Skinny Banana Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins - Low Sugar

It's muffin time again.  I know that the fresh fruit of summer will be gone soon, so I want to take advantage of every tantalizing combination that I can!

My bananas have been ripening faster than I can use them, so this recipe was the perfect one to pair my mushy bananas and super sweet and LARGE raspberries!  My neighbor loved the combination so much that she made the recipe using white chocolate chips.  That was a great change and I will do that next time (see picture at the bottom!)

SKINNY RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA MUFFINS - low sugar

adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. Splenda brown sugar blend

1 cup mashed banana (about three medium bananas)

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I used Yoplait honey vanilla)

1 egg, beaten (I use x-lge)

3/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup vanilla coconut milk & 1/4 cup Coffeemate GS Caramel & Coconut Creamer)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate chips)

 1 3/4 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray regular muffin tin with non cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.  Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the honey and Splenda brown sugar blend together. It will be VERY thick.  Add the mashed bananas, yogurt and beaten egg. Gently pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold them all together. It will be very thick.  Add the milk slowly and continue to gently fold the ingredients together. The milk will thin the batter a little.  Then fold in the chocolate chips.  Finally fold in the raspberries just until blended so they don't crush and turn the batter red!  Overmixing will cause tough muffins.

Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups.  Fill them to the top.  Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar if desired.

Bake for 17-18 minutes or until golden brown.. Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack.

 These are chock full of raspberries and chocolate.  The flavor combination is soooooo good!

Sparkling sugar makes everything better!

Brimming with raspberries. You can see the steam on the plate!

Spotlight on this muffin with the white chocolate chips.

I love all of the photo editing you can do with Pic Monkey.

Enjoy!!

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"Healthy" Blueberry Coffeecake! - Low Sugar

I have so enjoyed experimenting this summer with fruits of the season and blueberries have been at the top of my list.  I needed a break from the muffin madness that has taken over my kitchen so decided to give this already healthy coffee cake recipe a try.  I substituted greek yogurt for sour cream and used sugar baking blends to make it even lower in sugar. I am really pleased with how it came out.  It is flavorful, soft, very moist and just plain delicious.... and it made my kitchen smell wonderful.

Now the one thing in question is why would I want to bake when the humidity is up and it's supposed to be 90 degrees today??  Well the answer is simple - why not?? I started relatively early so the heat inside would dissipate before the heat outside took over!  It's crazy but I don't claim to always make sense!  I have learned that during the summer I need to keep my baking to early in the day or late in the evening - anything else truly IS crazy!!

I hope you will try this and be as delighted with the results as I was.  I love the creations of Marlene Koch and have never had one of her recipes fail, even when I shift the ingredients a bit!

Can you see the size of those blueberries??  They were super-sized!!

BLUE RIBBON YOGURT COFFEE CAKE

adapted from "Eat What You Love" by Marlene Koch

Ingredients for the Cake:

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 c. applesauce

2 Tbsp. sugar

1  egg

1 egg white

1/4 c. Truvia baking blend

1 1/2 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup fresh blueberries

Gently mixed batter...

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

1/2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. Splenda brown sugar blend

1 Tbsp.  Truvia baking blend

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Cinnamon Crumb Topping

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly spray or grease an 8 inch square pan and set aside. (I use EverBake spray from King Arthur Flour - I love it!)

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, applesauce, egg, egg white, sugar and Truvia baking blend.  Whisk together.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Add the 3 Tbsp. butter and cut in with a pastry blender or fork until well combined and crumbly.  At this point I like to toss in the blueberries so they will get a light coating of flour and not sink to the bottom when baking.  Then make a well in the center of the bowl and add the yogurt mixture.  Gently mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until the ingredients are combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Mix the dry topping ingredients together and then add the melted butter and mix with a fork until everything is crumbly.  Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and wait 10 minutes before cutting (if you can - the temptation is overwhelming!!)

I have been making a LOT of blueberry recipes this summer, and there are undoubtedly more to come, but so far this is my absolute favorite one!

This is one of those times I wish I could share the out of the oven smell.......Mmmmmmm!!

It's as good as it looks!!

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The Day Long Card....

