Healthy Secret Macaroni & Cheese

Tonight I made one of my favorite meals. Mac n' cheese with an extra nutritional kick! I started by cooking 8 oz of whole wheat rotini pasta...


















Are you ready for the secret?


















Combine a thawed package of cooked winter squash with 1 1/2 cups skim milk, and heat to boiling-then simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. This is very exciting to me, because the squash is the same color as the cheese! But don't worry, you will still get plenty of cheese in this recipe. I would not deny anyone of that!


















Add the cooked pasta, a cup of fat free cottage cheese, and 1 cup of reduced fat cheddar. Stir until the cheese is melted. Season as desired-I added a pinch of nutmeg and cayenne pepper, and a little sea salt and black pepper.


















plus about 1 1/2 cups of chopped broccoli...



















and some breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top. I made my own by toasting two slices of bread, chopping them up and tossing with oregano, garlic and olive oil.


















Place the mac n' cheese mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes and....


















healthy comfort food at it's finest! YUM!
I served this dish with garlic & herb seasoned chicken breasts sauteed in olive oil. This allowed me to play with one of my new toys that I got for Christmas...A digital kitchen thermometer!


















Always make sure poultry products are cooked to a minimum of 165 F. Even if they appear done, they could still be harboring harmful bacteria which has not yet been cooked off.

Have a safe and happy new year, however you might be spending it!

Homemade oatmeal

This morning, I woke up to snow falling outside! It didn't look like it would accumulate much, but it was a very pretty scene. I tried to take some pictures, but they didn't really do it much justice.

I decided to make oatmeal today....my usual wintertime breakfast. Lately I have been eating it every day, alternating between adding raisins or bananas.

Today, I decided to try something different. I started by chopping up a Red Delicious apple that I had sitting in the fridge.

















It probably amounted to about 3/4 cup


















Then I added a cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup of dry regular oats


















Microwave for about 3 minutes, then...


















I added 1/2 packet of Equal (just to sweeten things up a bit), about a tablespoon of chopped walnuts, and a nice dusting of cinnamon...and voila! Homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal.
Who needs the pre-packaged stuff? You can buy a huge package of regular or quick-cooking oats for less than a box of the packets. It doesn't take that much more time (depending on your chopping skills) Plus, this way you can control exactly what goes in it...no added sugars that you don't put in yourself. I think it tastes better this way, too!

After breakfast, it was time to hit the books...


















I'm taking the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) a week from Monday, so my winter break is not really going to be much of a break. Today I'm expanding my vocabulary and learning strategies for excelling in the verbal section of the test. I know, it sounds boring just reading about it.

I'm going to need some more caffeine!

Cheap, tasty and not-so-sinful treats

First of all, we got our new camera! It's a Canon SD1200, and I love it!
We got the silver one!


Of course, we had to try it out first-on some of our favorite models...










Cooper and Callie are ready for their close-ups!

This new arrival was just in time for my holiday baking post, so I can add in pictures of all my sweet temptations!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to cook, and over the past few years (thanks to my increasing patience and knowledge gained at school) I have grown to love baking as well. The bottom line is, "cooking is an art, and baking is a science." Just doesn't sound very fun or tempting when you think of it that way, does it?!

Once you learn to do it, it's actually very satisfying-and fun-to watch science take place in your kitchen.

The first thing I had to learn was, it is very important to follow the recipe! There was a time when I didn't even know the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and may have used them interchangeably.

Well, they both have the word baking in them-so what's the difference?!

The difference is huge-and was evident in my past baking escapades which tended to end in disaster.

This year-seeing as I am totally broke-I am spreading the holiday love with gifts from my kitchen.

I tried three new recipes from CookingLight.com, my favorite and most trusted source for good food at a low nutritional cost.

Oatmeal Cookies

Fudgy Mocha Toffee Brownies

Peanut Butter Icebox Cookies











Cookie making madness!!

There are two changes I make to every recipe which are okay and do not create tragedies like the baking soda/baking powder substitution. I use only whole wheat flour rather than white (and no, I don't mix-it still turns out great an no one knows any different), and I replace the butter or margarine with Smart Balance. This does not change the amount of calories at all, but it does increase the nutrition. The whole wheat flour adds fiber, and the Smart Balance exchanges the saturated fat for unsaturated, which is more conducive to raising "good" cholesterol over "bad".











