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Best yet Oat & Choc chip Muffins

This was a great Sunday morning. I made my best muffins I’ve made to date, but as a result I don’t have enough left to last the week. I’ve been trying to make a muffin that rises with a crispy top and I was pleased how this fast-to-throw-together recipe turned out.

This morning I watched a video on the chemistry of baking and did some research on muffin making which I think helped. I took a very basic recipe and added my own flair to make these very flavorful.

I absolutely love my silicone muffin liners and will never go back, but they produce a fairly small muffin. This recipe would be great in a giant muffin tin.

Start by preheating your over to 400 degrees. Ensure it is fully pre-heated before inserting your batter.

In a bowl whisk together:

• 1/2 cup oil (I did half veg, half EVOO)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup milk
• lots of chocolate chips

In another bowl whisk together:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup ground oats (I just put my large flake oats in a blender – you could use reg oats without grinding I’m sure)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 dashes salt
• 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Add the wet to the dry (these are kinda runny) and mix only until big chunks are combines (10-15 stirs). Divide into muffin liners and bake at 400 for 15 mins (longer if needed).

Yum, yum, yum!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Okay, so it’s not exactly the season for pumpkin, but I’ve been thinking about pumpkin muffins a lot so I had to follow through with a recipe. I recently purchased a pumpkin muffin and just loved it! It got me thinking that my muffins are never so light and fluffy so I was on a mission to try again. I read lots of recipes and reviews then went for it. The results were yummy and in fact I am loving a warm muffin now =) However, these were not like the fluffy, puffy muffins I’d purchased so my attempts will continue. In the meantime, this is a tasty treat you should definitely try.

In a bowl, whisk together:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used 5%)
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (100% pumpkin from a can)
• 2 eggs (I planned ahead and they were room temp, but not sure this actually matters)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine:

• 1 1/2 cups  flour (I used 1 c ww, one all purpose)
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• couple dashes. salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cracks of pepper from the ginder

Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined – don’t overmix or they will get tough. Fold in walnuts if you’d like – I like.

Bake at 350 for 25 mns

Cookie Dough topped Brownies

For Katelyn’s Bday, I told her to pick any dessert. To my delight, she combined our faves and choose Brownies topped with Cookie Dough – a treat that is sure to please anyone!

Lately I have been strapped for time, but cannot give up my baked goods. For this recipe I cheated, but the results were great. I started by baking a batch a brownies from a box – don’t judge. Some people get freaked out by raw eggs so I skipped them for the cookie dough. Side note – my fav treat is brownie batter and licking the bowl of everything I bake, so I cannot let raw eggs bother me if I want to maintain my quality of life

For the dough – cream together:

• 1 cup butter, softened
•   3/4cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp hot water poured over 1 tsp baking powder (I did this but don’t think it’s necessary – you could probably just add bp to dry mix below)

In another bowl, combine:

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix everything together and spread over cooked brownies. Drizzle with chocolate sauce, cut into squares and watch your guests eyes light up =)

banana oat choc bites

chocolate fudge sauce by the spoonful

Okay, I admit this doesn’t look too pretty, but for a pregnant lady in need of a home made chocolate treat now, this totally did the trick.

In a small sauce pan over low heat, stir together:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp all-natural nut butter (I used almond butter)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• one shake of salt

Truthfully, I did not measure in any precise way as my recipe may lead you to believe. Instead, in my “I want chocolate now” mindset, I simply spooned out 2 big tbs of coconut oil, poured 2 overflowing tbs of syrup, scooped in almond butter and rounded 2 tbs of cocoa powder plus a dash of salt. Feel free to adjust as you see fit

Mix it until well combined and everything is melted. This mixture is HOT! I blew on it and ate it from the pot anyway. You could use this as a sauce, but  eventually I tested my (proven very short) patience and poured the remainder onto a plate lined with wax paper and let it set in the fridge for about 10 mins. The result is a gooey, not yet chilled chocolate pudding like sauce. Very Yummy!!

Original recipe from ohsheglows.com

Maple cookies

Muffins sweet with banana and honey (add choc chip or blueberries)

It’s Easter Sunday which is reason enough to make muffins.

Heat the over to 375 while you prep.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl:

• 2.5 cups cups whole wheat flour
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of salt

In another bowl, whisk together

• 1-2 large overripe bananas (I used 1.5 because that is what I had) – Mash them first then add the ingredients below
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup applesauce (one snack pack is perfect)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (Costco has great stuff)
• 1/2 tsp orange extract (optional – I had it on hand)

Add the wet to the dry and add:

• 2 cups blueberries (or chocolate chips, or nuts etc.)

Mix until just combined – I always use a wooden spoon. Over-mixing will result in dense tough muffins – I did some reading

Being that it’s Easter, aka another chocolate holiday, I divided the batter in half and used 1 cup of blueberries and 1 cup (or so – just measuring by dumping in) of dark chocolate chips.

