We Should Be Folding Laundry

As promised, here is the first of two more recipes that I came up with using Bitsy’s Brainfood cereals.

This one is really easy, really fast, and requires no baking!

These little bites are the perfect combination of sweet and salty but one of their best qualities is how they stay crunchy even after a few days. Which makes for a really satisfying little snack.

My husband took these to work to share with his team and he said they disappeared immediately so I’d say they were a hit!

The main flavor present in these snack bites is peanut butter so if you’re a fan of the PB and chocolate combo, feel free to toss in a few chocolate chips.

Carrot Raisin Crunch Cereal Snack Bites

Made with Bitsy’s Carrot Raisin Crunch Cereal

Ingredients

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1 1/2 cup Bitsy’s Carrot Raisin Crunch cereal

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla

6 medjool dates – chopped into small pieces

sea salt

Directions

Add the peanut butter and honey to a small sauce pan set over low heat. Stir until combined and remove from heat.

Add the cereal to a blender or food processor and pulse a few times just to break it up a bit into small pieces.

Add the rest of the ingredients along with a pinch of sea salt and pulse until the mixture comes together. You can also do this by hand.

Allow the mixture to cool and form it into balls. Just move it back and forth between each hand, squeezing as you go.

I found that occasionally wetting my hand slightly with cold water helped this process because flax seeds stick to everything.

The dates I used were huge so If you find that your snack bites just aren’t sticking together, chop up another couple of dates and toss them in to the mixture.

Store the snack bites at room temp in an air-tight container.

I can’t say how long these will last because mine were gone within a couple of days but I’d venture to guess that they should last a week.

I made a big pot of this pumpkin chili last week for dinner and the leftovers became my lunch for the next few days.

The longer it sat in my refrigerator, the better it got.

Seriously, this chili has ruined me for other chilis.

I love it that much.

The combination of pumpkin and chili might seem odd but I promise, it totally works.

It’s even better if you can make it a day ahead and let it sit in the refrigerator so that the flavors can mingle and magical, wonderful things can happen.

I’m willing to bet that some of you might still be entertaining house guests and may need an easy recipe that can feed a crowd.

Or maybe you could use an inexpensive meal idea that will leave you with a little extra spending money for Christmas shopping this weekend.

Or maybe you just want to eat a little healthier since you spent the last couple of days stuffing yourself with Thanksgiving leftovers. Oh wait… that was me.

If any of the aforementioned reasons apply to you, give this recipe a try. Then come back and let me know what you think!

Spicy Pumpkin Ale Chili

Ingredients:

2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers

1 yellow onion

1 large carrot or two regular sized carrots

1 small sweet potato *

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp chilpotle salsa – should be less than $1

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree – not pie filling

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 cup beer* – pumpkin ale preferably

2 cups chicken or veggie broth

1 15 oz can black beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot set over medium heat.

Chop all the veggies into bite-sized pieces and toss them into the pot. Saute just until tender.

Add the spices, canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin, beer, and broth. Stir, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let the chili simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rinse and drain both cans of beans and add them to the chili.

Add salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.

* The addition of sweet potato is an issue of contention at my house. I’m for it, my husband is against it. Go with your gut on this one.

* Feel free to add more than one cup of beer. As long as you end up with about 3 cups of liquid, you’re good!

I came up with two pretty cool ways to re-purpose leftover macaroni and cheese over the weekend that I just had to share with you guys.

First, let’s talk about spicy mac & cheese grilled cheese sandwiches.

We all know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich so I won’t get super detailed. There are a few extra steps with this sandwich but if you’re a fan of spicy food and delicious flavor, it’s worth it. Promise.

To make a spicy macaroni and cheese grilled cheese sandwich you’ll need:

• bread
• butter
• pepper jack cheese
• macaroni and cheese
• jarred jalapenos or your favorite hot pepper
• your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Butter two slices of bread.

2. Add a slice of pepper jack cheese to the unbuttered side of each slice of bread.

3. Add macaroni and cheese to one slice of bread and top with peppers and hot sauce.

4. Close up the sandwich and cook as you would a regular grilled cheese.

5. Get it into your mouth.

Can you tell I have a thing for spicy foods?

The second way I was able to re-purpose that leftover mac and cheese was in some yummy garlic and herb rolls. I used some frozen bread dough that I already had in my freezer and that made this little culinary project super easy.

These mac and cheese rolls have been going into my kids’ lunch boxes this week and so far, I haven’t gotten any complaints.

