At my house, we all love chocolate and chocolate muffins. Dark. It’s better for us, so we’re lucky that we just happen to like it that way. But one of my sons has many food sensitivities.  So I’m always looking for a good allergen free recipe. Did you know that dark chocolate, the closer to its pure cacao state as possible, has been linked with over 40 distinct health benefits?  Dark chocolate’s high levels of polyphenols are heart protective, aid in healthy vascular function, aid in overall gut health, and increase insulin sensitivity – even in people without diabetes.  Combining dark chocolate with additional fiber creates a synergy that gives the health value of dark chocolate a super boost!

Oatmeal is a good source of fiber.  But there are other fiber powerhouses out there as well.  Just one tablespoon of ground flax has 2 grams of fiber!  Ground flax is a nutritional power house because of its high fiber content; it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids; and it contains phytochemicals known as lignans which may reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides.  But wait – there’s more!!  Do you remember when chia pets were all the rage? (Ok, I realize that knowledge of chia pets (younger generations feel free to google that) is the modern day equivalent of a huge scarlet date stamp on my forehead!)  Any way, itty bitty chia seeds, it turns out, are awesome for our health.  They are a great source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids to mention just a few.  And there are so many amazing things you can do with these little seeds! (I promise a subsequent post!)

So.  Am I ever going to talk about the blasted allergen free recipe for the chocolate muffins that are making your mouth water right now?????  Yup – here it is.

Wrapped in a tiny package, these muffins are made with oats, oat flour, ground flax, chia seeds, and unsweetened dark cocoa powder.  And…this is the best part.  THEY ARE DELISH!  Not only are they delish, but the recipe is easy and versatile.  I’ve adapted this recipe from one that I originally found on Being Mrs. Olson.  By easy and versatile – I mean, you can’t mess it up.  It’s not as exacting as most baking recipes; no super precise measuring here.

You can also easily change it up – you could take out the unsweetened cocoa and dark chocolate chips and replace it with blueberries – or any other fruit!  Up the cinnamon and add apples in the fall.  If you don’t have any allergies to nuts – change up the nut butter and see what you get!  Changing to almond or cashew butter, substituting peaches and increasing the cinnamon sounds awesome to me.  But try the chocolate first. And if you really want to up your chocolate, try adding cocoa nibs.  Get real – who doesn’t love chocolate?

I’ve made lots of variations on this one muffin, and they are all amazing! To see all the other healthy muffin recipes, just click the pink link.

Let me know how you like the double chocolate and whether you try any of the others!  And I’d love for you to post a comment and let me hear how you changed it up!

If you want to check out some of the variations that have worked well, you can find them all here:

Related Page You May Also Like: The Muffin Recipe That Will Make You Want to Eat Healthy

*I used sunbutter to avoid nut butters, but if you don’t need this to be allergen free, you can substitute in any nut butter. Hazelnut butter would be delicious!!

*I used Almond Milk because, among all the nut allergies in our house, almond isn’t one of them. But I have made these with coconut milk and it works every bit as well.

Growing Basil

It’s easy to start basil from seed. And I love the idea of starting seeds in an egg carton – it’s really easy and the kids will love taking charge of this project. You might even get them eating basil leaves right off the plant!

You will start having basil to harvest in as little as 6-8 weeks. I’ve grown basil every summer for years now and I will tell you the big thing that I’ve learned: if you want a beautiful bushy basil plant and a continuous harvest: TRIM it and harvest those delicious leaves often! After about six weeks when you have about six sets of leaves, start harvesting!!!

Once you trim the main stem, it will divide into two stems; then they each divide into two stems, and they divide into two stems, and so on, and so on… All this means more basil for you – YUM! If you are scared about this (because you are certain that trimming the plant will make it smaller…like I was for years) and you refuse to heed my advice, you will grow a tall, frail, spindly looking basil plant that will set flowers and die. Get past the fear and trim those plants! Now you’re ready to get started cooking with basil!

Cooking With Basil

Once you start harvesting, your supply should keep you cooking with basil all summer long. Depending on how much you want to use and whether you want to store some for later use, 1-3 plants should deliver more than enough summer deliciousness. Once you’ve harvested several stems, the easiest and longest lasting way to store them is to keep them, covered with a clear baggie, in a glass of fresh water on your counter. A stem or two might even start to sprout roots!

If you want to keep cooking with basil in colder seasons, you can whiz it up in your food processor or blender with olive oil. Then, pour the mixture into an ice cube tray.  Whenever you want the summer flavor of cooking with basil during the winter, take out a cube and add it to a soup or stew.

