The Most Wonderful Healthy Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

I found a recipe for healthy chocolate chip cookies and then I made them even healthier!! I cant even begin to tell you how tasty they were.....my teenagers couldn't even tell they were healthy for you!!!!! Since the beginning of Jan the hubs and I have been following a no sugar diet......but sometimes you just need something sweet!! So......why not be creative and tweak recipes to work for you!!

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c. unbleached AP flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (finely ground)
1/2 c. pecans (finely ground)
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. Xylitol (or regular sugar if you are not watching your sugar intake)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c sugar free chocolate chips (all I had was sf hersheys mini's so I chopped them up, again if you want you can use fully leaded chips ;) )

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In your food processor put oats and nuts and process until ground. In a small bowl combine all dry ingredients, then add nut and oat mixture. Stir until all combined. In another bowl combine butter, sugar, and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Mix until combined then stir in chocolate. I made large cookies so I put golf ball sized dough balls on my baking sheet, but you could definitely make smaller ones and get more cookies. Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy!!

Portobello Mushroom Topped with Spinach and Poached Egg

This is a recipe that would make Popeye say "Strong to the finish when I eats me spinach!" But seriously......this breakfast was packed with protein to keep you fuller longer and it was SOOOO TASTY!!! I came up with the idea day before yesterday so I yesterday I headed to my favorite store Trader Joe's and got the ingredients!! 

You know what I noticed today when I made it though....well a couple of things. I noticed how EXCITING it is when you have an idea in your head and you are able to make it a reality I <3 that feeling!! I also noticed...as a food blogger you eat alot of cold food. Lol.... By the time you prep the food, plate the food, prep the area to take the photos, photograph the food, and finally sit down to eat it...it can lose its warmth. Oh well......it's all a labor of love!! Sometimes Ive been so excited after taking one bite I couldn't wait to blog it so I blogged first and then ate......what can I say....I'm a dork!!

This recipe will make 2 servings!!

2 portobello mushrooms
4 cups washed spinach leaves
1/2 of a small red onion, sliced into thin strips
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs poached
2 tsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place washed portobello's on a baking sheet cap facing down (or else they fill up with the juices and get mushy) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile start heating water to poach your eggs. In a frying pan, put a little olive oil and place over medium heat. When pan is hot add onions and saute for 2 min then add spinach. Once spinach has wilted remove from heat and add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Your eggs should have been poaching during this time as well!! Remove mushrooms from oven and place on plate cap side up. Put half your spinach mixture in each one and top with poached egg. Sprinkle with salt pepper and 1 tsp on each one of the Parmesan cheese.

Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup...makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!

As Winnie the Pooh once said......"It's a blustery day." With blustery days comes......can you guess?? Come on you can do it......HONEY.....oops....sorry that would be Winnie the Pooh's answer....I meant SOUP!!!!

Then the next question was....what kind of soup?? Something think and creamy and rich and tasty but yet filling. That's when I decided potato, broccoli and cheddar cheese. I also made quesadilla's to go along with it, they make great dippers!! This soup is souper easy.....get it 'souper' ooohh...maybe I should change the title to 'Souper Easy Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup' I think that's a catchy title, don't you think??

Anyways, it really is easy to make. There are very few ingredients and they are mostly ones you would have on hand!! Good luck and happy soup!!

3 peeled and diced potatoes
4 cups of chopped broccoli
4-10 cloves or garlic depending on your liking of garlic ( I might of put 11)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 cups of chicken stock/broth
1/2-1 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2

In a large stock pot place potatoes, broccoli, garlic and cover with stock/broth. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 20 min until veggies are pretty much mush. I used my emulsion blender, but if you don't have one place in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add cheese and cream or 1/2 and 1/2 until cheese is melted, stirring often. Serve

Homemade Refried Beans

It's so easy to make refried beans, even a caveman can do it!! I dare you........no I double dog dare you to take a comparison test and see if you ever EVER EVER eat refried beans from a can again!! So I challenge you to make these beans then have a can of them ready also. Do a side by side comparison based on how they look and taste and then get back to me!!

Here's a question for you.......to pressure cook or not to pressure cook??? That is the question!!! I myself personally use a pressure cooker.....I <3 IT!!!!  I can't believe I lived all those years without it.....no really....I mean it.....I can't believe it. I can have the beans made in like 40 minutes!! It's a beautiful thing!! But it is not necessary....you know if you have like 2 hours to spare watching a pot of beans boil and adding water.....blah blah blah.....that was the old me. The new me.....yeah well I'll take the expedited cooking process thank you very much!!

