A Two-Fer: Apple Muffins & Pumpkin Berry Muffins

The last couple of weeks I've been in a muffin making frenzy. I made these muffins from Schue Love (of which I stole the above picture from because I was too lazy to take my own..thanks Natasha...or maybe I ate them up to quickly and no longer had muffins to take pictures of?) & some muffins that my friend Lauren has made for us several times of which I seem to instantly devour when they enter our home. I decided I had to have the recipe. 

And of course I made tweaks to them because it wouldn't be right if I didn't. Here they are:

Pumpkin Berry Muffins: The recipe calls for applesauce; I used pumpkin because I had an opened can in the fridge I needed to use up. Delicious and perfect for fall. It really paired nicely with the mixed berries (instead of blueberries) of which I had plenty of in the freezer. I also used agave nectar instead of maple syrup. I'm totally into that stuff these days. And of course I added chia & flax seed to the mix. Gotta have those Omega-3s!

Apple Muffins: See the email/recipe below. What I did differently than my friend Lauren was I of course added chia & flax seed, but I also only had one egg available so I just used the one including the yolk. They turned out a little less cake-like I think. I used tons of apples because we have so many that need to get eaten from when Lyle & Finn when apple picking a few weeks ago. I think I also used chopped pecans and toasted them a bit. That's what we had. This recipe would make for an awesome cake--you think? Ha!

"Hi Lauren,

    Here is the recipe I used for the muffins.  It's my mom's recipe for cake but I tweaked it.  I use whole-wheat flour, egg whites/beaters, and apple sauce instead of the ingredients it calls for.  I also add carrots and put extra apples in them too.  For the nuts, I usually use walnuts and toast them to give them extra flavor; I chop them up in the blender so they're not too chunky.  Hope you enjoy!"

    lauren

FRESH APPLE CAKE:

2 cups sugar                                        ½ cup salad oil

2 eggs                                                  1 tsp cinnamon           

1 tsp salt                                        4 cups of peeled, coarsely grated apples

1 tsp vanilla                                         2 cups flour    

1 tsp baking soda                                1 cup nuts

            *Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  To this, add eggs, mixed well with oil and grated apples.  Mix thoroughly.  Add nuts.  Pour into greased 9X13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour.  Enjoy!

Both of these muffin recipes are great for freezing. Keep a few out for the week, then wrap the rest & freeze for those mornings you need a quick breakfast or even a quick snack. They're super light and healthy considering the little bit of sugar that's in them (if you use agave nectar) & that there's no oil or butter. Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!!

lauren

Tortilla Soup with Pork & Squash

I thought I'd take a break from Wordless Wednesday for the week and post a yummy recipe. Ya'll are probably getting tired of seeing pictures of Finn right now. Right?

This is a super easy & delicious slow cooker meal that I of course altered. And of course it's from Real Simple. I love the slow cooker. I love just being able to messily throw stuff in a pot and leave it for 5-8 hours to do it's magic. And when you're so hungry and ready to eat, it's all ready to go. For some reason, no matter what, it always turns out to be the perfectly cooked meal...not over done or under done. 

Click here for the recipe and I'll tell you what I did differently. I'm thinking I'm going to make it for some friends that just recently had a baby. Light, cozy & filling is how I'll describe it. It doesn't make you feel guilty even when you're full from seconds!

And on with the alterations!

-I used lean cubed pork instead of pork butt: less fat & calories & still tasted good (easy decision especially when you can't find it at the store!). I'm sure it's delicious the other way but I don't know what I'm missing. Plus we still found this to have plenty of flavor.

-I added a sliced avocado as a topping as well as cottage cheese (but sour cream or plain yogurt could work as well)...since I slowly added dairy back to my diet slowly, I finally decided to start eating my beloved CC again. If you know me well you know how much I love CC & that I seem to think it goes well with anything.

-I believe I added extra garlic & garlic powder.

-Lastly, I believe, I used leftover tortilla chips we needed to finish up instead of making them fresh. Time. Some other time though. Using up food we have is our goal these days.

This all paired nicely with a glass of red wine. Sigh. 

