Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Hello Fall! These moist, healthy, fluffy, whole wheat, spice muffins are the perfect way to kick start your Fall baking. Perfect for a breakfast treat or for your next party.

Love this recipe, inspiration from: www.texanerin.com 

I doubled it to make ~24 muffins. 

By the way, Joann Fabrics has great halloween decor/baking accessories on sale. Love my new Halloween cupcake liners!

Ingredients:

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 eggs

2/3 c. honey

1/2 c. olive oil or coconut oil

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. plain or vanilla greek yogurt

2 c. apples - peeled and chopped in small cubes

For the topping:

Mix in a small bowl cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top of muffins before they bake!

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your muffin tin with muffin liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg. Add honey, olive oil and vanilla. Then add the yogurt.

4. Add the flour mix to the wet mix just until combined (don’t overmix). Then fold in the apples. Pour batter in cupcake liner, filling to about halfway.

5. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of each muffin. It adds a nice crust and a little extra sweetness.

6. Bake for about 15 – 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

8. When the muffins are completely cooled, place them in an airtight container to keep them moist.

Happy Baking!

Favorite Fall Candles!

Happy Fall! 

It's here! So, that means it's time to get excited for autumn leaves, cozy knits, baked apples and pumpkin desserts (my favorite Fall dessert recipes are coming very soon!)

I started my seasonal decorating last night and I have to say, it really makes our home feel so cozy! I lit some of my Fall candles while I was decorating and it made me want to melt into a blanket and drink hot cider. 

My favorite's:

Yankee Candles

Scents: Harvest Welcome (the absolute best!) and Kitchen Spice

 

CLARO Candles
Amazing candles, even better cause, check them out!

www.clarocandles.com
Scents: EARTH - Creamy Pine
LOVE - Brown Sugar Latte

Brand: Candle-Lite, Scent: Pumpkin Nutmeg Pie (cannot go wrong with that!)

Brand: Luminessence, Scent: Apple Cinnamon (spells JUST like spiced cider)

Kathryn’s Breakfast Cookie

Kathryn’s Breakfast Cookies

I’m going to have an honest moment, when I first made these, I wasn’t so sure about them. I even put a note on the tupperware for my husband that said “Messed up cookie batch, eat all you want” ….which of course, he still did because they’re cookies (and he loved them!), SO I tried them the next morning and realized that they were in fact, delicious. I ended up liking them a BUNCH more the next day when they weren’t hot out of the oven. I even brought them to work and my coworkers came back for seconds! Something must have worked with these bad boys!

They are soft, chewy, a tad bit sticky, healthy breakfast cookies that I am for sure making again! 

Have fun doing whatever you want to this recipe….I say get crazy with it, I sure did! If you want to add raisins or chia seeds or whatever your heart desires, this recipe should be everything you want in a breakfast with all the nutrients to fill you up in the morning or provide a good mid-day snack.

HAPPY BAKING! 

INGREDIENTS:

2 EGGS

1/4 c OIL (COCONUT IS A HEALTHY OPTION) 

1/2 c GREEK YOGURT

1 t VANILLA 

1/2 c BROWN SUGAR

1 c ROLLED OATS

1 c WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1/4 t BAKING POWDER

1/2 t BAKING SODA

2 T GROUND FLAX SEED

1/2 c DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS

1/2 c TOASTED COCONUT

1/2 c CHOPPED WALNUTS (OR PECANS OR ALMONDS)

SECRET INGREDIENT - 1 c RICE KRISPIES! (you could totally sub for corn flakes if you want, but the krispies added a soft texture to it once it was baked)

SUPER SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS:
1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350F
2. MIX WET INGREDIENTS PLUS BROWN SUGAR IN MEDIUM BOWL
3. MIX DRY INGREDIENTS IN LARGE BOWL
4. ADD WET TO DRY INGREDIENTS
5. ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS, COCONUT, NUTS, AND RICE KRISPIES
6. SMALL SPOONFULS ONTO COOKIE SHEET (WON’T FLATTEN MUCH SO YOU CAN GET A LOT OF COOKIES ONTO ONE SHEET)
7. BAKE ABOUT 12 MINUTES, LET COOL ON COOKIE SHEET FOR 5 MINUTES, THEN ON A WIRE RACK
8. EAT IN THE MORNING! :)

HEALTHY Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mufffins

Shout out to my girl, Mackenzie Ford, who passed along this recipe via Instagram (you should follow her, she posts great workout tips and healthy recipes - makeitfreshfitness). 

