Drumla's Pumpkin Spice Cake

This is an oldie but a goodie. Needed to post it somewhere I could easily share it! The story behind the name...the first time I had this cake I decided I had to have the recipe. Deb is the first name of the lady who actually made it but I could not remember her name and was describing her to my friend to help me locate her at church...somehow I shouted out "Drumla" (as if this is an ordinary name). 😆 We did find her and I got the recipe. We laughed about it, and after that, I decided I had to call this "Drumla's cake" instead of Deb's. This cake is super moist and very tempting, so only make it if you have a large group to feed! ;)

Ingredients:

1 16oz can (Libby's) solid-packed pumpkin

2 C sugar

1 C veg oil

4 eggs

2 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for the Icing:

3 oz cream cheese, softened

5 TBS butter, softened 

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 C Powdered sugar

3-4 tsp milk, as needed

(may also top with walnuts or pecans if desired)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix pumpkin, sugar, oil. Beat the eggs and then add in, mix well.

3. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the pumpkin mixture.

4.Pour into a greased and floured pan (9x13 or 10x15)

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so and then you may need to lower the temperature a little and/or cover the edges with foil to finish baking for another 10 minutes or so. 

(Let the cake completely cool before icing.)

Directions for Icing:

1. Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth.

2. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and keep it smooth--mix well. Add the milk a tsp at a time until the mixture spreads easily.

Bell Pepper, Spinach & Ham Quiche

Found this one on the internet somewhere but I've tweaked it, so saving here to remember how I did it in the future.

Ingredients:
Pillsbury crust (the kind you unroll and put in a pie plate, or make your own)
4 Eggs
Diced ham (Eyeball the amount. I used what I had on hand, thin-sliced smoked lunch meat ham & diced it up)
3 oz Cream Cheese
1/3 C Half&Half
1/2 C grated Cheddar
1/4 C grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh spinach chopped up
Diced Bell Peppers & Onions (Shortcut: buy the premade version of this in the freezer section)
S &P, Garlic-salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Begin by either making a pie crust or placing the Pillsbury one in a pie plate.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until soft (may microwave for 20 seconds or so on 50% power to soften it up quickly). Add in the Half&Half and the Eggs--whisk it up. Salt & Pepper to taste.  Add grated cheeses and mix well.
4. In a small skillet sprayed with Pam, saute the diced ham and the bell pepper/onion mixture and toss in some cut-up fresh spinach. Saute just until soft (a minute or two) add s&p and garlic-salt to taste.
5. Stir the veggie mixture into your egg mixture and mix well to combine the two.
6. Pour into your pie crust and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. If the crust is cooking too quickly place a little foil around the rim of the crust and finish baking. Mixture should be "firm" when it's done baking, not jiggly at all.
7. After you take it out of the oven sprinkle it with a tiny bit more grated Parmesan.
8. Allow it to cool just a little--Enjoy!

Overnight Baked French Toast

Ingredients:
1 Loaf French Bread (13-16 oz)
8 Large eggs
2 C Half/Half
1 C Milk
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash salt

Praline Topping Ingredients:
2 sticks butter
1 C packed light brown sugar
1 C chopped pecans
2 TBS light corn syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

• Slice French Bread into 20 slices (1 in. each). (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs)
• Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9x13 flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. 
• In a large bowl combine Eggs, Half/Half, Sugar, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg & salt.
• Beat with rotary beater or whisk until blended, but not too bubbly.
• Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with milk/egg mixture.
• Spoon some of the mixture between slices.
• Cover with foil & refrigerate overnight.
• Next Day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread & bake for 40 minutes (uncovered) until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

MFP Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I still use this blog! It's an easy way for me to find old favorites and share recipes. :) So I'm adding this one bc I make it all the time and wanted it to be typed up in neater fashion than my current chicken scratch paper! lol! Hope some of you can enjoy this recipe too! xoxo, B


Ingredients:

• 2 sweet medium potatoes
• 2 cans black beans (drain & rinse)
• fresh spinach, chopped up
• salsa (optional)
• 1-2 cans mild red enchilada sauce
• shredded cheddar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Peel & dice sweet potato (I microwave mine after I peel it to soften it up too)
• Mix the diced sweet potato, chopped spinach & black beans all together. 
• Season the mixture with cumin, garlic powder, s&p to your liking (add in the salsa if using)
• Divide mixture evenly between tortillas & add a little shredded cheese (half corn/ half flour kind work well)
• Place roll ups seam down, in a pan and pour enchilada sauce over them. Top with more shredded cheese.
• Bake until heated through and cheese is melted about 20 min.

