Breakfast for Wine Weekend Part 2

Because I don't plan on stopping till I get enough, we need to start each morning out with a wholesome filling breakfast.  The number of wineries located on Seneca Lake are ridiculous (I believe there are over 70!), and I can't quit after the second one because I didn't eat enough in the morning.  

My days at work have been filled with not only actually doing my job, but picking out the very best and tasty recipes for next weekend's jaunt.

After one morning of cheesecake pancakes (please see yesterday's post), another filling (and not so healthy treat) would be stuffed french toast.  Just when french toast couldn't get yummier, you stuff it with Nutella, bananas, or strawberries and your life has changed for the better.  

Nutella Stuffed French Toast ( I apologize no picture -but we haven't made it yet!)

Ingredients:
2 slices of bread
* nutella
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Spread nutella on one slice of bread and make a sandwich.
2. Mix the egg, milk, vanilla and salt.
3. Dip both sides of the sandwich into the egg mixture.
4. Melt the butter in a pan.
5. Cook the sandwich in the pan until it is golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.
6. Top with powdered sugar.

Easy peasy. 

What else can you stuff into French Toast? 

From Mama Seasonings

1 Loaf, day old, french bread (Challah bread is divine too)
Butter to coat pan

1 16 oz pkg of Marscarpone Cheese (or cream cheese)
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tiny pinch of salt

6-8 Eggs
1/4 c Milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Powdered Sugar
Berry Mixture (optional)
Vanilla Ice cream (optional)

Let cheese come to room temperature. With a spatula, mix together cheese, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Next whisk eggs and add milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. Whisk a little more until a froth, or bubbles, begins to form and all ingredients are combined thoroughly.

Slice bread, on the diagonal for a nicer presentation, about 2-2 1/2" thick. Cut a small slit 3/4 of the way through the bread and about 2" wide. With a butter knife, take about 1 T of the cheese mixture and spread evenly inside bread.

Heat skillet to Medium heat and add butter.
Dredge bread in egg mixture on both sides evenly and place in pan. Cook until the bread is a light golden color.

Serve with fresh berries and sift powdered sugar on top. For a dessert treat, serve warm with Vanilla Ice cream and/or Chocolate sauce.
 

This recipe seems easy enough for me, and definitely falls into the Desserty breakfast category.

Counting down the days till these are in my belly!  

Have a great weekend!!

 

Menu Planning Take 452

Our favorite line when Little asks for something: "You going to pay for that with your good looks?" Sometimes, we go out to eat, but if we went out as often as Little asks, we would be in debt to Applebees. Menu Planning allows us to work with our budget, and to plan some fun meals.

This week's Menu(What's left of the week!):
Slow Cooked Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Baja Egg Sandwich with Avocado
Mashed Avocado Sandwich

Raspberry and Hazelnut Bars

I will end this post with I love avocado. I am obsessed. If my husband comments on this post, he will verify. Gone off the deep end with avocado talk.  

Please find me a couple to snack with

Not that I am lonely, but two is always better than one.  When it comes to snacking I mean.

Two snacks are always more endearing than one - and what if they hardly added calories to your diet? Even better!  What can you add to your tasty cold ice cream to make it even more delicious?!

Breyers, when on sale (because I refuse to pay 4.99 for anything that will go straight to my hips, but I will let it go for 1.99, compliments my evenings.  I am always drawn to the "bad" ice creams - the ones with all the glitz and glam.  I like chopped nuts, broken cookies, crumbs, and drizzle in my ice cream.  None of this plain crap.  BUT wait.

Breyer's Double Churn Fat Free Ice cream mixed with Reddi Whip Fat free - for under 100 calories, I can afford to toss an oreo (reduced fat) in there and make my own blender.

What about Breyer's Loaded Cookie and Cream ice cream and strawberry jam/sugar free? Have you tried this combo? What are you waiting for????

What about floats? I haven't had one in ages...and I am getting the hankering...but all that carbination....burp central. What if a Dr.Pepper float? Let's try Fat free low sugar garbage Dr. Pepper and Breyer's Slow Churn light and creamy vanilla.


I have snacks on the brain....and that's all I can think of now - anything and everything having to do with ice cream :)

The Countdown has begun!

 It is less than 30 days till I am 30! I couldn't be happier how I am celebrating :)  With a few close friends/family, we are renting a house in the Finger Lakes for a long weekend and enjoying great company and tasty wines for four days. 

To help prepare for the weekend, I am starting to think about what good eats we will have. Since we planned out a few quick recipes, I figured I would showcase them to you, my loving reader. 

