Body After Baby...Step 1

I have been blessed with two beautiful girls. 

Photo Credit to Portraits by Crystal - She's AMAZING!!

Although I love them more than words can express and wouldn't trade them for the world,  don't so much love what pregnancy did to my body.  While I was pregnant with my little peanut, we went through a good amount of change in our family.  We moved, my oldest started a new school...and another new school and I started two new jobs, one as a personal chef and the other working a few days in a new bakery in Raleigh.  To say I was busy and constantly tired was an understatement.  I tried my best to eat well, but working out?  That fell by the wayside real fast.  In the end, I didn't gain as much weight this time around as I did the first time around, but I started at a slightly heavier weight so it feels like I have more to loose.

Yesterday was my official post partum checkup and doc cleared me to work out again.  This, for me, is a blessing and a curse.  In the past when I've wanted to "get back in shape" I put up these impossible goals for myself, basically setting myself up for failure.  I pretend that I'm actually going to go from my day to day hecticness to being able to fit in a full workout everyday.  And COMPLETELY change my diet to go along with it.  I decided this time I would try VERY HARD not to put those expectations on myself.  Which, if you met me, you know how almost impossible that is.  Still, when I stand back and look at the big picture, I know that baby steps is the only way I'm going to get to where I want to go.  So...

STEP 1 - Think about my diet.

Before my little peanut was born, I made a freezer full of food to get us through dinner time.  After all, I knew from experience that I wasn't going to have the fore thought to think about dinner during the day.  I've been increasingly thankful that we can still rely on these meals since she is an eating machine...especially at dinner time...which keeps me pretty preoccupied.  Although I tried to keep things as healthy as possible, reheating frozen meals limits the amounts of fresh fruits and veggies you can get.  So instead of trying to revamp my entire diet like I would have in the past, I decided to work with what I got...let myself off the hook for dinner...and focus on the rest of the day.

I had been noticing that I had not been eating the way I really should during the day.  Between trying to catch a little extra sleep during peanut's morning nap, feeding on demand, being conscious to drink enough water and trying to accomplish anything else during the day, I was finding that I wasn't really eating.  So I came up with a food calendar for breakfast, a snack and lunch.  Then, I sat aside some time to pre make everything!  There was the key.  Even if a snack was super easy, like hummus and vegetables, I knew if I left cutting the actual vegetables to when I was ready to eat them...well...I may not eat them.  Preparation really is key. 

I printed off a calendar and keep it by the coffee pot with a highlight, because...who are we kidding...I NEVER forget my coffee.  Every time I go to eat something, I highlight it.  That way if I wake up in the morning and I'm not feeling my baked oatmeal like the calendar says I'm supposed to have, I can pick from another day I know is waiting in the refrigerator while still keeping track of what I have left.  Here are my choices for this week:

Breakfast
     1 - Waffle with Peanut Butter and Smoothie
     2 - Egg Sandwich
     3 - Baked Oatmeal
Snack
     1 - Hummus with Vegetables
     2 - Greek Yogurt and Cashews
     3 - Sliced Cheese and Fruit
Lunch
     1 - Salmon with Quinoa
     2 -Pasta with Zucchini, Yellow Pepper and Kielbasa
     3 - Sandwich Wrap with Raw Vegetables

My personal favorite so far?  The baked oatmeal, hands down!  When I was pregnant, I mad oatmeal almost every morning.  It really helped me get going in the morning.  Still, it took time to make every morning...time I didn't have anymore with a baby attached to me in the morning.  This was a perfect solution.  Bake one day, portion, wrap individually in plastic wrap, 60 seconds in the microwave the next morning and it's ready to go.  And still soft and wonderful!  You must try!

Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal (adapted from Food Done Light)

2 c quick cooking oats; uncooked
1/4 c oat bran
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c strawberries; quartered
2 bananas; cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c cashew milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T butter; melted
1 egg
1/4 c agave

1 - In a large bowl, combine oats through cinnamon. 

2 - In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients. 

3 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. 

4 - Pour into a well greased 9x9 glass baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until just set in the middle.  This will leave the oatmeal still slightly wet so it keeps more of an oatmeal texture.

