Black Bean Brownies

    I love cooking. But, baking is where my heart is. Since I'm on a low carb diet right now, my friends and loved ones are subject to my healthier alternatives as well! I wanted something chocolate on Wednesday and brownies sounded fantastic to me. I decided to try and trick the kids at youth group with this recipe. I didn't tell them that they weren't regular brownies, I just told them that I made them brownies! One of the middle school children stopped mid-chewing when I proudly announced to them that they were eating brownies that were made of beans! We had a nice laugh because she continued eating and told me they were delicious!

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1 (15.5 ounce) can of black beans

- 3 tablespoons of canola oil

- 3 eggs

- 3/4 cup of sugar

- 1/2 cup of cocoa powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, divided

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray. In a food processor, blend the black beans until smooth. Add in the oil, eggs, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Blend well until combined. Mix in 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish and top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake for about 30 minutes, until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. 

Garlic Hummus

    So, generally hummus is made with chick peas and tahini. I decided to leave out the tahini this go around. I'm crazy about hummus! My brother introduced me to it years ago and it's been a go-to snack ever since! It's a part of my meal prep mission. Since it's so ridiculously easy to make, I've decided I'm going to double this recipe and portion it out for snacks. I'm pretty impressed with this stuff. I love to eat hummus with cucumbers but, I'm positive that it would be great with some pita chips or carrots as well.

Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

- 1 (15 ounce) can of garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

- 3 tablespoons of water

- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice

- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

- a pinch of salt

- paprika to sprinkle on top

    In a food processor, combine the chick peas, garlic, water, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and salt. Pulse and blend the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Serve chilled with a sprinkle of paprika on top. 

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bites

    I was looking for a snack that I can take to work every day. I think I've pulled my resources and created something pretty healthy and dangerously easy on the taste buds. Flaxseed is full of fiber and is believed to reduce the risks of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes! Chia seeds are also packed full of fiber and protein! The word chia actually derives from the Mayan "chiabaan", which means "strengthening"! Besides the super healthy stuff, I've thrown in some coconut and chocolate chips to mix it up a bit. Yummy!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Energy Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 and 1/2 cup of quick oats

- 1/2 cup of toasted coconut flakes

- 1/2 cup of milled flaxseed

- 1/4 cup of chia seeds

- 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

- 1/2 cup of peanut butter

- 1/3 cup of honey

    In a medium sized bowl, spoon mix together the oats, coconut, flaxseed, chia seeds, and mini chocolate chips. Once combined, add the peanut butter and honey. Mix well and roll into bite sized balls. One or two of these little bites are probably a serving size, so repress the want to eat the whole batch lol. 

Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers

    So, I have a big wedding to attend at the end of the summer. My cousin is getting hitched and my family will be making the trip to Massachusetts! I'm super excited! Not only for my vacation, but for myself, I'd like to start eating a little better and shed some of this weight that I've been carrying around lately. This recipe is my first in my meal prep mission!

Low Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

- 3 medium sized bell peppers, I prefer green but, you could easily used red or yellow

- about 1/2 of a pound of lean roast beef, sliced and cut into small pieces 

- 6 slices of provolone cheese

- 1 small onion, diced

- 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

- olive oil

- freshly ground black pepper

    In a large pot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Cut each bell pepper in half and remove the stems and seeds. Blanch the halved peppers in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove them from the water and set them aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and roast beef for a few minutes with some freshly ground black pepper. Place one slice of provolone cheese inside each half of pepper and place them on a baking sheet. Divide the onion and roast beef mixture into each pepper half and top with a bit of parmesan cheese. Place them into the oven for about 10 minutes. 

Party Margaritas!

    I've been on a margarita kick lately! I'm not usually a huge fan of tequila. I've decided that I prefer the white over the gold variety. This recipe is an ideal idea for parties! I wasn't sure about it because it calls for sprite and there isn't usually sprite in margaritas. But, let me put your worries to rest because it definitely tastes like a perfectly mixed margarita! Next time, I'm going to replace the lemonade concentrate with frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate and make some strawberry margaritas!

Party Margaritas!

Ingredients:

- 1 (12 ounce) can of lemonade concentrate, thawed

- 1 (12 ounce) can of limeade concentrate, thawed

- 1 cup of confectioners sugar

- the juice of one lime

- 3 cups water

- 1 (2 liter) of sprite or your favorite lemon lime soda

- sliced limes for garnish

- tequila (I prefer Silver)

    In a bowl, wisk together the concentrates, sugar, lime juice, and water. If you're making this ahead of time like I did, put this mixture into a gallon Ziplock bag and let freeze for several hours. When you're ready to serve it, take the Ziplock out of the freezer and crush it until it looks like a slushy. Pour it into a large serving container, add the sprite, and desired amount of tequila. Top with the sliced limes and you're good to go. I used a 3 gallon beverage server and it filled it up a little over halfway. So, it's safe to say that it makes about a gallon and a half of margarita. 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

    This is another awesome recipe from my brother's going away party. This chicken came out perfect! I was running around like a crazy person so, my cousin helped by grilling these up for us and she did such an awesome job on them. Thank you Mindy!!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

Ingredients: 

  For the brine:

- 7 cups of cold water
- 1 and 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of salt
  For the chicken:
- 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 pound of halved bacon slices
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
- teriyaki sauce
- wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour
    Mix together all of the ingredients for the brine in a large bowl, Place the whole chicken breasts in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the brine, cut the chicken breasts into chunks. Wrap the chicken pieces in bacon and skewer them with the chunks of pineapple. On a prepared barbecue grill, place the skewers and brush them with teriyaki sauce. Grill until the chicken has cooked all the way through. 

Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta

    What do I do when I can't sleep at night? Well, last night I whipped up a balsamic vinegar reduction and drizzled it over some fresh strawberries and thyme. It definitely made me feel a tiny bit better about my insomnia.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

- 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves

- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

- 1 pound of fresh strawberries, diced

- 1 (4 ounce)package of goat cheese

- 1 small loaf of french bread, sliced and toasted

    In a small sauce pan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil and reduce to about half. For about 8- 10 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, thyme, and cooled balsamic reduction. Spread the goat cheese on pieces of toasted bread, top with strawberry mixture, and top with salt and freshly ground pepper.