Low-Carb Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Yes, it has been almost 2 years since my last post. What can I say, I got busy, had a baby, etc, etc, etc. Anyhow, these were too good to not share.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Makes 3 muffins

In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients:
1/4 cup ground almond meal
1/2 cup ground golden flax meal (I think golden tastes SO much better than the brown one)
1 tbs cinnamon
1.5 tsp baking powder

 In another bowl mix together wet ingredients:
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling, just straight pumpkin)
1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup (we are watching carbs--you can use regular maple syrup if you want)
3 egg whites

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Divide mixture evenly between 3 round microwave-safe containers (I use PYREX 2-cup round glass containers and they are perfect).

Microwave each muffin individually for 2 minutes. Let cool in microwave for 1 minute before removing.

Slice, toast, spread on a little butter or cream cheese and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Baby!

I can't believe that my little man is turning 3 (which also means that I am turning 33, but that's a whole other topic...). Birthdays mean parties, and it seems as though little man has 3 parties every year--one with his buddies (Batman-themed this year), one with our family (Hollywood Studios to see Jake and the Neverland Pirates) and one in school.

I wanted to mix things up this year and make a special treat for his class. For those of you on Pinterest, you are familiar with all of the imaginary birthday parties, houses, and weddings you begin to plan in your dream-world. I decided to take on one of the baking projects for little man's class party, and make Oreo-pops. To my surprise, they were SO easy, and I am thrilled with how they came out. I followed the step-by-step tutorial on the blog How Does She? and in a matter of 10 minutes I had these beautiful treats all prepared for 20 soon-to-be sugar-rushed toddlers.

After cranking out these bad-boys I proceeded to go ahead and cook this week's remaining dinners, with my Valentine's Day baby's favorite, spaghetti and meat sauce, as his birthday dish.

This weeks line up:
Sunday--Roasted turkey breast with tzimmis, stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Monday--Dinner out with friends after hubby's work event
Tuesday--Spaghetti and meat sauce, followed by birthday cake!
Wednesday--Jerk chicken with sweet potato mash and black-eyed pea relish*
Thursday--Bookclub (boys are on their own!)
Friday-Sunday--DISNEY!

Black-eyed peas are a food that I was not introduced to until I moved South. I had them for the first time ever at Sweet Potatoes Restaurant in Savannah. I fell in love with this relish one day at lunch, and I have been trying to perfect my recipe ever since.

Black-Eyed Pea Relish

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbs dried parsley
1 15oz can black-eyed peas, drained
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1 shallot, diced
salt/pepper

Directions
-In a small bowl mix together vinegar, oil, agave nectar, parsley, salt and pepper.
-Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and let sit overnight in the fridge.


Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Add A Little Spice To Your Meal-Time

I am happy to say that 2012 is the first year that my New Year’s resolution was NOT to eat better. This past year I have really worked hard to provide my family with healthy meals that use a variety of flavors, many times using new veggies to mix things up.

Spices, on the other hand, I have not been very adventurous with. I tend to reach for the same ones over and over from my spice rack—oregano, paprika, Italian seasoning—nothing really groundbreaking. For 2012, my resolution is to try to use a larger variety of spices, hopefully pleasing my palate with delicious flavors I have never tasted before. This week, coriander, sage and cinnamon will all be special guests at our dinner table.

Monday—Turkey tacos with homemade pico de gallo

Tuesday—Chicken breasts with butternut squash, red onions and cranberries (modified from this Martha Stewart recipe—uses sage, nutmeg and coriander)

Wednesday—Turkey-hummus sliders with homemade sweet potato chips

Thursday—Cinnamon chicken and sweet potato stew* served over couscous

Friday—Brick oven chicken and challah

Cinnamon Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

Serves 2

450 calories per serving

PointsPlus Value per serving: 11

Ingredients

 -1/4 cup all-purpose flour

-1 tsp ground cinnamon

-Salt and ground pepper

-8 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

-1/2 medium onion, diced

-1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger

-1 cup chicken broth

-2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

-1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

-Place flour, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large zip-lock bag. Add chicken and shake until the chicken is well coated. Remove chicken from bag and shake off any extra flour.

-In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add chicken, and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to a plate.

-Add onion and ginger to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften.

-Add broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

-Return chicken to the pot. Add lemon juice. Simmer an additional 8 minutes.

-Discard ginger and serve.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Wow, as if indulging in Charleston wasn't enough, we then headed south to spend the holidays with our families. Cookies, cake pops, fudge--you name it we ate it (have you ever made cake pops? They are actually pretty easy. Check out the picture below for my finished result. I used this recipe). As soon as we got back home we looked at each other and said "Chicken for dinner EVERY NIGHT!"

