Spiced Orange Poppy Seed Muffins (gluten, tree nut, peanut, coconut free, no suagr added)

I was recently asked to share recipes for quick breakfasts.  The first thing that comes to mind is muffins and breads.  I love a good muffin with a cup of coffee. They are not only quick to make, but they also freeze easily, so in an afternoon you can bake a nice stock pile for the freezer.  They are convenient enough to grab on your way out the door, or toss in your bag for a quick snack later in the day.  Paired with a yogurt and some fresh fruit, you have a wholesome breakfast for your kiddos too.

To kick off my muffin mania, I am sharing my spiced orange poppy seed muffins.  I use the same basic base for most of my muffins as its low calorie but also packs some protein and is very versatile.  a little change with add ins or spices, and you have an entirely different recipe. 

These muffins boast the brightness from the orange zest and fresh juice, but have just a hint of warmth from ground cloves, and a little extra texture from the poppy seeds.  Not to mention, the beauty of the poppy seeds folded through out.  They are dreamy! To boost the orange flavor even further, I made a quick glaze using the zest and juice from 1 orange and just enough powdered sugar to make a loose glaze. 

Spiced Orange Poppy Seed Muffin

1 1/4C old fashioned oats (I use Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)

3/4C Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup gluten free flour (you can use regular ap flour. your calories will be lower per serving)

1/2C Chobani lowfat plain greek yogurt

1/3 fresh squeezed orange juice

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1T orange zest

1 1/2t baking powder

1/2t baking soda

1t vanilla

3T Splenda

4t poppy seeds

1/8t ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350'.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. 

Zest 1 large orange.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor or blender.  Pulse until just combined, making sure to not over process.  You don't want the batter to be completely smooth.  Divide into 12 muffins.  Bake for 20-22 minutes. Turn out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Glaze if desired.

Nutrition facts per my fitness pal (without glaze)

Total servings:12

Calories: 99

Fat: 2g

Sodium: 78.8mg

Carbs: 15.7g

Sugar: 1.2g

Protein: 4.2g

Berrry Crisp (Gluten, Wheat, Tree Nut, Peanut free)

I love having fresh berries on hand for snacking, breakfast, desserts, anything really. Unfortunately I tend to buy large quantities when I am at Sam's club and we just cant eat it all before they start to go bad.  When that happens, I make breads and muffins with them, or in todays case, I threw together this berry crisp.  It was the perfect accompaniment to our slightly spicy taco soup. 

There is something so deliciously wonderful about berries with cream, whether fresh or in a cobbler or crisp. It is one of life's simple pleasures!

This recipe is very simple, quick to throw together and you can use whatever berries you have on hand. Today I had strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, so I did a cup of each.

Place berries in a 9" square baking dish. I drizzled the berries with the juice from one lemon, then coated with a mixture of  2T cornstarch and1/3C Splenda, then thinly slice 2T butter and randomly place on top of berries.

For the topping, combine 1C flour, 3/4C Splenda, 1/2C Splenda brown sugar, 1/2t salt and 1 egg.  It will still be quite dry, but small crumbs like sand. Cover berries with your topping mixture, then drizzle 4T melted butter over the top.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Berry Crisp

Serving size:1/9th

For Berries:

3 Cups berries of choice (I used raspberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries)

juice from 1 lemon

2T cornstarch

1/3C Splenda

2T butter, thinly sliced

For Topping:

1C flour

3/4C Splenda

1/2C Splenda brown sugar

1/2t salt

1 egg

4T butter, melted

Place berried in greased 9' square baking dish. Drizzle berries with lemon juice; coat with cornstarch and spenda mixture. Place thin slices of butter on top of fruit.

Combine all ingredients for topping.  Cover fruit, and drizzle with melted butter.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown. 

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Nutrition Facts without whipped cream/ice cream

Serving size 1/9th

Total Servings:9

Calories-206

Fat-7.1g

Carbohydrates-32.4g

Fiber-2.1g

Sugar-15g

Protein-2.1g

Crock-Pot Taco Soup (gluten, dairy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, egg free)

I don't know about other families, but when I am putting together our meal plan for the next pay cycle (usually 12-17 days depending on when payday falls) my family tends to request the same meals every week.  Those staples include baked chicken legs, meatloaf, pasta of some type, hamburgers, and tacos.  I personally like more variety, otherwise I get bored quickly.  In an attempt to give the kids the meals they want, and keep some variety for myself, I have to be creative, which lead to the creation of this recipe. 

Since we are also very busy through the week with tae kwon do and dance, plus my husbands work schedule and different homeschool activities, I love being able to dump everything into the crock-pot and have dinner ready to go when we are.  If you don't have a crock-pot, you can make this soup on the stove top. Rather than cooking for 4-6 hours, simmer for about 30 minutes.

