#2,802: Mashed Potato Puffs

So one of my kids is a self-proclaimed mashed potato hater.  Actually he hates all forms of potatoes if it's not a hash brown, a french fry, or a potato chips.  So when I told him we were having these mashed potato puffs for dinner he was not happy.  We told him he had to take one bite, and boy was I shocked when he said he liked these and asked for seconds (he had to dip it in catsup though).  These are a great recipe to use with leftover mashed potatoes.  Or, if you get the steam and mash frozen kind (that you microwave) from Ore Ida, you can whip these up super fast!  You know when these are done when they start to pull away from the sides.  If you can't get them out of your muffin tins, they probably aren't done.  As you can see from the photo, I used my square muffin tin, but any muffin tin would work! 

2 eggs

⅓ cup sour cream, plus more for serving

1 heaping cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped chives

salt and black pepper, to taste

3 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 8 - 9 of the wells of a cupcake pan - preferably nonstick.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the eggs then whisk in the sour cream. Mix in both cheeses and the chives.  Season with salt and pepper. Add them to the bowl and mix well.

Spoon them into the pan filling the cups just to the top or a little below.

Bake 25 - 35 minutes until they pull away from the sides of the cup and are golden brown all over.

Remove from oven and let them cool 5 minutes in pan. Turn them out onto a platter. Serve with sour cream.

#2,801: Peanut butter and jelly muffins

I'm playing catch up with recipes and making my way through Food Network Magazines month of muffins!  This is the recipe from September and is a perfect back-to-school recipe!  One of my kids likes grape jelly, and one likes strawberry, (and one doesn't like jelly), so I made both kinds.  The muffin is a tiny bit dry, so the jelly definitely helps.  The peanut topping is so good on it though!  We really enjoyed these and the kids would ask me every morning if they could eat them and how many they could have.  I just kept responding "how many do YOU think you should have?"  LOL

2/3 cup whole-wheat flour (I used more all-purpose flour)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

1 cup strawberry or grape jelly or jam

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk both flours, the baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk 1/3 cup peanut butter, the milk, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl; stir into the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way. Tap the bottom of the pan lightly on the counter to smooth out the batter. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop out a shallow hole in the middle of each muffin. Melt the remaining 2/3 cup peanut butter in the microwave until loose, stirring halfway through, 45 to 60 seconds. Spread the peanuts on a plate. Dip the top of 1 muffin in the melted peanut butter, letting the excess drip off, then dip it in the chopped peanuts to coat. Transfer to the rack and repeat with the remaining muffins.

Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon jelly or jam into the hole in each muffin. Let set 5 minutes.

#2,800: Nectarine - Blueberry Almond Muffins

Recipe #2,800!  I'm pretty sure I've accidentally numbered things wrong a couple of times too so it might actually be higher than that!  This is a great milestone recipe because it is delicious!  HA  These muffins are super easy to make and Chloe keeps asking me if we have nectarines in the house...I think she keeps hinting that I make these again!  These may not be the world's healthiest thing I've ever made, but it is hard to resist that batter.  The kids and I fight to lick the spoon at the end.  So good.  I use frozen blueberries to help the batter from turning purple and it makes the batter very thick (and a bit sticky), so it's easiest to portion this into the muffin cups using one spoon to scoop and another spoon to push it into the muffin cup.

This recipe was from the August muffin of the month with Food Network Magazine (I'm only a few months behind...don't worry, the August muffin recipe/review is coming next!), and this was definitely a winner in our book!  This was probably my favorite one yet.  

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 small nectarines, pitted and chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 cup blueberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Coarse sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs and almond extract in a medium bowl; stir into the flour mixture until just combined with small bits of flour remaining. Stir in the nectarines and blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters of the way. Sprinkle the almonds on top, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake until the muffins are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed, about 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

#2,799: Gluten Free Home Made Ramen Noodle Cups

Ramen noodles may be so bad for you, but they are a guilty pleasure of mine!  I am not a fan though of the ramen noodle cups (eck!) which are just loaded with sodium and weird spices.  So when I found a healthier version with real veggies I knew I wanted to give this a try.  I've been eating gluten free ramen noodles lately (I like the millet and brown rice ones from Lutus foods...I get it off Thrive) so this was even a little more exciting.  

