A Lighter Pumpkin Latte Courtesy of Sweet’N Low®

Temperatures at night are dropping lower, the air is feeling crisper, and folks are getting antsy for the sights, sounds, and tastes of Fall!

My absolute favorite season is Fall. I look forward to crisp, warm days, pumpkins all over the place, the excitement of Halloween, and a couple of my favorite Fall-themed beverages. It’s always fun to be a little indulgent, but if I were to drink my favorite pumpkin latte all season-long my diet plan would be way off track!

Luckily, Sweet’N Low® has got me covered! If you enjoy the sweet taste of lattes but not the calories that accompany them, then read on for a great Lighter Pumpkin Latte recipe from Sweet‘N Low®!

I’m going to share a multiple-serving recipe because even if you aren’t sharing with friends, you will probably find yourself wanting more than one latte! At only 93 calories per serving, enjoy the taste of Fall without the caloric guilt!

Lighter Pumpkin Latte Recipe
93 Calories per serving

(serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

• 12 packets Sweet‘N Low® zero calorie sweetener
• 1 cup (8 ounces) espresso coffee (or bold coffee)
• ¾ cup canned pumpkin (not the pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 cups skim milk (or plain unsweetened almond or soy milk)
• Nutmeg, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a heatproof container, whirl the Sweet‘N Low®, espresso, pumpkin, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice using a milk frother or fork.  Pour equal amounts into 4 mugs.
2. In a separate container, heat the milk in the microwave. Pour equal amounts of hot milk to each mug and whirl until the latte is topped with foam.
3. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Enjoy your Lighter Pumpkin Latte from Sweet‘N Low®!

This blog post is sponsored by Sweet’N Low®.

Sweeten Recipes with Sweet'N Low

Summer is just around the corner and with that comes a lot of gatherings with large amounts of cool drinks! We all want to look our best, but often fall to the temptations of scrumptious offerings at the continuous stream of barbecues, picnics and reunions that are common throughout the summer months.

A really unique story began around the Second World War at a family-owned café that served the servicemen and women working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After a series of events, it was in that place in 1957 that America’s favorite little pink packet was born. Sweet’N Low is still owned by the same family after three generations and it continues to employ members of the local community where its roots started. Check out its cool story at SweetNLow.com/brand.

Speaking of family, Sweet’N Low has been a staple in my house for as long as I can remember. I use it because my mother was a sole believer in the sweetener, especially since her mother used it too. She used to tell me as I watched her pour packets into recipes that it’s the perfect ingredient to make all the family’s recipes ‘skinny’ without the guilt.

So, when my family was getting together about a month ago for a barbecue, I knew I had to keep the tradition alive within my family’s recipes. I’ve spent quite a bit of time browsing Sweet’N Low’s website looking for a new twist that will hopefully leave my Sweet’N Low recipe mark in the family later on down the road!

This is the Sweet’N Low drink recipe my family won’t stop talking about after the reunion.

Light and Sassy Party Punch Recipe

Ingredients

·         16 packets Sweet’N Low® zero calorie sweetener

·         1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

·         1 can (6 ounce) unsweetened pineapple juice

·         1 can (8 ounce) pineapple tidbits in 100% juice,    

          undrained

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 quart unsweetened cranberry juice, chilled

·         Ice

·         1 liter club soda, chilled

·         8 fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Mix cranberry and lemon juices, pineapple and pineapple juice, sliced        strawberries and Sweet'N Low in 3 quart 

 nonmetal pitcher.

2. Stir in club soda and serve over ice.

3. Garnish each serving with fresh strawberry.

Check out these other skinny recipes on SweetNLow.com  and see how easily you can cut out calories, without sacrificing the sweetness you love!

Sweet’N Low can be found in numerous retailers nationwide, as well as in your local coffee shops and restaurants.

This post is sponsored by Sweet’N Low but all of the opinions are my own. “Sweet’N Low®”, “©2014 Cumberland Packing Corp. All Rights Reserved.”

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with A Fresh Salsa!

