Cinnamon Swirl Blueberry Muffins

So, I found this great recipe blog-The Almond Flour-and immediately decided that I needed to try some baking from this site! I altered it a bit since I was out of a few items, and I added the blueberries and these were awesome!

Dairy Free Muffin Batter
1/2 C brown rice flour (the original called for coconut flour, but I was out)
1 C blanched almond flour
2 scoops MILA chia seed (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 C coconut milk
1/3 C honey
1 cup fresh blueberries

Cinnamon Swirl
1/4 C honey (or less, they were super sweet)
1/4 C melted organic butter (coconut oil would make this dairy free)
2 T cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (next time I would add even more of these)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk egg, coconut milk, vanilla, and honey together. Then, slowly add dry ingredients (salt, Chia seed, almond flour, brown rice flour, and baking soda and whisk until lumps are gone-batter will be quite thin!
3. Optional: Add blueberries (the original recipe did not have any berries, but this made them so gooey and sweet) and stir together.
4. Scoop batter into lined muffin tins (makes 12 large or more smaller muffins)
5. Melt butter or coconut oil and then whisk together the butter, honey, cinnamon, and walnuts until combined well.
6. Spoon a teaspoon (or more) of the swirl topping onto each muffin-use a toothpick to swirl it around a bit.
7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

These were so tasty, and I can't wait to make them again! They didn't last long in our house! I also thought these might be tasty in a loaf pan served at a brunch! Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Plan 1/15-1/22

January has been a busy month for us so far and this week is no exception. Cold weather has finally set in and winter has arrived. Keep in mind that I do daycare several days a week so these are all meals that most kids will eat as well. Plus, if you repeatedly train them, they will learn to eat healthier meals! Here was my meal plan for this week!

Sunday:
Lunch-Grilled chicken salads
Dinner-Dinner out at Jason's Deli (organic salad bar-yum)

Monday:
Lunch-Chicken Wild Rice Soup with homemade stock
Dinner-Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breasts with roasted sweet potato fries and steamed veggies

Tuesday:
Lunch-leftover wild rice soup
Dinner-Beef Brisket with green beans and a side salad (this would have been good over brown rice, in a sprouted grain tortilla, or even on a salad but I ate it plain)

Wednesday:
Lunch-Grilled chicken sausages, roasted red potatoes, steamed peas and carrots
Dinner-Spaghetti with brown rice pasta (If I do not have the ingredients or time to make my own sauce, I try to keep a few jars on hand-read labels and make sure they do not have added sugar-Organicville and Classico are two that I've seen)

Thursday:
Lunch-Leftover Spaghetti with raw veggies
Dinner-Roasted whole chicken with Rice Pilaf and Roasted Chickpeas

Friday:
Lunch-Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Casserole
Dinner-Crockpot Salsa Chicken Taco Soup


Saturday:
Lunch-leftovers from the week
Dinner-Homemade pizza with chicken sausages, mushrooms, and tomatoes-raw, organic cheese and organic tomato pizza sauce. I am trying a pamela's gluten free crust!

Thinking ahead for next week:
Taco Soup (My daughter's favorite so we'll have that sometime next week)
Baked Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Zucchini (My favorite)
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (Hubby's favorite)

Snacks you may see around our house this week:
Blueberry Muffins with cinnamon glaze (new-I'll post this tomorrow)
Trail Mix
Fruit-Pineapple, Clementine Oranges, and Grapes are the faves right now!

Gluten-Free Brownies

Some of you could not get over the beans in the Black Bean Brownies so here is a different recipe for gluten-free brownies. Now, with the dark chocolate chips (unless you skipped them or went with like 90%) there is a bit of sugar in here but not much. The batter was super tasty!

1/2 cup organic butter, melted
1/2 cup raw honey (agave or stevia would also work I am sure)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (the recipe I adapted suggested mint extract for a special minty flavor)
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 scoop MILA chia seed
1/4 tsp. sea salt
5 Tbsp. Raw Cocoa Powder
Handful Dark (70%) Chocolate Chips (optional) or raw walnuts might be tasty!

1. Mix together wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients and stir well.
2. Pour mix into greased 8 x 8 or 8-9 inch round pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

*Note: The recipe also had adaptations for vegans (coconut oil instead of butter, super dark chocolate melted instead of cocoa powder, applesauce instead of eggs)

Game Time Snacks!!!!

I am a sucker for football junk food, so if I can make it a bit healthier I will do it! Since the next month will be full of big games and parties, here are a few ideas for some snacks!

Little Smokies:Grass-Fed all-beef cocktail wieners
BBQ sauce (organicville is a favorite of ours, no sugar, sweetened with agave)
1 can organic diced pineapple

1. Place the wieners, pineapple, and BBQ sauce into a crock pot and simmer.
Enjoy!

More Game Time Snacks!!!

Mexican Layer Dip:
1-2 cans organic black beans
3 avacados
1/2 cup fresh organic pico salsa
Sea Salt
Cumin
1/2 lime
Organic, Raw Cheese
Diced tomatoes

1. Warm the black beans on low heat and season with cumin and a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa. As the beans cook, mash them into a bean dip for the first layer...refrigerate for a few minutes then add the following layers.
2. Make the guacamole layer by mashing avacados, sea salt, lime juice, and the rest of the fresh pico (Valley Natural's fresh, organic is my favorite)-then layer on top of the bean dip.
3. Shred the organic, raw cheese on top for layer 3.
4. Top with diced tomatoes and serve.

We like these with organic corn chips, Pecan gluten-free crackers, or rice crackers/chips. Many people like onions or olives also, but we prefer it simple.

Homemade Chili Con Queso:
Leftover Cup of Chili
Organic Salsa
Organic, Raw Cheddar/Monterey Jack

1. Place chili, salsa, and shredded raw cheese into a small crockpot and melt together. Serve with chips or crackers for that perfect cheesy snack that won't leave you feeling ill like the processed junk you buy at the store!

Vegetable Rice Pilaf

Okay, well this isn't rocket science and it's nothing fancy, but it was a yummy way to make rice a bit tastier and more full of veggies!

1 cup organic brown rice
1-1.5 cup organic chicken stock (vegetable stock would also work)
3-4 large carrots, diced
2 stalks organic celery, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, diced (I used a mixture of portabello and cremini but you could use any)
1/2 zucchini, diced
1-2 Tbsp. organic butter
Sea Salt, Pepper, Garlic (whatever seasons you want)

1. Saute' vegetables and seasonings on medium heat in the butter until softened (maybe 10 minutes or so).
2. Add the chicken stock and rice and bring to a boil.
3. Stir carefully and reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until done!

We did this as a side dish with a roasted Chicken and even more steamed vegetables-it was yummy and filling!

Missed a Few Weeks...Oops!

I realized that I haven't posted in a while, but that's because I have been in a rut as my three year-old has not been as eager to try new things recently so I have been sticking with the old faithful recipes that she will eat. Don't get me wrong, she's a very healthy eater and isn't your typical kid but lately she hasn't been interested when I throw something new at her, so I am giving her a break. Here's a sampling of some recipes that we've had in the last couple weeks!

Banana Bread
Blueberry Muffins
Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breasts w/ steamed vegetables
Chili
Turkey Soup (same recipe as chicken soup but using our leftover turkey)
Chicken Black Bean Salsa Soup (my hubby prefers this on a ezekial whole grain tortilla as a taco)
Grilled Chicken Sausages w/ sweet potato fries and sauteed green beans
Spaghetti w/ brown rice pasta
Blueberry pancakesChicken Nuggets w/ steamed vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower are her favorites right now)-I have also used this 'breading' to coat eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini and we love it!