Double Chocolate Muffins

You know what gets me to wake up in the morning?  Coffee!  As soon as I wake up, I head down to the kitchen, pop a K-Cup in my brewer, and make my first of many cups for that day!  I swear sometimes I look forward to going to be at night because I know that when I wake up I will get coffee!!!  I do not understand people who say they do not like coffee...

Other than coffee, there is one more thing that can make waking up (at 5:30am) just a bit easier....chocolate for breakfast!!!!!  That is why I have been making these chocolate muffins for three plus years.  Back when I worked outside the home, they were my favorite grab-and-go breakfast!  Now, I make them for my husband to take to work.  Lacie gets to eat them too, but they're dessert for her!  The only time she gets chocolate for breakfast is when I make my whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes!

So right about now you are probably thinking that these muffins are unhealthy.  NOT TRUE!!!  Now before you get carried away, I am not saying they are as nutritious as an egg white omelet, but they pack a pretty good nutritional punch for something with the word chocolate and muffin in their name!  These muffins are dairy free (depending on what chocolate chips you use)! There are also no eggs in this batter, so feel free to let your children make this with you and lick the spoon!

Here's What You Need to Make the Double Chocolate Muffins:

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I try to use organic)
• 1/2 cup of raw sugar (you can use whatever type sweetener you like)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract (my daughter Lacie, who is peanut allergic, eats this without problem because she is not allergic to tree nuts, but if your little one is just use an extra tsp of vanilla)
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I always use King Arthur brand white whole wheat) 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 

Now Let's Make the Muffins:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 6 cup jumbo muffin tin (you can also make 8-10 smaller muffins)
2. In a small bowl, mix together applesauce, sugar, olive oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract - set aside (this gives the raw sugar a chance to dissolve) 
   
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if you have read previous recipes, you know that I don't bother sifting together my dry ingredients, I just use a whisk)
   
4. Add your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix until combined
5. Fold in your dark chocolate chips
6. Divide mixture evenly into muffin tins
   
7. Bake for 20 minutes
8. Cool completely in pan before turning muffins out and storing

Enjoy these muffins with your morning cup of coffee!  I promise your day will be better after having chocolate for breakfast! 


I make these muffins in a Large 6 well muffin tin from Williams Sonoma!

Chocolate Caramel Fudge Bars

So yesterday was Friday, which means that I normally make some sort of dessert during nap-time!  I think dessert is the perfect way to kick off the weekend, and we always enjoy munching on treats Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  If I could, I would just eat dessert...all the time!  I mean no real food...dessert only...and coffee!  Sadly, I have to set an example for my children and eat real food.  But we still need to eat treats from time to time, and that is why I save dessert making for the weekend!

If you read last week's dessert post, you know that I love to make something quick that starts with a mix!  I promise if you like a rich, chocolate dessert, these chocolate caramel fudge bars will not disappoint!  They have a wonderful chewy brownie texture around the edge, while the middle is more gooey and fudge-like!

Not only are these bars quick and easy because they use a store bough mix...they do not require any measuring!!!!

Here's What You Need to Make the Chocolate Caramel Fudge Bars:

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix (I really like Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups (more or less depending on taste) caramel bits (I used the entire bag minus the few that I sampled first)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (more or less, I threw in a handful)

Now Let's Make the Chocolate Caramel Fudge Bars:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan (I actually just use the wrapper from the stick of butter to grease the pan)
2. In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, melted butter, and eggs.  Mix until combined
3. Stir in caramel bits and chocolate chips - I just kept adding until it looked like there was A LOT in the mix...I did not measure 
   
4. Spread mixture evenly into greased pan
5. Bake in oven for twenty minutes
6. Remove from oven and press your bars down with the back of a spatula.  Cook for five additional minutes
7. Remove from oven and press bars down again
8. Cool completely in pan before cutting

I loved the way these bars came out!  My mom loved them!  John loved them!  Lacie loved them!  Poor Blakely does not have nearly enough teeth to enjoy that chewy caramel!  

I hope that you enjoy these bars with a nice cup of coffee :) 

Crockpot Chili

I love my crockpot!  I love that I can throw ingredients into my crockpot and have dinner waiting for John and me after we put the kids down to sleep for the night!  The Crockpot Chili that I am about to share with you is super simple!  You only need a few ingredients.  It is truly nothing special but it is an easy and delicious dinner that you will be happy to have in your back pocket.