Enjoy! These enchiladas are also in My Fitness Pal for easy tracking (if you're into that kinda thing ;))!

Breakfast Pizza

I made this breakfast pizza today for my Sunday school class. Several people asked for the recipe, and I've often meant to upload the recipe to this site for safe keeping...so, here it is.  This recipe actually holds sentimental value for me. I uploaded the picture of the original recipe card which was written out for me by Lela Thomas, who has since passed away. Growing up I used to spend the night at my best friend's house & her grandmom made this for us once. I must have raved on and on about it  (even in my childhood) because she sent me home with the recipe! :) I've only tweaked it slightly. I use the Pillsbury ready made thin pizza crust, instead of crescent rolls. I've also added bacon to my toppings, but other than that, I use her recipe. It makes me think of Becky and her grandmother every time I make it! Love you Becky--I was so blessed to have you in my life growing up!

Ingredients:
1lb pork sausage
1 pkg crescent rolls (I used the Pillsbury Thin Pizza crust)
1 C frozen shredded hashbrowns
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1/4 C milk (I omit the milk sometimes bc if the eggs are too runny, they'll run off the crust)
S&P to taste
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
*Cooked, crumbled bacon (I added this element in, it's not on the original recipe)

Directions:

• Cook the sausage in a skillet until browned, drain off excess fat.
• Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles, place on pizza pan, points toward center, press over bottoms & up sides to form crust, seal perforations (or if using Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough, unroll and form it to shape of your pan...side note: directions on can say to pre-cook, so I do this for about 5 minutes before topping)
• Spoon cooked, crumbled sausage over the crust.
• Sprinkle hash brown potatoes over sausage.
• Top with shredded cheddar cheese 
• In a bowl, beat eggs together & season to your liking with salt & pepper (this is also where you would add in the 1/4 C milk, but recently I've omitted the milk to make the eggs less runny)
• Pour the eggs over the sausage, potatoes, & cheese
• If using crumbled bacon, add it on top next
• Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over all
• Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or so...(I followed the directions on the Pillsbury can for how to cook their dough/pizza...it recommended the pre-baking and it calls for the pizza to be cooked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or so) You may just have to play with the cooking process depending on what type of dough you are using, etc.

That's it! Hope you enjoy! And in Heaven one day you can tell Lela Thomas that she made a really great breakfast pizza. :)

Crunchy Romaine Salad (with Grilled Chicken)

My mom got me hooked on this salad. She said she got hooked on it from a church fellowship. The original recipe is entitled "Mary Lou's Romaine Salad" so I guess we all have Mary Lou to thank for this! :)


Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 head broccoli, divided into small pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 pkg Ramen noodles, crushed
1/4 C pecans, chopped
Grilled chicken optional (see notes below for marinade)

3 T butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, mix chopped romaine lettuce, broccoli and green onions.  For crunchies, slightly brown Ramen noodles & pecans in butter, yum!
I used a large glass measuring cup for the salad dressing: whisk together the sugar, olive oil, vinegar & soy sauce. 

I marinated and grilled chicken to toss on top of the salad. I put 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag & drizzled them with olive oil. I seasoned them with garlic powder, garlic salt, pepper, a little lemon juice, dijon mustard & soy sauce. Let them marinate for at least 30 minutes. Grill the chicken and cut into chunks. Toss onto the salad and then pour the salad dressing recipe above over it all.  It's divine! Thanks Mary Lou! :)

Sausage, Pepperoni & Pasta Casserole

Confession. I got this recipe off an episode of "Sandra's Money Saving Meals!" :} But I tweaked it slightly and it was a hit with the fam, so I want to remember how I made it!

