No-Bake Energy Bites

My sister (EK) came home from school the other day with a bag of groceries all excited about making these "energy bites." She said someone at school had made them for a class and she wanted to try it out herself. The balls are made up of oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, vanilla, and mini chocolate chips. EK made her first batch without chocolate chips. I had never heard of them so I was excited to see what it tasted like. They are sweet, granola-type, chewy balls. They were so good, I couldn't get enough of it!! 


Recipe:
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips


Instructions:
1. Mix ingredients in a medium bowl until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
2. Place bowl in refrigerator and let chill for half an hour.
3. Once chilled, roll the dough into balls and enjoy!
4. Store balls in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to one week.

I took a bag of these balls to the house over spring break and they were gone in no time! Also, EK split up the 1/2 cup of peanut butter with 1/4 cup Nutella and 1/4 cup peanut butter and those were definitely my favorite!! 
Super fast, super yummy.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Coming back to school after spring break is definitely a reality check. I spent the week in Destin, Florida and had a great time!! Each night over the break two different girls prepared dinner for the rest of the house. The night my friend and I cooked dinner we made pasta (quick and easy). It consisted of bow tie noodles, squash, broccoli, grilled chicken, and a cream sauce. We boiled the pasta and microwaved the squash and broccoli. The cream sauce was premade and the chicken was left over from the night before. All-in-all: pretty easy! 

This week in my NHM 253 class (Food Science) we learned about the different kinds of flour. So, naturally, we baked in lab. My group was assigned to make garlic cheddar biscuits. 

Recipe: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 cup cold butter

1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Sift flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the spices.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend in the grated cheese and cut the mixture with the pastry blender again.

4. Add the milk and mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.

5. Place small spoonfuls of dough on to a shiny cookie sheet containing parchment paper. Coat the surface of each biscuit with melted garlic butter (1/4 tsp. garlic with 1/2 cup melted butter) using a pastry brush. 

6. Bake for 15 minutes. AFter baking, brush surface again with melted garlic butter.

Before:

After:

This is one of the few times something hadn't gone wrong in the NHM 253 lab for my group!! I was pretty excited and really impressed when the biscuits turned out to be delicious!

Get Moving: for a cause

This past weekend, on March 4th, I ran my 5th half marathon! It was the "Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon". This run was benefitting the American Cancer Society. I had run in this race twice before and had a great time again this past weekend. It took me around an hour and 50 minutes, not too bad for having the stomach but the week before!


Running a half marathon is no easy task. Especially having not trained as much as I usually do. This race was definitely harder to get through. The Rock and Roll series have bands playing on stages throughout the run. So, at about every mile or so a new band is cheering you on and rocking out. The bands made it easier but when it came down to it I was so glad to be finished!

The first thing I did was go to the expo to pick up my number, t-shirt, and all the other things I needed for the race the next day. 

I was so excited, but surprised, to see that the race was filled up. It was completely sold out! Awesome news for the American Cancer Society!!

Finishing the race was definitely a tough one...

So happy when it was over though!!

One of my favorite things about visiting New Orleans, Louisiana is the food! At one restaurant I had a crawfish pasta. It consisted of noodles, peeled crawfish tails (which I absolutely adore), some peppers, and an Alfredo sauce. It was amazing!! I felt like I was eating pure culture. Then, while walking along the street, I saw a place that makes caramel apples. My friends and I decided to go in. I bought a chocolate covered banana and it was amazing. I'm talking the best-banana-I've-ever-eaten kind of amazing.

Whenever you're traveling make sure to grab a bite of the local food, you never know what you'll end up with! 

Get Moving: for a cause - find a local walk or run near you. Chances are the money is going towards a good cause and it'll get you active for the day! (maybe you'll even get a t-shirt)

Week 1 Meat-Less

Giving up meat for Lent has not been the easiest thing. Having a stomach virus and not being able to eat much anyways makes it even harder. I'll admit, I had some chicken noodle soup. I had to, I couldn't eat anything else! When I wasn't sick I was eating lots of salads, potatoes, fruit, and soups. I sure miss my sandwiches though! Having been sick I haven't cooked anything except what we did in my food science lab this week. We made couscous-stuffed bell peppers. They turned out pretty good and looked quite beautiful. On top of the peppers is a basil-based sauce. It was a little saltier than I expected but it wasn't half bad. The recipe was left in the class, so sorry I don't have that but here's a pretty picture of the final product:

Looks pretty good huh? Let's see if I remember what was in it: First I made a cumin and chicken broth boil. The couscous was added into that and left to absorb it for about five minutes. The couscous was then added into a mixture of garbanzo beans, raisins, and some olive oil. Then it was stuffed into the peppers and cooked at 400 degrees for about an hour. The sauce consisted mostly of sour cream, basil, salt, sugar, lemon juice, and olive oil. It took longer than I expected but it turned out good! I was impressed.

healthy microwaving

Being a sophomore in college I know all about time management. I know about being bad at it, being good at it, and wishing I had more time in general. When it comes to cooking food, whatever is quickest is usually the first thing I choose. I challenged myself to make a good dinner using only my microwave. Interesting, yes. I realized that when I think of microwaved meals I think frozen meals and leftovers. I don't even think about baked potatoes, broccoli, or chicken; which is what I fixed last night! I bought a bag of frozen broccoli and heated it up for about 3 minutes. The baked potato took around 5 minutes and I added some cheddar cheese and butter.. The grilled chicken heated up in 30 seconds. This goes to show that good food can take around 9 minutes and involve no actual cooking at all!

So for the other people crunched for time, this is perfect and you won't regret eating it!

"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds." - James Randi

hey mister, throw me a moon pie!

Most people don't know this but Mardi Gras actually began in Mobile, Alabama, not New Orleans!! So being from Mobile I absolutely love Mardi Gras. The parades, floats, beads, moon pies, king cake - it is all spectacular. Everyone downtown is in a festive mood, everything is lit up, and it feels like a different city all together. This weekend I went home to Mobile for Mardi Gras and loved it. I may have only caught 3 beads and 3 moon pies but it was fun regardless. I devoured the moon pies, definitely got my fill of "Fat Tuesday" there!

After Mardi Gras always comes Lent. I typically give up something food-related. I've given up chocolate, candy, soft drinks, and even bread. The year I gave up bread was definitely a challenge. Being a big sandwich eater I had to make a few compromises. I didn't eat any of my regular foods: bagels, muffins, or rolls! This year I am going to be giving up eating meat for 40 days and 40 nights. More specifically, I am giving up poultry and red meat. I am hoping to expand what I eat on a daily basis (more vegetables, different ways to fix meals, etc.) and, of course, observe the Lent Season! We'll see how this goes!!


I have been so super busy that I have not had any time to cook. I am determined to find time this week!

"Let the good times roll!"

Oh my, what fantastic jelly that is!

This week in my Food Science lab we learned how to make homemade jelly! We had a choice between apple, peach, grape, cran-apple, and blueberry. My group chose to make blueberry jelly. It didn't take much time at all and was really fun to make!


Recipe:
1 pouch of liquid pectin (squeezed out completely)
4 C sugar
2 C blueberry juice


Directions:

• Wash and dry a 8 oz. glass mason-type jar.
• In a large sauce pan, heat the juice and sugar to a boil. mix in all the liquid pectin and boil from 1 minute while stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes, skim off foam, and carefully pour into the clean jars.
• Put lids securely on jars and invert for 5 minutes.
• Thermally process the jellies in a boiling water bath. Jars should be submerged and held in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove jars from water and allow to cool.

My lovely jar of jelly:

I tried the jelly this morning on my muffin and it was actually really good! I'll admit, I didn't have high expectations for this jelly, but it turned out quite delicious. Try it out!

"I don't think you're ready for this jelly." - Destiny's Child :)