Magleby's Copycat Parmesan Rolls

Whenever I write up these descriptions, I try to save the word "favorite" for my truly "favorite" recipes. Well friends, this is my absolute favorite roll recipe ever! We all have lots of different rolls - homemade rolls, store bought rolls, restaurant rolls - this recipe beats them all.

We have been making these Magleby's "knockoff rolls" for years now and every time we gather for big family or neighborhood get-togethers - these rolls are always a huge hit!

(Have you entered our fun giveaway?? It ends today so don't miss your opportunity to win a $100 VISA gift card!)

Magleby's Copycat Parmesan Rolls
12 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes   RISE: 3 hours    COOK: 15 minutes     READY IN: 3 hours 25 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, melted 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 15-20 frozen Rhodes white dinner rolls

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine melted butter and parmesan. Mix in parsley.
2. Roll frozen rolls in Parmesan mixture until they are completely covered.
3. Place rolls on ungreased baking sheet. 
4. Cover and let rise. (Takes a little over 3 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 350º. Bake rolls for 10-15 minutes.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 roll serving    184 calories   10.2 g fat   19.2 g carbs    3.7 g protein    2 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Nut Truffles

Okay, so sometimes I sit down to write my little intro to a recipe, and I get a little bit of writers' block. I'm sure that's no surprise, because really, who doesn't get writers' block when they have to write something? But I'm just putting it out there that I do.

Often, my writers' block is followed by a series of not-so-interesting ideas about what I could say about my recipe -- many of which include cheesy stories about my children, too-much-information memories from my childhood, or stupidly academic facts about the food I'm about to share. Today was one of the latter, and I have to admit I had written at least two (complete … but not diagrammed … I'm not that nerdy!) sentences of dry textbook talk about hot amazingly nutritious walnuts are before I had to give myself a little reality check pep-talk that went something like, "Wow! I sound really enthusiastic about nutrition facts there. That's really nerdy of me … (backspace, backspace, backspace)" This, of course, brought me back to a blank screen and my original writers' block, which has now led me to the probably equally nerdy narrative that I have just given you about how my brain works when writing.

Anywho, back to the recipe … Here's the deal in a nutshell (pun intended, of course!): walnuts are good for you, pumpkin spice is yummy, and these truffles are amazingly delicious ... Try them! (Oh, and don't hesitate to hide them in the freezer so that you get them all to yourself!)

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Nut Truffles
15 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 15 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 cup walnuts
• 8 dates, diced (and soaked if very dry)
• 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon water
• 1/4 cup white chocolate, melted

DIRECTIONS

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1. Place walnuts in a food processor, and pulse until nearly smooth.
2. Add in dates and pumpkin pie spice. Continue pulsing food processor until the dates are combined with the nuts, making a mostly smooth mash. (You may need to add in water, a small amount at a time, to help keep things mixing.)
3. Roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and place on a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. (If the mixture is too warm and/or mushy, you can chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to help make it easier to manage.) Place the balls in the freezer for 2-3 hours. 
4. Once the nut balls have hardened in the freezer, you can then roll them in a light coating of melted chocolate. Replace them in the fridge or freezer to allow the chocolate to set.
5. Once the chocolate is set, these can be stored (i.e. hidden) in a plastic bag in the freezer to enjoy as a small snack, or served to (very grateful) friends.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 truffle   79 calories   5.8 g fat   5.8 g carbs    2.6 g protein    4.6 g sugar   

Enjoy! (And don't forget to enter this week's giveaway … just one day left!)

Pomegranate Pear & Apple Salad

I've fallen in love with many salads over the years, but this one is my favorite this time of year. The colors are perfect for the holidays and it's a nice mix of fruit and veggies. And it has pomegranates which is a huge score in my salad-book. :) I love those crunchy little fruit bites. I took this salad to a Christmas party last week that was potluck style and received many compliments on the dish. It's a flavorful salad that is tangy, tart, crunchy, sweet and sour. It's also very versatile. You could maybe even add mango, pineapple, or nuts to this salad and it would be wonderful! I used spinach, but you could also use baby greens or arugula and it would taste incredible. If you'd rather buy your dressing, it would be great pair with just about any vinaigrette. I'm all about working with what I have so I encourage you to do the same.

Pomegranate Pear & Apple Salad
12 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 15 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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SALAD:

• 6 cups chopped spinach
• 2 gala apples, cored and diced (use a tart, crisp apple if you don't have gala on hand)
• 2 asian pears, cored and diced
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey

DIRECTIONS

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1.  In a large bowl, combine spinach, apples, and pears.
2. Top with pomegranate seeds and feta cheese.
3. Wisk all the ingredients for the dressing together and pour on top, if you wish. (I serve my dressing on the side).

NUTRITION FACTS

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(salad without dressing)

    3/4 cup serving    52 calories   1.5g fat   8.8g carbs    1.5g protein    6.1g sugar   

… (Have you entered our 100th post giveaway yet? 2 days left!)
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from epicurious.

One Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta

Around our house, we've been running from one holiday event to the next, preparing for holiday travel, and just generally trying to survive the mayhem of life with children. I've been combing through my recipe files pulling up my easiest, kid-friendliest, and still nutritious dishes in an effort to continue to keep things as simple, healthy, and yum :) as possible despite the busy season. As I was planning the other day, this recipe came to mind as one that we have loved. It's quick and easy, and you can do it all using only one pot - which means fewer dishes to worry about after!

