Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. But, these muffins are definitely worth mentioning. I actually found a recipe online for lemon-blueberry bread, modified it a little bit (as usual), and made these delicious muffins! Lemon and any kind of berry make a really delicious combination, in my opinion, and everyone loves blueberries, right? Anyways, here's my modified recipe: 

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a muffin tin, or line with paper cups.

In a mixer, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the egg mixture until combined. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin. 

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and cool on racks completely... or enjoy hot! Yum! :)

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Patriotic Trifle Repost

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! 

Today I'll be making one of these. Here is my recipe from an old post. :) Great for 4th of July too!

Enjoy and have a fun and safe day! :)

Patriotic Trifle Repost

Muffin Tin Monday--Kebabs

For more information on Muffin Tin Mondays, or to join in the fun, click on the button above or visit Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth.

Well, I didn't really have any "Kebab" type food, so I just used what I had available. And, instead of using skewers, I used toothpicks. I made this for my son's dinner last night (Sunday). From top left to bottom right I have cheese and meatball kebabs, pizza bite kebabs, sweet potato and broccoli kebabs, and of course, banana kebabs. I am sure you already know which one my son enjoyed the most... Bananas! He touched all of the foods to his mouth, then would spit out the ones he didn't like... *sigh*! I'm hoping maybe some of the nutrients from the meat, cheese, and veggies got into his system just from that small time of being in his mouth... even just a tiny bit! Oh well, I tried! :)

Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Monday--Kebabs

Farmer's Market Challenge

In case you hadn't noticed, I've been in a blog funk over the last few days. I've been having some health problems and I've been a little down and haven't felt like doing much of anything. Sorry, everyone.

But, nothing a trip to the farmer's market can't fix!

Here's my entry for the September Farmer's Market Challenge. For more information on the Farmer's Market Challenge, or to join in, visit Judy's blog at The Road to Here.

We went to a different farmer's market near our house on Tuesday. A nice little indoor one in Mesa, AZ. It was nice to go inside-- out of the heat! :) Notice the sign? "Chilies roasted daily!" Mmmm...

Here are some beautiful Hatch Green Chiles. I wanted to take some home, roast them, then stick them on a hamburger with some bacon and cheese. Hubby didn't feel like grilling in this heat. Maybe next time.

Look how ginormous these yams are! They must be the "real" type of yams... not just sweet potatoes!

Even the squashes were huge! My local supermarket has acorn squashes that are much smaller than these!

Here begins my usual search for delicious goodies... We found these Golden Caramel Corn Nuggets. They taste like caramel popcorn, but without the kernels getting stuck in your teeth. Think "cheese puffs" with caramel instead of cheese.

My favorite sections... jams, jellies, preserves, and butters.... Mmmm!

Not only are these jams and jellies cute... they're delicious! :)

Our yummy loot. Yep, we by-passed the produce and just got sweets! ;) Caramel corn nuggets, blueberry jam, jalapeno pepper jelly, and apple butter. Mmmm! The blueberry jam is to die for! Spread some cheesecake-flavored cream cheese on a graham cracker, top with blueberry jam... tastes just like a blueberry cheesecake! My new indulgence!

Farmer's Market Challenge

Muffin Tin Monday--Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

For more information on Muffin Tin Mondays, or to join in, click on the button above.

This week's theme was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, from the children's book by Judi Barrett, and now there's a movie coming out in its honor. The movie looks really fun, but I just don't think my son could sit through a whole movie yet, so we'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD. I do remember the book, though. It was fun flipping through the pages to find ideas for this meal, and also reminiscing about the first time I read the book... I think one of my teachers read it to the class. It was fun and exciting when I was a kid, and now that I'm a mama, it is fun to be able to read books like this to my son. I am so glad he loves to read! So, if you haven't read the book in a while (or ever... gasp!), go read it for yourself or to your kids. It's really a cute, imaginative story, and makes for a great food theme! You could probably have an entire party based on this book! I'll just explain what my foods are from the book. Pretty much anything was fair game, since all different types of food were pouring from the sky. From top left to bottom right... I have mashed potato clouds with peas, bananas (this was my "I don't have anything else to put in this tin" tin), a cup of milk (since it would rain juice or milk from the sky), meatballs... gotta have 'em, spaghetti, and broccoli. I don't know if anyone else noticed this about the book, but why is it when the "storm" comes, all the foods that are good for you end up being the "bad guys"? Why do broccoli and brussels sprouts always get such a bad rap? I think they are both delicious if cooked the right way! Anyways, that's my 2 cents. This was another fun muffin tin meal to make for my son, but he only ate the bananas, meatballs, and spaghetti... and, of course he drank his milk. I guess 4 out of 6 is progress... :) Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Monday--Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Tropical Popsicles and My New Cute Bag!

