Recipes

Name: Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/4 C all purpose flour; 1/3 Dutch process unsweetened cocoa; 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 3/4 Cup mashed banana, about 2 medium previously frozen bananas; 1/3 Cup sour cream or Greek Yogurt; 1 large egg; 1/2 Cup granulated sugar; 1/4 Cup canola oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Generous 1/2 C dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 60 more chips for the top of the muffins

Whole30 #2: Days 7-9 Recap

April 14, 2015

I am documenting my second Whole 30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015) to this one (April 2015). Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did my first Whole30, why I am doing this one, and food diaries.

{Day 7}

Tuesday, April 7th 2015

I got the change to work from home in the afternoon. I love that! I was able to make a fresh lunch. No leftovers for me! Man, leftovers get so boring. It was nice to have something ‘fancy’.

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with sweet potato has, guac

We don’t have scrambled eggs often. Hardly ever. I got an herb packet while I was in Seattle so I am going to have to use that next time as they were good.

Lunch

Sauteed fish over salad with tomatoes, red onion, avocado, TJ’s verde salsa

I threw this together quickly once I got back from my final punchlist of a project. It felt like a celebratory lunch.

Dinner

Chicken breast with baby zucchini over lightly dressed greens

Price really likes these baby zucchini, I should get bags and bags of these when I go shopping there. They are quick to prepare and taste so good. I like that they don’t get very watery like how ‘adult’ zucchini tend to get.

{Day 8}

Wednesday, April 8th 2015

Woohoo! 1 week through. Today was a rough day, not because of Whole30 exactly, but because I am a moron. Such a moron.

Breakfast

Spinach and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche served with quacamole and salsa verde; venti cold brew with some cinnamon sprinkled on top

I made my quiche look like cake!!! It has quacamole frosting and a salsa finishing sauce. And I’ve lost my damn mind. It didn’t taste like cake. It didn’t trick me. It just made me more annoyed. I dunno. ha!

I grabbed this cold brew on the way into work. I was so excited that I had a moment to get a coffee and to try cold brew. I sprinkled some cinnamon on top. It was so good, but then…

Lunch

Salad- mixed greens with 2 hardboiled egg whites, sweet potato hash, (leftover) chicken breast, 1/2 avocado, with homemade ranch

I was in need of this salad. I felt so off from the caffeine bomb from the cold brew. I would have preferred something like a burger and fries, like when you ‘soak up’ booze after a night of drinking, but my salad was my only real option.

Snack

I had a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE headache from my caffeine crash. I thought I was going to throw up on the bus ride home. I had a bunch of water and this bag and started to feel better. UGH.

Dinner

Roasted Chicken with roasted green beans and grape tomatoes with a ‘special sauce’

I started to roast the chicken but then had to go to the gym so then it was Price’s job to take over. He finished it up and broke it down for our dinners and lunches coming up. It was really yummy.

I made a ‘special sauce’ with some homemade mayo, Franks Red Hot, and spices. So good!

Food Swap!

My friend Kellie is also doing Whole30 with us. She swapped (Puerto Rican) sofrito for mayo from me. I can’t wait to use it!

Exercise

I went to the gym!! I was supposed to meet with a trainer after work to create a program but he was sink or something so I met with the assistant manager who was nice and showed me some arms stuff to do. Looking forward to meeting with a train to create a real program and doing it.

{Day 9}

Thursday, April 9th 2015

No coffee for me today after yesterday’s mishap. ugh!!

Breakfast

Spinach and Sweet Potato Crustless Quiche served with quacamole

We didn’t like this quiche much. Maybe it was the sweet potato but not our favorite. Blah!

Lunch

Clementine with chicken breast and string beans, homemade mayo

My lunch felt boring but it was really good. I feel like I take too big of a serving of chicken but if I don’t eat much then I don’t feel full. And I don’t think it’s a volume thing as a protein thing.

Clementines are da bomb…

Dinner

Stir fry of shaved pork & baby bok choy on cauliflower rice

I really like cauliflower rice now. I don’t miss regular rice. I do like sticky, tart sushi rice but regular rice- blah.

I need to get more coconut aminos. It was missing form this dish. I have to be better prepared next time!

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Whole30 #2: Days 4-6 Recap

April 9, 2015

{Day 4}

Saturday, April 4^th, 2015

The weekends are hard for me. I don’t experience the time crunch that I do during the work week, necessarily, but I want to snack more. And I miss the big carb-y breakfasts. I want a waffle damn it!!!

Breakfast

2 Over-easy eggs over sweet potato hash

I wonder how long it will take for Price to bitch about sweet potatoes… ha! I gotta focus on changing things up for breakfast.

Update: First Sweet Potato comment: Day 9. ha!!

Lunch

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas over cauliflower rice, with tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, and guacamole

I whipped up a batch of cauliflower rice as it’s so easy to do, and it would be a great base to the pulled pork. Nice and filling.

Dinner

Adiele’s Chicken and Apple Sausage with sauteed broccoli and kale sprouts

This was a 1 pot meal. Perfectly low maintenance and quick. I first cooked the veggies, then added the sausage. Price had 3 sausages and I had 2.

{Day 5}

Sunday, April 5^th, 2015

Easter!! I wanted all the chocolate candies! Gimme all the Peeps and Cadbury eggs!!

It was such a great day with family. Plus, they were so sweet to make the effort to make compliant food. Awesome.

Craving: Buttery rich coffee cake with tons of cinnamony crumb on top. OMG couldn’t stop thinking on it.

Brunch

Crudite with homemade ranch dip, hashbrowns, scramble eggs, buffalo chicken wings

I made the crudite with fresh and flash steamed veggies. I made the buffalo wings too- Price’s favorite! I jsut made a big batch of ranch dip and used it for both. So good. perfect nosh food. We also had eggs & hashbrowns that Catherine made for us. yum!!!

Dinner

Bun-less hamburger with sweet potato oven fries. Burger served with lettuce, tomato, guac, mustard, homemade mayo, Frank’s Red Hot

This was such a good dinner to end the weekend. The burger was great as it had all the same ingredients I’d normally eat on a burger, just no bun! Plus, I made baked sweet potato fries. They barely had any oil. I just lightly misted them with olive oil and baked them at 450 for 15 minutes.

Side note: I love hash but the fries were so good as I used less oil than I normally use to make hash. Plus, I ate much slower as I ate them individually, instead of inhaling them with a fork.

{Day 6}

Monday, April 6^th, 2015

Glad we are 5 days in, 1/6th of the way through! I feel good with the progress. I like this challenge.

I have noticed that I am having trouble getting up in the morning. Not sure why it’s so difficult now when I’m getting more sleep than I was when I was nursing. Maybe it’s a deeper sleep so it’s hard to get out of it?

Breakfast

2 eggs over easy on a bed of sweet potato hash and asparagus, lots of Frank’s

I should have peeled the asparagus, it was still a little too woody for my preference. But it was a decent breakfast.

Almost lunch snack

100 calorie mini Lara Bar- Apple Pie

These are great to have on hand when I am starting to crash and I’ve done a loop around the office and have had some tea for a pick me up, to stay hydrated.

Lunch

Salad made of mixed greens, tomatoes, asparagus, some hardboiled egg, with homemade ranch dressing, guac

I managed to eat some yolk of the hardboiled egg. Amazing. They are so gross to me but I wanted to try to get over it. Going forward I will still stick with the egg whites but at least I tried it.

I love this ranch dressing!!!!

Dinner

Spiralized Turnip, Mushroom, and Tomato Risotto

This was really good. It called for 1 Cup of grated cheese in the recipe but I skipped it making it vegan and complaint. We both really enjoyed it. It would make this again, maybe add some sauteed kale too! (and def make it post Whole30 with cheese!!)

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Strawberry Nutella Waffles

April 8, 2015

My friend Dawn celebrated her birthday last week so I’m dedicating these waffles to her.

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Our Whole30 Recap and Why I am doing Whole30 AGAIN!

April 7, 2015

I had learned about Whole30 from people I followed on Instagram during the spring of 2014. I was intrigued about it as I was seeing people eat great food during the month and then they would reveal some amazing before and after pictures and stats. I knew I had to look into it more as it seemed like it was something that was really transformative.

Ultimately, Price and I decided to do Whole30 together as a way to transform what and how we eat. We wanted to enjoy the holidays, our cruise in January, and then buckle down in February. I picked for us to start after Super Bowl Sunday as I knew we would want to enjoy some last fun foods and beers before starting. It also gave me time to purge out the cabinets and properly prepare after our cruise.

There were times when Whole30 was a struggle but at other times it was easy and enjoyable. I still craved cookies like crazy throughout the process. And, of course, Price missed beer. But aside from that it was not too difficult. The mornings were the worst as it was hard to cook and eat at home while trying to get ready but it was not the end of the world.

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Spiralized Turnip, Mushroom, and Tomato Risotto

April 7, 2015

Spring is here! It finally feels like spring!! I am so excited!!!

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Whole30 #2: Day 1-3 Recap

April 4, 2015

{Day 1}

Wednesday, April 1^st, 2015

Here we go again!!

Like last time, the first day didn’t seem like it was such a hardship and I still felt normal. I’m awaiting my slump coming up in a few days. But the first day went perfectly. It felt great to start again.

Breakfast

Spinach and Mushroom Crustless Quiche and Homemade Bacon

I couldn’t resist making bacon to kick off this Whole30. And damn, was it good!! It was filling after I ate it and kept me satisfied for a long time. Of course,

Lunch

Simple salad with a sauteed pork cutlet. A Fruit bar

The greens for the salad were from a bag from Trader Joe’s, but it had butter lettuce in there that was really nice. I threw the salad together quickly so I forgot to put cucumber in, Bummer! But I took the time to make pork cutlets. We shared 1 large chop for our salads.

I then had the apple and strawberry Fruit Bar. yum!

Dinner

Beef with roasted fennel, onion, and tomatoes

I had to go back to work to get some stuff done so I focused on making a quick dinner. I did the roasted veggies as they are pretty easy to prep and taste really good. The beef was just reheated from a bag I got from Costco when I went shopping on Sunday. I love that as it’s a quick complaint option for busy lunches or dinners.

Late Night Snack

Since I was awake and (mentally) active later that normal I had some nuts as a snack. I had about 20. I love pistachios!

{Day 2}

Thursday, April 2^nd, 2015

Today felt good. It felt good that I was already 1 day into Whole30. I like mentally crossing them off the calendar. Getting through each day is a great accomplishment.

Breakfast

Spinach and Mushroom Crustless Quiche with Roasted Veggies

I ate this at work and it worked out well. I really like to eat breakfast there. Anyway, more quiche with leftover veggies from the dinner before. Really good!

Lunch

Salad with a hard boiled egg, roast beef, & guacamole

It was a big salad. I think all salads should be big salads. It was nice and filling from the volume of it and protein in it. I used up the leftover beef from the prior dinner. I heated it up since cold meat on a salad gives me the willies. I love fresh avocado on a salad but I didn’t have any at home so I used a 100-calorie cup of Wholly Guacamole. So good! I don’t like the yolk in a hard boiled eggs so I only eat the white park.

Dinner

Sauteed fish (seasoned with Adobo) with garlicky asparagus and tomatoes

The fish was from a Trader Joe’s. I don’t remember the kind, but it’s from a blue bag. It’s light in texture, and thin, allowing it to cook quickly, which is great for our busy schedule. I peeled the asparagus and then put it in with the fish so it was a 1 pan dinner! I added the tomatoes just a few minutes before the fish was done to heat up enough to just burst.

{Day 3}

Friday, April 3^rd, 2015

Today was the toughest so far, and it honestly wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t really craving anything but I was hungry. Very hungry.

Breakfast

Spinach and Mushroom Crustless Quiche with slices of Homemade Bacon, Smothered in Frank’s Red Hot

We finished up our quiche by having a slice each. And I made the rest of the bacon too (divided up between breakfast and lunch). The morning was rushed so I basically ate my bacon while showering- no joke. ha!

I honestly think I couldn’t survive Whole30 (or life!) without Frank’s Red Hot. I buy it in bulk from Costcos!

