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

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

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

Corniest Corn Muffins

Well, this recipe is not mine, but I wish it was! These corn muffins turned out delicious! I took them to a potluck and got a few compliments on them, so I thought they were blog-worthy. :) I have to say "Thank You!" to my friend who took this pic! I totally forgot to take a picture of my food! Anyways, I love that these corn muffins are the perfect amount of sweetness, with pieces of corn mixed in. My husband is a corn fanatic, so he wanted to gobble all of these up right away... I had to limit him to 2 muffins since we were taking them to a party (where he ate even more of them!). These would go great with some yummy barbeque or a hot bowl of chili! I changed up the recipe just a little bit... anytime I see a baking recipe that calls for flour, I substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to make things a little healthier. :) I found this recipe online... it's from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking from My Home to Yours:

 

Makes 12 muffins, or 48 mini-muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

6 tbsp granulated sugar

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tbsp corn oil (I used canola)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup corn kernels (add up to 1/3 cup more if you like), fresh, frozen, or canned (drained and patted dry)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter or spray a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper cups. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. With a whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. 

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes (or 12 minutes for mini-muffins), or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin, and serve hot, or cool completely to serve later. :) Enjoy! 

Corniest Corn Muffins

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

Easy Bean Salad

So, I'm sure all you bloggy friends that follow me and my recipes will get sick of hearing me say this, but here it goes again... The other day I was trying to create something that I knew my son would eat... but, it had to have some protein and veggies mixed in it somehow. Well, earlier this summer, we had gone to a little sandwich shop, and they had a bean salad served along with their sandwiches. My son absolutely loved it! So, I knew I had to try and create something similar. Well, I don't know what they put in theirs, but I think they had tomatoes, and some other veggies mixed with Cannellini beans and a simple dressing. I was unable to completely recreate their recipe, but this one was super quick and easy to make. The best part was... both my son and my husband loved it! :) I think next time I'll try making my own dressing, and maybe adding cilantro and tomatoes. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can Cannellini beans (white beans), drained, rinsed and dried

1 carrot, shredded

1 zucchini, shredded

2 tbsp Italian dressing (or to taste)

Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Serve and enjoy, or refrigerate and serve later! :)

Easy Bean Salad

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

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

Muffin Tin Monday--Party Theme

So, the theme this week for Muffin Tin Monday is Party/Celebration. I thought this was a good theme, since I was pretty happy that my son has had four days in a row of eating good. So, it was definitely a deserved celebration! I don't normally let him eat like this unless it's a special occasion, and I couldn't think of what to give him, so this probably doesn't look very creative. I was thinking cake and ice cream had to be in there somewhere, so I cut up some pound cake and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream with some sprinkles on it. Then, I was trying to think of what else we normally have at a party. Well, Chex Mix sometimes... little cubes of cheese... crackers or chips with dip... and many times we have fresh fruit to snack on. Then, after I filled up my muffin tin with all these yummy, but only semi-nutritious snacks, I thought about mini sandwiches, mini quiche, and mini sausages... yum! Some of those would have been a little bit more nutritious... at least in the "protein" department... Oh well! I'll be more creative next time. ;)

Needless to say... my son loved this! He ate almost all of it, except a few pieces of cheese and fruit. For some reason, he prefers his ice cream to be closer to room temperature, which got a little messy... But, it was fun for him! He loved using the toothpicks to pick up his food! He wanted seconds on the Chex Mix and the Cheez-Its, which surprised me... I thought he would be begging for more cake and ice cream! Apparently he's craving sodium this week... 

If you haven't heard of Muffin Tin Mondays... check out Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth for more info or to join the fun! 

Oh, and in case you were wondering... I did not give this to my son for breakfast! He actually ate this on Saturday evening. :)

Enjoy!

Muffin Tin Monday--Party Theme

Muffin Tin Monday

This is my first time participating in Muffin Tin Monday. When I saw the idea at Her Cup Overfloweth, I thought it was so cute! And what a great way to mix things up and add some extra variety for a picky eater... like my son (occasionally). Anyways, since this week there is no theme, I thought this Monday would be the perfect day to start! So, I gave my son a mix of four different things in my 6-cup muffin tin. I think next time I'll use all 6 cups to give him even more variety...  In this muffin tin, I put some strawberries, bite-sized chicken-apple sausage, cut up string cheese, and Banana Nut Cheerios. Excuse the shabby muffin tin... it's been used. If you've been following my blog, you know that I love making muffins, so I definitely make good use of all my muffin tins! :)

Well, this was one of my son's "picky" weeks, so... much to my dismay he wouldn't touch the sausage or the cheese (big sigh...). But of course, he loved the Cheerios and the strawberries! Hmmm.... I wonder why...  Anyways, like I said, I will keep trying, and maybe we will be a little more successful next time. I still think this is a super cute idea and it is great to make things a little different for meal time. I think my son really liked picking the food out of the little cups. :)

