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Quick & Easy Kettle Corn
Gone In Sixty Seconds wasn’t just a movie. It also describes what happens when I make my easy microwave kettle corn. It’s so good it’s usually gone in a matter of seconds. This delicious kettle corn is lightly sweet and unbearably easy to make… start to finish: about 5 minutes! It can be made simply sweet or if you’re craving something sweet and salty, that too. Just add a little salt. This snack is so easy to make and so easy to eat, it always disappears in one sitting.
Microwaving is the easiest way to make this kettle corn using a paper lunch bag and stapler. It’s just popping corn, a little oil, a little sugar, (and salt if you like), into the bag, into the microwave and done. You can also make it on the stove the standard way: add popping corn to oil in the pot, add sugar, and pop! Don’t eat the store bought stuff that always seems to have mystery ingredients. There’s nothing like fresh homemade kettle corn. It’s healthier, it will taste better, and you’ll save money. That’s a win-win-win! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Yes, it tastes as good as it looks – but only if you use fresh pineapple. I promise that if you use fresh pineapple in this delicious meal, you will never use canned again. It makes all the difference… well, most of the difference. Different colors of peppers add more complexity to this dish as well as a variety of antioxidants. Each color brings its own anti-aging benefits.
Stir frying is great for weeknight dinners because by the time your rice is cooked, dinner is ready. This one cooks in less than ten minutes. Homemade Chinese will always be healthier because you can use less oil and add more vegetables. The day I decided to create my own healthier sweet & sour chicken was the last time I ordered it in a restaurant. I got the chicken (and too much sauce) with two pieces of green pepper and one red one. Seriously. Three pieces of peppers. And canned pineapple! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I ate the whole thing!
I just posted my 100th recipe and there are still so many more to come. But no one has ever asked me what MY favorite is. So what is my favorite recipe of all one hundred? Up until yesterday, I might have had to think about my answer because if I didn’t love something, I wouldn’t be making it, right? But last night, it became clear. It’s my delicious, yummy, creamy rice pudding.
As comfort foods go, especially when you feel stressed out, rice pudding is hard to beat. It’s creamy, sweet, and when served warm… it could help avoid some expensive psychotherapy! My low fat version is made with the only rice you should ever use for pudding – Arborio. So last night after dinner, I ran out of those peanut butter cookies so I made some rice pudding. It only takes 30 minutes so as soon as it was done, I transferred it to my orange bowl, planning to have a small serving and keep the rest for tomorrow. I failed.
I started by skimming spoonfuls off the top (it was still pretty warm – actually, it may have still been cooking) and before I knew it, there was hardly any left. I transferred it to a smaller container to refrigerate, tasting as I went along. I went to cover the container and realized there wasn’t even one serving left. I decided it wouldn’t be fair to the next person (me) who’d be eating it.
So I ate the whole thing. It’s not something I’m proud of but I feel I need to share. Keeping it a secret was causing me stress and stress makes us crave comfort foods, and well… it’s a vicious cycle, my friends. So I’ve cleared my conscience, just like I cleared out that orange bowl.
The next time you’re craving some comfort, click here for the recipe.
Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
Wow! I love this incredibly easy recipe. It’s so simple. One bowl. No mixer. No shaping. And no cleanup if you use parchment paper. There is no butter and no flour is this simple cookie recipe. And my version has less sugar than most. Wait ’til you try one – the taste is out of this world!
Even the most amateur cook can’t mess this up. Here are the steps: 1) Mix ingredients together in a bowl. 2) Drop on sheet and bake. 3) Done.
I’ve always used natural peanut butter, like Laura Scudder’s or Santa Cruz organic, but always chunky. You can use smooth… but why? With chunky peanut butter, you get some nice peanuty crunch with every bite. When cookies are this easy to make, anyone can make cookies from scratch – in 15 minutes. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This is one of my prize recipes! I worked hard to make the healthiest cinnamon rolls possible (so I can eat more of them) but they had to be soft and gooey and delicious. This is it. I tried using some whole wheat flour but they never turned out soft enough so it’s all-purpose flour but the good news is the entire recipe uses only two tablespoons of butter. Two. And now I have even better news: I usually make them with no butter at all. There’s so much flavor in the cinnamon and brown sugar filling that I often use a trans-fat free margarine and I defy anyone to tell the difference between that and the one with butter.
Make it either way. If you are concerned about saturated fat I promise that you will love these delicious buns without butter. If you use butter, it’s only 2 tablespoons so each roll has as little butter as a slice of toast. Two tablespoons divided by eight rolls equals 3/4 of a teaspoon of butter in each cinnamon roll.
