Skinny Creamsicle Milkshake

It's hot outside.

I don't like it.

Yes. I'm one of those people. The only time I don't complain about the weather is spring and fall. Those seasons are my favorite. None of those yucky cold and hot extremes that come with winter and summer, thank you very much.

Anyway.... I decided if I'm going to survive the heat then I better come up with some more skinny milkshakes. (See our others HERE!)

This one was super simple and tastes so refreshing and, for only 165 calories, you can have it all day long without any guilt. 

(According to Myfitnesspal each serving (recipe makes 2 servings) is - 165 calories, 34 carbs, 2 fat, and 6 protein.)

Skinny Creamsicle Milkshake

Ingredients

1 large seedless orange

1/2 cup 0 fat, plain Greek yogurt

4 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate

1/3 cup 1% milk

ice cubes

4 Tbsp light Cool Whip

Directions

First - Peel the orange and break it into sections - being careful to remove as much of the pith as possible. Freeze until very well frozen. Also, freeze the Greek yogurt.

Place the frozen orange sections, frozen yogurt, frozen orange juice concentrate and milk into a blender with a handful of ice cubes.

Process until smooth and creamy. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides as necessary. (Add more ice cubes if you want it thicker or a little more milk if you want it thinner.)

Pour into 2 tall glasses and top each with 2 Tbsp of Cool Whip.

Serve immediately.

Mmmmm.....creamsicle-y goodness!

What I did with my second serving was freeze it in a ziplock bag without the cool whip. Then, the next day, I took it to work and simply blended it in the blender at work with a little water until it was smooth and then served it with the Cool Whip. 

It made a great dessert and also made an awesome breakfast with almost zero fuss. 

I mean, who wouldn't want a huge creamy milkshake for only 165 calories?

Be sure to visit tese fab blogs for tons of great links - Easy Life, New Mrs Adventures, Anyonita Nibbles, Hun... What's For Dinner, Table For Seven, Carole's Chatter

Strawberry & Apple Cream Cheese Roll Up Bread

Sue and I have had a busy week!

In case you were wondering why we haven't posted anything in a week; we had graduation parties this weekend to prepare for. Sue's daughter, Kenzie, and our nephew, Nick both graduated.

We will be sharing some photos from the celebrations in a post very soon but, for now, we decided to share this easy but tasty yeast bread.

It is perfect for breakfast or brunch or tea time. I didn't try it toasted but I'm thinking that would be amazing too! We used our go-to bread recipe for this but you could easily use your favorite or even store bought. 

Strawberry & Apple Cream Cheese Roll Up Bread

Ingredients

Filling 

1 large, tart apple, diced

2 cups strawberries, diced

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp water

1 pkg cream cheese, room temp

Bread

1 recipe Jo & Sue's Easy Yeast Bread 

Directions

Prepare filling - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the apple, strawberries, sugar and water until reduced and thickened, about 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely - you can place in fridge to speed process.

Prepare dough - Make up bread dough as per recipe - HERE . Follow the instructions there until you get to the 15 minute resting point.

After the bread has rested for 15 minutes - roll the dough out to a large rectangle. Following the photo below, spread the cream cheese in two lines down the length of the dough, followed by the strawberry/apple mixture.

Roll up, jelly roll style so you have one long roll. (See photo below)

Roll up the dough from one end so it looks like a snail. (See photo below)

Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mat.

Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375.

Bake bread at 375 for 15 minutes then lower temperature to 350 and continue to cook until dough is cooked through - approximately 20 or so more minutes. Top should be a deep golden brown.

Serve warm or room temp.

I cut mine into wedges to serve.

You can see all the little bits of strawberry and apple and cream cheese. 

So yummy.

NOTE - my filling measurements are guesstimates as I didn't really measure. Feel free to throw more apple or more strawberries in there...or even a spoonful or two of strawberry jam, if you like it sweeter. 

If you wanted to you could load up the fillings a lot more. I chose to only do this much as I wanted the bread to be the star of the show. I find the subtle hints of cream cheese and strawberry are just right.

