Recipes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies

9 · Sep 11, 2014 · 4 Comments

It’s official… Fall is just around the corner. The kiddos are in school, the weather is starting to crisp… Baking season is getting ready to gear-up! I know that when my kiddos arrive home after a long day at school they are famished. Short of providing a meal for them right as they walk through the door, which on most days is a challenge, the practically inhale everything in sight! I’ve smartened up and have come up with a simple go-to recipe for a scrumptious after school snack with a bit of protein staying power tucked inside! Here are my Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies…

With these little goodies ready to hand out right as the kiddos walk in the door, that need to eat whatever isn’t nailed down is taken care of. They get a quick little snack that has some hidden protein and they can make it through to dinner. My secret…

Nature Valley™ Protein Crunchy Granola! Did you know that Nature Valley™ Protein Crunchy Granola packs a whopping 10 grams of protein in each 1/2 cup serving?! Yep… That’s a whole lot of quick protein that you can grab on the go. What’s so cool is that you can disguise all that protein in a treat like these Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies. Your kiddos will never know that you are helping them get to their next meal without having a case of hungry tummy in-between!

These cookies are soft and chewy with that lovely granola crunch baked right it that is just such a treat. Here’s how to make them…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter – room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 bag of Nature Valley™ Crunchy Granola – Peanut Butter ‘N Dark Chocolate (12.7 oz.)

1 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add room temperature butter, sugar and brown sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and two eggs, one at a time.

Slowly add your flour, baking soda and salt mixture. Once that is incorporated, add your granola and chocolate chips and mix just until combined.

Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. Once lightly chilled, scoop into one ounce balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in a 350˚ oven for 11-12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

This yields about 24 cookies. Store in an air tight container. Better yet… Mix up a batch and place the dough in a large air tight container in the refrigerator or freezer and only bake as many cookies that you need at a time. It’s the perfect after school snack!

For more ideas on how you can add more protein in your diet with Nature Valley™ Crunchy Protein Granola, you can find all kinds of ideas on their Facebook or Twitter page. The folks at Nature Valley™ would like to help you add more protein into YOUR diet with this coupon (link to be added once brand approves) for Nature Valley™ Crunchy Protein Granola!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nature Valley Protein Granola via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.

Smashed Potatoes

0 · Sep 9, 2014 · 3 Comments

This post brought to you by Pompeian Olive Oil // There are perfect pairings in the world, cheese & crackers, peanut butter & jelly, potatoes & butter… Well, in my world I like to stretch the bounds of reason and try new things. I’m not afraid, and I’m always on the lookout for a new perfect pairing. My new discovery… Swapping my butter for olive oil when serving potatoes. Yes, I know it’s not a new thing, but for some it might be. You know who you are… Those of you who are stuck in your meat and potato rut. I’m here to save the day and give you a little heart healthy advice. Swap your butter for olive oil when it comes to roasted smashed potatoes… You’ll thank me!!

This recipe is one of my family favorites! It’s such a simple side dish, and yet it packs a good punch when served with your favorite grilled meat. I like to use either fingerling potatoes or small red potatoes for this dish. Their flesh is thin and the golden potato center is buttery and smooth. Paired with a good flavorful Extra Virgin Olive Oil like Pompeian’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some fresh chopped chives, the taste is divine.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Smashed Potatoes

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

This simple side dish is perfect with any type of grilled meat, or even on their own!

Author: Heather // WhipperBerry

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

20 small red or fingerling potatoes
Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
2 table spoons of chopped chives

Instructions

In a medium sauce pot, place your potatoes in cool water and place over high heat to partially boil the potatoes. Cook over high heat for 10-15 until you can pierce the potato with a knife. Make sure you don't over cook the potatoes.
Remove potatoes from the heat and drain.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place your baking sheet with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the oven to preheat.
Once the oven and pan are up to temperature, remove from the oven and immediately place your potatoes onto the hot pan.
Using a potato masher, gently smash the potatoes.
Drizzle with more olive oil and season generously with salt & pepper.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the potatoes start to crisp.
Remove from oven and garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

Now all your family and friends are going to fall in love with your potato prowess! The crispy edges of these smashed potatoes will invite them in and the flavor of the olive oil with the chives will remind them of home. Serve with your favorite grilled meat and you will for sure be a hit!!

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian Olive Oil. I did receive product and payment for this post. However, all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own. Rest assured, I will never promote a company or product that I don’t use or believe in!

