Low Carb Caprese Cottage Cheese Salad

Caprese salad, juicy vine ripened tomatoes,   basil, fresh mozzerella., and if your lucky a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Yum! It's my favorite summer side dish! But when I'm looking  for something quick and nutritious, that fills my tummy with low  carb goodness even as a quick lunch, this is my new go to.

Low Carb Cottage Cheese Caprese Salad

1/2 c 2% cottage cheese
1 vine ripened or heirloom tomato
A few fresh basil leaves, chopped thin
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic Reduction (Click the hyperlink for an easy tutorial)

Place cottage cheese in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Dice tomato and combine with basil and oil. Place on top or beside cottage cheese. Drizzle with a tablespoon of reduction, enjoy!

The 110 calorie Frappe

This summer's Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour left me used to getting a cold creamy coffee fix for cheap. Alas, it didn't last forever. Good thing I've figured out how to make something just as delicious, not to mention low calorie, for cheaper than a half price Frappuccino.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing exhibit A: found of all places at the 99 cent store.

This instant espresso powder will keep your ratio of liquid down so that you don't end up with a slushy, unsatifying watered down mess.

My second weapon is my ninja blender. It handles ice like a pro, and I find it does an even better job when I use the individual jar, making a Frappe for 1.

Lastly, you'll need some refrigerated liquid coffee creamer and some almond milk(or milk of your choice. Sometimes I add a teaspoon of chocolate chips and a dollop of whipped cream to the mix, just for good measure.

 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 c light almond milk
1 c ice
2 t instant espresso powder
3 T sugar free flavored coffee creamer
Optional addins: I tsp. Nutella or peanut butter,  chocolate chips, etc.  ***Warning***this will probably put you over the 110 calorie mark.

Directions: Place all ingredients in your blender jar(No need to dissolve espresso in water). Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Homemade Wheat Crackers

Wheat thins are pretty much a pantry staple. Those crispy little crackers in a yellow box are perfect for snacking but they also make a great appetizer. The only dilemma is that we always seem to be out...and they can be expensive.

I found this basic wheat cracker recipe a few weeks ago on allrecipes.com and since  have been experimenting with different flavor combinations. These crackers are addicting, especially when dipped in hummus or other spreads. I also like that they are natural, not laden with ingredients and preservatives that I can't pronounce. Try it out yourself, tweak the flavors, experiment with different ones, and see what you come up with.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 3/4 c. Asiago cheese (you could also try Parmesan, sharp cheddar, or other cheeses)
• 1/3 c. chives, chopped fine
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• sea salt for sprinkling
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Add in the chives, and 1/2 c. of the cheese, stirring to combine.

Add vegetable oil and water, mixing until combined. You will be left with a very firm ball of dough.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured flat surface. Grab your rolling pin and begin rolling out into a large rectangle. This is where you will begin working off all those calories that you will consume once these crackers are finished! Work, work, work that dough until it is thin sheet (1/8 of an inch or thinner), large enough to fit into a baking sheet.

Transfer your dough to an ungreased baking sheet. Use a pizza cutter to trim off excess overhang. (You can set this extra dough aside and bake it in a smaller second batch.)

Lightly brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and sea salt.

Use your pizza cutter to trace out lines about 1 inch apart on the surface of the dough, taking care not to cut all the way through. Turn your cookie sheet and do this in the other direction, to form a grid of squares. Don't worry, they don't have to be perfect! Prick the entire surface of the dough lightly with a fork.

The original recipe says to bake these for 15-20 minutes, but I found it takes my oven between 20-25.That being said, check your crackers at 15 minutes and then at intervals of 5 minutes until you notice that they are starting to brown. When you first pull them out of the oven they may not seem crispy, but they will begin to crisp up as they cool.

When cool break crackers apart. Store in a Ziploc bag to maintain freshness. Enjoy!

*Note: I'm not quite sure how long these will stay fresh in the pantry...but we've enjoyed ours for up to 3 days and they still taste fresh. By that time, they are usually gobbled up. :)

Cranberry, Orange, & Banana Mini-Muffins

 I have to admit that I went a bit overboard on this one. These muffins were going to be glazed, then I decided they should have streusel topping. When at last they were complete, I decided to combine both toppings! Pick either topping, both toppings, or enjoy these delicious snacks with none at all. Considering that the baby and the hubby gobbled up the first dozen within minutes,  I think we can safely say we found a new snack-time favorite!

 

Muffins
2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 tbsp butter or margarine softened
1 1/2 c. (3 large) mashed ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/4 c. sour cream
5 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. dried chopped cranberries
1 tbsp. orange zest


*Tip: 1 medium orange yields approx 2 Tablespoons of zest.

Streusel Topping
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. orange zest
2 1/2 tbsp. cold butter or margarine

Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5  tbsp. orange juice

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine flour, salt, and baking soda with a whisk and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl combine butter and sugar and beat with a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer (whatever is convenient.)
• Add eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add remaining wet ingredients to combine.
• Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Once combined, fold in cranberries and orange zest.
• Coat a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray. Fill muffin tin with batter.  I used a tablespoon, which was just the right size.

Streusel Topping: combine brown sugar and flour, orange zest, and butter in a medium size bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle to coat the tops of muffin batter.

• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Adding Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of orange juice. Remove muffins from tins and place on cooling rack. Drizzle glaze over muffins.

Yield: About 3 dozen mini muffins or 1 1/2 dozen regular size muffins.

Enjoy!