Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Whenever I buy bananas, I am never able to eat them all before at least one gets over ripe. Every time, with out fail. I will peel the over ripe banana and put it in a bag in the freezer. When I have collected 4-5 of them, I usually make banana bread. Over-ripe bananas are the best to use when making something like that because they are so soft and easy to blend in without being too lumpy.

However, this last time when the bag of bananas was full, I decided to go on an adventure and make muffins instead. I came across a recipe using lots of healthy ingredients so I decided to give it a whirl! Of course, I had to put my own spin on it and mix it up. They turned out great and Darin especially loved them! One thing I would have loved was to add some chopped nuts, walnuts would have been great! Feel free to mix some in if that sounds good.

Word to the wise: eat them quickly! Because they are so fresh and use such natural ingredients, they will go bad fairly quickly. You can freeze them if you don't think you can eat them all right away.

INGREDIENTS

(Yield 12 muffins)

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (but not hot) 

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

2 tsp flax or chia seeds, optional (I prefer to grind them up first)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine bananas, applesauce, agave, coconut oil, milk and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Stir in chocolate chips/flax/chia if desired. Divide batter into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown on top. Enjoy!

Batter with out chocolate chips

Read for the oven!

They are so yummy, hot from the oven!

With chocolate chips!

Life As a Cooking Blogger

Well, it has been about a week since I launched my cooking blog and I have had a few people tell me that they tried some of my recipes and they loved it! That makes me so excited!! You might be wondering what life is like as a famous cooking blogger.... but I couldn't tell you. On the other hand, MY life is just about the same as it always was. The only difference is that I am always hungry now because I am constantly thinking of new things I could create and it makes me want to run home and try it out! Not the best perk in the world.

However, I am excited to keep at this and see were it takes me. I have tons of ideas in my head rolling around for some new recipes. I have kept it pretty simple so far, and I am looking forward to showing you some more exciting things! PLEASE let me know if you want me to cover a certain topic or style of food. I am more than happy to take your requests! Thanks for all the love and support, LOVE YOU!! <3

Cherry Tomato Balamic Pork/Chicken/Salmon

Sometimes I like to pretend that I eat healthy. Now don't get me wrong, I don't eat tons of over-processed, fatty junk foods and fast food. I do try to keep my pantry free of lots of pre-made meals and processed foods (granted I do have a couple boxes of mac & cheese in my pantry, to my shame). But I do enjoy using butter, sugar and all those things that can pack on the fat and calories.

This meal in particular is one of the healthier ones I have come up with lately. It is essentially just balsamic-glazed meat with tomatoes. You can use chicken, salmon or pork, all are great. You can add some mozzarella or parmesan if you like cheese (let's be honest, if you don't like cheese, you shouldn't be on my blog). Sage or thyme are both great with balsamic. Toss in some zucchini, broccoli or asparagus. Serve it with white/brown rice or pasta. I just love balsamic anything! I have even had balsamic ice cream and it was awesome, so when I say that I love balsamic you know that I mean it! But the options with this concept are endless!

TIPS:
Pork chops will usually cook faster than if you were to use chicken or something else, FYI
After adding the tomatoes, shake the pan every once in the while to get the tomatoes glazed on all sides
Balsamic vinegar will caramelize and then burn quickly if you leave it alone too long, keep a close eye and keep it moving!

I used pork and served with mashed potatoes and a salad this time!

INGREDIENTS
4 portions of pork chops, chicken breasts or salmon
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp of dried thyme/sage
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan/Mozzarela cheese

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large skillet with a lid to medium heat, and add olive oil. Season all sides of your meat with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme/sage. Once your pan and oil are thoroughly heated, add meat and cook for 3-5 mins on each side (meat should not be cooked all the way through yet). Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the meat and continuously spoon the balsamic back over the meat for about 2-3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes to the pan and cover with a lid for a few minutes more until meat is cooked through and the tomatoes have popped. Serve over rice or pasta and top with cheese if desired. Add a side of veggies to make a complete meal!

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake (Adapted from Ina Garten)

Who loves blueberries? (ME) Who loves lemon? (ME ME ME)

Darin and I went to a U-Pick blueberry farm and picked 9lbs of blueberries a couple months back. That's right, nine pounds! I did find use for about 2 cups of them for this recipe. We saw a lemon blueberry coffee cake at Costco a while back and Darin had been pestering me to make something like it ever since. I went searching for recipes and adapted my own from an Ina Garten recipe I found on the Food Network's website. I love her recipes but I can't stand watching her show. She is so annoying! But none the less, I use information from her recipes all the time! This was a first time for me and homemade coffee cake and I must say, it was exceptional. I made a few modifications to her original recipe just because that is what I do! So here is the "Melanie Version" of Ina Garten's Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake. I hope you like the recipe, let me know what you think about it, I love comments, feedback, requests and suggestions. <3

Ta-Da!

