Fresh from the Garden – Peppers! (recipe round up)

Kim

If you’re lucky and have a garden, are part of a CSA, or just have a friendly gardening neighbor, you are probably getting a bounty of fresh produce right about now. I thought I would highlight a few of my favorite recipes using some of these fresh veggies – I’ve already done a round up for zucchini, and today is peppers – bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapenos!

First up, Pickled Jalapeno Peppers. These are SO good! You can also do pickled banana peppers with this recipe.

Jalapeno Salsa, also another one of my favorites.

Homemade Pepper Relish, sweet and spicy.

Another Pickled Banana Peppers recipe. I like these a lot!

And, Jalapeno Poppers, or in this case, Hot Banana Pepper Poppers! These are made a little bit skinny with turkey bacon and reduced fat cream cheese. Yummers.

And if you missed the zucchini round up, check it out here!

Do you have veggies coming out of your ears? Or are you like me, and really wishing you had a garden?! I am fortunate that my neighbor shares his bounty, and I have several Farmer’s Markets in the area around where I live. Hopefully I’ll have my garden next year…in the mean time, what are you cooking up with in season fruits and veggies?

Hawaiian Punch® – for breakfast?! #sponsored

Kim

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

Do your kids love Hawaiian Punch®? If they are like most kids (and a lot of adults too!) then the answer is yes. However, as moms, we probably don’t give it to our kids as a breakfast drink. Well, Hawaiian Punch® has changed all that, by coming out with . It’s new, it’s available at Dollar General, and it’s made with 5% real juice with 40% less sugar than other breakfast drinks!

I am not sure how it will go over at your house, but I think I will score lots of “cool points” with the kids when they see I’ve bought them Hawaiian Punch® and say “sure! you can have that with breakfast!” My children already consider me the sugar police, so they will be shocked. Maybe I’ll share with them that it has less sugar than many other breakfast drinks, but then again, maybe I won’t 😉 It would not be the first time I have given my kids a healthier alternative with them being none the wiser! As a matter of fact, I think NEW Hawaiian Punch®: Aloha Morning™ would pair very well with my Healthier Chocolate Donuts..

or these Whole Wheat Pancakes..

or these amazing muffins, that are filled with healthy fruits and veggies – secretly, of course!

It is not easy getting kids to eat and drink the right things (not my kids anyway!), so it is nice to have a little help. It’s also nice that it is available at Dollar General, since that is one of the very few stores within a 30 minute drive of where I live!

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip (Butterless) Cookies!

Kim

My son really wanted cookies with M&M’s on top. My girls wanted cookies and cream. I wanted dark chocolate chips. So we had it ALL.

Which is why I am now a member of Weight Watchers. But that’s a post for another day.

I saw recipe for cookies made with grapeseed oil instead of butter, and I was intrigued. I have made cookies with coconut oil here and here, and I’ve used olive oil in baking, so these were quickly added to my “to make” list. I’ve read a lot about healthier oils recently, and recently purchased because it contains olive and grapeseed oil. {Note: this is not a sponsored post, this is just the brand I purchased} Both extra virgin olive oil, and grapeseed oil are supposed to be better for you than butter, and I really need a way to justify eating more cookies – so I made these. You know, since they are healthy and all. *ahem*

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip (Butterless) Cookies

adapted from Grapeseed Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies by

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped Cookies n’ Cream Hershey Bar

1 cup Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips

leftover mini M&M’s – approx. 1/4 cup or so (placed on tops only)

Preheat oven to 375°
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat
Mix the sugars, eggs and vanilla for 2 minutes on medium until light in color.
Turn mixer to low and add in oil. Beat until combined.
Add baking soda, salt and flour. Mix until evenly combined.
Fold in candy or chocolate chips of choice.
Drop by heaping tablespoons on prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are golden. Don’t over bake – mine did best at 9 minutes.
Allow to cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to wire rack.

