Friendsgiving and Mini Pie Chacuterie Recipe Round Up

I've been a member of MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers) for five years now since Toby was just 3 months old. It has been such a blessing to have other mamas to do life with. I'm so thankful for my friends who invited me to join because I thought it was for moms of kiddos that were in preschool as in 3-to-4-year-olds haha 

Generally, we meet twice a month during the school year. We have a speaker who shares on things like motherhood, marriage, friendship, and spiritual growth, discussion time, fellowship, and—pre-COVID—a wonderful potluck! We also get together for monthly playdates and a "mom's night out." This past weekend was my favorite moms night out event: Friendsgiving!

Not long after having kids, a mom will realize that mealtimes will never be the same. Whether it's balancing an infant on one arm while eating with the other, or learning the fine art of cooking THEIR food first so yours is—hopefully—still hot when you actually get around to eating it. Chances are that by the time you sit down they'll be ready for seconds and you'll have to get back up anyway. And that's not counting all the messes you'll have to deal with.

Bottom line: sit-down meals kinda go out the window.

So, that's why I love Friendsgiving with MOPS. We get to eat a meal in peace, enjoying uninterrupted conversations over still-hot plates of food. It's kind of magical.

This year I got the idea to make a pie charcuterie board after seeing one on Pinterest. Of course, I later realized the one I saw had used those 50 cent pies for Walmart on theirs, while I had painstakingly made all of mine completely from scratch - but it was worth it of course.

Here's a roundup of the recipes I used!

Easy Pie Crust - I quadrupled this recipe to make enough dough for all three types of pies I made.

Mini Pumpkin Pies - I used a snowflake cookie cutter to make these pies even cuter. I also discovered that I had to cook them 8-10 minutes longer than the recipe called for. I just kept checking every 2-3 minutes until a knife inserted came out clean.

Mini Apple Pies - These came together quickly! The only trouble I had was moving the lattice onto the pies, so enlisted the help of a spatula which made it much easier.

Reese's Pie - I messaged my mom for this recipe from an old cookbook she has. It's been a family favorite holiday pie for most of my life!

Reese's Pie

Ingredients
1 baked pie shell
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 large box chocolate pudding, made according to directions.
Cool Whip

Directions
Mix peanut butter and powdered sugar. Put 3/4 of the mixture into the pie shell. Pour prepared pudding on top. Sprinkle the remaining peanut butter mixture over the pudding. Then top with Cool Whip. Cool and serve.

For the mini pies, I cut out 20 (because that was more than enough for what I needed) three-inch circles of dough and pressed them into greased muffin pans, making sure the dough reached the top of the pan. Pierce the dough several times with a fork. Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through. You can use the flat side of a spoon to press the pie shells down on the bottom and sides as they may puff up while baking. Allow to cool completely before sprinkling a little of the peanut butter mixture into the bottom, spreading prepared pudding on top, sprinkling more of the peanut butter mixture on, and topping off with Cool Whip. I did have leftover filling, even with making 20 mini pies, so I just put them in cups and the boys were happy to have a special snack.

With Thanksgiving this week I'd love to hear your favorite dish or family recipe!! Another must-have at our gatherings is sweet potato casserole (not the marshmallow kind) I also brought that to Friendgiving and returned with a completely empty dish! Let me know if you want that family recipe! 

Filled with Hope,

Invitation To Create Playdough Turkeys

About a year ago I came across an idea on Pinterest called "Invitation to Create."

Basically what you do is gather a bunch of art supplies and put them in a container. Then give it to your kiddos along with an idea of what they are going to create. After that, you just sit back and allow them the freedom to run with it and make it their own. Whatever their little minds and hands decide to do is what they do. This is also called "open-ended crafting." We've created monsters, leaf people, easter eggs, and more!

This week we did a two-part "Invitation to Create," and the boys loved it so much that I thought I would share it with you.

PART ONE

First I made playdough, a double batch:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 2 tbsp cream of tartar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil

Instructions:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a pot. Add water and oil. Cook over medium/low heat until the dough looks dry, making sure to stir it constantly and flipping it over at the end. Let it rest until cool enough to handle.

I separated the playdough into six balls, dropped some food coloring into each ball, and let the boys do the work of mixing in the color. We added scents to the balls, too—ie. cinnamon to our red and nutmeg to our orange.

