Pumpkin Spice Muffins...

Today I made, for the first time ever, PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS!

They are SOO delicious...

& I just knew I would be sharing this recipe!

SO many of my friends were posting pics and statuses about having their first 

pumpkin spice latte of the season 

& it just got me craving the taste! :P

I have had a can of pumpkin pure sitting in my pantry for months and months

& I thought this was the perfect time to use it!

This is a Pinterest recipe that i made a few modifications to!

Enjoy!

PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS

Muffin Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

3/4 Teaspoon Pumpkin Spice Mix

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Large Eggs

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

(I use Himalayan Crystal Salt) 

Icing Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

2-3 Tablespoons Milk

(Depending on the consistency you want)

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.

In one bowl, mix pumpkin puree, coconut oil, pumpkin spice mix, 

eggs, sugar, baking soda, and salt together.

In another bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. 

Combine the two bowls. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Yields 12 Muffins.

For the icing, mix the 3 ingredients together.

Drizzle icing over muffins.

Im back....with a treat to share!

I totally neglected my blog when I was 

introduced to instagram! 

YIKES.

Its just so easy to upload pictures QUICKLY and write

a little description on instagram!

BUT...

I do want to get back into making a blog once in a while.

I've missed it!

& it's fun to look back at!

:)

At the farmers market here, there is an amazing stand called

'Oh Goodness'.

My mother-in-law introduced me -- & i am HOOKED.

It's made with some healthier things like coconut flour, almond meal & flour etc.

Its breads and scones and muffins and brownie bites and PIES.............

THEE most DELicious pie i just tried was there blueberry one!

It's an almond meal pie crust with a cranberry jelly center with fresh local blueberries.

As I was eating it i thought to myself...

"this is such a simple pie.... with simple ingredients! I def. could figure out how to make this!"

So I attempted it today!

I had everything I needed MINUS a pie pan.....

seriously...

Of ALL the kitchen tools and accessories I have i have never gotten a pie pan!

However, I am pretty good at using something i already have and making it work!

So i used a 'muffin top' pan.

So instead of one large pie I made 6 mini pies.

(sorry i never took a picture of it clean before I used it)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things you will need....

Pie Crust:    1/2 cups Almond Meal or Almond Flour

                                                            3 TBSP Butter or Coconut Oil

                                                            3 TBSP Sugar or Sugar Substitue (ex. agave)

                                                            1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

                                      Pie Filling:    1 packet Pudding or Jello of choice

                                                           Whatever kind & amount of fruit

Pie pan or Muffin Top pan

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

First thing I did was make the pudding and set it aside to cool till I needed it.

I then combined the ingredients for the pie crust and baked it at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.

I then took them out of the pan and placed them into 6 seperate bowls.

Then I placed the pudding on top.

Then I placed the blueberries on top.

Then popped them in the fridge for a couple hours to really thicken the pudding.

DEElicious and pretty guilt free :P

Its a must try 

& i will def. be making it again!

Italian Sausage Soup

Mmmmmm Mmmmmm

I ran across this yummy recipe on Pinterest!

& it isn't my first time making it!

It's one of our favourite soups, so i thought I'd share!

Definitely for those meat lovers & not vegetarians :P

(sorry if the phone pics aren't the best!)

Recipe @ the end!

.......

Everything you will need for groceries! 

Things that need to be prepared I do first....

The finished product!

Nice warm bowl of soup on a cold day.

Along with a couple little cookies

& a glass on Ningxia Red! 

Perfection. 

:)

Recipe...

Homemade Chips!!

Mmmm Mmmm

I loooove me some homemade chips! :)

Super easy & healthier then buying store chips!

Groceries Needed:

Your choice of potatoes, sweet potatoes, or yams! UNpeeled! The peel is GOOD for you!

Vegetable oil ( I used canola oil) -- basically for every 2 potatoes, use 1 Tbsp of oil.

Vegetable oil spray.

Salt to taste.

Pepper (optional -- I used it)

Kitchen Utensils Needed:

I use my handy dandy mandolin that makes it all SO much quicker & easier! However, a normal knife will do as well!

Tbsp measuring spoon.

Large bowl.

How To Do It:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Slice potato quite thin (approx. the thickness of a Toonie) 

Put potato in large bowl & cover all with the oil & salt/pepper. 

Spray cookie sheet with vegetable spray & be sure to make ONE layer of potato chips with NO overlapping! 

& simply bake for 20 min, flipping them all after 10 min. 

What A Treat

:D

Christmas Cooking..

I looove baking

& christmas time is a fun time to do some!

