Moist Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I purchased a larger than life zucchini when I went to the farmers market a couple weeks ago. I'm still trying to use it all. I looked forever to try and find a good recipe for zucchini muffins today, but to no avail. So, I decided to combine what I liked from three or four different ones, and I came up with a recipe that I really, really like!

I first thought I'd make zucchini bread, but decided I wanted to make muffins because I am all about the portion control.  I like knowing exactly how much each muffin calculates to be calorie-wise. I know. I am crazy.

The result was moist, fluffy, zucchini muffins with a hint of cinnamon. I of course had to add in the chocolate chips because that is what makes the world go round, but I think the bread would be delicious without them.

Healthy Whole Wheat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
makes 20 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup splenda (or no calorie sweetener of your choice)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz plain fat free greek yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together brown sugar, splenda, egg, vanilla, and greek yogurt. Combine baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and flour. Add in grated zucchini, and chocolate chips. My zucchini was actually more pureed than grated because I did it in the food processor. You can make it the consistency that you prefer.

Spray your muffin tins with non-stick spray. Fill muffin tins about half full. Cook for 15 minutes in oven, or until they pass the toothpick test.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts:

Have you been using the fresh produce from your gardens or local produce stands? I have been loving all of the fresh goodness! Do you prefer quick breads or muffins? I love breads, but I like being able to freeze muffins and have them portion controlled for me!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my September Sweat Songs Mix Giveaway! 

Fiberlicious...Delicious All Bran Muffins

Most Americans only get half of the recommended 25 grams of fiber per day, which isn't surprising when you consider how much fast food we eat, and how non-nutrient dense fast food is. Luckily it's not hard to get your 25 grams of fiber in if you try!
Fiber is so beneficial...helps with digestion, lowers blood cholesterol levels (reducing the risk of heart disease), helps manage blood sugar levels, and can help with weight loss (fiber makes you feel full longer).

My mom has been making Bran Muffins for us since i can remember. They are so healthy and SO delicious. These are a great snack, breakfast, or side dish to any meal. Each muffin has 5 grams of fiber which is great!
All Bran Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups of All Bran Cereal (ready to eat)
1 1/4 cups skim milk
2 egg whites
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine all Bran cereal and milk. Let it stand about 2 min or until cereal softens. Add egg whites and applesauce. beat well. Add flour mixture sirring only until combined. portion evenly into 12 2 1/2 inch muffin pan cups coated with cooing spray.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min or until golden brown. Serve warm
Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition info: 124 calories, 1 gram of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein.
This is another great recipe to double and freeze. These muffins are great quick breakfast to pull from the freezer and heat up in the microwave.

Where else can you find fiber? whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries.

**it is important to note that as you increase your fiber intake you should increase your water consumption as well. Your body will need more water to process the increase in fiber.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread...Healthified

Oh Helloooo out there. I'm back. T'was a quick trip, but so worth it. My niece is darling, and we had an awesome weekend with family and friends. (FYI I started this post yesterday and am just barely getting it up. SHEESH. Crazy monday!)

Now for the Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe as was promised HERE...
I got this recipe from the Our Best Bites Cook Book. It is an AWESOME. My mom gave it to me upon my arrival in AZ and I was so excited about it! I am sure I'll have more modified recipes from there in the future, because they have some great ideas! One of my favorite things to do when I go home is cook with my mom because she always has everything on hand. None of this...run to the store business. It's the greatest. She is always up to let me try out new things too which is great.

This bread turned out awesome. We made one loaf and 18 muffins. My mom informed me later that I used the wrong bread pan, which is why it is so flat. oops...

Healthified Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Original recipe found HERE
(I have included the regular recipe with my modifications)

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat flour)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup canola oil (I used 1/2 cup applesauce instead)
1 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup baking splenda)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs (I used egg beaters)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream (I used 1/2 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt, fat free sour cream would work as well)
3 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I left these in...because they made it MONEY)

Topping
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS granualted sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.
Gently stir in the grated zucchini
Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it’s the size of mini chocolate chips.
Add the remaining flour mixture to the batter and stir just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Divide the batter between the two pans (8" pans...not 9" like i used). and sprinkle topping over each. Place pans on a cookie sheet for easy moving.
Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. Set your timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder. When it’s done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.
It makes fantastic muffins as well.Cook them at the same temp. Set your timer for 10-12 minutes and then keep an eye on them.

