Pomegranate Swirl Popsicles

One more step toward making homemade ice cream - popsicles. I found a huge article in a magazine recently with all kinds of popsicle ideas; so I combined a couple ingredients that sounded good, and made my own version. Enter pomegranate yogurt popsicles, healthy and tasty!

Very little ingredients needed for this recipe; Greek yogurt and pomegranate juice.  I also added some sugar so the yogurt flavor wouldn't be too sour.

Begin by filling the popsicle holders 3/4 of the way full of pomegranate juice.

I mixed the Greek yogurt with some sugar, and then filled the popsicle holders up the rest of the way with the yogurt.

Swirl together so the juice mixes with the yogurt.  Freeze for around eight hours.

Believe it or not there are only around 50 calories in one of these.  It's a great dessert, without going overboard.  Plus it takes not even 10 minutes to assemble, so you can make them the night before and enjoy the next day.  Perfect summer indulgence!  

I'm off to the Midwest for a long awaited reunion with a bunch of families I grew up with, and am so excited to spend some quality time with old friends!  Plus, I get to sit outside without sweating, might even need a sweatshirt; excited doesn't even begin to cover it.  I will be back August 8th, and look forward to sharing more recipes with you then.  Have a great weekend and week everyone :)

Pomegranate Swirl Popsicles

Serves 4

8 oz pomegranate juice

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup of sugar

Combine the Greek yogurt and the sugar well.

Fill the popsicle holders 3/4 full of pomegranate juice.

Fill the rest of the holder with the yogurt and sugar mixture.

Stir to combine the juice and the yogurt.

Freeze for 8 hours, and enjoy!



Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast

I've tried a lot of french toast recipes, and I think this is definitely one of my favorites.  It's different from most others because the bread sits in a butter and brown sugar mixture, which caramelizes and soaks into the bread when it's baking.  Adds another dimension to normal french toast; as if it wasn't great already!

Cut one loaf of french bread into one inch pieces.  I used whole wheat bread, and it worked just as well.

In a 9x13 inch baking dish mix together brown sugar and melted butter.  

Layer on the bread and sprinkle on the raisins, repeat the layering until you've used all the bread.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla, milk and cinnamon until well combined.  Pour the mixture evenly over the bread, making sure all of it's coated.  Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.  The bread will lightly browned.  Serve hot with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

I served with powdered sugar along with watermelon and blackberries as a side.  I had this for dinner as I made everything that morning and let sit in the fridge all day, and it worked great for a Sunday night dinner.  Breakfast for dinner is the best, especially when it's as good as this french toast.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Raisin Baked French Toast

Serves 5

Adapted from The Pastry Affair

1/2 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 loaf French bread, cut into cubes

1/2 cup raisins

6 large eggs

2 cups milk *I used skim, but you can use whole or half and half

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a 9x13 inch baking dish, mix together brown sugar and melted butter.

Coat the bottom of the dish evenly.

Layer on 1/2 of the cubed bread and sprinkle on 1/2 of the raisins, repeat.

In a medium mixing bowl combine eggs, vanilla, milk and cinnamon and combine well.

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread.

Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake uncovered for around 40 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve hot with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Wordless Wednesday

More Pictures of Lake Texoma

I have a few more pictures of camping at Lake Texoma to show all of you.  I wanted to share the perfect dinner to try while you're camping.  C and his family came up with this, and I must say it's awesome!  I cut up a bunch of different veggies and kept them in a Tupperware beforehand.  Also used hamburger meat and rolled them into meatballs with an egg and some pepper and garlic seasoning.  Every thing's ready before you leave, then when you're camping you don't hardly have any work to do.

Put all the veggies and meatballs together in tin foil and make a little packet to throw over the fire.  C added some store bought gravy to his packet, I didn't, but both were tasty.

Here it is all finished cooking.  YUM!  The veggies and meat together kind of marinate each other and it turns out to be a great dinner.

We finished cooking dinner just in time to watch the sunset over the lake.

Very beautiful and relaxing!

The next day we decided after two days of camping and baring the heat, we would venture back to civilization and found the Highpoint Marina bar and grill and it was perfect to hang out in until the fireworks started.

Yes, I ordered a blended pina colada... I was pretty pumped to be back in the land of electricity!

The place had garage doors all the way around it that opened so we could sit and watch the sunset and fireworks over the marina.  Pretty cool view!

If you ever have the opportunity to take a trip to Lake Texoma I'm sure you'll like it just as much as me.

See you tomorrow :)

Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta Salad

Sometimes I get really motivated and....buy Women's Health magazine.  Bet you thought I was going to say exercise didn't ya?  That's for another day!  Women's Health has some great recipes sometimes, I've tried a couple and am usually pretty pleased with the outcome.  This shrimp and broccoli pasta was one of the good ones.  It can be served hot or cold, I chose hot, but I think it would taste pretty great either way!

I steamed fresh broccoli, but you could use frozen as well.

Also used whole grain pasta.  Cook in a large pot with salted water until cooked through.

I cooked the shrimp on the stove with a little black and cayenne pepper.  Gave the pasta little extra kick when everything was mixed together.

Cut in half around 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes.  Or you can use sun-dried tomatoes.

You'll need olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Mix the olive oil, vinegar, tomatoes in a large bowl with onion powder and oregano. 

Add freshly squeezed lemon juice from a half of a lemon.  When the pasta, shrimp, and broccoli are all finished add to the bowl with the olive oil mixture and stir to combine.

