Blueberry Bran Muffins

These are very yummy and healthy muffins!

1 & 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached flour
3/4 cup oat bran or wheat bran
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup vanilla or lemon nonfat yogurt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4-1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
I also add 1-2 tablespoons of flax meal

1) Combine the flour, bran, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder, and stir to mix well. Add the yogurt, egg whites, and vanilla extract, and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries.

2) Coat muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, or use muffin cups, and fill 3/4 full with the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes, or just until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

3) Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before removing the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kid's Favorite Cornflake Chicken

Sometimes we make things and forget about them, even if they are great. Seems to be happening to me a lot lately! Benjamin reminded me of a recipe I used to make. Cornflake Chicken! All the kids, and adults gobbled it up. I used chicken tenderloins bc it was easy to defrost and they were already in small pieces, but you could use breasts cut up or any cut of meat, really.

Cornflake Chicken
2 Tbsp butter + 1/4-1/2 c butter
1/2 c crushed corn flakes cereal, maybe a little more
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1.5 lbs cut up chicken in strips or tenderloins

Heat oven to 400. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in 9 x 13 pan. Take out when melted to make sure it doesn't burn. Crush corn flakes. I put enough to fill a ziplock sandwich bag. Zip the bag, with air pushed out , crush with rolling pin. Mix flakes, paprika, salt and pepper. Melt 1/4 c butter in bowl, melt more as needed. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in corn flake mixture. Place in 9 x 13 pan. Bake on 400 for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Test frequently so they don't dry out. Don't turn, otherwise the corn flakes fall off. Serve with BBQ, ranch, ketchup, etc.

Zucchini Side

Made this with dinner tonight and it was so stinkin yummy.  

Zucchini sliced and then sliced again in halves.  

Red Bell pepper chunks

1 garlic clove, crushed or chopped

olive oil

chopped fresh basil

fresh parmesan

Saute  olive oil and garlic for a couple minutes and then add zucchini, red bell pepper.  Finish with fresh basil and parmesan.  Sprinkle with lots of kosher salt and pepper.  So good.  

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Is anyone still looking at this blog? :-)
If you are, you're in for a treat.....
and a way to use up all of that zucchini your neighbor keeps giving you.
I found this recipe at glutenfreebetty.blogspot.com,
but then of course I changed it up again.
It is delicious gluten-free......
even my friends ate it,
but feel free to just use regular flour.


3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup oil (I used 1/3 canola and coconut for the rest)
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp xanthum gum (only if you use gluten free flour-otherwise leave it out!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 spoonful of sour cream. (because I cut the amount of sugar in half, you should add a little more "liquid". I just take a regular spoon and scoop out some light sour cream. Very exact I know! Just do it......you'll be ok.)

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 9x13 in cake pan (sprayed) for 25-35 minutes at 350 or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with favorite chocolate frosting. The first time I baked it for 30. My oven time is always right in the middle. The toothpick was clean, but the center of my cake was not done. You might want to go just a couple minutes longer than a clean toothpick.

Cowboy Beans

I recently took these beans to a party and was asked several times for the recipe. It makes quite a bit, but I often double it for a really big crowd. I've even froze the left overs before and that works ok. If I double it, I don't always double all of the meat. So there's no science here, just dump in some beans and heat 'em up. And.....I never said they were good for you.....just yummy!

Cowboy Beans

Mix the following together in the bottom of the crock-pot
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard

In skillet combine:
1 lb hamburger
1 c. chopped onion
1 lb. cooked, chopped bacon
Drain and put in crock-pot

Add:
1 qrt pork and beans
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can butter or navy beans (drained)

Mix together and heat on low 5-8 hours.

Cheesy Beef and Rice

Just to give credit where credit is due,
I found this at heavenlyhomemakers.com

It was a great meal to put together earlier in the day, then pop in the oven on busy night.
We all really liked it!

1 cup long grain brown rice
1 lb ground beef
3 T. minced onion, or fresh chopped onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
sea salt, to taste
1 cup sour cream (light worked great)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Boil two cups of water. Stir in rice. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Brown ground beef with onion and garlic powder. Mix with rice and salt well. Stir in sour cream and milk. Spread into a casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover well and freeze.

To bake: Thaw casserole. Place uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Better for You Molasses Cookies

My girls really liked these and Steve said they're "pretty good".

3/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. honey
2 T. brown sugar
1 egg

Mix: then add:

2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. soda
2 heaping T. milled flax seed
2 t. ginger
1/2 t cloves
1/4 t. salt

Have Quality Control test the dough

Roll dough into balls. Roll into sugar if desired.
(I just dipped the tops in sugar. Sometimes if you roll them, the sugar on the bottom burns)
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes
Place them immediately onto a dish towel to keep them from getting crispy on the edges.