A Healthy - er cookie

Cutting out sweets for me is not an option. Sure I would like to loose the rest of this baby weight, yes I will work out, but under no circumstances can I give up my sweets.  What I will be doing is trying to put a healthy - er spin on some of the things I do eat. Now don't get me wrong, there is no healthy option for Nanaimo bars, but I did modify a great oatmeal cookie recipe to be pretty guilt free. 

So here is what you'll need:

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup room temperature butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond extract ( I prefer to use almond, but by all means use vanilla)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I like to use the mini ones so the same amount seems to spread further)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

OK so being the lazy baker I am this is how I roll:

Start my combining the butter, sugars, eggs, and extract in a large bowl. 

Add the flours, flax seed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon on top. Mix it all together well. 

Then add the oats, chocolate chips and cranberries and mix it all together. 

Drop a tbsp of batter on a parchment lined baking sheet (easy clean up) leaving enough space for them to spread. 

And bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. 

Let them Cool on a wire wrack. 

The smaller you make them the more you can eat without feeling guilty!

An early V-day treat

I had a pretty rough day yesterday with my little monkeys. I went shopping for me, and ended up spending 70 bucks on the kids. Came home cleaned up the messy house, bathrooms, floors etc... started supper. Fed the cranky baby, who then vomited all over me... cleaned the couch, cleaned me, gave him a bath, just for him to do it all over again. 


Get my eldest off the bus, get the middle 2 from day care. Let the insanity begin. Running, yelling, groaning, fighting, supper, running, yelling, baths, bed, me and my hubby sit down to eat. 


I think Ahhhh this is great... Then:  My littlest wakes up more then normal ends up in bed nursing all night, my second eldest comes in our room with a nightmare, my eldest came in because she was not feeling well. The alarm goes off and it's time to start all over again. Only today I will make a yummy treat. 


So the first time I made these I did so for Christmas, with cute little festive Christmas sprinkles. All you have to do is change up the sprinkles and they are good for any occasion. 


If you haven't realized by now I am a fan of super simple things. 

Here's what you need.

Here's what you do. 

Beat 2 cups of icing sugar, 2 tbsp corn syrup, 1 1/2 tbps soft butter, 2 tsp milk, and 1 tsp peppermint (or any other flavour you like, I'm thinking cherry) extract until smooth. 

Scrape it into a little bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Play with cute baby.

Meanwhile: Melt about 8 oz. of chopped chocolate ( I used dark, it's healthy right?) with 2 tsp of shortening (this will make the coating nice and smooth).

Pull the chilled filling out and roll into little balls, then roll in the chocolate. 

Place on parchment lined baking sheet. 

Sprinkle with desired sprinkles. 

(I let my daughter do this part, oh didn't I tell you I had to go pick her up from school today... grumble, this meant I couldn't try and find the sweater I un-successfully went out for yesterday)

Chill. 

Eat your crappy day away :)

Oh or enjoy with your loved one for Valentines day. 

Enjoy!

Meatless mercredi

I know I know it's supposed to be meatless Monday, but Monday quickly turned into Tuesday, which is now Wednesday... I digress. 


So for the new year I have decided to make a serious effort to organize my life. This is some work with 4 young kids, but I'm trying. I have 8 more months before I return to work, which gives me 8 months to get stuff in order. This being said I am trying to cut back on expenses, cut out the clutter, and cut out some crappy food choices. 


Here is my super easy Dal recipe. For those of you who aren't familiar, Dal is like a curried lentils. Don't shrug it off because you don't like curry, or lentils. The benefits of this recipe are worth trying it alone. It's simple to make, yummy, healthy and ouber cheap. A true testament to this recipe is that my mother-in-law (100% Pakistani) says she likes my dal better then her own. 'Nuff said. 


Start with some orange lentils. 1 cup

Soak them for about 30 minutes to an hour. 


Drain them well. 

To that 1 cup of lentils add about 5 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp each turmeric, cumin, salt. Throw in a couple of coarsely chopped green chillies (depending on how hot you like it)


Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. 

At the 45 minute mark chop up a potato and thinly slice an onion. In a separate pan lightly sauté these in 1 tbsp of olive oil just until the onion is soft. Throw this into the pot with the lentils and continue cooking until the potatoes are cooked and the lentils have absorbed almost all the liquid, leaving it looking like a thick soup (about another 45 minutes)

Done. Super simple right? Want to jazz it up a bit?

Chop 2 tomatoes, 1/2 small onion (finely chopped), toss together with a splash of vinegar and some cayenne pepper. Let this sit for a while, then use it as a topping on your Dal. If you have some coriander on hand, throw that in too. :)

Serve it with Rice or some Naan and you are good to go. 


Super cheap, super yummy! 

Some like it hot!

Oh yeah baby, we like it HOT! I stumbled this recipe years ago, modified it a bit to make it my own, and let me tell you after 9 years I still get a "oh yeah, Thai Shrimp Curry" from my hubby. No way do the kids eat it, I usually make this when I know I have left overs for them :) . So let me share this oh so yummy recipe with you all.

To start let me introduce you to my favorite brands of Asian ingredients.  

I've tried others but they always disappoint. If I don't have these on hand I don't make it.


Ok so lets get started. 