I haven't worked up the nutrition facts on these because we ended up splitting them up between the bread and the muffins. I will work on that. I must admit that I am such a fan of quick breads. I think they are SO DANG TASTY, and one chalked full of zucchini? What's not to love?  

Do you like veggie inspired baked goods? (Zucchini/Carrot/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato?) I LOVE them. In fact these Sweet Potato Muffins are a favorite of mine as well as these Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.  

McSteamy Those Veggies

I am a vegetable freak. I love them. Aside from celery, which I think was God's experimental vegetable and will suffer through if necessary...I can't think of a vegetable that I don't like. Vegetables can take time to prep if you aren't eating them fresh, so I've had to figure out the most time efficient way to get my veggies cooked ASAP. I know all y'all are just as busy, so I thought I'd share my super quick trick to steaming my vegetables.

 I just use tupperwares for this. I have steamed broccoli and carrots almost every day with my lunch, so this is my method.

By leaving one corner of the tupperware slightly undone you won't risk the hot air blowing the lid off. Although this may be purely entertaining to your kids if you wish to try it out.

 I always drain the water out of the tupperware by hand and then wrap the veggies up in a paper towel for a sec to get off the excess water. I don't like wet soggy vegetables. You could definitely use a colander or strainer here...neither of which I have, so I go Bounty. I also don't like doing 9 million dishes, and this cuts down on that.

 I love my steamed veggies over fresh spinach with a little drizzle of fat free honey dijon dressing, or some salsa... and there you have it. The easiest way to steam your veggies...ever. The quicker the food is on my plate/in my stomach the better. You can also use a ziplock bag or the steam fresh bags to do the same thing.

I decided that I am going to try and bring my boot campers a new healthy recipe once a week to try, and tonight it was my fave low-fat banana chocolate chip muffins. They are whole wheat and super delish. I like making muffins vs. bread because I can freeze them and eat them over a longer span of time, and they are portion controlled.

 

Low Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup fat free milk

½ cup sugar

2 ripe bananas (mashed)

1 ½ cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions Mix wet ingredients first. Add dry ingredients Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Makes 16 muffins.

Nutrition Facts: (for one muffin) Calories: 99 Fat 1 g Carbs: 20.9 g Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 9.7 g Protein: 2.1 g

 I was leaving to go back to work tonight and there was a package that had come for me. Remember me telling you how much my mom loves holidays? Well, she always sends all of us kids holiday packages, and my Valentines day package came today!! It was the best surprise. My mom is seriously the greatest. Decorations, a heart shaped mixing bowl, a cake pops form pan, cupcake liners, and a jar of holiday candy to set out. Is it sad that I get so excited to put out the cute holiday candy that I don't even care that I'm not eating it? Probably.

Thank you so much mom. You absolutely made my day!!

You want to know what else made my day?? All of my new followers and bloggy friends that entered the February Favorites Mix Giveaway...(which btw if you haven't entered yet you should.) I am SO excited to get to know all of you and read all of your awesome blogs!!

What is your favorite way to eat your vegetables? I think roasted is my favorite. I love this vegetable bake that my mom created. I really like fresh veggies in a salad bar too! Do you like banana bread? I think it is has one of the most heavenly smells that baked goods can have. I was just thinking how yummy it would be to make french toast with banana bread. I think I am always dreaming about food. ;)

Banana Crumb Muffins...The Remix

I love looking at food blogs/recipes/cookbooks etc. While looking at allrecipes.com today I decided I want to see what their top rated/reviewed recipe was. I thought it might be a main dish, but it was these delicious looking Banana Crumb Muffins. The recipe looked verrrry yummy. My eye quickly went to the nutrition facts, and I saw that each muffin contained 263 calories and 8 grams of fat. I knew I could do better than that...and I did.