Cooking with basil is the best part. Basil is amazing with meats, vegetables, pastas, in sauces (think pesto…). In short, amazing recipes for basil abound! And they can be SO easy! You can even make cocktails with basil. Seriously.

Last night, I roasted green beans and asparagus in a touch of coconut oil at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes; I added left over grilled red onions and peppers and raw carrots and green onions (I love the crunch!).  Once all the veggies were combined, I tossed them in a easy vinaigrette that I made with chive infused olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Then I topped and lightly tossed with my basil chiffonade. What is basil chiffonade, you ask? Chiffonade is a method of cutting the leaves that is quick and simple – and looks beautiful!

Once you start cooking with basil, you’ll want to handle your basil leaves in one of two ways: tear them or chiffonade them. Tearing basil leaves is a great way to use them because it prevents the leaves from bruising – which they do easily.  The other way that I love to use basil is to slice the leaves into a chiffonade. “Chiffonade” is a fancy term for slicing the leaves into ribbons. Stack about 10 leaves on top of one another and roll them up lengthwise. Then make thin tiny slices across the roll and you will have beautiful, fragrant ribbons of basil.

A little pink sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and, voila! I used this as a side dish. However…and this is where it gets fun. You can jack this basic recipe up ten ways from Sunday.

First, you can use WHATEVER combination of veggies you already have in your fridge – grill them; roast them; toss them in a vinaigrette; and add in fresh basil leaves and salt n’ pepper. Next – you could use this as a side dish the way I did; as a salsa over meats or fish; tossed with pasta, roasted spaghetti squash or “zoodles” for an awesome Meatless Monday; tossed with pasta and grilled chicken or steak for a Terrific Tuesday; as a slightly warm add in to a mixed green salad; or as a bruschetta topping with a dab of goat cheese or fresh mozzarella at a party. There’s really no end to the ways that you can use this one “recipe!”

I’m going to give you my last tiny basil secret. In addition to using the leaves, you can cook with basil essential oil as well as basil leaves.  Plant essential oils can help support health and wellness. One or two drops can go a long way! I like to use a drop or two of basil, thyme, or oregano in my cooking or in my salads and dressings to add a wonderful, fresh, and genuine flavor to foods.

Enjoy cooking with basil and I’d love for you to leave me a comment with your favorite basil recipe!

I live where summer sizzles and potlucks are plentiful. So when it’s time to head to the lake, the pool, or a friend’s house, I need a quick, easy, and healthy coleslaw recipe at hand that everyone can enjoy. This firecracker slaw is perfect! I can make it and get on with the summer fun.

If you’ve checked out any of my other recipes, you know that I like things that can’t be easily “messed up.” This firecracker slaw fits the bill. I also like recipes that don’t require a lot of precision – like my family’s favorite muffins. This firecracker slaw fits the bill. I like recipes that can be played with to make them unique enough to suit anyone’s taste. Yep! Firecracker slaw can do that too; you can even make it less firey for the kiddos!

Cabbage Is Super Healthy!

Cabbage is an exceptionally healthy food. It has an outstanding nutrient profile and is especially high in vitamins C and K. In addition, eating cabbage may even help lower the risk of certain diseases, improve digestion and combat inflammation. With so many potential health benefits, it is easy to see why cabbage deserves some time in the spotlight and some room on your plate.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-cabbage#TOC_TITLE_HDR_11

Healthy Coleslaw Tips & Tricks

I have a couple tricks up my sleeve that make this healthy coleslaw recipe even faster and easier. How many times have you made a recipe that calls for 1t of chopped chilies in adobo? But you can only buy them in a whole can! It used to make me crazy and cause so much waste. So, now, when I open a can, I chop the entire can of chilies with sauce and I add one tablespoon at a time into an icecube tray and freeze them. Once they are frozen, I remove them and keep them in the freezer  in an airtight container. Then I just pull out a cube each time I need it and they defrost quickly!

I do the same with fresh lime juice. I juice a lot of limes at the same time and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Then I have real lime juice any time I need it!

This healthy coleslaw recipe is perfect as a side dish; we love it with grilled pork chops! But I love it because it’s also great the next day on any kind of tacos – especially fish tacos! It’s great on burgers or hot dogs. But, my personal favorite way is to use your favorite taco meat as a topping for a big bowl of this firecracker slaw. It sounds weird, but it’s really just a simple taco without the shell – making it low carb and gluten free.

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The Making of The Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin

Once upon a time, I found the perfect muffin recipe. And I adapted it to our family’s allergen free needs. It was almost, dare I say it? Life changing. Those moist, delicious, chocolaty aromatic muffins became our daily breakfast. They became a quick grab and go snack. Easy to  make and almost impossible to mess up, they were good for us – with fiber and healthy fats. The recipe doubled easily, and they froze perfectly. Quite simply – they made my life easy, peasy, lemon, squeezy (or breezy, I can’t ever remember which is cool…).

