Becca Heflin

Old Fashioned Recipe Swap – and #FridayFoodFun

May 17, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · Leave a Comment

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Happy Friday, gang! I'm short on recipes this week because quite honestly, I was short on money to buy ingredients. It's such a bummer when reality gets in the way of my dreams, but I am SO grateful that God keeps providing for my needs. EVERY day, without fail! The fact is, my plans aren't always His, so I have to roll with the tide once in a while. Today, I'll just share OTHER people's great food with you. Not such a bad thing, especially when they're created by incredible food bloggers! I'll show you a few of my favorites from the week in just a sec, but first things first... I have a fun announcement for you. SAVE THE DATE!

On May 27th, I'll be one of 30 bloggers participating in an old fashioned recipe swap. Julie {White Lights on Wednesday}, Kelley {Miss Information} and Rachel {i love my disorganized life} have paired us up to trade blogs with someone for the day.

Shatzi from Love & Laundry and I will be sharing a fabulous recipe on each other’s blog, but we can’t tell you what recipe will be appearing on our blog that day...it's a secret, even to us!}. Be sure to come back and visit us both on May 27th... we wouldn't want you to miss out on any deliciousness!

If you'd like to know who's been paired up, check out Kelley's post HERE

OK, now that you've got the date saved, let's talk FOOD!

I have at least 40 emails come into my inbox every day that are new posts from food bloggers. Their recipes and photos keep me drooling from sun up to bed time. I try to share my favorites with you on my Facebook page and/or on my Pinterest boards, but it seems that they rarely make it onto your news feed. I want to make sure that you get your cute self over to these blogs, because what you're about to see is just a GLIMMER of the talent and food love that these friends of mine produce!

My top 3 favorites from this week (in no particular order)

Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce from The Recipe Critic

Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce from The Recipe Critic

Peanut Butter Pie Parfaits from Inside BruCrew Life

Peanut Butter Pie Parfaits from Inside BruCrew Life

Balsamic Glazed French Onion Soup - Chef Chris Hill

Balsamic Glazed French Onion Soup from Chef Chris Hill a/k/a Bachelor Kitchen

Healthier Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

May 15, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 1 Comment

Cashew Carrot Cake w Cream Cheese Frosting from ItsYummi.com #HealthyDesserts #LowCarb

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It's quite possible that I witnessed an honest-to-goodness miracle this week. I didn't think it could be done, but the big God that I keep failing to trust has helped me to live through 7 days of exercise. SEVEN!! Not the "lift fork to mouth" exercise, either. REAL workouts. At the gym! With a trainer! I know...It's kind of freaky, isn't it?
I'm not sure what happened to me, either.

Good gravy, my bones and muscles hurt, but I'm convinced that after I've gone through a few dozen trays of ice and a couple of bottles of Ibuprofen, I'll be grateful that I'm treating my body better.

I'm not about to don a swimsuit and start training for a triathlon or anything, but I'm steadily working towards my #FitBy50 goal. That's 50 pounds less of me by the end of January, when I'll turn 50 years old. I BELIEVE it can be done! I'm exercising at least 3 times a week, adding more protein and veggies to my diet, and indulging in low-carb desserts like THIS ONE instead of my usual carb-infested goodies. Trust me when I say that with desserts like this one, I'm not feeling a bit deprived.

Saturday Spotlight – Etsy – and a Giveaway

May 4, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 90 Comments

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Happy Saturday! I hope you're enjoying your weekend and giving yourself a little TLC. My body's been through the exercise wringer this week, so my joints and muscles have been letting me know that they're alive and kickin'. I thought about taking a nice soak in the bathtub, but I was afraid if I got in, I might not be able to get myself out. Lord help the poor soul who has to drag my naked body out of there...Even a glimpse of that horror would require a few therapy sessions for one to recover fully. Good gravy...it's time to change the subject!

If you're still looking for a gift for the special mom in your life and you're thinking you'd like to go the route of a handmade gift, you've got two options. You can put your craft enabled self into create mode and have at it....OR you can do what I did. You can unashamedly admit that you suck at anything that requires hand-eye coordination, fire up your nearest Internet browser, and head on over to Etsy. The Etsy website is chock full of crafty, hand made items, sold by the people who crafted them! You can find everything from cupcake wrappers to clothing and bedding to baby toys! I love love love Etsy!