From chocolate toffee bark to peanut butter reindeer cookies!

(The kids weren't the only ones who liked those reindeer cookies!)

Made a couple x-mas baking baskets up for a couple special families ! 

Did them all up myself, from the letter stickers to the BIG hot pink ribbon!

Think they turned out pretty cute!

Had help in the kitchen from the hubby! ;)

Mmmm Mmmm!

Sweet Like Honey..

Just LOVING these little things!

They are SOO tiny but SOO sweet!

Somebody gave me one to try a few days ago & I just had to buy a box!

I have had good mandarin oranges before,

but these baby mandarin oranges are amazing!

& they already come portion controlled!! =P 

I got Chad to model them for me haha

Just to show how tiny they are!

Chicken Alfredo & Garlic Bread..

Yesterday Marj, Angus, Chad & I

spent the evening putting up some fun winter decorations at the shop!

Afterwards we went to Moxies & Chad ordered Chicken Alfredo.

It just looked SO delicious & Chad loved it SO much that...

I decided thats what I would make for dinner tonight!

So Tonight was..

 Chicken Alfredo & Garlic Bread

Decided to make it a candlelight dinner for a change :)

Such a scrumptious meal :P

Quinoa Salad..

Last night was one of those nights where there wasn't much food left in the house

& 

I just had to throw something together with what I had!

So I made something very simple..

but very healthy & yummy!

Quinoa Salad!

What I threw into the quinoa was..

salmon

chick peas

feta cheese

apple

honey roasted pecans

&

cashews

I dad no idea how these different flavours would taste together with the quinoa,

but have to say it turned out quite tasty! 

Now Chad on the other hand, does NOT like quinoa.

SO..

I did what had to be done...

I made him the same meal but just added in noodles!

& little dressing.

Might just have to throw that together again one day!

=D

Husband Surprised Me With Dinner!..

Tonight my amaaazing hubby surprised me with dinner!

Was the sweetest surprise ever.

The table was set all cute, colorful & unique!

He made a meal we both LOVE & its one out of the 'Prices Pantry' Cookbook.

 It's the Honey-Orange Sauce With Chicken.

For those who would like to try out this amazing meal, I am going to write the recipe below!

Honey-Orange Sauce With Chicken

4 lbs chicken wings, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs.

Sauce:

1 cup honey OR 1/2 cup agave.

2 tbsp. soy sauce.

2 cloves garlic, crushed.

1 inch cube of fresh crushed ginger.

3 tbsp ketchup.

1/4 cup orange marmalade.

1-2 dashes Tabasco sauce.

2 medium oranges with peel on, sliced into thin slices.

(We also add 1 cup of chicken broth)

Combine & Simmer for 20-30 min.

Bake chicken 20-30 minutes @ 400 degrees.

Spoon hot sauce over & bake 15-20 minutes longer, till orange rind is candied & chicken is cooked.

Along with the chicken, he made sautéed carrots & onion

with

cashews & walnuts.

Then he cooked that all in some syrup!

Tasted GREAT! 

:)

Love These Surprises! 

xoxo

Juicing Time..

Juicing is SUCH a great thing to do for your health!

I know for myself, I don't get near enough fruits & veggies in a day as I should.

Scientists recommend 8 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables to be consumed per day. A large portion of the population don't even reach 20% of this. Juicing is the easiest way to bring you closer to this goal.

I just started reading the importance of juicing a few months ago

& so once in a while I try to make a drink.

I should be doing it a lot more often though! :P

The reason I started reading about juicing, was for my hypoglycemia.

It is suppose to really help with that, plus sooo many other things!

__________

Today I decided to use the juicer & make a drink using:

2 different apples

1 orange

6 celery sticks

&

8 carrots 

So crazy to think in that juice, are all those fruits & veggies! 

&

Its so much easier to drink all those fruits & veggies in a day then

trying to remember to eat them all!

Here are a few facts about juicing I found...

If you are juicing for health, it is useful to remember that fresh juice starts to lose nutrients as soon as it is made. If you want to retain the full benefit of your effort, drink the juice immediately or as soon as possible.

Don't peel carrots, but do remove their greens. Rhubarb greens also need to be removed. There may be a problem with toxicity if you juice these.

Do peel citrus, mango and papaya. These peels are not usable and may even be harmful to you. The skins of oranges and grapefruits contain toxic substances. However, the white, pithy part just below the skin, contains valuable bioflavonoids. Aim to retain as much of this as possible.

Soft fruits such as peaches, melons and strawberries will produce a much thicker juice than harder textured fruit such as apples. Combine the two to improve the results.

