Whole-Wheat Lemon “Cakes”

We’ve got another recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Feast of Ice and Fire. My last two (one from the Wall and one from the South) were great hits and this one brings us right to King’s Landing with a spin on Sansa’s favorite lemon cakes. However, my spin, as it usually is makes these a bit healthier. I used mostly whole-wheat flour to add some fiber and make it better for our blood sugar spiking as well as using a little less sugar and using mostly honey. These are delectable little bites of yum without all the guilt that normal lemon cakes would carry.

Nov092015

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

Tis the season to eat pumpkin, fa la la la la la la la la! Great song, don’t you think? For real, though, pumpkin is the star of Fall and I dare anyone to challenge that. It’s in everything you see during these few months: lattes, desserts, candles, candies, and so on and so forth. And guess what? I don’t hate it! There isn’t anything wrong with some pumpkin. I’m all for things that make each season feel like it stands out, and pumpkin really helps that with Autumn. As a side note, my New Zealand family is always shocked that Americans don’t eat pumpkin year round as they do. It’s a great vegetable! Kiwis will often have 5-6 vegetables in their dinner and pumpkin is a big part of that. Anyways, we’re using pumpkin less as a vegetable today, and more as a Fall-like way to spice up your dessert! This recipe is inspired by the Kitchn. Tuck in!

Sep012015

No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Cake (Vegan)

This weekend, I was lucky enough to have a playdate with my two friends who are married. Besides stuffing me like a little piggy with delicious food, we also got to make it from scratch! This was alongside a marathon of Once Upon a Time season 4 that just got uploaded to Netflix! Can you say a good Saturday? Heck yeah. One of my friends is a vegan (mostly) and she had been talking about this vegan cake forever. I was finally getting my chance to make, and more importantly taste it! The one, the only no-bake chocolate mousse cake! She goes off of this recipe.

This recipe may seem intimidating, but I can honestly tell you that it was over before I knew it. A food processor certainly helps, though! Close your eyes. Imagine a velvety, smooth mousse atop a nutty-chocolate crust. And then after, imagine no guilt, but instead feeling the healthy fats helping your body thrive! Yep, ladies and gentlemen–a HEALTHY chocolate cake. And doesn’t it feel rather warm out? I’d say so. Guess what: this recipe is a NO-BAKE recipe! Thank goodness! The oven always gets our apartment cooking. So take some time today, make this cake for a special someone, and don’t tell them how healthy it us until after they eat it! And then thank my friend for sharing this recipe with me.

Mar052015

Cinnamon Whole-Wheat Apple Bread

Since we’ve finally settled into our “new” place, I’ve been scouring the web and the bloggers I follow for new recipes to try. It’s just something about being in the kitchen, creating, and enjoying it. I’m happy to have been doing more recipes lately. I was inspired by Cookies and Cups to do a cinnamon whole-wheat apple bread–a little healthier version of the typical snickerdoodle apple bread. It was extraordinarily easy to make, and let me tell you, the batter was delicious. Not that I ate too much… I always love trying and creating different treats that don’t make me feel bad afterwards. I can add this one to the list.

Feb162015

Chocolate Oat Apple Crumble

I have an unfortunate sweet tooth. I try to curb it, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes, however, I think in advance and then make something that’s sweet, but still on the healthy side. That’s when Smitten Kitchen inspired me! Jasmine is a very close family friend who turned me on to “crumbles” very early in my life–particularly apple crumble. This recipe calls for very few ingredients so I decided to give it a go. It was really easy and made the house smell wonderful! I made a Chocolate Oat Apple Crumble and my sweet tooth was absolutely overjoyed without killing my health.

Finished product, but not before I dove in

Feb142015

Last-Second Valentine’s Day [Healthy] Treat

You have a busy life, a busy schedule, or maybe you just forgot. Well, it’s Valentine’s Day today, so if there’s someone special in your life, you should make sure that they know you feel that way about them. If you didn’t get them anything (don’t fret, there’s still time)–or if you want to do a little something extra–you’re in good hands! I was inspired by Life with spices to make a healthy version of a “red velvet mug cake” just in time for V-Day. Even if you’re not romantic, this will put a smile on your partner’s face. Plus, even though it seems decadent and delicious, it actually has decent ingredients! Gotta love guilt-free baked goods. This takes, all in all, four minutes. No oven, just microwave. NO EXCUSES. Let’s hit it.