And then all that life-changing easy peasy-ness blew up in my face.

Like A Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin Recipe For Chocolate?

That double chocolate muffin recipe was a staple in our lives for two years. And then, as children do, they turned on me. Suddenly, they were tired of the same muffins. I was at a loss. Then my younger son said he wanted blueberry muffins.

I realized that one of my favorite things about my healthy muffin recipe was that it is really difficult to get it wrong. So I decided to take a weekend and come up with as many new muffin recipes as I could. The boys ate a lot of batter helped and we came up with some great new recipes, but we hadn’t yet tackled the most beloved of all muffins – the healthy blueberry muffin.

This time, that’s what we made and they are off the charts delicious! We added in our favorite vanilla protein to give even more nutritional value and vanilla-y goodness!

So that is how this blueberry oatmeal muffin recipe – that’s healthy – was born. Like its predecessor, this blueberry muffin recipe is quick and easy for me and delicious and healthy for the boys! Score – I’m back in business!

Related Post That You Might Enjoy: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

How Can A Muffin Be Healthy? Isn’t That an Oxymoron?

This blueberry oatmeal muffin is different because unlike so many other “healthy” muffin recipes out there, I didn’t just replace oil with mashed bananas and call it a sugar-laden day. Not only did I replace some of the typical muffin health offenders, but I added in true healthy super powers!

One of my favorite things about these muffins is how filled with nutrients blueberries are!

Blueberries are one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world and contain large levels and a broad range of antioxidants. The ORAC score of blueberries is an incredible 9,621, which makes it one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world. Consuming just one cup of blueberries provides the following nutrients: resveratrol, gallic acid, lutein, zeaxanthin, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, manganese, and fiber. (cite)

Some of the amazing health benefits of blueberries include combatting aging and providing a great brain boost, among others.

Ground flax is a nutritional power house. Adding just one tablespoon to this blueberry oatmeal muffin recipe gives you 2 grams of fiber; it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids; and it contains phytochemicals known as lignans which may reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides.  Need more?

Ok! So, it turns out that chia seeds are awesome for more than home decor. (Who knew, right?) They are a great source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids to mention just a few.  And there are so many amazing things you can do with these little seeds!

So here is the best ever healthy homemade blueberry oatmeal muffin recipe that you’ve been waiting for!

Related Post That You Might Enjoy: Healthy Apple Muffins {Scientifically Tested & Loved By Real Kids}

My Favorite Things For This Recipe

So, a couple of things that make this recipe so amazing are really high quality vanilla and genuinely pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is quite difficult to find. And not being from the northern lands, I can’t swear that I’ve perfected my taste for the real thing. But the one below, I love. It’s terrific and loaded with flavor!

best muffin pan

pure vanilla

genuine maple syrup

no bleach muffin cups

The Healthy Blueberry Oat Muffin Recipe

Related Post That You Might Enjoy: Cranberry Peach Cobbler Muffins

Make Your Own Variations of These Healthy Blueberry Oat Muffins

You can also easily change it up – you could add dried cherries and cashew butter for summer berry muffins.  If you don’t have any allergies to nuts – change up the nut butter and see what you get! Use your imagination and create your own family favorite! But try these blueberry muffins first!

If you want to check out some completely different versions of these muffins that have worked well for us, and more, I’m going to give them to you! If you sign up below, you’ll get an exclusive bonus of eleven additional recipes to change this healthy blueberry muffin recipe up any way you like.

Related Page You May Also Like: 7 Healthy Muffin Recipes (1 Base Batter)

Let me know how you like this blueberry oatmeal muffin recipe and I’d love for you to post a comment and let me hear how you changed it up! Also – tell my your favorite kind of muffins!

*I used sunbutter to avoid nut butters, but if you don’t need this to be allergen free, you can substitute in any nut butter. Cashew butter would be delicious!!

*I used Almond Milk because, among all the nut allergies in our house, almond isn’t one of them. But I have made these with coconut milk and it works every bit as well.

Don’t Forget To Pin This So You Can Find It Again!

It’s hard, right? Getting the kids up, dressed, fed, packed and out the door before you embark on your busy day feels like a full time job all by itself. How could you possibly pack in one more thing to do in that morning schedule?? Are you in a rut for breakfast – frustrated but knowing that you would like to do better for yourself? Make a more intentional choice for breakfast?

