Pao de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread

Hey all, if you are looking for a healthy post, I'm sorry, I can't help you. This is definitely an everything in moderation scenario. Husband and I were at the farmer's market for our anniversary weekend and we stumbled across a new booth selling brazillian cheese bread. They had a HUGE sign that said GLUTEN FREE!!! so of course I had to sample and then inevitably purchase the treats. After demolishing the ones I bought in under an hour I knew I had to have them again. I went to my favorite gluten free store, Against the Grain and found that they sold the dough. So I bought that and ate it in about the same amount of time. Then I took to Google and Pinterest and found 4 different recipes for these delicious treats. I found some tapioca flour at Kitchen Kneads for a great price so it was just a matter of time. We tweaked this recipe a little by using Cojita cheese. We also were going to add diced jalapenos but decided to master the recipe first and then add the peppers. Consider it mastered. It was super easy! Thing 2 who is gluten free gobbled up 2 and a half of these things he calls cupcakes. Even super picky, super sweet niece ate one! I decided to use them as hamburger buns since we were having a 4th of July BBQ and oh my goodness. I am never eating a hambuger on a normal gluten free bun again! They even tasted better than normal buns or ciabattas! They are totally high calorie for which I apologize but it is a great gluten free alternative to a normal roll or bun or bread. 5 out of 5 stars and 2 thumbs way, way up!!! Just some advise, when it says serve warm, they mean it. Heat it in the microwave if you are eating it the next day. Also we didn't have to add any additional flour after the 3 1/2 cups.

Source: chefinyou.com

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3-1/2 cups tapioca flour + 2 tbsp
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 cup grated farmer's cheese or any firm, fresh cows milk cheese (I used fresh Mozzarella)
• 2-3 tbsp grated cheddar cheese (optional)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, salt, vegetable oil and butter in a pot, and bring to a boil.
2. As soon as it boils, remove from heat. Stir tapioca flour into the milk and butter mixture.
3. Stir in the eggs and the cheese, and mix well.
4. Let mixture cool for 15-30 minutes, so that it will be easier to handle.The recipe mentions refrigeration for 15 minutes. But if you see the picture below with the measurement they provided it was more of a bread broth and when I added extra flour it became like this. Much better. The measurement I have provided makes it easy to roll into balls.But then as I mentioned previously add it with discretion. Its still sticky but flouring your hands make it easier.
5. With floured (tapioca flour) hands, shape the dough into small balls. and place them on a baking sheet.
6. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are puffed up and are golden. They will rise slowly and puff up mostly in the last 5 or 10 minutes. You know they are done when there is amazing aroma wafting (tapioc'ish (#!#$?) smell?), the bread puffs up with lots of cracks (looks like some dinosaur egg hatching!) and it gets this v. slight yellowish glow with flecks of yellow here and there (cheese flecks?)
7. Serve warm
               

And yes, that is mayonaise and BBQ sauce dripping from my burger. Don't judge.

Gluten Free Favorites

I wanted to do a quick blog to tell you about some of our favorite gluten free brands for certain things. Here we go:

 This is our favorite pizza crust. So much so that when we make pizza now we all eat it on this crust. Even my 5 year old eats it. It's pretty pricey but it's one of those things that is quick and easy and nice to keep in the cupboard. We get this at Sprouts Market.

This bread is available at the Costco by us and I can't tell you how much it has changed the way I eat. Before I wouldn't eat Gluten Free bread unless I absolutely had to but with this I actually have toast and sandwiches! I love that they sell it at Costco because it is only $7.99 for 2 loaves which is a great deal for Gluten Free.

This is my newest discovery. While wandering Trader Joe's I found this little gem and decided to try it. I got the cranberry maple nut and LOVED IT! I eat it dry but I bet it would be good in yogurt or with milk. It is pretty reasonably priced and has a really good shelf life!

These have been great for my 2 year old who is Gluten Free. They are a lot like cheese its. Warning: they are pretty salty, but no more than regular gold fish crackers and a great alternative. I get these at Sprouts Market and they are usually on sale. We've tried the other flavors but these are our favorite.

If you want to know what else I eat, just ask. I make lots of substitutions that I don't even think about which make it so I can eat pretty normal. Still trying to find the perfect Gluten Free donut though. If you find that be sure to let me know!

Playgroup Granola Bars

Since Husband is a full time student and I work to support the family we don't have a lot of extra funds for sweet treats and snacks and are forced to make them. I searched the web for a healthy granola bar recipe since that is a snack we will all eat and I found this one. I've always had this negative opinion on homemade granola bars for some reason but not any more. These literally taste like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!! Hooray! I didn't have wheat germ so I called my sneaky chef sister in law and she had some milled flax seed she said I could use. It seemed to work great especially since I have never used either and wouldn't know the difference anyway. Thing 2 devoured it and thing one humored me with a bite. When I said it tasted like a cookie he fought me on it saying cookies don't have raisins they have chocolate chips. Someone needs a cookie education class. I'm definitely interested in what Husband will think of these... Anyway, these are great and made a bunch which I put in snack baggies to store for easy snacking. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 35 Min
Total Time: 50 Min

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins optional
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 161
Fat: 5.5g
Cholesterol: 9mg
Sodium: 79mg
Sugar: 15.7g
Carbohydrate: 26.6g
Fiber: 1.4g
Protein: 2.4g

