Sponsor Spotlight

Happy Friday!  I sure have some amazing ladies to introduce to y'all and I also wanted to let you know I'm still currently accepting sponsors for October!  There are limited spots available so feel free to email me at cook.skinny@gmail.com for more information or visit my sponsor page here!

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K & K Test Kitchen is written by a mother-daughter duo which was born out of their love for cooking and experimenting with different recipes.  Being close with my mom myself, I just love the idea of sharing family recipes and cooking together!  Kelsey is a 20-something economist while Kim is a hockey wife and fabulous mother, combined they make one amazing team in the kitchen and their recipes range everywhere from the healthiest to the most indulgent.  Truly something for everyone!  I am a firm believer that the kitchen brings families together and this blog couldn't make this more apparent!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Miss Brianne is the super sweet girl behind the blog For the Love of Food and Eating.  Living in New York City with her fiance and crazy adorable pups, Brianne loves all things food and considers cooking her passion after being inspired by chefs such as Rachel Ray.  She started her blog in the hopes of inspiring others to start cooking themselves and lemme tell you, she has some really good recipes!  When Brianne's not blogging about delicious food, she's working on launching her own catering business as well as planning her summer wedding!  So head on over and see how this gorgeous girl does it all while staying healthy in the process!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Tammy is the adorable face behind the blog Lemon, Avocados and the Bay
and shares her life with her sweet boyfriend in their beach bungalow while simply living the dream.  And the name you ask??  Well the lemon and avocado trees growing in their backyard are considered their good luck charms and serve as sweet reminders that there is always light at the end of the tunnel!  You can read more about that sweet story here.  So make sure to visit Tammy and follow along as she shares her life, loves and the occasional recipe, you'll just adore her!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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 Meet Jackie.  She is the fun, fit and fabulous FREE beach body coach behind her site Jackie Lauver and should be your go-to for all things workout related!  Between her workout programs, nutritional information and sharing her own personal journey, Jackie knows just how to jump start your fitness routine to help you get on the right track to a healthier lifestyle.  She's also giving away a free Shakeology Shaker Cup and trial to anyone who her emails her at jaclynalauver@gmail.com! Isn't she just the sweetest??  So head on over and check out Miss Jackie NOW!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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You are just going to adore Danielle from Clean Food Creative Fitness.  Living in Boston with a degree in Applied Nutrition, Danielle focuses on all things gluten-free and paleo!  She also just so happens to be a Crossfitter, group fitness instructor and a personal health coach...girlfriend seriously does it all!  You'll also really love Danielle's recipes, they're all deliciously healthy and something anyone can incorporate into their diet.  My favorites would have to be her paleo pop tarts and post-workout pumpkin cookies!  So you should definitely check out Clean Food Creative Fitness, you'll thank me later!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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 You may remember Miss Heidi from the blog Young Grasshopper, but she has a second blog that I think everyone will love!  It's called BaryFly 101 and literally has every cocktail you can imagine!  And no these aren't just Heidi's signature recipes, you can log in yourself and share your own delicious concoctions!  Best part is, her website makes it oh so easy to find any drink recipe simply by typing in any ingredient.  And yes, virgin drinks are on there too all you mommys-to-be!  So head on over to Heidi's virtual bar and live a little, it's always 5:00 somewhere!

  

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Dara is the super sweet 20-something girl behind Generation Y Foodie who is a lawyer by day and foodie by night!  Based out of Boston, her love for blogging came about because she wanted to put to rest the assumption that our generation doesn't even know how to boil water and resorts to take-out all the time.  Sure this might be true from time to time, but the majority of us love cooking!  Don't you just love her approach??  You can also find her fabulous cookbook here!

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Thanks for checking out these wonderful ladies!
Happy Friday!

Tomato-Basil Soup

Mmm one of my favorite go-to foods on cold, dreary days are soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Nothing screams "comfort" more than this delicious duo and I can almost guarantee it'll perk you right up from however you were feeling before.   

