One girl's guide to a healthy, loving, & tasty life.
Have you noticed all of the things already disappearing because autumn is right on our doorstep? There are so many things leaving shelves & our counter tops to prepare for cooler weather, autumn shades, & the holidays. But wait! I have 3 things associated with summer you should keep doing, eating, & creating throughout autumn…or the rest of the year!…
Want a recipe that will perk you right up? This yogurt bowl is sweet but also really bright- perfectly perky in the morning or as a snack. I personally love the combination of lemon & blueberry. Normally you see it in cheesecakes or bars but here is a fresher take. Plus it is super easy! Keep reading to put together the pieces!…
Ready for some road trips? Today I’m sharing some of my absolute favorite snacks perfect for the occasion that you can purchase yourself online. I make a lot of our snacks myself in the dehydrator but I definitely have some options that are easily accessible & totally worth the splurge as well! Keep reading to check them out!…
When Big Boss Kitchens offered to let me try the new Swirlio I was intrigued- make my fruit taste like ice cream you say? Why yes, yes that does peak my interest! For one thing, ice cream isn’t exactly the healthiest dessert choice. Another positive is that growing up I was lactose intolerant so sometimes ice cream just doesn’t sound good to me ya know? Plus the fact that there are only 3 steps- freeze, create, & clean! Who doesn’t want less work? I came up with a new combo (not from the recipe booklet included but you can bet we’ll be trying a whole lot of those recipes!) that uses frozen fresh mangoes & Cool Whip Free! Keep reading to check it out!
Swirlio transforms your favorite fruits into a soft serve frozen dessert in seconds! Making dessert that is delicious, nutritious and 100% guilt-free is easy as 1-2-3. Freeze your favorite fruit, let it thaw for a few minutes, then push it down the chute and voilà, dessert is both delicious and healthy is served. .
Swirlio comes with a recipe book with 50 mouth-watering recipes so you can try like Peach Melba Supreme, Pumpkin Pie and Bahama Mama. Save yourself a trip to your favorite Froyo joint with Big Boss Swirlio Frozen Fruit Dessert Maker in your home.
To create this blend I used 2 parts frozen mango to one part frozen Cool Whip Free. I always freeze my Cool Whip so that really wasn’t an issue!
Sawyer was EXTREMELY interested in my creation, I could set the bowl down! She followed me around until I finally let her see for herself. Then she tried to take it from me & we had a battle royale…but that’s a story for another time.
Not into my mix? Use bananas! I happened to be out (banana bread, nom) but they make the blend oober creamy & a lot more like ice cream or froyo. Another option you say? The recipe booklet nicely pointed out that you can make mixtures & add alcohol. A healthy margarita without any added sugar or fat? How about a mix of banana, pineapple, strawberries, & a bit of chocolate sauce for a sundae flavored…sundae? One I know we’ll be trying is peaches & cream with some fresh summer peaches- i am a peach fiend! Some other non-dessert options in the recipe guide were guacamole, white bean dip, & veggie dip!
So far, extremely happy with this unique invention. I’m already planning to use the Swirlio to make popsicles, daiquiris, & mint chocolate chip “ice cream” soon! Also, haven’t seen my husband this excited about fruit in quite a long time & we’re actually going through our freezer stock of fruit!
What do you think of the Swirlio idea? Have you ever used something similar? I love that it was a breeze to clean & without any blades so tiny hands can help! Don’t forget to check below for some other awesome desserts from the Friday Foodie Linkup!
So for this week in the Friday Foodie Linkup we decided to tackle a 5 Ingredients or Less recipe! I picked one we did pretty recently when we needed to use up some apples. I came up with Cheddar & Apples Spiced Sausage to make it more of a meal. Check out how easy it is to DIY & what I served on the bottom plus some variations!
First off, we tend to prefer chicken sausage for dinner recipes. Not sure why but we are usually chicken people. We’re chicken people. Ha. I’m laughing at that one, but it is true. We commonly buy ours in bulk packages from Sam’s Club because they have great flavors but you can find chicken sausage about anywhere now. I’ve found them to be lower in sodium (sometimes! read your labels!) & tend to have lots of flavor varieties like papperjack, italian, applewood, etc. They are an easy meal & often one of our favorites year round- in the winter they can go in lasagnas & during summer they hit the grill like a boss.
Cheddar & Apples with Spiced Sausage Recipe
from Home in High Heels
Sausages, about 4 depending on size. Can also be flavored (ours was pepperjack) or a different variety.
3-5 firm apples, sliced More or less depending on size, preferably Granny Smiths for tartness.
1/2 cup water or low-sodium stock
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or to taste (salt-free if you can get it)
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional topping- About 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese.
1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium & add the sausages. Cook until browned but not cooked through.
2. Add the water/stock to the skillet. Cover & cook until the water is nearly gone & sausages are firm. This usually takes 6-8 minutes depending on your sausages.
3. Coat apples in the Cajun spices & add to pan. Stir occasionally until apples are tender & flavors have mingles, about 8-10 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.
Optionals- Top with the cheddar cheese for a bit more oomph & bite. I also like to cut up my sausage after step 2 into more manageable bites because we like our more done. Do as you wish!
We love this meal! If you’re looking to incorporate apples into dinner this is a cinch! I served this with buttered corn & potatoes this night but this combo is excellent over grits or with a nice pasta as well!
I hope you enjoyed one of our easy, quick dinners here at the Telford house! Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers participating in this linkup below!
Want to hear a secret? Mug cakes are my ongoing addiction. Mug brownies are gooey & mug pies are sweet but… Angel Food Cake made in a mug is just too easy to pass up. I have a big container full of half angel food cake & half devil’s food cake. Not a chocolate fan? Use another type! But this is my favorite duo personally & one choice does NEED to be angel food cake or it won’t work! Keep reading to check out my Valentine’s Day version of this easy & sweet treat!
Your basic formula for a 3-2-1 mug cake- 3 tablespoons of the mentioned cake mixture, 2 tablespoons of water, & one minute in the microwave. Then…ding! Cake! Obviously your microwave might need 45 seconds or even to add ten seconds- microwaves are weird like that. keep an eye on your cake!
When it comes out, it will look something like this spongy confection here! See how it seriously looks like a sponge? Yeah, that is quite tasty!
So what did I use for raspberry flavoring? Not fresh raspberries unfortunately…they just didn’t look good at the store. I opted for some freeze dried ones which I crushed up fine. You can use other types of flavoring but beware of making your cake dense or watery. You can also add a bit of chocolate chips if you’d like!
I added strawberries because those did look good at the store! Yum! Bonus points if you try to cut them into hearts & they come out as “abstract hearts” like mine!
What makes this even better? Sprinkles. & Valentine’s Day colored M&Ms because…why not. I guess you don’t need to add candies but yum, so good!
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Raspberry Angel Food Mug Cake Recipe
from Home in High Heels Serves 1-2
3 tablespoons half angel food cake mix & half devil’s food cake mix
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon crushed freeze-dried raspberries
Optional awesome decorations & strawberries
1. Add cake mix, water, & optional flavoring to microwave save mug. Stir to combine.
2. Microwave for approximately one minute watching to make sure it doesn’t over or under cook.
3. Immediately add chocolates for melty goodness or let cool.
Hope you enjoyed my little quick Valentine’s day fix! Check out some other fabulous Valentine’s Day ideas from the fabulous bloggers below! XO
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Please remember that all photos, projects, opinions, & recipes (unless otherwise noted) are mine & mine alone.
If you would like to use a recipe or photo, please shoot me an e-mail here: Stephanie-louise@live.com Thanks!