2013 Year in Review!

What a year!  2013 has been so fun for Katie and me as we launched THIS blog!  It was been a dream that became a reality last April when we started out.  We have had fun sharing the blog and hopefully you have all enjoyed the delcious and healthy recipes we have brought you throughout the year!

We are excited about where the blog is headed for next year (more on that tomorrow from Katie...), but let's first take a review of our most popular recipes from 2013!!!!!

1. Tortilla Pinwheels

2. Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

3. Polenta Pizzas

4. Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

5. Ice Cream Cake

6. Summer Fiesta Bean Salad

7. Mushroom Stroganoff

8. Summer Orzo Salad

9. Sweet & Sour Chicken

10. Mashed Cauliflower

If you like (or have tried) any of these healthy, fun recipes above you should start following our blog!  Just click the follow link in the right hand navigation bar and you will get each new post delived right to your inbox!!!  CHECK it out!

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  Hope everyone has a safe and happy NYE. Maybe you can try out one of our top 10 recipes for the holiday! :)

XOXO Megan 

Party Skewers

Are you hosting a New Year's party?  Or are you going to one and you don't know what you should bring?  Well these quick and easy little skewers are the perfect party app!

Servings: 10

Serving Size: 2 skewers

Points Plus: 5pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

1 jar green olives

10 oz. Gouda cheese

10 oz. summer sausage

Toothpicks

Directions:

Dice the cheese and sausage into 1/2 oz. pieces (yes they are a little small, but you just need a taste of each ingredient to make the skewer complete!).  Assemble each skewer by starting with sausage, then Gouda, then topping off with a green olive.  Arrange on a serving platter and you're done!

Tip:

You can easily susbsitute in other items if you aren't a fan of summer sausage or Gouda cheese.  You could sub in salami or prosciutto instead of summer sausage and choose your favorite cheese instead!

XOXO Megan

Blackened Salmon + Cobb

Hello everyone!  Today we bring you a versatile, HEALTHY recipe, to help you get back on track after the holidays.  This blackened salmon, and the dish I created to serve it in, is inspired by a fav restaurant of mine here in Mpls., The Capital Grille.  Although a traditional steak place for dinner, they have an amazing cobb salad on their lunch menu.  In a previous life I would lunch their weekly, and almost always got this salad.  You could choose your protein I liked their blackened salmon because it is something I would rarely cook at home, and had an amazing flavorful crust.  This meal was easy, and now maybe I will eat it at home once a week!  

Servings: 2

Servings Size: 2 salads, each with 3 oz salmon, 1 egg, 1 full tomato, 1/2 oz blue cheese and 1 t. olive oil

Points Plus: 10 pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent! 

Ingredients

6 oz raw WILD salmon

2 1/2 T. paprika

3/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T light butter

1 lemon, cut in half

4 cups of lettuce, washed and chopped

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 oz good quality blue cheese, divided into two pieces

2 t. olive oil

Salt + Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow bowl mix together your paprika, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder and salt.  Cut your salmon filet in half, so that each filet is about 4 oz. In another shallow bowl melt your butter and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Take the first filet and dip it into the butter, and then the spice mixture.  Use your hands to be sure it is completely covered with spices. 

Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the filets on your stovetop, about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer your filets to an oven safe dish (or use a dish that can be used both on the stovetop and in the oven) and back them for about 8 minutes.

While salmon is baking, arrange your plate! Put down lettuce, and then arrange your egg, tomato and cheese around the outside.  When the salmon is done remove it from the oven and place in the middle.  Drizzle each salad with 1 t. olive oil, a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Tip

I didn’t know this until yesterday, but salmon is best right out of the oven (hence reheated salmon is gross J).  So find a buddy to share this salad with, or only cook the amount you will eat fresh.

XOXO - Katie

Champagne with Cranberry Skewers

This holiday cocktail is perfect for Christmas!  The cranberries give a pop of color to your glass of champagne and are sure to put you in the holiday spirit. These could easily be served at a New Year's Eve party as well.

Servings: 4

Size: 1 4 oz. glass of champagne

Points Plus: 3pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 1 hour plus for freezing

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 bottle of champagne

24 cranberries

Wooden skewers

Directions:

Pierce a skewer with cranberries and layer until you have 6 berries on the skewer.  Repeat to make a total of 4 cranberry skewers.  Place in the freezer for at least an hour to allow the berries to freeze.  Serve champagne and place one skewer per glass for a festive holiday cocktail!

