Grilled Peaches

Recipe at bottom of page

Every summer my mom buys large pecks or containers of peaches from a local farm down the street from our house. I'm not lying, these are the best peaches on the planet. They are so juicy and sweet! We go through these babies like crazy, I could easily eat 2 or 3 a day! 

Today my mom and I were in a rush to get to the farm before it closed for the night--we needed to get our fix of peaches for the week! Haha! The farm closes at 6:00 pm and we rolled in at 6:05 pm. We desperately ran up to the farm stand hoping it would still be open. Thankfully it was, and  we got our peck of peaches for the week. Phew!

Tonight we were grilling up some pork chops for dinner and my dad had the idea of grilling the peaches as well, I mean we had so many, so why not? The result: PERFECTION! The peaches gained a whole new level of intensity; the natural sugars became so prevalent. We ended up having them for dinner and dessert; the grilled peaches tasted delicious paired with the grilled pork chops and amazing with greek yogurt.

Try out this yummy and healthy summer treat!

Our peck of peaches!

Ingredients:

Peaches

       Pairing Ideas:
       Sweet Tooth: Fat free vanilla greek yogurt and walnuts
       Savory Tooth: Grilled pork chops   

Directions:

1. Halve the peaches and take out the pit
2. Place the peaches on the grill, cut side down and cook for 20 minutes
3. Serve with the pairings listed above or just eat by itself!

Nutrition:

Information above calculated for 1 peach
Pairings not included

Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe at bottom of page 

Recently, I stopped by my town's Amish Farmers Market for lunch. After my delicious meal, I browsed over the stands and the sweet aromas from the bakery drew me in! Pies, cookies, and cakes galore! Of course I couldn't resist, so I purchased an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. It was so chewy on the outside and moist on the inside, mmmmm:) 

Later, I passed the Dutch Treats stand where I found a wonderful collection of jams and butters. The apple butter in particular caught my attention. The ingredients listed were apples and cinnamon, that's it! Then it hit me! Apple, cinnamon, and oats... why not recreate the oatmeal cookie I had earlier using the apple butter I just discovered?! So I got to thinking of this recipe.

I really wanted to maintain that chewiness oatmeal cookies are notorious for. However, this is usually achieved by using a crazy amount of sugar and butter. And using applesauce or even apple butter in place of butter and sugar tends to make cookies have a cake-like constancy. Hmmmm... then it hit me! Use marshmallow fluff in place of granulated sugar and use apple butter in place of regular butter! The marshmallow fluff melts like butter and sugar, but is lower in calories and fat.

Sure enough, these cookies turned out incredible! they are so chewy and cinnamony- if that's even a word! You won't be able to get enough of these cookies! 

Makes ~34 Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Apple Butter (No sugar added)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 cup Quaker Oats

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Mix the apple butter, brown sugar, marshmallow fluff, vanilla extract, and egg in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, whole wheat flour, and quaker oats.
4. Then combine the two mixtures and mix until a cookie dough forms.
5. Drop tbsp sized portions of dough onto a nonstick cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.
6. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes... if you can wait! Enjoy these little gems!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for 1
cookie when recipe makes 34 cookies

Triple B Smoothie

Recipe at bottom of page

Tripple B Smoothie? What do all those Bs stand for? 

BANG, BANG, BANG!?

That's not it, but it might as well be! This Banana, Berry, and Baby Spinach Smoothie is packed with loads of nutrients and surely puts a dent in your daily recommended amount of fruits and veggies.

Some of you may be skeptical about putting spinach into your smoothie. But don't worry, with the sweetness the banana and strawberries bring to the plate, you'll never taste the spinach! Try this recipe if you're bad about eating you greens at the dinner table, or try it out with your kids. They will never know they are getting a full serving of veggies in their sweet smoothie! Enjoy!

You know you want to try it! 

Makes 1 Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Medium Sized Frozen Banana
3 Large Frozen Strawberries (store bought frozen strawberries)
1 cup Loosely Packed Baby Spinach
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Directions:

1. Freeze your banana ahead of time by peeling, slicing, and placing it into a ziploc bag and placing it in the freezer. Freeze for about 3 hours or over night.
2. Place the almond milk, banana, strawberries and spinach into a blender and blend until smooth.
3. If you want your smoothie thicker, add a few ice cubes. If you want your smoothie thinner, add a few drops of water.
4. Place a straw in the smoothie and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above is calculated
for 1 smoothie when made with
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk