Mini Lemon Muffins

I've discovered a treat! A tasty, sweet, simple treat. A one point bite size treat. And I am in love.

These lemon muffins are just what I need for my afternoon snack. Pair one or two with a non fat greek yogurt and I'm satisfied enough to make it till dinner. I find treats like these are almost necessary when "dieting" because human nature, in general, causes us to crave the things we can't have. I choose to eat everything I love, but in portions that are controllable. Bite sized treats are the best way for me to handle that. It's also a bonus that the tiny fingers in my house enjoyed these too. 

Ingredients: 

1 box lemon cake mix

1 cup cold water

5 oz container of lemon (or vanilla) non fat greek yogurt

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together all the ingredients and fill 3/4 of your mini muffin tins. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Be sure to store the mixture in the fridge while baking each batch. As these muffins cool they will become more dense which will turn them more muffin like! I was able to make 45 muffins, making them 1 point plus each. You'll have to calculate and adjust based on the amount to you get. Enjoy!

Skinny Cupcake "Milkshake"

I should probably start off by saying that the following recipe is in no way a replacement for a cupcake. I think at this point in our resolutions people begin to fall off the wagon because they are missing their favorite snacks. Fortunately for myself I am following Weight Watchers, so I can have my cake and eat it to, literally. But, that doesn't happen often enough. For one, I have ZERO self control. Therefore, I can only bake to share, or I can't bake at all.

This milkshake does have its high qualities. It is sweet, creamy, smooth and everything I'm looking for in a frosty treat. Its pretty low in points. AND, wait for it, it has sprinkles! Doesn't everything taste better with sprinkles? The main ingredient is banana. There is a tiny banana flavor but not enough to deter my mind into thinking I'm over indulging!

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Sally's Baking Addition)

1/2 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
1 container fat free vanilla greek yogurt
2 bananas, frozen and chunked
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
sprinkles

In a high speed blender add the almond milk and bananas. Blend until most of the banana has broken up. Add in the greek yogurt and extract, blend on high until the shake is smooth and thinned out. Add your desired amount of sprinkles and give a few pulses! Enjoy!

This makes a HUGE serving for 4 WW points plus. This recipe could easily serve 2 or be stored in the fridge for later!

Low Fat Ranch Dip

I think we all love ranch dressing. It's especially tasty as a dip, in fact, it's one of the first dips I gave my children. I don't think carrots, celery, or chicken wings taste the same without it. Unfortunately, it's fattening! On my conquest to a healthier me (and family), I wanted to experiment with different low fat items. This ranch dip is made using greek yogurt, milk and dry ranch seasonings. The result was a tangy twist on a classic. And while its thick and delicious, I can't see myself pouring it over a salad. As a dip, however, I am all over this! 1/3 cup is only 1 Weight Watchers point plus, too! I don't think we can beat that!!

It just doesn't get any simpler than this recipe either. You need a clean glass jar with a tight seal and your three ingredients. Mix together 1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup skim milk and your packet of dry ranch. I added 1/4 tsp of salt, as well. This helps to cut through the sour taste of the yogurt. Shake your jar really well and store it in the fridge! You're ready to dip your veggies!!

Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Squares

My husband and I are big cheesecake eaters. But, with this whole "New Year, New Me" thing I've got going on I had to make some changes. I'll be honest that I have a weak (very weak) spot for sweets. In fact, I could probably take down an entire cheesecake! I'm happy to report that I wouldn't feel so bad eating more than a few pieces of this cheesecake! And, please don't let me forget how easy it is to put this together.  I couldn't have been more excited about the fact that a generous piece is only 4 Weight Watchers points!

First, put your graham crackers in the food processor and grind away. If you don't have a food processor than you can simply crush them in a bag. 

Mixed with butter, press the graham crackers into the bottom of your pan. 

Whip together all of cheesecake mixture and pour on top of the crumbs. 

Top with 1/4 cup strawberry jam and swirl it all around. 

Bake in the oven! 

For the full recipe check it out here ---> Skinnytaste Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

52 Week Series: Week Two

Green Smoothie 

chocolate and pretzels for an afternoon snack

Homemade Butter

So, I'll start by saying that I'm pretty disappointed with myself. I'm disappointed that one, I didn't realize how easy making butter was and two, it's way cheaper than buy the store bought. In fact, I saved a full dollar by adding a 20 minute process to my day.  With that being said, we have found a new source of home savings. We bake a lot, and with that comes a lot of butter. I love being able to remove the preservatives! I mean, seriously, have you ever checked out the ingredients in some butters? Making butter only requires one ingredient, heavy cream. You can add salt, like I did, as well (because who eats unsalted butter on toast...).

Now, we all know that I'm pretty much obsessed with my kitchen aid mixer, and that is what I used to separate my cream. I've also read that you can use a food processor or blender.  Even shaking it right in your glass jar would work. Not to mention the awesome workout it would be! (If you try one of these methods please let me know!) The concept will be the same regardless of which device you choose to use.

You will need at least a cup of heavy whipping cream. Pour it into your stand mixer, add about a 1/4 tsp of salt, cover it with a towel (trust me! It is a huge mess if you don't) and crank that baby up! First, you'll get whipped cream that will look pretty and shiny and you'll want to bake a pie to eat it with, but you must keep going. Next, you'll see the butter start to separate. Once the butter starts to form a clump and you see a whole ton of liquid in the bottom of the bowl, then it's ready to be squeezed. Pour out the buttermilk, or save it for your favorite recipe. Rinse the butter really well in ice cold water! I squeezed it over the sink a few times and the rinsed it some more, so on and so forth. Then, I placed it inside a paper towel and squeezed it really tight so all the remaining liquid absorbed into the paper towel. Place it in a glass jar and voila! You've got fresh, tasty, butter!

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

I originally saw this recipe on Skinnytaste.com and they are incredible! As a devoted Weight Watchers follower I'm always looking for tasty desserts that I can "indulge" in. I'm generally not a fan of meringue, but since these have a well defined chocolate taste I was really able to enjoy them (a lot of them). Now, let's talk technique for a minute. I believe most people know that making meringue anything can be difficult. My first batch of these deflated after baking. I realized it was because of two things. One, I whipped them too fast which created a lot of air bubbles. Two, I used egg whites directly from the fridge. Let them sit on the counter and come to room temperature before you whip them. These are so low in calories that you can eat more than a few especially because they are only 1 point plus a piece!

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Skinnytaste)

1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a stand mixer, whip together the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff white peaks form. Gradually add in the sugar, whipping until stiff peaks form again. Do the same with the vanilla, sugar and cocoa powders. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop 1 tbsp sized meringues on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for about 30 minutes, then turn off the oven and allow the meringues to dry out for another 30 minutes. Cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets. Enjoy!

52 Week Series: Week One

Lemon, anyone?

Helping daddy with dishes

Random selfie while blogging

Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice

Its safe to say that we are not traditionalist. I am from the great state of South Carolina and, well, just about everyone I know indulged themselves with hoppin' johns and collard greens today. I'm sure if we were spending the day with my mother, we would have had the same, but that's not the case. I saw this recipe on Pinterest a few days ago. It was cheesy and jumping off the page screaming "EAT ME, EAT ME". After some tweaking I was able to make a delicious, satisfying, quick and easy meal. Haley devoured it, so I believe this one will be a keeper. I loved everything about it being a one pot wonder too! I certainly take every opportunity to reduce the amount of dishes to be washed (although, that's not usually my chore)!

Ingredients:
(Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

2 tbsp cooking oil (I used vegetable)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 pound chicken tenderloins, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup brown "minute" rice
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 3/4 cup frozen chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

In a deep skillet (make sure it has a lid), add the oil and onion. Sauté until the onion softens and becomes translucent.

Add the chicken. Once the chicken is browned, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Mix in the dry brown rice and pour over the chicken broth, bring to a boil. After you've reached a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover. Once the brown rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add the broccoli, and return the cover for about 5 minutes.

Drain the excess liquid and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and return the lid, trapping the heat for the cheese to melt. It's ready when the cheese is all melted! Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

It's January 1, 2015. I can't believe how fast this past year went. Even more I'm excited that I completed my first year of blogging and have had my posts read in multiple countries all over the world. I would be lying if I didn't say that I'm glad to see 2014 go. We had a lot of ups, but a lot more downs. I'm excited to be moving forward. To have new adventures, to see new things and to grow as a family!

Now, on to the future of this blog! I've managed to open a tiny side business where I have worked diligently to provide photography sessions for local families. I look forward to growing this business, but have even better plans for this blog. It's very obvious that I have a major passion for food photography. I, however, am just not that innovative with recipes. So, with that being said, I'll be moving more towards sharing recipes from other blogs and sites. With that I will give a review on the recipes I have tried, attach my own photos, then back link to the original recipe. If I make any changes to the recipe I will note that, but I will leave it up to my readers on which version they prefer to try. I'll only be posting recipes that I've made major changes too, therefore, making them my own.

I am also starting a photography series based on my family. Every Sunday, I will blog "Our Week In Pictures". This is a 52 week project designed for me to capture the essence of my children and our home life. It will also allow me to grow within my second passion, lifestyle photography.

Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, pinned, tried my recipes, and been devoted to helping me grow! It's a blessing to be in a position to share my life (and a few yummy recipes along the way)!