Lunch

Salad with homemade bacon and hard boiled egg white, a clementine, and mini Cashew Cookie Laura Bar (not pictured)

This was a damn good salad. Good flavors and textures. I loved the crunch from the bacon (leftover from what I made in the morning) and the softness from the egg white. Dressing was quickly thrown together with a complaint herb seasoning packet. It was pretty good! And I had a 100 calorie Cashew Cookie Laura bar. It got me over the hump that I was feeling about 45 minutes after eating lunch.

I focused on staying hydrated at work so I had a black coffee, water, and iced tea. Staying hydrated just helps me feel good, but helps with hunger too!

Dinner

Thick cut pork chops (cutlets?) with roasted veggies, served with whole grain mustard

I don’t know the difference from pork chops and cutlets. I should look into that. Anyway, these were really thick – about an inch! – boneless chops/cutlets. I seasoned the pork with Adobo and used the leftover bacon fat from the bacon I made in the morning to cook these bad boys. They were super thick so they took awhile, but I multi-tasked well and talked to my dad (feel better from your eye surgery!)The flavor from the bacon fat was so good!!

For the veggies I cut up fennel, onion, and kale sprouts. I got the Kale Sprouts from Trader Joe’s. It was the first time I had them so it was fun to try something new. Rounded out a really good dinner.

Late Night Snack

I was busy working on my laptop from having to leave early to get Autumn and I was crashing around 9.30pm (2 hours after eating dinner) so I had a heaping spoonful of crunchy almond butter. I started to feel better about 10 minutes later and go through my work stuff!

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What are your favorite Whole30 recipes? Please share!

Are you considering doing Whole30? Give it a try!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a #MadMenBlogParty

April 3, 2015

Hey, remember that time I wanted to dye my hair like Joan from Mad Men? And it ending up being a total flop!!!

Ooph, Christina Hendricks can rock the red hair, me- not so much. I just never could achieve the right kinda of red. Plus, I really don’t have the right coloring for it. I liked this red, but then it would fade so quickly while staining all our white washcloths, towels, and pillowcases. Then I played around with it myself and it got bright red. And then gave up and decided that I wasn’t Joan and had to just live with it. ha!

The final season of Mad Men is starting this Sunday night and I am not excited about it. No, that’s wrong. I am really excited it is starting back up, but I am not excited that it is the final season. I’m so torn!! I already am dealing with the fact that Cougar Town had its series finale on Tuesday. At least we got to have fun with my Penny can and drink wine!

I love when I get to incorporate food into something, like when I did all my NASCAR related “Sprint Cup Snacks” posts and created recipes based upon where they were racing each week. So when this #MadMenBlogParty popped up I was really excited because it would mean I’d get to whip up something all vintage-y.

To me a Pineapple Upside Down Cake would be a dessert that Betty Draper would whip up for a dinner party. And then Betty Francis would actually eat. ha!

Typically Pineapple Down Cakes are made in cast iron skillets, but I didn’t have a cast iron skillet large enough for the cake so I just used a 9″ round cake pan. I adjusted the process of melted the butter in the skillet to just melting it and then pouring it in the pan. I think it worked out really well.

It looked beautiful. I loved the geometry of it. Plus, the red cherries in the center of the pineapple rings where so lovely. A nice pop of color in it.

So enjoy Sunday’s episode and the rest of the season! I know it will be amazing. It will be hard to say good bye to it once it wraps up, but at least it was a great run. Oh man, the fashion, the drinks, the story-lines. And Don Draper. Yum.

Plus, what’s Mad Men viewing without some drinking so check out this drinking game. Not drinking? No worries, I’m not either now while doing Whole30, so just play with Mad Men bingo!

No matter what, enter this fun giveaway and be sure to check out Tom and Lorenzo’s episode and fashion recaps on Monday morning. I can’t wait!

In the mean time…

Join us for a #‎MadMenBlogParty‬!

