[Greek] Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt

As the weather is getting warmer, I am craving ice cream more and more. I am trying SO hard to resist, but sometimes you just have to have something cold and sweet. I stumbled upon this recipe and it looked simple, quick, and looked to me like a healthy alternative to my cravings! It took less than 15 minutes and I already had all the ingredients needed. It was fate.

Here's what you need:
1/2 C unsalted butter [softened]
1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1 C Greek vanilla yogurt (I used Chobani)

Here's what you do:
1. Mix the butter and sugars until soft and fluffy.

2. Add in the vanilla extract.
3. Mix the baking soda, salt, and flour in a separate/smaller bowl. Pour in the chocolate chips.

4. Mix the dry ingredients with the butter/sugar mixture. Mix in the yogurt.

5. Pour into a separate container and freeze overnight.

Makes about 2 cups! Enjoy!!

Original recipe: http://recipesweet.net/chocolate-chunk-cookie-dough-frozen-yogurt/

Oreo Truffles

Here's a simple yummy truffle recipe! It is definitely not the healthiest thing ever made, but it is sure to be great at a party. It only has 3 ingredients and takes barely any time at all.

Here's what you need:
1 package of Oreos
1 small container of cream cheese
1 package of semi-sweet baking chocolate squares

Here's what you do:
1. Mash up the Oreos (minus 6-7 Oreos to prevent the truffle from being to dry) until fine.

2. Mix in the entire container 8 oz container of cream cheese.

3. Roll into small balls and chill until firm.

4. Roll in melted chocolate and chill again.

5. Enjoy!

Note: the extra Oreos can be used as garnish to make these truffles a little more fancy!

Very Berry Pudding

Last Thanksgiving my Aunt Barbara and I came up with this pudding concoction and it was a big hit at our family dinner! We wanted a lighter alternative to the pies and cakes we were having, so this is what we came up with. It's simple, easy to make your own, and totally delicious.

Here's what you need:
3 boxes of Vanilla Jello powder boxes
2 containers of Cool-Whip
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries
Large serving bowl (I used two smaller ones)

Here's what you do:
1. Prepare the Jello according to the box. Make sure to be thawing the Cool-Whip.
2. Once the Jello has been chilled you can begin layering the pudding. First make a small layer of vanilla pudding. Then sprinkle the berries evenly across the layer.

3. Carefully spread the Cool-Whip across the berries.

4. Make another layer of Jello, except this time put a layer of Cool-Whip next and finish off with a layer of berries.

Originally, my Aunt and I only included the strawberries but I think the blackberries and raspberries were a nice touch. Blueberries also would've been tasty! I tried to arrange the berries nicely so it looked pretty! My teachers would be so proud :)

Make it healthier: opt for sugar free or low fat Jello and Cool-Whip! It'll taste nearly identical to the regular kind.

Fight the Flab

Whenever October and November roll around I put away the bathing suits, bring out the boots, and forget all about those crunches I've been doing all summer. I mean... it's cold outside and I'm constantly wearing layers so what's the point? Today I decided to start working on it again so it wouldn't be as hard when those New Year's resolutions rolled around. Seriously though, you can't be ready for spring break if you start two weeks before hand!

Naturally I went to Pinterest to start looking. Check out my "Circuits" board, it has a ton of good workouts!

These are the two I did today:

Try it out, they're super easy! Another thing I love to do is to go to YouTube and type is "Pilates Abs." So many videos pop up giving you step-by-step instruction. They only last around 10 minutes and then you're done for the day!

Ps. The "Pop and Hip Hop Workout" station on Pandora is amazing! :)

Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Rolls

Another crescent creation was created in my apartment this week. This combination came about when my roommate was trying to fix herself some dinner but didn't have many options. She threw this together and it came out GREAT.

Here's what you need:
1 cup broccoli
1 cup grilled chicken
3/4 cup shredded cheddar (add to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise to make paste

Here's what you do:
1. Preheat over to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cut up broccoli and chicken after cooking.
2. Mix broccoli, chicken, and cheese in a bowl.

3. Combine with mayonnaise to make a paste.

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper for taste.
5. Spread on crescent rolls and fold ends of crescents up.

6. Bake until crescents are golden brown.

They were delicious!!

Ditch the Soda

Does this shock you? Because this photo sure surprised me when I first saw it!! I look at this and immediately cringe knowing that much sugar is in these drinks. After I thought about it though, these measurements aren't surprising.

Need the caffeine? Try a regular coffee with skim milk and artificial sweetener. It isn't near as much sugar and calories as the Red Bull, Mtn Dew, and Starbucks prepared drinks. I even make my own iced coffee at home if I don't want to drink it hot. The trick is to fill a cup with ice and pour the hot coffee directly into the cup. The ice "shocks" the coffee and doesn't melt as fast as when you put ice into a cup of hot coffee. 

Like the carbonation? Opt for diet sodas instead. I know many people don't think diet sodas taste similar to their regular versions, but consuming this much sugar isn't healthy for anybody.

Need something sweet? Try Crystal Light packets! They're low in calories, taste awesome, and are easy to have on the go.

No matter what though, water is always my go-to drink!!

photosource

Behavior Change Project

For one of my nutrition classes this semester, my class was assigned to do a "behavior change" project. We had to choose a behavior we wanted to change and change this behavior for two weeks, record our progress, and then write a two page paper on it. Doesn't sound that hard, right? I had been thinking about how often I go out to eat and decided to change that behavior. For those two weeks I was only going to go out to eat once a week. ONCE A WEEK.

Let me put this into perspective: I typically eat dinner out around 4-6 days a week. Its embarrassing and costs me a fortune. I never realized how much money I spent eating out until I stopped and counted it up. Our project included a reward of our choice. My reward was to buy decorations for my very bare apartment. After those two weeks I ended up with money for decorations, gas, and the weekend. Cha ching!

Back to the project though: throughout those two weeks I discovered an amazing thing. Tyson Frozen Grilled Chicken strips. It sounds questionable but just about saved my life. Being a nutrition major, I really should cook more but sometimes you just do not have the time (excuses, excuses I know). But this product by Tyson is amazing. I put the chicken strips on salads, in sandwiches, on pizzas, and even just ate them by themselves. Pop a few into the microwave for about 2 minutes and viola! Protein! I knew about frozen chicken fingers but I really did not want a bag of frozen fried chicken in my freezer. This way, I had healthy cooked chicken and it didn't take an hour to prepare. Tyson has a whole line of Grilled & Ready Products, be sure to check them out!

Confession: I went out to eat twice one of those two weeks. Embarrassing.