Cinnamon Carrot Muffins

WOW it’s been such a long time since I posted a recipe!  “Chatting” with a friend today on Facebook reminded me of how far I’ve come with this clean-eating/whole foods journey.  Back in 2010, when I started, I was a total newbie out to change two products a month in my pantry to the cleaner version.  I gave myself a 5-year goal.  LOL! It’s insane how fast and furious the whole food revolution has come.  Back in 2010, what I was doing was new, different, and out-of-the-ordinary.  Now most people understand {even if not always perfectly implemented} how to eat “clean” – which is AWESOME!

There is a huge spectrum of clean/healthy/whole foods eating, and I am definitely not at the most extreme end.  There are many people eating both a lot better and a lot worse than I do.  I mostly aim to eat whole foods and organic when I can afford it.  This is what works for our family! Wherever YOU are on the journey, just keep educating yourself and aiming to make better and better choices as the months and years go on.  Any gains you make in this area are positive!  {For my recipes, click here.  For my Clean Eating posts and journey {including almost all of my recipes}, click here.}

 

Anyway, on to this yummy recipe!

The great thing about carrots is that they are relatively cheap {even organic carrots!} and they keep for a long time when compared to many other vegetables.  With spring arriving soon, I thought I’d share these muffins.  How fun would they be for a little Easter brunch or Springtime party? Really, they’re great year-round.  They have been a big hit in our family! They’re a great snack for toddlers, too, since the carrots mostly dissolve – leaving a soft muffin that has some great vegetable nutrition in it! I love that they are simple and *just* sweet enough.  I like mine sliced open with a little butter but they are really nice as-is, too.  :)

 

 

Cinnamon Carrot Muffins
{Adapted from Whole Living Magazine, April 2011}

Dry ingredients:
1 1/4 C white whole wheat flour  {I like King Arthur brand!}
2 T ground flax seed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

 

Wet ingredients:
1/3 C vegetable oil {I like Spectrum brand organic canola at Target}
1/3 C buttermilk **don’t worry – you can make your own below!
2 large eggs
3/4 C unpacked light brown sugar or turbinado sugar {I’ve done both}
1 C finely grated carrots {maybe 3 or 4 depending on size}
1/4 C water

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray.

Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl. 

Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Fold dry ingredients into wet and mix until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin cups. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes depending on your oven.  Cool in pan slightly then transfer to wire rack. 

Enjoy!! 

 

**You can always easily make your own buttermilk by using milk and white vinegar.  Put 1 T of vinegar into a measuring cup, then fill with milk up to the 1 C line.  Stir and then wait a minute or two for it to sour the milk.  So for this recipe, use 1 tsp of white vinegar, fill with milk to the 1/3 C line, stir and wait a moment before using in the recipe. 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

So…I made a fall bucket list this year and we have so far completed all but one of the items.  We have been doing fun family activities every weekend {well except for two weekends we were sick} and it has just been a blast.  We have been having the best fall EVER – there was a period of about 18 months of Luke’s life where he struggled pretty bad with anxiety and social situations and events were so stressful for us they weren’t even worth it.  But we’ve come out on the other side and now doing stuff with our boy is so, so fun.  And having a baby girl to share it all with now, too?  Amazing. :)

I don’t have the energy right now to post our fall photos for you yet, but I did want to stop and share one of my new favorite breakfast recipes with you.  Chocolate + pumpkin = HELLO in my world. 

I’ve adapted this recipe from a recipe I found online.  My version is the way I personally make it {a little bit cleaner}.  If you’re more of an I’d-rather-die-than-eat-whole-wheat-flour kind of person, you’ll probably be more interested in the original recipe found here from Tastes Better from Scratch. 

But my version has chocolate. 

I’m just sayin’.  ;)

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 C milk
1 C pumpkin puree
2 flax eggs {2 T flax and 6 T warm water}
2 T oil
2 T white vinegar

Dry Ingredients:

2 C white whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar {unpacked is fine}
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt

Extra:

Chocolate chunks {I chopped pieces off of a dark chocolate bar I had in the house – but honestly semi-sweet chocolate chips works fine, too.}

 

Combine wet ingredients and allow to sit {the vinegar is basically making the milk into buttermilk so you want it to sit and “sour” for a few minutes.}

Combine dry ingredients and stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine – lumps are good in pancake recipes! You can either add your chocolate chunks now so that the entire batter has the chips in it OR drop the chunks of chocolate onto the pancakes after you pour the batter on the griddle.  This is what I typically do, since Chris doesn’t like chocolate in pancakes {I KNOW} and that way we can do half-and-half.  

Heat an oiled griddle/skillet over medium high heat.  Pour about 1/4 C of the batter for each pancake {these babies are thick so you won’t want to make them huge or they’ll never cook in the middle}.  Brown on both sides and serve with butter or syrup or whatever makes you happy. :)

Makes approximately 12 pancakes {but they’re thick!}

Enjoy!  I just know you will love them!

 

 

Okay and here’s one photo for you – this is Livi last weekend at the pumpkin patch.  My girl was soooooooooooooo happy to be there.  :)

 

Favorite Links and Recipes {What I’m Loving Lately}

I thought that today I’d share some of my favorite recipes and web links that I’ve either a} found to be delicious,  b} found to be encouraging,  or c} found to be delicious AND encouraging.  haha ;)

Enjoy!

 

{1} Chicken and Dumplings via Take Them a Meal

{photo via Take Them a Meal}

Last night I made chicken and dumplings for the first time EVER in my life.  I know, can you believe it?  I have no idea why I waited so long.  Oh my gosh, pure comfort food!  I followed this easy recipe from Janelle who blogs at Comfy in the Kitchen.  The only thing I did differently was to use my own homemade broth {because I already had it in my freezer} and cook my own chicken {basically I just boiled some chicken breasts until cooked, then shredded it.}  Highly recommend!  Mmmmm!

 

{2} Pumpkin Pie Syrup via Annie’s Eats

         {photo via Annie’s Eats}

 

THIS. SYRUP. IS. AMAZING.  You guys, seriously?  SERIOUSLY.  I’ve made several versions of pumpkin-pie “lattes” before and they always came out gritty and kinda gross, to be honest.  This one has you cook the ingredients together and then strain then (I did it twice and used my hand-held fine-mesh strainer.)  It is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS {imagine Oprah saying that when she announces her Favorite Things show.  lol}  I’ve just been using it in my coffee with some milk…you could make it into a latte if you wanted to but you can also just add it to regular coffee!  So, so, sooooo good. 

You’re welcome in advance.  :)

 

{3} Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza via Kathy’s Kitchen

 

I had never thought to do this before, but it is so clever.  It made a delicious deep-dish pizza and it was a nice change {a nice change? what am I, 65?! lol} from regular pizza on a pizza pan.  Plus I love finding any and all excuses to use my cast-iron. :) We hardly ever buy pepperoni anymore (like maybe once a year?) but when we do I like to buy the Applegate farms version. 

 

 

{4} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins via Beneath My Heart

 

{photo via Beneath My Heart}

I don’t know about you guys, but every pumpkin recipe I’ve ever tried comes out super oily and soggy the next day.  This one DOESN’T.  Winner!  I think it might be the fact that there’s butter instead of oil in it.  Regardless, it’s delish.  {FYI, the recipe makes 2 dozen so half it if you only need 12.}

 

 

{5} Being Faithful in the Little Things by Kelly’s Korner

I don’t know why, but I literally had tears streaming down my face as I read this today.  Maybe it’s the fact that Luke was sick this week and now Livi is, and there has been a LOT of sleepless nights, but it just really spoke to my heart today.  Being faithful in the little things does matter to God.  I hope you can read it and be encouraged!

 

 

{6} Women Living Well Conference – Live Webcasts on Women Living Well

Several bloggers I read came together in August to hold a “Women Living Well” conference in Ohio.  They’re now putting up an hour’s worth of the conference every Thursday night at 9:00 for the next several weeks.  I watched last week and was really encouraged and I’m really looking forward to tonight’s!  It’s all about encouraging women to be great wives, mothers, and Christians.  If you can’t watch tonight, they’ll have it up until 9:00 Friday night if you need to maybe watch during your kiddos’ naptimes tomorrow afternoon. :)

Okay, I think that’s it!  Have you ever tried any of these recipes, by any chance?  Also, am I the only person to never make chicken and dumplings before?! :)

 

I think you should know that I originally titled this post “What I’m Loving Wednesday” intending to link up with a blog party…and I only just realized 2 seconds ago that today is THURDSAY!  hahahaha!  Oh well, one day closer to the weekend, right?!  I told you I didn’t get a lot of sleep this week! :)

10 Delicious Ways to Use Up Extra Squash And Zucchini!

 

YOU GUYS!!!! I actually EDITED A PHOTO AND PUT IT ON MY BLOG!  hahaha!  This is a huge first for me.  So don’t laugh at how dark the photo is…or that it’s probably out of focus.  I am learning. 

Slowly.  But hey, I’m getting there. 

I figured around this time of the year, most people fall into one of two categories:  either a) you have zucchini falling out of your garden, and not enough time to use it all {aka us last year} or b) you have friends with zucchini falling out of their garden, and they are happily giving it to you {aka us this year, because we have awesome friends}.  I actually love the taste of zucchini and squash, so I thought it might be fun to do a compilation so that you can see the ways we like to cook it in our house! 

Enjoy! :)

 

{1}

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from This Blessed Life

- Okay, shameless plug for my own recipe – but these muffins are like eating chocolate cupcakes for breakfast.  All the zucchini dissolves while baking – you’d never in a MILLION years guess these were full of veggies! Chris and Luke get SO excited when I make them!

