F.I.T. - CAULIFLOWER SALAD

f.i.t. = Food In Tummy!

My trainer gave me a challenge to come up with 1 new healthy lunch that can be saved and finished for another day. (apparently my soups and shakes on the go didn't qualify as a filling lunch). After filtering through many recipes, I finally found one that I new I would love! As always, I had to change a few things to make it my own but overall, this is definitely something that will be sticking around in my fridge!

Cauliflower Salad

1 1/2 cup cauliflower, cooked and chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 hard boiled egg, whites only, chopped

1 tbsp light mayo

1 tsp mustard

1/8 tsp onion powder

pinch of pepper and salt

dash of paprika on the top

Steam cauliflower and rinse in cold water to cool when finished. Pat with a paper towel until dry. Chop the cauliflower into small bites. Mix into a bowl with celery and eggs. Add the mayo, mustard, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle with paprika. Chill for 1 hour before eating.

GET UP, STAND UP...

Stand up for your right!
Don't you just love Bob Marley?
 I do.
Summertime is the best for listening to Reggae music. I don't really know why, but I also seem to have it playing in the warm summer months. 



This year, the 4th of July was a low-key Holiday. Sweets and I spent the weekend up in Midway with both our families hanging out, reading our books, horse riding, eating, watching fireworks, swimming and playing games. Life has been busy lately, so it felt good to just relax.
I was in charge of the 'snack' table so I made up some bunches of licorice tied with scrap book paper, dipped pretzels in chocolate and added sprinkles, made confetti cupcakes with red and blue frosting (sorry no pic), and put together some fun Holiday decorations to top it off. Oh and I also set out some sparklers and snaps for the kids. They loved it!
Overall, it was a great weekend and we are so lucky to have the freedoms that we have and we honor those you have gone before us and who are now fighting for our rights of Independence!   

TURKEY BURGER WITH RED ONION AND JALAPENOS

I saw a picture of this burger last week and my mouth seriously started drooling right then and there. I knew I had to make this and I knew it had to be soon! Last night was the night, and it was amazing! The burger was juicy and with all the toppings, it was jam packed full of flavor! Besides the fact that Turkey burgers are uberly healthy for you, this will become a regular in our home...

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rings

coarse salt

3 tablespoons lime juice

1-1/4 pounds lean ground turkey

whole wheat hamburger buns

1 ripe avocado

1 cup romaine lettuce

1/3 jarred pickled jalapenos

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Heat oil in skillet. Cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt stirring occasionally until tender. Transfer to a bowl with 2 tablespoons lime juice. 

Heat grill to medium-high and place divided turkey patties brushed with vegetable oil and seasoned with salt to cook. Grill until cook through. Grill buns cut side down.

Meanwhile mash avocado with fork and mix with remaining lime juice and salt. Spread onto buns and layer lettuce, burger, onion, jalapenos and cilantro. 

Enjoy!

  (Martha Stewart)

I paired my burger with some sweet potato fries to make it a meal!  

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

I made this meal tonight and it was D-lish! It was super easy to put together and really tasty. Sweets and I ate all of it and wanted more...sadly there was none left. Give it all a try and let me know what you think!

2 medium zucchini - (I used 3)
4 oz Italian turkey sausage - (I used 8 oz)
1/4 cup diced red onion - (I used 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves minced
1 medium tomato - (I used 2)
fresh basil, salt, pepper to taste
2/3 cup Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs
EVOO

step 1: slice zucchini half length and scoop out center. Sprinkle with EVOO and salt and pepper. Turn grill on to medium and place zucchini face down for about 5 minutes until slightly cooked.
step 2: over the stove, cook the Italian sausage until done. Add onions, garlic, and zucchini until onions are translucent. Add tomato, basil and a few cracks of pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

step 3: add in cheese and bread crumbs to the mix stirring until combined. Stuff zucchini with mixture and place back on grill face up for about 5 minutes or until cooked and soft.  

