How To: Devein Shrimp

Does this package look daunting to you? Unsuspecting in nature, it contains something that can be fairly intimidating for a midwestern home cook, you know, those who only see the ocean while on vacation. Unfortunately, I happen to be included among that group; however, I was unwilling to let fear get in the way of an awesome deal at my local grocery store. I came home armed with the knowledge that my neighbors are from the Louisiana, and would be willing to help me out if I made a total mess out of things.  

What is it that I'm going on and on about? Shrimp. Yep, shrimp. You see, most of the time when I buy shrimp, I get the frozen kind that are already shelled and deveined. But, I cannot pass up a deal, so I was forced to buy some that were fresh(er) with the shell on. At least they were de-headed; I'm not sure that even a good deal could have forced me into that situation! Nevertheless, when I came home, I had a pound of shrimp that needed to be shelled and deveined. What did I do? Conquer the shrimp on my own? Nope! I enlisted the help of my fearless husband.    :)  

(Those are his hands in all of the photos below! Thanks for modeling for me honey!!)

Turns out, there's really not that much to it. It's a bit labor-intensive, which is why I think they were on sale. Ha Ha! But all in all, it's really not too difficult. So, if you are game for learning a new skill to impress your family (or even yourself) then you should definitely get thee to the supermarket and pick up some fresh(er) shrimp of thy own and follow along with us! 

First, the set up. You will need two bowls: one empty bowl for the trash and one filled with ice water for the finished shrimp. It is vital that you keep the raw shrimp cold for bacteria preventing purposes!! You also need a good sharp knife because raw shrimp are fairly delicate and you don't want to smash the meat. 

On to the shrimp. First, you need to pull off the legs. Just grab them at the top (on the head side) and pull down toward the tail. They sometimes come off all together and other times you might have to pull them off individually. Either way, just get those little legs off!

The next step is to pull off the shell. When you pulled off the legs, you made a break in the surface of the shell, so I found that if I grabbed the shell from the underside, it was super easy to peel off. Eric liked to start at the head side where you could already see the meat of the shrimp and pull it off from there. Whatever way works for you; all that matters is that you get it off of that glorious meat! (Seeing a trend here? This is pretty easy stuff, it just takes experimenting to figure out the way that's easiest for you.) After I had the shell and legs taken off, I liked to run my finger along the underside (where the legs were) just to make sure that all of the bones and pieces of shell were taken off. 

Once the shell is off, you can pull off the tail if you want to. Some people like to cook shrimp with the tail on, so this part is totally optional! 

Now, take your knife and, starting at the head end, make a cut about a quarter of an inch deep. Extend this cut all the way from the head to the tail. You should be exposing the vein as you cut.

See how the vein becomes exposed? That's what we're looking for! Make sure to cut all the way to the end, since the vein runs along the whole top side.

Now, just slip your knife tip in between the vein and the meat. It will come off very easily, it's really just a matter of making sure you get it all! You could probably use your fingers if you wanted, but I felt that my fingers were a bit too big for getting into the small space. Also, if you look closely, you can actually see the little pink vein, not just the greenish-black stuff in the vein. I went ahead and made sure that was out, as well, just to be safe.   ;)    Oh, and by the way, not all shrimp have a vein. Not sure how that works out, exactly, but we had a few in our batch with no vein to speak of. 

And that's it! Now you just have 60 more to go! But really, as you go, you do get faster and more efficient. And at the end, you'll have beautiful shrimp just begging to be cooked in a delicious recipe. Oh, and wouldn't you know it, I have just the recipe! My next post will feature what I did with our hard-earned shrimp. Make sure you come back and check it out!

Cranberry Almond Granola

I have a slight confession to make: I LOVE cereal. My feelings about it may more accurately border on obsession. I can eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I was young, I was all about the Lucky Charms. While I mostly loved the marshmallows (what kid doesn't?) Dad always made me finish the whole bowl, including the actual cereal portion. Since I'd always preferred to save the best for last, I developed a unique way of eating them: cereal first, marshmallows last, NEVER mixing the two. In fact, on the rare occasion that I get Lucky Charms today, I still eat them that way.    :)    Anyone else do that?