 

{2}

Zucchini Tots from The Curious Country Cook

{image via The Curious Country Cook}

- Only 5 ingredients and super yummy.  If you’re out of bread crumbs, or just want a clean option, you can follow my “recipe” here (just add Italian seasoning!).  You’d definitely want to triple or quadruple this for a family dinner, though – I ate 5 just myself. ;)

And we may or not be having this for dinner again tonight.  Two nights in a row.  They’re that good.

 

{3}

Cheesy Zucchini Pizza from Eat Live Run

{image via Eat Live Run}

- This pizza is DELECTABLE, FABULOUS, AWESOME, pick your adjective.  You won’t regret making it!

{4}
Zucchini Parmesan via Alicia’s Homemaking

{image via Alicia’s Homemaking}

- Nice vegetarian dinner option, and much easier (in my opinion!) than eggplant parm! 

 

{5}

Zucchini Sticks with Marinara 

I copied this years ago from a blog and don’t have the original link anymore.  (Sorry!!) But the great news is that you can use squash OR zucchini for this one!  Here’s the recipe for you:

1/3 C bread crumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
4 small zucchini or summer squash, cut into short strips and pulpy centers removed

Combine dry ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Dip squash in egg, then in crumb mixture. 

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.  We like to serve ours with warm marinara sauce sprinkled with more Parmesan cheese!  Mmmm!

 

{6}

Cheesy Squash Casserole from Paula Deen

{image via Food Network}

I made this once before when I had a ton of summer squash. It wasn’t my absolute favorite, but it was still tasty!  I didn’t use a vidalia onion, because all I had was a yellow one, so that might have affected the taste, as well. 

 

 

{7}

Zucchini Brownies from All Recipes

{image via All Recipes}

I’m having trouble finding the original brownie recipe I copied down years ago in the dark ages of 2007, but this is pretty similar.  I’d cut out the walnuts and the frosting, but that’s just me.  lol

 

{8}

Sauteed Zucchini and Squash

This is the way we always ate squash growing up – chopped into rings or small strips, often with a red bell pepper if my mom had one on hand.  Throw some olive oil in a pan and throw the squash on top.  Season with salt, pepper, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper if you like a little heat.  Cook on medium high until desired “doneness.” 

This is really good alongside burgers or grilled chicken!

 

-------------------------

And here are two more recipes that I’ve pinned but haven’t gotten the chance to try yet – they look awesome, though!

{1}
Zucchini Fritters from Alexandra’s Kitchen

{image via Alexandra’s Kitchen}

- She serves hers with homemade tzatziki sauce but I’m willing to bet they’d be pretty fabulous dipped in a little sour cream, too. ;)

{2}

Zucchini Chips from Vittles and Bits

{image via Vittles and Bits}

- Don’t these look so interesting?  They’re next on my list to try!

 

Hopefully this list inspires some of you!  What’s YOUR favorite way to cook these summer vegetables?  I’d love to hear – and if you have a link to share with me, even better! :)

My Favorite Vegan Snack & Giveaway Winner Announced!

I’m sitting here at my computer typing as fast as my fingers will let me – hoping I can get this post finished before we lose power!  You maaaay have heard of a little storm named Hurricane Sandy.  Yup, we’re living it right now!  Connecticut is currently getting tons of wind and rain.  Two of my good friends have already been without power for several hours.  Last year with Hurricane Irene, we lost power for 5 days.  It was no picnic, let me tell you.  I’m praying that God keeps it on for us this time!

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to show you this snack for months – but I keep forgetting to take a picture for you!  It’s the easiest snack ever, and it’s clean, and it’s vegan.  YAY!!! :)  The main ingredient is chickpeas - you might have a mental image of chickpeas in your head from salad bars at restaurants…chalky and icky.  These are nothing like what you’re used to, I promise!

Seriously, I almost considered calling these “crackpeas” as a joke because they are just that addicting.  Once you start, you can’t stop.  {Although take it from me – you’re gonna want to pace yourself with these puppies.  I mean, they’re beans.  Think that one through with me, people.  lol}

 

Roasted Chickpeas

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Open one can of chickpeas, rinse, and pat dry.  (This really helps them not to smoke in the oven.)  Dump onto a cookie sheet and douse with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Flip around with a spatula (pancake flipper) to incorporate.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown (they’ll crack open a little bit, and that’s normal).  Allow to cool slightly and add more salt and pepper if desired. 

These come out with such a meaty, savory taste.  They make such a yummy topping for salads or can be eaten by the handful plain, as well. 