Wouldn't you know that when I have a day set aside to make a lot of cards and get so many things accomplished that fate would intervene and turn my plans upside down?? Such was the day I tried to make a birthday card for a friend who is turning sixty in a couple of weeks.  I literally destroyed at least 5 sheets of card stock and twice as many text weight sheets to get this card to even start to look right.  And even though I was tempted to stop with each  disaster, I was determined to make this card work.  And I think I finally made something that I can accept as good enough!  That is hard for me - I want my cards to be perfect but they just aren't all going to be fabulous or easy!!

The file is from Birds Cards and it is an accordion card. It didn't help that I had never made an accordion card before so I had NO clue what I was doing!!  And there were a lot of parts to this card - several card bases, acetate panels to go behind each cut out section, and frames to cover both sides of each cut out!  Could I have made it more difficult??  I also used her Flowers 1 file.

I finally utilized some digi paper from Sassy Designs - Rosanna and I love the colors.  I have been collecting digi papers for a while so it was fun to put one to good use.  It was a perfect match for the blue paper I was using  - the ice blue sorbet from Paper Temptress.

I  also have a new tool for making bows - it is called "the Bow It All".  It makes bows from 1/2" to 9". I have used a lot of bow makers over the years and up until now my favorite has been the Bow Easy - because it was just that  - EASY!! But I was limited in size to what I could do.  Some others were just too complicated and I am bow-challenged enough without having a gadget sabotage me even more!  If you make a lot of bows, I highly recommend this.  Watch for a sale as it is a little pricey - I was lucky enough to find it at about 50% off. I know I will be using this a lot as I get more comfortable with all of the styles of bows I can make...

An accordion fold card all spread out so you can see the panels.There is acetate behind each cut 

and the patterned paper is on both sides of each panel.

Tried to separate the panels a bit so you can see the word on each section.

These are two separate sections that are joined by a tab connecting them.

The final card. Not sure I would jump to do this soon, 

but I am glad I stuck with it!!

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Peach Melba Cobbler

I don't know about where you are living, but, but the peaches that have been available here this year have been incredible.  I am not always a huge peach fan, I think because I have had my share of mushy flavorless peach mpostors. You know the kind? They look so good on the outside,but you cut into them and you just know that first bite will not be memorable, at least not in a good way.

But this summer has been an entirely different experience.  Ohhhhhhhhh goodness....... they have been juicy and sweet and just plain delicious, bite after bite........pound after pound!  So I have been eating them for snacks and cooking with them.  And when I saw this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats (love her!), I knew I had to make it with a twist. She used peaches and blueberries, but I reverted to my Peach Melba obsession and used raspberries.  AND...... I made it low sugar.   It was so delicious. The only thing I would change is to put it in a smaller, deeper dish so the fruit layer has more depth and then the cobbler would cover it completely - or at least almost!

It is delicious plain, with whipped cream or Cool Whip, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Healthy Choice vanilla bean yogurt (see pictured below) and works either hot or cold.  You just cannot go wrong!!

And in my world,  when it is mainly fruit, it works for breakfast too! :)

Low Sugar Peach Melba Cobbler

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats Peach A Berry Cobbler

1 c. flour
1/4 c. Truvia Baking Blend (or 1/2 c. sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/8 c. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/4 c. brown sugar)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
3 c. sliced fresh peaches, skin on (3 large peaches)
1 c. fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Truvia Baking Blend (or 2 Tbsp. sugar)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.

Topping Mixture:

Combine the flour, 1/4 cup Truvia baking blend, and baking powder in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add milk and butter and stir until relatively smooth and set aside.

Fruit Mixture:

In a large saucepan, whisk together the Splenda brown sugar blend, cornstarch, and water until smooth.
With heat on medium, add the peaches and raspberries,  and cook until mixture is thick and bubbly, mixing with a wooden spoon.  Add the remaining butter (1 Tbsp) and lemon  juice and stir until the butter is melted.

Pour mixture into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart baking dish (I used a 10"x10" glass dish. Next time I would use a smaller, deeper dish for more fruit concentration and a better coverage of cobbler batter.)  Spoon topping mixture over the top of the fruit.  It does not have to be even or cover completely.  Blend the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the top.

Place baking dish on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the dough comes out clean.

Are these not the most beautiful peaches???

Peaches and raspberries simmering goodness...

All cooked and waiting  for the cobbler dough!

Ready for the oven with a sprinkle of  cinnamon  sugar.

All cooked and ready for a taste test!!

This is delicious on its own, with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, or whipped cream or topping.

I love the individual serving cups of frozen yogurt from Healthy Choice!

Who wants the first bite???

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Dominic's Daisy - Tripled!

