Banana Apple Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Once again I had rotten bananas sitting on my kitchen counter. My daughter noticed them last night and begged to make her favorite banana cake. It was right before bedtime when she asked, and I promised her we would bake after school.

As soon as we walked in the door from school, she started looking in the pantry for ingredients. I have been baking a lot of banana cake lately so I tried making up a new muffin recipe to spice up our morning breakfast.

My daughter mashed, poured, stirred and ate way too many chocolate chips and apple before either ingredient even made it into the batter! They smelled so good when they came out of the oven we couldn't wait till breakfast. They were a delicious and healthy afternoon snack. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Banana Apple Oat Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe:

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup white sugar

¾ cup nonfat Greek Yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

3 ripe bananas- mashed (the riper the banana, the sweeter the muffin)

½ cup old fashioned oats

1 apple- chopped (peel it if you have the time). I used a Fuji. Green would also taste delicious.

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.) In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and chopped apple. 

3.) Blend in the chocolate chips and apple last. 

4.) Pour batter into paper baking cups (produces around 12 muffins) and bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.

*I usually take a fork right in the middle of a muffin and see if the fork comes out clean (ready) or gooey (still needs baking time.

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Ketchup and BBQ Sauce Frosting

Meatloaf Cupcake Recipe:

Ingredients- serves 4

1 ½ lbs ground sirloin

½ cup carrots- finely diced

¼ cup white onion- finely diced

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg

¼ cup ketchup for mixture plus ¼ cup ketchup for frosting

1 tsp Dijon mustard plus ½ tsp for frosting

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tbsp BBQ sauce plus 1 tbsp BBQ sauce for frosting

Directions:

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.)  In a large bowl, combine meat, diced carrots, diced onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, breadcrumbs, egg and ¼ cup ketchup. Use your hands to really blend ingredients together.

3.)  Mold the meat to form 12 cupcake shapes and place in a lined or greased muffin tray.

4.)  In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup ketchup, ½ tsp mustard and 1 tbsp BBQ sauce for topping. Brush “frosting” over each cupcake.

5.)   Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

I pick up my son on the late side today so I wanted to prepare a dinner in advance that I could easily make during the day and pop into the oven while he unwinds. My daughter was already filthy once today after playing in the sandbox so after a thorough scrubbing, we got her hands dirty again preparing our meatloaf cupcakes.

She was very excited when I pulled out the muffin pan and very confused when I pulled out carrots, meat and breadcrumbs! She had fun mushing the ingredients together. We prepped the meatloaf so that when we walked in the door, my son got to participate by adding the final touch- brushing on the ketchup frosting. I hope your family loves this simple recipe. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

MagNoodles Organic Smart Pasta

While I loved the spaghetti squash recipe that I just posted, my kids prefer real noodles. I was sent MagNoodles by the owner herself, knowing what a complete health nut I am. I was not sure how my kids were going to like this multigrain vegetable pasta, but after my daughter's first bite, she said, "YUM" out loud and polished off her entire bowl. That answered my question about whether these were going to be a new staple in our house.

These organic, vegan, Non-GMO noodles are made with kamut, spelt and various vegetable powders, making them high in fiber and protein. Great news for pasta lovers! You can find these noodles in Chicago at Jewel or go to www.magnoodles.com for where to buy these delicious and healthy noodles. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Spaghetti Squash

I have always been puzzled about this healthy noodle like vegetable. It is only 40 calories and 8 carbs per cup. I love noodles, so I admit, I was hesitant how this would compare. I purchased my first Spaghetti Squash this week and am so happy I did! YUM. It was so easy, healthy and delicious! Just the way I like my meals.

My kids were fascinated when I sliced the squash in half and steam poured out. I was fascinated when I let them scrape the insides of each half of the squash and noodle like strings appeared! I cannot promise you that your kids will slurp this dish up like real spaghetti, but I can guarantee that this is a way healthier way to enjoy spaghetti!

You can customize this easy "noodle" dish with your favorite spaghetti preparation. I tried my first round of spaghetti squash with marinara sauce, spinach and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. Next, I am going to try cooking it with my turkey meat sauce. How do you like your spaghetti squash?! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

The squash really looks like spaghetti noodles.

Spaghetti Squash Recipe:

1 large spaghetti squash
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup your favorite marinara sauce
1 squeeze fresh lemon juice
1 cup baby spinach
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.) Use a fork to puncture your squash several times before placing it into the microwave.
2.) Microwave for 10 minutes. Let cool before cutting.
3.) Using a sharp knife, cut the squash lengthwise.
4.) Take out the pumpkin looking seeds and discard seeds.
5.) Using a fork, scrape the sides and noodles appear! This part is MAGICAL. Put noodles aside in a big bowl.  You can refrigerate any leftover "noodles" to cook for the next day.
6.) Heat a skillet on medium high, add the olive oil.
7.) Add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes.
8.) Add your sauce, spinach, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend.
9.) Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.

Magical squash!