‘Lightened Up’ Apple & Snicker Bar Salad

This is one of those dishes that isn’t really ‘pretty’, but taste oh soooo yummy! I was wondering if anyone would notice the apples in yesterday’s What was it Wednesday! I saw versions of this all over the web, and first spotted it somewhere on Pinterest.  Since I sorta winged this when I made it, I don’t have any particular person to give credit to.
 For Mother’s Day, I decided I wanted needed a lighter dessert, but it still had to have chocolate. (duhhh!)  This fit the bill, and would be great all during the summer.  Speaking of, today is supposed to be 90 degrees with 93% humidity.  Yep, bring on the hot sticky NC weather!
Lightened Up Apple & Snicker Bar Salad (it seems odd to call this a salad)
4 Apples of choice (I used Granny Smith and Pink Lady)
4 regular size Snicker Bars*
1 tub of Sugar Free Cool Whip (regular size, not large)
1 small box of Vanilla Sugar Free/Fat Free pudding**
1 cup skim milk (optional – see notes)
*I used Almond Snicker Bars b/c I can’t eat peanuts
Chop apples into bite size pieces.  You can dip them in lemon juice to prevent browning, but they are going to be covered in cool whip so it doesn’t really matter.  If you are going to pre-cut your apples like I did, you may want to do this just so they don’t look all yucky (technical cooking term).  Chop your candy bars into small bite size pieces.  This is easier if you have them nice and chilled.
In a large bowl, add your container of Cool Whip and your pudding (see notes). Fold in your apples, and candy bar pieces (reserving a few to sprinkle on top if desired.)  Chill for about an hour (not really necessary if you are in a time crunch).
**NOTES:  Learn from my experience….if you buy the SF/FF INSTANT pudding – you need to add 1 cup milk to your pudding mix first.  Mix it together and then add to your Cool Whip.  If you buy the SF/FF Cook and Serve pudding, you can just add that to your Cool Whip.
Oh yeah, and I chopped up a few Hershey’s Miniatures too, b/c it didn’t seem like enough chocolate. But it’s rare that I feel like I have enough chocolate. and it was Mother’s Day and all.
You can play around with the recipe and use whatever flavor pudding and fruits you like.
I also made an apple/strawberry version with chocolate pudding! I skipped the candy bars to reduce the calories, but it would be awesome with them! My girls love this.

I’m going to link this recipe up with these fab linky parties – , , , ,

Low Carb Pizza Crust

I have seen Cauliflower Pizza Crust all over and wanted to test it out before making it for my hubs (who is a diet controlled Type II diabetic and follows a low carb diet).  I figured it wouldn’t hurt for me to cut the carbs and get some veggies in at the same time either.

So, I tried this recipe from . (head over there for the recipe – I pretty much followed it without making changes!)

Pre-cooked ‘crust’ 
Baked 
with toppings. and worst pizza pic ever.
(I actually stuck in under the broiler for a minute after taking this pic, and added fresh basil and red pepper flakes…but forgot to take a pic. I was getting hungry.)

Verdict – It was okay, but with potential to be really good.  First, I used frozen cauliflower b/c that is all I had.  I would like to try this with fresh and compare.  I think leaving fresh cauliflower slightly under cooked would make for a better crust.  This is kind of like having a hash brown crust if that gives you an idea of consistency.  (But not crispy hash browns)  Also, I think I will try adding 2 eggs next time or you could add more cheese.  I spread my cauliflower mixture out too thin. I wanted it thin b/c I was hoping that would make it crispy, and the edges did get crispy, but it was also too thin in spots.  So I will know better next time about thickness (maybe a 1/2 inch is good? Not quite sure.)  The flavor of the crust was good.  It didn’t taste like a vegetable, which is always a plus 😉  So, bottom line – I will be making this again, with a few tweaks, and hopefully I can get the whole family to eat it (except Mr. Three, who can’t have eggs).  This only makes about a 12 inch crust, so keep that in mind as well. I will probably double it if I can get the hubs and girls to eat it.  They are not very anxious to try my “experiments”.  I can’t imagine why! 😉


If you take down some of the spices, this would make a good crust for a breakfast pizza too!

Memorial Day Menu Ideas

What are your Memorial Day plans? As of this moment…I have none.  However, I’m thinking maybe spending the weekend at my parents’, and maybe a ride down to the beach.  We will see how it goes.  First, of course, I wanted to have some menu ideas 🙂

I’m thinking….

a good ol’ grilled burger with homemade hamburger buns
-or-
grilled boneless pork ribs….mmmmm
Berry Cheese Torte Recipe
and this Berry Cheese Torte from looks divine!
and there are lots of ideas on  if you need inspiration
Pinned Image
These are from Martha Stewart I believe.
and how awesome is this table…
Pinned Image
What ever your plans are…enjoy, be safe, and 
God Bless America!

White Chocolate, Cranberry & Pistachio Cookies

Preschool ended this week for Mr. Three and we wanted to give a little something to his teachers.  He really loved his teacher and classmates…it is so sweet!  As always, when thinking of a little gift, food comes to mind.  I’ve especially been on a cookie kick recently. (Why can’t I get on a lunges kick, or jump rope kick…why’s it always food?!)

had a perfect guess to my little sneak peak photo yesterday!

