Strawberry Banana n' Nut Butter LOVE these MUFFINS!

Hello all! I found an amazing vegan recipe for muffins that I just have to share! If you're a fan of Angela over at Oh She Glows, then you could have discovered them long ago. Even still, I'm just spreading the word on this jaw-dropping-tasty- heavenly -"love" muffin. That's what she calls them after all, and I know why!!

OH yes. This is heaven. Strawberries. Bananas. Pecans. Chia seed. DEE-licious!!

It was a little extra work compared to other muffins recipes I've done but it was well worth it! These little puppies are SO filling. My mom had one and said it filled her up so much, she hardly ate any dinner later! 

Strawberry, Banana n' Nut Butter Love Muffins

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

 

Makes 12 muffins 

Ingredients

• 13/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1.5 tbsp. ground chia seed (or flax) + 1/4 cup water
• 1.25 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 heaping tbsp. earth balance vegan butter
• 3 tbsp. nut butter(I used Nutella)
• 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 large banana mashed, left a bit chunky
• 3/4 cup strawberries, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix the ground chia and water and set aside.
4. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients (flours, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, pecans, baking soda + powder). Set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, mix all wet ingredients (chia + water mixture, milk, warmed coconut butter, nut butter, maple syrup, mashed banana). Mix well.
6. Add wet to dry and stir.
7. Fold in chopped strawberries, reserving 1/4 of them to sprinkle on top of muffins.
8. Scoop mixture into muffin tin and sprinkle on remaining strawberries.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

*Note- my instructions & ingredients differ from ohsheglows.com because I changed up a few things

 Banana gooey-ness inside, moist & yummy!!

 My little munchkin was happy to indulge!

 Isn't he just a doll??

Nutrition info- Per 1 muffin serving

Calories - 196
Calcium- 7 gm
Fat- 8gm
Protein- 4 gm
Sodium- 31 gm
Fiber- 4 gm

Vegan living rocks!

  

Vegan Minestrone Soup

Now I'm not sure if all minestrone soup is vegan but I know this one is. :D I haven't made it official on blogger but I've recently decided to go vegan. Boy, is it an adventure! It's like a religioun, everything looks different once you make the decision. Most of the things you were eating before (unless you already ate very clean) becomes "off limits". I feel really good though & I'm still trying to use up a lot of non-vegan foods in the house. So I threw this soup together this morning for lunches the next few days. I found the recipe on the side of the vegetable base jar!

Vegan Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base (Organic)

2- 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

2 cups water

1- 15 oz can kidney beans (I used black beans)

1 diced onion 

1- 16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables

1 tsp each of garlic powder, dry basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup elbow macaroni

Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Makes 3 quarts finished soup. 

I used 3 smaller cans of diced tomatoes (as pictured). The Red Gold brand has seasonings so I skipped adding the garlic powder & basil.

I tallied up the calories and I believe if the recipe serves 9 very easily, I didn't measure it but averaged 2 big ladle-fuls per serving. The calorie amount per serving (for 9) would be 183 cals, 1 gm fat, 7 gm calcium, 9 gm protein, & 7 gm fiber. Total cals is 1,650 so you can divide that by however many servings you make it to be.
 It is SO delicious, eating it right now as I type this, matter of fact. 

 The above picture is when it's all put together but not cooked yet.

 After it's cooked & ready to munch down on!

I think this would also taste great over some brown rice or quinoa.

Everyone have a wonderful HUMP day!

Upside-down Broccoli Pizza

Tonight, I made a super delicous yummy dinner that even my kids ate in it's entirety and asked me if I'd make it again. Crazy, you say?? No way! And I'll even share the recipe with you. 

First of all, it says that this only serves 4...I believe it's more like 6. (Probably 8 if they're all kids). The pieces were HUGE. I ate 1/2 of one after a side salad and I was stuffed. 

So, for "Upside Down Broccoli Pizza", you will need....

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 1/2 tbsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1/3 c ranch dressing
• 1/2 c alfredo pasta sauce
• 2 cups grated mozzarella
• 1 egg, beaten

The very best part of this recipe is that you make it ALL in one pan, you even bake in the same pan, awesome.

Preheat your oven to 400.
Heat the olive oil in a 10 or 12 inch metal handle skillet (you will be putting this in your oven later!). Add seasonings, onion, and ground turkey and saute' until it's browned.
Stir in the broccoli, ranch and alfredo.
Sprinkle the cheese on top and remove from heat.
Unroll the dough and stretch it out a little. Then place gently over skillet, cover entire top but keep from going over the edges if possible (it won't matter if you don't though), trim off edges. Brush with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes, the top will be golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting.

