Tropical BBQ Burger

I really like a nice, fat,
JUICY
chicken burger-

It is the one thing that I like better
at restaurants than I do homemade...
That is until Now!!

This was such a simple little
creation-
I've said that before,
but really
SO SIMPLE,
but oh so juicy, tasty and delicious.

We had some really big chicken breasts,
and I cut them in half.
I lightly coated them with olive oil
and lime juice and a little salt and pepper.
We grilled them until they were almost
perfectly cooked and than we spread a
mixture of apricot preserves and lime juice
on each side, letting them cook just long
enough to glaze the chicken.

At the same time,
we put big slices of FRESH pineapple
on the grill.
OH, my mouth is watering as I type.

Top your bun with whatever condiments
you like-
I didn't use anything because I am not
a condiment lover at all!

Pile in your bun-
a deliciously glazed chicken breast,
provolone cheese,
a pineapple slice,
a few avocado slices and
a few basil leaves
(or lettuce if you'd rather)

And now you have put Red Robin
to shame...

We ate it with some roasted carrots
and asparagus,

& this delicious Arugula Salad
and I'd say it was a pretty delicious,
light summer dinner.

Enjoy!

Last summer, I had a strange
and frustrating weight gain
thing going on!!

I was so frustrated and finally
called a nutritionist friend of mine.
She analyzed my food and exercise
and determined that I was eating
TOO FEW calories and not enough Protein!

Well hold on there, little Missy,
the only way I know to add more
calories is to add more treats-
but I knew that wasn't what I was looking for.

So in a search for recipes that would
support post-cleanse life,
bring calories and would also
taste yummy for the kiddos,
I found this delicious Chicken Salad.

I am going to tell you,
right here and right now,
that this isn't fancy--
can I just make that my
overall disclaimer!!
THIS IS NOT FANCY!

But it is YUMMY,
oh so YUMMY!!
It is light enough for a summer
lunch or dinner.
Easy enough to pack on a picnic,
and tasty enough to eat often.
Plus ALL my kiddos liked it
even the pickiest of the picky's
will eat it.

Chicken Salad Wrap

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
green onions
freshly ground black pepper
fresh dill
diced celery
red pepper flakes

I didn't give you any measurements for a few
reasons. First of all, I don't care for mayonnaise,
so I use the smallest amount possible. And to be
honest, I think the entire recipe is subject to
your own preferences. I like that I can add
everything but the mayo and mustard and pack
in a picnic cooler. Than I just add the condiments
when we are ready.

I serve this in many ways, the pictures above
are on a wrap with cucumbers and red onions
and lettuce. Add red peppers, feta cheese
or spinach too.
Simple-
but easy and light!!

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

DO NOT RUN AWAY SCARED!!

On a recent trip to Nashville, TN
(is there any other Nashville??)

we pulled a Peterson!

What's a Peterson you ask?
Well a "Peterson" is when you
become overly and compulsively
obsessed about something-
okay, OKAY, OKAY
that something is most likely FOOD!

We went to every small bakery we could
find that sells Cupcakes-

and for us, the smaller, quainter the bakery
the better!

Completely on accident, we discovered this 
adorable little bakery in an old house.

The owners still live in the house,
with their daughters and cook from their
kitchen-
it is amazing! I absolutely loved this place

we went back twice in one day!!
Well we asked what was the FAVORITE and 
as if angels sang from on high-
the gals all said "Sweet Potato"-
"Well no thanks" says I,
but my husband said
"I'll take 2".
Well my Sweet Lemonade Cupcake 
was good, 
but it weren't nothin' compared to his
little Sweet Potato Cupcake
(which explains why we went back)

Well, my kids have been obsessing about
this cupcake since we got home,
especially the oldest daughter who wasn't 
with us for this trip.

As we searched for recipes and ideas,
we came across a recipe for a healthy 
version of a Sweet Potato Cupcake-
I have one daughter who is very carefully
monitoring her sugar/dairy/gluten right now
so this seemed like a PERFECT recipe to try!

They were GOOD! 
As with most gluten/dairy/sugar free stuff
it was different-
but not so different that we cared!

So if you find yourself limited in one 
of these little sections 

than you might want to give these 
little treasures a chance.

We didn't want to mess with frosting,
so we made a little maple glaze

and than topped them with whipped
cream- our dairy free friends used
a soy option! Than we sprinkled a 
little cinnamon & sugar on top.