It was the perfect kickoff for fall.

lauren

Delicious Dish: Quinoa Tabouleh with Cauliflower & Herbs

The other night Lyle & I wanted to make a special dinner and feel as though we could cook again. It seemed as though it had been ages since we had fun cooking in the kitchen together over a glass of wine while taking as much time doing it as we pleased. What did we make? A very yummy dinner of halibut & a quinoa salad with some garden fresh tomatoes on the side paired with adult conversation and a 3 month old asleep for the night. It was all delicious, but this salad was something new and really surprised me. Of course I had to made a few adjustments; I'll be sure to tell you what they are.....

Quinoa Tabouleh with Cauliflower & Herbs

via foodgawker

Click on the title above for the recipe. I got it off of Foodgawker. It was the first time I'd used it and was very impressed. So easy, just type in an ingredient you want to use and BAM! A ton of recipes to choose from. We wanted to use up some of the quinoa in our cupboard. 

On to the changes:

I left out the parsley & chives. I don't care for either and it just meant additional ingredients to by and have leftovers hanging around.

I used red quinoa. That's what we had. 

Used golden versus regular raisins.

And the big one: I couldn't find pomegranate molasses. Even Whole Foods didn't have it. What I did instead was use agave nectar instead, juiced the other half of my pomegranate, added seeds and mashed it all together to make the dressing. Worked well I have to admit! 

One more thing....the cauliflower shocked me. I wasn't sure how it would be with all these flavors, but it was very complimentary. 

Let me know if you try it! It made for great leftovers. I just finished it off tonight.

lauren

Milk Cookies.

Milk cookies, also known as lactation cookies....Has anyone ever made something like this before? They supposedly help with breast milk production; not that I'm having problems in that area but you never know! I made a batch before Finn was born and froze them, but ended up giving them to a friend that needed help with her milk supply. Lyle employed me to make cookies for him today, so I thought, "hey...why not a batch of these?". Plus, the way I make them makes them fairly healthy.....not low calorie, but healthy.

I use this recipe, but alter it slightly. Here's what I do:

• substitute 4 ounces of applesauce for 1 stick of butter
• add Trader Joe's Omega-3 trail mix (my pediatrician told me to boost up my omega-3s for breast milk, though I have to say I already consume quite a bit)
• add dried blueberries (found at Costco, but you can get them just about anywhere)
• use all brown sugar instead of a mix of white and brown
• use steal cut oats instead of regular oats--they are better for you and add a little crunch to the cookie!

Go ahead and try them! Even if you're not breast feeding it won't hurt you (they won't make you start producing milk, I promise!) and they're tasty & a healthier version of a cookie!

Have Finn Fun!

lauren

p.s. he's napping! that's why I was able to make these!! Hip-hip-horray!

Lemon Cream Pie. A Gingersnap Twist.

Tuesday evening I hosted book club here for the last time for a while. I love hosting and knew that I may not be doing it for a little while come May. It was a fun night as we all ate, chatted, sipped on wine, and talked Hunger Games.  

I always have fun whipping up a couple snacks & nibbles. Tuesday I made this yummy lemon cream pie from Real Simple (but of course!) made with a gingersnap crust, some bacon wrapped dates, and kale chips. 

Lemon Cream Pie

This pie is really fairly simple. I just had problems with the whipped cream and remembering to get all the ingredients at once while at the grocery store! I recommend using Trader Joe's Triple Gingersnaps, and be sure to pick up at least 2 lemons when shopping for ingredients. 

The bacon wrapped dates were easy-peasy as well.

Just wrap pitted medjool dates with a half a slice of bacon. Then secure with a toothpick. Place them all on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yumm! I love that salty sweet combination and I'm really not a big bacon fan. 

Lyle & I have been eating a lot of kale lately. It's so super healthy for you. We've mostly just been steaming it a bit then I toss it lightly with a vinaigrette dressing. The other night I turned the rest of my bag into baked chips. Just toss them with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so until crispy. I could have baked mine for a bit longer I think, but they were still tasty. 

The evening ended with a huge sideways downpour! I thought the rain was actually coming through the roof. Oh how I love the storms here. 

Today I may actually break down and get a massage for myself. Lyle gave me the "ok" but I haven't completely committed yet. It's hard to spend money on something like that for myself when there's so many other things that the money would be good to put towards...aka baby. My back just gets put into knots when I sleep these days. We'll see. 

