carrot-apple mini muffins

This recipe is one that I have changed and changed again to get it the way that I like, so I am sure  you can make it flexible to your liking as well. I love making these as mini-muffins... the kids do better with that size. I also love to double and triple the batch because they freeze really well... 

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients:

3 C whole wheat flour

3/4 C oat flour

3/4 C sugar or sugar substitue

3 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 C finely grated carrots

1 1/2 C applesauce (I usually just blend up raw apples)

3 eggs

3/4 C milk or milk substitute 

3/4 C coconut oil

3 tsp vanilla

3 TB milled flaxseed (soaked in 9 TB water)

Directions: mix dry ingredients, then wet and combine... bake @ 350 degrees for 10 min (for mini-muffins)

Potato Spinach Cakes

*Blendtec.com

These are not pretty and are kinda messy but they sure taste good. I love these for dinner.

2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted and quartered
10 oz. spinach, approximately 6 cups lightly packed
3/4 cups low fat buttermilk or any cows milk substitute
2 lg. eggs
3 yukon gold potatoes, baked or boiled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
1.5 T. olive oil, divided

Add toast to WildSide jar and secure lid. Press "Pulse" 6–8 times or until desired crumb size is reached. Set aside bread crumbs. In large skillet, sauté spinach in ½ tablespoon oil until spinach is wilted. Add buttermilk, eggs, potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs to WildSide jar and secure lid. Select "Sauces." Add feta cheese, and use spatula to incorporate.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet or griddle. Spoon approximately ⅓ cup potato mixture onto skillet. Cook each side of potato cake until golden brown, approximately 1–2 minutes. Place each cake onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 10 minutes

My Protien Shake

So I've never been a big fan of protein shakes but then I came across this recipe and I loved it. Loved it! 

It's great for an on the go breakfast in the morning.

I use my magic bullet and it gives it a great texture, not too mixed up, just the right amount. 

4 ice cubes and about a cup of water

3 frozen strawberries

About 1/3 cup rolled oats

 

1 scoop protein powder

 

Obviously the kind of protein powder you use is key. This is a great one I use from Natures Sunshine called "love and peas". The protein is derived from split peas. So yummy too!

And mix, mix, mix. The finished product. 

Broccoli Bites with dipping sauce

This recipe is by no means dairy free, but is very delicious.  This is from the Unconventional Kitchen. You ladies have probably already seen it but I thought I’d post it just in case and to have it here to reference. We have this and a green salad for dinner and it’s plenty filling. 

Ingredients:

1 lb broccoli, chopped in small bit- sized pieces

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (I used mozzarella)

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded 

3 eggs

1 c. almond flour

1 t. oregano

salt & pepper to taste   

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients except for the broccoli in a medium sized bowl.

Next toss in the broccoli. It helps to use your hands to roll the pieces of broccoli in the mixture into little bite sized balls. Place balls on lightly greased parchment paper.

Put them in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brown. Serve with the tasty Maple-Dijon Dipping Sauce.

Sauce:

6 T sour cream

2 T pure maple syrup

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T fresh lemon juice

salt to taste

 

Method:

Simply whisk all the ingredients together and you have yourself an awesome sauce. Kids love dipping so that is what makes this sauce extra fun. 

Basic egg noodle recipe

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 T water
Enough flour so mixture doesn't stick to bowl.

On a well floured surface, roll them out as thin or thick as you want. I recommend you roll them out as thin as you can, they will puff up when they cook.

Cut with a pizza cutter to the size you want.

Place in boiling soup. They cook in a matter of minutes.

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

2cup	Oats
3	Egg whites
3/4 cup	Unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup	Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
1/2 cup	Plain greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 tsp	Cream of tartar (or 2 tsp. vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp	Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp	Baking soda
1/4 tsp	Salt
1 cup	Hot water
1/2 cup	Baking stevia OR 1 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar
1/2 cup	Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Tip	Foil cupcake liners, remove the inner paper lining (because paper liners tend to stick to muffins!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.

Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice (and my favorite way to cook brown rice)

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice 

• 4 2/3 c water
• 2 T chicken bouillon ( I like better than boulion organic chicken base from Costco)*
• 4 t garlic –minced
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 can green chiles—or equivalent fresh
• ¾ t salt
• 1 T butter (optional)
• ½ onion
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 c brown rice (I like Lundberg’s short grain brown rice from Costco)

1. Pulse cilantro, green chiles, salt, water, chicken bouillon, and onion together in a blender.
2. In a rice cooker add brown rice, the mixture from the blender, lime juice, and butter if using.
3. Cook on brown rice setting.

***Instead of cooking the rice in a rice cooker, I like cooking the rice this way

Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice
Perfected by America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/3 cups water
2 teaspoons unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread rice in an 8-inch square baking dish.

2.  Bring water and butter or oil to a boil, either in a saucepan or in the microwave.  Keep an eye on it and take it off heat immediately after it starts boiling.  Immediately stir in salt and pour water over rice in baking dish.  Cover baking dish tightly with 2 layers of foil, or heavy-duty foil.  Transfer baking dish to oven and bake rice until tender, about 1 hour.

3.  Remove baking dish from oven and uncover.  Fluff rice with fork, then cover dish with kitchen towel and let rice stand for 5 minutes.  uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

*** Can easily be doubled, just use a 9x13 pan. The cooking time remains the same.