Now as I mentioned above, John and I eat after our children go to bed.  They are usually in their cribs at 6:30!  Blakely falls asleep almost immediately, while Lacie plays with all of her stuffed animals for a bit before she passes out!  The tricky part is, they share a room so they need to go to bed at the same time!  For now, that means Lacie is on the baby's schedule!  John and I wait to eat our dinner in peace because, for us, it is like date night every night!  We can't afford to go out often with me as a stay-at-home mommy so this really works out well!

Now don't judge me!  I totally believe that family dinners are very very important.  We sit and talk with our girls while they eat their dinner.  And when they are a bit older (and are able to stay up later), we will do dinner as a family - but for right now this works really well!

This chili is a favorite that I have been making since we got married!  It is spicy, but you could choose to make it less spicy.  In fact, when we move to having those family dinners that I mentioned, we will have to make a less spicy version of this for our children.  Lacie has tasted this a few times and I have to say she didn't care for it (and she is not picky in the slightest).

Here's What You Need to Make the Chili:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey (I always use 99% lean but you can use what you like - ground beef works too)
• 1 can kidney beans - do not drain or rinse (I used organic light red kidney beans - I buy the organic because it has a lot less sodium)
• 1 can petit diced tomatoes
• 1 packet chili seasoning (I always use McCormick Hot Chili Seasoning, you can use whatever brand and level of spiciness you prefer...you can even make your own)
• olive oil, canola oil, or pam (basically something that will make sure your chili doesn't stick)
• optional chili fixings (we put our chili on top of multigrain tortilla chips and top with shredded mexican cheese)

Now Let's Make the Chili:

1. get out your crock pot and spray the inside (I use real olive oil in a spray bottle) or use one of those neat slow cooker liners
2. crumble and brown ground turkey in a pan on the stove (I use the same olive oil spray, you use whatever you normally use to cook meat)
3. add kidney beans, tomatoes, and seasoning to crockpot
4. add cooked meat to crockpot
5. stir everything together and put the lid on (below you can see a picture of what the chili looks like when you first stir it together...it will not look like "official" chili until it has had a few hours to simmer in the crock pot)
   
6. cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8
7. serve chili however you like best

We put it on top of chips

Then we throw on a ton of cheese and microwave for a minute!  YUM!!!

Now this chili is relatively healthy when served right out of the crockpot and you could eat it just like that if you are trying to save some calories.  I already told you I spread it out multigrain chips on a plate and top it with the chili and some shredded mexican cheese...then I microwave it a bit to melt the cheese.  Yes, I know that this makes it more like nachos...but it is wonderful!  Even if you want to eat your chili a different way, please try it like this at least one time!  If you are looking for more serving ideas, you could also put this chili on top of rice - white or brown.  Another fun thing would be to spread it on soft flour tortillas, add cheese, and roll it up to eat!  If you really want to get fancy, you can make baked potatoes and use this chili as a topper!  

Enjoy! 

Enchilada Casserole

If you read yesterday's blog post, you know that I have already declared it to be FALL!  Around here the start of this season means tweaking the dinner menu a bit!  During autumn and winter, I tend to make a ton of casseroles and crock pot meals.  Casseroles of all kinds are on the menu often because they are easy and make enough for us to have leftovers!

One of our favorite casseroles is this delicious Enchilada Casserole that was a great Pinterest find about a year and a half ago!  We usually make this about twice a month!  It's a great "use what you have" recipe because there are so many good flavors happening that a substitution or two does not matter one bit!  You can also make this as healthy or decadent as you wish!  We like ours a bit on the hearty side with lots of cheese!!!

What you need for the Enchilada Casserole:

• 1 can of refrigerator biscuits (I used - and always use - Pillsbury Grands Reduced Fat Buttermilk Biscuits)
• 1 pound lean ground beef (I used Wegmans Organic 93% Lean Ground Beef)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bag frozen corn kernels 
• 1 can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce but sometimes I use the "Medium" flavor...it all depends on what I have)
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese, mexican blend

Now Let's Make the Enchilada Casserole:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 casserole dish
2. Remove biscuits from can, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and place in bottom of casserole dish
   
3. Brown meat in a pan on the stove
4. Once meat is cooked through, add in enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, black beans, and corn, mixing to combine 
5. Pour mixture over top of biscuits and spread out evenly, completely covering the biscuits
   
6. Place casserole in oven for 20 minutes
7. Remove from oven and top with 2 cups of cheese (I use a but more than 2 cups because I like a nice cheesy layer...I actually don't measure...I just put the cheese on until the entire thing is covered) 
   
8. Return to oven for another 20 minutes - or longer - until the casserole is done to your liking (I like mine to get a little brown and crispy around the edges)
   
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving!!!  YUM! 

