Believe it or not…

there are people in this world that consider fruit dessert.

I love fruit, but if it’s not in a pie, or on a cake, or even just covered in cream and sugar, well then it is NOT dessert in my book.

Sure, my waistline would LOVE if fruit were dessert, but when I’m craving something sweet at the end of a meal, fruit just doesn’t get the job done.

Secretly I long to be one of the  fruit is dessert people. I don’t really see it happening though.

However, I did notice that if you mix light cream cheese with honey and some Greek yogurt, it tastes a lot like cheesecake.

{just much skinnier}

I also happen to have a fridge FULL of strawberries.

Berries go great with cheesecake, and if you stuff the cheesecake into the berry, well then you have fruit for dessert.

{ with a little bonus}

Enjoy!

The post {skinny} cheesecake stuffed strawberries appeared first on Heather's French Press.

Do you have a favorite go-to for family friendly recipes?

I have been a Cooking Light reader for more than 10 years.  I love that the recipes are health conscious, taste amazing, and for the most part, are simple and quick to put together.  Whenever I need dinner inspiration I head to the website.

{Cooking Light Magazine is great as well, but my magazine cabinet is OVERFLOWING, and the internet is just so convenient}

With grilling season well underway, these chicken skewers I found needed to happen.

Of course, I changed things up a bit, and honey is NOT a kid favorite in my house, so we left the drizzle off too.  With or without, we LOVED them, and for a boy…eating meat on a stick is  pure dinnertime F. U. N.

Add some grilled veggies and orzo…

I SO wish we had leftovers:)

Happy Grilling Season!

The post Lime Marinated Chicken Skewers appeared first on Heather's French Press.

a little business before getting to the Doritos…

I am thrilled to be part of such a fun group of bloggers. Julie {White Lights on Wednesday}  Kelley {Miss Information}and Rachel {i love my disorganized life} have paired up 30 incredible bloggers to trade blogs for the day.

Deb from Cooking on the Front Burner and I will be trading spaces on May 27, but the recipes we’re sharing…well that’s a secret, so you’ll just have to visit us both that day.

back to the snack…

Doritos {like fries} are one of my VERY guilty pleasures.

Unfortunately,  this is something that I have passed on to my kids as well.

I know that they are FULL of preservatives, contain my entire days worth of calories, and they give you the WORST breath, but oh my they are good.  I don’t buy them often, but if I end up shopping with the kids, they ALWAYS beg for Doritos.

always

without fail

Not wanting to be labeled mean  mommy for the rest of my life, I love finding healthier alternatives to their favorites. Instructables had a recipe for cool ranch Doritos, and even though these are good, we LOVE the original.

Baked and not fried,

spicy and cheesy,

{yes  you will be licking your fingers, but they won’t be glowing orange}

and if  I dare to say

better than the original.

I love when I get to be nice mom, and at the same time I know exactly what is in the food my kids are eating.

Everyone gets to snack happy.

Enjoy!

The post Homemade Doritos and an Old Fashioned Recipe Swap appeared first on Heather's French Press.

Do you cook by the book, or are you more inventive in the kitchen?

I happen to love reading cook books and magazines, but I can’t say that I really follow the recipes in them.

Sure they provide a lot of ideas, but I’m not that big on exact measurements, and I like to improvise with ingredients that I may already have in the house.

Not all of these experiments turn out as planned, but sometimes I am pleasantly surprised.

These loaves COMPLETELY surprised me, and to be honest, I was pretty impressed with myself.

They were that good.

I love baking bread, but  there are many times that  my bread doesn’t rise properly, or it’s a little too dense, or dry and crumbly.

{most likely due  my lack of precise measurements}

This time that was not the case.  This bread is soft, buttery, and slightly sweet, almost brioche like, but keeps a lot longer.

It was delicious right out of the oven,

but just as good days later.

It does require two rises, but other than time, it’s really easy to make. And the smell…there isn’t anything that compares to the smell of bread baking.

Whether you are baking bread for the first time, or are a pro, these loaves will impress.

you should let the loaves cool before slicing, but…

who can wait.

Bread right from the oven is something special.

Enjoy!

you may also like

chocolate chip peanut butter bread

strawberry pull-apart bread

The post Almond Milk Bread appeared first on Heather's French Press.

I know I’ve discussed

{or maybe complained about}

my post 40 weight.

Things simply are not in the same place they were a few years ago,

{hello gravity not my friend}

and I am not the least bit pleased.

But dieting,

forget about it.

NOT going to happen.

As soon as I even think about it,

all I want is a cookie.

A melty,

chocolaty,

hot from the oven,

chocolate chip cookie.

What’s a girl to do…

make a cookie that is nearly guilt free,

replacing ALL of the butter with Greek style yogurt.

Sure, they are more cake like than your typical cookie,

but they were still delicious.

Cookie craving cured, and I didn’t completely ruin all the “healthy” eating that I have been doing.

{they even passed the picky eater test}

Now you can enjoy the cookie without all of the guilt

{cause you know you’re going to eat more than just one}

Enjoy!

cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Banana Nutella Oatmeal

Chocolate Brow Butter Madeleines

The post Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on Heather's French Press.