As I've grown up, my tastes have changed rather dramatically. Gone are the overly sugary cereals with cute little marshmallows. Now, I look for lots of fiber and protein, not a lot of sugar, and as unprocessed as I can get it. As you might guess, these criteria make my choices pretty limited. While there are a select few on the market, I was interested in making my own. Thus, the research began.


With such a wide variety of cereal on the market these days, most people aren't all that interested in making their own. So my resources were fairly limited. One article actually recommended cooking the grain (oats) in a single layer on a baking sheet and then using a rolling pin to smash them so that the end result looks more like the cereals we know and recognize. This suggestion blew my mind just a little bit. I couldn't imagine all that work for what would probably amount to a couple bowls of cereal. But, then I thought, why do I have to smash it? Why can't I just have toasted oats, maybe some dried fruit, a few nuts...wait a minute...why can't I just make GRANOLA?!

I like am crazy about this granola recipe for several reasons. First, it is perfectly sweet. Store bought granolas are often so loaded with sugar (just like cereals), but this recipe has just a hint of sweetness, letting the nuttiness of the oats come through. Second, I can put it in a bowl with some milk for breakfast and then pack a baggie of it for a snack throughout the day. So versatile!! Third, it literally took me about 5 minutes to mix it all up and throw it in the oven. It doesn't get much easier than that! Lastly, it is endlessly customizable. I'm already dreaming of the different flavors that I can create: replace the cranberries with pineapple and add a squeeze of lime juice to the mixture and I have tropical flavored granola, use apples and add a little nutmeg and I have apple pie flavored granola. The list is endless; your imagination is really the limit here!


Needless to say, this granola will become a staple at our house. I'm already planning a second batch for next week, since Eric and I are sitting on the couch mindlessly munching the toasted goodness. But you know what? This is one snack that I don't mind mindlessly munching on.   ;)

Cranberry Almond Granola
makes 12 servings
1/2 cup serving size
adapted from The Kitchen Sink Recipes


Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. ground flax seed (flax meal)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 cups of dried cranberries


Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet in aluminum foil, parchment paper, or Silpat. (I used a jelly roll pan lined with my Silpat.)
-Combine all ingredients except dried fruit. Mix well to ensure butter and honey is distributed evenly throughout the mixture.
-Bake at 10 minute intervals for about 20-30 minutes, stirring well after each interval. Your goal here is to ensure an even toasting on all of the oats. As you stir, you'll notice that the granola on the top is toasted and the stuff on the bottom isn't. Make sure to mix it up! Also watch the granola on the edges, as that's the part that will burn the fastest. It took my oven 24 total minutes of baking time to yield that perfect golden brown color in the pictures.
-When the granola is done baking, place the pan on a cooling rack until the granola is cool.
-Once it's all cool, add the cranberries and stir it all together.
-Keep in whatever type of air tight container you wish. Our's is just in a big Zip Lock baggie for now.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1/2 cup

Calories: 226 Fat: 8 grams Carbs: 50 grams Fiber: 7 grams Protein: 4 grams

Enjoy!

OXO Dish Brush

Hello there! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday filled with quality time spent with close friends and family. Eric and I drove home on Thursday for an extra-long weekend. The best thing about going home is the fabulous greeting you get at the door...loving embraces from mom and dad, enthusiastic hugs from siblings, and even the hair-shedding, tail wagging, jump-all-over-you greeting from the family dog. My family may very well be the loudest on the planet, but they are also the most loving. I'm not quite sure who or where I would be without them.

--And that concludes the sentimental portion of today's post.--

While I was at home, we were talking about the blog. My mom and dad suggested that I start including things other than my recipes, even though (of course) they love those.   ;)   So, I started brainstorming on the way home, and decided they were right! In the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting product reviews, article discussions, and information about my garden, along with the latest recipes that I've been trying. I hope you enjoy these new components!

So now, I would like to present to you the OXO SteeL Soap Squirting Dish Brush! I know you may be thinking, "Of all the things to talk about...a dish brush? Really?" The answer is YES! You see, I have a lot of high maintenance high quality items in my kitchen, like my stainless steel cookware, bamboo cutting boards and utensils, and most importantly, my knife set. I am unwilling to trust my dishwasher with these items, since they would be quite expensive to replace. Because of this, I end up doing a lot of hand washing. Some say dish brush, I say rock star!

