#1,822: Sugar Free Blueberry, Banana and Oat Muffins

One thing my kids are slightly missing during our sugar free week at home is some sort of treat/dessert.  So I decided to make these sugar free blueberry, banana, and oatmeal muffins for them as a special snack.  Although they thought they were a little dry (these would be super good with some butter on it), they did enjoy them overall.  I plan to make up a batch and stick them in the freezer for an easy, go-to breakfast when we go back to school.  

340g self-rising flour (I measured this out…I THINK it’s 2 cups??)

25g oats (I also measured this one out)

1 banana, mashed

1 egg, whisked

125ml milk (I used ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk)

3 tbsp Greek or natural yogurt

60ml vegetable oil (I used ¼ cup)

150g blueberries (I used 2/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.   Add the flour and oats into a mixing bowl and stir together.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well until it is all combined into a sticky dough.  Add in the blueberries and gently fold them into the dough. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and sprinkle the spare oats over the top of the muffins. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are firm and golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!

#1,821: Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Blueberries

I swear there really are blueberries in these pancakes!!  But to make sure they were evenly distributed after I poured the batter I added a few blueberries to each one instead of mixing it in the batter directly.  So if I turned these pancakes over you would/could actually see they are in there.  2 of my kids loved these healthy (no sugar!!) pancakes WITH the blueberries, but one preferred them plain.  I made these during our no sugar week at home, so my kids were slightly disappointed at first that they couldn't dip them in syrup...but they still enjoyed them.  Since it was an easy, healthy, no sugar breakfast option for them, I think I made them 3 times this week.  Definitely a win recipe in our house. I found this recipe in a recent issue of Family Circle magazine. 

1 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder

3 very ripe bananas

3 eggs

2 tsp melted butter
pinch of salt

blueberries, washed

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a blender combine bananas, eggs, and melted butter.  Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.  If the batter is too thick you can add a little water to thin it down.  You can add the blueberries at this point if you want.

Coat a griddle with non stick spray.  Pour batter onto griddle (this is when I added 4-5 blueberries onto each pancake), cook until it starts to bubble, flip over and continue cooking until browned.  

#1,820: Blender Pancakes

I found this recipe by Katie Lee for a super simple Blender Pancake recipe.  I had semi-high hopes for this recipe because my kids do love pancakes, but they are not fans of cottage cheese (no surprise there).  They were not fans of these pancakes at all.  There is a gummy consistency to the centers of these, almost like they were slightly underdone, but I cooked these on a lower heat and definitely long enough that these should have been cooked through.  It's too bad my kids didn't like these, because they certainly were easy. 

1 cup cottage cheese 

2 large eggs

1 cup rolled oats
I added blueberries for sweetness

Preheat griddle over medium-high heat.

In a blender, add oats, eggs, and cottage cheese and blend until smooth. Spray griddle with nonstick spray and pour pancake mixture onto griddle in whatever size you would like.  (I added the blueberries into the pancake batter after I poured each pancake).  One batch should make about 4-6 pancakes (mine made about 12 smaller pancakes). Cook until bubbles start to form in the batter, 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook for about 1 minute more. 

#1,819: Banana Pudding Cake

I have been trying to make some sort of bread/baked good for the kids for breakfast to eat during the summer because I know they get tired of cereal and bagels.  I've been trying to find easy recipes that the kids can do on their own because they are really enjoying being in the kitchen and cooking for us.  This recipe has very few ingredients and seemed simple enough for them to do. This got pretty good reviews, except for the big chunks of banana...so next time I'm going to mash this WAY more or even puree it before adding it into the mixture.  A few chocolate chips wouldn't hurt either.  :) 

2 very, very ripe medium bananas, roughly mashed

1 box yellow or butter-yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker Super Moist turns out best)

1 (4-serving size) package Jello banana cream instant pudding powder

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup water

¼ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower-middle position. Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and instant pudding powder. Whisk to loosen any lumps. Add eggs, water, and oil. Whisk just until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, fold in bananas just until combined; don't over-mix.

Pour into prepared bundt pan, lightly shaking to even out the batter.

Bake 35-45 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few tender crumbs attached. Don't over bake.

Cool completely in pan on rack. Once cool, use very thin knife to separate cake from pan edges, if needed. Invert and remove cake.

