Sugarless Cookies

Photo & Recipe from LuxHippie

So I'm almost a month into my sugarless lifestyle change and for the most part I have been able to control my cravings and they've happened less and less as the month has gone by. (I do still have one cheat day a week though, I'm positive I will never give this up.)

Anyway, last night Daniel and I were sitting on the couch and I though I might go crazy if I didn't get sugar in my body ASAP! So I began to think of ways to 'sneak' it in. Daniel finally remembered me raving about finding a recipe on Pinterest last week that didn't us any sugar in the cookie recipe.

I jumped on the computer and as fast as I could (during The Biggest Loser commercials) I found the recipe and made them. They literally took one commercial break to make. These cookies are just that easy.

Now I do have to say that if you are wanting a sticky sweet cookie, these aren't for you. But if you need just a little sweet to get your through and you don't want to feel bad for eating say, 5 of them in a row, then give this recipe a try.

 

Of course I changed a few things since I hate leaving recipes alone.

1. I added two teaspoons of vanilla instead of one.

2. I made sure to use all natural peanut butter without any added sugar.

3. I used honey instead of syrup

4. I used all purpose flour. I already gave up sugar. I'm not giving up tasty carbs.

5. NO CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Not because I didn't want them but, they'd undo the sugarless thing. 

6. I added pecans (about 1/2 cup) next time I think I will add some unsweetened coconut too! 

7. Super important!!! Only cook them for 10 to 12 minutes. :)

 

Original recipe below....

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2-1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (depending on how much peanut buttery goodness you want)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a large bowl, mix bananas, vanilla, peanut butter and maple syrup into a creamy consistency (best to do with a hand mixer).

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder and salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until they are well combined, the batter should be slightly sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be somewhat runny, this is ok.

Place heaping tablespoon-sized balls of the batter onto a ‘greased’ baking sheet (can also place on wax paper) and cook for 15 minutes.

Makes around 2 dozen cookies

 

Crafts? Yeh, I still do those from time to time ;)

Crafts have been put on the back burner lately and I'm not liking it at all. Since Daniel and I moved to Dallas I haven't had as much free time and have just been letting projects pile up.

Well there are still many that are on my to-do list but recently two of them got to be crossed off.

Over a month ago Daniel and I were visiting our families in Athens when my mother in law asked me if I'd take a few extra lamps off her hands. She'd been to some garage sales and found many of them for a dollar. Yep just one buck.

I don't have any before pictures of my actual lamp. Let's just say it looked something like this...

Not so hot. But my mother in law is a crafting genius and said that brass can easily be painted.

With that in mind, I new what I wanted the lamp to look like. I'd been looking at one in Ballard Designs but at $179 I think I'd have to be crazy to buy it. I refuse to spend a considerable amount of money on something that can be made. So below is the lamp I was wanting except I was wanting it in their rubbed black color but still with the sea grass shade.

Below is the shade I had to work with

Lucky for me, Daniel had just been complaining about our place mats that looked like sea grass so I had bought some new ones. They looked like this. I had got them at a Goodwill in Denton a year or two ago (4 for $1).

I took the fabric off of the lamp shade and even though some of the plastic bad ripped off with it, it seemed usable. 

Then I just got to unrolling the place mats and gluing them to the shade. It took a little while but I think my $5 lamp (including spray paint) will do since I saved about $174. ;)

The next project I conquered was our need for two more dining room chairs. Daniel and I have lived here about 9 months with only two chairs at the dinner table. Not that it really matters, no one eats dinner here but us. But we were on the lookout if we found a good deal. We met some of my family in Canton for First Monday in February and couldn't turn down these $5 chairs. They were hideous (you should have seen the original cushions on them, total '80's) but they had a nice shape and were sturdy so we bought them.

After a few coats of paint, a trip to Hobby Lobby for some fabric for the cushions, and lots of cushion/foam donated by my mother in law I busted out the staple gun and went to work. The end result... we can now seat a table of four. 

We bought the chairs 2 for $10, I spent about $5 on the fabric. I had everything else already or it was given to me. Two chairs, $15? Sounds good to me!

Here's to getting more projects out of the way!

Addict

Yep. Those are big cups of SUGAR! And after lots of comments about my sugar intake from my husband and much denial on my part I've finally come to the realization that I have a very unhealthy relationship with the sweet white stuff above.

What a bummer. I liked denial much better.

How did I know I was addicted to sugar? Well, just take a look at my excuses for finding a way to make sure I have it..

