The BEST Wholesome Blueberry Muffins

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com a few weeks ago, and have made these muffins four times now, with a few modifications.  My entire family loves them, and my husband has asked if they're "really that healthy?".  :-)

Emily and I made them this morning while Ben played nearby on the floor, and Audrey was at preschool.  My kids love to help me bake, so I try to let them unless I'm in a hurry (which is about half the time).

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/To-Die-For-Blueberry-Muffins/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=blueberry%20muffins&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

The original recipe is above.  I made the following changes:

*100% organic whole wheat flour instead of white
*organic coconut sugar instead of white sugar
*olive oil instead of vegetable oil
*frozen organic wild blueberries instead of fresh (because we only buy fresh in season)

                                                       Emily mixing the dry ingredients...

                                                   The egg/oil/milk combo is fascinating...

                                                                   Mixing dry and wet...

                                                    She had to sample some blueberries :)

What they look like as I'm adding the topping...

25 minutes later--A happy little boy and two little girls enjoying their muffins (and pears)...

Crazy Delicious Vegetarian Meatloaf

This is my first post in about two years.  Almost exactly two years ago we found out we were expecting our third child, and chaos ensued.  Our sweet boy is now 16 months old, we've been in our new house for 18 months, our oldest two are in preschool, and life is starting to settle into normalcy.  Whatever that is with three small kids.  :)  I'm going to try to post a new favorite recipe every time I cook a real meal for my family, which is about once or twice a week.  We do leftovers, take out, or easy meals the other nights.

Having said all of that, I want to quickly share the latest recipe I found that my entire family eats and loves!  The first time I made it I told my husband I was making meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Don't do that.  He was unpleasantly surprised that it was not MEATloaf, but he then proceeded to eat three servings.  He told me he really likes it, but asked that I not trick him into thinking something is going to be a caveman meal when it isn't.  ;-)  My three year old gobbles it up, as does my one year old, and my four year old eats it because we tell her to.  (That says something, because if she really dislikes something she will take one bite and be done.  She usually finishes this).

Onto the recipe...

The only substitutions I made were organic rolled oats instead of quick oats (we don't buy quick oats), and I used canned lentils instead of dry ones.  I use dry beans about half the time, when time allows.

http://www.food.com/recipe/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really-33921

I LOVE that this recipe consists of things that we always have on hand, takes about five minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.  It's a great week night meal. (The following picture was taken about halfway through the baking process.  I knew if I waited until it was ready I would forget to take one!)

Ranch Dip for Veggies

I'm not the type of person who eats ranch dressing on salad, but I love to dip a cold, crunchy cucumber or piece of celery into it before taking a bite. I found a recipe online using sour cream and mayo, so I figured I could use Greek yogurt and olive oil mayo (one of my favorite inventions, as I, embarrassingly, LOVE mayo). I mixed one part olive oil mayo with two parts Greek yogurt, added a bunch of seasonings, and blended it up quickly with a spoon. It's super quick, and super delicious. And the best part--I don't feel guilty eating it! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

1 T dried chives

1 T dried dill

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t dried parsley

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

Turkey Stroganoff

I found this recipe for "Poor Man's Stroganoff":

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/poor-mans-stroganoff.html

I changed it up a bit to make it slightly healthier, as well as gluten free, although it was almost gluten free without having to do much. I changed the following things:

ground turkey instead of beef

low fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

organic (no HFCS!) ketchup instead of tomato paste (only because I was out of tomato paste)

regular bacon instead of turkey (it's what I had on hand)

rice flour instead of flour

I doubled the garlic, as usual :-)

I served it to my kids (and myself) over egg noodles, and served it over rice pasta to my husband, who is trying a gluten free diet. It was absolutely heavenly all around. And an added bonus, the house smells like bacon and garlic. Two of my favorite things. Yum.

Chicken Cordon Bleu (my version)

This dish was quick, easy, and made the house smell delicious. Oh, and it tasted good. :)

Ingredients:

*Four chicken breasts, cut in half to make 8 thin breasts (or you can pound the four breasts flat, but that takes work)

*salt and pepper

*Canadian bacon (one slice per chicken breast)

*One fresh mozzarella ball, sliced

*1 T butter

*1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a glass baking dish.

Grind salt and pepper lightly on each side of each chicken breast.

Place a slice of Canadian bacon on each breast, then top with a slice of mozzarella.

Fold the breast in half, then secure with a toothpick.

Place a small amount of butter on the top of each breast, then place baking dish in oven for 2-3 minutes, or until butter is completely melted.

Remove dish from oven, sprinkle panko crumbs over the chicken, the place back in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Check to make sure chicken is no longer pink, and serve immediately.

I served it with brown rice and a summer salad. (Mostly) healthy and simple! :)

Refreshing White Corn Salad

I found this recipe online, and it is simple and perfect for a summer dinner or get together. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fresh-corn-salad-10000001176261/

Ingredients:

7 ears of white corn, boiled and cut from the cobs

1 medium red pepper, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Boil the corn for about four minutes, then immediately place it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Cut the corn from the cobs, and add the red pepper, onion, and parsley.

In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the veggies to the oil mixture and combine. Chill for at least two hours and serve. Simple, healthy, perfect.

Whole Wheat Spinach Feta Quiche

I haven't made quiche in quite a while, and had a ton of eggs to use up this week. About a dozen boiled eggs later, I decided quiche was the way to go to finish off the eggs. Here is a link to my last quiche post from about 17 months ago:

http://mommysmuffins.blogspot.com/search/label/quiche

This time, I used whole wheat flour for the crust, and used six whole eggs mixed with milk for the filling. I also used the following:

1/2 of a fresh mozzarella ball, sliced

2/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted on the counter for about 30 minutes

5 chopped up Trader Joe's frozen pre-cooked turkey meatballs

1 small chopped up tomato

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

After baking the crust for the initial 20 minutes covered loosely in foil, I topped it with the tomatoes and spinach, then added the feta and mozzarella before pouring the egg mixture over top. I baked it for another 35 minutes, uncovered, and knew it was time to remove it from the oven when the top of the mozzarella slices were slightly golden brown. I let it sit on the counter to cool for about an hour, and it sliced perfectly for lunch. Healthy and delicious!