Healthified Iced Sugar Cookies

Do you ever find yourself wondering why the heck desserts can't be good for you, rather than vegetables? I know I'm not the only one who dreams of a life where cupcakes and brownies for dinner are not only perfectly acceptable, but actually provide your body with all the nutrition it needs. Well, maybe not all the nutrition. You may have to eat pizza. And soft, chewy bread dipped in olive oil, mixed with Italian herbs and spices to supplement your diet as well.

Well, I can keep dreaming, huh? Because I know I'll be stuck eating giant salads for dinner the rest of my life to offset the cookies, cake and ice cream I eat for dessert. I guess it's worth it. Besides, salads can be delicious too, right?

I often see recipes for "healthy" desserts and wonder what that exactly means. In some rare cases, desserts can actually be healthful and provide valuable nutrients to your diet. But the recipes I usually see titled "healthy" when it comes to baked goods, really just means lower in calories. Obviously, lower calorie options are healthier in some ways. But to me, healthy means providing nutritional value rather than empty calories.

So, instead of calling these cookies "healthy," I am calling them "healthified." Weighing in a just about 100 calories each, eating a couple for dessert (or snack) won't do you too much harm. I will warn you, if you follow the recipe and make about 10 cookies with the dough, they will turn out fairly small. So you probably are going to want to eat two or three...or four.

The good news is that they are low in fat, relatively low in sugar, and made with part whole wheat flour. They are even almost vegan, minus one measly tablespoon of butter (but you could use vegan butter, which apparently they make, I just don't have any).

I am always looking for lower calorie options for desserts since I just cannot get away without eating something sweet every single night. Finding ways to make desserts healthful, not just lower calorie, has become a fun challenge as well. 

I am happy to report that this cookie satisfies both my sweet tooth and my attempt at a balanced diet. Even Greg, who stared at them for a minute, questioning what I had just made, ended up finishing off the batch himself- a rare occurrence around here. But with a thick, soft, chewy cookie like this, I shouldn't be surprised.

Healthified Iced Sugar Cookies

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Makes about 10 small cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies-

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

For the icing-

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons almond milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Sprinkles as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

3. In a separate smaller bowl, combine applesauce, melted butter, vanilla and milk. Whisk well to combine.

4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Whisk until well-combined. 

5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and set on greased cookie sheet. Place in fridge for about 15-20 minutes to chill. 

6. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes before placing on cooling rack. 

7. Prepare the icing by whisking powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread over cooled cookies and top with sprinkles.

Sunday Blessings - A Confession

I am going to be completely honest and make a confession to you. I have been having a difficult time writing these "Sunday Blessings" posts. It's not that I don't feel blessed for everything in my life, because I am. I have a great family and job. I live in one of the most beautiful cities and have found a passion in keeping up with this little blog of mine.

When I started Counting My Cupcakes, I decided to dedicate my Sunday posts to take time to reflect on the ways God has blessed me. I want to follow God's word and do everything I do for His glory. I thought a "Sunday Blessings" post would be the way I would write this blog for Him, not just me.

Overtime, I feel like my Sunday posts have become preachy and sometimes very forced. They may not seem forced to you as a reader, but as the writer, I can tell you they are. I enjoy spending time reflecting on all the ways God is present in my life. I want to continue to build a stronger, closer relationship with Him. But recently I have been feeling like a dedicated weekly post may not be one of the ways I do that. Not that there is anything wrong with blogging about my faith, but the way I have been doing it has not been the best fit for me.

I don't want to feel like I am giving-in or being weak by cutting back on these posts, but in this case, quality over quantity is more important. By not forcing a "Sunday Blessings" post every week, I think the overall quality of other posts will increase and the blog as a whole will benefit.

I hope you all can understand where I am coming from here. I would love to know what you think about the slight change. Will you miss a weekly "Sunday Blessings" post or do you mostly read for the recipes and food-related posts anyway?

Thanks for your feedback and continued support. Have a splendid Sunday!

Death by Chocolate, Revived by Vegetables

Death. By. Chocolate. 

That's the name of this overloaded chocolate cupcake from Cupcake here in Charleston. The name couldn't be more perfect. This thing is chocolately perfection. So perfect you could die. They describe this as "dark chocolate cake, chips, and chocolate butter cream icing dipped in ganache." AH! 

