T'was the Night Before Easter Cookies and Devotional

Long ago in my MOPS group we got a newsletter that had a recipe for resurrection cookies in it. I tried the recipe and kept it. I loved the idea, but there were a few things I didn't like about the cookie. Like the nuts. And that there was no chocolate. Nice idea, blah cookie.

I can't be the only person with candy canes left.

In our house we try to emphasize Easter as much as Christmas. Birth, death and resurrection of the same Jesus. We do have an in-house egg hunt and give a bigger gift in our yearly recycled Easter baskets. Easter, much like Christmas, has been ridiculously commercialized. Ridiculous. It's easy to be sucked in. I've already put away a fun sized bag of Reese's Eggs. This recipe/devotional is a good reminder of what Easter is about, and if you forgot to start the Resurrection Eggs on the right day you can still cram it in the night before or even during the week.

My adaptation has a Christmas twist. It's good to read the "Legend of the Candy Cane" too while they are eating them on Easter Sunday. The recipe begins Saturday night.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of mints - or leftover candy canes
1/2 chocolate bar
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
zipper baggie (freezer)
wooden spoon/meat tenderizer/hammer
masking tape
Bible

Directions and Devotion

1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Place the mints and the chocolate bar in the zipper baggie. Let children break them apart using spoon or tenderizer into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by Roman Soldiers and read John 19: 1-3.

In bag pre-meat tenderizer

Delish chocolate and peppermint

3. Let you children smell the vinegar. Put a teaspoon of vinegar into a large mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink and read John 19: 28-30.

4. Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life and read John 10: 10-11.

5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus's followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

Salty sweet hands

6. So for the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add the sugar to the bowl and explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him, and then read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

7. Beat with mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3: 1-3. This is a good time to have them get read for bed, clean up or read the Legend of the Candy Cane. The egg whites have to be stiff.

Whip it.

Whip it good.

8. Fold in the chocolate and mint pieces.

9. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheets. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus's body was laid and read Matthew 27: 57-60.

10. Put cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus's tomb was sealed and read Matthew 27: 65-66.

11. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb were sealed and read John 16: 20, 22. Send the kids off to bed and eat the other half of the chocolate bar as you prepare for the rest of the possible chaos on Easter Sunday.

12. On Easter morning, open the oven door and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies should be hollow. He has risen! On the first Easter morning, Jesus's followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28: 1-9.

A Christmas Easter cookie

Spring Roll, Sweet Chariot

I can't help it. As soon as I say "Spring Roll," I want to sing..

Spring roll,
Sweet chariot
Coming forth to carry me home...

Tasty bundles. Easy to make and made to order. As a gluten free gal these days, I've been looking for more meals everybody in the house can and will eat. Making multiple meals is a hassle.

I ate way more than this. This is just the pretty picture.

I bought circular and square spring rolls wraps. After looking at a few recipes, I decided to use some of the vegetables I had in the house. We didn't have Thai basil or lime. We'll try those another day.

Our ingredients:
 -strips of carrots
 -strips of cucumber
 -strips of orange pepper
 -romaine lettuce strips
 -an egg omelet cut into strips
 -rings of green onion
 -leaves of cilantro
 -brown rice vermicelli soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained. A tablespoon of hoisin sauce added and cut up to fit easily into the rolls
 -cut up cooked chicken (We added this tonight)

It took some prep, but it was worth it.

Really, add whatever you want and will eat. I made the sauce in a pan whisking on a low heat until smooth.

The Sauce:
 -a tablespoon of peanut butter
 -two tablespoons of hoisin sauce
 -a tablespoon of soy sauce
 -water to thin

Easy for little hands

With clean hands the kids can make them to order. Soak the wraps in warm water for 5 seconds or so. We had to replace the water every once in a while because it got cold. Place wrap on a plate and working quickly add your filling. The wrap will get soft on the plate. Fold, wrap and roll. Eat, dip and enjoy. Repeat until everything is gone or everybody is full.

