Sweet Spinach Muffins!

No the lighting isn't 'off' in this photo...those muffins really are green! A great superfood snack for your little ones...and kinda festive considering St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner!

Are these muffins a delectable treat to save for your afternoon coffee? Likely not. However...our boys devoured them...as did their little buddy who tends to boy-cot his veggies these days...so in my books they are a win! I bookmarked this recipe months ago and now wished I hadn't waited so long to try them! Here they are with a few swaps in ingredients.

Give them a try yourself and let me know what you think! Great for carb-loving kids!

SWEET SPINACH MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh spinach, packed
1/3 cup maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp salt

*optional - 1/4 cup chia seeds


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor and puree.

Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and combine.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.

Scoop batter into a greased mini muffin tin, bake for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool completely & enjoy!

Chocolate Chewy Granola Bars

Okay...so our house has become a fan of The Marathon Mom's granola bars! I will not confess how many variations I have made...nor how long each batch lasts in our house!! My most recent variation, as of about 15 minutes ago, is officially my favourite! Not quite as sweet tasting as the original Chewy Granola Bars I posted. Used her Chocolate Granola Bar recipe as my starting point...switched only a few things...and then doubled it all enough to make a large cake pan, instead of a small one. Here it is!

Did I mention how QUICK these are to make? I literally decided to make them as I told the boys it was time to get ready for a nap. By the time they tidied up and made it upstairs they were already cooling (hiding!) in the fridge...love that!

Enjoying mine with a hot tea right now...while I write our Compassion Sponsor kids...written yours lately? Their website makes it so handy...can attach photos, cards, or some fun games too! Very grateful! Jay has been able to visit everyone one of our Compassion kids...isn't that amazing! What a gift as a mom myself to be able to buy clothing and supplies for them and have Jay bring them there himself...so cool. Here he is last Spring in Africa with three of them...I love this photo. We desire to enlarge this and hang in our sons' bedroom...they are part of the family! We believe that one day our boys will meet their 'other' brothers face to face. What's even more exciting is that these three boys have become friends with each other because they are brought together each time Jay visits...like one big family! Oh how I wish I could wrap some of these Granola bars up and send them to these guys too!



(Is it tacky that I bought them coordinating shirts??!! A true 'mom' just can't resist the opportunity!!)

Chocolate Chewy Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS

1 cup natural peanut or almond butter (I used half and half. Almond is better for you, but I LOVE the taste of peanut butter!)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups oats
1/4 cup Chia..or any seed
1/2 cup any seed or nut...I used sunflower?!
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Melt the peanut butter, honey, oil and chocolate chips in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Pour in all remaining ingredients. Stir til combined.

Pour into parchment-lined 8 X 11 pan and stick in the fridge (or freezer if you're impatient/hungry like me!)

Cut into whatever desired shape or size you like! Yes...my portion was as big as it looks in the photo! I had a salad for lunch, okay?!

I should add these work best if they are stored in the fridge. The coconut oil and nut butters soften at room temperature since they are unbaked:)

Chewy Granola Bars

Is it just me, or are mommy blogs and pinterest loaded in no-bake granola bars these days??!! I've bookmarked so many varieties that I've lost count! Finally this morning I decided to give one recipe a whirl. I say 'recipe' loosely cause I needed to use just what I had on hand, so I made a few switcharoos! In the end...I can now understand why everyone is talking about them...they are so yummy! I'm anxious to try more flavours now! My blog of choice to use a recipe from was my new favourite blog... The Marathon Mom ...she inspires me on many levels. She is a self-proclaimed 'granola bar junkie'...so I figured she knew what she was talking about:) Here's her recipe, with the switches I made based on what was in my pantry this morning...I'm guessing you can be pretty flexible with these guys...gotta love that in a recipe! Thanks Brandy at Marathon Mom...check her out!

Our boys LOVED these...and had fun helping make them...I'm guessing Jay loved them too since half the pan was gone when we got home from town this morning!!! A good & filling go-to snack for all ages! Beats any packaged granola bar, anyday:)


Chewy Granola Bars

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used almond butter)
1/3 cup local honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 TBSP wheat germ (I used flax meal)
1/2 cup ground flax seed (I used Chia)
1/4 cup peanuts (I used sliced almonds)
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Melt peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil together in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat, stirring constantly. It only takes a minute or two to melt.

2. In mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients except for chocolate chips, and stir well.

3. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and stir til well combined.

4. Press mixture into parchment lined 8×8 pan.

5. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top and press down firmly with hands.

