five ingredient fridays: vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad

sorry... it's saturday. i know.

this salad is sooooo yummy! my 1 year old would eat it by the truck load. it tastes like a treat, but it's good for you. no sugar even.

they were serving samples of something like it at my gym a few months ago and i knew i had to recreate it! here it is!

vanilla and cinnamon fruit salad
4 snack servings

1 sweet apple (so no tart ones like granny smith) , grated
1 pear, grated (peel it if pear skin is too rough for you)
1 banana, grated (has to be ripe for flavor, but still firm... and really grate it, sounds weird but it's a consistency thing in the salad - don't mush it)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
less than 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1. combined apple, pear, cinnamon and vanilla. stir to combine. gently fold in bananas.
2. if you have extra, store in refrigerator and enjoy for 1-2 days.

jamaican chicken

wow, people! i'm really disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm for my last two posts. these are some seriously amazing meals. both 9 out of 10s at our house. i hope you're all too busy making and eating them (or at least drooling over them) to comment. :) you are out there, right?

on to the chicken. i'm always up for a good chicken marinade. it makes for such a simple meal to have yummy chicken to serve with rice, potatoes, veggies, etc.

we love this marinade at our house. really distinct and perfect flavor. it looks spicier than it is. enjoy!

jamaican-spiced chicken
from cooking light, here
(only real modification is same amount of chicken, but more marinade!)

1/2 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon all spice
1 teaspoon thyme (i use a little less)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (i just use crushed red pepper)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 2 large chicken breasts, butterflied

1. combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl. add chicken, tossing to coat. let thighs sit in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes and breasts for 4 hours or so. cook on hot grill until done(or dry pan fry with cooking spray if you prefer). brush with extra marinade as it cooks.

serve with your favorite side dishes and veggies!

apple poppyseed spinach salad

with a little bit of the apple poppy seed dressing left over from the magical coleslaw and a bag of spinach on the verge of wilting in my fridge, there was nothing to do but create a salad to go with my sunday night roast and mashed potato dinner.

this might be my new favorite salad - made by me, panera bread, cafe rio or anyone else for that matter. use your leftover apple poppyseed dressing and whip this one up!

apple poppy seed spinach salad

baby spinach
slices of a sweet apple (i used fujis)
feta cheese
craisins
roasted almonds or walnuts (both good - whatever your preference)
apple poppy seed dressing (here)

1. no exact recipe here - just top a pile of spinach with apple, feta, craisins and nuts and then toss it with the apple poppy seed dressing. viola!

then let your mouth water between bites.

bbq pulled pork and magic coleslaw sandwiches

okay.... here it is! the magic cole slaw. this stuff has changed my life.

let me start from the beginning. back in may when we moved a friend from my church offered to bring us dinner one night while we were getting settled in. she showed up with bbq pulled pork (yum), trader joe's ciabatta buns (yum), sun chips (yum), fruit salad (yum) and cole slaw (yikes!)... to put on the sandwiches (double yikes!).

since it would be rude not to try it, i decided i'd better.and wow! am i glad i did!

so i asked her what she put on the magical cole slaw (that's a direct quote). "girard's apple poppyseed dressing," she said.
problem: my budget doesn't do salad dressings that cost $4.99 (on my budget i have $7 total per day to feed my family. $5 for salad dressing doesn't work.)

solution: replicate the dressing. done! it's close enough to give the same effect on the sandwiches and hubby likes it better than girard's. so ha!

this really is a great, tasty, well-balanced meal when you add the coleslaw. cabbage is amazing for you.

bbq pulled pork and magic coleslaw sandwiches
enough coleslaw for 6 sandwiches

pulled pork:
a lean pork roast (size of your choosing)
your favorite bbq sauce (we love sweet baby rays - you can find it at walmart)

trim pork roast of excess fat and place in crock pot. smother with tons of bbq sauce (if you're not sure about how much to add, just make sure to check it a couple of times throughout the day and add more if it's looking dry). cook 8-10 hours on low. shred at the end and add more bbq sauce if it needs more.

magic coleslaw:
1 bag of prepared coleslaw
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup apple poppyseed dressing (recipe below)

mix coleslaw and dressing together in a bowl.

the bovine's apple poppyseed dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light tasting olive oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon molasses (optional)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
4 to 6 dashes salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon poppyseeds

combine all ingredients but poppyseeds in a blender. mix well until blended. add poppyseeds. mix well. refrigerate 4+ hours to let onions rehydrate and flavors meld.

put the sandwich together:

toast ciabatta buns (we like walmart's). top with pulled pork and more coleslaw than you think you'll want. serve with lots of napkins. :)

freeze leftover bbq pulled pork for [the following week] when you crave the sandwiches again. thaw in fridge over night. heat and serve.

