The Perfect French Toast

On this beautiful Sunday morning my little cherubs wanted french toast and sausage for breakfast. Well, technically The Sponge actually wanted french toast sticks like she gets at the sitter's before school, but I make mine I don't buy them. I like french toast, but I hate making them because of the yucky, gloppy egg white factor. You know, the part that doesn't come apart it just moves around your dish like slime and cooks onto your french toast like a fried egg. It grosses me out! So this morning it hit me, make it in the blender.

DUH!

 

I always add cinnamon to my recipe and it usually tends to clump so this problem would be solved as well. Why had it taken me so long to figure this out? So, this morning we had perfect french toast. :)

Perfectly blended french toast goodness!

I use my pizza cutter to easily make sticks.
Hulk loves Spiderman!

My kids like to dunk everything so instead of drizzling the maple syrup
over the french toast I put the syrup into silicon cupcake liners
that my mother-in-law gave me. (Thanks Lisa!)

This is the recipe that I used today. It made 7 wide loaf pieces of french toast. (There were leftovers for a quick before school breakfast later on this week for Hulk). I'm sure if you used the regular sized bread it would easily make 10.

4 large eggs (I use Eggland's Best...yes, I really do think they taste better)
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
7-10 slices of bread (depending on the size of your slices)
Real Maple Syrup - no imitations please! (optional)

Put all of the ingredients into the blender and blend on low a few seconds just until all of the ingredients are fully blended and pour into pie dish (or other shallow dish). If you have a fluffier, less dense bread then your bread will only need a quick dunk into the eggs, otherwise let them set in the mixture for a few seconds to soak up the cinnamon-y goodness. Cook over medium heat until beautifully golden brown on each side.

Whenever I make french toast I always pull out the family-sized griddle that we got as a wedding gift. You can make them all in one or two batches this way.

Enjoy!

Spring into Fall Challenge!

Starting today, September 1, I am hosting a fitness challenge on my C Mommy Go facebook page. This challenge includes jumping rope, planking, and drinking your water for the day. There is always lots of support from the other members in the challenge and an amazing sense of community. Please stop by and check it out, and if you are interested in gettin' fit with us just click the join button and grab your jump rope! Don't forget to print off the calendar to keep track of your progress and see the guidelines for each day. I hope to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/CMommyGo?ref=hl#!/events/355348924540556/

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes...failure and success!

The only pancakes that I like are chocolate chip pancakes. I like them straight from the fridge so they are cold and then they taste just like a chocolate chip cookie. I. Love. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. Pancakes, not so much though. However, my kids and my husband love them so I end up making them pretty frequently. As I was surfing through facebook the other day I came across a pancake recipe that included only two ingredients so I knew that I had to try them. Those two ingredients were bananas and eggs. I was a little skeptical on how these would turn out because I was worried about the texture and the crazy banana flavor. I love me a perfectly riped banana and some delicious banana bread, but that's about how far my love of bananas goes. But, I gave them a shot. The hulk helped me mash the banana and mix the eggs in. I sprayed my pan, poured in some batter, and prayed. My hint to you if you make these is to make small pancakes so they are easier to flip since they are a little flimsier than your traditional pancake. Anyways, I knew that these wouldn't be up my alley and I wasn't sure if  the kids would like them or not so I only made 2 pancakes to try them out. Why cook them all up if nobody would eat them? So, I served up the pancakes and tried not be too obvious as I stared at them while they tried them.

Only 2 ingredients

Mashed and Mixed

Finished product

The Sponge immediately spit hers out and said that she only liked chocolate chip pancakes (where did she get that from?!?!) and then I watched Hulk take a bite and then immediately spit it out as well. Obviously this was not for them either. However, knowing that I would probably write about this I knew that I had to try them myself. So, I braced myself and took a bite. Well, they tasted like a  banana omelet with a pancake texture. So, if you're looking for something new and healthy to try for breakfast and you love banana flavored foods then I'd say these would probably be worth trying. They just weren't for us. That being said, if you aren't that adventurous do what I did and turn that banana and eggs into a delicious banana and chocolate chip recipe. :)

Since finding this recipe for pancakes on pinterest it has been my base recipe for many different flavors (hmm...future posts!). This recipe cooked the way it is written is amazing as well. However, since I was trying to make a healthier banana pancake recipe this morning I decided to lighten the recipe up a bit as well.

