Fruit dipped in yogurt and rolled in sprinkles

I have to come up with a catchier name for this concept - because it was a HIT. I saw it in a magazine somewhere, and tried it out tonight after dinner. Easy as 1, 2, 3.

1) Chop banana slices, strawberry slices, any other fruit of your choice.

2) Dip in vanilla yogurt

3) Roll in sprinkles


And present a delicious, nutritious and festive snack or dessert to a happy crowd.

I'm sure there are other variations to be considered, like crushed nuts or granola, have a ball!

Curing your chocolate craving - 1 minute brownie in a mug

We don't eat desserts normally around our house, it tends to be a weekend treat. Because I am CRAZY for chocolate, I keep a stash of chocolate mints in a jar that's just for me, and that keeps me from buying or baking sweets.

However, when the weekend comes, I have more time for baking, and I always want to make brownies!!! But then we're left with a giant pan, and having brownies after every meal is too excessive. Can you see my dilemma?

So I found this recipe online for a mug brownie. There are various versions on the web, but this is my modification taken from this link (sent to me by Erin, thank you!) While not gourmet, this recipe does the trick when you are craving a single serve brownie, and the fact that it's done in one minute is almost too good to be true.

Here is my version, I basically cut out the oil and substituted it for plain Motts applesauce. The result is gooey and cakey and wonderful with a tall glass of fat free milk! Indulge yourself and thank me later! :)

3 tbsp flour
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp applesauce
dash of salt
dash of water to smooth out batter to desired consistency
1 (or 2) tbsp of your favorite chocolate chips


Mix ingredients together, microwave in a pre-greased mug for 1 minute and ENJOY!

Powerball Recipe - super snacks for super kids

Power Ball Cookie Recipe: Healthy snacks for your little ones.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup honey until smooth.

Gradually add in 3 cups old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup ground flaxseed.

Add one cup chocolate chips and 1 cup any combo of nuts and soft dried fruit and mix gently in your standard mixer or mush together by hand.

Roll into ping-pong size balls and put into mini muffin cups.

You can eat them right away, but they’ll be less sticky after a night in the fridge.

Recipe found in Wondertime Magazine

Thank you Jess for letting me use this!

Meatball Soup

MmmmMMMMMMMm .... it's always cloudy with a chance of meatballs at our house. After reading the book "Grandpa's Soup" with Dominic a dozen times, I decided I wanted to make my own meatball soup. I did it in the crock pot since I was teaching RE tonight and needed to have a low-maintenance meal for Daddy to serve. It was delicious!

Mamma Mia Meatball Soup (I just made that up. I'm SO clever I can't take it! :)

meatball mixture
- 1 lb ground beef
- garlic cloves, 2
- italian bread crumbs - maybe about 3/4 cup, I eyeball it and mix in slowly
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix, round into balls, pour a little olive oil in a skillet, cover them and cook for about 10 mins on medium high, then turn over until they finish.


crock pot soup mixture

-small baking potatoes (4) OR pasta of your choice, penne, bowtie, wagon wheels etc.
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth
-2 crushed garlic cloves
-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste
- frozen veggies, toss in at the last hour

Combine ingredients in crock pot, stir. Add meatballs once those are done cooking. Slow cook on low for about 3-4 hours. Serve with parmesan cheese on top!

*** If you add pasta instead of potatoes, make sure to add 3 more cups of beef broth or pre-boil the pasta...the noodles soak up all the moisture!

Mom's Lasagna

I recently hosted my husband's colleagues. It was a big group, so I needed something that would feed a lot of people while not tying me up in the kitchen. I thought Italian would be the best option and Lasagna would be perfect. While everyone seems to have a favorite lasagna recipe, and I, myself, have made several variations in the past, my mom's lasagna always comes out perfectly. I wanted to share it and also keep it for posterity. I'm not sure where the recipe comes from, but this is what she uses:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb lasagna noodles (no need to cook!)
32 oz tomato sauce
1 lb ricotta (or cottage cheese)
1 egg (my addition for easier spreading ability)
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a saucepan, brown meat. Drain fat and add sauce to the meat.
3. Mix 1 egg with ricotta cheese.
4. On the bottom of a 9x13 pan, pour 1 C of meat mixture, then layer:
1/2 noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese/egg mixture, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, (1/2 parmesan cheese,) sauce, repeat.
5. Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes or until noodles are done, cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

It's perfect as it is, but there are so many ways to vary this recipe. My mom has made a half beef, half Italian sausage mixture which turns out well. I roasted some red and yellow peppers with 1/2 onion that I then mixed with the ricotta cheese mixture. It was yummy! To be a bit healthier, you could use whole wheat noodles, easily cut out the parmesan cheese, use the mozzarella cheese sparingly, and make sure you are using a lowfat ricotta. It's also a great recipe to sneak in vegetables. I've used fresh spinach in the past. If you make your own sauce, there is so much you can add and the kids won't even notice it! Enjoy!

Gluten Free living

Most of my posts will consist of gluten-free recipes I've tried, the good, bad and the flat out nasty. Case in point: DO NOT try the Bob's Red Mill Hearty Whole grain Bread Mix, even the smell made me nauseous. DO try the new Betty Crocker gluten-free line, I've made the cookies a couple of times and that wonderful yellow box has earned a spot on my pantry shelf as a staple.

I made The Chewy Gluten Free http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-gluten-free-recipe/index.html cookies from Alton Brown. They were ok , though I can't recommend them; I think I should have used Katrina's ( otherwise known as the Glutenfreegoddess) alternations. http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/07/dark-chocolate-chunk-cookies.

Also made last week and HIGHLY recommended:

Banana Chocolate Chip BreadPreheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a standard bread loaf pan and dust with rice or corn flour.

Combine in a large bowl:

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup puree)
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 cup organic light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used a combo of buckwheat/rice/tapioca/potato starch)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon

Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and stir until smooth. If the batter looks too thin and wet, add more gluten-free flour, a tablespoon at a time, to thicken the batter.

Add in:

1/2 cup vegan soy-free chocolate chips (we used Enjoy Life)

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the center of a preheated oven for an hour, until the loaf is firm, a bit crusty, and a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean.

Cool the loaf on a wire rack.

Slice and wrap each slice in foil; bag and freeze.

This bread is tasty as is, but- it is truly sublime when grilled in a hot iron skillet with a touch of light olive oil. The chocolate chips melt and the banana fragrance intensifies and your taste buds- well, they get very, very happy.

Makes about 8 or so slices.

This recipe is blissfully gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, and corn-free (if you check the source of your xanthan gum and baking powder).
Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/11/banana-chocolate-chip-bread.html#ixzz0Rl1hrEN4

Pesto Pasta Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Cherry Tomatoes

This is my FAVORITE pasta salad. Quick, tasty, healthy, easy and beautiful! Recipe credits I hand to my Mom. :)

1 box penne pasta (spring for whole wheat if you can bear it!)
1 package fresh mozzarella balls
1 package Knorr's creamy pesto sauce packet (or make your own basil sauce from scratch)
1 package cherry tomatoes


Boil pasta. Prepare sauce in saucepan as directed. Chop fresh mozzarella and tomatoes into small pieces. Rinse and drain pasta to cool it off. Pour pesto sauce over it and stir well. Add chopped tomatoes and mozzarella, mix in well. ENJOY!