Low Carb Summer Snacks  

Posted by: Amanda

Looking for summer snacks that don't come with all the guilt? Around here, we've undertaken the low-carb lifestyle, so we've been trying out some new recipes for healthier eating - you know, all the flavor without all the carbs? We've discovered some delish summer treats that fall into this category:

Try topping some cottage cheese with sliced peaches and cinnamon. This makes for a refreshing, yet filling low-carb treat!



Like yogurt, but hate the carbs? Try Kroger's Carb Master yogurt topped with fresh berries!


...and now - the mother of all low-carb summer desserts. At least for now. Low Carb Whipped Key Lime Pie. What a mouthful, literally! This pie is creamy, tangy, and filled with flavor - have a slice! ...or two. ...or three! Our recipe can be found here on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen!

A Birthday and a Bridal Shower  

Posted by: Amanda

We've had a lot of celebrations around here lately. Our son is officially the big "0-4", and one of our very best friends recently asked me to cater cakes to her super-adorable, chic bridal shower. For the cakes, I used amazing recipes from both Bakerella and Picky Palate.   ...and the rest? Well, that was.... just me!


Gabe, our now "super big boy" (as he calls himself), is completely obsessed with Iron Man. He owns practically every Iron Man getup available as of yesterday at 1:28:36 p.m. (CST). He was very excited to know that the arc light that served as the cake topper for his birthday bash does, in fact, work. And, it attaches to his shirt. What's better than that?! Well, besides Bakerella's oh-so-amazing yellow cake recipe that I used.



Now, these next two were some of the fastest, most visually-appealing cakes I've made to date. For the cake, I used Picky Palate's recipe for Chocolate Crumb-topped Cupcakes (minus the crumb topping), and I filled them with my very own recipe for Candied Cream Cheese Icing (featured here on Tasty Kitchen!). Both cakes were a hit, and very nice to look at, if I may say so myself!




Some very tasty low-carb recipes to follow soon - I'm on a mission for healthy, low-carb, delicious eats (save for the cakes and sweets, of course...)!

The Breakfast Series  

Posted by: Amanda

I don't know about you, but breakfast seems to be our family's favorite meal of the day. In fact, we often have special nights of the week when we do "breakfast for dinner." Here are some of our favorites:



From top left to bottom right:

Stuffed French Toast, courtesy of Alice from Savory Sweet Life, an amazing cooking and baking blog that I follow religiously!

Cream scones, also courtesy of Savory Sweet Life

Fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust, courtesy of yours truly (that's me!)

Baked French Toast, courtesy of Ree Drummond, the infamous Pioneer Woman (love her.)

    The links to the recipes are provided, and here's mine for the fruit pizza, just in case you need a little cookie with your fruit in the mornin':


    You'll need:
    2 rolls of sugar cookie dough
    1/2 bag of sweetened coconut flakes
    4-5 fruits of your choice (I used strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, and blackberries)
    1 tub Cool Whip (defrosted)
    16 oz. cream cheese (Philadelphia has the best flavor) (room temperature)
    2 tbsp. of your favorite jam or fudge sauce (I used fudge sauce - yum!)

      To assemble to pizza:
      1. Lightly spray your pizza pan.
      2. Gather the sugar cookie dough into one large dough ball, and spread evenly in the bottom of the pizza pan with your hands until fully covered. This will serve as your crust.
      3. Bake crust at 350 until golden brown and slightly puffy. Remove and let cool.
      4. In a medium sized bowl, combine cream cheese with cool whip and jam/hot fudge. Mix well, and spread on top of crust. This serves as your pizza sauce.
      5. Arrange fruit on top of sauce as you wish, and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Eat immediately if you just can't stand it, or refrigerate for later. 


      Enjoy!