cook with me

just an amateur cook from washington state. all original content featuring recipes with calorie counts, cost breakdown, photos, & etc. :) visit my blog at http://www.umami.social/blog/michelle

[cookwithmeee]

[cookwithmeee]

Elle's Chocolate Syrup is available here: http://ellesalmanack.tumblr.com/post/18050484585/elles-chocolate-syrup

[cookwithmeee]

Very versatile! I use it in desserts, protein smoothies, lattes, ice cream, on top of bananas... Sky is the limit. I didn't note it above but use less corn starch if you plan on using it in beverages, otherwise, it may get too thick. :)

For cost, the total recipe costs me $1.16. Water is free. 1 Tablespoon corn starch is 1 cent (big tin of Argo Corn Starch for 56 tablespoons), 1/2 cup of baking cocoa is 62 cents (tin of Saco Baking Cocoa with 57 tablespoons), 1/4 cup of brown sugar was 11 cents (C&H Brown Sugar box with 12 quarter cups in it), and the vanilla extract cost me 42 cents (thank you Whole Foods for molesting my wallet on that one). For you, I imagine it'll be much cheaper since you probably didn't buy the vanilla extract in desperation. I'm currently brewing my vanilla extract so that'll drive the cost significantly down once done.

[cookwithmeee]

Cost Derivation: I buy Santa Cruz Lemon Juice for $4.00, which has ~100 teaspoons, and Canada Dry Lime Seltzer Water for $1.50, which has ~64 shots.

[cookwithmeee]

When life hands you lemons, make some yummy lemonade.

Someone stole one of my recipes and re-purposed it into a nice infographic on their blog. Now, to clarify, I encourage sharing! But this person straight took my photo, my text, and then slapped on a copyright symbol with their Tumblr name on it. That's not sharing, that is classless theft.

But I liked their treatment of my stuff so I decided to use it myself. Lesson 1? Always look on the bright side of things. Lesson 2? Don't fuckin' steal from me.

Anyways, all future posts will be in this format. It goes in line with my "theme" for the tumblr which is like a 19th century periodical/apothecary/Harry Potter style posts of healthy yummy recipes. I'll still include photos as well though!

If you have any feedback, as always, my ask is always open! I read everything you guys send in and I appreciate your readership. <3

[cookwithmeee]

[cookwithmeee]

I'm sure others have told you by now, but 150lbsto120lbs has stolen a recipe of yours and is claiming it as their own :(

Someone said something a while ago about it but they didn't put the name so I wasn't sure who it was. But wow. That's disappointing. Copyright doesn't protect a list of ingredients but it DOES protect photos and a particular representation of the ingredients which is represented as a "literary work." Which they've stolen both of. So I could send them a request to take it down.

As it happens, I like their idea on presenting the recipes in an infographic (along with a copyright watermark in the middle of the image). So I'll just jack this idea from them and call it even, as the watermark will hopefully kill future theft.

Thank you SO much for bringing it to my attention.

[cookwithmeee]

What kind of protein mix do you use (brand, where you got it, etc.)?

Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Ice Cream from vitacost.com. I'm not an expert by any means. I chose it based on what sounded good, seemed reasonably priced, and what got good reviews online from people who know far more than me when it comes to that. :)

[cookwithmeee]

The 90 Calorie Protein Milkshake (Vanilla Almond Banana)

I bought some Vanilla Ice Cream protein powder in light of my new fitness goals. Turns out this shit is DELICIOUS. I threw it in a blender and basically inhaled it.

Market Comparison:

Financially, the most expensive aspect is the whey protein powder but I bought a big tin of 30 scoops for 25.99, coming out to about $.87 cents per scoop. Compared to chicken, this is either as cheap or cheaper as the worst frozen chicken (if you were using meat as a protein source).

Nutritionally, at 90 calories, it's much less than an Odwalla (or comparable brand) and has a much better distribution of protein and carbs.

Ingredients:

1 Scoop (29g) of Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Ice Cream Protein Powder. Although, any vanilla flavored protein powder would do.

4-5 oz (120 ml) of Unsweetened Almond Milk.

2oz (56g) Banana

2oz (56g) ice.

Servings: 2 Milkshakes

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 93.75 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: 1.23 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: 8.25 g

Protein (g) per Serving: 12.55 g

Sodium: 102.80 mg

Financial Facts:

Depends on cost of bananas and milk but around $.60 per serving.

