(Clean) Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

Today, I decided to try my hand at creating a clean blueberry cheesecake muffin recipe. It turned out pretty good and the whole family loves it! They're packed full of blueberries and very moist!

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

Makes about 36 muffins

4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1TBS Baking Powder

1tsp Baking Soda

1tsp Salt

1Tablesppon Vanilla

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

8 oz softened Cream Cheese

1/2 c Greek Yogurt 

(or blended cottage cheese, this is what I used because it's what I had on hand)

4 Eggs

1/2 cup of Melted Butter 

(I think next time I will try coconut oil here)

1 cup Milk
(I used 3/4 cup of Almond milk because I had it on hand and the rest was coconut milk)

2 Cup Blueberries

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients and set aside.

 In a large bowl, blend all the wet ingredients together with a hand mixer. (Save blueberries until the end.) Once everything is well combined, mix the cream cheese mixture in with the flour mixture. Mix well. Gentle fold in fresh or frozen blueberries. Fill your muffin papers 3/4ths of the way full. I baked for about 20-25 minutes, I would say. I didn't time it. I just kept an eye on it. 

 

I told you they were PACKED full of blueberries!!!! YUM!

 

Baked Oatmeal is AWESOME!

This recipe has been FLYING around Pinterest! 

I think most all of my friends have pinned it... at least once! ;) 

I am not sure that any of them have tried it yet, though! 

But we have! 

TWICE! 

And it's amazing!

Seriously, it's like eating dessert for breakfast.

First time I made it, I used blueberries. We're a family of 4 and the recipe feeds 6. 

Um, yea, we ate it all! 

My kids devoured it! 

And my son does not like oatmeal!!

The second time I made it I used apples, it totally could have had vanilla ice cream on top, but I suppose that would have defeated the purpose of it being "clean" and "healthy," right?

My son loved the apple version more than the blueberry! (Probably because he doesn't care for blueberries too much) I actually preferred the blueberry because they gave off more moister to the oatmeal where the apples did not. Next time I make the apple version I will add more milk. Other than that, it was delicious as well!

Please follow the recipe link at the top for this amazing oatmeal recipe! You won't regret trying this one out!

I need to make a double batch next time so we have some for the rest of the week!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal (Clean!)

A few weeks back I made this delicious oatmeal and forgot to share it! 

Better late than never, right?

Ingredients:

oats

shredded carrots

nutmeg

cinnamon

pure maple syrup

vanilla extracts
Raisins or nuts (optional)

(You could also use pumpkin pie spice if you had it)

The amount you use really depends on how much you plan to make and your families preference. Honestly, I didn't measure anything, I just threw it together and taste tested. 

Hope you try it!

Since this was such a hit, the next day I made oatmeal the same way, but left out the carrots and added pumpkin puree. (Pumpkin pie oatmeal, what's not to love?) It was pretty good, but I have to say I prefer the Carrot Cake!

Clean Cherry Muffins!

I dream about the weirdest things.

 Lately it's about homeschool and what I need to do around the house. When I woke up this morning I wanted to make muffins and they had to be cherry! Luckily we had bought cherries over the weekend

 I searched for some clean cherry muffins on the web.. didn't find any that had ingredients I had on hand. 

Well, I thought, gee, I've made enough muffins in my life, I can do this! 

And so I got to it!

Oh boy, did these turn out great!! 

So here's what you need:

1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup oats

2 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup milk, soy, or almond milk (add more if you need it)

1 egg (or two egg whites)

1 cup of cherries (or other fruit)

1/2 cup of honey (maybe a little less)

1/2 tsp of salt

1tsp of vanilla

Mix it all up and bake in muffin tin at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or so. As always, it depends on  your oven. I'd start checking them around 15 minutes. 

 Should make about 18 muffins!

Enjoy!

Donuts, Shaving Cream, and a Little Food Coloring!

I've been wanting to buy a donut pan for a long while now, but I could never find one! I finally saw one while wandering around Target a couple weeks ago and had to have it! Landon decided on the flavor of donuts so I found this recipe on Pinterest and created my own frosting recipe and made some amazing baked chocolate donuts! YUM!

Frosting:

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1TBS butter
1/4 C powdered sugar
1T water (more if needed)

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave for 30 seconds and stir (checking to make sure you don't burn it) add another 10 seconds and stir if needed. Add water and sugar and stir together.