MY Health-i-fied Banana Crumb Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1 vanilla pudding mix (fat free sugar free)

Streusel Topping: 
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon wheat flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugars, egg whites, and yogurt. Once mixed add pudding mix. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with liners.
 In another small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over muffins. 
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. 

They turned out SO GOOD. If I do say so myself. 

The Stats...

The smell of baking banana bread-ish foods always makes the kitchen smell so good. Today I was reminded of the days growing up that I would come walking into the kitchen from a long day at school, or a busy night of dance practice and my mom had something tasty cooking in the kitchen. 

My mom is an excellent cook, and she always let me bake along side her growing up. Her patience and willingness to teach me instilled in me the love that I have for cooking today. Despite our conflicting busy schedules, my mom always made an effort to have home cooked dinners around the table for my family, and I am so appreciative of that. 


Dinner time to so many today has been nixed for convenience. Home cooked meals have been replaced by a trip through the drive through, and the dinner table by laps and car seats in the car. With these replacements we've lost nutrients, proper portions, and most importantly quality family time. Of course there are times that life is just busy, and all feeding the family in any form possible is work enough, but imagine the difference we'd see in the health of Americans today if more people would take the time to cook a healthy meal at home instead of devouring deep fried potatoes and sugary sodas at every meal. 

I now realize the time and effort it takes to prepare healthy meals, as well as the importance of doing so. Good health comes to those who make it a priority in their lives. 


Did you come from a family that ate together? Were your meals healthy? I didn't realize until now home much my parents health habits have been instilled in me. Do you take the time to cook healthy meals for you or your family? It really is a lot of effort, but it is something that is so worth taking the time for.

Things That Make Me Go Mmmmm....Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

You would think we'd be into some summer recipes about now, right? Well, the rain is relentless, so I just want warm and cozy still. Plus, this recipe is BOMB.

 

Workout today:
90 minute intervals on the elliptical 
10 mins of core work
Usually Wednesday nights are spin nights for me, but I have to work tonight due to some surprises this weekend that I can't WAIT for...more on that tomorrow :)

I am totally chilled to the bone because of this dreary weather, and I was feeling the need to bake some warmth back into my life! Just having the oven on and the smell of baked goods warms my soul. My friend SB was watching me cook yesterday and she said..."Your favorite spice must be cinnamon." I laughed because she is TOTALLY right. I put it in everything...my oatmeal every morning...my protein shakes. I bake with it constantly. The smell makes me so happy, and let's not kid ourselves, it tastes divine. 

Cinnamon has also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, and help regulate blood sugar levels. Some studies also show it has an anti clotting effect on the blood, and may help decrease belly fat. Not bad if you ask me.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Muffins 
Makes 12 Muffins 

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 small mashed ripe banana
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup splenda (or agave/honey/sugar free syrup)

Cinnamon Swirl Topping
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl combine mashed banana, skim milk, vanilla, and splenda. Mix that together. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the wet and combine. In another small bowl combine white sugar and cinnamon.
Spray your muffin tins or line tins with muffin liners. Put a large spoon full of batter into each tin. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. Cover with another spoon full of batter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. You can swirl each muffin with a toothpick to create swirls in the batter if you like. Bake in oven for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

I loved these muffins because they are dense and delicious. They have a sweet crisp outer shell, and are soft and moist inside. I ate mine with a little spray butter and it was YUMMY! Oh, and my kitchen smelled heavenly!

Nutrition Facts for One Muffin: 101 calories, .3 grams of fat, 21.6 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, 4.3 grams of sugar, and 2.9 grams of protein.
I think next time I will add a cup of greek yogurt to boost up the protein content and increase the moisture even more.

Do you like cinnamon as much as I do? What are your favorite uses for it? If not cinnamon, what is your favorite spice?

