Baked Bloomin Apple Recipe

If your a Facebook user, you have probably seen this video recipe from Tip Hero in your newsfeed several times in the last few weeks:

 Baked-Bloomin-Apples

I love the recipes that include short videos that show you exactly how its done.  Of course, they always make it look so darn easy while I struggle and end up with something that doesn't even look close to what they created.  This recipe had my middle child's name all over it because he loves Outback and Apples so I decided to give it a try.   It looks like the original recipe came from The Gunny Sack, so if you don't think you need the video tutorial, you can check it out there as well. 


My alterations: I used Honeycrisp apples, dairy free butter and coconut flour and then topped it with dairy free ice cream.


Here is a photo of what I ended up with:

 

Not quite as visually impressive as what they have over at The Gunny Sack, but when I took my first bite, I actually said "OMG".  It was that good.  And thankfully, the recipe only makes two apples because if there had been six, I would have eaten six.  Its perfect for a Saturday night treat and you won't be stuck eating it for 3 days like most dessert recipes that are made to feed an army.  My apple and Outback loving child has decided it would be better with Granny Smith apples so we will be trying that next time. 

Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Since my youngest and I have gone gluten and dairy free, one my favorite recipe blogs is Danielle Walker's Against All Grain .   We have tried several of her recipes and most of them have been huge hits with the entire family, and these Hawaiian Turkey Burgers are definitely one of our favorites so far.  Even my pickiest eater ate two.   You can find her recipe here:
Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

I didn't make any alterations to the recipe (another reason I love her site so much).  I used canned pineapple juice and marinated for about 30-40 minutes.  The burgers were very soft so we started out grilling them on some aluminum foil before moving them to the grill once they had binded well enough.  Here is the final result:

You can see I went a little overboard with the Ninja while I pulsed my salsa, hers is so much chunkier and pretty.  I was honestly a little undecided about the salsa initially... I think next time I may add less fresh basil, but the salsa really did finish off the burger nicely and I don't recommend skipping it.

I served mine on top of some Jasmine rice, but if your not gluten free, then go for a a big ole gluten filled burger bun.   I think the Hubs even slapped some pepperjack cheese on his.  

Paleo, Whole 30 and Vegan recipes are also featured on her website, and she has multiple cookbooks available on Amazon.  Check her out and keep an eye out because I will be featuring more of her recipes in upcoming posts. 

Recipe of the Week - Paleo Chocolate Chip, Coconut, and Almond Flour Cookies

Im so in love with these cookies and I was so excited to share them... Ive made them at least 3 times in the last month and I usually double the recipe and freeze half.  Since the recipe had no nutritional information listed I used an online calculator to figure out the numbers and boy am I glad I did!!!  These are definitely good but they are not what I would call diet friendly.  Guess I really should have known that based on the ingredients but Im honestly not that familiar with the Paleo diet and I made assumptions that were clearly wrong.  I even had the recipe listed under my weight watchers recipes on Pinterest.  So why am I still sharing it?  #1 because I really do like them and they do have healthy-ish/natural ingredients and #2, the recipe calls for 8 pretty large cookies, so Im thinking of making 16 smaller ones which would bring the calories down some and #3, not everyone has a big butt they are trying to make smaller for summer, so high calories or not, this may be perfect for someone.  

Here is the nutritional calculations I got when I entered the ingredients.  It does note that the cookies are low in cholesterol, but they are high in saturated fat. 

Recipe can be found http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com  The only change I made was I used mini chocolate chips and I usually use a lil less than 1/2 cup - Im not a big chocolate fan and that just works better for me.  

Recipe of the Week - Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Let me start by apologizing for the photo of this recipe.  I keep saying I am going to get better with photos but it just isn't happening.  And with 3 teenage boys in the house when I made this, it disappeared before I even thought to really take a photo.  

This is what was left and this didn't last past dinner (I made this for lunch).  So clearly it was well received.  All the boys loved it - one even said "its better than regular pizza".  I used 1 tube of classic pizza crust and 1 tube of thin pizza crust and turkey pepperoni.  I opted for the bundt pan, however when I flipped it out, the bottom was not nearly as nice looking as the top had been, and I just knew that the boys wouldn't eat it if it wasn't pretty (haha) ... so I flipped it over again.  Quick, easy, delicious. 

You can find the recipe over at Hip2save.com

And as I'm typing this I realize - I forgot to add the garlic.  Alls well that ends well...

Recipe of the Week - Quick and Easy Sweet and Spicy Chicken

www.triedandtasty.com.   I told you guys to bookmark it and if you haven't, you really should.  We have loved nearly every recipe we have tried from there and this one was a winner as well.  This really was quick and easy, a great choice after a long day at work.  

I also followed her advice and served this was Basmati rice.  I'd gotten so used to throwing a bag in the microwave, I forgot how tasty good sticky rice really is.  