Soaking, eating and enjoying

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Protein Scones

This recipe is adapted from an oatmeal-raisin scone recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book circa 1989. I grew up with the Joy of Cooking as a cookbook staple at my house, and my husband brought the BH&G cookbook into our marriage. I confess I use it more than Joy. If I needed know what to do with fresh goat's milk, Joy would be the place to go. If I need a meal in half an hour, it's BH&G all the way.

I've made the oatmeal-raisin scones many times before and added cranberries/white chocolate chips or raisin/chocolate chips or even made them according to the recipe. Stunning. I know. Last week as I noticed my rarely used chocolate protein powder, Muscle Milk. Since I've drastically reduced my milk consumption and making a smoothie gets the blender dirty, I haven't been using it very much. I do use my vanilla protein for an overnight refrigerator apple oatmeal cup which is fantastic. More on that later. School is almost over. Anyway, I thought adding a couple of scoops of protein powder to the recipe would be delish, and I could offset the ooky aftertaste with a little buttermilk. After making it, I declared myself a genius, and the next day made another batch. Yesterday I made substituted 1 cup of brown rice flour and 1/4 cup of coconut flour for the white flour and added 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Very good and really filling.

This was the last of the gf peanut butter model. All gone.

I know it's not a traditional scone as it uses egg for a binder. It's definitely not low cal, low fat or sugar free. That, however, often translates into delicious. On another note, because I am a lazy cook, I don't often roll out my scones and cut them into cute triangles anymore. It gets another dish dirty, and I'm probably not caught up with dishes anyway. I mix the dough to the right consistency in the bowl, deliberately using a large bowl, and then scoop out the scones with our ice cream scoop. Lazy but effective. Scones are fast and tasty.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Protein Scones

Fresh out of the oven...soon to tummy

1 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/3 cup butter
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut butter using pastry cutter or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in protein powder. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Combine egg, buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract in another small container. Stir into flour mixture until moistened. Add tablespoons of more milk if needed until dough makes large ball or teaspoons of flour if too moist. (If you want) move dough to lightly floured surface, pat dough into 7-inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges. Place on baking sheet. Brush with milk (again, optional). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Serve warm.

Tweak and substitute with what's in your kitchen. I probably will.

Soup's On: Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

More soup for you! This took a while to post. Life keeps swelling up on me. I get a daily recipe from Allrecipes.com and in the thick of the Thanksgiving season this one came up. I love pumpkin and buy up many cans when it first comes on sale in the fall. That shortage a few years ago was very sad for me. I make soup, breads, pancakes and muffins with it. Black bean pumpkin soup intrigued me. The color of the soup is not becoming, but the subtle pumpkin flavor is yummy.

All dressed up with sour cream and cilantro. Ready to eat!

I tweaked the recipe a bit. Shocking! Thanks to Fake Meats, I made it gluten free and vegan using Soy Curls. I soaked them and cut them up. I like a bit of texture in my soup. I've also made it with cut up cooked chicken and chicken broth or beef broth. For me the secret is in the sour cream. I add a dollop of sour cream to mine, and it just comes together. It does dirty the blender, but it's worth it.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

3 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

That onion does not look medium...

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1-2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
a bay leaf
2 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 (14.5 oz) can pumpkin puree
2 cans (about 4 cups) vegetable broth
Optional and Tasty...
1 cup Soy Curls, soaked for 10 min and cut up
1/2 cup corn

1. Put the diced tomatoes and two cans of black beans in the blender and puree. Put them in that order or you may have to add some of the broth to get it to puree. If you want a chunkier soup with a thinner broth puree only one can of black beans.

2. Saute the onion and garlic in butter. The original recipe calls for more butter. I couldn't do it. Do as you will. When the onions have softened add all the other ingredients. I pour a little broth in the blender to get as much of the remaining contents out and for easier cleaning. Simmer for 25 minutes stirring occasionally.



Even enjoyed by my little critics.

Chocolate Pavlova

My dad is from Down Under. Growing up I heard words like petrol and friends loved my dad's accent. Though we never had shrimp on the barbie, we did have fruit cake, plum pudding and pavlova. I am still trying to acquire a taste for fruit cake and plum pudding. Pavlova was an easy instant love. It's originally from New Zealand. The base is a meringue that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It's topped with whipped cream and fruit. And it's delicious.

