Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
-3 cups flour
-2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like your cupcakes)
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 tsp baking soda
-2/3 cup vegetable oil
-2 cups water
-2 Tbs vinegar
-2 tsp vanilla

Filling
-1(8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
-1 egg
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24+ muffin cups with paper liners.
Cupcake mixture: In large bowl, mix together flour, 2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar, cocoa powder, 1 tsp salt and baking soda. Stir in oil, water, vinegar and vanilla until blended.
Filling Mixture: In medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour cupcake mixture into muffin cups, filling each 1/3 full. Add spoonful of filling mixture into each cupcake. Pour remaining cupcake mixture into muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool to let filling set. Great stored in the fridge for the next day. Tasty with chocolate or cream cheese frosting, but also delicious by themselves.

Recipe from allrecipies.com

The 4-Hour Body Recipe Ideas

Some High Protein and/or Low Carb Meal Ideas for those doing The 4 Hour Body:The 4-

Fish tacos (fish, cabbage, salsa, maybe tarter sauce)

Chicken Breast broiled or baked with olive oil and herbs

Rachel's Meaty Zucchini Casserole

Lettuce wraps

• P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

Soups

• Chicken and Rice Soup (minus the rice)
• Lentil soup
• Vegan Tomato Soup

Salads 

• Taco Salad 

Chili

• Tavias White Chicken Chili 

Crockpot

• Crock pot chicken and black beans

Beans - Try adding cumin to the beans and mixing with cooked veggies.

Spinach, tuna and bean salad with oil and vinegar

Add more as you think of them!

 

 

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup softened butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Apple Dip

1 8oz pack cream cheese
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all together. Spread into caserrole dish. Pour caramel on top and then sprinkle with crushed heath bar.

creamy mushroom sauce

8 oz mushrooms, cut
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cream
2 tablespoons fresh dill

Heat up a pan and saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic in 2 TBS olive oil until mushroom starts to golden and the onion is soft. Add chicken stock, cream and fresh dill
Let simmer 5 minutes and season with (a lot of) salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parm cheese on top.

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts 
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped 
16 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided 
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (I used some from a bag--cheaper) 
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened 
2 1/2 - 3 cups milk1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided 
12 oven ready lasagna noodles (so not pre-cooked when assembled)

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.
COMBINE chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and tomatoes. Beat cream cheese, milk and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 Tbsp. basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture. 
SPREAD half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover. 
BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve. 

Restaurant Style Salsa

1 can 28 oz whole tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10 oz) rotel (diced tomatoes & green chilies) (or use 1 original and 1 mild)
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1/2-1 whole jalepeno, quartered and sliced thin
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 c. cilantro or more to taste
juice from 1 lime

(makes a large batch so you might have to process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl if it won't all fit)

combine tomatoes with juice, rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like (about 10-15 pulses). test seasonings with tortilla chips and adjust as needed. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad or beet salad)

Ingredients:

• 2 small beets or 1 big beet, cooked, peeled and diced
• 3 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots , cooked, peeled and diced
• 1/2 lb of corn
• 1 lb of broccoli or less
• 2 stalks of celery finely chop
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced - optional
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash of cumin
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
• Parsley to garnish - optional

Preparation:

I usually cook the beets, potatoes and carrots together in a small amount of water (maybe 1 inch from bottom to top). The carrots will cook first, then the potatoes and last the beets. In another pot I cook the chicken, and when the chicken is semi cooked I will add the corn and broccoli. In a big bowl mix all ingredients, I sometimes do not feel like eating chicken and the salad still tastes great. I most of the time put mayonnaise in my salad because I like mayonnaise a lot but if you don't want to use mayonnaise you could replace it by using the juice of two lemons or limes instead of one. I accompany this salad with white plain rice. Makes about 5 servings.

macaroni salad (from ruth)

4 cups uncooked elbo macaroni
1 cup mayo
1/4 c white vinegar
2/3 c sugar
2 1/2 tbs mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small purple onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
2 tbs chipped pimiento peppers (no thanks)

Cook noodles. Rinse under cold water. In large bowl mix mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. stir in onion, celery green pepper, carrot, minentos and macaroni. refrigerate 4+ hours.

Sweet & Sour Chicken (better than restaurant)

This recipe is so so good and it is way better than any take out. You have to try it! One silly thing that happened to me while making this recipe, I had huge chicken breast pieces and I did not realize until the sauce was not enough to mix with all the chicken I had. I probably doubled the chicken recipe but did not double the sauce recipe. I also sauted 1 red and 1 green pepper in the same frying pan that you browned the chicken.

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (small)
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:
For the chicken, cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve over rice.
Recipe and picture by Melskitchencafe