INGREDIENTS
For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, plus extra flour for coating
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or cake pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Toss the blueberries in enough flour to barely coat them. Fold in the 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top. With your fingers, crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Just some ingredients

Making the streusel with fresh ground nutmeg :)

The streusel all mixed up

Velvety cake batter!

Blueberries coated with flour

Just before adding the streusel and popping it in the oven!

The aftermath

Fresh out of the oven and calling my name!

A little powdered sugar never hurt anyone

Slice it up baby

Look at all those blueberries!

It's a Spicy Meatballs! (Meatballs for Spaghetti)

Who doesn't love spaghetti & meatballs? Well, I am sure there are plenty of people who don't like them, but I am definitely not one of them! These are one of my favorite things to prepare for several of reasons. 1. They are the anti-procrastinator (make 'em ahead of time for the days on which you procrastinate). 2. There are so many variations! 3. They are always tasty (very important!) and 4. They are SOO easy to make and VERY hard to screw up!

I started making large batches of meatballs about three years ago. My mom was visiting and helping me stock up my freezer (love you, Mom!) and she had the idea to make a bunch of meatballs. Of course, that is exactly what we did. We made a TON, divided them into portion-sized baggies and threw them in the freezer! Since it's just me and my hubby at home, I will put about six meatballs into each baggie. That way, I can just grab a bag when ever I need it. Another great thing is that there is no defrosting required. I just toss the frozen meatballs in a pan with my spaghetti sauce and turn it on medium heat while I get the spaghetti cooked and make a quick salad or something. Just be sure to stir the sauce while it is heating up, you don't want anything to burn and it will help the meatballs warm evenly.

Like I said, I love how this recipe can be adapted and changed up in what ever ways you want. The recipe I wrote below is the way I made the meatballs this time. However, I haven't made them that way before and I probably won't make them this exact way again! I will mix it up based on whatever I have in my house, or whatever I feel like buying. The meats can be swapped out: ground beef, ground turkey, hot Italian sausage, mild Italian sausage.... I am serious, use what ever you like! Use red bell peppers. green bell peppers or NO bell peppers if you don't have them or like them! You can use plain breadcrumbs or Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs. I prefer buying plain breadcrumbs because I use them for more than just Italian-flavored dishes. If you use more ground meat and don't use Italian sausage, add in more herbs to make up for the lost seasoning. Maybe you like marjoram or parsley, throw them in too! The more the merrier!

TIPS:
-Use a cookie dough scooper to make the meatballs uniform in size and make quick work.
-Make sure your baking sheet has sides so your meatballs don't go rolling all over the floor! I used a 15x10in pan and that was big enough for all 4 dozen meatballs
-This is more of a helpful fact, some Italian sausage will come in the casings. Just cut a slit down the length of the casing and pull all the meat out, discard the casings.

But here goes nothing! I hope you like the recipe, let me know what you think about it, I love comments, feedback, requests and suggestions. <3

Served on top of some whole-wheat spaghetti!

INGREDIENTS 
(yield approx 4 dozen meatballs)
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp died basil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 - 1 cup breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended. (It is easiest for me to use my hands to do this.) Divide mixture and roll into 1-2in balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. (They can sit close together, they don't expand like cookies). Bake for 20-25 mins until cooked through. Allow to cool before storing. And don't forget to enjoy!

Just the start of my ingredients

Remember, you don't have to use Hot (but is is SUPER yummy!)

All mixed up and ready for scooping

About to go in the oven!

See how pretty they look!

Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

I am a firm believer that the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts was a gift from the gods. There are few things in this world that are better. These little cookies are to DIE for! Almost a brownie-like texture, with the truffle-y Nutella on top toasted hazelnuts, warm from the oven.... Are you drooling yet? Years ago I came across this recipe and it has been sitting in my recipe book ever since. I keep forgetting to try it! Of course I had to do it a little differently, so here is what I came up with. Enjoy!

TIPS: 

-Always toast nuts before using them. They taste so much better! If you buy hazelnuts with the skins still on, you should be able to get the papery skins right off after toasting them. No worries if you can't get it all off, just do what you can!

-Nutella is NOT easy to spread because it is so thick and sticky. When you are filling your cookies, lift the cooling rack that they are sitting on off the counter and lightly tap it on the counter. This will help the Nutella settle into the indentations. 

-Also, spoon the Nutella into a small plastic baggie and cut one corner off. Use the baggy like a piping bag to make filling the cookies much easier.

