Guiltless Chocolate (chip) Muffins

I am a woman, I love chocolate. I know that's not the best food for me...let's be real. It's just comfort food...aka "mommy food".

I have been on the look out for something to satisfy my sweet/chocolate craving with hopes of it being healthy at the same time...

With a few other recipes combined and some practice baking, I came up with this Guiltless Chocolate (Chip) Muffins.

It truly is guiltless. The batter has no egg, no oil (except for spraying the muffin tins), dairy-free, sugar free (if you omit the choco chips), and can be caffeine free if you replace the cocoa with carob.

Then you have the chocolate chips which are the guilty party. The muffins came out moist and fluffy.


We made them for Daddy's birthday cake.



Guiltless Chocolate (chip) Muffins

1 1/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup honey
1 Tblsp bran
2 Tblsp cocoa (or carob powder)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tblsp apple sauce (I use one snack cup)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips (optional) maybe 1/4 cup or so...

Mix all ingredients in bowl or blender, except the choco chips. Spray mini muffin tins. Fill the muffin tins and I add a chip or two on top (or in the middle) of the batter. It makes a yummy surprise when you bite into the muffin... :)

One of my little helpers like to add a choco chip on top, the other likes to mix a handful of chips in with the batter then fill muffin tins. Yummy!!! A girl after my own heart...


With or without chocolate chips they are top notch.

Makes 36 mini muffins.

Crock-Pot Steel Cut Oats

I felt I was super mom with the Crock-pot the other day. I had soaked some red beans the day before, put them to cook all day. I separated the cooked beans in 2 quart jars, then the rest I made a red bean chili in the crock.

The 2 quarts of red beans will be for dinners later on in the week.

So, after the chili was done for supper that evening, I washed the crock and set it for breakfast!
It cooked all night and was warm and ready to eat when we woke. Easy peasy!!!

Crock-Pot Steel Cut Oats

2 cups steel cut oats
6 cups water
1/3 cups honey
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon (or more to your liking)

Stir all ingredients into crock and set for 6 hours and 30 minutes on low. My new wonderful crock has a timer and once the time is out it automatically sets to warm. Very nice.

You can check out my new crock and the vegetarian tortilla soup recipe here.

Baked Oatmeal with Cranberry & Walnuts

This is going to be my next favorite breakfast. It's super simple to throw together and while it's baking you can be getting smoothies/coffee/setting the table or just taking a breather before the day begins...


Baked Oatmeal w/ Cranberry & Walnuts

Combine the following ingredients in small bowl and set aside:
1 3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 c apple sauce (I tossed in one snack cup)
1 T flax (milled)

Combine the following ingredients in mixing bowl:
2 cups rolled oats
3 T honey
1/3 cup cranberries (or raisins)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Add the wet ingredients to the dry oatmeal mixture and stir. Pour into sprayed dish.
Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Pretty Pink Beet Smoothie

Once I saw GreenSmoothieGirl's hot pink breakfast smoothie I just had to try it. It was just too pretty. What a way to wake up in the morning, drinking a great pink drink...and it's all natural coloring.

It is beet season around here and the beets I found had beautiful green tops that I could not toss, this time. So, I added them.

My recipe is not the same as the original GSG's hot pink smoothie, surprise...I modified it! But, some days it all differs to what I have available (or what I remember to put in it). This morning I forgot the vanilla, big difference! :)

Pretty Pink Beet Smoothie

1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup cashews
5-7 baby carrots (or just grab a handful out of the bag)
1/4 cup cranberries
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 beet (peel the beet and quarter)
2-3 beet tops
7-9 frozen strawberries
1 Tblsp rice protein powder (optional)

Blend away, maybe even twice to get it all silky smooth. It will happen, if you have a blendtec. I sometimes add a banana too.

If it's too thick, add more milk and pulse. I like my smoothies thin enough to drink with out a spoon. It's all about getting it down for me, and moving on...

Slow-Rise Yeast Pancakes

This pancake recipe is different from my other pancakes. I have never made pancakes using yeast and was interested in trying this one out. It was a hit from the beginning.

The pancakes are moist in the middle and have that yeast-y bread flavor. I just love the rise the batter makes the next morning while in the fridge all night.

This is what it is supposed to look like the next morning.

Slow-Rise Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
1 1/2 cup almond milk
2 Tbl applesauce (I just dumped a snack cup in)
1 Tbl flax + 2 Tbl water (or 1 egg)

Blend this in your blender (Blendtec users hit 'batters'). Set in fridge over night.

The next morning add 1/3 cup almond to batter and 'pulse' in blender a few times. Pour into hot, sprayed skillet.



It's just fun to have breakfast ready to go the next morning, like waking up with both your tennis shoes on...aka two-tennis-shoe-speed...ready to go!

All you need now is a great breakfast smoothie...(but wait until morning to do that).

Raw Vanilla Macroons

If you are looking for a simple and 'good' dessert I have just the thing. The greatest thing about vegetarian/vegan desserts is they are usually all good and you can eat them anytime, before dinner, after dinner, before breakfast...that's the way I like desserts...


Raw Vanilla Macroons (or Almond Joy)

2 cups shredded coconut
2 Tblsp agave nectar or honey
2 Tblsp nut butter (I used Natural Peanut)
1 Tblsp vanilla
pinch of salt

To make this recipe alittle more joyful add:

handful of whole almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or carob is you like)

Mix up the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and mold into balls and freeze.


To make Almond Joy squeeze a whole almond into the center of the coconut mixture (before freezing). Freeze. Melt chocolate in microwave bowl and dip almond coconut balls in melted chocolate. Freeze again...they can be set in fridge before serving.

I went back and doubled the recipe.

Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

My Blendtec turns 300!!!

One of the cool features of the Blendtec Total Blender is its counter. It counts the number of uses, cycles run. I guess it's like a blender odometer...pretty neat.

Well, I have had mine since February 8th, just less than 4 months! Wow, that is some serious blending!!! 300 and counting...

So, my 300th blend was an Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie. It is so yummy with oats and raisins and cinnamon...slurp! It was quite interesting eating my oatmeal for breakfast...and very filling. It doesn't have to be for breakfast, the first time I made this was 11pm. :)


Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

2 bananas (frozen)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup milk (I used almond)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of cardamon (optional)
1 T raisins

Blend and enjoy!!!