No-Bake Energy Bites

I love Pinterest, and recently discovered a recipe for these no-bake energy bites that I just had to try! Loaded with protein (from the peanut butter), Omega-3 fatty acids (from the ground flaxseed), whole grains (from the oats), and energy & immunity boosting benefits (from honey), these no-bake energy bites are the perfect “pick-me-up” afternoon snack!

I am a huge fan of granola bars as snacks, but with all the processed ingredients, preservatives, and sugar, they probably aren’t as healthy as they seem! They good thing about these energy bites is that they are all-natural, contain ingredients you should have in your pantry, and can be customized to your liking. If you want to leave out the chocolate chips, substitute dried fruit instead. If you like almond butter, substitute it for peanut butter. Want more of a “crunch”? Add pecans, almonds, or walnuts.

Let me know your thoughts. Enjoy!

This recipe is so easy, so I only have a few pictures! Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll into balls and eat!

No-Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I used half butterscotch chips and half white chocolate chips)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
1. Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.
2. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Yield: 18-20 bites
Recipe from: Smashed Peas & Carrots

Cranberry-Maple Pudding Cake

This is a wonderful cranberry dessert that is perfect any time of of the year, especially during the holidays. I don’t remember when we actually made this dessert for the first time, but I do remember the little “catastrophe” that followed….

My husband, Matt and I were over at my parents’ house back in 2010 for a Sunday lunch. My dad normally grills out when we come over, and I remember my mom, sister and I put together this delicious cranberry-maple pudding cake at the last minute. After a satisfying lunch, we were ready to go home. With leftover food in his hands, Matt carried out the pudding cake, car keys, and some of my “stuff” to the car. Unfortunately, the dessert would never make it home…

The cranberry dessert slipped from Matt’s hands, and fell to it’s final destination, the concrete driveway, producing broken casserole dish pieces galore. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but we were certainly not going to eat the leftovers in fear that we might swallow some broken glass! Disappointed as we were, I guess we saved ourselves some calories that night, and the next few days as well!

For Christmas this year, we thought we’d whip up this lovely dessert once again. This time, there was no clumsiness and I fully enjoyed leftover cranberry-maple pudding cake for the next week.

As far as taste, this dessert is sure to please those that like cooked fruit (not my dad). The maple syrup calms down the tart cranberries and creates a slightly sweet and delectable flavor. I am reminded of a cobbler with a sweet cornbread taste, juicy fruit, and an interestingly irresistible texture. Top it with a simple squirt of Reddi-wip, a dollop Cool Whip, or my favorite… a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and you’ve got yourself a crowd pleaser.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Maple Pudding Cake

Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pure maple syrup (grade B or grade A dark amber)
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp. finely grated orange peel
pinch plus 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Creme fraiche, softly whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream

Directions
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Combine first 4 ingredients and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt in medium bowl.
3. Whisk egg and sugar in another medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter, and vanilla into egg mixture. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; whisk to blend.
4. Pour warm cranberry mixture into 11 x 7 x 2-inch or 8 x 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour batter over.
5. Bake cake until golden and cranberry mixture bubbles at edges, about 28 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Serve cake warm topped with creme fraiche whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Recipe from: Gourmet Magazine

Crispy Sugared Nuts

Mmmm…these nuts sure are good! As a kid, I grew up hating all types of nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, you name it, I hated them. My mom would always bake a pan of brownies – half with nuts and the other half without, since my sister and I were picky. The same would prove true with batches of cookies.

When I went to college, my taste buds changed dramatically. I actually started liking vegetables and salads, & no longer ordered chicken tenders and french fries at restaurants. I also discovered my love of nuts, especially sugared nuts!

Two weeks ago, in preparation for all the desserts I was asked to bring to holiday potlucks and life groups at church, my mom came over to help me bake. She pleasantly surprised me when she suggested we make our family crispy sugared nuts recipe. If you’ve never made candied/sugared nuts before, now is the time to start! They are extremely easy and almost impossible to mess up!

Most people will find that they have all six ingredients in their pantry to begin with…unless you are short on nuts! The original recipe calls for walnuts, but both my mom and I like pecans better, so we made a simple substitution. The cinnamon-sugar coating adds a perfectly sweet flavoring to these nuts, and also makes them quite addicting, especially if you eat them as a snack.

Enjoy… hurry, you’ve got to try these before the holiday season ends!

Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Heat until boiling or until soft-ball stage (236 degrees F).

Fold in chopped nuts and vanilla.

Pour onto buttered platter. Separate nuts using a fork or spoon (so that you don’t have one large lump of nuts!)