As most of you know, I wasn't having the greatest of weeks last week and so I did what any normal person would do when they realize their identity has been stolen and someone was trying to go on shopping sprees with their hard-earned money...I took the day off from work.  Ok so truth is my car was broken down and I literally had no means of transportation, BUT it was still the perfect day to sleep in, catch up on my guilty pleasures (aka Real Housewives) and attempt to cheer myself up.

Thankfully I didn't turn to a gallon of vanilla ice cream to drown my sorrows in, I decided to try this tomato-basil soup recipe that had been sitting on my kitchen counter for weeks now.  It truly was the greatest pick-me-up and took me only 20 minutes to throw together.

Now THAT'S my kind of lunch!

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Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups

Calories: 173

Fat: 9.3 g

Carbs: 15.9 g

Fiber: 1.7 g

Protein: 6.1 g

Old Points: 3.9 pts

Points+: 5 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light 

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup (4 oz) 1/3-less fat cream cheese, cut into cubes

1 1/2 cups fat-free milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and saute the chopped onion for 3 minutes, until translucent.  Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add tomatoes and basil, bringing to a boil.  Stir in cream cheese until melted.

Place mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Return to saucepan and stir in milk, salt and pepper.  Return to medium-high heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Serve with toasted bread or a sandwich, enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

 Cheers to rainy days and good food!

 

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Saute

Ok so let's be honest.  Is there anything more delicious than apples, sweet potatoes, cranberries and hazelnuts simmering all together in apple cider on a cool Fall Day??

No this is not a trick question.

The answer is there really isn't.

As you know, I'm not a coffee person at all so apple cider is one of my favorite go-to drinks in the mornings when the weather outside is super chilly.  And if you have a Keurig at your office like I do then you KNOW how amazing the hot apple cider is!  So when I saw this yummy saute in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I knew I had to try it, especially since it incorporates all my favorite things I love about Fall.

Except pumpkin of course.
But we'll get to that a little later.  

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Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 1/3 cups

Calories: 238

Fat: 3 g

Carbs: 53 g

Fiber: 5 g

Protein: 3 g

Old Points: 4.2 pts

Points+: 6 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 1/4 cups apple cider (or apple juice)

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into slices (about 3 cups)

1 cup chopped apple (1 large)

2 Tbsp dried cranberries

1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or agave nectar)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts, toasted 

In a large skillet, heat apple cider until just simmering.  Add sweet potato slices, spreading evenly.  Cover and cook over medium-low heat about 12 minutes or until potatoes are nearly tender.  

Stir in chopped apple, cranberries, maple syrup and salt.  Cook covered over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes more or until apple is just tender.  Uncover and boil gently for about 4 minutes until liquid is syrupy.  Sprinkle with nuts and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

I also can't wait to show you progress of my new house!
We finally have a roof y'all!

And to think canned pumpkin was the only thing that excited me this much,
now it's brick and floor boards.
Le sigh.

Meet Devon.

Devon is the beautiful writer behind The Jack Chronicles and yes, Jack would be her adorable sweet boy.  She's a full-time mommy, housewife, traveler, photographer, DIYer (sure that's a word) and just so happens to be a home cook too! 

 When she's not taking gorgeous pictures of her family and friends, she's sharing delicious recipes over on her other blog The Zucchini Diaries.  Miss Devon I already have my eye on your summer peach balsamic pizza  - absolutely brilliant!

Another reason I adore this girl so much is because she truly shows her love for her family in each post she writes.  Whether it be the meals she cooks for them, fun ideas to do with your kids or even sharing her daily life with a 1 year old, Devon has something for everyone!  And when I say something for everyone I really mean just that.  I mean look at her Skinny Girls Apple Pie!

Perfection.

So head on over to check out Devon, little Jack and her wonderful hubby as they share their journey of life, love and every sweet thing in between!

