Yes, You Can Have Chocolate for Breakfast Muffins

If you call something a muffin

it means you can eat it for breakfast, right?

 

I thought so too.

 

That's why I made these....

 

 

Over-flowing Chocolate Goodness!

 

I decided to change my cooking format bit,

to not show you every step I do.

 

Let's be real...

you know how to pour flour into a bowl

you know how to turn on the mixer

 

at least you should

 

I'm going to stick to the basics and just give you recipe.

 

Here are the

Yes, You Can have Chocolate for Breakfast Muffins

 

1 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the sugar, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.

 

Stir in the dry mixture into the egg mixture adding the chocolate chips, only until combined. Spoon in or pour the batter into a prepared muffin pan with cupcake liners. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

 

Let cool on a wire rack until completely cooled.

 

Keep in an airtight container on your counter top for 3-4 days. These muffins also freeze well.

 

 

I always think this muffin is the perfect reason to enjoy some chocolate first think in the morning! I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do!

 

Linking up to: This Gal Cooks, Create with Joy, Keeping it Simple, Craft-o-Matic, BoogieBoard Cottage, Homemaker on a Dime, Alderberry Hill, Flour me with Love, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do, DIY Home Sweet Home, Uncommon Designs, Watch Out Martha, Skip to My Lou

An Apple a Day Muffins

We're trying to get the kids away from eating sugary cereals everyday for breakfast. I've been trying to find some alternatives that are healthy for them and still fill their bellies with the nutrients they need to keep their brains working!

I had a few apples in the fridge, so I decided to make some apple muffins with them. I used this recipe from Betty Crocker for Zucchini Bread and just made the old swtich-a-roo for apples!

I also switched out white flour for whole wheat flour and oil for apple sauce.

3 cups shredded apples (about 3)
1 2/3 cup sugar
2/3 overflowing cup apple sauce
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 1/2 tsp baking powder

First, I put all my dry ingredients into the mixer and let them get good and mixed. 

I started out with three apples. I cored and peeled them, they needed to be shredded and the easiest way to do that is in the food processor

Once you add all of your wet and dry ingredients together, the mixture will seem really thick and heavy. Not to worry...all in well in Apple Bread Town!

The "muffins" don't have to be muffins, if you prefer a bread...make a loaf of bread. Anything in the shape of a muffin make my kids want to eat them, so I went with muffins.

If you're making bread - make sure to grease and flour your pan! 

Otherwise, pull out your muffin tin and some cool liners....and fill each one about 3/4 of the way full.

For muffins, you'll bake these bad boys in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

For bread, you'll bake it at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. 

To make sure they're done, stick a tooth pick in the middle and hope that it comes out clean, if it doesn't - try another 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. 

These muffins are awesome! My kids and hubby gobbled them up for breakfast! They store great in an air-tight container in the fridge. I set enough out in the morning on the counter and in about 10 minutes, they were ready to go! 

You could also add some ground flax seed to these for the added health benefits or drizzle them with some icing if you just feel like having something sweet! Raisins would be good too...or nuts!

Another bonus of this recipe is it's really easy to cut in half for a smaller family.

Either way - these are some yummy muffins!

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Make sure and PIN this recipe and follow me on Pinterest!

Linking up to:

I Should Be Mopping the Floor, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft-o-Matic, It's So Very Cheri, StoneGable, Homemaker on a Dime, Sew Chatty, Flour Me With Love, Sew Can Do, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Sew Much Ado, Gingersnap Crafts, The Trendy Treehouse, Southern Lovely

How to Use Milk that's About to Expire

My kids drink a ton of milk, so it's pretty rare that we ever have milk that expires. During the week of Christmas, we weren't home very much so I ended up with almost an entire half gallon that was going to have to be tossed that day.

I needed to make a few things that would take up a lot of milk and that could be stored in the freezer.

I know that milk can be frozen, but I cant' think of when I would use it. 

Here's what I made with my almost-spoiled milk...

Two batches of pumpkin pancakes! I also made three batches of regular pancakes. Store the mix in freezer bags and toss in the freezer. The night before you'll use them place one bag in the fridge and in the morning just snip off one corner of the bag and squeeze out your pancakes! 