Muffin Tin Monday

Mini Cranberry Corn Muffins

Can you tell I'm getting excited for fall already?! I LOVE cranberries! I usually get a lot of them when Thanksgiving rolls around, but frozen are usually available all year. I hadn't made any muffins in a while, so I thought I'd make some corn muffins this time. And instead of blueberries and lemon, I used cranberries and orange. I love those flavors together! I recently got a mini-muffin tray for my birthday, and I was so excited to use it. As much as my son loves any form of bread... especially muffins, I thought it would be great to make him some "easy to eat" muffins. I normally have to break pieces of muffin apart for him, otherwise he tends to try to cram the whole regular-sized muffin in his mouth, and nearly chokes! These mini muffins are perfectly sized for little hands, and little mouths! :) This recipe is not very sweet. Cranberries are very tart, so if you want them a little sweeter, you could either coat them with some extra sugar before adding them to the mix, or use dried sweetened cranberries. I think these taste great as is, and my son agrees! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped, and rinsed and drained if frozen

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a mini muffin tray* with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients except cranberries, making sure the melted butter has cooled. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until just combined, don't over-mix. Coat the cranberries with the remaining 1/4 dry ingredients before adding to the batter. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups until about 2/3 full. Bake at 425 F for 12 to 14 minutes (*or 20 to 25 minutes for a regular 12-cup muffin tray). Cool tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tray, and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy! 

Makes about 24 mini-muffins, or 12 regular sized muffins. 

Mini Cranberry Corn Muffins

"Barbeque Chicken Buns"

So, in my previous crescent roll recipe, I had said that I would try to make my own barbeque pork buns. Well, this is sort of my take on that, with some slight differences. I took the meat idea, and used chicken instead, since I didn't have shredded or diced pork in my fridge. I also used my Better BBQ Sauce recipe which I had frozen into ice cube trays... and I must say, it freezes and defrosts very nicely! So, besides the chicken that I had to cook, I basically had most of the ingredients (rolls and BBQ sauce) already prepared, so this was a very easy recipe for me to put together. But, I realize that if you are going to try to make my version of barbeque sauce, then there is a little bit more work involved for you. :) Otherwise, to make it easier (and faster), you can certainly use the store-bought barbeque sauce and you'll have these "buns" prepared in no time! In case you missed the BBQ Sauce post, here's a little background info on my barbeque sauce: My son LOVES barbeque sauce, and I know that if I drench his meats in it, he will definitely eat more protein! However, my problem with store-bought barbeque sauce is that they are loaded with sugar! Obviously, this is the reason why my son likes it so much! So, I tried to make a healthier version for him. We both think it tastes pretty good, and I snuck in some veggies too! :) Needless to say, my son LOVED these barbeque buns! Yay! Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1/2 cup Better BBQ Sauce (recipe below)

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls (I used the Pillsbury Big and Flaky)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine barbeque sauce and chicken and stir until sauce is evenly distributed throughout the chicken. Unroll and separate crescent rolls onto a baking sheet. Place about 2 tbsp of meat mixture onto each crescent roll, and spread all along the inside of the roll. Starting at the wide end, roll up the crescent all the way to the tip, making sure meat stays in place. Curl the two ends of the roll to make the crescent shape, and lay on the baking sheet. Space rolls about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for about 15 to 19 minutes, or until golden-brown. Makes 6 to 8 rolls. 

Better BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp agave nectar

2 shakes Tabasco

pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan over low heat, until combined and heated through. Makes about 2 cups. Extra sauce freezes nicely. Enjoy!

"Barbeque Chicken Buns"

Red, White, and Blue Popsicles

This is my attempt to be patriotic this July 4th... I pictured these turning out a little differently than they actually did... They look more like "pink, yellow and purple" popsicles! Oh, well! It's close enough, right? 

Anyways, I thought it would be easy to make these popsicles... Boy, was I wrong! My thought was that I could just freeze strawberry, banana and blueberry purees in my popsicle molds. But then I knew I had to do each one separately so the colors wouldn't mix. So, that's what I started to do. I started with the "red" because I knew it had to be on the bottom of the mold so that it would be on top once it was frozen. I figured strawberry puree would be red enough, but it wasn't. That was my first disappointment. Maybe next time I'll add some beets... Then I was thinking, what do I need to do to make the white "whiter"? I used bananas, but then figured they would probably brown a little bit, so I added some lemon juice. But it still wasn't the exact color I was going for, so I added some vanilla yogurt. That looked better. Once the "red" was frozen, I added the "white" (banana mix) on top, then put them back in the freezer. Well, then I get to the blueberries, and I should have known that they aren't actually a true "blue" color! Hmmm... purple... How do I fix that?! Well, there was no fixing it, so that was disappointment number two... So, once the "white" was frozen, I proceeded to get the molds out of the freezer and add the "blue" on top. Ok, good... Yay! I'm almost done! So, I go to put the "stick" part of the popsicle molds in... Well, aren't I a big dork?! Duh! Since the bananas and strawberries underneath the blueberries are already frozen, the stick won't go in!! Well, my bright idea was shot! So here's how the picture above ended up working... I have two different sets of popsicle molds, and let's just say that one is "cheaper" than the other. So, those sticks would only enter the frozen fruit over their dead (broken) bodies! Luckily, I found this other set of popsicle molds with stronger sticks! They pushed their way through the frozen fruit with no problem! I'm hoping they stay attached to the frozen fruit once people start eating them... 

So, long story short... instead of 8 beautiful red, white and blue popsicles... I have 4 beautiful pink, yellow and purple ones! Happy 4th of July! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberries, pureed

2 bananas, pureed

1 cup blueberries, pureed

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

Follow my silly "directions" above, or find an easier way to make these... Then let me know how you did it! :) Good luck! 

*Note: If you want to make this a little sweeter, you can either add a little agave nectar (maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp per puree), or mix each puree with vanilla yogurt... this will make the colors lighter, but since it's already pink, yellow and purple, it probably won't matter. ;)

Red, White, and Blue Popsicles

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls

So, my son was having one of those weeks, where he wasn't eating very much protein... He goes in phases--good protein weeks, and bad protein weeks. I guess he eventually gets what he needs, but I would really like him to eat more meats! We were having Dim Sum the other day, when a lightbulb went off in my head. My son loves Cha Siu Bao (barbeque pork buns), so I thought I would wrap some meat up in bread with some other yummy ingredients. Crescent rolls to the rescue! I suppose I could make my own rolls, but it is soooo much easier to just buy the refrigerated crescent rolls! So I rolled up some ham and cheese and some crushed dried herbs, baked them, and voila! Protein time! Success! He LOVED them! Hee hee hee... (my sneaky laugh). I'm sure this recipe exists elsewhere, and I know that Pillsbury has some recipes online too. So check them out as well if you're looking for an easy snack or side to make. I'm thinking of making my own "barbeque pork buns" next time... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls (I get the Pillsbury Big and Flaky type, 6 crescents per tube)

3 slices lunch meat, chopped into small size bites for toddlers (I used ham, but any kind is fine)

6 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbsp crushed dried Italian seasoning (or crushed dried herb of choice)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Unroll and lay crescent rolls flat on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a little bit of the Italian seasoning over each crescent roll, and lightly press the herbs into the dough. Place lunch meat dices over crescent rolls, distributing evenly on the roll. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese evenly over each crescent roll. Carefully roll up the crescent rolls from the wide side to the angled side, then curve the ends into a moon shape. If desired, sprinkle a little more dried herbs on the tops of the rolls. Space the rolls about 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet (no need to spray/grease the sheet). Bake for 15 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. 

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls

Apple-Cherry Amaranth Muffins

After I made my quinoa muffins, I thought to myself, "I bet I could make these muffins with amaranth too!". I had a bag of amaranth in my pantry, and some dried cherries and thought they would make some great healthy muffins! Amaranth is a seed which is similar to quinoa, but much smaller. Both are treated like grains, but are actually seeds that are packed with protein! Usually I cook up some quinoa or amaranth and mix them up with some fruits or veggies for one of my son's meals. Of course, he never turns down a muffin, and they make such a great traveling snack! As I was making this recipe, I started mixing up the wet ingredients with the dry, and then realized I had no eggs! Luckily, applesauce and mashed bananas make a great substitute for eggs in muffin recipes, and I almost always have both of those on hand at all times. So, it turns out, these muffins are also vegan! As you probably know from my previous recipes, I'm definitely no vegan. But if you are, these are a great muffin for you! They taste pretty good even if you're a carnivore like me. :) My son says, "Mmm Mmm!"

Ingredients: 

1 cup amaranth

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped*

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup applesauce (or 1 large egg)*

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan, bring amaranth and 3 cups water to a boil. Reduce to low heat; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and amaranth is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, brush a 12-cup muffin pan with oil, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cherries, and 2 cups cooked amaranth. Reserve any leftover amaranth for another use. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, applesauce (or egg), and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean 25 to 30 minutes.* Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy!

*Note: It is not necessary to chop your dried cherries. I did only because I knew I would be serving these muffins to my son, and I wasn't sure if he could handle a larger-sized dried fruit. To substitute eggs in future muffin recipes, use either 1/4 cup applesauce or 1/4 cup mashed banana for each egg in the recipe. My muffins took a little longer in the oven, about 40 minutes. I'm not sure if it's because of the amaranth, or if the applesauce made the batter too moist. They still turned out good, just took a little longer. :)

Apple-Cherry Amaranth Muffins