Pecan Pie Muffins

If you have these few ingredients in your pantry & fridge now, take my advice and make these immediately. I'm not sure whether to call these muffins or mini pies. I guess I would say they are the perfect muffin/ pie combination with a soft center and crispy edges.  Honestly, they taste like mini pecan pies.  YUM!

Pecan Pie Muffins 

Courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease mini or regular muffin cups generously. Grease them well or they will stick. In medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
2. Spoon batter into muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 12-13 minutes for mini muffins or 15-17 minutes for regular size muffins. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin and pop it out.

Grandma's Pumpkin Muffins

About a month after I had my baby I decided to join Weight Watchers.  I joined because I wanted to lose weight while being smarter with the food I was eating and maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially because I am nursing. Weight Watchers has a point allowance for nursing mothers, which is ultimately why I went with the program.  So far, I have lost 5 pounds in 3.5 weeks and feel more energized.  I love tracking points and am thankful that there are apps to track and scan the things I eat.  It's honestly much easier than I expected it to be.  

I chose this recipe because of my love of pumpkin.  I will say that this is not my favorite pumpkin recipe, it was just okay.  The muffins tasted low fat and weren't bad for being a healthier option.  A lot of the reviews said to use eggs instead of an egg substitute and add cranberries or chocolate chips to the recipes.  I laughed because that takes the healthy part of the recipe away.  I do agree that they would be better with all that added, but along with adding the ingredients you'll be adding points. I would probably add more pumpkin next time and less applesauce.  I'd also add some pumpkin pie spice.  Overall, I'd try these if you're looking for a healthy pumpkin muffin recipe. 

Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
  2/3 cup(s) unsweetened applesauce
  1 cup(s) canned pumpkin
2/3 cup(s) sugar
  1/2 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
  2/3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk


Instructions

    * Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray. Line with cupcake wrappers if desired.

    * Combine flour, baking powder, salt , baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.

    * Combine applesauce, pumpkin, sugar, egg substitute and milk in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

    * Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.

    * Pour batter into muffin tins so each hole is about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Notes

    * We use both cooking spray and muffin wrappers to prevent any batter from sticking to the top of the pan but you can use a nonstick pan instead, if you prefer.

Pumpkin Bread

One of my favorite cooking magazines is Food & Family from Kraft.  I can always find good recipes in them and most of the recipes are super simple to make.  I was elated when the most recent one arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago and immediately went through it.  There were over 10 recipes I couldn't wait to try.  Of course, the first one on my list was this pumpkin bread. I've never made pumpkin bread with pudding mix before so I was excited to try something new, especially a new pumpkin recipe.  The bread turned out delicious.  It was perfectly moist and the nuts on top added the perfect crunch.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-3/4

cups  flour

1

pkg.  (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1

Tbsp.  CALUMET Baking Powder

2

tsp.  pumpkin pie spice

1

tsp.  baking soda

1/2

cup  butter, melted

1

cup  sugar

1

can  (15 oz.) pumpkin

2

 eggs

1/3

cup  chopped PLANTERS Walnuts

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

MIX flour, dry pudding mix, baking powder, spice and baking soda; set aside.

WHISK butter, sugar and pumpkin in large bowl. Blend in eggs. Add flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into 8x4-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray; top with nuts.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, covering loosely with foil for the last 20 min. Cool bread in pan 10 min. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely

Banana Bread with Almond Orange Glaze

It's been far too long since I've made banana bread.  While picking out meals for my "getting ready for baby" freezer meals, I found this bread recipe.  I figured it would probably be good to have some breakfast items along with all the dinners I made, so I made it.  The recipe was easy to follow and I loved the glaze that went on top. The recipe makes 2 loafs.  I ate one this week and froze one for when baby is here.  Enjoy!

Recipe from 36th Avenue 




Ingredients: 
4 large bananas { mashed }

1 Cup Butter (room temperature)

2 Eggs

2 Cups of Sugar

4 Cups of Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Water

2 tsp. baking soda


Directions: 

1. Peel and mash those ripe bananas.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and eggs.

3. Add flour and salt to the creamed mixture.

  4. Dissolve baking soda in warm water and add to mixture.

5. Blend in the mashed bananas.

*I added walnuts to one loaf at this point and chocolate chips to another. 

Bake in a well greased pan at 325º for 1 hour.

About five minutes before the bread is done add in a small sauce pan

1 and 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

and 1/2 tsp. of almond extract.

Baked Oatmeal Cups

Are you even in need of a quick, yet healthy breakfast recipe?  I feel like we are always on a constant search in our household.  I came across this recipe on Pinterest from Sugar Free Mom.  It looked good and I love how there were many different variations we could make.  So, I decided to give it a try for the week.  I followed the linked recipe and was happy with the results. I used a bag of frozen blueberries for my topping/ mix in.  Hubs wished they were a little sweeter, that would probably be the only thing I would change next time.  We've been enjoying them all week for breakfast.  Follow the links above for the recipe.  Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Bread

Snickerdoodle Bread

Courtesy of Let's Dish

If you enjoy snickerdoodle cookies, you'll love this snickerdoodle bread!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips 
1 tablespoon flour

Topping:
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and 2 cups sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Coat the cinnamon chips with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir into the batter.  Spoon the batter into four or five greased mini loaf pans (or two 9x5 loaf pans). Combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle over each loaf. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes for mini loaves (or 60-70 minutes for full-size loaves), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. 

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Hubs decided to make us pancakes from scratch instead of our usual going out to breakfast last Saturday.  I think he...had a craving.  He found the recipe, did all the work and I sat on the couch relaxing with the pups.  Love him!  

Anyhow, I was very impressed with the pancakes and how quick he was able to make them.  I had to share the recipe with you all.  

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes 

Recipe Courtesy AllRecipes 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Recipe Courtesy Sweet Peas Kitchen 

The recipe you'll find below is for bread, but I decided to make muffins.  I wanted something quick I could grab for breakfast this week.  Thanks to Pinterest, I didn't have to look far for a fabulous recipe! You'll see my changes to the recipe below in red.  

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups fresh strawberries, divided
2. 3/4 cup white sugar
3. 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
4. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7. 1/2 cup vegetable oil (1/2 cup cinnamon apple sauce)
8. 2 eggs, beaten
9. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10. 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate chocolate chips)
11. *1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Puree 1 cup of strawberries in a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl. Slice remaining 1 cup of strawberries and place in the medium bowl with the strawberry puree. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup sugar; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add oil, eggs and vanilla extract to the strawberry mixture, stir to combine. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan (greased muffin pan) and smooth surface with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake until top is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes (20 minutes were perfect for the muffins).  Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack, and cool completely.

Yields: 1 - 9 x 5-inch loaf (12 large muffins) 

 www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

French Toast Casserole

Recipe from Pillsbury

This casserole is our new Christmas morning tradition. 

 Ah-mazing!

INGREDIENTS

French Toast Bake

1/4

cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted

2

cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing

6

LAND O LAKES® Eggs

1/2

cup heavy whipping cream

2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

2

teaspoons vanilla

1

cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans

1

cup maple syrup

Garnish

Icing from cinnamon rolls

Powdered sugar

1/2

cup maple syrup, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.2In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.3Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.4Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.