Jalapeno Popper Cauliflower Casserole is one of my favorite go to side dishes and you have got to try it! It's like mashed potatoes on steroids except like way better for you because it's made from cauliflower and not potatoes. It's a great side dish with grilled chicken or meat, or a main course with a salad, or as leftovers -- it's delicious rolled up in sliced turkey lunch meat.
4ft loves it and asks for it all the time. Even the husband who hates all things cauliflower says it's not bad and will eat it if it's there. The Littles thumb their noses up at it but they don't like mashed potatoes at all either and that's what they think it is.
I have a weakness for bacon. Who doesn't, right? I like to buy the center cut kind because it's a little less fatty than the normal cut and while some people swear by turkey bacon, I'm all about the real stuff so I cut the fat where I can. One, by buying center cut and two, by only eating one or two pieces. Yes, I'm the queen of willpower, why do you ask? And of course the piece I snitch while I'm cooking the bacon doesn't count.
When I posted the Witch Doctor's Angry Chicken one of my friends told me she did something like that but put bacon in it. I thought that sounded like an amazing idea and I just so happened to have a partial package of bacon in the fridge. Serendipitous, you say? I agree. I also had some Apple-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce in the fridge as well and I thought that sounded even more amazing. Bacon, barbecue, and jalapenos -- could it get any better than that?
I'm telling you now my friends, it CANNOT! This chicken was amazing. It's a little more work what with pounding the chicken super super thin and rolling it up like a burrito but it's totally worth it. You get jalapeno cheesiness with barbecue bacon in every bite and you don't need toothpicks to hold it closed like when you stuff the chicken like pockets.
Picky Eaters' Seal of Approval: Big eyes, wide smiles, and lots of piggy noises as the food was devoured.
This is the perfect sandwich for me since my surgery. Well, since passing the food restriction phases anyway. And I'll tell you why: I feel normal eating it. As normal as it can get for me. Ha! Beat you all to it. Take that!
It's the perfect size. I can eat the whole thing. I don't have to take a couple bites and then pull it apart and eat the meat only. You wouldn't think that would be a big deal but you'd be surprised at how focused people get when you eat outside of the norm. Sometimes I get tired of the attention. And this way I don't eat too much bread and get the horrible dreaded "bread belly". Since I have to focus on protein, it's the perfect ratio of bread to meat. They're also fun and when you can't eat a lot, and love food (I looooooooooove food. I love cooking it, eating it, playing with it. I live for menus and thinking of new ways to use it. I can't get enough of food), it draws out the experience more and you don't pine away as much for the relationship you used to have.
So I cut a single roll in half, spread a little guacamole or mayo and load that bad boy up with lunch meat. Then I sit down and eat a sandwich. I don't pick at a sandwich, I don't dissect a sandwich, I eat a sandwich and feel like everybody else who doesn't have to worry about how much protein they're getting or if the bread is going to make them sick or if everyone is watching and thinking, "What a freak!"(which probably happens whether I do evil experiments on food at the table or not -- I do have pink hair and stick out in a crowd).
Now it could be that that's just me and no one else has those thoughts while they're dissecting their food or loves everything there is to love about food like me. But maybe, I'm not the only one who feels like this, and maybe this sandwich might be good for you too. So, okay, Hawaiian Sweet Rolls might not be the healthiest bread choice on the planet, but really, let's face it, when you only get to take about 10 bites at best of something, shouldn't it be the best 10 bites you'll ever eat? And on top of that, I don't get the dreaded "bread belly" from these like I do with a lot of other breads and if that's something you suffer, maybe these rolls will work out for you too.
I'm going to have to get more popsicle molds. I have all these popsicle ideas whizzing around my brain and not enough molds to hold them. For reals.
Of course, I had to do more than one strawberry popsicle -- it is one of my favorite fruits after all. Strawberry cheesecake is definitely in the running for top 5 favorite strawberry desserts so what better way to celebrate a streak of hot days and my love for strawberries (not to mention they needed to get used before they went bad) than to whip together strawberry cheesecake on a stick.
These are splendiferously delicious. I'd probably do the layers thinner next time as to get more strawberry with cheesecake together action or perhaps even do it as a swirl (which I did with the leftovers and ate as a parfait), but even with the fatty stripes they were still devourable. 4ft really loved these as well but I'm pretty sure if it comes out of a popsicle mold he'd love it.
I really like protein popsicles because it's a great treat, packed with protein, and while they're filling, they're still super easy on the stomach. I wish I'd thought of these when I'd been in the early stages of my bariatric diet and was so tired of pudding and yogurt. So hopefully someone in those stages and equally sick of pudding and yogurt will stumble across this blog and see these.
I have a new addiction. Popsicles. I even asked for a juicer for Mother's Day so that I could get more sneaky with the veggies and really make my popsicles pack an even healthier punch. I might need an intervention. Just saying.