Crispy Sugared Nuts
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups walnut or pecan halves (we used pecans)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
1. Heat nuts in 375 degree oven for 5 minutes, stirring once.
2. Butter sides of a heavy 2 quart saucepan.
3. In saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Cook without stirring to soft-ball stage (236 degrees F). Remove from heat and beat by hand for 1 minute or until mixture just begins to get creamy.
4. Add vanilla to the warm nuts. Stir gently until nuts are well coated and mixture becomes creamy.
5. Turn out onto buttered platter or cookie sheet. Separate at once, using 2 spoons or forks.

Yield: about 1 pound of nuts

Check out my recipe and other recipes & crafts on The Kurtz Corner!

Healthy Protein Pancakes

My sister found an amazing recipe for pancakes in a recent women’s fitness magazine, and you would never know that they were considered healthy! With only five low-fat ingredients, these pancakes provide a punch of protein from the cottage cheese and egg whites. Cottage cheese contains 12 grams of protein from a 3.5-ounce single serving, and 1 egg white contains 3.6 grams of protein…wow! In addition, the old-fashioned oats take the place of enriched flour, and the ground cinnamon adds a sweetness and delicious flavoring to these great pancakes.

Trust me, it won’t taste like you’re eating healthy, but your body will truly appreciate it. These pancakes are so good that my mom said she will make them for my dad next time we eat breakfast. “He’ll never know the difference….they taste just like a regular pancake mix,” she quotes.

Enjoy!

Healthy Protein Pancakes

Ingredients

1/3 cup oats

1/3 cup cottage cheese

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

2. Spray griddle pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Pour batter onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles start to form. Pancakes should be golden brown.

Yield: 4 medium-sized pancakes

Good-Bye Telluride!

In this photo: the entire family poses on the deck of Castlewood Manor before heading back to Texas. As I mentioned in my last post, I’m back home in Dallas, but wanted to finish posting from our adventurous family trip to Telluride, Colorado. Again…pretend like I am still there! Today was our last day in Telluride. I don’t know about the others, but I was not ready to come home. I had a blast skiing, relaxing, and enjoying the cold & snowy Colorado weather. Dale and Renee, if you are reading this, thank you so much for getting the entire family together on this wondrous trip! It was a Christmas I will never forget.

In this photo: my in-laws, husband and I pose for another quick picture by the fire pit.

On the bus ride from Montrose to Telluride last week, our driver pointed out some interesting and historic sites. One happened to be Ralph Lauren’s 17,000 acre ranch. We didn’t have time to stop, but on the way back to Montrose, our bus driver kindly pulled off the highway so that we could take some pictures. I was actually the only one to have my picture taken under the Double RL Ranch sign, but I guess that’s because we share the same name! Thanks Paula for taking the picture!

I love Ralph Lauren clothes for men. My husband has about 20 polos…one in every color (I hung them in rainbow order in his closet)! They are so classy and never go out of style.

In addition to clothes, Ralph’s wife Ricky has a wonderful cookbook titled “Ricky Lauren, Cuisine, Lifestyle, and Legend of the Double RL Ranch” which I strongly recommend.

The book’s description reads:

“Inspired by the colors, flavors, and life of her Colorado Ranch, Ricky Lauren presents an epic and unprecedented tribute to the West, as both a great destination and a state of mind.

Nestled at the base of the San Juan Mountains, the Lauren family’s double RL Ranch is rich in history, both personal and regional. From the legends of the earliest settlers of the Wild Wild West to the fascinating pasts of such towns as Ridgway, Ouray, Telluride, and Montrose, Ricky Lauren illuminates the history of the region, connecting and inspiring readers along the way.

Lauren opens the doors to her family kitchen, sharing her culinary secrets, cherished heirloom recipes, favorite Western-style dishes, and innovative decorating techniques for creating the perfect table setting and dining atmosphere.”

This book is a keeper…not only is it a pretty coffee table book, the recipes are quite delicious! My mom and I really enjoy the chicken kiev recipe!

In this photo: me at the gate of Ralph Lauren’s Double RL Ranch.

Our next stop was the True Grit Cafe in Ridgway, Colorado. Unfortunately we did not get to stop and eat here, but we did get to snap a few photos! The True Grit Cafe was actually built in 1985, however it was built to honor the filming of the academy award winning 1969 movie “True Grit” starring John Wayne. From the cafe you can sit on the deck and enjoy the beautiful background seen throughout the movie.

