Low-Fat Choco Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while! The last week and the next two weeks are so crazy for me with a conference and out-of-state travels to visit family! But for now, it’s time for me to tell you about this awesome smoothie I have been making!

The name of this recipe is quite a mouthful, isn’t it?! I probably could have thought of something shorter and more creative, but I’m too dang tired! I had a craving for a smoothie the other day, but I didn’t want my usual fruit smoothie. I wanted something chocolatey, more like a milkshake, but without all the fat and sugar. And though my husband (the milkshake connoisseur) would disagree, I think this is a great substitute for a milkshake. This smoothie is rich and filling because of the peanut butter and banana. Not only is this smoothie low in fat, but it also low in sugar if you use the natural peanut butter.

Low-Fat Choco Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

– 2 cups ice

– 1 cup skim milk

– 1 medium banana, quartered

– 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1 tbs. all natural peanut butter

– Optional: 1 tbs. ground flaxseed

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Easy Blueberry Strawberry Cobbler

I had a major hankering for a fruit cobbler last week. Like major. And since it was the 4th of July, I wanted to make a dessert that was red, white, and blue! I’ve actually never made a cobbler before so I wasn’t sure how this recipe would turn out, but it was really REALLY good and really REALLY easy to make. I decided to use fresh blueberries and strawberries. And for that delicious cake topping, I used boxed cake mix. Super easy! This cobbler was pretty sweet for me, in fact, I had trouble getting through my bowl. If you don’t like super sweet desserts, I recommend maybe cutting down the sugar just a tad.

Easy Blueberry Strawberry Cobbler

Serves 6

Ingredients:

– 1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed

– 2 cups strawberries (about 3/4 of a package), rinsed and hulled

– 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice

– 1/2 cup sugar

– 1/4 cup water

– 2 tbs. flour

– 1/2 boxed yellow or vanilla cake mix (though, you can use all of it if you want the cobbler to be extra cakey :) )

– 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar. Add water and lemon juice and combine. Stir in the blueberries and strawberries. Turn on the heat to medium high, continue mixing and bring to a boil. Pour mixture into baking disk.

2. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the fruit until it is well-covered, drizzle melted butter evenly over the top of the cake mix, making sure the cake mix is well-covered in the butter. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the cake has browned and the fruit starts to bubble over the cake mix. Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Southwest Burgers

Ok, so I am kind of obsessed with guacamole. I think I could eat it every day whether it is with tortilla chips, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, veggies, grilled chicken, and now, these Southwest Burgers. Yeah, sure, I tried to infuse a “southwest” flavor into the meat, but really, all I wanted to do is slather copious amounts of guacamole on this burger. I was trying to think about what I was going to make for the 4th of July and figured I would make some sort of burger so after day-dreaming about guacamole, I decided to make these southwest burgers that I topped with some of my Best Dang Guacamole.

Southwest Burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or turkey, or black beans!)

– 2 tsp. taco seasoning

– 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

– 1 tsp. onion powder

– 4 slices of pepper jack cheese

– Toppings: guacamole and salsa

– Optional: If you want the burgers to be moister, try adding 1/3 cup of salsa into the meat. You can also add 2 tsp. of hot sauce if you want these burgers to have a kick to them!

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and onion powder. Form into 4 patties.

2. Heat grill or grill pan (spray with cooking spray first) to medium high heat. Cook burgers approximately 5 minutes on each side or until burgers are cooked to your desire. Add cheese slices on top of the burgers about 2 minutes before you remove them from the grill. Top burger with the best dang guacamole, salsa, and serve!

Three Bean Salad

Celebrating the 4th of July is synonymous with burgers, hot dogs, desserts, chips, etc (you know, basically any junk food!). So by no means am I going to pretend we had a really healthy meal on the 4th of July. I mean, that would just be very un-American of me! We had southwestern burgers and strawberry and blueberry cobbler (those recipes will be posted soon), but I wanted to try to off-set the bad carbs and sugar with a side dish that I could feel better about eating! This three-bean salad is delicious and healthy and it’s a great substitute for mayo-ridden potato and pasta salads. It’s very easy to make and is perfect for summer picnics and BBQ’s!