 This dish brush will cost you $12.99 and you can get it at that price from the link above. It's also available from Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, and probably most other stores that carry the OXO brand.

Eric and I bought this dish brush because we were tired of constantly replacing the cheap plastic ones. We also loved the fact that you can buy replacements for the scrubbing part of them, making them a lot cheaper in the long run! Plus, we had one of those awesome 20% off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond, which made spending $12.99 on a dish brush a little bit easier to swallow. 


I have to say that I was a bit skeptical that this brush would be worth it when we bought it. Having had other experiences with less expensive dish brushes, I was concerned about its durability and ability to actually stay soapy while I washed dishes. However, after using it for a couple of months now, I am extremely happy with our purchase.


My hands-down favorite thing about this dish brush is the way it squirts out the soap. When you push the little black "button" down, it literally squirts out like ketchup from one of those clean-squirt bottles. It's awesome! Sometimes, I squirt soap into my dishes just so that I can watch it shoot out of there...which is totally not weird, at all. Something else that I really like is that it completely replaces the soap bottle that I had sitting out on the counter. Need a little soap to wash you hands? Squirt some on there. Need soap to soak a particularly dirty dish? Just squirt it in! See how easy and wonderful it is? Plus, it makes doing the dishes faster because you don't have to keep reaching up to add more soap to your brush. The bristles are also a good compromise between hard and soft. If they were any harder, they could scratch delicate items, any softer and they would never be able to scrub anything. I am also very please with the way it has held up. The handle is in perfect condition, even after months of hard use, and the bristles are still holding up, although we'll probably be replacing them when we get a new coupon from BB&B.


This wonderful dish brush does have some negative qualities that I cannot ignore. One thing that is a bit annoying is that the head of the brush is not angled, making it a bit difficult to get into small spaces, such as a cup or wine glass. It cleans the center of the bottom just fine, but the corners are a bit hard to reach. Another thing that bothers me is that sometimes the bristles have a hard time really scrubbing those really baked-on spots, even after soaking. Occasionally, I'll find myself scrubbing and scrubbing at the same spot over and over again. However, for everyday cleaning, they are perfect. One thing that I have discovered, with all dish brushes, is that they are less than ideal for cleaning up a pan that has been used for scrambled eggs. For some reason, little bits of egg get in between the bristles and are next to impossible to get out. To solve this, I just keep a Scotch Bright sponge close to the sink, which solve both the egg and baked on food dilemmas. 


Despite those few negative qualities, this dish brush definitely makes doing the dishes faster and easier, and it's the one that we'll be using as long as they keep making the refills.


So, what do you think? Are product reviews something to continue? Does the OXO SteeL Soap Squirting Dish Brush sound like something you might consider using? I am looking forward to your comments!!


Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for this review from OXO or any other suppling company. The views and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.  

Banana Crumb Muffins

Hi there! I want to start off by apologizing for being so absent recently. I was going through one of those stages where I just wanted to get food on the table...and it was nothing inspired, let me tell you! I'm sure you all know how that feels. Poor Eric was truly suffering (not!); he's probably the world's least picky eater. In truth, he would be satisfied to just snack around all day. Anyway, I'm happy to say that I'm back and have lots of delicious recipes planned to share with you! 


The first is a wonderful banana crumb muffin. This muffin is truly delightful! It's wonderfully tender and moist. I may or may not have eaten three of them while taking pictures...


{insert smugly satisfied face here...whatever that looks like!}

To me, bananas are one of the most versatile of all the fruits. I mean, they are good just about any way you want to have them! Now me, I like to buy mine while they are still a little green. This is the only way I'll eat them plain. I hate strongly dislike eating over-ripe bananas just by themselves. But, once they become too ripe for me to eat (i.e. once they are all yellow) I cut them up in my cereal or oatmeal, which is delicious! I also love them blended with some greek yogurt (peach is my favorite) for a filling and healthy smoothie. Another thing I like absolutely love is to make "ice cream" with them! If your interested in how I do that, write me a comment below and I'd love to share it with you!


Needless to say, I go through a LOT of bananas. I buy at least 7-8 a week. And to be honest, I eat most of them myself. Eric's not much of a fruit person. Unless, of course, I cut it up and bring it to the couch for a snack. He then loves to entertain himself with sneaking multiple bites while I'm "not looking". Why this is so fun for him, I'll never know. But, I digress. On to the recipe!