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Sponsor

Looking to increase your blog's traffic

or gain some new followers?

I'd be happy to help!

There are limited spots available so let me know if you are interested.

I can even design a blog button for you!

Why sponsor?

With your blog or shop featured on my sidebar, it gives exposure to all the traffic that comes to my site each day!  I will also be hosting giveaways and featured blog posts for each of my sponsors to help promote your site even more!  You can find more information here.

Stats

5,841+ GFC followers

17,229+ Facebook fans

Every blog post goes through my Twitter 4,369+ followers

Averages 16,000+ VISITS per day

Averages 36,000+ PAGEVIEWS per day

These numbers are always increasing!

Interested?

Email me.

 

Lavender Lemonade

Yes I know it's Fall, but the weather is still absolutely gorgeous and lemonade tastes great during any season!  There just so happens to be tons of gorgeous lavender growing outside my house and when I came across this recipe on one of my favorite design blogs (while looking for decorating ideas to pin...duh) I knew I just had to make it!

Of course I did color the water a bit, just to make it pretty, but you can't taste the coloring at all (I promise!) and it's definitely not necessary.  I simply mixed 1/4 cup water with one drop of blue coloring with one drop of red and voila!  A stunning purple color that I just added into the pitcher.  

I just LOVE making homemade lemonade the old fashioned way and chose to cut the sugar in half and use raw agave nectar as an additional sweetener.  You can use honey too if you'd like, you really can't mess this up if you tried!

Garnish with some sliced lemons and a few sprigs of lavender and you've got yourself one stunning drink.

If I do say so myself. 

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Servings: 8

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 87

Fat: 0 g

Carbs: 24 g

Fiber: 0 g

Protein: 0 g

Old Points: 1.7 pts

Points+: 3 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Centsational Girl and Joy the Baker 

 

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey)

3 Tbsp dried lavender

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 cups water

1 lemon, sliced (for garnish)

 

Over medium heat, combine two cups of water and sugar, bringing to a boil until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in agave nectar and dried lavender.  Cover for about 15 minutes, allowing mixture to steep.  Strain lavender, making sure to release all juices and syrup.

 

In a large pitcher, combine freshly squeezed lemon juice, lavender mixture and water.  Feel free to add a drop of blue coloring and a drop of red to mixture to give it a lovely purple color.  Chill for at least 2 hours and serve over ice.  Enjoy!

 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe  

Also, congratulations to Bethany from Life Unexpected for winning the Jessica N Designs $50 Shop Credit Giveaway!  A HUGE thanks to everyone who entered!!  If you haven't visited her gorgeous shop yet, head over NOW because I swear you will fall in love instantly.

Happy Friday!

Cranberry-Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Anytime I think of Fall

I think of gooey yummy delicious cinnamon rolls.

And spiced pumpkin lattes.

Duh.

 

I must admit the past few days have been pretty rough for me {yes this would be the part where I insert my own personal venting sesh because this is a blog and we can write whatever we want, right?}  Long story short, I had my identity stolen which compromised all my bank accounts and social security number...which isn't the greatest timing since I'm currently in the middle of purchasing a home and waiting on a loan approval.  So if placing fraud alerts on my credit and freezing/cancelling bank accounts weren't enough for one day, of course my car had to break down on my way home.

Crap.

Yes when it rains, it seriously POURS.  Not to mention it's kind of hard to get your car fixed when your bank account is currently frozen.  Moral of the story?  Cheer yourself up with your favorite comfort food on days that you pretty much wish you could do over!

Like how I brought this full circle??

 

Cinnamon rolls, truly the single greatest comfort food.  But comfort doesn't always have to mean unhealthy!  These are made with whole wheat flour and very little butter.  Sweetened with pure maple syrup and a touch of brown sugar, these cinnamon rolls are certainly something to swoon over!

Feel free to plump your cranberries up before baking by mixing them with a little water and nuking them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  I love this little secret and it really brings out their flavor!

