Date Bars

The Yummiest Date BARS

Ingredients

Make the date filling first because it needs to cool.

Date Filling

2 cups pitted chopped Dates

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/4 cups water

1/2 cup almonds, finely ground - not to a meal but finely ground.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Date Crust

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 cup Quick Cooking Oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

.

Directions

Date Filling

Put the dates in a Food Processor and chop to fine pieces.

 

In a medium sized saucepan add the chopped dates, water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

Stir and cook over medium high heat and then turn down and cook until the mixture is thickened.

Add the vanilla extract, almond extract and finely ground almonds.

Spoon into a bowl and let cool down because you will be pressing this out, with your fingers, onto the bottom layer of the crust.

Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan - set aside.

Date Crust

Cream the butter and brown sugar with a Hand Mixer, until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt.

Mix.

Add the oats and mix well.

It will be a crumbly mixture but it will press together.

Sprinkle half the dough into the prepared baking pan.

Press down with your fingers to an even layer all across the pan bottom.

Now take the date mixture and dab teaspoons full here and there across the bottom layer in the pan. It will be easier to spread this way.

With your fingers - gently press out the filling for a solid layer across the complete bottom of the crust.

Sprinkle the rest of the dough over the filling layer.

Make sure it is even. Then press the top crust with your hand to make a solid layer. I use my fingers and the palm of my hand. It does not take much pressure.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Cut into squares while it is still warm.

Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes

Crock Pot Cheesy Potatoes

1/2 onion, diced
2/3 too half stick of butter (or margarine) 8 oz. sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 bag of shredded hash brown potatoes (usually 26 to 30 oz.)
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in microwave along with onion to soften onion.  Once butter is melted, stir in sour cream and soup.  In a very large bowl, mix together hash browns, cheese, and butter/sour cream/soup mix.  (I do recommend doing this in a large bowl rather than right in the crock pot so you have more room to move it around, but if you want to do it right in the slow cooker, go ahead.)  Pour into crock pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

If you want to be fancy like I did for Thanksgiving today you can transfer the taters into an oven safe dish sprinkle more cheese on top and broil the top til crispy and sprinkle crispy bacon on top!
I also blotted any extra grease off the top with a paper towel because I'm crazy like that...

Roasted Butternut Acorn Squash Soup

My aunt sent me a great fall soup recipe which I tweeked just a bit and it turned out amazing!

Roasted Butternut Acorn Squash Soup

1 small butternut squash
1 small acorn squash
1 onion
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
1/8th cup packed brown sugar
Dash cinnamon
3/4ths of a brick of cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter browned

Slice your squash in half and remove seeds. Cut onion in half. You don't even have to remove skin. Lay face down on lined greased cookie sheet. Roast your squashs and onion at 350 until done about 40 min. Cool and scrape out insides of squash and peel the skin off the onion. Place everything in your vitamix and blend until smooth hot and bubbly. If you have to do it in batches just blend til smooth and heat on the stove in a sauce pan.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (12 ounce) cans chunk chicken drained (I use the Kirtland ones from Costco so they are a bit bigger than the ones you get from say Wal-Mart which are 10oz)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
softened

1 cup Ranch dressing

1 cup Frank's or 3/4 cup if using the 10oz cans you get at Wal-Mart

2 to 2 1/2cups shredded Cheddar cheese

celery, cleaned and cut into sticks

Chips or crackers

Directions:

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through.

Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. 

Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker or oven safe dish (8x11 or 9x13)

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly if in slow cooker or 350 for 30 min.

Serve with celery sticks and chips or crackers.  I am sure a little blue cheese dressing would be yummy on this as well!

The picture is of a little mini one I made

Protein Muffins

Ingredients

Olive oil spray
1 cup 100% whole-wheat flour
4 scoops protein powder plus more flour to make a complete cup
2  teaspoons baking powder heaped
4 large eggs
1 cup plain, low-fat Greek yogurt (I was out so I blended equal amounts if applesauce and cottage cheese to make 1 cup
¼ cup oil
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (if using plain/unflavored protein powder) 1 tsp if flavored
Splenda to sprinkle on top before baking

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, protein powder, and baking powder.In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and yogurt, then add the oil, honey and vanilla.Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture. Mix with a fork just until combined.Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one of the muffins comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

Vitamix Broccoli Cheese Soup

This changed my life! So easy...So versatile.

3 cups cooked frozen broccoli (I roasted mine this time the oven with S&P) reserve 1 cup and chop if chunky is your thing
1.5 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups milk
2 cups cheddar shredded
Red pepper flakes
S&P
2 TBS diced onion
1 carrot (I roasted it with the broccoli)

Place stock, milk, onion, cheese, broccoli, and pepper flakes in that order in blender.

On variable speed move up to 10. Then high for 5 to 8 min until hot bubbly and steamy.

Add your chopped reserved 1 cup broccoli and S&P is you need it.

Done!

Pressure Cooker Lentils with Spicey Sausage and Stew Meat

Pressure Cooker Lentils (electric)

1-2 tbs tomato paste

Can of stewed tomatoes (Italian or some flavor…chop them)

1 lb hot sausage in bulk tube cooked (leave a little of the grease to brown the stew meat in drain off rest)

Stew meat browned in the sausage oil

1c lentils

Beef stock 3tbs or so better than beef bouillon

Onion 1 med diced.

Carrot like 4 small/med diced

Cayenne and crushed red pepper

2 bay leaf

S and P

4 garlic cloves minced

6-8 cups water

 

Brown your sausage in the pressure cooker and then drain off most all the oil/fat. Scoop out sausage and set aside. Brown the Stew meat. Next add all the rest of ingredients. Place pressure cooker on high for 25 min if you like your lentils a little soft and 15 min for firmer.