July 2012 – Makin' it Mo'Betta

Low Fat Brownie Sundaes

Kim

Is that an oxymoron? I thought so too, until I discovered all kinds of low fat options for baked goods on the internet. Thank you Skinny Girl, Hungry Girl, whatever girl. (But really, thank you Pinterest!) I’ve tried several different methods for reducing the fat…..cake mix and brownie mix with the can of diet soda – the cake mix works very well. The brownie mix works well if you like a really fudge-y brownie (like that could be a bad thing!) I’ve done the applesauce in place of oil thing. It works, but gives everything a weird texture. But now, now I’ve discovered the brownie mix plus yogurt thing! And it’s definitely my favorite so far. The texture is much closer to “normal”. {Now, some of you might be saying, ‘just don’t eat the brownies‘. Well, that would be like telling a hoarder to just throw all their sh*t away!}

Besides, the yogurt + brownie mix is an easy, egg-free way to make brownies that everyone can enjoy! Last night I made (another!) batch to take to a friend’s house, and my little allergy boy said “can I have one?” I said ‘yes, mommy made those with no eggs, so you can have one in a little while’. He threw his arms around me and said “Thank you mama for making them no eggs!” That kid is so sweet, he melts my heart 🙂

All you need is brownie mix (this is Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate. Don’t judge.), and 1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (I would assume vanilla would be fine too) and the amount of water called for on the box of mix. No eggs, no oil. Bake according to directions on the box.

Then you can add fat-free Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream (no eggs!) and a little sugar free syrup.

If so inclined.

This was a yummy treat for the kids and I – much lower in fat than the ‘traditional’ version. However, it is definitely still a “treat” b/c it is loaded with sugar!

You just can’t win them all 😉

Want a chocolate treat that is a little healthier? Check out the Healthier Chocolate Truffles and Haystacks!

On the blog 1 year ago : Pickles, Pickles and more Pickles!

On the blog 2 years ago: Homemade Popcorn in the Microwave!

I’m linking up today with , , , , , ,

Pinterest Inspired Craft Projects

Kim

Yep, Mo’Betta’s been craftin’. Pinterest not only inspires me to cook (and eat!), but to also get my craft on. With a new Hobby Lobby in town…well, it’s a pinner’s paradise. And if you are wondering what the fudge is Hobby Lobby….it’s like Michaels, a large craft store. {That sells Christmas ornaments year round!!! I looove Christmas ornaments.}

I have seen several “rope” projects, like one, and decided to make one for my sister for her b-day….

I decided my 1st project should be something small, so I did a single glass vase. It is so simple! Just take rope, (I started at the bottom – don’t know if it matters) and wrap it around whatever you are covering, in this case, a vase. Use hot glue to hold your rope to the vase. I glued it where I started and then every couple wraps I would add some glue. Then glue at the top where your rope ends. Hopefully keeping it nice and secure. My sister hasn’t mentioned that it has fallen apart yet, so maybe all is well.

My next project was inspired by the many wreaths I’ve seen on Pinterest, like one. This is a work in progress. I have also discovered Mod Podge. Watch out people!

I bought a large pre-cut letter from Hobby Lobby, scrapbook paper, & Mod Podge (which I will be checking out making my own after I use the bottle I have now!)

I covered my letter with the scrapbook paper (adhering and sealing with the Mod Podge).

I plan on attaching it to a rope wreath something like this one…

photo from

So what has Pinterest inspired y’all to do?

I wish I could get inspired to do all these exercises I keep pinning!

I’m linking up this week with , , , , , , ,

Astrobrights

Kim

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of for . All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a confession to make. I love office and craft supplies. I mean, really love looking through multi-colored folders, papers, stationary, and don’t even get me started on Sharpies, crayons, etc. It’s kind of a weird obsession. I mean, I have a drawer full of scrapbook paper, and not a single scrapbook. I have multiple colorful file folders, just waiting to be used. Not to mention a plethora of pens/markers/etc. Soooo, that’s my little secret.

With that out in the open, just imagine how excited I was to discover ! Oh. My. Goodness! They are so bright & colorful! I immediately started dreaming up all the fun projects my kids and I could do with these! With school starting soon, I know my girls will be jumping at the chance to make their projects stand out above the rest with these bright, unique colors. Who wants boring white printer paper when you can have Fireball Fuschia, Orbit Orange, Venus Violet, just to name a few! (They come in 23 eye-catching colors!)

is also hosting “Give a Brighter Year” Sweepstakes, where you can enter to win a cash prize and school supplies valued at $30,000 for the school of your choice! (K-8 grade) All you have to do is click on the link and like their Facebook page. Click on the Sweepstakes tab and go to the app where there will be a form to enter the sweepstakes. Easy peasy, and well worth it. I know my childrens’ schools could really use that kind of donation!

The company has lots of other things going on to, such as the family-friendly “Make Something AstroBright” design challenge! I know you are a creative bunch, because I am constantly finding fantastic ideas on Pinterest. Share your projects with picture and video and you could win some awesome prizes! (If you share via Pinterest or Twitter, please use the hashtag #goastrobrights). You can head over to AstroBrights Facebook page (click on any of the links within this post) and see what others have already been up to.