To make the macaroni and cheese rolls you’ll need:

• Homemade bread dough, store-bought bread dough, even pizza dough works
• macaroni and cheese
• minced garlic
• herbs – whatever you like
• butter
• shredded cheese

Directions

1. Once your dough has risen (follow directions on packaged dough) and is ready to work with, flour your counter and use a rolling-pin to roll it into as close to a rectangular shape as you can get it.

2. Brush on 2 tbsp of softened butter. I just use my fingers to spread it around.

3. Sprinkle on garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.

4. Top with macaroni and cheese. Use your fingers to break it apart so you get even coverage.

5. Sprinkle on shredded cheese. I used colby jack because it’s what I had but anything goes here.

6. Starting on the long end, carefully roll the dough into a log. It will be tricky at first but gets easier as you go, and make sure it’s sitting seam-side down.

7. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into one inch slices. They don’t need to be precise. Just remember that the dough needs to rise one more time and will puff up even more once baked.

8. Add the slices to a large baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in size. *

9. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown on top or follow package directions for baking.

I hope you’ll try one of these ideas out the next time you have some leftover macaroni and cheese sitting around in your refrigerator. Be sure to come back and tell me what you think!

* My dough wouldn’t rise so I turned the oven on warm and then turned it back off, set my pan of rolls in there, and forgot about them for an hour or so. When I came back to check on them, they had risen beautifully. So if your dough won’t rise, try that trick. Just remember not to leave your oven on warm. Let it come up to temp, and then turn it off.

I normally steer clear of packaged snack bars because they’re usually pricey and full of mystery ingredients, but Larabars contain simple wholesome ingredients like fruit, nuts, spices and chocolate.

I’m okay with all of those things.

In fact, when I read the ingredients listed on the back of a Larabar wrapper, my first thought was I could totally make these.

So I did and let me tell you, these are insanely easy to make. In fact, once you make your own Larabars, you’ll probably never buy them again.

All you need is a blender or food processor, some dates, nuts and whatever add-ins you like.

You just dump everything into your blender or food processor, pulse until the mixture comes together, press it into a pan, and toss it into the freezer to firm up for about half an hour so that you can cut it into bars.

Seriously, that’s it.

And if you don’t want to wait on your freezer, you can just roll the mixture into balls and eat it that way.

Take it a step further and dip the balls into dark chocolate. These would be a much healthier alternative to cake pops and you could decorate them just as easily.

Anytime I want to really test out a new recipe, I send it off to work with my husband so that he can share it with his coworkers. Then he reports back in the morning whether it was a hit or a miss.

These were a big hit.

If you think you won’t like these because you’re not a fan of dates, you’ll be happy to know that the dates aren’t a predominate flavor in these bars. They just add natural sweetness and act as the glue that holds everything together. They also bring a good bit of potassium, vitamin A, calcium, and magnesium to the party.

Larabars are usually made with cashews but I had two huge jars of peanuts in my pantry so that’s what I used. If you don’t like peanuts or can’t use them due to an allergy, just use the same amount of cashews instead.

Ingredients

15 Medjool dates

1 cup honey roasted peanuts

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp real maple syrup

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Add the peanuts to the blender and pulse a few times to chop them up a bit. You’re not making peanut butter, just getting them chopped up fairly well so a few pulses should do.

Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse several times to combine. You may have to scrape the sides down a couple of times during the process.

Once everything is well blended you’ll need to consider the following options:

You could empty the mixture into an 8×8 inch pan lined with plastic wrap and press it out evenly. Then toss in the freezer for about half an hour. Once set, you can cut it into bars. This method will yield you 12 thin bars.

I prefer mine a little thicker so I use a loaf pan. Same method applies here.

Alternatively, you could roll the mixture into balls or press into a muffin tin that was lined with paper cups.

There’s no wrong way to do this.

I will say that these are much better right out of the fridge so I would store them there if you can. If not, they’ll be just fine at room temperature.

I like to wrap mine individually in plastic wrap so that I can just toss one into a lunch box or my purse.

If you’re making these for little ones, you can leave the espresso powder out. The finished bars will still taste just as good.

Breakfast of champions.

I don’t want to alarm you but it’s that time again.

Pumpkin domination is upon us.

If you’ve checked Pinterest or your Bloglovin’ feed lately, or watched television, or been anywhere outside of your house, you know what I’m talking about.

Pumpkin is everywhere.

I love this time of year because I’m a huge fan of all the pumpkin spiced drinks at Starbucks. And while I know that I should stay away from them due to their questionable ingredients, empty calories, and $6 per drink price tag, let’s face it, they’re delicious.