Seriously, don’t knock them ‘til you try them!  And try not to eat the whole pan.  I dare you. ;)

----------------------------

The winner of the Mimi and Chip giveaway, chosen by Rafflecopter, was Amy of The Blessed Mom!  Congratulations, Amy!!!!!  Send me your mailing info to blessedlifeblog{at}gmail{dot}com and I’ll pass it on to Megan! :)

Whole-Wheat Monkey Muffins

I have a delicious breakfast treat for you today that both kids and adults will love!  These muffins (I can’t take credit for the cute name) have peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate chips in them – they’re sooooo good!  The longer they cool, the more the peanut flavor comes out.   They’re perfect as a breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack – either way, I highly recommend eating them with milk. :)

My son Luke still really struggles with food textures and gagging, but many breakfast foods are one thing he consistently can eat without trouble, so I am always on the lookout for healthy breakfast items for him.  Love that these have the vitamins of bananas and the protein of all-natural peanut butter in them!  (And no, it totally doesn’t stress me out that he’s getting some chocolate chips in there, too – means to an end, baby! lol)

Pssst: As with many quick breads and muffins, these can be made EGG-FREE if you need them to be!  Just sub the 2 eggs for flax eggs (ground flaxseed and water) – the recipe still comes out great!

 

 

Monkey Muffins

{Adapted from Taste of Home Fall Freezer Meals; Fall 2011}

1/2 C butter, softened
1 C sugar
2 eggs (or 2 “flax eggs”)
1 C mashed ripe bananas (give or take about 2 large bananas)
2/3 C 100% all-natural peanut butter
1 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 C white whole wheat flour (white whole wheat is lighter for baking)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 C chocolate chips (mini or regular size)

 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the bananas, peanut butter, milk and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened.  Fold in the chips. 

Fill greased (or paper-lined) mini muffin cups 3/4 full.*  Bake at 350 degrees for about 14-16 minutes (only 13 minutes in my oven) or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  Serve warm. 

To freeze, wrap muffins in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.  When ready to eat, thaw at room temperature and warm if desired. 

*I like my mini-muffins a little bigger, so if you fill them all the way up you’ll probably need to cook for about an extra two minutes.   

Makes about 4 dozen mini-muffins (if you fill them up all the way like I do).

 

Enjoy them!

Linked to:

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday Around Here

I don’t do a lot of “our life” posts and I really want to be better about it.

So. :)

On Friday we took Starbucks to Chris at work.  My super hot and smart husband got a promotion at the end of July which means he now has his own office (as opposed to the concrete dungeon with no windows that he used to work in – no kidding, he showed it to me on his last week of work after 2 years there and I could have cried.  Might have been pregnancy hormones, but still).  This office has a big window and it’s spacious and so much happier.  Not to mention that he’s much happier, which is the most important thing to me. 

Luke loves to swirl in the office chair. He thinks it’s super fun to visit Daddy at work!  I love my boy in that Gap thermal.  I got it for $2 off a local Facebook resale site and I was SO happy that it fits him again this year! 

   

 

I was loving my Salted Caramel Mocha (decaf, don’t worry!).  Starbucks if you are reading will you please keep the salt alllll year long?  How hard could it be?  lol

I am also loving my new Essie “Very Structured” polish, borrowed from a friend.  It’s a beautiful burgundy-brown and it’s such a great fall color! 

 

While we were out we stopped at Christmas Tree Shop.  That store is like crack for moms on a budget.  For real.  The napkins were even cheaper at the register, so for $1.99 I got a little fall goodness!  Oh and the markdown action on the acorn totally cracked me up.  To me that is the mind of a distracted pregnant woman at work.  lol

 

On Friday afternoon I took dinner to a friend who’s been having a rough couple of weeks.  I love making meals for people because I remember how special it was when I had my rough recovery after Luke and people took the time to cook for us.  I whipped up some enchiladas, corn, and my pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  (Recipe for the cookies is here – they’re really yummy!) 

 

My boy was being a great helper…until he wasn’t.  I’ve never gotten a time-out-in-progress photo shot before but I’m holding on to this sucker until his wedding! I had to take it with the flash off since I was hiding behind the laundry room door and I didn’t want him to see me!  haha!

 

 

I LOVE when my favorite bloggers write books – and NieNie’s did not disappoint.  I read the entire thing on Friday.  No kidding.  I highly recommend it!  And if you don’t know who she is, her blog is NieNie Dialogues – one of the best.  (P.S. Kelle Hampton’s book Bloom was fabulous, too – although be forewarned of bad language if that bothers you. I read it when we still weren’t sure about Olivia’s situation – and it was incredibly inspiring and encouraging.)

 

For the rest of the weekend we mostly hung out at home doing house projects and playing with Luke.  Friends were supposed to come over but they both got colds (bummer) – but I was so excited to make a dessert I’d found that I made it anyway!  I have been SO into apples with this baby – no kidding, a lot of times I eat two a day – and this Apple Crisp Pizza (think apple crisp on a pie crust) was super fab. 

