Strawberry Muffins

Looking for a wonderful, yummy muffin?! I made these last night so the kiddos would have something to pop in their mouths before school. These Strawberry Muffins are a mock of my blueberry muffin recipe. I just added strawberries in place of blueberries and I did not add cinnamon to the crumble. I wanted to add something new to this recipe and it hit me when these where in oven, next time I am adding oats and Greek yogurt. I will definitely let you know how that turns out! These may not be the healthiest muffins, but still very yummy!
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this recipe :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 & 1 /2 cup chopped strawberries

Crumble:
5 TBS white sugar or brown sugar
2 TBS all-purpose flour
1-2 TBS cold butter, cubed

Directions for muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl whisk vegetable oil, egg, and milk; then mix with flour mixture.
Fold in strawberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

Directions for Crumble:
In a mixing bowl add sugar, flour, butter. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until you reach a crumble texture. If your butter is clumping just keep cutting in and you may need to add a bit more butter until you reach a crumble texture. Sprinkle over muffins before baking.

  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. Enjoy :)

Spinach and Basil Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite go to dinners is pasta! I mean how can you go wrong with pasta, right?! This summer, when my garden was bursting with basil, I made a Spinach and Basil Tomato Sauce that will forever remain in my rotation. This picture does not do the sauce justice, but I promise all the flavor is there!

Ingredients
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce
1- 6 oz can tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth (add more if needed)
1 TBS of fresh chopped oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
1 TBS of fresh chopped marjoram or 1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp garlic & herb
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp red pepper
(add a bit more for a little more spice)
1 TBS honey
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
Add the spinach, basil, and olive oil to a food processor or a blender such as a Vita Mix. Slowly add olive oil and blend until smooth. Then combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, stir, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or longer. Stir occasionally. Serve over cappellini and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan. This meal pairs well with a salad made with homemade croutons and ranch dressing, click here for the recipe!
Enjoy!

Homemade Croutons

This recipe has been moved to Cherishedbliss.com, click here for the recipe!

These croutons are an excellent addition to a salad covered in Homemade Ranch Dressing, click here for my recipe!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I will be honest I have never made homemade ranch dressing until recently! One of my good foodie friends, The Fountain Avenue Kitchen,  did a guest post for me this summer and posted her recipe for Better for You Ranch Dressing, check out the original recipe here! I quickly tried Ann's recipe and it was amazing! I then ran out of chives in my garden because all my kiddos loved it and I was making this dressing daily! After I had made Ann's dressing a few times and then ran out of chives, I was inspired to add a few ingredients of my own. I would love to share this recipe with you because it is such a big hit around this kitchen! Don't forget to stop by and visit Ann's blog, The Fountain Avenue Kitchen, she has amazing, healthy recipes the whole family will enjoy!


Homemade Ranch Dressing
6 TBS nonfat plain Greek yogurt
6 TBS low fat mayo  (I use Kraft Mayo made with olive oil)
2 TBS finely chopped chives or 2 tsp dried chopped chives
2 TBS finely copped Italian parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 TBS tarragon vinegar
2/3 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp garlic and herb seasoning
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

Add all ingredients to a pint size mason jar, seal, and shake to mix well, or blend all ingredients in a blender. Store in refrigerator; I let all my  flavors marinate overnight. Serve over salad or as a veggie dip. Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza

This tutorial has moved to CherishedBliss.com, click here for the full tutorial!

Cool Cucumber Sub

The first time I saw a cucumber sub was of course on Pinterest!
You can find the original pin here at Make the Best of Everything.
I thought it was such a cute and light lunch option! I quickly had to try one and then tell you about how fun it was to make! I will admit it is a bit slippery if you peel the skin, but if you are looking to cut those carbs this is a wonderful idea! My older kids loved this idea and it will definitely be going in their lunch boxes this year :) My younger one could not keep it in his hands and decided to eat his open faced. Either way it was a healthy lunch everyone enjoyed!

There are so many options, so do not stop at my ingredient list! Hummus, egg salad, and tuna salad would be another great option in these subs!
What's in my sub...
English cucumbers
deli turkey
crispy turkey bacon
chopped tomatoes
low fat cream cheese, softened and seasoned with a sprinkle of garlic and herb seasoning
a few turns of fresh ground pepper

I served this lunch with hummus chips!

First wash and seed an English cucumber. You can leave the skin on, but I chose to slightly peel mine!

Then fill one cucumber half with soften cream cheese and then placed the turkey, turkey bacon, tomatoes, on top of the cream cheese. Close with the other half of the cucumber and you have a cool, low calorie lunch!