Chocolate Zucchini Protein Muffins.

Hi my name is Elizabeth and I'm addicted to muffins.

That soft, gooey little dude that pairs perfectly with dark coffee.

Moist, just a bit crumbly and so sweet and delicious you plan your day around eating it.

Just me?

Ummm................I digress.
Oh. Growing up in a large family, all of us girls learned to cook and helped quite a bit in the kitchen. My sisters are stellar cooks. I managed to get the short end of a lot of genes in my family, including in the kitchen, but the one thing I was famous for was my muffinry. (I realize I just made up that word, but roll with it people.) Anytime I had muffins in the oven, I had a line of siblings waiting in the kitchen for the timer to ring and the first tray to come out. My teenage brothers can put away 6 muffins in one sitting, so I had a lot of muffin-making practice and almost as much muffin-tasting practice.

Unfortunately...........most muffins are oh-so-yummy-to-your-tummy and oh-so-crappy-for-your-lappy. I mean......eat them and watch your lap disappear while your waistline grows. Or maybe I'm too dedicated to rhyming and I should have let that one slide.........

My goal was to recreate the oh-so-tasty muffin with a better protein to carb ratio. 

I'm happy to say that after two trials runs, I've developed the ideal little muffin- high in protein, low in carbs and perfectly decadent without processed junk to clog up your system. 

Bake 'em, taste 'em and if you eat them all in one sitting, it won't be the end of the world.

First there was a messy kitchen...........

Then there was attempt #1, which I named 'fake cake'. It turned out okay, but I knew I could do better.

And then there was the second attempt, and the little muffin that made everyone break out in smiles!!

Moist, full of flavor, with the melty dark chocolate inside. Um. YUM!!!

Zucchini Chocolate Espresso Protein Muffins.

6 egg whites

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

4 scoops chocolate protein powder

4 TBS cocoa powder

2 TBS instant espresso granules

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup maxi dark chocolate chips

In separate bowls, combine wet and dry ingredients, omitting chocolate chips. Combine both wet & dry ingredients until just mixed. (It will be pretty runny/soupy-- no worries!!) Generously spray muffin tin. Pour 1/4 cup mixture into each muffin tin. Garnish with 3 chips. 

Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. 

*DO NOT overcook!! Protein powder turns to RUBBER if you overcook it! Watch it carefully and adjust cooking time if needed!! 

Macros: Each muffin is 160 calories, 8.4 grams fat, 13.3 grams protein and 14 grams of carbs. 12 servings.

Happy muffin making!! If you like the recipe, be sure to tell me what you think!

Something Sweet.

My sweet tooth has been and will probably always be my biggest battle. I just need that teeny little kick of sweetness!
Last night I had the strongest craving for something sweet after supper. I kept ignoring it but it just wouldn't go away.
I had some Dove dark chocolates left over from a Christmas gift so I melted two of them with just a dab of coconut oil. I sliced up a banana, dipped it in the chocolate and sprinkled it with unsweetened shredded coconut. Popped these cuties in the freezer for about 10 minutes..........so totally delicious! There is nothing better than dark chocolate and coconut!! The banana was totally tasty addition.


Super perfect snack.

Do you prefer;

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Green or yellow bananas?

Cookie Maiden.

Yesterday was my day off and I took full advantage of it. I thrive on an active schedule, so I pack my days as full as I can. Some people love to save projects for the weekend, but I bookend my work days with projects.....workout in the morning before leaving and come home to do laundry, make meals to freeze, yard work, etc... Because my work schedule is wildly unpredictable,  I can't afford to put things off for the weekend. If I'm gonna get stuff done, I have to make time for it mid week because I usually work on the weekends which makes them crazy.
By keeping my days full, my days off are like mini vacations. I don't have stacks of work and catch-up to do because I'm already mostly on top of it. I can have a day off and really just relax, make plans with a friend, get in an extra long run, or even be available for last-minute shifts at work.

My brother texted me mid-morning and told me he was working about 4 miles from the house, so I offered to hook him up with lunch, but I also had time to make a batch of cookies to deliver to the jobsite.


My rock-star brother Noah created this recipe when he was about 14 years old. He's now the top-of-his-class at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts. If I were you I would use this recipe now before he's famous and can't divulge his secrets. 
(Which is actually happening already, so hurry before I have to take it down for copyright violation.)