Healthy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins

I LOVE to look at food blogs. I love to bake and cook and experiment in the kitchen. One of my favorite things to do is to take recipes and, "healthify," them. I saw this recipe on the darling blog, Sweet Treats and More, for Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins. I absolutely love sweet potatoes, so I was really excited to try making them. I made a few of my own adjustments to make them pretty dang healthy. 

Healthy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients: 

2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into chunks
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c skim

Topping:
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions: 

Bring a saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil, add the sweet potatoes, and cook until tender.  Remove from heat and drain thoroughly.  

 

Transfer to food processor and puree until lightly fluffy.  

 

Scrape into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin cups with butter-flavored nonstick spray. My recipe made 16 muffins total.

In a bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, applesauce, and milk.  Whisk vigorously for 1 minute.  Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir until completely blended.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until evenly moistened.  Don't over stir, the batter will be slightly lumpy.   

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it 3/4 full.  Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon-sugar topping.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and passes the toothpick test.  Lightly dust with more cinnamon-sugar topping. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm.  These were SO delicious! They were a great fall-ish muffin, and I will definitely be making them again.

Nutrition Facts: 

Calories 107.3, Fat .4 grams, 23.8 grams carbs, 2.6 grams fiber, 10.5 grams sugar, 3.8 grams protein 

Pumpkin Invasion: Healthy Pumpkin Pie, Cookies, Bread, Muffins, and Oatmeal Recipes

With fall time comes the need to bake with pumpkin...or is that just me? I LOVE the way it smells, the flavor, and I think it is just so fitting for the season. But hearing healthy and pumpkin in the same sentence when baking doesn't usually happen. Until now that is. These awesome pumpkin recipes are sure to woo your audiences! 

Healthy Pumpkin Pie 

(From Hungry Girl)

Ingredients:

For Crust
2 cups Fiber One Cereal (Original) 
1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
1 tsp. cinnamon
For Filling
One 15-oz. can pureed pumpkin
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional Topping: Fat Free Cool Whip

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter with 2 tbsp. water. Microwave until just melted, and set aside. In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter mixture and crumbs with remaining ingredients for crust. Stir until mixed well. Spray an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish lightly with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute crust mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. The filling may be taller than the crust. Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow pie to cool slightly. Refrigerate for several hours, overnight if possible. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Cut into 8 slices and, if you like, top with Reddi-wip or Cool Whip before serving! 

* I made this for my family last Thanksgiving and they LOVED it. It is really delicious! 

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 slice  Calories: 133 Fat: 3g Sodium: 236mg Carbs: 28g Fiber: 9g Sugars: 8g Protein: 6g

Healthy Pumpkin Cookies 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 TBS butter
1 1/2 TBS unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 egg whites
1 TBS water
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pureed pumpkin

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Mix together butter, applesauce, brown sugar, honey, egg whites, and water.
3. Add in your dry ingredients, and then your oatmeal and pumpkin.
4. Spoon onto cookie sheet (sprayed with Pam) and bake for 12 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

 Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding
• 4 large egg whites
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I'd maybe try using 1/2 whole wheat flour 1/2 white)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 152 (30% from fat) Fat: 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g) Protein: 2g Carbohydrate: 26.5g

Fiber: 1.1g Cholesterol: 0.0mg Iron: 1mg Sodium: 137mg Calcium: 10mg

 

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins 

 Ingredients:

30 30

Servings Size

• muffins
  

Yield: 30 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 2/3 cup rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 4 teaspoons baking powder 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup applesauce 
• 15 ounces canned pumpkin 
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners. Combine flours, bran, oats, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Using whisk or spoon, stir until well mixed. Combine remaining ingredients (except nuts) in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Spoon into prepared pans or tins (fill cups until just about full). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Pumpkin Pancakes 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin 

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Combine egg, oil, milk and pumpkin in a small bowl. Stir pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Leave to stand for five minutes. For each pancake, scoop 1/4 cup of batter on to a hot griddle or nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Turn pancakes when bubbles appear and edges are cooked, after about 2 minutes. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on second side. Makes 8-10 pancakes. Add in chopped apples, craisins, or mini chocolate chips for a touch of sweetness. Serve with maple syrup. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats 
• 1 cup water 
• 1/8 cup pumpkin 
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar  
• 1 (1 g) packet Splenda or Stevia 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Add some chopped nuts, if desired. Microwave oatmeal for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave. Be careful of the oatmeal boiling over. This could also be done on a stove top, campfire, or in a slow cooker. Stir your oatmeal and enjoy!