6. Place in fridge or freezer to set.

7. Flip the foil out onto cutting board and cut into desired bar sizes. I like to cut a dozen rectangle shaped bars.

Store in fridge for best results.

I'm a self-proclaimed peanut butter and chocolate junkie...so I can't wait to try her version of these!!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day...from our family to yours! Made these last night to enjoy at lunch today...totally a favourite of mine...so there was a slight selfish motivation there!! Gotta love having a sharp edged heart cookie cutter on days like today!

Baked this cake again on the weekend as well to share with some great friends...simple, healthy and festive!! Whipped up another batch last night to use in my heart-shaped muffin tin...you'll get to indulge in those if you're attending my husband's Dr's Report tonight:)

Had intentions of trying about 300 new ideas from Pinterest for Valentine's Day...but was apparently too lazy!! I'll file them away for next year:) In the meantime our boys are still impressed with cutting their toast into hearts with a cookie cutter at breakfast time! I have a feeling that might change as they grow up:)

Hope you're feelin' the love today too!!

Morning Carrot Muffins

I dream of starting most of my days with a nice warm homemade muffin and a coffee. Is this attainable for me? Absolutely! Is it the best thing for my body everyday? Not in my books. However...it does make for a wonderful afternoon snack while our boys are napping:)

I love muffins...our boys really love muffins, or 'mops' as Levi calls them. I have a few standby recipes that always give great results...but for the most part I love to try something new every time. This week I've been craving a nice moist and healthy carrot muffin...I have no idea why...just am. I was watching the Food Network while running at the gym on Monday...that's almost an oxymoron!...and Giada was making a version of these. I would have totally made her muffins if I would have been able to write down the recipe...or find them online...but neither option worked! She did such a great job, they looked amazing. So here's my version of them. I know she used shredded zucchini instead of the banana...but I went with what I had on hand:) They turned out amazing...very pleased. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did! In fact...these are so healthy you could definitely start your day with them!

Morning Carrot Muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups flour(I used 3/4 cup brown rice flour & 1/2 cup almond flour)
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional...but add sweetness)
3 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 egg
1/3 cup almond milk
4 medium shredded carrots
1 medium ripe mashed banana

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in oats, syrup and raisins. Add oil, egg, milk, carrots, and banana and stir until blended.

Fill muffin tin with batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.


Boys are napping...I'm making tea and heading to our sunny dining room to finish up my Beth Moore study for the week...talk soon!

Chili!!

CHECK IT OUT!!!

Look who's chili was used at Quality Greens this week for their feature recipe??!!! A great recipe to have on hand for these chilly snowy days...no pun intended!...or for Superbowl Sunday perhaps? I'm cooking a variation of this to share with friends after Code Orange Revival tomorrow afternoon!! Can hardly wait!! My favourite thing to do lately is add chopped fresh pineapple at the same time you add the Corona...soooo yummy!! For you meat lovers you can also add some grass-fed beef or ground turkey to the beginning stages of this recipe...always turns out great and is a crowd pleaser!!

Cinnamon Chia & Almond Crunch Cereal

I started 2012 thinking I should post some healthy recipes that will make people feel great and give them a nutritious jump-start to their year...something that will help them stick to their "resolutions". After about two minutes of brainstorming I realized...THAT IS MY WHOLE BLOG!! What a great feeling to know that all my readers could make any of these recipes and know they are fueling their bodies in a good way!!

It's fun to look over my blog stats and see what some of the biggest hits have been! Wiebe Style Cereal definitely was a top fan favourite! In celebration of that...I thought I'd try out another option! Mixed this altogether while making dinner one night last week...it smelt AMAZING while toasting in the oven...and it got thumbs up all around the breakfast table the next morning! Quite similar to my other cereal...yet different. A little more of a granola texture to it...but so good! Like always, feel free to be quite flexible with substituting in your favourite grains, seeds or nuts...make it your own:)

We might even like this one a little better than Wiebe Style Cereal...just sayin':)


CINNAMON CHIA & ALMOND CRUNCH CEREAL

INGREDIENTS
4 cups oats
1 cup raw sliced, chopped or slivered almonds
1 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup coconut sugar...or sugar of choice
pinch of salt
1 TBSP cinnamon

1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup, or honey
1/3 cup nut butter (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.

In a small pot on low heat, melt all the wet ingredients together. Pour over dry mixture. Stir until all combined...might take a minute or two.

Spread out on parchment lined baking sheet...might take two depending on size. Lightly toast for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Store in air tight container for about 2 weeks...if it lasts that long:)

Enjoy over yogurt or with your favourite milk...that's Unsweetened Almond Milk in this house:)