m.i.a. and a cheesecake recipe

Boy, where is the summer going?

I blinked and July is halfway over. And I also realized it's been a few weeks since I've worked on the blog. Truth be told, I started my MBA July1, celebrated my birthday and 4th of July, visited my family, etc. and have thus had little time for writing about the things I love!

I still plan to continue writing and hope to zone in my focus a little more on my wonderful city, Fort Worth. It's just going to take a little time for me to get the hang of this school thing first! Sometimes being a grown up isn't fun but it's necessary, right?

I'll leave you with a recipe and picture of some adorable [and delicious] mini cheesecakes I shared with my coworkers in celebration of the 4th of July. Not only are they less than 100 calories each, but they are just sooo yummy! If you try them, let me know how you like them! xo.

Red White and Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes 

Recipe via Skinny Taste

Ingredients:

12 reduced fat vanilla wafers
8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 large egg whites
1 tbsp all purpose flour
8 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced thin
8 oz blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°.

Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner.

Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners filling half way.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature then chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

cookie in a cup

Recently, I was in the middle of a huge sugar craving and decided to whip up one of my Pinterest finds: a cookie in a cup! I'd seen several similar recipes floating around the web and finally went for it. I was not disappointed. In fact, I admit I've made this little snack several times since. It's that good! xo.

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

[via Number 2 Pencil]

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Granulated White Sugar

1 Tablespoon of firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar [I used light brown]

3 Drops of Vanilla Extract

Small Pinch of Kosher Salt

1 Egg Yolk (discard the egg white)

Scant 1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour

2 Tablespoons of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

Start by melting your butter [in your favorite mug!] in the microwave. Add sugars, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine. Separate your egg and add the yolk only to your cup. Stir to combine. Add flour, then stir again. Add the chocolate chips, and give a final stir. Cook in microwave 40-60 seconds, start checking for doneness at 40 seconds. *Mine takes exactly 47 seconds!

cupid cake bites

Need a yummy sweet treat idea for Valentine's Day? This Cupid Cake Bites recipe is a crowd pleaser and a perfect snack to share with friends, co-workers, and significant others.  xo.

Ingredients

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 can chocolate frosting

2 pkg. candy coating [vanilla or chocolate... or both!]
Pink sprinkles
*Red velvet or strawberry cake mix would also be great options! Cream cheese frosting would complement both flavors nicely.

Directions
1. Prepare the cake as directed on the box.
2. Let the cake cool completely. Then, crumble it up in a large mixing bowl.

3. Mix in about 3/4 the can of chocolate frosting. You can always add a little more if needed, but I've found that an entire can makes the balls less firm and more difficult to form.
4. Once everything is mixed together, start forming ping pong sized balls and set them on a wax-lined baking sheet.

5. After you make all the cake balls, transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to get firm for about 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Melt the candy coating in the microwave according to directions on the package.
7. Using a fork or fondue skewer [or anything similar], dip each ball into the coating and set onto a wax-lined baking sheet. Add sprinkles quickly before the coating hardens.

8. Place the coated cake balls in the refrigerator to harden for about 30 minutes. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

chocolate peanut butter crisps

Heavenly. There is no other word to describe these "cookies".

I first tried these when I visited my grandmother's friend during Christmas several years ago. She had made these for us and I loved them. Fast forward to today, and I am married to a wonderful man who loves anything with chocolate and peanut butter. He doesn't have as big of a sweet tooth as I do, but this combination is his weakness. On a whim at the grocery story this evening, as I was picking up Theraflu and chicken noodle soup for my sick significant other, I grabbed the three ingredients I'd need to create these no-bake cookies.

Let's get started!

Ingredients (recipe makes 16 cookies)

Ritz Crackers (regular, whole grain, reduced fat... whatever floats your boat)

Creamy peanut butter

Chocolate almond bark or Candyquik

Directions

1. Open up one roll of Ritz Crackers. Smear peanut butter between 2 crackers to make a sandwich, and continue until you are done with the roll. You should have 16 sandwiches. I had one lone cracker leftover but it was broken. Sad face. :(

2. Break apart the almond bark or Candyquik. I used 4 squares of almond bark and it was the perfect amount. If you use Candyquik, use  a few chunks and if you need more, you can always add more!

3. Put the chunks of almond bark/candy coating into a coffee mug. Coffee mugs are great for dipping because they are not very wide but are deep enough to submerge your cookies.

4. Put the mug in the microwave for about a minute, but pause it periodically to stir it and make sure it is melting evenly and not burning. I had to microwave mine for several 15 second intervals--stirring in between--until my chocolate was evenly melted.

5. Drop a sandwich into the mug of chocolate and use a spoon to turn it around and coat it with chocolate. Once it is completely coated, lift it out of the mug with the spoon. I had to use the flat side of a butter knife to lightly brush off the excess chocolate from the top of the cookie back into the mug. 

6. Place coated sandwich cookies on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet to harden. Once you have finished coating all the sandwiches, transfer the cookie sheet to the refrigerator to finish hardening. This won't take long! In the meantime, pour a glass of milk and get ready to enjoy heavenly chocolate-peanut butter bliss.

xo.