The first time I visited the site, I was on the hunt for a birthday gift for a special friend of mine. Since she loves baking, I figured I'd do a "quick" search for a cute set of potholders and matching tea towels or something. Little did I know that there would be over 30 different virtual shops on Etsy to choose those items from! That visit time sucked an hour from my day and I STILL hadn't found "the perfect" set. Hey, don't roll your eyes at me like that! How could I possibly have determined what was perfect unless I looked at ALL of my options first? Sheesh.

So therein began my love for all things Etsy made. A few weeks back, I was trying to find a great gift to give away during my celebration of 7,000 Facebook fans, when I came across a wonderful Etsy shop named "Around Town Girl". Reading the shop's "about" section made me sort of tingly and giddy. It says, " Items in this store help to promote joy & peace through self-nurture or self-love activities. Things like soaps, bath bombs, and dream pillows are all pampering and self-nurturing. With the right mindset, using such simple beautiful products can send messages of love to yourself. In order to give love from a full cup you must first fill your own cup." I just KNEW I'd find a great giveaway gift there...and indeed, I did! I wanted to give away an item that can be used by either gender and I wanted it to be easy to ship. One simple click through the items in the shop revealed one of the most adorable mug cozies I've ever seen.

Doesn't it just scream to be wrapped around your favorite coffee mug? So stinkin' cute! I had an email conversation with the owner of the shop, Shileen, and after talking options and colors, I special ordered a couple of cozies for myself and a couple to give away to you! I didn't receive these free, nor did Shileen compensate me to say all of these nice things about her shop. As I've told you before, if I find something I like, I'm gonna shout about it from the roof tops. So I dug deep into my own pockets to pay for these giveaway items because I wouldn't be here if it were't for the support of you all. A giveaway is the very least I can do to show my appreciation and admiration to you for it! I only wish I had the funds to give something to each and every one of you!

So here's what's up for grabs in this "not a Kitchenaid or uber expensive camera but still sweet & comfy cozy" giveaway:

The purple cozy on the left is an exact replica of the one shown on the mug in the first photo. It's intended for mugs with handles. The sage green cozy on the right is a sleeve and is intended for mugs or cups without handles. Don't let your brain be tricked into thinking that these cozies are only to keep hot beverages hot, though! I use my cozy to help keep my hands from slipping off of my glassware when it sweats. I love it! The cozies are made from acrylic yarn, so if they get dirty, just pop them into the wash and they'll come out looking good as new.

Since the giveaway is sweet and simple, the entry rules are going to follow suit. Oh, and because I'm in charge of shipping the prize, this giveaway is open to my readers in the United States AND in Canada! Whoop!

TO ENTER:

Complete the entry form using the Giveaway Tools widget below, making sure to leave me an email address that you check often AND THEN

Leave a comment below this post, letting me know what you enjoy most about the It's Yummilicious website and what you enjoy most about my recipes.

FOR AN EXTRA ENTRY:

Leave a SEPARATE comment, letting me know how often you come here to the blog to read my recipe posts (daily, every time there's a new post, weekly, etc.) AND tell me...If this website were to shut down, what social media outlet would you be most likely to want to use to see my new photos and recipes? Pinterest, Google+, or "I would stop following you". (Facebook is NOT an option)? (BOTH portions of the question must be answered for you to receive the extra entry)

Entries will be accepted until 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. A winner will be drawn at random. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected.

GOOD LUCK!

Entry -Form

Filed Under: giveaway, Product Reviews, Saturday Spotlight · Tagged: Around Town Girl, Etsy, giveaway, mug cozy, product review, self esteem, self love

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

May 2, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 8 Comments

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You may be shocked by what I'm about to say. Are you sitting down? You really should sit. This isn't really standing up kind of news. OK... all comfy?

I baked you something awesome...and I used 100% UNHEALTHY ingredients! You're in shock, aren't you? I knew you would be. You can't say you weren't warned.

No low-carb flour, REAL sugar, and pure Wisconsin butter. This from the girl who swears that she'll be "fit by 50"?