#1,818: Strawberry Yogurt Fluff

This fluff/salad is so simple to make, the kids have been in charge of making it and are loving it!  I think we've made it 3 times already now.  Once, I was out of strawberries so I added blueberries to it.  Both ways were just as good.  This one is so simple.  You can mix up your fruit and yogurt combinations too! 

1 8oz Container of Cool Whip

1/2 Bag of Mini-Marshmallows

2 containers of Strawberry flavored Yogurt

Fresh Strawberries 

Wash and chop strawberries into bite sized pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.  This can be made ahead of time.  (We find this is good for 2 days in the fridge).  

#1,817: Sweet-Tart Cucumber Salad

Apparently I didn't take a picture of these cucumbers...which means I need to make it again so I can add a photo to this!  I think I'll make these again this week.... :)

This actually was a really, really good side dish/salad.  We saved the liquid once the cucumbers and onions were gone and added more ingredients to make it a second time.  I will definitely be making this again!! 

10 pickling cucumbers or 3 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

3 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon pepper

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

(I skipped this step) Place cucumbers in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and toss. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, celery seed, pepper and remaining salt until blended. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers and onions. Pour dressing over cucumber mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

#1,816: Roasted Herbed Red Potatoes

I made these roasted potatoes for dinner one night over the 4th of July weekend for my family.  I totally intended to use red potatoes, but they were out at our grocery store and they substituted russet potatoes instead (yes I get my groceries delivered!).  Instead of getting more potatoes, I figured I'd just go with it!  These turned our really well and there weren't even any leftover after dinner....a big hit with our family, and I'd highly recommend these super easy potatoes!!

3 pounds red potatoes, washed and halved (quartered if potatoes are on the medium/large side)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray or olive oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients except the parsley until potatoes are evenly coated. Pour coated potatoes onto prepared baking sheet, spreading them out as evenly as possible. Bake for 45-55 minutes, turning every 15 minutes with a spatula, until browned and crisp. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving. Potatoes are best served immediately, but will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. 

Reheat in the microwave as needed, or reheat on baking sheet or large casserole dish, covered, in a 300ºF oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

#1,815: Blueberry-Lemon Pound Cake

So I decided to make this one night so we could have it for breakfast the next day and realized it needed an hour to cook.  I was tired and didn't want to wait that long, so I put it in a larger size pan and cut the bake time down a little bit.  This got very mixed reviews.  Some of us loved it and others thought it had way too many blueberries.  (I was one that liked it a lot!).  Personally it would have been better with the glaze, but it was so moist, it really didn't need it.  Also, I intended to use ricotta cheese with this, but it went bad when I went to go use it and I really didn't want to run to the store at 10 pm...so I just subbed sour cream instead.  Still good, but I would try the ricotta next time. 

3/4 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (I used sour cream)

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and beat in ricotta, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and vanilla until just combined. Sprinkle flour on top, then evenly sprinkle baking powder and salt over the flour. With the mixer on low speed, beat until almost combined. Add blueberries and gently fold into the batter. Transfer to the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until starting to brown around the edges and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake, then invert it onto the rack. Carefully turn it right-side up. Let cool completely.

I skipped this step.  We didn't need any more sugar.  :) Clean the bowl, add confectioners’ sugar and whisk in the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice until smooth. Brush the glaze on the cake.

#1,814: Copycat Crunchwrap

This picture doesn't really cut it, but I swear there is nacho cheese and a tostada in there!  Although this recipe was supposed to also have lettuce and tomatoes (yum), my kids would have never touched it.  So I just did the nacho cheese sauce and the sour cream.  One kid loved it, and 2 thought it was "just ok."  And the big one (aka my husband) wouldn't even try it.  Big babies.  I had a bite of it and I thought it was good!  I'd make this again for my oldest, but the other 3 prefer a regular taco.  I think a Crunchwrap Supreme with sour cream, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and black olives would be awesome!

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 can nacho cheese (or queso cheese dip)

6 burrito-size flour tortillas

6 tostada shells or corn tortillas

1 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded lettuce (I omitted)

1 tomato, diced (I omitted)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease. Stir in the taco seasoning mix, and water it calls for on package. Cook according to package directions.

Warm the nacho cheese sauce or queso cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the flour tortillas on a large plate. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm them.

Lay one flour tortilla on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 cup of taco meat onto the center of the tortilla. Drizzle a couple Tablespoons of nacho cheese over the meat. Top meat with one tostada shell or crispy corn tortilla *see notes below. Spread a thin layer of sour cream over the tostada shell. Top with lettuce, tomato and shredded Mexican cheese.

