"Healthier" Cake Pops/Balls

"Healthier" Cake Pops/Balls

For my friend Alex's birthday, a few friends and I decided to get a little creative and make cake pops. Of course, I had to attempt to remove some of the guilt factor and make a few substitutions. To make cake pops, first you bake a cake! Any cake you like, then crumble and combine it with mass amounts of icing, dip it in chocolate, and decorate it with other sweet treats. As delicious as they are, one pop can contain anywhere from 150-200+ calories! While cake is a requirement for "cake pops" and, for me, chocolate is a must have in any dessert...the icing I could do without. (Also, I didn't think diabetes was a good birthday present) Therefore, I decided to make an easy substitution that gives the cake pops the same texture and flavor but takes out a lot of fat and sugar from the icing. Of course, the recipe could be made even healthier by making a cake from scratch, but I have never claimed to be much of a baker so I took it one substitution at a time. Also, I am not much of a decorator but we tried! Here goes....

(Makes ~45 pops/balls)

Ingredients:

1 box of store bought cake mix and ingredients listed on box, any variety you like

1 bag white chocolate chips

1-2 cups honey greek yogurt

coconut or canola oil

food coloring

sprinkles or any other toppings you like

Tools:

cake pan

lollipop sticks (if you are making cake pops, we couldn't find any so we just make cake balls)

your hands

The recipe is quite simple...

1)     Bake the cake according to box instructions

2)     While cake is cooling, melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave very slowly with 2-3tsp of oil

3)     Once cooled, crumble cake into large mixing bowl

4)     Add 1st cup of yogurt and mix thoroughly with hands, adding more yogurt until the mixture has a very thick "batter" consistency 

5)     Roll "batter" into balls in your hand, about 1" or 1.5" in diameter

6)     If making pops, dip one end of the stick in the chocolate and push about 1/2 way through the cake balls

7)     Place cake pops/balls in freezer for at least 30min

8)     While in freezer make sure chocolate remains melted, divide into separate bowls and place 2-3 drops of food coloring in each bowl

9)     Once cake pops have set, dip in chocolate to coat and top with desired treats

10)   Stand pops upright in Styrofoam or place balls on wax paper/plastic wrap and allow chocolate to harden for a few minutes

Once the chocolate has hardened, they are ready to enjoy!

I have to admit I had lot of help on this one, so thanks Nako, Josh, and Colin!

Chicken and Artichoke Saute with Warm Salad

Chicken and Artichoke Saute with Warm Salad

Ingredients

Servings: 6

Chicken:

1.5lb        Chicken Breast, thinly sliced

2              Shallots 

2tsp         Garlic Paste

1can        Artichoke Hearts, drained, dried, and quartered

1              Lemon

2Tbs        Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Warm Salad:

2heads       Cauliflower, stem removed and sliced into 1" thick pieces

1lb             Green and Wax Beans

2Tbs          Whole Grain Mustard

1Tbs          Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1Tbs         Seasoned White Vinegar, I used a lemon-herb white balsamic vinegar (champagne would work) 

Spray Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Prep Cauliflower:

Preheat oven to 400

Slice cauliflower as described above

Spray cookie sheet with olive oil and lay out the cauliflower in one layer on the sheet

Spray cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh black pepper and salt

Roast in oven for about 30-35 min or until tender

Prep Chicken:

(If you cannot find "thinly sliced" chicken breasts, slice standard chicken breasts in half yourself such that it is 1/2 the thickness)

Pound the chicken until very thin

Slice each piece into strips on a vertical diagonal

Season with salt and pepper

Add 2Tbs of olive oil to a large, deep saute pan and warm on medium-high heat

Once olive oil is hot, add shallots and saute

Add garlic and mix with shallots then immediately add chicken

Saute until beginning to brown, about 5-7min, then add juice of 1 lemon to deglaze the pan

Add artichokes and saute on medium-low heat

Prep Salad:

Microwave green and wax beans according to bag instructions or in a covered dish with 2Tbs water for 3-4min

Remove any water from beans and add to serving bowl

Add roasted cauliflower to beans

Mix mustard, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to small bowl and mix with fork or whisk

Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat thoroughly 

Plate chicken and salad as desired then enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos with Avocado Slaw

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos with Avocado Slaw

The Necessities: 

Slow Cooker:

2lbs                 Chicken Thighs, trimmed of most fat

2 jars              Trader Joe's Salsa Verde (homemade is best but in a rush this works just fine)

1 can               Pinto Beans, drained

1 can               Sweet Yellow Corn, drained

1TBS               Ground Cumin

2                       Shallot, diced

1/4                   Onion, diced

Avocado Slaw:

1                     Avocado, medium

1/2 bag         Sliced Green Cabbage

1TBS             Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

1TBS             Apple Cider Vinegar 

1/4tsp           Onion powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garnish:

Yellow Corn Tortillas, toasted over gas stove

Chopped Cilantro

Roasted Bell Pepper

Combine required ingredient into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low heat for 10 hrs. (NO other prep needed!)

Prepare the slaw by first peeling and dicing the avocado. 

Mash the pieces of avocado with the back of a spoon in the bowl you will be preparing the slaw.

Add the cilantro, vinegar, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.

