Chocolate Cake in a Cup

Ever been in the mood for a chocolatey treat but have NOTHING in the cupboards? Or you want something quick and don't feel like going through the hour long hassle of baking? This is the perfect solution! A little too perfect actually. It's too easy to do, which can be a little dangerous :) But if you are really wanting a quick treat, this is awesome.

I've tried quite a few of these mug cake recipes and this is by far the easiest, not to mention the best tasting and the best texture. Many of them turn out very spongey, but this one is perfect.

Here's what you need:

1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar

And....that's it! You can add a splash of vanilla and any extra bits if you desire. We often drop in a handful of chocolate chips and/or marshmallows to kick it up a notch.

Mix them all together (the egg is beneath the sugar and cocoa in this pic).

Pop in the microwave for 30-50 seconds. My daughter likes her very dry so we go for 50 seconds for her. For a moister cake, go for 30-40.

You end up with a crazy looking lump of a cake, but it's delicious!! You can top with powdered sugar, ice cream, or whipped cream, but this cake is plenty sweet enough to not need anything extra.

(I don't remember where I found this recipe, it's been quite awhile, but similar recipes can be found at Babble, and Chocolate Chocolate and More

Fruit Smoothies

I am a huge fruit nut so smoothies are right up my alley. As usual, I go as simple as possible :)

You'll need:

Frozen fruit (whatever you'd like - I usually use the tropical mix or strawberries and blueberries from Sam's Club)
Milk (can also use yogurt or water for a thinner consistency - I like to make mine thick like milk shakes)
Honey or Agave nectar
vanilla

I tend to eyeball stuff like this rather than measure so the measurements are a guesstimate...

I take about 2 cups of frozen fruit
1/2 to 1 cup of milk (depending on desired thickness)
1 tablespoon of honey or agave nectar (or two rotations around the blender as I do it - do this to taste, depends on how sweet you want it) ;-)
a splash of vanilla

Blend up and enjoy!

To make it a little extra special, add a dollop of whipped cream to the top :)

Lasagna Cups and Cucumber Salad

Lasagna Cups

These are super easy to make and are so fun :) You basically take regular lasagna fixings but instead of using noodles, you are going to use wonton wrappers.

Just take regular lasagna filling -
Meat sauce (I go as easy as possible - browned hamburger, spaghetti sauce and seasonings to taste)
Cheese - I used ricotta and mixed it with shredded mozerella, can also use cottage cheese

1. Take the wonton wrappers and layer one in the bottom of the muffin tin (I wanted more coverage so I used two and placed them kitty corner to each other so each of the four corners was pointing up)
2. Add your meat sauce and cheese filling
3. Another wonton wrapper (I just used one here, sort of lay it over the top and tuck it in)
4. More meat sauce/cheese, etc until you reach the top (I think I got 3 layers in). 
5. Then a bit of meat sauce and shredded cheese on top. 
6. Bake on 375 for 20 mins. 

They are easy to eat by hand if you let them cool a little And I didn't have any problems with them sticking to the pan even without any kind of spray.

For the cucumber salad pictured above:

This is one of my husband's favorites (he's the one who makes it) :D It's super simple and sooo yummy.

You'll need:

2 med cucumbers
2 large seeded roma tomatoes
1 med red onion
1/2 green bell pepper

The dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp dill
1 TBSP parsley
4 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP white vinegar
1 tsp season salt

Chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces and toss in a bowl with the dressing. It's amazing over salad or just eaten on its own.

We All Scream For Ice Cream...Bread!

Yep, I said ice cream bread. It's ridiculously easy ya'all and it's yummy! I found the recipe on The Hungry Housewife (through Pinterest, of course) and my kids went crazy over it :)

This is what you need:

2 Cups Ice Cream, any flavor, softened
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour (If you don't have self-rising (I never do) just add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for every cup of flour (sift together).

Annnd, yep, that's IT! :)

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray and flour a loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper.

Mix the ice cream and flour together until just combined. Smooth it into the loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs).

Then enjoy!!

We used Neapolitan ice cream - next time I'd probably use something with a stronger flavor. The bread was a bit bland, but still a nice yummy treat :)