Filet of Sirloin with Rosemary Butter // Recipe

2 · Aug 28, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Filet of Sirloin with Rosemary Butter Recipe // There are some times in life when there is nothing better than a good steak. Seriously… nothing better!! My love of steak started with my first pregnancy. I couldn’t get enough steak. I wanted it morning, noon and night. I tried all different kinds of recipes and basically every form of steak that you could imagine. You know what I learned… When it comes to a good steak recipe, keep it SIMPLE!

Let the steak shine and take center stage. Recently, I had the opportunity to sample some Certified Angus Beef® brand steaks and boy can those steaks SING!

When you have a good quality steak, you really don’t need anything else other than some salt and pepper and a few simple rules for the grill, maybe a touch of herbs. I found a great recipe on the Certified Angus Beef® brand website for Grilled Ribeye Steak with Classic Steak Butter and put my little spin on it.

First of all, I used a Filet of Sirloin rather than the Ribeye cut and simplified the recipe down to a few basic simple ingredients.

Filet of Sirloin with Rosemary Butter

4 Filet of Sirloin

generous salt and pepper

1/2 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon of fresh minced rosemary

a pinch of salt

Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Place on a very hot grill. After 2 minutes, flip the steak over and cook for another 2 minutes. Continue that process until you get to the temperature that you prefer. We like our steak medium rare, so we grilled our steak for a total of 12 minutes, turning it every 2 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

For the butter, place the room temperature butter in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and the minced rosemary. Stir until completely combined. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and roll butter into a log. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Once butter is chilled, cut into medallions and place on hot steak and serve.

This quite honestly is my all-time favorite meal. I paired it with smashed fingerling potatoes and some grilled peaches and it was truly divine. We also applied the same recipe and cooking method with some New York Strip Steaks and paired them with the smashed fingerling potatoes and thick slices of beef steak tomatoes topped with salt, pepper and chives. Seriously, this meal is out of this world!

When you have quality meat like the Certified Angus Beef® brand, you know that you are getting quality steaks and pairing them with simple, yet flavorful sides will take your meal or event to a whole new level. To find where you can purchase Certified Angus Beef® brand products visit their site to find a location in your area!

What is your favorite way to serve steak? Looking for more inspiration? Follow the folks at the Certified Angus Beef® brand on Instagram for all kinds of mouth watering ideas!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Certified Angus Beef via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.

Peaches and Cream Dairy-Free Popsicles

1 · Aug 25, 2014 ·

Our family has a healthy obsession with peaches. We will take them in any form fresh right off the tree, canned, baked even frozen! This summer has been the year of the peach. My husband has been buying them by the case load and we have been madly canning them in hopes of prolonging the season. The other day I thought it would be fun to take some of our canned peaches and make them into tasty peaches and cream dairy-free popsicles…

I love finding ways to take those flavors I love, and make them a little healthier for my family. I have several friends who are all dairy-free and I thought that I would make these tasty treats so that they can enjoy this flavor combination as well.

I used Silk Vanilla Soy Milk for the cream part of my peaches and cream concoction. With the Silk Soy Protein I know that my family is getting some nutritional value even when they are feasting on popsicles rather than just empty calories like most. Check out these amazing benefits of Silk Vanilla Soy Milk…

• 6 grams of heart-healthy soy protein2

• 50% more calcium than dairy milk1

• 100% cholesterol-free

• Low in saturated fat

• Free of dairy, lactose, gluten, casein, egg and MSG

• Verified by the Non-GMO Project’s product verification program

• No artificial colors, flavors or funny business

Pair all that plant protien goodness with these super easy to make pops and you are a WINNER! Here’s how you make them.

Peaches and Cream Dairy-Free Popsicles

1 3/4 cups Silk Vanilla Soy Milk

1 diced canned peach

1/4 cup canned peach juice

1/2 packet of dried vanilla pudding mix

In a medium bowl, combine Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, peach juice and pudding mix. Whisk and set aside. Dice peach into bite sized pieces and add to the popsicle base. Pour base into popsicles molds and place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Carefully remove from mold and enjoy!!

Looking for more inspiration? Come visit Silk and sign-up to become a member of the Silk Community…

You can also follow along with all the Silk news on their Facebook page!!

1 Silk Vanilla Soymilk: 45% DV of calcium vs. 30% DV in 2% dairy milk. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26. Data consistent with typical 2% dairy milk.

2 In a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of Silk Vanilla Soymilk has 6.25 grams.

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Recipes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Cookies Recipe

Filet of Sirloin with Rosemary Butter

Peaches and Cream Dairy-Free Popsicles

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