What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

Provided by the New York Times

Every family has their signature dish that they bring to the Thanksgiving table so it shouldn't be surprising that each state does the same. In the map above, you'll be able to find out the most searched recipes on Google for Thanksgiving meals.

I find it funny that Maryland searches sauerkraut over any other dish. I've never had sauerkraut.. always too busy with the stuffing and mashed potatoes! Take a look at your state and see if it makes sense to you!

Wishing everyone a very happy + healthy Thanksgiving!

XO Cara

"Caul" Me MAYBE

Yesterday I wanted to try out a new creation with my crockpot. I wasn't in the mood for any buffalo chicken chili (which was a close second choice) and wanted to see if I was able to turn my pizza craving into something slightly more healthy.

I had seen the idea of using cauliflower instead of dough when making pizza before and was curious if it would work. I figured this couldn't be too difficult and also not too expensive to go out to get the proper ingredients. It turns out I was right about both of those assumptions. The only thing I wasn't right about was how it would taste.

Maybe I thought it would be more pizza-flavored or maybe the cauliflower smell is a little too powerful for my liking. Whatever happened, the cauliflower pizza idea didn't taste exactly like I had expected. Having used dried Italian dressing, pasta sauce and Italian shredded cheese I thought it would help to make the dish taste more authentic.

I'm curious if anyone else out there has had luck with their cauliflower pizza creations? If so, please comment below or message me as I would really like to have a healthy alternative to pizza. The only other healthy alternative I have heard of is to use zucchinis to make pizza boats. I'm also interested in knowing if anyone out there has been lucky with that idea too. Let me know!

XO Cara

If you're a big cauliflower fan and are interested in trying it out for yourself please see the process and ingredients you'll need below!

Wash and chop your cauliflower.

Put the chopped pieces into a bowl and
out of the way of your cutting board. 

Chop the "tops" off of the previously cut cauliflower and
put aside in another bowl to avoid mixing the two.

Put the chopped "tops" into a food processor.
(If you don't have one use a blender on "Chop" or "Pulse")

Take the processed "tops" and put them in a bowl.
Add 1tsp dried Italian dressing, 2 eggs,1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese and 1/4 tbsp salt then mix.

Spray crockpot then spread the mixture on the bottom.
Be sure to make the mixture higher on the sides to make it deep-dish style. 

Add 1/2 cup pasta sauce.

Add 1/2 cup Italian shredded cheese.

Have the crockpot cook for 2-3 hours on High.
Wait for the pizza to cool for about 30 minutes before digging in.

Calling all Chocoholics

Who doesn't love chocolate? There are always those people who said that they would easily pick salts over sweets. Well, not this gal. I am proud to be a chocoholic and once I learned that dark chocolate has some health benefits, you can bet I was going to begin incorporating that into any desserts going forward.

There's honestly nothing more satisfying than making dessert out of something that's good for you! I always loved going to The Melting Pot when I was younger. Being able to dip fruits, cookies and pieces of cakes into a big bowl of melted chocolates was the epitome of a great weekend back then.

Although weekend plans have certainly adjusted as I've gotten older, I will always have a love for chocolate fondue. Last night I decided to make my own mini-version with a healthier dark chocolate melt. As a standard, I always have dark chocolate chips in my fridge. I love the crunch and since you're only "allowed" to have 6 grams of chocolate per day I can control my chocolate cravings to a few chips rather than having to tempt myself with a huge Hershey's bar.

Long story short, I had bananas that were about to go bad, some cut up strawberries and dark chocolate chips. I easily melted the chocolate chips in the microwave (1 minute, roughly) and then spooned some dollops onto the sliced fruit. Once they had enough chocolate I put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and to develop a strong, chocolate coat for my HumpDay dessert!

Enjoy!

XO Cara

ON THE GO Salads

Let's face it, weekdays are hectic. Mornings are even more hectic! I LOVE my sleep, so hitting the snooze until it reaches my very last alarm is typical. That being said, when I finally pry myself out of bed, I usually only have enough time to get a cup of coffee going in the Keurig and quickly apply some makeup before I rush out the door to work.

We are always interested in timesavers so let me help you out with your weekly lunch prep! I'm a fan of making food during the weekends (usually Sundays) in order to save a few moments throughout the week. One of my favorite ON THE GO meals is a mason jar salad. 

The combinations for these salads vary and you can customize them to your liking. For the one I made below I chose to keep it simple and vegetable-filled! You can add in chicken, beans, yellow peppers, pasta, onions or anything else your heart desires!