step 4: enjoy!
I served mine with an iceberg lettuce salad and some rosemary bread. I topped it off with Mango Orange sparkling water. Not only did it hit the spot and was the perfect dish for the weather outside, but it also is uberly healthy. It was so colorful and lite. I hope you like it as much as we did!
(from best bites)

ICE CREAM SUNDAE 4 LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am in total love with this cake!
For Sweets birthday he asked me to make him a German Chocolate cake, but considering I don't like German Chocolate I opted to make another kind of Chocolate cake instead. One that I would like - Sorry babe! Then, as I was reading the ingredients for this particular chocolate cake, I saw that the ice cream wasn't in layers, but mixed in with the batter! I new right then I had to make it! Holy Cow...it is the  most scrumptious cake EVER! No lie... 

Cake
1 box Devils Food Cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix ( I used chocolate fudge)

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola)

1 heaping cup of Ice Cream ( I used Mint Chocolate chip)

1/4 cup Hot fudge sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Place cake mix, pudding, eggs, water, oil, ice cream and hot fudge sauce into a mixer. Beat on low then medium until well combined and thick. Divide evenly into 4 (9 inch) cake pans ( I used 2 (9 inch) pans b/c I didn't have 4 of them) that have been sprayed generously with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or  until toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool completely, loosen sides and remove from pan. 

Place bottom layer on a cake stand, spread with your favorite chocolate frosting and repeat until top and sides are covered. 

Take a vegetable peeler and peel chocolate bloc to get curls and press onto sides of cake about 2 cups. (I used mini chocolate morsels instead)

 For my frosting I used:

16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
about 1 cup or so of powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt and stir until dissolved. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture and cream to a mixer bowl and stir until combined.
Place mixer bowl over ice bath and stir mixture constantly until frosting is thick. Place bowl on stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Ready to use or if it is still a little soft, chill in the fridge until desired thickness.  

ORANGE - KISSED COOKIES

Although these scrumptious little things claim to be cookies...they certainly do not taste like cookies! They taste more like Heaven sprinkled with oranges and baked in goodness! SERIOUSLY!!! They are so light and fluffy and just the perfect dessert for summer. I am definitely planning on making these again!

Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar and shortening. Add the egg, then sour cream and vanilla and beat until mixture is well combined. Add the flour mixture. Add the orange juice concentrate and orange rind and mix well. 

Using a cookie scoop ( I used a plastic ziplock bag and swirled them instead b/c I don't have a cookie scooper) drop the batter/dough by the tablespoon-ful onto a lined un-greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Frosting

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup thawed orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup butter

 3 cups powdered sugar

2-3 drops orange food coloring ( I combined red and yellow b/c I didn't have orange)

For the frosting, combine all the ingredients with an electric mixer until fluffy. Spread over the cooled cookies and enjoy!

(OUR BEST BITES)

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH POPS!

OK- so here is the recipe for the best treats ever! I am not one for cookies. In fact, I never eat cookies, but dough, on the other hand, is a staple of mine. Sweets gets so mad at me if I buy or make CCCD and just eat it plain. He says that it is unhealthy and that I will get sick with salmonella. Well, honey, I have news for you. These pops don't have eggs! Instead they are made with Greek Yogurt...so I can eat as many as I want! (not really, but its worth a try) 

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the yogurt along with the vanilla for an additional 2 minutes. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add all at once to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips. 

Scoop spoonfuls, rounded into balls onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet and spear each one with a lollipop stick. Place in the freezer until frozen. Dip frozen balls in chocolate (I used the semi-sweet chocolate morsels) and place back in freezer until ready to eat.
The great thing about these is that you can freeze them forever. Almost. I intend on making more just to have on hand for a snack but I am going to wrap the dough balls in wax paper (think...taffy twists) and put them all inside a ziplock bag. Then I can just pop one out, unwrap it and enjoy it whenever I want...free of salmonella! Oh and if you still think they are unhealthy even without the eggs, try using squashed banana instead of butter. It works just the same!

(TAKEN FROM DAVE'S WIFE BLOG)

THIRTY - TWO

Sweets turned 32!!!

He kicked his birthday off a day early and went mountain biking with some friends in Moab on Friday. It was a quick trip (down and back), but nonetheless, it was exactly what he wanted. After rolling in sometime around midnight (ps i love that song!) he was up at 6:30 Saturday morning doing service work for our ward. What a trooper! After spending the day with me running 'fun birthday' errands we had his friends over for a little get together that evening. It was so good too see those who were able to make it and catch up with them but we missed the other peeps that couldn't make it. We had the Memmott Family, 1/2 of the Stone family, the Davidson family, the Packer Family and the Devere family.  

the birthday wreath in all its glory

the H.S. friends

the children jumping on the tramp in between the rainfall

We ate the infamous 'Bookclub Salad', Texas Cavier, Mexican-corn dip, veggies and 7 boxes of pizza! It was all super yummy. Plus, for dessert:

Add caption

we ate Nutter Fluffers, Angry Bird cupcakes and Chocolate chip cookie dough pops! Boy oh boy were they D-LISH! 

After hanging out, jumping on the tramp, popping snaps, playing with balloons and everything else that adults with 10 something kids do...it was time to call it a night. 

But, the Birthday bash wasn't over! Sunday afternoon we had Sweets' family over for Hawaiian Haystacks and dessert. (I didn't get a pic because I am horrible with the camera thing) but it was fun to celebrate his 32nd birthday with the family! We 'stacked' the hay with lots and lots of veggies and other fun toppings and then enjoyed  

these orange-kissed cookies and

this Ice Cream Sundae Layer Chocolate Cake! Seriously...you NEED to make this cake. It was fabulous! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETS! 

(stay tuned and i'll post the recipes for all these scrumptious foods!)

FIVE - OF - FIVE

Last night Sweets and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo Day with some yummy food. 

Mexican style corn

Tres Leches cupcakes

the whole enchilada

 We ate corn on the cob smothered in a cream sauce and rolled in cojita cheese, creamy chicken taquitos topped with green salsa, black beans cooked in EVOO and spices, virgin lime-mint mojitos and then we ended our scrumptious meal with Tres Leches cupcakes! It was super tasty and a casual way to celebrate the 5th of May.

EXTRAVAGANZA

It was quite the extravaganza at our home yesterday. We had twenty-two family members from both sides over for Easter dinner. It was so fun to get together with our families and enjoy such a special day with one another. 

I started off with making name cards for the place settings. Technically they aren't 'cards' but everyone had a specific seat. This is what they looked like - 

Basically, I took rolled tin foil into a ball, covered it with sculpey clay, stamped the names, baked them in the oven and then colored them in with a fine-tip pen. They all turned out SO cute! 

The Easter menu was so fun to put together. I worked hard the last couple of days to get everything prepped and ready and it all came together nicely. The menu consisted of:

- Honey Baked Ham with sweet honey mustard sauce

- Citrus Salad with Lemon vinaigrette 

- Tossed Salad with Red onion dressing

- Roasted asparagus with stemmed carrots 

- Sweet potatoes and Yams

- Rolls

- Raspberry-Lemon layered cake- Brownies- Cupcakes- Mixed Fruit - Lemon-lime water 

My very first scratch made cake EVER! It was uberly yummy.

Happy Easter. How tweet it is. Bunny cupcakes for the kiddies

Everything was really tasty and I was really happy how it all turned out. A big shout out goes to Sweets for doing so much to help get everything ready. He was a huge life-savor and I couldn't have pulled out all the cooking/cleaning/baking/setting up/gifts/decorations/etc with out him!

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR FOOD?

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother taught me to eat by color. She taught me that certain colors would benefit my body in different ways and that I needed to make sure that I had a "colorful" plate of food so that I would grow up to be healthy and strong. For example, carrots will help my eyes to see clearly, strawberries will help my hair grow red (which it clearly did :)) and lettuce would help my bum tissues so I wouldn't have poochin problems. The lengths that parents will go to make thier kids eat healthy and the suckers that children are...too funny!

