Hassle-free Guacamole

Today I may have discovered the biggest shortcut for guacamole ever. Sure, guacamole isn't incredibly time consuming but dragging all those ingredients out & having to keep tasting to make sure you get the proportions correct is just annoying when you just need a little bit. This is also a great way to make the guacamole fresh right before a party so it doesn't start turning brown & gross.

You really only need 2 ingredients! (or 2 if you are SUPER lazy)
-avocado
-lemon juice (optional... tastes fine without it, I think it tastes a little better WITH it)
-drumroll please....... Ranch Dip Mix (powder packet)
...THAT'S IT.

Just mash up the avocados (or if you're making a larger batch, stick it in a food processor) & add 1/2 teaspoon of the Ranch Dip Mix for every 1/2 avocado. You might want to start with 1/4 teaspoon if you have a smaller avocado & don't want to make it too strong. I had a pretty big one with a tiny pit so I used 1/2 teaspoon & it worked perfectly. If you like a little bit of the citrus to even it out, add 2 drops of lemon juice for every 1/2 avocado you use. The lemon juice also helps preserve it so if you plan on leaving it out for awhile, I'd definitely suggest using it! However, if you're out, don't sweat it.

So if you want a personal serving, use 1/2 avocado, 1/2 teaspoon of Ranch Dip Mix & 2 drops of lemon juice.

That was almost too easy. I might end up eating way too much guacamole now...

Dessert on the fly: 2 minute marshmallow treats

Sometimes, I just have an uncontrollable sweet tooth. Problem is: I don't have any dessert ingredients or I don't feel like waiting for something to bake or I just don't want to dirty a bunch of dishes. So here's the solution! I give you... 2 minute cereal treats!

All you need is:

• 7-9 marshmallows
• 1-1&1/2 cup cereal (I used a fake Lucky Charms & Chex)
• 2 tbsp of butter

Microwave the butter & marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds on high. Stir the mixture together & add cereal quickly, just like if you were making Rice Krispie Treats. 

You can use more or less marshmallows/cereal depending on how gooey you like them. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or eat them warm! 

Makes about 2 servings. (Don't worry, you're not the only one who ate the whole thing;)

Pro-tip! Mix in a couple spoonfuls of hot cocoa powder (I used 1/8 cup) to the hot butter/marshmallow mix to make a chocolate version! 

Avocado Deviled Eggs

So this is my 2nd time trying to make this recipe. Last week, I tried making hard boiled eggs in the oven. The website I used said use 325-350 degrees so I used 350 thinking it would be better than raw eggs. BAD IDEA. They burnt & I had to throw them all away. So, this week I used 325 & ended up keeping them in for 30 minutes. This is what they came out looking like... I was so scared they burnt again!

Right after they come out of the oven you're supposed to submerge them in cold water. I had read that if you put in a teaspoon of baking soda, they shell will peel off easily. I'm pretty sure they were talking about when you actually boil the eggs but I decided to try it anyway... (P.S. - the brown spots come off for the most part in the cold water)

After the cooled it was time to test the peeling trick... it was a fail for the most part. It only ended up working on one & it may have been a fluke! Also, I decided that I like boiling instead of baking. There were little burnt spots in the egg that I had to cut out:(

Now that these super ugly eggs peeled, it was time to make the middle! I used this recipe...
http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/get-em-while-the-gettins-good/
I was taught to put the filling into a baggie like icing to make them look pretty (so they're not even MORE of an eyesore;))

The only thing I did different from the recipe was using paprika instead of cayenne pepper on top.

This recipe is absolutely divine. It's a must-try if you like deviled eggs & avocados. It was actually so good I ended up using the leftover paste for my lunch. It tasted great in a wrap too!

I used a multigrain tortilla, romaine lettuce, tomato & provolone cheese in addition to the avocado egg paste. Yum!

How to pack PB apple slices for lunch!

One of my favorite flavor combinations are apples & peanut butter. Just one problem: it's really hard to pack apple slices for lunch... you either have to bring a sharp knife (plastic ones just don't cut it... haha, I'm so punny) OR you cut them ahead of time & they get brown & nasty. So I came up with a winning solution & can now pack them in my lunch... they're just a littttle messy;)

First, cut your apple into whatever size slices you want. I used a pretty small apple...

Melt peanut butter in the microwave. I used 2 big heaping spoonfuls (which was the perfect amount) & heated it in a mug for 30 seconds on high. It shouldn't take very long... just until it's liquid.

Drop the slices in the peanut butter & coat them. Refrigerate for about a half hour, or until the peanut butter is set.

And that's it! Now that they're covered, they shouldn't get brown!

Green Tea... Join the Movement

I started drinking green tea pretty regularly this past spring. At the time I was taking medicine almost every day to help me digest because I have a medical problem. I saw that green tea is supposed to help that along with various other advantages. So I found some in our cabinet that my mom had been drinking & decided to try it.
Let me first say that I have never liked tea... sweet, iced, hot, doesn't matter: I hated it all. Not sure why I thought this was going to be different but needless to say, I was NOT impressed. I was gagging down the first cup I drank. But I was determined to stick with it, so everyday I had just one cup. On about day 4 it was a lot less painful to drink. Not saying I love drinking it now but I never gag. The flavor makes a huuuuge difference though! I decided to pull out my house's current green tea stock...

Purple Acai & Blueberry is what I usually drink in the morning & Blackberry & Pomegranate if I want some close to bed. 

As a result of my cup of green tea every morning, I have noticed that my skin clears up, I certainly digest without any sort of medicine, it gets away that gross morning breath taste in my mouth & my favorite part... it's caffeinated so it keeps me awake! I think the best part of green tea is that it makes me feel so much better all over the place. So go grab some & drink up:)

The moist-est brownies there ever was!

I woke up at 9am today & thought... I want brownies. Only problem was, the only eggs we had were hard-boiled. So I did some research & found that you can substitute applesauce. Game on. (Preheat to 425!)

So I used the basic Betty Crocker brownie mix with...

• 2/3 c oil
• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c natural applesauce
• 1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 c room temp coffee (see below)

I tested 2 methods of these in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes, then 20, then 25 & FINALLY they were done. I had one in a cupcake wrapper & the other was just in the pan. I liked the ones without the wrapper better because the top & sides got crispy. Just DO NOT FORGET TO SPRAY THE PAN. I sprayed the crap out of each cup & they successfully did not stick! 

There was only one problem... the applesauce gave it a little bit of a tang. I wasn't a huge fan so I decided to even it out with 1/4 cup of room temp coffee, because it was sitting on the counter ready to go:). This made the batter pretty liquid-y (hence the messy, drippy pan) but they turned out fine & the tang was a lot less noticeable!

I ended up frosting this one with some left over orange frosting & fall decorative sprinkles to make the picture look cute;)