My piece of pavlova

 

Pavlova is a little tricky to make. I remember my father being frustrated and throwing out ruined pavlovas. He says now that he has it figured out. A few years ago I found this recipe for chocolate pavlova and made it for my dad. Chocolate is a nice addition. I made it again for his birthday a few weeks ago. I too find that I am still working out the kinks in the recipe. After the holidays, we had some left over whipping cream. Chocolate pavlova seemed like the perfect dessert on Saturday. We topped ours with blueberries and mango. Needless to say, there were no leftovers. Especially after parent-only second dessert.


Chocolate Pavlova

1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (from 3 to 4 eggs - do not use liquid egg whites)
1/8 tsp of each salt and cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 tsp each cornstarch and vanilla
1 tbsp raspberry or red wine vinegar (used regular)
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder, sifted (used Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa)
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup strawberries, ripe mango, kiwi fruit, whole raspberries or blueberries (or a combo)

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In a mixer whip the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy with whisk attachment.


Room temperature egg whites

2. Add 1 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, vinegar, sifted cocoa, and vanilla. Continue whipping until stiff, smooth and glossy, and then for 5 minutes more. Really, go fold some laundry and come back.

After the eggs are foamy add yummy stuff

A load of dishes later

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a pizza pan. Use a pencil and a pie pan to draw a 9 inch diameter circle on the paper. Flip the paper over (you can still see the circle) and spoon the egg whites into the circle with a spatula. Spread it to the edge of the circle, making waves and swirls on the top surface.


Oven ready

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 300 F. Bake the meringue for about 45 minutes more until it has puffed up and cracked on the top.

5. Turn off the oven and prop open the door. Let the meringue cool in the oven to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The meringue can be held at room temperature for up to 10 hours before serving.


Out of the oven

6. When you are ready to serve, whip the cream with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar. Place the meringue on a serving dish and pile the cream on top. Spread it within 1/2 inch of the edge and arrange the fruit on top of the cream.

Enjoy! We sure did.

Decorated with whipped cream, blueberries and mangoes

Soup's On: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I can't tell if I'm a runner with a food problem or a foodie with a running problem. At least they work together. Anyway...

This is vegan and gluten free.

With cheese and sour cream, it's vegetarian and gluten free.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe with the same name at allrecipes.com. It's a vegetarian recipe, and normally I replace the chicken substitute with chicken. This time, however, used soy curls instead. My friend Kim and her husband own a company called Fake Meats. They graciously gave me the soy curls to try in the recipe. The whole family ate the soup, and there were no leftovers. I consider that a success. We garnished ours with cheese and sour cream. I totally forgot about the cilantro. It made it out of the fridge but not to the soup. Oops.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Yum! Yum!

1 (19 oz) can green enchilada sauce
1 can garden vegetable broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup soy curls
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn into strips
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste



1. In a saucepan, mix the enchilada sauce and vegetable broth.
2. Season with garlic powder, chile powder and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce to low.
3. Mix in the beans, tomatoes and corn. Simmer until heated through.
4. Add soy curls and tortillas. Cook until heated through. Stir in cilanto and season with salt and pepper to serve.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Soup's On: Pumpkin Chicken Chowder

This recipe is adapted from a recipe that my friend Becky used when we went Trick-or-Treating. I say adapted because I helped her put it together, and I make it from memory. My friends, Becky and Jodi, and I took our kids out Trick-or-Treating this year together. It was windy and bitterly cold. Really, what do I expect? Most the girls' costumes are cold even if you are standing inside. My girlios all wanted to be fairies, princesses or some other form of magic royalty with no sleeves. I couldn't talk them into being a bear or an eskimo. The soup was lovely to have when we got back, and the adults even got a chance to sit around and talk like adults. It was such a nice time.

This is a gluten free crockpot soup. I cooked two chicken breasts which came out to 12 oz. The original recipe calls for red pepper. However, red peppers were three times the price of green, and I went with the green pepper. I also used brown rice so it takes a little longer in the crock pot and makes the soup thicker.