It was about 3:30 yesterday afternoon and my afternoon was draggingggg. Then, a representative from a local hotel stopped by to speak with my coworker about an event our company might host there. She brought a few of these cupcakes to help make the sale, and I'll tell you what...she won my vote!

This baby turned my Thursday mid-afternoon frown upside down. It felt like Friday had already arrived! I have had not-so-stellar cupcakes from Cupcake before, but as a frosting fanatic, it's hard to deny this was anything but good. 

I can't say the cupcake has been the highlight of my week though. On Wednesday night, Greg called me on his way home from work and said, "I'm making you dinner!" He had been saying that since last Sunday and was finally making it happen. I was excited to see what he had planned. 

My lazy self laid on the couch while he cooked away in the kitchen. Hey, I offered to help but he wanted nothing to do with me. "You just sip your wine," he told me. Then I got a little nervous when he said, "Things are getting crazy in here!" but he still didn't want any help. 

About 30 minutes later we sat down at the dinner table (which I love doing so much more than eating on the couch in front of the TV) with plates full of delicious food. He made boiled corn on the cob, sauteed garlic asparagus, and cheese ravioli covered in a chicken and mushroom marsala wine sauce. 

Every single part of this meal was so good. The best part was that Greg made it all for me! 

I mostly avoided the chicken when scooping out my serving from the pasta pan, but figured since Greg took the time to make it, I should at least have a bite or two :) 

For dinner last night I reverted back to my meatless ways and made myself a big bowl of sauteed veggies on top of some spinach. Sometimes the thought of a meal like this can seem so plain and boring, but it honestly never disappoints once I sit down and take a bite. I added just a touch of my Trader Joe's Island Soyaki Sauce (also used in my stir-fry here) and just about inhaled that bowl.

Veggies included zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, onion and leftover asparagus from the night before. Doesn't get much better (or easier) than that!

As you can tell we do not have a vegetable shortage in this house! We have plenty of fresh produce in the fridge after biking to the Daniel Island Farmers Market last night. So instead of going out to eat tonight, I'm thinking another home cooked meal is in store for us! 

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

Sourdough Pizza and a Marshmallow Sweet Potato

When I got home from work yesterday, all I wanted to do was lay down and not move a muscle. I felt extra exhausted and instantly threw out the idea for another evening bike ride, like I had planned on this morning.

Normally the first thing I do when I get off of work is call Greg to see where he is/when he will be home and see what he wants for dinner. Last night, I was too tired to even think about dinner. It's not that I wasn't hungry at all, I just didn't have any desire to prepare anything.

Greg came home shortly after I had planted myself on the couch and said he wanted to make homemade pizza for dinner. We have had a giant bowl of bread starter in the fridge that Greg made last week for his mom's sourdough bread recipe. We already made a loaf this past weekend and haven't stopped thinking about what else we will use it for. Just like the last time we had this starter, we knew homemade pizza was at the top of the to-do list. 

Once Greg got going in the kitchen, I figured I could try to get up and help. I was in charge of the pizza dough and followed the directions from my Not-So-White-Pizza (halving the recipe). But I decided I wasn't really in the mood for pizza (I told you I wan't feeling so hot!). Since we already had the crust dough coming together and the toppings chopped, I figured it only made sense for Greg to take this one on his own. Keeping things extremely simple for me, I wrapped a sweet potato in foil and stuck it in the hot oven for about 45 minutes. 

Greg's sausage, onion and cheese pizza finished cooking first. This iPhone picture doesn't do it justice, but it was so rustic looking. I loved it. 

My roasted sweet potato finished cooking just a few minutes later. 

I sliced it open, stuffed mini marshmallows inside and sprinkled with cinnamon. On the side I had a heaping cup of spicy steamed broccoli- spicy because it was seasoned with red pepper flakes. So good. 

This light, healthy dinner boosted my energy and I felt so much better. Or maybe it was the few bites of one of these and the bowl of cookies and cream fro yo for dessert that made my night ten times better!

Nutella Marshmallow Croissants with a White Chocolate Glaze

I hope you're in the mood for something sweet this morning. I made these Nutella Marshmallow Croissants for dessert last night, but realized they would be great with a hot cup of coffee in the morning too. That seems to happen to me a lot- make something for one purpose, but find it fits just as well for another. Then again, that really can be said for almost any foods. Even pizza for breakfast or, my favorite, pancakes for dinner. Do you like pizza for breakfast? Some people love it, but I know Greg thinks it's just crazy. I'm kind of indifferent on the subject. I love a bowl of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, but am not completely opposed to a cold slice of pizza either. Although, it's been years and years since I have done such a thing.

A pastry like this blows pizza for breakfast out of the water. The croissants are soft and chewy. The Nutella is chocolatey and melty. The marshmallows are...well, I don't actually know what the marshmallows are, but they are definitely necessary. 

And then there's the simple white chocolate glaze for a touch of added sweetness. 

I don't know about you, but the weather here has taken us back to fall! Yesterday felt like October. I almost pulled out my furry boots again and wore three layers of tops on my evening bike ride with Greg. I'm a wimp, I know. I'm sure it will be hot again before I know it, but for now I'm enjoying a comforting breakfast like this in the cool weather. 

And I can't think of a better way to start this Tuesday. 

Nutella Marshmallow Croissants with a White Chocolate Glaze

(Adapted from Picky Palate and The Weekend Homemaker)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the croissants-

1 roll Pillsbury croissants

1/2 cup Nutella, divided

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

For the glaze-

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons almond milk

1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Roll out croissants onto cookie sheet. 

2. Spread about 1 tablespoon of Nutella onto each croissant triangle. Add about 6-8 marshmallows. Roll up croissant from wide end to narrow end. 

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

4. Meanwhile, prepare glaze by melting white chocolate chips in a small, microwave-safe bowl for 15 second increments until completely melted. Stir throughly between each increment. Add milk and powdered sugar. Stir until completely combined and glaze is runny.

5. Scoop glaze with spoon and drizzle over each croissant. 

Pecan Pancakes and My Favorite Macaroni

Another Sunday. Another stack of pancakes. Only unlike last Sunday, I ate these pancakes myself. Greg and I took his family to Triangle for brunch before they headed out of town yesterday. I had my mind set on pancakes since that picture Brooke sent me last week. Triangle's Toasted Pecan Pancakes and a side of fruit sounded perfect. Not to mention a $1 mimosa...or two. 

We had a great brunch, but Saturday's dinner at Coleman Public House is tough to beat. You may have read about their decadent mac and cheese from my posts here, here and here. Yes, it is THAT good. 

For an appetizer, Greg and I split a basket of french fries- Garlic and Truffle & Parmesan. We couldn't decide between the two so our waitress offered to give us a mix of both!

Wanting to keep to my commitment of eating little to no meat, I couldn't decide if I should skip (GASP!) the mac and cheese topped with grilled chicken like I normally do and just order a salad or veggie flatbread instead. But Greg talked some sense into me. "Go with what you know is good," he said. 

So I did. I ordered the mac and cheese, but skipped the added chicken. The dish does contain some bacon pieces, but I was able to compromise with myself. And that stuff is worth every bite and compromise. It has never failed to be just as delicious as I remember. 

When I ordered, I was surprised that my waitress remembered me from our previous visits and said, "Don't you normally get grilled chicken on top?" Why yes! Thank you for remembering! She said her and the other waiters still love that combination that I have opened their eyes to. 

You're welcome.

Other highlights of the weekend included riding around all over Daniel Island on our new bikes, watching Greg's brother finish a half Ironman (such an amazing accomplishment!), shopping, and a nice longggg, hard nap. 

Now it's time to work away for another week. Looking forward to next weekend already!

A Restaurant Review - Sesame Burgers and Beer

Sesame Burgers and Beer opened their third location in Charleston a few weeks ago. This most recent addition in Mt. Pleasant made it much more convenient for me to finally try it out. Greg and I went for dinner last Friday night and I immediately knew we would be frequent customers.

That's not to say the experience was flawless, but it was good enough to bring us back again last night with Greg's family who is in town for the weekend.

Let's start with last week's visit first.

We arrived just before the end of Happy Hour and made sure to order a couple of beers for $1 off to get the party started. We ended up just staying at the bar instead of waiting 20 more minutes for a table. The place. was. packed.

Then we ordered the Pimento Cheese appetizer. Oh em gee. This stuff is to die for. The extra soft flatbread, kalamata olives, and bed of greens could not be more perfect to serve along side. I scoop a little bit of everything on each bite and just go to heaven.

Now here comes the first issue. We sat there for about 30-40 minutes until my burger was brought to me. Notice I said MY burger. Greg's was nowhere to be seen. We were told it would "be right out," but after about five minutes, Greg told them to forget it (keep in mind it had already been almost an hour since we originally ordered). Our waitress/bartender would hardly even look at us. She was obviously stressed out and I can understand the feeling, but at least acknowledge us, even if you aren't going to smile. She hardly even seemed sorry or apologize when Greg told her to cancel his order either. 

We ended up splitting my burger- The Southwestern Burger made with a black bean patty, topped with guacamole and a chipotle sour cream. I love that ALL of their burgers at Sesame can be made with beef, black bean, chicken, or turkey patties. 

I loved this guy. 

Thankfully, the pimento cheese appetizer was quite a hefty serving, so between polishing that off and half of my burger each, Greg and I were at least satisfied even though he never actually got his own order.

Overall the first trip was worth the poor service, and last night I was hoping they would redeem themselves. Well, we definitely had a much friendly server. Our appetizer (Pimento Cheese...again) was out in no time, but we did wait a long time for the burgers again. To be honest, I wasn't keeping track of time, but it was probably close to 25-30 minutes that we waited. Our server was great and kept checking on us, so I know it is most likely issues in the kitchen rather than the waitstaff that are causing the delays. The restaurant was packed again and clearly doing something right, even if it isn't the speed of service.

Last night I ordered the Arizona burger- again with the black bean patty, topped with pepper jack cheese and grilled zucchini (no pic, sorry). I also added a side of sweet potato fries this time. It was decent, but I liked the Southwest Burger much more. And the sweet potato fries were not the best I have ever had, but still pretty good. It's hard to go wrong with sweet potato fries in my book!

One other great thing I have to mention is their prices. Most of the burgers range from $5-6.50, the generous appetizers average about $5 each, and the Happy Hour specials are competitive to any other you will find. 

Cinnamon Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Growing up, my sister was given the nickname "Cookie" from our dad, for her love of cookies and Cookie Monster. To this day, Brooke still gets called "Cookie" or even "Cook" for short. My darling sister loves sweets almost just as much as I do. Ok, maybe just as much as I do :) That's part of the reason I love her so dang much. We really get each other in terms of our love for food. 

I may not have been nicknamed after a dessert like Brooke, but that doesn't mean my love for them is lacking. It is farrrrr from lacking. But you already knew that. 

Choosing a favorite kind of cookie is soooo difficult, but deep down I think I know thick and chewy oatmeal cookies have my heart. Frosted sugar cookies? Yes, please. Warm, melty chocolate chip cookies? Yessss pleaeeeese, and don't forget the milk! But add oatmeal to the mix and that's it. I may glance at the others and give them consideration, but oatmeal seems to always win out.

Oatmeal raisin has got to be the most common type of oatmeal cookie. My Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies take that one step further. But what happens when you remove the raisins?

Guess what? It's just as good! Oatmeal always adds such nice texture and combined with the banana in these particular cookies, you can't get much healthier either.

These could easily be eaten for breakfast just as well as a snack or dessert. They are sweet, but not too sweet by any means. Go ahead, have a bite.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Cinnamon Banana Oatmeal Cookies

(Adapted from Skinny Taste)

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 1 whole banana)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet(s) with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together first five ingredients. 

3. In a separate medium or large bowl, add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until well-blended. Add the egg, then add the banana and vanilla. Continue to beat until all ingredients are well-combined.

4. Add flour mixture and oats to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Stir in the cinnamon chips. 

5. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until top and edges of cookies become brown. 

6. Remove from oven. Transfer to cooling rack for at least about 10 minutes. 

A Restaurant Review - Our Local Foods

Hi there! 

This past weekend Greg and I had a lot of errands to run and without much food in the fridge, we decided to grab lunch while we were out. We were still motivated enough from our morning run to instantly rule out any fast food. We both wanted something healthy so I recommended Whole Foods. Greg did me one better and suggested Our Local Foods, a cafe and market serving ingredients directly from Thornhill Farm in McClellanville, SC. I figured we would be sure to find something healthy at a place like that!

The cute shop is filled with everything from dairy products to homemade sauces to frozen biscuits and pastas. Then there is the cafe component where you can order sandwiches, salads, soups and take-home dinner.

We were the only customers when we arrived and placed our order right away, as both of our stomachs were audibly growling by that point. 