 

I didn’t change a thing – and I definitely recommend the caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream she suggests.  Caramel sauce from the store isn’t clean but in my opinion desserts are go big or go home!  :)

 

Today we went to church and then my parents stopped by for lunch and apple crisp.  Snapped this photo of my dad reading Luke his new favorite book – Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider.  My dad just adores Luke and the feeling is mutual. :)

Chris primed about 3/4 of Livi’s room – yay!!!! So I’m excited to start picking out paint samples this week.  Right now he’s giving Luke a bath and playing his harmonica while Luke splashes.  He taught himself to play this summer and he’s actually really amazing at it.  He just plays all.the.time.  I swear, it’s like living on the set of The Waltons over here.    We’ve worked out a deal where he can play outside or when he gives Luke baths.  haha

I have laundry humming in the dryer and in approximately 16 minutes  Luke will go to bed!  Yay!  :)

 

Have a fantastic week!

Souper Satisfying {haha}

There’s something so domestically satisfying about seeing big bowls of hearty soup cooling on the counter to be eaten as leftovers and then frozen later for another quick meal. 

 

 

Even if it is August.  And you’re pregnant.  And you had to have the a/c running full blast in your face in the dining room while you ate so that you didn’t have another hot flash. 

But still. :)

 

See my notes and the link to the recipe here – it’s fantastic and so easy! 

A Pinterest-Inspired Dinner Party

My sister is home for the week visiting and I told her I thought it would be fun to cook a bunch of foods we’d been wanting to try on our Pinterest boards and then serve them up to our family.  She thought it sounded like lots of fun so we started browsing our boards and came up with only one rule: it had to be a Pinterest recipe we’d never tried before. 

 

Well…we tried!  lol  But here’s the deal:

Our dad and brother won’t touch anything with sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, or cottage cheese.

My husband hates coconut.

Our mom can’t handle spicy foods.

Our sister-in-law doesn’t eat red meats. 

SO.  haha

After going back and forth, we decided to break our own rule and make the entrée something that my sister had made before.  Other than that, we made 4 other new dishes. 

 

It was SO much fun!  You could totally get together with friends and have a cooking day, or do this or with your sister or mom.  Jill and our friend Sara came over at 2 and we served dinner at 6 – so it really wasn’t that big of a time commitment. 

 

Here’s what we served, how we tweaked it, and what the family thought of it all:

1.  Southwestern-Style Egg Rolls

 

What we changed: I nixed the spinach (sounded gross) and forgot the chiles at the store (although I did add in green Tabasco sauce).  Once we got the hang of it, the wrappers were pretty easy to do (my sister is a wonton-wrapping genius!  :). 

Family votes: IN LOVE
Personal vote: 3 out of 5

These were good but Jill and I weren’t wowed.  We thought they were a little bland.  Although they’re different than your usual appetizer, so that was fun!

 

2.  Quick and Easy Salsa

What we changed: added a little more garlic; left out the jalapeno (for Mom); left out the honey because I like savory salsa, not sweet; used a small amount of cilantro. 

Family votes: IN LOVE.
Personal vote: 5 out of 5

This salsa is aaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmaaaaazing.  I want to eat it every day of my life.  I will be making it over and over and over again! *Note: it’s still pretty spicy, even without the jalapenos.*

 

3.  Chicken Enchilada Soup

 

This is where we had to cheat a little; my sister had already made this before, but because she and her husband loved it so we used it because it fit all of the family criteria.  lol

What we changed: used regular chili powder, not ancho; nixed the jalapenos (again, for mom); didn’t use cojita cheese and just used all pepper-jack instead.  We tried cooking this on the crockpot and after four hours the veggies were still crunchy so we ended up just finishing it on the stove.   Next time I will just cook it on the stovetop to begin with. 

Family votes: IN LOVE.
Personal vote: 4.5 out of 5

I love Mexican food so it’s hard for me to be disappointed.  This was very good, especially when topped with pepper-jack, a little sour cream, and some crushed up chips.  I think it was even better today for lunch.  Definitely going to be making it again!  We also served it with corn muffins (not from Pinterest). 

 

4.  Chewy Lemon Snowdrops

 

What we changed: salted butter instead of unsalted because I didn’t have any (just added less salt); honey rather than agave.

Family votes: Very good
Personal vote: 4 out of 5

I’m usually not crazy about lemony desserts, but I do have to say that these were pretty delish.  I recommend cooking them for 10 minutes (the recipe says 10-15) because they will continue to bake a little after you pull them out and I think they are better soft rather than on the crispy side.  Nice for summertime!

 

5.  Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

What we changed:  nothing (I normally buy all-natural peanut butter but for this I would recommend regular, creamy peanut butter.  Go big or go home, baby.)

Family votes: IN LOVE.
Personal vote: 5 out of 5

These are to die for.  No like literally I think they could put you into cardiac arrest!  lol  They are super rich and creamy and have that “authentic” Reese’s cup taste.  Sure, they’re not a health food, but everyone LOVED them – even our brother, who usually hates chocolate desserts.  You can’t go wrong if you bring these to a party!  And they are so rich that you could totally get away with making half a pan and cutting them into small, bite-sized squares. 

 

So that was our night!  We had a lot of fun with family and it was fun to check out some recipes we’d been wanting to try and add some new ones to the repertoire. 