Jul092014

Deliciously Easy Sundae Crumble Topping

Here is a super simple recipe for a somewhat natural/healthier but still insanely delicious topping for your ice cream sundaes. (Because we all know how much Hungry & Fit love their ice cream sundaes.)

Ingredients

We always buy clearance…

Before

and after!

yum

Delicious Cinnamon Sundae Crumble

2014-07-08 21:08:56

A healthier way to spruce up your sundae without sacrificing taste

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Ingredients

Cereal - you see that we used a healthier cinnamon crunch cereal. Chex would be great because they taste amazing and would absorb the flavor of the other ingredients well.
Cinnamon - Whatever kind you like.
Honey - High quality honey!
Maple Syrup - REAL, dark maple syrup. The good stuff.
Sesame Seeds - any color that you want.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to bake at 350 degrees.
Crush the cereal in its original bag.
Pour it into a large mixing bowl. Preferably glass.
Add the maple syrup for an initial coating.
Now coat with the honey as well.
Add the cinnamon while folding together gently.
Spread the mixture across a baking sheet. (You may treat it with oil or butter to prevent sticking. I did not and had no problem with sticking.)
Add the sesame seeds over the spread out mixture and place in the oven.
Bake until golden brown or your kitchen smells amazing
Stir and top on your ice cream

Notes

I did not use brown sugar but that would taste amazing. It would just be a little more difficult to evenly spread in this mixture because of it's tendency to stick together, even with a nice little moisture bear in your jar

By Hungry and Fit

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

I hope you enjoy this homemade sundae topping. Feel free to add fresh fruits, especially berries or bananas on top. As always, stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What are your favorite toppings for ice cream sundaes?

Apr022014

Chocolate Spinach Brownies

The first thing my dad said when I told him I made spinach brownies was “Eeew!” almost exactly. And I don’t blame him. Spinach…and chocolate…? It sounds like a weird combo, but it works. I wanted to make some sort of healthy treat for our management meeting today, and I remembered a recipe that I had bookmarked from Brooklyn Farm Girl. Perfect! Plenty of chocolate without the guilt. Now, that is something I can get behind. Especially after the cleanse, I’m trying to be good and stick to my macros (post on that coming later this week).

Whisk that mixture!

The dry mixture you stir into the wet…

To put in the oven for 30-ish minutes

To come out like this

CHOMP

Things got a little weird in the kitchen…

Chocolate Spinach Brownies

2014-04-01 23:01:30

A healthy version of the traditional brownie

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

33 min
Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

33 min
Ingredients
1. 1/2 cup regular flour
2. 1/2 cup cocoa powder
3. 1 cup pureed spinach
4. 1/4 cup melted butter
5. 3/8 cup (little less than half) regular sugar
6. 3/8 cup brown sugar
7. 2 tsp vanilla
8. 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips
9. 1/3 cup chocolate chips
10. 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease up a 8x8 (or a cake tin) pan
2. Puree the spinach in a blender or food processor, using a few tablespoons of water
3. Mix the melted butter with the regular sugar and brown sugar
4. Melt the chocolate chips and mix into the butter/sugar mixture
5. Mix in the spinach puree and the vanilla extract into the buttery sugary mix
6. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, or cocoa powder
7. Slowly, add the dry mix to the wet until it's all in
8. Fold in the non-melted chocolate chips into the mixture
9. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes and let cool
By Hungry and Fit

Adapted from Brooklyn Farm Girl

Adapted from Brooklyn Farm Girl

hungry and fit https://hungryandfit.com/

Mine didn’t turn out as fluffy as I had intended because first off, I didn’t have as much spinach as I needed and second, I accidentally omitted the baking powder. OOPS! Hey no worries, they still taste divine. They’re my little short adorable brownies and I love them. Play around with the recipe and have fun! Bake spinach brownies to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Cuties

Feb272014

Mum’s Famous Banana Cake

Okay, so maybe it’s only famous among my friends and family because it’s the only cake they ever got at my birthday parties. It’s the only cake I would eat growing up, and I haven’t branched out much still (but I will take down a cheesecake or carrot cake nowadays). I don’t know, I’m just not a huge fan of cakes. But my mum’s banana cake, ooooh YES! It’s incredibly easy to make and you will want to eat piece after piece (I personally can literally eat endless amounts of this). It came from the same place that she took her scone recipe.

Banana Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 34-40 minutes

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 stick butter
6 oz sugar (.85 cup sugar)
8 oz regular flour (1.8 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 bananas
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp milk

Directions

Get out a box/rectangular/circle pan and line it with wax paper. Tip a little flour in and spread it around. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix the baking powder and flour in a smaller bowl
Cream the butter and sugar together in your main big bowl
Add in an egg, mix it, and then add the other egg in.