You will not be disappointed by this casserole!  And like I mentioned at the top, you can use what you have or make substitutions to suit your taste.  For example you could replace the ground beef with lean ground turkey!  You can use any other type of bean you have in your pantry (pinto beans would work well), but I just happen to like black beans best.  Instead of frozen corn you can use canned corn or even eliminate it and throw in something else.  Add onions or diced green chilies to this casserole for a bit more flavor!    

Enjoy :) 

Welcome Fall

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Labor Day Weekend!!  Now, I know that you may be thinking my post title of "Welcome Fall" is a bit premature since fall does not officially begin for a few more weeks... But I always feel that once labor day comes and goes fall is officially here! Fall is one of my two favorite seasons (the other is of course summer) because of the food that is associated with autumn weather and holidays!

Yesterday, during an afternoon thunderstorm, I decided that I must make muffins to welcome fall and get us all in the mood for this new season!  I make a lot of muffins at our house!  John packs at least one muffin in his work lunchbox everyday.  Lacie also enjoys eating any flavor  of muffin!  Even sweet little B can have muffins now that she is nine months old and allowed to eat baked milk and egg!  That means muffins for everyone!!!

So I got out a delicious recipe for Whole Wheat Apple Muffins!  These are not Saturday morning, serve to company, buttery, and decadent muffins.  Nope these are low sugar, whole wheat, you don't need to feel guilty and run five miles muffins.  Despite their wholesomeness, they are still delicious!  These muffins would pair well with a fruit and protein to make a complete breakfast or are nice served as an easy snack!

Enjoy!  You will love how much your house smells like fall while these bake in the oven!

What You Need for the Whole Wheat Apple Muffins:

• 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour (I like King Arthur brand unbleached white whole wheat)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 generous tsp apple pie spice (if you cannot find this you can just use cinnamon) 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used light brown but you could use dark brown or white)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large apple peeled, cored, and diced (you could also use 2 smaller apples)
• 1/4 cup of raisins (the original recipe called for pecans which I didn't want to put in because of Lacie's peanut allergy even though she can technically eat them it makes me too nervous - but feel free to add in any type of nut instead if there are no allergies in your family)
• course sugar, like Sugar in the Raw for sprinkling (optional)

Now Let's Make the Muffins:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (you can always grease or spray with cooking spray instead of  using liners)
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt
3. Using a mixer (I use my PINK kitchen aid stand mixer) beat together milk, egg, sugar, and butter
4. Add dry mixture into wet mixture and beat on low speed until just combined
5. Fold in diced apples and raisins
6. Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tins (I like to use an ice cream scoop)
7. Sprinkle with raw sugar if desired (it just makes the muffins look pretty)
8. Bake for about 18 minutes until tops spring back when touched - don't over bake 
9. Cool for 10 minutes in pan then remove to cool completely on cooling racks

Enjoy with a nice warm cup of coffee!  I love these seasonal Pumpkin Spice K-Cups in the fall!  

What are you doing to get ready for fall?

A Saturday Morning Tradition

For those of you who know me best (like my husband and my mom) you know that I LOVE starting a new tradition almost as much as I love the color PINK!  Enter Saturday Morning Breakfast!!!

During the week, we don't get to have breakfast as a family.  John and I are up by 5:30 a.m.  John eats and is out the door at 6...at this time I usually drink a cup of coffee and then eat my breakfast in peace!  The girls wake up between 7:30 and 8 - and these days it is usually closer to 8...which is wonderful!  Then, I put them in their highchairs, and they eat their breakfast side by side!  That schedule means that Saturday is one day out of the week when I can usually make sure we all eat together as a family!

Enter a delicious recipe for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes that I created after researching a few whole wheat pancake recipes on pinterest!  These pancakes are made from scratch, but they are easy!  They are also pretty virtuous as far as pancakes go!

Now I am big fan of the "use what you have" theory when it comes to cooking!  Please feel free to make substitutions based on what is in your pantry!