Back from St. George with Some Banana Mini Muffins

St. George was glorious. We were only there for like 36 hours, but it felt so great to see the sun and do well...nothing basically...

We managed to hit up my favorite location for some lunch. We got there before the girls we were meeting, so we sat in the sun with our windows down. It felt awesome. 

Side note: I could live in my Toms. I have three pairs, and they are like pillows on my feet.  

Apparently the people of St. George aren't used to salad stackers like myself. We got quite a few comments on our impressive construction. It ain't no thang. 

We went walking around a local park and all sat down for a sec just to enjoy the weather, and we happened to sit down in perfect formation. A picture was clearly due.

 There are two things going on here. Lots of happiness and lots of wind tangled hair. 

Mmmmm Vitamin D does a body good.

 We accidentally were all caught on our phones. It happens, right?

 We had so much fun. The only downside was I didn't get an outside run in while we were down there. I love to go run in new places, and I was totally looking forward to it. It's so fun and interesting to me, and it makes my run exciting. I brought my running gear, but no dice. I think I might have a stress fracture in my foot...I don't want to think about it. It hurts to walk. :(

 On a happier note. I came home itching to bake something. Remember these Healthy Banana Crumb Muffins that I made a few months back? Well, I decided to make them again using the same recipe, but in mini muffin form.

This time I used greek yogurt instead of the regular vanilla yogurt and it worked out amazingly. 

Why are mini muffins so cute and fun to eat? You need to try them. Healthy, and delicious.

They turned out perfect...minus this guy.

 I could have made some sweet mini muffin tops with a whole batch turning out like this one.

I hope your weekend has been great! Do you like to run in new places? I always have my same trails I love and can count on, but when I have no time schedule and I can run/explore I love it! Do you always have bananas going bad? Because I swear I do. Don't worry I don't waste them, I just find new uses for them...hence banana flavored everything :)

Back To School Lunch Ideas

I can't believe I am even saying that. It can't be time for people to go back to school yet can it? I hate even the thought of it. I really do.

The funny thing? My schedule doesn't even change, aside from the fact that clients tend to go on fewer vacations. I graduated from BYU three years ago, and hearing people talk about going back to school still makes me cringe for some reason. I think the reason I hate the sound of it is because it means summer is drawing to a close. I love summer. I hate winter.

With school coming, I often times have moms ask me what they can send with their kids for healthy school lunch ideas. I grew up hating school lunch. I always packed my own lunches, and I'm pretty sure they were the kind people weren't going to want to trade. I would take sliced up cucumbers and tomatoes, cheese and crackers, and tupperwares of salad...and don't worry I had my share of fruit snacks and Sunny D too.

Creating healthy lunches to send with your kids (or to take yourself) can be difficult, but hopefully these suggestions will get you on the right track.

- turkey wraps (Use La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas or Flat Out Wraps)
- tuna wraps
- peanut butter and banana wraps
- whole wheat turkey sandwiches
- DIY lunchables with whole wheat crackers, lunch meat, and cheese slices
- whole wheat pita pockets filled with chicken, turkey, tuna, or whatever you kiddie likes!
- healthy pizza roll ups 
- whole wheat pb&j
- Mini Meatloaf Muffins 
- hard boiled eggs
- healthy muffins such as: Low Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

- string cheese
- fruit  (apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, sliced strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
- sliced veggies and hummus or ranch (cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, etc.)
 (You can even pre-bag these like i have done HERE, so your preparation is easier!) 
- individual yogurts (you can add a bag of granola)
- homemade granola bars or protein bars such as these peanut butter banana protein bars

- fat free/sugar free pudding packs
- fruit leather
- and don't forge to throw in a little dessert with a healthy cookie or two

School lunch doesn't have to be boring! Instead make it fun, delicious, and healthy! Who knows, your kid might actually eat it instead of tossing it in the trash so they can hurry out to recess!