Cocktails

Gin Rickey from Bakeaholic Mama
Whiskey Sour from Pass the Sushi
Old Fashioned from Poet in the Pantry
Mad Men Manhattan with Mushroom Pate from Creative Culinary
Pink French 75 from Kelly Bakes
Sazerac Cocktail from Jelly Toast Blog
Classic Negroni from The Messy Baker
Gimlet from Yankee Kitchen Ninja

Appetizers

Vegan French Onion Dip from The Viet Vegan
Pimento Cheese & Crackers from The Noshery
Chicken Salad Sliders from The Lemon Bowl
Crab Rangoon from Cooking with Jax
Fried Green Olives Stuffed with Blue Cheese from Simply Healthy Family
Cheesy Asparagus Spirals from Comfortably Domestic
Easy cocktail meatballs The Realistic Nutritionist
Crab Rangoon from Cooking With Jax

Desserts

JELL-O Crown Jewel Dessert Cake from The Apron Archives
Pineapple Upside Down Cake from I am a Honeybee

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to win an adorable vintage 4.5 qt Pyrex mixing bowl (valued at $30)! Fancy martini glass! $100 giftcard from Modcloth! YES PLEASE!!!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Makes a 9″ cake

Ingredients

1 1/3 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
3/4 Cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 Cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 Cup dark brown sugar
1 20-ounce can pineapple slices
7 maraschino cherries
1/3 Cup chopped pecans

Process

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the oil and milk to the bowl and beat for 1 minute. Add the vanilla, egg, lime rind, and lime juice, blending just until well combined.
Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of your 9″ round baking pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar around the bottom of the pan.
Arrange the pineapple slices on the brown sugar. Place 1 cherry in the center of each pineapple ring and then sprinkle the pecans on the pineapple slices. Pour the batter evenly over the top and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a circular platter.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles with a Maple Cream Cream Cheese Drizzle

April 1, 2015

I feel so out of the loop with things at times.

I’m out of the loop with movies, books, shows, news. You name it. But the thing I am most out of the loop with is movies. The last movie I saw in theaters was Flight… back in November of 2012. Lame.

This weekend Price binge watched a whole bunch of the Fast and Furious movies after Autumn went to sleep. I had no idea what was going on. I think I stopped watching the F&F movies after the second one. It was cool to watch the action scenes but I had no idea who was who or what was going on while I edited photos and drafted up blog posts.

He had seen them before so he schooled me on the movies but it was like in one ear and out the other. I did kinda understand what he was saying about the different movie names, although they still do sound the same to me. Like the first one was The Fast and The Furious and the fourth one was Fast and Furious. Not confusing at all guys…

I would like to actually watch all of the F&F movies at some point. But I think I’ll just be super sad watching so much Paul Walker. 🙁

Anyway, today Price and I are starting Whole30 again for the month of April. I’m excited to be doing it again as we really enjoyed the results of our first Whole30. Plus, my friend Kellie is joining in on the action! Yes, it’s strict but it’s so worth the effort. I am going to miss having waffles for the month but absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?!?

So while I won’t be enjoying these waffles this month, you should. They will make for the best start for Easter morning.

I swear that even the Easter Bunny will enjoy these waffles.

They are such a great flavor and texture. I love carrot cake so I loved these waffles.

But the thing that makes this breakfast so incredible is the drizzle. It has a cream cheese base, which is reminiscent of the cream cheese frosting you get on carrot cake. BUT it also has maple cream in it. It is the perfect mash up of cream cheese frosting and maple syrup.

A few weeks ago I met Carrie for brunch and she generously gifted some homemade maple cream to me and Liz. I had never had maple cream before so I was so excited to try it. Of course, I immediately fell in love with it. I use some in the drizzle for these waffles but if you don’t have some then use some maple syrup. But I think that you need to try some maple cream as it’s so, so good.

I hope that you enjoy these waffles as much as we did. xox

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles with a Maple Cream Cream Cheese Drizzle

Makes

Ingredients

For the waffles

1 Cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 Cup milk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots

For the Maple Cream Cream Cheese Drizzle

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons Maple Cream or maple syrup
1 Cup powdered sugar
approximately 2-3 Tablespoons milk

Process

To make the Waffles

Preheat your waffle iron per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together the the egg, sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Fold in the shredded carrots.
Laddle 1/4- 1/3 Cup of batter into your hot waffle iron. Cook until the

To make the drizzle

Beat the 4 oz of cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
Add the maple cream and continue to mix.
Add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
Starting with 2 Tablespoons slowly add the milk until you have reached the desired consistency.