See, it's like this. I AM changing my life for the better. I'm trying to get into God's word more. To pray more. I'm eating better, I'm (Lord, help me) trying to exercise for the first time in 14 years, and I'm dumping my life of toxic relationships and negative attitudes. I'm working daily to become a better me. It's a day-by-day, baby steps to progress activity, but along that road, and even when I'm happy with some of the changes that I've made, I'll deserve a pure indulgent treat now and then. That's when pure, simple ingredients like lemons, butter, sugar, and eggs will come together and sing in harmony as they're blended with flour and leavening agents to become a light, tangy, moist, and dare I say, delightful dessert! Like THIS quick bread.

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Filed Under: BAKING, bread, recipes · Tagged: bread, cake, cupcakes, desserts, lemon, lemon poppy seed, recipe

Saturday Spotlight – Baking Cheese and Sausage Biscuits in a Brownie Pan

April 27, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 1 Comment

Cheese n Sausage Biscuits from ItsYummi.com #breakfast

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Happy weekend, my lovelies! I hope this post finds you sitting in your happy place doing something you absolutely love to be doing. If you're not there yet, get comfy and start. Life's too short to be doing anything less than that!

Hey, did you catch the "Saturday Spotlight" in the title of this post? I've decided to start a new weekend trend of highlighting some of my favorite food products (edible and otherwise). One week I might profess my love for a certain brand of creamy peanut butter and the next I could be highlighting my favorite stand mixer, or telling you all about how awesome the customer service team is at Festival Foods (and it IS fantastic!) If you've got favorite foods and/or cooking equipment that you think I should take a gander at, fire off an EMAIL in my direction and I'll see if I locate it for review purposes. I think it's fun experimenting with new brands, and who knows, you might have something awesome in your kitchen that should be sitting in MINE too! Please bear in mind that NONE of these posts will be sponsored. In other words, I'm not getting paid to say anything good, bad, or indifferent about them. I just think they're products that you might enjoy as much as I do. Comprende? OK then...'nuff said!

THIS week, I'm gonna highlight my very favorite baking pan. Take a look at what it helped me to create!

YUMMILICIOUS, right?! Aside from the fact that they've got ooey gooey cheese and crumbled pork sausage on the top, there's a light buttery biscuit holding that combo together. Fat grams and calories? Well... YES, there are plenty to go around in these little heaven-sent biscuits. However, I made these for Brian to take to his co-workers for their Friday breakfast pig out. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't make something fully loaded with artery choking ingredients? What's that? I'd be REASONABLE? Umm... hello. Do I know you? Rather, do you know me at ALL? OK, let's move on.

It's entirely possible to make these a little bit more heart smart. Just use turkey sausage and some low-fat or low-carb biscuits and some low-fat cheese. In this particular case, I said NO to the LOW and I'm not ashamed. They're perfectly portioned...as long as you can stop at one or two. Now let's talk about the adorable square shape of these biscuits. This was made possible only because of my Pampered Chef Brownie Pan. I'm not really sure why they call it a brownie pan, because in all honesty, I think I've only made 2 batches of brownies in it. I use this pan for EVERYTHING! Mini lasagnas, blueberry cream cheese streusel cakes, mini meatloaves (which are the PERFECT size for making meatloaf sandwiches, by the way), and now these biscuits. It's made out of aluminized steel and it's got a non-stick coating that's nothing short of amazing. It doesn't matter what I bake in this pan, everything falls out effortlessly, leaving behind a SUPER easy clean up. Regarding care and use: This pan is safe in conventional and convection ovens up to 450°F (230°C). It is NOT broiler-, freezer- or microwave-safe, so stay clear. It IS dishwasher safe, though. OK, wanna see an action shot?!

There's really not much to complain about where this pan is concerned. Except maybe for the fact that the 12 wells could be just a LITTLE bit deeper. They're not as deep as a cupcake well...they're about three-fourths of the depth of a standard size cupcake.

I've used it for layered recipes without a problem, but it makes for a tight squeeze when you're trying to stuff Snickers bars between layers of cookie dough. Oh, I didn't mention that recipe, did I? It's coming! Make this recipe first and let me know what you think. It doesn't get much easier peasier than 3 ingredients and 12 minutes in the oven! Get your pan from your favorite Pampered Chef consultant and start baking! If you don't have a PC consultant, shoot me a message and I can give you recommendations, or you can go to the Pampered Chef website and use the consultant locator.