I have a solution. These protein and veggie packed egg cups or “cupcakes.”

For most of my life, I haven’t been a huge fan of eggs. But I’ve actually been working on how to enjoy the more. I’ve always liked them on and off – and I tend to like them better with a lot of veggies and sometimes salsa or the perfect guacamole to spice them up.

Related Post You May Also Enjoy: Best Guacamole Recipe: Nutritious, Fast & Delicious!

And here’s why I’ve kept trying:

…egg yolks are one of the most nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich and vitamin-laden foods on the planet! (Compared to the yolks, the whites are pretty much protein and water.)

Egg yolks contain 90 percent of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, pantothenic acid and B12 of the egg. In addition the yolk contains all of the fat-soluble components, such as vitamins A, D and E, not to mention the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Egg yolks are also a rich source of some other very interesting nutrients such as choline, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Choline is essential for cardiovascular and brain function. Eating more of it may mean mean less inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimers, and more.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the major antioxidants in eggs. They protect the eyes by filtering harmful light wavelengths and lowering risk of macular degeneration. (source)

All too often, I find that if I don’t have a salad or smoothie for lunch (which is really my preference…), I don’t get any veggies in until dinner. I want and need the nutrients in my veggies earlier in the day. I need to get them in earlier – just to make sure that I’m getting all the nutrients and servings that I need each day.

Related Post You May Also Like: 6 Bonus Tricks to Getting Kids Eating Fruits and Vegetables

I also find that having a recipe like this with eggs will help me stay satisfied throughout the morning. It powers me through my morning until either an early lunch or a snack.

So here are some more great things about this recipe:

*You can easily swap out the veggies for any that you have on hand or prefer – asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans – whatever you may have on hand or leftover.

*These freeze beautifully. I usually keep 4-6 in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. I thaw them in the refrigerator the night before I will want them.

*Eggs and this recipe intentionally contain both protein and healthy fats to help keep you satisfied throughout the morning and help resist sugar cravings.

Related Post You May Also Like: What Helps Reduce Sugar Cravings

Related Post You May Also Like: Your Best Ally to Stop Sugar Cravings

So I have been enjoying my quick, portable veggie packed egg cups each morning! The microwave in about 40 seconds in my microwave. I’m not a complete fan of microwaving – but for now it’s working for me.

Don’t forget to Pin this for later!

I woke up one morning to discover that my kids’ healthy breakfast routine was ruined. As a mom – I understand to the depths of my soul how desperately I need a morning routine that runs smoothly. For my personal sanity. But with one quick change of their clever 7 and 4-year-old minds… Our morning routine became a smokin’ hot mess…

Why Did You Choose These Muffins?

I have had a routine – a quick and easy breakfast / morning routine. I frequently included my chocolate chocolate chip muffins. They are healthy muffins that my boys both loved. I would warm these delicious muffins up a bit, let the chocolate get a little melty, and then round it out with a protein and some fruit. We were golden.

I loved the routine, because it was “familiar, easy, and quick.” And then it happened.

My boys decided that – in their reality – my beautiful morning routine was more like “boring and over-used.” Now I had to come up with a different easy, but healthy, breakfast. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.

What they don’t tell you is that sometimes invention doesn’t come until you’ve locked yourself in your kitchen for a weekend; consumed a perfectly paired wine for each batter of the successful, mediocre, and failed muffin attempts; and used your beloved family members as human taste-testing guinea pigs for muffin after muffin after muffin.

But that is, in fact, how these healthy apple muffins were born. They are quick and easy for me and delicious for the boys! Score – I’m back in business!

Related Post That You Might Enjoy: The Best Ever Healthy Homemade Blueberry Muffin Recipe

How Can A Muffin Be Healthy? Isn’t That an Oxymoron?

This muffin is different because unlike so many other “healthy” muffin recipes out there, I didn’t just replace oil with mashed bananas and call it a sugar-laden day. Not only did I replace some of the typical muffin health offenders, but I added in true healthy super powers!

Oatmeal is a good source of fiber.  But there are other fiber powerhouses out there as well.  Just one tablespoon of ground flax has 2 grams of fiber!  Ground flax is a nutritional powerhouse because of its high fiber content; it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids; and it contains phytochemicals known as lignans which may reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides.  But wait – there’s more!!

It turns out that chia seeds are awesome for more than home decor. (Who knew, right?) They are a great source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids to mention just a few.  And there are so many amazing things you can do with these little seeds!

Related Post You May Also Like: Cranberry Peach Cobbler Muffins

So here is our healthy apple muffin recipe that you’ve been waiting for!