Waffles adapted from Bakeaholic Mama,

Easter Chicks Cupcakes

March 31, 2015

Are you ready for Easter?!?! I am so ready.

I have lots of Easter-y stuff around to make a super, super cute Easter basket for Autumn. I had been hitting up the Target Dollar Spot and the local Dollar Tree to get lots of fun random things to include in her Easter Basket. Which might actutally be a bag, but you get the point. Lots of stickers, some barrettes, crayons, mini board books, and a flipping toy chick. And the ‘big’ toy is a pair of Doc McStuffin’s light up clogs. They are way too big but are super cute. I couldn’t resist because she loves to play dress up at daycare so, so much.

Plus, I picked up a bunch of eggs to dye with her this weekend. I’m sure it will be just one big mess but I think it will be a fun experience.

We painted some plaster eggs over the weekend and that was a great activity. Granted, she tried to crack them at first as we cracks the eggs for me when I make something. But once I explained they aren’t eggs to crack she got the point and got to painting. I’m going to have to keep those half painted eggs forever. So cute!!

Those eggs will last forever, but these Easter Chicks Cupcakes won’t!

These Easter Chicks Cupcakes are really Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes with some Green Vanilla Buttercream Frosting topped off with some green coconut ‘grass’ and Peeps chicks. But Easter Chicks Cupcakes sounds cuter.

I used a chocolate brownie cupcake base as I wanted the cupcake to look like the earth. The green frosting is the glue for the green coconut grass. And then the marshmallow Peep Chick finishes it off.

I used the traditional yellow Peeps Chicks but the Peeps Bunnies are just as cute.

I brought these cupcakes to daycare and the kids loved them.

Easter Chicks Cupcakes

Makes 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes

1 pound semi sweet chocolate, use a bar that your break into pieces or chips
12 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
2 Cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

For the frosting

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 Cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
green food coloring

For the ‘Grass’

2 Cups shredded coconut
green food coloring

24 Chicks Peeps

Process

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your muffin pans with paper liners.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler. Set aside to slightly cool.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the brown sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract.
Add the flour to the brownie batter and mix until just combined.
Evenly divide the brownie cupcake batter between the 24 liners.
Make for 25-30 minutes, or until the cupcakes are firm to the touch while the center is still moist.
While the cupcakes bake, make the ‘grass’. Put the coconut into a small bowl. Add about 10 drops of green food coloring and mix to color all of the coconut.
Make the frosting by beating the room temperature butter until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on slow speed until just together. Add the vanilla extract, milk, and enough food coloring to achieve a rich green color.
Once your cupcakes have baked and cooled, frost the cupcakes with just a bit of frosting. You want it to be a pretty thin amount over the whole cupcake.
Sprinkle the dyed coconut on the frosting. Insert a toothpick into the bottom of the Peep and then push the toothpicked Peep into the cupcake.

Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes adapted from The Cupcake, Frosting slightly adapted from Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook

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Brownie Waffle Sundae

March 25, 2015

I really believe that we all need to give each other a break more often.

I had a rough week last week. Too busy. Too rough around the edges. Just too much.

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Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

March 23, 2015

Muffins make me super happy.

They are really so good. Just delightful. A great way to start your day. Or have as an afternoon snack. Taking the time to bake them up on the weekend just signifies taking the time to treat yourself. Plus, they make your house smell so good. That smell should be a candle. Well, it probably already is.

We haven’t been eating muffins as much as before as we have been following a more Paleo- friendly diet, but that hasn’t stopped me from making them. We bring them to work or Autumn’s daycare. Sharing is caring.

But the thing I love most about muffins now is that Autumn and I get to make them together. She really wants to be involved when I am in the kitchen. I’ve found that baking works pretty well as there are no sharp knives. Yeah, knives don’t really work with tiny toddler hands. But she likes when I count out the Tablespoons or Cups of ingredients. and he LOVES cracking eggs. Seriously loves to crack eggs. She loves when I make crustless quiche as she can crack a dozen eggs.

