Indulgence: S'more Cookies

Nothing says summer like s'mores. Am I right? Or am I right? We love s'mores, but we have one little problem... we don't have a fire pit. It's makes it a little hard to make them the traditional way, and I'm not brave enough to let my kids do it using our gas stove, so these are our next best alternative. :) And though we try to keep things healthy around here, an indulgence every now and again is just fine. Happy 4th of July!

Indulgence: S'more Cookies
24 SERVINGS 
PREP: 12 minutes           COOK: 12 minutes            READY IN: 24 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 heaping cup of mini marshmallows
• 1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares (I used 24 squares, but how many squares you use will ultimately depend how much dough you put on top of them)
• 3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into single squares

DIRECTIONS

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1. Mix together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until nice and creamy.
2. Add in the eggs, one a a time. 
3. Once mixed, add the vanilla. Mix.
4. Add the baking soda, sea salt, and flour. Mix together.
5. With a large spoon, or spatula, mix-in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
6. Chill the dough for one hour in the refrigerator.
7. Preheat the oven to 375º.
8. One a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper, lay out the graham crackers, side by side. (For step by step pictures, click here).
9. On top of each graham cracker, place a tablespoon of dough on top. (I used my regular sized cookie scoop and it worked great).
10. Bake the cookies for 5-6 minutes, add the Hershey bar to each graham cracker cookie and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely (I threw them in the freezer for about 20 minutes) and cut them with a sharp knife.

Enjoy!
Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Holiday Pomegranate Salad

One of the best things about the holidays for me is all the wonderful fruit in season. (I can't even count the number of mandarin oranges I've already snarfed down!) This holiday salad is a great way to incorporate pomegranates, a winter fruit, into your holiday meals. We made it for Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit! The pomegranates give the salad a tangy flavor - a nice variety your holiday cooking may be needing.

Also, if you've ever shelled a pomegranate before, you may feel a little hesitant about this salad. But, don't fear my friends. Pom Wonderful gives you a great step by step tutorial on how to shell a pomegranate - the easy way. Go here to learn all about it! 

Holiday Pomegranate Salad
10 SERVINGS 
PREP: 30 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 2-3 pomegranates
• 2-3 apples, peeled and diced
• 3/4 package (16 oz.) miniature marshmallows
• 3 bananas
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS

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1. Shell pomegranates. Put in fridge to chill.
2. Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl until mixture becomes thick. 
3. Add apples, marshmallows, and bananas to cream mixture. 
4. Mix in pomegranates.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    3/4 cup serving    355 calories   9.2 g fat   68.3 g carbs    1.5 g protein    50.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Frozen Graham Cracker Sandwich

I know it's getting colder outside, but that doesn't mean you can't have a frozen treat! These sandwiches are so easy and so yummy! I love that you can mix pretty much anything you'd like with the whipped topping. Your kids will love experimenting with different flavors and whatever mix-ins you choose! I decided to make a fruity sandwich and one that's a twist on s'mores. Once you have a bite, they are hard to put down!

Frozen Graham Cracker Sandwich
12 SERVINGS (6 of each sandwich)
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 30 minutes            READY IN: 45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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For Raspberry Sandwich 

• 6 low fat graham crackers
• 1/4 cup thawed raspberries (or your favorite fruit)
• 4 oz (half container) of light whipped topping, roughly 1 cup

For S'mores Sandwich 

• 6 low fat graham crackers
• 4 oz (remaining half of container) of light whipped topping, roughly 1 cup
• 2 tablespoons chopped milk chocolate chips (about 1 handful)
• 2 handfuls mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS

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For Raspberry Sandwich

1. If using frozen fruit, thaw it in microwave for about 30 seconds.
2. Mix fruit in with the 4 oz whipped topping until well combined.
3. Break your graham cracker in half and pile a good tablespoon of mixture on half the graham cracker and then place the other half on top, making a sandwich.
4. Place on parchment paper and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
5. Eat away!

For S'mores Sandwhich

1. Take a handful of chocolate chips and finely chop them up.
2. Mix in chocolate and mini marshmallows with 4 oz whipped topping.
3. Just like the first one, break your graham cracker in half. Put one half with 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture and top with the other half of cracker, forming a sandwich.
4. Freeze on parchment paper for at least 30 minutes
5. Eat away!

NUTRITION FACTS

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Raspberry Sandwich

    1 sandwich   86 calories  3g fat  14.4g carbs   1.4g protein   4.9g sugar   

S'mores Sandwich

    1 sandwich   191 calories  3.1g fat  40.2g carbs   1.6g protein   20.3g sugar   

Enjoy!

Indulgence Moment: Caramel Marshmallows

I've never been a huge marshmallow fan. Weird because I crave anything sugar related - yet,  marshmallows have never done it for me. But, when you cover them in caramel, sweetened condensed milk, and rice krispies - oh my! These caramel marshmallows pretty much become my go-to dessert. They are a simple Halloween treat and great for the kids. We've already made multiple batches at our house this fall - which accounts for our sugar high we never seem to come down from!

Caramel Marshmallows
25 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOL: 20 minutes            READY IN: 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 16 ounce bag large marshmallows
• 1 package caramels 
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Rice Krispies (enough to cover marshmallows)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Cover baking sheet with wax paper. Pour rice krispies into shallow bowl. Set aside.
2. Place caramels, butter, and sweetened condensed milk in saucepan. Mix until smooth and warm.
3. Dip marshmallow in caramel mixture, then dip in rice krispies.
4. Place marshmallows on baking sheet. Allow to cool - about twenty minutes.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    2 marshmallows    259 calories   5.4 g fat   50 g carbs    3.4 g protein    30.8 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip

Have you noticed the lovely chill in the air? I'm super excited for the cooler weather. It seems like as soon as fall approaches so do apples, scarves, soup, pumpkins, hot chocolate, and the heater... which I cannot wait to turn on!

This apple dip is a great, quick treat to whip up for those cooler days spent indoors. The peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice gives it a mouthful of flavor that I'm sure no one can resist!

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip
8 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 package (8 ounces) fat free cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 4 - 5 apples, sliced

DIRECTIONS

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1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie spice until blended. Fold in marshmallow creme. Serve with apple wedges.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/4 cup serving    119 calories   1.5 g fat   21.7 g carbs    4.8 g protein    11.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Indulgence Moment: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies

When I crave sugar, I tend to gravitate toward a quick and easy something that I can munch on all through the day. Super healthy, huh?? Well these, my friends, are one of my absolute favorite indulgence moments. Cranberry white chocolate chip rice krispies take your average rice krispies recipe to the next level.

A little warning, we tend to go a little crazy when these are in our kitchen - the pan is empty within a day! So maybe double the recipe... just to be safe. ;)

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies
18 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOL: 20 minutes            READY IN: 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups rice krispies
• 10 ounces marshmallows (or for a more "gooey" mixture, use a 16 ounce bag)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

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1. Butter a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add vanilla.
3. Add chocolate chips. Stir until mixture is smooth. Add rice krispies and cranberries.
4. Pour into 9x13 pan. Press down until evenly distributed. Let cool.
5. If desired, melt another 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and pour on top of rice krispies. Cut into squares and serve.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/2 cup serving    242 calories   6.7 g fat   44.2 g carbs    1.6 g protein    10.3 g sugar   

Enjoy!
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