Low/no sugar Banana muffins!

 

Since being diagnosed as diabetic, … I miss cake the most.

It is by far the food I love the most on earth. If

I were on death row and was given a last meal, I would

ask for a huge cake with loads of frosting! 

As a result I have turned my kitchen into a test

kitchen, and my family the guinea pigs!

I have found that muffins help with my cake cravings

and so far they have been the easiest to make low sugar

versions. One of my favorites is banana muffins.

My family LOVES these so I make them in bulk and

freeze them which saves me loads of time and keeps

my cravings at bay. Best part, they do not reek havoc

on my blood sugar!

 

 

Tip # 1 for super moist banana muffins (regardless of recipe):

Use previously frozen bananas, the uglier the better!

Tip# 2 for super moist banana muffins:

Use one more banana than the recipe calls for.

Tip# 3 for super moist banana muffins:

add 2-3 tbs. of maple syrup (I used sugar free of course)

 

Trust me and try the tips.  I have been making banana bread for years

and tons of people ask me how I make it so moist and yummy!

 

Tip #4 for super moist banana muffins:

mix by hand and do not over mix your bananas

your bananas do not need to be creamed into oblivion.

Since I use a lower fat option too at times,

I spray my liners with a little oil so they don’t stick.

My go-to topping is chopped walnuts mixed with

2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar. LIGHTLY

sprinkle this topping over each muffin.

This gives me the idea that I am eating something

really naughty without the guilt and consequence!

 

Try this recipe and I promise you will not be disappointed!

 

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Home cookbook

 

Banana Muffins:

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Splenda (or other sweetener of your choice)

2 tbs. sugar (this is needed to help the bread rise better)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 medium RIPE bananas

1/3 cup butter or sub with applesauce for less fat

2 tbs. sugar free maple syrup

2 tbs. Milk

2 eggs

* topping: 1 cup chopped walnuts mixed with 2-3 tbs. brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 350

mash bananas and add all wet ingredients mix and set aside.

Mix all dry ingredients then fold in your wet ingredients.

spray muffin liners and pour batter to 3/4 of the way full.

sprinkle topping and bake 30-40 minutes or until

toothpick comes out clean.

 

 

Eating Healthier does not have

to mean dry and tasteless!

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My Spin on baked Oatmeal muffins!

I found this recipe nearly a year ago on Pinterest.

I am not a huge fan of the traditional bowl of oatmeal.. But I do

love a good oatmeal cookie! I was instantly intrigued so I set to work

with my own spin, of course.

 

I was thrilled to see that I could easily make these

low or no sugar!

and with the recipe primarily being made up of whole oats,

I knew they would stick to my ribs and not spike my sugar!

I also loved that I could make big

batches and freeze them for convenience.

 

 

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

 

*Recipe from Sugar-Free Mom

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 cups. applesauce, unsweetened

1 banana smashed

1/2 cup honey or agave nectar

5 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 Tbs. ground cinnamon

3tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. salt

2 3/4 cups milk  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana, honey, milk

3. add in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and

mix well with wet ingredients.

4. I pour batter in cupcake liners only half way

5. sprinkle “toppings” of choice

6. Top fill with more batter to 1/4 from the top

7. Finally sprinkle topping of choice on the top

8. bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. eat them warm with butter, or cool and eat like a muffin

or freeze for later.

 

Topping ideas:

Fresh or frozen Blueberry

Cinnamon-Craisin

 Chocolate-chip

Pineapple-coconut

 

I have also liked : raisins & brown sugar,

walnuts & brown sugar, apple & brown sugar

 

This is a must try recipe whether you are into healthy

eating or just plain love a great breakfast.

They are surprisingly cake-y and not heavy.  

Yummmmmm

 

Sugar free disclaimer:

*as I have stated before, the tiny amount of brown sugar

per muffin is equal to about 1/2 tsp. which will give you

the satisfaction of having a regular sugar muffin

but does not affect my numbers adversely. This is

a trick you have to try yourself and see if you have

similar results.  

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All American Salisbury Steaks

My mom is an amazing cook, but not in a traditional sense.

Yes her food is, most importantly, yummy to eat however, her

talents lay in the way she can feed an army a filling meal with

little to nothing in the pantry.  We grew up with our tummies

full, never going to bed hungry but this was no easy task for my

parents. They worked very hard and there were in fact times when

we barely scraped by. My Mother’s knack for peering into a nearly

bare cupboard and in 45 minutes or less presenting a delicious

filling meal ensured our family’s survival. One of the meals she used

to cook on a fairly regular basis was what she called “glorified

hamburgers.” These burgers were made with hamburger mixed

with chopped onion, a little ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.