I also didn't add any sugar to the cream cheese as I didn't want the extra sweetness BUT you can beat the cream cheese with some sugar if you wanted this to be more of a dessert bread. 

We're sharing at these great linky prties - The Chicken Chick, Ms. enPlace, Jam Hands, The Mandatory Mooch

Skinny Carrot Cake Milkshake

I thought maybe I had gone too far with this one. 

I mean... carrots in a milkshake?

Turns out it's a great idea.

Really.

This tastes like a piece of carrot cake with all the bits of craisins, pecans, carrots, and pineapple stuffed inside. The color is fascinating too. It's a cool salmon-y pink color. Very cheerful and welcoming when you are having a grumpy morning. Or grumpy lunch time. Or grumpy after-dinner-I-need-dessert time. 

Some more good news? This is only 320 calories, 60 carbs, 3 fat, and 16 protein. (According to Myfitnesspal) Nice, right?  

Skinny Carrot Cake Milkshake

Ingredients

1 cup shredded carrot

1/4 cup crushed pineapple in juice

1/2 cup 0 fat, plain Greek yogurt - frozen

2 pkg Sugar Twin Stevia

1 tsp flax

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp craisins

1 pecan half, chopped

ice cubes

1 Tbsp Light Cool Whip

Directions

Throw all ingredients, except Cool Whip, into a blender. 

Process until smooth. Add a few more ice cubes or more frozen yogurt if you want your shake thicker. 

Top with the Cool Whip.

Serve immediately. 

(I saved a pinch of the carrots, craisins, pineapple, and pecan to throw on top for decoration. This is optional. )

Mmmm....carrot cake-y goodness.

Super quick, super easy, super tasty. Skinny "milkshakes" made with no fat Greek yogurt are quickly becoming my go-to for breakfasts. They're just so much fun.

We would love to hear what your favorite milkshake flavors are - please feel free to leave us a comment. 

 

Be sure to visit these great blogs for tons of tasty & crafty links -- Hun...What's For Dinner?, Table For Seven, New Mrs Adventures,

 

Bacon Cheeseburger Poptarts

I saw these first on Buzzfeed and that lead me to Pornburger. There was no recipe there so I decided to give it a go myself. 

I mean...

How I could I not try and make this? 

First of all...it's got bacon jam (yep, it's totally a thing),

secondly, it's got melty cheese and hamburger,

thirdly, it's robed in flaky, crispy crust with sesame seeds.

I could go on but I think those 3 points are reason enough, right?  

What I found funny was the comments people were leaving over at Buzzfeed. They were getting so upset because the person who created these called them "poptarts".  People were arguing that they were just a meat pie/hand pie, or that they were simply "hot pockets", that they were really similar to Jamaican patties, Beef Wellington, or Cornish pastries. 

Whatevs is what I say. 

Call it whatever you want. It's delicious. It's fun. It's everything you want a snack to be. We hope you enjoy our version!

Bacon Cheeseburger Poptarts

Ingredients

Bacon Onion Jam

1 lb bacon, diced

2 medium onions, diced

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup strong coffee

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Burger

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1/4 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

Pastry

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

pinch salt

1 cup butter, cold

1 egg

2 - 4 Tbsp buttermilk

Extras

cheese

1 egg, beaten

sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

Prepare Bacon Onion Jam - in a large frying pan, fry bacon until it is done but not crispy. Remove cooked bacon and set aside. Drain off all but about a tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the onions to the pan. 

Cook and stir until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Turn heat to low and add sugar, coffee, water, and the bacon back to the pan.

Let simmer until mixture is thick and reduced, like jam, about 30 minutes, stirring approx every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning. 

Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. If you are happy with the texture then leave as is, if it seems to thick/chunky then pulse briefly (two or three times) in a blender or food processor to thin it down (see photo below).

You can use this immediately or refrigerate for up to a week. (For the purpose of using in this recipe - chill in fridge until ready to use.)

