Cooking/Baking — A Mom's Impression

George Foreman Evolve Grill Review

September 7, 2010 By Mom Leave a Comment

Healthy eating and exercise has become more and more important to my family since TJ came into the world. I initially wanted to lose my pregnancy weight, but then I wanted to tone up and feel good about myself. My husband, I can safely say, is in the best shape of his life. Whenever I get on the elliptical and watch how much work it takes to burn calories, I realized that I need to eat healthier because I don’t want to spend my entire night working out.

George Foreman has made my life a lot easier with his Healthy Cooking George Foreman Evolve Grill.

George Foreman is one of the leading manufactures of indoor grills. The sloping aspect of the grill make it possible for oils and fats to run down the grill into a collection pan eliminating the possibility of your food being cooked in fat and oils like a traditional frying pan. The Evolve grill heats up in 5 minutes and will cook a steak in 7 minutes. While I love having the traditional coal BBQ in the backyard, I have to say this is a lot less time consuming and I can cook indoors any day of the year where cooking in the backyard depends on the weather.

The Evolve grill comes equiped with 2 grill plates, a deep dish bake pan and a mini burger insert (you can also choose a muffin pan instead of the mini burger insert if you choose. In addition to the plates that arrive with your grill, George Foreman has a total of 11 grill plates that work with the Evolve grill making it the perfect grill for any meal of the day (even breakfast).

I started cooking on my new grill with a simple chicken tenderloin strips. I basically just sprinkled them with grill seasoning and put them on the Evolve grill for a few minutes. There is no need to flip the meat because there are grill plates on both sides. In less than 7 minutes we had delicious grilled chicken that we could add to salads, pastas or simply eat on their own.

We enjoyed similar success with the grilled salmon. Tonight I made mini turkey burgers with cheese and they turned out great. (Quick tip I learned tonight when I realized that I didn’t have any mini-buns to go with the mini burgers. Cut a hot dog bun in thirds and they are a perfect fit for these mini burgers). I have to say that they were delicious. I would post the recipe I used, but true to Kathy form I didn’t use a recipe and I threw some stuff in a bowl with the ground turkey and hoped for the best.

Overall, I have been really happy with my new George Foreman Evolve Grill. It is extremely easy to cook with and even easier to clean (just put the grill plates right into the dishwasher), a perfect match for any busy family trying to eat a little healthier.

Buy It:

You can purchase the George Foreman Evolve Grill for $129.99 on George Foreman Healthy Cooking website.

This post was written for Family Review Network & George Foreman HealthyCooking who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

Filed Under: Cooking/Baking, Health, Review Tagged With: Cooking/Baking, Health, Review

Avocados From Mexico – Babies Love Them!

June 11, 2010 By Mom 10 Comments

I have to start this article by saying that my husband and I are huge avocado fans! We have made our own guacamole in the past, and there are several times I have spooned out the deliciousness and ate it without any kind of recipe. The thought never occurred to me to have TJ try avocados. It makes sense, avocados are soft and buttery and mild tasting, but I hadn’t thought to dice some up and give it to him until Avocados From Mexico sent me a basket of avocados, some kid friendly recipes and an avocado slicer. Isn’t is a great looking basket?

Did you know avocados are considered one of the best first solid foods for infants?

According to Avocados From Mexico’s website…

…avocado’s monounsaturated fats support healthy brain function by promoting blood flow and its antioxidant nutrients protect your child’s brain cells against destructive free radicals. B-complex vitamins in avocados support memory and brain function—helping your curious child to grow, learn and play!

One of the suggestions included with the basket was to spread the avocados on toast instead of using butter. TJ loved this! He ate up a lot of the toast and then I fed him little bits of avocado and he seemed to enjoy those as well. I would have never of thought to use avocados this way, but I tried it too and I fixed myself some! Avocados From Mexico has several kid-friendly recipes on their website.

Here are some more kid-friendly ways of incorporating avocados into your child’s diet:

Mash a ripe avocado and serve it as a dip to accompany veggies or fruits. Add a squeeze of lemon, if desired, for kids older than one.

Combine canned tuna with avocado and use as a filling for finger sandwiches Spread avocado onto a lightly toasted bagel or toasted bread strips.

Avocado spread is a healthy alternative to butter and mayonnaise, so introduce the concept as early as you can.

Serve chunks of avocado as an anytime snack, with ranch dressing for dipping.

In addition to these wonderful tips, Avocados From Mexico also has ingenious kid-friendly recipes on their site that you have to try. I love this one, which is bound to be popular with the new Shrek movie. It is called Ogre Jello, and by looking at it you can see why.

