Cinnamon Roll King Cakes + A Video

Raise your hand if you are slightly obsessed with Buzzfeed's Tasty videos? Food videos are kind of taking over social media recently. I catch myself watching near 10 food videos in a row. From roasted chicken and veggies, to cake mix cookies four ways, to buffalo dip etc. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, Buzzfeed has a Facebook page called Tasty where they post short little step by step videos on how to easily make fun recipes. These recipes have been getting shared left and right in my news feed. Our generation is visually stimulated and these videos are basically a super speed food show. 

I took a dabble at my own Tasty-like video to bring a little pizzaz to my easy peasy individual Cinnamon Roll King Cakes!

Cinnamon Roll King Cakes
yields 5 individual cakes

Ingredients:
1 tube of cinnamon rolls, icing included
purple, yellow and green sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Unravel a cinnamon roll. Fold it in half longways, then twist it. Bring the two edges together to create a circle and press the ends so it stays together. Repeat with each cinnamon roll. Bake for 18-20 minutes. 

Right out of the oven, evenly distribute the frosting on each cake. Immediately follow with the sprinkles in alternating colors to give them the signature King Cake look. Throw some beads on and enjoy!

Not quite Buzzfeed's Tasty, but it does the trick! What did you think, are we into the food videos? I'm kind of obsessed...

Annie

Bites of My Life

Hello food coma. Holy cow there is still so much spinach artichoke, queso, mexican sweat (don't ask) and buffalo chicken dip just chilling in my tummy post Super Bowl snacking. Oh and cookie butter popcorn, chocolate chip cookies and a Hickory Farms meat and cheese board. Do I regret it? no. Does my body regret it? yes. But one can never regret an event where food is the MVP. 

Last week was nice. An easy ease into a new month. New recipes got posted, a new grocery store in the neighborhood opened (I'm a sucker for a good grocery store) and Mr. Groudhog didn't see his shadow, so I'm happily looking forward to spring coming a bit sooner. 

-I love putting warm oatmeal in an almost empty jar of AB, but this plastic Barney Butter container couldn't quite handle the heat.
-Loving power balls for a post-early morning workout snack before I'm ready for breakfast. Posted the whole recipe for these Pecan Spice Power Balls on instagram.
-An epic clean out the fridge meal. Grated sweet potatoes hash with baked eggs and avo.
-CCC recipe round 4!
-Cookie Butter Popcorn is my everything right now. It was a hit at my Super Bowl Party, but is also perfect for any holiday just switch up the sprinkles.
-Can't wait to try the Blue Hill beet yogurt I brought home from Uptown Grocery. Most turned their nose, but I'm all about the weird flavors. Sweet potato and butternut squash sound so good too, but I think I'll pass on tomato and parsnip.
-Weekend breakfasts are a little unbeatable. AB toast with bluebs and hemp hearts with a soft boiled egg that turned out hard boiled.
-Crock pot spinach and artichoke dip was my contribution to the Super Bowl feast. 
-Stay tuned for a second post coming later today. I have a special surprise with this one you won't want to miss. 

Annie

Cookie Butter Popcorn

Yes you read that right, cookie butter popcorn. If you don't know what cookie butter is you live under a rock. Sorry if that was offensive...if you don't know what it is, it's basically Trader Joe's mascot. 

I have a weakness for white chocolate covered things. Pretzels, raisins, chex mix, strawberries, popcorn. You know that amazing white chocolaty mix people make at Christmas that has chex, m&ms, pretzels, etc? That stuff is my ish. Even though white chocolate isn't really chocolate, it still reigns supreme. Throw a little cookie butter in with white chocolate and it's basically game over. 

Cookie Butter Popcorn

Ingredients:
6-8 cups air popped popcorn (I used 1/2 cup kernels and 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil)
8 oz. vanilla almond bark
2 Tbsp. cookie butter or biscoff spread
sprinkles for decorating

Directions:
Pop your popcorn in a large pot over medium high heat, or in a popper. Melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, until fully melted. Stir in the cookie butter. In a large bowl mix the melted mixture and the popcorn together. Spread out on foil, decorate with sprinkles and let harden for at least hour. 