 All of the meals that my mom made for us were indeed just that. Very Colorful! I always hated eating the food because I didn't want to disturb the beautiful rainbow of food, but then I would catch a sniff of the most delish meal and chow down. My mother is by far the best cook that I know...and that's the truth. I believe part of cooking a great meal is the passion behind the cook, and my mother has it! 

As I have been learning the art and passion of cooking over the past few years, I have tried to implement this same knowledge. I try to make all my meals colorful from the appetizer to the dessert. Secretly if I can't find foods that are a yummy complimentary color I will just add coordinating spices instead. No one ever knows this or pays attention but mentally I feel the meal is complete. 

I have officially decided, with a smidgen of fine-tuning, this years Easter Feast. It should be (I hope) a very colorful dinner for all to enjoy!    

UMMM...WHAT IS THAT?

This is what my super sweet Sweets said to me when I showed him what I made last night. He made the weirdest face, I'm bummed I didn't capture a pic of it. So, ya'll know that I literally suck at baking desserts! I tell you when I cook that I don't know how to make desserts. I seriously can't make anything that falls under the dessert category, i.e. cookies, cake, truffles, cupcakes, custard, jello, candy, hot fudge, etc. I have tried and tried but it is just NOT my cup of tea. However, if you ask me to prepare a meal...HECK YES is my response. I can whip out the whole schmorgesborg in no time flat and it 99% of the time tastes divine! (stay turned for the Easter meal I'm preparing...you'll love it). Last night I decided to try and make these easy "bunnies". Yep - Nope! They tasted great but looked so ridiculous. 

Once again, I suck at making desserts so puhleez don't judge me. I am sensitive these days. I melted semi sweet mixed with dark chocolate over the stove at a simmer. I inserted Popsicle sticks into the rice krispies and dunked them in the chocolate. Once they cooled and hardened, I put some frosting on them. 

As you can see, they all look so silly and so anti-climatic Easter dessert fun. For one, I should have used gel icing instead of frosting so I could have 'painted' the ears and eyes on, but I would only have known that if I actually was good at dessert making. Oh and for two, I probably could have made my own rice krispies but that is just waaayy right field for me. They never would have held up! Anyway, here you have my chocolate covered rice krispies treats with bunny faces! I'm am sure ya'll can come up with a better way and a better design than I did, but at least you have a project with the kiddies for the weekend!

They actually did taste uberly good. Next time, I think I will add a layer of PB before I dunk them in chocolate, if there is a next time!

ALL THINGS FLAVORFUL!

Last night our ward had the Relief Society Birthday Social and I was to bring:

 Sausage Potato Soup!

Give it a whirl and try it one night this week. It is easy to make and super tasty. Although the recipe was given to me by a lady in the ward, I did change things up a bit just it make it more mine. For instance, I added some red pepper flakes, a pinch of garlic, 2 kinds of onions, some flour and more potatoes etc., but here is the original recipe...

some of what you'll need

onions. carrots. potatoes.

chopped spinach

almost the end of the soup. i forgot to take a pic of the final but this is close.

SAUSAGE POTATO SOUP!
1 cup chopped onions1 cup chopped carrots1 quart boiling water with 1 cube chicken bouillon 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning1 teaspoon saltdash pepper1 bay leaf2 1/2 cups diced potatoes1 1/2 - 2 cups mild italian sausage1 cup fresh spinach leaves chopped1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese2 tablespoons grated romano cheese1 can evaporated milk1 cup frozen peas

To the boiling water with chicken cube, add onion and carrots. Cook for about 10 minutes then add potatoes and seasonings. Cook vegetables until soft. Fry sausage in separate pan, drain excess oil and mix with soup. Add cheeses, evaporated milk and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves last. 

*if you want thinner soup just add water, but i like mine thicker so I added flour. 

THE FEAST...

and boy was it! 