5 - Cool completely.  Cut into 9 squares, wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
6 - Reheat in the microwave for 60 seconds.

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe with different berries or fruits.  Stay tuned to see how I'm getting some exercise in!

 

Flourless Chocolate Cookies...err Brownies....err Cheesecake

My family has a house at Ocean Isle Beach.  If you've never been, do yourself a favor and put it on your list of places to visit.  It's beautiful and oh so relaxing.  We've been spending the past couple of days playing in the sand, chasing the waves and enjoying the cool ocean breeze.  It's been wonderful!!

A friend who was down visiting with us gave my little one a mini baking kit.  Of course, she wanted to make something right away and who am I to say no!  I mean look at that face.  Who could?

She wanted to make cookies, which was great, except there was no flour in the house.  Instead of packing everyone in the car and heading to the grocery store, I decided this would be a perfect time to try out a recipe for flourless chocolate cookies that I had run across some time ago.  After all, with the amount of people requesting gluten free options growing everyday, I need to find a "go to" gluten free cookie.  Sadly I have yet to find it yet...

I started with a recipe I found on Living Well Spending Less.  We had everything we needed except the chocolate chips, which were optional anyway so no big deal.  I did the recipe exactly as instructed since I am fairly new to completely flourless cooking.  Here's what was needed.

2 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla

I combined all the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisked together the wet ingredients in another.  I added the wet to the dry and stirred for what seem like forever.  The batter just never came together.  It was way too dry.  No matter how much I stirred, there just wasn't enough wet to get everything to incorporate. 

To try and correct this problem, I added about 1/2 c milk to the bowl.  Now I ended up with the opposite problem.  The batter was now too wet to form cookies. 

I was afraid if I added more powdered sugar the batter would be WAY too sweet, so we scrapped the idea of doing cookies and decided they would be more like brownies.  I sprayed down a square baking dish, added the batter and popped it in the oven at 350.  Baking took about 35 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean in the middle.  Now we just had to let them cool so we could taste our new creation.

Tasting reviews were mixed on the final product.  Even though the batter was baked through, it still ended up pretty soft and chewy.  Something that really needed to be eaten with a spoon as opposed to being able to cut and eat like a traditional brownie.  My little one LOVED them.  My mom thought they would be fine in small batches.  Another thought it needed to be covered in vanilla ice cream.  Ad for me, I thought it was WAY TOO SWEET.  I'm not a huge chocolate person anyway and this was just a mouthful of super sweet gooey chocolate.  I could barely get the small bite I took down.  After seeing the sad dish sitting on the kitchen counter all day with no one touching it again, I decided I needed to find a way to use it so that it didn't go to waste.  I wasn't letting this one go without a fight!

So I came up with the idea to use it as the base of a cheesecake.  I scooped it out of the brownie dish onto a sheet tray and tried to get it to dry out in the oven so I could make it more of a crumb crust.

When that didn't work, I lined my pan with plastic wrap and smeared the chocolate creation on the bottom.  This used most of it so I didn't feel as bad when I had to wash the remaining portion down the drain.  Now to whip up the cheesecake.

My go to cheesecake recipe is adapted from Food for a Hungry Soul.  You need the following:

3 eggs, room temperature
1 c sour cream; room temperature
16 oz cream cheese; room temperature
4 T butter; room temperature
3/4 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 T vanilla

Note: This will make a cheesecake that is about 1 inch tall.  If you have a deep pan, double the recipe for a nice, tall cheesecake.

1 - In the bowl of a mixer with whisk attachment, combine eggs and sour cream until well blended.  Add cream cheese and mix well.  Add butter and allow to mix for 5-10 minutes until the mixer is very smooth and creamy.  Scrape the bowl often to make sure you have no lumps.
2 - Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.

From this point, I poured the batter over the chocolate bottom, put the pan inside a roasting pan in the oven, added enough water to the roasting pan to come halfway up the cheesecake pan and baked the cheesecake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours.