I first came upon this recipe several years ago. Not being all that experienced with changing out ingredients to make it healthier, I made it as written. Now, looking back, I shudder to think that I put over a cup of sugar in these puppies! Yes, they were delicious, but more suited to eat for dessert rather than the most important meal of the day. While I made several changes (taking out most of the sugar, reducing the butter, subbing in white whole wheat flour, and adding spices) they are just as good!! The wonderful thing about way over-ripened bananas (like the ones that have black spots on them) is that the natural fructose in them has increased, making them very sweet on their own. The crumb topping on them is just a wonderful way to add that extra-special touch. Try these! I know you won't regret it!!

Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com
makes 10 muffins


Ingredients:
   For the muffins:
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla


   For the crumb topping:
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. oats
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 tsp. brown sugar


Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease 10 regular size muffin cups, or line with cupcake/muffin liners.
-In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. 
-In another bowl, mash bananas. {I like to keep mine a bit lumpy so I have chunks of banana in the muffin. Purely preferential; do what you like the best!} Add both sugars, egg, butter, and vanilla. Make sure to mix well. You want a homogenous mixture. 
-Add banana mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Do not over-mix or your muffins will not rise. It's good for there to be some lumps!
-Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Try to make it evenly distributed so you have a consistent bake time on all your muffins. I used my biggest batter scoop. 
-In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients of the crumb topping. Cut in the butter so that it looks like coarse crumbs. You may or may not have to add more flour/sugar to achieve this. I used my fingers to cut it all together and help it get crumbly because I didn't want to add a bunch of sugar (the original recipe called for 1/3 cup!). 
-Sprinkle crumb topping across the tops of your muffins. 
-Bake for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1 muffin

Calories: 209 Carbs: 36 g Fiber: 3.4 g Fat: 7.5 g Protein: 4 g

Enjoy!!

Flaky and Tender Buttermilk Biscuits

Eric came back home this weekend from his 10 day trip to Texas! Needless to say, I am happy to have him back.   :)   So, last night when I asked if he had any requests for breakfast (a developing trend in our household on Sunday mornings) he had an answer ready for me: biscuits and gravy. My reaction was something of a roller coaster of surprise, intimidation, and then determination. 

You see, I had never made Eric biscuits or gravy, and I wasn't sure where his idea had originated from. Ah, the inner workings of the male mind. Something women for centuries have been trying, and failing, to understand. I love my husband dearly; he always keeps me on my culinary toes!

After the surprise wore off, intimidation set in. Biscuits? Milk gravy? Both of these things can quickly become disastrous. I envisioned biscuits as hard as rocks and gravy that never thickened, imagined Eric and I sitting down to eat my lovingly prepared breakfast, looking down and seeing a plate of what looked like slop and rocks. Yum. 

But it's not like me to be intimidated for long. In fact, the whole intimidation stage probably took less than a minute, scary as it was. When I recovered, I began searching for a biscuit recipe amongst the thousands scattered across the internet. I love researching a recipe. In fact, it is often more than half of the fun! It most certainly brings out the nerd in me, hehe. Inevitably, I learn a lot of little tricks and tips that combine to make failing (almost!) impossible.

Oh, I was still plenty nervous. I anxiously crouched next to the oven, looking through the window to watch and encourage my biscuits, chanting, "Rise, my lovelies, rise!" while a bemused Eric looked on. I think he may be getting used to hearing me talk to my creations like they are alive.    :)    Ultimately, the research, effort, and wait was all worth it. I ended up with biscuits that were fluffy and tender on the inside, flaky and buttery on the outside. In short: utterly perfect. Trust me, you want to try this biscuit. Whether you make milk gravy to go with it, eat it plain with butter, or slather it with some jam, it'll knock your socks off. 

Here are my tips for great biscuits:

1. Measure out your flour the right way. The last thing you want is a heavy biscuit, and having too much flour will do exactly that. Click here to see how I learned how! 

2. When using whole wheat flour, subbing in some corn starch is critical. There's some science behind it, but all you really need to know is that it makes your biscuits light and fluffy!

3. It doesn't matter how you cut in your butter. Use a food processor, pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers. Just remember that the key to fluffy biscuits (and scones, for that matter) is cold fat. I used a fork and placed my cut flour in the freezer for about 5 minutes before adding the buttermilk.

4. Don't press your dough too thin. We all want those sky-scraper biscuits, and that is impossible to  achieve when your dough starts out 1/2 inch thick. About 1 inch is the general consensus. 

5. Use a sharp tool to cut your biscuits into their desired shape. Don't use a coffee cup or anything with dulled edges. A crimped edge will prevent your biscuits from rising!

6. On that note, don't twist your cutting tool. Cut straight down all the way through the first time.

7. After cutting, put them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. This ensures that the fat is as cold as it can be before going into that hot oven. To make it as easy as possible and eliminate touching them (and therefore warming them up) you can go ahead and place them on your baking sheet if you have room for it in your freezer. 

And that's it! You are now armed with all of the biscuit-making tips the internet has to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Gather your ingredients, and treat yourself (and some loved ones) to homemade biscuits. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Buttermilk Biscuits

makes 8 biscuits

adapted from Spork or Foon

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (regular whole wheat would work, as well)

1/4 cup corn starch

4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt (this could probably be decreased to 1/2 tsp. with equally great results)

4 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup buttermilk, chilled*

approx. 1 Tbsp. butter, melted, for brushing

Directions: 

- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter using whatever method you prefer. You want the result to look like crumbs. It doesn't have to be perfect; not all of your crumbles need to be the same size. The goal is to get little pockets of fat dispersed throughout your dough to make that tender crumb we're after. 

- Once the desired texture is achieved, place the bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes to re-chill the butter. 

-Take the bowl out of the freezer and make a wheel in the center of the flour. Pour in the buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. It will be sticky. Do not over-mix! If you do, you risk a dense biscuit that will more resemble the rocks of my nightmares, and we don't want that. 

-Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface. Dust the top with flour and gently fold the dough over on itself 5-6 times. This creates that layered flaky-ness that is so desired in biscuits. Press gently (with your fingers, so as to decrease the amount of warmth being transferred to the dough) so that the dough is about 1 inch thick. 

- Cut out your biscuits. I used a sharp knife and cut my biscuits into squares so I didn't have to mess with scrap dough. 

- Brush biscuits with melted butter and place them gently into the freezer for 15-30 minutes. Mine made it for 15 minutes because I couldn't wait any longer than that! If you have room, you can go ahead and place them on your baking sheet (so that they are just touching) before putting them into the freezer. If not, then put them on a plate, Silpat, or whatever else you want. 

- While you're waiting, pre-heat your oven to 450°F. 

- Once your oven is pre-heated, if you haven't already, place the biscuits onto your baking sheet or stone so that they are just touching. Bake them until your biscuits are tall and light gold on top, about 15-20 minutes. When they get out of the oven, brush them again with the melted butter. 

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1 biscuit

Calories: 181 Carbs: 25 grams Fat: 7 grams Protein: 5 grams

Enjoy!!

Oat Pancakes

My beloved husband went on a business trip this past week and I just had to send him off with a full belly to ensure that he had something to remember me by!   :)   Right away, I knew it had to be pancakes. He loves nothing better than a big stack of pancakes to start his morning. While he's not generally a breakfast eater, he has always made an exception for fresh flapjacks. Before we met, the standard was pancakes the size of Texas made with white flour and topped with gobs of maple-flavored syrup. Needless to say, he made these himself! Surprisingly, he is a very good pancake-flipper, which is indeed a coveted skill to possess. But, I've been practicing my skills (both the flipping and the making) and I'm happy to say that I have successfully converted him to the healthier version: oat pancakes.

Before you start thinking, "Wait a minute, my kids/husband would never go for pancakes not made with white flour", consider this: I have possibly the world's pickiest little brothers, both of whom have given their stamp of approval on this recipe. In fact, they gobbled up 4 pancakes each, and would have eaten more if we hadn't already eaten the whole batch! So, give it a try! If they turn up their noses, oh well, more for you! On that note, these are fantastic the next day if you just pop them into the toaster. They'll taste just like they are fresh out of the skillet!

As far as toppings go, if it sounds good, go for it! Eric likes his with butter and maple syrup, while I like mine with some sliced banana. My uber-picky brother only eats his with blueberry syrup and freshly sliced strawberries. And I LOVE leftovers with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. YUM!!!