I had the Grilled Veggie Foccacia sandwich, with "house organic greens, goat cheese spread and basil pesto." The veggies were zucchini and tomato slices. I was pretty disappointed with the sandwich overall. As you can see in the picture, the bread slices were very thick and the amount of veggies left much to be desired. I could barely taste anything through the breadyness (breadiness? bready-ness?).  I do love bread, but these were not the freshest slices either, too dry for my liking. The sandwiches all come with sweet potato chips on the side, and those were decent, but again not great. I did like the fact that they seem to be baked and not fried. They were not the least bit greasy. That's a plus.

Greg had the Housemade 5-Year Pimiento Cheese sandwich. We have been on the biggest pimiento cheese kick lately. It might not be the healthiest thing, but Greg is trying hard to cut back on meat as well and this seems to be the alternative for now ;) Greg loved it, and the man who took our order said this sandwich is their best-seller. 

Even though it wasn't thrilled with my sandwich, I enjoyed trying someplace new. It was a great for a casual weekend lunch date and I am more than willing to give it another try. 

I really wanted to try one of their fruit and nut muffins in the display case, but knew I was going to bake later anyway and wanted to avoid adding more temptation into my life. We didn't leave empty handed though. Greg grabbed a jar of some local honey. And now he's begging me to make biscuits! Please share if you know of a good recipe :)

Hope you all have a great day! And before I go, just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to Greg! Today marks FOUR years that we have been together. Crayyyyy zeeeeee.

Blueberry Yogurt Cake Doughnuts

You may recall a few weeks ago when I went to a blogger breakfast with a rep from Chobani. Lindsay was so kind to send me some of my favorite flavor afterwards- 0% Blueberry!

Although the Greek yogurt is wonderful enough on its own for breakfast, as a side with lunch, or a mid-morning snack, I have seen countless recipes using the yogurt and wanted to put one to the test. 

It had been awhile since I used my doughnut pan. Shameful of me, I know. I dusted it off and in no time it was filled with batter and stuck in the oven. 

The doughnuts' color wasn't the most appealing, I will admit. But with only about 115 calories each for a doughnut, I'll take it! The oatmeal gives them texture, while the yogurt brings moistness and, of course, the blueberry flavor. Rather than eating them for breakfast, I have found to enjoy them even more as a snack throughout the day. 

I have already Pinned several other recipes using the yogurt and am looking forward to the next one. Pancakes? Muffins? Fruit dips? So many options! But first I have to get through these doughnuts...

Wait...where'd they go?

Blueberry Yogurt Cake Doughnuts
(Adapted from Everyday's a Hollyday)

Makes about 12 doughnuts

Ingredients:
For the doughnuts-
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1-6 ounce container blueberry greek yogurt

For the glaze-
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1-1 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat doughnut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. In a separate smaller bowl, add wet ingredients (milk, applesauce, ricotta and yogurt). Whisk to combine.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined.
5. Pour batter evenly into doughnut pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and milk.
7. When doughnuts are finished baking, remove from heat and transfer from pan to cooling rack to cool. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before dipping top-side down into glaze.
8. Enjoy!

Sunday Blessings - Making an Investment

Gooooood Sunday morning!

How many of you started of your Sunday with pancakes? This picture was actually sent to me from my sister who made these for dinner the other night. I was so jealous. And really wish I had made something this delicious for breakfast this morning. Sundays and pancakes are a great combination. Oddly enough, I more often have pancakes during the week for BFD.

Instead, I had a big bowl of fruit salad that I threw together after my grocery shopping trip yesterday. I was so proud of our cart full of fresh fruits, veggies, oatmeal, salsa.....all whole foods! 

I also had one of the baked blueberry yogurt doughnuts that I made yesterday- recipe to come later this week!! 

I am having a great weekend so far. It really couldn't be much better actually.

The first thing I did when I woke up yesterday was text my family telling them to "Look at my blog!!!!" because I was so excited about the new design. I am still on a bit of a high over it. I loveitsomuch!

When I was finally able to part with my computer about an hour later, Greg and I went for a long run around Daniel Island, then returned home to get ready for some cleaning and shopping.

First stop on the agenda was Goodwill to get rid of bags and bags of old clothes of mine. Then it was lunchtime and we were both starving from our run. We tried out a new-ish place that I'll tell you about later this week!

