Sugar Scrubs and Whipped Body Butter

Fall and Winter are my two favorite seasons, yet I always seem to turn into a scaly itchy mess due to dry skin.  Between the cold, our forced hot air heat, holiday dish washing and my lack of swimming my skin seems to revolt by the time Christmas rolls around.

--Ok so I added the lack of swimming, that really wouldn't help all that much with my dry skin.  Any dermatologist worth their weight will tell you the very first thing you need to do to ensure you help your skin retain moisture is to drink the proper amount of water/fluids each day!--

Either way I seem to crack out the lotion ingredients every winter to make some skin nourishing body butter, lotion bars or sugar scrubs.  I should point out that I am an avid user of Cocoa Butter lotions.  I am partial to Palmers but will try any of them.  Even THOSE don't seem to help me in the winter months.  

The only problem with making your own lotions etc is that you need to purchase the ingredients.  You can make some lotions with Crisco and olive oil, but I am more of a shea butter and coconut oil girl.  The following recipes will be made with those types of ingredients.  (If you want to make something but don't feel like buying those ingredients please keep in mind that you can substitute a solid for a solid and a liquid for a liquid - Crisco for coconut oil and olive oil for jojoba oil etc.  I would not suggest using dairy butter in place of she butter, but I suppose it might be possible.) 

Sugar Scrub

This is a basic recipe.  You can so all sorts of fun things with it, see the examples under the recipe.  A sugar scrub should always be two parts sugar to one part oil, I also add in aloe with Vitamin E to all my sugar scrubs but it isn't necessary.  Here is my basic recipe:

• 1 c Sugar (can be brown or white, I use natural in the raw sugar)
• 1/2 c Coconut Oil 
• 1 Squirt Aloe with Vitamin E
• Essential Oil/fragrance of your choice

1. Melt the coconut oil
2. Mix together the sugar, oil, aloe and essential oils.
3. Place in an air tight container
4. Use on hands, face and body to rid yourself of dead skin and moisturize.

It looks like applesauce to me!
I know it isn't super pretty,
but it works phenomenally well!

Some fun concoctions of the basic sugar scrub are:

• Pumpkin Pie Scrub - instead of essential oils add in 1 t of Pumpkin Pie Spice.  Mix as normal.
• Vanilla Bean - Add in 1t of Vanilla extract in place of the essential oil.  Mix as normal.
• Citrus Mixer - combine lemon and orange essential oils. This one is very fragrant and a PERFECT scrub for the summer months. 

Try them out, this one is easy to make at home.  You can use olive oil or crisco in place of the coconut oil.  Your hands will thank you!

Boddy Butter

Shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut
oil

Boddy butter is a wonderful wonderful creation.  It has the ability to turn a scaly mess of an Amy into a normal human again! (OK so maybe "normal" is pushing it, but it removes the scales!) I am not so sure what you can use as an every day in house substitution for shea or cocoa butter, but I will research that and get back to you.  For those of you that WILL purchase shea and cocoa like butters here is the basic recipe that I use:

• 1 c Shea Butter
• 1/2 c Coconut Oil
• 1/2 c Jojoba Oil
• 1 T Cocoa Butter



Out in the cold to solidify

• Essential Oils/Fragrance of your choice

1. Melt the shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil until liquid.  Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Slowly stir in the jojoba oil and fragrance.  
3. Set the mixture aside until it starts to re-solidify.  You want it to be semi soft, but no longer liquid.  
4. Once the mixture reaches the appropriate solidification, transfer it to a mixer and whip it as you would if you were making butter.  This should only take a few minutes.
5. Transfer the whipped butter into air tight containers and use as needed/wanted.

What a beautiful whipped body butter!
(chocolate scented!)

How simple is that?!  It is oil intensive so I find that it is best to put it on after a shower and let it soak in as you brush your teeth and whatnot before you get dressed.  It isn't too bad though and it really hydrates your skin!  

Some of my lotion etc supplies - there is sugar, beeswax,
coconut oil, and shea butter in this tote.
In others there is citric acid, stearic acid, baking soda,
aloe, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, essential oils,
and various molds and pots!
It is a very addicting hobby! 

**If those wondering I buy my lotion etc products from Brambleberry and Camden Grey.  I know there are cheaper sources out there, but I have always received top notch products and service from these two and therefore they have earned my loyalty.

English Muffin Bread

As I am sure you can tell, I LOVE bread!  All sorts of breads.  I have always had a special love of english muffin bread.  I am not a fan of english muffins - I don't know what it is but that little muffin does nothing for me.  Now a slice of english muffin bread, toasted, HEAVENLY!  I tried not to buy it too often for fear of eating the whole loaf in one sitting.

A few years ago I came across a recipe for english muffin bread.  Of course, being me, I had to try it out.  It was perfection in FOUR LOAVES.  Now years ago I would have just contentedly made my way through all four loaves, now-a-days I am pretty sure that would not only be EXTREMELY detrimental to my journey, but make my stomach go on strike as well.  It is for that reason that I haven't made the bread in a while.  I stumbled across the recipe again a few days ago and the craving hit.  I decided to make the four loaves and hopefully find homes for the three I shouldn't eat :-D.