- Making sure there is always some kind of candy in my bag at all times.
- Eating all my veggies so I can have a sweet treat after pretty much every meal. (Yep, I know how childish that sounds.)
- Saying that sugar in coffee doesn't count.
- Picking restaurants that are known for good desserts or ones that are close to an ice cream place so I can go after.
- Pouting about not getting something sweet after dinner. (Yep. I'm five.)
- Putting sugar packets in my purse just in case we go somewhere and I need them. (What the what?! How can that ever be ok?)

The light bulb moment...

I've been running/working out now for a while and I've seen small results but nothing major and although I'm not trying to lose any weight, I am trying to tone what I've got. And that just wasn't happening as quick as I wanted.  Even when I put on a little weight, I've always been able to drop it really fast. Although the fact that I'm heading toward the late twenties may have something to do with it. Anyway, I decided to find a good food journal to see what I was doing wrong. In the back of my mind I knew it was my sugar intake but I would never admit to it. I'd rather cut out veggies and fruits than my sugar. I was convinced there had to be another way. ADDICT.

But as I typed in all my food and workout information so it could tell me how many calories I needed to eat a day to lose a small amount of weight and tone and the results were depressing. They weren't depressing because they said I needed to eat like 1000 calories a day or work out excessively. They were depressing because they pretty much said the amount of calories I needed to give up was almost exactly my daily intake of sugar. I just thought, that's impossible.. I can't! I need it!. ADDICT.

The break up...

Yesterday I woke up and decided to come clean and quit making excuses and for the first time in many many days, months, years I did not have any sugar! A lot of my break up had to do with these articles... here and here. Yeah, these sites are total bummers but the truth stinks.

So I made it through yesterday feeling just fine and even some of this morning I felt fine. It's safe to say that my back-up or overload of sugar is now gone though since I've had a massive headache and been extremely tired since about 10 a.m.

I am allowing Saturday sweets because I think it's just silly to never eat cupcakes, chocolate and ice cream. So I guess I'm not giving them up entirely but I am anxious to see how much better I feel after a week or so.

Wish me luck! It's not easy being healthy. ;)

Halfway to a Year!

Yesterday Daniel and I celebrated 6 happy months of marriage.

Can you believe I get to spend the rest of my life with this guy? ;)

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Most of the bloggers I follow give little updates about their children and what they are learning/doing at certain stages in their life, but Daniel & I have no desire to have children for quite some time. So... I thought I'd give you a little update of what we've learned in the first 6 months of marriage. ;)

1. We keep hearing "the first year's the hardest", so far ours has been great but we still have six months to go with school, job and housing decisions to be made.

2. It doesn't matter if the silverware is perfectly in it's drawer. It's put up and that's all that matters.

3. We're a team. Decisions are made together.

4. Husbands don't like soups. (Mine doesn't) No matter how hard I try.

5. Two sinks in your bathroom are necessary at bedtime. This is now a top priority on the house search.

6. Wives don't like when brown rugs are put with white towels on hot in the washer.

7. Husbands eat A LOT!

8. Date nights are necessary.

9. Laugh. It's not ALL romance. ;)

10. Say I love you more than you think you should.


We've learned many more things in the past 6 months but who really wants to read them all but us.

I've told Daniel a few times now that marrying him was the easiest decision I ever made. There were no doubts about if we'll make it then. And that still stands true. I know 6 months seems like nothing especially when I think about 30 years from now and where we might be, but I also know that these moments are just as special. They are the beginning to forever. They are the stepping stones to the future.

I love you Daniel. Happy 6 months!

This Past Weeks Eats

I've added some recipes that were on our menu last week that we really liked. I was not meaning to turn this blog into a place with tons of recipes but it seems much easier when I'm searching for them to just pull them up on the blog. So I will probably continue to add them along with other little snippets of our life. A few new recipes on the menu this week as well. So stay tuned!

We had this Chicken Piccata tonight and really enjoyed it, we paired it with the carrot salad below which was also really yummy :) Adjustments....no capers!    

Chicken Piccata w/ Pasta & Mushrooms from Eating Well 

• 6 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 chicken cutlets (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons butter    

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in parsley, capers, butter and the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

 Carrot Salad from Country Living

• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon(s) honey
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
• Salt
• 1/4 pound(s) carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup(s) sliced dried apricots
• 3 small scallions, sliced

1. In a medium pan over low heat, cook lime juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, and red pepper until warm, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook carrots until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer carrots to a serving bowl.
3. Add dried apricots and scallions, then toss salad with warm honey-lime dressing. Sprinkle with lime zest. 

