Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

This recipe is one that is sure to make you happy. It's healthy, yet still has that fix that you want. The one of the reasons why this recipe is healthy is because normally yogurt muffins have oil, butter, syrup and milk = equals tones of fats and carbs. The only fat these muffins have are from the egg yolks (which are healthy). The entire batch as 15 grams of fat, which means each muffin has about 1 gram of fat as opposed to 10 grams of fat! Plus because you're using greek yogurt, you're getting in more protein! These are the bomb!

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
3 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt
1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp  baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1 1/4 cups of blueberries

1. Mix the eggs and sugar together
2. Add in yogurt, apple sauce, honey and lemon juice
3. Mix well
4. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together
5. Add the dry mixture and wet mixture together and beat well
6. Add in the blueberries

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes

Italian Arugula Salad

So this salad recipe I really cannot take full credit for. It isn't exactly my recipe. I got this wonderful salad recipe from Real Housewife New Jersey star, Teresa Guidice's cookbook, Fabulcious. It is a really good cookbook, by the way. She has a lot of excellent recipes. Many of them of I tweeked to fit my personal needs and goals. However, the basis of them are great. This salad that I am sharing with you is so easy. And I know I say all my recipes are easy, but this one really is!

Italian Arugula Salad

2 bags of Arugula Salad
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (washed and sliced in half)
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Parmesan Cheese

1. slice the cherry tomatoes in half and mix with Arugula salad
2. drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese

Serve and Enjoy!!

(You see I told you it was easy!)

Caramel Nut Bars

So this recipe is by no means healthy except for the fact that it has nuts which have lots of good protein. And the caramel is homemade - so you might say it is natural. But besides for that it isn't healthy, it is not low in calorie and it may leave you feeling a bit guilty. But it will also leave you feeling satisfied, feeling in love with this recipe and feeling like you want more. In this recipe my motto is to love a little. Counts you licks...not your calories! Enjoy!!


Caramel Nut Bars
1 cup of cashew halves
1 cup of crushed almonds
1 cup of salted peanuts
1 cup of pretzel thins crushed
1 cup of crushed graham crackers
2 tbsp. honey
dash of cinnamon
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of half and half cream
6 tbsp. on unsalted butter
dash of salt

Add Chocolate (optional)
6 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp of butter (melted)

1. mix your cashew halves, crushed almonds, peanuts and pretzel thins together - set aside
2. in a medium saucepan pour 1 cup of sugar and continually stir until it turns in a dark brown
3. add in the butter and slowly allow it to melt into the sugar
4. add in the salt and cream and continue to stir until it becomes a thick brown cream
5. set aside for it to sit for 2 minutes - use immediately. You can though store it for up to 1-2 weeks but make sure that you reheat it before you use it.

6. place the crushed graham crackers down on top of a baking dish or wax paper.
7. pour the caramel on top and then add the crushed nuts - don't worry if they mix together or not.
8. cover and place in freezer for 1 hour
9. in a medium sauce pan melt semi sweet chocolate chips with 1 tbsp. of melted butter
10. drizzle the chocolate over the nuts
11. allow it to thaw and for the chocolate to dry - about 30 minutes.

Serve! I know it isn't really that healthy but I promise you it will be tasty.

Apple Sauce (low fat) Cake

So I know what you are thinking - "low fat apple cake, yes I can have my cake and eat it too...but fat free it probably tastes like dog food because if it is low fat it can't be all that good". WRONG! This cake is actually one of the best cakes ever. I swear you will love it and won't even be able to tell that it is healthy...I made this for my mom one time and she raved about it for days...she normally just raves about it for the night she eats it and then moves on - it's just not her personality to rave globally.

Apple Sauce (low fat) Cake
2 cups of natural fat free apple sauce
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
dash of salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 3508
1. Mix all the dry ingredients
2. Then add in the apple sauce and eggs
3. Then add in raisins and chopped nuts - whatever you like
4. Stir well and place in a greased pan and bake for 40 minutes

Serve as is and enjoy!! - Good at room temp, cold or warm.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is all about the moms in our lives. Whether it be your own mom, your aunt, grandmother, cousin who's a mom or close personal friend who's a mom - we dedicate this to all the mothers. We honor them for all their hard work, their unconditional love and their imperfections - because lets be honest no mother is perfect. We grow up thinking our mother is perfect and the best person on the planet than we go through a phase where we hate our mom and think she's out ruin our lives and then we come to realization that mom is mom and we love her for who she is and not for who she's not. So let's celebrate Mom's Day - and to all the moms out there- Thank you!

Now for Mother's Day I suggest you make your mom whatever her favorite meal is. My mom's his Summer Chili- she's obsessed with it! But since so many of us, especially when we're little make mom breakfast in bed I am going to provide you all with a few breakfast recipes that can be served to mom while she's prompt up with a pillow and tray on her lap.

1. Scrambled Eggs, Cheese and Mushrooms
Beat 2 eggs, add in 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of canned mushrooms. Scrambled them for 3 minutes on high. Serve Up!