The end result was a huge hit!  The tartness of the cheesecake was the perfect compliment to the extreme sweetness of the chocolate.  Although I doubt I will go through this entire process again just to make a "crust" for my cheesecake, it was the perfect example of making something out of a baking mishap.  After all, things don't always turn out the way you want them to.  The fun part becomes figuring out what you can do to create something you do like...and can even be proud of!

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail!

I don't know about you but I am BEYOND ready for spring!  Being a born and bred NC girl, I've always been wimpy about winters.  Still, the last two winters have been no picnic.  This year came filled with ice storms with my new little peanut arriving just in the middle of the worst two.  My oldest little one told me on the way home from school the other day that she was over the cold and ready for summer.  Me too, honey.  Me too.

Thankfully the past few weeks have brought some welcome signs of spring.  The warmer weather has done wonders for our winter cabin fever.  The pollen hasn't done wonders for my allergies, but since I know it's a sign of nicer days ahead, I'll take it!

This week was my little one's Easter party at her preschool.  Our little peanut is a month old now, so I thought it would be nice to get back in the kitchen and contribute some cupcakes to the party.  The hubs suggested that I just go buy some...the nerve!  I must admit it was challenging juggling a hungry baby and frosting cupcakes, but I was so happy with the outcome, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

The request was for chocolate cupcakes, so I took my no fail, ever popular chocolate cake recipe and made cupcakes instead.  The recipe yielded about 20 cupcakes, though I could have gotten a few more out of the batter.  I typically fill my cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full, but these rose so much, I could have filled them 1/2 way and been more than fine.  Note taken and moving on.  After all, no preschoolers I've ever met is going to complain about a little extra goodie on the sides of their cupcakes. 

I also decided to try something a little different with my classic buttercream recipe this time.  I use the recipe below when I need a quick buttercream that is very good for piping and doesn't need to be kept for a long time.  Its not my favorite, taste wise, but serves a purpose when your short on time. I've always added a little heavy cream at the end to help smooth things out and wanted to know what would happen if you whipped the cream first.  I whipped the cream to a nice soft peak thinking it would hold after adding the butter.

It doesn't.  After you add the butter the cream goes right back to liquid form and makes a bit of a sloshy mess.  However, after you add the powdered sugar and mix it well, it comes back together.  Another lesson learned.

I had showed my little one some pictures of cupcakes to let her pick a design.  She picked a cute little egg nest which gave me a use for some of the mini Cadbury chocolate eggs I had bought that wasn't eating them all in one sitting like has happened in the past...no judging!  The end result is super cute and (best of all) really easy to do.  I died most of the icing green for the grass and added a few tablespoons of coca powder to the rest to make it brown. 

First I just put a smear of green down on the cupcakes to cover the top.

Then I took this three holed pointed tip and used zigzag motions around the edges to the center to make the grass.

I used a small star tip to make a circle in the middle with the chocolate frosting for the nest.

Lastly, I added two eggs to each nest to finish the look.

Adorable and delicious!  Who can beat that!!

No Fail Chocolate Cake (adapted from My Baking Addiction)
Note:  If you are making this recipe for a cake, it makes enough for a two layer 9 inch cake

2 c sugar
1 3/4 c AP flour
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk with 2 T vinegar)
1/2 c coffee; brewed and cooled
1/2 c water
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line or grease cupcake pans.  I would guess that if you fill them halfway you should get around 24.
2 - In the bowl of a mixer with whisk attachment, add sugar through salt.  Mix to combine. 
3 - Add eggs through vanilla.  Mix on low for 3-5 minutes until the batter is well incorporated, scrapping the bowl halfway through.  The batter will be extremely loose, pourable even.  This is perfectly fine!
4 - Fill cupcake liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  I started checking mine at 15 minutes and they needed about 23 total.  The cakes will go for more like 30-35 minutes.
5 - Cool and frost as desired.

Quick and Easy Buttercream (adapted from The Bold Abode)
This gave me enough buttercream to frost all the cupcakes, with a little over a cup left over.

2 sticks butter; room temperature
8-10 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c heavy cream

1 - In the bowl of a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter until very soft and fluffy.
2 - Add the powdered sugar a few cup fulls at a time until it reaches your desired stiffness.
3 - Add in vanilla and heavy cream.  Adjust consistency with additional powdered sugar (thicker) or cream (thinner) as needed.

