Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Let's face it. Peanut butter and bananas are a match made in heaven. I'm down with a PB and banana sandwich any day, and I will be the first to order banana ice cream with Reese's Cups at Cold Stone Creamery (they're banana flavor is insane!). Although no one is stopping me from going to Cold Stone every day and getting a huge scoop of ice cream, I try to have at least some self-control, so I set out to satisfy my ice cream cravings in a healthier manner. Lately, I've been on a huge smoothie kick (blueberries, raspberries, oj, spinach, and flax is a winner!), and this peanut butter banana smoothie hits the spot in oh-so-many ways!

You've got fiber, calcium, protein, and all sorts of other goodies in each smoothie - tasty and healthy! I use frozen chunks of bananas instead of adding ice, which lends the smoothie a creamier texture, and soy milk, creamy peanut butter, cinnamon, honey, and vanilla make it taste super rich. I have also made this with regular dairy milk, and it tastes just as delish, but I've noticed that soy milk (or even almond milk) gives the perfect creaminess, similar to soft-serve ice cream. You can even add a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a peanut butter-chocolate combination. I use my 14 oz. personal-sized blender, but a larger blender would work just as well, I'm sure! Happy blending! 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie (serves 1)


*1 frozen banana (method for freezing below)
1 cup plain or vanilla soy milk
1 heaping tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!


*How to freeze bananas: 
To make four future smoothies, peel four ripe bananas and cut into six to seven (1-inch) chunks (depending on banana size). Split the chunks evenly between two plastic sandwich bags, making sure the bananas are in an even layer, and freeze the bags flat until the bananas are completely frozen. 

Baked Curried Sweet Potato Fries

I'm convinced that sweet potato fries are one of the best foods on the planet. Ever. They are sweet and savory at the same time, they taste amazing with nearly any kind of spice you've got in your cabinet, and they are highly addictive! I can never eat just one of these fries, and before I know it they're all gone, and I have a hankering to go and make another batch. If you want to try and squeeze more veggies in your diet, baked sweet potato fries will definitely do the trick. 

These guys are full of fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C! They're basically health food disguised as a guilty pleasure, but they are so good for you and so delicious! To spice them up, I use curry powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and ground ginger, and the amount of each spice can be adjusted to your taste. These never come out the same way twice, and that's what I love about them - sometimes they've got a spicier kick and other times they are more mild. Unfortunately, I love to dip them in barbecue sauce or honey mustard, possibly detracting from their nutritional value, but I say a little barbecue sauce never hurt!


Baked Curried Sweet Potato Fries


1 medium sweet potato, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch course salt 
ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Without peeling it, cut the sweet potato in half (not lengthwise), slice each half into 4 equal chunks, and then continue to cut these chunks into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. The fries will be short, but this helps them cook faster and crisp up more. You can basically cut them any way you like, but I've found this is the best method for getting the perfect fries. 

Here's what they look like before going in the oven!


Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil, and drizzle the olive oil all over the foil. Spread the oil in an even layer on the foil, and add the potatoes to the pan (I've found this prevents sticking better than drizzling the oil over the potatoes). Sprinkle the spices evenly over the potatoes, and toss everything thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning them over about halfway through, until the potatoes are golden brown and cooked all the way through. 

Spice up the morning with Breakfast Burritos!

I love pretty much everything about breakfast food. I love how it's often easy to whip up and get on the table, I love that it energizes your body for whatever the day brings, and I especially love how the smell of pancakes or bacon or coffee floats around the house, getting me in the mood to get the day started. I also love burritos, and when breakfast foods like scrambled eggs and sausage get wrapped up in a warm tortilla, something crazy delicious is about to go down! I've been on a scrambled egg kick lately (eggs are super cheap and quick!) and my new favorite thing is to brown up some veggie sausage, wilt in some baby spinach, add some eggs and scramble up the whole lot for a super tasty meal. 

One of my favorite food bloggers, Jenna from Eat, Live, Run, posted a recipe for breakfast quesadillas, and she does the exact same thing with her eggs as I do, but she goes a couple steps further and adds crumbled goat cheese and hot sauce to hers! I adore quesadillas, but I hate having to wait for them to get crispy, and my frying pan just ain't big enough for the kind of tortillas I want to be eating! So I adapted her recipe into the ultimate quick, cheap, and easy breakfast burrito. I've made this recipe two days in a row, and I just might go for a third day because these are seriously so yummy! 

Feel free to use chicken or pork sausage if you're not in to veggie sausage, and if you don't like goat cheese, try some sharp cheddar or pepper jack - just make sure it's got a lot of flavor! I would even use wilted baby arugula instead of spinach. The possibilities are virtually endless!


Breakfast Burrito 
(recipe serves 1, but it is easily doubled or tripled)

2 eggs (preferably organic), whisked and seasoned w/ salt & pepper
1 veggie sausage patty (or 2 veggie sausage links)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
1 whole wheat or plain flour tortilla, warmed
hot sauce, for serving (optional)


Heat a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat, spray with a little cooking spray, and add the veggie sausage. Brown the sausage on both sides, and cook until it is no longer frozen. Break up the sausage in the pan with a spatula and cook for a few more seconds. Add the baby spinach and cook until completely wilted. Stir in the eggs and scramble until the mixture is completely cooked and no longer runny. Place the warm tortilla on a plate, top with the scrambled egg mixture, the goat cheese, and a drizzle of hot sauce. Fold up the tortilla burrito-style and enjoy with more hot sauce!


*For best burrito wrapping, fold the left and right sides of the tortilla about 1 inch inward, then fold the side closest to you away from you. Gently roll the filled tortilla to the farthest edge and hold this edge so the burrito doesn't fall apart. Burritos are delicious, but sometimes messy, so grab a few napkins while you're at it!

This Bread is Bananas... B-A-NA-NA-S!!

Thank you, Gwen Stefani, for inspiring the title for this post on, what else, banana bread! I am nuts about banana bread, ya'll! This recipe in particular is my mom's recipe, and although I don't know where she got the recipe from, it is nevertheless a deeeelicious one. I won't ramble on too long about how perfect this bread turned out. I mean, just take a look at this loaf! So golden brown and tasty...

What I like most about this recipe is that all of the ingredients are things that most of us have in our kitchen at all times, perhaps excepting the bananas. I had three super brown bananas on my counter that were either going in the freezer for smoothies or following the path to banana bread greatness... you guys obviously know what fate the fruit came to. So the next time there's a bunch of spotty, overly ripe bananas laying around on your counter, don't (please, please, don't) throw them away! Mash them up, quick and simple, and make some banana bread! 

Mom's Classic Banana Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (you could also use 1 3/4 ap flour if you don't have ww)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled

3 ripe bananas (about 1 pound), mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups - it helped to measure it out)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place oven rack in middle position. Spray a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold together until everything is just mixed (don't over mix). Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then cool the rest of the way on a wire rack or tray. 

*1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts would be good in this too! I would even add a 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for a little somethin' somethin'.

*Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" seemed like a perfect inspiration for this post :)

Baked Penne with Peas and Mushrooms

Sometimes I get ideas in my head, often visions of food, that won't go away unless I try to act on them. Take this pasta for instance. I had been craving baked pasta for weeks, but was too lazy to look up a recipe, yet visions of cheesy, bubbly, hearty baked pasta were nonetheless floating around my head all weekend. Enough was enough. I had peas, mushrooms, and a huge can of my favorite marinara sauce on hand, and by golly I was going to make that pasta! I call this a recipe without a recipe because you can pretty much put anything into this dish that you like - the only continuous factor should be the pasta. 

You can use cheddar, fontina, feta, Gruyere, goat, or any kind of cheese that you like. Vodka sauce, marinara, pesto, garlic and olive oil - the sauce options are varied as well! If I make this again... what am I saying? When I make this again, I may use feta cheese, spinach, garlic, and perhaps some diced chicken breast to put a Greek spin on things. Or maybe some goat cheese, caramelized onion, and asparagus for a more swanky element. Honestly, you can go anywhere with this. The best thing is that any direction you take will hopefully lead you to something delicious.

This also makes tasty leftovers... you know, if there is anything left over. 

Baked Pasta with Peas and Mushrooms

8 oz. penne pasta, or any other short pasta
6 large white button mushrooms, dirt wiped off and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
3/4 cup frozen peas, no need to thaw 
1 1/2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and chile flakes in a small pan over medium heat, then add half the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunk slightly, then add the rest of the mushrooms to the pan and cook until the moisture in released and they are slightly brown. Pour the 'shrooms into a medium-sized baking dish. Add the cooked pasta, peas, and marinara sauce; toss everything in the dish to combine. Fold in 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella until combined. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and the 1/4 cup parmesan over the top of the pasta. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top is crunchy and golden brown, and the edges are bubbly. 