My Favorite Things For This Recipe

So, a couple of things that make this recipe so amazing are really high quality vanilla and genuinely pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is quite difficult to find. And not being from the northern lands, I can’t swear that I’ve perfected my taste for the real thing. But the one below, I love. It’s terrific and loaded with flavor!

best muffin pan

pure vanilla

genuine maple syrup

no bleach muffin cups

The Healthy Apple Muffin Recipe

Wrapped in a tiny package, this apple muffin recipe has oats, oat flour, ground flax, chia seeds, and apples.  And…this is the best part.  THE RECIPE IS VERSATILE!  By easy and versatile – I mean, you can’t really mess it up.  It’s not as exacting as most baking recipes; no precise measuring here.

Related Post You May Also Like: Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins So Delicious They Taste Like Fudge!

Make  Your Own Variations of These Amazing Apple Muffins

You can also easily change it up – you could add blueberries and cashew butter for blueberry muffins.  If you don’t have any allergies to nuts – change up the nut butter and see what you get!  Changing to almond or cashew butter, substituting figs and increasing the cinnamon sounds awesome to me.  Use your imagination and create your own family favorite! But try these apple muffins first!

If you sign up below, you’ll get an exclusive bonus of seven additional ways to change these healthy apple muffins up!

If you want to check out some completely different versions of these muffins that have worked well for us, and more, you can find them all here:

Related Page You May Also Like: The Muffin Recipe That Will Make You Want to Eat Healthy

Let me know how you like apple raisin muffins and I’d love for you to post a comment and let me hear how you changed it up! Also – tell my your favorite kind of muffins!

*I used sunbutter to avoid nut butters, but if you don’t need this to be allergen free, you can substitute in any nut butter. Cashew butter would be delicious!!

*I used Almond Milk because, among all the nut allergies in our house, almond isn’t one of them. But I have made these with coconut milk and it works every bit as well.

Don’t Forget To Pin This So You Can Find It Again!

Once upon a time, in a suburban land not too far away, there was a mom very much like you and me. This mom was the weary mother of two precious little boys who were constantly hungry, running, and growing. For the sake of today’s fairy tale, let’s call this weary mother who is a lot like you and me, “Dorothy.”

Dorothy was desperate to find recipes for healthy snacks that she could grab on her way out the door. Dorothy dreamt of a place where there was a healthy snack that was portable, filling, and that tasted great so her boys wouldn’t complain, whine, or make odd noises while pretending to vomit.

Dorothy dreamt of a healthy muffin recipe that was easy to make, quick, and that couldn’t really be botched. (While Dorothy was a pretty great cook – baking was not really her jam…) Much to Dorothy’s disappointment, she discovered that truly healthy muffin recipes were difficult to find.

Related Post That You Might Also Enjoy:Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Dorothy’s Search For A Magical Sweet Potato Muffin

Dorothy told her friends what she was searching for. And she even met other mothers who were also searching for healthy snacks that they could give their kids when they didn’t know what to feed them; didn’t have the heart to throw the same old prepackaged bar in the lunch box; or simply lacked the courage to try a new recipe for fear that the kids would whine, complain or scream “Oooooh! That’s dis.gus.ting!”

Dorothy and her friends stumbled upon a promising healthy muffin recipe that Dorothy agreed to try. Dorothy and her friends were disappointed to discover that the recipe needed some tweaking and they would have to do more to truly get all that they wanted out of this recipe.

Oh, plenty of muffins pretended to be healthy…

But finally, after many attempts, the friends created a moist, delicious, and kid-approved healthy muffin recipe. The recipe was quick, easy, and even Dorothy couldn’t kill it with too much liquid.

The Problem With The Other “So Called” Healthy Muffins

This muffin is different because unlike so many other “healthy” sweet potato muffin recipes out there, Dorothy didn’t just replace oil with mashed bananas and call it a sugar-laden day. Not only did she replace some of the typical muffin health offenders, but she added in truly magical super foods!

One of my favorite things about these sweet potato muffins is how filled with nutrients sweet potatoes are!

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, vitamin B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and, due to their orange color, are high in carotenoids,” (cite)  In addition to the nutrients above, sweet potato nutrition also contains phosphorus, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium and iron. (cite)

Some of the amazing health benefits of sweet potatoes include:

• Stabilizing Blood Sugar
• High in Antioxidants
• Boosting Brain Function
• Enhancing Immunity
• Promoting Vision Health
• Aiding in Weight Loss

Ground flax is another nutritional power house – just one tablespoon has 2 grams of fiber; it’s rich in Omega-3 fatty acids; and it contains phytochemicals known as lignans which may reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Related Post That You Might Also Enjoy: Healthy Apple Muffins {Scientifically Tested & Loved By Real Kids}

The Moms, The Kids, and The Muffins Lived Happily Ever After…

So finally, after several attempts, each of the friends got what they were looking for. Dorothy got the muffin she’d known all along she wanted. One friend never again had to worry that she wouldn’t know what to give her kids – now she had a healthy sweet potato muffin recipe that was delicious. Another friend never again worried that she wouldn’t have the heart to put one more fake food “bar” in the lunch box; now she had a healthy snack that her kids loved. And the third friend knew that she now had the courage to confidently offer her kids a healthy sweet potato muffin (or two) for breakfast!