Prepare Burger mixture - In the frying pan you cooked the Bacon Onion Jam in, cook the beef, onion, and garlic until beef is no longer pink. Sprinkle with spices and stir to evenly distribute. 

When everything is cooked, drain the beef to remove any excess liquid.

Let cool. (You can place in fridge to accelerate this process)

Prepare Pastry - In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or 2 butter knives. (You can also pulse this all together in a blender or food processor). Mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. 

Beat together the egg and 2 Tbsp buttermilk. Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until dough comes together. (You may need to add more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.) 

Pat dough into a ball and divide into 4.

Cover and let rest for at least 10 - 15 minutes. 

Assemble Poptarts - Preheat oven to 350. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Roll out one quarter of the dough into a 12 X 8 rectangle. Cut out 8, 3 X 4 little rectangles. (In the photo below you can see one of my Poptarts is a little smaller than the others. I didn't quite cut my dough into equal quarters so this quarter had a little less dough than the others!) 

Using a pastry or basting brush, brush each rectangle with a little of the beaten egg, being sure to get right up to the edge.

Top 4 of the rectangles with a generous spoonful of the cooled hamburger mixture. 

Then top with a spoonful of the Bacon Onion Jam. (In the photo below I also topped some with Sue's Rhubarb Relish {we'll share that recipe with you soon!}- middle one, some with just bacon bits - beside the little one, and left one plain -the tiny one on the side.) Be careful to leave about 1/4 inch border around the outside so you can seal the Poptart.

Now top with a little bit of cheese. Again, don't go too crazy! You don't want your Poptart to explode apart.

Flip the bottom piece of dough up over the top piece, so the eggy side is facing in, and lightly press together around the edges.

Using a fork, press the edges firmly together. Then poke a couple of holes on top for the steam to escape.

Brush the tops of the Poptarts with more beaten egg and then sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds.

Repeat with remaining pieces of dough until you have used it all up. I got 16 Poptarts total with some of the hamburger filling and bacon jam left over. (You could probably make another batch of dough and get another dozen or so out of the filling.) Place all Poptarts onto prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 until tops are golden brown and pastry is puffed, about 25 - 35 minutes.

Let cool about 5 - 10 minutes before serving. (You can also freeze these and then reheat them in the oven when you want to serve them. I did 350 for about 20 minutes and they were just like when I first made them.) 

I could just look at these all day. They're so pretty.

Want a bite?

I'm even willing to share...

You can't see the melty cheese...but it's in there.

We loved the Bacon Onion Jam and the Rhubarb Relish in these. You could also simplify things and top your hamburger with a little mustard and ketchup or even a small bit of chopped pickles. 

Go crazy!

Call it a Poptart or whatever you want...but one thing is for sure, you will call it delicious!

We're sharing at these fab linky parties! Be sure to check them out! - The Chicken Chick, The Mandatory Mooch, Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Memories By The Mile,  Anyonita Nibbles, Nap Time Is My Time, Carole's Chatter

Get Your Skinny On - 6 Fabulous Low Cal Milkshakes

Summer time is here.

Okay, maybe not quite officially - I think we have a week or so to go for that - but the heat is definitely on the upswing.

Have I mentioned how much I hate the heat?

Yeah.

I do. 

*Bah humbug* Give me spring and give me fall but keep the rest, thank you very much. 

Anyway, what helps keep us cool better than decadent, creamy milkshakes in all sorts of fancy flavors? Well, how about decadent, creamy milkshakes in all sorts of fancy flavors BUT without all those sneaky calories. 

*Jazz hands*

Feel free to indulge as desired....

1. Skinny Banana Cream Pie Shake

All the banana pie-y goodness you can handle for a fraction of the calories count.

252 calories, 40 carbs, 3 fat, 15 protein.

2. Skinny Caramel Macchiato Milkshake 

What's that? You want something caramel-y with a caffeine kick?

Have we got a deal for you.

286 calories, 52 carbs, 2 fat, 17 protein.