Now mash your bananas into smithereens and slowly mix them in too
Now in a pot on the stove, put the milk in and get to a boil. Now you have to be quick at this. Quickly, stir in the baking soda. It will come up into a fluff that smells amazing. Mix that immediately into the rest of the wet ingredients.

Always fascinated me growing up…still does

Finally, mix in the flour mixture. Do it nice and slowly, so that it mixes evenly. Now that you have your batter, slowly pour evenly into your wax-papered-pan

Wish I had used 3 bananas in this batch

Put in the oven for 34 minutes. Weird number. The normal number is 40 minutes, but my mum advised me to check it at 34 and it was ready and done! Take it out and let it sit for a few minutes before putting it on a rack or another cool pan

Now just needs the icing!

Lemon Icing

Prep Time: 3-5 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
juice of 2 mini lemons (or 1/4 cup)
zest of lemon
2 tbsp butter

Directions

Pretty basic, just melt the butter in a bowl and then mix everything else in (the zest, lemon juice, and suuugarrrr)
Slowly start to ice the cake, using a spoon and then draping it over. It can be runny which is why it is best to do it slow so it starts to solidify

Looks like a little piece but I had at least 4…

And then you shove as many pieces as you can in your mouth! Just kidding…but seriously. This cake is so delicious and, for me, reminds me of home. What better combination? It was a hit at work, a little something everybody can enjoy. The subtle banana flavor with the lemon is a great combo. You gotta try this recipe! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Feb142014

Homemade Scones and Cream Recipe

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day if you want to create a treat for the special day! Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories involve my dad putting those little candy hearts allll over the house and me getting to look and find them. Onto the yummy stuff. I have watched my mum make her scones year after year growing up throughout my childhood, but I never actually made them myself. Sure, I helped her put on the jam or whip the cream, but I was just helping, not creating. I was thinking of what I wanted to bring to work for Valentine’s Day (I’m not a huge proponent of this day because it’s normally too gushy, but I always like an excuse to make something yummy), and then it came to me! Mum’s scones! Simple, delicious, and not too sweet. Looking back, I have to laugh, because when I asked mum for the recipe, and then when we were FaceTiming while I was making it at 6:30am (5:30am her time–sorry, Mum!), the way she actually did it was completely different. Here is a family recipe, rooting back in New Zealand that promises to not be too heavy or sweet but a definite crowd-pleaser.

The finished product

Scones

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Baking Time: 10 minutes
Makes: 20 scones (40 halves)

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 level tsp baking powder
1/2 stick butter
1 1/4 cup milk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 450 degree F
Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a big bowl
Heat the butter in the microwave for 5 seconds and then chop up into itty bitty pieces. Throw those pieces into the flour mixture and start rubbing it in until it gets gritty similar to bread crumbs

Pre-rubbed

Now slowly pour the milk in, mixing as you pour. It should end in a dough-like consistency

Put a dusting of flour on a large cutting board and knead it out, but not a lot. You want them an inch, inch and a half thick

Now cut them all at once, vertical lines and then horizontal lines into two inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet, no greasing needed

Check on it after 8 minutes and until 10 minutes. Check the bottom of them, don’t let them burn. After you take them out of the oven, they should cool for at least 10 minutes before you put the toppings on them

All cooked!

Okay, so while they are cooling….let’s make some cream! Super easy.

Cream

Creation Time: …1 minute

Ingredients

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sugar

Directions

Put ingredients into bowl and beat them until it turns into the whipped cream you know and love

NOW to put it all together! This is what you’re going to need to finish these puppies up…

jam (any kind you like)
chocolate

Directions

Cut open the scones into halves and lay them out
Spread jam on each one (yes, takes some time)
Dollop the cream on each one (you can make it pretty by spreading it out, I didn’t)

Use a grater that can grate super finely and grate chocolate over the scones. I added some red sprinkles to make it more Valentine-y

And you’re done. I know this was a long post, but it actually doesn’t take that long and is worth it ten times over. These were a HUGE hit at work and they don’t leave you feeling guilty because they are certainly not heavy nor are they too sweet. That’s why Americans sometimes don’t like these kind! I am very proud to have successfully produced these, they taste very close to my mum’s. Whip these up for this lovey-dovey weekend and make people happy! You can thank my mum, not me! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC