It's National Marshmallow Toasting Day!

In celebration of National Marshmallow Toasting Day, I've put together marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate otherwise known as S'mores! I wanted to reinvent the classic American treats  while delivering the same chocolaty taste everyone grew up loving. 

 

 To make the batter, use a stand mixer to  beat 1 egg, and combine 20 oz of sweet cream butter, 1/4 cup of yogurt, 1 tsp of sugar, 3 chocolate bars (melted), and 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa. 

To make the crust, you will need to grind about 9 whole graham crackers and 1 tbs of brown sugar in a food processor. Using a blender was inefficient, so I had to manually smash it in a plastic bag and blend the rest.

 

Use 1/2 a stick of melted butter and mold the crumbs with your hands or pulse it in a food processor until it looks like wet sand.

 

Using a mini cupcake pan, spoon one tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup. Press crumbs with spoon or fingers to form shallow cups. Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter to top the crust then spread the mixture finely over it.

 

Top the smores cup with a couple of mini marshmallows. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 4-5 minutes. Allow for them to cool then  run a butter knife around the edges of the crust to loosen them up. 

If you want to have the campfire-charred marshmallows, I used a wooden skewer to slightly torch them for a few minutes. 

Tiny Tostada Tacos

These are some of my favorite Mexican ingredients! I love refried beans and always request it in my burritos. Avocados usually comes with an additional fee when purchasing condiments for your food, but I relish in the fact that it's very rich and creamy, but in a healthy kind of way. As you can tell in my Cilantro Caprese Salad post, I can eat both raw whole or cherry tomatoes on it's own. Fresh tomatoes are naturally good for your overall health and I heard they promote beautiful skin and hair, too (health bonus points!).

 

This was the twitter photo I posted last night!  Were you able to tell what they were?

 

I heated the beans in a small pot over the stove for 5 minutes to make them warm and easy to scoop into the Tostitos.  The chopped avocados and tomatoes were next to go in and you can decide to add in other ingredients like I did. I chose to add some more color so I had American cheese and sour cream for a better salty and sour element, too. You can also substitute refried beans for ground beef if you're not a fan of beans, but I personally enjoyed these knowing that it's pack with everything nutritious!

Single Sided Braid

Sometimes having straight hair can be a bit dull and bland, so adding a simple braid can keep long hair interesting and attract attention away from the old hairdo. I took three small strands from the first layer of my hair and started braiding in a normal braid until I reached the ends of my hair.  I especially thought the braid can lead one's gaze to this sleeveless black and white polka dotted peplum blouse from H&M.  It's flirty enough to be worn with comfortable shorts during a humid, summer day and closed toe flats worked well for a more dressy casual attire. The adorable charm bracelets styles perfectly with this outfit and brings a sweet touch to this overall look.

Insanity Workout

My Reason To Stay Fit #1: To Say that I Completed the Insanity Challenge

The Insanity program is a great way to get in shape at home. I would like to consider Insanity a cardio-version of P90X. It's important to stick to their work-out schedule or else it's back to Day 1. The first time I attempted the second day routine, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought I was done after the warm-up session. It's high intensity interval training that requires you to exert a lot of energy into a demanding physical workout. It's not recommended for individuals with a low level of physical fitness, pre-existing injuries or serious medical conditions according to LiveStrong's review of the program so be very careful. It's fine to go slow and take small breaks in between routines during the first couple of weeks because the goal of the program is to make you stronger overtime. I'm on my third week and happy to say that I've been consistent with the program. I know what to expect now so I'd even try to sneak in a couple moves that I skipped during water-break and catch up on the next move. I would like to update you on my progress as it is motivation for me to keep going. Perhaps, on Fit-Test day, I can compare results that I have written down from the first time I've done it.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

 

You must try this quick and easy cinnamon roll recipe! Granted these mini cinnamon rolls might be the big, fat, and gooey cinnabon rolls that I loved as a kid, but these pop-in-your-mouth bites only takes less than 20 minutes to make and are a perfect snack to have any day of the week.

The first photo shows the ingredients of the cinnamon rolls and the photo on the bottom is for the icing.
You only need one tube of crescent roll dough, 2 tablespoon of butter, and however much cinnamon and brown sugar to sprinkle over your dough.

Rip off the wrapping of the crescent roll tube where instructed to do so. Once you lay out the two layers of dough, you can either pinch the seams together or roll the dough in a ball like I did. I then used a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a shape that is about 1/4 thick.

I applied 1 tablespoon of melted butter onto one side of the dough using a brush. Then I used a knife to cut through the dough into a more rectangular shape so that each roll can be evenly sliced.

Sprinkle as much brown sugar and cinnamon as you wish, but don't overdo it or else it might be too sweet especially with the icing. Carefully roll the dough into one log, and cut into even slices.

I rubbed 1 tablespoon of butter in each space of the mini muffin tin. The rolls were baked in my microwave-oven at 275 degrees, but you can refer to your crescent roll dough package directions and frequently check on the rolls as it is baking. As soon as it's done, you can see the sparkly glaze of the brown sugar like this before and after picture above.

For the icing, stir together 1 tablespoon of milk and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar or however much is needed for desired thickness. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls, pair it with your favorite hot beverage and get ready to experience the sweet bites packed with bold and incredible flavors!