Now I have to stare at the Reese’s bars in my fridge all day and will myself not to eat them.   I may have to name this baby Jif.  Or Skippy.  ;)

 

Linked to:

DIY: Accomplished @ Homemaker’s Challenge
Feasting in Fellowship Friday @ Comfy in the Kitchen

Tomato-Basil Pasta Salad

Life has been crazy lately and it’s about to get even more crazy with a family reunion, lots of traveling, and my brother’s wedding coming up!  So I will return at some point with the house series, but until then, here’s a recipe I thought I’d share.  Maybe you can bring it to a picnic this weekend!

This dish is something I literally threw together when I had a friend over for lunch recently.  I know a lot of people don’t feel confident as cooks – so I think one of the big secrets to successful cooking is to find ingredients that you enjoy eating, and then take it a step further and find combinations of ingredients that you enjoy eating together.  Keep those basic things on hand and you’ll almost always be able to whip up something tasty!  I’m pretty sure 90% of the meals I make are made from the same 15-20 pantry staples. :)

No fancy instructions here; just simple directions (and adjust as YOU feel is needed!)  Don’t like my pasta choice? Swap it!  Hate grape tomatoes?  Scrap them!  Don’t have feta?  Who cares!  Add more mozzarella!  haha  You get what I’m saying?  Okay good…you are going to love this! 

 

 

Tomato-Basil Pasta Salad

1 box whole grain shells, cooked and cooled
2 chicken breasts, sautéed and cut into bite-sized pieces, then cooled*
1-2 C broccoli florets, steamed, chopped, and cooled
1 package grape tomatoes, halved
6-7 basil leaves, chopped roughly
1/2- 3/4 C feta cheese
1/2 – 3/4 C mozzarella cheese
1/2-3/4  C parmesan cheese
Homemade Italian vinaigrette **

Combine first eight ingredients in large bowl.  Add desired amount of Italian dressing to salad ingredients, and combine again.  Serve and enjoy!! :)

 

*Rub chicken with oil, then dry rub spices in. I personally used a combo of garlic oil and a spice mix that included garlic, salt, and pepper. Use whatever you have!

**You can use my recipe by following the link (it’s delish!) or use a clean dressing from the grocery store. Note that my recipe states white wine vinegar; now I use red wine. It’s really just a personal preference!

 

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Clean Eating {No Sugar!} Creamy Tomato Soup

I’ve shared before how expensive good-quality meat is, and how due to that fact we eat a lot less meat than we used to.  I am always on the lookout for meatless or low-meat meals, and this one is sure to please! 

Best of all, it uses pantry staples AND it’s cheap! Love that! (Am I the only one whose eyes glaze over when I read a recipe with 17 ingredients, including 4 spices you’ve never heard of?!)

My husband and I both love this soup – I’ve been making it almost weekly this past month, especially since I was able to freeze so many Roma tomatoes from our garden this year. Mmmmmm!!!

A word of warning, though: if you are used to Campbell’s Tomato soup (I used to love that stuff!), this will definitely take getting used to!  Campbell’s is super sugary and this recipe is completely on the other end of the spectrum.  But I promise that after your first few bites (tastes? slurps?) you will be hooked. :)

 

Creamy Tomato Soup
Adapted from Fast and Easy by Suzanne Somers

2 T butter
1/2 C chopped onions
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 C chicken stock
1 C whole milk (can also use 1/4 C cream and 3/4 C milk for thicker soup)
Salt, basil, and crushed red pepper to taste (it will definitely need salt)
Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Melt butter in a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Add onions and sauté for about 2 minutes (or until softened).

 

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, and milk/cream to onions. 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.  (I add my spices after simmering, but you can also add them individually to each bowl if you prefer to customize.)  Pour into a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender!) and blend until smooth. 

Pour into soup bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese, if desired. 

This is especially delicious with French Bread Baguettes!  Mmmmm!!

Enjoy!

 

Linked to these parties:
Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green

31 Days to a Cleaner Diet {16}: Autumn Salad

{Click here to see the other posts in this series.}

 

OH my goodness do I have an awesome recipe for you today!  It has quickly moved up the ranks in our house to be one of our favorites. 

I originally found this recipe on the playground Pinterest, and since I really wanted to post it here, as well, I e-mailed the original poster, Madison from Espresso and Cream,  and she gave her permission to reprint it here.  Thanks so much, Madison! 

This salad could be a little on the pricier end, since it uses some ingredients that you might not normally have on hand.  I think it would be an AMAZING recipe for entertaining in the fall. 

This seriously covers all the flavor bases – crunchy, sweet, tangy, salty, you name it!  Mmmmmmmmmm it is SO good!  We had it for dinner last night and I just had the left-overs for lunch.  Delicious.

It’s not exactly clean…..sorta-clean-ish-kinda.  lol!  You can clean it up by buying organic produce, making sure your mix-ins don’t have any added chemicals or preservatives, using uncured, all-natural bacon, and using dressings that (although they have sugar!) don’t have anything artificial in them.  (There are a lot of scary salad dressings out there, people!) 