I just so happen to live right next door to a pretty well-known donut/coffee place and they have a Pumpkin Creme Brulee Latte that is pretty fantastic. A little too sweet for my taste but a genius idea that I will be figuring out how to replicate in my own kitchen very soon.

This smoothie came to be because I was craving a pumpkin spice latte but didn’t want to shell out the $6 and frankly, didn’t feel like going out in our nearly ninety degree weather to get one. Nothing is worth all that.

So on a whim, I came up with a smoothie version that actually tastes just like a pumpkin spice latte.

To be honest, this smoothie actually tastes like both a pumpkin spice latte and an oatmeal cookie but there was no way I was going to call this a Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie because that sounds ridiculous.

However, it doesn’t taste ridiculous unless you mean ridiculous in a good way, and then yes, it’s quite ridiculous.

My husband and I have been drinking this smoothie for breakfast for a few days now and we both love it. In fact, I’m really regretting not reminding him to pick up more bananas while he was at the store earlier so I could make another one in the morning.

Rats.

Anyway, if you like pumpkin spice lattes and oatmeal cookies, and not spending $6 per drink, I think you’re really going to like this one.

Ingredients

3 oz water

1 tsp instant espresso

1/4 cup oats

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp real maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of allspice

pinch of sea salt

1 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

4-5 ice cubes

Directions

Bring 3 oz. of water to a boil and stir in 1 tsp of espresso. You can do this the night before and leave in the fridge overnight, or you can make it before you make your smoothie. Just remember to let it cool for a few minutes.

Add the oats to your blender and pulse a few times to give them a head start. Then add the cooled espresso and the rest of the ingredients and blend for 1-2 minutes until everything is super smooth.

Split between two glasses and enjoy!

I highly recommend using vanilla almond milk for this because it tastes much better than regular milk. If you don’t do almond milk, you can sub in your favorite milk and just double the amount of vanilla to 1 tsp. You may need to add an extra tbsp of maple syrup too if it’s not sweet enough.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just use pumpkin pie spice because that would make a lot more sense here.

Fair point.

If there is any pumpkin pie spice left in my spice drawer I can guarantee you that it’s at least two years old so I really need to find it and throw it out. I went the safer route and just added in the spices separately.

If you have pumpkin pie spice, just add about 1/2 tsp or so to your smoothie. Blend and give it a taste. You can always add a little more if you think it needs more spice.

I certainly can’t take credit for these. They’re everywhere right now. I have no idea where this idea originated from or who gets the credit for it but that person deserves a big thank you.

Apple Nachos kept popping up on Pinterest and in my blog feed but I never pinned the recipe or saved it anywhere. I really never gave it another thought until last Friday afternoon when I was rooting around my refrigerator, looking for a snack for my kids.

I opened the crisper and found apples and for some reason remembered this ridiculously easy recipe.

I’m so glad I did because both of my kiddos gobbled these up and truth be told, I ate quite a few as well (quality control – It’s a tough job).

Not only are these delicious but they’re also super simple to put together and you can top them with whatever you and your kids like.

Got people coming over to watch the game? Set out a big platter of these babies and watch how fast they disappear. Better yet, just set out lots of toppings and let everyone make their own. Fun!

Ingredients

sliced apples (pears would work too)

citrus juice, pineapple juice, lemon lime soda

toppings – shredded coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, peanut butter (warmed to drizzling consistency), caramel, melted chocolate, sprinkles, chopped candy bars, warmed pumpkin peanut butter, etc.

Directions

Fill a medium-sized bowl about halfway with cold water and add in a good splash of citrus juice or pineapple juice. You can also use lemon lime soda instead of water if you have it.

Thinly slice your apple(s) and drop them into the water. Don’t skip this step though, it keeps your apples from turning brown.

Let the apple slices soak for a minute or two and then remove them from the water and place on a towel to dry. I like to pat them dry with paper towels too.

When the apple slices are dry, arrange them on a plate or a platter and lovingly add the toppings of your choice. Or just haphazardly throw them on like I did because my kids are not pleasant when they’re hungry.

I have no idea why it took me so long to share this recipe because I make it all the time.

Sometimes I make it just for me and eat every single crab cake.

No shame.

The original recipe that I used to use was actually for salmon and sweet potato cakes. I can’t remember where I found it but I can tell you that my family didn’t care for it. They thought the salmon version was a little bland.

So I came up with a crab version that has much more flavor and texture. These crab cakes are sweet and just a little spicy with a yummy crunch on the outside.

