pumpkin applesauce muffins

Fall is here!  It is my favorite season.  To celebrate, I have been baking these Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins (which may be my kid’s new favorite!).  These moist and scrumptious muffins are super low in sugar, but high in nutritional content with pumpkin, applesauce, cinnamon & fall spices…It’s the perfect treat no matter the season!  These are so good on their own, but if you want to top them with a little something, try pumpkin (pepita) seeds, a light dusting of ground cinnamon, chocolate or white chocolate chips.

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ cup applesauce

¼ cup butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tablespoon maple syrup, optional

1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I use Glutino)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ginger

1.)    Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a muffin tin with muffin cups.

2.)    In a mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, applesauce, melted butter, eggs,    brown sugar and maple syrup.

3.)    Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

4.)    Mix until combined.

5.)    Evenly divide the batter into 12 muffin tins.

6.)    Optional: top with chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds or a light dusting of cinnamon.

7.)    Bake for 18-22 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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granola bites

Looking for a healthy and lightly-sweet treat to pack in your child’s lunch?  These granola bites are perfect!  A combination of oats, honey, nuts and dried fruit makes this compact little snack a super-charged, yummy addition to their lunch box!  This recipe is easily adaptable, so feel free to modify with your favorite ingredients (mini chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, banana chips, chia seeds, sesame seeds or rice crispy cereal would be tasty additions!).

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4-5 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of dried fruit & nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the oats and coconut on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. 
3. Meanwhile, combine the peanut butter, honey and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until combined, stirring continuously so as to prevent scorching. 
4. Turn heat off.  Add the toasted oats and coconut to the peanut butter mixture along with dried fruit & nuts, and stir to combine. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. 
5. With a small ice cream scooper (or dampened hands), shape into 12 one-inch balls and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

recipe modified and photo courtesy of Whole Foods

watermelon lemonade

A little bit sweet, a teeny bit sour and a whole lot delicious!  Kids love sipping on this refreshing summer drink!  Parents: you can easily turn this into a cocktail by adding your favorite spirit. 

To make ice cubes, place 1 seedless watermelon ball and 1 mint leaf into each of 36 ice cube tray holes.  Fill with water and freeze.

6 cups 1-inch seedless watermelon (from about a 5-pound melon)

1 bottle (10-ounce) Whole Foods 365 Everday Value® Organic Lemon Juice

6 cups water

¾ cup sugar

Crushed ice

Mint sprigs, for garnish

(1.)    Working in batches as necessary, puree watermelon and lemon juice in blender until smooth; transfer to a large container.

(2.)    Add water and sugar; stir until dissolved. 

(3.)    Pour over ice in tall glasses, garnish with mint sprig and watermelon icecubes or thin slices of watermelon, if desired, and serve.

Recipe adapted & photo courtesy of Whole Foods

Fun with Fruit!

This summer, combine your creative side with fresh seasonal fruits!  Kids (for the most part) love fruit, but they love it even more when it’s served up in fun shapes or say, coming out of a shark’s mouth! 

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heart fruit kabobs with yogurt dip

Your sweethearts will love this snack!  Pull out a heart shaped cookie cutter and use it on apple slices, sandwiches and cheese slices… anything that can be cut. 

1 cantaloupe
1 honeydew melon

1/2 watermelon

1 6 ounce container plain yogurt

1 tablespoon frozen orange-juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon honey

1. Cut fruit into 1-inch-thick slices. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts from melon slices. Poke a hole in each heart with a toothpick, going from top to bottom. Then thread fruit on ice-pop sticks.

2. Make dip: Stir together yogurt, orange juice concentrate, and honey until well combined. Serve with hearts.

recipe & photo courtesy of parents.com

banana gingerbread muffins

This delicious muffin is the tastiest gift or treat for the holidays!  The blend of cinnamon, ginger and clove spices is the perfect addition to the sweet banana batter.  Top with a dusting of powdered sugar or our cream cheese glaze.

muffin recipe 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk
¼ cup molasses

cream cheese glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons milk

for the muffins:
1.) Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-14 muffin tins with liners (or grease and flour 12-14 muffin cups).
2.) In a large bowl, sift or stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves cardamom and nutmeg. Set aside.
3.) In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together for two minutes.
4.) Add the egg and beat for one minute.
5.) Beat in the mashed banana, buttermilk and molasses.
6.) Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Beat for 30 seconds, until ingredients are combined.
7.) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
8.) Bake for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the muffin.
9.) When completely cool, lightly dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with cream cheese glaze (optional).