The first time I made these I didn't pre-cook the carrots and I really regretted that.  Have you ever choked on a shred of carrot?  No?  It hurts. The second time I made these I sauteed them in a little olive oil until they softened up and I also chopped the spinach a little finer, and I LOVED this more.  I have eaten this both with shredded chicken and cooked chicken sausage (you can see it in the photo above) and I like it both ways.  I also added some edamame after I took this picture...that was a good idea!  

This is made with homemade bouillon seasoning and it is quite good in my opinion.   The recipe makes a ton though so you might want to halve it! 

This makes a super easy, make ahead lunch!  Just add some hot water, let it sit for a few minutes, and you are ready to eat! 

This is for FOUR ramen cups

Bouillon Powder

1/2 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast flakes*

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons onion flakes (can substitute 1 tablespoon onion powder)

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder (if you can’t find it, leave it out)*

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (can substitute regular granulated sugar)

Instant Soup

4 “nests” gluten free ramen or rice noodles

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (I like mine chopped a bit)

3/4 cup shredded carrots (from about 2 medium carrots) (I used grated carrots and sauteed them to soften a bit)

1 cup cubed extra-firm tofu or diced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons gluten free miso paste (I omitted)

4 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce

1/4 cup Bouillon Powder

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped fresh scallion greens

1 cup edamame

First, make the bouillon powder. Place all of the bouillon ingredients in a medium-size bowl and mix to combine well. Place in a resealable glass container (a small mason jar works great), and set aside.

Next, cook the noodles one nest at a time according to the package directions or by boiling them in about a quart of water until they separate and begin to soften.  Do not cook them all the way.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and set them aside briefly.

To assemble the instant soups, set out four heat-safe jars that can accommodate about 20 fluid ounces in volume. 

In each jar, layer the ingredients in the following order: 

1/2 cup spinach leaves 

1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup edamame
1/2 cup tofu or chicken
1/2 tablespoon miso paste
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 nest of softened noodles
1 tablespoon bouillon powder and, finally,
scallion greens to taste (at least 2 tablespoons).

Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, fill each container with boiling water (leaving a small space to permit covering the container) and cover tightly. Allow the container to steep for 2 minutes. Open, stir gently and enjoy.

#2,798: Pineapple Coconut Rice

This recipe went well with the Hawaiian Chicken sandwiches from a few days ago.  Although my family wasn't a fan of this recipe (big babies), I certainly was.  This is the second time I've tried making coconut rice and the pineapple was exactly what it needed...and it pulled together the pineapple from the Hawaiian chicken nicely too!  This was really easy to throw together.  I liked it topped with both green onion (pictured) AND some slivered almond. 

I did not follow the instructions on how to cook the rice using the original recipe below, but followed the instructions on the bag of rice I used.  It needed A LOT more cooking liquid though so I had to keep adding water until the rice was soft and fully cooked.  The instructions below were so much different than the directions on the bag, I figured I was safer using the bag instructions.  I should have known to add more liquid/water right away based on the instruction on the rice.  It's ok though...it all tasted good in the end. 

2 cups jasmine rice

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup crushed pineapple

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 cup diced scallions

Optional toppings: macadamia nuts, almonds, toasted coconut flakes

Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear. Drain the rice. (At this point, I made mine in a rice cooker. If you don’t have one, here’s the stove top method):

In a medium pot, over high heat, add the rice, broth, and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and cover with tight fitting lid; let cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, and without opening the lid, let it sit for another 10 minutes to finish steaming.

Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in the pineapple, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and scallions.

Top with any of the other recommended toppings. Drizzle a touch more soy sauce, if desired.

