Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes

Happy fall! ESPN is hosting College GameDay at Notre Dame today, football is in the air, and I am making a lot of pumpkin food today. I can't wait.

I started with these great pumpkin pancakes with some sugar free syrup. Yum!

Yield: About 10 pancakes, 2 pancakes per serving for nutrition purposes

Ingredients: 
1 c all purpose flour
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp canola oil
1 c 2% milk
1/3 c canned pumpkin
1 tbsp vanilla extract


Preparation:
1. Whisk all the dry ingredients together - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
2. Stir the wet ingredients together - egg, oil, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract.
3. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and let the batter sit for five minutes.
4. Heat a skillet with nonstick cooking spray on medium heat. Drop the batter in 1/4 cups onto the skillet, cook until bubbles start forming on the top of the pancake. Flip with a spatula and cook another minute to minute and a half.

I refrigerate these or freeze them and pull them out when I need a treat in the morning. Top them with sugar-free syrup or some powdered sugar!

I Think My Microwave Broke

Not great timing, as I just put together like 32 meals worth of frozen deliciousness to be cooked in the crockpot and then reheated. I put my bacon in for breakfast this morning and it cooked it for the 1:45, tried to reheat for another 10 seconds....and nothing. Tried 15 seconds (maybe it was mad that 10 was too short?)....and nothing. Fingers crossed that I can still enjoy my yummy food tonight - like this pepper steak.

What? I never cook chinese food, but this was totally amazing and I will definitely make it again. Some recipes and whatnot to follow, and pictures from my trip to SWEDEN.

Fall Is Here

College football. Pumpkin spice latte. Life makes sense again.

 

Stormy Night

Calls for Downton and a skinny cinnamon dolce latte. Ignore the unpainted toenails. :)

PS I am officially down another pound.

PPS Please marry me Mr. Bates.

White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

This recipe is so delicious and it is South Beach Diet Phase 1 approved! Next time I'll probably make it in the crockpot but I couldn't wait to try it tonight.

Can you blame me?

Yield: 5 servings (It was supposed to be 6 but I couldn't find another piece of tupperware sooo...)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 oz can of diced green chiles
4 oz can diced jalapenos
2 cans fat free chicken broth
 3 cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
16 oz chicken breast, ground or shredded and cooked
Toppings (not included in nutrition):
2% Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Low fat sour cream

Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and stir until softened (4-5 minutes). If you haven't precooked your chicken, you can cook it now in a skillet.
2. Add the chiles and jalapenos, stir, and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, beans, and chicken broth, turn heat up to medium and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Top with cheese and sour cream. Yum!

Mason Jar Salads

Since my addiction to all things Pinterest has been growing, I kept seeing posts of these mason jar salads. I've been wanting to try them for a few weeks and I finally have my kitchen in a state where I can start cooking (sort of) again. I made enough for lunch this week - so five salads total, two buffalo chicken and three Cobb. These are supposed to last 7-10 days in the fridge. I was skeptical but they totally last over a week! I think I ate my last one 8 days after I made it. Unbelievable!! I did not put the dressing in the bottom as many of the links said I could - that was too big of a leap of faith for me - but it's easy enough to add that in at work or wherever you're eating your meal.

Mason Jar Cobb Salad
This was not my favorite and I don't know that I'll make it again - seemed too high in calories to be worth eating a salad - but since it's pretty and some of you may like it I'll post the recipe.

Ingredients (layer in order from bottom to top):
1 large hard boiled egg
1.5 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked crispy
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
3 oz precooked grilled chicken breast strips (I used Costco brand)
6 grape tomatoes
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped

Keep Separate: 2 tbsp light blue cheese dressing (I like Marie's brand)



Mason Jar Buffalo Chicken Salad
This one was really, really good and so easy - especially if you cheat and use precooked chicken and pregrated carrots like me!

Ingredients (layer in order from bottom to top):
1/2 cup carrots, grated
3 oz precooked grilled chicken breast strips mixed with 2 tbsp wing sauce (I used the medium Kroger brand and it's really good!)
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped

Keep Separate: 2 tbsp light blue cheese dressing (I like Marie's brand) OR light ranch, if you prefer



Mason Jar Pear and Walnut Salad
After first drafting this post I made a third jar salad, but didn't remember to take a picture of it. For what it's worth, I think this was my favorite of all of them, but because of the pears it would only last 3 days I suspect.

Ingredients (layer in order from bottom to top):

1/2 pear, chopped
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/3 cup dried cherries
3 oz precooked grilled chicken breast strips
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped

Keep separate: 2 tbsp light vinaigrette dressing (I used the Wendy's pomegranate vinaigrette since I had some packets leftover.)
2 tbsp Fresh Gourmet glazed walnut pieces

Summer Squash Sausage Skillet (See what I did there?)

My first of (hopefully) many recipes for the new lower-carb plan I'm trying. A lot of these will be appropriate for the South Beach Diet Phase 1 - when I started in January 2011 I was on the South Beach diet and lost quite a bit of weight on it, but without the horrible effects of Atkins since you still get to eat vegetables. So without further ado...

I forgot to take a picture with the cheese on it - too hungry.

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients: 
3 zucchini
3 yellow summer squash
3 Jenni-O hot Italian turkey sausage links
30 grape tomatoes
3/4 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste







Preparation:
1. Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray - I used the olive oil flavor but it really doesn't matter. Turn the stove on medium-high heat and put the turkey sausage links in the skillet to brown.
2. While your sausage is cooking, slice up your squash and zucchini. I used my new favorite kitchen tool, my mandolin, but if you're slicing by hand you want them about a quarter inch thick. Put all your slices in a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, red pepper, and italian spices to taste and then mix it all up to coat in the olive oil. (Make sure you are watching your sausage - they'll need to be turned!)
3. Once the sausage is completely cooked through, take it out of the skillet and add in the squash and zucchini. Let it cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to turn translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
4. While the zucchini and squash is cooking, slice up your sausages into 10 pieces each (this just makes it easier to portion evenly). Add the sausage back in after the squash and zucchini has started to turn translucent, throw the tomatoes in, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Top each serving with 1/4 cup of low fat mozzerella cheese. Devour.