Easiest ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe

These are pretty much a staple at my house in autumn.  You probably already have the recipe, but if you don't...you need it!  My friend, Stacey, one of those perpetually thin, beautiful people, recommended this recipe.  When you have a friend who is perfectly toned all the time, like Stacey, and she tells you she has a delicious recipe that is also VERY low in calories and tastes like it would be loaded with calories...you tend to listen.  Ever since she shared this recipe with me...like 8 years ago or something...these muffins are a frequent visitor of the Allen household.  P.S.  Stacey was right...even with the chocolate chips...these only have 94 calories a piece!!!  Without the chocolate chips, the way Stacey makes them, they are only 54 calories a muffin!  If only I didn't crave that chocolate...

 Easiest Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe


1 box spice cake mix
1 16 oz. can pumpkin
3/4 C- 1 C chocolate chips
1/2 C water

Mix all ingredients together with mixer on low speed for about a minute and then on medium speed for another minute.  Spoon into greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees or 20 minutes.

Chocolate Pancakes

Chocolate pancakes?  Why?  Here are my many reasons for making chocolate pancakes:

1.  They are full of whole grains
2.  They are delicious
3.  My kids absolutely loved them
4.  My husband loved them
5.  Cocoa is a powerful antioxidant and full of nutrients
6.  I didn't have to fight my kids to eat them
7.  Because they are so dark...no one knows if I burned them or not (just kidding!)

Chocolate Pancakes

3 C milk
2 eggs
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch Process Cocoa)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 T baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix together milk, eggs and oil.  Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix on high speed for 2 minutes.  Bake on greased, preheated griddle.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Okay, why do I love this soup so much?  Well, I saw a very similar recipe on a blog and thought..."hmmmm...that is full of veggies, my family probably wouldn't like it.  hmmm...but you do puree the veggies.  hmmm...I'm going to try this out and see how it goes over."  Well, I'm pleased as punch to tell you that my family LOVED it!  My husband kept saying, "This is AWESOME!"  My kids told me it was amazing...even my son who HATES butternut squash loved it.  They had no idea that is was amazing healthy with all kinds of pureed veggies composing the thick broth.  All they knew was that they LOVED it...that is a winner in my book.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

8 C chicken broth (or 8 C water and 8 tsp. powdered chicken broth)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 medium potatoes
2 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped ( had mine already pureed and stored in the freezer)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cumin

Place all of the above ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a full boil.  Reduce heat and cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken and puree the rest of the soup in a blender.  Return pureed soup to pot.  Chop or shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

Add:

3/4 C sour cream
1-8 oz. can tomato sauce
4 C cooked Great Northern beans (2 cans)
2 T taco seasoning

Stir in above ingredients and mix in cooked chicken.  Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, etc.

For Delicious Vegetarian Version:

Switch chicken broth for vegetable broth, do not add any chicken and stop after addition of cumin.   Puree veggies and return to pot.  I've done this with the chicken broth only, but it was delicious WITHOUT the chicken in it!

Chunky Broccoli Cheese Soup

Autumn is finally here!  The nights are brisk and cold and the morning air is crisp with the dusting of ice on the grass.  Its that time...my favorite time of the year.  It is the time for soup.  This soup was a huge hit with my family and since it uses a crockpot...it was a huge hit for me.


Chunky Broccoli Cheese Soup

3 T powdered chicken broth
10 C water
3-5 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Mix above ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for about 4-6 hours or until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains.  Cut chicken into cubes with kitchen scissors.  When you have about an hour left of cooking, add cut broccoli...I added three heads of broccoli to my soup.

1/2 C butter
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 C milk
3 C shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat on stove.  Add whole wheat flour and stir.  Slowly stir into crockpot until all flour/butter is dissolved into the soup and it starts to thicken a little.  Let cook on high for about 15 minutes.  Add 1 C of milk and stir in cheese.  Cook soup in crockpot on high until all cheese is melted.

That is it...easy, delicious, and healthy!