Sweets and I enjoyed a wonderful and colorful breakfast! We ate a bowl of "Lucky Charms", drank a tall glass of "gold" juice and ate our way through the fruity "rainbow". It was super yummy and it totally started my day off on a Happy note! 

breakfast

For dinner we ate homemade Irish Stew (lamb), a side of asparagus, rolls, Leprechaun slush and Magic Cupcakes! Although it took awhile to make, actually like the whole day, it was well worth it. I have never cooked Lamb before and I was really nervous that it wouldn't turn out ok, but I was seriously in love with it. It was perfect!

magic cupcakes

dinner

Following the feast, we opened a few gifts and watched the NCAA tournament! Way to go BYU and so sad USU! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day Sweets! 

sweets. sweets.

WOWZA!

This is pretty much the word of choice when it comes to this breakfast that I have been making lately. Sweets has been requesting this everyday for the past 2 weeks! Usually I get sick of foods fast, but not this one. I just LOVE it and it is super HEALTHY! Plus, it has been keeping us FULL all morning! 

win. win. win.

 

Recipe is as follows but not limited to:

2-3 organic eggs scrambled with chopped spinach over medium heat with a drizzle of EVOO

line inside 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket with 2 tbs basil or pesto spread (or both)

stuff the eggs inside and enjoy a side cup of fruit 

{GFB} ONE YEAR OLDER...

 Every quarter the lovely ladies in my family celebrate each others birthday with a dinner out on the town! Last night, just so happened to be that special day. We celebrated Susan's birthday (jan. 9) and Marie's birthday (feb.15) at Trio on 6200 S.  

marie

susan

angie. carolyn. amy. jules. marie. susan. kimberly.

I just love my sisters and think the world of all of them! We chit chatted for hours, shared stories, ate delicious foods, started planning our girls' trip in October and laughed over nothing at all with one another! I am so grateful for the wonderful life that we share together as family and appreciate the close sisterhood bond that I have with them.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLIES! Until next time...  

AND THE WINNER IS...

yes, i know. it looks gross and you are probably gaging at the sight of this. however, before you get all heaved on your computer, let me tell you the goodness that is involved with this shake! 

It is from CINCH! and it is amazing! 

 if you like oats, chocolate chips, pears, ginger and milk...then you have a WINNER for breakfast! I have been drinking this the last 3 days for breakfast and have seriously been full for hours, satisfied with the taste of practically dunking an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie into milk and getting my chocolate fix! who can resist this for breakfast? 

I seriously encourage you to at least try this. i promise you will love it...and if you don't, then i feel really bad for you and your non-functioning tastebuds! (wink)

1 small pear

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1 cup milk

1/2 tespoon ginger

(mix all together in a blender and enjoy)

AFFINITY FOR ELF CULTURE

Last night was the Arnell family Christmas Party and we were the hosts! Every year there is a new Christmas theme to celebrate so we chose our favorite Christmas movie, Elf! It was so much fun decorating, baking, cooking, organizing, and planning this party. Weston did a fabulous job hanging snowflakes all over the house.

It wasn't quite like what Buddy did to the Hobbs' house, but it was a good start! We borrowed the kids tables and chairs from my parents house and used them to sit on during dinner. It was fun to squeeze ourselves onto tiny chairs all crammed together for the feast. We ate:

and

to start.

 We had Jovie's Yuletide Punch (cranberry apple sparkling cider) as well to wash down the hors d'ouevres. Then it was on to:

Kringle Caprese salad

and Impostor Santa lasagna (beef and cheese). 

Following dinner, we gathered all around and watched the beloved show laughing and singing along with the amazing soundtrack. For dessert we had:

 (which look a bit scary, but they were tasty. I'll have to fix this one for next time)

and Candy Cane Forest which was really peppermint ice cream with hot fudge! It was a great success and everyone had a fun time. They all got to take home: 

 

 which also included a snow globe of New York City. 

I am so sad that this party has already come and gone. It was SO much fun and I want to do this whole thing over. I tried to correlate ideas from the movie into the evening to make it more 'real'. Thanks Arnell's, you simply are the best IL family anyone could ask for! I am so lucky to be apart of such an amazing and fun family! Merry Christmas!

 

and I love you sweets! Thanks for all your help...