No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Whoops, it's been awhile since I posted on here. Guess that's what happens when you get engaged, move across the country and start your career. Literally my last post was the day before I got engaged! Ha!

My fiancé and I are road-tripping back across the country tomorrow - to get MARRIED! So, I've been gathering food and decided to bake some treats as well. The chocolate chip cookies look good, but I needed something else. (Partly because I'm a stress eater.)

I found this recipe, and not only does it involve my favorite ingredient EVER - peanut butter, but there's no cooking involved! And, it's kind of low sugar. I split the original recipe in half and made it a little more diabetic friendly.

You'll need:
2 cups of crushed graham crackers (about one sleeve)
A bag of chocolate chips (unless you want a thinner chocolate layer)
1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut flakes (completely optional)

Combine the crushed graham crackers with the peanut butter and pour in your melted butte (this is where I also poured in the coconut - for a little extra flavor and sweetness). Mix it all together until it looks like the peanut buttery goodness of a Reese's. I made this in an 8x6 pan (the size used for making bread and such). Spread the "crust" evenly across the pan. I melted the chocolate chips on the stove until it became runny enough to spread over the crust. Chill for about one hour and enjoy!

Cupcake-in-a-Mug

This little treat came from my grandma. Her and a friend tried this the other day, and of course, she thought I might like to try it.

You just need to buy a box of angel food cake mix, and then any other flavor of cake mix you desire. She had red velvet, but I tried strawberry.

I don't know if all angel food mix is like this, but the one I bought had two different bags - one for the cake mix, and one for the egg white mix. I only used the cake mix.

Pour the two mixes in a bag or bowl, shake it up until it's all mixed together.

Scoop out three tablespoons of your "cake" mix, into a coffee mug. I used about two tablespoons of water, even though I think she told me one. It was about the consistency of when you first combine pudding mix and milk.

I microwaved for about two minutes, but just watch to make sure yours is fully cooked, but doesn't explode inside your microwave :)

Ta-da! Cupcake! I like this method much better than baking a whole batch of cupcakes, because once they're made, it's hard not to keep eating them. And, you don't have the extra calories from three eggs + oil that the mix usually requires.

Salad in a Jar

Yes, you read that title correctly. Some of you may have seen me talking about this already, but in case you haven't seen it or tried it - I'm here to show you.

I love a good salad. (I'm known to go to Olive Garden and just eat salad.) But, it's hard to conveniently take a salad to work... unless you put it in a jar.

Buy a mason jar, and all your salad ingredients.

Put your dressing on the bottom (it's kind of a guessing game as to how much...), and then all your toppings in after that.

I've been doing quinoa, dried cranberries, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese. For my meat, I either use canned chicken or torn up deli meat (you better believe it's turkey, no way is it ham!)

The MOST important part of this trick is that your dressing is on the very top, and your lettuce/spinach is at the very top, with your toppings in the middle. I would say my jar is about half toppings, half lettuce. Make sure to leave some room at the top, because if it's too full, it doesn't shake up very well.

Take your jar to work (luckily I have a huge supply of plastic forks I can use up!), and when you're ready to eat, just shake it up! It usually takes a few minutes to shake up - I shake it every which way possible to mix it good enough.

Presto! I usually get some weird looks if people walk into my little office and I'm eating out of a mason jar, but they realize how good of an idea it is once I explain. :) I usually eat some crackers of some sort to go along with my salad. Either saltines + turkey pepperoni, or Cheez-its. (Fun fact: Cheez-its and Teddy Grahams are healthier than Club Crackers; no high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oil!)

(No rating for this post - healthiness and cost differ on what you use!)

Diet Coke Brownies

I love brownies - more than cake or cookies.

I haven't made brownies since I've been to college, so I figured I would treat myself tonight.... and try a new recipe! I was a little scared to try it, but they were great!

Just buy a brownie mix (I bought Pillsbury), and Diet Coke. I went to Dollar General, and the mix was $1, and they had mini bottles of Diet Coke - so I bought one for $1. I figured, well, if it doesn't turn out then I only wasted $2!

It is really soupy, since there's no egg or oil in it like usual, but don't worry - still bakes fine! The very bottom layer didn't fully bake, and was kind of gooey... which I completely loved. Rather than the usual brownie texture, they're spongey like cake :)

and you save about 60 calories making brownies this way!

Rating:

Mini Mexican Pizzas

I am a sucker for Taco Bell... and all things that are actually Mexican food. So, I saw this healthy option for a new Mexican dish, and decided it was worth a shot. SO good! And, as usual, incredibly easy to make.

You'll need:
 - 3-4 large whole wheat tortilla’s, or enough to cut out 12 small circles (I use La Tortilla Smart & Delicious LowCarb/High Fiber Tortillas)
- 1 pound of hamburger (or turkey meat)
- 1/2 cup salsa of choice
- Dry taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
- Optional Toppings: sliced black olives, bell peppers, chopped tomatoes
- Muffin pan

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook the hamburger meat, and mix in the taco seasoning.

Use an empty can, glass cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each tortilla. Make sure to spray the pan! Press the circles into each muffin cup using your fingers. It doesn't have to go reach up to the rim of each cup, but it'll make it cleaner! Mix together the meat, salsa, and toppings. Stir until well combined. Scoop a tablespoon (or so) of the mixture into each tortilla. Top with cheese and olives.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. (My oven can be a little crazy sometimes, but I only cooked mine for five...)

Rating: