Gimme S'more!

There are few things in life better than a s'more....in my opinion, at least.  =)

When I was a kid, one of my favorite treats was s'mores bars.  My mom used to make them all the time, and now they've become a favorite of my kids as well. They're one of my go-to treats when I need a quick dessert to bring to picnics, barbecues, etc.  We're headed down to the lake with some friends this weekend, so I thought it would be the perfect thing to bring along.

First, I melt together light corn syrup, chocolate chips and butter....

{In case you were wondering, this is not a healthy recipe.}  Bring the chocolate mixture to a boil, remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla extract....

Stir into Golden Grahams and marshmallows and mix until evenly coated....

Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and let cool....

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Golden Grahams.  Marshmallows.  Chocolate....what's not to like?!  All the deliciousness of a s'more without sweating to death next to a campfire in 96 degree heat.  Gotta love it.

Ingredients:

     8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

     3 cups mini marshmallows

     2/3 cup light corn syrup

     12 oz bag chocolate chips {I use milk chocolate}

     2 Tbsp butter

     1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix cereal and marshmallows in a large bowl.  On the stovetop, bring corn syrup, chocolate chips and butter to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and marshmallows.  Mix until evenly coated.  Spread in a greased 9x13 pan.  Let cool then cut into squares.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Protein Smoothie

HAPPY MONDAY!  Here's what I whipped up for breakfast this morning....so good and chocolatey.  A great way to start the week!

Ingredients:

     1 scoop chocolate protein powder

     1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

     1 cup unsweetened almond milk

     Liquid stevia {1/2-1 dropper full}

     1/2 cup frozen strawberries

     ice

Blend all ingredients together {have I told you how much I love my Magic Bullet?!} and enjoy!

{170 calories, 3g fat, 11g carbs, 4g fiber, 26g protein}

95-Calorie Mexican Chocolate Shake

We went to my favorite Mexican place for dinner tonight.  It was so fun and festive there....balloons, banners, streamers....all in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  I ordered the "spinach salad" {my usual}.  It's so rare to find a really good, healthy salad at a Mexican restaurant, and this place nails it!

To continue my Cinco de Mayo celebration, I thought I'd whip up a little something fun for my evening snack.  This recipe was inspired by my original 95-calorie milkshake.

{95 calories, 0g fat, 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g protein}

Ingredients:

     1/2 pint Arctic Zero {chocolate flavor}
     1 packet fat-free hot chocolate mix
     3/4 cup cold water
     Liquid stevia {vanilla creme}, to taste {or 1 packet Truvia}
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients together {I use my Magic Bullet} and ENJOY!!! 

Note: I used 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and it was PLENTY spicy.  If you're afraid of spice, go easy on the cayenne or skip it all together.  It would still be delish!

Happy Cinco de Mayo {tomorrow}!

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

One day, several years ago, I was in the checkout line at the grocery store.  As the cashier picked up my bag of Heath Bits {found by the chocolate chips} she told me about a great recipe I could make with them.  Just four simple ingredients....

Ice cream sandwiches

Whipped topping

Heath bits

Chocolate Syrup

    

Instructions:

Layer ingredients in this order....ice cream sandwiches {might need to cut some to fit}, whipped topping {thawed}, Heath bits, chocolate syrup.  Return to freezer until whipped topping has refrozen.  

Don't you love how it looks like I spent hours making a fancy layered dessert?  The truth is, it only took about 5 minutes.  The most difficult part was unwrapping the ice cream sandwiches!  This makes a great last minute dessert, and it's easy to double or triple if you're feeding a crowd.

Semi-Homemade Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Sorry....  It's been a few days since I've posted.  Our lives have been run by basketball recently, so I find this post very fitting.  Our oldest son is in Boy Scouts and needed to make a cake to sell at the annual camp fundraiser this weekend {which I just so happened to be in charge of....why I volunteer for these things is beyond me}.  We found an idea on Pinterest that was just perfect for our 12-year-old basketball fanatic.

I don't love plain old cake mix cakes {they don't taste that great} but I don't love making cakes from scratch either.  A woman my husband works with gave me a great recipe for a doctored-up cake mix a few years back.  It's been my go-to cake for birthdays and special events and I always get rave reviews.  I usually make it in a bundt pan, but this time I used two round cake pans instead.

Ingredients:

1 cake mix - the kind with pudding in the mix {I usually use vanilla or chocolate, but any kind will do.}

1 small box instant pudding {vanilla, chocolate or whatever you have on hand}

1/2 cup sugar

8 oz. sour cream

4 eggs

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup chocolate chips

powdered sugar

Combine first three ingredients.  Add oil, water, eggs and sour cream.  Mix well with wire whisk or hand mixer.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out on cake plate and dust well with powdered sugar. 

*If using 2 round cake pans, follow baking instructions on the back of the box.

**For this cake, my son and I put cream cheese frosting between the layers of cake and frosted the outside with more cream cheese frosting {colored orange}.  We then used Reece's Pieces to decorate it.

Out of all the cake mix/pudding mix combinations I've tried, I've got to say, my favorite is yellow cake mix with vanilla pudding mix and milk chocolate chips.  The one in the picture is chocolate cake mix, vanilla pudding mix and dark chocolate chips....that's a combination I haven't tried before, it just happened to be what I had on hand.  I hope the lucky winner enjoyed it!

Three Down, Four to Go....

Just one of the treats I had to resist today....

Definitely one of the best seasonal candies, in my opinion.  I'm so glad my "junk-free" week saved me from eating half the bag!!!  Today was much easier than yesterday.

95 Calorie Milkshake....

Yes, please!!!

As I dished up ice cream for the kids tonight, I found myself craving something sweet and chocolatey.  Then I had an idea....

I blended together 1/2 pint Arctic Zero {my new favorite healthy indulgence - just 150 calories in the WHOLE pint}, 1 packet Nestle's fat-free hot cocoa mix, and 3/4 cup cold water.  Yep, it's that easy!

I used the "Vanilla Maple" flavor, but any of the chocolate flavors would be great too!

{95 calories, 0g fat, 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 8g protein}

It was so yummy and delicious....just the chocolate fix I needed.