Pumpkin Chicken Chowder:

Pumpkin chicken chowder ingredients

1 can (14.5) pumpkin
3 cans chicken broth
8 oz cooked chicken, cubed
1 onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup rice
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper





Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Enjoy!

Seriously, this soup is so good. I can't wait until lunch for leftovers :)

Soup's On: RW Clam Chowder

Crock pot soup! This recipe is from the February 2010 Runner's World. It's a low fat but still creamy clam chowder. It's very light and gluten free. The first time I made it we didn't have any fat-free evaporated milk so I put in two cups of 2 % milk.



Low preparation. Yummy tummy.

Slow-Cooked Clam Chowder:

1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 8-oz cans of clams
1 8-oz bottle of clam juice
2 tsp garlic, minced
3 russet potatoes, cubed into bite-size pieces
1 12-oz can fat-free evaporated milk

In a skillet, saute the onions and celery in the olive oil. Transfer to a slow cooker and add other ingredients except canned milk. Cover and cook on high for three hours (or low for six hours). During the last hour add the milk. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with hearty whole-grain bread. Makes four servings.

Calories per serving: 385 Carbs: 56g Protein: 28g Fat: 5g Zinc: 36% DV

I confess I've served it without the whole grain bread, and it's still delicious. I don't drain the clams. They just get dumped right in. I'm not a big fan of potatoes, but my husband is. This is a recipe makes us both happy and full. Instead of putting the milk in the crock for the last hour, I'd suggest putting it in at the end. The girlios have trouble with the curdled look.

Wicked cup of chowda'

Fresh Mango Salsa

Get a recipe. Get a story. Feel free to scroll down to the recipe. I'm not offended; this recipe is yummy. As in, it doesn't last 24 hours, yummy. I'm going to have some just as soon as I finish this post. Since it's mango season, we have had it several times in the past few weeks. Enjoy it for Memorial Day!

Here's how the recipe found its way into our life. My nephew, Joe, and his wife live outside of Indianapolis. He's about eight years younger than I am. It has taken us about a decade for our lives to intersect. He and his wife have four kids. We brought our four kids with us on the way to the Great Smoky Mountains. We stayed two nights on the way down and a night on the way back. On our first night, Christy and I made this salsa. And we talked. It was probably the first time we have ever really talked. It was a spark for many conversations together. Along with motherhood, our faith and fitness, her mother had just passed away, adding to the things we had in common. We got to know each other.

Our kids played well together, and then later in the night all four adults ate way too many chips and salsa while talking, getting to know each other for the first time. Let it be established that I can eat chips until I vomit. I stopped myself. Our visit was one of those sweet sweet times, almost magical, when family becomes friends. And you know what? I like Joe, Christy and fam. I like them a lot. I can't wait to visit them again. (Calling, I've already established, is terrible for me) Christy and I made fresh mango salsa. Brandon and Joe made a large hunk of grilled meat. Good times.

Warning! This salsa smells up the fridge. You better eat it fast :)

Mango Salsa

4-5 ripe plum tomatoes chopped

1 small red onion chopped

2 ripe mangoes cubed

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

juice of one lime

Chop it up, mix it up and then let the ingredients mingle together for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Sometimes the salsa needs friends. I suggest these...

The twist of lime is a bit strong; add more salsa.

Getting a plate right now! Enjoy.

Yvonne's Curry Butternut Squash Soup

My first sole sister gave me the recipe for this soup. Her name is Yvonne. She's amazing. She has six kids with one set of twins. She homeschooled all of them until high school. Her eldest went to Yale on scholarship. She was my small group leader in our church's MOMS group, and she was in my small group when I led. She's smart, funny, Godly and wise. Now she's back in grad school, our worlds have diverged, and I miss her. Oh, and she can out run me any day of the week.

Yvonne introduced me to the tri, the half marathon and the marathon. She was the first person I told I was pregnant with number three while we were training, just a week before our tri. She also ran my first marathon with me. It was her second but my first. We ran the inaugural Fox Valley Marathon, and I, having no idea what I was doing, wanted to finish in under 5 hours. She said she expected to finish in about 5:10. While we were running the race, I did okay until mile 20. I was so dehydrated, and my mood was terrible. I had done a 22 and a 23, but I went out harder during the race. At the aide station at 20, the medic said he could take me back, but I drank my weight in water and sloshed on. Yvonne stayed with me. She walked with me when I needed to walk. She encouraged me. She gave up her time for me. She reminded me around 22-23 that people were praying for us. At 25.2 she said, "We HAVE to run the last mile," so we did. She finished in 5:10 as she expected. I finished a minute or two behind her. I cried dry grunty tears when I was done. I could not have finished it without her.