 I made these muffins for breakfast on the go for us a week or so ago and we really loved them! Adjustments... I reversed the all-purpose and the wheat flower since I'm not much on a total wheat taste with my pastries. I also used almonds instead of macadamia nuts

.

 Blueberry Coconut Macadamia Muffins from Eating Well website

• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
• 5 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Source) or whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine coconut, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, butter and coconut (or vanilla) extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add blueberries and the remaining 3 tablespoons nuts; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.
4. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes more before serving.

 I found a recipe from All Recipes a year or so ago and kept adapting and adapting it until it seemed pretty much perfect (to us) for chewy granola bars. It looks nothing like the original recipe but it was a good base to start. We LOVE these so much! I try to make a batch of these or some sort of muffins on Sunday (as well as the Earth Balls) for our breakfasts on the go for the week.

Granola Bar Recipe

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4cup honey
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts 
• 1/2 cup cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 325. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 for 9 minutes and then take out and press mixture into pan again. And then cook for another 10 minutes, press down in pan again when taking out of oven. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving. 

We had this side with some baked salmon the other night and we seemed to like it. Our only complain was too much lemon and garlic. I'd say half the garlic and I may even leave out the lemon juice altogether next time.

Quinoa Side Dish from All Recipes

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 dash fresh lemon juic

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.
2. In a bowl, toss quinoa together with garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and onion. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.

I made the mixture for these the other morning before I left for work (they stay together much better if they are cold when cooking) and popped them in the oven when I got home. As always a few little changes. Dry the beans with a towel after they are rinsed. I put mine in the kitchenaid mixer after to get them nice and mashed up. I increased the breadcrumbs by another 1/4 to 1/2 cup since I could tell the mixture was too mushy.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers from All Recipes

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. 

Weekend Update with Recipes

This past weekend Daniel & I headed into Athens to spend some time with our families. We got in Friday night and were exhausted so we just chatted with Daniel's parents and brother and headed off to bed.

But on Saturday morning my mother in law, momma and I got up and did some thrift shopping at some garage sales/estate sales/thrifty stores. We found a few good things which mainly included fabric for some upcoming projects but the day was mostly just fun because we got to spend it together. After shopping we met up with the guys and had a little Mexican dinner at  one of the O'Neal favorites, Mercados.

We made it back after a little more shopping after lunch and soon got started on dinner where my mother in law and I tried a new spaghetti sauce recipe that turned out quite yummy! As always there were a few changes since we just used what we had on hand being a last minute meal.

First off, we halved everything in this recipe. It makes a lot. We used ground beef instead of sausage. Added some bell pepper with the onions. Used stewed tomatoes (because it's what we had). Italian seasoning instead of just basil. No brown sugar. And simmered for about 30 minutes. And everyone seemed to like it. :) 

Jo Mama's World Famous Spaghetti 

• 1 small onion , chopped (optional) 
• 2 lbs. Italian sausage 
• 3 -4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups water (for a long period of simmering for flavors to meld. If you don't want to simmer it as long, add less)
• 3 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

1. In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir.
2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened.
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
5. Stir well and barely bring to a boil.
6. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour. A longer simmer makes for a better sauce.

Today we spend most of the day relaxing in Athens until Daniel and his Dad started working on trucks and chopping wood (such men, I love it :). Thanks to Daniel's parents we now have enough fire wood to last us through the winter. If we ever get one in Texas this year.

We made it back to Dallas and pulled into to our apartment and saw this little table just outside.Please excuse how frumpy our couch looks today, it needs a little fluffing.

But Daniel and I unloaded it (and all of our fire wood) from the truck and got the table all cleaned up to see it was from Pier 1, which means it was decently made and free. We'll take it! We weren't really looking/wanting a coffee table but it matched so nicely. We probably will sand it down (there are a few small chips in the wood on one side) and then re-finish it. But we like DIY projects around here, especially free ones.

We got settled back into the house and I started making manicotti, one of our favorite pasta dishes.
I use this recipe below and stick to it pretty closely. I do half the ricotta cheese and use fresh spinach and no parm cheese.

Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 6 1/2 cups Classico® Tomato and Basil Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (8 ounce) package manicotti shells

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, onion and egg. Season with parsley, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. In a separate bowl, stir together pasta sauce and water.
3. Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with ricotta mixture, and arrange in a single layer in the dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until noodles are soft.