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Let me start out by saying how much I LOVE pumpkin. It's probably one of my biggest temptations this time of year so don't be surprised if you see plenty of pumpkin recipes on here. That being said this pumpkin recipe certainly did not disappoint. I cut back on the nutmeg a bit since even just smelling nutmeg gives me heartburn and all we had in the way of all spice was Jamaican all spice. It smelled fine so we used it and didn't notice any strange flavors. The spices in this are full of flavor and you can almost taste every spice in every bite. It is super moist and yummy and the best part is the second loaf in the freezer! A great cheaper alternative to my usual protein bar for breakfast and roughly the same number of calories. 5 out of 5 stars and delicious.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 3 ¹⁄₃ cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₂ cup egg substitute
• ¹⁄₂ cup canola oil
• ¹⁄₂ cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• ²⁄₃ cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• ¹⁄₃ cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.
3. Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. Note:
5. This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze the extra bread, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Omit the nuts or substitute chopped walnuts, if you prefer. Check the bread after 50 minutes of baking--you may need to cover the loaves with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 198

Fat: 6.6g

Cholesterol: 18mg

Sodium: 287mg

Fiber: 1.2g

Protein: 3.4g

Quick Snack Mixes

My Cooking Light magazine came yesterday and this was the first thing I saw. They had pictures of 5 kid-friendly (and adult-friendly) snack mixes and each had the ingredients and the calorie count and everything. When I went online to find them I found 5 more that were not pictured. I let Thing 1 choose from the pictures and he, of course, chose the sweet tooth mix which he says is a 5 (looks like he may be starting to understand the rating system.) I chose the Crunch-Crunch-Crunch Mix and I also give it 5 stars. It's a nice light snack when you measure out a 1/2 cup and is actually quite filling. I think we will try making all of these. Let me know what you and your kids think if you try them.

Source: Cooking Light

 

Sweet-Tooth Mix:
2 cups pretzel sticks, 2 cups Multigrain Cheerios, 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1/2 cup milk chocolate M&M's, 1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup mix = 106 calories, 1.1g fiber

Crunch-Crunch-Crunch Mix:
1/2 cup dried cherries, 2 cups whole-grain Rice Chex, 1/2 cup roasted unsalted pistachios, 3 cups Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
1/2 cup mix = 119 calories, 3.3g fiber

Cheese-Freak Mix:
2 cups whole-grain cheddar goldfish, 2 1/2 cups cheddar-flavored mini pretzel twists, 1 cup dried apple rings, 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup mix = 120 calories, 2g fiber

Wild-Animal Mix:
2 cups animal crackers, 3/4 cup dried blueberries, 3/4 cup roasted pecan halves, 2 1/2 cups air-popped popcorn
1/2 cup mix = 104 calories, 2.4g fiber

Young Gourmand Mix:
 2 cups whole grain cheddar Goldfish, 2 cups dried apple chips, 1/2 cup roasted walnut halves, 1 1/2 cups Quaker oatmeal cereal squares.
1/2 cup mix = 119 calories, 1.9 g fiber

S’more Please Mix:
 3 cups air-popped popcorn, 1 cup Golden Grahams, 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1/2 cup milk chocolate M&M’s, 1/2 cup raisins.
1/2 cup mix = 95 calories, 1.1 g fiber

Nuts & Bolts Mix:
1/2 cup mixed nuts, 2 cups pretzel sticks, 2 1/2 cups Multigrain Cheerios, 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, 1/2 cup raisins.
 1/2 cup mix = 109 calories, 1.8 g fiber

Nut-Free and Sweet Mix:
2 cups pretzel sticks, 3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios, 1/2 cup milk chocolate M&M’s, 1/2 cup craisins.
1/2 cup mix = 103 calories, 1.2 g fiber

Sweet Wheats:
2 cups Triscuit whole wheat thin crisps, 2 cups Golden Grahams, 1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows, 1/4 cup milk chocolate M&M’s, 1/2 cup raisins.
1/2 cup mix = 109 calories, 1.3 g fiber

Salty-Sweet Mix:

1 1/2 cups Post Honey Nut Shredded Wheat, 1 cup dried mangoes, 3 cups Triscuit whole-wheat thin crisps, 1/2 cup roasted almonds.

1/2 cup mix = 125 calories, 2.2g fiber

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Since tonight was left overs night you get your weekly dessert recipe. Instead of cutting out sweets altogether we try one "healthy" dessert a week. If you are someone who cannot eat just one cookie you might just want to skip it but if you are craving something sweet and can eat one and take the rest to your coworkers or neighbors than this is a great recipe. Everyone that has tried these cookies (with the exception of our super sweet super picky 11 year old niece) has loved them. And the good news is one cookies is under my acceptable snack calorie allowance. Just be aware that this recipe is supposed to make 24 cookies and one cookie is a serving. They are not going to be large. An overwhelming 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao) chopped
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Arrange coconut in a single layer in a small baking pan. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once. Set aside to cool.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate.
4. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire racks.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 88

Fat: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 12mg

Sodium: 38mg

Carbohydrate: 13g

Fiber: 0.4g

Protein: 1g