Whole Wheat Banana Strawberry Muffins

School has started for several of my friends and their families. We start early here in Southern Arizona mostly because we want the kids in school when its hot and out of school when its nice out. Plus, when the time off from school is shorter they don't forget as much. So they are out in early May before the heat wave of summer and go back in July or the first week of August. Then get a nice long fall break in October when all the heat is gone. My son has "learning time" 4 times a week as he's working through first grade math, geography, and reading materials - so you could say that school for us has started too - although we really didn't stop for the summer except for 2 weeks while on vacation.  

So in light of the joyous occasion of trying to feed everyone in a timely manner and get everyone to school and work on time - always a struggle in my house. Lol you should see us scramble on Sundays for church. But no worries. Here is a delicious problem solver at least for 1 or 2 days of the week. It is a healthy and super easy muffin recipe to whip up. Serve this along side some scrambled eggs if you have time, or just grab with a piece of fruit and go. Let them eat in the car. I am impressed that they really didn't crumble or leave many crumbs behind - its a very kid friendly and non messy mom approved portable breakfast idea. 

This recipe is from Krista at Joyful Healthy Eats. She has some amazing looking food on her blog. I really meant to change up the recipe. I absolutely love walnuts and strawberries together and I had them next to me when I was mixing it up but it didn't somehow make it into the bowl. Similarly, the turbinado sugar, a brown crunchy topping, that I adore to put on top of ANY baked goods was somehow left on the counter too. I love texture in my food and after my first bite I was mentally hitting myself for forgetting those two elements. Can I blame this on being pregnant? I don't know. Wink.. So no changes were made to the original recipe except the brand and flavor of the yogurt. Even vanilla yogurt has extra sugar that I wanted to avoid. Enjoy :) 

Makes 12 muffins - serving size 1 or 2 

Prep + baking time: 30 minutes

special equipment: cooling rack, muffin/cupcake pan, stand mixer helps but not necessary 

Ingredients:
2 cups of White Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup of light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup of coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ cup of plain greek yogurt (used one small container)
1 large egg
1½ cup of strawberries, chopped (6 strawberries)
optional nuts (1/4 cup - 1/2 cup)
optional raw turbinado sugar (a dash for the top of each one)

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the bananas, brown sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, yogurt, and egg. Blend it until its homogeneous - approx 2 minutes. 

2. To the same bowl add in the remaining ingredients except for the strawberries and nuts if you are adding those and not forgetting them like I did. Mix well but not overdoing it. 

3. Preheat your oven to 350. 

4. Fold in your strawberries and or nuts. 

5. Spray your cupcake/muffin pan and/or liners with nonstick spray. I usually use liners just to make the muffins portable if I need them to be. 

6. Divide the batter evenly with a soft spatula or a spoon. It is thick but it won't be dense I promise. If using, top each uncooked muffin with turbinado sugar for a nice surprising crunch and sparkle. 

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or whenever they are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Mine were done in 20 minutes but my oven usually cooks things a little fast. 

8. Let them sit for a few minutes on a cooling rack in the pan. Then transfer for a few more minutes onto the rack. Cool completely if storing for your next busy school filled morning. Feel free to go hide someplace and sleep like my cat did :) 

Stephanie

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Easy. Flavorful. Yummy... those are the descriptions that I thought of after taking my first few bites of this new dish. I heart American-Mexican food. Sometimes I think casseroles get a bad rap. In the past they were something I avoided like the plague because they were all made with the same canned, sodium filled, preservative-laden ingredients. I definitely grew up on casseroles, but as an adult my goal is still to enjoy food just in a healthier way. I have been able rework some of my favorites like tuna casserole, by making my own white sauce and using that in the place of a can of cream of whatever. 

Like most casseroles - I love their flexibility, make ahead-ability, and transferability. You can throw almost any vegetable or cheese in casseroles - gotta love that. They can be made a few days ahead, stored, then baked the night you need them. They are excellent for giving to someone who just had a baby or was in the hospital. Throw some foil on it and put it in a bag and take it to any potluck, friend's house, work function. Maybe its just the cheese talking... But there is just something about a casserole that means you care about them.

