How to: Crockpot French Toast

 Ingredients

1 loaf of bread, diced

6 eggs

2 cups milk

½ tsp cinnamon

Topping

¼ cup butter, softened

½ firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

Dash of nutmeg

Spray crockpot with non stick cooking spray and add milk, eggs, and cinnamon. I used almond milk and it was delicious.

Whisk together.

Chop 1 and 1/3 loaf of break into square pieces. I used Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread.

Add break to egg mixture and let soak for at least 2 hours. I put this in the fridge and let it soak over night.

After fully soaked, mix together the dry topping ingredients, then add softened butter and sprinkle on top. Cook in crockpot on High for 2 hours, or low for 4 hours.

Top with your favorite maple syrup and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Macarons

 Gather your ingredients:

Almond Meal

Confectioner's sugar

Creme of Tartar

Eggs

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter

 In your mixer, whip 3 egg white and 1/4 teaspoon of creme of tartar on medium for 3 minutes, then on high for an additional 4 minutes.

 While your egg whites are beating, you can mix your dry ingredients: 1 cup almond meal, 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. When your egg whites are done beating, you will fold in the dry ingredients, starting with half, then folding in the other half after the first in incorporated well. After everything is mixed together, put the mixture in a pastry bag and pipe 1 inch circles on your cookie sheet. I like to use the silicon pan liners, it helps the macarons bake more evenly.

 Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees and wait. Your little macarons need to rest before baking. At least 30 minutes, longer if it is humid. You will know when they are ready because you will be able to touch their tops without your finger sticking to them.

 Bake for 18 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Once cool, spread Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter on half of the macarons, then sandwhich them with the remaining half of the batch.

Voila! Enjoy!

Treat Yo Self Thursday

Treat Yo Self Thursday is usually all about indulging in awesome things for yourself. Not this week. This week it's all about treating yo little canine pal by making them home made "Frosty Paws-esque" treats!

 Here's all you'll need:

-a blender

-cupcake cups and a cupcake pan

-no fat plain green yogurt (32 oz)

-creamy peanut butter (4 heaping tablespoons)

-water (1/4 cup)

-your dog's favorite biscuits (I used peanut butter flavored Kong treats)

 Throw the yogurt, peanut butter, and water into the blender and blend until combine thoroughly. If the thickness seems to be a bit much, add a little more water to thin it out.

 Emmett was REALLY interested in the peanut butter scent coming from the table.

 After you are finished blending, put your mixture back in the yogurt container for easier access when making your treats.

 Put your cupcake papers in a cupcake tray (mine are left out so I can take a nice picture, but this got really messy REALLY quick). Sprinkle some crushed biscuits on the top if you like, or keep them plain.

Freeze for 2 hours so that they can solidify enough to take the cup shape, but still have enough play to allow you to easily take them out of the tray. After you remove them from the tray, place them back in the freezer over night so they get frozen solid. 

Before you share this with your pup, be sure to remove the paper wrapper...Emmett might have eaten a wrapper by accident, oops!

Thai Veggies with "Peanut" Sauce

This is my favorite entree recipe that I've made so far on the cleanse. It's fairly quick to make, and ridiculously easy.

Chop up your veggies and throw them into a large mixing bowl.

Throw your "peanut" sauce ingredients in the blender and blend well. Add up to 1/3 cup water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Once the sauce is done, pour over your veggies and hand toss until your veggies are coated. Spoon out a serving of quinoa into your bowl, and pour your sauced veggies on top.

Thai Veggies and Quinoa with "Peanut Sauce"

(makes 4 servings)

Quinoa:

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups water

Veggies:

2 Carrots, julienne

2 Zucchini, cut into half moons

1 head of broccoli cut into bite sized pieces

3 cups snow peas

Thai "Peanut" Sauce:

1/2 cup Almond Butter

1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tbsp agave

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp sea salt

1/3 cup water   

PS: Happy Valentine's Day!!

Mock Egg Salad

 This is one of my favorite cleanse-friendly recipes so far. I like it so much that I've been eating it for lunch every day!

 Crumble two blocks of tofu in a large mixing bowl.

 Add the rest of the ingredients, and dig in with your bare hands to mix it together. I haven't had this much fun cooking since I was a little kid.

 This recipe makes SIX servings!!

 You can spread on some Ezekiel bread, but I prefer to eat mine with a couple handfuls of spinach and a sliced avocado.

I also mix well before eating, to get all flavors combined nicely for each bite!

Tofu Eggless Salad

2 blocks of firm tofu

1 cup vegan mayonnaise

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/3 cup parsley

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Crazy Sexy Chocomole

 Attention Banana "soft serve" lovers: I have a new guilt free dessert recipe for you! Stay with me here, because I know that you are already thinking that this is INSANE.

 Throw all of your ingredients in the blender, along with 1/2 cup of water, and pulse to a smooth, pudding consistency.  You'll probably have to scrape the sides a few times & keep pulsing til it's just right.

 The best, healthiest, richest tasting Dark Chocolate Pudding, or Chocomole, you will ever eat.

Throw some fresh strawberries on top, and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Pudding

(aka Chocomole*)

1 ripe Avocado

2 tbsp Agave Nectar (you may want to add more if you like it a bit sweeter)

1/2 tsp Vanilla

4 HEAPING tbsp of Dark Cocoa powder

1/2 cup water

*this recipe was adapted from a recipe you can find in Kris Carr's book Crazy Sexy Diet....more on this to come!

chili lime kale chips

 We're trying to be super healthy in 2012, so I decided to try making some kale chips.

The first step: rip the leaves off of the stems in bite size pieces and pre- heat over to 300 degrees.

 Step 2: Gather the ingredients you would like to use to season your chips. I decided to use chili powder, lime, and sea salt.

 Step 3: Toss your kale with a little bit of olive oil, squeeze a whole lime over the kale, and sprinkle liberally with the chili powder. Then toss again to be sure all of the kale gets some of that yummy seasoning.

 Step 5: Lay the kale out on cookies sheets lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt. The over should now be pre heated, so pop these in for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, rotate the sheets and bake for 10 more minutes.

You will get a crunchy, crispy, flavorful, HEALTHY snack for when you're craving something salty!

inaugurating the kitchen aid

 For New Years Eve, I decided to whip up some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip cookies to break in the Kitchen Aid I got for Christmas.

 Ready to roll!

 Works like a charm!

 The little Kitchen Aid did all the hard work for me!

 The cookies sheets are lined with parchment paper, and they are ready to be popped into the oven!

 The bottoms came out a little burnt, but they still tasted great!

Windshield Diaries Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups oats

1 cup unbleached flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 bag of Hershey Chocolate Chips

1 bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

4. Place heaping tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

6. Devour! 

easy key lime pie

 Key Lime Pie key ingredients: 5 egg yolks, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup lime juice.

 Dump key ingredients into a bowl.

 Mix until well blended.

 Pour into pre-made graham cracker crust.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375F. Let cool. Serve and top with whipped cream.

Just in time for a last minute easy dessert for your upcoming holiday meal or potluck!