Another recipe we tried earlier this week that we thought was AMAZING was Zucchini Rice Casserole! We left of the turkey sausage and kept it just a veggie meal and we used whole milk instead of low fat (we're whole milk drinkers at this house ;) We also used about half the cream cheese. We really LOVED this recipe! But I have to warn that it takes an incredible amount of time. I made it on a Sunday which was perfect. I wouldn't recommend it for weekdays.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups diced zucchini , and/or summer squash (about 1 pound)
• 2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese , (Neufchâtel)
• 1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pour rice into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini (and/or squash), bell peppers, onion and salt. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups Jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Jack cheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole. Top with jalapeños.
6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

I think those are all the 'new' recipes that were tried for dinner this week. Although, the manicotti isn't new. This week we have a few new recipes on the menu so we looking for them soon! Hope everyone has had a Happy Sunday!

Recent Recipes

We're always cooking something up in our kitchen. We TRY our hardest to keep it healthy although slip ups happen from time to time. :)

I've added a few of the recipes we've tried recently and have enjoyed.

First off, I had seen the recipe for Earth Balls a while back on another blog and then when my friend Erin posted the recipe for them again recently I figured I needed to make up a batch and see what all the fuss was about. I like to think of them as a great little energy snack! The only change that I made to the recipe was to leave out the raisins and add in pecans.

 Earth Balls

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey OR maple syrup (I prefer honey)

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

 

Mix peanut butter, honey OR syrup and cocoa powder with mixer

Stir in raisins and half of the coconut

Chill for 1 hour, in separate bowl mix coconut and sunflower seeds together

Roll batter into small balls, then roll into coconut and sunflower seed

Keep chilled until you eat them

 

 

Any easy meal to make in the week that I got off of the Eating Well website is this recipe for Black Bean Quesadillas. Both Daniel and I really enjoyed these. We try to have two to three meatless dinners a week and this is an easy recipe to use. The only thing I changed was not using the oil.

 

Black Bean Quesadillas 

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, preferably pepper Jack

1/2 cup salsa

4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1 ripe avocado, diced

 

Combine beans, cheese and 1/4 cup salsa in a medium bowl. Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread 1/2 cup filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes total. Serve the quesadillas with avocado and the remaining salsa.

 

 

 This Pasta recipe below was also taken from Eating Well. I love Eating Well, Cooking Light & All Recipes websites since they list all of the nutrition facts and I can see exactly that is is I'm feeding us. Anyway, we really liked this pasta because it was so light. I find that "cream" pasta sauces are always too much/too rich for my taste. Daniel doesn't much care for them either. I made a few changes to the recipe. I added a little more whole wheat pasta (about 10oz), green bell pepper instead of red (but only because they were on sell at the farmer's market), I halved the amount of yogurt, and no pine nuts. The only thing I will do differently next time is leave out the peas and add in either some mushrooms or perhaps squash. We aren't pea lovers.

Creamy Garlic Pasta w/ Shrimp & Vegetables 

6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

12 ounces peeled and deveined raw shrimp (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip; optional)

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook 2 minutes less than package directions. Add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, 2 to 4 minutes more. Drain well. Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).

 

 

There's nothing like a good stew in the crockpot! This is what we ate tonight with some cornbread! Delicious! I love making things that we both grew up eating (soups, stews, casseroles and such). I'm always working on finding a healthier way for us to do this though. Try finding casserole's without 'cream of something' soup in them. It's not an easy task. Anyway back to my point, this recipe uses spices from around the kitchen to go into the stew which makes me happy since I'm not a fan of buying the little stew/gravy/taco seasoning packet's. It turned out amazing! I always love something I can leave to cook while we are away enjoying our weekend! The only change made was using veggie broth instead of beef.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew 

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

3 potatoes, diced

4 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

  

Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery. 

Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

 

 

This Quinoa & Black Bean recipe has quickly become a favorite over the past few months in our home. It's another one of our meatless meals. We started replacing all of our meals that had called for rice with quinoa about that time after we did a little research on all health benefits of quinoa. Quinoa is a complete protein which is hard to find in plants and grains. There are MANY great things about it, I'd encourage you to do a little google search. :) It is more expensive than rice but I like to think of it as being "the meat" in your meal since it's a complete protein. Anyway.. we love this recipe! We eat it as the main dish instead of a side. We typically trade the frozen corn for fresh and use only one can of black beans.

 

Quinoa & Black Beans

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans

  

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, 

Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

And the last recipe I'm gonna share for now is a new oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Sweet tooth is my middle name. And these are my favorite kind of cookies! I always change something with a recipe. Daniel always points out that I never just leave a recipe alone. I just like to add a little something extra to it. ;) With that said.... I used applesauce in place of the butter to take out a little of the fat. I halved the amount of sugar. And I used dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet. They turned out great and I'm glad I took out a little of the bad because they seemed to fly off the counter.

 

 Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chip

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. 

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

 

Like I have said, something is always cooking in the kitchen so I will try to post new recipes we try and like every couple weeks. Feel free to give them a try, they're O'Neal approved. :)

 

 

New Year, New Resolutions

I may be a couple weeks late on posting my resolutions for the new year but I want to put them in writing somewhere.

Church. Daniel and I have still yet to find a church here we like. We tried another one this past Sunday and it was just not a place we could see going back to. This seems to be the theme of our church going experiences lately. We have a few left that are close to home to try out so please say a quick prayer for us that we find our church home this coming year.

10k. We have had a membership at the YMCA here since October and have done a pretty good job at going consistently but I felt like I was up for a little bit of a physical challenge. I didn't want to commit to more than a 10k just yet, we will see how this first one goes. :)

CASA. I start my Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) training on the 18th of this month. If you've never heard of CASA, it's an organization that helps children who have been abused and neglected find the best environment for them to thrive in. As a CASA volunteer, I will be helping represent children and speaking up for them in courtrooms to get their needs met. I heard about this organization a couple years ago and have been wanting to become a volunteer since then. I'm so eager, nervous and anxious to begin. So my resolution is to do my best to help find these children the very best home.

Beach Vacation. Daniel and I have made a resolution to take at least two trips each year. One big trip and at least one weekend trip. We have decided that a beach vacation should always be in there somewhere.  That seems like the easiest resolution ever. :)

Here's to hoping that a year from now I will be able to cross all these things off of my "to-do list".

I could have..

I could have written this post over four months ago but the truth is, I've been enjoying being with my husband entirely too much to worry about a blog.

We have settled into married life quite nicely and to say we love it is an understatement. There is nothing like spending everyday with your very best friend.

I don't have a lot to say in this particular post, I just wanted to share a few wedding photos. Most have already seen them, but these are some of the ones that I enjoy looking at. It is no where near ALL of the ones I love, since there are over 500 photos from the wedding it's hard not to have lots of favorites.


Stay tuned. Hopefully there will be more updates and posts on here shortly. There are lots of things that need to be changed/updated on this blog. After all, it is no longer just Victoria-ville. :) I'm taking suggestions for blog name changes!

Church Fail

So Daniel and I have been searching for a church home in the Dallas area now that we are all settled and that task has proved to be quite difficult. Perhaps it's because we attended the best church in the world, Cross Timbers in Denton. Boy do I feel dumb for not going absolutely EVERY Sunday no matter what and getting even more involved.

The church we tried last week reminded us a lot of church back home. Spending a lot of time talking about how you must be saved and how to prepare for life after this world. I know this is a big part of it. But when you already are saved you're ready to go out and help others. It was also the way the sermon was presented. We also went to the early service and might perhaps try the contemporary service and give it another go.

This weekend we tried another church. One that I had attended once years ago when I first moved to Denton. From the moment we stepped in the door I felt overwhelmed and got a sick feeling in my tummy. We found our seats in the 'ampitheater' I felt like I was at an opera house or a concert hall. And I could have been ok with that but I just felt uncomfortable. The worship began. Which is something I always look forward to. Then the singer belted out a Christina Aguilera song. I'm all about contemporary service and music but come on. Once the song was over the lead pastor stepped on stage and began to talk. Something about him just gave me a bad feeling in my gut. Another song started up and about halfway through I looked at Daniel with a wrinkled nose and my 'this is painful' face. He did the ole head turn to the door. I did a head nod 'yes' and we walked out before the worship was even over. As we walked through the doors Daniel said, "Thank you." And I said, "No problem. Sorry for making you dress up for nothing."

Maybe some will say we judged this church too soon and that we should have stuck it out. But our gut feeling was that we had to get out as soon as possible and an hour later would have been too long.

So our search continues for a 'Cross Timber-esque' church.

If you are currently at a church you love or know of one in the Dallas area, we'll take all the help we can get. :)