Yvonne has been with me on each marathon after. I hear her voice in my head during the last six miles. The same encouraging words go through my mind. I have smiled while running the last mile to two more finish lines and broken 5 hours because of Yvonne. Thank you Yvonne.

Yvonne's Curry Butternut Squash Soup
1 stick butter
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
5 cans chicken broth
4 lbs cooked butternut squash
3 large potatoes cubed
1/2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
2 cups milk

Saute onions and garlic in butter. Add veggies and broth. Simmer until soft.

 Smooth in blender.

 (At this point it can be frozen.)

 Add 2 cups of milk. Serve with sour cream, chives or walnuts.

A day or two before I make the soup, I cut the squash and cook it at 350 deg for an hour cut-side down in an inch of water. Then I scoop it and put it in the fridge. It makes the whole task less labor intensive. This soup is a fan favorite. The girlios all like it and were sad that I froze it yesterday. Joy for another day.

Hearty Lentil and Ham Soup

I bought a ham before the retreat so my husband would certainly be able to feed the girls while I was gone. However, secretly I bought the ham, actually any ham, to make this recipe. I love it. LOVE it. It's an easy recipe to prepare. It tastes great. To me, it's so tasty that I don't care if the girlios don't like it. They can have a sandwich. More soup for me.

Unfortunately, they've come to like it, and I have to share. Bummer. I only put in one large onion because although onion flavor is not objectionable, onion pieces cause whining at the table. If I were cooking just for myself, I'd add them all. A perfect winter soup.

Hearty Lentil & Ham Soup
from epicurious.com

Ingredients:
1 leftover smoked ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
1 pound lentils (about 2.5 cups), picked over and rinsed
0.5 pounds mushrooms, chopped (about 3.5 cups)
3 onions, chopped coursely
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3.5 cups beef broth
8 cups water

Preparation
In 6-to-8-quart kettle combine all ingredients and simmer soup, covered partially, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick and remove meat from bone and hocks. Chop meat and stir into soup.

Makes about 3 1/2 quarts. It freezes well.

All ingredients in the pot

A couple hours later, all done

 Enough for at least 2 family meals

Gluten Free Protein Pumpkin Bars and the Green Smoothie

Over the holidays we gave gluten free living a try. Yes, I am a scientist and sometimes I must experiment with our family. With the massive amounts of info coming out about gluten sensitivities I wanted to see if any of us showed any signs. It was actually very good for us for the holidays because it cut down on the number of cookies, sweets and junk we ate. I think it is why my husband and I both lost some weight.

After a couple of weeks of gluten free living, I unthinkingly took a half a bagel I was offered after a run. It was great, and there were no repercussions. None of our family members had any reactions when put back on gluten. In fact while being gluten free I had heartburn for the first time since I was pregnant, and my colon was not happy with the situation either. I substituted with white rice, brown rice and soy flour. I used potato and tapioca starch. I must give a thumbs up to Jules gluten free flour, which we still use because it's great. It does substitute right in for many recipes as my friend Chris says and raves about.

We did eat a lot more Southeast Asian foods. I made Pad Thai, which needs some tweaking. And I made Pho Ga, which my husband says I can make everyday. It was very good. These have been added to my Asian recipes. My husband and I took a Chinese cooking class before we were married, and we still use the recipes a dozen years later.

Overall, we will have reduced the gluten from our diet but not excluded it. We are kind of doing the same thing with meat. Moderation you know. Those fresh fruits and veggies, we love them. I have made a green smoothie almost every day for a month. I've had to make double now since the girlios love them. Our favorite is about three cups of baby spinach blended with the juice of one orange. Then add a banana and a cup of frozen strawberries. Blend smooth. It's really good. REALLY. It is bright green, but that hasn't stopped us. I'd put in a picture of today's but it already gone. Boom - 5 servings of fruits and veggies down in a sitting.

