In the Kitchen w/ Kimmy

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

2010-11-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

Such an easy treat... and yes it's not the BEST ingredients... don't judge! They're quick, good and yummy!

Just follow the mixing instructions on the back of the sugar cookie package. Add a can of pumpkin puree and a little pumpkin pie spice... and there 'ya have it!

Great with coffee in the morning, too...

Cream Cheese Apricot Dip

2009-12-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

(My teaching partner at school introduced me to this scrumptious appetizer. It may seem unappealing at first... but just wait until you taste it! Every time I've served this it's gone in no time... very yummy and addicting!)

1 brick cream cheese, softened
apricot preserves - spooned over cheese
peanuts crushed, placed over preserves
green onions chopped, over the top

Serve with wheat thins or any other crackers... try it! You'll see...

Frosty's Fruit Salad

2009-12-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

(Found this recipe in Southern L*dy magazine November/December 2009 issue page 81. I served this for the girls at the tea and they loved it. Still healthy fruit with a hint of cinnamon and sweetness. I love this, too.)

Frosty's Fruit Salad

2 c fresh orange juice
6 T oacked brown sugar
2 T honey
1/2 t cinnamon
4 ripe bananas, sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
2 Red Delicious apples, cored and diced
2 cups halved seedless grapes
1 can mandarine oranges

Combine juice, sugar, honey and cinnamon. Stir until sugar is dissolved; set aside.

In a large bowl combine fruit. Pour juice mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Oriental Salad

2009-12-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Oriental Salad

(I first had this salad at a friend's home. It is so yummy and easy. I think I'd like to try and experiment with some sugar alternatives with the dressing recipe... but until I have that one down here is the recipe as given to me.) Thanks Laura!

2 heads lettuce (you can use bags)

1 head broccoli

5 stalks green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1 c sugar

1 c oil

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 t salt

3 T soy sauce

Crunchy Topping:

Saute in 1/2 c butter

1/2 c sunflower seeds (shelled)

3/4 slivered almonds

2 pkgs Ramen noodles (discard seasoning)

Saute for 5 - 10 minutes or until toasted

Toss before serving. So yummy!

Oreo Truffles

2009-12-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

(I first had these at a friend's house for a playgroup. Emma was a baby and Hudson was a toddler. I was in heaven eating these things... and will always remember the day I had these for the first time!)

Oreo Balls (Easy Oreo Truffles)

1 pkg Oreo cookies

1 brick cream cheese - softened

half of a pkg. almond bark

Crush all cookies in a food processor until they are in fine crumbs. Place in bowl and add cream cheese. Mix until blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls - 1 inch in diameter. (I used this tool and it saved my life!)

Melt almond bark according to package directions. Dip balls in chocolate. Place on wax-paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy canes or other fun colorful toppings on top for fun! Place balls in refrigerator until firm. Makes 42. Store in refrigerator.

so fun - so yummy...

2008-12-31T08:44:00.001-08:00

This was a big hit with the whole family this year... very fun - festive and bite-sized. So over all perhaps better than eating an entire cake... you could indulge in this bite-sized delight of salty and sweet.

tiny pretzels
Rollo's Chocolate Caramel Candy
festive color M&Ms

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet. Place unwrapped Rollo on each pretzel. Place pan in oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Being careful to watch that the Rollo does not totally melt - you just want it to slightly begin to get soft. Pull pan out of the oven and press M&M on to each Rollo - pressing chocolate down. Quickly transfer to a cool plate so chocolate will stop melting. I even placed plate in the refrigerator to help them cool. Yummy!

2008-08-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

can't get enough of this lately... red leaf lettuce, raw spinach, red onion, avocado, black beans with a light balsamic vinegar dressing... this is SO good to me...

My favorite snack...

2008-08-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

aahhhhhhhhhh.... snack time.

1 Organic pink lady apple, sliced - 100 calories
1 Organic whole grain brown rice cake, lightly slated - 70 calories
1 T (or less) Organic almond butter - 70 calories

Why this is a good choice: The natural goodness of eating fruit for a snack... sweetness I crave - the crunch I desire, nutrition my body needs - fiber. Rice cake... surprisingly a lot of flavor with the brown rice... not like eating Styrofoam - promise! The almond butter... protein to help sustain my appetite, good fat to keep things regular and adds a rich taste. I really want a candy bar... but once I'm done eating this I feel better about making a good choice... my appetite has been sustained and I can make it to the next healthy meal.

Whole Grain Pancakes

2008-07-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

I mill my own organic whole grain wheat... but you can purchase whole grain wheat at most grocery stores... I always double this recipe so I can freeze them and reheat them for the kiddos for later on in the week. The re-heat very well...

2 cups organic whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground organic flaxseed
2 free-range eggs
4 t. aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 to 1 cup milk - you don't want batter too runny

Mix ingredients... Pour on a lightly oiled pan or griddle on medium heat. Cook until most bubbles on the surface have popped, check that the bottom is browned. Flip and brown second side. Serve with real maple syrup, almond butter, or apple butter. Or use berries or other fruit toppings...

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

2008-07-21T07:09:00.001-07:00

(organic ingredients are always best when possible but not necessary!)

1 - 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (you could make your own organic beans but using the canned is fast)

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 green onions, chopped

3 T lime juice (fresh squeezed is best)

2 T balsamic vinegar

½ t ground cumin

¼ t Redmond's sea salt

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. The dish tastes best when it sits over night. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. I always double the recipe for parties. It stays good for 3 days.

This is a good and healthy topping for baked potatoes... we also love it rolled in a whole wheat tortilla. I especially love it tossed in a green leaf salad... no use for dressing since it's already got the balsamic vinegar. This is one of our favorite summer time healthy dishes and it looks SO pretty, too...

Source: unknown - picked this recipe up in college and made some healthy adjustments

what am I thinking?

2008-07-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

...another blog? because I have nothing else to do in my life... silly... maybe. But I've been wanting a few of my friends to create cooking/recipe blogs for months now and they won't do it... so I thought - hey, why can't I just add one to my list of blogs... I see other bloggers with three blogs... so why not???

My journey in the kitchen...

It's not natural for me... the kitchen, cooking, etc... but I truly have prayed about this area in my life. I desire to feed my family nutritiously dense meals that are low calorie and protein enriched. We've stepped away from processed, refined foods and high fructose corn syrup. I've learned so much about nutrition the past year and a half... several people have played a roll in my life changing process... and I will make sure I give all those folks credit...

the truth is... I represent the mom who is really working on this area... in no way do I consider myself an expert in any area of the kitchen... but the Lord has been faithful and has answered a prayer in my life that has been such an encouragement for me... and I also think this blog may offer some accountability as I record what we're eating and the new recipes we're trying...

so please don't judge... just join me... let's share... let's bond through the process of learning together of how to take care of ourselves nutritionally and take care of our families...

Will you pull up a chair at my table and join me?