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!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

Never in a million years would I have thought I would like something called Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.  Fortunately for me, I once worked with an awesome woman named Donna.  And she is like Martha Stewart.  She is also more adventurous than I.  And she introduced me to this amazing stuff -- which she had made.  And then she gave me the recipe.

I've been making it most years since 2009.  And I give it away for Christmas gifts.  I have several friends who request it.  It is awesome stuff.

Because I like to make it every year (though it's another one of those things I have a love/hate relationship with...), I usually try to plant my own peppers to put in it.  This year that was the case.  And this year...  My peppers got hot hot hot!  And plentiful!  I had more than enough peppers just from my garden, so I didn't have to supplement with store-bought peppers :).

So this stuff is awesome.  But I said that already.  It's sweet heat.  And delicious.  Especially with cream cheese on Ritz crackers!

And here's the recipe (don't worry, I asked Donna first if I could share it :)).

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
3 large green bell peppers, cored and seeded
20 jalapeno peppers, not seeded
1/3 cup water
2 cups Cider Vinegar
5 lb bag sugar
4 packets liquid Certo (2 boxes)

Wash the peppers.  Remove stem from the jalapenos. Core and seed the bell peppers.

Place all peppers, water and vinegar in food processor or blender and blend.  Strain liquid into a big dutch oven.  Add sugar and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil for 5 minutes over low heat.

Add Certo. bring to boil and cook one minute. Skim top with metal spoon to remove foam. Add a couple drops of green food coloring to achieve a nice color (optional).

Ladle into sterilized jelly jars and seal with paraffin or water-bath according to jelly instructions.  Cool.

Yield: 12  jelly jars

Tips: I use a blender and all the peppers do not fit at one time-- so I have always worked in batches: some peppers and liquid; more peppers more liquid. etc.

Anyway, this stuff is awesome.  I happen to have a large quantity (some from 2012), so if anyone wants to try it out, let me know.  I'm willing to share my extra.  However, the stuff from 2012 is a little less set, because I was trying to skimp on the Certo.   Lesson learned:  don't skimp on that. ;).

Cheddar Zucchini Mini Muffins

Ever since Lynnaea became a toddler (which happened before her 1st birthday, though I hate to admit it...), I've wanted to come up with healthy snacks for her.  I felt it was important to get her eating on a regular schedule -- 3 meals and 2 snacks.  But, being that I'm not super-creative and that I'm a first-time mom...  I wasn't very good at coming up with things to offer her for a snack.  (Heck, it took me a while to realize all the meal foods I could give her!). 

So I turned to Pinterest.  Because that's just how I roll.  And I came across this recipe for cheddar zucchini bread. 

I love this recipe for a number of reasons:

1.  It uses some whole wheat flour.  I want Lynnaea to realize that eating "brown" bread is better than eating white bread.  I want her to not throw a fit about eating wheat bread.  We have a lot of whole wheat at our house, because my husband grinds his own wheat to make his own bread.  I also have lots of all-purpose white flour, because I use it for baking other thing.  But still...  I've gotten used to making a lot of things (like pizza dough) with a mixture of both (which this recipe calls for both), and I want Lynnaea to grow up accepting that as just the way it is.  It's better for her anyway.

2.  It uses zucchini.  Which I categorize in the vegetable category.  And this means I can get extra veggies into her.  Plus, I still have frozen shredded zucchini in the deep freezer.  With 3 zucchini plants in the garden already.  And I'm hoping for another amazing harvest.

3.  I read the reviews and noticed I could cut back the salt significantly.  I grew up eating high-sodium foods.  Not a bunch of stuff out of a can, mind you.  But when a recipe (like arroz con pollo) called for a tablespoon of salt...  My mom added a tablespoon of salt.  And until I got married, it never occurred to me that that was a lot.  So I've been trying to cut back on the amount of salt in small ways.  Like using home-made broths in place of canned broths when I have it in the freezer.  Or replacing some of the broth with water.  I mean, I still want my food to taste good.  That's important to me.  But if I can healthify it even a little...  I'd like to do that.  For me, and for my kiddo.

Anyway, here's the recipe.  The only thing I did was bake in mini-muffin tins to make them toddler-friendly.  And I froze most of them, so I can take them out a little at a time.

Zucchini Cheddar Mini Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini\
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add in the zucchini, cheese, and scallions and toss to coat.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into a greased mini muffin tins and bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool and serve.
6. * Loaves can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, placed in freezer bags, labeled and frozen for up to 3 months. Place in refrigerator overnight to defrost. 

Note:  I changed the cook time to apply to mini muffins.  Also, I didn't have buttermilk.  But a quick google search will tell you how much regular milk to use, in addition to either vinegar or lemon juice.  I used lemon juice.  Worked great.  And my munchkin loves these.