Don't forget to share these cookies if you don't eat them all!

INGREDIENTS

(Approx. 2 dozen cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

1/3 cup Nutella or similar (chocolate-hazelnut spread)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until nice and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add one egg yolk at a time while continuing to beat. Beat in vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on medium speed until combined. Turn dough out onto a sheet of waxed paper and knead 6-8 times until smooth. Shape dough into 24 one-inch balls and roll balls in chopped nuts, using light pressure. Arrange on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Immediate remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. If the centers rise while bake, use your thumb after baking is complete to gently press down the center of each cookie again. Once the cookies have cooled but are just slightly still warm, fill the indentations with a scant 1/2 tsp of chocolate-hazelnut spread. Sprinkle any remaining chopped hazelnuts on top. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I am a spoiled girl! My hubby took my months of "hinting" to heart and got me a great Christmas present. And of course, when I say "hinting" I mean that I was drilling it into his head that I wanted an immersion blender for Christmas. So guess what!? I got an immersion blender for Christmas! I was am excited! This recipe was one of the first big things that I have used my immersion blender to make. If you don't know what an immersion blender is, I will tell you. It is a hand-held device that is immersed and used to blend... Mind blown? Didn't think so... I don't know how else to describe it! But it is awesome for making sauces, soups, batters or anything. Here is a picture of the one I got:

The first thing I used it for was to make my crepe batter on Christmas morning. I could have used a hand mixer like a normal person would have done, but I was eager, to say the least. And I figured that it would help my crepe batter be nice and smooth, with no lumps. For this soup recipe, it helps a lot because instead of having to take your soup out of the pot and blend it in the blender in small batches, you can just use the immersion blender right in the pot! Also, I made Parmesan croutons out of some French bread to put on top, it was perfect! But this recipe so super easy and really yummy! I made it into a dinner with some Lemon-Pepper chicken and a salad.

TIPS
If you aren't a crock pot person, just do it over the stove and simmer until the squash is nice and tender. Then blend and continue like normal.
If you are short on prep time, skip the roasting and throw it all in the crock pot and let it go. But roasting will enhance the flavor... just saying
I really wish I had tried adding a little kick, like some crushed red pepper flakes or something. I think it would be so tasty!
That butternut squash is a beast to get into, but you can definitely do it!
I used a regular potato peeler to peel the squash. I just had to go over it a couple of times to get through the tough outer layer.

Just throw it in the pot!

After roasting

After about 4 hours

Blend, blend, blend!

INGREDIENTS

Enjoy!

3-4 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
32oz of chicken broth (sub vegetable broth if you are going for vegetarian)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup of parmesan or fontina cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large baking sheet, lightly coat the squash, onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil and S&P. Roast for 20-30 minutes. Place the roasted vegetables in the crock pot and cover with broth. Cook covered for 4+ hours or until vegetable are nice and tender. Using an immersion blender, puree soup in the crock pot to the desired consistency. If you are using a standard blender, you will need to work in batches and blend. Once pureed, stir in yogurt and cheese and heat for 10 more minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with homemade croutons, French bread or even more cheese!

Crispy Parmesan Chicken

I love Parmesan Chicken and have been making it for years! You can cut your chicken however you like. This time I split the breasts lengthwise (like butterflying, but all the way through). But you can use the breasts whole, cut them into strips, or even cut them in to one inch pieces and make it like parmesan popcorn chicken!

TIPS
-I put a rack over my baking sheet and cooked them chicken on that. It helps the breading to not get soggy on bottom. But you can use a regular cookie sheet if you like.
-Please grease your pan/rack! I totally forgot to grease it this time and I lost half my breading on the rack!
-Use a paper towel to pat your meat dry before coating with flour. This will help everything stick better
-You don't have to use panko breadcrumbs. Just use regular breadcrumbs if that is what you have. Panko is a little crispier
-The corn starch helps to make the breading extra crispy!
-Use three shallow dishes like a pie or cake pan for preparation.

Served with pasta and broccoli then tossed with alfredo!

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts, butterflied, split, sliced or cubed
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, margoram, parsley, rosemary etc - what ever you have)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease baking sheet. (I used a rack on my baking sheet). Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, corn starch, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl or shallow dish. Place eggs in another shallow dish. And flour in another dish. Piece by piece, thoroughly coat chicken first in flour, then eggs and followed by breading. Arrange on baking sheet or rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is done. **Cooking time will vary based on how small your chicken pieces are. 25-30 minutes will work for larger pieces.

The line up! Flour followed by eggs and finished with the breading.

This is what happens when you forget to grease the rack!