Browsing Category

Sweets

Christmas/ RECIPES/ Seasonal/ Sweets

Sugar Frustrations & Andes Mint Cookies!

I am looking forward to January.  Why? Since Halloween, I feel like sugar and processed foods just keep hanging around at the Bowman house! I have yet to figure out how to do the holidays in a balanced way.   It is important to me that my kids experience candy treats and seasonal goodies, some of our best memories and traditions are made from these goodies, but it is starting to drive me nuts seeing all the junk hanging around here!
Before this quadruple- whammy sugar season (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years) I was able to keep our home pretty much sugar free with very little processed foods, so when we would go to a party or a family function, I was at peace letting my girls eat whatever their little hearts desired, because I knew they were getting what their bodies needed at home.  But then, boatloads of Halloween candy came into our home, Thanksgiving and all its pies and yummy leftovers were in our home, and now and all our yearly, traditional Christmas recipes are merrily making their way into our home!  Agghhh!

For now, I am going to just embrace the season, try to remember that we have come a long way in our eating habits, and know that January is coming!

I would like to be more purposeful about creating a recipe box full healthy treat ideas for the years to come, so I am excited to be participating in a “Healthy Holiday Eats And Sweets” blog carnival coming up on December 8th.  I think I will get some great recipes that still make the holidays special and yummy, but do it using whole foods that are real and nourishing.

Until then, here is one that is not!:)  This cookie recipe is one that I make every year at Christmastime.   It is so easy, and has 2 of my favorite holiday flavors, chocolate and mint!  They are simple, pretty and oh so yum.   I double the batch, make a bunch of balls and freeze them until needed.

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Andes mints, unwrapped and cut in half

~Dump all but Andes mints into a large bowl, beat until combined.
~Roll into one inch balls.  (I just use a pampered chef small scoop and skip the rolling)
~Bake @ 350 for 6-7 minutes. (Don’t over bake, you want them soft.)
~Immediately, push an andes mint gently down in the center of each cookie.
~Wait a minute or so, then take a toothpick or tip of a knife and swirl the melted mint into a circle, creating swirly beauty. (my girls love doing this part)
~Let cool so the chocolate will set before putting on a platter.

21
Frugal/ HOME/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Homemade Popsicles

This morning, there was no fresh fruit in the house.  My girls are used to having some type of fruit with their breakfast, so I decided to make them fruit smoothies with some frozen fruit I had hanging out in the freezer.
My method of making fruit smoothies is pretty much dump and blend.  I fill my blender 2/3 full with frozen fruit, then add enough liquid (start with a cup and add as needed) so that it will blend easily and smoothly. I like mine thin enough so I can see a vortex when looking down into the blender, then I know it won’t get stuck in our straws!  I usually use water and a splash of orange juice.  I will add honey or sugar if the fruit is not very sweet, you won’t know until you taste a bit of the smoothie.  I like having frozen peach or frozen banana in our smoothies, they both add a nice texture/thickness, and are both less expensive then frozen berries.  If you were to use all berries, it would take a lot and would be costly.
This morning, I used a frozen fruit mix that had peaches, pineapple, grapes, and melon.  I also added frozen strawberries and blueberries.  We were running a bit behind, and I did not leave my girls enough time to slurp much of their smoothies down.  Because of this, I had a bunch leftover.

What to do with it??

Make homemade popsicles!!  The kids love these, they are so easy to make and MUCH less expensive then the whole fruit popsicles you can buy. These little plastic molds are great, but if you don’t have any, you can use a paper cup with a wooden craft stick. We made these all summer long, their favorite is when I add yogurt to the smoothie, which makes a creamy popsicle.
I will do a series on smoothies coming up. There are so many ways to make them: green smoothies, fruit smoothes, yogurt smoothies, protein smoothies, we even make healthy chocolate peanut butter smoothies and chocolate covered cherry smoothies. MMM-MM!  They are a staple in our home, a great way to have a healthy snack and to get those fruits and veggies in!!
3
RECIPES/ Sweets

Fudgy Buttons

Tonight I wanted something sweet, and there was NOTHING in the house (I need to grocery shop!).