Add the cabbage to the bowl and toss to completely coat the cabbage.

Toast your tortillas, slice your roasted peppers, chop you extra cilantro, and prep any other toppings you desire...

Then enjoy! 

The "Skinny":

The avocado slaw is my perfect alternative to regular coleslaw. The avocado still supplies the creamy texture but loaded with more vitamins and "good for you" fats in comparison to Mayo.

Corn tortillas are also a better alternative to flour tortillas, plus I think they taste better anyway. 

It has been a while since my last post but I hope you guys enjoy!

Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Mushroom & Red Wine Sauce over Creamy Polenta

Herb Crusted Pork Loin with Mushroom & Red Wine Sauce 

over Creamy Polenta

Prepare Pork:

2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tsp crushed garlic
salt and pepper
1.5 Tbs olive oil, divided
1lb pork tenderloin

• Preheat oven to 375⁰F
• In food processor, finely dice the herbs
• Add herbs to crushed garlic in small bowl
• Add salt, pepper and ½ tbs olive oil, combine into paste
• Heat remaining olive oil in metal pan over medium-high heat
• Rub half of herb paste onto pork and add to pan
• Sear the meat on all sides then place on baking sheet
• Rub the remaining paste on the pork and place in oven for ~30-35min.
• Once internal temperature of the pork has reached 165⁰F,
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

(Resting the meat is crucial to maintaining moisture. If the pork is sliced immediately after cooking, the juices will run and the pork will be dry once served)

Prepare polenta:

1 cup water
2 cups unsweetened original almond milk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 cup polenta (corn grits)

• Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil, remove from heat and steep for 10min
• Remove herbs and garlic and return to boil
• Add polenta and cook for ~5 min then remove from heat

(This preparration was adapted from Food and Wine Magazine)

Prepare sauce:

0.5lb crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbs olive oil
dry red wine (dry Marsala)

• In the pan used to sear the meat, heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat
• Add the mushroom and sauté until almost golden, adding water for moisture if needed
• Deglaze the pan with dry Marsala wine 

(Ensure the pan is not too hot such that a flame may develop.  If a flame does develop, lift pan from stove and blow out flame. Once the flame is out, you may return the pan to the stove. The integrity of the sauce will not be compromised if small flame does develop, as long as it is put out in a timely manner)

Prepare Vegetable:

1lb asparagus
Salt & Pepper
Spray olive oil

• While pork is resting and oven is still hot,
• Place trimmed asparagus onto same pan used to roast the pork
• Season with salt and pepper the coat with spray olive oil
• Roast in oven for about 20 minutes

My Plating Suggestion:
Once all ingredients are prepared,
make a foundation of polenta on plate
place 3-4 ¼” slices of pork on top of polenta
top with mushrooms and wine sauce
line asparagus alongside the foundation of polenta

ENJOY!

Loaded Grecian Sandwich

Loaded Grecian Sandwich

Serving size: 1 Sandwich

Servings per Recipe: 4-5

Ingredients:

Rolls or Bread (I like Trader Joe's Half-Baked Rustic Rolls that I finish baking at home)

~1lb thinly sliced chicken breast

Jar of roasted bell peppers

Jar or Kalamata olives

Jar of green olives (I like the ones stuffed with pimentos but any of your choosing will work)

Can of artichoke hearts, drained

Bag of arugula

Cup of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

2 Persian cucumbers (sold at Trader Joe's) or 1 small/medium English cucumber

4tsp olive oil, divided

Spray olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Make "Tzatziki" Sauce:

Finely dice the cucumber and mix into Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Place in fridge to chill while preparing the rest.

Roast the Artichokes:

Preheat oven to 375.

If the artichokes hearts are whole, cut in half and place on a paper towel and cover with another. 

Pat the artichokes dry so they roast more easily.

Coat baking sheet with spray olive oil and place the artichokes on the sheet, cut side up.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then coat with spray olive oil.

Place in oven for about 10-12 min, or until beginning to golden.

Prep the Chicken:

Pat the thinly sliced chicken breasts dry with paper towel.

Slice each breast in half.

Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat 2tsp olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Add chicken to pan and leave untouched for 3-5 min until it begins to golden on bottom.

Flip chicken and again leave untouched until the meat is thoroughly cooked through.

(cut the thickest piece to test, no pink? then you are in the clear)

Repeat with second round of olive oil and chicken. 

*Tip: adding fresh garlic wouldn't hurt*

Prepare condiments:

Slice olives in half longitudinally

Slice roasted bell peppers into desired size

Assemble Sandwich:

Place 2 pieces of chicken on the bottom of roll. 

Top with desired amount of arugula, olives, roasted artichokes, and roasted bell peppers.

Add a dollop (or more!) of the "Tzatziki".

Attempt to close down the sandwich and ENJOY!

You can serve this with a number of sizes, a Greek orzo pasta salad for example.

I kept it simple, and attempted to lower the carb intake, by just roasting some asparagus with just a little salt and pepper (coated with spray olive oil) in the oven at 375 for 10-12 min.

The chicken preparation seems like it is a bit boring, but believe me, the simple flavors of the chicken complement the robust condiments!

Hope you all enjoy!