VERDICT – These were really good! I didn’t miss the butter at all, but I rarely make cookies that have more than a stick anyway. These were crispy around the edges, and thick and chewy in the middle. I’m not a cookies and cream fan, but my girls are, and they loved the chunks in it. I am all about the dark chocolate, so the nice big chips were my favorite. You could add in any candy/chips you like!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , ,, (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , , , (Sunday) , , ;

White Cloud & Back to School x 3! {#sponsored}

Kim

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

As we are nearing the end of July (I’m sorry, HOW is that possible already?!) it’s time to start thinking of the dreaded back.to.school. Or not so dreaded depending on what kind of day I’ve had, lol. This year, my baby starts kindergarten. I’m still in shock over it. I’m happy, because I know he will love it, but I’m sad, because he is the baby…and it’s already time for him to go to school! I say it all the time, but it is incredible how fast time flies. I want it to slow down! My oldest will be a seasoned middle schooler, entering the 7th grade, and my middle child will be in the 5th grade. Therefore, we have already started buying school supplies, because the list is L-O-N-G! Even my Kindergartner needs 3 ring notebooks, compositions books, etc., along with the typical crayons, scissors, markers, bleach wipes and tissues! Lots and lots of tissues will be needed!

It can be a little daunting. And expensive. But never fear, Super Mom is here! Okay, I wouldn’t go that far, but I do have a few little suggestions to save you some time and money. Like, wait for the sales! Keep a look out for your local favorite shopping spots to start putting back to school items on sale. Some have started, and more will be coming in the next few weeks. My kids don’t understand when I have told them, “let’s wait on that, it’s going to go on sale!” but experience lets me know, don’t pay full price! Another hint, check your dollar stores! You may be surprised at the selections of supplies they carry. It’s a great place for big packs of pencils, erasers, highlighters, etc. Another good tip…when you have multiple kids going back to school, or you know you are going to need the items throughout the year, go ahead and buy in bulk when it’s on sale! For example, comes in 3 or 6 pack multi-packs, and they are on each of my kid’s supply lists. They are also on most teachers’ ‘wish lists’, and they would be greatly appreciated! (The kids will appreciate them too, because they are known for their Pure Comfort™!) You can use the to find a location near you to stock up! They are sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, which has good deals on your other school supply needs as well.

Not only can you stock up on your tissues, but do you remember when I posted about White Cloud and their collaboration with Children’s Miracle Network? You can read about it here, Some of the specially designed packages are still available! You can support CNM while buying your supplies. You can also go to to print a money saving coupon! I don’t know about you, but I’m all about saving money right now. To keep up to date on other specials going on you can follow the , the , and the ! Their Pinterest page has a Back to School board that you may want check out if you are a Pinterest junkie like myself!

So what about you? How do you tackle back-to-school shopping? Not only do I have school supplies to buy, but I have clothes and shoes to get too! Yikes! My kids have been growing SO FAST this summer, that they are going to practically need a new wardrobe. Now you know why I jump at the chance to do sponsored posts 🙂 Mama’s gotta clothe the kiddies!

Healthier Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Kim

I really, really wanted blueberry muffins or blueberry breakfast cake one morning, but I also wanted something a little healthier AND I wanted to experiment with a new recipe. I searched my , and found this pin from and decided to turn it into a cake instead of mini muffins, because I’m lazy like that. The end result was quite delicious, especially with some of my Skinny Homemade Lemon Curd on top!

Healthier Blueberry Breakfast Cake

adapted from from Oh She Glows

1 cup milk of choice (I used Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond-Coconut)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup oil (I used 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1/8 cup coconut oil)
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used 1/4 cup maple syrup + 1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1-1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Cinnamon Streusel topping
2 tablespoons Turbinado (‘raw’) sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons butter (I used Smart Balance Light)

2 teaspoons flour

handful of rolled oats

sprinkle of chopped walnuts (about 1/4-1/3 cup)

pinch salt.

Preheat oven to 375 F
Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray
In a small bowl, mix together the milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (from flax to salt in ingredient list)
In a your small bowl with the milk, whisk in the remaining wet ingredients (oil, syrup, extracts).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for approx 30-35 minutes (sorry, I forgot to write down how long it took to bake!), but check around the 25 minute mark and go from there. The cake should slowly spring back when pressed, and the middle set (I actually undercooked mine and the middle wasn’t quite done).
Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This was really moist and plenty sweet with the topping added. I really enjoyed it with warm lemon curd drizzled on top.

For the lemon curd, I made a couple of small changes since my last post….

Egg Free Lemon Curd

1/2 cup unsweetened almond coconut milk

1/4 cup heavy cream half and half
3/4 cup lemon juice (combo of meyer lemon juice that I had frozen and bottled lemon juice)
4 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
lemon zest (from squeezed lemons)

I followed the same heating instructions listed in this post. The only difference was that the lemon curd was more tart with the addition of the bottled lemon juice. However, it worked great with the sweetness of the blueberry cake. Ohhh, how I wish I had some right now!