To soak or not to soak....that is the question......I really don't know....I NEVER do it so I can't say if there's a difference or not!! So I say....if you want to soak.......soak away.....if not.....just make sure you wash your beans really really really good!! The End

Homemade Refried Beans

1 lb pinto beans
1 onion, divided in half
1 jalepeno pepper (more or less depending on what you like, I used a pickled jalepeno)
5 cloves of garlic
1 T of chicken bouillon, or salt to taste


First, thoroughly wash your beans. Put them in a large saucepan (or pressure cooker), with half of the onion, jalepeno, garlic, and bouillon. Cover the with water. If using a pressure cooker, fill to full line. I bring my pressure cooker up to a boil before putting the lid on. Cook according to pressure cooker directions. If you are just cooking in a pot. Boil beans for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until tender, being sure to keep the beans covered in water.

Once beans have cooked allow to cool slightly and add beans to food processor with enough of the bean liquid to blend into a thick consistency. In the meantime, in a frying pan, put 1/4 cup of oil and the other half of the onion, sliced thin. Fry the onion until golden brown, then add the beans and 'fry' for about 15 minutes. Serve

Chicken w/Tomato & Tomatillo Salsa

This is going to be one of a several part series. I would tell you how many parts......but I just don't know yet!! So bear with me.......

Tonight I'm making chicken burritos for dinner, sounds easy enough right? Well........I like to be difficult...just ask my husband!! This salsa that I cooked the chicken in came out sooooo good I keep pausing my typing and going to take a bite!! :)

Anyways....back to my being difficult....I'm also making, homemade refried beans, homemade guacamole, and some sauteed bell peppers and onions to put in the burritos. Not to mention grating cheese and making a little cilantro and onion mixture!!

6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 roma tomatoes, seeded
5 tomatillo's washed
6 cloves of garlic, or less if that's too much for you, but I love garlic
1/2 of an onion
2 canned green chile's
1 chipotle pepper
1 T of chicken bouillon or just add salt to taste
1 qt of water

You can do this two ways. You can throw everything above in a large saucepan and cook it until the chicken is cooked through. Then remove chicken and add the sauce mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. OR you can put all the ingredients except the chicken in a pot and boil until the tomatoes are mush, then blend, then add chicken and cook until cooked through. Lastly, shred the chicken and add back to sauce. Whichever way floats your boat!!

Some of the cakes I've made.......

Here are some of the cakes I have made over the last 2 years. Take a look and lmk what you think!! I'd like to do it more often and hopefully someday get paid to make a cake!! Wouldnt that be GREAT!! Right now I just do it for fun and for the people I love!!

I was not pleased with this one....I think it was the brown color of the fondant that I really didnt like. It reminded me of poop. :) Anyways I made this one for my oldest sons 17th birthday....in case you couldn't tell it was for his 17th...lol!!

 This one for for my Grandma last year (2010) her and my oldest have the same birthday!!

 This one was for my sons 16th day!!

 I made this cake for my mom.....we won't mention which bday it was, but just let you know it was a bday cake!! It's one of my fav's!!

 This was for my uncle on his bday...can you guess his name??? lol

 This one was for Annie's bday cuz I <3 her!! She moved away and now Im sad, but she lives close to where they filmed scenes from Twilight....and Im jealous!!

 This was my youngest sons xbox 360 cake....kinda plan....but that's what the xbox looked like!!

This was the cake I made for my neighbor Marcie, I was trying to make it look just like her giant drum that she uses and then I added the sign for her tribe on top!!

Can I get some fries with that........KETCHUP

Get your mind outta the gutter....I wasn't gonna say shake.....geesh....

Sooooo.....I know it doesn't look like it.....but....it's ketchup.......real homemade ketchup....and....it's tasty!! Real tasty!! I know I've been mentioning that the hubs and I are eating healthy now. For the last almost 4 weeks now, yeah us!! The hubs is down about 15lbs and me only a lousy 5lbs..... oh pooh!! 

Anyways.....we are using The Belly Fat Cure and eating almost no sugar and super low carbs. I feel so much better!! But boy does it make you realize how much sugar we eat everyday, and let's face it....sugar is bad for us!!

So I found this recipe for ketchup....cuz let's face it a fry isn't a fry without ketchup!! I just did some adjustments according to what I had on hand, plus my sugar substitute!!

*ps- sugar substitutes are bad!! I use something called xylitol....it is completely natural!! AND IT TASTES JUST LIKE SUGAR!!!!

Ketchup
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
2 T olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T tomato paste
1/2 cup xylitol or brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Puree tomatoes with juice in blender until smooth. Cook onions and garlic with oil and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, approx 8 min stirring occasionally. Add spices and pepper and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Add tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar (xylitol), and vinegar and simmer uncovered for 50 minutes. Puree in blender until smooth. Chill up to one month.