Three Bean Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

– 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

– 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

– 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed

– 2 tbs. apple cider vinegar

– 2 tbs. balsamic vinegar

– 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

– 2 tbs. chopped cilantro

– salt and black pepper to taste

– Optional: 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice and finely chopped red onion

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse beans in a colander. Transfer beans to a bowl. Add in all other ingredients and mix. Chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Nutella Cupcakes

It was my friend/co-worker’s birthday last week and I offered to make the cupcakes. But ya see, it wasn’t so simple because Jennifer is usually the person in my lab that makes the cupcakes for all of our special events. I had some big shoes to fill and I didn’t want to make plain ol’ vanilla or chocolate cupcakes and then I remembered seeing this this post from My Baking Addiction for Nutella buttercream frosting and knew I found the right cupcakes. If you have never had Nutella, I highly suggest you pick up a jar of it the next time you hit up your grocery store. It is a chocolate hazelnut spread that was sent down to us from Heaven. The addition of Nutella to the cupcake batter gave the cake a rich, decadent taste!

I used the doctored up chocolate cake recipe that I used for my Triple Chocolate Cupcakes, except instead of adding in the pudding mix, I added Nutella and baked it right into the cake! These Nutella cupcakes were amazing, but I almost wish they had a little more Nutella flavor. If I make these again, I think I will do it the way Jamie from My Baking Addiction suggests by filling the cupcakes with Nutella after they bake!

Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

– 1 box devil’s food cake mix

– 4 eggs

– 1 cup vegetable oil (though I used more like 3/4 cup)

– 1 cup sour cream

– 1/2 cup milk

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1/2 cup Nutella

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and Nutella. Add in cake mix and mix until well-combined.

2. Place cupcake liners into muffin pan and pour batter into cups filling each cup approximately 3/4 of the way. Bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. Then, I want you to go for a quick jog or do some jumping jacks because if you are anything like me, you had at least two (maybe 3) spoonfuls of Nutella while you were making these cupcakes….

Ingredients for the Nutella Buttercream Frosting:

From My Baking Addiction

– 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

– 2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, sifted

– 1 13 ounce container Nutella

– 6-8 tbs. milk or heavy cream

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter and Nutella in a large mixing bowl. Add in confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and continue until all sugar is creamed together with the butter and Nutella. Add vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of the milk or cream and mix. Keep adding a tablespoon of the milk or cream until your frosting is smooth.

Notes:
– Because I wanted to add Nutella into the cake batter and needed it for the frosting, I bought the large, 26 ounce jar of Nutella so I didn’t have to buy 2 smaller jars.

Low-Fat Spinach Artichoke Dip

I’m a big fan of spinach artichoke dip, but let’s face it, it’s not the healthiest appetizer/snack choice. Most of the spinach artichoke dips you get at restaurants are made with heavy cream and full-fat cream cheese. I’ve come up with a low-fat, guilt-free version that you can make and enjoy at home!

I use this little guy for baking mine. It takes a bit longer to get the dip cooked/heated, but what I like about it is that it keeps the dip consistently warm. If you don’t have a mini Crock-Pot, no worries! You can still bake this dip in a small baking dish in your oven! Serve this dip with your favorite crackers, pita chips, or fresh veggies!

Low-Fat Spinach Artichoke Dip

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

– 2 8-ounce packages reduced-fat (or fat free!) cream cheese, softened.

– 2/3 cup skim milk

– 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

– 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

– 1 16-ounce bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

– 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained well

– 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

– 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. If using the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and salt until smooth and creamy. Add spinach and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add artichokes and coarsely chop until desired consistency is reached. Add to stoneware or shallow baking dish.

2. If using the mini Crock-Pot, cook for 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese on top during the last 10 minutes. If you are going to bake the dip in your oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake for approximately 15 minutes (the edges of your dip may turn a light golden brown).