This recipe was featured! Check it out at .

Huge Ice Cream GIVEAWAY! #sponsored

Kim

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

It’s HOT outside, and I don’t know about where y’all are, but here in NC, it’s not only HOT but it is H-U-M-I-D. The air is so thick with moisture you practically have to swim through it. And what beats the heat better than….

Yep, good ol’ ICE CREAM!! And I’m here to help you with that, along with the great folks of Unilever Brand Ice Cream. Now, you may not be familiar with Unilever, but I bet you are VERY familiar with their awesome products like , , ,  and a couple of newer ones,  and . I can tell you from first hand experience….they’re all good! Most of these I’ve been buying for years. Breyers has been a favorite in my family for quite some time. I was thrilled when I discovered that a lot of the Breyers varieties do not contain eggs so my son could enjoy ice cream with the rest of the family. Thankfully, he has outgrown his egg allergy, but we still enjoy the many, many Breyers ice cream flavors. He recently had the Breyers M&M ice cream for his birthday, while my daughter had the Breyers Birthday Cake flavor for hers. Pictured above is my absolute flavor combo….Reese Cup!! Yes, chocolate and peanut butter, together, in ice cream. It’s amazing.

Unfortunately, my girls really, really liked it too. It didn’t last long.

As a matter of fact, my middle child is happily scraping out the container one rainy day in this pic, while my oldest is enjoying a Good Humor Chocolate Eclair Bar, and my son is eating (one of MY) 100 calorie Klondike bars! {3 PP for those doing Weight Watchers! They have a No Sugar Added version too!}

The  bars have been something my girls have been talking about for a while now, but I had not tried. Let me just tell ya…they are not your ordinary chocolate covered ice cream bar. They are covered in Belgium chocolate! Rich, creamy, delicious chocolate, over velvet-y smooth vanilla ice cream. They are decadent. They are delicious. They are gone. I don’t even trust myself to have these in the house. They will be for special occasions!

However, I have already mentioned that  has some calorie friendly options (plus ice cream sandwiches, and the fun ‘taco’ treats!), as does . My kids picked out a variety flavor pack of Popsicles that are low in sugar and make for a great every-day kind of treat. They have been enjoying them after swimming! They have absolutely been LOVING this review opportunity 🙂 What can I say? I have too!

I have enjoyed some of my old favorites, and have learned about a lot of new ones. for instance, is a fabulous new bar filled with real fruit and juice (and some varieties have milk as well.) I really wanted the coconut and milk flavor, but my kids out-voted me and got strawberry. It’s so good!

SOOOO….who wants to try SIX different Unilever Brand Ice Cream Products…for FREE?!!! *I see hands raised everywhere!* All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what brand is your favorite or which one you are most interested in trying. Check out the links to learn more information about all the different varities. For additional entries, share this post on any social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc.) – you will need to leave an additional comment telling me each way you shared, with a link so that I can verify.

I will be awarding SIX free product coupons to ONE lucky winner. (US residents only, please make sure I have an email address to contact you if you win!)
*GIVEAWAY ENDS 07/25/13 AT MIDNIGHT (EST)*

Wordless Wednesday – I want s’more!

Kim

The quick and easy Peanut Butter Cookies I posted yesterday….put graham crackers to shame.

Peanut Butter Cookies {4 ingredients; GF; low carb option}

Kim

When I discover a recipe that allows me to make cookies by only messing up 1 bowl, 1 spoon and uses 4 ingredients…I’m so in. This is a great recipe for the kids to make for the same reasons – super easy, and not so messy! In fact, my kids made at least 3 batches of these cookies in one week! (One batch was included in the end of the year teacher gifts.)

You can make them with the traditional criss cross markings on top, which for whatever reason is my favorite.

You can make them as drop cookies or roll them into balls, AND you can add chocolate chips – if you want to make it 5 ingredients. Chocolate makes everything mo’betta.