#2,796 and #2,797: Pork Carnita Enchiladas and Homemade Enchilada Sauce

This is a terrible picture b/c it doesn't do it justice. Yes these are enchiladas, but they are filled with pork carnita shredded meat, black beans, corn, and cheese. Chloe (my kid who isn't a big meat eater), was eating the pork filling directly out of the pan on the stove. Yep, it's that good.  The next time pork butt is on sale go grab one (or two!).  This filling freezes well, but the best way to eat this is to pan fry it in its juices after it's done cooking because it gets this nice little cripsy crust on it.  Oh my gosh, so good.  So I cooked it in the crockpot, then sauteed it in a pan to crisp it up, THEN I added it to the tortillas with beans, corn, and cheese and turned it into enchiladas.  HUGE hit at my house!  Only some of us like enchilada sauce so I usually don't have it on hand, so I found this easy recipe to make it from scratch.  So today you get both recipes here. Did you know how easy it is to make enchilada sauce?!  SOOO easy.  

4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt) , skinless, boneless 

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 onion , chopped

1 jalapeno , de-seeded, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 oranges , juice only (or 3/4 cup juice)

Rub

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.

Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.

Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic, and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.

Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.

Set the cooking liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

To Crisp:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.

Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches, don't crowd the pan.

Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot.

Note: Best way to store/freeze: Shred pork but don't pan fry. Keep pork and juice separate, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Enchilada Sauce:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over med/low heat. Add the flour and whisk for approx. 1 minute.  Add all the spices and stir.  Gradually and slowly add the broth, whisking to prevent any lumps.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until enchilada sauce thickens.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

#2,795: Orange Zucchini Bread

Allison told me she wanted to guess what was in this recipe...ok I'll play along.  She guessed zucchini right away (the fact that she could see it in the bread was a good start), and then guessed every fall fruit possible as the other ingredient.  When I told her it was orange juice, she KNEW it had to be something citrusy.  HA.  Nice try girly.  You were close.  

This bread is quite moist and who knew that orange and zucchini went so well together.  Since I have now cut myself TWICE (in the same spot I might add) on my food processor blade, I figure I better put a disclaimer/warning/don't learn from my mistakes note out there to y'all.  Please be careful with your food processor blades!  Even when you are mentally telling yourself to be careful so you don't cut yourself again it can (and might) happen!  

This is big batch recipe and makes 4 mini or 2 regular sizes loaves.  So make a batch and share some with your neighbhors.  Or stick them in the freezer for breakfast or snacks for the kids...or yourself. 

3 cups flour

2 cups cups sugar

3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 tbsp zest of one Naval orange

4 oz juice of one Naval orange

3 cups minced fresh zucchini, drained of juice use food processor and drain of moisture

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Ensure rack is in middle position.

Rinse and cut zucchini (skin on) into quarters and put in a food processor. Turn on for 30 seconds or so until zucchini is minced or finely shredded. 

In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, oil, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. Add flour mixture one cup at a time mixing on low. Stir in minced fresh zucchini. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and make sure flour is incorporated evenly into batter.

Grease two loaf pans (8"x 4"x 3") with cooking spray. Pour half of the batter into each loaf pan and bake at 350F for 50-60 min. Test by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it is done. Let rest for 30 min before cutting. Enjoy warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator for several days. Wrap in wax paper and put in freezer bag to freeze up to 6 months.

#2,794: Gluten Free Pumpkin Doughnuts

First of all, ignore the lumpy icing in this picture.  This was the first batch I made and I've finally learned that you cannot add a solid to a liquid and expect it to fully incorporate (i.e. flour into a hot sauce; powdered sugar in to hot maple syrup and butter; gelatin into fruit puree, etc.  #NOTtalkingfromexperience).  Happy first day of October and all things pumpkin!  See that cute background?!  I told Brian I needed a Halloween background and he told me to use his tie.  HA...it worked.  I now have a WHOLE LOT OF potential backgrounds for my pictures, although his ties might start getting messy that way!  

I was on a hunt for a gluten free pumpkin doughnut (and an excuse to buy a doughnut pan!), so I figured I'd give these doughnuts a try.  The first batch was devoured very quickly, even by Brian who I had to promise his did NOT have pumpkin in his.  I've made these a few times since and we fight over the last one every time.  These are really easy to make and I love the maple frosting/glaze.  Definitely give these a try!

For the Pumpkin Doughnuts:

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup pumpkin purée

3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1½ cups brown rice flour

1 cup almond flour

For the Maple Glaze:

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup maple syrup

1⅓ cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Cream together the butter and sugar for 1 minute on medium to high speed. Add in the pumpkin purée and mix for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.

