Category: Fitness & Recipes

New, Fun Ways to Dress Up Your S’mores

Post author By Jess
Post date July 9, 2015
2 Comments on New, Fun Ways to Dress Up Your S’mores

We rarely have campfires, but when we do my kids love to roast S’mores. After seeing the “So Much S’More to Do” book in a half dozen National Park visitor centers, we decided to buy one. We loved it so much that we gave a book, plus a dozen or so S’more fixings to all of our family for Christmas last year.

Last week we had a little get-together with all of my family here in Minnesota, and my brother has a beautiful, new fire pit in his backyard we just had to put to good use. The girls took a trip to the grocery store for the treats and we had a great evening roasting marshmallows over the fire and discovering new, delicious ways to eat them!

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Some of our favorite personal recipes:

S’Less
Directions: Roast your marshmallow until golden brown. Gently pull it off your stick and put a piece of Hershey’s chocolate INSIDE the marshmallow. Let it melt for 1-2 minutes and eat without a graham cracker.

S’Less with Peanut Butter
Directions: Same as above, only use Peanut Butter M&M’s instead of plain chocolate.

Peanut Butter Cup S’Mores
Directions: Use a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in place of your plain chocolate.

A new favorite recipe this time around included marshmallow cream, chopped up Oreos and Keebler Fudge graham cookies. Last winter we had a fire with friends in Las Vegas and I pre-made brownies to use instead of chocolate (Instagram photo).

Other fun recipes in the book are: Peanut Butter & Banana S’mores, Rice Krispie Bar S’mores and even Pumpkin Pie S’mores.

Oh! The possibilities! What’s your favorite way to eat a S’more?

Tags camping, S'more recipes, XScapers

Fitness & Recipes

Airstream Kitchen: Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Post author By Jess
Post date June 20, 2015

Tacos are a super easy staple in any kitchen, and when you don’t have a lot of room “easy” is pretty awesome.

I recently found a recipe that I LOVE that doesn’t use any store bought taco seasoning, so I know what’s it in and its all healthy. Plus, we’ve found we like ground turkey just as much as ground beef and A) its healthier and B) usually cheaper.

If I’ve already eaten my daily amount of carbs for the day (its pretty low), I’ll use a piece of romaine lettuce and make a wrap while everyone else has corn tortillas. Not a lot of extra prep and it tastes amazing.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps (works great with chicken too)
serves: 6 wraps – (or enough for our family of 5)
21 Day Fix Breakdown: 1 wrap each is 1G, 1R, 1/2B

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs raw 93% lean ground turkey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup no salt tomato sauce (4 oz)
6 large romaine
lettuce leaves
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro
avocado & cheese (optional)

Instructions:
Cook turkey (using a little bit of olive oil if needed). Add seasonings and stir to combine. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onion is translucent.

Add the water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes.

Top each lettuce leave evenly with turkey mixture, tomato and cilantro.
Enjoy!

Tags 21DFX, easy recipes, turkey tacos, turkey wraps

Fitness & Recipes

Airstream Kitchen: Guilt Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Post author By Jess
Post date June 12, 2015

Sam likes to joke that he never forces me to choose between him and anything pumpkin. I’d like to think my obvious like for the winter squash is not THAT extreme, but I do love the taste. When I found this recipe for healthy, guilt free pumpkin pancakes I immediately put it to good use. Its definitely a regular breakfast around here.

I’ve posted previously about a pumpkin recipe that uses store bought buttermilk pancakes and then you just stir in the pumpkin & seasonings. I love this one as it uses whole wheat flour, oats and since its made from scratch you know exactly what is in it!

With lots of milk, pumpkin, eggs and only 3 Tbsp of brown sugar it definitely tries to cross the border into protein & vegetable instead of carbs. Plus, they taste delicious. We also use dark chocolate chips as they have less sugar than milk (and I’m coming around to the taste – a year ago it was milk or nothing).

Happy Breakfast!

