Gingerbread Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Hello, December (well, almost!) and Hello, Gingerbread! The two go hand-in-hand in my mind....along with peppermint....they are the flavors of the season. When I saw this recipe on My Whole Food Life blog I knew I had to make them STAT.  They had me at gingerbread (and then the chocolate chips sealed the deal).

These muffins are sweetened with maple syrup (I think you could also use honey), are gluten free and have no butter, just coconut oil. So they are pretty healthy as far as muffins go (but FULL of amazing flavor from all the spices)! The kids LOVED them. They make a super easy, grab-and-go breakfast or snack. 

*I didn't have oat flour so I ground whole oats in the food processor....measure the oat flour AFTER it's been ground down.

Here is the recipe word for word from My Whole  Food Life blog:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups gluten free oat flour*
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 flax eggs <I used two regular eggs>
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp ginger (depending on how spicy you like it) <I used 3/4 tsp ginger>
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup almond milk <use regular milk if nut allergy>
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips <I used 1/2 cup>

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl .

Mix wet ingredients in another.

Add wet to dry and mix until combined.

Spoon batter into lined or greased muffin pans. <I used a 1/4 cup full measuring cup for each muffin>

Bake for 10-12 minutes. <I baked for 12 minutes>

<This made 14 muffins for me>

Butter Leaf Salad with Dates, Apples & Pomegranate Seeds

I made this salad the other night while my dad was in town visiting and he said it was the tastiest salad he's had in a very long time....He asked me to blog it STAT so that he can make it for Thanksgiving dinner! So, here it is, Dad!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my family does - it's a super easy salad that I serve as a side all the time. The flavors are very bright (thanks to the pomegranate seeds), sweet (dates and apples), and salty (the blue cheese). I use Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing because it is just flat out amazing. You can also use a vinaigrette (3 parts oil, 2 parts vinegar, 1 part honey is a quick whip up dressing from scratch). But if you can find the Brianna's, get it!

Salad Ingredients (I don't really have exact measurements - just use as much or as little as you like):

• 1 or 2 heads of butter leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite sized pieces (one head will be enough for two people as a side salad, two heads will be right to serve two full sized dinner portions - my husband and I eat a giant salad for dinner at least once a week.....if you want to add protein try chopped chicken or roasted tofu)
• pomegranate seeds 
• walnuts, chopped
• diced crisp sweet apple (like a honeycrisp, jazz or pink lady)
• dates, pitted and chopped (do not omit the dates, they honestly are the heart of this salad)
• blue cheese
• pepper & salt (easy on the salt as the blue cheese is quite salty)
• Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing or vinaigrette of your choice (but try to use Brianna's)

Directions:
Place ingredients in separate serving salad bowls (try to arrange them side by side around the bowl, alternating colors - presentation means so much). Top with salad dressing and serve immediately.

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins

So..... I have been totally obsessed with making blender muffins over the past two weeks - they are just so easy and they are incredibly tasty! Plus, when I have muffins made, my kids have a quick-as-they-can-grab them breakfast.....which makes my mornings so much easier than asking them all what they want and getting three different answers.

After a quick Pinterest search for pumpkin blender muffins I found these (they also happen to be gluten free) on the blog Averie Cooks (btw this blog has SO many yummy looking desserts I cannot wait to explore and try more of her recipes!). I knew after a quick scan of the ingredients they would be amazing (I mean, look at all those spices!!).....and they are!

Here is the recipe from Averie Cooks word for word with my changes in italics:

**The recipe says these make mini muffins. I actually doubled the recipe and made 12 regular muffins. I baked them at 350F for 19 minutes**.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick cook or instant; use certified gluten-free if necessary or desired)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (lite okay)
• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil <I used liquid-state coconut oil>
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice <I didn't have this so I used 1/4 tsp ground ginger instead>
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling <I used regular sized>

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare mini muffin pans**<see my note above or below about making regular size muffins> by spraying very well with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans; set aside. If keeping gluten-free for health reasons, simply use cooking spray or grease the pan.
2. To the canister of a high-speed blender, add the oats, and blend on high speed until fine and powdery, about 15 seconds.
3. Add all remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips and blend on high speed until smooth and incorporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add chocolate chips and stir in by hand; don’t use the blender because it will pulverize them.
5. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, turn batter out into the muffin cavities, filling each to a solid 3/4 full.
6. Evenly sprinkle the top of each with a generous pinch of chocolate chips (about 8 to 10 chips each).
7. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, or until the tops are set, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.  Due to their small size and oven variance, make sure to watch your muffins closely, and bake until done. Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle. Muffins are best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. 

