Jan 30, 2012 Posted by Jennifer on Jan 30, 2012 in breakfast, chicken, vegetables | 3 comments

Chicken Breakfast sausage = yummy/filling breakfast

Ever since I got my Penzey spices breakfast sausage seasoning, I not only use it to make things taste great like breakfast sausage, but I’ll sprinkle it on eggs, potatoes, veggies, it makes a lot of things taste great.

Last week before work, I was thinking of what to bring for breakfast to work. I had run out of frozen fruit, so I couldn’t make my smoothie. Then I remembered I had bought some ground chicken and decided to make a breakfast sausage out of it.

If you’ve never worked with ground chicken, it is SUPER moist! I took 4 oz. of the ground chicken, 1/4 bread crumbs, and the added about 2 tsp. of the breakfast sausage seasoning. In a small skillet coated with cooking spray, I cooked each side for about 4 minutes, until it’s cooked through.

I didn’t have any eggs in the house, so I ended up making a weird, but delicious breakfast. I had 2 cups of mixed veggies, added the chicken sausage (chopped up) and 1/2 oz. of cheddar cheese.

This was so good! The best part is the breakfast sausage seasoning is so flavorful, you don’t have to add anything else, which saves calories!

So last week I tried 2 things I’ve never had before…a kumquat and pea shoots!

A coworker of mine brought these to work and gave me one. I said “How do you eat it?” She said she really didn’t know! So we googled it and found this video. You can eat the skin. You just need to wash it, then you roll it between your fingers to release the oils and pop it in your mouth. It does have a few seeds – kind of like eating a grape with seeds, you just need to be careful about that. Anyway – I thought it was fantastic – sweet and tart.

And we brought salad club back at my office a few weeks ago. This last weeks salad was spectacular!

For those of you who don’t know a few coworkers and I bring a fruit/veggie to share and any kind of greens and we set up a salad bar. My friend who brought the kumquats brought pea shoots and I had never seen/had those before, so I added them to my salad.

What are pea shoots? They are the leaves of the pea plant. I thought they tasted great. My friend bought them at Trader Joe’s – they came in a plastic package found near the fresh herbs. You can read more about them here.

How was everyone’s weekend? Happy Monday!!!!

Jan 19, 2012 Posted by Jennifer on Jan 19, 2012 in breakfast, drinks, general ideas, kid friendly, vegetables | 2 comments

Power Smoothie + Granola Bars

For the last week I’ve been drinking a smoothie for breakfast. Not just any smoothie, but one chocked full of nutrition!

I think it’s a great way to start the day on the right foot, and if you have trouble fitting in fruits and veggies – this could do the trick!

What am I making my smoothies with??

This week it’s been:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
handful of frozen mango chunks
2 kiwi
1/2 cup fresh cranberries (which I keep in the freezer)
1 leaf of kale (too much will make the smoothie taste gross)
1 carrot
squeeze of honey
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon flax seeds

I just put everything in my blender and blend until it’s super smooth.

It’s about 300 calories, I bring it to work and sip on it and it’s been keeping me full until lunchtime – which is nice!

Also, I have a site to share www.thislunchrox.com. She has great ideas and recipes!

One of which is no bake granola bars. I’ve made them before, but they NEVER stay together and end up just being granola. This takes no time to make and is great for your lunch or your kids lunch!

Ingredients

Granola Bars (based on a recipe from This Lunch Rox!)

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup oats
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons other dry ingredients (like flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, protein powder, etc)
(I used 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon of flax seeds)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and peanut butter

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.

I used an 8×8 pan, and just pressed the mixture into that dish. Refrigerate 10 minutes of until set.

These were delicious and it’s nice to know all the ingredients that are in there vs. buying a granola bar that is store bought – and it’s cheap too!

Do you have a recipe for granola bars you like? What’s your favorite things to put in a smoothie??

Jan 15, 2012 Posted by Jennifer on Jan 15, 2012 in breakfast, cookies, dessert, dieting, kid friendly, oatmeal, recipe make over | 3 comments

Chocolate chip scone bites – 110 calories each!

I have a HUGE pile of cooking magazines in my house. Some are mine, but the majority I got from another Mom in my hometown, and I have at least 50 cooking magazines! Vegetarian times, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Rachel Ray, Food TV, etc…

So, when I am looking for inspiration – I just grab a few and see what there is that I can make. This recipe is based off of a 2005 Vegetarian Times recipe. I used that as a guide, but added what I had on hand. Their recipe called for currants, and I was going to use fresh cranberries, but then I also wanted my kids to eat these, so I subbed in 1/4 cup chocolate chips instead.

You don’t even need to get your mixer out, you can mix everything in a bowl with a rubber spatula.

This made 19 mini scones

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup (the recipe asked for Maple syrup – but I didn’t have any…)
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips
5 tablespoons of butter
*Melted chocolate for drizzle if desired

In a big mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir. I sliced the butter into small pieces and using your hands, just start incorporating the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs.

Add the milk and corn syrup and stir until the dough comes together. On a floured surface, remove the dough and knead a few times until it’s all combined. I made it into a log, then sliced it with a pizza cutter.