Directions:

It's a milkshake, not science. Throw in a blender and blend.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

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The 20 Calorie Almond Latté

The recipe is a standard latte recipe with the milk switched out in favor of unsweetened almond milk. This gives the latte a distinct nutty flavor. A basic latte is just a 1:4 ratio of espresso to steamed milk, so use 1/2 cup (4 oz, 120 ml) of milk per espresso shot if you choose to modify the recipe.

[Note: I replaced the photo of the drink with the coffee beans and almonds. I decided I didn't like the other one and, well, I already drank my latte.]

Market Comparison:

Financially, depends on what coffee you use. I bought my almond milk for $2.50 so half a cup of this is $.15 cents. The coffee used for the espresso cost roughly $.10. A $.25 cent latte is much cheaper than anything you'd buy elsewhere.

Nutritionally, 20 calories is pretty unmatched anywhere.

Ingredients:

1 Espresso shot (or more, but adjust milk accordingly)

4-5 oz (120 ml) of Unsweetened Almond Milk

Servings: 1 Latte

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 17.50 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: 1.25 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: .50 g

Protein (g) per Serving: .50 g

Sodium: 75.0 mg

Financial Facts:

Cost Per Serving is $0.25.

Directions:

Steam your milk either using a pot on your stove or using a steam wand from your espresso machine. Almond milk has fat in it so it will froth up nicely.

Set steamed milk aside.

Prepare your espresso shot using your preferred method.

Place the espresso shot in to your cup.

Pour the steam milk into your cup, using a spoon to hold back the froth. A latte uses only steamed milk.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

Valentine Cookies

I'll bite, these aren't the healthiest. But it's Valentine's Day on Tuesday so I just made whatever I felt like. Plus.. It'll be other people eating these, not me. ;)

Market Comparison:

Total recipe cost $2.07, which is much cheaper than a box of cookies at the store. 52 cookies in this batch.

Ingredients:

10 teaspoons of Red Sprinkles

1 cup Confectioners Sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon milk

2 sticks margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Servings: Creates 52 cookies in a small-medium heart form (1 cookie = 1 Serving)

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 54.90 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: 2.46 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: 7.51 g

Protein (g) per Serving: .59 g

Sodium: 328.61 mg

Financial Facts:

Cost Per Serving is $0.04.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except sprinkles) into a bowl and mix together. I recommend melting the butter ahead of time a bit to make it easier to mix.

While the dough is in the bowl, begin to knead with one hand (or both, depending how big your bowl is). It will be pretty crumbly so you need to continue to knead it until it is a solid ball of dough that doesn't crumb when you squeeze it.

Put in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 305 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet (or two, depending on how efficient you'd like to be).

After the dough is refrigerated, put some flour onto the counter and take out the dough.

Pour sprinkles into a big plate and shift the plate to make the sprinkles spread evenly.

Take parts of the dough and use a roller to flatten the dough 1/4 inch thick. Use more flour if needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter or roller.

Use a small to medium heart shaped cookie form to create heart-shaped dough. Take each piece and press into the plate of sprinkles.

Place the cookies onto the greased cookie sheet.

Put the cookie sheet into the oven for about 12-14 minutes.

Take out and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

The 40 Calorie Flour Tortilla

I made some home made guacamole to go with these. They're pretty easy to make and delicious!

Market Comparison:

In terms of cost, I'm not sure as I've never bought tortillas from the store... But I imagine they do not cost 1 cent per tortilla. Nutritionally, 1 Flour Mission Tortilla is 150 calories... These are about a FOURTH of that. :)

Ingredients:

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

.5 oz Water

1/4 Cup Flour

1/8 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Servings: Creates 2 Tortillas (1 Tortilla = 1 Serving)

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 41.25 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: 0.00 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: 8.63 g

Protein (g) per Serving: 1.13 g

Sodium: 32.50 mg

Financial Facts:

Cost Per Serving is $0.01.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Dough should combine in to a single ball. If this doesn't happen, add a little more water incrementally until it does.

Cover the dough with a wet towel or cloth for ~15 minutes.

Split dough into two balls. Roll into round shapes.

Flour the counter.

Take each ball and roll out into a very flat circle.

Take each circle and place onto an ungreased skillet.

Cook over medium heat until tortilla starts to show brown spots.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

The 25 Calorie Latte

The key here is the choice of milk. Unsweetened Almond Milk is only 35 calories a cup. I use 3/4th of a cup but, if you want more, I recommend frothing the milk (get some foam to fill up the volume of the cup) as I only steam it here.

Market Comparison:

A tall Starbucks Latte with soy milk still has 130 calories. This version is less than a fourth of that in terms of nutrition and costs less than a tenth.

Ingredients:

1 Espresso shot (or more)

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Servings: Creates 1 latte.

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 26.25 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: 1.88 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: .75 g

Protein (g) per Serving: .75 g

Sodium: 112.50 mg

Financial Facts:

Cost Per Serving is $0.30.

Directions:

Make an espresso shot with either an espresso machine, stove top espresso machine, or a french press. Espresso zealots will cry foul on the french press but that is what I do at the moment. I just make the ratio of coffee to water unconscionably powerful.

Pour the milk into a small pot. Heat over low heat and whisk the milk. Ensure it does not boil. You will never get that much foam with this method and it's a slight bastardization of the way to steam milk but it'll do if you don't have an espresso machine or hand held milk steamer.

Pour shot and milk into a mug.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

Honey Strawberry Banana Protein Milk Smoothie

I'm detoxing for today so sticking with liquids. The protein count on this one is somewhat lower than a traditional protein smoothie but it uses egg whites so you can adjust accordingly if you would like more protein in it. Anyways, make a batch, store in the refrigerator, and just re-blend anytime you want some more. :)

Ingredients:

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 banana (3.5 oz)

4oz strawberries

1 Tablespoon of honey (increase if not sweet enough)

2 egg whites (increase if you want more protein)

Creates 3 cups (1 serving = 1 cup).

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 99.17 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: .32 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: 20.32 g

Protein (g) per Serving: 5.68 g

Sodium: 30.53 mg

Cost Per Serving: $0.38

Directions:

Heat egg whites on a skillet. Make sure they are cooked (for safety reasons) but NOT overdone. I recommend turning the heat off prematurely so they will continue to cook on the pan.

Put egg whites into freezer or refrigerator to cool. I recommend 15-30 minutes.

Throw all ingredients blender. Order does not matter here.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a glass.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

Homemade Vanilla Extract

After paying 10 dollars for FOUR ounces of vanilla extract at Whole Foods, I said to myself "screw that." Turns out vanilla extract is quite easy to make and I can make it at home for under half the store price! It only has three ingredients: vanilla beans, vodka, and patience. Vanilla Beans can be purchased off Amazon for 25 dollars for half a pound (which will make approximately 12 cups of vanilla extract). Vodka is freely available. I chose to use Smirnoff.

Ingredients:

12 vanilla beans (4 beans per cup ratio)

750 ml vodka

Creates 3 cups. 1 serving is 1 ounce. Makes 24 servings (1 cup = 8 oz).

Cost Per Serving: $1.00*

* For 3 cups, I used 1/4th of the 25 dollars of vanilla beans or roughly 6 dollars. I paired this with an 18 dollar bottle of vodka for total ingredient price of 24 dollars. 3 cups is 1 ounce, for 24 total ounces.

Directions:

Cut open vanilla beans down the middle so the black insides are exposed.

Open vodka bottle.

Take a shot.

If you skipped step 3, do it now. Otherwise, you will cause spillage and overflowing vodka in the next step. Never waste liquor.

Drop vanilla beans in.

Close the bottle and shake.

Put somewhere dark and only take out to shake every day for the first week and then once every few days after wards.

Do not use before 1 month of extraction. But allow the extraction to continue as long as vanilla beans will turn the vodka amber.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.

[cookwithmeee]

Honey Milk Banana Smoothie

Opted for something lighter today as I have a surplus of bananas at the moment.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup crushed ice

1 banana (3.5 oz)

2 teaspoons of honey (increase if not sweet enough)

Creates 1 tall glass or 2 shorter glasses (1 serving = 1 short glass).

Nutritional Facts:

Calories Per Serving: 79.71 cal

Fat (g) per Serving: .18 g

Carbs (g) per Serving: 18.91 g

Protein (g) per Serving: 2.53 g

Sodium: 30.53 mg

Cost Per Serving: $0.18

Directions:

Throw all into blender. Order does not matter here.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a glass, top with some honey, and stick a straw in.

Enjoy!

NOTE: All content in this blog is original and includes images, nutritional information and recipe costs for each post.