A homemade mocha frappuccino?

DID I JUST GO THERE? Oh yes, friends. Yes I did.

This evening, after hanging out with my friend E, I was craving a frap. So I went on ye ol' interwebs, and thanks to Recipezaar, I found a frap recipe. It got good reviews, so we tried it...DELISH! So now, I share it with you, including my changes. This makes enough for 2 glasses. (OH, and can you make it low-cal? YES YOU CAN!)

Also, coming up (probably tomorrow): A photo of the white bean spinach pasta (The first recipe I ever posted), along with a recipe for tomorrow nights dinner (if it goes well), a pot roast with a twist! And maybe a photo of that too. Later in the week will be a spicy mango-sweet potato chicken dish, an apricot chicken dish, and a simple shepherd's pie.

I'm excited, because I ordered a vegetarian cookbook from Amazon--can't wait to try recipes and share them with you all...of course I'll give the author credit! And of course with summer coming, I'll have a lot more time to be creative in the kitchen, so get ready for baked goodies as well....homemade bagels (easier than you think), a honey wheat sunflower bread (time consuming, but worth it), and my first attempt at homemade pastas and ice cream (without a ice cream maker! I have a cookbook that tells you how to still-freeze).

And now, on to Mocha Frap Deliciousness.

1/2 cup milk (regular, lowfat, fat free, we used Light Vanilla Soymilk because I'm lactose intolerant)

1Tbs+1tsp sugar (we used 4 packets of splenda)

2Tbsp chocolate syrup

1/3 cup strong coffee (I actually used decaf because it's 9pm, and we it was a hazelnut blend)

2cups (maybe more?) of ice

1. Throw milk, sugar, chocolate and coffee in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Add ice. Blend until thick.

(Ours came out a little thin, even with 2 cups of ice...so maybe add more? It was still delicious, and not bad for a first attempt!)

Variations I'm going to try: adding peppermint extract to make a Mocha Mint Chip frap, changing out the chocolate for caramel syrup, adding a little flavored creamer to it.

This isn't a recipe but...

This is the fruit salad I had with my lunch today. Strawberries, peaches, and fresh blueberries courtesy of Dr. Roubos and the lab at UF he works at! Add a Dannon Light and Fit Pomegranate Berry yogurt and a Powerbar Simple Energy (Roasted Peanut flavor) granola bar, and you have a tasty lunch!

Also, I wanted to try out how to post pictures! I made the sweet potato curry last night, but didn't actually get to photograph it--it's a staple in our house though, so there will be other opportunities. Tonight is Coconut Tilapia--I'll remember to take pics this time and post with the recipe!

An easy, refreshing dessert

So I was in Michigan this weekend, therefore I didn't do much cooking. However tonight when we got back, we had some Bear Creek brand Tortilla Soup. It's a mix you get at the grocery store, and it was quite good! I've had their potato soup, and while homemade is better, it is good in a pinch!

Sunday nights are usually a light dinner in Michigan--they call it "lunch." From what I can tell, "lunch" is a light meal (cold cuts, etc.), but DINNER is a large, hot, noontime meal. So dinner comes first on Sundays, right after church, and lunch (or supper, interchangeable) comes later in the evening. Last night was was they called "Barbeque" which is actually more like sloppy joes/chili that you eat on a roll. It's got ground meat, rice, and some kind of sauce, but not really bbq sauce? Anyway, mommy-in-law whipped up this refreshing side/dessert to eat with it (actually, she told me how, and I made it). What I really like is you can adapt this to your taste and dietary needs--you can use whatever fruit you like, fat free sugar free pudding, lite cool whip, skim milk, etc. This recipe is exactly what we did last night (but I picked out the mandarin oranges, because I don't like them).

Ambrosia Salad

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

1/3 cup milk

1 8oz container cool whip

1 can mixed fruit cocktail, drained

1 can pineapple, drained

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1. Put pudding mix in a large bowl. Add milk, whisk until combined (will be like a thick paste)

2. Add cool whip.

3. Fold in fruit.

4. Chill if desired (we ate it right away!)

Crockpot Potato Soup

MMMM who doesn't love a bowl of steamy, creamy potato soup! This one is fast and easy, and is a basic recipe, so you can adjust as you like! I've sprinkled cheese on top, dumped it over slightly steamed broccoli, and of course just eaten it with crusty bread. You can make it vegetarian too (see * notes at the bottom of the recipe). This is much easier with an immersion (hand) blender, but if you just have a regular blender, no problem--just be CAREFUL blending hot liquids!

