snack it to me- PB&J granola bites

I love to cook and I am also a big time stress cooker. Finding a new recipe and completing it helps me calm down and feel somewhat accomplished before big tests or events. Usually I pick things I can take places so not to tempt myself or be stuck with a ton of food around the house. This batch of last finals I picked out 3 new recipes to try out and this one is so scrumptious I had to share! I was looking for something to use as some brain fuel before finals and snacks to bring camping.

PB&J granola bites are super easy to make and are excellent little snacks for on the go. I found the recipe at onesweetappetite blog , but as always I fiddle with the original recipe a bit. The first batch was a bit too sweet for my taste and the second didn't stick together as much..third time's the charm I guess!

PB & J Granola Bites
  Prep: 15-20 min   Chill: 4 hours   Yields: approx 30 bites

  Ingredients                     

·      2 ½ cup oats

·      1/3 cup honey

·      1/4 cup peanut butter

·      2 TBS brown sugar

·      1/2 tsp vanilla

·      1/4 cup jelly (or preserves)

·      1/4 tsp salt

·      1/2 cup chopped craisins

 Instructions

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread your oats onto a cookie sheet in an even layer. Toast in the oven for six minutes.

2.  While oats are cooking chop craisins into small pieces and set aside

3.   In a medium sauce pan, combine honey, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Heat until melted, stirring until mixed.

4.   Add the oats to your peanut butter mixture and stir to evenly coat.

5.  Microwave the jelly for 15 seconds. Pour it over the oats, add salt and craisins. Mix until combined.

6.   Press mixture into an 8x 8 inch pan with the back of a spatula.

7.   Refrigerate approx 4 hours (or less… can’t ruin them).

8.  Cut into 1x2 inch squares and enjoy!

One batch I used a toaster oven just because I didn't want to heat up whole house. Seemed to work fine in 2 groups

Stir well be sure to use low heat so it doesn't burn

Chop up craisins into small bits

Adding oats, salt and craisins

add jelly (this was sugar free strawberry preserves) and mix! 

push into 8x8 pan making sure its fairly even and allow to set in fridge

Cut into bite sized pieces and enjoy!

DIY Rose Sugar Scrub

Happy Valentine's Day! Being in the middle of yet another snow storm and having my fill of cheesy love movies for the day I was looking for something to help me procrastinate from studying. A craft project seemed just the thing!

I've been eyeing DIY scrub pinterest projects for a long time and today seemed like the perfect day to try it out. As I didn't dare to venture out to get odd ingredients that most scrubs seem to require I was looking for one that items I had on hand. I found one that only had 3 easy ingredients: sugar, baby oil, and rose petals.

W and I celebrated Valentine's a week early so the roses he got me were starting to get a bit ragged. Making a scrub out of some of the petals seemed the perfect way to continue to enjoy them and get some silky smooth skin!

DIY Rose Sugar Scrub
     yields approx 1 cup of scrub

1/8 cup baby oil
3/4 cup sugar
6-12 rose petals

Add ingredients to food processor and blend until well mixed. Scrub is more on the dry side. Apply about 1 teaspoon of scrub to wet hands and rub it all over hands. Rinse off and you should be left with silky smooth skin. Store it in airtight container.


Step by step photos

I used the magic bullet instead of a food processor and it worked wonderfully.  I layered sugar, then oil, then petals ripped in half. You may need to stop halfway through to mix it up a bit as some of the rose petals were still in larger chunks after a minute or so. 

When it is all mixed up it  the red petals made this gorgeous shade of lavender pink! Depending on the number of petals you add you may get variable color results. It's more of a dry scrub, I know others are more gelatinous. Add some water to your hands before spreading it out.

In total it takes about 5 minutes to make and yields about 1 cup of scrub.  This would be an excellent gift and you could find super cute mason jars to store it in! I think this might have just been my gateway scrub in to making all sorts of others...who knew it was this easy!

