Frankenmuffins

I don't know about most people, but as for myself...  I know I could do better at getting veggies into my body.  And more importantly to me at this point, as a mother, I want to get more veggies into my sweet little girl.  Her diet is determined largely by me (and somewhat by her dad, and I'll admit it:  he's a healthier eater than I am).  So it is up to me to make sure she is getting what she needs.  And, I often fall short on the veggies.  It's one of the reason I'm looking forward to a high-end blender and some green smoothies! 

Because I want my veggies to taste yummy.  And I'm always on the lookout for delicious recipes that include vegetables.  My stir-fry veggies recipe has helped me a lot.  I really like getting a variety of vegetables that way.  My husband loves it.  And so does my toddler.  But I don't make them every day, of course.  And so it's nice to have other recipes to turn to :). 

Well, this recipe is bomb.  My friend Lea saved some Family Fun magazines for me -- figuring I may find some family fun stuff to do with my young family!  And I found several awesome things.  Including a recipe for Frankenmuffins!  Granted, they are named to be suited for Halloween.  And I probably will make them for Halloween for sure!  But I wanted to try them out, and since I had all the ingredients (thanks to my THRIVE Spinach!), I felt motivated to do it today :).

FRANKENMUFFINS
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk because it's what I had in the fridge)
6 ounces (6 cups packed) fresh baby spinach  (I used 3 cups THRIVE Chopped Spinach and rehydrated it)
1 large ripe banana
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used THRIVE Pure Vanilla Powder)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 16 muffin cups with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients and stir with a mix until well combined. 

In a blender, add the oil, milk, and spinach.  Puree until smooth.  Add banana and vanilla and blend until all is well combined.  Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until completely mixed (I used my stand mixer).

Fill each prepared muffin well two-thirds full.  Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes (mine took 17).

And seriously...  This recipe is amazing.  The batter tastes good too, just fyi.  And there's no raw egg, so it's pregnant-lady and toddler friendly ;).  But the real test is the muffin itself, right? And they are so good.  Especially about 10 minutes after I pulled them out of the oven! 

And so now you have an adult's opinion on them.  I think they taste great.  And I love that they have spinach and we're getting veggies.  And that there is whole wheat, which is also good stuff. 

But what does my toddler think?  So, I gave her half of one for a snack.  She gobbled that thing up and asked for more.  Which I didn't give her, as it's close to dinner time.  But I am thrilled that she liked it so much!  And the way I see it, these could even be used as a breakfast.  What a great way to get some veggies in you first thing in the morning!

So moms...  If you want something new to get veggies into your kiddos, give this recipe a try!  I will be making it again and again!

Energy Bites

I found this recipe on a blog about 2 1/2 years ago.  It was while I was still working.  They seemed awesome.  And doable.  And easy.  So I tried them.  I made them my way (read:  the unhealthier way).  The original recipe calls for all-natural peanut butter (the kind without added anything) and agave.  I have neither of those things typically.  So I used good ol' store-bought Skippy (or JIF -- whatever happens to be selling at Costco at the time) and honey. 

Anyway, they are bomb.  And surely they pack a punch in the energy department.  And, compared to many other options (like Twinkies or something), they are a healthier snack option.  I think.

So here goes, with my recipe:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 cups dry nonfat powdered milk
2 cups oats
chocolate chips to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together honey and peanut butter until well-blended and smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together powdered milk and oats.  Then add the honey mixture to the milk mixture.  Like this:

Mix them together.  I start out with a utensil (and I recommend something sturdy)...  But I usually end up just mixing with my hands.  It gets really thick.  In fact, yesterday, I started getting a hand cramp from the mixing.  Just a little forewarning ;). 

As the mixture comes together, toss in your chocolate chips (to your liking...  I use semi-sweet.  And I use quite a few, as I like them.  However, you could even leave them out if you're not a fan of chocolate.  But who does that!?! ;)).  Mix those in (again, probably easiest by hand).

Form into 1-inch (or so) balls. 

I find that sometimes the mix is still too dry, so I've added a little water at a time until it's more manageable.  I often still end up with some crumbs that just won't mix in and shape into balls...  No worries... I just eat that with milk. 

Anyway, they are yummy.  And they just may cause me to surpass my target weight this pregnancy :/.

Happy eating!