Easy Peach Dumplings

Made these for an after school snack; Elena wasn't in the mood, Aaron liked everything but the peach, and I was teaching so I don't know about the other boys (don't know why I bother sometimes!).  Jill and I enjoyed them though!  I would've liked a bit more peach in the middle, but for a quick treat, they'll do.

crescent rolls

peaches

Wrap peaches inside crescent rolls.  Place in a buttered dish and pour the following sauce over it. (I used the following amounts for 16 rolls and it was fine.)

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Melt butter, then add the other ingredients.  Stir until it boils and thickens up then pour the deliciousness of it over the rolls.  Take a can of 7-Up, Sprite, or Fanta and pour it around the rolls but not on top.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until they are golden brown.  You can sprinkle more cinnamon-sugar on top if you like; ice cream or whipped cream is always a good idea.

Black Bean Quesadillas

Sooo easy-peasy and yummy!  Kids didn't care for the salsa in them, but overall liked them.  This will be one I make sure we have ingredients on hand for for busy nights.

Tortillas

Cheese

Black beans

Salsa

Spread salsa, cheese and beans on a tortilla.  Cover it with a second tortilla.  Place on a foil covered cookie sheet and back at 400 for 15 minutes.  Dip in sour cream, guac, salsa, etc.  That's it!!

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

So fall foods are everywhere these days - why not jump on the bandwagon ... even if it is still 95 degrees? At least mornings and evenings are cool and crisp, so we can pretend, right?!?

The original recipe is a gluten free recipe, but I just adapted it to what we had at home. I did try pecans in half the batch and chocolate chips in the other half. The muffin itself is not nearly as sweet as all the other pumpkin stuff out there {which is kind of nice}. But if you are looking for just the right flavor, maybe add more coconut oil? or syrup? or just the chocolate chips will suffice - they were the preferred muffin in our home.

Serves 5 dozen mini muffins or 2 1/2 standard muffins

Preheat oven to 375

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filing!)

1 c. OJ

1 c. oats (I used quick-cooking, but rolled oats will work also)

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

2 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

(I made the mini muffins and used the mini chips, which were perfect)

Instructions

1. Whisk together pumpkin puree, OJ, oats, syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. 

2. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Scoop by heaped tablespoons into greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 16-20 mins. or until set.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rake. 

* If using a standard muffin pan, fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bakte at 375 for 20-25 mins. or until set. 

Enjoy! Happy Fall!

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

When Brad and I were first married, I met Amber Brady in our married student ward in Logan.  She started her own "food" blog a few years ago [which is amazing, if you haven't already stumbled across it...] and that is where I found this recipe.  She also mentioned some good tips for baking muffins, you should go check it out here.  I made these muffins this morning and already gobbled three up [granted, I shared two of them with Will so don't judge].

Makes about 18 muffins

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup chocolate chips, divided

Instructions:

1. In a mixer, mix the bananas and sugar until the bananas are mostly smooth.  Add the vanilla, sour cream, eggs, and oil.  Mix until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to banana mixture until blended.  Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.

3. Spoon muffin batter into prepared paper liners in muffin tins, 2/3 full.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on the tops.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.

Delish!

hard boiled eggs in the oven

This has become my FAVORITE {and I think the easiest way} to cook hard boiled eggs.

Preheat oven to 325. 

Place eggs in muffin tin (I used the mini muffin tin and it was perfect).

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Place eggs in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.

Tada!

That's it! 

Enjoy your hard boiled eggs!

{FYI there may be brown spots on them, but that's normal, and they usually wipe off with a washcloth}

oatmeal chocolate chip, cranberry, coconut cookies

Kristen (Adams) Graham shared this recipe with me - and I couldn't resist making them ASAP. They are DELICIOUS! Either share them or prepared to eat them all up ...

Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate, Cranberries, & Coconut

Recipe by Our Best Bites

http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup dark brown sugar (I used light brown)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract*

2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife (very high altitudes may want to try adding 2 additional tablespoons of flour)

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks and they were awesome!)

3/4 cups coconut (Trader Joes has the best!)

3/4 cups dried cranberries

*If you want a stronger coconut flavor, you can substitute the 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut flavor.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Beat the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raisins). Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips, coconut, and cranberries

Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough by the scoopful onto the prepared baking sheets. You should be able to get about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn light brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Makes about 16 giant cookies (or you can make more cookies that are smaller; you may need to adjust the bake time slightly).