Just as a FYI the baby oil smell for sure takes over at first and then you are left with faint rose. It's not horrible and I happen to like the smell of baby oil, but I think for next time I might search for a different oil to use or add an essential oil for a different fragrance profile. My skin was so soft after using this and I will for sure be keeping some in a jar next to the sink for use after washing dishes. Plus it's such a cute shade it'll help brighten up the dreary weather.

ugh I know it's nothing like Boston but I needed
 something to brighten up this overcast day

Fun science fact: Did you know sugar is a natural exfoliate? It contains glycolic acid a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) which helps breaks down the glue like substance that keeps dead skin cells attached to the epidermis (top layer of your skin). The sugar grains are abrasive so that helps too. Your skin cells naturally shed but as you age you might need to help it along a bit. Exfoliating a few times a week especially in winter helps  moisturizers penetrate deeper and keep your skin hydrated longer.

#3.11 Salsa baked fish

Baked Tilapia with Peach Mango Salsa

Are you ready for the easiest recipe ever? When I am a busy bee and this is my go to recipe that is quick and easy...not to mention tasty and healthy. I usually make this in the toaster over so I don't even have to wait for the oven to preheat!

All you need is mild fish I like to use either Mahi Mahi or tilapia, old bay seasoning and fruit salsa (pineapple, peach or mango and the chunkier styles work really well).

1) Place fish on cookie sheet or foil lined pan. Spray with cooking spray
2) Sprinkle old bay seasoning on top (or for a bit of kick cajun spices)
3) Spoon salsa over fish about 2-3 Tbsp each filet. Make sure most of fish is well covered.
4) Bake at 350 for 20 min or so depending on fish thickness.

While that's cooking I usually steam some fresh veggies and serve with cous cous (it takes only 5 minutes to make). Ta Da dinner made in 25 min or less!

Turtle Bites: 10 min or less dessert

Oh no you totally forgot about the office potluck or your neighbors brought over a gift and you have run out of holiday yummies what do you do? This recipe is quick, easy, and super addictive.

They have lots of names but I call them turtle bites as the are a mouthful of salted caramel chocolate nut goodness all in one bite. 

Ingredients: 1 bag rolos, pretzels, pecan halves 

Time: 5 min plus cooling

-Preheat oven to 375. Place pretzels evenly spaced on foil lined cookie sheet. -Add rolo to each pretzel in center of pretzel 

-Bake for 3 min or until rolo starts to get pretty shinny not all the way melted

- remove from oven and place pecan on top, smush pecan down 

- Allow turtle bites to cool to set (place sheet in fridge can speed it along) 

-Serve at room temperature... Bet you can't eat just one 

   *these keep very well so feel free to make few days ahead of time or even freeze. 

I  recommend buying the rolos near counter in tube otherwise they are individually wrapped and boy that is a pain and a major time suck. Window pain pretzeles (or chess board I don't know what real name is but that's what they look like) are great as the hold in chocolate. To save time by avoiding preheating oven I used a toaster oven, plus 2 small batches allowed me to get pecan on before rolo cooled.

 One blogger recommend to put on pecan prior to baking to save time and give roasted nut taste. Caution pecan gets really hot and didn't notice any flavor difference so I'd just skip it. Another word of warning caramel is really really hot and like sticky lava so as tempting as these look let them fully cool before sampling so you don't burn your mouth. 

#3.18 Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

So it's finals week and that means I de-stress by cooking! I was pursuing my favorite food blog site and this was the post of the day. It fits as a list item for another vegetarian meal and surprise this doesn't have spinach in it like 90% of all the other ones I've made lately. I even branched out and tried cooking eggplant for the first time!!

