Raspberry-Chocolate Shortbread Bars

These are yummy. Just plain yummy. I will give you the recipe first, then I will put my comments. I got this from "Tastier than Takeout" weight watchers cook book. There will be more recipes from this book to come.

Raspberry-Chocolate Shortbread Bars 30 servings 5 wwpp

2 cups reduced-fat buttermilk baking mix (I used low fat bisquik)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves (I used raspberry preserves with seeds in because I could not find any without and I do not have any problems with the seeds)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over rim of pan by 2 inches. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Whisk together baking mix, brown sugar, and butter in large bowl.

 Transfer 1/4 cup mixture to small bowl; set aside. Drizzle milk over mixture in large bowl and stir until evenly moistened. Turn into prepared pan and press to evenly cover bottom.

Bake until edges brown, about 15 minutes. (I baked mine for 10 minutes)

Put condensed milk and 1 cup chocolate chips in large microwavable bowl. Microwave on High 1 minute. Stir until chips are melted; microwave 10-15 seconds longer if necessary. Spread evenly over hot crust. Mix pecans into reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over filling.

Spoon jam by 1/2 teaspoonfuls over filling, spacing about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake until filling is set and jam is bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on rack. Lift from pan using foil. Cut into 30 bars.

Now I did say to myself, cut into 30 bars would make small bars and it does. I enjoy the small bars though. It is too sweet when you have 2 (and you shouldn't because it is 10 points!)

I enjoy these a lot but I wish I could separate the raspberry preserves out more because my first bar all I got was chocolate. That was nice because I love chocolate but it kind of bummed me out. When you get a glob of raspberry, it is a lot of raspberry. I would change that.

I do really really like these though. Try them out. :)

Have a great day!

Neon Splash Dash 2013 - My first 5k

Ok, so I asked people on my Facebook and they said that they want to know about my 5k experiences. I am new to 5k(s) or to running, actually.

I tried couch to 5k last year and I got halfway through and I got sick and then never started again. While I was working towards my goal of running a 5k with that program, I saw a Groupon for $25 Neon Splash Dash 5k. It tells you on the program to sign up for a 5k in the future to keep you motivated to end up running a 5k with ease.

Now, I am a penny pincher and Pierce, my fiance, had to run a 5k for his class in college so he signed up too.

We arrived 2 hours early because we didn't know what to expect. There were so many sponsors there. I didn't even really notice that 2 hours had passed because Pierce and I were talking to so many people and seeing so many different things. It really kept my mind off of the fact that I was not prepared to run a 5k.

Here are some before pictures:

Then we lined up and there were lights flashing all around us and it was becoming very real. This was not just a party, I actually had to complete a 5k or 3.1 miles. Mind blown at that moment as we are getting closer and closer to the starting line. Really, I just wanted to hang out with the vendors and dance to music the whole time. I don't know if Pierce knew this but I was truly scared.

It is our time to start and we start off with a good slow jog, then slow to a walk because I am so out of shape and I cannot do this! In high school I could barely jog a mile! That was at the peak of my fitness! A good friend of mine named Melissa told me that it is all in your head. All those nasty thoughts about you not being able to do it are all up there. Your muscles can carry you 3.1 miles.

Pierce was very patient with me and we made a plan. We started jogging when we saw the color stations. We could walk all the rest of the way if we wanted but we had to jog once we saw the station and that really worked for us. We jogged most to all of the 5k and we felt great doing it!

The color that they sprayed us with was in these big tubs and they had water guns that they would fill up and spray you with. It illuminated under the back lights. It was cold up against the skin, which was great because I was so hot from running.

After we passed the finish line, we took photos and danced to the music and after from a food truck and it was a really great experience. The best part afterwards, in my opinion, would be the Lemonade Day people. If you do not know about what they are doing, it is a great cause for young people and teaching them about being business owners. They were giving away little cups of lemonade. That had to have been the best lemonade I have ever tasted in my life.

It was a great experience. If you think you can't do it, you are so wrong! I know you can! Actually so great that we signed up for a 5k the following Saturday...

Some after pictures:

 

What I need to know from you...

So guess who has been really bad with posting on her blog recently... Yep, that would be me... I am sorry. Would y'all be interested in my experiences doing 5k(s) recently or just recipes? Let me know please.

I can post pictures and talk about the 5k(s) and also about what I do to get fit. Just comment and let me know.

 

Have a great day!