banana "nice" cream - YUM!

If you haven't heard of banana "nice" cream yet, I'm about to change your life. This is the best tasting healthy treat I've ever had & the main ingredient is simply frozen bananas! After watching this video, I thought it would be worth a shot & bought a food processor. I AM SO GLAD I DID! It actually tastes just like ice cream & it's FRUIT! You can also change the flavor by adding cocoa, nutella, or peanut butter to it. Seriously, if somebody handed me a cup of this stuff, I would think it's actual ice cream.

Here's the recipe I like to follow:

• 3 chopped up frozen bananas
• 3 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of cinnamon

Blend & enjoy! This will make two heaping portions. Do yourself a favor & try it :]

mini PB choc chip cookies with reese's recipe!

If you have a ginormous sweet tooth & consider peanut butter one of your favorite things, you need to try some of these FANTASTIC cookies. They are Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Reese's Cups melted in the center!! Here's the best recipe ever :]

YOU WILL NEED THIS STUFF:
1 stick of melted butter                                              1.25 cup flour
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter                                 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar                                                   1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar                                            1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips                                          About 36 mini Reese's PB cups

THEN HERE'S WHAT YOU DO WITH ALL OF IT:
Mix together butter, sugars, & peanut butter until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt until well mixed. Add mini chocolate chips. Lightly spray cooking spray to two mini muffin trays. Roll the dough into spheres about 1" in diameter & place in the muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes. Right after taking them out of the oven, add one PB cup to the center of each. Allow to cool completely before taking them out of the tins. Then OM NOM NOM NOM!

chunky zucchini margherita soup!

YUM. I know I don't get into cooking too much on this website, but since Burton & I are on a low-carb diet with our boot camp, we're getting a bit more creative in the kitchen! Today I made a very yummy, suuuper healthy, easy-to-make (the trifecta!) soup & thought I'd share.

The tasty things you'll need:
3 medium zucchinis, sliced into skinny halves         10 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, diced                                                       32oz. light chicken broth
8 garlic cloves, sliced                                             Black pepper & basil seasoning
3 carrots, sliced                                                     Shredded mozzarella, garnish

We made a double batch, so this will give you about six hearty servings. Heat 2tbsp. of olive oil in a big pot over medium-high heat for about a minute. Toss in the zucchinis, onion, garlic, & carrots. Saute until the veggies brown a little, maybe 5-10 minutes. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, pepper, & basil. Cover & bring the soup to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella when you're ready to enjoy!The cheese is especially good when it gets all melty with the veggies :]

 

I guess I better update on how boot camp is going. We gained a little bit of weight back after our cruise, but are back on track. We've each lost about 10lbs, but have noticed a huge improvement in our endurance when we exercise. I'm feeling stronger & have a shocking amount of stamina with running. I was never much of a runner, but now Burton & I are in talks about running a 5k in the future! We also set up a pull up bar & I catch Burton using it sporadically throughout the day. I can't do a chin up yet, but I'm sure I will soon :]

homemade vanilla extract

One of my favorite things about reading blogs & perusing Pinterest is learning how simple it is to make certain things on your own! I can't even imagine how much money Burton & I have saved by brewing our own beer & mead, recycling old furniture, or making our own decor. Well, my mind was blown when I read this recipe for vanilla extract over at A Beautiful Mess. All you need is one vanilla bean, split down the middle, for every 4oz of vodka!

Burton & I had almost a full bottle left over from a party & since we're not big into liquor, I bought a dozen vanilla beans on Amazon for $8 & voi-la! After it sits for a few months, we're going to have enough vanilla extract to last us for years :]