Grapefruit Poppy Seed Loaf

This is bread is just delicious. It has such a nice flavorful zing from the grapefruit but it isn’t bitter. It’s summer in one bite- a delightful summer that is!

The glaze is a must! It’s perfect on it’s own but the glaze kicks it up a notch. Give this one a go! My husband loves it so much he asked for more after the loaf was finished. Ha!

• Servings: 5
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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Yields 6 slices

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• juice of 1 1/2 grapefruit

For the glaze

• Juice of 1/2 grapefruit + zest (optional but extra yummy!)
• 1/2 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt, poppy seeds, grapefruit zest and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
• Transfer to a small greased loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix grapefruit juice and powdered sugar to make the glaze.
• Remove bread from oven. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Drizzle grapefruit glaze over bread and slice or chill in the refrigerator.

*Note: this bread can keep well in the fridge for 5-6 days. If you want a thicker glaze, you can add more powdered sugar, or extra juice or water to thin it out.

I hope you enjoy this lovely summer recipe!

Cheers ❤

Hilda

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Apple Crumble Tart

Hands up if you want the recipe for the easiest, coziest, summer dessert! Warm apples with a luscious caramel sauce on a bed of buttery flaky crust.

Top it off with some vanilla ice cream, or eat it warm. It’s sure to please any crowd!

Please note- If you prefer store bought pie dough- that works perfectly fine! However, I’d still bake the crust before putting the filling inside. This is not a traditional pie or tart recipe since the filling and crust are baked before the crumb topping but I promise it’s delicious!

• Servings: 6
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Yields 6 slices

INGREDIENTS:

For The Crust:

• 1 1/3 cup white all purpose flour
• 3/4-1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter or 1/2 cup
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 3 tablespoons iced cold water

For The Filling:

• 2 apples cored and sliced into cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 stick of butter or 1/4 cup
• 1/4 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons half and half milk

For The Crumble:

• 3 tablespoons butter cubed
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

For the crust:

• Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees F and making the crust.
• Mix the flour and salt together, then add the cold cubes of butter, and vegetable shortening and mix everything together with a pastry cutter or fork until you have pea sized pieces in the dough.
• Add the cold water and mix with your hands until you form a the dough. Add extra flour if the dough is too sticky or extra water if the dough is too stiff.
• Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and save one half in a plastic bag in the freezer! You can use it for another time or use it to make empanadas 🙂
• Roll the dough into a circle and place it on a pie dish. Create tiny holes with a fork so the dough doesn’t bubble up too much.
• Bake the crust for 16 minutes- it should be golden in color.

For the filling:

• Grab a frying pan and melt the butter at medium high heat, add the apples and brown them up, add the cinnamon, sugar, salt, corn starch, and milk and mix everything together. The apples will soften up and the sauce will get nice and thick and caramel like.
• Turn off the heat, and pour the apple filling onto the prepared crust.

For the crumble topping:

• Mix all of the crumble ingredients together until it forms a crumbly dough. Then pour it on top of the tart.
• Bake the tart for 16 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and the crumble topping is cooked through.
• Allow the tart to cool 15 minutes, then slice and serve with vanilla ice cream! It stores well in the fridge for 5-6 days.

-Enjoy!

Hilda ❤

Jim’s Cheesecake

I’ve made this cake for as long as I can remember. I named this one after my husband since it’s his favorite cake! It’s so divine, decadent, and full of flavor. If you ever have a bad day, just have a slice of this and you’ll have the best day of your life. It’s so good! It’s a favorite. You just can’t beat cheesecake.