Have an awesome weekend!

Cheese and Sausage Biscuits

Created By:

Chef Becca Heflin

Recipe Category: Breakfast

Serves: 6

Prep time: 7 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 19 mins

light flaky biscuits topped with crumbled pork sausage and real Wisconsin cheddar cheese!

WHAT'S NEEDED

1 can of refrigerated biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands), or you can make your own biscuit dough
1/2 pound ground Italian pork sausage
1 cup cheddar (or your favorite variety) cheese, shredded

HOW TO MAKE IT

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. (325 if using a Pampered Chef baking pan or a convection oven)
If using a Pampered Chef Brownie Pan, NO preparation is needed. If using a standard sized muffin tin, place a paper liner into the bottom of each well, or lightly spray wells with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium sized frying pan over medium high heat, cook the pork sausage until it has browned and no pink remains; Drain grease and set pork aside to cool.
Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut each piece of biscuit dough in half. Use your fingers to press a piece of dough evenly across the bottom of each well of the pan.
Place pan into oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use your fingers to press the dough bake down into the pan; USE CAUTION! The dough will be hot!
Sprinkle cooked sausage evenly over the top of each biscuit; Repeat with shredded cheese; Place pan back into oven and cook for 7-9 minutes, or until cheese has melted and biscuits are lightly browned.
Remove pan from oven and allow biscuits to cool in pan for 1-2 minutes before carefully removing them. Serve while still warm.

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Filed Under: 5 ingredient dishes, BAKING, bread, recipes · Tagged: biscuits, cheese, Pampered Chef, Pampered Chef brownie pan, pork sausage, recipe

Low-Carb Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 22, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 3 Comments

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This past weekend, I volunteered to make dinner for a single mom who attends my church, and her 12-year-old son. Mom had surgery last week and needs some help with meals while she's on the mend. I love being able to help out others, so I was more than happy to sign up. I did find it strange, however, that there just one request in regards to the meal I was preparing. It was to be absent of cheese. Wait....what?! This is Wisconsin... America's Dairyland! Cheese is what we do! Nevertheless, I overlooked her apparent lack of food judgement and cooked them up some individual BBQ turkey patties, some smashed potatoes with onion and bacon, and some fresh green beans.

As I was packing everything up for delivery, it occurred to me that I had forgotten to include a dessert! Lack of common sense on my part this time. Since joining Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago, I've been trying to keep the kitchen clear of my "trigger foods", which is a nice way of saying, I threw away all of my sugar. I can't be trusted with it. So, I looked in my pantry and came up with this cookie recipe. Not carb-free, but definitely on the healthier end of the dessert spectrum. They're chewy like a good cookie should be, they've got my favorite Bob's Red Mill low-carb baking mix instead of white flour, and I used my new favorite sugar substitute, Tagatose, to sweeten them with. There's a touch of real sugar in the chocolate chips and I didn't skimp on the fat, which I admit was not the best idea for the weight watcher in me, but I was confident that the real butter and eggs would keep these cookies tasting pretty darned close to a full fat & sugar cookie.

Low-Carb Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies from ItsYummi.com

Turkey Chili Con Frijoles – and a GIVEAWAY!

April 18, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 11 Comments

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Yep. I'm still riding the healthy eating train! One taste of this delicious turkey chili may cause you to doubt it's healthiness though. It's packed full of flavor, it's hearty, satisfying, and downright yummilicious!

I love being able to amp up the flavor of my dishes with lots of spices and herbs. Some of my favorite flavors are the smoky, deep, Earthy ones. Like chipotle peppers, cinnamon, and cardamom. Which makes this chili perfect, because it contains all three of those spices. Yay! Lucky me.... and lucky you, once you've made the recipe! I'll share the recipe with you in just a bit. First, I wanna share some great information and a giveaway with you!

