I'm cooking up a strom today

i love to spend my sundays cooking and getting ready for the week to come.

today i am making:
-healthy choc choc chip muffins (i freeze most of them)
-small multigrain pancakes
-baked ziti (freezing it for company we are having on sunday)
-eggplant parmigiana (freezing it for sunday)
-roasted red peppers (i jar these up and use them on everything)
-my dogs food (she eats: rice, eggs, beef, chicken, sweet potato-i make a huge batch of this which last about 2 weeks-i freeze a weeks worth)

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

have fun!

can you share your healthy recipes??

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

i did this type of cooking yesterday... feels so good

have fun

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

Here is the recipe for the healthy choc choc chip muffins:

Ingredients
1 3/4 c oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia *if you have neither, just use 1/2c regular sugar-it wont hurt ya*
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (OR you could use white chocolate OR peanut butter chips!)
*Foil cupcake liners, remove the inner paper lining (I say foil, because from experience, paper liners tend to stick to muffins!)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight
Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin (12 Big Muffins) / 58 Calories Per Muffin (24 smaller muffins)

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

For the multigrain pancakes, i buy Trader Joes Multigrain Baking & Pancake Mix. This stuff is amazing! I made waffles from it as well-sooo delish. I do exactly what the box says, except I never add the oil. And if i run out of fat free milk, I use water (this is for pancakes only though, I think the waffle batter would come out too watery)
I usually make two batches at a time. I make small pancakes, throw them all in a ziplock and freeze them. I eat 3 pancakes most mornings. I simply take the out of the freezer, wrap them in a aper towel and stick them in the microwave for 30-45sec. *The pancakes will become dry if over cooked on the stove or microwave, but they are a delish althrnative to good ole' buttermilk pancakes :)

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

Braces yourselves for these:
Better Than Crack Brownies
I made these yesterday for my BIL's birthday! They were enjoyed by all.

These brownies are addictive! These are in no way healthy and only make them when you are having company over-otherwise you'll find yourself introuble.

Ingredients
1 batch brownies (boxed mix is fine)
1/2 cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt) *can eliminate this if you want
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups *use can use more if you'd like-load em up!
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips or light melting chocolate
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon butter *you really dont need this
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Method
Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.
While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Re: I'm cooking up a strom today

Now for the food:

Baked Ziti: The secret is, I mix my ricotta cheese (I buy polly-o 48oz original-on sale now at pathmark *haha i sound like an ad)
Anyhoo, I mix it with 2 eggs, locatelli pecorino romano (dont know how much but i use a lot!), pepper, basil (once again I dont measure, I do it to taste and I love basil so I use a lot), parsley and shredded mozzarella cheese. YUMMY!

Eggplant: I peel and slice my eggplant very-very thin. After its all sliced, I line my colander with paper towel, layer my eggplant and throw salt on it, the i continue layering it with paper towel, more eggplant, and salt. The salt takes out the moisture of the eggplant. After letting it sit for 20-25 mins, I begin flouring my slices (I add salt and pepper to my flour), then I dip them in egg (sometimes I dip them in balsamic, it depends on what I have more of), then I bread them and then i fry them (sometimes I bake them, but everything is better fried!!)

I make my own sauce too, I put a ton of stuff in it and dont measure any of it-I do it to taste.

Roasted Peppers: I use red, but you can use orange and yellow too (I jut like the way the red look-weird I know). I lone a heavy baking sheet with foil and rest all my peppers on their sides. I briol them in the oven on high for 20mins, flipping them and watching them blister*its important to flip them, you dont want them to char. After they are dont, I take them out and place them in freezer bags leaving them out to cool to room temp. Once cooled, I remove them for the bags and begin peeling off the skin, after that I slice them up discarding what you dont want and putting them in a jar with olive oil, garlic, basil, pepper, salt if you want, and anything else you want to flavor them with.

ENJOY!!!!