Single Serve Monkey Bread (or brains)

When I was in college one of my roommates was majoring in Home Ec.  She always made these fantastic meals and treats for us.  She would make these gourmet meals on Sundays and invite guys over to eat with us.  It was a great way to lure the guys to our apartment!  She made this treat for us one day and it was so good.  I don't think I've found a recipe of monkey brains that tastes as good at the one she made but I did find this one and it is a great replacement.  The best thing about this recipe is that it comes in single serving which helps with portion control.  The obvious changes that can be made if you don't want to be as healthy is just to switch out the stevia for normal sugar or use regular syrup.  We all loved this and it's a great little treat.    Recipe came from here

Single Serve Monkey Bread

2	Cans reduced fat Pillsbury™ crescent rolls (off-brand works well too!)
1/2 cup	Sugar Free Maple Syrup
1 tbs	Light Butter
3 tbs	Cinnamon
2 tbs	Baking stevia OR 1/4 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar  1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray, (I suggest using non-stick muffin tin to prevent sticking!). 2 Open up both cans of crescent dough, and cut each triangle into 3 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece of dough into 3 equal-sized small balls, totaling 24 balls per pack of crescent rolls. (Note: balls should be smaller than golf balls, but big enough that about 4 balls will fit into each muffin tin). 3 Combine the stevia/splenda (or whatever sugar substitute you choose) with 2 tbs of cinnamon in a small bowl. Toss the dough balls in the cinnamon-‘sugar’ mix until the balls are well coated. 4 Next, melt the butter in microwave-safe bowl for about 30 seconds, (or until melted).  Add the syrup and 1 tbs cinnamon to the melted butter, stir, and set aside. 5 Place  four balls into each individual muffin tin, and pour the butter-syrup mixture over each muffin tin, until the dough balls are almost covered in the syrup mixture, (if there isn’t enough to cover each muffin tin, I just added a bit more syrup to each tin). 6 Bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until a caramelized crust forms on the top of each little monkey bread. 7 Remove from the oven, and let cool for about 15 minutes. Use a knife to remove the edges and serve on a pretty plate… Preferably while still warm!

No Bake Energy Balls

We all enjoyed these little energy balls.  They took all of two seconds to make.  I think next time I might also add some flax seed, but not too much.  

No Bake Energy Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup of all-natural peanut butter

1/2 cup of raw honey

1/2 cup of whey protein (we use the chocolate kind!)

2 cups of oats

Directions:

Mix peanut butter + honey

Add the protein

Then add the oats

Roll into 1-2" balls and refrigerate for a few hours before eating!

Caramel Apple Pie Protein Shake

The boys love smoothies and shakes and  sometimes it's a nice option to go with our meal or for a little snack.  So I found this one recently and we really enjoyed it.  Will thought the cinnamon was a little too "spicey" and Isaac didn't love it but the rest of us did.  I didn't have xanthum gum or stevia (I just used sugar).  I thought it was great!  The recipe came from here

Ingredients

1/2 cup	Fat free cottage cheese 1
1	Scoop vanilla protein powder 2
1/2 cup	Apple chopped fine, or 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp	Caramel extract (or 2 tbs sugar free butterscotch pudding mix)
1/2 tsp	Apple or pumpkin pie spice
Dash	Cinnamon
5-10	Ice cubes (Depending on how thick you like it, use less for a thinner consistency)
1/2-1 cup	Water (Alter this according to desired consistency)
2-3 pkts	Stevia (or 1/4 tsp sweetener of choice)
Optional:	1/2 tsp xanthan gum 3, 1/2 tsp butter extract

¹ Cottage cheese may sound strange, but TRUST me… this is what makes the ‘MILKSHAKE’ consistency! Also, if you are sensitive to dairy, you can use tofu to get the same consistency!

² I use Designer Whey Protein powder. It has 100 calories per scoop. I buy the vanilla flavor because it’s a good base to add whatever flavors you want to make. It is also all natural. You can buy it from Kroger, GNC, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, or Netrition.com.

³ You can get xanthan gum from most grocery stores in the gluten free section! Just a pinch of it makes your shake so thick and creamy!

Here's the Dish

What could be better than enjoying your apple pie in a rich creamy shake packed with protein!?! This shake makes an excellent breakfast or snack, and is so delicious that you will have a hard time believing that it is actually good for you! 