Two thumbs up!!!

Makes approximately 14 pancakes

Recipe:

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 whole eggs or 3 egg whites

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or flour of your choice)

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 scant tsp salt

2 tsp truvia sugar substitute

1 1/4 cups skim milk

1/3 - 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips depending on taste

Mix all ingredients until well combined. There will be lumps. Use 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure and pour batter onto oil sprayed frying pan over medium heat. Look for bubbles, flip. You can serve with whatever toppings you desire. We just eat them plain because they are so good on their own!



Hulk loves pancakes- they are probably his favorite food!

Today's lesson: don't be afraid to try something new because even if it is a failure initially, you can turn it into a success!

Cauliflower Mac-n-Cheese

On my quest to be more fit I am trying to remake recipes and dishes that my family and I love so that they are healthier. I not only want to be healthier myself, but I want my whole family to love and seek out foods that fuel their bodies and make them feel good. Mac-n-cheese is one of those comfort foods that everyone just loves so I knew that I needed to find a healthier way to prepare this dish. Cauliflower is a food that we had eaten in the past but it has started to take alternate forms in our home recently. (See the cauliflower pizza crust.) This time the cauliflower is replacing elbow macaroni in a traditional mac-n-cheese recipe and I have lightened up the cheese sauce as well. My kids overall like cauliflower if it has melted cheese on it (in the past the cheese had been American or Velveeta) so I hoped this would be a new favorite.

Cauliflower cut into small florets after it's been blanched.

Hot out of the oven!

Plated up and ready to eat :)

I was right. Everyone ate it up and this is a recipe that I will be making again. One change that I might make in the future to add some protein is to add 1/2 cup of pureed chick peas to the cheese sauce. I was going to do this but at the last minute realized that I didn't have any in the pantry, but I will be trying that next time.


Recipe:

1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
salt and white pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups low fat sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pureed chick peas, drained and rinsed (optional)
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put cauliflower florets into a pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, drain thoroughly then put in casserole oven-safe dish

Mix skim milk, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and white pepper in small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Add cheddar and mozzarella cheeses (minus enough to sprinkle on the top at the end) stirring in figure 8 motion until cheese is melted. Add chick peas at this time if you are using them and stir until they have warmed through. Turn off the burner then add Greek yogurt to mixture until it is fully incorporated. Taste test the sauce to make sure you don't need to add any more seasoning for your taste.

Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and stir until fully coated. Sprinkle reserved cheddar cheese on the top and bake for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly brown.


Allow to cool slightly and enjoy! I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as mine did.

Roasted Chickpeas 10 Ways

It's been said that losing weight is 70% diet and 30% exercise. Snacking between meals can easily make or break your diet, depending on if you're doing it right.

My sister-in-law Leigh Anne recently posted a healthy snack that she made on facebook and since then I've been hearing more and more about roasted chickpeas. On my Internet search I discovered that the sky's the limit when it comes to seasonings so I pinned my top ten on my pinterest board and decided to make some for an upcoming party with friends.

I made recipe number 1 below: Parmesan Cheese Roasted Chickpeas. The changes that I made are as follows: 1- I put the chickpeas in the oven dry (no oil or seasonings- I put those on after they came out of the oven; 2- cook them longer so they are crunchier-the crunchier the better! ; 3- add a little bit of garlic powder for flavor too)
TIP: Do not put these in a sealed container as the chickpeas will become moist and lose their crunch - learned this one the hard way :)

My own photo got deleted so I stole borrowed this one from the Parmesan Cheese website :)

Side note: Thinking about the healthy aspects of the chickpea, I found this website with a wealth of information on the topic.