You can also make these with regular peanut butter, natural peanut butter, or peanut butter replacements (WowButter, Sunflower butter). You can also make them with sugar substitutes, like Splenda, for a low carb, low sugar version. {and yes, I’m aware that some people are totally against Splenda. I personally prefer Stevia as a sugar sub, but Splenda seems to work better in baking. When you have a diabetic in your family, sugar substitutes are going to be a part of your life.}

We tried different versions, and the best texture comes from regular peanut butter and powdered sugar. The ones with Splenda were a little crumbly, with a slight artificial sweetener aftertaste, but were still good and a treat when you need something low in sugar and carbs. The ones with the natural peanut butter were also good, they are just a little greasier than when using regular peanut butter, but I always buy natural peanut butter (the no-stir kind with no hydrogenated oils), so this is how we will usually make them. When made with peanut butter replacements, they are going to taste like the replacement used, and depending on which one is used, they may be a little greasy or crumbly. I like the flavor of Sunbutter best (I have an easy homemade version here), but WowButter is cheaper and easier to find around here. *There are a couple of other cookies on the blog using PB replacements here and here* These cookies are flourless, so they make a great snack for anyone who is following a gluten-free diet too! (Just make sure other ingredients used are gluten free.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

from

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar (or Splenda for sugar free)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.

Add all of the ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl, and stir until combined and smooth.

Take about a tablespoon of dough and (1) roll in a ball, then use a fork to press down in one direction, then the opposite direction to make your criss cross markings on top OR (2) drop onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 8-10 minutes. *The original recipe said 10, ours only needed 8-9 minutes*

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Have any low carb dessert recipes? I’d love to hear about them!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , , , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,,, , and , , , (Wednesday) , , , , , , , (Thursday) ,, , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , ,, , , ,, (Saturday) , , , , (Sunday) , ,

Pineapple Chicken

Kim

Pineapple Chicken EAH
This Pineapple Chicken was SO good! I made it in hopes that my children would eat it with me, so that I could satisfy my craving for Chinese food, and not have to prepare a separate meal for the kids. The dish is a little sweet by itself, but added sriracha and/or red pepper flakes on my individual portion (and green onions) kicked it up enough that I thought it was delicious AND my girls loved it!! We all know that Mr. Three doesn’t eat anything, so his opinion doesn’t count 😉

I am very excited to have this to add to my rotation, and I would love for you to check out my recipe. I have it posted today over at !

Oh, and the best part…it’s not fried! Healthier Chinese food, made at home, and the kids ate it….Score!

P.S. – Be sure to check out yesterday’s post about the Bob’s Red Mill contest and giveaway going on!

Spar for the Spurtle! {Bob’s Red Mill #Giveaway}

Kim

I heart products. They have a wide range of whole grains, gluten free items and much more. When I was contacted about their 3rd Annual Contest, I was very excited to tell you all about it! It’s a contest all about using one of my favorite things, ! But first, what the heck is a spurtle? That was my first question anyway! A spurtle is a Scottish kitchen tool dating back to the 15th century. It’s a rod-like instrument that is traditionally used to stir porridge and prevent it from becoming lumpy. Tradition calls for using a spurtle only with your right hand and only in a clockwise direction-otherwise, you risk invoking evil spirits and bringing on bad luck. So, now that we know what a spurtle is, let’s here more about the contest and giveaway.

By entering the Spar for the Spurtle contest, you could possibly win an all-expenses paid trip to SCOTLAND!! I know right?! How amazing would that be? You could also win

a trip to Portland to tour Bob’s Red Mill, meet Bob and compete for a crowd of adoring fans and three celebrity judges
$2500 cash
Bragging rights as winner of the American heat for the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Competition
and that’s not all…see more at the page.

So what do you have to do to enter?

You have until July 22nd, 2013 to submit a video (less than 3 minutes long) of a dish you have created using steel cut oats. The recipe has to be cooked and completed in under 30 minutes, using no more than two burners (no oven and no extra appliances).
Submit your entry on the . Visit for the complete rules of entry.

Need inspiration? Check out the Pinterest ! You can also check out some of the entries so far . Some things I’ve posted with steel cut oats include Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats; Red, White and Blueberry Overnight Oats; and Pumpkin Overnight Oats.

To encourage your submissions, Bob’s Red Mill is offering a fantastic giveaway to Makin’ it Mo’Betta readers. For the FIRST FIVE people who submit their contest video and email me (kimmplusthree AT yahoo DOT com), you will win the following prize pack –

Bob’s Red Mill’s ,, and !

So hurry, get those videos in and email me! This awesome prize pack awaits, not to mention you could be a winner in the Spar for the Spurtle!

I will be receiving product from Bob’s Red Mill to create my own recipe! No other compensation was received.