Add in the eggs, one by one, and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.

In a separate bowl, mix together the baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and flours. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together for 1 minute.

Spray your doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill a piping bag with your doughnut batter and pipe the batter into your doughnut pan. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze: In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the maple syrup. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioners’ sugar.

Dip each doughnut face down into the glaze. Let dry on parchment paper, then serve.

#2,793: Almond flour chocolate chip cookies

I don't know if you all enjoy the taste of almond flour as much as I do, but I might get a little too excited when I see it used in a recipe.  So since I happened to have some on hand (I usually do!), I figured I'd give these almond flour chocolate chip cookies a try.  I'm a fan of raw cookie dough, and this cookie dough was no exception (I know...you aren't supposed to eat raw cookie dough!!).  These are quite good...they are NOT as good however when you forget they are in the oven until you smell them burning and are shocked to see you never took the last batch out!  I might have almost cried (and then got Young Living Purification Oil going in my diffuser to get that burned smell out of my house).  

Although mine look NOTHING like the original posters recipe, I'll still make (and eat) them again.  

1 + 1/4 cups almond flour

1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 cup avocado oil (or baking oil of choice)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Mix until ingredients are well combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine egg, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, gently folding all the ingredients together until well combined.

Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Cover dough and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or reusable silicone mat.

Using your hands, roll about 1-inch dough balls and place on baking sheet. The cookies will not spread, so they do not need much space between them.

Gently press each dough ball to slightly flatten it (do not flatten all the way, just a little).

Bake for 7-9 minutes until tops begin to brown and dough is set.

Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooking rack to cool completely.

#2,792: Potsticker Meatballs

This is the brand I used for the sauce. 
A little goes a LONG way.

I randomly decided to make this recipe because I had some ground pork on hand, and I am so glad I did!  Not only was this an easy recipe to throw together, but it makes a really quick lunch or dinner. I felt like these meatballs needed some sort of sauce though to make them even better, so I tried to make some pot sticker sauce to go with it, and it was good, but it wasn't thick enough for my liking.  Then I found some general tso gluten free sauce from Thrive and YES it made these so much better...and spicier.  If you do add the sauce, you just need a little bit!! 
Anyhow, back to the meatballs.  The original recipe said to pan fry and then put in the oven.  That was one step too many for me, so I just baked all of mine.  Although the flavor was great, these didn't brown up as much as I had hoped so don't expect super dark colored meatballs (again, another reason why the addition of the sauce is even better!).

1 pound ground pork

2 small carrots, grated

3 medium green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons coconut aminos

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 cup almond flour

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons coconut oil (I omitted since I baked mine)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the coconut oil. Scoop out a little of the mixture at a time to roll into medium sized meat balls. Lay the meat balls out on a clean sheet pan.

(I skipped this step) In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat balls in batches on all sides. Remove the browned meatballs with a slotted spoon and place back on the sheet pan.

Once all the meatballs have been browned place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (I baked mine for about 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and toss with a little general tso sauce if desired. 

#2,791: Vegetarian Pumpkin Squash Chili

If you saw my post yesterday, you saw that I've been making cinnamon sugar pumpkin bread.  Well when you have leftover pumpkin puree you've got to use it up some how, so you make pumpkin chili with it!  (OR you just use it as an excuse to try another new recipe!).  At first, I was going to leave out the adobo sauce because I'm not a huge fan of it, but I was also leaving out the bourbon so I had to add one or the other.  It definitely needed it to enhance the flavor.  I was a fan of this chili!  It was even better with sour cream and green onion added to it, but still good without it.

This recipe is healthy, filling, and comforting...what else can you ask for this time of year?!

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1 medium onion, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red pepper, diced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup bourbon (I omitted)

1 - 14-ounce can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1 - 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 - 19-ounce can of kidney beans

1 19 ounce can of navy beans 

1 small butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon chipotle peppers pureed with adobo sauce

2 cups of corn, cut from 2 cobs or frozen

Optional garnishes: grated white cheddar, green onions, chili powder

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until it is soft and brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper and continue to cook until the red pepper is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin and sea salt and let it cook for 1 minute more.

