Pretzels

Ingredients:
- active dry yeast 2tsp
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tbsp butter (I used plain butter and herbed butter)
- salt to sprinkle on top of the pretzels

Directions:
1. Sprinkle the yeast in the warm water and add 1/2 tsp sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes or till it froths up.
2. In a bowl combine 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 3/4 tsp salt. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and knead well.  I used my kitchen aid stand mixer to combine the ingredients. I had to add a little more water then called for.
3. Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl and let rise for about an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F. Divide the dough into 8 pieces.
5. Take each piece of dough and roll into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape.
6. Dissolve the baking soda in hot water. Dip the pretzels into the solution and place on a well greased tray. 
7. Bake for 10minutes. Then brush the pretzels with butter and sprinkle with salt.

French Toast

For the bread I used a cinnamon swirl bread that I bought from the grocery store. You could use any type of bread. I think a cranberry or blueberry bread would be delicious!

Since I was only making two pieces I just threw together the ingredients without measuring anything. I actually very rarely measure anything. In a small bowl I poured about a cup of skim milk, 1tbsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cinnamon, pinch of salt and egg substitute.

I then cooked the french toast in a stir-fry pan in a little bit of butter. I topped it with powdered sugar and maple syrup.



Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:
 - 1/2 lb lean ground beef
 - 1/2 lb extra lean ground turkey
 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
 - 1 small onion, diced
 - 1 1/2 tsp garlic
 - 1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
 - 3/4 tsp dried oregano
 - 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
 - 1 dash hot pepper sauce
 - 1/3 cup milk
 - 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
 - 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
 - 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
 - 3 tbsp pesto
 - spaghetti noodles(I use whole wheat)
 - large can of spaghetti sauce
 - 1 small can of tomato sauce

Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs.
2. Begin bowling some water for the pasta. Cook the pasta as the box instructs.
3. Pour just enough olive oil or vegetable oil in a pan to cover the bottom. Heat the oil and place the meatballs in the pan to beging browning.
4. While the meatballs are browning on one side, dump a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce into a pan on low heat. I like add extra italian seasoning and garlic. Make sure to put a lid over the sauce as it may splatter a little.
5. Turn the meatballs over to make sure the other side browns. Once most of the meatballs have browned place them into the sauce along with a small can of tomato sauce.
6. Let the meatballs continue cooking for another 15minutes. ENJOY!

Pie

Who doesn't love pie, whether it's apple . . cherry . . peach .  . or chocolate.



Ingredients:

- 2 store bought pie crust dough (thawed)
- 6 to 7 cups of apples (green)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter


Directions:

- preheat the oven to 375F
- Place one of the pie doughs in the pie dish. Bake the pie dough for 8-10 minutes until light brown.
- In a skillet melt the butter and add the chopped apples.
- Then add the cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Cook the apples until they are tender, adding flour as a thickner as needed.
- Then place the apple mixture into the pie dish on top of the pie dough. Place the second pie crust on top of the apples. Cover the pie with foil and bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another five minutes or until golden brown.

 

This is a picture of my girlfriend Kim's delicious peach pie. She makes the BEST peach pie!

 

 

 

Some of My Favorite Blogs

This post is all about some of my favorite blogs and not just cooking blogs, but fashion and running.

I'm pretty sure most of your have heard of The Pioneer Woman. If you are new to cooking or just like step by step pictures then you will love her blog. She even has a show on the Cooking Channel that comes on Saturday mornings.

Here is her blog: Pioneer Woman

If you're into fashion or interior design then your will love this blog: The Peak of Tres Chic

My girlfriend Sam Penner updates her blog frequently and I'm obsessed! Here she is:

Center Cut Cook

This blog has so many great recipes ranging from healthy smoothies to delicious desserts.

Joylicious

Joylicious contains wonderful recipes that are upscale, photographic,  and entertaining. I love all the wonderful cooking tips as well.



Cinnamon Girl Recipes

Here's a picture of Oven Fried Zucchini Chips with Basil Dipping Sauce.

I made these for a girls night and everyone devoured them. I replaced the dipping sauce ingredients with lighter versions.

 

ENJOY!!!

Banana Bread

This banana bread is great for breakfast, snack or late night munchie.


Ingredients:
- 2 1/3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (I like to add a little more . . actually a lot more)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup plus 2tsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 4 bananas (very ripe & mashed) Putting the bananas in the freezer ripens them very quickly.
- 2 tbsp sour cream (I use light sour cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- If you like walnuts then you can add 2/3 cup chopped walnuts.

Directions:

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts or chocolate chips. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

If you want to lower your calories or sugar then try Banana Bread made with Splenda. The bread will look a little funny because of the splenda, but it tastes great. I like to add spray butter to the bread after heating it up for a few seconds.

ENJOY!!!!

Fitness - Pinterest Post

Say Goodbye to my dessert posts for a while because this is my new inspiration. Any and all recipes that aren't 'healthy' on my blog from here on out were made a while back and never posted! So jumpy on board and enjoy my healthy recipes!

I'm super excited to get my workouts started because I just joined LifeTime Fitness! I wont stop running, but will be adding a lot more resistance and weight training to my workouts. If you know me then you know I usually only run, so this will be a little bit of a challenge for me. I'm always up for running buddies. If you'd like to join me I joined the CityCentre Run Club.

Inspiration for Rodeo Run 10k

Great quote!!!

BeSt WAFFLE!

I was in NYC over Christmas and came across a waffle stand . . . now this wasn't any waffle stand, the best waffle I've had in my life!!! There was an array of assortments that I could choose to top my waffle with, from chocolate, peanut butter, fruit, nuts and the list goes on. I thought I had picked peanut butter, but oh no it wasn't peanut butter it was homemade hazelnut peanut butter, which I then topped with chocolate and powdered sugar!!! DELICIOUS!!!!!!

4 Ingredient Pie

Ingredients:
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 12 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
- 11/4 cup heavy cream
- 8ounce bittersweet chocolate(61% cacao)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a food processor, process 3/4 of coconut and butter until it forms a ball. Transfer to a bowl and mix in remaining coconut with your hands.
3. Butter pie pan. Add coconut mixture to pie. Cover the edges with foil and bake for 10-15minutes, until lightly brown. Remove foil and bake for another 5minutes until the edges begin to brown.
4. Chop the chocolate up finely or place in food processor to break down.
5. Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Once the heavy cream is brought to a boil pour over chocolate and let stand for a few minutes. Then stir the mixture until completely smooth.
6. Pour chocolate mixture into coconut crust. Place in refrigerator for at least 30minutes. ENJOY!!

Kelsey Nixon's Fettuccine with Yellow Squash and Parmesan-Lemon Cream Sauce

This is a very easy and yummy recipe! I made the pasta from scratch which is very easy and lots of fun, but if you don't have the patience then you can use store bought fettuccine. If you want to be adventorous and try making your own pasta then you can purchase a Westin Pasta Machine from bed bath and beyond for $35. I paired the pasta with a spinach salad. You could pair the pasta with any type of salad, but I suggest something simple because the pasta sauce is heavy. 

Click here for Recipe

Fruit Tart

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup crushed grahm crackers
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 2tbsp splenda
- variety of fruit, your choice
- one container of vanilla greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine grahm crackers, butter and splenda. Press ingredients into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate.
2. Bake for 10minutes at 375F.
3. Let cool. Add greek yogurt to the center of the pie crust leaving the sides bare.
4. Cut and arrange fruit to your liking.
5. Boil equal part sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Paint the simple sugar onto the fruit and place in the refrigerator.
6. ENJOY!!!