First you need some grated carrots (I use about 1/2 a bag of baby carrots or more)
2 peppers, I like using red. 
6 green onions, sliced.
4 garlic cloves
2 - 3 tbsp chili paste
2  tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 can of coconut milk
shrimp, peeled (I'm not adding a quantity because I'm not too sure. I usually buy it in bulk at Costco, and then pour out an amount into a pasta bowl. If I were to guess I would go with 1lb)
large handful of chopped cilantro and thai basil (not the regular one. Thai basil has a licorice taste to it)


Get your wok screaming hot, add a couple of tsp of peanut oil or vegetable oil. Add all your veggies. Sauté for a couple of minutes. 


Add the Chili paste, toss until it becomes fragrant. Then add the fish sauce, toss, and then the brown sugar. 


Add the can of coconut milk and bring to a simmer.


The coconut milk will thicken a bit. Then add your shrimp, cook until it turns pink. 


Add your Coriander and Thai basil right at the end. 


Serve with rice. 

Hope you enjoy!!! 

Quinoa Patties

Everyone is trying to eat better these days... Trying being the operative word. So when I find something that is good for you and so easy and yummy I indulge. That is exactly what I do when I make these. 


For those of you who aren't familiar with Quinoa let me introduce you to my new best friend. Quinoa grains are cooked similar to couscous or rice, and contain essential amino acids and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. 


Quinoa is so simple and versatile it is easily a great side or light lunch.  This recipe can easily be adapted to your tastes, I chose to make Greek style Quinoa patties, I served them next to some chicken souvlaki's with my favourite store bought Tzatziki. 

Start by boiling 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable (or chicken) broth. Once it's boiling add 1 1/2 cups of quinoa. Cover, and lower the heat, allow to simmer until all the liquid has absorbed. (usually about 15 minutes) Once quinoa is cooked allow to cool. 


While you are doing this, chop one small onion, 3 garlic cloves and sauté until lightly golden brown. Add 3 cups of raw spinach and cook until it has completely wilted and all the water has evaporated. Set aside to cool. Then chop it up. 


In a medium bowl beat 3 eggs, 2 tbsp flour, and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder. Add some crumbled feta cheese, a hand full of chopped kalamata olives, some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and about 1 tbsp of sesame seeds (or pine nuts, or sliced almonds). 


To the egg mixture add the cooled quinoa and the cooled chopped spinach. (if they are not cooled you are asking for some scrambled eggs... trust me, give it time to cool).


To make the patties get a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Wet your hands so the mixture doesn't stick, and make your patties. I normally get about 15-18 patties. 


Place them in the fridge for about an hour to firm up. 

In a large skillet with a bit of olive oil fry the patties until they are golden on each side. (they are pretty fragile, so it may be helpful to use 2 spatulas to do the flipping). 


Serve with a salad, or as a side.   

Don't stick to my combo switch it up by omitting or adding what your family likes. Sure to please guaranteed! 

Left Over Halloween Candy- Smartie edition

Again, I'm pretty slow on maintaining this blog... In my defence I just finished working, and gave birth to my fourth child... Sound like an excuse... well kinda. So here we go again. I'm giving it another go, and I have full intention on sticking with it this time.


So after my three older monkeys went trick or treating, and came home with 3 full bags of candy I quickly decided that I could use alot of this for some yummy desserts. First up to get rid of, Smarties. I had a few ideas, but decided to go with Smartie filled Whoopie Pies.


If you still have not tried a whoopie pie, you totally should. They are simple to make, and spongey just like a cake, only stuffed with a yummy butter cream.


Want the recipe?
Here you go.

 For the Whoopie Pies I took the recipe for Vanilla Whoopies from whoopie pies.

Cream together:


4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp vegetable shortening

1/2c. white sugar
1/2c packed brown sugar


Then add:


2 eggs
1/2c buttermilk


Mix together in a separate little bowl:
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar
1tsp vanilla


Add the milk mixture to the batter along with:
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt.


Beat until everything is well combined.


Drop about 1 tbsp of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat spacing them about 2inches apart. don't over crowed, trust me they spread.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.


After they have cooled completely whip up a batch of your favorit butter cream (or you can always used good old Betty Crocker)


Here is my fav-super-simple- butter cream :


Beat 1 c of butter until it is nice and fluffy and pale in colour.
Gradually add 4 cups of icing sugar.
Finish it off with a splash of vanilla.


For this these ones all I did was add some orange food colouring and some chopped up smarties and VOILA!

Frosting for the Cause... Snickerdoodles

Here is the recipe I did for Frosting for the cause you can see the original post.

This is in honor of my two fabulous grandmothers, who love to live, love and laugh, I have made Toffee Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles. Why? Just say “Snickerdoodle”; doesn’t it make you smile? That’s why!

Here is what you need:


2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 cups of sugar (divided)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ( I like to use the minis)
2/3 cup toffee bits

Now before I begin, it must be said: I am a lazy baker. I do not mix my wet, then dry, then combine. No, no. If you want to, by all means go for it: they can only be better. So here goes:

In a bowl mix ½ cup of sugar and cinnamon set aside.

Beat the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar with the butter until well combined.

Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract, and beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, OR right on top of the wet ingredients, add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Mix by hand (that is, with a spoon, rather than like my aunt who once read “mix by hand” and actually mixed by hand!)

Add the chocolate and toffee chips. Roll into balls, depending on how big you want your cookies

Then roll the cookies in the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and place on cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes depending on the size.
Enjoy and share!

A platter of about 100 cookies was donated to the Ottawa Civic Hospital, Women’s breast Health Center.