French Silk Tart

On Sunday we celebrated my Husband's birthday. I come from a family of birthday celebraters. Most birthdays in my family last a full week. My Husband's birthday celebration did start on Friday. It was a bit of a long weekend. Since we are in the month of High Protein and Low Carbohydrates dieting and exercising, desserts are really not on the list. I did come across this lovely French Silk Tart and decided it needed to be made. Besides tasting fabulous, it was also very easy to make and just the perfect size.

I still need to work on my photography skills. 

This tart went together quickly and was on an EASY Skill level. People really can make fantastic homemade desserts that would impress their friends. This recipe was not hard to make, did not require several different ingredients and did not consume loads of time. I really could have eaten the whole tart, it was that good. BAD Shayla. I did work out twice on Monday.

French Silk Tart
adapted from Diethood.com
For the Crust
15 Oreo cookies or 2 snack size contrainers of Oreo's crushed
5 Tablespoons melted butter

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup chocolate chips

For the Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon sugar

Instructions
FOR THE CRUST: Combine the crushed oreos and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix together and press into the bottom of an 8 inch spring form pan. Refrigerate crust until ready to use

FOR THE CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM: Pour whipping cream into a medium size mixing bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Until hot. Add in chocolate chips and stir until melted. Refrigerate mixture for at least one hour. Needs to be cold. Once cold, attach bowl to a mixer with whisk attachment, beat until stiff peaks form. Chill in refrigerator.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING: In a mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Beat the mixture with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Chill in refrigerator.

ASSEMBLING TART: Spread Chocolate mixture over the Oreo crust. Spoon whipped topping over the chocolate layer and spread evenly. Refrigerate for one hour and until set. Garnish with Chocolate shavings or Slivered Almonds.



The Crust barely fills the pan. Just a nice layer.

All set up and ready to dig into.

The Birthday Boy and a French Silk Tart

A vendor and some shop employees at my "DAY" job fabricated this 

Harley Davidson sign for my Husband. 

It is already hanging in the Garage. He was very happy.

Chicken - Black Bean Tacos

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken... the lean white meat. Is there anything that chicken cannot do. Chicken is a go to meal. I am very lucky at my house that they like chicken as much as they do, or there would be HUGE problems.

Since we are STILL focusing on our healthy eating program, I decided to make tacos. Most people would say, "really Shayla", you have got to be kidding me. These tacos were lean and loaded with protein and vegetables. The Cheese was keep to a minimum. We did NOT eat any tortilla chips. Did not need them.

I think I use chicken as my "I do not want to cook dinner" meat. Eating out all the time is very expensive and loaded with calories. Even if you are conscientious about what you put into your mouth, a fry will still slip in once in a while. Healthy eating and working out is a lot of work, why add temptation into the mix.

Last night happened to be labeled, "Taco Tuesday." Shocking that it actually happened that way. My family loves tacos. I have been eating tacos since I was a little kid. My Mom would use hamburger for the meat and make all the fixings for our tacos. My tacos had more on the inside and less fixings. Still working on the weekly dinner menu / grocery shopping program. That is part of getting more organized.

My Husband is not to spicy, add more heat if it suits your taste.

I have tried several different types of shells. These Multi-grain shells were very good. A keeper.

Chicken - Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients

3 cups of Cooked shredded Chicken

1 can (15 oz) Re fried Black Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

1 roasted red pepper finely chopped

1 teaspoon Adobe powder 

1 shake of Cumin

1 can of Enchilada Sauce 

1 cup Salsa

1 cup frozen corn

1 package of Multi grain tortilla shells 

1 cup shredded cheese

Directions

In a medium size saute pan, add olive oil and heat to a high temperature. Add finely chopped onions, reduce to medium heat until translucent. Stir in roasted red peppers. Pour in enchilada sauce and salsa. Slowly add in Refried beans until no lumps show. Add in Chicken and seasonings. Thoroughly heat through. Reduce heat and add in Corn. Cook until heated through.

In a small fry pan heat to a high heat, spray with Non Stick spray. Place tortilla in pan and warm up. When it puffs, flip over. Please spray pan after each shell.

Place shell on plate. Scoop up some Chicken and Beans, top with Cheese and any other fixings that sound good to you. Enjoy.

This was a plate full of delicious food.

Coconut Pecan Sandies

I realized in my last post, I swore I was not making anymore cookies. I am so weak. My Husband is still faithfully doing Insanity. There have been changes. He is less loose in the cage (firming up) and he is losing some inches and weight. After two weeks, there are some results. I have been doing some Insanity and still running outside. This week, it is very cold here. Today, it is in the single digits, so hard core Insanity for me. There are no results for me. It is a bit easier, I am getting coordinated, so those are my results.

After a two week delay, my Mom is in FLA. The weather is in the 70's. My Mom and sister went for a walk on the beach yesterday. They were searching for shells. I love looking for shells. During my years of shell collecting, I have found so many cool shells. This picture is a very small portion of my collection.

I decided to make Coconut Pecan Sandies. They slightly resemble a sand dollar. I thought that Florida needed a few cookies. They are probably not missing me, but I am missing them. The cookie's texture was soft and gritty just like a sandy shell. I ran the coconut and toasted pecans through the food processor. Small specs of intense flavor made this cookie delicious.

They are the perfect size. Just a basic butter cookie with loads of punch.

Coconut Pecan Sandies

adapted from singforyoursupperblog.com

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup pecans, toasted, cooled and finely chopped

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut finely chopped

Directions

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. For two minutes. Add milk and vanilla extract and mix.

Slowly add in flour, salt, cinnamon. Mix until just incorporated. Add in the finely chopped toasted pecans and minced coconut.  

Place dough in a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet with your Silpat or parchment paper. Scoop you dough with your cookie scoop or a teaspoon. Smash down dough balls with a wet glass. I actually used a wine glass.(that was available) All my cookies were that size of the rim of the glass. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes, until lightly browned edges. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and move to a cooling rack. Place in a airtight container or just eat. Recipe make approximately 37-38 cookies.

These cookies are on there way to Florida. I hope they enjoy then as much a I did.

Insanity - Surf and Turf

THE END is NEAR... Not the Mayan Calendar. The end to the cookies, pasta, and chocolate.

Every year my Husband and I kick start the new year. This year would be no different. My Mother gave my Husband, Insanity for Christmas. There is a lot more that could be said on that subject.... It is a program by Beach Body. We have both completed P90x and P90x2. My Husband always gets great results from these programs. We go on a Low Carb/High Protein diet. My Husband will lose twenty to thirty pounds and me, two or three pounds. Sigh.....

Since I would not be making cookies for awhile, I decided I needed to make a fabulous dinner to celebrate the impending start of our diet. When I placed the food on the plate, it totally screamed, "photograph ME". Surf and Turf. It was also available in my freezer. I do not know why people think this is such a big deal, it is the easiest dinner to make. Cook your potatoes, grill your steak, start your beans and drop your tails into boiling water. This dinner comes together quickly. It is not the cheapest, but I took advantage of some holiday specials and froze the meat and lobster. WAY cheaper than going to a restaurant. We had wine and candles. It was fun.

What a plate full of food.

So my Husband asked why this would not be on our diets. I explained that Lobster was not bad, just the butter he was using. The Filet was only 6 ounces. Not the worst for a protein diet, but lean chicken would be better for him. The potato is high in carbohydrates, even though there was only butter on it. Not a loaded potato. The steamed fresh green beans were Perfect for his diet. He did polish off everything on his plate.

This is a new program for us. It uses your own body to burn calories and build muscles. When you start, you are tested on several different exercises. Every two weeks, you test again to see your progress. It is a power packed, heart pumping workout in less than an hour. You can also add it with your P90X2 workouts. I really like Cardio workouts, so I will let you know how we do on it. 

I would like to add a picture of cookies, bread or pie, but to quote Tony Horton, "Drink your Water."

There will be healthy smoothie recipes. I am also going to work on some overnight oatmeal recipes. They seem very intriguing. Lean Carrot Cake muffins sound delicious. Detox waters. Lots of options for different recipes.

Thank you to my friend Ursula. I was having some little problems with my blog, and she walked me through them. Accepting of your limitations, being open for guidance and grateful for success. The best way to end a day.