Peanut Butter Fruit Dip! YUM!

• Take one 5.3-ounce container of nonfat Oikos Greek Vanilla yogurt.
• Mix in two tbsp. peanut butter (I prefer crunchy), 1/2 tbsp. honey, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Serve with slices of apple, banana, and pear. Store unused portion in the fridge.
Makes four, two-tbsp. servings. Each serving contains 66 calories, 3.75 grams of fat, .5 grams of saturated fat, .75 grams of fiber, and 5.5 grams of protein.

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

Stop giving your dogs crap from China that is killing our dogs!! Here is a Pumpkin Recipe that is healthy for them :) Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour *
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.

Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.

* Brown rice flour gives the biscuits crunch and promotes better dog digestion. Many dogs have touchy stomachs or allergies, and do not, like many people I know, tolerate wheat.

Makes up to 75 small (1″) biscuits or 50 medium biscuits

SLOW COOKER SPINACH LASAGNA

SLOW COOKER SPINACH LASAGNA

This classic family favorite has all the flavor without slaving over a hot stove. Guaranteed to please!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 containers ( 15 oz. ea.) ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Vegetable Soup Mix
• 2 jars (1 lb. 8 oz. ea.) Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
• 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, eggs, spinach and Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Vegetable Soup Mix in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Spread 1 cup Pasta Sauce in 6-quart slow cooker. Layer in 4 lasagna noodles, broken to fit, then 1 cup Pasta Sauce and 1/2 of the ricotta mixture; repeat. Top with remaining 4 lasagna noodles and 2 cups Pasta Sauce. Reserve remaining Pasta Sauce. Cook covered on LOW 5 to 6 hours.
3. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining Pasta Sauce, heated.

• TIP: This delicious dinner tastes even better the next day.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Banana Bread

   

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Banana Bread

About 3 cups oatmeal

Other ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 egg whites

1 cup smashed raspberries

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips     

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Make oat flour: Place oatmeal into blender and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. You may need to stop blender and stir oats a couple of times to ensure that all oats have been blended.

Measure out just 2 cups of the oat flour and place in a medium bowl. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a separate large bowl, beat mashed bananas, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Gently fold in raspberries and dark chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. If using individual small loaf pans, 28-30 minutes should do.  Cool 10-15 minutes, then remove from pan and place on wire rack to finish cooling.

Though Robert, Cindi, the rest of the staff and I stood around and simply stuffed these into our mouths amid moans and yums, we managed to snatch a photo of a serving suggestion too!  We served these to Yelton Manor B&B guests this morning with a side dollop of homemade yogurt and fresh raspberries.

These are easy to make!  Head on out for some raspberries right now when they are fresh at the farm!  I suspect that frozen berries would work just as well.  Two YUMS up!!!!!

These freeze nicely for serving later.  Individually wrap in saran and place in freezer Ziplock bag.

By the way, this will probably go Vegan pretty easily simply by leaving the egg whites out.  It’s already gluten free as is!!!!

cucumber bites

RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers (about 1 pound each)
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley or dill, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the cumbers lengthwise, and remove the seeds, then cut a small strip off the bottom of one side so that the cucumber half will set level, without falling over.
2. Use the other half of the cucumber and dice into 1/4 inch pieces.  Combine the diced cucumbers with feta cheese, dill, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture between the 2 cucumber “boats”, then slice into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Frozen Yogurt/Trail mix bars

OMG YUMMY!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Chobani greek yogurt (I use 1 c 2% plain, 1 c vanilla)
• 1 1/2 c chopped fruit (I use strawberries & bananas)
• 1/2 c chopped nuts (I use almonds)
• 3/4 c granola (I use Love Grown Foods Simply Oats)
• 1/4 c chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Line a pan with foil.
3. Spread yogurt mixture into pan.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer until frozen.
5. Remove from freezer, let thaw for 5 minutes, cut into bars.
6. Store in an airtight container in the freezer 

Easy enough, right?!

 

Just mix, spread and freeze.
Then cut into bars and enjoy 

ARE YOU KIDDING Cake?!?!

Three ingredients...no joke!!!

1 Box of cake mix, Any Flavor

3 Eggs Beaten

1 Can of pie filling, any flavor

Directions

1

 In bowl, dump dry cake mix, eggs and pie filling. Stir together until well mixed. Bake in greased 9x13, 350 degrees for 35 minutes or test with toothpick for doneness.

2

 NOTE: Pair flavors of cake mix and pie filling. Apple filling with maybe butter pecan cake mix. Cherry pie filling with a devil's food cake mix, etc. I enjoy a pineapple cake mix with blueberry filling.

3

 FOR AN EXTRA INCH TO THE HIPS: Chop room temp cream cheese into chunks. Poke the chunks randomly into the batter after pouring it in the baking pan. Make sure the cheese is in deep. Continue to bake. I do this with a strawberry cake mix and strawberry filling and also the blueberry filling.