English Muffin Bread

• 1 1/2 c Boiling water
• 3 1/2 c Cool Water
• 6 3/4 t Rapid Rise Yeast*
• 2 T Salt
• 3 T Sugar
• 11 c Flour - I use all purpose but I am pretty sure the original recipe called for Bread Flour.
• Butter or Margarine

1. Prepare your four loaf pans by liberally greasing them and set them aside.
2. Coming the boiling water and the cool water in your bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the dough just comes together.  IT WILL BE STICKY.  
4. Divide the dough between your 4 loaf pans and set aside in a warm draft free area until the dough has risen to the top of the loaf pans.  (This takes about an hour or two.  I always cover my rising dough with a towel, but it isn't needed if there is no draft.)
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Once the dough has risen bake it for about 35 minutes.  It should start to brown.  
7. Once the dough starts to get a golden brown color, baste the top with a little melted butter and cook until a nice golden brown color - about 10 minutes more.
8. Remove from the oven and place the pans on their sides.  (This is so that the bottom of the bread won't stick to the bottom of the pain - I do this will all my loaf breads, it isn't necessary but it does make a difference.)
9. Allow to cool completely before cutting - if you can do this you are stronger than I am!!
10. ENJOY

Sorry I have no "in process" pictures - I made the bread in between shoveling the foot deep snow out of the driveway.

This bread makes the BEST toast!  I am personally a peanut butter fan, however jelly/jam or just butter taste wonderful as well.  I like my english muffin toast to be thinner sliced so I can normally get about 15 - 20 slices out of one loaf (20 of thinner sliced and only AFTER it has completely cooled).  That is 60 - 80 slices of bread - I would say that the 11 cups of flour is about 2-3 pounds worth and the yeast is the equivalent of three packages (if you don't buy in bulk).  Yeast has been on sale lately for about $1 - $1.50/3 pack and you can get a 5 pound bag of flour on sale for $2 - $2.50.  So let's say that you would spend $4 (maximum) on this recipe, in the grocery store that would get you 4 packs of english muffins (on sale for $1 each).  That is only 24 english muffins, this bread gives you SIXTY - EIGHTY slices.

The calorie  breakdown is like this:  if you slice thin like I do and get 20 slices per loaf then you are looking at about 58-60 calories per slice.  A thicker slice (15 per loaf) would probably bring you in around 78-80 per slice and you can always go even thicker for about 100-108 - but those are really thick.  All in all a winner in my book!!

*You can use regular yeast in this recipe, you just have to add a step.  If you choose to use regular yeast instead of rapid, you have to allow the dough to rise in the mix bowl until it reaches the top and then divide into the four loaf pans.  You will then have to allow the dough to rise again in the loaf pans.  Not a horrible thing, just more time consuming.

Mozzarella

The little list in my head now has another check!  There were three things I wanted to make by the end of the year, I have succeeded in making two of them - graham crackers and now mozzarella cheese - the third will have to wait until I can really research the best cocoa beans.  

If you aren't a cooker then the process of making mozzarella might be daunting.  I am here to tell you it is SIMPLE.  It takes about thirty minutes (give or take a few) from start to water bath.  In the end you not only have something homemade, you also have a delicious ball of cheese!!  

Tools/Ingredients

• 1 Gallon of Milk - it can be the fat content of your choice.  Obviously whole milk would make a richer cheese however I used 1% and the cheese was still great!  The one thing you HAVE to be sure about is the pasteurization process of your milk choice.  In order to make quick and easy home made mozzarella you cannot (let me stress that again- CANNOT) use UHT (ultra-high temperature pasteurized or just ultra-pasteurized) milk.  That milk you grab from the big chain grocery stores (Garelick, Hood, etc) is UHT.  It gives the milk a great long shelf life, but it causes great loss of folate, B12, Vitamin C and Thiamin.  It also makes creating quick yummy mozzarella at home impossible - curds will not appear no matter how much rennet you use!  In our house we get our milk delivered from a local dairy.  Their milk is gourmet pasteurized so obtaining milk was not an issue for me.  I would suggest you try your local dairies if you want to attempt this recipe.  Call around and ask what their pasteurization process is, most dairies are more than willing to discuss this with you. 
• 1 1/4 c Water - if you live in a city that has a highly chlorine level in your water use bottled.  Rennet and Citric Acid do not play well with chlorine.  
• 1 1/2 t Citric Acid - You can find citric acid a bunch of places.  First make sure you are buying FOOD GRADE.  I have citric acid in the house for my soaps and lotions - that is not the stuff we want for our cheese making.  Local brewery supply stores normally carry cheese making supplies, that would be where I would go if you don't want to purchase your supplies online (which is my suggestion).  
• 1/4 Rennet Tablet (or 1/4 t of Rennet Liquid) - now for the "gross" part.  For those of you that don't know,  traditionally, rennet is a group of enzymes found in the lining of a calf's stomach that helps with digestion. If this thought bothers you, I suggest you don't look at those wonderful cheeses you buy from fancy stores!  There are such things as "vegetable" and "microbial" rennet.  (I use the microbial rennet which is actually made from a coagulating mold - this is fun stuff people!)  If a person tries to sell you vegetable rennet that was commercially made call foul - there is no commercial source of vegetable rennet.  It is normally locally made by people that know how to get the coagulating features out of figs and the like.  Most vegetarian approved cheeses are made with microbial rennet.  You can purchase this online where you get your citric acid.  (I will give you a couple of links at the end of the post for all you people that don't like to peruse random sites.)
• Cheese Salt - not necessary at all, but it is cheap and it is a finer grade than regular old kosher salt.  If you can't find any, but want something that will be that fine grade try some canning salt. 
• A Pot/Pan - it must be big enough to hold your gallon of milk and still have enough room for some vigorous stirring.  It also CANNOT be a conductive metal!!  In other words, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic ONLY.  For those of you that are going to ask, Caphalon pans are coated and therefore should be able to be used.  That being said, the coating is only good if you have never used a metal utensil on it, scoured it, or it is less than about 15 years old.  The coatings can wear away or get scratches.
• Dairy Thermometer- they are cheap and can be purchased with your rennet and citric acid.  Please do not try to use a meat thermometer for making cheese!
• Colander/Cheese cloth/ Strainer - I, personally, use a cheese cloth however that does not mean you need to.  They can be expensive and add steps upon steps to clean up.  As long as you have a fine mesh on your strainer/colander you should be fine - and you will only need that if you too vigorously stir your rennet!
• Slotted Spoon - I really have nothing for this one - it is a staple instrument in every house :-D
• Knife - it needs to be long enough to cut through the curds to the bottom of the pan.  SO if you are using a stock pot, don't pull out a 3 inch paring knife to get the job done.
• Microwave safe bowl - I am giving you the instructions for a quick and simple cheese making - and that requires heating in a microwave for stretching.  You can do this with a water bath but it takes longer.
• Rubber Gloves - not necessary at all!!!  I use them cause I am a wimp and that thin layer of rubber helps disperse the heat from the cheese during stretching so I don't feel as if I am melting my hands!!

