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-Elizabeth

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Muffins are my new go-to breakfast.  Making a batch of muffins takes almost no time, but I like a home-baked muffin so much better than the same English muffin I've been eating for months.

Try out this great recipe from Chelsea Eats Treats.

Light Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter (reduced fat)
2/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt (Greek)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixer, mash bananas, and add in peanut butter, honey, yogurt, and vanilla. Then, slowly add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.

Place liners in a muffin sheet and lightly spray with nonstick pray. Spoon muffin mixture into pan until 3/4 full.
Bake 20-25 minutes.

Apple-Pumpkin Pie

Can you tell I love the combination of pumpkin and apple?  This recipe is courtesy of Betty Crocker's cookbook, my lovely mom, and modifications I made with the pumpkin :)

This pie is so delicious!  I sometimes make my own crust, but when I want pie in a hurry, the Pillsbury pie crust is the ticket!

So here's the recipe for my fav pie filling!

Apple-Pumpkin Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 5 cups, peeled, cored, and sliced apples
• 1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tbs butter, cut into small pieces.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Use refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust.  In large bowl, mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt.  Stir in apples and pumpkin.

In 9 inch pie plate, place one piece of pie crust.  Put filling in pie plate.  Dot with butter.  

Cover with top pie crust, with slits added. 

Seal and crinkle edges.  

Put foil around edge.  Remove foil for last fifteen minutes of baking.  Bake until crust is brown and juice bubbles.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

I hate chopping butternut squash.  I chopped two of those suckers, and it took 20+ minutes, and my hand was killing me by the end.  Yuck.  Any recommendations on how to chop butternut squash better, besides for buying it pre-cut?

Anyways, after the chopping, the rest of the recipe was easy to make and pretty delicious.  This recipe is adapted from SheKnows.  I love the color that the squash and the cheese make this dish- it's wonderful!

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
2.5 cups diced butternut squash (about 2-3 squash)
1 tbs olive oil
10 ounces elbow noodles (whole wheat preferred)
2 tbs skim milk + 3/4 cup skim milk
2 tbs butter
2 tbs whole wheat flour
salt and pepper
1/2 tbs garlic powder
1 1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 15 minutes. Flip squash cubes over and roast for another 10 minutes.

Place the squash and 2 tablespoons of milk into the body of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, drain, and set aside.

In a large pan, heat the butter until melted over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk and butternut squash puree. Heat until the sauce is thick. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper and add garlic powder.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheese. Add pasta to the sauce and mix.

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

I heart fall.  I love everything about it-- mostly, I like baking with apples and pumpkin!  This is one of my favorite dessert recipes of my mom's, and I'm so excited to share it (and also adapted to make it a little healthier).  I eat these muffins for breakfast, snacks, dessert, and everything in between.  I actually try to give them away, so I don't eat them all :)

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups whole wheat flout
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbs pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups apple, peeled, cored, and sliced into small chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add muffin liners to muffin tins (about 18).

Combine dry ingredients.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and oil.  Stir until moist, and stir in apples. 

Spoon mixture into muffin tins.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

3 weight watchers points per muffin.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

I am in Utah right now for work, but before I went to the airport back in Virginia, I left Austin a little present to come home to after work :)  Yes, I made him dinner!

We both love rotisserie chicken, and this recipe from laaloosh gave the great taste of a rotisserie oven but in a crock pot.  Genius.  Austin sent me the picture of his dinner-- only problem was that the chicken fell off the bone (only a problem for pictures!), so he tried to piece it back together :)

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs minced onion
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs cajun seasonings
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and salt & pepper. Rub chicken all over with seasoning, and place in a shallow baking dish.

Place chicken under broiler for about 10 minutes or until skin begins to darken and crisp. Remove from oven and transfer to crock pot. Add broth and bay leaves, and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Serves 8, 3 Weight Watchers points a serving.

Help Me Walk to End Alzheimer's!

I’m joining the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, the nation's sixth-leading cause of death, by participating in Walk to End Alzheimer’s in less than two weeks on October 27, and I need your support.


Help me reach my goal by making a donation to my fundraising page.  I'm participating along with other members of the Young Emerging Professionals of Williamsburg (YEP).

I hope to make a big contribution in the fight against Alzheimer’s by reaching my personal fundraising goal of $100.00, and I’d be so grateful if you could sponsor me.

Your support of Walk to End Alzheimer’s will help the Alzheimer’s Association to enhance Alzheimer’s care and support and advance critical research for all those affected by this devastating disease.

Thanks so much for your support of Food Ramblings and my effort to help the Alzheimer's Association.  Click here to sponsor my walk.

THANK YOU!

xoxo,
Elizabeth