Cooking
Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Bites
In the midsummer heat, it is so nice to have a quick snack that is healthy and delicious. Here is a perfect high protein recipe for a fantastic snack to keep on hand.
Ingredients
½ cup almond meal
¾ cups ground oats
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cups maple syrup
¼ cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cups Isagenix vanilla chai dairy free protein powder (or a vanilla protein powder of your choice)
Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
Roll into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate until firm. Store in a tupperware unless you eat them all as soon as you make them.
What are your favorite summer snacks?
Rachel’s original recipe…
Caprese Panini – A Delicious Summer Meal
We love Caprese Paninis! Although it is a hot meal, it is a great summer meal even when the weather is hot because you don’t have to use the oven. We have a Cuisinart Griddler that we love using for Panini night! And, check out the ingredient list below for some of our new favorites when Caprese sandwiches are on our meal list!
These paninis are best served hot right off the panini press dipped into our balsamic vinegar dressing.
Ingredients
4 large ciabata style rolls **
12 ¼ inch slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 roasted red pepper, saute with McCormick Italian Seasoning
8 basil leaves chopped into small pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 tomatoes sliced (8-10 slices)
Homemade balsamic vinegar dressing see recipe below
**(We love the Trader Joe’s Half Baked Panini Rustic Rolls – when using these, we like to microwave the roll and cheese for about 1 1/2-2 min to melt the cheese without over crisping the bread; These rolls are smaller so the ingredient amounts may differ when using these)
Cut Ciabata bread in half lengthwise. Open up and layer on bottom half-cheese, tomato slices, red pepper,spinach and basil. Press two halves together and put into a panini press. Let sandwich heat until cheese is melted and top and bottom of the ciabata is crispy.
Homemade Balsamic Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (Our favorite is McCormick Italian Seasoning for this too)
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing emulsifier and mix until well blended.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Memorial Day is a day of celebration our military heroes. I am so grateful for the men and women who have sacrificed to maintain our freedom and liberty throughout the ages. Memorial Day is usually the kick-off day for summer barbeques. I love to experiment with different side salads to accompany whatever comes off the BBQ. Here is a fun twist for a yummy side salad, combining quinoa and Mediterranean style flavors.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of quinoa cooked as directed on package (makes about 4 cups of quinoa)
1 English cucumber chopped
20 baby tomatoes cut in half
1 red or orange bell pepper chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
1 (15 oz ) can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 4 oz container crumbled feta cheese
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
3 lemons juiced (about 2/3 cup)
1/3 cup olive oil
Cook the quinoa according to package direction. (I used 2 cups quinoa in 4 cups of water. I brought it to a boil, turned to simmer and covered for 15 minutes.) Let quinoa cool and add chopped cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and basil. Season with salt and pepper and mix in feta cheese. Squeeze lemon juice and add olive oil. Mix dressing into quinoa salad and adjust seasonings. I love the fresh basil and probably used more than 1 cup. You can add kalamata olives if you want more of a Greek flair.
Enjoy with BBQ burgers, chicken, ribs or your favorite meat.
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Blender Banana Bread
I am a close personal friend of simple recipes. Blender Banana Bread? SOLD!
This original recipe is from The Baker Mama we added the flaxseed meal and chocolate chips.
Gather your ingredients:
3 overripe bananas
2 cups Oatmeal (I LOVED the results of using our bag of Coach’s Oats from Costco)
2 TBS Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Soda
(extras: 1 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg, chocolate chips and/or walnuts added to top)
Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add ingredients to blender. I recommend adding the bananas and eggs to the bottom, then adding the other ingredients on top.
Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips and/or walnuts) in a powerful blended. Blend until combined.
Grease a loaf pan and add all the ingredients. Top with chocolate chips and/or walnuts.
Bake at 350 degress for 30-35 minutes.
Let cool. ENJOY!!
The girls had a lot of fun taking turns adding ingredients, then watching them combine in the blender.
The banana bread was soft and moist, and the chocolate on top was a fun treat.
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Gluten Free Berry Coffee Cake
We had our leadership celebration brunch today and this gluten free berry coffee cake was a hit!!! I adapted the recipe I found on mygluten-freekitchen website and added a little extra cinnamon for fun. Once again I used the “Mama’s Almond Blend” Gluten free flour2 cups good quality gluten-free flour blend*
1 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if your flour contains xanthan already)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt
2 cups fresh or frozen berries
TOPPING
1/3 cup gluten-free flour
3 Tbsp. salted butter, softened
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp finely chopped almonds
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9″ deep dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
COFFEE CAKE:
1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt until blended.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream together the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla.
3. Alternately add in the buttermilk and the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix only enough to blend together, don’t over-mix. Batter will be very thick.
4. Spread batter into a greased 9″ cake pan or pie plate.
5. Place the berries one at a time over the surface of the cake batter, gently pushing down into the batter.
TOPPING:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, and sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until mixture is crumbly and butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller. Stir in cinnamon and finely chopped almonds.