 I highly recommend checking out Budget Bytes site or her cook book.  All the recipes are made with easy to find ingredients and is budget conscious in time and money. Plus everything usually is great to freeze for a later date. Bonus for those busy students! The website is super organized and I love the flavors and ethnic food recipes. There isn't a recipe yet I haven't enjoyed. Check out some of my older posts for some favorites: summer vegetable tian, naan, fall harvest roasted veggies and sausage

easy peasy steps...mmmm

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables
     Total time: about 1 1/2 hrs   Cook time 1 hr          servings: 12
Ingredients

• 1 c  broccoli 
• 1 small eggplant 
• ½ lb. (4 medium) carrots 
• 1 medium squash (yellow or zucchini) 
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 small red pepper
•  1 tsp garlic powder 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• salt and pepper 
• 1 tsp dried oregano or italian seasonings blend 

• ¾ lb. (12 oz. box) uncooked ziti 
• 1 cup (8 oz) low fat ricotta cheese 
• 1 large egg 
• 2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella, divided 
• salt and pepper 
• 1 (24 oz.) jar tomato basil marinara sauce, divided
• the more flavorful your sauce the better!

Instructions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the eggplant, squash, mushrooms into small cubes (1/2-3/4 inch), cut the carrots and pepper into matchsticks, slice the onion, and cut the broccoli into small florets. Place chopped veggies into large bowl.
2.  Drizzle veggies with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Toss the vegetables well, until evenly coated with oil and spices
3.  Cover two baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Divide vegetables and place in an even layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining oregano and garlic powder. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly charred on the edges. Stir once, half way through roasting. Remove and reduce oven to 375 when complete.
4. Cook the pasta until al dente [boil for 7-10]. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the burner turned off. Add the 2/3 jar of sauce and toss to coat.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, the egg, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, ¼ tsp salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Stir until even.
6. Coat a large casserole dish with non-stick spray (9 x13 rectangle might work but you want high sides to fit all the layers). Spread ⅓ of the pasta and marinara sauce mixture over the bottom. Layer ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, then ½ of the roasted vegetables. Repeat these three layers, then end with one final layer of pasta and add reaming 1/3 jar of sauce and the final cup of shredded mozzarella.
7.  Cover loosely with foil and bake the casserole for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Remove cover, turn off oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes until cheese on top is melted and slightly browned on the edges.

recipe adapted from budget bytes

Pina Coladas Caught in the Rain

I woke up this morning with an extended case of the mondays. I think (fingers crossed) this snowy winter portion is over and now is the endless rain. Ugh I'd rather have snow. No matter how many times I heard Pharrell's Happy on the radio on the way to school (4 times! yes that's right in a 35 minute drive) the weather is keeping me in the blah's

see what I"m talking about blech

I had a fabulous time enjoying the sun and green plants for a few days in Florida last week.  I would love to bottle it up and use it for those yucky mornings. I need a pick me up to keep me from getting too much further in the dumps . Cue the Jimmy Buffet 24/7.

Skinny Pina Colada

I stumbled across a Skinny Pina Colada recipe and I think this paired with some baked tilapia with peach mango salsa tonight might be just the ticket to get me back in sunny mood. Ya feelin' me mon?

one of my favorite fish dishes to make in 30 min or less

I have a feeling these are going to be my go to summer staples! Yum I can almost see the sun outside now...wait it actually is out woo hoo

super simple ingredients!

Skinny Pina Colada
Ingredients for 1 cocktail:
2 oz Coconut Rum
5 oz coconut water
2 oz pineapple juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain, pouring into glass with ice. Garnish with maraschino cherry or orange slice (optional). Drink and enjoy!



Thanks CarrotsnCake for the recipe and drink photos!

#3.15 Springtime Vegetable Soup with Pesto

This is one of my favorite anytime soups. It has amazing flavor, filled with lots of yummy fresh veggies, and the leftovers (if ever any) hold up well. After a winter of heavy soups I like to add this lighter one to the rotation this time of year. Added bonus it's weight watcher friendly (5 pp) and very filling! 