No, I'm not talking dancing, although you could definitely get your salsa on while munching on this delicious dip. Since Cinco De Mayo is just around the corner, I thought now might be the perfect time to pull my Fresh & Famous: Easy Homemade Salsa recipe from the archives for those of you who haven't seen it before. I whipped up a batch just last weekend when we had guests over for dinner and let me tell you, it did not last long! With just a few ingredients and hardly no time at all, this easy to make salsa will surely be a hit at your fiesta!

Click here to read the original post and to view the full recipe. Enjoy! 

Quick & Easy: Sheperd's Pie

Y'all know how I much I love to cook but did y'all know that I prefer the meals I make to be quick and easy? I mean, most of us do right? This Sheperd's Pie is one of those quick recipes that is so good your entire family will think you spent the entire day slaving over the stove. No worries, your secret is safe with me!

What You'll Need:

1 pound ground turkey (or beef, chicken, etc.)

1 15 oz. can mixed vegetables

Worcestershire Sauce 

Your favorite season "all" seasoning - I use Tex Joy

Mashed Potatoes - I used two pouches of Betty Crocker's Instant Roasted Garlic

What You'll Do:

Brown your ground turkey in a pan over medium heat; season with Tex Joy. Heat oven to 350*. Once the meat is browned, spoon in the mixed vegetables and sprinkle with desired amount of worcestershire sauce. Let simmer. Meanwhile prepare mashed potatoes per directions on the package. Transfer meat mixture to the bottom of a baking dish and then top with mashed potatoes. Bake the pie for approximately 10 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned. 

I also made a brown gravy to serve on top of the Sheperd's Pie along with my famous cornbread. This one was a huge hit at our house; Chris had never eaten it before but he is glad now that he has! The kiddos loved it as well and gobbled it all up - a HUGE plus in my book! 

What is your "go to" quick & easy meal?

 

Bourbon Street Chicken {Minus the Bourbon!}

Have you guys ever been walking through the food court at the mall and had someone offer you a sample of bourbon chicken? Did you try it? Did you fall in love with it? I love bourbon chicken and finally I have an awesome recipe to make it at home.

This bourbon chicken has become a real favorite in our house. We had it for dinner last night actually and our oldest informed me that she'd "eat this for dinner every night if she could."  Truth be told, I could probably handle it at least once a week! It's a dish that is sweet with a hint of tang and it is just so delicious. Of course I tweaked my recipe just a bit from the original; I'm not big on measuring out dry ingredients like spices, but for the sake of sharing this recipe I'll include the exact amounts called for.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken, cubed
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, crushed (I used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp. Ginger
3/4 TBS Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (I just sprinkle a little in to avoid too much spice)
1/4 C Apple Juice or Cider
1/3 C Light Brown Sugar
2 TBS Ketchup
1 TBS Cider Vinegar
1/2 C Water
1/3 C Soy Sauce
1 TBS Cornstarch (if you want a thicker sauce; I've made it with and without)

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add chicken, cooking until browned. Remove chicken and set aside. Add all other ingredients and blend well. Spoon chicken into the pan and stir and bring to a hard boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. The sauce will coat the chicken and thicken up a bit.

I serve the bourbon chicken over rice and usually I add steamed veggies to the plate. That's it! The hardest part about this recipe is preparing the chicken. It's quick, easy, and your kids will most like LOVE it.

I'd love to know if you try this recipe at your house! Tell me what you think!

Easy Week Night Dinner: Ravioli Casserole & Homemade Garlic Bread #QuickFixCasseroles

Life is super busy these days with the start of the new school year, trying to find a new routine and just life in general. As much as I love to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, sometimes I just don't have time for all of that. So what do I do? Turn to a handy dandy casserole recipe of course. 

This Ravioli Casserole is delicious - it tastes just like lasagna but without all the work! It's super easy to throw together in a pinch and only takes about 20 minutes or so. I call that a WIN! 

Here's What You'll Need:

1 pkg. of frozen or fresh ravioli
1 lb. ground beef
1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 Cup cottage cheese
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Here's What You'll Do:

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil; boil your ravioli per the directions on the package. Meanwhile, brown your ground beef and feel free to add in your favorite Italian seasonings like Oregano or Basil! Open up your jar of pasta sauce and in a 13X9 baking dish, pour in just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Gently place the ravioli in the bottom of the dish and then spread a layer of cottage cheese on top; I used about a cup in my casserole. Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the ravioli and then top with the shredded cheeses. Bake at 350* until hot and bubbly! 

Easy peasy right?! Of course you can't have a pasta dinner without garlic bread and this homemade loaf is super tasty and you can throw it together in about 5 minutes.  

Here's What You'll Need

Loaf of Bread
Country Crock Original Spread
Shredded Parmesan
Shredded Mozzarella
Garlic Salt
Oregano

Here's What You'll Do:

Split your loaf of bread in half and then spread a layer of Country Crock on the two halves. Top with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle with garlic salt and oregano. Pop the bread into the oven for just a few minutes until the cheeses have melted! That's it! 

I don't know about y'all, but a complete meal in 30 minutes or less is my kind of meal! This is a perfect dish for those crazy busy nights or those nights where you really don't feel like cooking. Give it a try - I'd love to know what you think! 

About Country Crock Original Spread:

• 0g trans fat per serving
• Contains no partially hydrogenated oils
• Has no cholesterol
• 70% less fat than butter per serving
• Has 30% fewer calories than butter per serving

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

                    

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Garden Ranch Pork Chops

If you are anything like me, then there is a good chance that you are often on the hunt for healthier snack options. There are plenty of snacks on the store shelves to choose from, but I want something that actually tastes good  too. Is that too much to ask? No, of course not! 

Recently, Green Giant has come out with a new product - Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips. When I first saw them on the store shelves, I was like, "whaaaattt??? Green Giant makes chips? Hmm!" However, I must confess, I've tried all four varieties: Garden Ranch, Multigrain Sweet Potato- Barbecue, Zesty Cheddar, and Multigrain Sweet Potato - Sea Salt. Guess what? I love them. All of them. Is it still a healthy snack if I want to eat the entire bag all at once? I had to work hard to control myself, but an awesome bonus? My kiddos love these chips too! Those two are kind of picky and they like to stick with what they know; I didn't have to twist their arm to eat these Green Giant snacks at all! 

Before devouring both bags chips that I received for this review, I decided I'd use them to create something yummy for dinner. I had an idea in my head but I was worried it wouldn't work out or that the family wouldn't like it. Boy, was I wrong! 

Oh yes, I used those yummy chips to make a crunchy crust on these delicious pork chops. No added seasoning - just roasted veggie goodness - and they were so good! 

I put some Green Giant Garden Ranch Veggie Tortilla chips in a baggie and I let my kiddos crunch them up to their little hearts were content. Meanwhile, I made a simple egg wash - a little egg and a little milk. When the chips were ready I put them in a bowl and began to coat the chops. It's very easy - dip them in the egg wash and then toss them in the chips. After I got a decent coat on the pork chops, I set them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and used the remaining chips to fill in any empty spaces. 

I baked these beauties in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees and they were done to perfection. They turned out to be moist and tender on the inside with a perfect light crunch on the outside. I couldn't believe what a hit these were at the dinner table. It is rare that there are no complaints about what Chef Mom has made for dinner! 

How do you incorporate healthy snacks into your menu? Have you tried the new Green Giant Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips?

Visit Green Giant on Facebook for a money saving coupon! 

        I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Maple Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake

This post is sponsored by the lovely folks behind Peanut Butter & Co. All thoughts are completely my own. My recipe was adapted from the one found at Caramel Potatoes. 

Hey y'all! I've got a sweet treat for y'all today that would be perfect to round out any Sunday dinner, but if y'all manage to wait til Sunday to make this then you are a better woman than me! I have a deep, deep love for peanut butter which is clearly evident if you've seen my cooking with peanut butter pinterest board. So, when I met a nice young lady from Peanut Butter & Co at BlogHer Food back in June and she offered to send me some peanut butter, 8 jars folks, to say that I was excited would be a total understatement. Did you know that there is a Peanut Butter & Co sandwich shop in NYC? Holy crap, y'all.

Anyhow, I've been experimenting with my peanut butter varieties for a few weeks now and I've got a few recipes to share with you. Today, we start with this:

Oh yes, Mighty Maple Peanut Butter.  There is a good chance this one is my favorite. After you eat this Maple Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake, it will be your favorite too. This delicious cake tastes just like peanut butter fudge, except - fudgier. I know, that's not a word, but do you get what I mean? It's so soft and moist! Let's get started shall we?