Process/Procedure

Curds and Whey (I over mixed my rennet so they are flakey)

Prior to microwaving

Water Bath

1. Dissolve 1/4 of your rennet tab into 1/4 c of cool water.  Mix gently and set aside.
2. Dissolve 1 1/2 t of citric acid into 1 cup of cool water.  Pour into your pot.
3. Add your milk to the pot and turn the heat on med-medium high, stirring constantly and vigorously.
4. Heat the milk to 90F
5. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in the rennet mixture.  Combine using up and down motions for about 30 seconds. (If you stir the rennet mixture for too long you will end up cutting your curds as they form.)
6. Cover the pot and DO NOT TOUCH for at least 5 minutes.  (Rennet is a very gentle thing, it needs to be left immobile while it works or your cuds could be flakey.)
7. After about 5 minutes check your curd.  It should look like a custard or cheesecake consistency with a clear separation between curd and whey.  (Whey should be a mellowly clear color, if it is milky recover and let it set for a few more minutes.  If you did not get any curds, check the pasteurization of your milk.)
8. Cut the curd with your knife, be sure to reach all the way to the bottom of the pot.  Cut it in a criss cross pattern on a diagonal.
9. Place the pot back on the burner and heat to 105 F.  Slowly stir the curds while you are heating.
10. Once you reach 105 F remove from the heat and continue to slowly stir the curds for 2-5 minutes.  
11. Strain off the whey - you can reserve it for recipes - and place the curds in your microwave safe bowl.
12. Place the bowl in the microwave for 1 minutes.  Remove and gently fold the curds into one piece - drain off the whey as you do this.
13. Add in the salt to you preference, I use about 1 t, while you are folding the curds.
14. Return the curds and bold to the microwave and cook for another 30 seconds.
15. Drain and stretch the cheese.  (Stretching the cheese is just that - pull on the cheese like you would taffy and fold it back in on itself.  Keep doing this until the cheese is smooth and shiny.  The cheese must be 135 F in order to stretch properly so if the last round in the microwave did not make it hot enough, pop it back in for another 30 seconds.)
16. YOU HAVE CHEESE!!  You can now form it into a ball, braid it, or make string cheese out of it.  You could even roll it out and add some herbs or pesto.  Whatever you do with it, you will want to finalize your cheese with a water bath.  Submerge the cheese in a cold bowl of water for about 5 minutes followed by a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes.  This allows the cheese to hold it's shape and protects it from getting grainy.
17. ENJOY

OK I know it seems like a lot - but remember I am wordy!  It was simple and fun and I can't wait to make my next batch.  It seems that, depending on the milk/process, you get about 12-16 oz of cheese for every gallon of milk.  So if I only paid $5 for my gallon of milk I am saving at least $3 off the local cheese we normally buy!!  I would love to give you a calorie count, however it is difficult to do.  I tried to calculate my cheese, made with 1% milk and it came in around 60-75 calories per ounce. 

 

Isn't that GORGEOUS?!

I am a firm believer that once you have fresh cheese you will NEVER buy that horrible pre-shredded stuff in the refrigerator section of the grocery store again.  If you try this, let me know if you believe that as well!

Links: 

New England Cheese Making Supply - They have EVERYTHING you could need/want.  They even sell kits!!

The Cheesemaker

GetCulture

The Effects of the Holidays

I have actually been scared to step on the scale!  I set out with great intentions and then I was bombarded with bread, cookies, clams casinos - seriously what's a girl to do?

I must say that I don't think I OVER ate, and I certainly did not eat nearly the amount I normally would have.  I did, however, eat my fill.

For a day and a half all my good intentions went by the wayside and I indulged in my family's wonderful gatherings and party food!

Today I took the plunge and stepped on the scale - I gained 0.2 pounds... not nearly as bad as I thought.  I got back into my routine last night - treadmill time and food planning - and I am feeling pretty good!