Springtime Vegetable Soup with Pesto

prep time: 15 min           Cook time: 25 min         severing size: 8

Ingredients

1 tsp extra virgin oil oil

4 med leeks ( or green onions) diced white and light green parts

1 cup celery diced

1 cup carrots diced

1 cup zucchini diced

1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic minced

64  oz canned chicken broth

19 oz canned cannelini beans drained and rinsed 

14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes drained (I like the basil & herbs but totally up to you)

4 tsp pesto sauce (you can add more to taste)

Instructions:

1) Dice all your vegetables then heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, carrots and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently until vegetables begin to soften

be sure to drain & rinse beans

2) stir minced garlic into pot and cook for 1 minute

3) add broth and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. 

4) After boiling is reached stir in diced zucchini, peas, beans and tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes allowing flavors to blend.

5) Serve soup by swirling 1/2 tsp pesto into top of each serving.  If you are serving this at a later time add pesto prior to eating rather than before storing it. Believe it or not adding the pesto at the end makes a huge difference in taste!

Yields 1 1/4 cups of soup per serving

adapted from weightwatchers recipe meeting guide spring 2012

You can make your own pesto recipe with fresh basil and freeze it in an ice cube tray for use later up to 3 months. A good simple recipe I like is from Food Network. 

Word of warning watch where you are getting your pine nuts. Stay away from any Chinese products as there have been instances of reactions to a different species of pine nuts that can give you "pine mouth" a horrible bitter metallic taste with no matter what you eat/drink that can last for days to weeks. This happened to me a couple summers ago it was terrible. Expired nuts can also cause this reaction so check those dates! 

#3.13 Party Popcorn Round Up

So not too proud that some dinners reflect being a super busy college student *cough like carrots, a coke, and popcorn *cough, cough.  Oh well but it's counting as a vegetarian dinner list item

Other times I like to make what I call "party popcorn" to take to events and make as gifts. Basically it's popcorn with melted chocolate and other yummies mixed in. Here is a round up of some of my favorite concoctions as well as others that look pretty darn good. 


Popcorn (basic)

I like to make my popcorn in the microwave lunch bag style. It's simple, mess free and allows you to start with a blank canvas to add as much or little seasonings and mix ins to it. Plus I figure it's a whole lot healthier than whatever chemicals and oils are in microwave popcorn bags!

All you need is a 1 brown lunch bag, 1/4 cup of whole kernels, and a microwave. Dump kernels in bag (kernels have all the moisture they need to pop inside so no need to add any oils)

Fold over top of bag a couple times and place in microwave standing up for 1-3 min, depending on your microwave. Just listen for popping to slow down. Dump in a bowl and top with whatever. It should yield about 8 cups of popcorn. 

Sometimes to get flavoring to stick you might want to lightly spray with olive oil or pam.  I like it salty/sweet so I add salt, cinnamon and bit of sugar to mine mmm. Get creative with siracha, garlic powder, lime, rosemary and any other flavor combination you can think of!

Party Popcorn

Make your basic popcorn.  1/4 cup kernels = 8 cups popped I usually do two batches (it goes quickly)

Lay out kernels in jelly roll pan or large mixing bowl. It's messy no matter what you do.  Be sure to remove all unpopped kernels out this could be a choking or tooth hazard later! Sprinkle popcorn with a bit of salt to help pull out the flavors even though it's a sweeter treat.

melt chocolate until it is pretty fluid

Melt about 10-12 oz of chocolate melts in the microwave or double boiler until liquidy. Be sure to do it in small increments as to not burn the chocolate. Pour over kernels and mix with your hands...it can be hot be careful!

Coat Popcorn with chocolate...this is messy!

Quickly sprinkle liberally with rainbow nonpareils, mixing to make sure it is evenly coated. Allow popcorn to set for an hour or so (optional but seems to turn out better). Keep in a air tight container for up to 3 days if in the rare occasion you have left overs

Monster Munch

 Now that you have the basic this is where the possibilities are endless depending on what color chocolate, caramel, or sprinkles you use and add ins. You can use other candies like m&ms or candy corn, nuts, pretzels, cereal, and dried fruit.