100% Whole Wheat Thins

I've been trying to make crackers forever!  I've tried so many different recipes and none of them worked...until this one.  These were amazing and tasted just like wheat thins!  I'm not kidding.  Even my kids commented that they tasted like wheat thins, without me prompting them.  I'm speaking in past tense because they are gone now...devoured almost immediately.  My kids loved them and I'll definitely be making them again.

100% Whole Wheat Thins

1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 C cold butter sliced into tablespoons (four of them)
1/4 C water
1/4 tsp. vanilla
salt


In a food processor, add whole wheat flour, salt, sugar and paprika.  Slice butter and space evenly around the food processor.  Turn it on high power until it is throughly combined (it will be very crumbly).  Add water and vanilla to the middle of the mixture and stir.  I knead the mixture with my hands to make sure it is all mixed up (it should be one large ball).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly spray wax paper with cooking spray.  Place dough in the middle of the wax paper and roll out very thin.  Transfer dough to cookie sheet by turning wax paper over the cookie sheet.  Carefully peel off the wax paper.  Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into cracker-sized squares.  Bake for 5-10 minutes (if you don't get them thin enough, you may have to bake them a little longer).  They should be very light brown on the edges.  Remove and let cool before you eat them.  Yum!!!

P.S.  Sorry for the MIA status on my blog for the last while.  Life gets busy sometimes.

Home-made McGriddles??? What???

 Alright, let me start this post by admitting something...my children have eaten at McDonald's for breakfast...more than once...actually more than twice.  They have a Nana who treats them to breakfast at McDonald's on special occasions, and they LOVE it!!!  One of the things they love most are the McGriddles.  Many of you may be ignorant as to what a "McGriddle" actually is, so I'll give you a brief description.  They are tiny pancakes that have the syrup already baked inside of them so they can be hand-held.  They are very sweet, but leave you with a waxy film in your mouth (not really sure why and a little too scared to ask).  Anyway, my kiddos think they are divine.  Enter my problem...they are supremely unhealthy.  So, why do I want to make them so much?

1.  They are hand-held and thus can be carried out the door in a hurry (not that we are ever late)
2.  They are delicious
3.  These "McGriddles" are somewhat healthy, made with whole grains
4.  There is no sticky film in my mouth
5.  I can control the amount of syrup in their pancakes and they don't complain!!!

So, how do you do it?  Simple.  Pour out a small amount of batter (less than 1/4 C because they spread out when you add the syrup).  Drizzle syrup IMMEDIATELY in the more central area (it oozes out if you get it too close to the edge).  Let it bake and flip it over!


Go here for the recipe:

Nana's Whole Wheat Pancakes

Cashew Chicken

I've never tried to make cashew chicken before, so I was very pleased when this turned out delicious on my first try!  It was very healthy and very low fat because it was made with NO OIL!  I know, there are oils in cashews, but we know that the oil in nuts is the healthy kind of oil, so I'm okay with that.  Did my kids love the celery?  No.  Did they love the cashews?  No.  Did they eat the meal without complaining for the most part...yes!  I'll take that as a win!  Oh, and my husband loved it!  I thought the flavors blended superbly well and this will definitely make it into my "things to make for company" recipe list.

Cashew Chicken

4 chicken breasts

6 T apple cider or apple juice

4 T soy sauce

2 T sugar

Mix apple cider, soy sauce and sugar.  Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinate for 3 hours.  Pour chicken and marinade in pre-heated wok and stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink.  This will take at least five minutes.  Drain marinade, turn off heat on wok and prepare sauce.  

Sauce:

4 C water

5 tsp. powdered bouillon 

1 C celery (cut into ½ inch segments)

2 tsp soy sauce

1 T whole wheat flour

2 T brown sugar

1 T corn starch mixed with 1 T water
whole wheat pasta

Mix together whole wheat flour, bouillon and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add celery, brown sugar, and soy sauce.  Mix cornstarch with 1 T water and add to sauce.  Stir until it thickens.  Let sauce simmer until celery is tender-crisp or to desired texture.  Reheat wok with chicken in it.  Pour sauce in wok and add cashews.  Cook 5-10 minutes until cashews are softer and celery is desired texture.  Serve over brown or black rice, bulgar wheat, or whole wheat pasta.