Bake on cookie sheet coated with cooking spray for 15-17 minutes at 425 degrees – they will be golden brown on top.

These were great – not too sweet, but just the right thing to hit the spot if you want a little special treat after dinner, or make an afternoon hot chocolate/tea/coffee to go with these.

I will definitely make these again!

EACH SCONE IS:

110 CALORIES
4.3 GRAMS FAT
15 GRAMS CARBS
2 GRAMS PROTEIN
.9 FIBER

Dec 27, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 27, 2011 in breakfast, dessert, holiday foods, kid friendly, recipe make over | 4 comments

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Happy Holidays everyone! My site was down for a few days but everything is back up and fine. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

I am off of work until January 3rd – so I am SUPER excited to have so much time off in a row. I don’t have any specific plans, but I know there will be some time spent in my kitchen!

I made these cinnamon rolls the night of Christmas Eve so that all I had to do was pop these in the oven while the kids were opening their gifts. The best part about this recipe, is it’s so easy – no yeast is required, you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise an hour before you roll it out. And the dough is super soft and pliable so it’s a great dough to work with, even if it’s your first time working with it.

This recipe is based on a Cooks Illustrated Recipe. It called for a cream cheese frosting and I just did a simple glaze. I DID figure out the calories, even though it is the Holidays, I’m trying not to go crazy and so far it’s working!

Each Cinnamon Roll without the glaze is:

247 calories
6 grams of fat
43 carbs
4 grams protein
1 gram of fiber

If you add 1/2 a tablespoon of the glaze – add 25 calories.

All in all, I didn’t think it was that bad – considering I analyzed Paula Deens recipe for Cinnamon rolls and hers were 478 calories per cinnamon roll with 22 grams of fat!

So – this recipe makes 10 cinnamon rolls (I split the prepared rolls between 2 pans)

Ingredients:

Rolls:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cinnamon Filling:

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously coat a 9 inch round cake pan and a wire cooling rack with vegetable oil spray.

2. Make the filling: combine together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and the 1 Tablespoon melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour; 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter together.

5. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.

7. Press the dough out into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle using your hands. (I used a rolling pin)

8. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough.

9. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper or a metal spatula.

10. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log.

11. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 10 even pieces.

12. Place the slices in the greased pan. (I used Pam Cooking Spray)

13. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

14. Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns out onto the prepared wire rack, then turn buns upright and let cool for 10 minutes before adding the icing. Prepare the icing while rolls are cooling.

For the icing, I just mixed 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk. If it’s too thick add a touch more milk to get the right consistency. (You will have leftover icing).

*I lessened the amount of butter by 4 tablespoons. The original recipe called for brushing the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter before putting the filling in and then adding another 2 tablespoons of butter over the top before baking. I didn’t really think this was necessary – so I omitted that part.

These turned out great! So tender and gooey. After making these, I just covered the pan with saran wrap and placed in the refrigerator overnight. As the rolls cooked, they spread out covering the whole pan.

Enjoy your week if you are off! I did overindulge on Christmas, but was back on as of yesterday and I ran 3 miles yesterday with my hubby on the local high school track. We were both wearing shorts and t-shirts the day after Christmas! It was 45 degrees and sunny out – no signs of winter yet here in Chicago – but I am fine with that!

Dec 21, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 21, 2011 in a day in the life of me!, breakfast, cookies, dessert, party food! | 2 comments

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookie squares

I found this recipe from Gilt Taste. The other day they were featuring recipes from Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. If you aren’t familiar with Momofuku milk bar, they are famous for cookies, pies and shakes.

I wouldn’t really call this recipe cookie squares because to me they taste more like a coffee cake, but either way – these are great. I make all the gifts for teachers and crossing guards, so I’ve been trying some new things. Not only would these be great as teachers gifts, but also for guests staying at your house for the holidays, because it makes a lot!

Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookie Squares
Makes approx 150 bite-size cookies

½ cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon sugar, to garnish*

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 11-by-15-inch pan.**
Mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer, beginning with the butter, sugar, oil, eggs, milk and finally the dry ingredients.
Pour into the pan and spread evenly with a metal spatula or knife. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar all over and bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are light brown.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cutting board and cut into bite-size squares.
*To make cinnamon sugar, mix ½ tablespoon of cinnamon for every ¼ cup of sugar.

**Who has an 11×15 baking pan?? I don’t! I used an 11×17 jelly roll pan, or I’m sure you could use 9×13 pan – they would probably just need to cook a little longer.

It’s been such a busy time – I haven’t been able to read everyone’s blogs – but starting Friday the 23rd I am off until January 3rd! It will be the longest I’ve been off in a row in 7 years!!! I am so excited!!!

And, it’s the 21st of December and I have successfully stayed away from all treats at work – can you believe that?? Gourmet popcorn, cookies, fudge, donuts, muffins, coffee cake, etc… I’ve had NONE!!

And I’ve been working out every day too. I’ve started training for the half marathon. The official training starts in January, but I want to be able to not be totally out of breath when I get there! So I’ve been running, doing Taebo, my son Mark hooked up the VHS and now I have about 20 Firm tapes to work out to – I think I’ve had those for 20 years!!

How are your Christmas plans coming along???