Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

I have a major sweet tooth and was disappointed with this recipe because these healthy cookies taste like a healthy cookie.

I came across this recipe for Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies on Pinterest. I had high expectations for the recipe, since I love anything that combines peanut butter, chocolate, and banana. I took a bite and they tasted like healthy cookies. They should, at 50 calories a piece, but then I realized that I forgot the vanilla extract. Oops! To remedy the cookies, I whipped up a batch of Homemade Vanilla Pudding and I stirred in crushed up cookies. It helped improved the flavor, but I don't think these cookies are for me. If you don't have much of sweet tooth, you may enjoy these cookies.

Click here for recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Recipe Semi-Flop: Quinoa Mac & Cheese

Two weeks ago, I came across this recipe for Quinoa Mac & Cheese. I've never tried quinoa before, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a chance. I was very excited for a healthier mac & cheese recipe, until I took my first bite. It was dry and bland. It wasn't bad enough not to eat, it just lacked a lot of moisture and flavor. My husband completely disagrees and thinks it is inedible. He was a trooper and choked down his portion that he claims "tastes like dirt."

I made a few revisions to the recipe, but I don't think the revisions I made would explain the lack of moisture and flavor. The original recipe calls for white quinoa, but I had red quinoa in my pantry. Instead of leeks and tomatoes, I chopped a whole yellow onion. I also added a half a cup of sweet potato puree to the cheese mixture. And, I sprinkled extra cheddar cheese on top.

Despite my high expectations for this dish, this recipe is a semi-flop in my book. It's not bad enough not to eat, but I wouldn't recommend it either. I still think the concept of Quinoa Mac & Cheese has some potential, so I may revisit this on my own and try to develop my own recipe some day. It'll be awhile though, as it will take some convincing to get my husband to ever try it again. If it doesn't taste As Good As Gluten, he's not in. I don't blame him.

What are some of your favorite quinoa dishes? I'm anxious to give quinoa another try with a no-fail recipe!

Crockpot Chex Mix

Chex Mix is a family favorite of mine, so when I found this recipe at A Year of Slow Cooking I thought I'd try it. It turned out okay, but I'm sticking to the old fashion way of making Chex Mix in the oven.

This crockpot version didn't have as much flavor as the oven version and some pieces were chewy. This is probably a fault of mine - I must have messed something up - since I know this recipe has turned out well for so many.

It's definitely easier to make in a crockpot than in the oven, so give if you give it a try let me know how it turns out for you. I omitted the pretzels, I've always liked my Chex Mix with just cereal and nuts. I also used a combination of Rice and Corn Chex.

Flourless Chocolate Brownies

I just pulled these out of the oven, and my husband and I just ate one! They taste good, but we aren't completely happy with the recipe. They taste a little dry even though they look and feel moist. I added chopped walnuts to the batter and sprinkled a handful of milk chocolate chips on top before baking. The recipe is definitely a keeper. But, next time I'm going to make some alterations to see if I can get it to taste even better!

·4 eggs

·2 TBS butter, melted

·⅓ cup sugar       

·2/3 cup cocoa powder

·Dash of salt

·Optional inclusions (nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350˚. In the kitchen stand mixer bowl, beat eggs and melted butter together. Mix in sugar and salt. Add cocoa powder and mix until cocoa powder is fully absorbed and well blended, but do not over-mix. Fold in any optional inclusions. Spread into a buttered 9x9 pan and top with any additional inclusions. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 9 brownies.