BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Best muffins I've had in a long time. Try them out: 

*I used chocolate chips instead of blueberries. 

NO BAKE PROTEIN BITES

To learn how to make these yummy snacks click here.

TACO SALAD

• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 3/4 cups Ranch Dressing (bottled Is Fine)
• 1/4 cup Salsa (as Spicy As You'd Like)
• 3 Tablespoons Finely Minced Cilantro
• Chicken
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Seasoning (taco Seasoning, Or Your Own Mix)
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• SALAD:
• 1 head Green Leaf Lettuce (1 Large Head Or Two Regular Heads), Shredded Thin
• 3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 1/2 cup Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
• 2 ears Corn, Shucked
• 2 whole Avocados, Diced
• 3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
• 1/2 cup Cilantro Leaves
• Tortilla Chips Of Your Choice (flavored Or Not), Crushed Slightly

Preparation Instructions

First, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and stirring together. Cover and refrigerate.

Next, make the chicken: Generously season both sides of the breasts. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until deep golden brown on the outside and done in the middle, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then cut it into cubes.

Place the ears of corn in the skillet you used to cook the chicken and roll it around so that the flavorful oil/butter mixture coats the corn. Grill it on a grill pan or cook it in a separate skillet until the corn is still crisp but has color on the outside. Slice off the kernels with a sharp knife and set aside.

To assemble the salad, pile shredded lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, corn, avocado, green onion, cilantro, and crushed chips on a big platter. Drizzle the dressing all over the top, serving part on the side if you'd like.

Serve it in individual bowls.

Great recipe from:  The Pioneer Woman

DIY: SALAD IN A JAR

* The trick is to keep your Salad Dressing on the bottom to have a non-soggy salad at lunch. Enjoy!

POACHED EGGS

3 Tips for Better Poached Eggs 

Use the freshest eggs possible: As eggs get older, the whites start to become looser and the amount of thick inner white starts to decrease. Check the date on your eggs — the fresher the better. 

Poach in a few inches of water: You don't need much water to poach an egg. An inch or two will do the trick nicely and will also keep the egg from bobbing around in the water, thus keeping it in a tidy package. 

Heat the water to a rapid simmer: Heat the water to a rapid simmer, add the cracked eggs, and then immediately turn down the heat to low. You want the water hot enough to start setting the proteins in the egg whites immediately, but not so hot that the boiling water tears the delicate whites before they can set. Once the eggs have been added, a low heat is all you need to maintain a good poaching temperature.

DIY: EGGS TO GO

SUPER EASY EGGS TO GO: 

 - 3 eggs
- mixed greens
- milk
- cupcake tray

Mix all of your ingredients together. Pour them into your cupcake tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 mins. 


(You could also saute some mushrooms and onions prior and throw them into your mix).


*Made this creation up last night and I was able to make about 7 eggs to go. They're easy and quick to make and they are SUPER convenient in the morning. Enjoy!

DIY: PUMPKIN SEEDS

1) Curried Pumpkin Seeds from Bon Appetit

2) Sweet And Spicy Pumpkin Seeds from 101 Cookbooks

3) Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Garlic and Pepper from the Food Network

TURKEY ZUCCHINI MEATBALLS

These look yummy! Looks like a great recipe from:  

A Cozy Kitchen.com

Meatballs:
1 pound (300g) ground turkey
1 large zucchin, coarsley grated (scant 2 cups/200g)
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large free-range egg
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
about 6 1/2 teaspoons sunflower oil (canola oil will work too)

Sour Cream & Sumac Sauce:
Scant 1/2 cup (100g) sour cream
Scant 2/3 cup (150g) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. First make the sour cream sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands. Using a tablespoon, scoop a tablespoon and a half of the turkey mixture and shape into about 22 meatballs.
3. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.
4. Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until just cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.

AVOCADO MAC & CHEESE

Recipe from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Ingredients:

10 ounces dry elbow macaroni
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and add in macaroni. Stir and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
3. To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste. Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in Pepper Jack cheese and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
4. Place macaroni in a large bowl. Pour the avocado sauce over the macaroni and stir until well coated. Add the cheese sauce and stir until macaroni is coated and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks, if desired.
Note-the lime juice keeps the avocado from browning. The mac and cheese is best eaten the first day, but it is still good the second day. The pasta may turn slightly brown, but not bad. If you want a milder flavor, you can use Monterey Jack or White Cheddar Cheese.

