Blueberry Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

These muffins are low-fat and packed full of fruit and whole grains. Plus they taste delicious! They are very moist and not too sweet. They actually remind me of blueberry crumble, especially when eaten warm with a little butter and a cold glass of milk! We love them for breakfast on the go.

I hope you try these, at only 150 calories per delicious treat you won't be sorry!



Makes 12 large muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola or coconut oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I simple greased and floured a muffin pan, saving the paper.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Baja Fish Tacos with Corn Relish and Cilantro Lime Cream

These fish tacos are delicious. They take some time in the way of preparation, but are relatively easy to make. They are an adaptation from several recipes I have previously made with the addition of yummy corn relish and are easy to customize to your own taste. I have made them for guests with rave reviews! It is so fun to set up a taco bar and let everyone choose their toppings. Great served with black beans and some margaritas. If preparing for guests, I often make homemade guacomole for an appetizer.

I urge you to try these, you won't be disappointed!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound tilapia or mahi mahi fillets (I have used both with success)
• Corn or flour tortillas
• Shredded cheese (I use reduced fat)
  
• Shredded cabbage
• Avocado slices
  

For fish rub:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

For corn relish: you can adjust amounts based on your preferences

• 1/2-3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 3-4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  
• 1/2 jalepeno minced
• juice of 1-2 limes
• salt to taste
  

For cilantro lime cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions:

I start with making the sauces and prepping the toppings.

Corn relish:

1. Combinine all ingredients.
2. Salt to taste and place in refrigerator for 1 hour prior to serving.

For cilantro-lime cream:

1. Place cilantro and jalepeno in food processor or blender and chop.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
   
3. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Resist temptation to eat with chips! )

For fish:

1. Wash fish fillets and pat dry. Mix spices in small bowel. Rub each side of the fillets with rub until well coated and spice mix is gone.
2. Oil grill grates and place grill on high
3. Place the fillets over direct heat until they are just cooked through - opaque at the center but still moist, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Warm tortillas through. Arrange Taco bar with shredded cabbage, cheese, avocado slices, corn relish and cilantro-lime cream. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

This is a super easy crock pot recipe that tastes a lot like pumpkin pie without the crust. It is an easy dessert, makes the house smell amazing, and is actually pretty healthy. I modified the original recipe to cut some calories and it was still just as good. If you love pumpkin, you will really like this. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it is delicious. I love fall!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 12 ounces milk (I used skim)
  
• 1/2 -3/4 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want it, I used part brown sugar)
  
• 1/2 cup biscuit/baking mix
• 2 eggs, beaten (I used egg beaters)
  
• 2-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Whipped topping, optional

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Spray a crockpot with non-stick cooking spray and poor mixture in. Cook on low for ~ 3 hrs or until firm and internal temp reached 160 degrees. Enjoy!

Beef Empanada

Totally easy. Totally fattening. Totally delicious.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup Salsa
1 can of black beans, drained
1 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1 cup Shredded Mexican cheese

Directions: Brown meat and drain. Stir in salsa and beans. Place one crust on baking sheet and top with meat mixture. Cover with cheese and remaining crust. Seal edges. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool five minutes before serving.

Crockpot Jambalaya

I made this for dinner on Monday and we are still eating leftovers! I don't know a lot about jambalaya, but in my non-educated opinion, this was pretty darn good- and very healthy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 pound cooked turkey sausage, sliced
1 lb. frozen, ready-to-eat shrimp
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (I forgot to buy these at the store we went without this ingredient!)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cajun seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)
1 tsp. hot sauce (I also forgot to buy this!)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
In a crock pot, combine chicken, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 3 hours. Stir in thawed shrimp and sausage, cover, and heat until sausage and shrimp are warm. For me it took an extra 20 minutes or so on high. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over rice to serve. If you want a shortcut on the rice, buy the boil in a bag kind. We used one bag of brown rice mixed with one bag of white. It was SO lazy but SO incredibly convenient!

Also, with Scarlett as my inspiration, I'm adding a new label to our blog- "Healthy." I will go back and label some of the recipes.

Turkey Burgers

Our blog was looking a little lonely so I decided to post what I made for dinner tonight. Nothing too fancy, but a pretty delicious take on a turkey burger! I served these on whole grain sandwich thins with baked sweet potato fries on the side. Josh even gave them 2 thumbs up! I think you could easily make these into meatballs for sliders or pasta as they have a slight Italian twist and are very tender.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey (I used Jenni-O 93/7 fat content for a little more moisture, I think 99% lean may be a little dry)


• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  


• 2 Tablespoons Italian bread crumbs


• 2-3 Tablespoons finely chopped onion


• 1 1/2 Tablespoons parsley


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 Tablespoon Worcheshire sauce
  


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon pepper


• 1 red onion, cut into rings (optional)
  


• 4 slices of cheese (I used reduced fat colby-jack)

Directions:

Mix turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, worcheshire, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Divide into 4 portions and shape into patties.

Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Cook over medium heat, flipping once until internal temp reaches 180 degrees. (You can also grill them if you are not out of propane like me).

While burgers are cooking, put a teaspoon or two of olive oil in another non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Add onions and cover. Stir periodically and cook until tender and carmelized, about 10 minutes. (Optional step but delicious!)

When burgers and onions are cooked through, place a spoon-full of onions on each burger and then top with a slice of cheese. Cover and allow to melt.

Place on bun with desired toppings (Awesome with BBQ sauce)!

Hope you enjoy!

Baby Greens Top Pork Chops

This is recipe that was in a Wednesday newspaper supplement - I love this publication b/c it has recipes, coupons, and ads (which I use for price-matching). This is the first time I have actually used one of these recipes, and it turned out great! I paired this entree with roasted potatoes.

Ingredients:
2 3/4-lb pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 ounces washed, ready-to-eat baby arugula OR any type of firm lettuce (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat vinaigrette
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Remove fat from pork.
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
When very hot, add pork. Cook 2 minutes, turn, add garlic to pan and cook 2 more minutes. If you want your pork well-done, cook longer.
Remove pork chops to individual plates.
Salt and pepper cooked sides.
Remove skillet from heat and add arugula and vinaigrette.
Toss well. The leaves should be warm but still firm. Spoon leaves over pork.
(Makes 2 servings)