Happy Thursday. Let me know if you try any of these recipes!

lauren

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins. With A Laugh.

I'd been thinking to myself all day that I should write something today...not about baby, and maybe best about food. So I happened to stumble across this recipe for the delicious looking muffins while browsing a blog over at Shue Love. In my pregnant state, I thought I should make them that very moment and freeze them for post baby (it's really all I think about right now....how can I prepare for later? Can anyone relate?). I quickly ran to the store to get the only ingredient I needed, cream cheese, and began the baking process. They turned out delicious, but please keep reading to find out why they are muffins "with a laugh". The recipe originally came from How To Simplify.

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

Muffins 

Makes 1 dozen.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream cheese filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg

Crumb topping 

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then beat together the bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract.  Combine banana mixture with the flour mixture until just moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (leave a little batter to top the cream cheese filling).

Create the cream cheese filling by mixing together all three of the ingredients. Pour a tablespoonful onto the batter in the muffin cups. Top the cream cheese with the remaining muffin batter.  

Create the topping: use a fork and mix together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cinnamon and butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture over the batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Here's the "laugh" bit. I have been experiencing pregnancy brain. It is a true phenomenon.... When mixing all the different parts, I forgot to mix the flour with the banana mixture portion even though it was all ready to go in a separate bowl. So I poured the banana mixture into my little muffin cups, then added my dollop of cream cheese filling. All the while I was thinking to myself, "I don't think I'm going to have enough batter left to top off the cream cheese....". Then I looked over and saw the flour mixture sitting there. Ooops. I was able to recover the muffins by dumping out all the muffin cups, then adding the flour, then repouring into the muffin cups and finally adding the crumb topping. The only downfall is the filling is mixed within. I'll have to see how making it more of a "filling"goes next time. Did you laugh? I think this is why my mother & Lyle are always looking over my shoulder and asking questions when I cook! But they are delicious!! I must say.

Overall I found the recipe to be very simple and easy to make. I wish I hadn't messed it up because I thought the cream cheese filling was perfect and didn't blend in with the rest of the batter. I'll make another batch once my next bunch of bananas browns. Want to try one? Make them yourself or just come over and visit us once Little is born! 

lauren

Rosemary Chicken with Arugula & White Bean Salad

Tuesday night I made my "Meal of the Week"....although I may need to make one more tonight....it didn't take us far enough through the week:) It was a delicious one though and "real simple"!

Click here for the recipe & I'll tell you what changes I made to it. For starters, it was great because I could prep the meal & let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator while I took a long walk and waited for Lyle to get home. Most of the dishes were cleaned up before we even ate, so the evening was off to a good start. 

Now onto the tweaks to the recipe. First with the salad: I added balsamic vinegar to the dressing to help it mix well and give the salad a bit of moisture. I also nixed the onions (not a big fan of raw onion...) and added beets that I had in the fridge as well. Lastly, I topped it off with some feta cheese sprinkles. Yumm. 

As for the chicken, we grilled it instead of pan frying it. Yummy! Summer has started super early here in South Carolina! We've had 80 to 90 degree weather for the past week and we're loving it! The only downside is we are worried what this could mean for our actual summer.....extra long, super hot, super humid?? Who knows? We won't complain for now. I just wasn't expecting to have to wear warm weather clothes during this pregnancy and I'm not prepared. So thankful this little guy is coming in May and not July!

I hope you all try this one out. It's a good one and pretty easy. Keep it in the rotation for summer grilling and meals.

lauren

An Ever Delicious Banana Nut Bread

I discovered this delicious banana nut bread on our little vacation last week. It has a secret ingredient.....pineapple! I loved it so much that I talked the B&B people into giving me the recipe. I think Lyle & I scarfed down almost a loaf ourselves! I couldn't wait to come home and try it out for myself. Did I do a good enough job? Lyle will have to be the judge of that one. 

Caution: this makes 3 loaves. Freeze some! I'm saving some for post baby.

Here you go:

4 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 cups of granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts
5 eggs beaten lightly
1 cup of vegetable oil
3 cups of mashed bananas
10 ounces of pineapple tidbits
1 teaspoon of vanilla

~In a bowl add flour, salt, baking soda, sugar & cinnamon & blend

~In a small bowl put the pineapple after it is drained with the walnuts, bananas, & vanilla-blend. Set aside

~In a medium bowl put the eggs & oil-blend. Set aside.

