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Classic Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes about 4 to 4 1/2 dozen cookies Preheat the oven to 350 F INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup soft butter 1 cup peanut butter 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon […]

Frosted Cinnamon Buns

Preheat the Oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit INGREDIENTS: 2 cups all purpose flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/3 Cup and 1 tbsp shortening 2/3 cup milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon DIRECTIONS Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. With a pastry cutter, finely cut in the shortening until crumbly. […]

Healthy Chocolate Avocado Muffins

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These muffins are sweetened with maple sugar and contain a dose of healthy fats from the avocado! In addition, it uses coconut oil as a substitute for an unhealthier option such as butter and almond milk as a healthy alternative to dairy milk! They’re perfect to go with your midday caffeine fix, as the dash of espresso makes them a great to have with a good cup of coffee.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat (White, or wheat-free) flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp espresso powder or ground coffee beans
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted & peeled
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut OIL, melted
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  1. Preheat your oven to 350*F. Prepare your muffin tin by greasing with non-stick cooking spray or baking liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. Measure the coconut OIL and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds. In a food processor, puree the avocado, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Stir together with a wooden smooth until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
  5. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are slightly cracked. Remove from the oven and do not remove from the muffin tins for an additional 15 minutes to let them cool.
  6. Keep stored in an air-tight container. You can also keep them stored in the fridge, like we had to do once our place became too humid. They taste fantastic cold!

 

 

 

Oil-free Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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This came out super moist, sweet and perfectly delicious! A healthy take on a classic banana bread.
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • ⅔ cup applesauce
  • ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat your oven to 325º F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
  2. Combine bananas, applesauce, yogurt, eggs and honey in a large mixing bowl. Add flours, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  3. Pour the banana mixture into the loaf pan and bake for about 60-85 minutes. If you use two smaller pans, the cook time will need to be adjusted. It will probably take around 45 minutes.
  4. Use the toothpick method to check and see if it’s cooked in the middle. Cool on rack and then remove from pans. Slice and enjoy!

Skinny White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

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Okay so these muffins are butter/oil-free and are absolutely heavenly! They were quick to whip up and came out sweet, moist and tasting like summer!  The muffins can be easily made vegan if you use the egg substitutes, coconut yogurt and if you can get a hold of some vegan white chocolate!

Ingredients:
1 Cup coconut yogurt (Or greek yogurt if you’re not vegan)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of corn starch or 2 flax eggs (2 eggs if not vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used oat, barely, rye)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup vanilla or white chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, yogurt and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. 
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; add to yogurt mixture just until blended. carefully Fold in raspberries and chips.
3.  Fill greased or lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (20 minutes worked perfectly for me). Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from trays to a wire rack.

Creamy Spinach Tomato Rotini Pasta

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INGREDIENTS

1 medium tomato diced

1 1/2 cups Rotini pasta (uncooked)

1 clove garlic minced

1/3 of an onion

1 cup spinach

1/3 cup cream

1 tablespoon flour

about 1/4 cup  cream cheese

3 tablespoons tomato sauce

Olive oil

Fresh Basil chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Start boiling water for the pasta and add a dash of salt.

In a frying pan, on medium heat throw on a swig of olive oil and add the minced garlic and onion, let that cook for about a minute. In a seperate bowl whisk together the flour and cream, turn the pan’s heat down to low and add the rest of the ingredients. Finally, add the pasta last once cooked.

 

Light Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

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This Hummus recipe is the perfect, light consistency and full of flavor! It’s great for snacking on with veggies, or whip up some of the homemade chips and serve it at your next summer bbq!

 

 

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Start by cutting 2 red bell peppers in halves and place them skin side up in an oven or toaster oven. Roast them on broil until the skin is nice and charred on top. Once they’re done put them in a ziplock bag for about 10 minutes and then the skin should be easy to remove.

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Put all the ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth.

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Once the red peppers are added it should turn a more orangey shade.

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Serve with veggies, crackers, pitas, on a sandwich or with these homemade tortilla chips!