All three recipes turned out AWESOME! I can't wait to share them with my family, friends and co-workers!

What are your favorite holiday treats?

The best 100% whole wheat pizza crust EVER!

I have been making this recipe for awhile now, and have yet to share it. But the secret has been kept long enough!

Making your own pizza from scratch is cheap, allows you to connect with the food you are eating, and is also a great way to get several of the food groups into one meal-grains, milk (cheese), veggies, meats and sometimes fruits. Plus, it's a lot of fun and is much easier than you might think!

I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Planet, by Didi Emmons. When I make pizza crust, I always sub all of the white flour for whole wheat. Although this substitution sometimes makes things dense and unexciting, I have found that this recipe results in a hearty product that is still light and airy-not to mention irresistible! Sure, it might take much longer than picking up the phone and dialing for delivery-but some things are worth waiting for!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup hot, but not boiling, water
1 pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons or 1 package dry active yeast
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more as needed

1. Stir together 1/3 cup of water and the sugar in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture, and let stand until foamy-about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of water, the olive oil, salt, and enough flour (by ½ cup portions) to make a soft dough.
4. Knead on a floured surface, incorporating more flour, if necessary, to keep the dough from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.
5. Place the dough in a deep, oiled bowl (I use about 1/2 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil) and turn over to coat with the oil.
6. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size; about 1 hour.
7. Punch down the dough, and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes more.
8. Remove dough from bowl and flatten onto a large pizza pan sprayed well with cooking spray, spreading out by pulling the dough toward the edges. Or, make personal sized pizzas by dividing the dough into four equal portions.
8. Top with your favorite toppings, and bake at 425◦ F for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Tonight I'm topping my pizza with pesto sauce, sauteed garlic and herb chicken, canned no-salt-added tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Here are some of our other favorite pizza toppings:
*Brushed olive oil with lightly steamed spinach, tomatoes (canned or fresh, depending on the season), chicken sausage (TJ’s!), and feta
*Marinara sauce with prosciutto ham and goat cheese
*Herb olive oil, asparagus, and Italian cheese blend

Side note: sadly, I cannot currently post pictures of my culinary creations as my camera has apparently "checked out". I will be bringing it to a repair shop soon, to see if it's worth fixing - otherwise a new purchase will most likely be in order.

Until then, I will have to tempt you with words rather than visuals!

Give cheap, yet creatively, this holiday season

Many people seem to be having a difficult time with money right now, which adds extra stress to holiday gift giving. But to me, the holidays are about spending time with friends and family-not the monetary value of the gifts that are given.
In years past, my family has simply composed a wish list of our holiday desires, then opened our gifts with absolutely no surprise whatsoever. Sure-everyone got what they wanted-but what fun is it to shop from a list? I do that at least twice a week when I go to the grocery store.

This year, we are trying something different; adding some thoughtfulness with a twist of creativity!

The rules are simple:
1. You can only spend $5 on gifts for each person.
2. You have to make your purchases at the Dollar store.

Now, it is assumed that everyone is going to really try to come up with something creative to buy with their respective $5 limits-not just pick up the first five pieces of junk they see in the store. We'll see how it works out. I can honestly say I am looking forward to the challenge.

Here are some other ideas for making your holiday gift giving cheap, yet thoughtful and creative:

Do a "Secret Santa" gift swap within your group: put everyone's name in a bowl and each person chooses only one person to buy for. Set a price limit that fits everyone's budget.

Create a "theme" for your gift exchange. For example, the rule might be that the gift given to each person must represent a memory about them. When the gift is opened, the story is told. This works great for families and close friends.

Make your own gifts. The options are endless-crafts, photo albums, baked goods, etc.

Play "White Elephant" or "Rob your Neighbor". It's simple, and a lot of fun!
Each person brings a wrapped gift, which could be anything from something that was made, to one that was bought or even a "regift" that you want to try and pass on. Just make sure the rules are clear for what can be brought and how much, if anything, can be spent-and know that you might be bringing home that very same gift with you once again!
If you've never played the game, see this link for details on how it works:
http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-a-White-Elephant-Gift-Exchange

The older I get, the less I desire-which makes it difficult for me to come up with items for a holiday wish list. I now see more value in spending time with loved ones than having a large stack of presents in front of me.
This year, I plan to focus more heavily on quality verses quantity. I encourage you to do the same!
Happy Holidays!