~Add the oil & eggs to the flour mixture-blend until well moistened.

~In greased & floured bread pans evenly scoop the mixture.

~Place in a 325 degree oven & bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pans after 30 minutes & bake for an additional 20 minutes. At this time check for doneness with a toothpick. Bake until the toothpick is clean. Place the loaves on cooling racks Remove from pans after they have cooled. Wrap in saran wrap until served.

Let me know if you try this. I'm always interested in who tries out these recipes I share. 

Bon appetite!

lauren

Cheesy Seafood Gratin with Parmesean Green Bean Saute.

For Valentines' Day this year, I cooked dinner and we celebrated at home. A cozy night is always in need and for us is often the best way to spend time together. This recipe really is pretty simple. It's rich, but tasty and a good way to splurge on a special night.

I got the recipe from our local grocery store, Publix. You can get the recipe here. It has lobster bisque, shrimp, and I added salmon (to get some extra Omega-3s!). It calls for whole lobster, but I opted out and just added extra shrimp.

This was my one real meal I cooked this week. Well...I take that back. On Monday night I made pizza. That counts as two real meals! Way to go me! Wednesday we ate leftovers and Thursday night Lyle was on call. I joined him for some dinner at the hospital. Very romantic.

Lyle spoiled me with some chocolatey treats and these beauties. He knows tulips are my favorite. Thanks Hunz.

And that's it for our Valentines' Day! Valentines' Day was actually our second date ever...the first time around....6 years ago. I'm so happy everything worked out the way it did. God has a plan, whether it be traditional or a funny whindy path.

lauren

Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Broccoli & Potatoes......Self-Portrait...Yet Again!

Last night was my one "real dinner" night of the week. I love to cook, but lately it hasn't been something I get excited about....until I do it. I'm trying to do at least one real meal a week. This one turned out delicious and despite the words "stuffed chicken", it was really easy. It's another Real Simple  recipe. You can find it here. Just a few ingredients: chicken cutlets, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, broccoli, red potatoes, salt & pepper, & olive oil. Just make sure you have toothpicks or skewers to hold the cutlets together. 

Go ahead. Try it. You'll surprise yourself. 

And for today's photo challenge, Self-Portrait. As if you need to see more pictures of me these days....but oh well! 

As for me tonight, I had a very exciting evening. The Bob arrived at REI, so I picked it up after work. When I got home the car seat was waiting at the door! A very kind friend had it sent to us as a gift. I couldn't believe how generous of a gift it was. Thank you Dana!! I had a lot of fun setting the two up together. For the rest of the evening, I'm crashing and watching The Help. Lyle's on call, so it's me and the cats cuddling on the couch; possibly with a bowl of ice cream or Golden Grahams. 


Happy Friday.

lauren

Perciatelli Noodles with Peppery Cheese & Asparagus

Coming up with unique dinners and easy dinners that I'm tempted and inspired to make these days has been far and few between. Hence, the few recipe posts....but I'm trying! I found this inspiration on schue love the other day and thought it was doable. It ended up taking me a bit longer than I had anticipated, only because the noodles took longer to cook and the asparagus in the oven didn't want to bake quite as quickly as I'd thought. But it ended up being worth it. 

These noodles are Perciatelli noodles. Have you ever had them? I'm picky about my noodles but really enjoyed them. They are a hollow spaghetti-like noodle. Try them. The basil was a nice contrast to the asparagus, and I always love pecorino cheese!

Here you go:

• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 TB of butter (I don't think I used quite that much)
• 2 TB of olive oil (though I may have made up for the butter by using a little more olive oil!)
• 3/4 lb. of pasta 
• Pecorino cheese
• 8-12 basil leaves
• Bundle of Asparagus

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil then saute the garlic until aromatic. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and asparagus. I did what Natasha did on schue love and baked the asparagus tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It ended up being the perfect crispness. When the pasta is ready, toss it with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then add the garlic sauce. Plate the pasta and top with the asparagus and basil. Finish off with Pecorino cheese and tada!