8-10 hours in the crock pot on LOW

8 cups of peeled, diced potatoes (use red potatoes, in the bag....it took about 6 of those, because they are kinda small)

1 can cream of chicken soup (we use Campbell's Healthy Request)*

2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth*

seasonings as you like: chopped onion (I'd saute it first), chopped green onion (no saute required), garlic, salt, pepper, etc. etc.

1 8oz package cream cheese (we used fat free!), softened

1. Dump the potato, soups, and seasonings in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

2. Add the softened cream cheese, stir, recover. Stir it every once in awhile, until it's all melted and incorporated (there may still be some bits, but that's okay)

3. If you have an immersion blender, put it in the soup and pulse until cheese is blended in and desired consistency is reached (We like some potato chunks still in it). If you don't have an immersion blender, CAREFULLY put 2-3 cups of the soup in a regular blender, puree, and return to the crockpot.

4. Dress up as you like! Bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, pour it over lightly steamed broccoli.....and Enjoy!

*To make vegetarian, use cream of potato, onion, or celery soup, and vegetable broth

Polenta Pizza, aka Pizza Mush

This was an interesting one! Polenta is essentially a grits-like concoction of corn meal and water that you can season with various things; it is a staple in Caribbean and spanish households. I liked it; it was a good quickie meal that was pretty healthy. It doesn't come out really like pizza, since polenta is soft---but it was pretty tasty!

2/3 cup corn meal

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups water

basil, oregano, garlic, etc.

tomato sauce/pizza sauce/Ragu/whatever you like

Pizza Toppings (we just used turkey pepperoni)

mozzerella cheese (we used fat free, but anything works)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Bring corn meal, water and salt to a boil; cook, stirring, about 3-5 mins, until thick. As it thickens, add garlic, basil, oregano--whatever you want to season it with.

2. Pour polenta into an 8x8 dish, cover with waxed paper, chill until firm. (I stuck it in the freezer for 20-30mins).

3. Top polenta with sauce and toppings, but NOT CHEESE. Bake 10mins.

4. Add cheese. Bake 3-5 mins more, until cheese is bubbly and melted.

We just had a salad with this. We let it cool while we at the salad, so that it would set up a bit and make it easier to serve.

Coming soon: Cinnamon pancakes and a very versatile Banana Cream Pie!

Curry, yum!

Lately I have had a serious craving for Indian/Asian/Mediterranean cuisine, especially curries. I love cooking with curry, because it is so versatile, and you can adjust to your own tastes. I am in the process of looking up some good Indian recipes. I'm a big fan of the Hare Krishna lunches they serve around UF/SFC! Vegetarian (they call them karma-free; the Hare Krishnas believe that it is bad karma to eat animals for the pleasure of our own stomachs and that it will come back to us--I'm not a vegetarian, but I appreciate and respect their opinion!), well-spiced, and absolutely DELICIOUS (I recommend trying it if you get the opportunity!).

Tonight's dinner will be a vegetarian sweet potato/spinach curry that is fast an easy to make. I like this because during the week we are often short on time. Canend tomatoes and chickpeas,, as well as frozen spinach, make this a snap, and the meal itself takes less than 10 minutes to throw together! We like it over brown rice (which takes much longer than the actual meal to cook!), or barley, and another veggie or salad. It is also tasty as leftovers, and sometimes has move of a kick because it has had time to absorb the curry-seasoned liquid.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Curry (recipe found originally at recipezarr.com)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch chunks
2 tsp (or more) of curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
sprinkle cinnamon
1 can (undrained) diced tomatoes with onion and garlic
1 can (drained) of chickpeas
3 Tbsp water
1 package frozen spinach, thawed (I just do it in the microwave while I'm preparing other stuff)


1. Boil the sweet potatoes until JUST tender (otherwise they will fall apart when you mix them in). Drain, set aside.
2. In a large pot, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, and spices; bring to a simmer.
3. Add the spinach, stir, return to a simmer.
4. Add the sweet potatoes, stir well so that all ingredients are mixed together. Cover, cook 3-5 minutes.
5. EAT!

Thurdsays=Busy=CASSEROLE!

We have church on Thursday nights here in the Roubos household. Now, since I have allergy shots and I don't get home til after 5pm sometimes, and Dr. R doesn't get home til 5pm usually as well, and we have to be at church at 6:40...this gives us a bit of a time crunch! This is where the infamous casserole comes in. I love this one, which has chicken, broccoli, and cheese. You could probably cook the chicken ahead and have it in the fridge, or use thawed frozen broccoli, but I like to do it fresh, and the oven has to preheat anyway!