I made these for my son the other day! Yes... it is still popsicle weather here, although 102 is much cooler than 115! When you have fresh fruit on hand, popsicles are very easy to make and are still a healthy choice for a cool treat! We all loved these. They were the perfect amount of sweetness without any added sugars. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

1 peach, peeled, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup pineapple, cubed

1 banana, sliced

1/4 cup orange juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and liquid. Pour into popsicle molds or ice cube trays with popsicle sticks. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve and enjoy! :)

Oh... I also wanted to show off my new bag I won from Gabrielle's giveaway:

Isn't it super cute?! I love the yellow! It reminds me of sunflowers (my favorite)! :) Gabrielle makes lots of different bags. This one is a reusable grocery bag. I think it is so pretty! Almost too pretty to use as a grocery bag! I am planning on using it to tote around things in my house up and down the stairs. Check out Gabrielle's site if you are interested in purchasing some of these lovely bags! :)

Tropical Popsicles and My New Cute Bag!

Chicken Salad Mini Pitas... Makeover

So, I made some Chicken Salad for my son a while back, and I wanted to do something different this time. I got some ideas online, but ended up doing my own thing. I think it tasted better than my first recipe. My son enjoyed it too! Things I like about this recipe: I really like using the mini pitas because they're the perfect size for his little hands! I like that when the chicken salad is put with some kind of bread, pasta, or grain, it makes a complete, well-rounded meal. You have grain, protein, veggies, and fruit in this recipe! I also like that it is relatively easy to make since you put most of the ingredients in the food processor. If you are used to a chunkier chicken salad, you don't have to use the food processor. You can just chop up your ingredients to the size you prefer, or only pulse a couple of times using the food processor. :) 

Ooh! I almost forgot... I also mixed some of this salad with some pasta and my son loved it that way too! 

Enjoy! 

Makes about 2 cups 

Ingredients:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 apple, peeled and cored

1/2 cup celery

1 carrot, shredded

1-1/2 tbsp mayo

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning*

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg*

1/8 tsp garlic powder*

1/8 tsp onion powder*

1 tbsp orange juice (lemon juice would be good here too)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook chicken breast as desired. I put mine in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and I sprinkled it with the dried spices. Once chicken is cooked, let it cool, then chop it. Also chop apple and celery. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you achieve your desired consistency. Cool salad in the fridge until ready to serve. You can also serve this warm. You can serve this as a sandwich, in pitas, as a wrap, or mixed with pasta or rice. 

*Note about spices: You can use any spices you like, or none at all and it will still taste good. I don't really measure my spices when I add them, so the measurements listed are approximate. I usually just do a sprinkle or a pinch here and there, until I think it tastes good. ;) 

Chicken Salad Mini Pitas... Makeover

Muffin Tin Monday--Apple Theme

For more information on Muffin Tin Monday, click on the button above. 

So, Michelle from Her Cup Overfloweth told us ahead of time that just because the theme is apples, doesn't mean every tin has to only contain apples... be creative! Ummm... sorry, no. My son LOVES fruit and anything else sweet (naturally or unnaturally), so when I found out the theme was apples, I thought, "My son will finally eat his entire Muffin Tin Meal!" And, he almost did! I served him this meal on Sunday morning... what a great way to start the day! Sweet, sweeter and sweetest! I really only have one thing that is not apple related, but it could be... I'll explain later. So, from top left to bottom right, we have: Banana muffin (not apple related)... but, if I had used applesauce instead of eggs in my recipe, then it could have been apple related. ;) Next, Apple Jacks. I haven't had these in forever! I guess I forgot how sweet they are... 1st ingredient: sugar. Hmmm... Moving on. Caramel for dipping. Apples and cinnamon oatmeal (semi-healthy), Applesauce (I snuck in some butternut squash), and Apple slices. My son has recently discovered dipping, and it's a big problem... he usually only eats the dip. He eventually ended up dipping everything (yes, even the oatmeal and applesauce) into the caramel until he was a sticky mess. But, I think he got a little bit of goodness mixed in with the sweetness. 

Fun as usual! :) 

Can't wait for next week's theme! 

Muffin Tin Monday--Apple Theme

Muffin Tin Monday--Circus Theme

For more information on Muffin Tin Monday, click on the button above, or visit Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth.