You will need, minced garlic, 2 cans tomatoes with chilis, 2 cans kidney beans, 1 can corn, a medium onion, fresh cilantro, chicken stock, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper, and 1lb ground hamburger (not shown)

Dump it all in your crock-pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours, though longer is just fine as well

serve with your favorite toppings. We had sliced black olives, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, shedder cheese, avocado and extra cilantro

As with most of my recipes, I like to keep it flexible so you can use what you have rather than making a special trip to the store for a missing ingredient, or having to buy items you normally wouldn't buy. Don't have kidney beans? Use chili beans or black beans, or a combination of any of the 3.  Don't have tomatoes with chilis? Just use canned diced tomatoes, or even some salsa! Or if you don't want to buy several different spices, just use a packet of taco seasoning.  I prefer to buy individual spices due to possible cross contamination and hidden allergens.  The best part about cooking, is just having fun with it and making it work for your preferences and restrictions. Remember, your nutrition facts will vary slightly though if you substitute ingredients.






Crock-Pot Taco Soup
Servings:10

1 can corn with juice
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes with chilis
1 medium onion, diced
4 Cups homemade or store bought chicken stock
1t black pepper
2t ground cumin
1T paprika
1T chili powder
2T minced garlic
1/4t cayenne pepper
1lb ground hamburger, browned and drained
1/4C fresh cilantro leaves, whole or chopped
Condiments of choice, we like shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh avocado, sliced black olives, more fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips)

Combine all ingredients in your crock-pot and cook on low 4-6 hours.  Serve with condiments of choice. 


Nutrition Facts (before added toppings)
Total servings 10
serving size:about 3/4C

Calories-190
Fat-4g
Carbohydrates-21.6g
Fiber-7.5g
Sugar-6.2g
Protein-16.2g

The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins (gluten, tree nut, soy, corn free, no sugar added, and dairy free option)

Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin is one of my all time favorite flavors and scents.  It screams autumn to me and I long for autumn all year long.  The crisp air, and dampness.  The vibrant leaves, and the musty, earthy smells.  It all speaks to my soul.  Naturally, as autumn approaches, pumpkins pop up everywhere, along with the sugary, fake pumpkin items in the store. 

Even before we had to accommodate food allergies or my restrictions with weight loss surgery, I always spent a few weekends stock piling pumpkin, banana and zucchini bread in the freezer so I would have it on hand at a moments notice.  I have had to make a few modifications to my recipe. I use the same basic base for all of my quick bread, and it originated with banana bread which was the very first recipe I ever created 100% on my own.  Don't worry, I will be sharing that as well! This recipe yields a flavorful, moist muffin that satisfies your craving without killing your calorie count for the day.

Lets jump right in shall we??

To start, you will need 1 1/2C gf flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2teaspoon salt, 1/2C Splenda, 1/2C Splenda brown sugar blend, 1 stick butter, 2 eggs, 1 can pure pumpkin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 How gorgeous is that pumpkin?!

In the bowl of your mixer, combine both sugars, butter, and pumpkin.  Mix until combined. 

 Then, mix in both eggs.

Finally, add in the flour, spices, soda and salt.  Mix until just combined.  You DONT want to over mix!

You will be left with a fairly thick, delectable batter.

To prevent the muffins from sticking to the papers, I spray them with a little cooking spray before filling.  Fill each paper with your batter.  Since it is thicker, you may want to wet your finger and lightly tap down any lumps and bumps. 

I add a quick oatmeal crumble topping to mine.  To make it, mix together 1/2C old fashioned oats, 2Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Sprinkle evenly over muffins.

Bake at 350' for 25-30 mins.

Cool, and enjoy!

Little Mister couldn't wait to dig in, and grabbed some off the plate while I was photographing them!

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2C Gluten free flour ( I use Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup) or use a regular all purpose, though this will change your nutrition stats a little
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2C Splenda
1/2C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
2 eggs
1/2C butter, softened (to make dairy free, see notes below)
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Optional Oat Topping

1/2C old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Nutrition Fact Without Topping (with topping listed in parenthesis)
Serving size 1 Muffin

187 calories (222)
9.2g fat (11.4)
22.6g carbs (26)
2.8g fiber (3.7)
10g sugar (10.1)
3g protein (3.6)

*To save extra calories, omit topping and replace butter with 1/2C unsweetened applesauce, and use 1 Cup Splenda, omitting Splenda brown sugar blend

Nutrition facts with the edits above
Serving Size-1 muffin

84 calories
1.5g fat
15.9 carbs
3.1 g fiber
2.9g sugar
2.9g protein

Orange Pineapple Chicken Drums (Gluten, Tree Nut, Peanut, Dairy, Egg Free)