The patties were then pressed into saltine cracker crumbs and then

fried in this impressive, black, cast-iron skillet. Sounds simple and

maybe even a little odd but they were very tasty and a welcomed

change from what sometimes was the third or fourth night of

some version of a hamburger based meal. (Hamburger was by

far the cheapest of meats at times and went the furthest)

I took this idea and combined it with a similar recipe that I got

from a nephew of mine.

  

 

You will need about 1 1/2 lbs. Hamburger

1 cup minced onion

1/4 –1/2 cup oatmeal

2 eggs

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup milk

1 can Golden Mushroom soup

1 sleeve crushed butter crackers (I used Ritz)  

TBS. Oil for frying

*Mix all ingredients except crackers and

soup  in a bowl.

Form into patties and then press patties into crushed

butter crackers.

Then, fry in olive oil until golden brown.  Burgers do not have

to be cooked through. They will finish cooking in the oven.

Now, place burgers in a baking dish and

cover the burgers with the soup.  {This meal

is also one of my bulk cooking meals I make 12’ish

burgers at a time and then place them in foil

baking trays. I cover them in the soup, then in plastic wrap.

I cover the entire thing with foil and freeze. This way in

same amount of time it takes me to make one nights meal,

I have prepared two more in advance!}

  

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes or until the burger is cooked

all the way through.

 

The soup makes a delicious gravy which reminds me of the old T.V. dinners

back in the day. (of which I would never eat now, but loved as a kid)

My mom is an All-American cook at heart who reminds me to be humble

and remember where I came from. I am grateful for her talent to make

great things out of very little. It was humility, and the hard work of the

working class that built this nation. It was the sacrifice of Mother’s and

Father’s alike that paved a better life for their children and their children’s

children. That is what makes this country grand. I am thankful for my roots

and I am proud to be an American.

 

Thus the re-name of this re-mix dish to All-American Salisbury Steaks and

why I chose this recipe above all others as my 4th of July post this year!  

I love you Mom and all that you have done for me. You are an inspiration.

 

Happy Independence Day!

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Penne Rustica

 

Macaroni Grill is my husband’s absolute favorite place to eat and when

we get the chance to go, we always split the the Penne Rustica!

I found this recipe some time ago on Your Home Based Mom.

I made a few customizations of my own to make it a little closer to the original

and I tell you what, there is no other copycat recipe as close as this one is

to the original flavor!

 

 

Ingredients:

12 oz. grilled chicken breast
1/4 lbs. Pancetta

1/4 lbs. Prosciutto
2 boxes penne pasta
1 1/2large red bell peppers- diced and sautéed till soft 
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika for sauce and some to sprinkle on top!

3 cups Mozzarella cheese

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tbs. butter
3 large cloves chopped garlic
1/3 apple juice + 2 tbs. red wine vinegar + 1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary and several sprigs for garnish
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups heavy cream + 3/4 cup milk

 

Directions:
Sauté garlic and peppers in butter in large pan.

Add apple juice mixture, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper,

and heavy cream and milk.

 

             Cook pasta according to directions.

Chop pancetta and prosciutto into small pieces and then fry

in a skillet. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.

(***Tip, when grilling chicken at any time be sure to add a couple extra

breasts on the grill. Then slice up and throw in the freezer for future meals

like this one. This Saved me a good hours worth of time! )

Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, pancetta, prosciutto,

bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly.

Spread in pans, and top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Garnish with 3 rosemary sprigs in each pan.

When I set out to make this recipe I did not realize how large the recipe

was, but I was incredibly grateful that it did!

In one prep I made four dinners at once. Considering the amount of work

involved up front it was very beneficial to get three future dinners done

at the same time.  

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of.

Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields 4
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Future suggestions… As we started to eat we realized that the ONLY thing that

was missing was the shrimp! So next time I will add lightly sautéed Shrimp.

 

 

I chose to serve this with a simple salad and sourdough bread,

baked and buttered with garlic-butter.

 

Taking the time to set a simple table Scape sets the mood

and some how makes the food taste that much better!

Making dinner at home special also makes it easier to make

the choice to eat at home.

We even played some Italian music as we ate!

This is a great meal for date night, Valentines Day,

Italian themed movie night, Birthday Celebration,

or Father’s day.  Here is a fantastic dessert to

accompany any Italian meal!

This is now a permanent recipe in my rotation of

bulk meals. Since we are in Flagstaff now, and there

is not a Macaroni Grill here, this helps  to satisfy

my husbands withdrawals! 

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