Cookie making isn't exactly my forte, but this recipe is pretty much fool-proof.
And even if you DO mess it up, I'm pretty sure your recipients of cookies, botched or not, are going to love you forever.
This recipe makes a big batch. There was plenty for the crew, plus my other two brothers were working their after school job and were happy to take a couple with them.

Ta-da!! These cookies are a hit. Make 'em.

Rainy Day Cookies.

I am spending the weekend babysitting my fantastic niece and nephew while their parents are away on an anniversary trip. 9 years of marriage- and still head over heels in love. Marriage is hard work, but it is worth it.
Justice is 6 and Felicity is 2. I'm still recovering from the fact that my sister had the audacity to name her daughter the name that I picked out when I was about 12 years old to name my oldest daughter. Ahem. It's a good thing I don't hold grudges, right Rebecca??

This morning while we were reading books, we had the exceptional idea to make some cookies, so Justice began hap-hazardly pulling ingredients out of cupboards and off of shelves. "oh, this is good in cookies, and this tastes pretty good. oh, not this, let's hide this so Mom doesn't ever find this (stuffs a bag of rice into the freezer)" I pretty much let them choose what they thought would taste good in a cookie, with minimal guiding and persuasion. Okay, I might have just put the chili powder shaker back in the counter while Justice was distracted, but I was doing him a favor! :) He was convinced the chili powder was "that cinna-minty stuff Mom put in her cookies". I also placed an executive vote to add the 'shredded paper'. Apparently Justice is not terribly fond of coconut.

 

The recipe is as follows;
1/4 cup pb
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp molasses
3  large bananas, mashed
3 cups oats
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup craisins
Stir together the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Add the oats, salt and baking powder and stir until dough forms. Add the craisins, raisins and coconut. Place medium size balls of dough on greased cookie sheet. bake @ 350 for 10 minutes. Make 24 cookies. (53 calories each)

Those are all very loose measurements, these were definitely 'dump, stir, add a little more' cookies. :)

Justice was extremely concerned at the absence of sugar in these cookies. I promised him they would be SO delicious that he would not even know there was no sugar in them. He was extremely skeptical and we had a good long talk about the different ingredients we were using and how they were good for us and help our bodies be healthy. "Oh, you are a healthy Aunt." Yes, Justice, I am your healthy Aunt.:)

 

 

 After I set the timer, Justice struck this pose and did not leave that spot until the timer rang. He gave me very regular update "oh goodness, this time stand still, like basically. I mean, still 7 minutes left. that's basically just as long at 8 minutes, so we still have to wait at least half of forever."

 

 

 

"Healthy Aunts" make sugar free cookies for you and then let you drink their coffee. :) 

I love spending time with my family and it's exciting to me to help teach them about taking good care of their bodies when they are young. Being healthy is a deliberate choice and if you raise your kids to be healthy from the start, you save them for blood sugar crashes, sugar cravings, skin problems etc... Now, obviously, making cookies without sugar is not going to make them healthy, but it's an excellent way to show them that life is still fun and full and exciting AND good for you.

While we made the dough, I was explaining to Justice that bananas were high in potassium, which is really good for our eyesight. While I was typing this post he came up to me and said "oh my, my eyes are watering. I'm pretty sure they just need a cookie. Or maybe two. One for each eye to  be healthy?" :)

What do you do to share your health/fitness lifestyle/priorities with those around you?

What is your favorite thing to bake with children??

The Most Delicious Supper known to man.

Chicken & Couscous.

1 cup cooked chicken, shredded

1 medium-large tomato

1/2 onion

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup couscous, prepared

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Dice onion & tomato into bite-sized pieces. In a sauce pan, sautee the onion & tomato in 1/4 cup water for 2-4 minutes. When onions are softening, add chicken until heated through and remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Place prepared couscous on plate  & spinkle with cheese. Top with chicken mixture.

Serves 1.

This is DELICIOUS!!! The flavors are fantastic together and really meld well!!

This also is a filling meal that takes very litle prep or cook time I literally spent 5 minutes preparing and cooking. I keep home-canned chicken in my pantry or freezer, so it takes just a minnute to throw this together. This is a perfect meal for summer when tomatoes and onions are bountiful from the garden. I x'ed this recipe by 4 or 5 and made several servings that I put in tupperware to freeze for lunches or suppers on the go.

Enjoy!! :)