2. Sprinkle topping over the batter as evenly as possible.
3. Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Serve …
Gluten Free Apple Carrot Muffins
I love the spring because of the beautiful blossoms on the trees and all the flowers that are blooming. I love that our family has many birthdays to celebrate in the spring and early summer. I especially love to celebrate new life and this spring we are anticipating our 11th grandchild. We had a “Sprinkled with Love” baby shower this past weekend to celebrate Bethany’s baby girl due in July. I will post about the baby shower later in the week. So there has been lots of baking in my new kitchen over the past few weeks. Today I experimented with a few Gluten Free recipes.
Tomorrow I have a leadership team “end of the year” celebration of encouragement and thankfulness. A few of the gals on our team are gluten free so I thought I would have some fun and try a few new recipes. This recipe was fantastic. I researched Gluten Free mixes to save time instead of making my own blend like I usually do. I found an almond based blend called “Mama’s Almond Blend” on Amazon. I really liked the texture of this flour for these muffins. They do take a lot longer to bake than regular flour muffins. Give this recipe a try-you will love them!
Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil
1/3 cup mashed very ripe banana
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 sweet apple, finely grated
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened
1 heaping cup (packed) grated carrot
2/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup + 2 Tbsp Gluten Free Flour Mix (I used “Mama’s Almond Blend”)
1/4 cup raw walnuts (chopped) …
Healthy Snacks, Healthy Habits
Summer is right around the corner, and NOW is the time to make some small changes in your health that can yield BIG results!
A great way to support healthy habits is to make filling and nourishing snack choices between meals, or when you are on the go. The Growing Weisser girls ALWAYS have a snack or two (or 10) in their purses or diaper bags for the kids and mama!
Healthy snacking is a great way to boost metabolism, curb hunger, nourish the body, and manage blood sugar. A healthy snack is a balanced snack – one that provides protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Keeping pre-made or grab-and-go snacks around will help you make a simple, healthy choice when hunger strikes.
Here are some more of our FAVORITES!
4 favorite grab-and-go snacks for grown-ups (and kids)
Peanut Butter Super Powerballs
Rachel’s Favorite Protein Balls pick your favorite protein powder and the possibilities are endless!!
What are you snacking on?!
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5 Star Chocolate Cake
This is by far the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made!!! It is rich and dense but moist and light in texture. The coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor without adding even a hint of coffee flavor. I always use decaf coffee so that my guests are not up all night after enjoying a piece of cake. I usually make this in my bundt pan because it looks so beautiful and is easier to serve but a double layer chocolate cake is always fun for birthdays.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup butter melted
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla
1 cup freshly brewed decaf espresso or dark roast coffee
Frosting
3 squares bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate
½ cup evaporated milk
1 box powdered sugar
¼ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanila
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brew 1 cup of decaf coffee. Grease 2 (9 inch round) cake pans or use a Bundt pan. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in bowl of kitchenaid mixer. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla and mix on medium until creamy, about 3 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and pour hot coffee into bowl and stir with rubber spatula until smooth. the batter will be runny. Pour into pans and bake for 35 minutes (for 9 inch cake pans) or 50 minutes (for Bundt pans). Toothpick will come out clean or with tiny bit of moist crumb attached. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto cake plate or cooking rack. 
Yosemite Bars
When I was young and our family used to go on road trip vacations, my mom would always make a batch of these yummy bars to take with us. They are filled with oats and nuts and some dark chocolate goodness. Yosemite was one of our favorite family vacation spots-thus the name of these family favorites.
Yosemite Bars
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ½ cups flour (you can use gluten free flour)
3 ½ cups oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Filling
1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
Make chocolate filling by melting chocolate chips, 2 TBS butter and 2 TBS vanilla and the sweetened condensed milk in a double boiler. You can melt these ingredients in a large glass container in the microwave, but you have to watch it very carefully so it does not burn. When melted allow to cool a bit and then stir in chopped nuts.
Cream 1 cup butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour, soda, salt and oats and mix until blended. Pat 2/3 of dough into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread chocolate filling over uncooked dough and pat remaining 1/3 of dough on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares. Makes at least 24 bars. These bars freeze well and travel well, so bake a batch for your next trip to Yosemite.
Oatmeal Cake-great for Easter brunch
Easter brunch is a fun family tradition and I love to have a few recipes on hand that can be made ahead of time. This Oatmeal Cake is easy to make and everyone just loves it. This cake is moist and has the hidden benefit of extra nutrition by adding in the oatmeal. The topping combines nuts and healthy coconut which adds a bit of sweetness to any brunch coffee cake. You can also serve the as a light dessert with fresh strawberries or raspberries. Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that it can be made ahead and frozen for a few days. Just take out of the freezer the night before and warm it up for a few minutes before serving. Hope your family likes it as much as ours and who knows it could become a new addition to your Easter brunch menu.
Oatmeal Cake
1 cup oats
1 ¼ boiling water
½ coconut oil
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat and white combined)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
6 Tablespoons melted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
Combine oats and boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes. Cream coconut oil (slightly softened) and ¾ cup brown and ¾ cup white sugar. Add eggs and mix until combined. Add oatmeal mixture and mix until combined. Add flour, salt, soda and cinnamon and mix until smooth batter is formed. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. While baking the cake, make topping by mixing melted butter, coconut, nuts, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk and stir …
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