Copycat Starbucks Iced Green Tea

A new obsession of mine has been Starbucks' Iced Green Tea! But a venti is $3 and that is not something I can buy everyday and then I suck it all down within seconds! So, after doing some research and looking at some other copycat recipes, I made my own and OMG it takes exactly the same! So good!

Ingredients:

Tazo Zen Green Tea (found at any grocery store)
1 gallon jug

Directions:

1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a bowl. Use 5 tea bags and let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Pour tea into the gallon jug and fill the rest of the way with cold water.
3. Fill a cup with ice, cover with green tea and sweeten if you so desire.
4. Refrigerate the leftovers. 

I'm not kidding, it tastes exactly the same and you get about 4 gallons for the same price as one venti from Starbucks!

Printable Version

Sweet Potato Scramble

Ingredients:
1 serving of baked sweet potato squares

4 egg whites

1 whole egg

1/3 cup fiesta blend cheese (great value brand)

Garlic salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Crack 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg into a mixing bowl and scramble.
2. Cook eggs and season with salt and pepper.
3. Layer eggs on top of baked sweet potato squares
4. Sprinkle cheese on top of eggs and enjoy!


Nutritional Information:
Calories: 381
Protein: 31.48g
Carbs: 18.8g
Fat: 21.4g


Printable Version

Baked Sweet Potato Squares

I have recently found a love for sweet potatoes! Healthy and yummy, can't really beat that! I have been experimenting with different ways to prepare them and baked is my current favorite!

Recipe

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 tbs olive oil
Choice of seasoning

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and peel your sweet potato.

Step 2:
Cut the potato into squares. Beware, sweet potatoes are tough when they aren't cooked, so make sure you have a good knife. 

Step 3:
Mix olive oil, sweet potato squares and your choice of seasoning in a mixing bowl. 

Step 4:
Cover a baking sheet with foil and pour a single layer of sweet potatoes on the sheet. Make sure they aren't on top of each other or they won't cook evenly. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Printable Version

Nutritional Information: (based on a 3oz sweet potato)
Calories: 133.1
Protein: 1.36g
Carbs: 17g
Fat: 7g

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients:
4 Egg Whites
1 Cup Baby Spinach
1 Cup Mushrooms                                
Whole Wheat Tortilla
1/3 Cup Fiesta Blend Cheese
Garlic Salt
Louisiana Red Hot Sauce

Directions: 
1. Scramble egg whites until they are almost done
2. When the eggs are still a little runny add in baby spinach and mushrooms
3. Cook thoroughly
4. When done, place eggs, spinach and mushroom mixture in the center of the tortilla
5. Top with cheese, sprinkle garlic salt and add the hot sauce for some heat.

Nutritional Information: 
Calories - 334
Carbs - 30.5g
Protein - 27.7g
Fat - 11.7g

Enjoy!!

Almond Scones Recipe

Almond Scones

Scone Ingredients: 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, chilled

1 large egg

3/4 cup half and half

1/2 tsp almond extract

Icing Ingredients:

1 cup powder sugar

5 tbs milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

Scone Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. (I used my kitchen aid mixer).

3. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and cut/blend into the flout until the mix resembles crumbs (used my kitchen aid).

4. Mix the egg, almond extract and half and half together. Add to the flour mixture. 

5. Stir together until just combined.

6. Put the mixture on a cutting board, if the dough is crumbly don't worry about it. Push the mixture together with your hands, but don't knead or press too hard.

7. With a rolling pin, gently roll into a 10" round about 3/4 of an inch thick. 

8. Cut into 16 slices. 

9. Put on a lined or non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

10. Cool completely before icing.

Icing Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix powdered sugar, milk and almond extract until well blended. 

2. Pour over cooled scones. 

A Tea Party

The Beautiful Table

On Saturday I attended a tea party. It was in honor of a sweet friend 

who hasn't been in town for about six months and what better way to 

see her than 7 adult women having a tea party! You are definitely 

never to young for tea and scones. We had such a great time 

and are thinking about making it a monthly occurrence! 

I was asked to make scones for this event, but I didn't have 

enough ingredients for any one recipe so I made my own and they 

turned out to be very delicious. 

Buttercream Icing

Icing Ingredients:

1 package powdered sugar
1 cup of shortening
1 cup of butter, softened (we use country crock, it’s great because it is already softened)
1 tbls vanilla extract
mini chocolate chips (optional)

Note: the icing makes enough for 4 dozen cupcakes, so feel free to half the recipe. It tastes just as great! Any leftovers refrigerate well. 

Directions:

1. Beat, vanilla, shortening and butter until thick and creamy.

2. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the icing is mixed well. If it is to thick for your liking, you can add a couple tsp of milk, but it tends to get to runny for the pastry bags once the milk is added so I never do.

Veggie Faltbread

I love flatbread! But I love it even more when you can make it your own. A few weeks ago I was at my cousin's for dinner and she made this awesome flatbread. I decided to make my own that was similar to hers. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
Baby Spinach

Mushrooms

Low Fat Cream Cheese

Purple Onion
Red Pepper Flakes
Feta

Flatbread

Avocado 

Let's Get Cookin'
1. Depending on your flatbread you may need to cook it first. For mine, I crisped it up in the oven at 400 for about 5 min. If i didn't do it that way it would get soggy in the middle. 

2. Saute your mushrooms, onion, and baby spinach

3. Spread cream cheese on the flatbread

4. Spread your saute mix on the flatbread 

5. Sprinkle feta, red pepper flakes and whatever other seasonings you want. I used paprika, cumin, some garlic salt

6. Pop it in the oven at 400 for 5 - 10 min. You really just have to watch it and see how its doing. Some bread suggests you but it right on the oven rack so make sure your check the bag. 

7. You could even had some grilled chicken or fish. 

Enjoy!