White Chocolate, Cranberry & Pistachio Cookies

adapted from my Tropical Trail Mix Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter or margarine *I used Smart Balance 50/50
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries 
1 cup chopped pistachios *I used a 1/2 c. pistachios and 1/2 c. almonds b/c that’s what I had on hand

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy; add egg.  Combine flour and baking soda; blend into creamed mixture.  Stir in chips, fruit and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoonsful of dough (1-1/2 inch balls), about 2 inches apart, on silicone mat lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes.  Cool 2-3 minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container.  Makes about 32 cookies* 
*Depends on the size of your cookies and how much dough you eat!

We took the cookies and put them in little tins that I picked up from Target (in the dollar bins). If you are thinking this looks familiar, it’s because it is….I did almost the same thing for Teacher Appreciation last year, except I made Tropical Trail Mix Cookies.  Yum.

This cute little printable came from , and I just pasted it onto some decorative paper.

 I wrote a little note on the back and my son signed his name all by himself! 

I thought these cookies were really good.  (Because you know I had to try them several times before I gave them away. Obviously.)  I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate, but it pairs very well with the cranberries and pistachios/almonds.  Definitely a combo I’ll be making again!

Don’t forget to go enter my Rafflecopter GIVEAWAY for 2 mega boxes of Cheerios!

I’m linking up today with , , , , , ; , , , ,

London Broil

Yes, it’s actually a post about MEAT! It’s not something I’m very proficient at cooking, and mainly we eat some form of chicken…but since I have learned how simple it is to make , I think we will be having it more often.

This is a leaner cut of beef, and can be very tough and tasteless if not cooked properly.  However, it is super simple to make a great meal with it, and it’s FAST – so it’s easy to do on a week night.
I use this….
 Tones Canadian Steak Seasoning 28oz 794g
and following the directions on the bottle, I marinate the london broil in a gallon size baggie or a casserole dish.  (All you need is the seasoning mix, water, oil and vinegar. I use olive oil and red wine vinegar.) Usually I will do this in the morning and leave it in the fridge all day until I’m ready to cook it.  It can also be done the night before.
When ready to cook it – just place on a pan (I use a cookie sheet/baking pan with sides to it) and place under the broiler on high for 7-10 minutes.  Flip meat, and broil on the other side for 5-10 minutes.  The time varies on the thickness of your meat and how rare you like it.  I think I usually have about a 2 pound steak and cook for abt 10 mins on one side and a little less on the other, so that I have it pink, but not bloody in the middle, and more well done on the ends (for the kids – they don’t like to see pink meat!)
kid’s plate – more well-done
my plate – medium
After broiling meat (which I usually don’t care for, but this is good and flavorful), let it rest for a few minutes so all the juices don’t ooze all out when you cut into it.
This is great plain (we had whole wheat cous cous, salad, and homemade bread – recipe to come!), but it also makes an awesome steak sandwich or salad topping, which is often what I do with leftovers.
So there you go….a quick, easy, fairly inexpensive meal, but very tasty!  (I buy my meat from Sam’s Club and very rarely tenderize my london broil. However, a lot of recipes recommend doing that to prevent toughness, since it is a lean piece of meat.  Use a meat mallot or rolling pin to pound your steak – I was going to say ‘beat your meat’, but that just makes me giggle b/c I have the mind set of an adolescent boy.)
The best part of this meal, other than being easy and delicious, is that my kids will eat it! (Except for Mr. Three….who, as you know, hates almost any “real” food)
Don’t forget to enter my giveaway going on right now for Cheerios! (Something my son will actually eat!)
I’m linking up today with , , , ,

Cheerios and a GIVEAWAY!

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that we love our cereal.  With 3 kids, it makes a convenient, quick breakfast or snack.  I have to admit that I eat cereal A LOT as well.  So with all this cereal eating going on, it makes sense to buy it in bulk.  I often shop at Sam’s Club, where you can buy everything supersized!  The disadvantage to buying in bulk however, is the packaging.  Sometimes, the boxes are large and cumbersome, and hard to find a place to store such large items.

The smart folks at have taken this into consideration!  They have managed to not only reduce package size, making it easier to use, more convenient to store, but also managed to INCREASE the amount of cereal you get at the same time! Winning 🙂

But don’t take my word for it, check out this video….

Pretty cool huh?

I can’t say I am super “green”, but I am trying to reduce our waste, increase the amounts we recycle, and use more environmentally friendly cleaning methods.  So it is really nice to know that while I am buying a product that my family loves, and each box we purchase contains more cereal (making it more friendly on the pocketbook), Cheerios has done their part by reducing packaging material by over 200,000 lbs- saving 1,000 trees and taking 130 Cheerios trucks of the road, decreasing CO2 emissions.  Awesome.


Is your family a Cheerios fan?  Would you like to win this mack daddy supply….

Two giant multi packs of cereal!

Not only are Cheerios great straight from the box, or in a bowl of milk, but there are lots of recipes available that use Cheerios too. Check out .
I have made for the kids before too.  
You can check them out here,
AND, I have come up with another breakfast/snack time ‘cookie’ that is a hit with the kids.  This one has no peanut butter or eggs, so it is safe for my little allergy boy too.  I’ll get that post up ASAP….as this one is getting long and you still don’t know the deets on the giveaway!

Just enter using Rafflecopter 🙂

Disclosure:  Cheerios® cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Shameless self-promotion

Okay, so I don’t do this often, but thought I would put out a request for a vote! Mo’Betta has been nominated for , and there are 10 days left to vote (and you can vote daily!)

Just click on the link in this post, or the button on the right side of the blog.  You know, if you wanna.  It would be awesome if you did.  Just sayin’.
I’ll make you breakfast…..
or cookies!
And I will even eat them all for you! 
I’m considerate like that.