Healthy Momma OUT!

March 1st, 2011, I posted my first recipe to this blog. February 28th, 2012, I posted my last (I didn't try to be sneaky and take advantage of the leap year!). Over the course of the past year, life changed in ways I couldn't predict, so therefore, this blog certainly didn't finish out how I originally intended. I had to bend the rules and accept the new path for what it was. Am I still proud of it? You betcha! Do I feel I let anyone down? Um, I certainly hope not (if you really had your heart set on this blog being something else, I apologize. I also suggest you lighten up in life! HA!)

All jokes aside, I have genuinely enjoyed doing this blog. For a short while there, I was starting to feel as though it was more of a burden. I regret feeling this way, but it's the truth. Nevertheless, once I changed my course, I began to have fun with it again and knew I had to see it through to the end. Here we are - 365 recipes later. 365 relatively healthy and homemade recipes later. I know a few of you have made some of these recipes and unless you were just being nice, they were enjoyed! Woo-hoo!

I appreciated any and all feedback I received on my recipes (mostly verbal, hence a serious lack of written comments....thank JB for pretty much every written comment ;) I thank you all for the encouragement and for the congratulations on achieving my goal.

However, the best feedback/comment/reply I could hear from someone, was them telling me that this blog actually made them change something about their cooking and/or eating habits. The challenge certainly had me seeing food in a different light and definitely put our family on the right path of eating! I hope that my tips, notes, insights, etc really, truly were listened to (and not over-looked, with the thought that I'm some nut-job-all-natural preacher). I care about what foods I put in mine and my family's mouths, and I tried to extend that care to whomever was reading a recipe on here. We each have our own passions; cooking a homemade, healthy diet for my family just so happens to be mine.

Now, just because my 365 days of healthy blogging are over, doesn't mean I won't continue to practice what I preach. We are nicely settled into this new lifestyle and we will continue with it for as long as we can. I invite you to join me. I'll still be here, or there, or whereever my next (blogging?) endeavour takes me. I plan to close the doors on this blog, but may open another cooking one. Who knows?!

All I know now is that it is time to say Good-Bye. Thank you for a wonderful, supportive year. Happy cooking and always remember to ENJOY!

Bailey's Creme Brulee

#1 - Creme Brulee. Yup - this is definitely my all-time favourite dessert. I came across a recipe that uses Bailey's in it. Pretty sure a little (tasty) booze can only make a recipe that much better! Enjoy!

Bailey's Creme Brulee

• 2.5 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
• 1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup Bailey's
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (ish)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place cream and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, extra yolks and sugar until light.
3. Remove cream from heat and slowly pour into eggs, whisking continuously. Finally, whisk in Bailey's.
4. Pour mixture between 6-8 ramekins. Set ramekins in baking pan and pour enough hot water in pan to come up 1/2 way on side of ramekins.
5. Place pan in oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until just set (slightly jiggly).
6.  Remove from oven and place ramekins in a 2nd pan, filled with cold water. Leave in cold water bath for 15-30 minutes, then transfer to fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
7. Right before serving, remove ramekins from fridge and top each evenly with 1/2-1 tbsp brown sugar. Using a torch, melt sugar until golden and crispy. Allow creme brulee to sit for a few minutes before serving. ENJOY!

Goat Cheese and Blueberry Pie

#2 - Goat Cheese. Oh man, how I love goat cheese. You can add this to anything and it will taste better. While watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, M and I saw them making a pie using goat cheese. I was immediately enthrawlled and practically salivating when I saw the final pie on the TV. I definitely wished for taste-O-vision that day! You can imagine my excitement when I found the recipe online! It comes from a little cafe in Indiana (recipe posted to foodnetwork.com). This is a must try pie! Enjoy!

p.s. While I personally would use butter, in leui of the called for margarine, I am posting this recipe as written, giving full credit to the chef! Oh - and since it contains blueberries (which are full of antioxidants) and almonds (also a superfood), it's healthy in my books! :)

Goat Cheese and Blueberry Pie

• Crust:
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups cold margarine
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Pinch salt
• Cold water
• Filling:
• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 5 cups fresh blueberries
• Topping:
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted margarine

1. For the crust - Combine the flour, margarine, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work with your fingers

gathering and crumbling until you have a crumbly mixture, about the size of peas. In small amounts, slowly add cold water, gently incorporating by hand. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
2. For the filling - Mix the goat cheese, heavy cream, egg, sugar, flour, salt and basil together in a bowl. Add the blueberries and mix to desired texture.
3. For the topping: Mix the almonds, sugar and margarine in bowl, set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough and place in a 10-inch pie pan. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake 25 minutes, rotating at the pie halfway through. Let cool, serve and ENJOY!