Michael's been working 12 hour shifts lately and with a very long commute his days have been about 15 hours! Woowee! So the kids and I have been trying to keep busy! Thursday night we decided to paint in the bath tub! They both loved this and Landon told me numerous times that I was the "best momma ever!" 

Seriously, go do this! 

Now! 

What are you waiting for?

All you need is some shaving cream and food coloring, that's it!

 

 I didn't add water to the bath, because I didn't want to them to slip and fall, so we played and then we washed the walls and their bodies afterwards.

 "I'm going to need a very big wipe!"

So fun!

Zucchini "Lasagna"

One of our favorite recipes is a Zucchini Lasagna I whipped up while trying to "Clean Eat!" I've shared it with a few friends who have made it for their family's and they all loved it! So, I figured you all might, too. I basically just took my regular pasta lasagna and used zucchini instead.

Ingredients:

Zucchini sliced thinly (will be used instead of pasta)
Onion
Garlic
Hamburger or ground turkey
Cheese
Tomato sauce- your favorite, or make your own. (I make my own)

Directions:

Prepare your sauce, if you make your own. Brown your meat (I add my onions and garlic, here) and then layer your pan, like you would a normal lasagna. I only put cheese on top, though. I put a small amount of tomato sauce on the bottom and top it with a layer of zucchini. Then add some meat mixture, followed by sauce. Repeat until you're at the top of your pan. I get about 3 completed layers. Add cheese.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and zucchini is tender.

Please note: Zucchini lets out a lot of water, so your dish may become watery, just drain it out the side of your pan and into your sink. Easy fix!


Enjoy!

Green Smoothies!

We've been clean eating around here, lately. Me more than the rest of the family. (I'm at 100%) But, whenever I cook or prepare food for the family, it's clean! Tonight we decided to try out a green smoothie! We've made some in the past, but never with pineapple, yum!

For this smoothie, we added:

1 cup frozen pineapple (fresh, that I froze)
2 bananas
1 cup of water
1 6oz container of Greek plain yogurt
4 large strawberries
2 big handfuls of spinach

and BLEND!  This made about 3 of these cups full.

 

Kid tested and approved! She couldn't get enough of it!

 

Good to the last drop!

Enjoy!!

Stuffed Shells

I've been making stuffed shells for my family for a while now. It's not a real recipe... as in I don't have exact measurements, I just throw it together every time. But, I'll share it with you all the best that I can. My family just LOVES this meal! 

Here's what you'll need:

Ground beef or turkey (I used about 1 1/2 lbs)

Box of jumbo shells (I didn't use all of the box)

4 oz cream cheese

Seasonings; Garlic, Onion, Oregano, anything else you'd like (eyeball it... I don't measure)

2 cups of fresh spinach

Half an onion 

Can of tomato sauce or your favorite spaghetti sauce, in which case you don't need to season your sauce, just your meat.

Cheese

Boil your shells until they are almost done, then let cool. Meanwhile, brown your hamburger and add your desired seasonings. Add your spinach and let it cook down. Then add your cream cheese, melt it in with the meat and spinach. Add about half a ladle or more of your tomato sauce into your meat mixture. Retain the rest.

 

Your meat mixture should look like this.

 Add a little sauce to the bottom of your baking dish and start stuffing those shells!

 

Line them all up pretty, like so...

 

Add the rest of your sauce over your shells, and your cheese!

 Now pop that bad boy in the oven! Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or so. I cover it with tin foil at first, so it'll heat all the way through without burning the cheese. Then uncover for the last 5-10 minutes. Again, I just wing it, so play around with it and find what you like best!

Delicious!

 

Emmelyn LOVES it! 

Taco Soup

One of my favorite things about fall is a nice bowl of hot soup! Yum! There's something so comforting about soup, isn't there? A favorite around here is Taco Soup! I made it a couple of nights ago, so I thought I'd share how I make it. What's great about this soup is that the leftovers are just as good, if not better, because the flavor is more intense!

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1.25-oz. packet taco seasoning (about 1/4 c.)
3 c. water, divided
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, drained, if you'd like.
I throw in some frozen corn, as well.

Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a soup pot. When brown, add the taco seasoning and 1 c. water. Add the remaining ingredients, then, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.We like to do cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, but this time I only had the chips on hand. Still great!

Slow Cooker Instructions: After browning the meat, place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

Freezes very well, too! This makes a lot for my family, so we usually have to freeze some and have it for lunch a few times, too.

Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies!

Today I tried out this two ingredient pumpkin cookie recipe I saw floating around the internet. I was a little skeptical, but I have to tell you, they are amazing!