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Carribean Rice Salad

April 14, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 2 Comments

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Carribean Rice from ItsYummi.com

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Horrible photography disclaimer: My apologies for the drab photos on this post. I had an issue with my camera this week that prevented me from using it, so I took these photos with my phone. The fact that bright sunshine hasn't shown it's glorious self around this part of Wisconsin since late last October certainly didn't help matters, either. Trust me when I tell you that this dish looks MUCH more yummilicious in person! Make it and find out for yourself

HAPPY SUNDAY!

I just returned from my 2nd Weight Watchers meeting. Based on my reaction at the weekly weigh in, I've decided that I need to cut back on my viewing of The Biggest Loser and suck up to the fact that there's no way in high Heaven that I'm gonna lose 6-12 pounds a week, no matter HOW hard I try. I lost just over a pound and a half, and judging by the crocodile tears streaming down my face, you'd think I had just been introduced to a bed of nails. I was NOT a happy camper with that weight loss. I worked my butt off and felt like I deserved a bigger loss than that, but I'm going to be grateful that I had a loss and leave it at that.

For as far back as I can remember, eating has been an emotional adventure for me. Happy, sad, angry, elated...my mood didn't matter. I ate. That's the kind of trouble that has helped me gain the 50 excess pounds on my body in the past 9 months. Losing this weight is going to take a lot more than adjusting my eating plan. I'm gonna need a brain adjustment, too.

I need to teach myself to eat when I'm HUNGRY, and for no other reason. Easier said than done sometimes...especially when I'm constantly baking up goodies for this blog.

SO, I'm not going to cut the sweets out entirely, but you WILL be seeing some healthier options. At least this way, I can eat my creations and not get all crazy high on the sugar train.
This spicy shrimp salad can't rival my Snickers Cheesecake Bars, but it was definitely a tasty food choice for lunch this past week!

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Filed Under: recipes, salad, seafood · Tagged: Carribean, kiwi, mango, recipe, rice, salad, seafood salad, shrimp

Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Cookies

April 13, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 4 Comments

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Happy Saturday!

It's been almost 2 weeks since I joined Weight Watchers, and I have to say that it's going MUCH better than I thought it would! The new 360 program focuses more on a balanced eating "all things in moderation" philosophy and less on obsessing about counting each and every calorie. It's so much easier for me to follow programs where I don't have to deprive myself of things that I love. Like cookies. If I really want to eat a sleeve of Thin Mints or Double Stuffed Oreos, I certainly can, but at 4-6 points per cookie, my daily 26 points would be tanked pretty quickly. Besides, I don't need junk filled cookies when I've got treats like these cuties.

The last time I went shopping at Sam's Club, I spied a bag of chocolate covered pomegranate arils. I'd never eaten pomegranate before (I know, apparently, I've been hiding under a rock) so I bought a bag. I fell HARD for those little gems. Crunchy, tart pomegranate covered with sorta good for you dark chocolate...what's not to love? SO good!

When I decided to create a couple of low point treats last week, I knew I wanted to find a way to include the chocolate covered poms, and placing them into cookies turned out to be a magical decision. Rather than make a traditional cookie out of them, I used my mini-muffin pan. It prevented the cookies from spreading and it kept them really chewy, something that's a must-have in my opinion.

Low-Carb Banana Bread Bites

April 7, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 11 Comments

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Hey there! Thanks for stopping by to see me! I hope your weekends been a great one. Mine was pretty danged awesome. The weather is FINALLY starting to warm up and the last bits of snow are trying like crazy to melt, so my winter blues are packing up their bags and heading out of town. I can't wait for the lilacs to bloom. THEN I'll believe it's spring in Wisconsin.

Earlier last week, I mentioned on my Facebook page how out of control my excess weight has become. I started gaining weight shortly after my hysterectomy last August, and once the cold weather kicked in, the pounds just packed themselves onto my bod. I'm not a winter sports lover, so the extent of my exercise has been lifting my leg to get over snow drifts and raising my arm to get my coffee mug to my lips. Things are SO crazy bad now that none of my clothes from last spring fit me. UGH. My obsession with carbs and sugars is wicked! Instead of bitching about it (ok, I guess that WAS a bitching of sorts), I decided to take some action to fix the problem. I joined Weight Watchers last Tuesday and I've got several friends across the U.S. and Canada who are also on the program, so we'll be great accountability for one another. I decided that Sunday mornings will be my primary weekly meeting, so even though I've only been on the program for 5 days, I went to the meeting this morning to weigh in. I did a little happy dance when I learned that I've already lost 3 pounds. OK, so it's not a lot in the realm of things, but it's a great start for me. I feel pumped up and ready to start the week off on a great foot!