What would you do with ?

Campus Book Rentals…It’s almost that time again!

Kim

In just a few short weeks, college will be back in session. Now, my college days are long over, and my kids are too young, but I know many of you are either going through school as “nontraditional students” (aka – “old”. lol, just kidding – I was a ‘non traditional’ student when I went back for my 2nd degree) or you have children/siblings entering college. Whatever the case, even if it’s none of the above, I’m sure you know someone that you can pass along this info to, b/c it is worth sharing!

There is no need to pay the high college book store prices! I know when I was in school, the only option was to purchase books at the book store, and then pray they would buy them back at the end of the semester. Half the time they didn’t, and if they did, you only got a small fraction of the cost back. It was always very discouraging! Well, now there are other options. Like . You can rent your textbooks! Not only can you rent them at much lower prices, but shipping (both ways!) is FREE. No waiting in line at the book store, just order, have them shipped, use them for as long as you need (they have flexible rental periods) and return them for free! They also have 30-day risk free returns, so if you drop a class or whatever the reason, that’s no problem.

Nursing Diagnosis Handbook : An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care, Ackley, Betty J. and Ladwig, Gail B., 0323071503

I was very impressed by Campus Book Rentals, and decided to do a little price comparison. One of the books I used was this (granted, an earlier edition I’m sure!). This book can be rented for an entire semester cheaper from Campus Book Rentals than you can purchase the same book used off Amazon! And you can still highlight in your rented books! Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I seldom kept my books at the end of the semester. The ones I did keep (usually b/c they wouldn’t buy it back) ended up collecting dust and given away later….so, rental just seems like a smart option to me.

One other MAJOR plus…..with every rental, makes a donation to !

Read the stories from our patients that have recieved cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries

Read some of the from Operation Smile and see the difference they are making!

Disclaimer – I will be compensated for writing about Campus Book Rentals. However, all opinions are 100% my own

Healthier Chocolate Truffles and Haystacks!

Kim

What if I told you they were full of fiber, and much lower in sugar and fat than their traditional counterparts? OH! And no oven required!! (If y’all are experiencing the heat wave we are, this is a major plus!) So, what’s the secret?! Fiber One (original) Cereal. Yes, Fiber One. And trust me, you will never know there is a healthy, fiber filled main ingredient in these little gems of dark chocolate deliciousness.

First up – truffles. I first saw these over at (well, I probably first saw them on Pinterest!). Since I had some Fiber One cereal, I jumped on this recipe. The only problem was that I only had Fat Free Cream Cheese, and I think reduced fat would have been better…or if you use fat free, maybe increase the brown sugar a little. However, these were still good, and were devoured by my children pretty quickly.

Skinny Caramel Truffles

adapted from
(Makes about 25 small truffles)

1 cup Fiber One cereal

4 oz low fat cream cheese

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp caramel extract*

*I didn’t have caramel extract, so I used half butter extract & half vanilla extract*

8 oz dark chocolate

In a food processor grind cereal to a fine crumb. Add cream cheese, brown sugar, extract(s) and pulse until it all comes together.

Roll into bite sized balls (I made mine about an inch?) and set on a parchment (or wax paper) lined cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour.

Melt chocolate until smooth, thinning with a bit of coconut oil if needed. Dunk the frozen truffles in the chocolate and lift out with a fork (I use 2 toothpicks), tapping it gently to smooth.

Immediately add sprinkles if desired.

Store in the refrigerator but let come to room temp before eating. Enjoy!

Second, we have Dark Chocolate Haystacks. I had chocolate leftover from the above truffles, so I just added some Fiber One cereal to it and mixed together. Place spoonfuls of the chocolate covered cereal on the wax paper, and let harden in the freezer or fridge. These were everyone’s favorites! Such a simple “recipe”, yet they were so good! As a matter of fact, the kids have requested I make these again. Score one for mom in providing a healthier treat that the kids loved! Of course, it would have been better had I not eaten most of them. oops.

I’m linking this recipe up with…, , , , , , , , , ,

Wordless Wednesday – Black & White Baby Shower

Kim

My cousin’s baby shower!

Low Fat Baked Blueberry Cherry French Toast Casserole

Kim

Wow, that’s a long title! With blueberries and cherries actually affordable at the grocery store right now, I have been eating them quite a bit. And always one to crave some carbs, I decided to make french toast casserole.

Instagram pic.

If you are an Instagram user, you can follow me under kimslittlelife.

I’m still figuring it out myself.

I followed this recipe for , with a few changes.

I didn’t use whole grain bread (b/c, of course, the store was out when I needed it!)

and I used a combination of cherries and blueberries –

AND I didn’t let me sit overnight, but I did put it together in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until dinner time.

and I used unsweetened almond milk in the place of skim….