So when it came to picking the recipe for month’s Secret Recipe Club post I knew I would have to check out all the baking related recipes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories so I could keep Autumn envovled. And Karen has so so many awesome recipes. I enjoyed browsing through all of Karen’s bread recipes as her recipe annex is quite extensive and they all looked so good. I have bookmarked so many recipes like her Chocolate Walnut Babka, Overnight White Bread, and Transitional Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread.

While bread would have been delicious to make I wanted to make something that Autumn could really help with. So I turned back to her well organized recipe index to find another recipe. I saw these Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins and knew they would be a great muffin and something manageable to involve a toddler.

These muffins are a real breakfast treat as they have 2 kinds of chocolate in the batter. But some days you just need a treat. But the banana makes them healthy, right? ha! The recipe calls for the addition of sour cream to the batter, but I didn’t have that on hand and knew I wouldn’t use the rest of the container, so I used Greek yogurt. I thought the taste and texture of the muffins so I think the ingredient swap worked just fine.

I also added chocolate chips to the tops of the muffins as you can’t have too many chocolate chips. That’s a fact.

I really suggest that you whip up a batch of these Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins for, or even with, the ones you love. Thanks for such a good recipe Karen!! So yummy!

Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/3 Dutch process unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 Cup mashed banana, about 2 medium previously frozen bananas
1/3 Cup sour cream or Greek Yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Generous 1/2 C dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 60 more chips for the top of the muffins

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the banana and sour cream/yogurt until smooth.
Add the egg, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Fold in the flour mixture and chocolate chips until just combined.
Portion evenly into the muffin wrappers. Add 5 chocolate chips to the top of each muffin.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, and then on a wire rack.

Notes

Slightly Adapted from Karen's Kitchen Stories

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Banana Buttermilk Waffles

March 18, 2015

I’m going to Seattle tomorrow!! And I am so freaking excited!!! SO EXCITED!!!

I am going there to visit my best friend Emily, who moved out there just about 2 summers ago. I haven’t seen her since last Christmas (’13) when she was back visiting family in CT and came up to Boston for an overnight so we could hang and she could meet Autumn. So it’s been far too long since I’ve seen her.

I’ve had this trip planned for months and months. I’m packed and ready to head to the airport from work. Autumn is staying home with dad so this is the longest time that I will be away from her. That will be hard but I think the trip would be tough on he/us. Plus, they get to have a funny Daddy & Daughter weekend together.

Emily and I have been planning fun things to see and do. And, of course, delicious things to eat and drink.

I’m looking forward to checking out Pike Place Market, Gas Works Park, and taking a Ferry Ride. Plus, I think I kinda have to check out the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. Oooh, maybe even the Grey’s Anatomy House. I’m such a dork.

We have been sending back a “Seattle Restaurant Tread” email for the past few weeks that is stuffed full of restaurants and bars that we could check out. The plan is so eat, walk, eat walk, and repeat all day. I can’t wait to check out places like Revel, Local 360, Toulouse Petit, and Marination in Ma Kai. So good!!!

I’ve posted a few banana enhanced waffle recipes recently, so I was not too sure about posting these Banana Buttermilk Waffles now, but I couldn’t resist.

Buttermilk waffles are always a great waffle. A family favorite! And with the added banana it just knocks the flavor out of the park. Plus, it just enhances the texture.

We always have bananas on hand and sometimes they get too brown and soft to eat, I’m sure the same happens in your house, so whip up these waffles with those brown bananas.

So, while you are enjoying these waffles this weekend I’ll be enjoying Seattle. I think it will be a great weekend!

Banana Buttermilk Waffles

Makes approximately 16 waffles, depending on waffle maker

Ingredients

2 bananas, mashed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Process

Preheat your waffle iron according to your manufacturer’s instructions.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and the vanilla extract. Pour into dry mixture, and combine.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter.
Ladle about 1/4-1/3 cup batter, depending on your waffle iron, onto each section of the waffle grid; spread batter almost to the edges. Close lid, and bake until steam no long emerges from waffle iron, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the cooked waffles to a cooking rack lined baking sheet; place in an oven set to low heat, about 200 degrees, while you finish making the rest of the waffles.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

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Banana Buttermilk Waffles