What are you healthy lunch ideas? Were you a school lunch kid? I don't think I ever ate school lunch once until I got to Jr. High and I discovered the vending machines and the pink cookies in the cafeteria. Gross. I don't think that is even considered lunch. Do you have ways of preparing healthy food so your child will eat it?

I love Valentine's Day. I always have. I usually don't even have an actual Valentine, and I still love it. To me, Valentines Day is a day to show all the people that you love, just how much you love them.  I still make Valentine's and pass them out like I'm 12. It's the best. I also like to make a list of the things that I LOVE...just as a reminder. That will come tomorrow :)

For today, I thought I'd throw out some ideas for how you can make your Valentine's Day full of love, and delicious too! 


Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

To make them into heart shapes bake them in cupcake liners and after you pour the batter in place one marble between the side of the cupcake tin and the liner, forcing it to bake into a heart shape.
or
Whip up some Whole Wheat Pancakes
My mom used to always make heart shaped pancakes with a cookie cutter. We also had a darling waffle iron that made heart shaped waffles. BUT if you don't want to go to the trouble of doing that dye the pancakes pink or use some berry topping to make them festive. 

Dinner: 
Make Heart Shape Mini Meatloaf Muffins the same way that you would make the heart shaped zucchini muffins with the marble.
or
Go Italian with Chicken Scampi

add to that a side of some delicious 
Copycat Carrabbas Bread Dip

If you are looking for something to take to a party this beautiful Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips is TO DIE FOR.

or keep it red and festive with some whole grain chips and Homemade Salsa

Dessert:
I love these Fruit Kabobs Make your own angel food cake with some pink food coloring and use strawberries and raspberries to keep it pink and red. If you want to get real snazzy cut the angel food cake into mini hearts with a cookie cutter.

Cinnamon Bun Cake This is another one where you could use a cookie cutter to make these into heart shaped pieces! You could also dye the cake or the icing pink with a little bit of food coloring.

Another beautiful and delicious dessert that is always a hit, and could be made beautifully into Valentines day colors is this English Trifle. Chocolate lovers could sub fat free sugar free chocolate pudding for the usual banana or vanilla.

Of course, you absolutely cannot go wrong with my all time favorite Low Fat Zucchini Cookies.

Hopefully these ideas can help make your Vday Celebration fabulous, tasty, full of love, and healthy too! Are you planning on staying at home to cook or are you going out for a night on the town? What is your favorite Valentines day treat? 

Also...Happy Bday to my darling Janae!! LOVE YOU GIRL!! 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

One of my darling clients brought me the equivalent of a half of an apple tree's worth of fresh apples this week. I LOVE apples, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to barrel through that many!

Naturally, I looked to find a recipe that would let me bake some of those delicious beauties. I couldn't find anything that I loved, so I did what I usually do...created my own.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup of splenda (you could use agave/stevia or honey if you'd like)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 TBS of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp of salt
2 eggs (or you could use 4 egg whites)
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of applesauce
2 cups of apples peeled, cored, and chopped (this was 2 apples for me)

Streusel Topping
Combine:
2 TBS whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together eggs, pumpkin, applesauce, Splenda, and sugars. In a separate bowl combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Slowly combine dry mixture with wet mixture. Once combined fold in chopped apples. Divide into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with liners. My batch made 18. Once divided sprinkle with streusel topping.
Bake for 35-40 mins or until they pass the toothpick test!

The stats:

These muffins are SO. Dang. Good. Confession: I don't even like baked fruit. But these...moist and delicious. The streusel topping makes it. They would be a great side to a warm soup, perfect for a breakfast, tasty for a snack, or even a good item to throw in the freezer and have to take with you on the go.

Do you like baked fruit? I usually don't. I think it's a weird texture thing for me, and isn't fruit supposed to be cold? Not warm?