 Sweet Potato Cupcakes

1 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 almond milk 

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup sucanat (or raw cane sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tsp ginger, grated

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

(You can use any gluten free flour too)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350°F and line pan with cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl mix sweet potato, milk, vinegar, oil, 

sucanat, vanilla and ginger. In another bowl sift together

the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 

Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry, careful not to

over mix. 

Scoop a few tablespoons of the batter into the cupcake
liners, about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, or to
pass the toothpick test. Let cool in a covered dish.


MAPLE FROSTING

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2T cornstarch
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 t vanilla

In a small saucepan mix the milk and cornstarch
until they are dissolved. Add the syrup and using a
fork or whisk, stir the mixture over medium heat
until it is thick. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile,
 cream the butter and vanilla until they are well
mixed and then beat in the cooled syrup mixture.
Beat on high until the frosting is fluffy.

*** I will say, ours never got really fluffy. It was
more like a glaze. So we glazed the cupcake
with it and used whipped topping (a soy version
for our lactose free gal) and sprinkled with
sugar & cinnamon mix. YUM. 

Steak Fajita Salad

I started off with some
deliciously seasoned flank steak
and peppers & yellow squash that
had been roasted barely to al dente,

I made a bed of spring greens & spinach

topped that bed with a delightful
spread of the peppers and steak,
along with some thin slices of red onion
and zucchini 

and topped that with some fresh
bleu cheese.

I combined some
olive oil and some specialty Balsamic Vinegar-

-I used a Current Balsamic,
but any deep flavored Balsamic would work-
and mixed them together with a little sea salt
and shallots to make a deep & rich
dressing-

Add a homemade
Whole Wheat Crescent Roll

And Voila-
my new favorite salad-
at least until tomorrow

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I found this pancake recipe many years ago
in a fitness magazine. It is originally
from a spa in Utah that focuses on
health and wellness.

I forget about this recipe ALL the
time and I don't know why.

My family LOVES these pancakes,and they are a wonderful way to
start the day.

The fresh fruit cooks right into
the batter, which gives them a
fun little extra oomph.

Because the fruit adds so much
extra flavor,

we use very little syrup on them-

less sugar to start the day-
Can't help lovin' that!

And of course,
for the picky face eaters in the house,
I make some without the berries-

I just can't believe they are soo picky!!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Fruit

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3 TBSP. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP. maple syrup
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. milk
1 c. berries ***
2 1/2 TBSP. canola oil

***I stewed a mixture of blackberries,
raspberries and blueberries. I added
the zest & juice of 1/2 orange.
 
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining
ingredients except for oil and berries; mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.

Lightly coat griddle with canola oil (don't skip this
& don't use spray)

Ladle approximately 3 T. batter on griddle
& sprinkle with 1 T. berries. Cover berries
with additional 1 T. batter and cook until
bubbles form. Flip and cook until other
side is golden brown.

Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

I have used the same recipe for
Crescent Rolls for over 15 years!!

I have seen others,
I have considered others,
BUT I never, ever actually
MAKE any other recipe!

My Motto-
"Don't fix what ain't broken"

But white flour is really NOT my friend
right now, so these rolls have been
out of my life for quite some time.

I volunteered to bring rolls to
Easter Dinner at a friends house,
so I decided to make some
the same way as always.
But I decided to make a batch
using fresh ground whole wheat.

I was way skeptical-
one of the things that makes these
rolls so amazing is that they are so
light and airy,
and I had my doubts that I could
get that same consistency with
whole wheat.

The dough rose to perfection

Once rolled & shaped, they again rose perfectly

I was WRONG!!!
These worked wonderfully,
Tasted amazing
and I could enjoy every bite!

 Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls

3 cups whole wheat flour ***
1 c. scaled milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. warm water
1 TBSP. yeast
1 egg

*** You can use a combination of wheat & white
flour if you would like.

Soften yeast in warm water. Mix milk, margarine,
sugar and salt. Let the milk cool enough so it
doesn't kill the yeast. Add yeast and egg. Beat.
Add flour to form a soft dough. Let rise
45 minutes. Punch down and roll dough 1/4"
thick. Roll into circles and cut into pie slices.
Roll from big side to small side into crescent
rolls. Let rise another 20-30 minutes. Bake at
375 degrees for 12 minutes.

* A big tip for this recipe is to keep the dough
as moist as you can to work with it. This keeps
the rolls really light and fluffy, not too heavy.

Puff Oven in a Bowl

I shared a list of our all time
favorite breakfasts
here, when I talked about finally
having the opportunity to
eat breakfast each morning
as a whole family.