Blackberry Peach Cobbler with Homemade Whipped Cream

Ask a true Southerner about a quintessential Southern dessert, and chances are fruit cobbler will stand pretty high up on the list of homespun goodness. Cobbler can also be referred to as a slump, grunt, crisp, crumble, buckle, pandowdy, and many other funny names, but here we'll just stick with "cobbler." The cobbler I grew up eating had either a crumble topping made from sugar, flour, and butter, or a pie-crust like topping, such as on my Grandma's peach cobbler, that covered every inch of the top. And although my family absolutely adores peach cobbler, I haven't always liked it! My cobbler aversion lasted until just a few years ago, when for some reason I decided I would start liking it, along with pies, tarts, and other fruit-filled desserts with a crust. But after making this incredible (dare I say spectacular) blackberry peach cobbler last night for Father's Day, I can't even fathom how nutty I was for not liking cobbler for so long!

This cobbler, topped with buttery, fluffy, crunchy-topped biscuits, is brimming with an incredible amount of peaches and blackberries (which were frozen this time around - when peaches are in season, I'll be making this again!). This recipe also has an incredible amount of sugar in it, possibly because blackberries are often quite tart, but I believe this recipe is infinitely adjustable. If the fruit you find is ripe, juicy, and sweet, please feel free to cut the sugar amount.

I adapted the recipe from the Epicurious website (epicurious.com), and to it I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a squeeze of lemon juice to cut the sweetness a bit. I cannot tell you how delicious this was - the hot, juicy fruit and buttery biscuits together (and topped with a heaping dollop of fresh whipped cream) was enough to make me want to eat it all on my own. But this is a huge recipe, so sharing is definitely in order... 

Then again, sharing may be overrated... :) 

Blackberry Peach Cobbler with Homemade Whipped Cream

Recipe adapted from Epicurious (epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 1 1/4 pounds blackberries (5 cups)

2 pounds peaches (6 medium), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk

*I used 2 pounds frozen peaches and 10 ounces frozen blackberries - still super delish!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add the lemon juice, peaches, and blackberries and stir well to coat. Pour the fruit mixture into a 13x9x2 baking dish. Bake the fruit for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Set aside. 

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like course cornmeal. Stir in the milk until the mixture is just combined. Scoop 1/3 cup dollops of dough onto the hot fruit mixture until all the dough is used. Sprinkle the dough with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm with the whipped cream.  

Homemade Whipped Cream

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

In a large bowl, beat everything together for a few minutes using a whisk or a mixer with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form (not until the mixture begins to curdle!). This means, if you flip the whisk upright with a bit of whipped cream on it, there should be a nice curlycue at the tip, kind of like soft-serve ice cream :) 

Veganized Heaven: Carrot Cake Pancakes

Howdy, friends! It has been ages since my last blog post, and after my long hiatus from Sunny Side Up, I'm so ready to get back into the swing of things! So without further ado, I present to you all the most amazing, delicious, VEGAN pancakes! Don't be intimidated by the fact that these bad boys don't have any eggs or dairy products in them... they are one-hundred-percent scrumptious without all that stuff. This recipe is from the totally rad Post Punk Kitchen food blog, which is written by the amazing vegan chef Isa Chandra (theppk.com). I have made a few of her recipes before, and if anyone can create a tasty vegan amalgamation of carrot cake and pancakes, it would be her! 

At first I was skeptical because when I first read the recipe there didn't seem to be any binding agents, such as eggs, to hold the batter together. Apart from the ground flax seeds (again, don't be afraid of this stuff - you can't even taste it!) and the maple syrup, I was afraid that pancakes would disintegrate after flipping on the griddle! But, as I've said, Isa Chandra is quite a pro at what she does, and the batter came together beautifully and without a hitch.