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you'll have extra dressing. what should you do with it? an apple poppy seed spinach salad up next to use it up! stay tuned!

snack time!

holiday blogging hiatus is over!

it feels good to be back, though it feels a little frustrating since hubby is gone until 10pm for the next three months. we're doing lots of kid-friendly, non-interesting food around here. but that's okay. i like kid food.

my mom packed awesome school lunches. one of my fondest school lunch memories is peanut butter and jelly on graham crackers. now i try not to eat it for lunch but i do eat it for a late night "non-dessert" snack once in a while. here it is for your enjoyment - with the trick that makes it eatable!

graham cracker pb&j

graham crackers
peanut butter (jiff reduced fat is my favorite... only because it's sweeter than regular pb)
grape jelly (try others - this is my go to for this snack though)

1. spread a thin layer of peanut butter on a graham cracker. spread a thin layer of jelly over that. top with another graham cracker.
2. ****here's the trick: let them sit for at least 30 minutes (or lots longer in a school lunch) so the crackers get slightly softer so it doesn't crunch and get as many crumbs all over the place when you bite into it.

next up - a magic cole slaw for people who don't like cole slaw. i would know - because i don't like it. :)

and more pb&j just for fun...

no-bake berry smoothie cheesecake

cheesecake is one of those crowd-pleasing, beautiful desserts. but, let's be honest - it's pretty much terrible for you.

i found this version by philadelphia (like the cream cheese) that i absolutely love. made with 1/3 less fat (neuschfatel cheese - have i mentioned i use this in everything. i never ever ever use real cream cheese) and cool whip, it's far lighter than the original. and you don't have to bake it so it whips up in no time.

theirs is a berry smoothie version which is amazing, but try your own add ins - swirl in peanut butter and chocolate, other fruit, or just top with pie filling. i'm going to do it plain and top it with red raspberry pie filling for a festive feel.

no-bake berry smoothie cheesecake
16 servings

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (make your own!)
6 tablespoons butter, melted (you can't escape the butter, so we'll cut back elsewhere)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 (8 oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened (never pay more than $1)
3/4 cup sugar
1 12 oz package frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained (or your own topping)
1 tub whipped topping lite or fat free

1. line 13x9 pan with foil with ends extending over the edge of the pan. mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and 3 tablespoons sugar, press onto bottom of prepared pan. refrigerate while preparing filling.
2. beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. add berries, beat on low speed just until blended. gently stir in whipped topping. spoon over crust; cover.
3. refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve. store leftovers in refrigerator.



what dessert are you serving for christmas/christmas eve dinner??

raspberry bread pudding

there's this quaint little sandwich shop in provo, ut (where i went to college at BYU) that has delicious.... everything. for the most part its a pretty healthy place to lunch, too.

with the most delicious exception - kneaders' raspberry bread pudding. wow. it's too good. but it's also too bad, made with whole cream.

so after too much time craving it i found a copy cat recipe on the sisters cafe, deciding i just had to have it since it isn't down the street anymore. but when i went to buy half and half to make it a bit lighter i made an amazing discovery. did you know that wal-mart has fat free half and half? i didn't. (i'm not sure what is in it to make it half and half since half and half is 1/2 cream, 1/2 milk. don't ask don't tell.) but now i do and i would gladly take this drastically fat and calorie reduced version of this delicious dessert over the original any day.

it makes a ton - a perfect dessert to serve at a big Christmas dinner. i hope you enjoy it at yours.

i keep forgetting to take a picture. it gets eaten too fast. and you can make it without the vanilla sauce. it's still amazing and then there is no butter or oil in the whole thing. you decide how to splurge.

kneaders' raspberry bread pudding
healthified from the sister's cafe

10-12 servings

cream mix

1 1/2 loaves aged, french bread

1 quart fat free half and half

3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

in large bowl combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. cut bread into 1 1/2" cubes (or do this ahead and let it sit out and get stale to "age" it!) and add to cream mixture, coating bread well. let stand 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to allow cream to absorb completely.

fruit filling
5 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

layer a roasting pan (13x9 is too small!) 3/4 full with bread mixture, pour fruit filling over bread mixture, spreading evenly, top with remaining bread. bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. serve warm. top with vanilla sauce.

vanilla sauce (makes enough for 2 batches of bread pudding with how much we put on!)
1 1/3 cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups fat free half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

over medium heat melt butter, and add flour stir 10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. add cream and sugar and boil till mixture is thick, remove from heat adding vanilla. serve this wonderful sauce cold.

store leftovers in fridge and eat for breakfast. but don't tell anyone i told you to do that.