• Servings: 12
• Time: 7 hours 35 minutes
• Difficulty: moderate
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Yields 12 Slices

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:

• 1 3/4 Cup Graham Crust
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/3 Cup Melted Butter

For the Cheesecake:

• 3- 8 oz Packages of Softened Cream Cheese
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 3 Lemon Juice
• Zest of Two Lemons
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt

For the Berry Topping:

• 1 Cup Frozen or Fresh Berries
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• Juice of Half of a Lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large and steep baking sheet with water half way through ( it doesn’t need to be hot). This will be the water bath that prevents the cheesecake from cracking (optional but recommended).
2. In a blender or food processor blend the graham crackers and sugar, and salt.
3. Pour the ground cracker mix in a bowl and mix with the melted butter.
4. Mix everything together until combined, and press it into your 9″ springform pan.

Cheesecake

1. Beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla until creamy about two minutes.
2. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed until combined. Bump the speed to medium for another two minutes until everything is creamy and completely combined.
3. Pour the batter into the 9″ springform pan on top of the crust, and place the springform pan on top of the large baking sheet that you filled with water.
4. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 10 minutes. Let it cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight then top it with the berry topping.

Berry Topping

1. While the cheesecake is baking, make the topping! In a small saucepan heat the berries, sugar, and lemon on medium heat until it starts to bubble and thicken up. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Pour your berry topping into a separate bowl until you’re ready to top the cheesecake.

Enjoy!

❤ Hilda

Creamy Spinach Salad

This Salad screams summer to me! It’s so fresh, and full of all the healthy macronutrients to keep you full. I love the creaminess of the hummus, and avocado. It really doesn’t need extra dressing! The apple cider vinegar gives it the perfect zesty-ness that it needs as well.

You can also incorporate this salad into your weekly meal prep. It’s SO GOOD!

• Servings: 1-2
• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe: Yields 1 Big Salad or 2 Side Salads

INGREDIENTS:

For the Salad-

• 4 Cups Baby Spinach
• 1/2 Chopped Avocado
• 2 Tablespoons Hummus
• 2 Tablespoons Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 oz. Chopped Grilled Chicken Breast (about 1 Cup)
• 1 Tablespoons Nut and Raisin Trail Mix
• 1 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

• Simply assemble all of the ingredients on top of the spinach and drizzle the apple cider vinegar on top. Toss until everything is completely creamy and tossed together.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Hilda ❤

Kale Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Are you ready for an amazing, healthy, delicious lunch recipe? This is my FAVORITE salad, and i’ve been making it for YEARS…that’s right…YEARS. It’s fresh, healthy, and keeps me full for hours.

Not to brag but I do get complements on how pretty this salad looks when I go out to eat with my office colleagues! It’s quite funny actually. It’s as delicious as it looks, and perfect all year round.

You can easily assemble 4-5 of these salads in tightly sealed tubs for that busy week meal prep! They store beautifully in the fridge all week long.

To make this an easy meal prep:

1. Chop and roast a couple lbs of sweet potatoes. I drizzle olive oil on them, sprinkle some salt and pepper, and bake them in a cookie tray at 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Store them in a freezer bag in the freezer making it easy to just add on top of this yummy salad or any dish!
2. Grill your chicken in advance, and then chop it up. I love buying chicken tenderloins and marinating them with lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper then grilling them for about 6-8 minutes on each side until juices run clear and internal temp is about 365 F.
3. To assemble- grab a 7-8 cup plastic storage tub, and place the greens first, then the rest of the ingredients on top (except for the nuts).
4. Roast the nuts in advance then divide them individually into snack baggies or wrap them in foil and then pour on top of the salad before eating.
5. Put the dressing in 1/4 Cup containers individually as well so you can drizzle onto the salad just before eating.