Add the bourbon and bring the pot to a boil. Add the canned pumpkin, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, navy beans, butternut squash, pureed chipotle peppers and 2 cups of water and stir the pot well. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let the chili simmer for 30 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender. Add the corn to the pot and let it cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt.

Serve the pumpkin chili with the cheddar, green onions, and chili powder, if using.

#2,790: Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread

Since taking a leave from work, my kids often come home to some sort of baked good for an after school snack now (added perk of mom being home).  Usually they badger me to find out what weird or healthy ingredient I added to it but then once I can get them to try it, they are usually pretty happy.  This recipe was one of those recipes.  They could tell by the color there was something in this and it wasn't a form of banana bread, but the cinnamon-sugar topping persuaded them to at least try it.  They devoured this mini loaf.  I think I've make this two or three times again since!  Hey it's pumpkin season, it's the perfect time to make this recipe!  Plus it freezes well so I can pretty much always have some on hand for breakfast OR for after school snacks. 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/3 cup vegetable oil, canola oil, or liquid-state coconut oil 

1/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk

2 tablespoons mild or medium molasses (I omitted)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided 3 ways

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided 3 ways

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 3 5x3x2-inch mini loaf pans very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pans; set aside.

To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and whisk together; set aside.

To a separate large bowl add the sugars, pumpkin, oil (I used coconut) milk, molasses, vanilla, and whisk until combined.

Pour the wet pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined; don’t over mix.

Evenly distribute batter between the 3 prepared pans, filling each about 2/3-full.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping – Evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each of the 3 pans.

Evenly sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over each of the 3 pans and place pans on a baking sheet (easier than dealing with 3 separate small pans in a hot oven).  Bake for about 40 to 43 minutes, or until tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Start checking at 30 minutes because all mini pans, ovens, and climates vary. Allow bread to cool in pans for about 15 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

#2,789: Chocolate Fig Energy Bites

What do you do when you have dried figs sitting in your pantry for a few weeks and want to find a recipe to use them up...you do a google and pinterest search and find healthy energy balls to make with them! Energy balls are eaten often in this house but I didn't think my kids would go for these (I was right).  Although I liked these, the texture is a bit soft.  I liked these (it's got chocolate chips in them, how could I not like them?!), but I prefer oatmeal and peanut butter energy balls much more.  

1 c dried figs

½ c + 2 tbsp water

1 c old-fashioned oats 

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used ground oats instead)

¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp miniature chocolate chips

Add the figs and water to a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes before adding the hydrated figs and leftover water to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature. (Place in the refrigerator to speed up the process.)

Add the oats, protein powder, and cocoa powder to a medium bowl, and stir until thoroughly combined. Mix in the fig paste until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on a large plate. Shape the chocolate mixture into 32 balls, placing each on the wax paper after rolling.

#2,788: Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches

Sometimes it's hard to make chicken in the crockpot if you are going to be gone ALL day because it doesn't need as much time to cook all the way through.  This is a great recipe you can make on the weekend (or even after work if you cook it on high) and reheat it the next day for dinner.  We ate these on toasted Hawaiian rolls with some cheese (as you can sort of tell from the picture), but you could eat this over rice or cauliflower rice as well!  If you do eat this as a sandwich, I strongly suggest toasting your rolls or getting crusty bread because the sauce on this chicken soaks into the bread a bit and can make your rolls a bit soggy if not toasted.  

My kids loved this recipe and we've already eaten it twice already.  I'm sure this will be part of our regular rotation.  

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. chopped onion

2 c. pineapple juice

1/2 c. brown sugar *edited from the original recipe, which called for 1 cup

3/4 c. ketchup

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and spices in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, then set aside.

Place chicken in slow cooker and add diced onion.  Pour pineapple juice mixture over the chicken to cover completely.  Cook on low heat 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 

*If sauce is not as thick as you'd like it to be, you can prop open the lid and let some additional liquid evaporate before shredding and serving.

Shred chicken and then add it back to the sauce. 
See note above on how to serve this.