Did you know that all cinnamon is not the same? The most popular kind is Ceylon cinnamon, which is what most stores sell but they usually also have Saigon cinnamon which I LOVE! It’s much more potent and fragrant, in fact I usually use less because it’s so powerful. If you use Saigon cinnamon, reduce the amount in the filling from 2 teaspoons to 1 1/2 teaspoons. It’s amazing cinnamon and really worth looking for. My store carries Spice Islands brand…
Now let’s talk about frosting. You can frost them in the baking pan but I like to transfer them first to a plate or pie pan before frosting so the sides also get some of that gooey frosting. Here’s how: After the 10-minute cooling period place a dinner plate on top and flip them over onto the plate. Then take another plate or pie pan and flip them back again and they will be right side up and still warm and ready to frost… all sides!
You don’t have to give up cinnamon rolls. Make your own with my healthy recipe and if you want, you can do the prep the night before, refrigerate overnight, then let them rise in the morning and bake. There’s no reason not to enjoy one of the best things in the world to bake. Your whole house will be filled with the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Here’s an easy recipe for my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Even without the chocolate chips, they are still a great tasting snack. My recipe includes toasted walnuts and trust me, toasting the nuts first will send their flavor into overdrive. I use walnuts and pecans in lots of baking so I just toast a bunch of each one in the oven (see my video) and keep them in the fridge for baking.
It doesn’t have to be pumpkin season to make these yummy muffins, in fact canned pumpkin has more antioxidants than fresh. Orange and yellow vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrots have lots of betacarotene which is good for your lungs and eyes and will give you healthy hair and skin.
The most important thing about making muffins is not to over-mix. Just fold the ingredients together gently with a spatula or spoonula – I love those! This recipe was in my first cookbook and I’ve updated it by increasing the whole wheat pastry flour a little and switching from canola to extra light olive oil but you can use any oil of your choice. I’m posting this recipe by request from a fellow baker (Rori) in Denver who lost the recipe. Here it is, Rori! Click here for the recipe.
If anyone else has a recipe request, just let me know….
Homemade Bread Crumbs
Make your own bread crumbs! You’ll save money and with my easy fresh bread recipe, they will taste better too. It takes just a few minutes to make healthy bread crumbs at home and you can avoid all the additives they put into the packaged ones. But the biggest benefit is the taste. If you make breadcrumbs with fresh whole wheat bread, you’ll never want store-bought again. I don’t know why they say to use stale bread. Stale bread makes stale crumbs. So get a fresh loaf of 100% whole wheat bread (it should have 3 grams of fiber per slice) and follow my simple steps for dry and for fresh bread crumbs.
Dry crumbs, the kind you use for breading, freeze for months, in fact I’ve had some in my freezer for over a year and they still taste great. I keep two bags in the freezer: one with plain dry whole wheat crumbs and another with seasoned dry crumbs. I usually add oregano, thyme, garlic salt, and pepper but you can add anything your heart desires as long as it’s a dry spice. How about cayenne pepper or paprika or basil or rosemary or cumin or… (your spice here).
Fresh crumbs take about one minute to make using a food processor and they are an awesome topping for mac & cheese. They are also what I use in my salmon patties. So why not use high fiber breadcrumbs and make mac & cheese, salmon patties, or other meals a little healthier. Once you have fresh crumbs, it takes just a few minutes to turn them into Panko crumbs. Yes, you can make homemade Panko bread crumbs, too. So make some healthy bread crumbs and amp up your fiber! Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
The Food Game
Salmon Patties
Thank goodness for canned salmon. I always keep it on hand so I can make my quick and easy salmon patties. We know how important it is to eat fish, especially salmon, which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids to protect your heart, and my recipe makes this easy dinner even healthier by adding red pepper, onions, parsley, egg, and my fresh whole wheat bread crumbs for added fiber.
I made these delicious patties last night and served them with my Greek lemon potatoes and some steamed broccoli. There was nothing left on our plates! It seems like the body knows when something is doing you so much good because all of it disappeared in a flash. Another way I serve my salmon patties is with a side of steamed sweet potato, which is loaded with antioxidants and protects your eyes and lungs and boosts your immune system. Just peel, chop, and steam. Dinner is ready in 15 minutes! What an anti-aging combo!
Oh… some more serving ideas…. I’ve also had these salmon patties with my Spaghetti With Greens, Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Potatoes, and those awesome Roasted Vegetables. So eat fish often, and with this recipe, you can make a healthy 15-minute meal anytime. Quick. Easy. Healthy. You’re welcome! Click here for the recipe.