NOTE TO SELF:

Don't walk away for 5 minutes because you'll come back to find the dough smooshed all over the porch tiles 😫

Anyway, that was day one. We bagged up our dough, placed it in ziplock bags, and stored it in the fridge.

PART TWO

A couple days later I put together a tray of feathers, beads, pipe cleaners, corn kernels, and googly eyes. The Invitation to Create involved using these fun accessories to turn our balls of playdough into turkeys. Toby and Teddy made a whole flock!

One of my favorite things about this craft is that we took apart our creations when we were done—we put all the accessories away to save for another day and stored the playdough back in the fridge. This meant that we didn't have a whole family of turkeys to find a shelf for. Whew! I think any mom of young kiddos can appreciate not accumulating more trinkets, no matter how adorable they are. We took pictures of our creations and put everything away.

The boys love playdough, so I plan to do more activities like this in the coming months.

Since saying goodbye to social media a few weeks ago, it's been such a delight to be more present with the boys. I find myself cherishing these moments a bit more, relishing in their little smiles and their little hands and the little funny things they say and do.

Some funny things Toby says that I want to remember is, "lawning the grass," which is his term for mowing the grass, and "winching the wipers," aka spraying windshield washer fluid on the car.

Last night at bedtime Teddy wanted to do high-fives with Daddy—you know the traditional "Up high... down low... TOO SLOW!" But instead, he said, "Up high... down low... never mind!" 😂 Teddy has also recently learned Jingle Bells and I catch him singing it throughout the day in the cutest little voice 😍

And yes, you may have noticed our Christmas tree in the background of some of the photos because we are already decorated for Christmas, but I'll save that story for another post! When does your family put up the Christmas tree?

Filled with Hope,

Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Everything is weird. That could be the real theme of 2020 😆

As the holidays approach, I've been wondering how many of our usual traditions won't happen because events and activities will be cancelled or modified. I'm trying to stay two steps ahead by coming up with different things we can do this year, and "reverse trick-or-treating" was one of the first ones we tried out.

First, we made pumpkin whoopie pies. As you can see in the photo, Toby likes to help (long enough to lay claim to a mixing spoon for licking 😏). Here's the recipe we followed, and would definitely make again!

Fall Inspired Whoopi Pies

•  3 
  cups
   
  all-purpose flour
•  2 
  tablespoons
   
  cinnamon
• 
   1 
  teaspoon
   
  baking powder
•  1 
  teaspoon
   
  baking soda
•  1 
  teaspoon
   
  salt
•  2 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
•  1 
  cup
   
  granulated sugar
•  1 
  cup
   
  dark brown sugar
•  1 
  cup
   
  canola or vegetable oil
•  3 
  cups
   
  chilled pumpkin puree
   
  (canned pumpkin)
•  2 
  eggs
•  1 
  teaspoon
   
  vanilla extract

FOR THE MAPLE-CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

•  3 
  cups
   
  powdered sugar
•  8 
  ounces
   
  cream cheese
   
  (at room temperature)
•  1/2 cup 
  unsalted butter, at room temperature
•  3 
  tablespoons
   
  maple syrup
•  1 
  teaspoon
   
  vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
4. 4. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined and no flour streaks remain.
5. 5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
6. 6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. 7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.
8. 8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for an hour to firm before serving.
9. 

After they were good and solid the boys donned their costumes and delivered a few to some neighbors. This might have to become a new tradition, as not only was it fun, but it was a good way to bless friends and spread some smiles.

Are you thinking of ways to celebrate the upcoming holidays differently? I'd love to hear your ideas, so leave a comment below!

Filled with Hope,

A Healthier Kid Approved Banana Muffin

I'm always looking for healthier ways to make some of our family favorites!

I'm also pretty frugal, so when I noticed a bunch of bananas had turned black I went on the search for a healthier banana muffin recipe. What I found didn't dissapoint!!

All three of us LOVE these muffins, maybe a little too much, so I had to share with all of you!