Breakfast in Your Belly #1

My loving husband is making breakfast every morning.  These are the items he plans on tackling! Yum YUM. 

Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes

1	package (8 oz) cream cheese
2	cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/2	cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4	cup sugar
1	cup milk
2	eggs

Strawberry Syrup

1	cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2	cup strawberry syrup for pancakes

This is the easier version, because Mr. actually makes his own pancake mix (I haven't a clue). 

1. 1 Slice cream cheese lengthwise into four pieces. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight.
2. 2 Brush griddle or skillet with vegetable oil, or spray with cooking spray; heat griddle to 375°F or heat skillet over medium heat.
3. 3 Cut cream cheese into bite-size pieces; set aside. In large bowl, stir Bisquick mix, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, milk and eggs with whisk or fork until blended. Stir in cream cheese.
4. 4 For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook until edges are dry. Turn; cook other sides until golden brown.
5. 5 In small bowl, mix strawberries and syrup; top pancakes with strawberry mixture.

I just can NOT wait to have these next week! Please stay tuned tomorrow for another recipe!

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Tofu Recipe - really?

Fettuccine Hungry Chick-fredo

In honor of Fettuccine Alfredo, I scoured the websites of the world to find a dish that is suitably and diet friendly.  How I love Italian food, but I don't love the wide waist it leaves behind.  Hungry Girl's whipped up yet another delicious and completely guilt-free Alfredo dish. A heaping bowl of creamy pasta with chicken has less than one-fifth the amount of calories of Macaroni Grill's version.

Check it out:

Ingredients:

1 package House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles, Fettuccine Shape**

1 wedge The Laughing Cow cheese, Light Original Swiss  (I can't say enough good things!)

2 tsp. fat-free sour cream

2 tsp. reduced fat grated parmesan cheese

5 oz. skinless chicken breast; grilled with nonstick spray only
Optional: salt, pepper, and paprika


Directions:

Drain and rinse noodles well. Dry noodles thoroughly (use paper towels to soak up as much moisture as possible) and use a knife to slice them up a bit. Next, top noodles with both cheeses and fat-free sour cream, then microwave for one minute. Stir and microwave for one additional minute. Slice up chicken breast and add to pasta. For added zing, season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Enjoy!

Serving Size: Entire recipe

Calories: 259

This recipe was found on Hungry Girl's website - please visit for more yummy recipes!

Thank you on a sour note

Thank you husband for the breakfast in bed. Thank you for waking me up with my favorite egg meal - "Eggy in a hole" (heart-shaped), and saying Happy Mother's Day, though I have not carried a child for nine months. Thank you for recognizing that this holiday isn't just about the actual mother, but also those that care for the child day to day.

Thank you for the one good part of my day......because after I snarfed down my breakfast, my day turned from good to crap.....so thank you for the one and only highlight. (I will not get into my sour moments and will resist the urge to be Debbie Downer).

Happy Mother's Day to all  -but I am glad it is over. Let's get back to real life.

Pineapple Pun Insertion

Wit has escaped me. I am mourning summer. I miss it. I need it. Where is the warm sun? Where is my tan? Where is the cool summer breeze? Oh yeah. Pity party. Party of one. I need something to get me through the next few months of winter/spring, because I will be happy when June hits :)

Till then, I hope my diet can convince my mind it's summer time. I already have had a few margaritas in my system last week - and that is strictly a summer drink. Oh well! Speaking of which, I had SkinnyBee Margaritas. Oh. My. Goodness. I don't have words for how smooth it was - sooooo unbelieveably yummy. It only has 100 calories per drink, and considering most margarita mixes are between 400-800 calories, you can pack away at least 4! The drink is made with Hornitos Reposado 100 percent Agave tequila and Applebee's SkinnyBee mix. I found a website from associated content, that wrote out the ingredients of this fab drink. 


"Applebee's Skinny Bee Margarita copy cat recipe: To make a skinny margarita at home, use lime Perrier mineral water or lime sparkling water and mix with the juice of two limes, a shot of tequila and ice."
I will be testing this out soon!!


OK. back to the task at hand. Bringing back summer. Trader Joe's is supposely opening less than five minutes away from my house -and if that rumor turns true. There will be a celebration! I love their Pineapple Salsa. Pair that with chicken - and yum yum yum in my tum.

Image taken from artnet.com

What else can be paired with this delicious goodness?  Tortilla chips of course!  But let's think out of the box....any suggestions?

