Super Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

It's almost JULY! That means Picnics, BBQ's, Baby Showers and Weddings, right?!?!?

I'm booked for one picnic and two baby showers already. Plus, east coast vacay in July. I have mixed feelings about the trip. A little anxiety that I think everyone has before flying. Airport/Plane/Packing/etc...

I'm taking the summer off from school (mainly because there aren't any classes offered for my degree.. lol)

Both of the baby showers I'm going to are "potluck" style. I need things to BRING! This is the dish I decided to bring to the first! I always bring sweets to potluck events.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

This looks super easy and I already have all the ingredients.

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:
1. Bring the sugar and the milk to a boil.

2. Boil them for 2 1/2 minutes, then remove from the heat. (Make sure not to overcook. If its turned brown you've cooked it too long!)

3. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
4. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper (I'm using a 8x11 because..I can't find my 8x8 lol), grease it with butter, or use a cooking spray like I did.

5. Pour the mixture in quickly! Don't over-stir like I did. Just stir until its creamy and pour it in.

6. Pat into the corners.

Let set for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Once set cut them into 1 inch squares. This will make approx. 16 pieces. (Unless your me.. in which case you chop indiscriminately and end up with a weird collection of choppy pieces)

And you're done! Stay tuned for the next treat I'll be making.

Here is one of the gifts we chose!

Adorable, right? We chose this as a gift but I also made two customized gifts for them which will be in the next blog!

Couldn't help adding a picture of it wrapped up. Isn't this wrapping paper ADORABLE? Ahhh. The mother-to-be loves owls too.

Thank you so much for following along!

Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake

This is a Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake. Think .. crust-less quiche. That is what I call it. Its SUPER easy to make and VERY low calorie, filling, and full of protein (that's the eggs.)

I found this recipe on shape.com here is the link to the recipe on their website. I'll also be posting the full recipe here.

Spinach, Mozzarella, and Egg: Bake

Serves: 6 (or 3)

Nutrition score per serving: 160 calories, 10g fat, 2.5g carbs, 14g protein

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
4 packed cups spinach
1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
8 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Spike seasoning (or any all-purpose seasoning mix that's good with eggs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray an 8 1/2-by-12-inch glass or crockery casserole dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. (I used a 9x12 worked perfectly)
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add spinach, and stir just until wilted, about 2 minutes.
4. Transfer spinach to the casserole dish, spreading it around so the bottom of the dish is covered. (It won't stay covered. So, don't worry about being too precise with this step)
5. Beat eggs with seasoning, salt, and pepper, then add the cheese and onion to the mix. Stir until combined.
6. Pour into the casserole dish. Use a fork to gently stir so eggs, spinach, and cheese are evenly combined.
3. Bake about 35 minutes or until mixture is completely set and starting to lightly brown. Let cool about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. (The dish will settle down some as it cools.)

Okay, this is MY take on the recipe. If you'd like to see theirs then you can click this link! My way is easier and looks practically the same! Here's a picture of mine.

I may have let mine get a little TOO brown. All they did differently really was layer the cheese/onions on before adding the eggs but it all gets stirred up in the end anyway. My way is easier! :D

Not sure if I have mentioned this in the past but I'm on a diet. Yup! Its working too. It's ridiculously easy and I'm not sure why I didn't try it before. I'm counting calories. That is it. I've lost 45lbs since October 1st 2013 (that's in 7 1/2 months.) More than 6lbs a month! At that rate I'll be at my goal weight by 2017. Well, that was a little discouraging. Ah well... I'll get there and in the easy life changing way. I'm not eating things I don't LIKE to eat and I'm cutting out the things I ate out of convenience.

My friends and family will tell you I've never had issues eating healthy things. I'm terrible at eating too much bread and ZERO protein. I've changed that and I'm loving it.

I'm not gonna lie and say that it is effortless because nothing is. I count calories but eventually I could remember what was what and as long as I don't eat out much I don't have any problems. :D Okay, so that was a really long epilogue but the point of this blog is I found this meal and I'm WILD about it and it has protein. A protein that I don't typically eat. I hope you can enjoy this as well. I've made it twice already!

Thanks for following along!