Oat Pancakes
makes approximately 11 pancakes
adapted from The Kitchen Sink

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats (I used old-fashioned)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk*, divided
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted


Directions:
- Soak the oats in 3/4 cup of the buttermilk. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- While the oats are soaking, you can whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a big bowl. This will be the bowl you mix everything else in.
- When the oats are done soaking, put them and the rest of the ingredients in with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix! Set aside. 
- Heat your griddle over medium heat (I like to put my dial on 4). When a drop of water bubbles up and "dances", your griddle is ready. Place a small dot of butter in the center of each pancake spot on your griddle. Help the butter to melt out in a circle approximately the shape of your pancake. This will give you a nice crispy edge on your pancake. 
- Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto each butter circle. Here's my tip for knowing when to flip: If I stick my spatula under the edge and it stays firm, it's ready! If it turns under a little, wait a few more seconds. I find this ensures I that have great color on my pancakes.
- Another tip: watch your heat. About 1/3 of the way through my batch, I turned down my dial to 2. The last thing we want is burnt pancakes that are still raw on the inside! Also, I butter in between each pancake because I like the color and the crispy edge. If you're concerned about the added fat, you can use cooking spray or skip it all together!


* To make 1 cup of buttermilk, measure 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice and then add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and you're good to go!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1 pancake

Calories: 78 Carbohydrates: 10 grams Fat: 2 grams Protein: 4 grams

*facts do not include toppings or butter on skillet

Enjoy!!

Fresh Vegetable Dip

I don't know about you, but I love to snack. I snack mid-morning and again mid-afternoon, and sometimes even after dinner! Even though I always make sure that I am actually hungry before I eat (not just thirsty or bored), I'm accumulating a lot of extra calories with all that snacking. To balance this, I try to snack on things that are good for me, like greek yogurt, cheese, fruit, vegetables, or my homemade granola. I love all of these things, except one: vegetables. Cooked vegetables are one thing; I've yet to try a cooked veggie that I didn't like! Raw veggies, however, get me every time. The concept is great: crisp vegetables with that wonderful crunch and lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber...all things that are wonderful for my body. I just don't like them. I've tried, lots of times. It just isn't gonna happen without a little help.

Enter the wonder that is vegetable dip. Store bought...not so much. Too many useless calories that my body can't use. Homemade, however, and we have a different story. It's creamy, luscious, and has enough nutrition value to be included in the "healthy snack" category. Plus, it's super easy to make! So, I decided to share my go-to recipe. The original used sour cream as a base; however, I subbed in plain yogurt with fantastic results. The first time I made this recipe, I used plain greek yogurt, which made a thicker dip. I couldn't find any big containers of plain greek yogurt at the store this time (and didn't have time to strain out the whey) so instead I used regular plain yogurt. It's still yummy, just a bit thinner than when I used greek yogurt. I think Eric and I liked it thicker (and it made it easier to gob it on) but it's completely a preference thing!

Oh, and by the way, these pictures? Totally not the way I eat mine! Before I pop that broccoli spear into my mouth, that thing is so covered in dip that it looks like cauliflower! Yumm! Vegetable Dip with just a hint of broccoli :)

Fresh Vegetable Dip
makes approximately 2 1/2 cups of dip
adapted from Taste of Home


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt (greek or regular)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. dried dill weed (if fresh, use 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. dried parsley (if fresh, use 1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. garlic salt
dash Worcestershire sauce


Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into a bowl, preferably one with a lid. Chill in the refrigerator for a least one hour to let all of the ingredients get cozy with each other.
- Enjoy with your favorite vegetables!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 2 Tbsp.

Calories: 55 Carbs: 1 gram Fat: 5 grams Protein: 1 gram

Enjoy!!

Dreamy Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

I take pride in saying that I am a breakfast eater. I cannot remember a time when I didn't eat breakfast before starting my day; in fact, it has become somewhat of a ritual for me. While I sit enjoying my morning meal and cup of coffee, I read a book or some of my favorite blogs, or simply sit and reflect upon what my day will bring. Generally, this takes up about 20 minutes, time that some would say is a total waste. In fact, Eric goes from sleeping to walking out the door in less time than it takes for me to finish eating; however, I would not trade this time for anything. Eating breakfast helps me to wake completely and organize my thoughts for the day ahead.