Enjoy this quick and tasty casserole for two!

1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 in cubes
1 head of broccoli, chopped (can use less if you don't like that but, but I LOVE it!)
1 can cream of chicken soup (we use the Campbell's Healthy Request)
1/3 soup can of milk (we use skim)
shredded cheddar cheese (I probably use about 1/3c., you can use more or less)
Salt/pepper, as you like
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. While oven is preheating, place broccoli in a pot with about 2 inches of water. Boil 4 minutes, drain.
3. In a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray, cook chicken until no longer pink.
4. Put cooked chicken, broccoli, soup, milk, cheese, salt and pepper together in a casserole dish. Mix well. (ours is a round glass pyrex one, about 2 quarts I think)
5. Mix breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of the casserole. (Sometimes, I just sprinkle the bread crumbs on dry and dot with a little butter instead of mixing it)
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

We like it with another green veggie, or a salad!

I think I need to start taking pictures of things I make! Tomorrow is Breakfast for Dinner night, and we'll probably have my special whole wheat cinnamon pancakes! YUM!

Eat well and be well, loves!

Fad Diets--What's the big deal?

So, if you know me, you know I have a pet peeve with fad diets. You know the ones I'm talking about--South Beach, Atkins, even Slim Fast or the Special K Challenge. Now, you may be saying
"What's so wrong with those diets? They work, don't they? And YOU aren't on one, so why do YOU care?" Well, friends in Blog land, let me TELL you why!

I may not be on a diet, or need to be on a diet (though I perpetally THINK I need to be...we need not get into that here), but I am a stickler for good nutrition. And good nutriton means balanced meals. And balanced meals include all your food groups and all your major food components: Fats, Proteins, and Carbs. YES my friends, you need FAT in your diet! You know what happens if you don't have SOME fats? Your skin gets dry/nasty, your hair gets dull/dry/falls out, and it can even slow down your thinking and function, because fats is what protects your nerves and other essential organs from damage! Now I'm not saying go eat McDonalds every day, but you do need some GOOD fats, such as olive oil, some nuts (almonds, walnuts), canola/soybean/sunflower/peanut oil, etc. Stay away from saturated fats/hydrogenated oils/trans fats. My other thing is I have considered many of these diets to lose a "few quick pounds" before a big event, so I have researched many of them in detail. What I found was horrifying (especially about Slim Fast and Special K!). Read on, if you dare.

Many of these "fad diets" exclude one of these groups, usually the carbs. "CARBS ARE BAD!" they scream. "Protein is what you need to stay full!" This is a true statement, protein WILL keep you fuller, longer. But so will fat, and so will fiber! Also--you NEED carbs. Carbs are where your energy comes from. Protein helps to rebuild muscle and recover from exercise, carbs give you the energy to DO all that. Ever see someone on Atkins or South Beach (in phase I anyway)? They are CRANKY and TIRED! Why? These diets eliminate CARBS! (and south beath does most fruits and veggies too!) Some carbs are better than others. Whole grains, AKA complex carbs, such as 100% whole wheat bread, oatmeal (I like multigrain quaker oats), brown rice=GOOD carbs. Simple carbs, such as white bread, white rice, etc.=BAD CARBS.
(There is a debate about potatoes, but generally speaking they are okay. Sweet potatoes are better, but a baked potato isn't going to kill you. Neither will occasionally eating simple carbs. But if you are going to avoid carbs, those are the ones to try to stay away from!) **more on good carbs/bad carbs in another post***

Now you may say "Okay genius, so I see why carb-restricting diets aren't great. What's wrong with Slim Fast or the Special K diet?" Good question. These diets SEEM to work well, and promise rapid weight loss in short amounts of time---but they are packed with SUGAR! If you follow the Slim Fast diet, you can consume up to 78 grams of SUGAR just in THEIR products alone! Same for Special K bars and shakes (their cereal is okay).

My main issue with these diets? They aren't sustainable. As soon as you start eating normal food again, you gain back the weight. This is why people are frequently on a weight roller coaster and always "dieting!" The BEST diet is eating a healthy, balanced meals--preferably small meals 5-6 times a day. If you need help, Weight Watchers is a great, proven way to success--they teach you how to eat right for YOU, not follow some fad or restrict what you eat.

