Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

I have been craving something made with poppy seeds lately.  They just keep shouting at me every time I open the refrigerator!  I paired them with lemon, reduced the fat in a typical cake and came up with this light, heavenly lemon poppy seed bundt cake which did not disappoint.  It's robust on lemon flavor, moist and delicious!  It's even better the second day after making too!

Servings: 16
Serving Size: 1/16 of bundt cake
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 55-60 minutes

Ingredients:
Cake Ingredients-
1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix (16.5 oz)
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 package instant lemon pudding, sugar-free
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 egg whites
1 egg

Glaze Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp. fresh lemon mice
1 drop yellow food coloring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a bund pan with cooking spray.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cake mix, flour, instant pudding, buttermilk, water, applesauce, oil, poppy seeds and lemon juice (2 Tbsp).  Mix until well blended.  Add the egg whites and egg and beat until smooth.  Pour into prepared bundt pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Carefully loosen sides with a knife and remove the cake onto a plate.  Cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze - combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Blend until very smooth with a whisk.  Add the food coloring and mix well.  Drizzle the glaze all around the top of the cake.  Slice and serve!

Tip:
Keep your poppy seeds in the fridge to make the last for up to 6 months!  Because poppy seeds are high in oil content they need to be preserved a bit otherwise they won't last long.  The fridge is the perfect home for them!

YUM!
XOXO Nancy

Pad Thai

My fiancé and I LOVE noodly (totally just made that up) meals and are continuously looking for delicious recipes.  We found this super easy and quick Pad Thai recipe that is full of flavors, but we put our own spin on it to make it even healthier and more filling! This is great to make after a long day at work and all you want is take-out.  This version tastes even better and is much healthier.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 cups
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked rice noodles
4 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 fresh limes, cut in half
6 Tbsp. soy sauce, low-sodium
2 tsp. olive oil
Small bunch of green onions (use both green and white parts), chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
3 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (more if you like it SPICY!)

Directions:
Soak noodles according to package in hot water; drain when done.  In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, juice from 1 lime, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce; set aside.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add white parts of green onions and garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add eggs and cook, scraping the pan with a spatula until eggs are almost set.  Add drained noodle and sauce mixture to the skillet.  Toss until evenly coated.  Serve with lime wedges and top each serving with cilantro, green parts of the onions and 1 Tbsp. chopped peanuts.

Tip:
I like to add veggies to this dish to make it healthier and to add more texture to the Pad Thai.  I slice carrots with a peeler (the long way so they are thin) and bean sprouts.  Add these ingredients when you transfer the noodles to the skillet.  You could also add in zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower or whatever vegetables you like.  Just make sure they are cooked to your liking before serving!

XOXO - Laura

Summer Pepper & Corn Salad

If you can still find some fresh ears of corn, buy it and make this super easy salad.  These summer veggies are fresh, tasty and the salad is so easy to make that you will quickly add this to your summer salad recipe list!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Points Plus: 1pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: n/a

Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 earns of corn, cooked and cut off the cob
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Wash and prep the veggies.  Add the tomatoes, corn, peppers and onion to a large bowl.  Add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined. Serve and enjoy this simple, fresh salad.

Tip:
This salad is freshest if served immediately, but it will keep for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.

Thanks for letting me share,
Guest Blogger,
Jessica (Katie's sister)

Broccoli, Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Pizza

Hi there! I'm Nancy, Megan's Mom and Katie's Aunt!  I love finding and trying new recipes.  Sometimes I even bravely try them out for the first time when I have guests over!  Sometimes I like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and others I just want to get it done, quick and simple.  Any way you look at it thought I like to eat healthy and tend to go meatless most of the time.  I like to show others that you can eat yummy meals that are plant based only!  I'm also excited that Megan & Katie decided to let me be a guest blogger!  Enjoy my recipes!

The flavor in this pizza is really big for only a few ingredients!  The sun dried tomatoes are packed with flavor and roasted broccoli has a delicious, caramelized, seasoned taste to it.  Mushrooms are the perfect complement to this trio of veggies.  String cheese is probably not what you usually think of for pizza, but is a great innovative idea for pizza cheese!

Servings: 3
Serving Size: 1/3 of pizza
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 12 inch thin whole wheat pizza crust (I used Golden Home Ultra Thin)
1 cup broccoli florets, roasted
1/4 cup. sun dried tomatoes, diced
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
6 light string cheese sticks

Directions:
Spread the broccoli evenly over the pizza crust.  Next, add the diced sun dried tomatoes and finally layer on the mushrooms.  Separate the string cheese into 8 pieces per stick and distribute evenly on top of the pizza.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!

Tip:
I like to cut my pizza into narrow slices because it makes it seem like I have more to eat and dinner takes a little bit more time this way.

XOXO Nancy

Potato Wedges

Hello fellow food lovers, my name is Laura and I am a sister and cousin to Katie and Megan, respectively.  I am super excited to be a guest blogger this month!  My fiancé and I LOVE cooking, but probably LOVE eating more. Trying new recipes is always fun for us as well as trying to make them healthier.  I absolutely love fruits and veggies and have an obsession with goldfish crackers (yes I have ate a whole container in one sitting, all approximately 25 WW points plus worth, it was delicious and I had to go for a loooooooooong bike ride that week!).  Any who, hopefully you find my recipes as good as I think they are and I am looking forward to being a guest blogger!  Happy and healthy eating :)

Who doesn't love potatoes?! Everyone does, I mean they even grew a potato in space (did you know that?  Got to love the internet!).  Here is a recipe for an amazingly, tasty recipe for healthy potato wedges that can be made at home, but taste like deep fried restaurant ones.  They are a perfect sid ego any meal. :)

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 potato (8 wedges)
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook/Bake Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes
4 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. dried parsley

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  Wash and scrub potatoes.  Cut into 8 wedges per potato and place in a large bowl.  Add the oil and all spices to the potatoes and stir until evenly coated.  Pour potatoes onto covered pan, making sure to spread out the slices evenly.  Make sure you have the potato side side down on the foil, this helps with even cooking and prevents them from sticking to the pan.  Bake for 45 minutes, checking halfway through and stirring with tongs.  Once the wedges are done cooking you should be able to easily put a fork through the slices.

Tip:
I have a few favorite spices I also add for specific flavoring depending on what I'm in the mood for.  If you are looking for some heat, add a pinch or two of chili powder and paprika.  Another favorite is Old Bay seasoning (typically used for cooking fish and chicken, but is also delicious on potato wedges).  Lastly, Northwoods Seasoning from Penzeys Spices is fantastic and adds a unique flavor combo.

XOXO - Laura

Guest BLOGGERS!

Hello loyal foodlove followers!

We are SUPER excited to bring you a full week of guest blog posts!!!!  Starting next week, check out posts from some of our favorite people to share our kitchens with!

You are in for a real treat!  These recipes won't disappoint!!

Be sure to visit next week to check out all of these wonderful guest blog posts. :)

XOXO Katie & Megan

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

There are so many ways to make boring baked chicken more exciting! Cheese is always a good place to start. This juicy baked chicken has a slight crust, which actually makes you think it's fried!

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. Italian bread crumbs

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 lb. chicken breasts (4)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix together cheese, breadcrumbs and all seasonings in a bowl. One by one, coat each chicken breast with the cheese coating. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flip, and then bake for 10-15 more minutes. 

Tip:

I just learned this crazy tip! To bake chicken, place a metal cookie cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Place chicken to the rack and bake for the entire time your recipe calls for, no need to flip! The chicken juice will drip onto the rimmed sheet and your chicken will turn out crispy!

XOXO - Katie