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Servings: 15

Serving Size: 1 cinnamon roll

Calories: 180

Fat: 4 g

Carbs: 33 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 5 g

Old Points: 3.5 pts

Points+: 5 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

 

1 cup fat-free milk

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (or agave nectar)

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Maple-Brown Sugar Icing:

 

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp very hot water

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. maple flavoring

1-2 tsp. fat-free milk

In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast and allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat milk, maple syrup, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm then set aside.  Using a stand mixer, add egg and milk mixture to yeast mixture and slowly add in the whole wheat flour.  Add as much all-purpose flour as you can, reserving the rest.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make dough moderately soft so that it is smooth and elastic (kneading about 3 to 5 minutes).  Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour until doubled in size.  Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Stir in dried cranberries and pecans.

Roll dough into a 15x8-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle with pecan mixture, leaving one inch unfilled along one of the sides.  Starting from the long filled side, roll up rectangle.  Pinch dough to seal seam and slice into 15 equal pieces.  Arrange pieces, cut sides up, in prepared baking pan.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, about 30 minutes, until nearly doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine brown sugar and the hot water, stirring to dissolve brown sugar.  Whisk in powdered sugar and maple flavoring.  Whisk in enough milk to make drizzling consistency.  Once rolls are done, let them cool for about 5 minutes and remove rolls from pan.  Drizzle with maple-brown sugar icing and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

 

I challenge you to eat just one.

Can you do it??

 

Mini Maple Pecan Pies

Holy Fall y'all!!

It's finally time to bust out my boots and scarves and stand in line for a good 30 minutes for that pumpkin spiced latte I've been craving since last year (yes I know I said I hate coffee, but c'mon...exceptions must made).  And what better way to kick off this gorgeous season than with some pecan pie??

Little guilt-free pecan pies I should note.

I found this adorable recipe on one of my favorite blogs Dashing Dish and just couldn't pass up making these!  They're quick, effortless and at only 42 calories per serving, I promise your waistline will thank you!     

Now you may be wondering where all the filling went in these tarts??  Well for one, when I returned home from the store I found that most of the shells had either cracked or lost some of their layers (ugh!) and two, I really didn't feel like driving all the way back to the store for a new package so I managed to salvage what I had.  Yes...I'm lazy, but moving on.  They were still absolutely delicious, but it did cause some of the filling to seep out of the cracks in the bottoms.  For those of you with NON-cracked shells (lucky), your filling should bake nicely over top of the pecans and make a gorgeous presentation!

I absolutely love these mini pies for the pure fact that they make great party treats and cute desserts!  If you're anything like me, when you go to parties, you probably stick to appetizers and desserts that are bite-sized and simple to eat.  Well lucky for you, these fall nicely into that category and would look amazing on any Thanksgiving table!

Hope you enjoy them!

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Servings: 15

Serving Size: 1 mini pecan pie

Calories: 42

Fat: 3 g

Carbs: 5.3 g

Fiber: 1.4 g

Protein: 2 g

Old Points: 0.8 pts

Points+: 1 pt

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Dashing Dish

1/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)

1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup (or agave nectar)

1/4 cup Stevia baking blend

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 box mini fillo shells (15 shells)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place fillo shells on prepared baking sheet and fill evenly with chopped pecans.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg beaters, maple syrup and Stevia and pour over tarts, filling just to the top.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and enjoy! 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Welcome back Fall!
Oh how I have missed you.

Jessica N Designs $50 Shop Credit Giveaway!

So last week while sitting in my office working on something super uneventful I'm sure, I received the absolute sweetest gift in the mail!  My dear friend Jessica from Jessica N Designs surprised me these custom-made spoons that she personalized just for me!

I mean how cute are these?!