We had this for dinner. We, meaning me, b/c my children decided to boycott dinner that night. Number One will only eat fresh fruit, plain, not cooked in anything. I thought I could entice her with syrup. No go. Miss Two has decided she doesn’t like French Toast…this is a new development, and Mr. Three couldn’t have it anyway b/c it contains nuts and eggs. (And the hubs was out of town…he wouldn’t have eaten it either…too many carbs). So, needless to say, there is quite a bit of casserole in my freezer! I will pawn it off on my folks as soon as I can remember. That’s the problem with being a ‘foodie’ and having very picky eaters in the house. I want to try all these recipes…but often, I’m the only one who eats it! However, my parents have come to expect food whenever I visit now 🙂

Anyway, the ‘skinny’ on this dish….it’s not very sweet, so if you like things sweet I would add more cinnamon and sugar to the recipe. You could also top it with powdered sugar and/or syrup before serving. I also needed to cook mine longer than the recipe said. I don’t know if it is supposed to be ‘soggy’ in the middle, but I didn’t care for that. To me, it was better the next day when I reheated it in the oven and cooked it longer. I didn’t cut my bread as directed in the recipe, so that could have affected texture and cooking times.

Don’t forget that the Pillsbury Baguette Chips Giveaway is still going on until 7/26!

Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

Kim

Ohhhh YES! Chocolate + Bourbon + Bread = one divine combination. is a smart woman! The other day I had a few bananas that needed to get used up, (or frozen to make banana ice cream.) I, however, remembered I had pinned this fabulous banana bread recipe and I had some bourbon. (Thanks to my brother, who always gives me liquor for my bday since I refuse to go to the liquor store. Mainly b/c I am always dragging 1 to 3+ children around. BTW bro…bday coming up soon! *hint hint*) Which reminds me…OH MY LORDY, I’LL BE FORTY!!! Holy cow. But that is a different post altogether.

Back to the bread…it was amazing.

Chocolate Bourbon Spiked Banana Bread

adapted from (from )
**my changes are in italics**

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp *I used 1/4 cup Smart Balance Butter & 1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar *I used 1/2 cup sugar & 1/2 cup Stevia
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 medium bananas) *I didn’t have quite enough banana, so I added enough applesauce to equal 1 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli – roughly chopped since they are large chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. *I made 4 mini loaves.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the mashed banana, lemon juice, and bourbon and mix until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread to distribute it evenly.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. *I think the mini loaves took about 30 minutes. We polished off 2 loaves pretty quickly, then I put 2 in the freezer…portion control!

Verdict – Delicious! It had a nice crusty outside, and was very moist on the inside – loaded with chocolate, mild banana, and a hint of bourbon! So.good.

I’m linking up this recipe with , , , , , , , , ,

Anonymous Users

Kim

I’m sorry to do this, because every once in a while I get a cool comment from an anonymous user that has tried (successfully!) a recipe found on my blog. I love hearing back from people, but I have had to block anonymous users from commenting. At least for now. I am getting SO much SPAM that it is driving me bonkers. It used to be pretty sporadic, so I didn’t worry about it, but now it is fairly constant and filling up my inbox with crap. So…if for some reason you would like to leave a comment and you are not registered on Google or anywhere, feel free to send me an email (located in the left side bar…sort of hidden in the chaos, but it’s there) or send a message via Facebook or comment on Mo’Betta’s FB wall (located in the right side bar). There is also Twitter, Pinterest and who knows what else! So really, with all the social media available, I guess I shouldn’t feel bad that I am blocking anonymous users from commenting here!

Holla! (just not anonymously, lol)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd

Kim

I made these cupcakes for my sister’s birthday and they were the BOMB. The lemon curd absolutely made them. That is some good stuff. I had never tried it before but recently ordered it, along with some other goodies, from . I’m in love.

These were super easy to make because I went for the quick and dirty version. Boxed lemon cake mix, lemon icing, and prepared lemon curd. Obviously, making everything from scratch would make it that much better.

I made the cake mix according to directions on the box, except I added the zest of one lemon. Once the cupcakes were done, I used a melon ball scoop, and scooped out some of the cupcake (which I ate), and added a dollop of lemon curd. We topped the cupcakes with canned lemon icing (I say we b/c my 11 y/o helped with the icing, in case you were checking out the first pic and wondering. Not that my frosting skills are all that.) The icing is the thing I would change for next time. I wasn’t a huge fan of the artificial lemon flavor of the canned icing, but I was worried the homemade icing would melt so quickly in the heat, and I was traveling with them. Other than that, they were awesome! My mother declared them divine…and that is saying something as my mom is more of a chocoholic than I am! I know, it’s not even possible, right?!

I am thinking about making these again soon, and instead of frosting, just add some cool whipped topping and fresh blueberries. Lemon and blueberry is always a winning combo. I could even make these “skinny” cupcakes by just adding a can of diet lemon/lime soda to the box of mix. If you haven’t tried this…it works! I posted it here if interested. So…..maybe I’m just gonna go now and make these before I attack the lemon curd with a spoon!

And if you are craving a salty snack….go enter my giveaway HERE.

I’m linking this recipe up with , , , , ; ; , ,