Let me tell you about a couple of variations I did. I did not have ranch dressing or alfredo on hand. Next time I'd like to use alfredo and no ranch (trying to avoid the MSG). But what I did have was the Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup so I used almost a whole can of that instead. I also only used 1 1/2 cups of cheese as I found it to be plenty! It is very cheesy.

The total calories for this dish with the ingredients I used is 287 cals for 1/8 of the pie. That's more nutrition and more filling than pizza!

The prep for this took maybe 10 minutes and with the baking for 20, it is a 30 minute meal! Soooo good too. My mom and my boyfriend had some and they loved it, too.

Hope you enjoy! Leave me some comments if ya try.

Delicious Healthy Low-Cal Breakfast!

I've recently gotten much more involved in fitness and nutrition. I've always been very interested but never fully delved in. I love to learn about all the ways nutrients help with our bodies functions and the effects they have on us. I also like to find healthy foods to eat that aren't high in calories, fats or sodium. Sodium is a hard one to avoid!

Breakfast is my favorite meal and I've had to cut out most of my favs like sugary cereals, giant bagels & muffins, and pop-tarts. No more of that!

I found a delicious simply morning recipe that's also quick for those of us on the go!

You'll need...

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, broken up into smaller pieces
• Small handful of fresh spinach leaves
• 2-3 Tbsp of diced onion (I use the Birds Eye frozen chopped onion, so much easier! lol)
• Small slice of muenster cheese (I used Sara Lee custom slices) or whatever you like(optional)
• Olive oil cooking spray

I should have taken pictures while I cooked this but it's difficult when there's usually an 8 month old sitting on my hip at all times :P

First off, I spray some cooking spray in a small pan and warm it up for about 5 minutes, then throw in the onion and mushrooms and let it simmer for 5-7 mins or until the onions are soft. Then I put in the spinach and cook until they start to wilt. 

Remove the veggies from the pan and set on a plate.

Spray a tiny bit more cooking spray if necessary and add the egg whites. Dont flip or mess with them, just leave them until they are pretty well cooked on the bottom, then lift up one side and tilt the pan so the runny part on top goes underneath. Continue this and cook until the top is thoroughly cooked.

This is when I add the cheese. Could probably cut down the cals & fat even more if I left it off but I have a major love for cheese so it's necessary. I used muenster cheese and it's delicious!

Put veggie mixture on top of cheese and fold egg in half still in pan. Let sit on low a couple minutes until cheese melts. 

And ta-da!

 

Delicious goodness.

And all of this for the specific ingredients I used is 111 calories! Keeps me full all morning!

Hope you enjoy! Give me some feedback if you try it out!

Have a great Friday everyone!

 

 

A fresh start

Happy happy day!!

Finally paid off all my debt that the ex left behind with my tax return.

I feel refreshed & renewed!

From now on, I will manage my money the RIGHT way, without HIS influence.

I always knew what I was doing but he stomped all over my ideas.

I couldn't be more satisfied with where my life is going.

Thank you God for taking me where I needed to go!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful blessed day!!

The luckiest girl in the world

I really am the luckiest girl.

It may not have been planned, it may not have gone how I ever thought it would or should...

but I've met the man of my dreams, the one I always looked for but never thought I'd have.

The one I never thought I deserved.

God held you in a special place for me to find one day.

We both went out separate directions and neither worked out....but...

I think that was the reason all along.

We are two peas in a pod. We fit together like pb&j. We are so much alike, it's just crazy. 

I can't believe it's been almost a year since we met already!

Thank you for making me feel like the most special girl in the world, I'm so lucky to have you, my love.

Looking forward to spending forever with you.

To my most magnificent boyfriend...

(he'll be so embarassed to read this, hehe)

Shout-out to Apple iPhone!

I gotta get on here & give a happy-excited-super-duper-stoked

SHOUT OUT

to the Apple iPhone!!!

Just this past weekend, mine went plop in the potty & I couldn't find a way to turn it off, it just kept flickering & then the light turned off. 

I could hear texts & calls coming in but couldn't turn the screen on. I thought I was doomed.

I shoved it in a box of rice & went to work. Came home later & tried it, still not working.

Stuck it in a bag of rice overnight & voila, the next morning it was as good as new!

I am so impressed it survived after what seemed like the end of my precious phone.

Thank you iPhone