The menu this week was simple, and included a lot of old recipes, so I will keep this blog post short and sweet.

Monday--Rotisserie chicken over lettuce with chopped vegetables
Tuesday--Whole wheat rotini with fresh spinach, Martha Stuart's marinara sauce and a side of homemade meatballs
Wednesday--Chicken marinated in Cindy's Kitchen Double Garlic Ginger Lime dressing, grilled and served with brown rice and steamed broccoli and snow peas
Thursday--Pineapple Cilantro-Lime Chicken served with pico de gallo and fiesta rice
Friday--Eggplant parmesan with zucchini marinara

PS--A picture of my cake pops. YUM!

From freezer to table: Making the most out of what is in your house

I know Farm to Table is big right now, but you know what's big in our house? Freezer to Table. As much as I try to incorporate fresh produce into all of our meals, there are nights that I have to just work with what we have in the house. This seems to especially be true the week before we are heading out of town to visit family or go away on vacation.

Last night I had to scrape together what I could with pantry staples and whatever we had in the freezer. I came across some frozen turkey taco meat but really was not in the mood for the 800 dishes that seem to pile up when I put a taco bar together. My husband had just given me a large rectangular Pizza Stone from Williams Sonoma as an early Hanukkah gift and I was eager to use it. That was how my Turkey Taco Pizza came to be.

Turkey Taco Pizza
Ingredients
1 batch Martha Stewart's Cornmeal Pizza Crust
1/2 pound 93% lean ground turkey or soy crumble meat substitute (for my vegetarian friends out there)
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 cups shredded 2% Mexican cheese blend


Directions
-Place pizza stone on bottom rack in oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
-In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, saute onions and peppers until soft. Add turkey (or soy crumble) and cook until all the pink is gone. Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.
-Spread a large amount of cornmeal on your work surface. Roll out pizza dough so that it is a large rectangle. Transfer rolled-out dough onto a well cornmealed pizza peel (if you don't have a pizza stone or pizza peel, you can use a cookie sheet).
-Spread turkey mixture evenly over your dough, leaving a 1/4 inch boarder around the edge to form your crust. 
-Top with cheese.
-Carefully transfer pizza to your pizza stone and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble and turn brown.
-Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
-Top with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo for an extra treat!

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Gouda and Champagne detox--recovering from a weekend away

After returning from a weekend away with my hubby that included ridiculous amounts of champagne and cheese, I am looking forward to getting back to cooking. In an effort to detox from the Brie and Gouda, this weeks menu is going to be simple and focus on incorporating as many whole foods as possible.

Sunday--Oatmeal-turkey burger and sugar snap peas
Monday--Agave-balsamic marinated turkey tenderloins with patty pan gratin
Tuesday--Alyssa's four-bean vegetarian chili and corn bread
Wednesday--Red onion chicken and mashed potatoes
Thursday--Chicken Caesar salads

Breakfast is also going to be a focus for me this week--I need to start the day out with protein. It's really the only thing that keeps me full until lunch, however, I hate making eggs in the morning just because I am so tired. The solution? Mini-fritatas. I tried these out a few weeks ago when I catered my friend's baby naming and they were a big hit. Also, they freeze amazingly well and their are endless combination that you can make. This week I made Huevos Rancheros fritatas, inspired by my indulgent breakfast at Charleston Place.

Huevos Rancheros Mini Fritatas
2 PointsPlus per serving

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese
1 small yellow onion, quartered and sliced
salt/pepper

Directions
-Heat oven 350 degrees and spray a half-dozen muffin tin with PAM.
-Spray a small frying pan with PAM and saute onions over medium heat until they are golden brown.
-In a medium-sized bowl whisk eggs and milk together. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
-Spoon egg mixture evenly into greased muffin tine.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops look golden brown.
-Remove from oven, let cool, and remove fritatas from muffin tin. Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, or freeze and defrost as needed.


Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Feast for my Family--Thanksgiving is here

This year my husband's entire family will be joining us for Thanksgiving! I am SO excited that they are here, and that we get to do all of the cooking! I am making a few of my favorites, plus throwing in some new recipes to mix things up. This year I was smart and ordered the gravy and corn bread from Fresh Market (I am just not good at making gravy).

Appetizers: Baked Brie with Apples and Cranberries served with Cupcake prosecco
Starter: Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Salad: Spring Mix with Pomegranate Seeds, Goat Cheese and Orange Slices topped with Glazed Pecans
Turkey: Rolled Turkey Breast filled with Apple Fennel Stuffing
Sides: Nannie Anne's Tzimmis, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, corn bread, gravy
Dessert: Signe's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, lemon filled birthday cake, assorted River Street Sweets (a must-have if you ever come to Savannah)

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!