I would consider this a clean treat, so-to-speak.  Something I’m definitely not going to eat every day, but something that still doesn’t make me feel gross inside when I do eat it. 

I don’t even have to say “enjoy” because I already know that you will. ;)

 

Autumn Salad
{adapted from espressoandcream.com}

6 to 8 cups chopped {organic!} romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
dried cranberries
slivered almonds
8 slices uncured, thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
crumbled feta cheese feta cheese

3/4 C poppyseed salad dressing (I used Old Cape Cod brand)
1/4 C balsamic vinaigrette (I used Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Place lettuce on plates and top with desired amount of toppings.  Combine dressings and whisk together.  Drizzle on top of salads.  

FABULOUS.  :)

 

Linked to these parties:
Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam
Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green

31 Days to a Cleaner Diet {14}: Snacks & “Popcorn in a Bag” Recipe

I think one of the most important things you can do for the health of your family is to stop buying processed foods and snacks. 

{Click here to see the other posts in this series.}

It drives me crazy, as a former elementary teacher, a mother, and just a human being to see the marketing that goes into so many icky snacks for kids.  Even Luke (who’s only 2!) falls prey to it – I’ll be pushing him around the store in the carriage, engrossed in my shopping list, and all of sudden he’ll get super excited and yell “George!” or “Cars!” and point to a brightly colored box, smack-dab in the middle of the shelf.   He’s actually cried before when I have to tell him “no” – and he doesn’t even know or care what’s inside the box!

I used to want to scream when I’d walk around school for my lunch duty and see kids eating cheez-in-a-can on crackers, or giant bags of Doritos, or those small, round, plastic bottles of colored juice/water for lunch.  Believe me when I say that those kids are NOT the kids who stay super-focused on their work when they get back to class.  

{And then there was one girl who would literally come in with spinach salad with vinaigrette, sliced fruit, and veggies and dip.  I wanted to give her mom a big high-five! lol}

BELIEVE ME, if you’ve been buying not-so-great snacks for your kids, I have complete compassion for what you might be about to go through when you pull the plug.  Seriously.  Our government has done a deplorable job of regulating what is allowed to be sold as food and what shouldn’t be seen outside of a laboratory.  But at the end of the day, we are the only ones who are responsible for what we decide to eat. 

So…you know what you need to do, right? ;)

Start looking through your pantry and cupboards – take out anything that has an artificial color in it (things like Red 40, etc.).  Take out anything that has preservatives in it, and anything that has “artificial flavor” on it as well.  Remove anything that has MSG or autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed protein in it (all code names for flavor additives).  If it has high fructose corn syrup in it, remove that, too.  Working through this list is a great start to cleaning up your snack cabinet! 

If you’re left with anything, hooray!  :)  And if not one thing is left, well….that’s why you’re reading this post tonight. lol

Start with changing one snack at a time…..then one more snack….then another, and another.  One day you will open that cupboard and realize that you can pronounce every single ingredient on every single item – and not one of them will make your kids hyperactive or their tongues turn blue. ;)

Here’s a list of what we snack on in our house (most of our snacks would be considered “whole” foods but not necessarily “clean” yet – if you’re confused about the difference, feel free to ask in the comments or e-mail me!):

Homemade trail mix  (cranberries, dried fruit, raisins, assorted nuts and seeds, and  chocolate chips) {just check the labels on the nuts and dried fruits; a lot of them have icky additives}

Popcorn in a bag {see below!}

Fruit

Peanut butter sandwiches or PB-crackers

Yogurt

Cereal

Homemade baked goods (muffins, banana breads, etc.)

Cheese and crackers

Veggies and homemade dip {my personal fave}

Pretzels

Annie’s snack products (my son loves the cheddar bunnies)

Kashi products (we love their oatmeal cookies, crackers, and cereals)

 

Again, please hear me when I say that we are not perfect!  My husband LOVES the Keebler Grasshopper cookies (like Thin Mints), so when they are on sale, I buy them for him.  And all summer long we had marshmallows in the cupboard because you know what?  We like marshmallows over a campfire in the backyard.  :)  It’s okay to make small compromises like that.  We are all human.  

But overall, strive to have the healthiest snacks that you can on a regular basis.  You’ll feel so much better, I promise. 

What do you snack on at your house? Please share - I’m always up for new ideas!

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Popcorn in a Bag
{from Food Matters by Mark Bittman}

Place 1/4 C popcorn kernels and a few shakes of salt in a brown paper bag.  Fold the top of the bag over and place in microwave; press the “Popcorn” button.  Remove when the pops are more than a few seconds apart.  (Watch for the steam when you open the bag!)

Eat plain or top with anything you like; I personally like mine with a little melted butter, salt, chili powder, and parmesan cheese (although I learned after my Spaghetti Dinner Overhaul post, thanks to my friend Erin, that my parmesan cheese had preservatives in it!  So sad.  I will survive…somehow. :)

Don’t forget to recycle the brown bag when you're finished!  Enjoy!