It smells great in here and my husband and I have tried them both. He gave an impressive reaction considering I bake muffins a lot! He said they are on the favorite list. I attribute this to the lots of cinnamon, extra flavor or whole wheat and sweetness from honey and bananas – not to mention that you cannot break off a piece without loads of blueberries or chocolatey goodness.  Enjoy!

 

Mango Morning

Mango Morning smoothie for two is my new alternative to my typical and beloved strawberry smoothie. Lately, strawberries have been hurting my tummy so here is my new concoction which I’m loving!

In your blender add:

• 2 cups mango pieces – frozen
• 4 large strawberries – frozen
• 1/2 banana – frozen
• 2 scoops strawberry protein powder (your fave flavor will do)
• 1/2- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 cups cold water
• 4 ice cubes

Turn that baby on and you’ve got yourself a tasty treat for breakfast. This makes two big servings. My husband and I bring our smoothies in peanut butter containers each day because they are big, have a screw on lid so we can throw them in our back packs and bike, and they are super easy to clean with a huge opening.

You could half this recipe for a single serving.

Greek Quinoa

I was hungry for something healthy but not sure what I should whip up. I’d already had eggs this day and no meat on hand. My husband suggested quinoa and it was a perfect satisfaction! I already had roasted red peppers I’d done up earlier in the week and I tend to slice cherry tomatoes in half and start roasted whenever I’m cooking in the kitchen. Both added a great sweetness to this meal.

• quinoa (raw 1/2 which expanded to about 2 cups or more)
• 1/2 roasted red pepper
• 10 roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 diced green pepper
• lots of diced feta
• 12 black olives (hand pitted. I LOVE this tool – it doubles as a cherry pitter and works great)
• 1/2 cucumber (peeled and quartered)

My roasted red pepper was in a tupperware in the fridge. I mixed my dressing in the same container so I could get all the sweet drippings of roasted red peppers. I added:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 of a lemon juice
• pinch red pepper flakes
• fresh ground pepper

I plan to make this again soon as is. I love Greek salad is all varieties =)

Morning After smoothie

While I am never hung over theses days, it was too be expected from my husband after an awesome night at my sisters Buck & Doe. The morning after I switched up our smoothie for a little pep.

In a blender (we use the ninja which we love), add:

• 2 frozen bananas
• 2tbs frozen wild blueberries (optional)
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 tbs ground flax seeds
• 1 tbs PB
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional)

My mom stopped over later that day so I whipped her one up – she also gave it two thumbs up =)

Mint Hot Chocolate on the stove

A cold Sunday is the perfect day for hot chocolate. Add some decadence with a little mint.

In a little pot on the stove, add and stir into a paste:

• 1 heaping tbs cocoa
• 1 big tbs sugar (I actually used xylitol)
• 2 tbs milk

Once that is combined, add 2 tbs mint chocolate chips (reg choc chips would be yummy as well). Mix until melted and add 1-2 cups of milk. Keep on eye on this mixture since it will boil over if you are not careful.

Pour into a mug, add a splash of cream and top with mini marshmallows  – enjoy.

 

Very Chocolate Cake

Last night was my friends Big THREE O Birthday Party so I knew I wanted to make her a decadent cake. Since nearly all our friends are chocolate lovers, I opted for a fluffy, very chocolatey cake with chocolate icing . This recipe is actually a little quicker than your typical cake or cookies since you don’t have to cream butter and sugar which is my least favorite (by often entirely necessary) step in baking.

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and grease two cake pans. I used 2 square 8×8 pans because I think square cake is easier to cut at a party.

Here is what I did:

Whisk together dry ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a separate bowl, mix:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup strong black coffee (I didn’t quite have a cup leftover from breakfast so I sprinkled 1tsp of coffee grinds into the dry ingredients)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add the wet to the dry and use an electric mixer to beat for about 2 minutes – until smooth. Pour into greased pans, give them a shake to make sure the batter is spread evenly. Lick the bowl and beater and bake the cakes for about 30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10mins than move to a wire rack (this may not be entirely necessary, but it is what the pros suggest).

After the cake cooked, Owen iced it all over and it was a big hit at the party! The inside looked even better than the picture I have. The cake was tall, fluffy and scrumptious with more icing in between the layers. I was happy with this recipe and will definitely make it again and again. It works great for cupcakes too which I also made so we could sample it before serving. The original recipe came from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe/

While the cake was baking, I whipped up some chocolate icing. Beat together:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbs heavy cream (or milk)

Yum Yum!!

Roasted Root Veg Sweet Soup

I love soup in the winter – especially thick, hearty, homemade meal soup.

For this recipe I roasted the veggies the night before as I was making a cake – that way the veg is cooled and easy to handle when I’m ready to assemble the soup.