My Little Peanut and the BEST Cookies Ever!

I knew it had been a while since I was on the blog, but I had no idea it had been as long as it has!!  I have missed writing and need to get back in the swing of things soon!  However, my absence hasn't been completely unwarranted.  A month ago today my family grew by one amazing little peanut.

Isn't she beautiful!!  I can take credit for the beautiful little girl, but I have to credit to Portraits by Crystal for the beautiful photo!  Such a talented new mommy herself.  In honor of our sweet little peanut making her entrance into this world, I decided to share with you the recipe for the BEST COOKIE EVER!

A few months ago my little one wanted to make peanut butter cookies.  I've tried several PB cookie recipes before and they were always just ok.  So this time around, I went on the search for one that would be a keeper.  Boy did I find the perfect recipe!  These cookies are chewy, gooey and h so peanut buttery!  They are the kind of cookie that make me cry for all those out there allergic to peanut butter since they will never know the yummy goodness that exists within them!  Of course, having an adorable sous chef to help me bake up a batch was extra icing on the cake!

The only other thing you need to know about these cookies is they make BIG cookies.  Do yourself a favor and keep them big!  The size helps keep them moist and chewy on the inside while being slightly crunchy on the outside.  So without further ado...here you go.  Get the milk ready!

 

The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie (recipe adapted from Wallflour Girl)

 

1 egg, at room temperature

1 c light brown sugar, packed

1 c peanut butter (I'm a snob and only use JIF so I take no responsibility for the outcome if you use a slightly less appealing peanut butter..haha!)

1/2 c butter, melted

1 T vanilla extract

1 3/4 c AP flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 c chocolate chips

 

1 - In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream egg, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla for 5-6 minutes until very fluffy.  *Side note...This can be done by hand if you don't have a mixer, just be prepared for an intensive arm workout...which probably isn't so bad before eating the cookies!

2 - Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until incorporated.

3 - Toss your chocolate chips in about a tablespoon of flour and fold into your cookie batter.  Doing this will help the chips hold their shape in the oven.

 

4 - Use an ice cream scoop to portion your cookies onto a greased cookie sheet.  You really want the cookies to come out looking like little scoops of ice cream, taller than they are wider.  Gently push down on each cookie to make the top flat but don't smoosh.  Cover the sheet tightly with plastic warp and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or the freezer for 45 minutes.  The original recipe had you chilling the dough before portioning it, which make it pretty impossible to scoop after it's hard.  Save yourself the headache and portion before but DON'T SKIMP on the chilling time!  Trust me!

5 - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers are still nice and soft.  Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before eating...if you can wait that long!

6 - Store any leftovers...weren't any in my house...in an airtight container.

ENJOY!!

 

 

This is Halloween!

Those who know me know that I LOVE Halloween.  It's hard to say it's my favorite holiday since I love Christmas too, but Halloween is right up there!  There's nothing about this time of year that I do not adore.  The weather is amazing, dressing up is always fun and I'm all in for anything spooky or scary!  Last year, Halloween was the first holiday we missed out on being overseas.  So this year, I made it my main goal to have the new house ready for visitors so we could have a Halloween party.

Thankfully, I got it all done and a blast was had by all who attended.  As usual, I had a blast putting together all the theme food and finding the perfect outfit for the hubs and I to dress up as.  There's too many recipes to list them all, so here are the pics...and perhaps a few recipes to come soon!  Everyone have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Bloodshot Deviled Egg Eyeballs

Green Slime (Green Goddess) Dip with Vegetables

Crunchy Haystacks (Cookies)

Red Velvet Brain Cupcakes...though they look a little more like skeletons

Spooky Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese

Roasted Rack of Ribs

Bat (Chicken) Wings

The Robber and his Bag 'O Loot

Our sweet little Rapunzel

 

Fishing for a New Fish

No, I'm not a big fisher but I do love to find new and interesting ingredients that I've never heard of before and play around with them.  One of the things I love about the area we live in now is all the Farmer's Markets.  Not that there weren't any in Charlotte, but there's something different about the ones here.  They are smaller, quaint and everywhere!