Ingredients:
Box of Pasta (rotini, or your favorite kind)
1 small onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 squash, diced
1 pkg sliced pepperoni, rough chopped
1 link of beef sausage sliced thin (I kind of cubed mine)
Spaghetti sauce (make your own or jarred)
Shredded italian cheese
Bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees--Lightly grease a 9x13 pan and set aside
2. Cook pasta according to package directions
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté the diced onion, zucchini & squash (I also added fresh minced garlic to this mix)
4. Cook the veggies until softened and then toss in the chopped pepperoni & sliced sausage
5. Add in tomato sauce (you may or may not use the entire jar...just use your best judgement) You can also sprinkle some of the Italian cheese in and mix it all together.
6. Toss in some of the pasta when it's ready (again, eyeball it, you probably won't need a full box)
7. Pour this entire mixture into the 9x13 pan & sprinkle a little of the bread crumbs over the top & a little more of the Italian cheese
8. Pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it's a little crispy on top.

Serve this with some Garlic, Butter Toast and/or a side salad (maybe even a Caesar salad)
Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie - Easiest On The Planet

I got this recipe from the Ko Jo Kai cookbook that Kristen helped publish! :)
I thought I had already posted this one on here because I've had it a long time, but I was searching for it the other day & realized I'd never posted it on Menu Mamas. It's so easy, doesn't take much of a recipe to follow, but I'm the girl who looks to a recipe for boiling an egg, so I need this easily accessible! ;)

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen pie crusts
2 cans white chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mixed veggies, drained
s&p
butter spray (optional)

Directions:
1. Get the pie crusts out of the freezer before you start working. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, mix chicken, soup & veggies. Season to your liking (I use s&p, garlic salt, etc.)
3. Put one of the pie crusts (aluminum and all) in an oven safe dish & heat for 8-10 minutes.
4. Pour the chicken mixture into the baked crust.
5. By this time, the "top" pie crust will just slide out of the aluminum pie pan. Place it on top of the mixture.
6. Spray the top of this pie crust with butter spray (or brush on an egg white if you prefer) to give it a nice color during cooking.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or so.

Creamy Spinach & Chicken Roll-Ups!

I was desperate for something quick & easy to make for dinner tonight! I just so happened to have these ingredients on hand & took a spin off an old recipe to recreate this. It was a hit, so I'm posting here--would definitely make it again! :)

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach (I happened to have a fresh spinach/kale blend on hand, could prob use frozen as well) I used about half a bag
4 oz cream cheese
2 TBS butter
1/2 C milk
1/2 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans Crescent rolls
2C cooked/shredded chicken
Italian seasoning
Garlic Salt,
S&P

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Boil a pot of water--blanch your spinach in the water, just enough to wilt it
3. Drain pot, use paper towels to "dry" spinach, then coarsely chop it & set aside
4. In same pot, add butter, onions & garlic to saute
5. Cut up cream cheese & add to butter mixture, add milk & stir together until creamy
6. Toss cooked/shredded chicken & spinach into creamy goodness
7. Unroll crescent dough into rectangles in a baking dish
8. Layer a little spinach/cheese/chicken mixture into each crescent roll
9. Roll the crescent rolls up & place side by side in pan filling it up.
10. Spray the tops of the crescent rolls with a butter spray, sprinkle the tops with a little italian seasoning & garlic salt
11. Bake 15 or so minutes until nicely browned!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Got these off Pinterest. They have become a staple in our home! So easy, yummy, & healthyish!;)

Ingredients:
2 C black beans (I just use one can, drained. Would use 2 cans if wanting to make more...one can makes about a dozen)
1/2 C red onion, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp garlic powder
shredded cheese (Monterey jack or whatever you prefer)
chopped cilantro (eyeball it to your preference)
olive oil
corn tortillas
toppings (sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc.)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro & spices. Lightly mash all ingredients together (sometimes I forget to mash & it works fine anyway)
2. In a large non-stick skillet, add a few TBS of oil & heat on med-high heat.
3. Add one corn tortilla at a time & let it get hot in the oil (I flip tortilla over a couple of times to oil it up on both sides)
4. Spoon your bean mixture to one half of the tortilla & top with shredded cheese.
5. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
6. As the first tortilla cooks, slide it to the side & do a second one (I can usually do about 3 at a time...if you had a griddle you could do even more at once).
7.  Cook each taco for several minutes on each side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
8. I place a paper towel over a plate & as I finish a batch, I set them on the paper towel to the side until all are cooked.