Cut a butternut squash in half, seed, and place face down on a baking sheet with 1/2 inch water. Bake at 350 for about 30 mins or until you can easily stick a fork through.

In the meantime get another baking sheet for the other veggies that will cook more quickly

• one large carrot cut into about 6 pieces -peeled (like strips – although shape doesn’t matter much)
• one large sweet potato into several large chunks – peeled
• one large yellow pepper (or red or orange)

Lightly drizzle the carrot and sweet potato with olive oil before sticking it in the oven to roast with the squash. Keep and eye and remove the veg when they are cooked aka softened. The sweet potato may take a few extra minutes.

Since I knew I was making the soup the next day, I put the carrot, potato and pepper in a container. When the squash was done and cooled off, I scooped it all out and added it to the same (large container).

Okay, here we go. Let’s puree this veg and make soup!

Note: you could use a variety of gadgets for this, but here is how I went about my creation:

• put all the veg in a food processor and puree until smooth

In a blender add:

• one can of coconut milk
• one can vegetable broth
• 1/2 can milk, 1/2 can water
• as much of the veg puree as you can fit (without exploding over)

Blend that all together so your mixture thins out. Add this to a big pot then add the remaining pureed veg and stir in all in until completely combined. Here I added about 1/3 c maple syrup but that was entirely unnecessary this is was already very sweet. But, no complaints, I do love our Bird Family maple syrup.

Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and whatever spices you’d like. Heat up this pot of goodness and serve it up to your besties. If you like it thinner, add some milk or water, if you like it thick and creamy, enjoy as is – maybe with a dollop of sour cream =)

 

Sunday Brunch

This weekend I was in a kitchen-kinda-a-mood. I made a lot! This included banana cake, granola, gnocchi, roasted veg soup, chocolate covered strawberries, french toast and meatloaf.

This morning I wanted to make sure my husband had a good, well rounded breakfast before he started a very productive day. He started for our regular smoothie (rather than our typical weekend cereal), but I decided to step and in and make a meal of it. It was the perfect start to our Sunday =)

We had:

• scrambled eggs
• yogurt with fresh fruit which was clementines, apple, strawberries and wild blueberries, topped off with almonds (I hadn’t made the granola yet)
• cinnamon raisin toast with strawberry cream cheese

Satisfying & Filling!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

We were at our friends for dinner and the dessert (and dinner) was awesome!! Earlier in the evening I had seen a smooth chocolate glaze on a cake but had no idea what was under the chocolaty coating. When the lovely host (Alison) cut into the cake, I saw it was “white” and thought I only wanted a small piece since it was not chocolate – my fave. However, I was incredibly pleasantly surprised when I forked in and found a moist banana cake full of chocolate chips.

I had to have the recipe. In less than a week, I’ve already make the cake twice. Each time I make a little extra batter to use as cupcakes for easy transportation to work.

Preheat your oven to 325 and grease a square cake pan (mine is a large 8×8 glass pan) and I always grease with butter.

Combine

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt

In a separate large bowl cream together

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (packed)  brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soften butter (1 stick)

Add in and beat

• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter/egg mixture and beat until just combined

In a separate bowl mash together:

• 1-1.5 cup very ripe bananas – about 4
• 1/2 c cup sour cream/Greek yogurt combo

Now add the banana mix to the large bowl and beat again until just combined. Fold in as many chocolate chips as you’d like

• a generous cup of chocolate chips

Spoon out 4 cupcakes (I love silicone liners for this reason) and pour the remaining batter into your greased pan.

Pop it in the oven for about 35 minutes then check with a toothpick. Or better yet, check one of your cupcakes. Break the cupcake in half and eat it with a gooey center if need be. Bake cake until toothpick comes out clean. Your house will smell great and the cake won’t last long.

Icing Options (I’ve make it with and without icing – depends who you’re serving it to).

Alison had a chocolate glaze which I LOVED!! She heated whipping cream on the stove top (about 1/2 a cup) then poured it over 1 cup chocolate chips and mixed until melted. When it started to cool she poured it over the cake. SO GOOD!

I made a PB icing the first time:

• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 /2 cup unsalted softened butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using a hand beater, whip all ingredients together – yummy, but I preferred the chocolate.

Original recipe is from epicurious.com http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Banana-Chocolate-Chip-Cake-with-Peanut-Butter-Frosting-51117350#ixzz2Jrgi0Pgk

Gnocchi with fresh veg and tomato sauce

This is a quick filling meal full of veg. This recipe is a cheat since I did not make gnocchi from scratch, but the PC variety did the trick – and it only takes 2 minutes to cook.

Heat olive oil (1-2 tbs) in a skillet. Chop and saute about:

• 3/4 c broccoli
• 3/4 c cremini mushrooms
• 1/2 zucchini
• small yellow pepper

In the meantime, get a pot of salted water on the burner and ready to boil.

When the veg is tender, add your favorite tomato sauce and mix it all together (I used 1/2 jar of 7 veg sauce). Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pep flakes to spice it up.

When your water is fully boiling, throw in the gnocchi and set your timer for 2:22 (I always set my timer like that for easy button hitting…). As soon as your timer goes off (a few gnocchis should be floating), strain it and run cold water over them to stop the cooking.

Once your veg/sauce mixture is warmed through in your skillet, add in the gnocchi and toss. Serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese (we used our fave, jalapeno havarity), This recipe could be used with any combo of veg and sauce. Bacon would also be a tasty addition although we were pleased just as it was =)

 

Fresh Rolls

These just feel good to eat (unlike the Costco poutine I had for lunch – bad girl)! I made these a while back but plan to make them again tomorrow night when I hang out with my mom and sister.

They take some prep time, but once everything is sliced, they come together quickly.

Slice julienne style (length wise):

• carrots
• red pepper
• cucumber
• avocado
• basil

Also have limes ready to squeeze on top

• add thin slices of chicken or shrimp – optional – I did not

While you are slicing the veggies, soak thin vermicelli noodles in very hot water according to the package.

Have you sheets of round rice paper ready

Take a sheet of rice paper and wet it using your fingers with warm water to soften it up. Add strips of each ingredient then roll the paper up tightly – That’s it!! You’re done! Cut them in half and they look pretty and ready to serve!

You can dip these in a variety of things. I made peanut dip

• 2 tbs natural peanut butter
• hot water as needed to thin it out
• soya sauce to taste
• hot sauce to taste

Mix that together until well combined. It helps to heat it up. You may want to add a tsp of sugar if you’re feeling like a more of a sweet dip, or you can buy a Thai dipping sauce or any other sauce you’d love to try.

Enjoy your fresh meal and feel free to switch it up every time =)

veggie combo meatloaf

Okay, I am not one to brag…while, not publicly at least, but I recently made the best meatloaf ever. My husband and I both thought it was the best meatloaf we’ve ever had so we were pretty pumped! As always, I add a little of this-and-that here-and-there, but I have the recipe for the most party. This recipe came from a desire to have meatloaf and an effort to eat clean.

Here’s what I did – in a bowl whisk the following

• 1/4 c Franks hot sauce
• 1/3 c mustard
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg

In a food processor chop the following then add to the wet ingredients:

• spinach, about 2-3 cups
• mushrooms, 1.5 cups
• small onion

Stir in

• 1 c ground oats (you could probably use almond flour)

Use your hands to add beef (about 3lbs) until well combined. Press it into a loaf pan, bake at 350 for 35 mins, and voila – dinner is served!

Tip: While your meatloaf is in the oven, toss some chopped green veg in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them too – my fave, broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps

Here is a fast way to make your rotisserie chicken a full meal. We love these whole, cooked chickens but often fill up on it before it ever hits a plate. However, this time I thought I’d change it up and do a little prep.

Slice and saute the following in olive oil, coconut oil or butter

• 1 onion
• 1 pepper (I used orange pepper)
• mushrooms

While that is in the pan

• rip and rinse large pieces on iceburg lettuce
• grate cheese
• cut cherry tomatoes in half
• slice avocado
• slice chicken

Once the veggies are cooked tender, add everything into a large leaf of lettuce. Top it with salsa and sour cream (or Greek yogurt), roll it up and enjoy. This is Really Good and quick, but you can fancy it up if you are serving to a group by adding the toppings to little colourful dishes.

If you have not tried a whole cooked chicken, you definitely SHOULD!! They are ready to go, full of flavor, versatile and make great leftovers. Food Basic is great and less than $7 but they sell out fast! I’ve also tried Loblawas and Costco chickens – both delish =)

Black Bean Burgers

Tonight we had black bean burgs, cole slaw and cookies. It was a late dinner at 8:15pm. I got a little carried away in the dressing room at Joe Fresh. Owen took a break from the washroom reno and we thoroughly enjoyed the mashed bean patties. They look pretty topped with hummus, tomato and cheese, plus they are packed with flavor!

• 1 can black beans rinsed and mashed (by fork or blender)
• small red pepper (or any colour you’d like)
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup corn (I used frozen)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• many big dashes of chili powder
• dashes of cumin
• pepper
• 1 cup ground oats (or bread crumbs)

Throw veggies in a food processor or chop up small. Blend with beans.
In seperate bowl mix eggs & spices together and stir well with bean mixture|
Stir in oats and make into patties (add more oats if you need the patty thicker)

BBQ (spray with oil first), put in the oven until cooked through, or fry on pan. Top it in any which way you’d like and serve it on a toasted bun…or not.