Guilt Free, Pumpkin, Chocolate Chip Pancakes

makes about 18 medium sized pancakes
21 Day Fix breakdown per pancake: 1/2Y, 1/4G, 1/4R (I usually eat 2 with some fruit)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk (we use soy)
3 cups canned pumpkin
3 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
3 Tbps brown sugar
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats (any kind – we used old fashioned)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Combine milk, pumpkin, vanilla, eggs, and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Slowly add dry ingredients blending in your baking powder and salt with the flour (you can use two different bowls, but I’m lazy and hate washing dishes).

Get your griddle hot and ladle or scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto your pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before flipping.

Keep in mind these do take longer to cook!! Cook at a lower temperature for longer so they aren’t burnt on the outside and mushy on the inside.

Serve with real maple syrup and fruit!

Tags 21dayfix, Airstream kitchen, breakfast, healthy breakfast, pumpkin pancakes

Fitness & Recipes

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Cookies

Post author By Jess
Post date May 29, 2015
2 Comments on Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Cookies

These breakfast “cookies” are ridiculously delicious. They’ve turned into one of our go-to hiking snacks as they are easy to stash in a small tupperwear and toss into our pack. They are loaded with Peanut Butter energy goodness, apples, oats, and bananas!

I’ve made them both with chocolate chips and without and lately the kids have preferred them without (I think they are crazy – chocolate chips make everything better).

We also freeze these and I’ll pull them out for snacks, let them sit on the counter for an hour and then we eat!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Cookies
adapted from thebakermama.com

1 1/2 cups flour (I do 3/4 white, 3/4 wheat)
2 1/2 cups oats (any kind)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup creamy peanut butter (PB2 works great – 1 cup powder, 1/2 cup water)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium)
1 cup shredded apple (peeled if you are feeling like an over-achiever)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Mix in mashed banana.
Add dry ingredients: flour, oats, soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Stir in apple & chocolate chips.
Form 2-4 Tbsps of dough into balls and flatten slightly with the bottom of a measuring cup.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and no longer mushy.

Tags Breakfast cookie recipe, Hiking snacks, Oatmeal Power Cookies

Fitness & Recipes

Airstream Kitchen: Corndog Muffins with Vegan Cornbread

Post author By Jess
Post date May 20, 2015
2 Comments on Airstream Kitchen: Corndog Muffins with Vegan Cornbread

Okay, so I know adding a hot dog to a Vegan Cornbread recipe kind of defeats the purpose of the whole vegan thing. Trust me, though, the cornbread recipe is so good I couldn’t imagine using any other one.

We’ve made this cornbread recipe plenty of times and even taken it to a full time traveler pot luck or two (although we did always serve with butter and honey!). Everyone agreed it was delicious. Then I saw a recipe where they added hot dogs in the middle of cornbread muffins to make a corndog, and thought “That looks WAY healthier than the breaded, fried, and frozen versions”. So I tried it and my kids gobbled them up! Total win-win.

It is super easy to make, is filling, and best of all, healthy! Unlike most traditional cornbread recipes, this leaves out all the fattening butter and replaces it with the flaxseed mixture. Don’t let it scare you! Ground flaxseed can be found in most grocery stores (trust me, I’ve found it all over the country), and is usually in the baking aisle.

Corndog Muffins/Vegan Cornbread

adapted from livinlightly.com
serves: 22 muffins or a 9×13 pan of cornbread
21 Day Fix: 1 1/2 Yellow

Ingredients for Cornbread
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup water
2 cups non dairy milk (we use Soy)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups flour (we usually just use white)
8 tsp baking powder
2 cups whole grain cornmeal
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
For Muffins: 1 package turkey hot dogs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line muffin tin or grease a 9×13 pan.
2. Heat water in a small sauce pan on stove. Once it is boiling, add the flaxseed. Reduce heat and whisk until you get a gel-like consistency.
3. Combine milk & oil in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture (Sift flour if you want – I’m always too lazy!) and mix well.
5. Stir in flaxseed mixture.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, or spread cornbread mixture into a 9×13 pan. It’s pretty thick, but don’t worry.
7. If you are doing muffins, slice each turkey hot dog into thirds and then stick one in the middle of each muffin.
8. Bake – 9×13 pan for 20-30 minutes, muffins for 12-15 minutes.
9. Eat & enjoy!

Tags cornbread, corndog muffins, foodblogger, vegan cornbread