Banana Muffins Sweetened With Maple Syrup

Original recipe from Cookie and Kate

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

Servings: 12 Muffins (That is what the original author said but I found it made more)

Serving size: 1 muffin

Ingredients: 

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey (I used maple syrup)
• 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water (I used water)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top if you'd like
• 1 teaspoon turbinado (raw) sugar or other granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top (I used raw coconut sugar)

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (I chose to use paper and silicone baking cups instead).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk/water, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now. I added chocolate chips!
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats (about 1 tablespoon in total), followed by a light sprinkling of sugar (about 1 teaspoon in total). Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan if you didn't use the paper liners or silicone cups like I did. These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).

This recipe is easily doubled, I found it made around 30 muffins this way with the added chocolate chips.

I hope you enjoy and please let us know if you tried it and if you'll be making them again :-)

Filled with HOPE,

Green Eggs In Honor of Dr. Suess

On the first Sunday of every month our church celebrates families with what they call "Ohana Sunday." Ohana, in Hawaiian, means family. And at our church, Ohana Sunday means games, fellowship, and a huge potluck. For the past two years our March Ohana Sunday has been themed Dr. Suess. It's by far my favorite Sunday when it comes to making fun food to share.

Last year I made blue jello cups with Swedish fish in them to go with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. This year I made cupcakes with blue frosting topped with those same Swedish fish, as it was a quicker way to accomplish the same theme.

But then I also made avocado deviled eggs to go with Green Eggs and Ham. They were DELICIOUS and healthy, so I'm sharing the recipe! I originally found it on Pinterest because, let's face it, where else do you find recipes?!?! The original recipe was from California Avocados, but shared on this website: This Mama Cooks.

I made a few tweaks based on the ingredients I had, the amount I wanted to make, and personal preference which will be reflected in the recipe below.


Avocado Deviled Eggs

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

Servings: 24 deviled eggs

• Serving size: 1 deviled egg

• 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
• 2 fully ripened avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, place egg yolks; add the avocado and mash until smooth.
2. Stir in yogurt, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
3. Spoon into egg white shells or place in a ziplock bag and snip the corner to pipe into eggs, dividing equally.
4. Arrange on a serving plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. (Don't serve long after 3 hours as the avocado will start to darken.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's perfect for a green food-themed St. Patrick's Day or Easter, and it's healthier too ;-)

Filled with HOPE,

Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, and Bean Recipe

Since this past August, I've been more consistent with my meal planning. My downfall always seems to be laziness. Then I get hungry and if I don't have the energy or desire to prepare something healthy I just grab some quick and convenient processed foods.

I won't say that I've been perfect by any means, but I've learned a lot, and I definitely stay on track better when I plan ahead for success.

Typically, on Sunday evening, I spend a couple hours putting our meals together for the week. Yes, it's a lot of time up front, but doing the prep ahead of time makes the rest of the week as simple as grab it, heat it, and eat it!

I was looking for some new recipes and came across this Chicken, Cauliflower Rice and Bean dish. Fortunately, it didn't need a whole lot of changes to make it Fixate approved. It was a winner for both Jake and I and SO easy to make! It will definitely be happening again! Below you'll find my changes to make this work for our eating plan and food preferences :-)

Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, Bean and Corn 

Ingredients

• 3 cups riced cauliflower (for quick and easy get pre-made)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin (divided use)
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup green bell peppers, chopped
• 3 cups chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• Pinch ground black pepper
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 8 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 8 oz can corn, drained

Directions

1. Preheat a large and deep non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add cauliflower "rice" and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until a bit golden, stirring frequently and watching closely not to burn. In the last minute of cooking add 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.


2. Return skillet on medium heat and swirl olive oil to coat. (If necessary scrape off small bits of cauliflower "rice"). Add garlic and green bell peppers; cook for 7 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.


3. Add remaining salt, tomato sauce, black beans, and corn; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cauliflower rice. Makes 4 servings and can be eaten right away or stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 5 days.

Notes: Can add a 1/4 cup of cheese on top or a 1/4 of a ripe avocado - this will add 1 blue container.

Approximate Fix Containers:

2 Green

1 Red

1 Yellow

1 Tsp.

Filled with HOPE,

Meal Prep: Take 2 – With Limes This Time!

You guys!!!

That first four days of meal prep I did last week was SO NICE I jumped into round two on Thursday. Below is photographic proof of how much this mom rocked it!