The Fairy Tale Sweet Potato Muffins

Make  Your Own Variations of Fairy Tale Muffins

The boys and I actually took a weekend to come up with as many new muffin recipes as possible. The boys ate a lot of batter helped and we came up with some great new recipes. This was one of them.

They are simply off the charts delicious!

Like its predecessors, this healthy muffin recipe is quick and easy for me and delicious and healthy for the boys! Score – I’m back in business!

Related Post That You Might Enjoy: Cranberry Peach Cobbler Muffins

And here’s the beauty of it all – you can easily change it up – you could add dried cherries and cashew butter for a more summery flavor.  If you don’t have any allergies to nuts – change up the nut butter and see what you get! Use your imagination and create your own family favorite!

As a bonus, if you sign up below, you’ll get eleven additional recipes to change this healthy sweet potato muffin recipe up! (And you’ll also get my weekly-ish newsletter!)

If you want to check out some completely different muffins that have worked well for us and that the boys love, you can find them all here:

Related Page You May Also Like: The Muffin Recipe That Will Make You Want to Eat Healthy

Let me know how you like these muffins and I’d love for you to post a comment and let me hear how you changed it up! Also – tell my your favorite kind of muffins!

*I used sunbutter to avoid nut butters, but if you don’t need this to be allergen free, you can substitute in any nut butter. Cashew butter would be delicious!!

*I used Almond Milk because, among all the nut allergies in our house, almond isn’t one of them. But I have made these with coconut milk and it works every bit as well.

Don’t Forget To Pin This So You Can Find It Again!

Before I had children, my lackadaisical trip home from work went something like this: search the internet for a new tasty looking recipe; stop by the grocery store on my way home; pour a glass of wine; have a couple neighbors / friends over; and all cook something amazing for dinner.

And then I had children. You can see where this is going,  yes?

Feeding children killed my delight in finding and cooking new recipes. If they like that today, they won’t like it tomorrow. My kids are great eaters, but they like things pretty bland and not particularly mixed up. And at five and eight years old, some days it seems as if they are already set in their ways. Boys, meet sweet potato cottage pie. Sweet potato cottage pie, welcome to my home!

What is Cottage Pie with Sweet Potatoes??

Cottage pie? I’ve heard of Shephard’s Pie, so what’s cottage pie? Traditionally, Shephard’s Pie is made with lamb and Cottage Pie is made with beef. I’ve used beef here, but feel free to switch that out and use any kind of meat you like – a chicken cottage pie sounds awesome!

There’s nothing in here that kids don’t typically love, so I decided to give it a try. For my youngest, it was love at first bite! It’s now his favorite meal. Evah. It tops pizza and burgers. Go figure!

He loves it so much, that I send this to school as a hearty warm lunch whenever I have leftovers. He loves that his thermos keeps it warm and ready to eat! It isn’t always easy to find healthy lunch ideas for kids. I’m not wrong – you know it. And they will gobble this up!

This recipe also freezes well. Once you assemble the sweet potato cottage pie, let it cool. Then cover it tightly with cling wrap and foil. It will freeze well for several months. When you are ready to serve it, remove from the freezer and bake for one hour at 375 degrees. Uncover it after the first 30 minutes. If you thaw it before cooking, you can cut the cooking time in half.

If you’ve followed any of my other recipes, you know that I love things that can be described as “methods” instead of recipes. To me that means they can be easily switched up with little or no risk of messing anything up! I think this would be awesome with ground turkey with the addition of creamed spinach and other great veggies – then topped with white or sweet mashed potatoes.

I’d love to hear any of your ideas about switching up this sweet potato cottage pie!

If you are a fan of sweet potatoes and would like to make an extra tasty treat since you’re mashing sweet potatoes anyway – check out these sweet potato muffins that are so magical, they have their own fairy tale!

I was crazy for this salad like I had never loved a kale salad before. I knew the nutritional benefits of kale and I really had wanted to love it.