Well, I have discovered a new twist
on this time honored classic
Puff Oven Pancakes-

I'm not going to lie or pretend that
they are healthy in any way-
but one thing we all agreed on
was that having them this way
forced a more moderated approach
to one of our favorite breakfasts.

These are quick & tasty,
and made this way, most of the kids
used the berries rather than the
syrup and powdered sugar we usually
SLATHER on!!
So though they aren't a pure definition
of healthy,
they are a "Healthier" way to eat a
Peterson morning Favorite.

I used the regular recipe
and filled well greased muffin tins
about 1/2 full with the egg mixture
and baked them for 12 minutes at 375.
For Miss Lactose Intolerant,
I make a separate batch using
almond milk.

While they baked,
I stewed blackberries, raspberries and
blueberries very slightly. I added the zest
and the juice of 1 orange and the smallest
amount of cinnamon (I do NOT care
for the taste of cinnamon, you should
add to your liking)


These puff big in the oven, and than
fall perfectly to form a little bowl
once they are out of the oven. Don't
expect ones made with a milk
substitute to puff as much, but they
still taste great.

We added the berries, and sprinkled a
tad of powdered sugar on top-
and voila! Yummy, Yummy Breakfast.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

It is absolutely NO Secret
that I fell onto the
Cupcake Craze of our nation
FAST & HARD!!!

And I will say,
I drug my beautiful daughters
right on that little bandwagon-

it just ain't NO fun at all
to pick up an obsession
ALL by MYSELF!

My absolute favorite cupcake flavor
is Chocolate Coconut,
but I am here to say that very few
Cupcake Bakeries make this little
simple wonder-

so I have tried and tried to find the
perfect recipe.

I thought I had found it this fall
when we had all of the farewell parties
before we moved,

but alas,
that recipe has been updated,
modified and definitely
PERFECTED!

I seriously wasn't about to share any more
treat recipes-
I just can't keep talking about eating healthy
and than sharing treats right?????

But I made these little wonders
for my daughters sweet 16th
celebration at school
and got a zillion compliments
and requests for the recipe.

Flower gummies added only for the Spring Fling Cupcakes

So I made them again,
and I got the same result.

So,
YOU guessed it,
I made them again,
this time with a spring flair

and shared them for a Welcome Spring
treat for some friends of my husband!

With all the compliments and requests
I just have to share the recipe here-

Here's to the Extra 5 pounds these cupcakes
have added to my bod,
Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
 

Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 TBSP dutch process cocoa (I added this to give a deep chocolate flavor)

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup sour cream

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

½ tsp. coconut extract

(I also used 1 TBSP of chocolate liqueur- this is optional)

*** One huge secret to the crumb of this cupcake is to let it mix for 5-6 minutes. It becomes very creamy, light and airy. Oh so good!

Coconut Cream Frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese

½  cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (this makes a HUGE difference in the frosting, you can use vanilla extract, but it will taste a bit different)

1 ½  teaspoons coconut extract

4-5 cups powdered sugar

*** really let the cream cheese and butter mix together to form a nice creamy mix before adding the other ingredients. I like to put the extracts in before the powdered sugar to make sure it really is incorporated into the frosting.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcake liners.

Sift cake mix into a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, gently whisk oil, eggs, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla paste and liqueur.

Combine cake mix and wet ingredients alternately starting and ending with cake mix.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Immediately transfer hot cupcakes to a dish that can be sealed and let them cool completely covered- this allows the cupcakes to maintain a very moist crumb!

Coconut Cream: Beat cream cheese and butter for 4 minutes. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Scrape down bowl as needed.

Pipe coconut cream on cooled cupcakes and roll in shredded coconut.

Grilled Vegetables

Oh Garden Goodness!!
Remember I said I'd live on a farm
if I had my ruthers?

Well this is why,

Take a wide array of veggies- 

 

Mix together,
a little bit of Grapeseed oil
a little bit of Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar,
and definitely a little crushed red pepper
with a bit of sea salt and pepper

Apply generously over above mentioned veggies

add to the grill

cook for a few minutes,
and than flip,

and voila,
dinner instantly!!
So Yummy,
So Healthy,
and really, in my opinion,
So Beautiful.

I was in a bit of a bind for dinner
the other night.
I had veggies and
I had chicken thawed,
but honestly I was a little tired
of my old standby's!

 I felt like something hip and happening,
so I went with grilling the veggies nearly whole

and than topping greens

with the grilled chicken and veggies!

With a little fresh guac 

and homemade restaurant style salsa

Well, all I can say is that
My family LOVED it-

and I loved that it was so fast,
easy and presentable

That's a win-win-win in my book!