Tahini Bites!

These Tahini Bites are perfect for a quick, healthy snack! They will fill you up and keep you fuled! And they are so simple to make!

Mine had four ingredients:

-1 jar of tahini

- milk powder (I used condensed  low fat milk for this trial)

- dark chocolate chips

- shaved coconut

I used the entire jar of tahini, 1/4 cup of the condensed milk, chocolate chips and shaved coconut as desired!

Mix all ingredients into one bowl:

You want to create the consistency of cookie dough. 

You can create ball-shaped (like cookies) or I decided to do "brownie style" by putting the mix into a flat tray:

Pop this in the freezer for about 30 minutes, and then refrigerate after that. 

Once it hardened, I cut mine into Tahini Bites:

Keep these in the fridge as a great fast, filling snack! 

I love these because they give you the feeling that you are eating straight up peanut butter and the dark chocolate adds a great crunch! 

You can vary this recipe by adding dried fruit, nuts, or plain!

For my next batch I will use the milk powder because it will help maintain better structure for the tahini. This batch will last me a while, but I will re-post when I use the powder! 

Prep these for your busy schedule or even use them as a savory dessert!

Buffalo-Style Cauliflower!

If you know me, I love me some hot wings!! Unfortunately, it's not appropriate to eat them everyday, so here's a fun way to spice up your next meal, Buffalo-Style!

Start with one head of cauliflower, chop up into desired size, and then put into an oven safe dish:

Next, drizzle with your choice of hot wing sauce:

I tried this Ashanti brand sauce and it was really yummy and vinegar based, so no fattening butter! 

I used the entire bottle:

I added a little cracked black pepper and mixed everything in together to make it nice an even. Then put it in the oven at 350:

It doesn't take too long to cook! However, it will be up to you as to how well-done you want the cauliflower to be. Mine was in for maybe 20 minutes.

While it was baking I made some zucchini "noodles" and sautéed them up with some olive oil, chili flakes, and chicken sausages:

I went super mellow on the sauce/topping for this part because I knew the wing sauce would be pretty powerful, so it's a good way to balance out flavors.

This funny little combo turned out great!

The spice and the crunch of the cauliflower make for a seemingly hearty side, but leaves you satisfied and not over stuffed and by using the zucchini for "noodles" this is a great way to pack in lots of veggies in one meal!

I had left over cauliflower so I cooked it with my eggs this morning! So good!

How do you add spice to your meals?

Chicken and Quinoa Noodle Soup

I finally got the chance to break into my new Crock Pot! 

First recipe attempt: Chicken and Quinoa Noodle Soup packed with veggies! 

For this batch I used:

-1 package of all natural white meat chicken breast tenders

-2 cartons of organic chicken broth 

-5 celery stalks

-4 large carrots

-2 bell boppers (one red, one green)

-1 box quinoa pasta 

- chopped cilantro

- diced green chills

-salt and pepper to taste 

First step was prepping and chopping all the veggies!

Then added in some chopped cilantro and diced green chilis (about half a can):

I chose to use chicken breast tenders because they are easy to cut up into nice sized pieces:

Do not fill the crock pot all the way with goodies before adding whatever liquid you are using! 

So, once I had everything prepared I added in the organic chicken broth:

Since one carton wasn't enough to get a good broth going I decided to add my second one, then it was crock time!

All Crock Pots are probably different, but I set mine on high for the entire cook time.

I didn't add the noodles in to the pot till about half way through the cooking time because I didn't want them to get way over done:

You can always add more broth at this time as well, or along the way if it seems to be getting absorbed by all the goods.

The soup cooked for about 4 - 5 hours, and it was so nice to be able to set it and forget it!

This came out great!

Filling and packed with veggies!

Also stays great in the fridge for the week, or frozen to keep for longer! 

This recipe can totally be switched up and tweaked anyway you'd like! Different veggies, you could do a beef stew version, regular noodles, or none at all! Let me know how you make yours!

Easy Appetizer: Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus!

Here is an easy appetizer that I made a few times over the Holidays! 

It's quick and great to bring to dinners or parties!

Start with a bunch of Asparagus and chop off the ends:

Spread the asparagus out in a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil:

Salt and cracked pepper to taste:

Pop them in the oven at about 350, they won't take super long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes or until the ends are brown and crisp:

Once they have cooled down, wrap one slice of prosciutto around two pieces of asparagus. The prosciutto is flexible and tends to stick to itself so you won't need to use toothpicks to hold them together or anything!

These can be served immediately or store in the fridge for later! 

These were a popular appetizer wherever I brought them this season, and I think they would be good all year round :)