But it just hadn’t happened for me until this mind blowing kale salad! (Read further for the ultimate secret to #winning at preparing a fabulous kale salad!) This is my copy of a kale salad with citrus vinaigrette that satisfies each and every time I get it from my local smoothie bar or make it at home.

And, strangely enough, it makes me feel just as cozy as a bowl of soup.

It’s no secret that I love salads! They are the perfect delivery vehicle for all manner of delicious fruits and vegetables! But they can be decidedly summer-y.

Related Post You May Also Like: Salad of Heirloom Tomatoes and Cucumbers – 2 Ways

I fell in love with salads in the cooler months when a friend of mine made an amazing winter salad covering all the yummy salad fixin’s with slices of warm spicy grilled chicken. It was that combination of cool and crisp and warm and spicy that did me in. Think tacos.

And from there, I’ve branched out to find more satisfying winter salads – both warm and cool – that nurture my winter instinct to snuggle and hibernate. I particularly like the sweetness of the citrus vinaigrette that is such a great contrast to the earthy and slightly bitter flavor of the kale.

Benefits of Eating Kale

Remember when we were growing up and “kale” (we didn’t even know what to call it back then) was the stuff, along with curly parsley, that got stuffed under the main attraction on every party platter around?

Kale. What can I say? You’ve come a long way, baby! You’ve gone from inedible understudy to spotlight thief. The nutrient density of kale is phenomenal. It also provides key nutrients that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

Kale is a cruciferous veggie – related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens and Brussels sprouts. One cup of raw kale for this amazing winter salad contains:

• Vitamin: A: 206% of the DV (from beta-carotene) / Vitamin K: 684% of the DV / Vitamin C: 134% of the DV
• What little fat kale contains is an omega 3 saturated fat known as ALA (remember: omega 3’s are the ones that most Americans are most deficient in)
• Contains the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol. Each boasts heart protective, blood pressure lowering, anti-viral, anti-depressant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Quercetin also is beneficial in reducing the effects of seasonal allergies;

Related Post You May Also Enjoy: 5 Best Sources of Natural Allergy Relief

• Can help lower bad cholesterol;
• Kale contains both sulforaphane, a substance that has been shown to help fight the formation of cancer at the molecular level;
• Kale is a good source of both potassium and magnesium;

Related Post You May Also Enjoy: What Helps Reduce Sugar Cravings

What Is Quinoa?

Quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse. It is an ancient grain believed by the Incas to increase the strength of their warriors. Among its many benefits, quinoa:

• Is a complete protein – containing all nine amino essential amino acids (those which our body cannot produce on its own);
• Contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains. Fiber is necessary for relieving constipation.
• Contains iron which is a mineral needed to maintain healthy red blood cells and increases brain function by increasing oxygen flow to the brain, iron aids in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, regulation of body temperature, enzyme activity and energy metabolism.
• Contains lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair.
• Is rich in magnesium. It is estimated that at least half of Americans are magnesium deficient. Magnesium is necessary for over 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Magnesium also may reduce Type 2 diabetes by promoting healthy blood sugar control. Other health benefits of magnesium include transmission of nerve impulses, body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones and teeth.
• Is high in vitamin B2 which improves energy metabolism within brain and muscle cells and helps create proper energy production in cells.
• Is high in Manganese which is an antioxidant that helps to prevent mitochondrial damage during energy production.

(source 1)(source 2)

Related Post You May Also Enjoy: What Is Quinoa: 15 Insanely Cool Things

The Secret To Kale Salad Perfection – It’s Weird But It Works!

So here’s the thing. When kale became all the rage – I tried to like it. I really did. I found great recipes and made it at home – at least half a dozen times. Yet, it always tasted like something I snatched off the ground and ate to survive in the wilderness without any provisions.

But when I went to a restaurant, or my favorite smoothie bar, their kale was amazing! So what was I missing?

After recounting my trials and tribulations with kale, I asked how they made theirs at the smoothie bar. And the guy there admits to me…there’s a secret to making kale good. And then he told me.

Guy: Massage.

Me: Huh? Yes, I could use a good massage. But…

Guy: No. Massage your kale.

Me: ummmmm…

Guy: Seriously. Once you have it cut, add some of the salad dressing. Get in there with your hands and massage the kale. Turns out:

Massaging the kale helps to break down the tough cell structure and gives the kale a softer texture and (some people feel) a gentler flavor, that’s more appealing in a lot of raw preparations like salads, and is supposedly easier to digest, too. (massaging kale)

So there you have it. The secret that you’ve been missing for your perfect winter salad with kale!