Mine actually consisted of three ingredients since I added raisins... four if you count the frosting. 

Okay, so you'll need:

 

One box of Spice Cake

One 15 oz can of Plain Pumpkin

I added raisins 

and used cream cheese frosting for some of them.

Just mix the ingredients together and plop spoonfuls on to a baking sheet.  They will bake and be the same size and shape as what you plop on to the sheet. Bake them at 350 until done.

 

This picture really doesn't do it justice, but you should try them anyway!

Tortilla Roll-ups

Here's a delicious meal that my family just loves!

What's great about them is that you can make them any way to suit your family's tastes. 

It's fast, and I'd say fairly healthy, depending on your fillings. 

Here's what we used tonight. In the past we have used avocado in place of the cucumber and I bet bacon would be pretty tasty, as well. 

Have you tried this cooking cream stuff? I love it and use it on so many things, besides pasta!

Okay, spread your cream on the tortilla and add your meat and cheese.

Then add your veggies... I used spinach, tomato, and cucumber this time.

 Make sure you use really thin sliced toppings for easier rolling. Like I tell my husband, this is NOT a burrito!

 Cut in half then cut until you have 8 pieces.

Yum, so refreshing and tasty! 

Hope you try this out and make your own variations!

Strawberry Banana Breakfast Sandwich

I found this recipe in my Weight Watchers cookbook and thought I would try it out. It's super easy and VERY good! Yum!

All you need is:
Bananas
Strawberries
Nonfat cream cheese
Part skim ricotta
Cinnamon raisin bread (or bread of choice)

I mixed two bananas, 8 oz of cream cheese and a little less than half a container of ricotta together in the blender. Then I toasted some bread and spread the mixture on top. Sliced up another banana and some strawberries and put them on the sandwich. You must try this, it is delicious!

We stored the remaining mixture in the fridge for another day. (It made a lot, so I will cut it back next time) This morning Landon and I had this for breakfast and the mixture held up well in the fridge.

I'm all about easy recipes, especially ones with only 5 ingredients!!

~Enjoy

My house smells like a Pizzeria!

I went into the kitchen, unsure of what I was going to make for dinner this evening. After looking through the mostly empty fridge I saw buttermilk and pepperoni… I thought to myself, “What can I make with that…?” Then I decided to make something up as I went. I opened the cupboard grabbed some Bisquick and decided to make some sort of “Pizza Loaf.”

I mixed together:

2 Cups Bisquick
2 Cups Buttermilk
Oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder (I didn’t measure these) for the “dough”

Scooped half of the mixture into a greased loaf pan and then added a layer of pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. Afterwards I scooped the remaining dough on the top and placed the loaf in a preheated oven of 350 degrees and let it bake until done (About 45 minutes).

After about 20 minutes my house started to smell delicious! Once done I topped with a little more cheese and let it bake a little longer.

I got to tell you, it was really good. Actually, better than I had anticipated! Michael happened to walk through the door to get his gym gear at the same time I was serving Landon, so he was able to join us for a quick dinner. He loved it and claimed it was one of his favorite meals of mine. Right up there with my egg rolls, which he is crazy about! I would describe the pizza loaf as a Chicago style deep dish pizza pocket sort of thing!

Strawberry Jam, MmmMmmMmm!

Last summer I decided that I really wanted to try making our own jam so I went online and looked up some "easy" jam recipes. I ended up finding one for "Freezer Jam" through Betty Crocker. There are many different fruit options you can use to make jam for your family, but the only one we've tried thus far is strawberry. Mostly because it's our favorite and also because strawberries are cheap at the right time of year! We went through our jam from last summer before the summer had even ended, so this time I decided to make a double batch with the intentions of making another double batch in the fall. Here is the Betty Crocker recipe, but the pectin packages will come with directions for all the different fruit combinations.

Single batch ingredients:

1	quart (4 cups) strawberries, cut in half
4	cups sugar
3/4	cup water
1	package (1 3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin

Directions:

1. Mash strawberries with potato masher or in food processor until slightly chunky (not pureed) to make 2 cups crushed strawberries. Mix strawberries and sugar in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Mix water and pectin in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour hot pectin mixture over strawberry mixture; stir constantly 3 minutes.

3. Immediately spoon mixture into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims of containers; seal. Let stand at room temperature about 24 hours or until set.

4. Store in freezer up to 6 months or in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Thaw frozen jam and stir before serving.
 
~ENJOY!!!!~