To fold the crunch wrap, start with the bottom of the flour tortilla and fold the edge up over the center. Continue to work your way around, folding the flour tortilla over the center fillings. There will be a spot left open in the center; cut a piece of another flour tortilla and tuck it in the center, so it's fully covered.

Repeat with all remaining tortillas, tostadas and fillings. You'll have 6 crunch wraps total.

Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Place one crunchwrap seam-side down onto the skillet. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Carefully, flip over and cook other side until golden-brown. Repeat process with all crunchwraps. Serve immediatley.

#1,813: Corn and Cucumber Salad

Brian's grandma is turning 90 (love that sweet lady!), and we had a family party for her.  I wanted to bring a side dish/salad type of dish that would be healthy, was easily portable, was quick to make, and didn't need to be heated up.  So when I came across this recipe, I knew it fit all of my requirement.  Although it would have gone even faster to prep if I would have used frozen corn, with it being summer, I wanted to use fresh corn off the cob instead.  The recipe says to cook the corn, but I really love fresh corn right off the cob so I decided not to. I also cut back on some of the other ingredients to really let the corn be the star of this dish.  Overall, I really enjoyed it.  I would definitely make this again...it surely was easy...and goes great with BBQ-type/picnic-type foods!

6 ears fresh corn or 3 cups frozen corn
3 cucumbers chopped (I used 1 ½ cucumbers)
1 red pepper chopped (I used 2)
1 green pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped

Dressing :
1-1/2 cups Italian dressing
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar or sweetener
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

(I omitted this step because I did not cook my corn.  I just cut it off the cob and put it right into the bowl!). Cook corn until tender Rinse under cold running water or put in an ice bath; drain well.

Chop cucumber, red and green peppers, and onion. Add to corn in large bowl.  

In a small bowl mix salad dressing with the remaining ingredients then pour over corn mixture and toss well.  Chill 2 hours before serving.

2016 Summer Bucket List: We almost finished it!

One of my favorite days of the year has finally arrived.  The day I get to spend the next 81 days with my family!  We love summer vacation in our house.  It's a time for all 5 of us to be home together...all.day.long.  I probably should say that we love this time of year for the first 6 weeks or so, then we all need a little break...from each other.  Just kidding...sort of.

The bucket list this summer is a compilation of all of our ideas.  Ok most of these are my ideas but you can probably see who actually picked what.  LOL 

Go to Mrs Wilcox's house (7/15)

Walk 100 miles as a family (we made it to 75.5)

Document our summer every day on Instagram (8/14)

Have a water balloon fight (7/4)
Try a new restaurant in town (Blaze Pizza, 7/14)

1 week sugar free (the whole family) (week of 7/24)

Make yogurt silly putty (6/14)

Girls lunch/tea party at The Tea Room at the Depot
Go to a White Sox Game

Get a new vegetable or herb from the farmers market (Rye Berries 6/18)

Find 10 new geocaches (we found 19 from 5/27-7/10)
Attend mass at a church in a different town (7/3, Green Lake WI)
Make Jello Sherbet

Go to the drive-in (7/10)

Buy/play a new family game (Farkle, 6/3)

Go to the zoo (8/4)

Go to the movies  (6/17)
Visit/Eat at All Aboard Train Diner (7/18)

Visit Wolf River Refuge (7/7)

Make Campfire Cone Smore's (7/22)

Make Soap Foam Sidewalk Paint

Get a pool pass! (5/31)

Stay in a silo (aka double cottage) (6/9)
Complete the library summer reading program (7/22)
Kids photo scavenger hunt (6/9)
Go to Airtastic or Jumpzone (6/21)
Learn a new prayer (each kid has a different one) (still in process)
Write a letter to someone in the military (operation gratitude) (7/13)
Choose items to send to military members (operation gratitude) (7/28)
Complete a Shoe Cutting party for Sole Hope (still in process)
Create one (or more!!) blankets for Project Linus (6/4, we created 3)
Go fishing (7/2)
Feed the ducks (6/19)
Complete 5 Lego Challenges (6/28)
Visit a State Park (6/28)
Olympic ring art project (8/13)
Each kid plans/makes dinner (whatever they want!) (Chloe: 6/24, Allison 7/12, Matthew 7/14)
Get new couches (arrived 7/26)

So....tell us below, what's on your summer bucket list?????