P.S. Don't forget to check out (and enter) the Yogurtland/Twilight Premier Ticket giveaway!

Some mornings are awful, and some mornings are GREAT...oh and some recipes taste better made over.

This morning was a GREAT morning. Benita and I hit the gym for an early morning run. I was really excited and a little nervous, because this was only run #2 since I busted my ankle/foot about two months ago. I managed seven miles!! It was a tough workout. I'm trying to work on increasing my speed. Hard as it was it felt SOOOOooo good. I am still wearing my ankle brace, but I feel like it's getting stronger.
The morning continued with a warm and welcomed shower, delicious oatmeal, and a snowy drive to work. Usually I detest the snow, as you know from all of my complaining, but today it was delightful. It made me even more excited for Christmas!!

Guess What? you have two more days to enter in to the Christmas Mix Giveaway if you haven't done so yet. I've loved hearing what everyone's favorite workout songs are!! So fun. 

Leisa asked if I could health-ify a meatloaf recipe. I don't like beef, so this was a little harder for me to test in my own kitchen, however I did my homework. Don't you worry. I asked around, did some searching, and found a recipe that looks SO yummy. 

A normal slice of meatloaf has around 400 calories,  and about 30 grams of fat. With this healthier recipe you'll save about 125 calories and 22 grams of fat. Yes, please.

Healthy Meatloaf Muffins 

(recipe from Cookinglight.com)

 (Photo from Cookinglight.com)

Ingredients: 
1  teaspoon  olive oil
1  cup  finely chopped onion
1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot
1  teaspoon  dried oregano
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  cup  ketchup, divided
1 1/2  pounds  ground beef, extra lean (raw) (I think you could probably use ground turkey here.)
1  cup  finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
2  tablespoons  prepared mustard
1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2  large eggs
Cooking spray

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information:  Serving Size = 2 meatloaf muffins

Calories: 276 (28% from fat)

Fat: 8.6g (sat 3g,mono 4g,poly 0.8g)

Protein: 28.7g

Carbohydrate: 21.7g

Fiber: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 131mg

Iron: 3.9mg

Sodium: 759mg

Calcium: 48mg 

David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

This is a great family friendly meal, and could also be frozen for some easy dinners in the future. I love that this is pre-portioned out. If you are trying to stick to a calorie allotment having portion controlled meals like this one is going to help you a ton! Don't forget to send me your recipes you want made over at megolina21@gmail.com 

Spring Cleaning

Today was a deep cleaning day. I love the feeling of having a clean house after it's all done. It just feels SO good! Having the fridge all clean makes me want to fill it with fresh fruit and veggies.

Did you know...Heavy cleaning burns about 90 calories in twenty minutes?

I feel really good about that. In all of the cleaning I realized I have a bunch of bananas that are reaching peak ripeness. I started thinking about one of my FAVORITE desserts...Frosted Banana Bars. The nutrition facts for the original recipe looks a little something like this.

 These look like typical dessert-ish stats. If you ask me. Man those things are tasty though...so, I decided to remedy the situation.

Healthier Frosted Banana Bars

(Makes 36 Bars)

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup splenda
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 bananas

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs sour cream and vanilla. Combine flour, soda, and salt. Gradually add to cream mixture stir in bananas. Spread batter in greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Cool and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting 
Mix together:
8 oz fat free cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup splenda

Here are the stats for the healthified Frosted Banana Bars: 

We cut out about 80 calories here, which is great news. Although they still aren't full of nutrition it is definitely a healthier treat...and oh so delicious! :)

Do you like to clean? I do, which is totally weird. My mom likes to remind me that as a teenager she and my dad would just shut my door because the piles of clothes on my floor looked like some sort of retail bomb went off. I am a TOTAL neat freak now. What do you do with your left over bananas? I have so many favorites...Healthy Banana Crumb Muffins, PB Banana Protein Bars, Low-fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Low-fat Banana Bread, and Banana Oatmeal Cookies. Have a great rest of the weekend!