PB & Banana Doggie Treats

Dog's need homemade goodies too, right? These little dog treats are incredibly easy to make and can be made with things you probably already have on hand. This recipe was taken from Allrecipes.com.

Ada LOVES peanut butter. So goes crazy for it (much like me). We usually let her lick on a spoonful of the stuff while we clip her toenails. She goes after it like it like a mad dog. Her eyes go wide, her mouth waters, and peanut butter goes flying everywhere. So these peanut butter and banana treats are a real winner.

You also get much more bang for your buck. I usually buy the Bil Jac PBnanas dog treats at Pet Smart when they are on sale for around $3 for a 4 oz. bag. I got all the ingredients at Woodman's yesterday for under $15. And I could make manyyy batches of these with the supply I bought. But like I said, chances are...you probably have most of this on hand - with the exception of maybe the whole wheat flour and wheat germ ($3.50 and $2.50...not bad).

This is also a really great way to use up over-ripe bananas that have been sitting in your freezer far too long. 

This makes a lot of treats, so you may want to consider freezing half of the batch. Your dog will probably want to eat them in a matter of seconds, but portion control is probably better. (That's what I always say...psh!)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. mashed banana
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ (* Note: If you don't want to use wheat germ, you can probably use oatmeal to get the same nutritional benefits. Quick oats may be best for consistency purposes.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine egg, peanut butter, mashed banana, and honey. Mix thoroughly. Add flour and wheat germ.
3. Roll dough to 1/4" on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes or just cut roughly into small pieces and place on cookie sheet. 
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti

I love lemon. I love biscotti. And I LOVE this recipe.

I think it came from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I'm not quite sure what to say about this recipe because it was DELICIOUS pretty easy for a biscotti recipe. Usually biscotti dough is super sticky and hard to work with, but the dough from this recipe was very easy to handle. Unlike my Cranberry Almond Biscotti which turns out more scone-like (but still yummy), this recipe was true to biscotti form - light and crunchy.

If I liked tea, I be this would be very good with a side of hot tea. :)

Ingredients:

Biscotti:

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg  + 1 egg white
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. poppy seeds
• Melted butter and  coarse sugar for topping

Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. milk

(Note: Add more lemon juice or milk to achieve desired consistency.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using mixer, beat butter on high for 30 seconds. 
3. Add sugar, basking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add egg, egg white, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. 
4. Add flour and poppy seeds. Mix to combine.
5. Prepare two 7" x 2" logs on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow biscotti to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Place slices on baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Let cool and drizzle with glaze.

Dark Chocolate Grasshopper Cake

It's the season of Shamrock Shakes at good old Mickey D's...which tempts me every time a drive past the golden arches. Sigh... Instead, I made some grasshopper cake for Valentine's Day and I do believe it turned out pretty great. At least, that's what my stomach tells me after careful testing.

It's a pretty simple cake that can be made mostly with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Bonus. The problem with this dessert is that it's "refreshing"...which makes you want to have a little "refresher" more than once in a day. Grasshopper Cake for breakfast, grasshopper cake for lunch, and grasshopper cake for dinner. Yeah, it just might happen.

It's also suuuper easy to make. I didn't even need to whip out the Kitchenaid for this one.

Now, my presentation is pretty terrible, but appearance isn't always everything...

Next time, I'd like to make these as cupcakes. Perhaps with a Thin Mint garnish. Yum.

Ingredients: 

The cake:

• 1-3/4 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 c. strong black coffee (cooled)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The peppermint icing:

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softed
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• A couple drops of green food coloring

For the glaze:

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. 
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, black coffee, oil, and vanilla.
4. Bake in 9x13 pan for approximately 35 minutes.
5. For icing, mix butter, powdered sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring until it reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed.
6. Allow cake to cool before icing.
7. For glaze, combine butter, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth and drizzle over the top of the cake.

Zucchini & Greens with Sauteed Veggies

A healthy post, from me? What? This was just an experimentation, but I thought it turned out pretty good, so I wanted to share it. 

So make it and tell me if you like it - or what you'd change. The great thing about it is that you get a HEAPING plate of food for less than 350 calories. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 c. fresh spinach
• 1/4 c. Bush's Black Beans (reduced sodium)
• 1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. green onion, chopped
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Seasonings of choice
• 1/2 avocado, chopped

Top With:

• Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (my favorite!)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Using a potato peeler, peel the zucchini into "noodle-like" strips until you have approximately 1 cup. Place on plate, topped with spinach and black beans.
2. Heat medium fry pan on medium heat. Drizzle small amount of olive oil in pan. Add mushrooms, pepper, green onion, and seasoning of choice (I used Salt-Free Mrs. Dash Italian Herb and some home-made seasoning salt). Saute until tender and then empty onto zucchini, spinach, and beans.
3. Top with chopped avocado, dressing, and Parmesan cheese.