Godiva Iced Coffee + Chocolate-Peanut Butter Dough Balls

Hello from Virginia!  We stopped in Lexington, Virginia tonight to get some rest, and tomorrow we will make the rest of the journey and arrive in Philadelphia!  Don’t forget that you can follow me on my journey via Twitter!  Just go to the Twitter section on the right hand side of the screen.  I’ll be posting updates, tidbits, previews, and pictures throughout the journey!

I made a special snack for the journey… Chocolate-Peanut Butter Dough Balls! 

My friend Diana is the one who created the dough ball recipe.  I used her recipe, but I mixed 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips.

 

They came out perfect!  Nice and soft on the inside.  YUM!

And to drink?  A refreshing iced coffee made with Godiva Coffee.  YUMMMMMMM… (I received a free sample of Godiva coffee through FoodBuzz’s Tastemaker program.)  I have been enjoying the Godiva Coffee in the mornings—it’s so rich and flavorful that you really don’t even need creamer with it at all!  But I’ve really been wanting to make an iced coffee drink with it.  It’s been so hot that I thought an iced coffee would be a great afternoon treat!

I don’t like my coffee drinks overly sweet, so this is sweet, but not TOO sweet. 

“Chocolate and Vanilla Godiva Iced Coffee”

• 1 cup cooled Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee (I made this coffee in the morning, and by afternoon, it was nice and cool)
• 1/8 Cup Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Vanilla Creamer (I am loving this creamer—all natural ingredients!!!)
• a quick squeeze of chocolate syrup (I used one that was “light.”)  You can use more than a “quick squeeze”, though… I won’t tell!
• Lots of ice

Prep: Blend all ingredients together and serve immediately!  Enjoy on a hot day!

I plan to make this iced coffee again soon!  I am thinking it would make a great treat in the mornings when school starts and it’s still 100 degrees.  If I had a blender in my classroom, I think I would be whipping these up before my outside recess duty shift!  Now THAT’S an idea I need to think more about…

I’ll be back tomorrow with a post about our trip to the “City of Brotherly Love.”  Stay tuned!

Cheesy Beefy Chili Mac

Hello, all!  The weekend is here!  And sadly, it is almost halfway over... :(  But at least we get an extra hour of sleep time tonight! I bet my sisters, who are living it up at the Carolina Game, will appreciate that extra hour. 

Last night, I finally got to make that spaghetti squash.  I tried something different.  I tossed it with a little butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan.  It was... eh... just ok.  So I won't share that recipe with you tonight.  It tasted much sweeter this time, and I think that was the problem.  Maybe it was more ripe than last time.  We had some steamed peas and rotisserie chicken with it. 

Isn't it sad how we often pack all our chores into a Saturday afternoon, when we should be enjoying ourselves?  Today we had a lot of projects to tackle:
-- hitting the gym (Zumba for me, weights and treadmill for Ryan, play time for the munchkin)
-- unearthing our dining room table (We haven't seen the tabletop since around July, but now it's back!  Woo hoo!)
--meal and recipe planning (Good eats coming soon!)
--grocery shopping for the week (and a dinner party we've got coming up)
--putting away laundry (I HATE putting clothes away.  I would love, just once, for all laundry to actually BE in our drawers.  I don't think it's ever happened.)
--dusting, vaccuuming, etc.

So now I need another Saturday to rest up from today.

Tonight, I wanted to make a one-pot meal.  Something warm and comforting because it's been cold outside the past couple of days.  (Finally, the electric bill is going down!  The air conditioner can take a rest!)  I decided on Cheese Beefy Chili Mac.  I had this can of Ro-Tel sitting in the pantry and it was just calling out to me. 

This recipe passed the family test.  Ryan liked it, and so did Sadie.  They both asked for seconds, so that's a good sign!

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can Ro-Tel (I used mild for the fam, but if it had just been me, I'd have gone for full strength)
1/2 can of Mexican corn
1 packet of taco seasoning
8-10 oz dried macaroni noodles (we used whole wheat)
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Directions:
Cook noodles according to directions for al dente pasta.  While noodles cook, brown ground beef in a large skillet.  Drain fat.  Mix in Ro-Tel, corn, 1/2 cup of water, and seasoning packet.  Allow to cook, uncovered on medium, until sauce has thickened a bit.  Remove from heat.  Mix in sour cream.  Drain pasta and add to the meat mixture.  Mix well.  Top with cheese and mix well once more.  Serve hot.  Top with more cheese if desired. 

We served it with mango slices and a Pomegranate Martini-- you know-- just to test it out for the POM dinner...

NOT a Lazy Saturday: Party In Pink Zumbathon

When I got up this morning, I wasn't sure what I would be doing today.  As you know, I got up VERY early this morning.  I was craving steel-cut oats, so I made another batch of apple-cinnamon flavored oats.  (Click here for the recipe.)  Check out this picture I got right when I filled my bowl...

Yes, that is steam!  It was chilly this morning, but this (along with some fabulous coffee that I won a few weeks ago) was the perfect warm-up.  I LOVED this coffee!  It was bold, but not TOO bold.  It made the whole downstairs smell like a coffee house!  I am going to see about getting some more!

I was trying to decide whether to go to my regular Zumba class at 10:45 OR to attend a Party In Pink Zumbathon benefitting the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  I went back and forth, but finally decided on the Zumbathon.  I was hesitant because it was taking place at McHales (a locar bar and grill in Fort Mill, SC) on "the beach" (aka a sand pit).  I wasn't sure how I would like Zumba on sand.

As it turns out... I do NOT like Zumba on sand.  I tried the grass, too, but that wasn't much better.  It really made my feet hurt.  However, the weather was beautiful, and Zumba is always fun, especially with friends!

I am glad that I went.  I wore my BodyBugg, so I could see my calorie count, which turned out to be...

990 Calories!  Yeah!  I didn't think I had worked that hard at all... which is what I LOVE about Zumba!

Before I left, I bought an energy drink called XS. 

Now, I am not usually a fan of energy drinks, because sometimes they leave you jittery, and sometimes they are full of sugar.  However, this drink only has 12 calories.  I tried the Cranberry-Grape flavor.  Here's the nutritional information for the drink I tried.  Overall, I liked it.  The flavor was good and it gave me a "soda fix" because it was carbonated.  I did not feel jittery at all.  I had to go grocery shopping right after the Party in Pink, and as I was shopping, I thought, "Wow, I am not as tired as I would have thought."  So I think the XS helped.  This drink comes in all sorts of flavors.  It does have some coloring added and there are some ingredients on the nutritional information that I am not sure about, but going on taste and feeling alone, I liked it. 

If you're interested, here's the website where you can buy it.  You can view the prices on the web site.  It comes out to be a little over $2 per can if you order a case (12 cans).  You can't get it in stores-- it's sold through a representative.  You can contact Michael Sanders, a local sales rep, if you are interested.  His email address is msanders@bww.com. 

I came home and cooked dinner tonight: roasted butternut squash, fresh green beans cooked with butter and garlic, and split chicken breasts pan seared and then baked in the oven. 

What a great ending to the day. 

Tomorrow, I am trying my hand at spaghetti squash.  I haven't made it in so long!  Should be an interesting food adventure!