Here's What You'll Need:

 FOR THE CAKE

1/4 C Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple Peanut Butter
1 C water
1/2 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 C Brown Sugar
2 C Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Eggs
1/2 C Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla

FOR THE ICING

3/4 C Butter
6 TBS Buttermilk
1/2 C Peanut Butter & Co. Might Maple Peanut Butter
3 1/2 C Powdered Sugar, sifted
1 TBS Vanilla

Here's What You'll Do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Prepare the cake batter. 

In a medium sauce pan you will add the peanut butter, water and butter and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. 

In a separate bowl, (I used my stand mixer) mix together the sugars, flour, salt and baking soda. Add in the heated peanut butter mixture and mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla to the bowl and continue to mix well. 

Pour batter into a greased cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Prepare the frosting.

In a medium sauce pan, bring butter, buttermilk and peanut butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat. In your stand mixer, add together the powdered sugar, vanilla and the heated butter mixture and mix well until smooth. 

Pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread evenly. 

This cake is amazing served warm or room temperature and with a glass of milk! 

I have another little hint for you on how to serve up this sweet treat. Serve it up topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It tastes just like a certain peanut butter & chocolate candy loved by the masses! You must try this!

Anxious to get in the kitchen to whip up this yummy number? I don't blame you, but wait! Peanut Butter & Co. is going to provide one lovely Charm + Sass reader with a Peanut Butter Sampler Pack! The gift box contains six jars of peanut butter, including: The Bee's Knees, Mighty Maple, Smooth Operator, White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams, and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. Trust me, y'all want to win this prize pack! Enter below via the rafflecopter widget! 

Good luck!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up for All Things Pretty

• Whole Wheat Banana Bread
• Fresh & Famous: Easy Homemade Salsa
• Fresh From Scratch: Blueberry Muffins

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Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

I've posted a World's Best Banana Bread recipe on this here blog before and I still stand behind that recipe because it is darn good. However, I've formulated a new, healthy banana bread recipe. Now that's a phrase you don't hear very often! This recipe is easy and the bread is moist - two of my favorite things from the original recipe. This banana nut bread fits right in with my efforts of trying to eat healthier and more organically and I hope you will all find it useful as well. 

Here's What You'll Need:

2 C Whole Wheat Flour 

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C Organic Sugar (I use Wholesome Sweeteners) 

1/4 C Pompeian Grapeseed Oil

2 Large Eggs

3-4 Ripe, Mashed Bananas

2/3 C Stonyfield Plain Organic Greek Yogurt

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Cooking Spray

1 Cup Roasted Pecans, chopped

Here's What You'll Do: 

Roast your Pecans: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread pecans out on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven for about 5 minutes or until they become fragrant. Watch them closely because they will burn before you know it. Once you take them out of the oven, let them cool and then chop them up and set aside. 

Banana Bread: 

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, blend together sugar and oil. Whisk in one egg at a time. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla and beat until blended. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Spoon in the pecans and mix well. Spoon batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for about one hour or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cook on a rack completely and then remove from the pan. 

Enjoy!

• Fresh & Famous: Easy Homemade Salsa
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• Cinnamon Roll {Breakfast} Cake

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Fresh & Famous: Easy Homemade Salsa

It's almost embarrassing to tell you guys how much Mexican food we eat in my house, almost. It's everyone's favorite - even my little guy will scarf down an enchilada and some guacamole. The one thing we can't get enough of though is chips and salsa. We're not alone here right? It took a few tries but about a year ago I perfected the perfect red salsa. 

This salsa recipe is fresh, garlic-y (so not a word!) and with just a hint of spice. You can alter the recipe here and there to turn it up a notch if you like, but this one works perfectly for us. 

 Here's What You'll Need:

1/2 White Onion

6-8 Garlic Cloves

1 Jalapeno 

1 Cup Cilantro

28 oz. Whole Stewed Tomatoes

16 oz. Tomato Sauce

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Salt to taste

Here's What You'll Do:

I recently won a Ninja Mega Kitchen System and I'm telling you my life will never be the same! I'm in love with this multi-use appliance and it has changed my life. No, I"m not being dramatic - I'm serious! I made this salsa in under five minutes with the Ninja! 