Winter Kale Salad Variations

I love recipes that are versatile and open to my personal suggestions, revisions, and additions. I love being able to toss in a little of this or a little of that. Here’s my list of great things to toss into this delicious winter kale salad to turn it into something completely different. Try as many or as few as you like:

• Add in chunks of roasted butternut squash or other winter squash. If you try this, I suggest roasting the butternut squash in coconut oil and then as soon as it comes out of the oven and is still warm – toss it lightly in several spoonfuls of the citrus dressing. (or avoid all that and just serve the salad with my favorite Butternut Squash Soup!)
• Toss in a handful of pomegranate seeds
• Walnuts
• Gogi berries
• Apple chunks or slices
• Mandarin orange segments
• Bacon crumbles
• Goat cheese crumbles
• Blue cheese crumbles
• Seasoned roasted chickpeas for some added crunch!
• Avocado
• Roasted beets
• Thinly sliced jalapeno rings
• Fried egg
• Grilled chicken
• Grilled or roasted salmon

Another way that you can switch this up – deconstruct the whole thing and then drizzle the citrus vinaigrette over the top! (Don’t forget – you’ll still want to massage the kale in a tiny bit of dressing first.)

Deconstructed salads – bowls – are all the rage now. So a beautiful way to present this hearty winter salad would be to give each ingredient its own special place in the bowl to shine. Then drizzle your citrus vinaigrette over the whole thing. You can mix and match ingredients to get a perfectly unique tasty bite each time.

This would be a beautiful presentation if you wanted to bring this dish to a party! Then each guest can create their unique perfect salad. Also, remember that kale is no shrinking violet. This kale salad will hold its crunch for at least twenty-four hours.

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I’m lucky that my boys like a variety of vegetables – but just know that we do have other challenges (say, don’t mix things together…which makes soups, sauces, and casseroles tough sells in my house). But I know very few other parents who aren’t challenged routinely to get their kids eating vegetables.

This easy butternuts squash with apple soup recipe is fast, takes only one pot, and is super kid friendly! If you know this trick getting your kids to eat new things will become easier… It works here in our home…and I can’t wait to tell you why…

I made this soup for the first time and served it to the boys – “HEY guys!! Lunch is ready! Butternut squash soup! It’s so delicious!” As it was coming out of my mouth, I could hear how flat it fell right there on the living room floor.

Sort of the opposite of “HEY guys – there’s a whole cake down here for you to eat as much as you want to…”

Squash for some strange reason, is not a word that they like. Although they like the actual squash. What is that about? And in particular, my oldest son, I don’t understand at all. Butternut squash was his very first solid food. He loved it! He ate every squash under the sun as a baby; in fact, we called him “squash boy”

So the fact that the mere word now makes him squirm is completely odd. Whatever. The soup was good.

And this is the best butternut squash soup recipe because it’s fast and easy! You’ll give the vegetables and apple a quick saute in the pot over medium heat. Next you’ll add chicken stock or chicken broth. If you prefer a vegetarian version, you can use vegetable broth.  Season everything with salt and pepper until your taste buds are happy! Finally, you’ll want to blend until smooth – I find the easiest way is with my immersion blender. Alternately, you could puree the soup in your blender.

One of the things I love about cool weather in general is how much more I enjoy the flavor of cinnamon this time of year. Cinnamon actually has many health benefits from helping regulate blood sugar levels, protection from certain cancers, and both antimicrobial and anti-inflamatory properties. Cinnamon pairs perfectly with this butternut squash soup with apple.

Butternut squash provides great nutrition; it’s low in calories and is a rich source of fiber and nutrients. Butternut squash contains high levels of vitamin A and naturally occurring poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds that readily convert to vitamin A inside the body and deliver the same protective functions as vitamin A. Vitamin A is known for maintaining healthy skin and eye-sight. Research also suggests that it helps the body protect against oral and lung cancers. This butternut squash soup is rich in B vitamins and contains minerals such as iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.

An extra benefit of this butternut squash soup is that it’s naturally sweet – so it will help you squash those sugar cravings! (See what I did there???)

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So am I going to get to the trick that got them to eat and love this soup? It’s crazy simple – Shakespeare had it right. A rose by any other name…

As I constantly work to expand the flavors, tastes, and textures that my boys enjoy, I always try to “tie” something new to something that they are already familiar with and like.

One of the ingredients in this soup is apples. So…when I’m around the boys, I call it “apple soup.” They like apples and associate them with foods they enjoy. It’s all in the marketing.

So I boldly market this as “apple soup” and garnish the top with finely diced apples, cinnamon and a prosciutto chip. And for me, when I’m lucky enough to find them, I will add pomegranate seeds. I need to offer them to the boys next! That’s the secret – and it works like a charm

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