So what made it so nice? Well, even though the prepping itself can easily take 2-3 hours, depending on what you make and how much, once you're prepped you're prepped. No more scrambling 30 minutes before meal times trying to figure out what to eat. It is WORTH it!!

So, here's what I made for the next 4 days. If you read my last post (How To Meal Prep When You Don't Meal Prep) you might recall that I doubled up two different menus, as in I eat the same thing on Thursday and Saturday and eat another option Friday and Monday.

New Recipes I used:

Instant Pot Chili Lime Chicken

Baked Chili Lime Potato Chips



Thursday/Saturday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology.

Snack: 1/2 large apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 3/4 cup shredded Lime Cilantro Chicken, 1/2 cup black beans 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along with 2 hard boiled eggs.

Dinner: 1 lean hamburger patty served with lettuce and tomato (not pictured for freshness), choice of cheese, baked sweet potato fries (mine were Okinawan so they are purple), mixed veggies of zucchini and carrots.



Friday/Monday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology. (I seriously love it that much! If you want to try it for yourself feel free to contact me through my email at the top of the blog.)

Snack: 2 eggs cooked your favorite way, can add veggies and make a scramble or omelet.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup cut up strawberries and blueberries combined, 1/4 cup feta, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along, chili lime baked potato chips, carrots.

Snack: 3/4 cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries.

Dinner: Shishkabobs made of chicken marinated in lime juice, zucchini, tomato and pineapple, baked diced potatoes with your choice of seasonings, steamed broccoli with 1/4 cup cheese.

If you're wondering, what is up with all the lime? Well, there is a good reason. A friend of mine has a lime tree and so she has more limes than she can spare. She gave me over a dozen, and so for this meal prep I Googled all things lime to use what I had been given but also add some different flavors to the prepared meals. It worked splendidly!

If you have any questions about my meal prepping game, the Shift Shop program, or any of the recipes or links above, feel free to comment below or contact me <3

How To Meal Prep When You Don't Meal Prep

I am not by nature a meal planner/prepper even though I encourage my clients to do so—yep, I went there!

Truth is, my biggest struggle is the food! I LOVE all things sugar and carbs and it takes me great discipline to stay on track with a healthy, clean eating plan that has little to none of those things in it.

So when I go "all in" and fully commit to a fitness program and eating plan it requires me to do things I don't normally do. In this case, it was meal prepping.

In order to make it a bit more fun, I snagged the Instant Pot on Amazon when it was on sale for Prime Day along with ordering some Bento Boxes to make my food look like the professionals.

This is what I got: (affiliate links)

• Instant Pot DUO80 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, 8 Qt | Stainless Steel
• [20 Pack] 3 Compartment Meal Prep Containers BPA Free Portion Control Bento Boxes (39 Oz.)

With these items, it seemed as though I could conquer the WORLD, or at least the food prep world. Even though when I started out I was COMPLETELY unorganized. I hadn't nailed down exactly what I was going to eat each day, but I had purchased plenty of options to fit into the Shift Shop eating plan so it was just a matter of portioning things out.

So, with Google in hand, I put my new Instant Pot to work cooking sweet potatoes, eggs, and broccoli.

Recipes:

• Hardboiled Eggs Using The High Pressure Recipe
• Sweet Potatoes - Will warn you that the 2 that were on the smaller size became MUSH, but the 2 true medium sized ones came out perfect!
• Broccoli - pretty basic, but I didn't know how long to cook. Remember I JUST got my Instant Pot!
• The only other recipe I used to make my meal was for sweet potato chips!

If you're dying to know what I made, here we go!

Keep in mind I am in the "A" plan for the Shift Shop, which for week 1 is 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 4 proteins, 2 carbs, 2 teaspoon, 1 healthy fat, and 1 seeds and dressing.

To make it easier I started with 4 days worth, but doubled up two different menus, as in I eat the same thing Monday and Wednesday and eat another option Tuesday and Thursday.

Monday/Wednesday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology.

Snack: 3/4 Cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup cut up strawberries and blueberries combined, 1/4 cup feta, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along with 2 hard boiled eggs and 1/2 cup grapes, sweet potato chips from 1 medium potato.

Dinner: 1 serving of grilled chicken, 1 cup cooked broccoli, 1/2 large sweet potato with cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of butter.

