Tropic Tango Smoothie

This is soooo good! I was a little unsure about it, but it's really good!


The kids LOVE it too! So that is a PLUS!!!


The spinach makes it GREEN, but the kids love that as well! They wondered why it was green, they were trying to figure out what was in it... ;) I told them that I put spinach in it, they were pretty excited!


Peeling the lime wasn't the best, but it is worth it!



All ingredients in the Vita-Mix ready to go!!!


Yummy green smoothie! It really is good! (My hubs tried it and he drank it! So, if he drank it, you KNOW it's gotta be good!!! ;))

Tropic Tango Smoothie

1 cup water
1 lime, peeled and halved
2 medium banana's, peeled
1 -2 cups spinach
3 medium apples
1-2 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender in the order listed.

Select Variable 1, turn machine on and quickly to Variable 10, then to High.

Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.

If using a regular blender, start on low speed and then increase to High, blend until desired consistency!

This is a GREAT way to start your morning off! It's super healthy and you get that burst of nutrients and vitamins with the spinach in there! ;)

Enjoy!!! :D

A Bit Delayed...

So this week-end my hubs and I were sorting through the kids GAZILLION Legos... So I couldn't really "catch up" or start a recipe... BUT after some running that I need to get done this morning, I will start to post one, so there will be one up today, but just a bit later!

Sorry!!!

Hummus Wraps

I made some hummus the other day for my kids lunch, but I wanted to do something other than just crackers and veggies with it. I was racking my brain as to what I could do with it. I saw that I had some small flour tortillas, then my I was like, hmm, they like refried beans in the tortilla, why not use the hummus and bit of cheese and fry it up!

So that's exactly what I did and held my breath as I tried it. ;) I thought, wow, this is really good! So I served it to all my kids and they LOVED it! They all ate 2 hummus tortillas! Plus the half of a pear I served with it! It's for sure a make again in this house!

Can't wait to try this with different hummus combo's that I make!!!


Place as much hummus as you want on your tortilla

Then add some shredded cheddar cheese, again, as much or as little as you want! I just like the cheese melting out of mine when I make it for me! ;)



Fold up the right side

Then the bottom


Then the left


Then fold the top down


Spread a little bit of coconut oil on the side that has the seams


Place seam side down in frying pan


Then while that side it cooking, spread a little bit of coconut oil on the top
Then flip and cook until cheese is melted or lightly brown!

Serve with whatever else you like! This time I served it with a pear!


The inside...


This is another way you can roll it, and cook the same way!




Hummus Wraps


Tortilla - as many as you want and any kind you want!
Hummus - any kind you want and as much as you want!
Shredded cheddar cheese

Take your tortilla and place a big spoonful of hummus on it. Then put a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese. Roll it up, either way the picture shows, then place a bit of coconut oil on one side of the tortilla. Place the oil side down in the frying pan, heat until the tortilla is light brown. Before flipping it over, spread some more coconut oil on the side that's facing up. Then flip it over until the other side is nice and golden brown, and the cheese is nicely melted.
Enjoy!!!

Eggs Baked in Ramekins

I got it! I got the Julia Childs cookbook set!!! You know, the Art of French Cooking Vol 1 and 2!!!!! :D It was on sale and I got a gift card, so, guess what I used the gift card on!?!?

I had been looking at these cookbooks for some time now, but didn't want to spend that much money on them... since they were 50% off, and I had the gift card, I thought why not?

So the first recipe I made was this one!

The kids, well, ok, not my youngest, but the other 3 really liked this! They like dipping their toast in the egg yolk!

I did cook theirs a bit longer than the recipe said, I just didn't want all that "snotty" stuff from the eggs, they are a bit picky about that. Maybe I am to blame on that one? I hate "snotty" eggs! I do like the egg yolk, but the rest has to be cooked! ;)

Follow the pictures, it's really easy to make! And it's really good!!! :D

The note in the book says, to make sure you put the ramekins in a pan of boiling water before placing it in the oven... If you don't, the intense heat of the oven will toughen the outside layer before the inside of the egg has cooked... ;)



Place a bit of butter in your ramekin or pyrex


Spread it around with your fingers


This is what mine looked liked! It was a bit messy, but oh so fun!!! ;)


Pour in some whipping cream



Here are all 6 of mine sitting the pan of hot water

All my eggs in there now. Notice I have one with 2? Just so you can see that you can get 2 eggs in one ramekin! ;)


Up close of the egg and cream


Up close of the 2 eggs and cream


Here's the finished product!!! Some whole wheat toasted bread and my egg off to the side, topped with salt and pepper! I'm not gonna lie, it was soooo good! ;)



Eggs Baked in Ramekins

For each serving you will need:

1/2 tsp of butter
1 ramekin 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and about 1 1/2 inches high
2 TB whipping cream
A pan containing 3/4 inch of simmering water
1 or 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter the ramekin, saving a dot for later.
Add 1 tablespoon whipping cream and set the ramekin in the simmering water over moderate heat. When the cream is hot, break into it one or two eggs. Pour the remaining spoonful of cream over the top and top with a dot of butter.
Place in middle level of the hot oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. The eggs are done when they are just set, but still tremble slightly in the ramekins. They will set a little bit more when the ramekins are removed, so they should not be overcooked.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

The ramekins may remain in the pan of hot water, out of the oven, for 10-15 minutes before serving. To prevent overcooking, remove eggs from oven when slightly underdone.


Now that I am writing this out, I notice that I didn't do one of the steps... opps... I didn't have my pan sitting over moderate heat to heat the whipping cream. I just pour my hot boiling water in the pan and then set the ramekins in the pan. Hope that makes sense? ;)
E-mail me with any questions!!!!
mandysboxofgoodies@gmail.com

Enjoy!!!

Dried Tomato Hummus

This isn't the first time that I've made hummus....

But, it IS the first time I've made it in my Vitamix!! ;) It can be made in a regular blender or a food processor. I had a very small baby food processor that I used to make it before the Vitamix.

If you like Hummus, then you've got to make it! Not only is it healthier, but it's cheaper!!!

You can also put pretty much anything in this! I am stuck on the dried tomato with garlic right now! The kiddos really like it too!!!

You can also buy cans of garbanzo beans, or you can buy the dried ones and soak them... I haven't tried soaking them yet, but want to try it that way too!



Add all ingredients to blender and blend until the consistency you want!


Viola! All done!


Sooooo good!!! :D

Dried Tomato and Garlic Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, half of the juice still in can
1 -2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder (you don't have to add this if you don't want too)
5 dried tomatoes (I just bought a small jar of it and dig out a few of them! You can add more of less!)

Add all ingredients into blender and blend until the consistency you want. Just add a bit of water if you need it a bit more thin.

Serve with crackers, veggies, chips, or on a tortilla!

Cooking "Lessons"

So I need some input from y'all!

I've had a few people ask me "how to enjoy cooking"? Some know how to cook, but they just don't like it, others don't know how to cook and don't even like to think about it!

I have no clue where or how I would start, but what I am asking is, would you read some ideas on how to really enjoy cooking? (I am way better at showing than writing, so this will be a challenge for me!)

Honestly, I don't know how soon I could put something together and how fast I would get it up, but would anyone be interested? Truthfully, I can take it! ;)

I am doing and offering cooking classes, so if you would like a one on one, I can do that as well.

One more question? ;) I was thinking about putting a group class together and give some cooking lessons that way... Would anyone be interested in that?

Let me know your thoughts...

Fettuccine Alfredo

This was my first "supper" recipe using my Vitamix! It turned out sooo good and was soooo easy!!!! You could make this in a regular blender, you would just have to cook your sauce a bit to get it warm before pouring it over your noodles.

You can also make this "low-fat" by using skim milk and fat free cream cheese.


Pour your milk in...


Then add your whole gloves of garlic (it calls for 2, but you know me, I just had to add more! ;))


then add the flour


The tablespoons of cream cheese



Parmesan cheese

Here is the side view of it...



All mixed up hot and ready! You can't see it, but there is some major steam coming from this! It got it nice and hot and was ready to pour over my noodles!! :)

Pour your sauce over your cooked noodles and


Ta-da!!!!!!!! It was sooooooo good!!!!!!!!!!


Here is our supper.... Steamed veggies and fettuccine Alfredo!!!



Fettuccine Alfredo

1 pound fettuccine noodles
2 1/3 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
a little bit of oil to pour over the noodles so they don't stick together (I used a little bit of coconut oil)

Cook your noodles in boiling water until done. Drain and pour oil over the top and toss to coat. Put the lid on top so they stay warm.
Place the rest of the ingredients in your Vitamix container in order listed and secure lid.
Select Variable 1.
Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then to high.
Blend for 5-6 minutes. Pour over cooked fettuccine and toss until well coated.

(I got this recipe from my Vitamix cookbook. It is supposed to be low-fat, but I didn't have any of the low fat ingredients like skim milk and fat free cream cheese! ;) I also used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2 like the recipe calls for!)

For using your regular blender do the same thing with your noodles.
Place all the other ingredients in your blender and blend on high until thoroughly blended. Place in a pan and cook until hot. Do not let it come to a boil!
As soon as it's hot, pour over your noodles! (I am sure you could even put it in a microwave safe container and cook in the microwave until warm...)

Let me know who you like this! It's really easy and so very tasty! You could even add some cooked cut up chicken or shrimp to this! I served it this time with steamed veggies! It was all a hit!! :D