Happy Holidays! (Which reminds me … don't forget to enter our 100th post giveaway for the chance to win some holiday cheer from us at Pass the Fresh!)

One Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 box whole grain pasta
• 1/2-2/3 pound chicken sausage, cut into small chunks (I used 2 links of Trader Joe's Sweet Pesto Chicken Sausage)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, divided
• 3 cups chopped broccoli pieces
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower pieces
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese (1/3 or low-fat if you have it)
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil)
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

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1. Prepare pasta in a large pot as directed on the package. Drain.
2. Using the same pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add sausages and heat thoroughly (or cook until brown if they are not pre-cooked). Add garlic and onion, and cook until the onion starts to soften. 
3. Add in 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, along with the broccoli and cauliflower pieces. Cover and cook until the broccoli turns a vibrant green and slightly softened (about 5 minutes). 
4. Stir in the cooked pasta. Add remaining 1/4 cup broth, cream cheese, and basil, stirring until the cream cheese "melts" over the pasta. 
5. Serve sprinkled with freshly ground pepper, and parmesan cheese if desired.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 1/2 cup serving    414 calories   11.1 g fat   62 g carbs    18.9 g protein    3.4 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Week of Menus.

100th Post, $100 VISA Gift Card Giveaway!!

We have some amazing news!! We are so excited that Pass the Fresh has reached our 100th post! We feel like we've come so far as a blogging team, and we look forward to what lies ahead. So for today, we're celebrating … and we want to invite you to join with us by having our very first giveaway! In honor of our 100 posts, we'd love to give one of you a $100 VISA gift card. Consider it our early Christmas gift to you. :)

Before we kick off the giveaway, though, we want to take a brief moment to thank those of you that have been following along with us. Each of us is growing through this blog. Some of our goals in kicking off the site were to expand our passion for cooking, find and create healthy food that tastes good, and grow together as sisters (and sisters-in-law). And in the short three months that we've been around, we are growing in all of these areas! Another one of our goals is to build a community with those who share our vision, and find other people that are working on, or toward, our same goals. We want to get to know you, and hear what you're cooking in your kitchen. We know that we are just starting out, but we have been amazed at the number of people visiting our site! Thank you so much for stopping by! If you have tried any of our recipes, we would love to hear about it.

For this $100 VISA gift card giveaway, we are using Rafflecopter. There are multiple ways that you can enter (the more entries, the better chance you have of winning!!). It is really up to you how you would like to enter, and how much. This giveaway will be open until Friday, December 20th at midnight (EST) and a winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter. There are some entries you can do once per day (hint: pin a recipe). Thanks for participating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


* We will notify the winner by Monday December 23rd.
*This giveaway is in no way affiliated with VISA... we just wanted to give something that we thought would be useful at this time of year. This giveaway is sponsored in whole by the Pass the Fresh team. 

Thank you for entering and being part of our Pass the Fresh community!! (And may the odds be ever in your favor). :)

Gluten Free Almond Sugar Cookies

In my effort to cut down on processed sugar in our baking at home, it's a little hard to make the traditional sugar cookies that the kid's crave this time of year. I found this great alternative to sugar cookies on Detoxinista and modified it to use what I have in my pantry. The result was fabulous-- though I'm not sure my children were impressed by the lack of color in the frosting. We may have to work on that! The coconut flavor combined with the almonds is perfect. These almost reminded me of the Samoa Girl Scout cookies. Sounds strange, because there's no chocolate or caramel, but that's immediately what my mind went to when I first tried them. If you'd like, you can use raw honey instead... it would help the frosting "set up" a little more.

Gluten Free Almond Sugar Cookies
18 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 8-10 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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FOR THE COOKIES:

• 2 cups almond meal (I used Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened (or use butter instead, but the coconut gives these a wonderful flavor!)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 

FOR THE FROSTING:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of fine sea salt

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together cookie ingredients until well combined. 
3. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper and form cookie dough into 15 equal round balls. Place on the parchment paper and press down with your hand. 
4. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. They will not look done, but they probably are. If you cook them for much longer, the bottoms will burn.
5. Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes.
6. While they're cooling, make the frosting. This doesn't seem like much frosting, but it's the perfect amount for these cookies. :)

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving    122 calories   9.8g fat   8.1g carbs    2.3g protein    6.2g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Detoxinista.

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie

I love playing around with different protein drink combinations. I'm a chocolate lover, but having the same chocolate smoothie gets old fast. Real fast. I thought to myself, "what goes well with chocolate?" Then it came to me. Chocolate covered strawberries. Delish! So I decided to throw some in my drink and see what happened. The result was yummy. My husband was my taste tester and his answer was "it tastes healthy". Not sure that's a good thing. But then I caught him finishing off the extras, so it can't taste too healthy. :)

Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie

1 SERVINGS 

PREP:5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 cup frozen strawberries (frozen is best so the smoothie is cold)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (optional, I like the texture it adds)

DIRECTIONS

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1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving   377 calories  10g fat  47g carbs   34g protein   11g sugar   

Enjoy!