This popcorn would be perfect to take to your Super Bowl party. The Super Bowl is basically just an excuse to have a party, eat a ton of food, and drink on a Sunday. We all only watch it for the halftime show anyway #yonce. But still, bring the popcorn and people will love you. 

For more cookie butter deliciousness try these rice krispies.

Annie

Barre3 Complete

Last Sunday marked the last day of the Barre3 January challenge. I completed 21 in class studios, several 10-minute workouts and tried a handful of new recipes. Looking back on the past few weeks, I definitely gained a lot. I gained more strength (whats up 3 pounders, this is heavy in barre3 world) and gained a better mindset. A mindset that when you work toward a goal, it actually can happen.

There were also some weak times. The last week was probably the worst. I didn't feel as vibrant and inspired as I did the first few weeks. My body was hurting and tired, and even after taking a class my body still felt heavy and not "fresh" like I usually feel after a Barre3 class.

This week, now that the challenge is over, I feel great. I think stepping back and realizing what I did for myself, on the inside and outside, has made me really proud. Committing to the workout, the lifestyle, and the community really worked. I've always been a Barre3 cheerleader and I still am now. 

I loved the chance to take Barre3 while I was in Tulsa. Connecting with people you've never met over something you mutually love is so inspiring. 

I also loved getting to take classes with so many of my good friends, sister, mother, and fellow challengers.

I can't deny the recipes were the best part of the challenge. I loved the challenge to try the amazing recipes Barre3 has created. Not necessarily a hard challenge for me, but more so a good excuse to take time and cook amazing dishes instead of throwing all the random things from the fridge on a plate.  

Recipes included Chicken Tikka Masala, Pistachio Crusted Tilapia, Zesty Chicken Salad, Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry and Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon. My go-to green smoothie got thrown in here-and-there for an additional nourishing meal. 

A month of great exercise and great food. I plan to continue the pattern moving forward. In saying that I can't send you off without another great recipe, so so keep scrolling for Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon. It has this amazing peppery yet sweet crunchy topping. Also to note, Kathleen is not a salmon eater so I made hers with chicken and it was equally as delicious. I served it with tossed mixed greens, red onion, roasted sweet potatoes and diced green apples.

Maple Pecan Crusted Salmon
serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. salmon (about 5-6 oz filet per person)
olive oil, for brushing
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup pecan halves
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the last four ingredients (maple syrup, pecans, pepper and salt) until it combines to a smooth texture.

Place the salmon on a lined baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press the pecan topping evenly over the top of each filet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with a salad or roasted vegetable and enjoy!

Thanks b3, it was a great month!

Annie

Chocolate Chunk Cookies Round 3

So pretty right? Pretty and they taste good! Let's just sit and look at them for a second.....

Okay moment's over. With lots of new things happening in 2016, some things stay the same. Such as the fact that I am still recipe testing to find my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've tackled four recipes (only two were worth posting) so far, and today includes another great contender. 

A delicious recipe this is, they are adapted from an excellent cookbook I trust. I loved using chocolate chunks to give big bites of chocolate, and I think the sugar, butter, and vanilla ratios are pretty spot on. I will endorse this recipe, but I have to be honest and say these still aren't "the one." More testing to come, for your and my enjoyment. Linked here and here are my other two attempts.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
yields 30 cookies

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. chocolate chunks*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. (I'm partial to whisking instead of sifting, much easier). In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combines. Mix in the chocolate chunks. 

Using a cookie scoop, scoop generous size balls of dough onto prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes or until lightly brown. 

*I'm usually a mini chip person, but I love using chunks in this recipe! They give the cookies fun height and shape from the big chunks.

Annie