2. Delicious Cinnamon Oatmeal
Measure 1/2 cup of uncooked Quaker oatmeal- Bring to simmer 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of almond or soy milk. Add in oats, dash of salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. brown sugar. continue to stir- right before serving add in 3 tbsp. of raisins. Serve Up!

3. French Toast with Spunk
 In the search engine type in "French Toast" it will pop up

4. Fruit Parfait
In the search engine type in "Parfait" it will pop up

5. Incredibly Healthy Whole Wheat Waffles
Beat 1 large egg, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of skim milk, 3 tbsp. of melted butter, 1/2 tbsp. of Splenda, 2 tsp. of baking powder, dash of salt, 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Mix all ingredients together. Reheat the waffle maker- spray it with Pam Canola Oil- pour batter over waffle maker- cook until it is golden brown (about 10 minutes). Serve with strawberries and strawberry preserves.

6. Cream and Lox Appetizers
 6 multi grain crackers - lightly spread light cream cheese one each cracker then top it with 1/2 slice rolled on lox, then add some fresh parsley. Serve Up!

7. Broccoli Quiche Bites
Beat 2 eggs, add in a cup of broccoli florets cup up small, 6 tbsp. of fat free milk, onion salt to taste, garlic salt to taste, dash of pepper, 2 oz. of shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese. Pour into muffin pans. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Serve Up!

8. Bacon, Egg and Cheese Omelet
In the search engine type in "Egg and Bacon" it will come up.

9. Cold Cereal with Almond Milk and Fruit Kashi Go Lean Crunch (3/4 cup) with Almond Breeze milk, 3 tbsp. raisins, 1/2 banana sliced and 3 large strawberries sliced into 1/3s. Serve Up!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Strawberries are a healthy fruit packed with antioxidants and fiber. They're perfect because when you're craving something sweet they can fill that craving while saving the calories. This recipe I promise to be a hit in your home with your family, kids and friends. It is light yet still filling.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of sugar in the raw (white sugar is fine too)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup on unsalted butter/ margarine
2 large organic eggs
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of soy milk (optional)
2 cups of cut finely strawberries

5 packets of or 2 tbsp. of Splenda/Equal
1 tbsp. cinnamon
(mix this together and leave for later) 

1. mix the dry ingredients together: whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
2. then melt the butter in a small sauce pan (DO NOT let it bubble)
3. mix the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, water and soy milk with the dry mixture
4. mix well and then add int eh strawberries
5. lightly grease and flour 12-muffin pan and fill each muffin cup halfway
6. bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven
7. immediately after it is done sprinkle it with the Splenda-Cinnamon mixture (while still hot)
8. let cool and serve!

I promise you that you will love, love, love, love this!!

Blueberry Muffins

So a blueberry muffin sounds healthy, right? After all it is a muffin and it has blueberries! Aren't blueberries a fruit? Well as a matter of fact an average muffin has between 400-500 calories! And that is only the blueberry ones! Dunkin Donut's regular blueberry muffins have 500 calories and 20 grams of fat! While the reduce fat blueberry muffins have 450 calories and just 15 grams of fat. But still 15 grams, 20 grams- that is way too much!! Bottom line blueberry muffins purchased out are a big NO NO. However, there are alternatives. You ca still eat blueberry muffins- just be careful where they come from.

If you insist on buying them, I suggest you buy Vita Muffins. There muffins are the same size as regular Dunkin Donuts one but it just has 200 calories and 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of fiber! WOW! Right? However after all this is a cooking blog, so I am going to give you my favorite blueberry muffin recipe - it's healthy, low calorie and low fat - YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!

Blueberry Low Fat Muffins
2 egg whites
3/4 cup of skim milk
1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. low sodium salt
1 cup of fresh blueberries

1. preheat oven too 400*
2. mix the egg whites with the skim milk and vegetable oil
3. mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together - then add in the egg mixture
4. mix in the blueberries and stir well.
5. place the muffin mixture into muffin pans (makes 12)
6. bake in oven at 400* for 25 minutes (or until done)

Each muffin has 150 calories and 5 grams of fat

Yummy!!!

Toasty Banana Muffins

Last year when I made this for the first time it was a HUGE hit in my home. I made 12 muffins and 7 days later they were gone! This is a simple recipe that anyone can do (whether you're good in the kitchen or not) and something you can do with your kids. This recipe has something for everyone.

Toasty Banana Muffins
1 1/2 cups all purpose whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large bananas mashed
3/4 cup of white sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup of margarine or butter- melted
3/4 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350*
2. Mash the bananas
3. combine the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour
4. add in the egg and margarine/butter and banaas
5. mix in the chocolate chips
6. lightly grease and flour 12 mini muffin pans
7. bake in the oven for 35 minutes
8. turn off oven and let sit there for 10 minutes before taking it out
9. let the muffins cool and serve with tea or coffee or just plain

Any way you eat them you will love them!