I'm still undecided on the Braggs Liquid Aminos.  I agree that it does taste just like Soy Sauce but I also had a bottle of the La Choy Lite Soy Sauce and when you compare the two, I'm not sure its really that much better.  The Aminos has a much lower sodium content but higher total Carbohydrates   And the serving size is smaller - 1/2 tsp of Braggs compared to 1 tbsp of La Choy.  So I guess it really comes down to personal preference and whether you are more interested in sodium, calories, or carbs.  Check out the two nutritional labels below (Braggs is on the left) and decide for yourself.

Braggs Amino Liquid is available from Amazon (isn't everything?) and it does not need to be refrigerated, which I kind of liked given our over-packed fridge doors.  

The recipe for the Quick and Easy Sweet and Spicy Chicken can be found over at Tried and Tasty. 

Recipe of the Week - Bajito Chicken

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of this recipe, I was too busy shoving it into my mouth to stop and take a photo.  With the pool opening next month, I'm trying to incorporate as many "skinny" recipes as possible into our weekly routine.  I love crock pot recipes as well and this one sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try and I am so happy I did.  The sweetness from the sprite was different but so yummy.  We served it on tortillas with some fresh cilantro and a lil shredded cheese.  Couldn't have been easier.  The Hubs keeps saying how good it was and the leftovers disappeared quickly.  

Living a changed life-bajito chicken

Recipe of the Week - Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

The Hubs loves to make chili.  He has a few different recipes he plays with and he makes big pots of it and freezes it.  I do not like the Hubs chili. Its not his fault, I'm just very particular about my chili.  #1, I don't like beans.  #2, I do not eat beef so it has to be turkey or chicken.  We had a little chili cook-off recently but I'm not really sure who won, because no one would say anything other than "they are both good".  Probably wise on their part. The Hubs and I can be very competitive.  And since I do not like his chili, he rarely likes mine but this particular recipe was a hit with us both. 

Sorry about the photo - I really need to work on my photography skills.  Only change I made to the recipe was leaving out the beans.  I served it over rice with fresh cilantro.  So yummy. 

Look Who's Cookin Now Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

Recipe of the Week - Skinny Baked Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash

We have a Shrimp Scampi recipe in our regular rotation that's beyond good.  Its has LOTS of butter (12 tablespoons) and we devour it like crazy people.  I was planning to make it again this weekend but then I realized that my jeans are tight enough, and it might be time to scale things back a bit.  So off to Pinterest I went looking for a skinnier version and that is where I found Pineapple and Coconut's Skinny Baked Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti Squash.  I was a lil nervous at the reaction I would get from everyone going from 12 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons of butter BUT this was a huge hit!  I loved it.  The Hubs loved it.  The teen loved it (although he wasn't interested in the squash).  It was everything I hoped and more.  Easy to make, healthy, and tasty.   I even enjoyed the squash and kept scooping out spoonfuls of it while I was cleaning up.   It looks so yummy doesn't it...

Here is the link for the recipe for Pineapple and Coconut's Skinny Baked Shrimp Scampi.   And my alterations... I did not have any Kerrygold butter or cheese so I used the unsalted butter I had on hand and some shredded white cheddar cheese.  You can see in the picture that I only sprinkled cheese on half of the top (the right side) because I really didn't feel like it was going to need any cheese, the shrimp looked so yummy on their own.  I also sprinkled just a little bit of panko bread crumbs on that side but I think next time I would omit both of those and just use the 3/4 cup of cheese mixed within the squash.  Also, I did not have the white wine vinegar but I did have white cooking wine so that it what I used.  Next time I may try to find the Kerrygold cheese and use the vinegar and see if it can actually improve this yummy recipe. 

I will definitely be checking out some more of Pineapple and Coconuts "healthy eats & sweet treats".  A+  

And for those of you who are not watching your weight and think 12 tablespoons of butter is just what you need (it really is very good), here is the original scampi recipe we use from Food Network: Baked Shrimp Scampi

Recipe of the Week - Chicken Tacos with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Every Sunday I'm going to try and feature a recipe for you guys that was a hit at my house.  This week we had the Chicken Tacos with Mango-Pineapple Salsa from Tried and Tasty.   Two things I love about this recipe... (1) You can use a rotisserie chicken, which is a huge time-saver and (2) The salsa was so good.  The Hubs initially made the yuck face when dinner was served because he was expecting "tacos" but this one won him over quickly.  Def a keeper and def bookmark the Tried and Tasty blog.  Its one my favs and I have loved every recipe I have tried so far.  Next time, Ill try to include a photo as well. 



http://triedandtasty.com/2014/01/chicken-tacos-mango-pineapple-salsa/

Some other recipes we tried this week:
Angel Food Cake French Toast w/Cream Cheese Maple Syrup - Buns In My Oven
Creamy Strawberry Crepes - Taste Of Home

For more reviews, check out My Pinterest Page - I try to review all the recipes we try. 

Upcoming posts will include organizing the fridge, organizing the laundry room, and crafts with canvas.  Wish me luck.  :-)