3. Skinny Caramel Coco-Mocha Milkshake 

Funky name for a funky shake. 

Coconut, caramel, and espresso combine into one heavenly explosion of flavors. Don't miss out!

268 calories, 32 carbs, 8 fat, 16 protein.

4. Skinny Mounds Cheesecake Milkshake

Maybe chocolate is more your thing?

You should probably try our chocolate and cream cheese combo then. 

Don't argue.

350 calories, 73 carbs, 9 fat, 23 protein

5. Skinny Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Milkshake

You've tried the fruit crisp - now try the milkshake version. 

Sweet strawberries, tart rhubarb, throw in some Greek yogurt and oats and *Tah-dah* perfect summer treat.

289 calories, 57 carbs, 4 fat 21 protein

6. Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Espresso Milkshake

And, last but certainly not least, a cinnamon burst of tastiness to help you get through the day. 

126 calories, 34 carbs, 2 fat, 15 protein.

Make sure you have a good supply of coffee/espresso ice cubes and Greek yogurt and you are good to go.

To get to the recipes simply click on the name of the drink posted above the photo - the link will take you there. 

Be sure to drop by Carole's Chatter for tons of great links!

Caramel Popcorn Cake

So... it was birthday time at the office again.

This time the birthday girl wanted something caramel-y. 

I think I came up with a pretty good caramel-y birthday treat. Caramel cake, caramel buttercream, and caramel popcorn. Not only does it look pretty impressive.... it tasted pretty darned good too. 

It is maybe a little bit fussier than the average cake because you have to make up a batch of caramel popcorn too but... hey... then you have a bunch of leftover caramel popcorn that you can snack on. 

I'm counting it as a win.

Caramel Popcorn Cake

Ingredients

Caramel Popcorn

1 recipe Easy Caramel Popcorn (recipe HERE)

Cake

1 cup butter, room temp

2 cups brown sugar

1 vanilla bean

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup buttermilk

Frosting

1 cup butter, room temp

5 cups icing sugar

3/4 cup Caramel Ice Cream Topping

1 Tbsp milk

Directions

Prepare the caramel popcorn - Go HERE to see how to make the delicious popcorn for on top of the cake. Prepare it first so it has time to cool off completely. 

Prepare the cake - Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 8 inch pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Beat in the sugar until creamy. Cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Place seeds in with the butter mixture and discard the bean pod. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, until well combined. 

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

Alternately beat the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the wet ingredients until well combined.

Spread batter into prepared pans, batter will be thick.

Bake at 350 until cake is done - top is golden brown and toothpick inserted near center comes out clean - about 20 - 30 minutes. 

Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper "handles" to lift out cake to wire rack to cool completely. (You can speed up the process of cooling by placing cakes in fridge.)

Prepare frosting - In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Slowly beat in the icing sugar, a little at a time, until well combined. Beat in the caramel sauce and the milk. (You made need to add a bit more milk to thin or a bit more icing sugar to thicken to reach desired consistency.) 

Assemble cake - Place one layer of the cooled cake onto a serving platter. Top with a bit of frosting. Place second cake on top.

Spread the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake.

Now, you could stop there. I mean, it's a pretty fancy schmancy looking cake already...

Who are we kidding - we all know we want the caramel popcorn.

Take the cooled caramel popcorn and start piling that good stuff on top of the cake and, for good measure, around the base of the cake.

Now we're getting somewhere....

You can serve this now...or, what I did, was cover it with a cover and let it sit on the counter overnight until time to bring it to work the next morning. I didn't put it in the fridge because I was worried the popcorn would go soft. It was fine on the counter.

The cake is a lovely crumbly-but-not-dry texture and the flavor is sweet but not overwhelmingly so...

Need an impressive, different, easy, and tasty cake to make for your next get-together?

Have we got a deal for you.

Be sure to stop by these great blogs for tons of fabulous links! -- Ms. enPlace, Jam Hands, Dizzy Busy & Hungry, Carole's Chatter