I couldn't resist so I made these muffins last night and I was quite pleased with the outcome to say the least! I think I ate 3 or 4 last night....whoops! 

These smell and taste like Fall, so get in the spirit and start baking, besides, the first day of Fall is right around the corner (September 22nd)!

Happy Baking!

Healthy Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F

2.  Combine:

1 cup pumpkin puree (I used canned pumpkin or you can make your own!)

½ cup milk

½ cup applesauce

3.  In a separate bowl, combine:

       1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour

       ½ cup brown sugar

       1 T baking powder

       ¼ t. salt

       1 t cinnamon

       ¼ t. allspice

       ½ t. ginger

       ½ t. nutmeg

4.  Mix wet and dry ingredients together then add in:

       ½ cup chocolate chips

       ½ cup walnuts or pecans

5.  BAKE for 18 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack

Spicy Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese

Holy cow, this is a GOOD dinner recipe. It's pretty darn healthy (for mac & cheese) and it feeds a lot of people. My husband and I made it one night and had it for our lunches the next few days.

I cannot take credit for this yumminess though.....found this on www.thecomfortofcooking.com. I did do a tad bit of tweaking to the recipe for added flavor :)

HAPPY COOKING!

Spicy Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into small chunks

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

3-4 carrots, diced

2 cups whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, penne, etc.)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set a medium pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and coating with a little olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Toss broccoli, bell peppers, squash and carrots onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once water is boiling, lower heat slightly and add pasta, cooking according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and jalapeño pepper and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until well distributed and melted. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add macaroni and vegetables.

Place mixture in a large casserole dish and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Place under the broiler in your oven (500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies  

Since we still have berries around, try these yummy cookies that have a ton of flavor. This is a “normal” cookie recipe, not as many healthy substitutes as I usually do because sometimes it’s good to splurge, right?! They are that good!

Don’t have raspberries? Try using blackberries or blueberries. All of those would go great with white chocolate, YUM!

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 generous cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Cover cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper.
3. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and melted butter (about 2 minutes).
5. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until combined.
6. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until a cookie dough begins to form. 
7. Fold in frozen raspberries and white chocolate chips.
8. Form dough into golfball size balls and place a couple of inches apart on cookie sheet (they flatten out a bit)
9. Bake for 15 minutes (cookies should look slightly undercooked). 
10. Allow to cool completely on cookie sheets before removing.

Eat and share, these are so yummy!

Treadmill BLAST

TREADMILL BLAST 

For those of you who don’t want to run outside or want a fast workout that burns a ton of calories, this is a good one for you to try!

OKAY, don’t be nervous. This is a fun, fast, AMAZING, fat blasting treadmill workout. Try it once and see what you think, then try doing it a couple times a week. You will definitely see and feel yourself getting stronger.

NOTE: modify the speed and incline to fit your needs

START

5 minutes - Warm up with fast walk or light jog

1 minute - incline 5, speed 6.0

30 seconds sprint - no incline (between 7.0 and 9.0 speed - whatever works for you!)

REPEAT X5

5 minutes - cool down at around 3.5 speed (no incline)

YES! Go and get some water and a bite of a protein bar ;) 

Arm/Shoulder Workout

SATURDAY MORNING 20 MINUTE ARM/SHOULDER WORKOUT!

Let’s whip our arms into shape!

A couple years ago, I decided that I really wanted to work on building strength in my upper body because I have always been stronger in my legs. I now do strength training 3-4 times a week and can feel a huge difference. I do variations of the workout below so I hope you feel inspired to try it and start to add in your own favorite arm exercises!

This is a quick workout that will help give you sculpted arms and shoulders. Try working out your upper body at least 2 times a week where you totally burn out your muscles by the end. It WILL pay off!!!

ARMS AND SHOULDERS WORKOUT:

Warm-up

Jumping Jacks (50) - Make them FULL jumping jacks, get your heart pumping!)