Whipped Mascarpone and Raspberries

#3 - Mascarpone Cheese. Mmmmmmm. If you've never tried mascarpone cheese, run to the grocery store and get yourself a tub of it now! It is sooooo good. I will warn you, it is a bit pricey - but worth the treat now and then! There is a small Italian shop near us that often puts it on sale. I will grab a tub when I'm there and try to come up with as many different uses for it as I can. I love to savour the flavour of it in my favourite recipes that use regular cream cheese. Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast is amazing, but in honour of trying to post more healthy recipes, here's a recipe for a dessert using one of my favourite foods whipped up with some fruit (oh and a teensy sugar). You can serve this in a glass dish as is, garnished with a few raspberries....or you can have the best of both worlds and stuff it between some slices of sweet french toast. Hungry yet? I sure am! Enjoy!

Whipped Mascarpone and Raspberries

• 2 cups fresh raspberries, washed (plus a few extra for garnish)
• 2 cups mascarpone cheese
• 1-3 tbsp sugar (depending how tart your raspberries are)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Puree raspberries in food processor. Pour through a fine sieve (or cheesecloth) to remove seeds (this is optional - seeds don't really bother me!).
2. In a large bowl, cream together raspberry puree, mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.
3. Divide mixture into serving bowls, then chill for an hour before serving. ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilladas

#4 - Mexican Food! I love most Mexican food, but have a real soft spot for fajitas and enchilladas (heck - I love almost anything stuffed in a tortilla shell! ha!). So here is final recipe #4 - Chicken Enchilladas. Tyler Florence is well known for making a recipe "Ultimate", so here is his amazing recipe (from foodnetwork.com). Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilladas

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or EVOO)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 tortilla shells (I have 2 great recipes for these, posted on this blog!) 
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, about 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

4. Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

5. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, and place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

6. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. ENJOY! ENJOY! ENJOY!

Healthy Dessert Pizzas

Alright folks - here we go. The home stretch. I am down to 5 final recipes. In honour of the final five, I'd like to post recipes that are made using my favourite foods. This recipe - #5 - is definitely a combination of some of my favourite things. Chocolate, check. Peanut butter, check. Pizza, check. And a few other ingredients are mixed in that aren't too shabby, either. Dark chocolate is definitely a healthy indulgence. Bananas and peanut butter are also good for you. So this recipe (slightly modified from familyfreshcooking) makes the cut for my blog. Enjoy!

#5 - Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Pizza

• 1 pound homemade pizza dough, divided into 8 portions (roughly half batch of my recipe)
• 4 ounces (fat free) Ricotta Cheese
• 4 tablespoons natural Peanut Butter
• a pinch of sugar, to taste (original recipe calls for Stevia drops)
• 1 large Banana Sliced thin
• 2-3 ounces Dark Chocolate, broken into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease or line large baking sheet.
2. Flatten each portion of dough to about 1/2 thick. Place on baking sheet (or two, if they don't all fit).
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together ricotta, peanut butter and sugar, until creamy. Evenly spread between each portion of dough. Top each with some slices of banana, and finally with a piece of dark chocolate.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until dough is cooked and chocolate is melted. ENJOY!

Homemade Crackers

The other night, while obsessing thinking about this blog, I suddenly realized that I have yet to post the one recipe that truly got me kick-started in making as many things from scratch as I could. The boys and I made these crackers (recipe found at kimberlys-cup.blogspot) and really enjoyed them. Crackers are a staple in a toddler's diet (okay, in my diet, too), so we were pleasently surprised to know we could make our own, tasty, additive/preservative free ones. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Crackers

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup flour (we prefer AP, but try whole wheat for yourself!)
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to sprinkle on top
• dash of paprika and cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c water

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
2. Add all ingredients to bowl of food processor, except water. Process for a few seconds, then add water and blend an additional 10 seconds.
3. Dump mixture onto cookie sheet. Using your hands, press dough together and being to smooth/spread it out on cookie sheet. Next, place a pc of waxed paper over the dough and roll out to fit cookie sheet, using a rolling pin. Remove wax paper and sprinkle with a little salt (gently pat or roll salt on crackers). Finally, carefully cut crackers to desired shape, using a pizza cutter or pastry wheel.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Watch closely, so they don't burn!
5. Allow to cool before carefully removing from pan. Make sure they are completely cool before storing in air-tight containers. ENJOY!