Hi, I'm Rachel.

A few years ago I could barely boil water.

True story.

Determined to be a kick ass wife, I developed a love for football and learned to cook in my tiny Jersey City kitchen. I spend my days working in Manhattan, my nights and weekends chasing after a rambunctious toddler, and the hours in between cooking with my husband and feeding my TV habit...oh, and I blog about it all! 

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Entries in cheddar (1)

Thursday
Mar082012

Cheeseball Bites + Your Favorite Workout

Well helloooooo there.

I'm happy to announce that I went to the gym again last night. I know this might not seem like a big feat for many of you, but for me, it makes me feel good about myself. I just haven't been into running lately, and so I've been tracking down some workouts online.

On Monday, I did the Best of the Best from Oxygen magazine. Shaun actually did this workout with me (don't tell him it was from a women's magazine ;) ). My entire upper body and core was sooooooo incredibly sore after that one! This morning it finally feels a bit better but wow.

Last night, I changed it up slightly with some different moves and used Young Married Chic's Cookie Burn Workout, also adapted from Oxygen. I enjoyed that this one included some light cardio - I mixed it up between jumping jacks, butt kicks and fake jump rope (aka jumping without the actual rope).

Oh and I followed both with a little 8-minute legs...thanks to my sisters for the tip on that one! I am loving that quick yet effective workout!

I'm always on the hunt for new ideas so...What is your workout of choice?

So during football playoff season, I made these little cheeseballs. Because what's better than a giant-sized cheeseball? Little cheeseballs, of course :)

These were so easy and so fun. I whipped them up quickly, let them sit in the refrigerator for a little bit and then rolled them up. My cheeseballs of choice were feta and sharp cheddar. But you can really use any kind of cheese you want. I think goat cheese would be fantastic. Or maybe blue cheese, with a dollop of honey mixed in for good measure. Hmph.

I lined them up on a cute platter and served them with my favorite Club Multigrain crackers. You actually don't even need the crackers...after all, nothing says party like popping a cheeseball!

Duo of Cheeseball Bites

Each recipe makes about 16 cheeseballs
1 WW Points+ per bite

for the feta cheeseball bites:
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
3 oz. reduced fat feta crumbles (about 1/2 of a 5 oz. container)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic cloves, minced
black pepper, to taste
1/2 C walnuts, finely diced


for the cheddar cheeseball bites:
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 C reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp paprika
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1/2 C walnuts, finely diced

To make either recipe:
Beat the cream cheese until soft. Add the cheese and beat to combine. Add in remaining ingredients/spices and beat until fully combined and fluffy.

Pour out the mixture onto plastic wrap. Wrap up and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more. Roll into 1 Tbsp-sized balls and roll in walnuts. Set on platter and serve with crackers.

These can easily be made in advance and refrigerated until serving.

So cute.

So fun.

And my favorite part is that you can really add in any ingredient you want. So go for it!

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite kind of cheese? I love most cheeses and could pretty much eat it for every meal :) There is nothing better than a big plate full of manchego, brie, goat and sharp cheddar on crackers...with a glass of red wine!

What are your favorite workouts?

 

psst...it's link day on The Peach & The Pit! Head over to find some fun stuff from around the web.