BANANA AND MANGO SMOOTHIE

1/2 ripe mango 1 small ripe banana, sliced 150 ml (5 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk 120 ml (4 fl oz) orange juice 2 tsp lime juice 1 tsp caster sugar 2 heaped tbsp vanilla frozen yogurt sprigs of fresh lemon balm to decorate (optional) Peel the skin from the mango and cut the flesh away from the stone. Chop the flesh roughly. Put into a blender with the banana. Add the milk, orange juice, lime juice, sugar and frozen yogurt and blend on maximum speed for about 30 seconds or until mixed and frothy. Pour banana and mango shake into glasses and serve immediately, decorated with sprigs of lemon balm, if you like.

CURRIED PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN BURGERS

This recipe from EatingBirdFood.com looks fantastic! 

Serves: 5

What you will need

• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• ½ cup pumpkin (homemade puree or canned)
• ¼ cup of pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon chilii powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add black beans, quinoa, pepitas and garlic into a food processor and pulse a couple times. The beans should be broken up but there should still be some small chunks. Don’t over process, as you want your bean burgers to be a little chunky.
2. Transfer the bean mixture into large bowl and stir in all remaining ingredients and form into five to six patties.
3. Heat a skillet on medium, spray non-stick spray and add the patties, cook each side until browned, about 6-7 minutes total.

PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES

Oh boy.... I need to make these. How yummy does this look?

For the full recipe click here.

DIY: SPOOKY LOLLIPOPS

To learn how to make them click here.

PRETZEL BITES

I need to try this. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
to taste coarse salt
4 tablespoons butter (melted)

DIRECTIONS:

Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After the dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into small circles.  Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy!

Toppings: after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt, cinnamon sugar or try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!

*It helps to use sweet butter as opposed to regular butter.

NUTRITION:

196 calories, 4 grams fat, 34 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein per serving.

PUMPKIN GRANOLA

One more fall recipe to test out.  This looks soo yummy!

Check out  Skinnytaste.com 

HOMEMADE WHEAT THINS

This looks like a great recipe from Smitten Kitchen .

 Can't wait to try it out for myself!

SMOOTH SAILING

INGREDIENTS

3 frozen bananas, peeled
2 tbsp. chocolate syrup
¾ cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp. espresso powder (optional)
2 tbsp. flax seed (optional)
½ cup milk, plus more as needed

HOME MADE: GIRL GUIDE COOKIES

Make sure you pick up peppermint oil, NOT extract at the store. Peppermint extract is something like four times less flavorful than oil, so if you do end up using peppermint extract, you may have to add a few more teaspoons to get the same level of flavor.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
1 pound (16 ounces) good semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint oil, more as needed

Using a stand or hand-held mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go to get it all incorporated. Add in the vanilla, cocoa powder, egg white and salt and continue creaming until the batter is smooth and creamy with the consistency of thick chocolate frosting. Add the flour and mix until the batter is no longer dusty looking. It’s okay if it’s still a bit crumbly (it will all come together), but try not to overwork the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a ball and bring together in a smooth mass. The dough should be soft and a little crumbly. Place dough in plastic wrap, flatten to a one inch thickness, and put the dough in the freezer for about twenty minutes to harden up.

While the dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees and center a rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once chilled, remove dough and roll out until somewhere around a 1/6 inch thickness–but make sure to not make the dough too thin. The dough will be hard, but work with it to get to the correct thickness. It also softens up very easily, so you might have to stick it back in the freezer if it gets too sticky. Stamp out the cookies with a cookie cutter about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for nine to ten minutes, until the cookies look hardened and are fragrant. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.

While the cookies are cooling, make the chocolate coating. Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler until glossy and smooth. It may seem thick at first, but give it time and it will smooth out and lighten. It might help to add a tablespoon or two of oil if the chocolate seems extra thick–the consistency of chocolate varies depending on the brand. Once melted and smooth, whisk in the peppermint oil. Drop in one cookie at a time, and using a fork, turn to coat with chocolate. When removing the cookie from the chocolate with a fork, tap the fork against the bowl to smooth out the top, and then place the coated cookies in the fridge or freezer to set. Keep the cookies in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat.

I found this recipe here: 

HOLIDAY COOKIES

Don't these look yummy? You can find the recipe here:

WINTER RECIPE

Yum.... baked apples anyone?Check out the recipe here:

http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/11/baked-apples-recipe.html