31 Days to a Cleaner Diet {13}: Taco Dinner Overhaul

Tomorrow I’ll be back with a post about clean and healthy snack options, but I wanted to do one more post like yesterday’s where I do an overhaul to a typical American dinner.  Today we’re all about tacos.  YUM. 

{Click here to see the other posts in this series.}

I can’t say that I’ve ever been unhappy when the menu includes Mexican food – anyone else relate? :)  That said, when we went to Mexico on our honeymoon, I was surprised to find that the food is not nearly as spicy as we make it up here.  Well, spicy or not, when mama has Mexican she is a happy camper. ;)

So let’s start again with a typical taco night:

Feedlot beef
Taco seasoning with fillers and preservatives
Taco shells or tortillas loaded with genetically-modified corn and preservatives

Salsa
Cheese
Sour cream
Shredded lettuce
Tomatoes

Pretty typical, right? Give or take a few things like guacamole, olives, and beans depending on the family.

Let’s clean it up!

1. Feedlot beef

We talked about this yesterday, but it’s worth repeating: if you can’t buy quality beef, don’t buy it.  There’s a couple of ways around this:  either buy the good stuff and don’t have tacos that often, or you can also stretch the beef with beans in the skillet (which is budget and health friendly).  I personally like to add chopped onion to my taco meat, as well. 

2. Taco seasoning

I bought packets of taco seasoning for years and never thought twice about it.  Those suckers have some really unhealthy things in them:  

{clearly, my source is Amazon}

The ingredient list, taken right from Amazon's website: contains partially-hydrogenated oil, MSG, and TWO preservatives. 

YUCK.

I’ll give you the recipe for homemade taco seasoning at the bottom.  It’s delicious and you can keep it pre-mixed in your pantry if you want to!

3.  Preservative-laden tortillas and taco shells

Remember, when you buy plain corn or something with corn in it, you can basically bet your life that it’s been genetically modified, unless it’s labeled as organic.  Additionally, the last time I looked at crispy taco shells in the store, they were all packed with TBHQ (a preservative).  Gross.  Here's the ingredient list of a famous soft tortilla brand (click picture to enlarge):

Icky.  Your body is too good for that! :)  Last week I re-posted a super-easy and delicious tortilla recipe.  If you don’t have time to make homemade tortillas, make taco salads instead!  You can top the salads with broken tortilla chips (I bought a fairly large bag of Archer Farms organic tortilla chips – no GMOs! – at Target yesterday for $2.99.  To me, that’s a great price. ) 

4.  Salsa

Every so often, I am lucky to find organic salsa on sale for the price (or even cheaper!) of regular salsa.  (Local friends: “Nature’s Promise” by Stop & Shop.)  I don’t stress too much about this, since thankfully salsa seems to be made with pretty much whole ingredients (at least the brands I buy).   Organic is a plus, but since tomatoes aren’t on the Dirty Dozen list, it’s not too big of a deal to me.

5.  Sour Cream and Cheese

Again, I shared that I haven’t switched all my dairy over to organic yet – just my milk, yogurt and eggs.  This is such a crapshoot for me because I read in one of Jillian Michaels’ books (I believe it was Master Your Metabolism?)that the fat is where the pesticides reside in an animal – so avoid full-fat dairy products when you’re eating non-organic.  However, reduced-and fat-free dairy products tend to be loaded with junk and fillers (sour cream included) so I usually just buy whole-fat sour cream.  Honestly, this type of stuff could drive you bonkers!  I tend to see it like this:  unless they’re organic, even the lower-fat versions have pesticides in them, plus they have fillers.  At least the full-fat versions are whole foods, even though they have pesticides as well.  Depressing, right?!  Cheeses and other dairy products are the next big area I’ll be working on in my own life. 

6.  Shredded lettuce and tomatoes

Do your best to always buy organic lettuce, and remember, when it comes to greens, the darker the better!  If you can’t find or afford organic tomatoes, at least try to wash them thoroughly. 

 

Okay, so let’s look at our cleaned-up taco night!

Grass-fed beef (with or without beans for filler!)
Homemade taco seasoning (recipe below)
Homemade tortillas

All-natural salsa (organic is a bonus!)
Full-fat sour cream and cheese (preferably organic, but you might be like me and have a hard time finding this)
Organic lettuce
Thoroughly washed tomatoes (organic is a bonus!)

That looks a lot more appetizing, doesn’t it?  I’m totally starving now.  lol

What do YOU think about the full-fat/reduced-fat debate?  I’m curious to know what you do in your own house. 

 

 

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Homemade Taco Seasoning*

1 tsp. of each of the following:

garlic powder
onion powder
sea salt
cumin
paprika
chili powder

Use as you would a normal packet of taco seasoning!

*I usually am good about writing down my source for things but this one I just jotted down and don’t currently have the source for – if it was you, let me know! haha