These are my Top 10 Roasted Chickpea Recipes (and I plan on trying each one)

*1- Kid-friendly Parmesan Cheese Roasted Chickpeas

*2- Sweet Roasted Chickpeas with brown sugar and cinnamon

*3- Roasted Curried Chickpeas


*4- Garlicky Roasted Chickpeas with Feta, Mint, and Lemon (I personally will leave out the mint-personal preference)


*5- Roasted Pimenton Chickpeas (uses paprika)


*6- Italian Style Balsamic Roasted Chickpeas


*7- Taco-style Chickpeas


*8- Cocoa Chickpeas


*9- Buffalo Style Roasted Chickpeas


*10- Use your favorite spices- great step-by-step picture tutorial




Snack-on folks! :)

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies

I. Love. Cookies.

Eating cookies and being on a diet typically do not go very well together so when I found this recipe for flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I had to try them. These were extremely easy to make and were a huge hit with the kids and hubby (I ate a few myself). I froze half of the batch and they came out of the freezer just as good as when they went in it. I got the recipe from http://www.ireallylikefood.com/764528172/flourless-peanut-butter-and-chocolate-chip-cookies/. I just added 1 tablespoon less of each sugar and used only 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and they turned out great! The adapted recipe is listed below.





Oven-ready!



Yumm-o!

Flourless Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 16 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp of white sugar
• 1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp of loosely packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the peanut butter, sugars, egg, baking soda, and vanilla together in a bowl; mix until well combined. Add most of the chocolate chips then mix. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the dough is easier to handle.

Place spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheet then top each cookie with the additional chocolate chips. (I like to use a small ice cream scoop-no mess, no fuss.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then carefully place them onto a cooling rack to cool. Cool completely before eating. If you want to freeze the cookies wait until completely cool then seal in a plastic freezer bag.

Printable recipe here

Cauliflower Crusted Cheese Pizza :)

I was absolutely starving today after I put the kids down for their naps (I usually eat lunch during their nap time, it's just easier.) So, instead of pillaging my cupboards like a crazy lunatic I decided to look for inspiration on my Pinterest page. I had found this cauliflower crust pizza a while ago but was intimidated by it for some reason. (Maybe I just didn't want to drag the food processor out of my basement.) Anyways, this was very easy and quick to make (I didn't even have to have a snack to hold me over until it was finished). I may even make it again for dinner tonight...yes, it was that good. On these hot summer days I don't even like to think about turning on my oven so I made mine in my toaster oven and it turned out great. I did learn one very valuable lesson though through this process. ALWAYS spray your foil before you put your crust on it. I just hope that I didn't eat any foil as I peeled the pizza off and ate it with a fork. :)





The yummy cauliflower crust before it went into the toaster oven.



All done! (I left mine in a little too long.)

Recipe for crust:

1 cup of riced cauliflower (see instructions below)
1 cup of reduced fat mozzarella cheese
3 Tbs liquid egg whites (or 1 large egg)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (if desired) and SPRAY with oil.

Mix cauliflower, cheese, and egg together in your bowl. The cheese will get all melty and yummy. Then add oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and combine thoroughly. Your mixture will come together to resemble a traditional dough. If you find that you have excess moisture like I did, simply squeeze it out with your hands.

Press cauliflower mixture onto foil/parchment paper until it is about 1/2 inch thick then spray/brush with extra virgin olive oil to promote browning. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Add pizza sauce, cheese, and precooked toppings of your choice and broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown.

Enjoy!

How to rice the cauliflower:
*Grate enough cauliflower to measure one cup with hand grater (or you can chop the cauliflower into chunks-not too much stem-and pulse it in your food processor until it looks like rice-do not puree it)
*Put cauliflower in microwave safe dish and cook on high for 2 1/2 - 4 minutes depending on your microwave (I did 2 1/2 minutes with my 1100 W microwave). Do not add water or you'll just have to drain it out later (personal experience again).


This is a recipe that you really must try, you will not regret it! Happy/healthy eating :)


Here's a printable version if you'd like it.



**Updated:**
The recipe above makes enough pizza for about an individual portion size. I recently made the pizza for a larger group and made 2 round pizza pans and a large rectangle pizza and it was a hit!
Below is the adjusted recipe that I used for 1 large round pizza pan.

* 3 cups of riced cauliflower-microwave for approximately 8 minutes or until soft
* 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites
* 2 cups shredded reduced fat mozzarella
* 1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
* 1/8 + 1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil to coat dough 

(I didn't have onion powder, but if I had I would have added 1/4 tsp)