Here's what I made my son this week for Muffin Tin Monday: 

The theme this week was Circus! He ate this muffin tin meal for lunch on Sunday.  All I could think of were unhealthy foods... From top left to bottom right-- I made a lion-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich, circus peanut candies, elephant-shaped grilled cheese sandwich, circus animal cookies, yogurt with clown face, animal crackers. My son didn't eat much of this meal... apparently he wasn't very hungry today. He wouldn't touch the sandwiches, but he loved the yogurt and the circus animal cookies. I was actually surprised he didn't like the circus peanut candies. They are sooo sweet! He enjoyed dipping the cookies and animal crackers in the yogurt. :)

Since he wouldn't eat his sandwiches, I made some popcorn. But, he wouldn't eat that either... Oh well! My hubby and I enjoyed the sandwiches, and it was fun to set this up for him! :) 

Muffin Tin Monday--Circus Theme

Farmer's Market Challenge

I am participating in Squirrel Queen's Farmer's Market Challenge today! For more information, or to join in, check out her blog! 

Our local farmer's market is closed for the season... probably because it is SOOO hot here! And, my backyard "garden" is looking pretty shabby right now too. So, we went to a farmer's market about 30 minutes from our house. This one was in Ahwatukee, AZ. It was pretty small, and very hot! We didn't stay very long since we had our son with us, and we were all sweating after 5 minutes of being outside at 9 am. I SO wish we had nicer weather and bigger farmer's markets like in California!

But, they did have some lovely produce. The tomatoes looked so beautiful, and I was secretly jealous, since my tomatoes didn't turn out very good this year. My son sampled some yummy watermelon, and we ended up taking a few things home. 

Here's our loot: Some delicious Banana Nut Granola from Gourmet Granola, a butternut squash, and some really good salsa from Lil' Sassy's Salsa. My son and I immediately started snacking on the granola, and my hubby started munching on some tortilla chips and salsa! So yummy! Check out their websites if you're interested! 

There were also some crafters at the farmer's market, and I got some more ideas for things I can make for my son. ;)

I can't wait till the weather is cooler so we can visit the farmer's market more often! Hurry up, fall!

Farmer's Market Challenge

Muffin Tin Monday--People and Faces

I made this muffin tin meal for my son on Sunday evening. So, since I have been a little unsuccessful in getting my son to eat his 6-cup muffin tin meals, I decided to go back to doing 4-cup meals. Also, I really didn't know what to do with this theme, so it's not super creative. I don't know how to make actual people's faces out of food, so I just stuck with smiley faces. From the top left to the bottom right... I have spaghetti with "red hair" (pasta sauce), carrot eyes, and red pepper mouth; ham with cheese eyes and mouth; yogurt with granola hair, blueberry eyes, and apple mouth; and toast with cheese hair, and fried egg eyes and mouth (kind of like a "toad in the hole"). So, the last one didn't turn out the way I envisioned it, but it was close enough... Yet again, my son only ate the yogurt and fruit. But, he did have 3 days of protein-packed meals, so I didn't feel so bad. The toast/egg smiley face was yummy (I ate it since my son refused it)... and now my hubby wants me to make him one for breakfast! See? Muffin tin meals are fun for all ages... ;) 

Enjoy!

Click on the button above for more information about Muffin Tin Mondays, or check out Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth. 

Muffin Tin Monday--People and Faces

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

Here it is... as promised! :) I made these muffins on Sunday, and was pleasantly surprised how well they turned out. I get a little nervous when I'm trying new things (and winging it) when it comes to anything baked. I've had mistakes a couple of times... muffins come out looking good, then deflate... But not this time! :) Basically, I just added some pumpkin puree and extra spices to my favorite Banana Muffin recipe, and prayed they would come out delicious. My husband kept calling them "Frankenstein" muffins, since they were "my own creation". When I was taking them out of the oven, he started chanting, "They're ALIVE! They're ALIVE!". :) What's funny is, I actually made some muffins a while back that are even more "Frankenstein" than these... I don't know why he didn't call those "Frankenstein" muffins..? Anyways, these muffins turned out yummy and all three of us are still enjoying them... 