Serve immediately for the dish to be hot, or you can mix together and keep in the fridge to eat cold later.  This recipe was awesome - simple and only 315 calories.  I added a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top for additional flavor, but you can leave that out if you like.  Kudos to Women's Health for this one!

Happy Monday ya'll ;)

(Yes I said ya'll, I've lived in Texas for a year so I think I've earned it!)

Shrimp & Broccoli Pasta Salad

Serves 2

Adapted from Women's Health magazine

8 oz cooked shrimp

1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta

1 cup steamed broccoli

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons olive oil

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon oregano

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve immediately or refrigerate to eat cold.

Lake Texoma

This year for the 4th of July, C and I took a trip to Lake Texoma to go camping for the weekend.  Yes, we are that nuts to think that camping in Texas in July is a good idea.  We still had a great time, despite the heat.  It was nice to get out of the city, and be surrounded my nature!  

I was really surprised how beautiful and large the lake was, it was gorgeous.  We had the perfect camping site, right on the tip of a peninsula.  There were cliffs everywhere, and I took a lot of pictures.

We also could walk down from our site right onto the beach.  Considering how hot it was that's what we did all day was lay in the water.

C eating breakfast and relaxing!

Right across from us I found my dream house.  If anyone knows the person who lives here let them know I want to become friends. :) 

This was the beach before it got very busy, but it was still really fun.  I think the 4th of July is meant to be celebrated on a lake, so we picked a great place.  I'll show more pictures next week.

Hope you all have a great weekend, see you back here on Monday! 

Cheesy Chili Mac

Although I don't have the exact calorie count, this is a very healthy dinner!  Simple and fresh ingredients make is very tasty, and you would think it has a lot of cheese and milk when in reality there isn't much of either! 

You'll need to cut up one medium onion, and mince three cloves of garlic.  The spices you'll be using are chili powder, ground cumin and a little salt.

Set a medium skillet over medium heat and add the oil.  Heat until simmering, then add the onion, chili powder, cumin and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened.  

Add the garlic, brown sugar and cook until fragrant.  Add the ground turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.

Stir in the water into the ground turkey mixture.

Then add the tomato sauce.  

Finally, add the pasta and stir to combine.  Cover the pan and increase the heat to medium high.  Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently.  The sauce will be thick by the time the pasta has finished.

Turn off the heat and add a cup of cheese.  I used low fat Colby jack cheese to keep this dish healthy.  Stir to melt the cheese and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Depending on how cheesy you want it, you can add cheese on top and let stand for a couple minutes to melt and then serve.  You can make this dish as spicy as you want by adding or subtracting chili powder.  I added a little extra and really enjoyed the extra kick.  The spices work great together, and the turkey and whole wheat pasta mixed in tasted amazing.

Cheesy Chili Mac

Serves 6 *I cut in half

Adapted from Skillet Suppers

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 pound ground turkey

2 cups water

1 15oz can tomato sauce

8oz (around 2 cups) whole wheat elbow pasta

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

In a medium skillet over medium heat add the oil.

Heat until simmer, then add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and a pinch of salt.

Cook, stirring frequently until the onion has softened.

Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant.

Add the ground turkey and cook until it's no longer pink.

Stir in the water and tomato sauce, then add the pasta and stir to combine.

Cover the pan and increase the heat to medium high.

Cook until pasta is al dente, stirring frequently.

Turn off the heat under the pan and add about one cup of cheese.

Stir to melt the cheese and season with salt and pepper.  

Sprinkle some cheese on top of the dish and serve.

Almond Cake

Get ready to LOVE this dessert. I couldn't get enough of it, and people at work are still (2 weeks later) requesting that I bring more in. It's pretty easy to make and like I said, you won't be able to get enough.

In a small sauce pan add the water and butter and bring to a boil.  While that's cooking, add the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl.

Pour the boiling water and butter mixture into the flour and sugar mixture. Beat well and add the baking soda, almond extract and sour cream.

Mix in the eggs, and beat again scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch baking pan, and bake at 375 degrees F for around 20 minutes until the middle is set.  Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for another 20 minutes until you start the icing.

For the icing, bring the butter and milk to boil in a small sauce pan.    

Add the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl.  Once the milk and butter and boiling, pour the mixture into the mixing bowl and mix well.  Add more powdered sugar if you need a thicker consistency.  Pour onto cake and let sit for 20 minutes to harden.  

Serve with ice cream or fresh fruit, I chose raspberries and I think it was the perfect addition.  The cake is moist, and I love the almond flavor in the icing and the cake itself.  

Enjoy!

Almond Cake

Serves 10

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Cake:

1 cup butter

1 cup water

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup sour cream

2 whole eggs

Icing:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small sauce pan, bring the water and butter to a boil.

While that is heating, add the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl.

Pour the water into the flour and sugar mixture and beat well.

Add the baking soda, almond extract and sour cream.

Then add the eggs and mix well.

Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch buttered pan.  

Bake for around 20 minutes until the middle is set.

Remove from the oven and let cool for another 20 minutes before starting the icing.

Icing:

Bring the butter and milk to boil in a small sauce pan.

Add the remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Once the milk is boiling, pour over the mixture in the bowl and stir until mixed well.

Add more powdered sugar if it needs to be thicker.

Pour onto the cake and let sit for 20 minutes, until it hardens.

Serve with ice cream or fresh fruit.