This is the time of the year for everything pumpkin and I love it! Pumpkin waffles, pancakes, muffins, and oatmeal. Pumpkin pasta, soup, ravioli and of course pumpkin pie. Many of the recipes you’ll find while searching the internet may be delicious but they are also unnecessarily filled with extra saturated fat, sodium, sugar, and calories….
Category: Treats
Apple Cider Baked “Donuts”
My freshly picked apples from a local orchard are screaming to be made into these light and fluffy apple cider spiked donuts. Nothing says fall more than the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in the oven. These donuts (they’re really a light and healthy muffin shaped to look like a donut but don’t tell anyone)…
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
These little treats are bursting with so much autumn flavored goodness, it’s hard to believe they’re good for you! I would have no problem calling them muffins and serving them for breakfast. Beta-carotene, found pumpkin and other red, orange and yellow vegetables, is a provitamin which means our body can convert it to vitamin A. Beta-carotene…
5-Minute Sticky Toffee Pudding (in a mug)
My daughter studied in London for a semester so this dessert became one of her favorites. She introduced it to me and it’s now one of my favorites too. When I came across this 5-minute version, made in a mug, I couldn’t resist. I’ve been experimenting with different versions of mug cakes but many come…
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
I found this recipe while searching for beet recipes (because that’s what I do in my spare time). The natural sweetness of the beets goes well with the slight bitterness of the dark cocoa and I love the natural pink color of the icing. The recipe is from eatingwell but I made some modifications. I used…
Rhubarb Oat Shortcakes
Delicious. One word to sum up this delightful summer dessert from Melissa Clark, food columnist for the New York Times. Fresh rhubarb is ready to harvest in late spring (my husband picked some beautiful rhubarb from our garden, featured below) and you’ll find it at produce markets throughout most of the summer. The colors in rhubarb are lovely…
Mango Frozen Yogurt
You will be hard-pressed to find a sweet, creamy and refreshing dessert that gets much faster or much easier. All you need is frozen mango cubes, vanilla yogurt and a blender. I’ve been making a version of this for my kids for years, using frozen strawberries, bananas and vanilla yogurt. We drank it as a…
Better for You Banana Bread
I always seem to have over-ripe bananas in my house which are perfect for making banana bread. I’ve been making this recipe since my children were little. It’s from an older cookbook called Recipe Rescue from Eating Well. Traditional banana bread can be heavy from the extra oil and sugar but this recipe uses more bananas,…
Fresh Figs…A Gift from the Gods (and my husband)
Fresh figs are hands down my favorite fruit. They are luscious, sweet, with a nut and honey flavor and a hint of vanilla. I know I’m a little early with this post because it’s difficult to find fresh figs at farmers markets and in produce aisles in April (the season is typically July and August)…
A Delicious Way to Add Greens to Your Plate
Even if you’re not eating kale, I’m sure you’ve been hearing a lot about it. It’s certainly not the only powerhouse dark leafy green but it does make a delicious chip. Its thick, tough texture holds up well to baking, ending in a crisp, tender kale chip. To make your chips, buy a bunch of…
A Mindful Kiss
I dare you to take 5 minutes to eat one Hershey’s Kiss. If you’re up for the challenge, I’ll walk you through it. First, put the foil wrapped candy in your hand. Look at it. How did it get here? Imagine the cocoa beans growing on the trees, the people harvesting them, roasting them, processing…
Sweet Treat
Most of us love a sweet treat, myself included. Here’s a way you can make your cookies and eat them too. When I want something sweet, I make it myself. I don’t modify the recipe to make it “healthier”. I use real ingredients…butter, flour and yes, regular sugar. To keep your serving to one cookie,…