Healthy breakfast muffins

My friend Maren read this post of mine, and, as a fellow non-breakfast-breakfaster, she sent me this recipe of Martha's. I instantly fell in love with the healthiness of it, plus it has raisins, bananas, carrots and oatmeal. Yum! I am a sucker for all of the above.

I made my first batch on a Sunday and ate one for breakfast each morning that week (I froze and then thawed half). This is huge for me! The last time I ate breakfast seven days in a row was probably in 1995 and it most likely consisted of greasy scrambled eggs and hash browns from our college servery.

These muffins will be a new a staple for me. There is zero guilt, and they keep my hunger at bay until lunch time. And they are easy to make. So, so easy.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I bet they would also taste great with cinnamon in place of nutmeg!)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Stir until there are no lumps.

Stir in:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

Add:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup skim milk

4 medium carrots, shredded

1 medium ripe banana, mashed

Stir until blended.

Fill 12 muffin cups with 1/4 cup each of batter. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 to 25 minutes.

Happy guilt-free breakfasting!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Buffalo sliders with cherry salsa

This recipe was one of the winners of our appetizer contest we had a few weeks ago. Of all the food I prepared on our Bloggy Day, this was by far my favorite. The ingredients are unique and such a genius combination. This is one of those recipes that I'm demanding you make. Thank you, Chantal, for sending it our way! Love it love it love it!

In a medium bowl, combine:

1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped (or 1/2 cup dried cherries)

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 small peach, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Mix well and place in the refrigerator.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small, chopped yellow onion and cook until it is soft. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

Place 1 pound of ground buffalo meat in a medium bowl. Top with the cooled onion-garlic mixture and 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce.

Thoroughly combine the ingredients with your hands.

Form small patties about half the size of your palm. I was able to make exactly ten patties.

In a small bowl, whisk one egg. In another small bowl, place 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs. Dip each buffalo patty into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs, completely coating the surface.

Cook in the same skillet over medium heat (I added a little extra olive oil to the skillet first), flipping sides, until the outisides are browned and the insides are lightly pink.

Spoon the cherry salsa over top of the cooked buffalo burgers and serve immediately. Oh goodness, these are delicious!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Contest winners announced!

Thanks so much for entering our candle giveaway! Ronda and Ann Marie, random.org chose you as the lucky winners! Please send me your mailing address (via Contact Pip & Ebby button) and my sister will get a candle in the mail to each of you!

Happy 4th birthday, my beautful boy

Elijah, I love you more than I could ever explain to you. I love your smiles and your silliness and your giggles and your requests for me to tickle your "cute bony knees." I love that you yell, "Wook, Dad! Mine mommy is home!" when I get home from work in the evenings. I love the way you pretend that you have a bad back and walk hunched over as you let out fake groans. I love how you love to chase me around the house and I love your heart-melting smile. I love your love for books and for learning and I love the way you tell Sammy to "Get some sweep!" every night before bed, right before you kiss his head. I love the way you sing "Jesus Loves Me" and I love how friendly you are with everyone you see. I love how it feels to have your arms wrapped tightly around my neck and I love how you talk and sing to yourself all the time.

Thank you for everything you have taught us and thank you for telling me that you love me every day. I love you, my sweet sweet boy. Happy 4th birthday.

Check out our fun Monster Cupcake recipe!

Feta dip

This post written by the original Ebby.

Last weekend's blog day was so much fun. Pip and I had a blast cooking our fingers to the bone and hosting friends to sample the embarrassing amount of food that we produced.   

This dip was one of my favorites, and it's hands-down the quickest and easiest thing to throw together. Combine feta, sour cream, onion, garlic and herbs, followed by a splash of lemon juice. Then chill and eat!

I love the tanginess from the feta and the bite from the garlic; the parsley and lemon add brightness. It's wonderful! Serve it with crackers and veggies, or just spoon it directly into your mouth. Someone also had the brilliant idea of spreading it in a pita with cucumbers...delish!

And if you happened to notice my son's dirty little fingernail, please forgive me. I realize dirty fingernails don't mesh well with feta dip, but our hired hand model was too busy scarfing down food to do her job. 

Feta dip

1 C. feta

1 C. sour cream

2 T. minced onion

2 T. chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried thyme

Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Combine first seven ingredients and mash gently. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Click here for a printable recipe!