What You Need for the Pancakes:

• 1 1/4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour (I love and use almost exclusively King Arthur White Whole Wheat because you get all the benefits of whole wheat flour with a taste and texture more similar to white flour - you can also use all-purpose flour if you wish)
• 2 tbsp of Light Brown Sugar 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt (about 1/2 tsp)
• 1 cup of milk (I use Whole Milk but you can substitute whatever you drink at home)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Pancake Toppings of Choice!  (We do butter, powdered sugar, and real maple syrup....but you can do fresh fruit, whipped cream, etc.)

Now Let's Make the Pancakes:

1. Preheat a pancake griddle and spray with cooking spray or grease with butter
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder and (optional) salt
3. In a separate bowl combine milk, egg, and (optional) vanilla extract
4. Mix wet mixture into flour mixture - but do not overmix
5. Fold in your chocolate chips
6. Spoon batter onto the griddle (I like to use a 1/3 cup measuring spoon for a medium size pancake)
7. Allow to cook for a few minutes on the first side (until small bubbles appear)
8. Flip and cook on second side until they are done to your liking (I cook them until they are a medium brownish but I know some people prefer lighter or darker pancakes) 
9. Enjoy with toppings of choice!!! 

These pancakes made the perfect meal for our Saturday Morning Breakfast Tradition!  This recipe made 12 medium pancakes...plenty for our family of 2 adults and 2 children!  Lacie ate them with enthusiastic "Yummy"  and "MMMs" after each bite!  Even little Blakely got to eat her very first pancake!  You can see her's in the back left corner of the griddle...I measured a little batter out just for her before adding in the chocolate chips!  

Someone's loving her first pancake!  

These pancakes came out wonderful!  They are delicious and filling!  They are more dense then a pancake made with a typical mix which for our growing girls is a good thing! 

Lacie's Lazy Funfetti Cookie Bars

Lacie Jane loves to eat!  She is not picky in the slightest and eats plates full of broccoli and kale chips with the enthusiasm that I (and most normal people) reserve for birthday cake!  If you ask her what her favorite food is she will say, "Cheese!"  And she means it!  With that being said, she is a typical child, and she love love loves to eat treats in addition to her healthy meals!

These Funfetti Cookie Bars are one of the easiest recipes you will ever make (I promise), and they are DELICIOUS!  I get so many compliments on them from children and adults alike!  Now don't get me wrong, I love baking and cooking from scratch.  There is something very rewarding about spending a few hours in the kitchen whipping up something delicious.  Yesterday, I shared with you a recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes.  They happen to be one of my favorite "from scratch" recipes.

But sometimes you need something quick (because whatever your life looks like, I am sure that you are juggling a lot of responsibilities at any given moment)!  Or you want something easy because you just don't love to bake.  Well that is where this recipe comes in!  This happens to one of my very favorite "from a mix" recipes.

What You Need for the Cookie Bars:

• one box of funfetti cake mix
• one stick of butter, melted
• two eggs, lightly beaten
• a bag of white chocolate chips (I used Whole Foods store brand - 365 - they are actually white chocolate chunks and they are awesome!)

Yup, that's it!  You don't even need measuring cups! 

Now Let's Make the Funfetti Cookie Bars

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or nonstick spray
3. Pour Funfetti Mix into a mixing bowl
4. Add in butter and beaten eggs and mix until a soft dough is formed
5. Fold in your white chocolate chips
6. Spoon batter into greased pan and spread into an even layer
7. Bake your bars for 20 minutes

Your batter will look like this!

Then, it will look like this.

After 20 minutes you could be finished but I feel that there are a few more key steps to making these AMAZING!

1. Take the pan out of the oven.  Use the back of a spatula to press down the cookie mixture into the pan...esentially making it flatter (like you would do if you were making rice crispy treats).
2. Put it back in the oven for five more minutes
3. Remove from oven and press down with your spatula again
4. Allow to cool completely in pan...at least 1 hour!
5. Cut and enjoy

Here is a close up of one of the Funfetti squares!  They taste even better than they look! 

Now, if you don't have white chocolate chips, you can always substitute plain chocolate chips!  I have done that many times and it is also wonderful!  However the Funfetti and White Chocolate is my favorite combination!  

Whip up a batch this weekend!  You will not be disappointed!

For this recipe I use a pink Longaberger baking dish that is no longer for sale.  Here is a similar one available at Sur La Table!  You want to make sure whatever you bake these bars in is the type of dish that is okay for a knife to cut in the pan.