Serve with your favorite toppings & sides!
Enjoy!

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia w/Avocado Cream Dipping Sauce

Another great recipe from Clean and Delicious website! The avocado sauce was the key!! Soo yummy! Also the directions said to make avocado cream first so you're ready to eat when fish is done!



Ingredients:
1lb tilapia (4-6 filets)
2 eggwhites
1 C ground cornmeal
1 TBS paprika*
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper* (I used McCormick's Southwest Sweet n' Smoky spice instead of these 2)
S&P to taste

Avocado Cream:
2-3 small avocados
2 TBS plain Greek yogurt
juice from a lime (or lemon juice...I used a bit of both)
pinch of salt (I also added garlic salt)

Directions:
Avocado Cream:  Peel & pit avocados & cut into chunky pieces. Place in a mini food processor (I used a blender) along with all other ingredients. Blend everything together until you have a nice creamy sauce--play with texture by adding more or less yogurt and/or a bit of milk or water. Set aside until ready to serve.

Tilapia:
1. Combine cornmeal & spices in a wide dish--place egg white in another.
2. Season tilapia filets with s&p, dip them in the egg whites, then dredge in cornmeal mixture.
3. When fish is seasoned & coated, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
4. Right before placing fish into hot pan, lightly mist each one with cooking spray (this will ensure even browning w/o having to add too much oil in the pan) place in pan "sprayed side" down.
5. Mist the opposite side of fillets while they're cooking--after a few minutes, flip the fish & cook for another few minutes or so. You're looking for the fish to cook through while having a nice crispy, browned exterior.

Serve with avocado cream! I also served with a yummy Sweet Kale salad I got at Costco.

Paleo Tacos

These are a no brainer, but I'm posting them so I won't forget this easy, Paleo friendly recipe! Plus the picture from "The Paleo Mom" website helps me remember all the ingredients I will need.
Note to self: Double the amount of taco meat you would normally make for traditional tacos! Using the lettuce leaves is not as filling as a corn shell and using this as your "meal" with no beans or rice on the side, will make you consume more of the taco meat! :)

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef (or turkey if you prefer)
taco seasoning
romaine lettuce leaves
avocados for guacamole
black olives
chopped tomatoes
salsa

Directions:

1. Cook up your taco meat how you normally would--remembering to make a little extra!
2. Wash & tear up your lettuce leaves into "shells" (they're kind of like a boat for the fillings)
3. Make guacamole
4. Set out your toppings:  black olives, tomato, onion, salsa, etc.
5. Place all ingredients inside the lettuce wrap (aka, taco shell).

Very Paleo friendly, unless you sprinkle the tiniest bit of shredded cheese on top! But who would ever do that!?! :}

Oven Baked Tacos

Found this recipe on pinterest and have made it several times--we really enjoy it, so thought I'd share it here!

Ingredients:
1lb ground Beef
1 can refried beans
8oz can tomato sauce
diced onion
diced green chiles
taco seasoning
shredded cheese
(sour cream, lettuce, tomato, etc. for optional toppings)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large skillet brown ground beef and onion
3. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, green chiles to the pan and mix together
4. Spoon taco meat mixture into taco shells and place in 9x13" baking dish standing up
5. Sprinkle cheese over top of taco meat in each shell and place in oven
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and tacos are heated through.

Oven fried Ritz/Yogurt Chicken

Got this out of my 4 Ingredients cookbook and have made several times. We're having it tonight for dinner in fact--decided I would share since it's so easy, yummy & relatively healthy! :)

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 box of Ritz crackers (I buy the Fresh Stacks Whole Wheat Ritz & only use 2 small sleeves)
1/2 C of yogurt (I use the 16oz container of organic greek yogurt, but always have a lot left over)
S&P, garlic salt, etc. season to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. S&P, garlic salt, etc. season your chicken to your liking
3. Dip in yogurt & roll in cracker crumbs
4. Place in casserole dish & bake for 30 min on each side

Eat Clean Crispy Chicken Bites

Crispy Chicken Bites

YIELD: 6 servings (20 to 25 nuggets)

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10-15 minutes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From The Eat-Clean Diet® for Family and Kids.
Ingredients:
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighing about 6 oz / 170 g each

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml oat bran

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml wheat germ

• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml coarsely ground flaxseed

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml coarsely ground almonds

• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt

• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml white pepper

• Pinch garlic powder

• 1/2 cup / 120 ml water or low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation:
1.Preheat oven to 400°F / 232°C. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or coating lightly with best-quality olive oil.