**The recipe says these make mini muffins. I actually doubled the recipe and made 12 regular muffins. I baked them at 350F for 19 minutes**.

Chocolate Black Bean Blender Muffins

 

Last week I made the Flourless Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins that I blogged earlier this year for my kids. They just devoured them for breakfast and snacks. I was really digging how easy it was to put all the ingredients into the blender, press start, and basically be done. So I went onto Pinterest to find more blender muffin recipes and I came across these little protein-packed yummies.  I had a can of black beans in my pantry and just enough oats....so I gave them a try. Results were a super easy muffin to throw together, moist, dense chocolate flavor, and quality, healthful ingredients. I would say that's a win-win-win. 

This recipe comes from the blog Kristin's Kitchen Blog:

 

Ingredients

• 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon <this was my own addition>
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with silicone (or paper) liners.

Place all ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each muffin cup almost to the top. Drop 4-5 chocolate chips onto the top of each muffin.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. (Silicone liners can be removed once muffins are cool.)

Miss Ann's Fairy Tea

My friend, Ann, shared this recipe with me and my children over the summer. I have been waiting for the weather to turn cold before I blogged it.....and after our high of 32F on Friday, I think the time has come!!

I think it's so funny that my kids like tea because I have only become a tea lover over the last few years. But they ask me for hot tea all the time and they especially ask me for Miss Ann's Fairy Tea! Ann was quick to tell me that there really isn't anything to this (and she's right, it's super simple) but the kids just LOVE it (I mean, it's full of sugar so why wouldn't they?) and it's a fun, hot drink to have when it's cold outside.

Sometimes I put sugar in it, but mostly I use honey.  Ann uses whole milk (which truly tastes better) but I only ever have 1% on hand - it works, too!

Let me know if your kids like this tea as much as mine do! Thank you for sharing with me, Ann!

Ingredients for Fairy Tea:
1 peppermint tea bag of your choice
1 tsp to 1 Tbl sugar or honey (again, your choice on how much sugar you are willing to give your child- haha!)
1 Tbl milk, whole milk is the most decadent, but 1% or 2% works, too

Place tea bag in a mug. Add hot water and let seep for three minutes. Add sugar or honey and milk. Enjoy!

The Ultimate Party Snack Mix

5 Tbl butter, divided
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl pure maple syrup
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3 cups Wheat Chex
3 cups Cheerios
6 cups popcorn (I used my air popper- you can used lightly salted bagged popcorn, but I would not use microwave popcorn as it's got such a distinct fake butter flavor)
1 cup mini pretzels or thin sticks
1 cup cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts or smoked almonds, optional
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300F.

In microwave-safe bowl melt 4 Tbl of butter, Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup in the microwave for 40 seconds.  Stir. Add the onion powder and garlic powder. Stir again.  Pour Wheat Chex and Cheerios into a medium sized bowl. Pour butter mixture over the Chex and Cheerios; stir until evenly coated. Pour mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet and spread evenly with a wooden spoon. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes total - stirring every 15 minutes so that the mixture is evenly baked.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Pour the popcorn, mini pretzels, cheese crackers, cooled Chex & Cheerio mix and nuts, if using, into a large bowl. Melt the remaining Tbl of butter in the microwave and drizzle over the snack mix; use your hands to toss. Add salt to your taste and toss again using your hands. Serve within a day or so.

This makes enough to fill about one and a half gallon sized ziplock bags.  Double the recipe if you need more. Enjoy!