As you know, I am trying to change a bit of what I eat so that I can get healthier. I recently discovered a recipe in one of my many cooking magazines for a chocolate trail mix bark, but after reading it, I realized it was full of unhealthy stuff like regular chocolate, m&m’s and marshmallows and stuff like that. So I decided to take that recipe and put my own spin on it.
Trail Mix Dark Chocolate Bark
- 8 ounces of dark chocolate
- ⅔ cup of organic trail mix
- Lay a piece of waxed paper down on a cookie sheet.
- Melt your dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted.
- pour onto the waxed paper and sprinkle with trail mix.
- Place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened.
- Break into small pieces and serve.
Did you know that having a small piece of dark chocolate every day can help lower your blood pressure?
This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge, our ingredients were strawberry and cream. I already had in mind what I was going to make as I had recently been to the store and found strawberries and angel food cake on sale.
Doesn’t this sandwich look delicious? It is SO super simple and easy to make. This is a really light and healthy dessert. You will want to make this over and over again this summer with your bountiful strawberries!
- 1 loaf of angel food cake
- 1 pint of strawberries
- heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup of powdered sugar
- Hull and slice strawberries. Set them aside.
- Slice your angel food cake to the thickness you desire. Set aside while you make the whip cream.
- In your stand mixer, pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into the bowl. Whip on Speed 2 until the cream begins to form stiff peaks.
- Add your powdered sugar and continue to beat until the cream reaches desired stiffness.
- To assemble the sandwich:
- Place a slice of angel food cake on a plate and then top with strawberry slices.
- Place a dollop of whipped cream on top of strawberries and then top with the other slice of angel food cake.
- Serve to your friends and family.
I totally love no bake cookies. They are one of my faves. It has taken me years to perfect these enough to actually share a photo with you!
The thing with these cookies are if you boil the mixture too long, the cookie is very crumbly. If you under cook the mixture, then the cookies will be to gooey. So you have to do it for the exact time and follow the recipe to the “tee” or they will not come out ok.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. Cocoa
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats
Directions
Mix together the milk, sugar,and cocoa in a sauce pan until blended. Add the stick of butter and stir over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring often to keep from burning. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from burner and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
Stir well then add in 3 cups of quick oats. Stir for 1-2 minutes until no longer glossy. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Let sit for about an hour before removing and enjoying!
This post is linked to: Wander Food Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What’s On Your Plate
As promised, here is my little tutorial on homemade fondant!
Here is what you need to start with:
- 1 bag of mini marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons of water
- 2 lbs of powdered sugar
- oil for oiling things up
The first thing you need to do is grease a large glass bowl with oil. Don’t overdo it, just enough to lightly grease the inside.
Add the marshmallows and water into the bowl. Microwave on high at 20 second intervals, stirring after each one until marshmallows are all melted.
Pour all of the powdered sugar into the bowl (reserve 1/4 cup for later). Mix together until you get something that looks like this:

Now that you have this little ball of fun, take some of the reserved powdered sugar and sugar up your workspace. Knead and knead and knead until it becomes a VERY smooth and pliable ball (it took me and Kayla about 15-20 minutes).
Once you get the ball all kneaded and smooth, like I said, it takes a while. . . .kneading, kneading, kneading. . . . . .
You can divide it into how many colors you want. We were doing two–purple and white. So here is the low down on how to color this fondant:

You have to use CAKE DECORATING GEL (not food coloring). If you do not use the right thing, it will not turn out. Put some of the gel on a toothpick and insert the colors into the fondant. Now the fun part happens. You get to knead AGAIN–but this time you are working the colors into the fondant. It takes a little patience for this part.
If you want to keep your hands from getting the gel stained on them, use gloves!
After you get done coloring the fondant, grease it up and then wrap it in plastic wrap and set it on the counter overnight.

The next day, you get to roll the fondant out. At first touch it will feel really rock hard. Remove the fondant from the wrap. Put down a piece of wax paper as big as you are going to roll your fondant. Get your rolling pin and start rolling (apply pressure).

You will have to roll and roll and roll and roll until you get it to about an 1/8″ thick. You should not have any problem with it sticking, but if you do, simply oil the surface and then roll it out.
When you are done rolling it out, you are now ready to put it on your cake. Before you do though, you need to put a very thin layer of icing on your cake so that the fondant will stick to it.
Now, very gently apply your fondant to the cake. It should be lain over as gently as possible (this is where the wax paper comes in handy).
Cut away any excess and start shaping around your cake. Use oil and your fingers and palms to smooth away any wrinkles that might appear.

Once you get done cutting away the excess and getting the icing even with the cake, it should look something like this:

Now you can have fun decorating it all up for who ever. Enjoy!
I have had numerous people ask me, “What in the world do you put in a strawberry Pretzel Salad”? Well, today I am going to give you my recipe for it. I love this stuff and could eat it all the time. It is not very fattening and can even be made healthier by changing some of the ingredients to light, low fat, or sugar free.
Here is my recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup crushed pretzels
3 tablespoons sugar
1 stick of butter
1 pkg of cream cheese
/2 cup sugar
1 small carton of whipped topping
2 smal boxes strawberry jello
Strawberries for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- IN a 13×9 pan combine melted butter, pretzel and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix together and flatten out as a crust in bottom of pan. Cook in oven for about 10 minutes.
- While this layer is cooling, combine cream cheese softened, 1/2 cup sugar, and whipped topping in a bowl until well mixed. Spread over cooled crust.
- While this is chilling in the refrigerator, mix together jello according to package directions. Put in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes until it begins to jell slightly. Spread over cream cheese mixture and leave in the refrigerator for 3 hours or until firm.
Serves 8





Hi! I am Jen--a wife to the most amazing man ever and a homeschool mom to one teenager. I just graduated my oldest.
I have been blogging since 2007. I love to watch movies, spend time in the kitchen, crochet, dance, drink coffee, and lay on the beach. Between recipes, reviews, and hilarious life story moments you'll find many helpful posts on this blog. Welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while!