We came across one a few weeks back and, of course, had to check it out.  My poor hubs has been drug to markets all over the world and still, most of the time, puts on a good face knowing that something yummy is probably coming his way at dinner that night.  Today was no exception.

One of the vendors at this particular market was a small, almost traveling grocery store.  Aside from the fact that their trailer was set up on a hill making it impossible for me to stay inside for more than a few minutes without feeling sick, it was wonderful!  Tons of fresh produce, meats, dairy and breads lined the small walls.  I was intrigued looking at the multitude this little gem had to offer when the owner happened by telling us that all the frozen seafood they had was 40% off today in order to make room for new product.  Sold!  I was getting something for dinner.  The only question was what to choose.

I ventured over to the cooler seeing things I had seen elsewhere, scallops...flounder...grouper.  All good choices, but I really wanted something new.  That's when I saw a single pack of Sheepshead. 

Having never heard of it before, I asked what it was like.  "Kind of buttery, almost along the lines of lobster" the lady told us.  Sold again!  Time to go home and play.

Of course, I had to google the fish as soon as I got home.  I wanted to know more about it.  When I looked up pictures of the fish in the wild, I was pretty shocked.  Ever seen a fish with teeth before?  Me neither!?!

I learned these are saltwater fish found in the Atlantic Ocean whose diet consists mostly of oysters, clams and other crustaceans.  Their teeth help crush the shells of their prey, since they eat everything whole.  It's commonly nicknamed the fish with the human teeth...and I can definitely see why!

For this preparation, I decided to keep things very simple.  Having never had the fish before, I wanted the natural flavor to come through as much as possible without being over shadowed by a bunch of spices.  I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper.  I then threw a stick of butter in a pot with 1/4 c of white wine and some dry roasted garlic flakes.  I let this cook down until the butter was slightly browned and reduced a bit and used is to baste the fish as I broiled it.  I severed it up with a side of roasted asparagus. 

The result?  OMG...it was sooo good!  The fish was buttery, rich and super moist.  Even the little one gobbled it all up with out so much as a peep.  I can only hope that I will be able to find this fish again since it has now become one of my favorites!  Guess that's the only real danger in trying ingredients you don't come across very often.  Oh well, this time I've come across a gem and you can bet that I won't pass it up if I see it again!

So what's your favorite thing to play around with in the kitchen?

Forging for Brownies?

 

So a good friend of mine is a blacksmith...or in contemporary day terms...a metal worker.  Cool, huh?  She's really talented, and I love seeing all her new projects!  Currently, she is working on a really big project called ShopSpace where she and some of her friends are striving to create a communal space for current metal workers as well as an area they can teach others the craft.

A few weeks back, they had an open house at the space.  It's pretty amazing.  I even had the opportunity to do a little forging myself.

 I was pretty stoked to have the opportunity to make something and, I have to say, pleasantly surprised how well I did for the first time.  More than that, I think I was surprised that more people didn't want to take a turn hammering away on red hot metal.  I mean, who wouldn't right?

My contribution to this little event was some brownies, my go to quick and easy recipe that I have been making for people since I was about 10 years old.  I even had a babysitter at the time who wanted me to make them for her ever time she watched us overnight.  They are super quick, super yummy and always a hit.  Nowadays I even have an adorable little helper to assist in all the mixing.

Isn't she the cutest?!?  Of course her favorite part is licking the whisk after she's done!  Try out these no fail treats.  They are sure to put a big 'ole smile on your face!

The Best Brownies EVER! - Makes about 16 (Adopted from the Hershey cookbook)
4 oz butter; melted
1 c sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 T cinnamon

1 - In a bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate before adding the next one. 
2 - In a separate bowl, combine flour, coca, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Add to egg mixture in three different batches, incorporating each batch before adding more.  Pour batter into well greased 9x9 pan.
3 - Bake brownies at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until they begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the middle is almost completely set.  Cool completely, cut into squares and ENJOY!