Monster Munch or Turkey Feed

Start with party popcorn base. I used orange chocolate melts to go with the theme. I added about 2 cups of peanuts, 1 bag of candy corn and yellow/orange/white nonpareils to this mix. I packaged it up in little treat bags and gave out to friends at school. It was fabulous and so addicting!

Here is a round up of other recipes that look delicious

Salted Caramel Popcorn via  cookies and cups

Christmas Crunch via Cooking Classy 
you can change this up for any holiday really...just switch up the colors

1. Cinnamon bun popcorn (cinnamon caramel corn with pecans and white chocolate) via Our Best Bites

2.  pink party popcorn (made with white chocolate) via Erin Cooks

3. Poppin’ popcorn brittle (caramel, M&M’s & peanuts) via Orville Redenbacher’s

4. S’mores popcorn via Nest of Posies

5. Chocolate & peanut butter popcorn  via Brown Eyed Baker

6. Popcorn trail mix with dried fruit and nuts via GoodLife Eats

-Sriracha, Lime, and Sesame Popcorn
-Rosemary, Brown Butter, and Lemon 
-Popcorn, S’mores Popcorn
-Maple-Bacon Popcorn
-Parmesan-Garlic Popcorn

recipes for these 5  amazing options at Buzzfeed 

As you can see possibilities are endless and they make a great gift, party food or even dinner. Enjoy!

#3.5 Slow Cooker White Bean Soup

 I wanted to dabble with a little vegan dish here and there on my vegetarian list completion. My first attempt was a complete flop and not even worthy posting about. Somethings should just not be substituted bleck!

The Thursday 5 hour chem class/labs starting at 8am was killing me since last thing I wanted to do after a super long week of class was to cook. I thought it was time to break out the trusty crock pot so I could have a hot meal waiting for me for when I got home. I found this recipe and thought it would be a perfect soup for the chilly nights and something my grandparents would enjoy. As we planned a dinner date together earlier in the week. 

I prepped everything the night before and threw it all together before crossing my fingers and heading off to class. Walking in the door the smells were fantastic but....it was no where near ready. It ended up taking 10 hours total and 3 of them were on high setting. I don't know if it was the crock pot (a bit older but still got it normally) or if I needed to do more with the beans. Mashing was a bit awkward but did change it from a clear broth to a bit heartier thickness. 

Be sure you add salt at the end of cooking and I'll be posting a behind the science behind it soon. It will ruin the dish if you do it in the beginning...trust me!

Overall it was a great soup but did need a bit of something else. Not sure what though cheese, meat something. For round two the next day I did put in bacon chunks and that helped. Definitely broke the vegan/vegetarianism rule, but come on it's bacon I think that should always get a free pass. 

Slow Cooker White Bean Soup

prep time 15 min    Cook time 8 hours (eh maybe)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• ½ lb. carrots
• 4 stalks (1/2 sleeve) celery 
• 1 lb. dry navy beans 
• 1 whole bay leaf 
• 1 tsp dried rosemary 
• ½ tsp dried thyme 
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• Freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill) 
• 1½ tsp (or more to taste) salt 

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic, dice the onion, slice the celery, and slice the carrots into thin rounds. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to a large (5qt or larger) slow cooker.
2. Sort through the beans and remove any debris or stones. Give them a quick rinse and then add them to the slow cooker, along with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and some freshly cracked pepper.
3. Add SIX CUPS of water to the slow cooker and stir to combine the ingredients. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. After 8 hours, stir the soup and mash the beans slightly. Starting with just a ½ tsp, add salt to your liking. I used about 2 tsp total, but keep tasting and adding more, ½ tsp at a time, until it reaches the level that you prefer.

Serves: 6-8 (makes 9 cups)                                                  source budget bytes

If you don't want to make it vegan try adding ham hock or turkey leg with other ingredients. 

add veggies to bottom

next add the beans & seasonings

liquids go next

end result pretty tasty