Coconut Mango Yoghurt Popsicles

I don't know about everybody else, but as soon as summer hits, I start trying to think up new and different ways to beat the heat. One of my (and my family's) favourite ways to cool down is to indulge in a frozen treat, and popsicles are pretty much THE best way to do so!
I was checking out one of my absolute favourite food blogs (okay, my favourite), Skinnytaste, and found a recipe for some truly delish looking mango and coconut pops. Me, being, well.... me, I had to tweak the recipe just a tad to make it my own. This was the result. Yum. Really, really, incredibly fabulous YUM.

Coconut Mango Yoghurt Popsicles

Makes: 8

Ingredients:

1 large mango, peeled and cut up
3/4 cup greek yoghurt, divided
1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp coconut extract

Directions:

Puree mango in a blender or food processor with 2 tbsp of the coconut milk, 3 tsbp of the greek yoghurt, and the sugar til smooth. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until smooth. Grab your popsicle molds and divide the mango mixture evenly among them. Pour your coconut mixture over that, pop the lids on the molds (or stick popsicle sticks in them, whatever works best for you) and freeze until solid.


Adapted from Skinnytaste's Simply Obsessed Frozen Coconut Mango Pops

Nutritional Info:

 8 Servings

Amount Per Serving
  Calories     103.2
  Total Fat     3.1 g
          Saturated Fat     3.0 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.0 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     0.0 g
  Cholesterol     0.0 mg
  Sodium     15.9 mg
  Potassium     87.8 mg
  Total Carbohydrate     17.5 g
          Dietary Fiber     0.7 g
          Sugars     16.7 g
  Protein     2.6 g

Skinny Zuppa Toscana

So.... here's the deal! Summer is technically here, but it keeps raining and raining, which to me, calls for a hearty soup for dinner. As luck would have it, all 10 of my kale plants are producing beautifully, and while my favourite soup just so happens to be a Sausage, Kale, and Lentil soup, I wanted something different.
Enter Zuppa Toscana.
For those of you unaware of this heavenly concoction, let me just say that the original recipes usually add up to anywhere from 500 calories per bowl to 800. Not exactly weight friendly, especially with bikini season technically around the corner.
MY Zuppa Toscana... 230 calories per bowl. Oh, and it is kid-approved. No wrinkled noses, no "is this diet food?" queries, nope! Nothing but..... silence while everyone filled their grumbly tumblies.
Without further ado...... here is the recipe!

Skinny Zuppa Toscana

  Ingredients:
    1/2 lb hot italian sausage, casings removed
    1 tbsp red pepper flakes
    6 cups chicken broth
    4 cups water
    2 tbsp cornstarch
    1 tbsp olive oil, divided
    1 medium yellow onion, chopped
    1 tbsp minced garlic
    4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
    4 cups kale, stalks removed, chopped
    3 tbsp bacon bits
    1 can evaporated milk, light

Directions:
In a large pot on medium-high heat, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, sausage and crushed red pepper flakes. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage until it's cooked through. Pour sausage into a large bowl and set aside.
In the same pot add the remaining olive oil, chopped onion, and bacon bits until the onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add chicken stock and water; stir well and bring to a boil
Add potatoes, reduce heat to a good simmer and cook until fork tender. Add a little salt to the broth if necessary to make sure the potatoes will absorb for maximum flavor.
Meanwhile, make a slurry with the cornstarch and evaporated milk.
After potatoes are done, add the cooked sausage back into the soup. Skim off most of the fat from the sausage that floats onto the surface.
Add the kale and stir in to allow the leaves to soften slightly.
Add the slurry and stir frequently until slightly thickened.
Salt and pepper to taste.

 Makes 12 generous servings of just over 1 cup each.

Nutritional Info
  Calories     230.47
  Total Fat     13.2 g

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats

A year... almost an entire year has passed since I took the time to update this blog and share recipes :-( After such a crazy amount of time I really can't think of anything that would justify such a prolonged absence, so I'll just leave that be and offer up this fabulous bit of pure YUM:

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats! I know I am not the first, and these are definitely not the most gourmet or special SRKTs you could dig up online, but they came together fast, easily, and taste delish!
Without further ado....... here's the recipe.

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups slightly crushed Golden Grahams (or the no-name version, which is what I used; moms have to    budget!!!!!)
4 cups Rice Krispies (or, as before, no-name)
1/2 cup Chocolate Cheerios
1 10 oz bag marshmallows (save plastic bag they came in; trust me!)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Line a 9x13" pan with aluminum foil or wax paper. Spray lightly with cooking spray or lightly grease with margarine. In a large bowl, combine cereals and toss gently. In another large bowl, measure out butter or margarine. Melt in microwave, approximately 30 seconds; add marshmallows and return to microwave. Cook in 30 second intervals, stirring each time you check, just until marshmallows puff up. Working quickly, dump cereals into the marshmallow bowl and stir quickly and thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and pour the whole thing into the prepared pan.
Place plastic marshmallow bag on your hard, lightly spray it with cooking spray and use your greasy, plastic-covered hand to spread and press down the mixture into all corners of the pan. When the whole thing looks nice and uniform, toss the bag, place the pan somewhere to let it cool and set, and prepare to be AMAZED.

I know my picture is not amazing, but these things ARE!

Once cool and firm, cut into 24 squares and serve. 
Nutritional information will be added soon :-)