I might add a squeeze or two of lemon next time I make this dish. And if I could, a glass of white wine would be a nice addition. This would also be a really nice spring time-eat on the deck-dinner.

What do you think? New plans for dinner tonight?

lauren

Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt Banana Bread.

I was browsing through some blogs the other night and came across this recipe. It looked and sounded dreamy...chunky bananas and berries...yumm! I couldn't wait to try it out. I had a bunch of leftover ingredients in my fridge from making a yogurt parfait from this past weekend's baby shower. I thought it looked delightful and easy enough to whip together. So I did it!

I figured I'd make a double batch and send some a loaf over to the neighbors. I'm working on stealing their nanny after they move in July (so sad to see them go though...booo...it will be a sad day).

The recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but I always keep a bag of organic mixed berries in my freezer that are delightful for these muffins here. So that's what I used instead.

Recipe from Daily Garnish:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

2 large ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Start by combining flour, baking powder, & salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork until they are gooey and liquid-like or leave them chunky. I did. Add eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt, about 1/2 cup. Whisk until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. At this point, fold in the fresh or frozen berries. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and distribute evenly.

Pop into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer to a cooling rack and let the bread cool for at least 10 minutes before diving in! It was recommended to add some lemon zest...I didn't have any otherwise I would have. I topped mine with some lemon curd.

You know....these breads always taste even better the next day after the flavors have settled....breakfast!

Simply Divine ~ Enjoy!

Happy Monday.

lauren

A Baby Shower Reveal.

Saturday, along with a few good friends, I hosted a baby shower at our house for a good friend of ours, Diane. We had the perfect turnout of guests along with some miniature guests as well. It was the perfect day. The sun even made a special appearance to light up the house.

The theme was a "reveal". Diane hadn't told anyone what she was having yet and she's just two months away from the big day! Nobody knew except her family and us. It was fun to lightly decorate in pink and blue.

Take a peak if you'd like. There's several pictures again. I'm starting to have too much fun with the camera.....

Here's Julia- Diane's niece, and Sullivan our friend's daughter taking a peak at the diaper cake. Kristin made that. Isn't it amazing? And do you see that frog card on the table? Catie, Sullivan's mom painted that. Such talent! I'm going to have to hire her to paint something for our nursery.

There's Diane, our guest of honor, and her sister Susan. Don't they look like twins?

It was a fun excuse to pull out my Grandmother's china and crystal. I hadn't unpacked it yet since we'd moved here since we're limited on space, but felt it was the perfect excuse....and to avoid using paper and plastic...

Our spread of goodies. So colorful and delicious! The little ones dove right in. We had an assortment of stuff: mini cheesecakes, muffins, cheese biscuits, bacon wrapped crackers (yumm!), salad, a chocolate chip cheese ball, and I made a fruit salad and yogurt parfait in our trifle bowl. It was so easy and yummy: vanilla greek yogurt, honey, and berries layered to the top and then topped off with strawberries. For drinks we had coffee and tea, white wine and juice spritzers with either champagne or 7-Up topped off with frozen berries. They were yummy and pretty, but I forgot to grab a photo....

I think this is precious.

We started to run out of counter space, so Camille and I decided to start using the mixer as an ice box for the water.

The girls were so patient with waiting to cut the cake! Getting ready for the big reveal!...

And it's a BOY! Yay for boys.

I love this picture of Diane's face. It was her response to one of her husband's answers to a baby question with the game we played. She looks a little shocked!

The opening of the gifts.

 All the hostesses: Catie, Melissa, me, Camille & Kristin. That's sweet little Sawyer on the left.

What a fun day. We're so excited for baby boy Titus to come.

Everyone was so great and helped clean up that after everyone left I decided to try to take advantage of the sunshine and head up to Paris Mountain for a quick hike. I got dressed and drove all the way out there, was almost to the top when I started feeling super dopey and drowsy. I think I finally allowed myself to sit down that my body could tell me I was TIRED! I ended up turning around and heading home for a nap on the couch with Maddy. Maybe I can talk Lyle into going back with me again today.

That's it for me all! Today will be church, walking/hiking, and just hanging out with Lyle if he'll let me (he was on call yesterday...so sleep is most likely in store for him today). Any adventures for you this weekend?

lauren