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!