Caged Innocence

I bought this beautiful necklace from such a talented artist on Etsy - check out her wonderful creations

Cherry dark chocolate oatmeal cookeis

1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/3 cup natural brown sugar
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup + 2 Tbs white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried tart cherries

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.Whisk together flour, salt, cocoa, and baking soda then set aside.
3.In a large bowl beat sugars with softened butter for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, and vanilla. Add oats and beat at reduced speed until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4.Stir in chocolate chips and cherries. Scoop dough into balls cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the tops begin to brown.
5.Allow cookies to cool for three minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.

Mango raspberry smoothie

1 C. frozen mango

1 C. frozen raspberries

1 6 oz container vanilla yogurt

sugar/honey to taste

1/2 milk

Add ingredients to blender as listed above. Puree until smooth and creamy.

Spinach Lasagna

1 (red) onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil

2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen spinach, thawed, chopped and drained well
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
9 to 12 cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat olive oil in a pan, sautee chopped onion until translucent. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, thyme and basil. Cook over medium/low heat for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, pepper and oregano.

In a 9- x13-inch non-reactive baking pan, layer 1 cup of the tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles, a layer of the ricotta-spinach mixture; repeat. Top with sauce then sprinkle with half of the remaining cheeses. Bake 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Macadamia Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies

1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and beat in. Add vanilla and raspberry jam. Mix well.
Mix together flour and baking soda. Gradually add flour mixture to batter. Stir in nuts and chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Don't overbake. Cool on racks."

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, egg whites, and vanilla extract.
Mix the banana mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
Bake 16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean."

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Combine the egg, milk, oil, orange juice and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or cups coated with nonstick cooking spray two-thirds full.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack."