Blueberry Muffin in a Mug

For some strange reason, my kiddos just wanted cereal this morning. I try to stay away from anything that comes premade/prepackaged/ready to eat out of a box so I decided that it was high time to try a recipe that came across my FB newsfeed. Blueberry Muffin in a mug. I have made many chocolate cakes in a mug but never a muffin.

One time I tried a Kodiak Lemon Poppyseed Cup that you just microwave straight from the paper cup it comes in. It was TERRIBLE. I know they make a great pancake mix but man oh man, I couldn't eat that muffin. And I eat everything!

Sorry back to the regular programming....

I am all about fast meals made with real ingredients. And I knew this would be the ticket!

The recipe came across my FB newsfeed...ya know those super addicting "Tasty" videos?  Yeah, it was one of those. I'll share with you the original recipe they posted and how I changed it to fit my lifestyle :) Because ultimately that is what it is all about. Finding food you like and making it yours.

Without further ado, here is the original recipe:

-4 TBS Flour
-2 TBS granulated sugar
-1/8 tsp baking powder
-1/16 tsp baking soda
-3 TBS milk
-1 TBS vegetable oil
-10 fresh blueberries

1) Mix everything (except the blueberries) in a microwave safe mug with a fork.
2) Drop in blueberries and gently mix.
3) Microwave for 1 minute or until firm in the center of the cake.



Crystal's HEALTHIFIED Blueberry Muffin in a Mug:

-4 TBS whole wheat flour
-1 TBS coconut sugar
-1 TBS honey
-1/8 tsp baking powder
-3 TBS unsweetened original almond milk
-1 egg
-1 TBS coconut oil
-12 frozen blueberries

1) Mix everything (except the blueberries) in a microwave safe mug with a fork.
2) Drop in blueberries and gently mix.
3) Microwave for 1 minute or until firm in the center of the cake.

Here is why I added what I did...

I love honey, let's be honest. I can squirt it straight from the squeeze bottle. So anytime I have the chance to substitute honey for at least some sugar, I do.

I added an egg because I wanted it to be more gooey and moist. I am not a huge fan of whole wheat flour (it's just such a prominent flavor! gah) so I figured adding an egg would help lessen that wheaty flavor. PLUS, I always have protein with my breakfast and I reeeeallly didn't want to make eggs separately.

Coconut oil is such a great healthy fat. Here are some amazing benefits:

     The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil have been shown to increase 24 hour energy expenditure by as much as 5%, potentially leading to significant weight loss over the long term.

     The fatty acids in coconut oil can significantly reduce appetite, which may positively affect body weight over the long term.
Studies in both humans and rats show that coconut oil improves important risk factors like Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, which may translate to a reduced risk of heart disease.

     Studies show that the fatty acids in coconut oil can increase blood levels of ketone bodies, supplying energy for the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients and relieving symptoms.


Try the original version. Then change it to make it to your health standards. Or to what you have in the pantry and fridge ;)  I would love to hear your variations!

Healthified Pecan Bars

As I mentioned before, I made some butter-loaded, sugar-full pecan bars over the holidays. My husband took me to lunch at The Corner Bakery and said that their Pecan Bars were delicious so we naturally had to order one.

There WERE good! But I thought I could surely make some just as good. I googled a recipe and low and behold, yep, nailed it. (it wasn’t hard).

They had a nice shortbread crust, the pecans laid in an ooey gooey layer of maple goodness. So yeah, I craved them. For weeks! I knew there had to be a better, healthier recipe out there. I thought about how to make the ooey gooeyness of it. I figured dates would probably do the trick but I had never baked with dates (aside from making some Indian-inspired desserts when I worked as a pastry cook in a NYC restaurant).

So I turned to google again and hey! There was a recipe that had dates just like I had thought! It was meant to be!

Seriously, how did anyone survive without google?

Enter the following recipe. Def not the same as the sugar coma ones but satisfies the sweet tooth without any refined sugar. It feels decadent and almost sinful.

If you are just starting your health journey, you may not have these ingredients on hand. But I can assure you that if you decide to pursue a healthier lifestyle, these are common ingredients that you will want to have in your pantry.

All the ingredients can be found at your local Smiths (Kroger), Harmon’s (a local Utah grocery store), any health food store, and Amazon (of course). Walmart has many of these ingredients too! I get my dates at Costco and secretly snack on 1-2 a day (shhh, don’t tell).

 

Healthified Pecan Bars

 

Ingredients

 

Crust

¼ cup coconut flour

1 cup blanched almond flour

4 tablespoons grassfed butter

2 eggs

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

 

Filling

6 dates, pitted and chopped

2 eggs

⅓ cup pure maple syrup

4 tablespoons grassfed butter, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut flour

1 cup chopped pecans

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the dry ingredients for the crust in a food processor and pulse briefly to blend. Add wet ingredients and pulse until well blended. The mixture will begin to form a ball.

Press dough into an 8x8 pan. Use a spatula to smooth and distribute the dough evenly.

Bake crust for 20 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

Meanwhile, add the dates to the food processor and pulse until it begins to form a paste or a ball of processed dates. Add eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut flour and pulse until blended. Slowly pour in grassfed butter or coconut oil and pulse until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans.

When the crust is ready, remove from the oven and pour the filling on top and spread evenly. Return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Makes 9 large or 16 small squares.

Notes

Coconut oil can be substituted for the grassfed butter for a completely dairy-free recipe.

