Neat Stuff

Hello! I can't believe it's already almost half way through January, but I'm finally back. I hope you all had a happy Christmas, and that your new year is off to a bang!

I wanted to share a bit of a cheat from my 26 before 26 list today. I say a bit of a cheat, because I wanted to make some almond roca candy at Christmas but I was too busy. It has always been one of my favorites, and my mom makes it every year!

Dane however, has always asked me to make soda cracker candy, which is very similar, and as I found out this year, SO much easier!


Since I was short on time, I opted to make soda cracker candy instead, and maybe next Christmas I will do the almond roca. I'm counting it on my list though, since I've never made either of them before. And it's my list, I can do what I want I guess ;)

So today I thought I'd share how easy this soda cracker candy is! Like stupid easy. And quick! Once you find out how simple it is, you won't be able to NOT make it. Plus it's that salty/sweet combo that is so addicting, so if you like those kinds of things, you will love this stuff!

For this recipe you'll need:

• A cookie sheet
• Foil
• A spatula
• Baking spray or oil
• Approx. 1 tube of saltines
• 1 cup (2 cubes) of butter
• 1 cup +2 Tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 bag (2 cups) of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of sliced or slivered almonds

First, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Next, you'll start by laying foil over your cookie sheet, and greasing it, either with spray or a little bit of oil on a paper towel. Then lay out all of your crackers in one layer to fill the sheet. You can break some in half if you need to, to fill all the space.


Next, melt your butter, add your brown sugar, and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring with your spatula the whole time. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (I did about 2 1/2) still stirring, and then pour over your crackers on the sheet. Spread to distribute evenly, and don't worry if some gets underneath the crackers. Just try to keep them as flat as possible.


Put your cookie sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the top looks all bubbly. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle your chocolate chips on top. Cover with foil and let sit for 3 minutes. Then, remove the foil and use a clean spatula to spread the melted chocolate around evenly.




Next, sprinkle on your nuts, and then re-cover with foil. Put in your freezer for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate is hardened.


Pull it out and break into pieces and serve them up!

It goes so fast, and half of the time it takes to make is just freezer time! This makes a great dessert if you're having friends over, or you could take it as a hostess gift if you're the guest.

Now that I know how simple it is, I'll probably make it regularly, and maybe more often than just Christmas.

Do you ever make candy around the holidays? Or any other time of the year? Let me know! I'd love to know what your favorites are (and if there's anything else I should try!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh you guys! I have been meaning to share this recipe with you all for weeks now, and I am finally getting around to it! I would have to say that chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, and these are a good spin on a classic.

I found the original recipe over on A Beautiful Mess (those girls are just amazing, but you probably already knew that, because we all read their blog right? Right??), and with my dietary restrictions, I knew these were just up my alley.

I did, however, make a few adjustments to make them more to my taste, and to cut back on the sugar, and they turned out so good! The batter almost tastes like nutella, and everybody knows that it doesn't get much better than that.


FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: makes 20-22

1/2 c. almond butter
1/2 c. hazelnut butter
1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar blend (or your own blend/mix)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sugar free chocolate chips
Sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional)

Mix all together in a medium bowl, and drop spoonfuls onto your baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, and voila! You will have a delicious, gooey treat that goes perfectly with a glass of milk.

You just may want to wait a few minutes to let them cool though, you know, so you don't scorch all of your taste buds off ;) you will definitely want your tongue to be at full tasting capacity!


I like to buy my almond butter in bulk at Winco, so it saves me some money, and I also make my own hazelnut butter using a food processor. It's so simple, you just throw them in and grind until it's a nut butter consistency! The hazelnut butter mixed with the chocolate chips is what gives it that really good nutella-like flavor.

If you don't want to go the sugar substitute route, or you want to try different nut butters, check out the original recipe here. Trust me, even if you are an avid, bread-loving, carb-eater, you will not miss the flour in these cookies!

I hope you'll try these out, and that you enjoy them as much as I do (seriously, I can't stop making them!). Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

There seems to be a hint of fall in the air around here lately, and there are just no words to describe how excited that makes me! I'm starting to feel so refreshed and inspired!

I have a recipe to share today that has been one of my all time favorites, but now with a (healthy) twist! It's also a bit of a fall-ish recipe. So even though I meant to post it months ago, it just seems more fitting to do it now that things are cooling down.

I recently re-vamped my mom's apple cake recipe and made it a little more guilt-free! Now I know, cake is cake, but this is one you can feel a little better about. (Especially that second piece!) This was the cake I always requested on my birthday, and then several more times each year. So I thought, if I can eat it a little more often, and still feel good about what I'm putting in my body, then I would be one happy camper!
Bake| 350
Servings| 12

Ingredients

4 c peeled, chopped apples
1 c agave syrup or honey
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 c oil (any baking oil will do)
2 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped pecans (optional)