Tip:

Limit yourself on these champagne cocktails to avoid a 'champagne headache' the next day. :)

XOXO Megan

Crock Pot Apple Cider

Merry Christmas! The holidays are a super busy time of year, as we all know!  So I thought today I would post perhaps the simplest recipe of all time, which is also perfect for the holidays AND entertaining.  This cider only calls for three ingredients, and takes under a minutes to make!  Totally perf!  I hope ya'alls had a wonderful holiday! PS: Sorry for the sideways photo :)

Servings: A lot

Serving Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: As long as you want!

Rating: 5 - Excellent!

Ingredients

1 large jug of apple cider

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

Instructions

Put all ingredients into your crock pot and turn on.  That's all!

Tip

You could totally serve this with cinnamon sticks and sliced apples to add some additional festive flair!

XOXO - Katie

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Happy Christmas Eve! We have been doing a ton of food prep in the last 24 hours at our home, in anticipation of hosting Christmas Eve tonight.  It is really quite remarkable how many different things will come out of our kitchen tonight, I am so excited! I have also had some interested food related epiphanies in the last 24 hours.

1. Um, whoever invented the Pampered Chef garlic peeler is a Genius with a capital 'G'.  This kitchen tool has changed my life.

2. Chorizo tastes bad in soup.

3. Check the price of a lamp rack prior to ordering it from the butcher (more on that tomorrow).

4. And finally, there is a reason Starbucks calls today's recipe BLISS bars.  These bars are Incredible (with a capital 'I'). Skinytaste revamped them to make them WW friendly, and I seriously can't believe how good they are.  They would be a perfect addition to your Christmas Day brunch. 5 STARS!!!!!!

Tip

When I turned the pan upside down to make the bars come out, they didn't!  So, I just frosted them in the pan and then used a spatula to remove them.  Worked pretty darn well if you ask me!

Merry Christmas everyone!  See you tomorrow!

XOXO - Katie

Pesto and Roasted Red Pepper Bundles

This is a quick and easy Christmas appetizer that is so festive with pops of red and green! Throw these little bundles in the oven to serve for your family and friends to tide them over until you serve Christmas dinner.

Servings: 8

Size: 1 bundle

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficultly: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 8 oz. Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls, reduced-fat

1/4 cup basil pesto

1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, reduced-fat

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the crescent rolls from their packaging.  Spread a 1/2 Tbsp. pesto and 2 tsp. chopped roasted red peppers on the large end of each crescent roll.  Sprinkle each with a bit of mozzarella cheese.  Roll each bundle from the large end to the skinniest end, carefully tucking in the edges to contain the pesto, red peppers and cheese.  Place your bundles on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.  Serve immediately!

Tip:

Although I have already lightened up this recipe with reduced-fat rolls and cheese, you can cut even more pp by slicing each crescent roll dough in half to create mini bundles!  If you choose to make the smaller version of this recipe, each bundle is only 2pp.

XOXO Megan

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Although my family has our traditional Christmas cookie favorites, we always like to test out a new recipe every year.  This year we chose this recipe, found on the Blue Eyed Bakers blog. We thought it looked like a bit of a challenge to try and make your own peppermint patties! They turned out pretty well, the only issue we had was making sure to remove as much excess chocolate as possible when dipping and transferring to the cookie sheet to set.  It did get easier with some practice and as mentioned below… key to success is FROZEN patties.  We did shrink the size a bit to offer bite-size pieces and for a lower pp value!

Servings: Recipe will make 44 small, bite-sized patties

Size:  1 peppermint patty

Points Plus: 2pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 45 minutes (including time while in the freezer)

Bake Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very Good

Ingredient List:

2 ½ cups powdered sugar, divided

1 ½ Tbsp. light corn syrup

2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

8 oz. 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup peppermint candies, crushed

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat together 2 ¼ cups of powdered sugar with corn syrup, water, peppermint extract and shortening until just combined. Use the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar to sprinkle the counter to prepare for kneading.  Work the dough into a ball and gently knead until the dough is smooth.  Shape the mixture into 2 logs, about 1 inch wide by 8 inches long.  Wrap each log tightly in parchment paper and freeze for 20 minutes; it should be very firm.  Remove the logs and cut each one into slices to form the peppermint patties.  You may need to reshape each one to resemble more of a round shape with your fingers.  Place the peppermint patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze again for another 15-20 minutes.  While you are waiting for the patties to freeze, melt the 70% cacao chocolate in a microwavable glass dish for 30 seconds at a time until fully melted.  Line another cookie sheet with parchment paper and remove a small amount of peppermint patties from the freezer for dipping.  Key to this part of the process is making sure the patties are VERY cold.  Dip each peppermint patty in the melted chocolate, making sure to evenly coat all sides.  Shake very gently so any excess chocolate falls off before you transfer to the cookie sheet.  Immediately top with a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candies.  Repeat until all peppermint patties are coated and sprinkled.  Allow the chocolate to harden and set (this will take about an hour) before you put into Tupperware.

Tip:

I cannot stress enough the importance of very firm, frozen peppermint patties when you get to the chocolate coating step!  If you start to have issues, just throw the cookie sheet back in the freezer for a few minutes and take a break.  You can only dip a handful of patties within each window before they start warming up too much!

XOXO Megan

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownie Bars

I don’t know how you could go wrong with Oreos + Truffles + Red Velvet Brownies + Chocolate + Chocolate Chips.  Which perhaps is why this holiday dessert is the bomb?  The red velvet layer gives these bars a fun holiday coloring, and the Oreo truffle layer is, well, super tasty.  These are a treat, with a high pp count, so enjoy and savor every bite! This recipe was originally found here, I made a few changes.

Servings: 40

Serving Size: 1 delicious brownie bar

Points per serving: 5pp

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Rating: 5 – Excellent!

Ingredients

1 Duncan Hines box Red Velvet cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 package Oreos

8 ounce package fat-free cream cheese

1/2 package (1/2lb) chocolate bark or about 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, vegetable oil and mix well until thoroughly combined (2-3 minutes on medium of electric mixer).

Spray a 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray. I like the baking variety that has flour in it. Then spread the red velvet brownie layer into the pan.  Don’t be surprised, this mixture is thick like a brownie.  Use a spoon to spread out evenly.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Watch very closely the last few minutes.  I actually baked mine for about 25 minutes, but a friend baked hers for 22 minutes and the edges burned.  Let cool completely.

Crush a package of Oreos in a food processor (or in a large plastic bag and rolling pin). Melt cream cheese for 15 seconds in a microwave to soften. Stir together crushed Oreos and cream cheese until blended smooth.

Carefully spread out Oreo truffle mixture on top of baked red velvet brownies. Use your hands to help press it down instead of spreading to avoid tearing the brownies. I then put this in my deep freeze to harden the Oreo layer prior to adding the top layer.

Melt chocolate candy bark (or chocolate chips) and pour over top Oreo truffle layer. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips while still warm.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares, or freeze.

Tip

I keep all holiday treats, and regular treats for that matter, in my freezer.  That way, they are not staring at me in the face.  I actually tend to forget about them!  My plan for all the holiday treats we have posted this week is to serve them for company, as my husband and I are hosting Christmas Eve and NYE.  I saw a great idea on another food blog (which I can’t remember at the moment).  The author suggested putting zip lock baggies by your treat table, and encouraging guests to pack up a bag to bring home with them.  I am for SURE going to do this on NYE, to get the house cleaned out for the start of the New Year.  But for now, enjoy these treats that only come about but once a year!

XOXO - Katie

Sugar & Spice Cookies

These are another one of my favorite Christmas cookies!  They are a perfect blend of sugar and spice... hence the name. :)  Seriously though... if you don't have a gingersnap on your annual holiday cookie baking list, you should add these!

Servings:  Recipe will make 4 dozen

Size:  1 cookie

Points Plus: 2pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time:  6-8 minutes per batch

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent

Ingredient List:

¾ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ginger

2 cups flour

1 cup powdered sugar (to roll cookies in after baking)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, sugar, egg, and molasses.  Next, add in the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger and 1 cup of flour; mix well.  Add the remaining cup of flour and mix until thoroughly combined.  Roll into walnut sized balls.  Bake for 6-8 minutes in a 375° oven.  Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

Tip:

 Depending on how warm the cookies are when you roll in powdered sugar, you might need to roll your cookies in two different steps to make sure the sugar sticks to the warm cookies.  The ones in the picture above were rolled twice as a reference point.  However, if you prefer less sugar, only go through this step once!

XOXO Megan