Opposite Elbow to Opposite Knee - 10x each side

Strength/Endurance CIRCUIT:

1.  Side Arm Raises (10) - Start with arms at side, raise to shoulder level, arms straight, palms facing the ground

2.  Tricep dips (12) - on bench or chair (legs all the way out)

3.  Bicep curl to shoulder press (12) with 5 or 10lbs

4.  Pushups (10)

5.  Stay in pushup position for 20 Mountain Climbers (high intensity - as fast as you can!)

Rest 1 minute - REPEAT X3 BABY!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Almond Cocoa Cookies

ATTENTION: CHOCOLATE LOVERS:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Almond Cocoa Cookies 

Can we say, “YES!”? These cookies have everything you could want in them, but you gotta love chocolate. I’ve made them a few times for friends at work and they seem to go over quite well : ) never a cookie left! See below for deliciousness:

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter, oil, water, flax, vanilla, sugars and cocoa powder.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until blended.

5. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds.

6. Dough will be a bit dry and crumbly.

7. Form into tablespoon size balls and place on a slightly greased baking sheet

8. Press dough balls down slightly.

9. Bake for 12 minutes.

10.Let cool on a wire rack and serve yourself a glass of cold milk!

Kathryn’s Banana Bread

Kathryn’s Banana Bread 

I’ve been excited to share this recipe because it is just so darn yummy AND GUILT-FREE! 

Get to your kitchen and start baking!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 mashed ripe bananas
• 1 t. baking soda
• ½ c. cottage cheese or plain greek yogurt (vanilla works, too)
• ¼ c. canola oil (or coconut oil)
• 2/3 c. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 egg OR 2 egg whites
• 1 ½ t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• ½ c. All-purpose flour
• ½ t. ground cinnamon
• 1 t. baking powder
• ¼ t. salt

Highly recommended, but optional: 

(you can also sprinkle on top before baking)

½ c. dark chocolate chips

½ c. walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.  Spray an 8X4 inch loaf pan with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed BANANAS with the BAKING SODA and COTTAGE CHEESE/YOGURT. Allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the batter.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the OIL, BROWN SUGAR, EGG, and VANILLA.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the FLOURS, BAKING POWDER, CINNAMON, and SALT.
5. Then, combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and add that to the flour mixture.  Stir with a spatula just until all the ingredients are moistened.  Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
6. BAKE for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Pour a cold glass of milk and enjoy a warm slice ☺

Chocolate/Banana Protein Shake

Start your morning off right (and delicious)

CHOCOLATE/BANANA BREAKFAST SHAKE

This is what I make just about everyday….along with a couple scrambled egg whites and a big cup of coffee...I love breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk (almond, coconut, from a cow, whatever kind you like but keep it low fat)
• 1 banana
• 1/2 scoop of chocolate whey protein                                                                                   
• 1 spoonful of ground flax seed
• dash of cinnamon 
• 3-4 cubes of Ice (sometimes I fill my ice tray with leftover coffee and make coffee ice cubes, yum!)

and….If you don’t mind the texture, toss in:

• two spoonfuls of quick oats
• small handful of almonds

Throw all ingredients in your blender and get your butt to work!

Enjoy!

Abs and Butt Workout

Okay, let's get our lunch workout on....
Print this out and bring to the gym!


ABS AND GLUTES!

I love simple exercises that don't require much equipment!


TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes


NEED:
Bench or chair to step on
yoga mat
5-10lbs dumbbells 

PLAN:

- 30 second intervals alternating between 2 exercises (no rest, TOTAL: 2 minutes )

REST 1 minute

- Do the same for the next two exercises

REST 1 minute

- Same thing for the last two exercises

REPEAT the whole sequence 2 more times!

EXERCISES:

SET 1 -

BENCH STEP-UPS

MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS

SET 2 -

SQUAT PRESS w/ 5 or 10lbs in each hand

LEG LIFTS ON BALL (hips on ball, hands on the ground in front and lift both legs while squeezing your glutes)

SET 3 -

SIDE LUNGES

HIP RAISES (ON MAT)

BONUS CALORIE BURN: 10 burpees at the end (sequence: jump/squat/push-up/squat)

READY, SET, GO!

DIY Felt Garlands

DIY FELT GARLANDS

I have so much fun making these! For one thing, they're adorable, but they are also super easy to make!

All you need is:

- felt (get from any craft store, maybe even a dollar store)

- scissors

- needle and thread

1. Cut shapes out of your felt

2. Lay them out so your garland is long enough for what you want

3. Put your thread through the needle and weave in and out through each felt piece and tie the ends

5. Hang it up over a big window, on a mantle or anywhere you'd like!

SO many felt shape ideas on Pinterest, but here are a couple that I've done:

HEARTS

 DOTS

 HAPPY CRAFTING!