Spinach Muffins

A friend of mine posted this recipe [found here] on Facebook, so I decided to make it that day.  And they were deeeee-licious!  Will scarfed them down.  Brad scarfed them down.  And I ate a few too.  I'm making the second batch now and can't wait!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil [I used coconut oil]

3/4 cup milk

1 [6 ounce] bag spinach

1/2 cup mashed banana [the website says about 2 bananas, but it's been closer to just 1 for me]

2 teaspoons vanilla

With this second batch, I added some pecan chips to half of them for the adults :)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners [the first batch I made, it made18 cupcakes...this second batch I only got 14].

2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a blender, combine oil, milk, and spinach and blend on high for about 30 seconds [or until pureed].  Add banana and vanilla and blend on low until mixed in.

4. Pour pureed mixture into dry mixture and fold with a plastic spatula until all blended.

5. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

banana almond muffins

Not the best photo, but some pretty yummy muffins. I had to {slowly} collect the ingredients - since I didn't have them all at home. But we gobbled these up pretty fast over the weekend {I was able to freeze a small bag-full for breakfast options for Avery}. You gotta try these!!!

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup almond butter

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

3 eggs

2 tbsp pure maple syrup or honey 

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1 cup almond meal 

{I found this at Trader Joe's - look in the Gluten Free section of your grocery store}

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, stir bananas, almond butter, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract. 

Stir in almond meal, baking soda, and salt.

Mix until well combined.

Scoop into a greased or lined mini-muffin pan, fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. 

Cool and enjoy!

(I did make a few regular size muffins and they took 5-7 minutes longer to cook)

recipe found at: http://www.onelovelylife.com/

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

Ben grew up eating black-eyed pea soup on the first day of the new year - a sign of good luck. He never liked the soup, yet he felt obliged to eat it all for the sake of a good year. This year, I found this yummy dip recipe that we devoured with tortilla chips, so I am sure our year will be extra lucky!!!

Ingredients

1 can (14-ounce) Can Black-eyed Peas

1/4 whole Onion, Chopped Fine

1/4 cup Sour Cream

8 slices Jarred Jalapenos

1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 Tablespoons Salsa

Hot Sauce, to taste

Salt And Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain black-eyed peas and partially mash, leaving some whole.

Add all other ingredients, stirring to combine.

Spread into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips!

*Note: if you have them available, you can use the canned black-eyed peas and jalapenos (they're canned together.) If you do this, you can omit the extra jalapeños.

recipe found at: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/12/black-eyed-peas/

Yogurt

One of the best Christmas presents that came my way this past year was having Miki spend a few days with our family. An added bonus to her visit was that she showed me how absolutely simple it is to make yogurt. And CHEAP!

• Pour 1 gallon milk into crockpot. Cover and bring to 180º on high; this will take about 2 hours. You can use a thermometer, or just watch it until it almost comes to a simmer. Don't let it boil!
• Remove lid and allow to cool to about 115-120º, or until you can put your finger in it and it's not too hot. This will take an hour or so, and you can stir it a few times while it's cooling. It needs to cool down enough so that it won't kill the starter that you add next, so I gauge it like I do when adding yeast when making bread.
• Stir in an individual-size container of yogurt. Any kind will do; I usually use vanilla unless I still have some of the homemade stuff left, and then I add about 1 cup of that.
• Cover; wrap entire crockpot well with large towels or blankets and let sit on the counter for 8-12 hours. It will look like ET has come to visit.
• Unwrap and you will have yogurt - it's like a present from Miki every time I do it! Pour into containers and refrigerate.

After the unveiling

This batch seemed a little thin, but I think it's because a curious gremlin partially unwrapped it during the night...I'm pretty sure it will thicken up just fine.

Voila! 16 cups of yogurt from a $3.50 gallon of milk!

I've read a few versions online, and you can really use any amount of milk, depending on the size of your crockpot. You can also use whole or 2%, but the whole milk yogurt will taste better (of course). Next time around I think I may try using an almond or coconut milk.

You can also stir in fruit or jam or whatever. I usually just stir it into granola for breakfast, but I also use it in smoothies that dad & Kris drink. This morning I stirred some whey protein, nuts & craisins into it while it was warm, and that was really yummy.

Thank you, Miki! Hope you come back soon!

Texas Caviar

This is a really good dip to make for a party- we tried it in Tulsa and made it for a BBQ- it was a hit! It is so yummy and filling and doesn't have to stay refrigerated. 