However, your best bet is a balanced diet made up mostly of whole foods. Whole foods are, as one wise man once told me, anything that grows from the ground, flies in the air, swims in the sea, grows on trees...You get the point. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans and legumes, lean meats, low-fat diary, some nuts and seeds (but be careful, as many nuts and seeds are high in fat!) are whole foods. Non-whole foods are processed foods. Most of the recipes here try to incorporate mostly whole foods!

And of course, you need to reward yourself and spluge once in awhile. An occasional dish of ice cream, piece of cake, or your other favorite indulgence will NOT kill you if you save it as just that--a treat! Research has shown that staying away from ALL sweets (if you crave them) actually leads to more people binging on sweets when given the opportunity, in contrast to dieters who allow themselves the occasional sweet. Remember: 1 pound of fat=3500 extra calories above and beyond what your body needs/you burn through exercise. So having an occasional treat will NOT make you fat! (This was a difficult one for me to learn, I'm thankful to the nutritionist who explained this to me point-blank!)

Eat well and be well, my loves!

Vegetarian Crock Pot Chili

In our house, church is at 4pm on Sundays, which means by the time we get home at 6pm, we don't feel like cooking! So we absolutely LOVEEE our crockpot! We also try to incorporate some vegetarian meals--first off, because I don't like to eat meat all the time, and secondly, it is pleasing to our budget!

This isn't so much a chili as a bean and barley stew. We had it with salad and the leftover bread from Saturday night's pasta :-) I found the recipe on About.com when I was searching for some vegetarian crock-pot stuff.

The only difference I'd make it I'd like to start using dried beans instead of canned ones. I'd really like to go by the rule "If the ingredients look like a science project, I don't want to eat it." Well, the ingredients in canned beans don't really look like that, but did you know they are canned with sugar syrup and high frucotse corn syrup? BEANS! For real! Why do you need to add sugar to beans! I mean I undersatnd maybe having some in canned tomatos, because they are so acidic, but BEANS?! UGH!

Anyway, this was easy and cheap. It made enough for hubby and I to each have a bowl, and freeze a bunch too--so maybe 6 servings? If you have a hungry hubby (or a hungry you!) at home though, it may be less! As a note, hubby doens't like stuff real spicy, so you can doctor this up as you like by adding more onion, garlic, or other seasonings! I thought it could use more heat, but hubby liked it as-is. You could also probably use a variety of beans--maybe red and white, or red and black? Let me know if you try it!

Enjoy!

2 cans red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes with onions and garlic
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 package Chili mix (we used mild, you can use regular, hot, whatever. We just used Publix brand, but McCormick makes some too if your grocery store doesn't have it's own brand of mix)
3/4 cup pearled barley (NOT quick cooking! Find it with the dried beans/lentils)
3 cups water
1 small (8oz) can no salt added plain tomato sauce (again, used publix brand)

1. Put first 7 ingredients in the crockpot. Stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.\
2. Add tomato sauce. Stir. Cook on low another 3-4 hours. (6-8 hours total--we did ours for about 7)

Serve!

Spinach-Cannellini Pasta

So I'm a little behind already! I was looking for an easy recipe to make for company on Saturday night before we went out to see the play Curtians, and I found this one on the Cookinglight.com Web site. It was easy, tasty, and relatively inexpensive to do. The original recipe did not have chicken in it; I added it on a whim. The secret here is to use fresh ingredients--if you used like, canned grated parmesan cheese and the jarred minced garlic, it will taste stale.
Enjoy!

This makes 4 servings. We served it with a simple salad and bread.

2 chicken breasts
Italian Dressing (we used Wishbone Fat Free Italian)
1 box of penne, rotelle, or rigatoni pasta (we used Whole Wheat Penne--real spaghetti prob would not be the best choice)
1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained
1/2 cup fresh asagio cheese, grated (we subbed fresh Romano and grated it at home, it's cheaper and tasted great! Also didn't measure it...just kinda eyeballed it)
1/2 bag of baby spinach, stems removed, chopped (we used a bag of Publix Baby Spinach)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


1. Marinate chicken in the Italian dressing, at least 20mins.
2. Set your broiler on High, broil chicken about 6-8 minutes per side (depending on thickness), basting with extra dressing before turning. Cut into bite-sized pieces
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
4.Meanwhile, mix the chopped spinach, salt, pepper, and fresh grated cheese in a bowl.
5. In a small pot over low heat, mix the garlic, olive oil, and beans
6. Drain pasta, return to the pot. Add the warm olive oil/garlic/bean mixture, mix well. Add the spinach mixture, toss. Add chicken, toss.
Serve and enjoy!