Hummus Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 whole red bell peppers (Or about 3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers)
  • One 15 oz or 19 oz can chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice or about 1 large lemon
  • One large garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:

Strain and rinse chickpeas, add all ingredients to food processor until well combined. You can optionally add 1/4 cup of tahini, but mine tasted fine without!

Garnish with paprika and olive oil and serve with homemade tortillas!

Tortilla Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

  • Round corn tortillas
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a bowl and brush a thin coating onto your baking trays. Brush the top of each tortilla with a thin layer of oil and lay them in a pile. Using a sharp knife, cut your tortilla stack in half using one firm chop, if possible. Continue to cut until you reach a desired chip size. Place the tortillas un-oiled side down in a single layer on the oiled trays. A little overlapping is fine, but not too much or they won’t crisp. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over the tops, assuring that all of the wedges get a touch of salt. Place trays in the oven and bake for 8 – 12 minutes. Check your chips at 8 minutes and rotate your pans. Thinner tortillas can burn easily so keep an eye on them. They’ll be done when the edges are crisp and curve slightly from the tray. The chips will still be flexible in the middle, but will crisp further as they cool. Remove trays from the oven and let cool slightly. As they cool, the chips will continue to crisp all the way through. Test one and if it isn’t as crisp as you would like, return the trays to the oven for another 2 or 3 minutes.

 

 

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes

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Mmmm nothing like a good old fashioned sweet vanilla cupcake. These are perfect for baking with the kids and letting them get creative with the frosting and decorations!
flour
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and  salt. Set flour mix aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together eggs and sugar, then add vanilla and oil and continue mixing.
milk
To make buttermilk I added about half a tablespoon of lemon juice to half a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
mix
Alternate between adding half the flour mixture and half the buttermilk to the butter mixture.about half of the flour mixture and beat until just combined and smooth.
Pour the mixture into lined muffin trays filling each about halfway. muffin
Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until they just start to golden up at the edges.
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Let cool before icing and decorate however you wish!
Yields: 15 cupcakes (I got about 17)
INGREDIENTS
  • 1¼ cups cake flour or Canadian bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¼ cups  flour, 1¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp salt and set aside.
  2. In an electric mixing bowl beat the 2 eggs and sugar together on medium speed.
  3. Add vanilla and oil and continue mixing.
  4. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mix and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined and smooth.
  5. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan filling each about halfway.
  6. Bake for 12 -14 minutes at 350°F (I had them in for about 17 minutes but my oven is quite old). Let them cool in the pan for a couple minutes before removing to a cooling rack
  7. Once the cupcakes are cooled to room temp, ice and decorate them as desired! All we had was chocolate icing and it turned out great with the vanilla cupcakes.

Sparkling Blueberry Citrus Refresher

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With the summer heat waves pouring in this Berry Citrus refresher is the perfect way to stay hydrated and healthy. Try whipping together one of these when you’re craving a soda or fizzy drink while you’re enjoying the blazing summer sun!

DIRECTIONS

Grab a glass and add a handful of frozen blueberries (or berry of choice) along with a wedge of lemon or orange. Pour in some grapefruit perrier (or any carbonated water) and top with ice.

Enjoy the simple midday refreshment!

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

 These muffins are ideal for mornings when you crave breakfast for dessert! They’re sweet, satisfying and moist without having any added butter or oil! The oatmeal keeps you full, the applesauce and greek yogurt add moisture and nutrients while the bananas add the perfect sweetness and flavour!
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Yields12 Muffins (I ended up with closer to 16 muffins)
INGREDIENTS
2 ripe bananas mashed (I used 2 and a half and a little less sugar)
3/4 Cup Almond Milk (or milk of choice)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg
3 Applesauce
2 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
2/3 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1- Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line muffin pan.
2- Combine flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix until well combined and set aside.
3- In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, egg, vanilla, applesauce, and greek yogurt. With an electric or Kitchen Aid mixer, beat until everything is well combined.
4- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on low until smooth and well combined.
5- Fold in the chocolate chips (optional) and pour mixture into the lined or greased muffin pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow muffins to cook in muffin pan until cool.