Better For You Peanut Butter- Chocolate Chip Cookies- Ep. 2

Hi Everyone,
I walked into work a couple of days ago and it seemed as if my co-worker was going through withdraws from my baking- as she so boldly hinted to me (ha-ha). I've been spoiling her with goodies almost every week since she's been back from school. That evening I looked in my baking cupboard and really wanted to bake cookies, but a somewhat-guilt free kind of cookie. I decided to experiment with ingredients I had on hand. I immediately knew I was going to use my newest finds that I picked up from my grocery store a few days ago. I picked up the King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour as well as the Truvia Baking Blend (stevia natural sweetener combined with granulated sugar), and Nestle Toll House Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels. I then decided to add a package of a 1/3 less fat cream cheese and use less butter than the usual cookie recipe calls for, along with a few other ingredients from my cupboard- and I came up with this beauty! I have to be honest- I really wasn't sure how these cookies were going to turn out as I was just winging it- but surprisingly enough, they were amazing! They're re soft, chewy, moist, and most importantly a healthier alternative for when you have a sweet tooth -which by the way I tend to have more often then none! I really didn't feel as guilty going in for that second cookie than I normally would with a regular cookie, which is always a plus in my book! Best of all my co-worker's craving was satisfied. I also shared some with my cousin and sister's family, and they too, really enjoyed them. The icing on the cake- or shall I say the low fat icing on the cake- was that they didn't even notice I used healthier ingredients. I have to say my mission was definitely accomplished! :) I hope you enjoy this delicious cookie recipe as much as my co-worker, family, and I did.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup White whole wheat flour
1 cup All purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Peanut butter and chocolate chip morsels (Nestle sells both morsels already combined in a bag)
3/4 cup Truvia baking blend sugar
3/4 cup Brown sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Egg
3/4 cup (=1 1/2 sticks) Room temperature butter
1 8 oz.  Package of  1/3 less fat cream cheese

Instructions:

1.In a mixing bowl beat butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, baking blend sugar. Using your hand mixer, mix until smooth.

2. Add egg and vanilla extract mix well.

3. In a separate bowl add all purpose and white whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda and combine ingredients well with a whisk.

4. Add the flour in two parts into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.

5. Fold in the peanut butter and chocolate chip morsels with a wooden spoon.

6. Scoop dough with a table spoon and form it into rounds. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

7.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

8. Enjoy! :)

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa- Ep. 1

Hi everyone, 

I went grocery shopping and the moment I walked into the store there was a massive amount of mangoes that were nicely displayed on a table. Needless to say my stores mission was accomplished- they sucked me right in because I immediately began to fill up my cart with the beautiful mangoes. Mangoes are one of my favorite fruit. Believe it or not I had a really crazy addiction to them- I just had to have one everyday which lasted about a month! (Ha-ha) Not only are mangoes delicious on their own but boy did they taste delicious in the mango salsa I put together with the fish tacos I made. The fish I used were Tilapia  fillets -however use the fish you prefer or have on hand. I cooked the fish with some extra virgin olive that I infused with some freshly minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder- yes, I did double duty on the garlic -I love garlic as you can probably already tell. It didn't overpower the flavor of the fish at all as I used both the fresh and powdered garlic sparingly. The mango salsa I put together were from ingredients I already had on hand which included the mango I had just bought, Roma tomato, green bell pepper, finely chopped onions and cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper. The colors of the salsa looked so beautiful and the flavors paired beautifully with the tilapia. The aroma in my kitchen was intoxicating as the fresh garlic was cooking with my fish. My poor cat Oreo didn't know what to do with himself, as he too, was enjoying the deliciousness going on in my kitchen!  I love this recipe for a number of reasons- it's quick, simple, fresh, light and most importantly delicious! I hope you enjoy!

Fish Tacos:

4 Tilapia fillets

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( I used a garlic infused olive oil I made at home and included the freshly minced garlic)

1/2 of the Juice of a lemon

1/8 tsp Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tortillas of your choice (corn, flour, whole wheat)

Instructions:

1. In a skillet add extra virgin olive and add Tilapia and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and lemon on both sides.
2. Last couple of minutes of cooking time add the freshly minced garlic.
3. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes per side or until your fish flakes apart easily with a fork.
4. Once Tilapia is cooked place it in a bowl and roughly pull it apart with two forks until preferred size chunks of fish is reached.
5. Assemble taco and top with the mango salsa. 

Mango Salsa: 

1/2 Mango

1 Roma tomato

1/2 Green pepper

1/2 tbsp spoon of finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp of  Chopped cilantro

1/2 of the Juice of a lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Dice mango, tomato, green pepper, finely chop onion and cilantro.
2. Add all of the chopped ingredients into a bowl add lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. Serve on top fish tacos. 

About me

The kitchen is where my hearts at. It's truly become a passion of mine.  I enjoy cooking and baking for my family and friends, and to add to my enjoyment I now have gathered the courage to share recipes I've grown to love with everyone. There's nothing like preparing a special meal and or dessert for the one's I love and seeing the delight on their faces when they take their first bite! :) It's pretty special. Some of the recipes I'll be sharing with you are family recipes, recipes I've created, as well as sharing my variation on classic recipes. My overall approach on food is to make tasty simple food- yet offer healthier alternatives every chance I get. I've struggled with my weight for a very long time and unfortunately still am. I really want to help anyone who maybe stumped on how to make healthier ingredient swap outs when their cooking at home.  Occasionally I'll share some  not so healthy recipes too (I'm human lol) however, I'll definitely be sharing a lot more better-for-you recipes. My inspiration in putting my spin on recipes is simple- I buy what looks good at my grocery store, along with what's in season and on sale.  I then think about what ingredients will pair nicely together and then it's trial and error from there lol. I'm no chef- I simply cook from the heart and appreciate the art of simple yet delicious food. I hope you try my recipes and enjoy them with your loved ones as much as I do with mine.

Sincerely, 

Jocy