One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is oatmeal. It's creamy, delicious, good-for-me, and so versatile that the options are endless. Don't have raisins? Chop up a banana, apple, or any other fruit/dried fruit you have on hand. Don't like cinnamon? Skip it! Allergic to dairy? Sub in almond or soy milk for equally fantastic results! Missing that crunch of dry cereal? Add some nuts! On top of all that, it is one of the only things I've found that keeps me full for more than two hours. It's also pretty cheap to make, which makes it a winner in all categories. And unlike steel cut oats, you can whip up these oats in less than 10 minutes!

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal
makes 1 serving


Ingredients:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk*
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
cinnamon**
1-2 Tbsp. raisins
pinch of salt
pure maple syrup, honey, or whatever sweetener you prefer (optional)


Directions:
- Put all ingredients into small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to combine. You can walk away and do other things until you see them start to bubble, which will take about 3-5 minutes. Generally, I make my coffee and pack my lunch during this time. 
- When you see it start to bubble, begin to stir it. Depending upon how vigorously it is bubbling, you can either stir continually or give it a stir and continue about your business. You aim here is to keep it from burning on the bottom. 
- When it does start to bubble vigorously, you want to stand next to it and stir constantly until you achieve the texture you want. I like mine a little liquid-y, but Eric likes his thicker, so it's entirely based on your preferences. Another reason to love oatmeal!
- Put in your bowl and top with sweetener. I LOVE maple syrup on mine...so yummy! This is really up to your preference; you can skip it all together or pour it on!


*I like the milk in these oats because it adds to the creaminess and the added fat keeps me full longer. However, you can totally skip the milk and double the water if your concerned about the added calories/fat. Your oats will still be creamy and delicious :)
**I like a lot of cinnamon, so I put a lot in. You can add however much your little heart desires! I might suggest you add less than you think--you can always stir in more after you've given the finished product a taste.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 275  Carbs: 45 grams Fat: 5 grams Protein: 14 grams

These facts are based on 2% milk and do not include sweetener

Enjoy!!

Lemon Curd Drop Cookies

My husband and I have very different tastes when it comes to dessert. If we go for ice cream, he normally goes for sorbets and fruit flavors, while I go for things filled with chocolate and cookie dough (and calories, but hey, it's treat!). Most of the time, this makes me feel guilty; I know sorbets and fruit flavors are typically the smarter choice, and therefore the one I should make. But I just can't help it! Don't get me wrong--I love fruit and fruit flavored things just as much as anyone else. But when faced with the decision of chocolate or the better-for-me sorbet, chocolate ALWAYS wins out.


Things brings me to the Lemon Curd Drop Cookies. They are absolutely Delicious, with a capitol D. And while I will eat one or two, Eric will eat 10 or more. Which is good, because that means I will have less staring at me from across the room.

Lemon Curd Drop Cookies
makes 2 dozen
adapted from Simply Sweet by The Pampered Chef


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour (I used white whole-wheat with fantastic results)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 Tbsp. milk
powdered sugar (optional)*
1/4 cup lemon curd (approximately)


Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat (I used my silpat).
-In your mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
-While beating, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; mix well.
-Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture while mixing on low speed. Then, add in the milk just until a dough forms. For me, this happened after about 2 Tbsp. of milk. Do not over-beat!
-Roll the dough into small balls, using about 1 tsp. of dough for each cookie. I used my smallest dough scoop for this. If desired, you can then roll each ball into the powered sugar before placing it on the cookie sheet. You can place them relatively close together; they didn't spread much for me.
-Make a small indentation in the center of each ball using the tip of your finger. Fill the indentation with lemon curd. You can do this by putting the lemon curd in a pastry bag or a ziplock bag and cut off the tip. I didn't feel like getting my pastry bag dirty for such a small task, so I used the ziplock method.
-Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to brown. I found 12 minutes to be just right for me. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven, and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely. This last part is optional; the "cool completely" thing never happens in our house ;)


* I made one batch rolled in the powered sugar and one without to see if it actually made a difference in the taste or texture. Neither Eric or I could tell a difference, so feel free to skip this part completely if you wish!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1 cookie

Calories: 61 Carbs: 5 grams Fat: 4 grams Protein: 1 gram

Enjoy!!