Drink freshly made juice daily and concentrate on using as wide a variety of produce as possible, to ensure that your body receives a bit of all the most beneficial micronutrients.

Many ailments will improve if juice forms a regular part of your diet.A general rule is that a pound of produce will give you about a cup of juice.

One cup of carrot juice is equal to about four cups diced, raw carrots. Carrots are much easier to consume in liquid form. Your body is also able to assimilate them better.

Vegetable juice is a low-calorie snack and contains no fat. Use it as part of a sensible eating plan, and experience the wonderful results.

Juicing for health is more beneficial if you consume juice that is at room temperature.

Ginger gives a bit of a bite to juice. Try it! It has anti-inflammatory properties. Stomach irritations, nausea and motion sickness can be relieved by taking ginger.

The nutrients in the juice you drink, is taken up immediately by all the cells in your body. Your juicer magically transfers the produce into pre-digested food. This means that your body is able to make maximum use of all the enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

Juices help you to maintain the proper PH in your body, which is important in preventing diseases like cancer.

Stuffed Chicken & Watermelon Water...

Last night I decided to make a meal I have made before, that was a BIG hit!

One day I randomly thought of the idea of smashing chicken breasts thin

& 

stuffing them with anything and everything!

(Im sure there is an easier way of doing it then what I do! :P) 

So last nights chicken was simply stuffed with carrots and onion!

So I start by taking 6 chicken breasts..

Putting each one in an individual large ziplock bag..

and smashing them between two cutting boards haha..

Like I said...probably an easier way of doing this than what I do!

 ____________

I then saute onions and carrots in a little butter.

Then I take each smashed chicken breast,

and put a LITTLE layer of mayo,

a little later of bread crumbs,

around 1 tbsp of crumbled feta cheese,

and then a GOOD tbsp of the sautéed carrots and onions.

Then I roOoOoll each one up!!

I then put each stuffed chicken breast into one large baking dish.

Pour over 1 cup of chicken broth. 

Put all the extra sautéed carrots and onions over top.

Put about 3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese over top of that. 

Then the rest of the bread crumbs - approx. 1 cup.

Then sprinked the final product with 3/4 cup of honey roasted pecans!

Mmm Mmm!

Then bake it at 375 for 45-60 min!

(Below: When the dish is done baking, its nice & golden brown on top!)

There is a delicious place called Chopped Leaf, where I got the fabulous idea of putting any kind of fruit in water, to make drinking water a little more FUN! 

 I have done fruit like:

Pineapple - Apple - Oranges - Pear - Plum - Kiwi - Lemon - Lime - Grapes 

and last night was...

WATERMELON! 

So delicious..

Definitely recommend this meal! 

:) 

Pad Thai Tuesday..

Chad & I really love thai food!

I have been wanting to make pad thai for so long 

&

tonight i decided to try and make it!

It was harder then it looked!

As i cook, I tend to learn a few things here & there that I need to do differently next time!

And the part that turned out the worst this time was that I cooked the

rice noodles a little too long, so they were a little softer then they should have been.

But oh well!

Still was fun making it & turned out tasty! 

This is what the kitchen looks like as I get cooking!

Stuff everywhere! 

Yikes, what a mess :P

The end result!

Pad Thai:

-rice noodles

-peanuts

-soy sauce

-fish sauce

-carrots 

-ginger

-garlic

-tofu

-shrimp

-little brown sugar

-lime

-2 eggs

-shallot

-green onion

-cooking wine

-sesame oil

Scrum-diddily-ocious Rice Paper Rolls

Tonight I was in the cooking mood, and decided to try making Rice Paper Rolls!

Rice paper is such a GREAT idea for replacing tortillas or bread of any sort!

Rice paper has 3 ingredients (well atleast the one I got!): Green Beans, Peas & Water!

Thats it!!

I started by sauteing mushrooms with a little soy sauce & some crushed peanuts.

Then I cooked up the shrimp!

I got the carrots, cucumber, avacado, & green onions chopped up nice & thin.

Then I moved on to the peanut sauce.

The peanut sauce consisted of: peanut butter, soy sauce & almond milk.

Last but not least, I got the rice paper soaked & ready to use.

I layered up a little of everything i had prepared then,

....rooooolled them up.

Def. weren't the BEST rolls, but pretty decent for my first time,

if i doo say so myself ;P

If anyone has any tips on how to make these, please let me know! :)

Lastly I added a little piece of decor to the table with...

beautiful strawberry & orange flavoured water :)

I'll definitely be making this meal again!

YUM