 

Original Recipe can be found HERE

http://www.forthejoyofrealfood.com/2014/11/paleo-pecan-pie-squares/

Spicy Honey Chicken

 

I am always on the look out for clean, tasty recipes. I made this YEARS ago and when thumbing through my recipes, decided to try it again. OOOOOHhhhh, its sooooo good. I could eat this all day, every day. Yes, I realize the recipe calls for thighs. Not the best cut of chicken. But its so juicy and tender. I've made them with chicken tenders and they are also very tasty. Yes, it has a lot of honey in the recipe but divided into 8, it's less than 1 TBS of honey, right?

Spicy Honey Chicken

 Recipe and Picture  by Our Best Bites http://ourbestbites.com/2008/06/spicy-honey-chicken/

 

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
      everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’ ya right now it’s better with thighs.

 2 t olive oil

 

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

 

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

 

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

 

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

 

Drizzle the remaining glaze on top of the chicken before serving.

Chicken Paremsan Meatloaf Muffins

Do of you despise grocery shopping like I do? I've done grocery shopping with the kids in the car carts. I've done it by bribing my kids with candy. I've done it after the kids go to bed. No matter how I do it, I HATE it. I hate seeing the register amount go up and up, then leaving feeling like I really didn't leave with much. Am I the only one that feels that way?

 

 

I have a tendency to think that if I don't go shopping, then I'm not spending money, so it's a win. In the long run, I know its not because we either:

1)run out of food that my family wants to eat so we go OUT to eat

2) run out of any kind of healthy food and result in eating junk

 

So it's really a losing battle. I just need to suck it up and go shopping.



 

 

 
Keeping in mind that I had an empty fridge, I took a mental note of what I did have (not much) and looked online for something I could make. The first search came up with Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins. I had ground chicken breast (check). It only took 20 mins in the oven (I'll take it because I was procrastinating).  I quickly jotted down the recipe and my baking/cooking buddy immediately asked "Mom, help you?" and up on the counter he went. He helped me measure the spices (great of hand/eye coordination and counting) and scooped the mini meatloaves into the muffin tin (yet another great hand/eye activity).

 

 

 
He loves stealing water from my water stash. It's really the only time he likes drinking water. While I refilled the water bottle, he snapped a few pics.

 

 
The finished product. Super simple and delicious. I will be making these again for sure!

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Muffins

Source: http://www.food.com

 

2 large eggs

1 ¹⁄₂ lbs ground chicken

6 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs {I used ground oatmeal}

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried basil (or 2 t chopped fresh basil)

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 t fresh thyme)

³⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 t chopped fresh oregano)

2 garlic cloves, minced

¹⁄₂ small onion, chopped small or grated

³⁄₄ teaspoon table salt

¹⁄₃ teaspoon black pepper

1 ¹⁄₂ ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)

³⁄₄ cup pasta sauce

3 ounces low fat shredded mozzarella cheese (3/4 cup) { I used freshly grated Parmesan}

 

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350°F Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2.    In a large bowl, beat together egg until combined. Add everything else except pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and optional herbs. Mix gently to combine; do not over mix or compress the mixture too firmly.

3.    Divide evenly into 12 wells of muffin tin. Divide pasta sauce evenly over the top of each portion (about 1 tbsp). Bake 20 minutes.

4.    Top each portion with about 1 tbsp shredded cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, 3-5 minutes.

Protein Waffles

Do you guys follow Chris and/or Heidi Powell from Extreme Weight Loss? I LOVE watching that show! It's so inspiring!

The other day, Heidi posted these Protein Pancakes and they immediately went into my recipes to try. I don't know about you but I don't like to drink my Shakeo for breakfast. Why? Because I love having a sit down, "normal" breakfast. I wanna use a fork!

 I FINALLY tried the recipe and love it! They are made with oat flour (ground up oatmeal) with eggs and cottage cheese for the protein. For me, its the perfect combo. They are not sweet but have a great consistency.

What I like is that it makes 2 servings. So I cook the entire batch and save some in a Ziploc baggie for the next morning. Sooo easy.'

I've tried making them in pancake form as well but didn't like them as much. I usually top mine with warmed up frozen berries or sliced banana. Adding a drizzle of honey is a winner too!

Here is the recipe from her blog ...   http://heidipowell.net/1182/protein-waffles/

Protein Waffles

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup oatmeal, instant or regular
1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions:
Put oatmeal and baking powder in food processor or blender and process until powdered.
In a food processor, blend cottage cheese, eggs, water, vanilla, and olive oil until smooth.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients to form a batter.
As the mixture stands it will thicken, and it may be necessary to add more water (a tablespoon at a time), to a get smooth, not lumpy, consistency.
Cook in a waffle iron according to the iron’s specifications. My waffles take about 4 minutes each.

Nutritional Data: 313 Calories, 18g Protein, 29g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 2.5g Sugar, 13.4g Fat
You can also drizzle with honey or sugar free maple syrup. I top mine with 2 tbsp of coconut whipped cream, which adds an additional 60 cal, 5.2g fat, .8 carbs, and .8 protein

Are you with me?

I'm not sure if you are in my same boat BUT I struggle with finding a balance between healthy vs family friendly. My kids are picky. My husband likes his usual meat and potatoes. I want something easy and more on the healthy side. I did a quick google search on "healthy pork chop recipes" and LUCKY ME, I found this one.

I would say it's a keeper. FOR. SURE. I liked it. My husband liked it. Win!

(picture is from here)

The recipe is found at "Eat Yourself Skinny" and you should definitely give it a try.

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

 

 

We had it with some brown rice. My son LOVES rice, I mean REALLY LOVES rice. This is the first time I have made brown rice for the rest of the family and they all ate it up. I don't have a handy dandy rice cooker so I usually bake my rice. Here is the oh so easy recipe I used:

Alton Brown's Baked Brown Rice

 Oh! I usually add some chicken bouillon to the water to add a little flavor.