Double Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Here is my third Christmas cookie some of you know I've been lacking my holiday spirit its hard not having my husband here for it all during deployment even though he is a Grinch about it lol. I found this recipe on Pillsbury.com they use the sugar cookie roll of course I do not use that they have a peppermint sugar cookie one out. When I was at the store I found Wilton candy cane colorburst candy melts I love them to dip the cookies in! 

Sugar cookies:

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• peppermints or candy canes, crushed
• white chocolate candy melts or candy cane melts

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

4.     Dip half of each cookie into melted mixture, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed or cooking parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle each with slightly less than 1/2 teaspoon crushed candy. stick into the fridge to harden.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Mushrooms and Spinach

oh boy i needed this yesterday, i tried out the new Extreme Shed & Shred DVD from Jillian Michaels i decided to be a badass (as Jillian put it) and do the whole 1 hour workout level 1 and 2 i love it my core strength is amazing, i wouldn't have been able to do any of the workout a few months ago! I found this recipe from Eclectic Recipes,  i loved that there was spinach and mushrooms in it of course you can add any kind of veggies or meat even seafood to this dish its lower in calories to make it yourself also. 

Calories 296,Fat 2,Protein 19,Fiber 3,Carbs 51, WW plus points 8

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup milk (i use 0%)

1 8 oz package cream cheese  

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 lb fresh spinach 

1 cup mushrooms

1 tablespoon oil olive

1 package of fettuccine 

1.preheat skillet drizzle with olive oil sauté mushrooms till soft.

2. cook pasta according to package. Drain well.

3. Add spinach and garlic to mushrooms cook till the spinach is wilted. Add milk and cream cheese. bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until cream cheese has melted in the milk and sauce is creamy.

4. Add Parmesan then add pasta simmer for 2 or 3 mins toss to incorporate sauce into pasta.  

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies

Ah these came out so cute i saw them on the Betty Crocker website looking through the holiday cookie section they always have the best ideas! They are really easy to make when i was making them i figured out a way to kind of shape the face with my thumbs out of the cookie ball. 

1/2 cup natural PB 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1 egg

1 1/3 all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pretzel twists

chocolate chips (i used dark chocolate)

candies for nose (i used icing)

Preheat oven to 350 in large bowl, beat PB,butter,sugar and brown sugar with mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in flour and baking powder.

For each cookie shape 1 inch ball of dough into a triangle shape on cookie sheet. Push two pretzels into cookie to look like antlers. Bake for 5 to 10 mins  or until browned on the edges. Immediately press 2 chocolate chips for eyes and a candy nose or icing nose like i did. let stand for 2 mins to cool. 

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Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Here they are the 1st Christmas cookies of the year! i love peppermint anything i love the taste and the smell chocolate and peppermint are the best combo with little crunchy candy cane bits inside. 

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder 

3/4 whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

12-14 candy cane kisses

4 crushed candy canes 

Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper in a bowl mix butter and sugar till fluffy. add egg and vanilla mix well with mixer. In second bowl add flours,cocoa powder,baking soda and salt stir and add to the wet mix, mix well with hand mixer till smooth. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Then roll into crushed candy cane roll between palms to press candy into the cookie ball. Bake for 10 mins remove from oven and immediately press a candy cane kiss in the middle.

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Pasta Primavera

Well here is the last recipe of the month i cant believe its the end of November. Deployment will be over soon and my husband will be back! I've done a couple other primaveras before i love to have fresh veggies in my pasta i always have a bunch on hand you can always add your own veggies i added carrots,red peppers,onions and asparagus.

Calories 250,Carbs 42,Fat 5,Protein 13

Linguine

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 cup chopped organic carrots

Asparagus 

1/2 cup water

1 organic small red bell pepper,julienned 

1 cup sliced  mushrooms

1 cup organic low sodium vegetable broth

2 teaspoon organic cornstarch or arrowroot powder 

1/4 cup organic half and half

1/4 cup Parmesan 

Cook the pasta according the package.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. add the onion and saute for 3 mins or until soft. add the black pepper.

Add the carrot and asparagus to the pan and saute to coat with seasonings. add the water,cover and allow the veggies to steam for 4 mins or until carrots begin to soften.

Add the red bell pepper and mushrooms and stir. add the broth to the pan. whisk the cornstarch into the half and half, and add to the pan. cook for 4 mins or until the sauce thickens up toss in the pasta stir to coat.

add the Parmesan cheese to the mix and toss well.

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Baked Banana Doughnuts

I found this recipe the other day on tumblr and i had to try it I've said it before i don't like doughnuts but these are more like bread and you bake them which is amazing! They remind me of pumpkin spice bread with banana in it when i eat one! i heard the recipe is from a cookbook called bake sale recipes which i cannot narrow down on Amazon so if anyone knows the cookbook let me know! 

Calories 120,Protein 2g,Fat 1g

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 egg whites
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

Beat bananas, egg whites, oil and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Add flours, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.  Mix until well blended.  Let stand for five minutes for dough to rise.  Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto a greased baking sheet.  

With the tip of a butter knife round out the doughnut holes in the center of the dough.  Then use the butter knife to smooth outside edges of dough into round doughnut shape.  Repeat until all dough is used.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar and walnuts.  Bake 6 to 10 minutes (mine took 8) in a 425 degree oven or until tops are golden.

Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

Salmon Packets with Tomato Basil Relish

Ive been trying to spicy up my salmon recipes lately trying to get my omega and protein in plain salmon gets boring after a while i'm one of those people that had to switch up my food a lot so i dont get bored of it. i found this recipe in Eat What You Love from Marlene Koch i love it and its super easy! 

Calories 350,Carbs 6,Sugar 6,Fat 15,Protein 35,Fiber 2,Sodium 100, WW points 8

2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon sweet vermouth or white wine (can omit if desired)
2 tablespoons fresh julienned basil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 to 10 spinach leaves
2 (5-ounce) skinned salmon fillets

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, vermouth, basil, shallot, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and red pepper and set aside. Take 2 large pieces of foil and spray with cooking spray. Divide the spinach between the two sheets of foil.

3. Place fillets on top of the spinach. Top each fillet with the tomato mixture. Bring up the sides of the foil, fold over, and seal to create a “packet.” Place sealed packets onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

So i decided to make a Thanksgiving cookie before i start doing any Christmas recipes this year will be the 1st time in 26 years I'm not having a Thanksgiving bc of deployment its going to be just another day! the last two thanksgivings I've done myself i love doing it! I hope everyone enjoys these fun cookies i did have a little trouble doing the little feet as you can probably tell lol!

Chocolate icing

Black decorating icing

Candy corn

Mini chocolate candy coated baking bits 

Sugar cookies:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F . In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

how to assemble: 

Spoon chocolate frosting into piping bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

BLT Crab Cakes

wow this month is flying by its already time sorry for the lack of recipes these past few weeks I'm getting very anxious about my husband coming home from deployment i have ants in my pants lol! I found this recipe from Coastal Living magazine they have great recipes i love trying them out all the time.

¼ c red bell pepper, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
12 oz. lump crabmeat
¼ tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
¼ c dry bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs olive oil

4 hamburger rolls
Tomato slices
Lettuce leaves
8 slices cooked bacon ( i used turkey bacon)
Old Bay mayo 

In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, celery, thyme, parsley, crabmeat, lemon zest, Old Bay seasoning, and tabasco. Break up lumps of crabmeat as you stir. Add bread crumbs a little at a time, and stir to combine. You may not need entire amount. Divide mixture into quarters, and form into patties.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place crab cakes in the pan and browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan.

• Place bottom of 1 bun on a plate; spread with 2 teaspoons old bay mayonnaise, and top with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 cooked bacon slices, 1 Classic Crab Cake, 2 tomato slices, and top of toasted bun. Makes 1 serving.

Old Bay Mayo

¼ c mayonnaise
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp salt
Black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Cauliflower "Breadsticks"

I thought these were interesting when i saw them on tumblr last week i had to make them i love cauliflower and i love breadsticks of course they are low calorie and you get your veggies in too. I found the recipe on a tumblr called Healthier Every Day.

4 servings (two slices per serving) 95 calories; 6 g carbs; 5 g protein; 4 g fat 

1/2 head of cauliflower, grated 

1 whole egg, plus one egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

Dried basil,oregano and parsley

1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together (except oil) in a large bowl until evenly distributed.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use olive oil to grease the parchment paper.

Spread and flatten the cauliflower mixture on the parchment paper evenly - about 1 inch thick. Square off the edges so it looks like a rectangle or square.

Bake for 40 minutes until slightly dried out, browning, and firm to the touch.

Remove from oven and using a spatula carefully peel away from parchment paper. Flip over and return to oven for 10 more minutes. serve with dipping sauce i used some marinara sauce on the side.

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Zucchini Cakes

Well here is the 1st post of the daylight savings time i usually get my dinner started around 4pm to get the shots and good lighting today i did have different lighting i started around 3:30pm that's so early for me, last year i didn't have a nice fancy DSLR camera so we shall see how this works out! 

This will probably be my last zucchini recipe of the year which makes me sad i got the very last one at the store since the season is over now i decided to make little zucchini cakes they are kinda like fritters i adapted the recipe from here i did not deep fry them i just cooked them in a skillet which makes them better for you.

1 large zucchini, grated
1 large egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt/pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing.
 In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

 Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with cooking spray. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown.

 Finish the cakes off in the oven put them on a baking pan and broil on high bake for 1-2 minutes.

I added some sauce on top.

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Creamy Seafood Linguine

Happy November everyone its been a few days since i posted a recipe I'm just hoping this month goes by fast deployment is coming to a end finally! I made this dish tonight and as i was making it i thought it was going to a total flop the sauce didn't come out the colour i was hoping but i sat down and took a bite its amazing i haven't had scallops in forever i actually found some in the frozen food aisle, Being from FL I'm used to fresh seafood but that will have to do for now. This dish is meant to be low calorie since all of those creamy seafood dishes are crazy high in calories.

Calories 129,Carbs 17,Protein 12,Sugar 2,Fiber 1,Fat 1, WW points 2, WW points Plus 3

6 oz linguine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves,minced

1/2 teaspoon basil

1 can chopped clams with juice 

Raw bay scallops

Raw shrimp

green onions 

Cook the pasta according to the package set aside.

Combine the chicken broth,half and half, and cornstarch set aside.

In a large pan,heat the oil over medium heat. add the onion and cook for 2 mins. Add garlic and basil and cook for 3 more mins. stir in clams,scallops and shrimp.

Add the broth mixture and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins or until sauce is thick. 

serve the seafood mixture on top of the pasta and garnish with green onions.