I acknowledge my love of simple carbs and sugars, and I can honestly say that I have no desire to give them up completely. I'll feel WAY too deprived if I let them go completely from my eating plan. SO, I decided to create some healthier options to indulge my sweet tooth and my bread obsession. Thanks to the help of this low-carb baking mix from Bob's Red Mill, it may not be quite as tough as I initially thought.

I absolutely love quick breads like pumpkin loaf, blueberry muffins, and banana bread, but they're typically loaded with so many grams of carbohydrates and sugar that it could cost me half a day's worth of Weight Watcher points to indulge in one. Now I don't need to freak out every time I'm craving them. There's a recipe on the back of the bag for a basic, low-carb muffin, so I started there and added things to create one of the best guiltless baked goods that I've tasted in quite some time. I am SO grateful that I found this basic baking mix because frankly, buying 5 different types of healthy flour just didn't sound like something I could afford to do. Almond flour alone is almost $9 a pound! CRAZY! This baking mix isn't cheap, mind you, but at $5 for a one pound bag, it's definitely workable with my grocery budget. I couldn't find any at my local grocery stores, so I bought it on Amazon and was able to get free shipping.

I used the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website. It's one of the e-tools that I have available to use as part of my monthly pass membership. I know that there are other websites available for creating recipes with nutritional information, but I can't be sure where they get their nutritional information from, so I was a little bit leery of using them.

Once I calculated the recipe and realized that one of these muffins only costs me 2 Weight Watcher Points Plus, I could hardly believe it. I am SO excited to share this recipe with you! Whether you're monitoring your food intake or not, these muffins are a tasty, healthy treat that are perfect for a breakfast on the run or a mid-afternoon snack.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Low-Carb Banana Bread Bites

Created By:

Chef Becca Heflin

Recipe Category: Snack

Cuisine: Quick Bread / Muffin

Serves: 24

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 22 mins

Total time: 27 mins

These banana muffins are low in carbohydrates and simple sugars, making them a perfect for breakfast on the run or a great snacking option any time of day.

WHAT'S NEEDED

3 Cups Bob's Red Mill Low Carb Baking Mix
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) water
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup (4 oz) no sugar added applesauce
6 packets Nectresse Calorie-Free Sweetener

HOW TO MAKE IT

Preheat oven to 350 F; Line 24 standard sized muffin cups with papers or spray lightly with nonstick spray.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together baking mix, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder. Make a well in center of ingredients and set aside.
In medium bowl, combine egg, oil, water, applesauce, mashed banana, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined; Pour wet contents into bowl with dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until all baking mix has been incorporated.
Place 3 Tablespoons batter into each cup and bake for 22-24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. - Remove pan from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely

IMPORTANT STUFF

• These muffins were baked in Brownie Pans from The Pampered Chef line of kitchen products.Contact Becca Heflin for ordering information. • This recipe was created using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watcher’s website. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Per the Recipe Builder at WeightWatchers.com, each muffin is worth 2 Weight Watchers Plus Points on the Weight Watchers 360 program.

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Filed Under: BAKING, Healthy Foods, low carb, muffins, recipes · Tagged: banana bread, healthy snacks, low carb, muffins, recipe, Weight Watchers

Jasmine Rice Pilaf with Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomatoes

April 2, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 5 Comments

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When I think of the word spring (as in the season, not the coils inside of your mattress), it conjures up photographs in my mind of renewal, new life and growth...a fresh start after a cold, dark winter.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com

A fresh start is what I really desire the most for in my life right now. I've screwed up in so many different ways over the past year that I've lost count. I made poor food & diet choices, I made poor money decisions, I didn't spend as much time with God in prayer as I should have, nor did I trust Him enough to put my life COMPLETELY into His hands. My list goes on and on. One year later, my poor life choices have done a 180 and are all coming back to haunt me. C'est la vie... I made my proverbial bed and now I must lie in it... or I get the heck up out of that bed of disaster and FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT to get things back into order. THAT'S what I plan to do!