Between the four batches of pancakes, the milk was almost gone....the last cup of it was used to make some alfredo sauce for dinner that night! 

Let nothing go to waste! 

Share your tips for not letting food go to waste.

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to: 

Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Craft Junkie Too, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft-o-Matic

Drink Your Fruit! Best Smoothie Recipe

I hate to admit it, but I really am not a fruit of veggie eater. I've always been a picky eater and just have not found one fruit or veggie that I really like (except corn.) As I'm getting older, I'm realizing that I need fruits and veggies in my diet in order to stay healthy and help keep my body going.

Here's my smoothie recipe that I have everyday - I love it! Even though both of my kids love fruits - they don't eat near enough of the green stuff, so this smoothie has some good stuff in there for them too.

Smoothies are also a great way to help weight loss. We all know that in order to lose weight, we need to eat better. Most of us don't eat enough fruits and veggies and smoothies are a perfect way to get what your body needs and help fill you up too!

Here's what you'll need: 

(Makes 2 Smoothies)

Spinach

Vanilla Yogurt

Some type of low-sugar juice. We love this carrot juice from Trader Joe's

1 banana

1 apple

4-5 Strawberries (frozen or fresh)

1/3 cup frozen berry medley (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)

Now to assemble your smoothie...

Core and peel your apple. I normally only put in half the apple and feed the other half to the kids for lunch.

Add your banana.

Add two heaping tablespoons of yogurt.

Strawberries!

Add your berries. You can use whatever type of berries you have on hand, or happen to be on sale. I like this mixture for all the antioxidants these berries have!

Throw in a handful of spinach.

Pour in about a cup and a half of your juice. If you like a thicker smoothie, add only a cup. If you like yours a bit thinner go for about a cup and 3/4. 

Blend away! If you have kind of a crappy blender like I do, you might have to stop it several times and take a spoon and jam all the frozen stuff down to the bottom. That way everything gets blended! 

(I really need to get myself one of those Ninja's!!!)

Pour and serve with a straw! These smoothies don't have the most appealing color (spinach) but they are so, so good. Like I said before - my whole family of meat-eaters love this one!

Here are some great add-ins you can toss in:

Flax seed

Chia Seeds

Protein Powder

Any and all green veggies that you wouldn't normally eat - you won't even taste them with all the great fruit in this smoothie!

There you have it - a great smoothie the whole family will love! I drink these every morning for breakfast and occasionally as a later afternoon snack if I'm in the mood for something sweet! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a Happy New Years!

Linking up to: 

Skip to My Lou, Sugar Bee Crafts, New Nostalgia, Ladybug Blessings, A Stroll Thru Life, Blessed with Grace, The Winthrop Chronicles, A Bowl Full of Lemons, GingerSnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Craft Junkie Too, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft-o-Matic, It's So Very Cheri, StoneGable, Homemaker on a Dime, Flour Me With Love

Easy Breakfast - Peanut Butter Pancakes

My kids love their breakfast - the two of them can go through an entire box of cereal in a matter of days....and they're only 8 and 3. I can't imagine what it'll be like in a few years. I use coupons on cereal - so can usually get them for around a $1.00 a box, but I'm starting to look for healthier alternatives and the organic brands of cereal get pricey. I'd be spending about $30 a month (or $360 a year) just on cereal!!

I always think about how easy it is to whip up extra pancakes or waffles and freeze them. So today I decided to whip up a bunch of mini pancakes for the boys and added an extra twist for them with the peanut butter.

These pancakes are super easy to throw together and then to freeze for breakfasts throughout the week!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Makes 24-36 mini pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup + 1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons applesauce

3 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg, milk, applesauce and peanut butter in separate bowl. Mix well. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Add additional milk if batter is too thick. For mini pancakes, use a tablespoon to scoop batter directly onto greased griddle or skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side. 

Let cool and spread a single layer of pancakes onto a cookie sheet. Put into freezer until pancakes are froze. Then transfer to a freezer safe bag. Label and place in freezer, store for up to 3 months. 

Reheat in microwave for 15 seconds on each side or warm in a toaster oven. Serve with syrup or jelly. 

My kids love to dip them into syrup. These pancakes also make great PB&J Sandwiches or dippers for school lunches! 

I've linked to:

Blessed with Grace