Method

THE ESTIMATED TOTAL TIME TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IS 5 MINUTES.

1

Put everything into a blender and blend until creamy consistency is reached! Top with light whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon if desired, and Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Protein Shake

I don't have any measurements to give on this so you will just have to do it to taste.  The boys and Mike love when I make this.  It's a fun change from a smoothie.

Peanut Butter Protein Shake

2 frozen bananas
ice cubes
a few TBS Chocolate milk powder (I use our food storage chocolate milk powder unless we run out of it and then I use the Nesquick chocolate milk powder)
2 TBS peanut butter (or or less depending on how much you like peanut butter.  I put a little more in last night and it was too much for me but the boys loved it)
Milk (if I use the food storage chocolate milk mix then I just use water)
**I also occasionally add some protein powder.  We like the vanilla flavor but you could use whatever you want.  Sometimes I will add in a fiber supplement too.  You have to make sure it is really mixed well when you use it though.

Dumb all the ingredients in a blender and mix well.

Giant Gooey Cinnamon Breakfast Biscuits

We had a snow day yesterday so I thought I'd make a fun breakfast for the boys.  I made them these biscuits and they loved them.  I was trying to take care of the baby so I didn't have time to eat mine hot.  I ate one bite and it was really good but when I came back a few hours later to finish it, it wasn't very good.  So just know that it is good hot but later probably won't be as good.  Also, I didn't have cinnamon chips so I just used brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on it.  This was a very easy biscuit to make and since we like cinnamon rolls and biscuits, it was the perfect mixture.

Giant Gooey Cinnamon Breakfast Biscuits
makes 4 extra-large biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream*, divided
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

* Note: If you want to use anything other than heavy cream in this recipe, please know that you will not get optimal results. All the fat in this recipe comes from the cream (instead of butter) so if you use low-fat milk or any other kind of dairy, the whole recipe would need to be tweaked. If you do not want to use cream, I would recommend making another biscuit recipe that you are familiar with and just adding cinnamon chips as directed below.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan, or line it with one sheet of parchment paper, hanging over the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, breaking up any large clumps in the brown sugar. Pour in 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of the cream — just enough to make a thick, fairly wet and sticky dough — and mix quickly, just until combined. Dump the dough out on a floured countertop and pat into a long, thick rectangle. The dough will be firm, yet wet and sticky.

Slice the rectangle into 8 equally-sized squares. Lay half the squares in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle about a tablespoon and a half of cinnamon chips over each square. Cover the cinnamon chips with a second square of biscuit dough and lightly press the edges to seal. Repeat with each biscuit. Top the biscuits with the remaining cinnamon chips.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the biscuits are barely golden on the outside and just cooked through. Remove from the oven and use a knife to spread and smear the now hot cinnamon chips on top of the biscuits.

Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla. Lightly drizzle the biscuits with this glaze (you may not want to use all of the glaze). Serve and eat while hot.

I got the recipe from here

Blackberry Limeade

Blackberry Limeade
Serves 8

Ingredients:
6 cups water, divided
3 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
Lime wedges and fresh blackberries, for serving

Directions:
Blend the blackberries and 1 cup of water together until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Add the remaining 5 cups of water, sugar and lime juice to the pitcher. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish each with a lime wedge and a few blackberries, if desired.

Slightly adapted from My Recipes

Fruit Roll Ups

The boys love fruit roll ups.  I have never been a fan.  I think they are a waste of money for a bunch of sugar.  But, I thought if I could make my own we could find a compromise.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and then added some honey to sweeten it a bit.  The boys LOVE these.  Plus, I can send them to school as a snack or put them in their lunch boxes.  I just store them in a plastic container.  

Fruit Roll Ups
From My Edible Advice

2 cups organic strawberries
¼ tsp cinnamon

(1-2 TBS honey...or to taste)

Blend the fruit until smooth, then spread onto a Teflex sheet or a parchment-lined baking sheet.

If using a dehydrator, dehydrate at 105 degrees F for 8-10 hours or until the fruit is pliable and easy to peel from the sheet.

If using an oven, leave it on at the lowest temperature until the fruit is dry (times will vary depending on the oven).

Cut into strips and store in a glass container in the refrigerator.