Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I enjoy baking because I have a big sweet tooth and I love how my house smells afterwards. My favorite desserts are cookies but I like to switch it up once in awhile....so when I came across these lemon poppy seed muffins - I had to give it a try! They turned out great and are perfect for a dessert or breakfast! 

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:
2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. To Make the Muffins: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream or Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir to blend. Don't overmix. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

5. To Make the Icing: Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. Serve.

"Fried" Chicken and Waffles

I'll never forget the first time my husband took me to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles....it was scrumptious. I had the fried chicken and two waffles and ate every piece...it was amazing. I wanted to recreate my own healthy version at home...so I searched for the perfect recipe. I tried this recipe from one of my favorite blogs and it turned out really great. For the waffles I bought the Trader Joes wheat free toaster waffles with pure maple syrup...delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 1/2 cups bran flakes
• 3 tsp kosher salt, less if you are using regular salt
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil and set a rack above. Spray rack with oil. 

Crush cereal in a food processor or chopper. In a bowl mix crushed cereal with salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. 

Combine mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Using a cooking brush, brush onto chicken then coat chicken with crushed cereal mixture. Place chicken on wire rack and spray with oil. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Easy Spinach Salad

I try to eat as healthy as I can and sometimes it's a little hard to always stay on track...especially on the weekends. So today instead of going out to eat for lunch...I made a salad. I know salads can be boring, which is why I try and load my salads with lots of yummy extras! This salad tastes great, healthy and will keep you full! 

Ingredients:

Half bag of spinach

3 scrambled egg whites

3 slices of turkey

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 Persian cucumber

1 tomato

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

5 grapes

1 pickle

Slice of low fat mozzarella cheese

Orange muscat champagne vinaigrette dressing (trader joes) 

Directions:

 

Take first 6 ingredients and mix them in a big bowl. Mix with salad dressing. Place the last 4 ingredients on top of salad. 

Spaghetti Squash and Cheese Bake

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? I know I do...but I hate all the calories and fat that goes into it. So... I tried this new recipe that substitutes the macaroni for spaghetti squash and uses a reduced fat cheese. It was amazing!!! I will probably never make regular mac and cheese again.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup flour 

2 cups skim milk

1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)

8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste

4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach

1/8 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.