Sage & Gorgonzola Cheese Puffs

It has definitely been a hectic couple of weeks. Honestly, I don’t even know what happened to the month of February. All of a sudden it was here, Punxsutawney Phil was popping out of his hole, Valentine’s rolled on by and BAM here we are in March!

What the heck?

Today is my anniversary – Nick and I have been together for 5 years. It has definitely been a struggle, but with any great relationship comes hard work and dedication, right?

It would be best if you agreed because any dissent may result in this foodie throwing a temper tantrum in the kitchen.

Anyway, moving along. Nick and I celebrate 5 years today. His gift to himself was volunteering for a deployment to Afghanistan. Therefore, in a couple of weeks he will be leaving me and I’ll be on my own {again} for another year of my life. I know this is something he wants to do and, like a good girlfriend that I am, I supported and encouraged his decision. However, I am still dreading the moment he leaves me and will worry like a crazed lunatic until the moment he comes home.

With all of that being said, I should warn you of something else – I am a stress and emotional eater. And while I would like to tell you all that I make healthy choices I cannot, therefore in the next year I may be making a lot of hearty, comfort foods that may {typically} pack a big punch on your waistline. However, I will attempt to minimize the effects. If you are willing to come along for the ride I will stand by my decision to health-ify those non-healthy-hearty-soul-soothing comfort foods that we all love in moments of stress.

Today I have a light and fun recipe, very similar to the one I made last week. Remember those Cheddar Cheese Puffs? Good! Take a look at these.

 

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Nutritional Value
Servings: 12
Serving Size: 1 Puff
Calories: 74.4
Fat: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 3.9 g
Fiber: .1 g
Protein: 2.5 g
Points+: 2 

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Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from Cookin' Canuck

• ½ cup water
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage
• ½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese {you could add more if you want!} 

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven 400 degrees F
• In a medium saucepan, heat the water, butter and salt. Do not boil the mixture.
• Once the butter melts, stir in the flour. Stir quickly until the mixture binds together.
• Continue to stir for another minute, while the pot sit on the heat
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let the mixture cool slightly. Stir in the 2 eggs, one at a time.
• Ensure that the first egg is fully combined into the mixture before adding the second egg
• Add the minced sage and crumbled Gorgonzola. Stir to combine.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spoon the dough onto the parchment paper. Each puff should be 1 to 2 inches in diameter, and they should be spaced an inch apart.
• Bake, without opening the door, for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F for another 15 minutes, or until the puffs are golden brown and crisp on the outside.
• Pierce each puff with a small, sharp knife to release the steam, which will stop them from becoming soft
• Serve immediately. 

 

Enchilada Casserole

I don’t know about you, but I happen to love Mexican food. Having lived close enough to throw a rock across the Mexican border, I became used to getting good, quality and authentic Mexican cuisine whenever I wanted. I remember when we first moved to Sierra Vista that is all I wanted to eat. I think we ate at a local restaurant, La Casita, 4 times a week for the first few weeks. Shameful. I know. I really could not get enough of it, and I knew it was a winner because Nick didn’t tire of it easily. It was a huge win for me!

Often we would go there on a Friday or Saturday night for a date night. There was usually an insignificant wait for such good food. I would probably have waited all night for a table; however, luckily I never had to do that! We would sit there for hours eating chips and salsa, delicious Mexican cuisine, and some sweet desserts. We would talk about politics, life, careers, dreams, everything and anything. It was one of the best times of my life. I loved living near the MI installation. I loved seeing soldiers in their uniforms every single day. And, I loved living across the country. I loved the distance between what was once my life and the path that was beginning to be my future.

However, our stay was short lived. We ended up back on the east coast and every time I crave Mexican I think of Sierra Vista. Last week I was in the mood for Mexican so I decided to whip something delicious up. Take a look!

 

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Nutritional Information
Servings: 12
Serving Size: 1/12^th Square
Calories: 321.6
Fat: 15.7 g
Carbohydrates: 25.5 g
Fiber: 3.2 g
Protein: 20 g
Points+: 8

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 Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

• 1 ½ lbs. ground beef
• 3 cups salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 6 flour tortillas
• ½ cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2 ½ cups shredded cheese
• Lettuce, tomato, cilantro, optional

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain
• Stir in the salsa, sour cream, cumin, and taco seasoning
• Lightly coat a casserole dish with cooking spray
• Layer a generous amount of the meat mixture on the bottom, sprinkle with shredded cheese
• Place a tortilla on top of the meat mixture. Layer with another generous serving of the meat mixture and more cheese
• Repeat this process for as many layers as you like or until the meat mixture runs out
• Top with shredded cheese
• Cover with foil {that has been greased with cooking spray} and cook for 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly
• Top with lettuce, tomatoes & cilantro if you so desire!

Enjoy! xoxo

Heart Shaped Pizza

Oh boy. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Is it a total cliché that my heart flutters with excitement about all of the flowers and chocolates, and all of the diamonds that float around during this particular hallmark holiday. Oh, don’t worry. I am not one of those people that actually get spoiled on Valentine’s Day. Hell, I have to remind Nick what day of the week it is most weeks, so remembering to plan something for Valentine’s Day is an expectation that I need not have.

Really it is okay. I realize I may sound ungrateful or jealous or something along the lines of pretentious. I don’t pretend not to be those things sometimes, but not because of Valentine’s Day. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, I was about to sing the praises of Nick. He spoils me everyday. I don’t need a special day for him to go beyond what he already does for me. What does that prove after all? He is the best thing to happen to me and I am beyond excited that he’ll come home on Thursday evening, having worked a long 12+ hour day, and I will have a special meal for him. Because, let’s be honest, every meal I make is special.

So I think I just simultaneously praised Valentine’s Day and snubbed my noise at it. See there is the pretentiousness I was talking about. I am really pulling out all of the stops for this post.

If you want to do something special for your love on Valentine’s Day or surprise your kids you should totally consider this very easy recipe. There is no hiding I am slightly obsessed with pizza. Well, I decided to cookie cut pizza dough in the shape of hearts. Oh yes, hold your applause. These little heart shaped pizzas will be a great surprise for your kids’ lunch boxes or a nice snack for your love when he gets home from work on Thursday.

 

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Nutritional Value
Servings: 6 pizzas
Serving Size: 1 heart pizza
Calories: 42
Fat: 1.5 g
Carbohydrates: 5.4 g
Fiber: .3 g
Protein: 1.5 g
Points+: 1

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Ingredients:

Recipe Adapted from Quick & Easy Recipes

• Pizza dough – homemade or store bought {I sold out and went with store bought}
• Sauce
• ¼ cup shredded cheese
• Heart shaped cookie cutters

 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Grease a baking sheet
• Cookie cut pizza hearts out of the dough
• Arrange the pizza hearts on the baking sheet
• Add the sauce and sprinkle with cheese
• Bake for about 8 minutes
• Remove & Enjoy!!