The only thing you must remember to do when creating these salads is to put the dressing of your choice on the bottom of the jar. Then be sure the layer directly on top of the dressing is a hard vegetable. In this case, I chose to add in some shredded carrots, which worked just fine. This way you're not having your lettuce or any other softer items in your salad at risk of becoming soggy before you want to enjoy it for lunch later on in the week. Also, you should always put your lettuce on the top of the jar to keep it fresh. The carrots on the bottom will just become a little marinaded by the dressing and as long as you eat your creation within the week it will taste just as fresh as if you had made it that morning!

If you want to replicate my salad below just be sure to add the following ingredients to your grocery list: green peppers, cucumbers, shredded carrots, WishBone Light Balsamic & Basil Vinaigrette, couscous or quinoa, hard boiled eggs, hearts of romaine lettuce topped with feta cheese.

Please feel free to share your ON THE GO Salad creations with me below in the comments!

XO Cara

Egg Whites + Broccoli Muffins

My mom first introduced me to egg whites + broccoli muffins last May. It's an amazingly easy process and can last you the whole week! It's also a great way to ensure you have an easy breakfast on the go. Even if you want to have one or two with your dinner, it's easy to use pop them in the microwave and just heat them up for 30 seconds.

They are not only healthy, but extremely filling. I'm a fan of putting hot sauce or ketchup on anything that has eggs in it, but I would suggest sticking to a hot sauce of your choosing. I used Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce and it gave it a great kick.

Spray muffin tin + microwave bag of broccoli

Add olive oil, salt + pepper then spoon into muffin tins

Pour egg whites into bowl and add in salt + pepper.
Spoon eggs into muffin tins.

Add fat free shredded cheddar to the top of each muffin tin.

 

Make sure your oven has heated up to 350 degrees.

Have the "muffins" bake for 20 mins.

Take them out and let them cool off.

Spoon out these beauties and either serve right away
OR let them cool and store in tupperware to eat throughout the week!

Ingredients: 

1 bag of broccoli florets

2 cups of egg whites

1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar

1 tsp olive oil

salt + pepper

cooking spray

Enjoy!
XO Cara 

12 Days To Go!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 12 days away! This year, don't get full off of unneccessary fats, carbs and artery-cloggers! Why not try out a healthy version of your favorite dish or add in a dish that you've never included in your feast before?

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 12 days away! This year don't get full off of unnecessary fats, carbs and artery-cloggers! Why not try out a healthy version of your favorite dish? Or add in a dish that you've never included in your "feast" 

Check out some of the great examples below! If you have a specialty (skinny) dish that wasn't included in this, please feel free to share it within the comments!

XO Cara

Farro + Sausage Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

Skinny Scalloped Potato Gratin

Makeover Spinach Gratin

Butternut Squash Risotto

Roasted Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles

Mini Sweet Potato Meringue Pies

Mushroom Fennel Quinoa Stuffing

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash

Skinny Stuffing

Serving up Stuffed Peppers!

The first dish I ever really tried cooking were stuffed peppers. I have always loved bell peppers. There's just something about the refreshing taste & the crunch that always made me a fan. Plus, since bell peppers are mostly water-based (93.3% to be exact) it was an even easier option to start cooking healthy with a pretty basic dish.







If you're interested in making your own, see the ingredients and directions below. If you have made other versions of stuffed peppers let me know in the comments below!

XO Cara

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup dry brown rice (2 cups cooked)

5 medium red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers

1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp canola oil, divided

1 lb chicken, diced into 3/4-inch pieces

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Sour cream

Mexican style hot sauce (such as Tapatio or Cholula, optional) 

Directions: 

Prepare brown rice according to directions listed on package. Halfway through brown rice cooking, preheat one to 375 degrees and begin making, filling and boiling peppers.

Bring a large pot of water to a  boil. Cut peppers in half through length (top to bottom), seed and devein peppers, then boil 4-5 minutes (fully immersing them in the water), just until tender. Drain well and align in baking pans then set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large and deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until golden about 5 minutes, then add garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer, transfer onion mixture to a plate. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, the paprika and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomatoes, onion mixture, black beans, corn, cooked brown rice, remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, cilantro, lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until heated through.

Add a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture to each pepper half (and slightly press as filling to fit). Pour enough water into bottom of baking dishes to reach 1/8-inch in height (careful not to pour it in peppers). Cover baking dishes with foil and bake 30 - 35 minutes, until peppers are soft. Remove from oven, sprinkle tops evenly with cheese then return to oven to bake until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes longer.

Serve warm topped with more cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.