However, before my family gets that organized, you've got to try these pops. They are seriously splendiferous. Two words. Vanilla, Cinnamon, Swirled. Okay that was three but still, do I really need to say more?
4ft and I just ate two a piece and you know what? We did it guilt free. Although, 4ft might cop to the fact that they're healthy sooner as opposed to later because I never let him eat two ice cream cones or store bought popsicles ever. The look of surprise on his face was worth it when he jokingly asked for another one and I said sure as I got one for me too.
Picky Eaters' Seal of Approval: Two thumbs up (didn't last long enough to make them sticky) and a cinnamon swirled sticky smile (I've yet to see a kid who can eat a popsicle without getting it all over their face).
I love baking. 4ft loves baking. So when we bake together we usually do quick breads. There are a lot of things to measure, which 4ft loves, and mix, which I love. And quick breads are one of my favorite things to bake because they're so versatile. You can eat them at breakfast, have them for a snack, and they work for dessert too. It's a three-in-one-delicious food. How could it get any better than that? It can't and your brain will explode if you try to come up with something. So stop trying.
Quick breads are also very good for experimenting because as long as you have a couple of key ingredients -- flours of some sort and lifters -- they're very forgiving and the results are usually splendiferous. Which would be the case with this bread. It's seriously delicious and my new favorite and 4ft's too.
This bread was the brainchild of trying not to waste food. I had some ricotta cheese in the fridge that was going to go bad if it didn't get used and I didn't have enough for like a lasagna or something. So I tossed the 3/4 cup I had left into my basic quick bread recipe and then threw in some cranberries too -- because hey, they're delicious and why not. 4ft was a little apprehensive putting cheese into a bread meant to be sweet but I explained that cheesecake was made with cream cheese and that was pretty good so why not give it a shot. So he agreed. We did. And the rest is taste bud history. It's absolutely splendiferous.
I love garlic. Everything is better with garlic, kind of like bacon, but not. Okay, maybe ice cream isn't better with garlic... but still, our house would never be a candidate for a vampire invasion. Zombies would get us first because I'm pretty sure brains are better with garlic! And my family is probably pickled with garlic because I put it in just about every recipe I make (well not the Littles -- so we'd have to save them from the vampires but I bet the zombies wouldn't eat them.)
The apricot preserves give a hint of sweet without overpowering the garlicky goodness and the siracha sauce gives it a little extra kick. And not a hard kick -- I've developed quite the pansy palette since my surgery and can't handle super spicy things at all and 4ft has always been a wuss when it comes to hot spices. So this recipe is really kid friendly, if 4ft's snorting noises as it horked it down are any indication, and easy on a sensitive stomach because I had no problem putting my portion away either sans the pork noises of course.
I wish computers had smell-o-vision because you'd be loving the smell right now. A rich spicy pumpkin has permeated my kitchen (which is where my computer is at so I'm loving it) from these pumpkin loaves of wonderful. They're so moist (tell me I'm not the only one that snickers at the word "moist") and full of spicy pumpkin flavor. I can't believe how good they are. I wish I could gobble up a whole loaf (so it's probably a good thing I can't). I know you're licking the screen, don't worry, I won't tell anyone -- just watch the slobber, yeah?
I started experimenting with pumpkin because my BBFF, Gini Koch, loves pumpkin bread and I owe her a birthday present (plus 4ft also killed the rest of the banana bread so I needed another bread for breakfasts). So I started with the banana bread base recipe I came up with the other day (which was amazing) and then tore it apart and put it back together with more pumpkin-y type flavors. The results were equally amazing. I don't have experiment wins all the time but when I do, they're splendiferous, truly.
4ft can't decide which bread he likes more so I'd better wrap up a loaf of it for Gini before he eats it all -- as cute as 4ft is, I don't know if he's cute enough to save us from her wrath if she doesn't get some.
I live near Stockton, and every year they have an asparagus festival (it's a big deal 'round these parts) and every year I go just for their deep-fried asparagus. If you've never had it, you're really missing out. It's seriously nom-a-licious
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Sorry, I was having a moment. Where was I? Oh yeah, asparagus.
Since my surgery, I struggle sometimes with things that are heavy in oil or have too much breading (which is a good thing I guess -- helps me behave) so I thought why not try something along the lines of the zucchini fries since they were such a big hit, but with asparagus instead (as I was feeling nostalgic for deep-fried asparagus).
Asparagus is another veggie that 4ft swears he hates and refuses to eat. I've recently come to the conclusion that if I bread it, call it "fries", and give him ketchup for dipping, he'll eat ANYTHING! He inhaled these, doing a little butt shake (not making this up), and making happy noises. He happily had seconds. It was amazing. And while they're not deep fried asparagus (because, really, what is?), they are really delicious and a lot better for you too.