for the glaze:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter for one minute.
2. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla. Mix until combined.
3. Add the milk, and mix until a smooth consistency (the icing may require an additional ½ - 1 teaspoon of milk to reach drizzle consistency).

cinnamon apple crisp

Chocolate trumps every dessert in our household.  So I know that this apple crisp recipe is a winner because every time that I make it (which is pretty frequently because it’s super easy & delicious!), I hear “ooh”, “awe” and “awesome”!  

Granny smith apples get topped with a brown sugar crumb topping… it’s scrumptious and extra tasty served warm with vanilla ice cream.

6 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced*
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1.) Preheat oven to 350°.
2.) Place apples in a lightly buttered 8x8 glass baking dish.
3.) Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, butter and cinnamon; blend together with fingers until crumbly. Evenly top apples with oat mixture.
4.) Bake for 35 minutes.

* we use granny smith apples, but any apple will do :) 

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Another yummy & fun recipe to make is our apple chips!  click here for the recipe!

apple chips

Feel like trying a fun, easy and yummy new snack?  These apple chips are the perfect thing!  My four year old can’t get enough of them!  Every time that we run out (which seems like every other day) he wants to make more.  They are so healthy and simple to make that it’s no problem… the hardest part is finding a three hour chunk of time for them to bake. 

This is a great recipe to make with your kids!  I do the mandoline cutting and I always let my son arrange the apples on the tray (and then I correctly arrange them afterwards :)    I let him help sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top and the chips taste just as good where he doused the cinnamon sugar as well as the ones that he completely missed.  This recipe is uncomplicated and hands-on.  It is great to make with children of all ages.

One thing to note, when slicing into the middle portion of the apple, I try to get the seeds out with a knife, but leave everything else in tact… I like the natural star shape in the center of the apple.

2-3 granny smith apples

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 200°.
2. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
3. With a mandoline (or very sharp knife and great cutting skills), thinly slice apples. 
4. Arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheet pan.  Be sure not to overlap. 
5. Combine sugar and cinnamon.  Put in a fine sieve and sprinkle evenly over apples.
6. Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven for 1.5 hours.  Pull apples out and turn them upside down and rotate baking pans positions when putting back in the oven.
7. Bake for another hour and a half (if your apple slices were a little bit thicker, it may take them a teeny bit longer to crisp up.  After 3 hours, if you have a combination of completely crisp and some that are a little chewy/crisp, take the crisp ones off of the baking sheet and put the rest back in the middle of the oven for another 20+ minutes).
8. Remove from oven and cool chips before transferring to a sealed container.

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Recipe adapted & photo courtesy of Ontario Apples

popcorn trail mix

Trail mix gets a new twist with popcorn!   Salty popcorn, tart cranberries, crunchy nuts and chewy dried fruit make the perfect combination; add lightly drizzled semi-sweet chocolate and you have a decadent snack {and it's perfect for a child's birthday party treat bag}. This super simple trail mix can include any of your family favorites (pretzels, dried cherries, raisins, apricots); I’ve listed our favorite combination, but the recipe is very easily modified. Get poppin’!

8 cups popped popcorn*
1/2 cup honey roasted nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried banana chips
1/2 cup m&m's
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
2. Place the popcorn on the paper.
3. Evenly top the popcorn with the nuts, cranberries, banana chips, m&m's and sunflower seeds.
4. Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and microwave for an additional 30-40 seconds.  Drizzle over popcorn and toppings.
5. Allow chocolate to harden.  Break into pieces and keep in an air-tight container.

* I usually make my own popcorn and add salt.  I also have made it with Trader Joe's Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil and it works great.

raisins

Good news for raisin lovers! “Natures Candy” is a healthy choice! Raisins are high in fiber, phenols (plant compounds that prevent cell damage and have antioxidants), flavonoids and the mineral, Boron. It also contains oleanolic acid, which protects tooth enamel and gum tissue.

These little dried fruits pack a lot of punch! Go organic when purchasing [grapes are on the dirty dozen list, which notes produce with the highest levels of pesticides].

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