by Kami | Dec 25, 2017 | Desserts, Recipes, Unhealthy Foods
Gooey, buttery caramel and perfectly spiced apple cake just belong together! If you’re going to indulge on something NOT healthy, this would be my recommendation. Holidays bring a renewed sense of what’s most important. We allow life to slow down slightly which opens up more time for family and friends. Obviously, food is a huge part of my life especially during holidays. I could spend all day everyday in the kitchen since I love cooking and creating SO I’ve learned how to include my kids. Most the time, I sincerely enjoy baking with my two young kids. My daughter (6) and son (3) have become fabulous sous chefs. When you have little helpers like I do, mentally prepare for flour being sprinkled across the floor and spills and messes. Each time I tell myself, ‘it’s not about the end product but the memories created with them. Don’t stress about the mess’. This apple and caramel cake recipe is a perfect recipe for little ones to help with. There are several opportunities to pour and scoop in ingredients. For my 3 year old son, I prepare the ingredient and assist him in adding the ingredient to the recipe. He also loves to turn the standing mixer on and off. My 6 year old can help with the same things, however I give her opportunities to prepare the ingredients like scooping up the baking powder, sifting the flour, pouring applesauce into measuring cup, etc. They love it! They are also great with clean up and feel pretty helpful when asked to put away ingredients or scrub a dish in the sink. ...
by Dana | Nov 28, 2017 | Desserts, Recipes, Unhealthy Foods
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, the perfect fall dessert, loaded with apples and cheesecake with a golden Oreo crust! This caramel apple cheesecake bar recipe is what your fall dreams are made of! Cinnamon apples, the creamiest cheesecake, a crust that is literally out of this world, and just dripping with sticky caramel. All I can say is WOW. And, you’re welcome! 😉 To me what really makes these apple cheesecake bars is the crust. All it is is golden Oreos crushed up fine with melted butter, that’s it! But, when it bakes up it takes on this bakery-style flavor I just can’t get over. It is a caramel flavor that is just so addictive. Do you want to know a not-so-secret? I used a canned apple pie filling. Okay, I know you CAN make your own, of course. But, canned is already super yummy and it’s SUPER fast, so why not?! Caramel Apple Bars Recipe Directions: Place Oreos and butter in a food processor and process until combined. Press into a 9×9 baking pan. Place apple pie filling in the food processor (don’t even clean the machine, you’re good!), pulse until chopped, take out half. Chop up the rest until fine and set aside. One more time, add cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and egg into the processor (again, don’t clean it, no need!). Pulse until smooth, add the smooth apple pie filling to the mix and mix to combine. Pour cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread out until smooth. Dollop the roughly chopped apples on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until there is still...
by Dana | Nov 17, 2017 | Desserts, Easy Recipe, Recipes, Unhealthy Foods
Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars, speculoos cookie crust and creamy cinnamon cheesecake topped with a cinnamon crumble! This Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars recipe is hands down one of the best desserts I have ever tasted. To me, nothing beats cheesecake but then add a kick butt crust using biscoff cookies and an addictive cinnamon crumble topping and I’m sold! Your friends and family will think you spent hours cooking up these cheesecake bars, but lucky for you, this recipe is SUPER simple. Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars Recipe Directions: In a food processor, place your speculoos cookies, turn them into crumbs and then pulse with melted butter. Press this into the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan and set aside. Make the creamy cheesecake filling by wiping out the food processor, no need to clean it thoroughly, and add your cheesecake ingredients which include cream cheese, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, sour cream, and sugar! Pulse to combine and pour on top of the crust. Now, the fun part- making the crumble! In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut up butter into very small cubes, or do it the easy way like me and grate the butter right into the bowl. Toss to combine so the butter is coated in the flour mixture. Taking your hands, press, and roll the butter through your fingers to mix with the flour mixture. You’re done when the crumble looks like sand with a few larger pieces mixed in. Pour everything on top of the cheesecake, yes, all of it! Trust me. Bake at 350 for 36 minutes until cheesecake is very slightly jiggly in...
by Kami | Sep 23, 2013 | Unhealthy Foods
There are LOTS of deceiving foods out there! Advertising wants to make you believe that certain foods are healthy, BUT in reality they’re just junk food. #1- DIET SODA, SPORTS DRINKS, AND FLAVORED BOTTLED WATER. Those low calorie drinks or drinks starting with that evil word ‘diet’ are lying to you! Even though the nutrition facts say zero calories or no sugar, your body doesn’t get the message. Those artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar! They are WAY sweeter than sugar which results in a higher blood glucose level. Keep it up and Obesity and Type II Diabetes will become your friends. Check out this episode on Katie Couric’s show where research shows sugar and artificial sweeteners are 8 times more addicting than cocaine! Not convinced…. here’s another post sharing the differences between water vs. coke. #2- CANNED FRUITS. Canned fruit is packaged with a high-sugar syrup. Even in the ‘light’ syrup, there is anywhere from 3 to 4 tsp of sugar added. I’m also still skeptical that the fruit is even ‘real’ fruit. I mean, have you tasted those nasty, squishy grapes and disgusting cherries? No, thank you. Skip the canned fruit and go with FRESH or FROZEN fruit every time! #3- BOTTLED FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE. Just like canned fruit, there are lots of nutrients lost and sugar or salt added. Also, the fiber, anti-oxidant, and vitamin content is not as plentiful as raw vegetables due to the refining, blending, and packaging processes involved. Instead of store bought fruit and vegetable juices, try making smoothies with fresh fruit and vegetables. Your mouth and stomach with...
by Kami | May 28, 2013 | Excuses and Myths, Health Myths, Healthy Eating Tips, Healthy Substitutes, Unhealthy Foods
Got Milk? Almost every celebrity, athlete, politician, musician, and public figure has displayed the ‘white mustache’. After all, drinking milk only makes you healthy and strong, right? 10 reasons why you’ve been deceived! 1) Most milk goes through some type of processing or alteration such as homogenization or pasteurization. These processes compromise the milk’s quality and interfere with calcium absorption. 2) When homogenized, milk becomes very powerful and efficient at bypassing normal digestive processes and delivering steroid and protein hormones to the human body (both your hormones and the cow’s natural hormones and the ones they may have been injected with to produce more milk). Check out this link to learn more! 3) Humans are the only species to frequently continue drinking milk after infancy. 4) 60% of adults can’t digest milk. The enzyme lactase which breaks down the main sugar in milk, lactose, usually stops being produced between the ages of two and five. This leaves the undigested sugars to ferment in the colon creating very unpleasant symptoms such as gas, cramping, bloating, nausea, constipation and/or diarrhea. 5) Countries with the highest milk consumption are the countries with the highest levels of osteoporosis. 6) There are plenty of plant-based foods—including green leafy vegetables (like broccoli, kale and collards) and beans—that are excellent sources of calcium which the body is much better equipped to absorb. 7) Chronic constipation in children is related to milk consumption. 8) The most popular form of calcium found in milk, calcium carbonate, which is not even absorbed well. Calcium citrate is the best absorbed supplemental form of calcium. 9) I lived in Hong Kong for 3...
