Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hello blogger friends! Well I wish I could say happy Monday, but I am not feeling so happy :( I am still feeling sick.. I hope you all are having a better Monday than me! Today I spent the day sleeping, drinking tea&coffee, finally figuring out how to use pintrest and obsessing over myfitnesspal.com. {By obsessing I mean spending an hour and a half looking at peoples before and after weight loss pictures!} Oh and I did a little cleaning, and I made these muffins! Unfortunately folks this is my only recipe to post this week! I am trying to lose a few pounds before the summer{so not fun} and we ate SUPER plain this week. Steamed veggies with grilled chicken breasts..etc. So the bad news is, only one new recipe this week, but the good news is I have lost 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks! Yay. I can't believe I am sharing such personal info with the world. Who have I become? haha Okay enough about that. I have been working on my little cookbook project and I have decided this recipe is a keeper and is going into the cookbook! I plan on having an entire muffin section seeing as I love them! Here is what you need to make these muffins yourself:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 
  

This recipe will make 12 small (very small) muffins. I made 9 muffins at the size I like 'em. :)


Step one:


In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl combine the egg, oil, apple sauce, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.: mix well. 


Step two:


Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. 

Step three:


Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Check them at 20 minutes. 

YUMYUMYUM. This is me eating one as we speak(or as I write this..) 

I hope everyone has a great rest of the day. I will probably continue relaxing and doing nothing. haha. See you all next Monday!
xo

{Slow Cooked} Sweet & Sour Chicken

Before I get started I would just like to just say that this is my 103rd recipe! How exciting! I should celebrate! I will celebrate by eating this dish as soon as I'm done writing this post :) This amazing dish has been smelling up my house all day in a very good way. If you want an easy meal for dinner this week, here it is. It took me 10 minutes to prepare and then I let it cook for 5 hours! So easy. It is a perfect combo of sweet and hot! Here is what you will need to make this yourself:

• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can of pineapple or 1/2 a pineapple cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup of chili sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bottle of bbq sauce OR use my easy tangy BBQ sauce recipe. You can find it on the post below this one. That is the recipe I used for this meal and I used the entire recipe.  

Step one:

Put the onion, garlic, pineapple, chicken and peppers into the slow cooker. Mix them all together like so...

Step two:

Mix the bbq sauce, water and chili sauce together in a bowl. Then pour it over the chicken mixture in the slow cooker. 

Step three:

Let it cook on high for 4-5 hours. 

Enjoy! It will be an amazing, sweet, hot, sour, tangy, wonderful dinner for you. 

Have a good week everyone!

xo

-Britt

Easy Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce

The picture looks a little messy! oops!. Anyways, this is an easy recipe that you can whip up in a few minutes! Try it out! Mix together & simmer for a few minutes on the stove. TA DA. BBQ sauce!

•  1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup vinegar, preferably cider or wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar (preferably brown)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or more
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

xo

Honey Apple Spice Muffins

Muffin time! As I write this post I am enjoying every bite of this muffin! Yummy. Here is what you need to make them:

• 1/2 an apple cut into very small pieces
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup apple sauce

Preheat oven to 375F. Makes 12 muffins.

Step one:

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.

Step two:

 Now mix together all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Oil, sugar, eggs, milk, honey, vanilla, and apple sauce. 

Step three:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Step four:

Pour the muffin batter into the greased muffin pan equally. Take your cut up apples and place them on top of the muffins. Also mix together some cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle a bit on top of each muffin. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

DONE!

xoxo

Coconut-Spiked Pork with Peanuts & Quinoa

Want to try a new Quinoa dish?? Well try THIS! I will for sure be making this again! Before I get to the recipe, HAPPY MONDAY EVERYBODY! Yay, it's Monday. I hope everyone is having a fab day! I went to my French course this morning and I improved my plus-que-parfait skills and my verbes pronominaux! If you all don't know what that is, don't worry about it! Be happy that you are not confusing your brain! French is a complicated language. Although everything I am learning in my course I have already seen(and learned), it is a good review for me. As soon as I think I understand something, they throw in a new exception or a new rule that I have to train my brain to follow!  As difficult as it can be sometimes, I am very thankful for the opportunity to improve my French. I know that it will help me out now and in my future. I feel myself improving and my vocabulary widening. It's a good feeling. We should have (hopefully) just another year here, so I must soak up everything! The French, the culture & the outdoors. I know the day that we move will be bitter-sweet for me. It will be exciting to move back to Ontario. We will be able to speak English {Everyday!!}, we will be closer to our family & friends and Dan and I will be able to study full time! On the other hand, I love Quebec. I will miss speaking French everyday, and the friends that we have made here. We have started our life together here, so Saguenay means a lot to me. We still have another year so I need to enjoy it!
Now back to my recipe :)
You will need:

• 2 leeks, white part only. Washed and sliced.
• 4 cloves of garlic, quartered
• 1 chile pepper, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4-6 pork chops, sliced
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup sliced green beans

Sounds good? Let's get started.

Step one:

In a food processor, pulse the leeks, garlic, and chile pepper until finely chopped. {About 15 times} Stop and scrape down the sides of the processor bowl once to make sure everything gets chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

I actually haven't had the chance to show you guys my new food processor!Isn't she a beaut!! My amazing grandma gave it to me (us :) for Christmas this year! It matches our mixer! LOVE IT! Thanks g-ma!

