frozen hot chocolate

 

so everyone knows of the famous serendipity restaurant in NYC... it has made an appearance in some of my favorite chick flicks!

here is a scene from the movie serendipity... john cusack and kate beckinsale are enjoying a frozen hot chocolate!

...and from the movie one fine day, michelle pfeiffer is enjoying a yummy sundae!

...and this is my mom, no not a movie star (but i could've fooled you!!), enjoying a frozen hot chocolate!

here i am with my roommates from DC. we took a weekend trip to the "big apple" and just had to go to serendipity!

 i came across the recipe on pinterest, and i thought an 80 calorie frozen hot chocolate was just too good to be true. but no. this is real life. and it's delicious.

we did not have any ice cube trays, but we do have a maroon silicon mini paw print tray (of course!).

1. in a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk together 1cup skim milk, 2 TBS cocoa powder, 1 TBS splenda (i used this bc we had it on hand, but i personally prefer just using regular sugar. sugar ups the calories a bit. you could also try agave?), and a dash of salt. you can also add shaved chocolate or chocolate syrup if you want a richer taste, but again, this ups the calories.
2. microwave 30 seconds, remove and whisk, then microwave another 30 seconds.
3. pour into ice cube tray, mini muffin tin, whatever you have, and freeze. making the mixture in the measuring cubes really comes in handy for this step! i think it only took a few hours for mine to freeze. so i put it in the freezer late in the afternoon, and it was ready after dinner!
4. blend chocolate "cubes" until almost "slushy-like". do not add water or any other liquid.
5. pour into a glass and top it off with lite cool whip and a few mini chocolate chips!

the glass pictured here is just a half serving (mom and i shared), but it was yummy and the perfect size for a little treat after dinner! the best part: one full serving is about 100 calories! 

the BEST pizza

two years into marriage and zach and i are still learning differences about one another. there are a lot of obvious differences (i'm a planner, and he is super laid back) and some not-so-obvious differences (i'm asleep by 10, but zach is a night owl). another difference is our taste in pizza: i usually opt for a veggie pizza with extra veggies while zach goes for meat lovers with extra bacon! (our compromise hawaiian pizza-yum!)

well, i tried a pizza recipe the other night. the unique thing about this pizza is that the crust is made from riced cauliflower (no dough = super low carbs)! this recipe makes 4 pizzas (about 340 calories each).

 

::BASIL CAULIFLOWER PIZZA::

 

crust:
2 eggs
2cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2cups riced cauliflower
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4cup fresh julienned basil

toppings:
1c marinara sauce (i like the classico brand)
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

basil ricotta:
1cup ricotta
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
pinch of salt and pepper

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. prepare cookie sheet using one of the following options: you may GENEROUSLY spray two cookie sheets- i'm talking layers and layers. or you can line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and then spray. i've done it both ways, but when i used parchment paper, the pizzas stuck badly and we basically had a pile of pizza ingredients (see pic below) it was still super yummy, and zach will eat anything. literally. i'm sure he ate some of the paper that i couldn't get off of the pizza crust. but last night i made the pizzas without the parchment paper, and i was able to scoop up the pizzas in one piece. it did leave a bit of a mess on the cookie sheet, and the parchment paper definitely would have helped with that. it's up to you!

3. in a medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients and divide evenly on the cookie sheets. flatten and shape with your hands. the edges will get dark and crispy (mom liked that part the best). but try and make sure the crusts are evenly spread out. bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. and like i said, the edges will get darker. you don't want to take them out too early because the crust won't be "set" in the middle.

 

pizza crust. see ricing caulifower technique.

4. add sauce and toppings. drop the ricotta on top of the veggies and flatten a bit.

5. put pizzas back in oven for 5-10 minutes. 

yummy toppings! basil ricotta, classico pizza sauce, and lots of veggies!

from top to bottom: "raw" pizza crusts, cooked pizza crusts, cooked pizzas.

 6. let pizzas cool and set for a few minutes before you try and scoop them off the cookie sheets. this really helps to make sure they stay intact.

this is how we ate the pizzas the first night. i have perfected the technique since this night! but they still tasted super yummy!

 please don't be intimidated by this process. the prep time does not take that long! i chop the veggies and mix the ricotta while the crusts are cooking and clean up while the pizzas cook that last 5-10 minutes. i think dinner always tastes better when the kitchen is clean!
 

and as you can see, this pizza had no meat (does that mean i win the pizza war?!?!)

robo-boot & football

the best update of all... zach is back! he finished up his month at University Medical Center in Jackson and has been here since the beginning of the month. Norwood has been so happy her daddy is back!

Zach got to Starkville just in time for our first football game against Jackson State (which we won-- go Dawgs!). Going to football games with a cast and a 90% chance of rain was a little intimidating, but Zach and I were able to be in a skybox for this game. And I found a super great cast cover. The box said you could even go swimming with this thing on! I did not test that out... but it did a great job protecting my cast!

 the following week was the Auburn football game! we were so excited to get an SEC win under our belts! everyone around here is pumped for football season (even Norwood!). we were in our season ticket seats and enjoyed the game surrounded by cowbells and cheering fans! i was still in my cast for this game, but i was able to move a lot easier without crutches.

  and... can you believe this?!?! i know we're only in the first week, but i'll always love seeing our bulldogs as #1 in the west! we have a pretty challenging season, but i'm confident in our boys!

 

 
and if you're curious about what i've been crocheting lately... check it out! cat hats! just kidding... they are actually sized for newborns. but i couldn't resist trying them on norwood (our baby)! it reminded us of this hilarious video from the tv show it's always sunny in philadelphia-- kitten mittens (watch it- you won't be disappointed!). i've also made hats with monkeys and owls- so cute!   

i finally got to get my cast off this past monday. i think norwood is the only one who misses it! she liked to rub up against it which also made it very challenging to walk! she was always getting in my way!

and here it is... the boot. i feel like a robot in it, so i've affectionately been refering to it as the robo-boot. it's pretty massive and heavier than the cast. but i'm learning to move around in it, and i am go glad that i don't have to sleep in it! i can also take showers again and shave my legs! yay! (it's the little things...)

 i must say, that the boot reminds me of these old sneakers from the 80s and 90s. remember the ones you used to "pump up"? well now i have the mother of all "pump up" shoes! who's jealous?

i've also gotten to start physical therapy! i'll be going three times a week for the next month. i'm doing it at the longest student health center, and it's so nice to have a reason to be back on campus! i just need to be better about scheduling my appointments so i don't get stuck in traffic during class changes!

and i turned 25! still feels like 24...