• Servings: 1-2
• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe: Yields 1 Big Salad or 2 Side Salads

INGREDIENTS:

For the Salad-

• 5 oz. Roughly Chopped Raw Kale (or 2 Cups)
• 1/4 Chopped Avocado
• 1/2 Cup Roasted Diced Sweet Potato
• 2 Tablespoons Crumbled Feta Cheese
• 4 oz. Chopped Grilled Chicken Breast (about 1 Cup)
• 2 Tablespoons Nut and Raisin Trail Mix

For the Dressing-

• 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Start by making the salad dressing. In a small bowl whisk olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper until creamy and dressing consistency.
• Next, remove the tough stems from the kale leaves and chop them into small pieces, so that the salad is easy to eat. Add the kale to the bowl of dressing, and use your hands to “massage” the dressing into the kale. The kale should soften and shrink as you do this.
• Add the rest of your ingredients on top, and mix everything together! For an extra kick of flavor, you can roast the nut and raisin mix over some foil in the toaster oven until they are nice and golden. Let them cool, chop them up, then add them to the salad.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Hilda ❤

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Healthy Banana Bread

I have gone bananas for this delicious sweet bread! It’s perfectly moist, flavorful from all the spices and the ripe bananas. Every bite is truly delightful. This makes an excellent to-go breakfast or snack all week long. Just pair it up with your favorite cup of tea or coffee. 😉

Careful not to eat it all while you store it! It’s dangerously delicious, and without the guilt!

• Servings: 6
• Time: 45 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Yields 6 Slices

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cups Oat Flour (rolled oats blended into flour)
• 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1 scoop whey protein (I used Hammer’s vanilla flavor- it’s the best)
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond milk
• 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Mashed Bananas
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips for Topping
• 2 Tbsp Nuts of Choice for Topping

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a loaf pan ( I used a small one) with parchment paper or simply spray with non-stick spray so the bread doesn’t stick.
• In a medium bowl mix all of the dry ingredients.
• Next, throw the wet ingredients into a blender ( yogurt, milk, vinegar, egg, bananas, peanut butter), or just mash them separately then incorporate them into the dry ingredients.
• Mix gently until it just combines. Do not over mix 🙂
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and sprinkle the chocolate chips, nuts, and maybe some extra oats! The approach is yours 😉
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean and the edges are slightly golden.
• Let the bread cool completely then gently take it out of the loaf pan (this should be easy with the parchment paper). If you don’t have it lined with parchment paper, you can run a knife around the edges then flip over once it completely cools! Careful because the chocolate chips might stick to the surface of your hands if not cooled completely.
• Spread some nut butter on these, some greek yogurt, or just enjoy them as they are!

NOTES:

*These store well in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for about two months. Wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap then defrost the night before you want to eat these! Such an easy and quick to-go breakfast or snack.

*You can also add the chocolate chips to the batter itself, but I absolutely love the goodness on top!

Hilda ❤

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Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

This is such a quick, easy, and delicious recipe! It’s full of flavor from the sausage and the tomato sauce, and screams full comfort. It’s also low in carbs and perfect for dinner paired up with mashed potatoes, a salad, and a glass of wine. Yum! Leftovers are also perfect for lunch.

Definitely give these a try, they are absolutely DIVINE.

Salt and pepper = flavor flavor flavor!

Meat & cheese mixture

More sauce and cheese then in the oven she goes!

• Servings: 4
• Time: 35 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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INGREDIENTS:

• Olive Oil or Cooking Spray
• 4 Zucchini
• 1 Lb Chicken Sausage (casing removed)
• 1 Cup Marinara Sauce
• 1 Garlic Clove Minced
• 1/3 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a large casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.
• Trim the ends off the zucchini’s. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving 1/2-in shells. Finely chop pulp. Place the zucchini halves into the casserole dish and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper.
• In a skillet, cook the sausage, zucchini pulp, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add in 1/2 of the marinara sauce, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, add mozzarella cheese and mix well. Spoon the sausage mixture into the zucchini shells and top with parmesan cheese.
• Bake for about 25 minutes until the cheese has melted, and the zucchini has cooked.

NOTES:

• These keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
• You can make these vegetarian by adding soy meat instead of sausage, or other veggies!
• You can also substitute any kind of cheese or meat here but I HIGHLY recommend the sausage…it’s just packed with so much flavor!

Enjoy! 🙂

Hilda ❤

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