For those that are huge “Duke” fans, Heritage Auctions of Dallas recently auctioned more than 700 costumes, scripts, awards and memorabilia from the estate of legendary film star John Wayne. The auction brought over $5.38 million, with dozens of items selling for 2-3 times their pre-auction estimates! To see the items that sold, click here!

In this photo: True Grit Cafe…where the original True Grit movie with John Wayne was filmed.

In this photo: my mother-in-law Paula and brother-in-law Jeffery in front of the True Grit Cafe.

Good-bye Telluride, Colorado…I hope to see you sooner than later!

In this photo: a view of the beautiful mountains in Colorado as we fly home to Texas.

Telluride Day 6

In this photo: the town of Telluride…it was 12 degrees outside and snowing!

As I am writing this, it is actually “Day 1” back in good ole Dallas, Texas, but I’m going to continue writing about our adventures of day 6 in Telluride, Colorado….just pretend I’m still there!

Today was the first day I did NOT ski. It is pretty exhausting skiing 4 days in a row, plus with yesterday’s battle with the cold, I figured today would be even worse since there was no sun!

We had a leisurely morning, and after lunch, my sister-in-law Leah, her husband Jeffery, and I went to the town of Telluride (we are staying in Mountain Village, which is about a 20 minute gondola ride to town). Telluride is a former silver mining camp in San Miguel county in the Southwestern portion of Colorado. Telluride Historic District, which includes a significant portion of the town, is listed as one of Colorado’s 20 National Historical Landmarks, and is on the National Register of Historic Places list.

The shops were all local….there are no Starbucks, McDonalds, or any familiar shop you would recognize. There was a cute little shop that I could have broke the bank on called “Two Skirts”. They had nothing but cute sweaters, skinny jeans, accessories and more…it reminded me of Neimans!!! I’d like to tell you other places we shopped, but if I did that…those people I shopped for would know their Christmas presents! Haha.

In this photo: Leah and I shopping in Telluride…standing in front of the New Sheridan Hotel – the steak restaurant we ate at two nights ago.

When we returned, it was nearly time for dinner. Paula made a wonderful chicken spaghetti casserole and I made Triple Orange Ambrosial Salad (without the ambrosial part). We had a flavorful mixed green salad, prepared by my cousin Sayer, garlic bread, and leftover Christmas dinner, including desserts, from the night before. Everything was delicious!

After dinner we sat by the fire, enjoyed the house, and enjoyed being with family on the last night before heading back to Texas. I was definitely NOT ready to come home!

In this photo: Paula’s chicken spaghetti

In this photo: mixed green salad

Telluride Day 5

In this photo: Rusty, Jeffery, Matt, me, Drew, Renee, Sayer, Merritt, Dale

Today was another gorgeous day of skiing. It was sunny, clear and cold!!! Today was the first day my feet froze, in addition to my fingers! On the last run before lunch, we went to the top of the Telluride Mountain and skiied down “See Forever”. About halfway down, I literally broke down and started crying because I was soooo cold! I think this has happend to me everytime I have skiied. It doesn’t matter how many liners and hand warmers I have, I still get cold!

Other than freezing, it was a great day for skiing. My favorite run of the day was “Ute Park”, where we did some mini ski jumps. It was fun, and Aunt Renee got all of us on video. Each ski jump got progressively harder, and by the last jump, you were flying through the air! On my last jump I probably flew about 2 feet in the air, and despite almost wiping out in the end, I stuck the landing….my former gymnastics skills prevailed!

In this photo: Matt and I

For lunch we ate a Southwestern-style bistro called 9545 Restaurant. It was actually my favorite meal on the trip. My Uncle Dale strongly recommended the Posole, and he was right…it was awesome! Posole is a traditional Pre-Columbian soup of stew from Mexico. It has is made from a nixtamalized cachuazintle corn (hominy), meat (usually pork), chili peppers, and other seasonings and garnish. Again, it was my absolute favorite meal on the trip, and I plan on making a homemade recipe when I return to Dallas.

In this photo: Posole soup…half eaten!

After a few more ski runs, I finished my last day of skiing in Telluride. I had a blast, and am happy to say there were no broken bones on this trip!

At the house, all of the ladies gathered in the kitchen to make Christmas dinner. We had spiraled ham, roasted turkey, corn casserole, stuffing, and sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and pecans…yum! We also had more mashed potatoes than 26 people could eat, dinner rolls, Easy Mac, coleslaw, and cranberry relish. The desserts were something to talk about. Paula made her classic cold banana pudding, I made my Aunt Jolene’s chocolate ice box pie, and Aunt Gaytha made pumpkin pie… all topped with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Aunt Renee also brought Christmas napkins, nutcrackers, and party poppers to decorate the dining room and kitchen table with. It was so festive and gorgeous! The party poppers had two jokes, a trivia question, and a little charm inside.