Okay. First thing, prepare your veggies. Peel your garlic, pull off a handful of cilantro, cut your onion into large chunks, and slice your jalapeno in half and remove the seeds. Put all of your veggies into your food processor and pulse until the veggies are diced up. 

Add stewed tomatoes to your processor and pulse again. Once the tomatoes are diced to your preferred consistency, add in the two cans of tomato sauce, and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. I prefer a less chunky salsa so I pulse the ingredients a bit longer than you might. Salt to taste. That's it! 

Now begins the fun part! Give your salsa a taste test! 

This recipe makes about 48 ounces of salsa. I just pour the extra in a 24 oz. pickle jar and put in the freezer for later. 

Enjoy! 

• Oven Roasted Zucchini and Yellow Squash
• The Best Cornbread You've Ever Eaten 
• Fresh From Scratch: Blueberry Muffins

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Zaycon - The "Drive Through Meat Market"

Y'all may not know this, but I started out being a coupon and frugal living blogger. That site is long gone now but my frugal ways are still firmly in place. I first heard about Zaycon Foods way back when I posting weekly grocery round ups. Zaycon is often described as a "drive through" meat market but they don't sell just meat! They also offer fresh produce and now even milk! The meat and produce they provide is super high quality and the prices are low because you buy in bulk. Even if you don't need say, 40 pounds of chicken, you can always go in halfsies with a buddy. Since so many of us are concerned with the quality of our food and where it comes from these days - I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tell y'all all about Zaycon. This is a sponsored post on behalf of Zaycon Foods and does contain affiliate links.

How does Zaycon Foods manage to provide such high quality super fresh meat and produce to its customers at such low prices? The answer is strength in numbers. And not our numbers, yours!

Zaycon Foods can sell its products at bulk rate prices to individual consumers and families because our unique sales event business model brings lots of people together, adding all their purchasing power into a combined bulk food purchase. And when you buy as part of a group that’s committing to such a large purchase, the power is in the hands of the purchaser! It’s the ultimate group buy in terms of both price and consumer empowerment.

You can pre-select exactly what you want to order from a given Zaycon sales event – sometimes you may want to stock up on our amazing meaty back ribs and sometimes it might be all about the Zaycon bacon – and then, on the day of the sales event, you and a whole big bunch of your neighbors will find yourselves in a nearby parking lot watching as an entire tractor trailer’s worth of high quality natural food is unloaded into all of your cars! You will be amazed at how quickly one of our refrigerated trucks goes from being filled with natural, fresh chicken or hundreds of gallons of grade A non-homogenized milk to being empty and back on its way to the farm!

A Zaycon Foods truck sales event often lasts less time than you would spend on a trip to the grocery store, yet you will leave with a whole lot more food than you’d get at the market, and for much better prices, too!

When you use the Zaycon Foods sales event as your preferred place to purchase meats, milk, and any of our other fine products, you get advantages even beyond the bulk pricing that comes with our special sales model. You also have the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you’re going to get! A trip to the grocery store can involve wasted time wandering around looking for various foods spread out across the store; at a Zaycon Foods parking lot meat truck delivery (or milk or berries or fish delivery, too!) you have pre-ordered your foods, so all you have to do is show up and wait for our friendly staffers and volunteers to load up your car. 

Also, unlike in the grocery store, the prices you will pay for a Zaycon Foods product are locked in on our website, so you will know how much you are going to spend before you have committed to a purchase. 

At a supermarket, you might pay one price for chicken on one day, and then a higher price on another day. With Zaycon, you decide that you want to order a case of our fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts, you check the price and then you commit to it, knowing that from that moment on, we are committed to getting you your fresh, natural food!

To Get Started Click on this link: http://bit.ly/19vQeg9

I know a lot of people who have, and who continue, to purchase from Zaycon Foods. They have all been impressed with the quality of the food and the ease of purchasing. I think it's high time to try it for myself! 

So What do you think about purchasing meat and produce this way?

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