Tofu Thoughts Round 2

It is clear that the first round of tofu talk, my heart gave out. Instead of mentioning menu options - it was more my own soapbox. I will put that aside, and discuss tofu. My first thought is ew. EWW. But then, I started looking into recipes -and they actually seemed appetizing. It seems so immature of me, but I just don't know how I feel about mushy or firm foods.

Tofu Shirataki. This is the lastest item that I need to locate in my food store (ShopRite). I found some really fantastic recipes. 

Hungry Girl Suggests this recipe:
Fettuccine Explosion
Ingredients:
1 package House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodle Substitute
1/2 cup small broccoli florets
1/2 cup red pepper chunks
1/2 cup large zucchini chunks
1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
2 tsp. reduced-fat grated parmesan-style topping
salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: garlic powder, chili powder

Directions:
Place all the veggies in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl with 2 tbsp. of water. Cover bowl and microwave for 2 - 3 minutes (until veggies are fully steamed and tender). Drain water and set aside.

Drain and rinse noodles well. Dry noodles thoroughly (use paper towels to soak up as much moisture as possible), and then use a knife or kitchen shears to slice them up a bit. Next, place noodles in a microwave-safe bowl, and top them with the cheese wedge, sour cream, and parm topping. Then microwave for one minute.

Stir well, and then microwave for one additional minute. Mix in the veggies, and season well with salt and pepper. If you like, add some garlic powder and/or chili powder. Enjoy!!

MAKES 1 SERVING

You get the lowest calorie count, and WW points with these little noodle fakes. I feel like this week, when I am doing my food shopping, perhaps I will pick some up. I'll keep you posted how it goes!

Cheddary Love

Red Lobster. Fond memories of scarfing my face with the Cheddar biscuits as a kid.  This past weekend, I had a hankering for coconut shrimp -and my husband really wanted to go out to eat.  We went through our gift card envelope, and found one for Red Lobster. My heart immediately skipped. I hadn't visited this restaurant in year and years, and I couldn't wait to feast on the cheddary goodness. Mr. had no idea what to expect - he only went to the restaurant once when he was a teenager.
Now, I am not saying this is the best chain restaurant - not by a long shot.  But when you have your mind set on something, it is very difficult to make healthy choices. And I had my mind set on cheddar biscuits and coconut shrimp. 

I ordered not only coconut shrimp for my main meal, but gorged on about three or four cheddar biscuits.  I also ordered a margarita so large - I could have stuck my entire face in it. No joke.  In fact, after we ate, we had to run some errands, I found myself dragging my feet around the store....slurring my words and whining. Well - maybe I wasn't that bad. But it wasn't my shining moment.

Fast forward to Sunday evening.  I still really wanted the biscuits I stuffed my face with only the day before.  Since we used our only means of eating out (gift cards), there was no way we were going back to Red Lobster.  I flipped through my homemade cookbook, and found a recipe for cheddar bread.
Score!!
Thankfully, my husband likes to make dinner - and he takes kindly to suggestions.  He whipped these up in no time! He kept saying throughout dinner how easy it was, and he couldn't believe he made his own biscuits.  So proud!

Give the recipe a try! 

Almost Famous Cheddar Biscuits

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 tablespoon cold unsalted butter,
cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 ounces grated yellow cheddar cheese
3/4 cup whole milk

For the Garlic Butter
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425.  Lightly mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Make the biscuits; Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor.  Add the shortening and pulse until comvined.  Add the butter; pulse 4 or 5 times, or until teh butter s in pea size pieces.  Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together.  Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.

3. Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in scant 1/4 cup portions, 2 inches apar, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the garlic butter.  Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.  Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.   

Enjoy!


 

Happy Birthday weekend!

Just wanted to say Happy 30th Birthday to my best friend~ Love you Julie!

Currently, my bff and her hubby are in Africa on a mission trip.  Mr. and I were lucky enough to see them off in September! 

 I'm so happy for her and all the new experiences she is gaining, and the peoples' lives she is changing.  

Hope you have an amazing day and wish you all the love in the world!  

Can't wait to see you in June!

Wear my Reads

After writing my lesson plans and updating my classroom website, I decided to do a little online browsing....

I decided when I teach this book, this is what I will be rocking!

I not only love the book, but I love the color!  My students can expect me to order lots more from this website Out of Print.  Check it out!  The last day of school, I may rock William Golding's wear - who doesn't want to be reminded what boys will do when they are stuck on an island with no adults??

Read and wear it!

Cake Pops

After Christmas and the book hub bub of the holidays, I have so much to write about but I feel like not enough time.  My aunt made Cake pops  for Halloween, and they came out so stinking cute! Halloween,  you might ask?! Is she really posting about Halloween NOW? In January?  Is she off her rocker?   Yes...I might be....
But Cake pops. Back to business.  They are the cutest thing.  Now there is a whole book dedicated to these little perfect desserts.  I realize that the cookbook has been out for awhile, but I was just able to get my hands on the written word...and my my my. I have fallen in love with yet again, another book.

Here is what my aunt made for our Halloween party a few months ago.  Didn't they come out great?  She used sand pails to stick the pops in - and it made a fantastic center piece....

Perhaps next Halloween I will post about our great ideas around the general month of the holidays....till then - perhaps this will hold you over.   Till then, sink your teeth into these cutie petuties - and imagine what Valentine's Day cake pops you can make!  Or would you believe these are Valentine's Day cake pops - just made by someone who is jaded and hates the pink and white holiday?  Maybe they felt orange and black matched their mood better? (no...you're not buyin it...)

Date Night Rejuvenated

How predictable am I? My first few posts of the year are typically about what I would like to accomplish....lose...create...find...restore..read..so on and so on.
If I was to list all of my 2011 goals, it would be overwhelming not only for me to type but for the reader (you my little darlings) as well! And since I am not here to torture you, I decided to spare you the nitty gritty and get on with my life/year.

One goal I  WOULD like to mention is  Date Night (and I definitely  am not referring to the movie..thought it was good).  Before the vow exchange, Mr. and I would go on "dates" every month.  Not just your movie and dinner date (we had those too), but like an actual planned out date - whether it was to a bed and breakfast, musuem, scavenger hunt, bird watching - we had actual legit dates.  It was fantastic and romantic.  Then we got married....dunt dunt dun.  That seriously seemed like the end all and be all of our fun times. Who knew?!

2011. Let that be our year to reconnect (Are you there B? It's me, your wife).  I would like to bring back the inventive date nights/days/weekends.  If that means we will have to say no to some other plans, or not attend every practice or game, or not tutor as much - then so be it!  I can handle that - and I think the people around us can handle it too.

According to a recent study, just the plain ole' dinner and a movie isn't enough anymore to keep marriages sparkling.    According to NY Times, "Rather than visiting the same familiar haunts and dining with the same old friends, couples need to tailor their date nights around new and different activities that they both enjoy, says Arthur Aron, a professor of social psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The goal is to find ways to keep injecting novelty into the relationship. The activity can be as simple as trying a new restaurant or something a little more unusual or thrilling — like taking an art class or going to an amusement park."

I think we can handle that....I'm going to put my thinking  headband on (I like to wear it like Rambo), and brainstorm neat-o things to do in January....and Mr. can plan for February !! (hint hint!)

52 weeks of baking...or just 51

As previously stated in other posts, I decided last year that completely ONE single resolution wasn't enough for me (seriously what was I thinking?!). I wanted to come up with monthly goals, and this year I came up with goals that involved the number 3 (because really, who doesn't like a theme?).  In addition to those goals, I came up with something else that may not help me lose weight....but will definitely make our tummies happy!

There are so many recipes that I would like to try so I decided as part of my New Year's resolution I would bake once a week.  Sundays maybe?  But seeing that I already passed the FIRST SUNDAY of the year, I am one step behind.....I hope this isn't a look into things to come for the year!  I have a few days to figure out something to bake.......so many delicious recipes to try!

Goals for 30

I almost want to laugh, to keep myself from crying - when I look back at my goals for the previous year. I don't think I could have done anything LESS towards those goals.... That really isn't totally true - I have definitely stayed on task with sticking to a cleaning schedule (something I pride myself on). But, other than cleaning - I didn't do anything else!

 This year, I will 30. The big 3-0. What does that entail?  That means that I would like to set the 30 Change.  I made that up - haha. but I would like to:

1. Lose: 30 pounds
2. Try: 30 new things
3. Watch: 30 movies
4. Read: 30 books
5. Complete the 30 day challenge by Jillian Michaels
6. Cut down 3 credit cards debts
7. Go on 30 dates :)  (with my husband of course)
8. Run: 3 miles (that doesn't sound like a lot to most people - but I can't run down my driveway right now!)
9. Create: 30 crafts

Since I have 6 months, I figure all of this is pretty reasonable.  I like my list because it is divisible by 3. This isn't a list like "Oh my goodness, I'm turning 30 and my life is over. I'm official OLD." It's more like I love lists and due dates.  I also want to feel like I achieved something.