In this photo: the dining room is set for Christmas dinner

In this photo: the kitchen table all ready for our Christmas dinner

In this photo: spiral ham and roasted turkey breast

In this photo: cranberry sauce, corn casserole, sweet potatoe casserole, stuffing, and macaroni & cheese.

In this photo: two chocolate ice box pies, two pumpkin pies, and Paula’s cold banana pudding for dessert.

In this photo: Paula’s cold banana pudding.

Dinner was so good, that I am not even craving my family’s annual Christmas meal on Christmas Day. No one went hungry on this trip to Colorado! I’m ready to eat smoothies and yogurt I’m so full!

Telluride Day 4

In this photo: a view of the mountains from Castlewood Manor

It was a gorgeous morning when I woke up this morning. The sun was shinning, the air was cool and crisp…it was a perfect day for skiing.

Starting today, members from our family will be cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner…no more Chef John and Andie. We have quite the culinary family, and since most of us enjoy cooking, we no longer needed the chefs. Breakfast was great. We had fluffy buttermilk biscuits, roasted potatoes with chopped peppers, scrambled eggs, applewood smoked bacon, and sausage links. Tasty!

In this photo: applewood smoked bacon, biscuits, potatoes, and scrambled eggs

After a leisurely morning, we hit the slopes for another day of skiing. Thankfully I’ve only fallen once, and technically, it wasn’t a “fall”. Yesterday I “fell over” on a blue run. It was icy since it was 4:00 pm, the blue run was extremely steep, and my skis were nearly perpendicular to the slopes as I was maneuvering some intense switchbacks. I only toppled over by 12 inches since the run was so steep.

Success was achieved today! No falls, nice and easy runs, and another perfect day of skiing. For lunch we came back to the house for some homemade chicken noodle soup (sorry, no picture this time). Chef John made it two days ago, and the flavor was great! I also liked how instead of egg noodles or spaghetti, the chef used fettuccine pasta. There were also huge chunks of chicken and large pieces of carrots and celery. After lunch, we fininshed out the afternoon skiing.

In this photo: (back) Kristina, Will, me, Merritt, Sayer, Renee, Dale, Rusty, (front) Drew, Kaden

We arrived back at the house around 4:30 pm, and had less than an hour to get ready for dinner. We had dinner reservations at a nice steak restaurant at the New Sheridan Hotel in Telluride, called the Chop House Restaurant. We ordered Maryland crabcakes for an appetizer…the best crabcakes I’ve ever had! My husband and in-laws ordered the 10 oz. Prime Filet Mignon, and I ordered Coq au Vin. I’ve never ordered this before, so I was in for a shock when I saw that it was quite soupy! My Coq au Vin had smoked chicken, herb gnocchi (my favorite), and a seasonal medly of vegetables. For dessert my mother-in-law, Paula and I split the cappuccino cheesecake. I’m not a fan of coffee, but that cheesecake was amazing! The chocolate chips added a nice crunch, and the graham cracker crust was to die for! (As you can see in the half-eaten photo below.)

In this photo: Matt and I

In this photo: Coq au Vin

In this photo: 10 oz. Prime Filet Mignon

In this photo: A more than half-eaten cappuccino cheesecake!

In this photo: cousins Sayer, me, Merritt, Kristina and Drew

To get home, we took the gondola, which was about a 20 minute ride from Telluride back to our house in Mountain Village. The ride was quite scenic as we could see the gorgeous city lights contrasted against the white snow and pitch black sky.

In this photo: the Great Room at Castlewood Manor

Telluride Day 3

In this photo: the back of Castlewood Manor

Today started out as a very overcast day. You won’t believe how much the sun impacts the weather out here. Since it was cloudy, it felt about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and my hands just about froze! After only one ski run, I had to go purchase some hand warmers, as did my cousins Merritt and Sayer. Hand warmers are an amazing invention. Made out of sawdust and sand-looking particles, simply shake it, and it gets warm. The only problem was that my fingers were frozen, not the palms of my hands. Someone needs to invent full glove-warmers! Nevertheless, the handwarmers were a huge help in yesterday’s cold weather. I’m not sure why my hands get so cold…but it was miserable!

