Blueberry Apple Egg Rolls

Crazy, right?! Mixing Chinese with American cuisine. Trust me, you'll love it. I've been craving sweets (as many people who try to go on any kind of diet do, even if it's just lessening your intake of sugar, salt, etc.), but every recipe I want to make is proportioned for 4-8 people! I have will power, but not that much to keep from eating an entire pie or 2 dozen cookies in 2 days. So, while at the store today I had this thought, Egg Rolls! They're easy, cheap and anything can be put into them. I took a look at the seal and 3 wraps (1 serving) is 170 calories (56.66 per wrap), not bad, and the price $1.50 for 20 wraps, can't beat that! These egg roll wrappers could be used instead of heavy dough or bread to create smaller meals/snacks, sort of like making my Breakfast Turnovers. I made regular egg rolls using chicken, carrots and cucumbers (recipe coming) for dinner but I also attempted making a Blueberry Apple Pie On-The-Go with the wraps, and let me tell you, it was amazing! The prep takes approximately 2 minutes, and cooking takes 10 (if the oven has already been warmed up). A regular piece of pie could put you back anywhere between 250-500 calories, per slice, but this little guy will please your taste buds and only eat up 100-150 calories, plus it's got those extremely healthy blueberries! Here's how I did it.

The picture isn't the most appetizing, but cooked blueberries don't photograph too well. They're still extremely tasty, though!

Banana Ice Cream

This is a great treat for everyone, especially if you love banana! It's very simple and can be done in about 2 minutes (or less)!

1-2 Frozen bananas
chocolate chips (optional)*
peanut butter (optional)*

Blend the frozen bananas in a blender or food processor. You want the bananas to come to ALMOST the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If they need some help, put a dash of milk, about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Throw in however many chocolate chips you want, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Finish blending. Use a spatula or spoon to scrape sides if ingredients stick so you get a well blended product.

*You can add whatever you want to make this ice cream tasty. I advise putting in small amounts of the 'extras' at a time, taste it, then add more if you like.

*©ApronStringstoDiamondRings All Rights Reserved 

Inspiration from a 6 by 5 Kitchen

I recently heard about a woman who made a recipe for what she calls, 'The Engagement Chicken'. Many women who were chomping at the bit to get engaged made this oven-roasted chicken for their man. A high percentage of the woman who made this chicken said that either that night, or within so many days of making it, their boyfriends proposed. It got me thinking, so many women are told, 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' and after hearing that I'm even more convinced. But what interests me more is that women (and men) want to create delicious meals for their loved ones but don't want the hassle of a long recipe, an expensive trip to the store or the need to hire a professional team to assist in the complexities of the meal. So I thought, give them what they want! On this recipe website I will be posting pictures, recipes, the good and the bad, of what I make in the kitchen. Each recipe will be lower-budget and include options for a quicker meal or homemade meal, ingredient replacements and so much more. I want these recipes to be accessible to all. I have a kitchen that is smaller than 30-square-feet with very basic equipment and I've managed to roast an entire chicken, make soup from scratch and a bake and decorate a two layer cake. So fear not, you can do this too! Stop by to see what new thing I have cooked up! Give them a try and feel free to leave comments, questions and suggestions. And who knows, maybe one of these recipes will help snatch you a man (or woman). Happy cooking!

*©ApronStringstoDiamondRings All Rights Reserved