Today is also Father's Day, and the pancakes were a hit with all of us, especially my dad! When the batter hits the griddle, the most amazing spicy, warm smell wafts throughout the room from the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice jazzing up the mixture. The carrots remain ever so slightly crunchy, which adds a great carrot-cakey texture. My stepmom even suggested topping them with homemade whipped cream for extra richness, and I would not hesitate to jump on that idea the next time I make these! Who would have thought that veganizing such an iconic breakfast food could turn out so fabulously?! I have seen the other side, and I may never go back to plain jane pancakes again... 

Carrot Cake Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of Isa Chandra @ the Post Punk Kitchen (theppk.com)


*2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (this can be found at health food stores or in the natural food section of your grocery store)
1 cup almond milk (or your fave non-dairy milk) *I used plain soy milk*
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (not the thick Aunt Jemima/Eggo/Mrs. Butterworth kind)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1  cup peeled grated carrot, about 6 ounces 


In a small mixing bowl, using a fork, beat the flax seeds together with the milk for about a minute. Add the vinegar, water, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Mix well.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon just until combined. Fold in grated carrot. Let batter rest for at least 5 minutes (very important).


Preheat a large non-stick pan or electric griddle over medium heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray or oil. Add batter in scant 1/4 cup scoops. Cook the pancakes until the edges are dry and bubbles have formed on top. Flip, and cook for another minute or so until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Continue until all the pancakes are cooked. 


Keep on a plate covered with tin foil until ready to eat. Serve with pure maple syrup. YUM!

Greek Butter Cookies with Pistachios & Rose Water

Butter is a truly wonderful thing. Two sticks worth of butter in one cookie recipe is even MORE wonderful! In this greek butter cookie recipe, that is based off of Martha Stewart's mexican wedding cookies and another butter cookie recipe, more butter is definitely better. Never mind the fact that I've already eaten too many of these crunchy, perfumey, and sugar-coated little beauties - I can work it all off at the gym, right? I got the idea to make these cookies when I found a recipe for greek butter cookies at Whipped, one of the coolest food blogs out there! Caroline, the founder of Whipped, has a husband who is Greek, and they make butter cookies similar to these, scented with rose water, filled with crunchy almonds, and doused with powdered sugar. Just look at these babies....

Seeing that greek butter cookie recipe got me going on a knowledge quest for what is truly "greek" about them. Rose water (which can be found at specialty food stores, candy shops, or some grocery stores) is definitely a common thread among recipes, and the nuts go anywhere from walnuts to almonds to pistachios. I chose pistachios because they taste just so good with the buttery dough! With my butter, my rose water, and my pistachios on hand, I commenced the baking of some of the best cookies I've ever made. 

The recipe is dead simple. Just pulse together the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor (or even a blender if you don't have one). Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and rose water, add the dry ingredients, combine, and you have a killer dough for a killer cookie. Basically, any kind of sweet, buttery baked good coated in powdered sugar is a must-have in my book....

Greek Butter Cookies
* Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart @ marthastewartweddings.com

1/2 cup pistachios nuts (shelled)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon rose water (this is optional if you cannot find it - I found mine in a candy shop!)


To a food processor, add the pistachios, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse the mixture until the pistachios are nicely chopped (if you don't have a food processor, you can easily chop the nuts separately and add to the flour, salt, and cinnamon). In the bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, combine the softened butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and rose water until pale and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix!). Place the remaining 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl and set aside. 


Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball (dough may be crumbly) and place on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until you have 20 dough balls on the sheet (about 5 rows of 4). Press the dough down gently so the bottom is a little bit flat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool slightly, then coat the cookies in the 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar while they're still a bit warm. Let cool completely on a plate before enjoying!

Summer in a bowl: Giada di Laurentiis's Warm Vegetable Salad

Phew!! Summer vacation has finally arrived, and I am so incredibly glad for it! I have sadly been neglecting my little food blog for too long because of final exams, moving all of my stuff out of the dorm, and making the journey back home for a much-needed break from studying. Even though it is still technically springtime, it certainly feels like summer - here in Greensboro, NC it has been shorts-and-flip-flops weather all the way. For me, summertime means farmers markets, fresh vegetables, and getting a chance to reacquaint myself with the foods that are never available during the cold winter months. Eating a mango in December just doesn't hit the spot like eating one in the heat of summer.

And so, folks, I present to you the most incredible, fresh, and SCRUMPTIOUS warm vegetable salad I have ever eaten. And when I say "ever eaten," I mean it! The combination of sweet roasted bell peppers, red potatoes, green beans, green onions, and a lemony vinaigrette is heavenly. Like the title of this post says, it is simply all of the flavors of summer tossed lovingly together into one bowl.