I have so needed to make quite a few birthday cards, but have been busy with some fundraising events and time was just not on my side.... until this past weekend.  I sat myself down and just said "knock it off!  You have things you need to do so focus!!"  Nope -  that was a great idea in theory but fell flat. I don't listen to my own lectures very well!  Sometimes the creative mojo is just NOT there and it has been doing an exceptional job of hiding lately.  I have searched through card sketches looking for inspiration - and found none.  I tried blog after blog after blog. I loved all of the wonderful creations out there, but none moved me enough to try to make one like it.  The more I looked the more discouraged I became.  And the more discouraged I became the less inclined I was to even try to think of something  to make.  Then it happened - the undeniable tick of the clock reminding me that the time was upon and the cards were needed NOW.

After a mild panic, I fell back on one of Dominic's designs - I love how they cut and they always make me look so clever - but it's really ALL him. I love his flower series and have used many time and time again.  I decided it was time to make the daisy again - so I not only made it once, I made it three times!  I know.... I never..... well almost never make the same card twice.  And even though I  used the main design three times with basically the same paper, each card has a character all its own. I really am happy with how these turned out and even happier that it has led me to work on other projects - to be revealed over the next few days  I hope.

I am hopeful that the creativity is returning, albeit s--l--o--w--l--y!!!  But it's okay - I can wait patiently and hope I can nurture it and keep it going.  My fingers are crossed!

So here is my trio of Dominic's daisies. And even though I cut the positive/negative image, I decided to just stick with the main file and play around with that.

I love showing the positive and negative images. 

This time I didn't make a card with the negative image...yet!

Paper Temptress Pop Tones Grape Jelly card base

Paper Temptress Parchment pink

Bow Easy for perfect bow making!

A simple and easy card.

Paper Temptress Sparkle Blanco card base

Coredinations background showing in the corners

Paper Temptress Luster Canvas behind the daisy

Seed pearls glued in the center of the flower.

A bit more detailed but still simple.

Paper Temptress Pop Tones Grapesicle with daisy cut out.

Back of Bo Bunny patterned paper showing through the daisy for contrast,

Star Dust Stickles in the openings of the flower center

All of the cards use Bo Bunny dotted patterned paper that has a solid color on the reverse side. It cut beautifully with the Silver Bullet Professional Cutter as did all of the papers, and it was fun to use something a little different.    Details are under each card. I hope you enjoy them!!

Stay tuned for more creativity from the craft room and the kitchen!! Pin It Now!

On Turning Sixty...

A couple of weeks ago I hit a sort of benchmark age that definitely gave me pause.  Sixty - dare I say it???  I have whispered it for months knowing that it was waiting for me round the bend, then I went into denial as the date came closer, cringed on my actual birthdate, and then.......suddenly...... it was ok!  Really  - as if someone snapped their fingers or made a secret wish... all of the negative connotations vanished.  And there is more .... I actually embraced the age.  If truth be known, I worked darn hard to get to this stage of my life and I deserve to enjoy it, not run from it!!  And I am still working on making that my TRUTH!!

In the months approaching my birthday, I heard all of the cliches - it's just a number, it's the new FIFTY, it's the new FORTY, you don't look a day over ______ (they kindly inserted an insanely young age!) and more...   I shrugged my shoulders and just felt OLD........I mean O......L.........D!!! And the closer my birthday came, the older I felt.  It was as if I was aging months with each passing day.  My mind was playing horrible tricks on me and I was believing the worst of this ominous age.

But as quickly as it came..... it went.  And you know what?  I am just the same as I was a few months ago.. What has changed dramatically is my attitude about a lot of things.  Could I finally be growing up?  Maybe there really is hope for all of us!!

Here is what I have learned/realized in the two weeks that have passed.....

I love my  life.  Is there anything I would change?  Of course, I would wish for perfect health instead of having to deal with some challenging health issues. Yet I am so very aware that no one escapes unscathed; we all have personal struggles - some are more visible than others, but no one has a "perfect" life. But, for me, I know it could be so much worse. I am still independent and do not have to rely on others for daily tasks.  I can read and craft and love my dogs and bake and do needlework and so many things that make me happy and fill my soul.

I can live, free of fear, to make choices for myself. I can explore new interests and learn new skills. I can choose to do whatever I want, within reason!  There is so much ahead of me that I long to experience.  I realize, now more than ever, just how precious each and every minute is.  And I don't want to take one  of those minutes for granted.