After a few more ski runs, we stopped for lunch at Bar M at the Hotel Madeline for lunch. For appetizers we ordered 1 to 2-inch thick onions rings and chips & pumpkin-ricotta cheese dip (sound bad, but was very delicious). For lunch I had a veggie wrap and mixed green salad, which was very good. The others ordered hamburgers, lamb burgers, and veggie burgers…all which were about an inch and a half thick!

In this photo: from the left: me, Merritt, Uncle Dale, and Sayer

After a full day of skiing, we arrived back at the house to relax. In addition to Chef John, Executive Chef Andie was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Chef Andie has had 30 years experience in the culinary field and has cooked for families across the U.S. including the Hamptons, New York City, Dallas, and here in Telluride. She used to work in the Westin Galleria Dallas, as well as the Hilton Anatole. She has met Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), cooked for Jessica Simpson, and prepared meals for politcal campaign events and more.

Tonight’s meal consisted of creamed spinach, sauteed carrots, oven-roasted potatoes, mixed green salad, and roasted chicken. For dessert we had berry cobbler and some type of spice cake. My favorite part was the roasted chicken. Not only was it impressive-looking, it was extremely moist, delicous, and flavorful.

In this photo: Oven-roasted chicken

In this photo: Creamed spinach, eventually topped with bacon bits and Parmesan cheese

In this photo: Sauteed carrots. The ingredients include baby carrots, brown sugar, tarragon, cinnamon, and a can of beer.

In this photo: my dinner plate! Sorry the photo is a little dark.

After dinner, we relaxed by the fire and sat next to the pretty Christmas tree. Since the tree is so tall, fishing wire was used to help hold it steady. It is also real! Our tree at home is fake, so I enjoyed the smell and look of a truly authentic Christmas tree. An end to another perfect day in the mountains of Telluride.

In this photo: Aunt Gaytha and Betty relax by the Christmas tree.

Telluride Day 2

In this photo: Matt, me, Leah…all dressed and ready to ski!

Our second day in Telluride, Colorado was a blast! We started the day bright and early and met our ski instructors, Willie and Colleen, at the base of Telluride Mountain. My husband Matt, his sister Leah, her husband Jeffery, and cousin Thomas went with Colleen to learn how to ski, while my aunt, uncle their two daughers, cousin Christina and I went with Willie…we were the experts! Just kidding…we’ve had previous experience skiing and brushed up on our technique while we hit the green and blue runs.

In the photo: my aunt Renee and our ski instructor, Willie. Willie is from Austria, and is a great instructor!

Skiing and the high altitude sure makes you hungry! After just a couple of hours we were starving and stopped for lunch at Gorrono Ranch Restaurant, a rustic-looking building with a cozy atmosphere. I had a veggie burger, which was very tasty, but the dessert was something to talk about! My cousin Sayer ordered the biggest brownie, I’ve ever seen in my life! It was as big as a loaf of homemade quick-bread, and probably weighed a pound! It was huge, but it didn’t really taste like a brownie. It was extremely crumbly, very chocolate, and had the texture of a dense cake. Aunt Renee said it reminded her of a weight-watchers cake that was quite chewy and funny in taste. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

In the photo: the biggest brownie I’ve seen in my entire life!

After lunch, we hit the slopes for some afternoon skiing (and to burn off those brownie calories)! One of my favorite ski runs was called “See Forever”. This blue run totally exemplifies its name, as you can “see forever” from 12,245 feet on the top of the ski lift. We saw Utah on the western horizon, Mount Wilson (the most recognizable icon on the Coors beer products) due west, and the quaint little town of Telluride to the east. At 4:00 pm, the ski lifts close, and the skiiers head home.

One great feature in Castlewood Manor, the house we are renting for the week, is that we can literally ski the slopes from our back door. It may be the #1 ski in ski out house in America, but we sure had trouble coming in! I was the last one to arrive, and after seeing my cousins Christina, Sayer, and Merritt completely fall on their faces, I thought I would ski full speed ahead to gain momentum. Well, that didn’t work…I ran into about 3 feet of powder and burried myself in snow. It was so deep, I felt like I was in quick-sand! Sayer couldn’t find one of her skis, and it was like we were searching for burried treasure as we tried to find it! As we hiked up the steps of our gorgous house, we finally crashed on the couch and called it a day.

In this photo: Castlewood Manor, the #1 Ski Estate in North America.

For dinner, we were fortunate enough to have Chef John cook us dinner. Tonight he made homemade lasagna, tortellini and marinara sauce, caesar salad, and garlic bread. Banana cream pie and german chocolate cake was for dessert….an end to the perfect day! More to come tomorrow…

In this photo: lasagna, caesar salad, garlic bread, and tortellini