One beautiful bright spot on my holiday gain was my Christmas present - a FitBit!!!  Check them out if you don't know what they are, it is very motivational for me.  I have had it for 2 days now and I just keep trying to beat my previous days score.  Today I set out to see how many flights of stairs I could get in, without actually running up and down them of course.  I LOVE that it connects into MFP and adjusts my calories accurately.  I even wore it to track my sleep last night - in 7 hours I woke up 15 times!!  I am sure I will have more to say about my wonderful new gadget soon!

My final thoughts for this post - I would say I survived the holiday!  I will take that 0.2 gain and make it disappear.  I enjoyed my holidays in addition to being conscious of my intake and that to me is success!

Baked French Toast

I hope the holidays have treated you (and your waistline) well.  This year we had my in-laws to our house on Christmas morning, in a new tradition of switching off every other.  As you should know by now, I couldn't let people come to the house and not have some sort of yummy dish to offer them!  I wanted something that would be "treat" like yet not TOO bad on the calories due to our overindulgence from the night before.  Brian and I threw around the idea of pancakes or waffles and then hit on french toast - we were thinking the cinnamon swirl french toast of course.

Being that it was Christmas, however, I didn't want to have to spend all that time flipping bread and not getting to eat with everyone or see all the presents.  So I researched.  My mother makes a french toast bake that people claim is pretty good, I have always avoided it cause it contains cream cheese and I am not the biggest cream cheese fan.  I compiled a bunch of recipes and started adding up the calories.  I could not believe just how calorie intensive most of those recipes were.  I would have spent 3/4 of my DAILY calorie intake on one serving of most of the recipes and the rest would have been well OVER my calorie intake.  I was floored.

By this time I had my heart set on a yummy french toast bake that would allow me enough calories, fat, and carbs to partake in clams casinos and a steak for dinner.  If I could find one I would have to make one - I took parts of recipes and cut back on the incredibly artery clogging ingredients and came up with something that was, in my opinion, reasonable.

Baked French Toast

• 1/2 c Margarine of Butter, melted
• 1/2 - 3/4 c Brown Sugar
• 12 Slices Texas Toast
• 4 Eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 c Milk (I used 1%)
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 T Powdered Sugar
• Cinnamon and Sugar, mixed*
• Butter Spray*

1. Mix the melted butter and brown sugar well.  Spread the mixture onto the bottom of an 11 x 17 baking dish.  
2. Combine the eggs, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla - mix well.
3. Lay 6 slices of texas toast on top of the butter sugar mix. 
4. Pour half the egg mixture evenly over the toast.
5. *Lightly sprinkle the soaked toast with cinnamon and sugar
6. Place the remaining 6 slices of texas toast on top and even pour the remaining egg mixture over those slices.
7. *Lightly sprinkle the tope with cinnamon and sugar and a light spray of butter.
8. Cover and place in the refrigerator over night.
9. The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Remove the bake from the fridge and set on the counter for about 10 minutes.
10. Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes.
11. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.
12. ENJOY

*These ingredients and steps are not needed - you can omit them, yet they do not add many calories and I think they enhance the final product.

I divided the recipe into 8 servings - which was a fairly good amount.  You could always divide it into 6, however I feel those would have been too much.  Most french toast bakes say to serve with warm syrup, I have to admit that I ate mine without any syrup though I did offer syrup and cool whip to those that would like it.   Without syrup or cool whip, divided into 8 servings the bake comes to about 360 calories per serving.  Not bad at all compared to 1000 - 1700 calories per serving that all the other ones were coming boasting.  (If you want larger servings and decide to go with 6, the calorie count rises to about 485 calories per serving - still much less than the others!!)

The bottom of this bake produces a nice sugary/crunchy base and the toast is a perfect blend of moisture and crispness.  I love french toast - much preferred over pancakes or waffles - and this is a recipe I will definitely be making again.  It is super easy to whip up and very yummy to eat!  It was delicious on Christmas morning, served with ham for that brunch feel!!

Sorry about the lack of pictures - I completely spaced on taking any while I was preparing or eating.  I promise to take some the next time.

Day 126

*I am sorry for the lackluster attitude in this post, I am having one of those "this is taking forever" kind of days!*


I decided I better get this one in before the heavy food days come!

I am hoping to keep my over-indulgence in check in the coming days, yet I am not going to be an extremist.  I have already decided on making baked french toast for brunch on Christmas (stay tuned for that recipe) which will consume almost half of my daily calories - but it is Christmas and I want it.

I posted ten days ago about hitting my 45 pound goal - it has taken me the full 10 days to lose another 2 pounds.  Definitely slowing down!!  I am still moving in the right direction though, so only tiny complaints from me :-D  The numbers are:  in 126 days I have lost 47.6 pounds.  That is 2.64 pounds per week, 11.9 pounds per month and 0.378 pounds per day.  That sure is a far cry from my 0.6 pounds per day lost in the beginning of my journey!

I am not going to get discouraged, I will keep trucking.  Just think, only 53 pounds to go before I hit 100 lost :-) - ok so I am thinking long term today.

In keeping with that 100 lost attitude, Brian and I have crossed that threshold as a couple!  As of right now we are at 105 pounds down as a couple! So quick someone do the math for Brian.... ok ok I will just tell you: 58 pounds lost for him!!!  WAY TO GO BRIAN!