Our neighborhood is FULL of citrus trees, and it’s pretty common to see oranges, grapefruits, and lemons rolling down the middle of the street.

I love cooking and baking with citrus.

However, we are the one house without a single citrus tree. Good thing we have very nice neighbors that load us up.

The other day I was the lucky recipient of a bag full of the largest lemons I have ever seen,

{I actually thought they were grapefruits}

so of course I needed to bake something lemony.

{is that an actual word}

Muffins were the first thing I thought of.

{I know, I’ve been on a bit of a muffin kick lately}

But the blueberry muffins I made last week were SO good, they left me wanting more.

I really like the blueberry lemon combination, but Charlie is not the biggest blueberry lover. To make him happy I skipped the berries.

Lemon muffins just seemed a bit too plain,

{my kids refuse to eat poppy seeds}

so I filled the centers with lemon curd

and sprinkled little sparkling sugar on top

{muffins like bling too}

I get my lemon.

Charlie doesn’t have to eat more berries.

Stella gets sugar,

and Ian’s  just happy that he has a breakfast he can take to work with him.

Success:)

Enjoy!

The post Lemon Curd Muffiins appeared first on Heather's French Press.

““I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids #cbias #SocialFabric”

I was SO happy to be part of this amazing project

Champions for Kids

with Odwalla

{we have been LOVING their smoothies and bars for years}

As a food blogger, there are MANY times that we have WAY too much food in the  house,

and it is so easy to forget that for many they have quite the opposite.

I could not even imagine not being able to feed my children when they are hungry.

We have been excitedly counting down the final days of school,

but there are millions of children that will lose their access to breakfast,lunch, and after school snacks once summer vacation arrives.

We can all do our part to help.

Gather friends, family, even local businesses,

and donate healthy{non-perishable} snacks to a local food bank.

The kids and I

{along with many of our friend and neighbors}

loaded up on Odwalla bars and juice boxes,

We gathered for a terrific fundraiser,

and were blessed that the El Dorado County Food Bank was there to accept everyone’s generous donation.

It was exciting to watch all of those HUGE blue bins fill up throughout the day,

and I love that my children, and their friends, got  to see that it doesn’t take a lot to be a Champion for Kids.

Of course there was plenty of fun that afternoon as well:)

To get involved, or just for more information about how you can fight hunger in the summer, visit Odwalla Champions for Kids  here 

Every little bit helps more than you can imagine.

The post Champions for Kids appeared first on Heather's French Press.

I did it!

This was my first year as the mother of a middle schooler,

and I made it through ALL of the projects.

{and there were quite a few}

This week alone there was making a photography disc with iphone pictures, a power point presentation for speech, and the country report display.

{Charlie chose Nigeria…not the easiest to build if you ask me}

The final project was turned in today,

and I am breathing SO much easier.

BUT…we do still have 12 days of school remaining,

which means that I am in need of lunch box ideas for 12 more days.

One of my favorite lunch box treats are granola bars.

Because I was feeling festive today,

{no school projects for at least 4 months does that to me}

our bars got m&ms

but not just any m&ms

peanut butter m&ms,

and since the m&ms are peanut butter,

then the granola bars should get peanut butter as well.

If there’s peanut butter, then you may as well add a bit more chocolate.

{okay so these may not be the healthy sort of granola bars}

but they sure are good!

Happy Friday, Happy almost summer vacation, and Happy Mother’s Day weekend.

Enjoy!

The post {no bake} Monster Cookie Granola Bars appeared first on Heather's French Press.

I know I’ve probably mentioned it a million times before,

but I really do not like rushing around in the morning.

Easily, it is my least favorite time of the day.

My kids have gone from rising before the sun,

to sleeping ALL morning long if I let them.

It doesn’t matter how early I wake them up,

they will stay in bed until the last possible minute.

U G H

This never leaves much time to eat breakfast,

and muffins are my go-to.

Made the day ahead, it’s quick, easy, everyone loves them,

and they don’t take long to eat.

W I N

a few weeks ago I saw this beautiful blueberry coffee cake,

{everything Averie makes is beautiful}

and I have been thinking about muffins ever since.

I am SO happy to have tomorrow’s breakfast already taken care of,

and we even have a treat for Teacher Appreciation:)

Enjoy!

a few more breakfast ideas

French Toast Muffins

Chocolate Coffee Cake

Mint Chip Muffins

The post Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins appeared first on Heather's French Press.

Just like chocolate chip cookies always taste better with milk,
I find that brownies always taste better when topped with
ice cream
fudge
whipped cream
and a few peanut butter cups

these little sundae cups are made ahead of time
{making them great for guests}
and so much easier than cutting and scooping and topping
individual sundaes

we all loved them;
they’re like mini ice cream cakes with a brownie base
and the flavor combinations are almost endless.

we went with the classic chocolate and peanut butter,
but I am already picturing a snickers brownies sundae.

Enjoy!

a few other freezer treats

Berry Pops

Single Serve{healthy} Ice Cream

Nutella Fudge Pops

The post Brownie Ice Cream Sundae Cups appeared first on Heather's French Press.