Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pound Cake

Fall is almost here! I'm so excited! I love fall food! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin torte, etc. To celebrate the coming season, I decided to try something new: Pumpkin Pound Cake.

Cast of Characters:

• 2-1/2 cups
• sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves; add to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour into 10 in. bundt pan.
7. Bake for approximately 60 minutes.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes before flipping onto a wire rack.

Nutritional Info

Servings: 16

Calories: 420

Fat: 19g

Carbs: 60g

Protein: 4 g

Brown Sugar-Glazed Salmon

While I was at my parents' house for labor day (yes, this post is a little delayed), we decided that we wanted to try baking salmon for dinner one night (something I've never done). Luckily, I had my Recipe Binder with me, so we chose this recipe out of it and it was awesome! Here's the recipe with some minor alterations:

Cast of Characters:

• 2 salmon fillets (about 2 lbs)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Cut each fillet widthwise into four pieces. Place in a foil-lined baking pan; sprinkle with pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard and vinegar. bring to a boil. brush evenly over salmon.
3. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. (Watch very carefully at this part because brown sugar burns very easily).

Nutrition Info:

Servings: 8

Calories: 186

Fat: 5 g

Carbs: 5 g

Protein: 30 g

Protein Packed Mac & Cheese

As you may have noticed by now, I'm not really a fan of meat, so I'm always looking for new delicious ways to get protein in my diet (and peanut butter gets old really quick). I just thought I'd share with ya'll one way that I do this. Instead of adding 1/4 cup of milk when making my mac & cheese, I add 1/2 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead. 1/4 cup of milk only has about 2 g of protein, but the Greek yogurt has 23 g! Big difference! Not to mention, it gives the mac & cheese a richer flavor (without adding any fat!) and makes the sauce a bit thicker... cause no one likes watery mac & cheese.

Strawberry Smoothie

Summer is the perfect time for smoothies. When in a hurry, I used to run by somewhere like Smoothie King to get a liquid lunch. Little did I know, the smoothie I typically got was 400 calories! And some of their smoothies are more than 1,000 calories for a small! After this little discovery, I thought it may be best to stay away from smoothies, but that's easier said than done, so instead I created my own healthier alternative.

Cast of Characters:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 6 oz fat free vanilla yogurt

Directions:

1. Blend well in your blender (works best if frozen strawberries are on the bottom)
2. Pour into awesome reusable cup with straw.
3. Enjoy delicious summertime bliss! :)

I'm sure this could be done with many other frozen fruits (mango, pineapple, raspberries, blackberries, etc.), but I don't currently have the time to experiment right now. Let me know if you try another combo that works!

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 188

Fat: 1 g

Carbs: 34 g

Protein: 12 g

Grilled Peaches with Greek Yogurt

I decided that I would celebrate my last day of summer vacation by making this simple and delicious (not to mention healthy) dessert for myself that just screams summertime.

Cast of Characters:

• 1 ripe (almost overripe) peach
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp granola
• 1 Tbsp honey (I prefer organic honey over the typical clover honey. It has more flavor)

Directions:

1. Cut peach in half and remove the pit.
2. Spray grill or peaches lightly with cooking spray. Place peaches with the skin side up on the grill. (I used my George Foreman grill for this part).
3. Remove peaches after about a minute or so.
4. Garnish the peach with yogurt, granola, and honey.
5. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 160

Fat: 1 g

Carbs: 34 g

Protein: 7 g

Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

It's time again for the Cookbook Challenge... Well, almost. This is my entry for August and it comes from Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast (not to be confused with Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals that I usually use). Since it's been so incredibly hot around here lately, I decided to do a light and refreshing pasta salad.

Cast of Characters:

Ingredients for Salad:

• 1 lb asparagus (cut into 3 inch pieces)
• 1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 large skinless salmon fillets (I used two medium ones)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (I omitted this)

Ingredients for Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 Tbs fresh chopped dill
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler
2. Bring about 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus from water using a slotted spoon or tongs reserving the water in the pan. Set aside.
3. Return reserved water to a boil and use it to cook the orzo. This should take about 9 minutes.
4. While pasta is cooking, sprinkle fillet evenly with salt and pepper. Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Use 2 forks to break fish into chunks. (I actually chose to use my George Foreman grill to cook the fish since it was just too hot to turn the oven on today. It still turned out just great!)
5. In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette together. (I actually put all of the ingredients in a jar and shook it together. Created less of a mess than if I had chosen to use a whisk.)
6. Combine fish, asparagus, orzo, onion, and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss to coat evenly.
7. Allow to chill for 2 or more hours before serving.

This was incredibly simple to make, delicious, and absolutely perfect for a summer evening. It's filling enough to be the main dish, but would also work well as a side.

Nutrition Facts:

Serves 5

Calories: 370

Fat: 16

Carbs: 28

Protein: 31

Salade Nicoise Inspired Pasta Salad

Today I was walking through the produce section of the grocery store and I noticed the very fresh looking green beans they had... and right above those were the red potatoes, so... long story short, I came up with this little pasta salad that's inspired by salade nicoise.

Cast of Characters:

• 6-8 oz whole grain penne pasta
• 8 oz fresh green beans
• 4-6 red or new potatoes (I prefer the flavor of red potatoes)
• Two 5 oz cans of tuna
• 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Cook pasta. Add in trimmed green beans for the last 4-6 minutes of cooking (the longer the green beans cook, the softer they will be).
2. Boil or steam the potatoes until they are soft. Cut potatoes in half and then cut each half into 4 pieces.
3. Mix pasta, green beans, potatoes, and tuna together in a large bowl.
4. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt.
5. Pour dressing over pasta and mix well.
6. Allow to chill in refrigerator before serving.

I served mine with a sliced hard boiled egg since those are typically included in a salade nicoise.

Nutritional Info:

Servings: 4

Calories: 390

Fat: 15 g

Carbs: 39g

Protein: 25 g