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Feeds 4 people 

prep + cooking time = 1 hour

Slightly adapted from cookbook: 

Homestyle Casseroles + one - pots

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of rice (I used long grain white)

small handful of chopped cilantro probably 3-4 Tbs

1 Tbs oil

4 chicken thighs (I used skin on, bone in, and just removed the skin before cooking)

1/2 jar of your favorite salsa (I used mild)

1 cup of shredded/grated cheddar cheese

1 cup of shredded/grated creamy gouda cheese 

1/4 cup of mild green chilies, chopped

optional: chips (used scoops tortilla chips made eating fun)

optional: avocado or guacamole

optional: sour cream or thick creamy greek yogurt 

Note: Next time I will use boneless thighs just for more kid-friendly option. It was difficult for my kiddo to navigate around the bone. I did like how moist the meat was - bone in meat is definitely easier to cook. Next time I will use brown rice instead of white for more flavor, and add in some corn just for color and and fun. Corn is really best in the summer. 

Directions:

In a pot parboil the rice. Fill the pot with water and turn it on medium. Once the water is boiling start cooking the rice and simmer the rice over medium low. After 10 minutes drain the rice from the water and set it aside. 

While rice is cooking, prep your baking dish by spraying nonstick spray into it or spreading butter throughout. 

While the rice is cooking also start the chicken. In a medium sized pan pour in the oil and swirl it around, and put the chicken in. Over medium heat, brown the chicken for 3 minutes on the first side. After turning the chicken over, pour the salsa over each piece and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be golden but will be still raw in the middle. 

Put the almost finished rice, half of the cilantro, and green chilies in the baking dish. Smooth it out to create a flat surface. 

Top the rice mixture with half of the cheese. 

Top the cheese with the chicken pieces. 

Top the chicken with the remaining cheese. 

Cover the entire dish with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Take the foil off and return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. 

Top the cheesy golden dish with the remaining cilantro. 

Serve with chips, guacamole, sliced avocado, sour cream... whatever sounds good

Enjoy!

 Stephanie

Crisp & Creamy Cucumber Salad

I love summer foods like cold salads. Tonight we tried out a new one with cucumbers, sour cream, and dill. 

Confession: I am kinda a sour cream snob. I only eat and buy two brands and refuse to eat anything else. I think sour cream tastes best when its made only with 1 ingredient, cream. Sometimes simple is best. And (grimacing slightly - I don't like to admit this part) my sour cream is always full fat. I don't like fat free foods or low fat foods. Half the time I find foods with less fat have added sugar in its place. I would rather have the full tasting flavor which makes me eat less of it because its so wonderfully rich. I feel fuller, and enjoy it more. Okay off my little soap box and back to this salad. 

Actually I have another confession. I don't absolutely love this recipe. I am not going to tell you, you have to make it because its going to change your life, or make your next bbq a huge hit. Although it might. I can see it pairing well hot dogs, hamburgers, and any other summer foods you can grill. While I avoid the common words that stream from most recipe introductions, as they convince and persuade you to try it, I am simply saying this salad is a good summer side dish. I wouldn't have thought about blogging something that I found average but my son absolutely fell in love with this dish. When he went back to the salad bowl, he was clearly disappointed that it was all gone. Then he asked me to make it again on a different night. All of that coming from a 5 year old means I have stumbled across something good. He is a great eater, but it is not often he asks for more salad. While it is a 3 out of 5 stars in my book, my kiddo would rate it 5 out of 5 for its surprising bright lemon flavor, easy & simple ingredients, and tangy sour cream. 

I hope you enjoy the salad just as much as my kiddo does! To create more interest next time I am going to add in some onion or tomato. I heart ripe summer tomatoes.

Crisp & Creamy Cucumber Salad

prep time: 35-40 minutes (only 5 minutes is hands-on time)

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart 

serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cucumber peeled, sliced lengthwise (into half circles), and then sliced into thin slices

1/4 cup sour cream

1 &1/2 tsp kosher salt (or more to taste)

1/8 tsp pepper (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp dried parsley

fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon - aim for 3/4 Tbs

5 easy steps:

1. Cut up the cucumber and put it in a strainer in the sink.

2. Sprinkle the cucumber with 1 tsp of kosher salt. Let it sit there for 30 minutes to pull the excess water out. You can skip this step but it will make your salad watery instead of creamy. After 30 minutes rinse the cucumbers off, pat them dry. 
3. Then combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix. 

4. Taste to adjust seasonings. 

5. Cover and refrigerate or eat immediately and enjoy. 

See super easy recipe. You might even have all these ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now. Until next time,

Stephanie