I am blessed with three wonderful children who have grown into very special adults.  I have two beautiful granddaughters and look forward to more grandchildren in time. (my youngest son is not married yet so there is definitely time!!)  I am living out my life in the city where I was born and raised. And even though my parents are no longer here, many of their friends still are And their friends are now my friends. And my parents set a clear and wonderful example about how to be an active and caring member of a community. Yes, I am still trying to make them proud.  But I am also finding my own way to give back to the city that I love, embracing some of their passions and finding my own.

My life is rich in all of the ways that really matter - with incredible friends and family.  I am an only child and always wanted a brother or sister.  I now realize that I have all of that and more in the friends who bless my life.  They are sisters and brothers who I love with all of my heart.  Sometimes I sit back in awe of the amazing people in my life and wonder what I did to be so unbelievably lucky!

So..... is turning sixty all that bad??  No.. not at all.  It is a passage into a new journey with a heightened awareness of the beauty of life all around me.  It is time to be grateful for the life path that brought me to this age and stay open to the opportunities ahead.  It's as if I approached a fork in the road and there were two very distinct choices.  I could go one direction and bitterly and begrudgingly move into this "senior" phase of my life and let my struggles dictate my days and basically give in to the aging process. The other direction was a bit more uncertain and uncomfortable as it required trust and faith - faith in myself.  But this direction had so many more possibilities and opportunities - I could feel the excitement even though I could only see a few steps ahead of me. The emotional pull was evident. This is where promise for the future and fulfillment  would prosper. This is where I could decide who I wanted to be and how I wanted to embrace each day.  This is where the only limitations would be self-imposed.  So it was an easy decision for me -  I want to dare to experience all that is available.

Each birthday is a gift in itself .  And this one, in particular, was overflowing with love and gratitude.  Perhaps it felt more special because I finally opened my heart to receive.

I could not be happier and I wish that for everyone reading this.

A surprise family dinner!!! BEST Birthday EVER!

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - Party Time!!

The time has come and I have moved into a new decade of my life - ouch!!

I knew that some of my kids were coming over to take me out to dinner to celebrate, so  I needed a quick appetizer beforehand.  I had seen a lot of different recipes for hummus and decided that this was the time to make some. And all I can say is I will never buy it again - it is just TOO easy to prepare and oh SO good!

And there is A SECRET to the smoothest hummus ever.  Ready?  Remove the skins! Simple right?

The Secret..... The Skins!!!

First of all,  I should now admit that I had no idea garbanzo beans had skins!!  Did you?  And they are not tedious to get off - you just hold one and sort of pop it off!!  I even took a photo of the skins to show you how they come off in one piece.  Now I suppose you could say I have way too much time on my hands if I am "peeling" garbanzo beans.... and there are times you would be right, but not this time!  I wanted to be sure I could make creamy hummus as I was missing the tahini paste that supposedly adds flavor AND creaminess.  So I did some online research and discovered this cool secret.  And the verdict from all who tried it was a resounding YES - it was worth it - and it was delicious!!!

The prep - yummy dippers, simple ingredients

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

Adapted from Table for Two

1 can garbanzo beans, drained (reserve liquid)
1/2 - 2/3 cup roasted red peppers
1 tsp. Borsari salt or a high quality salt combination
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. reserved bean liquid
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. paprika
juice of one lemon

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until well mixed.  If you have time, refrigerate for 1-2 hours so the flavors can meld. You will LOVE this!!

The finished product......So incredibly delicious (and don't you LOVE those napkins???)

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Peach Maple Breakfast Bread Pudding

This time of year I tend to overbuy fresh fruit.  I cannot get enough of it and forget that one person can just eat SO much fruit until I get home from the store and start to put it all away into the bins that are already brimming with fruit! What was I thinking?  But it looks SO good and smells SO good, I just cannot resist it.  I think subconsciously I realize that in another month or so the pickings will be slim and it will be back to just apples and berries!  So....... time to use up some peaches.

I usually make my own bread, but have not yet ventured into the world of challah or brioche so I cheated and bought it. I plan, during the cooler months, to experiment more with my bread making and master at least one of those.  It's just dough - right?  How hard can it be??