(The other allotted teaspoon I account for extra virgin olive oil I used for cooking my chicken and sweet potato chips in.)

Tuesday/Thursday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology. (I seriously love it that much! If you want to try it for yourself feel free to contact me through my email at the top of the blog :-) )

Snack: 3/4 cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries. (Mostly the same because I want to use up the yogurt before it goes bad ;-) )

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup black beans, 1 serving grilled chicken, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing, 1/4 avocado (not pictured because I like it fresh), along with 1 cup of grapes.

Dinner: 1 serving of grilled steak, 1 cup sauteed zucchini, 1/2 large sweet potato with cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of butter.

(The other allotted teaspoon I accounted for on my steak before grilling and when I sauteed the zucchini.)

And there you have it! It's not too fancy, but all the meals are full of flavor and super yummy!

I also went ahead and made my husband these same meals (with his permission of course). In order to make it easy for us to grab food from the fridge, I used a dry erase marker and wrote on the top of each lid: name, meal, and day.

My plan is to do the next 3-4 days of prep on Thursday to round out the week. I may or may not pick two new meals for those days just to change things up. If I do new ones you better believe I'll share it with you!

So there you have it, my easy, simple, but delicious meal prep for Shift Shop. Having those cute containers to pull out of the fridge today really helped me stay on track 100% for day one.

If you have any questions about my meal prepping game, the Shift Shop program, or any of the recipes or links I shared above feel free to comment below or contact me <3

Blueberry & Avocado Muffins - Toddler Approved

I've been on the hunt recently for food that Toby can eat on his own, as he's proven very independent
when it comes to eating. I'm by no means a perfect mom but I do try to give him wholesome food when I can. Last week I was gifted a dozen avocados from my landlords uncle, and so I went on a mission to find a good recipe to use them in.

I cam across this Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins at Baby Foode and adapted it to make it work for us.
Blueberry & Avocado Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flower
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 ripe organic avocado, seeded and peeled (I used 1 1/2 because they were on the small side)
1/3 cup organic coconut sugar (original recipe called for 1/2 cup of organic raw sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plain whole fat yogurt [I used  Fage]
1 pint or 1 1/4 cup organic blueberries (I used frozen)

Heat oven to 375 and spray or line a regular or mini muffin tin.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, scoop out avocado, discarding seed, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg until completely combined. Add vanilla, yogurt and cinnamon and blend well.

Pour in the flour mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin tin, filling 3/4 way to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes for mini muffins (check to be sure they are done mine took longer) or 25-30 minutes for regular muffins, or until toothpick domes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transitioning to rack.
Makes 36 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins. Store in air-tight container on counter for 1 week (I stored in the fridge due to how quickly food spoils here in HI)

*I did notice my batter seemed to be pretty thick and upon doing a little research it looks like it may be due to the coconut sugar as it absorbs a lot of water. They still came out fine, just an fyi :-)

Toby loves them, he is able to eat them fine with only 2 teeth and the only downside is the mess he makes ;-)

Let me know if you try these for yourself or your little one and how you liked it!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Recipe

I know oatmeal is good for you, especially when you are breastfeeding... But I'll be honest, I don't
care for it very much. However, recently while getting lost on Pinterest I came across a recipe that sounded like it would be yummy! So I tried it out, and this gurl really liked it! So here it is :-)

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Serves 1
Container Equivalents (per serving): 1 Yellow, 1/4 Purple

Ingredients:
1 cup water
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon maple syrup


1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the oats and lower the heat to medium-high, cook covered for about 5-8 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed into the oatmeal.

2. Stir pumpkin into the oatmeal and then add in the maple syrup and spices.

3. Serve immediately

Hearty Chicken Rice and Veggie Soup Recipe

It was a chilly day here on Maui, and there haven't been many days I could say that! ;-) Soup just seemed to fit the bill. I haven't had soup in a while so I threw together some ingredients and made us a super yummy lunch!

How do I know it was super yummy? The husband went back for seconds and then two hours later was still talking about how good the soup was!

Win!