I digress. During this time I need to find a way to get some protein in my diet too. I found this recipe and have made it a couple of times. I knew that it passed the test when I put them out for a snack because it was all I had, and they were consumed greedily. And filling. The girlios didn't want lunch.
I used Jullian Michael's Vanilla Protein Powder. Overall I have not found a vanilla protein powder I like. Blaaach. Chocolate covers the whey flavor much better. I'm still on the hunt for good tasting protein powder. Her chocolate is palatable. The original recipe does not include chocolate chips. Of course I added it. I also didn't have maple extract so I added a bit of maple syrup. Tweaking again. The original recipe does have almond slivers that are pressed on top. I don't do that.


Pumpkin Protein Bars  (These were adapted from glutenfreefitness.com)

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup oat bran (I had rice bran)
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 6 tsp stevia
• 1/4 cup egg whites (I used number of eggs equivalent)
• 3 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (not in original recipe)
• almonds to sprinkle on top (press them in a little)

1. Spray a 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix everything in bowl. I put in chocolate chips last.
3. Spread in pan and bake for 20 -25 min. Middle will look a little underdone.
(I overcooked the first batch. The top looked done but the bottom was charred. Still, didn't stop us from eating them.)
4. Remove from pan when cooled. Cut eat and enjoy.

150 cal and 14 g of protein for two squares

I still have one more favorite to post. I hope they all work as well for you as they have for me. Let me know how it goes. Pass them on.

Cooking Up Fuel: Homemade Granola Bars

I love food. And I love to cook. Growing up, my father, a chemist, said, "Good chemists are good cooks." The science is strong in my family tree. My dad and my brother are chemists that have 'food' at the end of their names - Phd. There were dinner conversations I just didn't understand. In turn, it gave me a greater opportunity to savor the food. I thought I was going to pave a new path getting my degree in biology teaching. I've never taught biology as a job. I was hired to teach chemistry and loved teaching it. Consequently, I married a chemistry teacher. Our poor children.

My husband and I have a deal. The first time I try a recipe I have to follow the directions. I'm a tweaker. Or an adapter. I have a hard time not substituting. I sub for taste, health, fat, eggs, even dairy. So our rule is the first time is by the book. After that, I have license. The deal does have some flex of course.

Target has these chocolate graham knock off Zone Bars that are delish! I love to eat them before a long run. They are yummy and don't irritate my tummy. However, a few of things became a problem. One, my mileage went up a lot last year and 'long' could mean 4 miles up to 14 miles. Two, they are pricey. It's four dollars for five bars. I was going through a box a week. Three, I don't go to Target very often, not often enough to sustain my consumption.

I could make my own. I've been doing that a lot more lately. We try something and I say, "I bet I could make that." We now make our own potstickers, sushi and a variety of dishes from around the world. I don't deep fry and avoid recipes with lots of butter. I'll eat it if somebody else makes it. I'd rather not know how oily it is.

I was going to put my three favorite recipes in one post but looking at it now, it would be too long. This is the most popular recipe at the house. The girls love it too as you will see.

Jo-Ann's Power Bars on AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat and barley nugget cereal (e.g. Grape-Nuts™)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 (7 ounce) bag chopped dried mixed fruit

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cereal, and cinnamon. Add the egg, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, and oil. Mix well. Stir in the sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried fruit. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Bake 30 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned around the edges. Let cool. Use the foil to lift from the pan. Cut into bars or squares, and store in the refrigerator.               

Today I didn't have applesauce so I substituted pumpkim.

It goes easily in the toaster oven.

First piece - pumpkin, chocolate, raisin, sunflower seed & walnuts

Perfect size for little hands

This recipe begs to be tweaked. I've made it gluten free, sugar free and definitely included chocolate. I've added protein powder. Combos of cranberries and white chocolate or raisins and dark chocolate. It's quick, yummy and easy. Smear some peanut butter on it. Add more sunflower seeds instead of walnuts.

 



Oh the problem of sharing! Must make more :)