2.Cut chicken breasts into nugget-sized pieces, about 1.5 inches square. Set aside.

3.Next, combine all dry ingredients in a large container with a tightly fitting lid. Shake well. This is your coating mixture.

4.Combine water and egg in a medium bowl. Dip each piece in the water/egg-white mixture. Then dip each piece in the coating mixture. Make sure each piece is well coated.

5.Place on the baking sheet. When all of your chicken has been coated and your baking sheet is full, place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Clean-Eating Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
• 1.5 tsp / 7 ml honey

• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml Dijon mustard

Preparation: Mix well.

Tosca's Tip

Use the almond coating on larger strips of chicken breast to make chicken tenders for the adults!

Baked Oven Fries

Baked Oven Fries

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided (olive oil would work too)
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet (I cooked in one of Pampered Chef stone baking sheets and it worked great) in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers

Easy recipe that I found online...everyone ate it! So a successful evening. I served it with the potatoes I posted as well since they can cook at the same time at the same temperature.

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried
Cooking spray
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch wide strips (I used tenders)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.

In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.

Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step. Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins - AKA Sugar-Cinnamon Muffins

I renamed these muffins so my children would eat them. ;)  They gobbled them up!  And my picky husband even loved them!  I originally got the recipe from AllRecipes.com here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Yogurt-Multigrain-Muffins/Detail.aspx  and then modified it based on what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

[In place of the all-purpose flour, I used 2 packets of Low Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal ground up in food processor, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup Pecan flour, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted this because I was out)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used 1/2 apple grated in food processor)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup white sugar (I omitted)
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini (shredded in food processor and then patted down with paper towels to remove some of the liquid)
1 cup shredded carrots (shredded in food processor)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups.  (I made 24 mini muffins and 8 mini loaves)
2.In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, pecans, and raisins. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.  (I baked the mini muffins for 10-11 mins. and the loaves for 12-15 minutes)

These were so increbibly delicious.  The last addition I made to the mini loaves was I sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on top before baking.  This made them more appealing to the kids, but since I omitted the sugar originally I didn't feel so bad about adding the small amount of sugar to the top.  Very moist and good!!!  A great way to sneak in some veggies!

Berries and Bits

1 14 oz can Eagle Brand milk
1/2 cup cold water
3 1/2 oz package instant vanilla pudding
2 cups cool whip (I usually end up using a little bit more)
36+ vanilla wafers
1 qt. strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix Eagle Brand and water. Add instant pudding mix and beat until well blended. Chill 5 minutes. Fold in cool whip. Spoon about 2 cups pudding in serving dish (preferably round, like a trifle bowl). Top with 1/2 vanilla wafers, then sliced strawberries, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Repeat, ending with pudding.

Garnish with remaining chocolate chips and additional strawberries.

** Variations: Since Sam doesn't like chocolate at all, we like to substitute the chocolate chips for fresh blueberries.

** I don't like bananas at all, but my mom uses the pudding part of the recipe to make banana pudding.

Easy Chicken Crescents

I made these this week and we all love them. They are super easy too.

2-3 cans of crescent rolls (I use the reduced fat ones)
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (you can cheat and buy the Tyson precooked chicken...it really doesn't make a difference in the taste)
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature (again, the reduced fat...I have made them before with the fat-free and didn't think they tasted quite right)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2-1 Tbs parsley
pepper to taste

Food process all of the above together and spoon onto crescent rolls and roll up (using the food processor makes the cream cheese a lot more fluffy). Bake per instructions on the can of rolls. The rolls will be a bit more puffy and flat instead of tight and thin. Enjoy!