Ingredients

2 cans black-eyed peas drained and rinsed

1 can yellow hominy drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions

2 tomatoes diced

1/4 cup parsley diced

4 garlic cloves diced

8 oz. Italian dressing

Mix everything together and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips. Yummy!

2 ingredient cookies

I saw these on Pinterest (I'm trying to get through a lot of the recipes I've pinned) and thought why not.  I had a couple of very ripe bananas that nobody will eat, and like the recipe says, they're pretty healthy.  Even if you eat half the batch, you've only had 1 banana, 1/2 c. oats, and whatever mix-ins you put in (I put pecans in half the batch and pecans and chocolate chips in the other).

Mash up 2 bananas with 1 c. quick oats.  If you think it's too runny, add more oats.  That's it!  Cook at 350 for 15 min. on a greased cookie sheet (she said to make sure it's greased or you'll be scrubbing forever).  If you want add ins, you can put in a handful of whatever you want.  

The texture is obviously quite a bit different.  You can still see some of the banana chunks in the picture.  It wasn't bad, just different.  Crunchy, chewy and soft all at the same time, but a much healthier way to use my bananas, and much easier/faster to make!  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate and bananas, so the ones without the chips I liked better.  There was also a recipe for an autumn cookie where you use pumpkin puree instead of the bananas.  

Microwave Popcorn

I was skeptical, but just tried it and it worked!  Hooray for no more stinky bags of greasy popcorn!  I'm not much of a regular popcorn fan anyway, but it's definitely an easier cleanup than our popper so there's more of a chance I'll make it for the kids more often.  I used the 1/2 cup like it said and found that was a bit too much for the bag, though.  Here's the link:

http://www.squawkfox.com/2010/07/27/popcorn-recipe-gourmet-popcorn/

No Bake Energy Bites

Kristen {Adams} Graham shared this recipe with me. She promised I would make them more than once in less than a week...and I did. And I've passed the recipe along to others who had the same addiction. These are an easy treat to keep in the fridge for an extra little boost during the day.

Ingredients

1 cup oatmal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Mix everything together in a bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to a week. 

(I missed the ground flaxseed part and used regular flaxseed. It made the bites crunchy. I tried them with the ground flaxseed and have to say I liked the whole flaxseed better, it gave the bite a nice texture. I also used natural peanut butter and liked it much better than name brand peanut butter. And if you can find a Trader Joes around, they have some awesome shredded coconut that seals the deal- but any shredded coconut, peanut butter, and/or flaxseed will work because these bites rock!)

shared from: smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com

Spicy Snack Mix

This was super easy to make, and is a quick snack to take to school or the clinic. I also really like the spiciness it has. Because I had bought all the ingredients, I doubled (and probably could have trippled) the recipe. After it cooled, I put them in the small snack ziplocks and we can grab them as we go. They will last a while, so I am not worried about the doubled batch going bad anytime soon.

Ingredients

• 2 cups crisscross of corn and rice cereal (such as Crispix)
• 1 cup tiny pretzel twists
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat wheat crackers (such as Wheat Thins)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar crackers (such as Cheez-It)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon ginger stir-fry sauce (such as Lawry's)...
• I used the Tony's seasoning Tanja brought back from the south
  
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Combine butter, stir-fry sauce, powder, cumin, and salt; drizzle over cereal mixture, tossing to coat. Spread mixture into a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 250º for 30 minutes or until crisp, stirring twice.

recipe found at: http://www.cookinglight.com/

Dana's yummy homemade granola bars

These homemade granola bars are an awesome alternative to store bought ones.
My good 'ol friend, Dana Soprano from Cortland, NY sent me this recipe and a bag of 'em for my birthday. You should feel honored that I am sharing them with you :)
{all credit goes to Dana!}

Ingredients
4 cups rolled quick oats
1 cup flour (mix of white and wheat would be healthier)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
*2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt (can also use applesauce)
*may need a bit more if mixture is too dry
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 cups "goodies" (i.e. nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc).

Prep
Mix all ingredients together- add a little bit of yogurt if mixture is too dry.
Spread and flatten on a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 325-350 for 20 mins.; at 10 mins. take them out and flatten them again to help prevent crumbling.
Let cool to touch, then cut into bars. Let completely cool on a cooling rack.
Individually bag for easy access.

* As per Dana's recommendation, I added flax seed, which makes it a little grainer, but gives you some fiber too.