As I am writing this post tonight, I have a mean little gremlin inside of me. (Hell no I’m not pregnant! Just to clear that up.) He has made me so mean and crabby today it is ridiculous. I realize I am being an irrational-crazy person but for some reason he cannot be tamed. So in hopes of not doing bad things against the world, I decided to bake, cook, breathe, blog and have a nice big glass bottle of Pinot Noir.

These cookies were originally just chocolate… cool, but I am going to add peanut butter chips because I can and it makes them taste so much better. Deal with it. <— sorry that was the gremlin. But seriously, the PB chips make them better. I will be bringing these to work tomorrow so that Jacki and I do not eat all of them; trust me, we can. You should have seen what we did to a large bag of skittles… not proud.

Anyway, here are the cookies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

(Revised from MyRecipes.com)

Makes 20-ish cookies

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• non-stick cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, use a spatula (not a whisk) to mix together the melted butter, cocoa, and white and brown sugar.

Add in the yogurt and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until moist. Fold in the PB chips.

Drop tablespoon size balls on your sprayed cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Cool pans for 5 minutes until the cookies are firm and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Devour. 

So I am a girl (obviously…?) and I have my own way of determining if and what is healthy. I worked out today? Great I can have three chocolate cookies. I saw a skinny person eat it? Okay, so can I. I added spinach to it (pasta, pizza, sandwich), it is instantly healthy. Duh. 

Don’t judge me. 

(Low Carb Spinach Cheese “Bread”

(Revised from Food.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray liberally.

Thaw spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You can either use a clean kitchen towel or use your hands. Pull apart/cut into small pieces. In a medium bowl add all the ingredients and stir to break up the spinach.

Put into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until it is golden brown on the top (not just around the sides).

Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut into desired sizes and devour. 

The original recipe says that you can use this for a pizza crust or “bread like necessities” but hell, this tastes good enough just to eat. It isn’t so much bread as it is just delicious spinach-cheesy-piece-of-yumminess. A thin frittata if you will. Eat it. Love it. Enjoy it. 

My name is Erin and I date a guy named Nate. It is St. Patrick’s Day AND it is Nate’s birthday. We have Irish running through our blood, and with all this Irish love, we have more than enough to celebrate on this lovely Irish celebration for the Feast of Patrick the Saint. 

Speaking of feast, I made Irish Car Bomb Birthday Cupcakes for Nate. What is an Irish Care Bomb? A shot that I would not be caught dead drinking. Add 8 oz of Guinness to a pint glass and let it settle. In a shot glass add 1/2 oz Bailey Irish Cream and top with 1/2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey. Drop the shot glass into the pint glass of Guinness and drink as fast as you can… other wise it will curdle. No thanks. But whoever decided to dissect it and make it into a cupcake is my kind of woman! (Obviously it was a woman who invented this.)

Irish Car Bomb Cupakes

(Revised from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes about 20-24

Ingredients:

Guinness Cake

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

Jameson Ganache

• 1 bag Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips or dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Jameson Irish Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Baileys Frosting

• 3 to 4 cups confections sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 to 6 tablespoons Baileys (~2 small nips)

Method:

Guinness Cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with festive cupcake liner cups. Bring 1 cup beer and 1 cup butter to a simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on a slow speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined

Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until the a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Cool the cakes completely on a rack… or the out on the deck the Minnesotan way.

Jameson Ganache. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and stir until smooth. If it isn’t quite melted, microwave in 20 second intervals until melted completely. Add the butter and whiskey and stir to combine.

Let the filling cool slightly but make sure you are still able to spread it. Using a small spoon, apple corer, or melon baller, scoop out the middle to the cupcakes to make a large well. Fill the wells with the ganache to the top. You can either use a spoon or piping bag to fill the holes.

Baileys Frosting. Whip the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer for a few minutes, until it is very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, add in the Baileys and whip until combined. 

Frost the cupcakes and add shaved chocolate or festive sprinkle to the top to decorate!

The cake of these cupcakes are moist, and sweet and flavorful, seriously one of the best cakes I have ever eaten!!!! The frosting is so boozy with the Bailey’s and the Jameson chocolate ganache is just the icing on the cake filling of the cake!

I hope you all have a fun St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate responsibly!

I attempted to run today… this was me. I need a drink… a protein drink :)

I have found the most amazing protein shake. It is a product called Click. It is a protein powder that has two shots of espresso in each serving. The company’s story is pretty cool. Long story short the creators of Click owned a women’s fitness center, saw women skip breakfast and turn to coffee-house beverages for their lack of energy. So they combined the protein that you need after a workout with the gourmet coffee flavor that people crave and made Click. 

It is just delicious. It comes in mocha, vanilla latte and decaf mocha. I love both flavors. AND the cool thing is you can drink them cold OR HOT! I love Click because after I workout in the morning, I am able to have something healthy to supplement my workout AND caffeinate me for class.

Click only has 120 calories, 15 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of fat, and 6 grams of sugar, plus 23 vitamins and minerals. I decided to combine more awesomeness together to make this kick@$$ post-workout shake.

Banana Mocha Protein Shake

(Makes 1 24-oz Shake)

Ingredients

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 8-oz unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 2 scoops (1 serving) of Click Mocha
• 4 to 8-oz water

Method:

Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes. Drink!

PS: If you do not watch Happy Endings on ABC, your life is missing happiness. It is THE best show on TV. I laugh so hard I cry. I dare you to watch it, you will not regret it. It will be back March 29th @ 8PM.

My roommate was watching TV and saw this recipe. It is meatballs, made healthier with eggplant and ground turkey. So naturally as girls trying to look good for Vegas in a few months, we will try anything that tells us it is relatively healthy/lower calories and fat. Funny thing, I had the recipe the whole time in a cookbook on my shelf. I did some fiddling with the proportions to make my life easier (because Jennie-O ground turkey comes in packages of 20-oz, not 12-oz… Duh Rocco DiSpirito).

Mini Turkey Meatballs

(Revised from Rocco DiSpirito Now Eat This! Diet)

Makes 24 Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 small eggplant (you will need 1/3 C of flesh)
• 3 tablespoons low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large egg whites
• 20-oz lean ground turkey (1 package)
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup low-fat marinara sauce + more for pasta
• 1/2 lb of whole wheat spaghetti

Method:

Turn your broiler on. Place the eggplant on a sheet pan under the broiler to char the skin until it is blackened and the flesh is cooked through, about 10 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant.

Allow the eggplant to cool slightly then cut in half, Scrape out the flesh being careful not to incorporate the skin. Measure out 1/3 cup of the flesh.

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a mini-muffin plan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a blender, combine the cooked eggplant, chicken broth, onion, garlic and egg whites. Puree until it is a smooth consistency.

In a large bowl, combine the mixture with the ground turkey, parsley, 3 tablespoons cheese, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

In each muffin cup, add 1 teaspoon of marinara sauce in the bottom.

Drop a rounded tablespoon of meat mixture into the cups. Top with another teaspoon of marinara sauce. The cups will look overfilled, but the meat will shrink down a bit when they are cooked.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are done. While the meatballs are cooking make some pasta to go with it!

The sauce will run off the sides of the muffin pan so have some aluminum foil underneath the pan to save time on cleaning it!

Time to eat: pasta + meatballs + more sauce + more cheese = in your mouth. YUM!

I thought that these were super delicious. You get to eat a traditional comfort food and I felt way less guilty. The meatballs are super savory and juicy from being cooked with the sauce. Thrown on top of some spaghetti and I was in heaven! You couldn’t taste the eggplant so if that scared you no worries, it is just a secret skinny ingredient.

Happy Cooking!

As a normal human being, I LOVE PIZZA. I would eat pizza every. single. day. if I knew it wouldn’t land me a spot on The Biggest Loser. I make tortilla pizzas at least once a week helping to curb my pizza craving, which usually works. I tried to add veggies to my pizzas but often just resort to a handful of spinach.

When I saw these cauliflower pizza bites my search was over. The majority of the “bite” is cauliflower that is flavored with pizza-like herbs and spices AND I get to eat pepperonis?!? I bow down to thee. 

Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Revised from Dashing Dish

Makes 14-16 bites

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cauliflower (about 1/2 head)
• 1 large egg white, lightly beat
• 2 tablespoons low-fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon pizza/Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup mini turkey pepperonis, chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce for dipping

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray your mini muffin pan liberally with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Wash cauliflower, and cut in half. Break cauliflower into segments, and place in food processor. Pulse until it reaches a rice-like texture. You could also use a cheese grater. 

Place cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes, uncovered with no water.

Remove cauliflower from microwave and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Place back in the microwave for 2 minutes and mix again.

Use a heaping tablespoon to scoop cauliflower mixture into muffin tins. Fill to the top and press down to compact the cup. I added a single mini pepperoni on the top of each.

Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tops become golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Serve with warm pizza sauce.

I was wary that these would taste too vegetable-y. Nope. The garlic, pizza seasoning and red pepper flakes really transform (mask) the cauliflower, and of course the pepperonis make me think I am eating a real pizza. The edges are crunchy just like the crust. They are like pizza bagel bites without the guilt! If I would have only known about this in high school. These would be fun to bring to a party or for a kid’s snack after school.

And as if I didn’t love these ANY MORE… this entire recipe, all 14-16 bites with the pizza sauce is LESS THAN 350 CALORIES (13g fat, 36g protein, 7g fiber). As if it was even a question. YES. I ate all 15 of them. I suppose you could share if your roommate or hubby was home, but then I suggest doubling or tripling the recipe.

Bye.