This recipe makes about 12 to 18 muffins.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchatel Cheese, softened (cream cheese is fine too)

1 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup Agave Nectar)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree*

2 eggs

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour muffin trays or use paper liners; set aside. In a stand mixer, beat neufchatel cheese, sugar and butter on medium speed until well blended. Add banana, pumpkin and eggs; mix well. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add combined dry ingredients to mixer; mix until moistened. Pour into prepared muffin cups until 2/3 filled. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in trays for 5 minutes; remove muffins and cool completely on wire racks... or serve steaming hot because your family can't wait to eat them! ;) 

*Note: For the pumpkin puree--canned pumpkin is okay, but NOT pumpkin pie filling. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand, click here for a recipe to make your own. Also, for a boost of Omega-3, you can add 2 tbsp flaxseed meal to this recipe! Just mix it in along with the dry ingredients before you add it to the rest of the batter. :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

Muffin Tin Monday

Since there was no theme for Muffin Tin Monday this week, I just did my own thing... My son ate his muffin tin meal on Sunday for lunch. I had made some Pumpkin-Banana Muffins that morning, so I decided to fill a cup with one of them (stay tuned for a muffin recipe later this week). I also made some spinach and ricotta filled tortellini (the easy packaged kind) with pasta sauce, and some dinosaur-shaped quesadillas. In the second row, there are some dino-nuggets, chopped apples, and bunny crackers. My son enjoyed three out of the six cups this week. I bet you can probably guess which ones... 

Yep... Muffin, apples, and crackers. Great lunch! Oh, well... I tried... 

I enjoyed his leftovers... :)

Have a great week, everyone!

For more information on Muffin Tin Monday, visit Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth, or click on the button above. 

Muffin Tin Monday

Strawberry-Pineapple Popsicles

Yum! There's nothing like a cool treat on a hot summer day! :) These popsicles were super easy to make. Only 3 ingredients and no sugar added! They were naturally sweet! :) My son and I loved them! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 cup pineapple

Splash of apple juice

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and puree. Pour into popsicle molds, and freeze for at least 4 hours. Enjoy! 

Strawberry-Pineapple Popsicles

Muffin Tin Monday--Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

So, here's my attempt at being creative with food! Not very pretty, but it was fun to put it together for my son! I made an airplane using a banana for the plane body, peanut butter for "glue", graham crackers for wings, and raisins for windows. My son pointed to the sky and made his "whooshing" airplane noise. :) I also made a train/truck (or whatever you think it looks like...) using graham crackers, Cheez-Its, peanut butter, raisins, and string cheese. I had to put it on a napkin, otherwise it would have fallen apart in the tin! I filled the other tins with extra raisins, Disney Cars themed graham crackers, mac and cheese using wheel-shaped pasta, and extra string cheese cut in circles to resemble wheels. Well, I think I was a little more excited about this than my son, but he did enjoy the graham crackers. I gave him this meal on Saturday night, but I think next time I'll give him this muffin tin meal for breakfast since that's when he's the most hungry. :) Enjoy! 

*If you are new to Muffin Tin Mondays, click on the button above, or check out Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth. 

Muffin Tin Monday--Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Pumpkin-Banana Pancakes

I've been craving all things "Fall" again. Hurry up, Fall! So, since I hadn't made any pancakes in a while, I decided to make some pumpkin pancakes yesterday. My son loved them, and so did I! I made a similar recipe a while back (before I had followers...), but I think this is a much better recipe. The bananas brought in some natural sweetness, and I used my own pumpkin pie spice in the mix. Again, if you are a syrup lover, these would be great topped with some maple syrup! I am not a fan... so my son and I eat them plain (although, I'm sure he would love some sugary syrup on top!). They are good either way! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake Mix

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp agave nectar

1 banana, chopped

Heat skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients, except banana, in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Fold in banana chunks until evenly distributed. Pour batter in skillet to make 4 or 5-inch rounds. Flip pancakes when bubbles start to form on top, then cook for another minute or so. Serve and enjoy!

*Note: If you are like me, and don't normally have store-bought pumpkin pie spice on hand, Click Here for a recipe to make your own pumpkin pie spice. 

Pumpkin-Banana Pancakes

4th Anniversary Fruit Roses

I made these fruit roses for my husband for our 4th Anniversary. They were probably the easiest ones I've made so far, since I didn't really have to do much. I just bought the silk roses and the mini plastic fruits at Michael's, then glued the fruits to the inside of the roses with a hot glue gun, and they were done! It helps if the roses have a slight "opening" in the middle, but it's not necessary. On some of them, I had to glue the fruit to the inner "bud" portion of the rose. You can use any fruits you want. I just thought it would be neat if the fruits were a little "camouflaged". My husband didn't notice the fruits at first! Then he looked again, and said, "What's on these roses?":) I had to explain it was our "Fruit" Anniversary. You can do this craft activity with your older kids, but be careful if you are using a hot glue gun! :)

Have fun!

4th Anniversary Fruit Roses