	1 package (3 ounces) lime-flavored gelatin
	1 tablespoon sugar
	1 tablespoon limejuice
	2 fully ripened Avocados from Mexico halved, pitted, peeled and coarsely chopped

In bowl, prepare gelatin following package directions; stir in sugar and limejuice. Chill until mixture is the consistency of egg whites, stirring occasionally. In bowl of food processor, place avocado; add gelatin mixture; process until smooth and creamy. Spoon mixture into six 2/3-cup molds or 1-quart serving dish; cover and chill until firm. Quickly dip molds into hot water; turn out onto serving plates. Serve with diced avocado, if desired. YIELD: 6 portions

If you are a family without children, Avocados From Mexico hasn’t forgotten about you. On the website they are featuring recipes from Rick Bayless, Top Chef Masters’ winner and host of the PBS show Mexico One Plate at a Time. Here is one that I will be trying very soon:

Layered Guacamole Dip with a New Twist

We just used the last two avocados tonight by making a wonderful guacamole to go with our tacos. I can’t believe the avocados lasted a little over a week, but they stayed fresh in our refrigerator. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Buy It:

You can purchase Avocados From Mexico at your local grocery store, just look for the avocados with “Mexico” on the sticker. To make sure you are picking the right ripeness of your avocado here are the characteristics to look for:

This product review was made possible by Avocados From Mexico. I was not compensated for this review other than a product sample. All opinions are 100% mine.

Filed Under: Baby, Cooking/Baking, Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review Tagged With: Baby, Cooking/Baking, Food/Snacks, Recipe, Review

Monkey Peanut Butter Cupcakes

May 22, 2010 By Mom 8 Comments

Many of you mentioned a few weeks ago that you would like my recipe for TJ’s birthday cupcakes, so better late than never here you go!

The monkey face cupcakes are peanut butter flavored cupcakes with a chocolate glaze. I found the recipe from Iheartcupcakes.com. Here is the recipe from their site:

Peanut Butter w/ Chocolate Glaze Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For cupcakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

For chocolate glaze
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in egg. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until batter smooth.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.

Fill each liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. There will be cracks on the top. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on wire rack.

To make chocolate glaze
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter has melted. The mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175F on a thermometer; do not let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the milk chocolate and let it sit in the hot cream for 30 secs to soften. Add the vanilla and whisk the glaze until it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. (Return the glaze to low heat if necessary to melt the chocolate completely, whisking constantly.) The glaze should be thick enough to hold its shape when spread over the cupcakes. If it is too liquid to spread, let it sit at room temp for 5-15 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen.

Using a small spatula, spread 1 tbsp of glaze over the top of each cupcake.

The cupcakes can be covered and stored at room temp for up to 3 days.

The night before I made the cupcakes, I made the candy monkey face decorations to place on top of the glaze. I adapted the monkey faces from a Wilton recipe that you can find here.

I used Wilton Candy Melts in a light tan Peanut Butter flavor for the main part of the face, and dark cocoa Candy Melts for the ears. Instead of using Candy Melts for the eyes, mouth and nose, I used Wilton icing in the small tubes (I found this much easier than trying to tint the Candy Melts. I am a true beginning baker and decorator when it comes to birthday cakes so I found this much easier for my first time).

Here is the result…. TJ’s birthday cupcake tower (Wilton has a great cupcake stand). If you are interested in the banana cupcakes that I also made for his birthday, check back next week.

Filed Under: Birthday, Cooking/Baking, Deserts, Recipe Tagged With: Recipe

Wilton Review & Giveaway – Monkey Mayhem Birthday Bash CLOSED

April 15, 2010 By Mom 177 Comments

Welcome to A Mom’s Impression Monkey Mayhem Birthday Bash. We are taking time to celebrate BJ’s first birthday with some wonderful birthday products that will enhance any child’s birthday party. Visit us all week for great products for a very special time in your child’s life!

Its not a party without the cake! I love to cook, baking is hard for me. You have to be exact or it doesn’t turn out well. After you finish baking there is the decorating, an art form of its own. Being the perfectionist that I am I have difficulty with making everything look perfect. It gives me such a headache. Luckily Wilton is there to help!

Wilton has been the go to company, since 1929, for all your baking needs. I can remember a bear cake I had for one of my birthdays as kid and the pan was a Wilton pan. I have that special photo of me blowing out the candles in my baby book. I wanted BJ’s special day to be just as memorable. Wilton sent me products to make sure I couldn’t mess it up.

I decided on doing cupcakes for BJ’s birthday instead of a traditional large cake (after all this is the first birthday I have thrown as a mommy, and I figured I should build up to the large cake). Keeping with the monkey theme, Wilton sent us several products from their Jungle Pals collection. We received the Jungle Pals Photo Cake Topper, Royal Icing Decorations, Cupcake Wraps n’ Picks and the cupcakes ‘n more® 23 count standard dessert stand to show everything off.

Wilton makes decorating the cupcakes simple, yet they look so cute. Here are a few pics of how they turned out:

I feel confident that his birthday is doing to be a huge success largely because Wilton has made my job so easy. I will be sure to take a lot of pictures of the final dessert table (these were practice) along with cupcake recipes later after the big event next weekend.

Buy It:

You can purchase Wilton decorations and baking supplies at major retailers everywhere or on their website.

Win It:

One (1) lucky winner will win a Jungle Pals Wilton Prize Package consisting of 1 of everything they sent me (ARV $50.00).

Your prizes include:

(2) Jungle Pals Royal Icing Decorations

(2) Jungle Pals Cupcakes Wraps n’ Picks

(1) Jungle Pals Photo Cake Topper

(1) Cupcakes ‘n more® 23 count standard dessert stand

How to Enter:

Visit Wilton and tell me your favorite Wilton product.

(You must complete this entry before completing any of the bonus entries)

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Please leave a comment about each entry, include a valid email address or you may contact me directly with your contact information. Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end at midnight on April 30. Winner will be picked from Random.org.  Good Luck!