******Update:  Brian just officially weight in and has lost 60 pounds total!!!   So I guess we are now at 107 as a couple :-)*******

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I had been planning on making stuffed peppers for ages and then I find myself using all the peppers for fajitas, chourico, or other yumminess.  Yesterday I purposely bought extra peppers to ENSURE that stuffed peppers would be made.

I decided this morning to give our stuffed peppers a southwestern twist and to use quinoa instead of rice.  (I had an over abundance of quinoa and only a little bit of brown rice left - have to use what's in the house. :-D)  I was a little worried about the reception of these peppers for a variety of reasons: 1.  I have never made stuffed peppers for Brian before.  2.  I have never used quinoa in stuffed peppers before. Finally, 3. I don't think Brian has ever eaten quinoa.  -- Everyone says Stink's crazy pickiness comes from me, but getting Brian to eat new things can be just as difficult!--

Apparently I was worried for nothing.  Brian liked the peppers and didn't balk at the quinoa.  Now if I could only get Stinks to eat something other than crackers, cheese and pepperoni!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Don't they look wonderful just as is?

• 1/2 lb Ground Beef (or chicken)*
• 1/2 c Dry Quinoa
• 1/2 c Mushrooms, chopped
• 6 Bell Peppers
• 1 - 1 1/2 c Salsa
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 c Corn
• 1 c Black Beans
• 1 c Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Taco Seasoning, per preference

1. Cook the quinoa as per the package instructions.  Set aside.  (I always rinse my quinoa prior to cooking and use the 1 : 2, quinoa to water ratio.  I also always seem to have some cooked hanging around.)  
2. Preheat oven to 350 F
3. While the quinoa is cooking, prep the peppers by cutting out the stem and removing the seeds.  Place the peppers in a shallow baking dish and pour water (about 3/4 - 1 c) into the base of the dish around the peppers.  Place peppers in the oven to steam for about 10 - 30 minutes depending on your preference.  (We like our peppers to still have a good crunch so I only steam ours for about 15 minutes.) Once the peppers are steamed to your preference remove from the oven and set aside to slightly cool.
4. While the peppers are steaming spray a fry pan with non-stick spray and add in the onions, mushrooms and beef.  Cook until the beef is browned through and the onions are translucent.  
5. Reduce heat and add in the taco seasoning, corn, beans, salsa and cooked quinoa.  Stir together.
6. Spoon the meat/quinoa mixture into each pepper and return the peppers to the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  (I always add about a teaspoon of water to each stuffed pepper prior to putting them back in the oven, but this isn't necessary.)
7. Just before the peppers are done, sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the tops and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.
8. ENJOY

Seeing there were only two of us eating the peppers, and I use peppers in a LOT of other foods, I only stuffed 4 peppers.  The recipe is for 6, however, so I either need to tone back my recipes or learn to like left over pepper stuffing :-D.  The calorie count is actually very impressive to say that it is chock full of quinoa! The peppers come in at 270 calories per pepper - whole pepper - all in all a nice respectable number.  (If you decide to use rice instead of quinoa expect to be looking at about 340 calories per  pepper.  If you have never tried quinoa I say go and get some.  I was turned onto it when I was pregnant and needed to try and keep something down - it is full of all sorts of good things and is very simple to cook.  I am not really a fan of "plain" quinoa, but in recipes such as this I love the texture and taste.  It also make one hell of a fried "rice".)

So there you have it.  Let me know if you try them - I do like feedback!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Making bread makes me happy!  I like all sorts of bread - when I was little I used to eat Cinnamon Swirl Raisin bread all the time.  Recently I have been on a peasant bread kick but today I was in the mood for a sweet bread.  Thus the Cinnamon Swirl Bread was rising as of 9am this morning!

The recipe is simple - in bread terms - and yields a very yummy tasting loaf!  

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• 2 1/4 t Yeast
• 3 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 c Boiling Water
• 3/4 c Cool Water
• 2 T Oil
• 2 T Honey
• 3/4 t Salt
• 1 Egg White
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1 T Cinnamon
• Butter for the Pan
• Extra Oil

1. Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl.  
2. Combine the boiling water and cool water.  Add the water, honey, oil and salt to the flour and yeast.  Mix with a dough hook until a dough ball is formed - you can add up to 1/2 c more flour if needed.
3. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the dough is elastic.  Return the dough ball to the lightly oiled bowl.  Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat the dough.  
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm dry spot to rise.*
5. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour).
6. Prepare your loaf pan by buttering and set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 F
8. Once the dough has risen, turn it out on a slightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle roughly the width of the loaf pan.
9. Mix together the egg white, sugar and cinnamon.  Spread the mixture on the dough rectangle evenly.
10. Roll the dough and pinch the seams and place the roll into the buttered pan, seam side down.
11. Cover the loaf pan with a clean towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.
12. Bake the loaf for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.  
13. When you remove the bread from the oven, set the pan on it's side for a few minutes until you can transfer the loaf to a cooling rack.
14. ENJOY!!!

This recipe makes a fairly large loaf that I was perfectly able to cut into 20 slices making each slice about 110-115 calories.  The bread is VERY YUMMY!!  Try it and let me know your thoughts!  I am thinking I want to turn mine into french toast!!!

Update:  This bread makes GREAT french toast.  I am a french toast girl, I will always pick it over waffles or pancakes.  Nothing beats homemade french toast with a touch of butter and some maple syrup!  This morning I made cinnamon swirl bread french toast - no butter or syrup needed.  We ate it right out of the pan as is and boy was it scrumptious!  If you make the bread and are a fan of french toast be sure to whip up a batch, you won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Every year my mother hosts a cookie swap.  Each attendee brings 8 dozen homemade cookies and after much food, laughter and hilarity the cookies are swapped!  I have been attending these for years - not that I need the dozens upon dozens of cookies that result from the swap, but cause they are great.

Each year I go through the same process: WHAT DO I MAKE?  I normally bake two different cookies so I need 16 dozen cookies, but what ones?  This year it was determined fairly early on that I would make my oreos but that means I still need another cookie recipe for the swap.  I contemplated the banana oatmeal cookies I made last week, but they aren't as pretty as I would prefer.  Plus this is a cookie swap - no need for lower calorie cookies here!

Well I believe I have found it!  It combines the things I like most - CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 c Cocoa
• 3/4 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 Butter or Margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 c Sugar
• 1/2 c Peanut Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 t Vanilla
• 3/4 c Chocolate/Peanut Butter Morsels, mixed
• Dash of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease or parchment your cookie sheets and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and sugar.  Add in the eggs one at a time and mix well.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, save the morsels, and mix well.
4. Finally stir in the morsels.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto your cookie sheets and back until they start to slightly crack.  **The cookies will look gooey still.  They set up once they start to cool.  Be sure to allow them to cool slightly on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
6. ENJOY!

Not only are they super yummy but they are easy - a necessity if I am going to make 8 dozen oreos for the swap!  The recipe makes about 48 cookies - if you don't eat too much of the batter :-D.  They aren't exactly the lowest calorie cookie, but with peanut butter in the name a low calorie dessert shouldn't be expected!  The calorie count comes in at about 85 calories per cookie.

Try them out and let me know your thoughts!

Goals

I know I just posted two days ago - sorry!

What do we think about goals?  Do you shoot for the stars or keep things closer/super obtainable?  I appear to have a double standard.  In most things I advocate the shoot for the stars.  I am a firm believer that attitude goes a long way in helping natural ability - if you aim to make your dreams come true and believe that you can I think you just might do it!  (And be extremely proud of what you accomplish in the process!)

That being said, I seem to be creating small,  highly obtainable goals for my journey.  I gave myself a month to lose 5 pounds, when I knew full well that I had been losing at least 10/month up to this point. Now that I have achieved that goal I am rethinking that goal.  Was it too small?  Should I have pushed farther?  I immediately form another goal upon the completion of one, but normally it is another small one.

I think I keep my journey goals small so that I am almost guaranteed to reach them.  There is nothing more aggravating/depressing than working hard at something like this and not meeting your goal.  But is it the right way to go about things?

Now that I have reached my goal of "45 pounds down by the end of the year", I have decided to turn it into "47.5 pounds down by the end of the year".  Is that too small?  Should have I aimed higher?

I suppose I will stick with what is working, but I can't help but feeling the double standard in my goal settings.  Any thoughts?

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am on a banana kick - in case you haven't noticed!  Well at least we are all getting our potassium - no leg cramps for us!  These cookies don't have that "crunch" of a cookie so if you are looking for that these aren't for you.  They are actually very fluffy and more cake-like.  Actually the consistency reminds me a LOT of the pumpkin spice cookies from earlier this year.

They are SUPER yummy despite the lack of crunch!  I enjoy oatmeal cookies - I just love the texture the oatmeal gives to the cookie - add in some bananas and chocolate chips and you have a keeper!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 c Flour
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 3/4 c Butter or Margarine, softened
• 1/2 c Sugar
• 1/2 c Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/2 t Vanilla
• 1/2 c Mashed Banana - about 1 large banana
• 1 c Oats
• 1/2 - 1 c Chocolate Morsels

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Cream your butter or margarine with the sugars and egg. 
3. Add in the vanilla, soda, and banana.  Mix well.
4. Slowly add in the flour and oats. Mix until well combined.
5. Finally add the chocolate morsels - I like to mix them in by hand so they don't break up too much.
6. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake until risen and slightly golden.
7. Allow cookies to rest on the sheet for a minute or two before removing to a cooling rack.
8. ENJOY

Just as simple as a chocolate chip cookie recipe!  This recipe made 4 dozen cookies - I can't tell you the last time I actually got 4 dozen cookies out of a dough, normally I eat at least 3-5 cookies worth!  They come in at about 70 calories per cookie - COMPLETELY WORTH IT!  In continuing my banana/peanut butter/chocolate obsession, the only way these could get better would be if they had peanut butter!  (Of course it could be as simple as adding in peanut butter morsels with the chocolate ones!)

Try them out and let me know your thoughts - I need to pick a couple cookies for our annual cookie swap and I just can't decide!

12/12/12

So I am breaking with tradition and posting on a nice rounded day of my journey - day 115 - but who could resist posting on 12/12/12?!

I am not as happy with my progress since my last post, but at least I am still inching in the right direction.  I supposed it could be worse and I could have been gaining.  In the 115 days since starting my journey I have lost a total of 44.5 pounds.  (It would have been wonderful to be able to say 45 pounds but the scale was just not cooperating with me.)  The numbers break down as follows:  2.71 pounds lost per week.  0.39 pounds per day.  I am one week away from my four month mark - so as of right now I have lost an average of 11.41 pounds per month.  Definitely slowing down.  I hope to keep up the 2 pounds per week average, but I guess I should say right now that I will be happy as long as I don't drop below 1 pound per week.

Now for some good points - my "pregnancy jeans" are officially LOOSE!  I am actually only half a pound away from my lowest pregnancy weight!!! (Go me for only gaining back 45 of the 60 pounds I lost during pregnancy - hey I have to celebrate the little things, and those 45 pounds are almost gone!)  I just keep thinking that in 10-15 more pounds I will be the weight I was when I started college!  It all keeps me going.   I am keeping my eye on the short term goal - .5 more pounds till I hit 45 down by the end of the year!!!  (I, of course, am shooting for 50 by the end of the year but we will see...)

OK I think that is all for now.  I will probably be back in a week at the 4 month mark for another quick update.

Zucchini and Mozzarella Chicken Roll Ups

YUM!  I don't think this needs any more description than that, but of course I am wordy so I will give it one. :-D

As I am sure you have noticed: I love zucchini, cheese and chicken.  Put all three of them together and I am thrilled.  Add a good dose of garlic and I am ecstatic!  This recipe is the perfect amount of everything wonderful.  Even Brian liked it.  Makes me want to make kiev - yet I am thinking the calorie count would go up with that butter.

The recipe is very simple - there are a few steps but they are easy - and of course it is made with all ingredients that are staples.  It is also one of those recipes that fills the house with such the best aroma while cooking that your mouth actually waters!

Zucchini and Mozzarella Chicken Roll Ups

• 12 oz boneless skinless Chicken Breast, flattened to uniform size
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 medium Zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 c Parmesan Cheese, shredded and divided
• 2-3 oz Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 c Bread Crumbs
• 1 T Oil
• 1/2 c Lemon Juice

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.  Lightly spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In a fry pan sauté garlic with zucchini and half the parmesan cheese until heated through.  Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Wash and dry the chicken breasts ( I make 3-4 roll ups out of 12 oz but it all depends on how your breasts are cut.)  Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Divide the mozzarella cheese between the flattened chicken breasts.  Top the cheese with the zucchini mixture and roll up the chicken.  
5. In a small bowl combine the oil and the lemon juice. 
6. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining parmesan cheese. 
7. Dip the chicken rolls into the lemon juice mixture and roll them in the bread crumb mixture.  Place the rolls seam down in the prepared dish.
8. Bake for 25-35 minutes.
9. ENJOY

I know it seems like a lot of work but it really isn't!  Even if it was, the result is worth the effort.  I divide the dish into three servings.  The calorie count comes in at about 290 calories per serving (which is normally one roll up and a portion of another).  I ate mine with some peasant bread and cucumbers.  All in all a very filling and scrumptious meal!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

As evidenced previously I am a fan of banana bread.  It is yummy, filling and super easy to make.  There are a bunch of different recipes out there that can require a variety of ingredients, ranging from sour cream to cream cheese.  This recipe doesn't require anything random - all in house ingredients for this one.

Stinks call this his "chocolate cake bread" - I don't think he even realizes that it has bananas in it!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Check out that chocolatey goodness with peanut butter!

• 1 c Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 c Oil
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 1/2 c Cocoa
• 1 t Baking Soda
• 3-4 Bananas, mashed
• Salt - just a dash
• 1/2 c Chocolate Morsels

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease 2* loaf pans.
2. Combine the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and bananas.  Mix well.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the banana mix and blend well.
4. Divide between the prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean
5. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before transferring the breads to a cooling rack.
6. ENJOY

This recipe produces a very fudge-y like bread.  I choose to create two "short" loaves instead of one giant loaf.  The recipe allows for either so it really is up to your discretion.  I choose two short loaves to cut down on the calories - I am able to cut the loaves into 24 equal slices which brings the calorie count to about 130 calories per slice.  All in all that isn't all that bad.  Now if I made one loaf I would cut the loaf into about 14 slices which would make the calorie count about 225 per slice.  I know the slices are technically "shorter" but my head gets just as full on a short slice as it does a larger one so I would prefer the 130 calorie slice.

This bread tastes AMAZING with a serving of peanut butter!  I am working towards blending my peanut butter banana bread and this chocolate one - to make a superior banana bread of course!  I will keep you posted.

Chicken Penne Pesto

Pasta, the bane of my journey existence.  I love it so, but it is really just not calorically friendly.  To get my fix I try to think of super yummy pasta dishes that will make the taste worth the calorie intake.  I think I hit right on that concept with this recipe.

This is actually a lot thicker of a sauce than I was originally intending.  I might tweak it down the road to make the sauce thinner, but for right now I am perfectly content to eat this dish as is!!

Chicken Penne Pesto

• 12 oz Penne
• 2 Chicken Breasts, cubed
• 3/4 c Chicken Broth
• 3/4 c Milk
• 1 T Cornstarch
• 1/3 c Pesto
• 4 c Broccoli, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 T Butter
• 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese, divided

1. In a large pot cook your penne per package directions. 
2. While your penne is cooking, spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add in the chicken and garlic and sauté till the chicken is cooked through.  
3. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch, broth and milk.  Add the mixture to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium - low, stirring occasionally while the sauce thickens.
4. Once the sauce has thickened slightly add the pesto and half the cheese to the chicken and sauce. Cook over medium heat, mix well to combine.
5. Once the pesto is combine add the broccoli to the skillet and cook through.  
6. When the broccoli has reached the desired tenderness pour the contents of the skillet over the cooked and drained penne.  Toss to coat.  
7. Top with the remaining cheese and ENJOY!

The recipe makes about 12-13 cups of pasta.  I divided it into 6 servings of 2 cups.  Obviously, looking at the ingredients, you shouldn't be expecting a dish of 100 calories.  This comes in at about 435 calories per serving.  In my opinion it is completely worth every single one of them!  The dish is quick to make and has all things I love - pasta, broccoli, chicken, and pesto - what more could I want?

As you can see I cleaned my plate!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Adventure Suites

Have you ever been?!

We love it here.  The staff is amazing - friendly and very helpful.  The rooms are great - clean and perfect.  And best of all, they allow dogs.  Not just little under 50 pound dogs, but our gorgeous 100+ pound Selphie was welcomed with open arms!

We have stayed at the hotel 3 times now.  The experience just keeps getting better.  We have stayed in three rooms so far:  The Jungle, The Cave and The Treehouse.

The backyard

The very first room we stayed in was The Jungle.  This one I think is my favorite.  They each have wonderful points, but the shower in this room is probably the best thing I have ever experienced.  I also really enjoyed the shooting stars while relaxing in the hot tub.  The back doors are GORGEOUS and open to your own little porch over looking the beautiful back yard.  The views are breathtaking and also include the great Elephant Family that Adventure suites has out back.

Moving back in the room, it has a round king bed - not my favorite but it was comfortable.  It also has a breakfast bar with fun animal butt stools.  There is a black-lit "Gorilla Villa" that Stinks hung out in, but he was still young and not as rambunctious when we stayed in this room so it was a perfect size for him.  (Now that he is older I would have to choose one of the other two for him due to the many exploration spots - but that is ok things are allowed to be all about Stinks!!)
I mentioned it earlier but the SHOWER in this room is the best!  It has three shower heads - one on the left, one on the right and one directly above you - in a marble enclosed shower.  I think in the two days we were in this room I took 5 showers!
The hot tub was sunken into the decor - a nice touch in my opinion and there are many "jungle" animal statues spotted about the room.  My favorite decorative piece in this room is the branch light over the bar.  If I ever have a bar I want a light EXACTLY like that one!

The second time we stayed in The Cave.  Stinks LOVED this room.  There are two cave off-shoots for exploring in addition to the many stalactites and animals.  The cave off-shoots even have windows that open into the main cavern.

The Cave also has a hot tub (versus a whirlpool - each room at Adventure suites has one or the other), yet it wasn't as incorporated in the room design as in the jungle.  They did paint the walls to make it seem as if the section where the hot tub stood was underwater though.  This room also had an interesting shower - a waterfall.  Though it was nice, it wasn't anything compared to the multiple heads of the jungle.  The bathroom door, on the other hand, was a masterpiece in an of itself.

The Cave has a loft that contains a king bed and the two off-shoot caves are padded for kids to sleep.
We stayed in The Cave during the summer months so we didn't get to experience the heated floors or gas fireplace, but it does have those amenities as well!  All in all the Cave has some wonderful eye candy.  Unlike the Jungle, however, the room opens to the front side of the hotel so it lacks the breathtaking views and private porch.



Our last visit brought us to the Treehouse.  Stinks loves this as well, though he had to warm up to the idea.  He was so taken with the Cave that he was insisting that was where we would be staying.  Unlike the Jungle and Cave, the Treehouse is home to a whirlpool bath on the "Front Porch".  I was thinking this would take away from the room however Stinks spent a good 40 minutes "swimming" in the bath so I guess it was still wonderful.
The Treehouse is a visual feast.  There is a giant hollowed out tree that "holds up" the house portion of the room.  Inside the tree there is a small picnic table and kid sized chairs.  Stinks insisted on having all of his meals "picnic style" inside the tree.  On the outside of the tree there is the "front yard" which has a couple of lounge chairs and a carousel horse.  I don't know where the horse fits in to a "treehouse" but it was fun so we will go with it.
The house itself contains a king bedroom with a sticker plastered ceiling and a fun license plate collection.  There is a cool bridge that brings you over to Mr Squirrel's Nut Hut which Stinks called his room.  It is a padded room with a sky light - perfect for a three year old boy!
The bathroom in the Treehouse isn't as exciting as the other two rooms, in my opinion.  It did have a gorgeous hand crafted glass sink (local) and a fun glass block wall for the shower.  The shower itself had to jets about mid level that you could switch on, but they weren't super impressive to me.  Now the DOOR to the bathroom was another thing.  Like the Cave, the bathroom door was imported.  It was one of those multiple doors that have two smaller doors inside the large main door.  Stinks loved that!

The hill in the backyard is PERFECT for rolling!

All in all we have always been very happy with our Adventure Suites stays.  There is a nice fireplace out back for good weather as well as a grand fireplace in the lobby for bad weather.  They have a pool table if you are so inclined and their movie selection rivals ours!  They supply popcorn and cookies in the evening and a breakfast in the mornings that consists of waffles, eggs, sausage, bagels, cereal, muffins, fruit etc.  I will agree that they are a little on the pricey side, however where else can you spend that and get an experience such as these?!  If you are just looking for a room to lay your head then this isn't the place for you.  If, however, you are looking for an experience that your child will talk about for years I strongly suggest you check them out!