretend the milk we buy comes from the California Happy Cows on those commercials.

Most organic and grass-fed milk brands claim their product is healthier for you.  I'm definitely not suggesting that- I buy certified humane milk for the cows' sake, not mine.  I haven't found any research that shows organic or grass-fed milk is better for you, and there's limited evidence that any organic food is better for you.  As a registered dietitian, I get a lot of questions about this subject from clients and patients... so there's my disclaimer.

The milk we buy is called Grass Point Farms, and Meijer sells it here in Indianapolis.  The container shows several happy, healthy-looking cows grazing in an open field.  If I ever find a local farmer to buy milk from directly, it's the only kind we'll ever buy again.  In my opinion, seeing the farm in person is the only way you can really get a good idea of where your food is coming from.  For now, Certified Humane will do.

Why Can't I Get Enough Cupcakes?

I made cupcakes for Super Bowl Sunday.  I'll use any occasion as an excuse to make cupcakes- especially now that I have the pretty cake stand I've been wanting!  I almost like looking at them as much as I like eating them... almost.

I like to use a measuring cup to pour each cupcake.  It's the only way I can avoid spills!

Super Bowl Recipe: 6-Layer Don't-Kill-Your-Waistline Dip

As usual, I made way too much food for our Super Bowl get-together.  This time I was glad I made extra though... I ate my 6-layer dip again tonight for dinner.  I sort of just threw everything together for this one, but it's pretty tasty.  And addicting.  Good news is, it's only about 130 calories per 1/2 cup serving.  Not too shabby if you don't eat half the dish.

Tip: baked chips only have about 10 fewer calories per serving than regular tortilla chips... so it's up to you whether it's worth the trade.  I personally like the regular chips about a million times better than baked- so it's worth the extra few calories to me.


Lindsay's 6-Layer Don't-Kill-Your-Waistline Dip (meat-free)

Ingredients:

These amounts depend on the size of your dish.  Mine was a 14" x 14" square.  If you use something bigger, you'll want to tweak the amounts below.

1 can vegetarian refried beans 
2 avocados
2 T cilantro, chopped finely
1 lime
salt 
pepper
1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream (you can save more calories with the fat free- but to me, it's not an option)
2 cans Rotel Original diced tomatoes with green chiles, very well drained
about 6 leaves, or 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used cheddar made with 2% milk- a little lower in fat)

Directions:

1. Mash the avocado in a small bowl.  Mix in cilantro and the juice of one lime.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spread the refried beans into the bottom of the dish.  Layer on the avocado mixture, then the sour cream.
3. Sprinkle lettuce over the sour cream, followed by the tomatoes with chiles.  Top with the shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Refrigerate for an hour or so before serving... or just dig right in, like me!

Is this a positive reaction?