I knew it was time to pull out my recipe for Fudgy Buttons once again.  I found the recipe in a magazine, given by a grandma who said she stirred up a batch for her grandkids every time they visited. I’ve made these many times, and I am sure I will still be stirring them up when I am a grandma.

I like them for a few reasons.  I always have the ingredients on hand,  I don’t have to turn the oven on,  I can make them in 5 minutes, my girls can help roll the balls and make them into buttons, they are round and cute, and they satisfy even the most intense craving for chocolate and peanut butter.

They are not the healthiest thing we could choose to eat, but when compared to the ingredients in some of the most popular chocolate and peanut butter candies:

Peanuts, Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, and Soy Lecithin, and PGPR, Emulsifiers)Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed, Soybean, Palm Kernel, and Palm Oil)Sorbitol, Dextrose, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Refined Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Butter, Salt, Corn Syrup, Whey, Whey Protein Concentrate, Caseinate, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor, Glycerin, Lactose, Mono and Diglycerides, and TBHQ.

I feel pretty good about my 5 ingredient, (ones I can pronounce!) cute, little Fudgy Buttons.

 

Print
Fudgy Buttons
Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

An easy, 5-ingredient snack for when you need a quick sweet.

Recipe Type: Sweets
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
  • 4 Tbls butter or margarine
  • 3 tsp baking cocoa
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tsp milk
  • 4 Tbls creamy peanut butter
Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter; remove from heat. 

  2. Add cocoa and mix well. 

  3. Stir in sugar. (Will be quite thick) 

  4. Add milk and stir until smooth. (You will feel like you should add more milk- don't. The peanut butter will make it creamy and perfect) 

  5. Add peanut butter and mix well. 

  6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper; roll into balls and flatten with your thumb.

 

.

 

 

15
RECIPES/ Sweets

Go Ahead And Sneak In The Cookie Jar!



I’m crackin’ up! My girls (age 10, 8, and 6) are “mmm-in” and “aww-in” over Chocolate Chip Cookies. Pretty normal for a kid, right? Well, not when the cookies have very little sugar, no oil, and double the amount of fiber than a ‘normal’ Chocolate Chip Cookie. I was skeptical, but tried the recipe anyway. I have to say, these cookies are really good! They are crunchy on the outside and chewy, gooey on the inside.
Our family have been on an adventure of trying to eat more natural, healthy foods. Little by little we have eliminated most processed foods from our home. Our motivation was a couple of health scares, one concerning my husband and another concerning my youngest daughter. We are so grateful to our awesome God that they are both fine and in good health. I will share their stories on a later post. For now, I will leave you with the recipe of these yummy, healthy (shhhhh!), Chocolate Chip Cookies.

**I changed quite a few ingredients. I will put what I used in parentheses along side the ingredient.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Work Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16

The result: A crunchy, healthy chocolate chip cookie with a chewy center.

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c canola oil ( I used unsweetened applesauce)
2/3 c granulated sugar ( I used 1/2 c Rapadura)
2/3 c brown sugar ( I used only 1/2 c)
2 lg egg whites ( I used 1 egg white and 1 whole egg)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats ( I used 3/4 Cup)
3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (4 oz) ( I used 1/3 c semi-sweet and 1/3 c white chocolate chips)

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl. Whisk in egg whites and vanilla until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in oats and then chocolate.

2. Cover and chill dough at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Shape dough into 16 balls (1/4 scant cup each) with hands,(*I used a 1 inch scoop and made mine little) using a little pressure. Place 8 balls on each prepared sheet. With fingers, press each into a patty about 3″ in diameter, allowing about 2″ between patties for slight spreading.

4. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until desired brownness (do not overbake), switching position of sheets halfway through. Let cool a few minutes before moving to rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Info Per Cookie (4″ diameter): 218 cal, 3 g pro, 32 g carb, 2 g fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 162 mg sodium
(this nutritional info is for the original recipe. Obviously, the ones I made would be different due to less sugar/oil and much smaller cookie size)

1
Top