Step two:
In your processor, process the coconut milk, the broth and the peanuts together. About 30 seconds. You don't need to rinse out the processor after you used it to process the leaks etc..

Step three:
In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the pork and cook until it lightly browns. Set aside.

Step four:
In your wok that's already heated up add the leak mixture. Cook and stir until softened for about 5 minutes.
Add the cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and the coconut/peanut mixture to the wok. Stir and bring to a boil. Now stir in the quinoa and green beans and return it to a boil.

Step five:
After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the wok with a lid. Let it simmer until the quinoa is soft &cooked. It should be about 20 minutes.

Enjoy every bite!

xo

Thai Chicken Curry Soup

Happy Monday everyone! I hope it was a good day for you all! I had my french course this morning and I was looking forward to a nice relaxing afternoon-until my work called me in :( Even though I had to work today, it's been a good day. It was especially good because tonight Dan and I made dinner together. It has been awhile since we actually cooked together. Sad, I know. Dan has been super busy with work & school, so I've been the one cooking most nights. Anywho, it was nice to cook together. Guess what we made?? THIS! This Thai soup was something I was craving, and it totally hit the spot. Here is what you need to make this yourself, today, right now ;)

SERVES 4-6


Vermicelli, as much as you desire.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tbsp green curry paste

2 cups carton chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 can reduced-fat coconut milk

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2-1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 big handfuls (yes, I use handfuls to measure) baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 egg, hard boiled (if desired)

To turn up the heat add:

• 1-2 tsp dried chilies
• 1-2 tsp chili sauce

Step one:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking; set aside. You could also boil water and pour the boiling water over the vermicelli in a medium bowl, and let them soften. We do that a lot.

Step two:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, basil, and ginger; cook and stir until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the curry paste, and cook 30 seconds more. Add the chopped up chicken. Coat the chicken with the curry/garlic/ginger mixture. Now,Pour in about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and stir until the curry paste has dissolved, then pour in the remaining chicken stock along with the soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes. It makes the chicken wonderfully tender.

Step three:

Stir in coconut milk, chilies(if desired), mushrooms, spinach, & lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked rice noodles into the soup.

Step four:

Garnish with half a boiled egg and green onion.

Enjoy!

Have a great week everyone! I shall see(?) you all again this time next week!
xo
-Britt

Baked Pumpkin & Maple Oatmeal

Until this recipe I had NEVER baked oatmeal. Now that I've made this, I think I have been missing out! I know that maple and pumpkin are a little "out of season" but meh! They are always in season in my books! I love pumpkin! Haha. I also made 2 pumpkin loafs and a dozen pumpkin muffins this week. The pumpkin was frozen leftovers from the fall, taken out for this recipe of course! This recipe is a keeper. Fo sho! Of course the recipe was stolen from someone else! The recipe idea credit goes out to: chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Here is what you need to make this yourself! This recipe serves one. When we made it we doubled the recipe. I shall let you decide how much to make :)

• 1/2 cup oats (50g)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
•  1/8 tsp nutmeg,
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp salt

Step one:
In a baking dish mix together the oats, spices, pumpkin, salt, maple syrup, vanilla & milk. Basically mix everything together :)

Step two:
Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 380F. (Or until it gets firm)

Step three:
Set your oven to broil, and broil the oatmeal for about 3 minutes.
It will give it a nice crispy top!

...And yes, that is icecream you see with my oatmeal ;)

xo have a great night guys!

Flax & Sunflower Seed Bread

Hello everyone! I really hate doing this, but I just needed to share this recipe! This recipe is not my own. I got it off of allrecipes. It was super good and a must try! To all my friends out there who are afraid to make their own bread, I just want to encourage you another time to give it a try! It will taste SO good, and you will feel so satisfied because you made it yourself. Here is the recipe to this lovely seed bread :)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/flax-and-sunflower-seed-bread/

PS the picture above is a picture of the bread rising! Doesn't it look good??
xo

Banana, flax & apricot {muffins}

It's muffin time! Yay! I know that banana, flax and apricot sound like a funny combination..well, you are right. It is quite an interesting combination. Although, somehow it works! These muffins are healthy and yummy at the same time. Plus who doesn't love having more fiber in their diets! We all love fiber ;) Try 'em out!

 Here is what you will need:

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup water
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup ground flax seeds (use grinder or food processor)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup milk 

Step one:
Preheat your oven to 350F
Chop your apricots into small pieces. Place them in a small pot with the 1/2 cup of water (feel free to use orange juice as well) and put it on medium heat. Stir and leave it on the heat for a few minutes, then remove from heat. The point of this is for the apricots to absorb the water and thicken/moisten the dried fruit.

Step two:
In a medium bowl mix together all of your dry ingredients. White flour, whole wheat flour, ground flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder & salt.

Step three:
In a separate bowl mix together all of the wet ingredients. The egg, sugar, banana, apricots, olive oil & milk.

Step four:
Now add the wet ingredients to the wet. Mix until fully combined. Do not over mix.

Step five:
Take your muffin batter and evenly separate into muffin cups. I find that using a 1/3 cup is normally the perfect amount. Once they are all ready to go, bake for 20 minutes (or until fully cooked, golden brown).

BaKeD!

They look good right?
Have a great night guys! That's enough blogging for me!
xo
-Britt