Choco-Banana PB Shake

This shake has become an almost nightly tradition for my hubby and me. It's only about 200 calories per serving, which is much better than my favorite 700 calorie grasshopper shake from JCW's! 

Choco-Banana PB Shake

1 cup almond milk

1 heaping Tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 cup ice

1 banana

Throw it all in the blender, and blend until smooth. Makes 2 servings. 

Enjoy!

Envelope Pillow Tutorial

Quick. Easy. Washable. Cheap. This pillow is so easy, I made about 4 in an hour! It's so nice too because you can slip it off and wash it, and if you're a mom with young kiddos that is a must! 

I bought THIS pillow at Joann's with a 50% off coupon. Then I got THIS fabric on sale for only $6.74 a yard. 

Supplies

2/3 of a yard (19.5 inches actually) 45" wide fabric

1 Pillow form - 18 x 18 inches

Rotary cutter and mat (unless you can cut super straight on your own - which I can't!)

Sewing Machine

1. Cut your fabric: 45" x 19.5" 

2. Finish both of the ends that are only 19.5". To do this I folded the end over twice about a 1/2" and sewed two seams to give it a nice finished look.  

3. Lay the pillow flat, with the right side of the fabric facing up. Fold over one edge, and the other so that they over lap about 6".  Pin where the two edges meet on one side. 

4. Remove the pillow. Measure exactly how many inches from the end folded under to the other end folded over. Should be about 6". Now measure the other side to make sure they are exactly the same distance. 

5. Pin both side in place.  

6. Sew right along the edges, with about a 1/2" seam allowance. One I sewed each side, I went back and did a zig zag along the edge to keep from fraying. (Even though you won't be able to see the inside, I want to keep the threads from fraying when I remove the cover to wash it).  

7. Turn inside out.  

8. Stuff your pillow inside and enjoy! 

The Perfect Salsa

Thank you Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, for introducing us to THIS wonderfully beyond delicious salsa. I will never ever buy salsa again. It is the perfect consistency - not too chunky, but not too running, sticks to you chip, and makes my mouth water just thinking about it!!! I have already made this recipe twice in the last 3 days. I also took some to a party tonight and everyone just raved about how good it was. 

If you like spicy salsa add the entire jalapeno, if not, just don't include the seeds. 

The Perfect Salsa

1 can (28 oz.) Whole Tomatoes with Juice

2 cans (10 oz.) Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 whole jalapeno, chopped

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

The juice of 1 lime

Put everything in your food processor. Pulse about 12 - 15 times until you achieve your desired consistency. Taste with a tortilla chip, and add anything you think it might need. Refrigerate for at least and hour. Serve. Enjoy!!

Breakfast Cookies

A sweet, satisfying, no flour, no added sugar, no eggs, chewy, and yummy. All wonderful things. The thing that got me excited about this recipe I found here, is the many possibilities! I think next time I might add some cocoa powder for chocolate cookies, or peanut butter. Less than 100 calories for each cookie.

Breakfast Cookies
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
2 ripe bananas, mashed until creamy
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup Craisins and/or raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mash bananas until creamy and no chunks.
3. Add the oats, applesauce, Craisins, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir just until combined.
4. Plop a spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Should make about 12.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. They're good warm, but I actually liked them better after they sat for a few hours , cooled down, and let the flavors are settle in with each other.

Enjoy!

New Burberry Boots

I sold some Burberry plaid boots last year, but they completely sold out...and then the fabric was discontinued. So sad! But, I found some new fabric, which isn't wool, but I like the plaid print a whole lot more.

Where has this summer gone!? I've been getting a ton of emails this week about my boots from moms already preparing for the fall/winter! I can't believe it. Here's to another season of boot making/selling/shipping!

Here are the new boots! You can either see them here, or click on my button over there ----------->

Also, if you are reading this, and you want a discount, email me and I'll give you a coupon code :)

Carrot Cake

Super moist. Low in fat. So tasty. I had a friend that loved carrot cake. She was a pretty healthy eater and hardly ever ate sweets. But she easily justified carrot cake, because well it was CARROT cake! It's got to be somewhat healthy if there's carrots in it right?! :) Well I did manage to find a recipe for carrot cake that really isn't all that bad for you, but so moist, and delicious. I got the recipe from here, but the only difference was that I tried using Fat Free cream cheese, and so the frosting looks more like a glaze, but it was still good! Next time I'll try the 1/3 fat cream cheese and see what a difference it makes. Regardless, the cake is delicious. 

Carrot Cake

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. canola oil (maybe try applesauce?)

2 large eggs

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups grated carrots, peeled

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting

8 oz. 1/3 fat Cream Cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8" round x 3" high pan (if you have one - if not you could use a pan not as deep but you won't cook the cake for nearly as long).
2. In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, coconut, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until completely combined.
3. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the carrots and pineapple to the other wet ingredients.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Fold until all combined, but do not over-mix. Add the walnuts.
5. Pour into your baking dish, and bake for about 40-50 minutes (I did 43 minutes). Depending on your dish, cook until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
6. When completed baking, take out of your baking dish and let it cool on a cooling rack for a few hours before frosting.
7. Beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread over cake. And enjoy!!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have been wanting to try making the chicken lettuce wraps from like what they serve at P.F. Chang's, but I've been a little hesitant due to the amount of ingredients. But after looking through my pantry I had almost everything anyway. I based my recipe off of a recipe that I found  here. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1-1/2 lb. chicken breast (2 large chicken breasts), chopped in small pieces

1/3 cup onion, chopped

Salt & Pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

2-1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. chili garlic sauce

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 of an 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup peanuts, chopped

10-12 outer iceberg lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

1. In a large non-stick skillet combine the chicken, onions and salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is almost no longer pink.

2. Add in the minced garlic and ginger and cook until the chicken is done - no more pink. 

3. In a separate, small bowl, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, and chili garlic sauce. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then whisk until completely smooth and combined. 

4. Add the sauce to the chicken. Also add in the green onions and water chestnuts. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the chestnuts and green onions soften. 

5. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Serve with cold lettuce leaves. Help yourself! It's a low-calorie meal with tons of taste. 

Enjoy!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas - Skinny Version

A couple of months ago I posted the recipe and picture from my cousin's blog http://boycheesesandwich.blogspot.com, for Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas here. I have made them several times since then because we love them so much. Since then I have adapted a few healthier changes to the recipe. 

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

1-1/2 lbs. shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken and use every ounce of chicken from it). 

1 (10 oz.) can of green enchilada sauce

Whole wheat tortillas (about 8)

1 cup skim milk

Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese

Marinade:

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice (the juice of 2 limes)

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1. Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk until completely combined. 

2. Put all of the shredded chicken in a gallon size bag, pour the marinade over the chicken and mix it around until covered. Put in fridge. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. 

4. Put a tortilla in the dish, place some chicken along the center of the tortilla, add some cheese, and roll up tight. Continue for the remaining tortillas. 

5. Pour remainder of marinade over the tortillas (I actually use a basting brush). Sprinkle cheese over top. 

6. Put in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the tortillas start to turn golden brown. 

7. In a small sauce pan heat up the green enchilada sauce and skim milk. Bring it to a low boil. Once the enchiladas are done, we serve up the enchiladas and let everyone put on their own sauce. 

This was the tortillas are CRISPY! Also, this means that you're not using as much sauce, but just enough.

Red Velvet 4th of July Cookies

I took the recipe I made here, added a few sprinkles and dubbed these my Independence Day treat. Easy enough, and even more delicious. I wrapped them all up before I thought to take a picture! So just past the little bags.

I also, was featured by Yummly.com for this recipe. You can see the blog post with 9 other soft, sugary sandwich cookies here. Yahoo! Happy 4th everyone!!!