Then it was time for shopping. I wish I could say we went shopping for clothes, but Greg had something more rugged in mind- bikes. I'm not against bicycle riding, but it is not at the top of my activities of interest. Maybe that would change if I actually have one to ride, but bikes are also not at the top of my items to purchase list either. And do you know how expensive bikes are??? Yikes.

Anyway, we didn't end up getting one yesterday, but Greg did some more research and is set on going back to buy one (or two, if I decide I'll partake in this) today after church.

Just like it was the right time to invest in a blog makeover, maybe it is also time to invest in a bike to break from my routine of mostly walking and running for exercise.

I am blessed to live in a part of town with easy access to great paths and trails. To take advantage of them even more, a bike might not be such a bad idea.

Do I sound convinced enough already? Ha. I guess I'm getting a bike!

Icing on the (Cup)Cake

Notice anything different around here? Well, what do you think?!?!

Not only has Counting My Cupcakes undergone an entire facelift, but ".blogspot" has been dropped from the domain name as well. I'm a big girl blogger now! Right? At least I feel more like one, and I couldn't be more excited.

Thank you all for your support over the past several months since I started CMC. I am loving every second of writing about my cooking and dining experiences to share with all of you, not to mention my blessings and other random life stories.

I knew it was only a matter of time until I invested in a professional design and the time felt right. If you happen to need a recommendation for a designer, contact Tiffany at Beautiful Dawn Designs. I knew I found a good one when her business name contained my initials, BD, and even my last name (different spelling obviously).

Here, let's have some froyo to celebrate. Cause starting off any weekend with froyo is just icing on the cake...cupcake, that is.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken and Rice

Now, I know what you're thinking.

Didn't I say I was cutting meat OUT of my diet? Yes, I did. And no, I didn't give in so quickly. I actually made this meal several weeks ago and just realized that I never actually shared with you! 

I can see how this may seem hypocritical- sharing meat-based recipes for the rest of the world to try for themselves, while I am now limiting the amount of meat in my diet- but I AM a supporter of everything in moderation. And I am also a supporter of everyone choosing to eat what he or she feels is right for them. So, that being said, if you enjoy a big plate of chicken for dinner, go for it. And try this easy-peasy crock pot chicken recipe while you're at it.

And throw bunches of steamed broccoli on the side for added color. 

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken and Rice

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup rice, cooked

Directions:
1. Bake chicken in oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until just cooked.
2. Remove chicken from oven and add to crock pot with buffalo sauce. Cook on high for 20-30 minutes. Add cheese, flour and butter to the pot and stir until cheese is melted through.
3. Add cooked rice to the pot and continue to stir all ingredients together until well incorporated. Serve immediately.

Brighten Up

Bright colors have been filling my plate day after day. I somehow managed to fit in one fruit and vegetable after another into every meal and snack while on vacation this past weekend in Florida. Lunches consisted of grapes, apples, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, leafy greens, corn and bean salsa, in addition to pita chips and plenty of hummus for dipping!

Easter dinner was teamwork at its finest. Each of us (my mom and Thom, Greg's parents, Greg and I) contributed to making a dish or two for the meal. I made roasted sweet potatoes and a strawberry pretzel salad that counted for both a side dish AND dessert! Killed two birds with one stone with that one :) We also had corn pudding, pineapple casserole, asparagus, ham (I had to live without Easter ham for the first time in forever), and some leftover spring greens. 

We even made sure to dye some eggs that served as our centerpiece at the dinner table. When I say 'we,' I mean everyone except Greg's mom and me. We were out spending our Saturday night grocery shopping for the big dinner just in time before the stores closed for the holiday. Regardless of who did the dying, the bright eggs made us feel more festive and put us in the Easter spirit. 

Greg and I made it back home Monday evening. We were both exhausted and had quite the early bedtime! I had the most difficult time waking up and getting to work yesterday, but somehow made it through the day. 

Keeping true to my trend of colorful meals, I made a very similar stir-fry as the Sweet Veggie and Cashew dish I made last week. 

I added all kinds of chopped vegetables to a hot skillet for dinner. After cooking for about 7-8 minutes, I added chopped cashews and then poured some of Trader Joe's Island Soyaki sauce into the skillet to bring it all together. The finished stir-fry was added to a bowl with brown jasmine rice.

Having a plateful of every different color not only tastes great, but makes me feel great too. 

Let's see if I can keep this streak of color going all week.