Root Beer Pork Chops

Yea, I thought the same thing. Root Beer and Pork? So I gave it a shot and it was surprisingly good. They complement each other very well. If you head on over to Weekly Meal Deal you can find the full recipe and details.

Hint: If you are a frequent target shopper you can snag Hormel Pork Chops for 3.49lb this week and Pepsi Product 12 Packs are Buy 3 Get 1 Diet Pepsi Free. This should save you some $$ when buying the stuff you need for this meal.

-Mr Crafty

Homemade Greek Frozen Yogurt

With Greek yogurt becoming a huge fad now because of it's lower caloric content and higher protein levels I thought it would be relevant to post this awesome recipe for vanilla frozen yogurt made with, you guessed it, Greek yogurt. This is a whole lot healthier than any other ice cream and the perfect dessert for those sweltering dog days of summer.

This recipe from David Lebovitz’s cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, gave me the perfect opportunity to try Greek yogurt out in frozen form. And. It. Is. Awesome! I love how creamy the frozen yogurt is, and it tastes great with just about any ice cream topping

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

3 cups (720 g) plain Greek yogurt (either whole-milk, lowfat, or nonfat)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

-Mr Crafty

Cake Frosting: A Healthy Alternative

So the other day I made a batch of cupcakes. Whenever I bake I try to be as health conscious as I can. I usually substitute apple sauce for oil, use egg whites, margarine, etc. So back to the cupcakes, I made them and they came out awesome. I was so happy with how light and fluffy they were coming from a boxed recipe (I used Duncan Hines brand cake mix, the classic white kind) once they cooled they were ready to frost. Then came my dilemma. I knew slathering frosting from the can was going to eliminate any health conscious efforts I made. Therefore I scoured the internet and found a great new recipe that will be a standard from now on in my books. It is made from Greek yogurt (A new food apparently taking the world by storm I guess) and it has such a wonderful tang with a touch of sweet. I recommend it for those preparing for a sleeker and slimmer summer bod!!! You can find the full recipe HERE courtesy of Cup Cake Project.


-Mr Crafty

Banana Split French Toast

Ok, I've been posting alot of healthier foods to slim down your waistline after recovering from the holidays. But everyone needs indulgence, and I mean complete indulgence, once in a while. That's a golden rule of dieting, don't deprive yourself. You need to splurge every once in a while to keep your system in check. So why not splurge on a breakfast item that will burn up many of your daily calories? I recently found a recipe that crosses french toast and a banana split all on one plate! Sounds too good to be true huh? Well it isn't. So grab yourself all the fixins for plain old french toast, and I’ll show you how to transform it into this party of a breakfast in two shakes of a clown’s nose.

Banana Split French Toast

• 1 very ripe banana
• 2 eggs
• 6 slices Texas Toast
• Simply Chocolate Syrup (see below)
• 1 cup whipped cream
• sprinkles
• maraschino cherries

Heat a griddle or skillet pan to medium heat. In a blender, puree the eggs and banana together. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Dip both sides of the Texas Toast into the banana puree and grill until golden brown. Serve drizzled with Simple Chocolate Syrup and a dollop of whipping cream. Top with maraschino cherries & sprinkles.

Simple Chocolate Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a small pot, stir together all ingredients over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Serve warm over Banana Split French Toast.

-Mr. Crafty

New Year's Food Find #2: Brownies

Ok so we've all stuffed ourselves of some form of baked good this holiday season and now it's time to wise up. So I'd like to introduce you to the second food find in My New Year's Food Finds series; Brownies. These brownies are about half the calories, only two ingredients, and cheaper to make. I'm sure I got your attention by now. Read below for the full recipe and details.

Diet Soda Brownies

Ingredients
1 Box Brownie Mix

1/2 Can Diet Cola


Directions
Substitute the eggs, oil and water normally used in brownies for half a can of your favorite diet cola . -Mix with the contents of store bought brownie mix. -Make sure not to add anything to the mixture beside the half can of cola. -Grease baking pan, poor in mixture and bake according to box. Number of Servings: 12



**Tip**
You can use a box of Low Fat/Low Sugar Mix as well as an extra healthy benefit.






Enjoy
-Mr. Crafty