I've decided to start with the health issues first. I believe that once I'm healthier, my outlook on everything else that's wrong in my life will improve. I need to stay spiritually strong, too. No more trying to "row my own boat". I'm crappy at navigating rough waters...but my God isn't! I'm going to pass over the oars to Him and trust that He knows where I'm headed and how to get me there!

I need to be realistic and honest with myself, though. There's no way that I can right all of the wrongs in my life overnight. I've packed on 50 extra pounds since my hysterectomy last August. It's going to be a long, tedious process to remove...especially since I have physical limitations that will restrict the type and duration of exercise that I'm able to do. There are, however, some basic lifestyle changes that I can and will be taking on. Here are a couple that I'm starting with right away:

Eliminate caffeine - I gave up Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi last year and swapped it for water that I was flavoring with True Lemon products. I am not a lover of plain water, and I really enjoyed the flavor varieties from True Lemon. The Raspberry Lemonade is my favorite. I got lazy and just started buying pop again. It's gotta go. I can see a bit of a challenge coming on in the mornings, since I ADORE coffee, but after the initial withdrawal headaches have passed, I'm sure that I'll be fine.
Limit intake of sugar/carbohydrates - Notice I said LIMIT. There's no way in high Heaven that I'll EVER be able to maintain a complete carb-free eating plan, so I'm not even going to try. I'm committed to shedding weight without feeling deprived of things that I love. I just need to work on portion control and avoid mindless eating.
Increase fruit & veggies - I also plan to increase my intake of foods that are high in fiber and iron, as well as increasing the amount of fruit and veggies that I consume every day. I really enjoy them, but again, the lazy slug inside of me just turns her nose up at the thought of anything that requires prep work. Well boo flippin' hoo, Ms. Lazy Butt..... it's time to shape up or ship out!!

Give this somewhat healthy, but UBER delicious Jasmine rice pilaf a try. I served it as a side dish with our Easter lamb and ended up with NO leftovers of this dish and more lamb than I know what to do with!

ARE THERE ANY RECIPES USING LEFTOVER LAMB THAT YOU RECOMMEND?? I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO SHARE THEM WITH ME!!

Jasmine Rice Pilaf with Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Created By:

Chef Becca Heflin

Recipe Category: Side Dish

Cuisine: Rice

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 17 mins

Total time: 22 mins

A bright, flavorful Jasmine rice pilaf with the spring flavors of asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes makes this side dish a wonderful accompaniment

WHAT'S NEEDED

1 cup Jasmine rice
1.5 cups vegetable stock, at room temperature or warmer
2 Tablespoons salted butter (I use Land O' Lakes Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
5 stalks asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon Mystic Blue Spice Red Chili & Lemongrass Sea Salt

HOW TO MAKE IT

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and onion and saute for 2 minutes, until rice begins to develop a nutty aroma.
Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium low. Cover saucepan and simmer rice for 12 minutes. Remove lid and add asparagus and sun-dried tomato. Stir briefly, then cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until rice and vegetables are cooked al dente.

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I linked up this recipe at What's Cookin' Wednesday at Buns in My Oven

Filed Under: Healthy Foods, recipes, Side Dishes · Tagged: asparagus, healthy, jasmine rice, rice pilaf, side dishes, sun-dried tomatoes

No More Google Reader?! I’m Movin’ to BlogLovin’!

March 28, 2013 · by Becca Heflin · 5 Comments

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin

News has spread like wildfire about the eminent demise of Google Reader. Being the ~~lazy person~~ procrastinator that I am, I'm just NOW taking action on the issue.

Many of the food blogs that I follow (over 250 of them!) are hooking up their blogs to BlogLovin', so I jumped onto the bandwagon and decided to get It's Yummi registered over there, too. One easy place to follow all of your favorite blogs...food related and other such wonderful categories.

I just registered the blog today, so it make take a few hours before you're able to find me and add me to your follow list, but I sure hope that you will! After all, I think I'm DEFINITELY a blog to be lovin'.... Don't you agree? :D

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged: blog reader, bloglovin, food bloggers to follow

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