When we first went gluten free with Little Miss, there was a period of time where it felt like we would never be able to enjoy a lot of our favorite foods anymore. There was a definite learning curve and a period of mourning over the foods we were going to miss out on.  Now of course, once we got our footing with the new dietary restrictions in our home, we learned of the multitude of amazing products that are available in the gluten free world.  I am going to feature one such company with this recipe.  One of our favorite take out dinners is Chinese.  Between the sauces used, the breading on things like sweet and sour chicken, noodles, and the soy sauce, there is hidden wheat everywhere when ordering Chinese in.  We have found a couple local joints that we can go safely, but I still prefer to cook at home. 

Several years ago I entered a giveaway on Facebook hosted by another gluten free family for San-J products.  I had never heard of the brand before but loved that they offer products like gluten free soy sauce, Mongolian marinades, Thai peanut sauce, and so much more.  We quickly fell in love with their line of products and use them regularly in sauces, marinades, stir fry, etc.

I received this great set from Moms Meet to try and review with my family and it was such a great fit with what I share here as well. 

For dinner last night we decided to try a new San-J product, the Orange Sauce.  It boasts a strong orange flavor with a subtle saltiness of soy sauce.  Using other items I already had, I made a flavorful chicken dinner that everyone enjoyed.


In addition to the orange sauce, you will need crushed pineapple, chopped yellow onion, black pepper, garlic powder, and ginger

Mix 1cup orange sauce, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup diced onion, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ginger in a small bowl. 

Pour over your chicken, coat evenly, and refrigerate 4-8 hours, stirring to recoat chicken occasionally.

Place chicken in large baking dish, top with a spoonful or two of your marinade and bake at 375' for 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 165'.

I served with baked sweet potatoes.

Orange Pineapple Chicken

1C San-J Orange sauce

1/2C crushed pineapple

1/2 C diced onion

1T garlic powder

1t black pepper

1/2t ground ginger

2lbs chicken drumsticks, or cut of your choice

Preheat oven to 375'. Mix first 6 ingredients together in small bowl.  Place chicken in large bowl, and pour maridade over.  Stir chicken to coat.  Cover and refrigerate 4-8 hours, stirring occasionally to re-coat chicken.  Place chicken in baking dish and top with a spoonful or two of the marinade.  Bake for 45 minutes or until thermometer reads 165'. 

Nutrtion facts for the marinade

Serving Size-2T

Number of servings-16

Calories-43

Fat-0g

Sodium-171mg

Carbs-10g

Sugar-7.7g

Protein-1g

*I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer.  As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog.  The opinions posted are my own.

#MomsMeet Olive Oil Review and recipe for Vegetable cakes with egg (dairy, gluten, sugar free, vegetarian)

I have been working with a great group called Moms Meet where you get the opportunity to try products in exchange for your honest opinion. In the past I have tested products in home with friends. Then I got the opportunity to test European Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for a recipe for my blog. How could I pass that up?? The olive oil sample kit I received is from the Flavor Your Life campaign which is supported by the European Council, Unaprol, and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. Their goal is to provide the latest news on European Extra Virgin Olive oil. They aim to educate US consumers to make the most informed decision when purchasing olive oil. You can learn more by clicking here. What is extra virgin olive oil and how does it differ from virgin olive oil? EVOO is the freshly pressed juice of olives. It is cold-pressed, meaning heat and chemicals are not used. The acidity of EVOO must be below 0.8% or virtually free of acidity. This is the percentage of oleic acid which is a fatty acid. Higher levels indicate either improper production or a rancid product. When cooking with EVOO, feel free to experiment different oils. Use more delicate oils for dressings or condiments, or paired with mild foods such as fish or veggies. Use stronger flavored oils with foods that can stand up to the stronger flavor, like steak or spicy soups. since EVOO has a high smoke point, it is suitable for cooking and can compliment any meal. You should always store your EVOO in a cool, dark pantry away from heat and light, which can cause decay. Be sure to never store next to your stove, and to use within 6 months of opening to ensure freshness. Why choose European EVOO? over thousands of years, the olive tree has been evolved into hundreds of different varieties. The result is an old bond between the people and the land. Europe offers a vast array of flavor profiles which is greatly impacted by the region it is grown and the climate, soil and time of harvest. Olives harvest at the end of the season tend to taste more mild and butter. Spanish oil is commonly golden yellow and fruity or nutty in flavor while Italian oil is dark green and has a more herbal aroma and grassy flavor. Greek oil pack a strong flavor and aroma and tends to be green in color. French oil is pale in color and has a more mild flavor. The sample kit I received had A packet of recipe cards, a sample bottle of EVOO, an olive oil dipping dish, and a flash drive with information about Farchioni, which is the olive oil company that provided my sample. The olive oil I received had a wonderfully mild flavor that paired well with the recipe I chose to make.

