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