I fell in love with these vintage spoons as soon as I was introduced to her shop last year and she has so many different ones to choose from!  Everything from hand-stamped spoons for your coffee to adorable wedding gift ideas!  She also has custom jewelry, keychains, wine charms and so much more!  I used the large serving spoon at a party I had this weekend and everyone completely gushed over how insanely precious it was.  Then they proceeded to stalk her shop in hopes of getting their own spoons!  Lucky for YOU, she's offering one lucky reader a $50 shop credit for anything in her store!

Here's a little peek inside her fabulous shop!

Stunning, no?

And that's not all, Miss Jessica is also giving a 15% discount to all my readers simply by using the offer code EATYOURSELFSKINNY!  So start shopping friends, I know I will be!   

Here's here how to

ENTER

**You must be a Google Friend Connect follower of my blog**

Additional entries:

Tell me your favorite item from her shop here

Follow Jessica's blog here

Follow Jessica on Twitter here
Become a fan of Jessica on Facebook here

Follow Jessica on Pinterest here 

Follow me on Twitter here 

Like me on Facebook here 

Follow me on Pinterest here

 

Tweet: "I just entered to win @JessicaNDesigns' $50 Shop Credit Giveaway on @EatUrselfSkinny! http://bit.ly/O8LFP6"

All separate comments please.

Winner will be announced this Friday, September 21st so please don't miss out on this great giveaway!

Thanks again Jessica, you are SO talented!

Sponsor Spotlight!

Holy Friday!  I'm so glad the weekend is finally here and even more glad that I have lots of things planned.  For one, this is the last weekend my brother will be in town until he goes to Afghanistan for 8 months so I'll be spending some MUCH-needed time with him and second...I have a LOT of Fall recipes to mess around with since, well, I suppose it's about that time again.  Hopefully this year there won't be a crazy shortage of canned pumpkin [insert screaming rant here].  Anyhoo, I have some lovely ladies to introduce to you!

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Meet Danielle.  She is the uber gorgeous, uber chic and UBER fit writer behind the blog Butler, Party of 2!  I've never met anyone who has inspired me as much as she has to get fit, I mean just look at her before and after pics!  Danielle is an adorable middle school teacher who passionately writes about healthy living, relationships and her strong faith.  So follow along with Butler, Party of 2 as she documents her life as a "not so newlywed" and all the fun things that happen in between!

Blog | Pinterest | Twitter

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Ok so you are just going to adore Miss Andrea and her beautiful family!  She's the creator behind the fabulous blog Glam Hungry Mom and it has seriously become one of my daily reads!  Living in Boston, but missing her life in Washington, Andrea shares everything from her life as a mommy to her favorite fashion tips and tricks as well as incredibly delicious recipes you'll just swoon over!  Her blog seriously has something for everyone and I know you'll just make the sweetest friend in the process!  Go check her out and become a follower immediately!

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Ok so you are going to just love everything about Meagan and her blog A Zesty Bite!  She's an author, a baker, a cook as well as a photographer...and that's all stuff she does on the side!  As a southern girl born and raised in Texas, Meagan dreams of one day owning her own restaurant or bakery, but pours her love of cooking and southern cuisine into her fabulous blog.  Oh and did I mention??  Her and her hubby are expecting!!  So head on over and try out some delicious recipes and become a fan in the process!

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Barbara is the beauty and brains behind the blog Barbara Cooks and lemme tell you, girlfriend can cook some delicious food!  I mean I'm just dying to try her pumpkin oatmeal pancakes!  Originally from Indiana, she moved out to the great state of California 4 years ago to go to law school and yes folks, she DID pass the bar!  Miss Barbara is recently engaged, planning a wedding, looking for her first home and creating delicious recipes all in the process!  So head on over and check out Barbara Cooks, you sure are missing out if you don't!

 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Don't I have some gorgeous sponsors??

 

Also I'm super excited about the Virginia Wine Festival this weekend at Great Meadow!  If anyone in the area is going, let me know!  Maybe I'll run into some familiar faces!!  This is definitely my favorite way to kick off Fall!