Category: Recipes

Posted on

21 Day Fix Approved Salted Caramel Brownie Brittle (Gluten-Free)

I developed quite a liking for brownie brittle before starting the 21 Day Fix and was really craving it today.  I decided to run by the grocery to pick up supplies and try to make my own clean, Fix-approved version.  This is what I came up with, and it was great!  You also can’t beat 70 calories per serving!

IMG_4187

Servings:  6

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats (make sure the container says gluten-free)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cups baking stevia or 3 tablespoons stevia
  • 2 tablespoons unsweeted cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon caramel extract
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon miniature chocolate chips

21 Day Fix Containers (per single serving):

  • 1/2 yellow (oats)
  • All other ingredients less than 1/4 of a container

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  2. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet
  3. Put all ingredients except for salt and chocolate chips in blender (oats, baking powder, stevia, cocoa powder, applesauce, vanilla, caramel extract, almond milk, egg whites, and paprika)
  4. Blend ingredients until fully mixed with no large oat pieces (will be very runny)
  5. Pour batter into middle of prepared baking sheet
  6. Use a spoon or spatula to spread batter as thin as possible
  7. Sprinkle top of batter with salt and chocolate chips
  8. Bake for 20 minutes
  9. Remove from oven and pick up paper by corners transferring baked brittle to countertop to cool
  10. After cooling for 2-5 minutes, the brittle should be cool enough to touch and easy to tear into bite-size pieces; you will notice that at this point the brittle is a soft, chewy consistency (because of the nature of the oat/applesauce base, the brittle will not get super crunchy)
  11. Optional:  While you are tearing your brittle into pieces, increase your oven temperature to 400 degrees
  12. Optional:  Place the parchment paper back onto the baking sheet and spread brittle pieces evenly on top
  13. Optional:  Continue baking for 5-10 minute intervals checking the “crunchiness” of the brittle until it is the consistency you desire; the edges will begin to curl as the brittle hardens

Nutritional Information:  Calories 70, Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 115 mg, Potassium 68.4 mg, Carbs 13.5g, Protein 3.7 g, Vitamin A 5.2%, Vitamin C 0.1%, Calcium 0.2%, Iron 5.2%

If you have any questions about 21 Day Fix, I would love to answer them.  Feel free to contact me in the comments below.  Check out my story here.

Posted on

Pumpkin, Gingerbread, Chocolate Waffles (Gluten-Free)

I really wanted 21 Day Fix approved waffles or pancakes this morning but didn’t have all of the ingredients for any of my existing recipes.  I decided to experiment with what I did have, and the outcome was delicious!

IMG_4135

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of old-fashioned oats
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
  • 1.5 tablespoons unsweet cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • chocolate chips (a few)
  • Honey or maple syrup for topping

21 Day Fix Containers (per single serving):

  • 1 yellow (oats)
  • 1 red (eggs, egg whites, yogurt)
  • 1/4 green (there’s so little pumpkin you don’t really have to count it unless you really want to…)
  • teaspoons (depends on how much honey/syrup you use)

Directions:

  1. Turn on your waffle iron and allow it to preheat
  2. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips and honey/maple syrup to blender (oats, eggs, pumpkin, cocoa powder, Greek yogurt, vanilla, salt, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and nutmeg)
  3. Blend ingredients until fully mixed with no large oat pieces
  4. Separate batter into two equal amounts (I like to measure it in two measuring cups)
  5. Pour 1/2 of the batter into your iron; depending on the iron size, it may not fill the entire iron
  6. Put a few chocolate chips on top of batter and close iron
  7. Cook waffle according to your waffle iron instructions
  8. Repeat cooking process with second waffle

Nutritional Information (without topping):  Calories 310, Fat 9.8 g, Cholesterol 211 mg, Sodium 726 mg, Potassium 207 mg, Carbs 38.4 g, Protein 17.8 g, Vitamin A 4.9%, Vitamin C 0.4%, Calcium 8.0%, Iron 20.6%

If you have any questions about 21 Day Fix, I would love to answer them.  Feel free to contact me in the comments below.  Check out my story here.

Posted on

Slow Cooker Apricot Pork Roast

This recipe is a little fluid…  I make it a little differently every time.  Feel free to experiment!  This started out as a recipe from my mom, but I’ve added to it over the years.  The roast turns out extremely moist with a sweet glaze.  Adding root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes to the roast creates a complete meal.  I don’t have a picture here, but sliced tenderloin on a platter surrounded by carrots and potatoes presents beautifully.

IMG_2991

Ingredients:

  • Hormel Original Pork Tenderloin
  • Approximately 8 small red potatoes
  • Approximately 16 baby carrots
  • Dijon mustard
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Approximately 4 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
  • Approximately half a jar of Smuckers Appricot Preserves
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • Olive oil

Instructions:

  • Unwrap pork tenderloin and place in slow cooker
  • Salt and pepper tenderloin to taste
  • Squeeze dijon mustard onto tenderloin
  • Drizzle tenderloin with balsamic vinegar
  • Cut butter into single tablespoons and arrange evenly around tenderloin

IMG_2963

  • Spoon half a jar of apricot preserves on tenderloin

IMG_2966

  • Cook tenderloin on low for four hours
  • While tenderloin is cooking, wash and quarter the potatoes
  • Add potatoes and carrots to a ziplock bag and drizzle with olive oil
  • Add salt and pepper to taste
  • Shake bag to coat carrots and potatoes

IMG_2967

  • After the tenderloin has been cooking for about four hours, add the carrots and potatoes and allow to cook for an additional two hours (a total of six hours of cook time)

IMG_2991

 

 

Posted on

Bacon and Cheese Crock Pot Quiche

Note:  I’ve created a “clean” 21 Day Fix approved version of this recipe.  The changes greatly reduced the calories and fat while maintaining the great flavor! Check it out here!

When I was so frustrated with my data for my dissertation that I wanted to scream, cry, or throw something, I decided it was time to take a break and prepare dinner.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and have made it a few times.  It’s quick to prep and tasty.  I love being able to put something in the crock pot and forget about it for a few hours.  (To be honest I don’t actually forget about the crock pot since most of the things I make in it tease me with appetizing smells.)  The original recipe is listed as a breakfast, but, honestly, who preps breakfast four hours before he or she plans to eat it?  I make this for dinner.  The recipe below is an adapted base.  I throw in whatever I have laying around.  Once again in the pictures I’m making half of the recipe in one of my tiny crock pots.

Quiche1

Servings:  8

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Grease the crock pot with the butter.  Turn the crock pot on low and leave the remaining butter in the bottom.  It will melt while you are preparing the other ingredients.
  2. Cook the bacon.  This is probably the only recipe I make that the primary objective is not to amass bacon grease.  I cook the bacon in the microwave while I am preparing the other ingredients.  Feel free to cook it any way you want.
  3. Cut the stems off of the spinach and tear the spinach into about 1/2 inch pieces.  I tear the pieces into a measuring cup.
  4. Chop the onion, peppers, and mushrooms.
  5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Whisk in the cream, cheese, pepper, spinach, onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
  6. Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
  7. Tear the bacon into approximately 1/2 inch pieces and top the mixture with bacon.
  8. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or on high for 2 to 2.5 hours.  The quiche is ready to eat when it is firm to the touch.

Quiche2Quiche1

Nutritional Information:  Calories 382, Fat 33.6 g, Cholesterol 352 mg, Sodium 470 mg, Potassium 174 mg, Carbs 2.2 g, Protein 18.1 g, Vitamin A 36.4%, Vitamin C 7.6%, Calcium 25.3%, Iron 7.9%