These are the bell peppers after roasting and getting nice and charred! You let them steam for a few minutes so the skin can be easily peeled away from the pepper. 

I will without a doubt be making this salad again and again and again! We ate all of it! Not a scrap was left! It would be delicious cold at a picnic (no mayonnaise, so it's hot-weather friendly!), and I'll definitely be experimenting with different kind of potatoes and vegetables next time. We gobbled it up with roasted salmon on the side, and it was the perfect combination of healthy fats and vitamins from all of the veggie goodness. In other words, it was the perfect opportunity to bask in the fantastic flavors that only fresh vegetables have!

Warm Vegetable Salad

*Recipe courtesy of Giada di Laurentiis @ foodnetwork.com

2 whole red peppers

1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes

3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved

1 bunch scallions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves

1 lemon, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

pinch red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total (Keep an eye on them!). Put the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for about 10 minutes so the skin will peel off easily and the peppers cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the scallions and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Lately, I have been on the biggest strawberry-eating kick ever. The grocery store was selling them for $5 for four pounds (!!!), and I can honestly say that was one of the best ideas a grocery store has ever had. I've been eating gobs of them, and although enjoying them pure and simple is perfect, one of my roommates suggested making a strawberry spinach salad for dinner tonight. Homegirl knows her stuff! All we had to do was grab a to-go box of baby spinach, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette from the dining hall, and I ran to the store to pick up some chopped pecans and a cheesy baguette to complete the meal. We threw everything together and dinner was served!

I cannot tell you how many recipes are out there for this salad, so many of you may have already tried making something like this or have had something similar at a restaurant. But there is a reason for this. This salad is so amazingly delicious, healthy, and simple that no wonder so many people have published recipes for it. You could just as easily use sliced pears or even some fresh sliced peaches (ohmygosh GRILLED peaches would be amazing!!!) instead of the strawberries. The possibilities are endless! 

Strawberry Spinach Salad (serves 2 people)

Distributed among 2 large plates layer:

     2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach

    1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

    3 tablespoons chopped pecans (toasted, if you like)

    1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries 

    1/4 cup store-bought or homemade balsamic vinaigrette

Eat immediately with some slices of toasted baguette! Sooo yummy!

*If you're feeling adventurous, try these substitutions:

    Sliced pears, tart apples, peaches, nectarines instead of strawberries

    Crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese instead of feta

    Walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds instead of pecans

    Arugula, watercress, mixed greens instead of spinach

Individual Chocolate Pudding Dump Cakes

Folks, I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more chocolate! I'm not kidding. I've had an insatiable craving for chocolate since I woke up this morning, and although I was going to save making these cakes for later in the week, I couldn't help myself. Chocolate is kind of my weakness. 

You will not believe how easy, quick, and bleeping delicious these chocolate pudding dump cakes are! Okay, so a "dump" cake doesn't really sound that appetizing, I completely understand, but one of my favorite food bloggers (Jenna from Eat, Live, Run) posted a recipe for this stuff the other day, and suffice it to say I wanted it right then and there. Basically, this pudding cake, which is composed of solely chocolate pudding and chocolate cakes mixes and some milk to bind it together, kicks chocolate cravings to the curb like some sort of chocolate ninja! One of the best things about these is that they have no eggs, which is even more incentive to both lick the spoon after mixing, and to let them stay ever so slightly gooey on the inside. No salmonella here!

What else can I say? If your chocolate cravings are as intense as mine, why not whip these out and dig in? 

Individual Chocolate Pudding Dump Cakes
* You can also make this in a 13x9-inch baking pan, just make sure to bake it for 30 minutes, or until the edges pull away slightly from the sides of the pan


1 small package chocolate pudding mix (I used Jello brand Devil's Food flavor)
1 box chocolate cake mix (I love Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines, but any brand will work)
1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk or regular milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the pudding mix and milk according to package directions. Add the cake mix and stir to combine - the batter will be very thick. Spray a 6-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon the batter evenly into each cup and smooth the tops. Sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges pull away slightly from the sides of the muffin cups. Cool slightly (if you have the will power, unlike myself) and serve.