Healthified Turtle Ice Cream Cake

I know how it is, you are working so hard to eat healthy and stay away from those sweets. But it is summer time and sometimes you just need some ice cream! This is a super tasty recipe that everyone will enjoy. No one will guess that it is lower in fat and calories and you will be able to enjoy a nice slice of it. Perfect after a summer bbq! Just don't forget to plan ahead and make this the night before, it needs time to freeze!

Healthified Turtle Ice Cream Cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 11 hours
Servings: 12

10 chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed (1/2 cup)
1 T coconut oil or butter or other substitute, melted
3 cups reduced fat chocolate ice cream, softened
1/2 cup fat-free hot fudge topping
2/3 cup chopped pecans
3 cups reduced fat vanilla ice cream, softened
1/4 cup fat-free caramel topping

In a small bowl, mix wafer crumbs and melted coconut oil/butter until crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased, 9 inch, springform pan. Freeze 30 minutes.

Drop chocolate ice cream by small spoonfuls over crust and carefully spread until smooth. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Spoon and carefully spread fudge topping over ice cream. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the pecans; press lightly. Freeze 1 hour or until firm.

Drop vanilla ice cream by small spoonfuls over pecan layer; carefully spread until smooth. Cover and freeze at least hours or over night.

To serve, let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes to soften. Carefully remove side of pan. Cut into 12 wedges. Place each wedge on individual dessert plate and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of dessert topping. Store remaining ice cream cake covered in freezer.

Veggie Turkey Wraps

Wraps can be a great quick and healthy lunch or dinner. You just have to check the nutrition facts on your tortillas and dressings. There are tons of options out there and with a little effort you can find ones that are much healthier options for you! This wrap is also a great way to get more veggies in your diet and use up some of that amazing produce that is starting to be ready in your garden! And the best part about this meal, it comes together in 10 minutes or less and you have a delicious and filling meal.

Veggie Turkey Wraps
6 servings

1/2 green bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 red bell pepper cut into strips
1 medium zucchini or summer squash cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 small red onion cut into thin strips
1 tomato diced
3 10-inch spinach or whole grain tortillas
3 T salad dressing of choice
6 ounces thinly sliced cooked turkey breast
2 ounces reduced fat Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese grated
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Spread dressing on one side of each tortilla. Divide turkey among tortillas and top with cheese. Spread veggies over cheese just below center of tortilla. Top with cilantro. Fold bottom third of each tortilla partially over veggies. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up. Cut in half.

For another yummy variation you could also saute your veggies in a frying pan or cook them in a grill basket over your grill to add some amazing flavor!

Adapted from Live Better America

Don't Hate Your Zucchini!

This is the time of year when your zucchini plant seems to be producing more zucchini than you know what to do with! My two zucchini plants are pretty much the only thing in my garden that is doing much of anything and it is just my husband and I so I have to get creative to use it up. There are tons of delicious healthy and not so healthy desserts out there to bake with that zucchini but it is nice to have a savory dish too. I will be sharing a couple of my favorite sweet treats in the near future but for now try out this savory dish. We love it and most of the time eat a big bowl of this with a slice of home made bread or some toasty garlic bread along with it. It is one of my husband's favorite meals!

This meal is also great because you can adapt it easily to whatever veggies you have on hand or whatever your family likes. It is easy to make a small amount for a side dish or a huge pan full that you can eat off of for days.

Gather up your veggies and chop them up. We like bite size pieces and try to keep them all about the same so they cook evenly.

Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Corn on the cob (cut the kernels off)
Fresh Green Beans
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

We usually keep it pretty simple and just use those veggies but if I have other things in the fridge I sometimes will toss in:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Onion
Asparagus

Heat a big frying pan on medium to medium high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once the oil is heated us toss all of your veggies in together. Add in your seasonings now. We like to always add salt and pepper and then whatever else we are in the mood for. Mrs. Dash, Montreal Steak Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, Rosemary/Basil/Thyme. Experiment and see what good combinations you can come up with! The secret to these tasting so good though is that you cannot stir them around much. Let them sit until the bottoms brown and get that yummy caramelization. Then flip them over and do the same thing, add your seasonings and let them sit until they brown. The grape tomatoes will also pop as they cook and they taste amazing when they do this. Once your veggies have some nice caramelization and are cooked through turn off the heat. You can either eat them just like this or I love to sprinkle on a little bit of fresh Parmesan cheese and let it melt in.

Give this a shot, you can have a delicious and healthy meal on the table in 30 minutes or less!

What Is In Season In August

 August may just be my favorite month because there is so much produce that is in season right now!  I find myself living off of fruit and veggies and forget to add other things into my diet.  Take advantage of all of the amazing things available at great prices right now.  Maybe even try out something new!

Apricots
Avocados
Basil
Bell Peppers
Beets
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Chard
Cherries
Chiles
Cilantro
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Fennel
Figs
Garlic
Grapes
Green beans
Green onions
Kiwi
Lemongrass
Limes
Mangoes
Melons
Nectarines
Okra
Onions
Peaches
Peas
Plums
Potatoes
Radishes
Raspberries
Rosemary
Scallions
Shallots
Strawberries
Summer squash
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Zucchini