Peach Maple Breakfast Bread Pudding

adapted from Piece of Cake

1 (1 lb) loaf of challah or brioche, cut into 1" cubes

6 large or extra large eggs

*2 cups vanilla coconut milk (or regular milk - your choice)

3/4 cup Coffeemate Girl Scout Caramel and Coconut

1/2 cup pure maple syrup (use grade B for the most intense flavor)

1 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups cubed, peeled peaches (2 medium size)

* The original recipe calls for 2 3/4 cups milk - I just split the difference between the coconut milk and the CoffeeMate creamer.

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 13x9" pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, creamer, maple syrup, almond extract, and salt and whisk until well blended.  Add the bread cubes and gently blend using a rubber spatula, coating the bread cubes. Then fold in the peaches.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and let sit for 10 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the liquid.

Bake uncovered for about 50-60 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown,  and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

Reheats well the next day!

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Needing Sympathy Cards :(

Unfortunately I have had to make two sympathy cards of late.  Both were beloved long standing members of our area who helped make it a better place to live.  God bless them and their families.

I went for simple cards... used a stencil design that was turned into a cut file and even though not planned, the negative image from the cutout turned into the perfect second card.

I did learn a trick when transferring the pieces of the cross (on the right below) so I wouldn't have to move each individual part as I have always done.  I took some of my transfer tape and placed it over the image, brayered it and slowly pulled it off. I was  a bit worried that the paper would adhere to the tape and not release, but the tape held just enough to let me align it to the silver shadow after coating the back of the cross with glue, and then I adhered it to the shadow piece and very gently pulled the tape off.    I am so glad I learned this little trick. It will make piecing complicated designs so much easier!!

Positive and negative cut images.

The stenciled cross with a silver shadow under it to show the detail.

A damask embossing folder enhancing the Paper Temptress luster paper.

The negative (leftover) image after the cross pieces were removed

Finished card with the original image on pop dots.  I love the embossed background.

The second card -  love the simplicity of it

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"Dated" Brown Sugar Banana Bread

Oh that was bad - but it got your attention - right??!!??

I had planned to make a  new recipe for banana bread today, but I never thought about how important it was to have that cup of coffee first.  Lesson learned - I hope.

I was measuring my dry ingredients and needed 3/8 cup.  No problem. I knew I had a 1/8 cup measure and a 1/4 cup so I was good.  The math worked fine.    Where I failed was in reaching for the measuring cups without checking.  I thought I had the right sizes and moved right along - flour, brown sugar blend, baking soda, salt, cinnamon. I was whisking away and was about to go to the next step when that delayed sip of coffee aka caffeine shot kicked in.  I looked at the measuring cups and literally said out loud "OH NO!!"  My dogs looked at me like I was telling them that they were not going to get breakfast!!
But no -- the gasp was not meant for them.  I realized that I had pulled out a 1/4 cup measure AND a 1/3 cup measure!!  I might have been able to fudge a little had I just used the 1/3 cup - but no - I used both and knew that it was way too much sugar for the recipe.  So that bowl of flour mixture went straight into the trash .  I gulped a few more swigs of coffee and proceeded to remeasure and get the correct amounts into the bowl!!  Good grief!

So what was I making??  Here is the recipe, thanks to another blogger and a great cookbook.  Used a bit of inspiration from both!   And the second time around it turned out perfect!!!

Brown Sugar Banana Bread with Dates!

adapted from Cookies and Cups and  The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

2 cups flour

3/8 cup Splenda brown sugar baking blend

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking spice (Penzey's Spices)

1/4 c. chopped dates

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (4 small)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used Trader Joe's vanilla bean)

2 eggs

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray (I use EverBake from King Arthur Flour - love it and it never fails me!).  Set aside....

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar blend, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking spice.  Mix in the chopped dates. Whisk til well combined

In a separate large bowl, mash 4 small bananas (that is what it took for me to get 1 1/2 cups -).  Add yogurt (can substitute with sour cream), eggs, melted butter and vanilla.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine until just blended.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan.  OPTIONAL:  Sprinkle several tablespoons of the brown sugar blend over the top of the batter. It will form a nice crust as it bakes..

Bake for 45- 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan after running a knife around the edges to loosen.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

So when you forget to take a picture before it goes in the oven......

Oh I wish you could smell this...

It was SO hard to wait for this to cool!

Look at that crunch brown sugar topping!!!  So Yummy!

Tried a new spotlight feature on this picture - highlights all of the moist ingredients.

A closeup of the bananas and dated scattered throughout!

Ready to eat?  Breakfast anyone?

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