I had to use the olive oil in either a provided recipe or in one of my own. I of course made one of my own though you may be seeing some of the recipe from the provided cards.  I have been making these vegetable cakes for a couple months and they have become one of my staple lunches so I thought I would share.  It is one of those recipes where you can really use whatever you have on hand.  Just remember, if you are keeping track of nutrition, formulate the recipe with any substitutions you use. 

The day I decided to make these to photograph for this post, I used sweet potato, zucchini, yellow onion, and jalapeno.

You will need sweet potato, zucchini, onion, jalapeno, egg, garlic powder, pepper, EVOO, and flour.

FInely grate all veggies.  You will need 1 1/2C shredded veggies total.  Here I used 3/4C sweet potato, 1/2C zucchini and 1/4C onion, and then tossed about 1T grated jalapeno.

 It is important to remove as much excess liquid as possible.  This is done easily by putting your shredded veggies into a dish towel and twist and squeeze the liquid out.  As you can see, there was quite a lot of liquid from such a small amount of veggies!

Mix your shredded veggies with 2T gluten free flour, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Mix well and form into 3 equal size patties, making them about 1/4" thick.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil on medium high heat.  Carefully place your veggie cakes in the hot skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes, then flip.

Cook other side for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. 

Remove to plate. While these are amazing all on their own as a side dish, I often top mine with an over easy egg for a quick bit of protein and to make it a complete meal for me.

Veggie Cakes w Fried Egg.

Recipe yield: 3 patties

Serving size: 1 patty

1 1/2C shredded veggies of choice. Be sure to include 1 starchy veggie to help as a binder.  I have used a combination of sweet potato, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, jalapeno.  Feel free to experiment to find the flavors you like best.

2T gluten free flour

1 large egg

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons EVOO

Shred desired veggies finely.  Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible.  The easiest way to do this is place the veggies in a dish towel and ring them out.  place veggies back into bowl and add in flour and spices.  Mix well.  Form mixture into 3 equal sized patties about 1/4" thick.  Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a skillet.  Once the oil is hot, carefully place veggies patties in pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until a nice golden brown.  Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes on the other side until golden brown.  Remove to plate.  If desired, top with a fried egg.

Nutrition Facts with fried egg

Serving size: 1 veggie cake

Calories 166

Fat: 9.8g

Carbs: 11.8

Sugars: 2.2g

Protein: 9.4g

 I received this product for free from Moms Meet (www.momsmeet.com), May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my honest opinion on my blog.  The opinions posts are my own.

Not your Mommas BBQ sauce (dairy, egg, gluten, nut free, reduced sugar)

Everyone loves a good barbeque sauce.  As a bariatric patients, its hard to find a delicious, hearty sauce that isn't loaded with sugar.  I have tried a few different store bought sauces, and while good, they are lacking something. So I decided it was time to create my own sauce, and it is everything I wanted in a barbeque sauce.  It is sweet, but tangy, with a hint of spice. It is just as good on grilled chicken as it is on pulled pork.  And it is so easy! You literally throw everything in a large pot and just cook it until it is the thickness you want.  Last night I used it on some grilled chicken drumsticks, and even the kids cleaned their plates. My favorite part?! This sauce has only 16 calories per serving and only 2 sugars!

Here is what you need :

Apple cider vinegar, Truvia brown sugar blend, Worcestershire sauce, dark diet soda, liquid smoke, yellow mustard, cayenne pepper, onion powder, minced garlic, tomato paste, and reduced sugar ketchup.

Put everything in a large pot and whisk together.

Heat on medium high until it begins to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cover. Let simmer until it reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  I let mine cook down for about 30 minutes.

Use immediately or let cool and store in a large mason jar in the refrigerator.

Please let me know in the comments what you think!

Not Your Mommas BBQ Sauce

Serving size: 2T

2 1/2C Dark diet soda (Diet Pepsi, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Diet root beer)

1/2C Apple cider vinegar

1/2C Reduced sugar ketchup

2 6oz cans tomato paste

3t yellow mustard

2T minced garlic

2T Worcestershire sauce

2T Liquid smoke

3t onion powder

1/2t cayenne pepper

1/2C Truvia brown sugar blend

Mix all ingredients in large pot. Cook on medium high until it comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Allow to simmer until it reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or allow to cool completely and transfer to large mason jar.  Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts:

serving size 2T

Calories:16

Fat: 0g

Sodium: 59.1mg

Carbs: 4.4g

Fiber: 0.3g

Sugar: 2.2g

Protein: 0.5g