Hearty Chicken Rice and Veggie Soup

Ingredients

32 oz. Chicken Stock
Garlic Seasoning
Parsley Flakes
Oregano Seasoning
Salt
Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Brown Rice
1 Small Zucchini
1 Cup Carrots
4 Small Red Skin Potatoes
1 Chicken Breast

Directions

1. Pour chicken stock and rice into a large pot and add seasonings to taste (garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper), set on medium high heat.
2. Chop zucchini, carrots and potatoes into small chunks along with the chicken and add to pot.
3. Cook on medium high heat for approximately 30-45 minutes or until veggies and chicken are cooked through.

I paired mine with some Groaning Muffins I had in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Healthier Banana Oat Muffins & Cafe Mocha Shakeology

I've gotten in the habit of utilizing google to find my healthy recipes, but then sometimes I can't remember which one I loved and so I thought if I share them in here I would have them for later!

This morning it's a drizzly day, as hurricane Madeline is making her way towards Hawaii. So, that means it's the perfect day for baking and I had a hankering for some banana oat muffins and here's what I found!

Healthier Banana Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (if you life in HI it's always melted ;-) )
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 and best if overripe!)
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (can use milk of choice)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup old fashioned oats plus some extra to sprinkle on top
1 teaspoon granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 and prepare muffin tins (grease, cupcake liners or nothing if a non-stick pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil and maple syrup or honey. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in mashed bananas and milk and then add baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Add the flour and oats to mixture and stir with a large spoon, just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly, filling each cup about two-thirds full - for me that was 15 cups. Sprinkle the tops of muffins with a few oats and some sugar. Bake from 23-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool on wire rack and then enjoy!

I paired my muffin with my Shakeology for a mid-morning snack - here is the recipe I used!

Cafe Mocha Shakeology

Ingredients:

5 ice cubes
8 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1/2 scoop cafe latte Shakeology

Optional:
1 scoop Focused Energy for a morning pick me up!

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender, blend on high (or a setting for ice) until smooth. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy one or both of these recipe! If you are interested in getting Shakeology to try my Cafe Mocha Shakeology please comment below or use the contact me button at the top of the page!

Happy mid-morning snacking!

Groaning Muffins Recipe - Perfect For Labor & Breastfeeding

I sit here writing from my rocking chair, just days away from my due date and waiting on my little guy to decide to make his grand appearance.

Waiting isn't easy. When they tell you that the last month of pregnancy is the LONGEST, believe them! It's a whole new game when you get to that point - you don't know when it's going to happen, you are usually the most uncomfortable you've been the entire pregnancy, and if you are especially lucky you may be experiencing "pregnancy insomnia." It's a lovely condition that convinces your brain that even though you were tired at 9pm, you really don't need to fall asleep before 5am.

So, as I sit here rocking away and passing the time I thought I would write a few blog posts sharing some of the things I've done to prepare for labor and delivery.

First off I wanted to share this recipe I found for Groaning Muffins. They say it's a great food to have on hand to give you long lasting energy during labor, a go-to snack while breastfeeding and something you can easily pull out of the freezer. The original recipe can be found at Nourishing Joy, but the recipe below is what I used based on ingredients I had on hand and pregnancy brain ;-)

GROANING MUFFINS

24 Regular Sized Muffins

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon + cinnamon (I am notorious for adding extra cinnamon to everything!)
1 1/2 cups peeled, grated apple (about 1 very large apple or two small apples)
1/2 cup very finely chopped walnuts
1 large carrot, finely grated
1/4 cup finely chopped craisins (could sub with dates or raisins but I prefer craisins)
4 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled but still liquid (if you live in HI it's always liquid ;-) )
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350° and grease muffin tins.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then stir in the grated apple, nuts, carrots, and craisins. Then add in lightly beaten eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup and honey. Stir until mixed well.

The batter should be quite stiff and when you put it in the muffin tins it will be lumpy and thick (best done with two spoons). If it’s so stiff it’s unable to be mixed, however, stir in a bit of orange juice or milk. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Approximately 22-26 minutes for muffins.

I happened to be babysitting when I made them, and the little guy I was looking after FORCED me to share 2 ;-) So these muffins are mommy and toddler approved! The great thing about these muffins is that you can prepare them ahead of time and pop them in the freezer until go time, no worries of them spoiling before you go into labor, OR you can just enjoy them and make more if you've eaten them all before baby arrives!

Let me know if you tried them and how you liked them?