I think you guys will really like them.

This recipe is great for those busy nights when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. It only requires a handful of inexpensive and easy to find ingredients. And if you don’t like crab, you can just substitute chopped cooked shrimp or salmon.

I like to serve mine along side a big salad.

You can cook the sweet potato ahead of time too if you really want to save time.

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes

1 cup lump crab meat

1 sweet potato

1/2 cup corn *

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 green onions – chopped

1 finely chopped pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (optional)

juice of half a lemon

Directions

Peel and dice the sweet potato into cubes and boil them until tender. Then drain them and mash them up.

Once the sweet potatoes are mashed and cooled a little, add the remaining ingredients along with a little salt and pepper and mix until well combined.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs into a bowl. This is just to coat the patties, the measurement doesn’t have to be precise.

Scoop the mixture with your hand or an ice cream scoop, roll it into a ball, and flatten into a patty.

Gently place the crab cake into the bowl of panko and flip to coat. It helps if you use your hands to gently press the panko onto the crab cakes.

One you have your crab cakes formed and coated on each side with panko, place a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in a little olive or veg oil (whatever you have). You just want enough oil to coat the bottom, we’re not deep-frying here.

Let the crab cakes cook about 5 minutes per side until they’re golden brown and then drain them on paper towels.

I like to top the crab cakes with copious amounts of spicy mayo which I make by mixing about 1/4 cup of mayo, fresh lemon juice, 1 finely chopped chipotle pepper, and a teaspoon or two of the adobo sauce. A few dashes of regular hot sauce works too.

* I use frozen corn and just thaw it under warm water.

Up until just a few days ago, I had never in all my thirty-something years, eaten a fresh apricot.

I know. Crazy.

I’ve had the little dried ones that come in a snack mix of this sort or the other, but I’ve never, for whatever reason, eaten a fresh one.

There is an awesome family run produce store just across the street from us that has lots of local and organic produce and they arrange it in such a lovely way that you can’t help but walk out of that place with bags filled to the brim with produce even if you only went in for a tomato.

As I was shopping last week I came across a pretty wicker basket full of apricots.

Apricots were most definitely not on my list but they looked so cute piled high in that basket that I soon found myself tossing four of them into my giant long-handled wheely basket which I never should have had in the first place because I only needed a few things.

I’m ridiculous.

Since I hadn’t made any plans for what to do with them, I figured I’d cut them up and add them to my fruit salad or maybe I’d freeze some for smoothies. I was optimistic. The sky was the limit!

It took a few days but the conclusion I finally came to was to halve them, sprinkle sugar on them, throw them in the oven, and roast them until dark and caramelized on top.

Those roasted apricots made a darn fine parfait and I’d imagine they’d make an even better ice cream topping. They’d also be great on top of cottage cheese, with brie on toasted bread, or with a little whipped cream.

Here are the handy instructions in case you find yourself with some stone fruit that you need to use up. ♥

Roasted Apricot Parfait w/ Chai Spiced Almonds

For the chai spiced almonds:

12 oz. raw almonds

3 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

pinch of cloves

1 large egg white

1/2 tsp vanilla

sea salt

First, you’ll need to make the almonds because they need to hang out in the oven for a bit. Speaking of your oven, go ahead and preheat that thing to 300° F and spray a baking sheet with non stick spray or line it with parchment or a silicone liner.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, spices, and a good pinch of sea salt. Once your spice blend is well combined, go ahead and taste a bit. Not spicy enough? Add a little more cinnamon and/or ginger. Not sweet enough? Add a little more sugar. Be careful though, a little can go a long way here so add in small increments until your spice blend is just right.

You could also add ground cardamom, coriander, white pepper, and/or nutmeg. Seriously, go nuts. Just remember to taste and make sure your spice blend is just right before you move on from this point.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until it forms very soft peaks (white and super frothy) and add the vanilla. Whisk again to combine.

Pour the egg/vanilla mixture over the nuts and toss lightly to coat. Add the spices and toss again to coat.

Once all the nuts are coated, spread them out evenly on the baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, stir, and then put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool completely and then bag them up. Or chop up a handful and toss them into a parfait!

For the roasted apricots:

Halve and pit 2-3 apricots per parfait. Place on a roasting pan pit-side up. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and slide into the oven once the broiler is nice and hot.

Once the tops begin to bubble and turn brown, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Chop into bite sized pieces when cool enough to handle.

Now, just layer a little yogurt, a little granola, some chopped roasted apricots, and the chai spiced nuts into a bowl or glass and you’re good to go!