Orange Julius Smoothie

The secret ingredient that makes this taste wayyy better than just slushy orange juice is…….Frozen mango!
The Three Bite Rule - Orange Julius Smoothie
This was so fresh, light, and perfect for the morning.

Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie

Ingredients: (for 1 large, or 2 small)

1 cup ice
1 cup almond milk
1 cup frozen mango
2 clementines (or 1 orange)
1 cup orange yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend the milk, ice, and frozen mango. (The mango being frozen is really important to the consistency.)
Then add in the yogurt and clementines/orange.
The Three Bite Rule - Orange Julius Smoothie
Blend and enjoy! Add another splash of milk if needed.
The Three Bite Rule - Orange Julius Smoothie
I looooved this! It wasn’t as tart as it would have been with strictly oranges. The mango and vanilla are both the touches this smoothie needs to go from being acidic to a gentle orange flavor. I gave the little one some but he wasn’t into it – I think it was too cold.

Croissant Croque Monsieur

This is THE sandwich which will make you believe in sandwiches for dinner. This is not your lunch box sandwich. The French know what they’re doing with this one. The Croque monsieur is grilled ham and cheese with a béchamel and some cheese melted on top. This knife-and-fork sandwich is lovely for dinner and I twisted it up with a croissant for the bread. If you add an egg it becomes a croque madame…though, adding an egg didn’t seem like it’d be stable on the croissant.

The Three Bite Rule - Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur (for 2)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 croissants
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
4 slices ham, rolled & sliced

Directions:

In a small pot, bring the milk and cream cheese to a simmer to melt. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes then reduce to low heat to thicken.
Slice the croissants and toast on a baking sheet for 5 minutes to gently toast.
Then top the bottom croissant half with most of the cheese, the ham, and a sprinkle of pepper.
The Three Bite Rule - Croque Monsieur
Spoon some of the cream sauce on top.
The Three Bite Rule - Croque Monsieur
Add another sprinkle of cheese and put the top croissant on and pop back into the oven just to melt the cheese.
Spoon a drizzle of sauce over the top.
The Three Bite Rule - Croque Monsieur
Serve (with a fork & knife) and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Croque Monsieur
Ohh Monsieur Croque, you’re delightful on a croissant. Using good cheese is important for this guy. I shredded the cheese for prime melting capability and chopped the ham for ease of distributing onto an arch-shaped croissant. The sauce is so much faster and easier than a roux. I liked the cheesy-hint from the cream cheese.

Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

A new pizza format!! I saw somebody make one with a lot of garlic oil on the Food Network and that’s just what I did! It becomes super crispy like pan pizza. I loved it and will use more dough to make it again. The pan gets warm and starts cooking the bottom of the dough and then goes into the oven to cook from the top. The one-two punch!

The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Sausage & Pepper Cast Iron Skillet Pizza (for 2)

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausage links
1/2 ball of pizza dough
1/2 green bell pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
In a medium skillet, remove the sausage from the casting and cook through – about 5-7 minutes breaking apart with a spoon.
In a large cast iron skillet, warm to medium-low heat and add in the oil and the garlic grated or very finely chopped. Cook for about 5-8 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic too much.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Drain the sausage onto paper towels to remove the oil. Then add in the pepper to cook and soften for just a few minutes, then remove.
Stretch out the dough, or roll it to the size of the pan (my pan was very large and I could have used the whole dough ball – the crust could go along the edge). Lay it into the hot pan over medium heat.
Spoon the sauce onto the crust, then top with cheese, cooked sausage, and peppers – cooking for about 5 minutes.
Put into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges brown & the bottom crisps.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Lift from the pan to remove while keeping any remaining oil in the pan and not onto the pizza.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Let sit for about 2 minutes, then slice & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
I loved allllll the crispy and chewy crust! It had a nicely sweet garlic flavor since it gets to gently cook while the other toppings are prepped. I read some blog posts of skillet pizza who touted the little amount of oil. I went for it. Big time. This was crunchy and packed with flavor without being grossly greasy…just greasy enough.

I’ll make this pizza again. It has great texture and was a perfect alternative from super thin crust on the pizza stone.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Epic Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast sandwiches are one of my fav foods so I decided to give it a twist with hashbrowns and a sweet sauce, crisp bacon, and sharp cheddar. Yesssss.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Also. I baked the hashbrowns in the bacon drippings. Necessary.

Epic Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon
4 hash brown patties
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 eggs
2 slices sharp cheddar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Set up a baking sheet (one that has edges) topped with a cooling rack. Spray with non-stick spray and lay the bacon onto the cooling rack. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until crisp.
When the bacon is crisp, remove and let drain on paper towel.
Careful (it is hot!) remove the cooling rack, and pop the hash brown patties onto the baking sheet and bake according to the package – flipping partway through. Mine took about 18 minutes to get very crispy.
While the hash browns are cooking, mix together the mustard, mayo, and maple syrup.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
When the hash browns are crispy on both sides, pan fry the eggs. Flip and add the sliced cheese on top.
(Some sauteed spinach or greens would be nice here too – mine had gone too far so I had to skip it).
While the eggs cook, smear some maple-dijon sauce onto the bottom hash brown (then greens if you’re using).
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Top with bacon then with the egg & cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Then top with the top hash brown.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Yum. I loved these. They were a tiny bit tricky to pick up…more of a fork-and-knife dish. I really wanted some garlicy wilted greens inside here, but my greens were slimy. No thank you.

The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
This little place near work makes a breakfast sandwich with this maple-y mustard sauce. It is just the surprise to keep this alive. I mellowed mine out with 1 part mayo because for some reason this dijon is knock-yo-socks off tangy.

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

This smoothie was for breakfast, but definitely suggested dessert. The coconut was light and the caramel felt like a treat. Whenever bananas are on their way out I chop them into chunks and freeze them. They make smoothies so creamy. I kept it as simple as possible for a breakfast, but would also love this with a touch of chocolate or coffee.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 serving

1 frozen banana
1 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup ice cubes
6 oz coconut Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons caramel ice cream topping + 1 teaspoon for garnish

Directions:

In a blender, add in the banana, coconut almond milk, ice, and yogurt.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Add in the caramel sauce. Blend again. Pour in another drizzle of milk, if needed.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Pour into a cup, and drizzle with caramel. Enjoy!IMG_6135

SO good! It was sweet, but so delicious. The banana, the yogurt and the almond milk made it filling while the caramel made it delightfully special. And if we’re being real, sometimes that’s exactly what a Tuesday needs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie