English Muffin Recipe.

What if I told you "In my hand holds a English muffin recipe that isn't only more delicious than store bought English Muffins but also healthier too! Meaning, it's not filled with High fructose corn syrup,  or additives.

Ever since I got Married I took this whole homemaker thing very seriously. And when I became a mom and got super picky about what my babies were eating I read about every label before I buy it and I was first shocked when I came across what they were putting in my quote unquote "Healthier" option. The English muffins I was so used to buying had about 30 ingredients (yikes!) Including HFC, perspectives, artificials and all that gross stuff. 

 

So, I decided to make my own and I can proudly say "I'm not going back to store bought.

Making them is not only easy, but yummier, healthier and it gives my toddler and I something fun to do in this winter season.

And for all the gluten and dairy free, see below for substitutions. :)

You ready for the recipe?

English Muffins
 (makes about sixteen muffins)

 

Ingredients

1 cup of milk

3 TBSP butter

3 TBSP of honey

1 cup of warm water (105-110 degrees)

1/4 oz of yeast

2 TBSP cornmeal
5 cups + extra for sprinkling all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
(To make gluten free, use a mix of rice flour instead of the ap flour, and use soy milk in place of the milk)

Directions
 

1) Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, mix lightly and set aside for ten minutes to foam lightly.

2) In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter and honey until the butter is melted. Let cool lightly.

3) Combine the yeast mixture and milk mixtures gently. 

4) In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of flour. Stir in the milk and yeast. Sift the remaining flour and salt. Stir until cohesive.
 

5) Flour and marble slab well and knead the dough for 3 minutes or til lightly elastic. Let rest for 5 minutes.
 

6) Meanwhile, Lightly sprinkle two cookie sheets with cornmeal. 
 

7) Flour a cutting board  lightly and roll the dough out until it's a 1/2 inch thick. Air on the side of too thick okay. 

8) Cut out circles. Gently place on the cookie sheets, sprinkle the tops with cornmeal and cover with a dry, light cloth. Let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes or til nearly doubled in size. It's more like 2/3.  An hour will definitely do though as long as it's warm and moist. I usually  turn on the oven to 350 for 30 seconds and then turn it off. Place the muffins inside with a cup of boiling water and leave the door barely cracked. This should help with the rising process.

9) Preheat oven to 375. Gently place a muffin in your hand and shake lightly to remove some of the corn meal and place on a cookie sheet that is not greased. Make sure the English muffins are not touching and cook for about 8 minutes or until they are browned nicely. 

10) Let cool lightly on a wire rack. 

Enjoy!!

My toddler's meal plan.

I feel like toddlers can be the pickiest people on the planet.. Toddlers and myself. ;)

That may be where my Evelynne gets it from.

I've been wanting to do one of these posts for a while because I know I'm not alone on this. My girl can be super picky and at the moment everything is literally give or take. She'll love cheese one day and the next she'll hate it. "Typical woman"  my husband would say! ;)

And she absolutely refuses veggies unless they're green beans and those are great some days and other days they're gross.

Here is a list of my go to meals that rarely fail me. I hope they help!

One thing I like to do weekly is separate snacks and prepare them ahead of time so I can keep track and it makes it so much easier to plan her snacks  on the go. All I have to do is grab and go. It also makes it so much easier to choose the healthier option because I'm not taking the time to chop fruits and veggies but I prepared them ahead of time. 

Drinks// In between meals, My daughter gets only water to drink.I stopped buying apple juice for her because personally (especially) with our tight grocery budget it just isn't needed. It would be one thing if I had trouble with her eating fruit but that's totally not the case. It's just extra sugar. With breakfast I usually give her a Bolthouse smoothie. Either veggie or strawberry but I mainly make our own smoothies. Those are just for when I don't feel like dealing with the ninja. ;)

For Lunch and dinner I give her Bolthouse green goodness smoothie. It has all the green goodness stuff in there that my daughter refuses to eat. So while putting her veggies on the plate I also give her the smoothie so I know she's at least getting something. I would also give her milk. I give her these same options for dinner unless daddy made tea. Then I would be the "fun" Mama and let her have some.

For her after nap snack I do let her have some milk. 

 

 Snacks.

1. I usually make her a whole lot of smoothies for snack time along with a whole wheat snack like crackers, toast, veggie sticks or a fig bar. I'll be posting my smoothie recipes on the blog shortly so keep your eye out. ;)

2.Blueberries, strawberries, raisin bread.

3. strawberries & whole wheat cheese crackers.

4. Yogurt and toast

5. Cheese, pretzels, and oranges. 

6. PB crackers and applesauce.

7. PB apples with raisins.

8. Gluten free honey cereal with yogurt.

9. Pirates booty and strawberries.

Sweets: 

The girl has my sweet tooth. :( So I usually let her have one thing yummy after nap time to give her something to look forward too. Sometimes it's a piece of dark chocolate, hot cocoa, gummies or graham crackers.

Breakfast Menu:

1. Homemade blueberry muffins made with 1/2 WG and 1/2 unbleached flour, Chobani greek yogurt fruit and veggie smoothie.

2.Grapes, Organic Honey cereal and Chobani greek yogurt fruit and veggie smoothie.

3. Homemade fruit smoothie with Peanut butter toast.

4. WG waffles with fruit.

5.Stonyfield yotoddler yogurt with cinnamon bread, half a wg bagel or English muffin (I'll be posting recipes on how to  make those from scratch shortly.)

6. Homemade apples, blueberries and spinach sauce with a yotoddler yogurt and breakfast bar or organic fig bar.

7. Homemade apple, raisin, cranberry and  pear oatmeal 

8 Pancakes, Stonyfield yogurt , Blueberries

9 Fiber Muffin, Strawberries/Blueberries

10. Avocado smoothie with whole wheat toast.

11. Oatmeal with Mashed Bananas and Cinnamon

12. Homemade doughnuts and fruit. (a Weekend thing)

 

 

Lunch menu.

  1. Chicken Quesadillas with roasted carrots with a pinch of olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary, and frozen blueberries.

2. Pizza WG English muffin, apple slices and blueberry,apple, spinach sauce.

3. Bolthouse Green goodness veggie smoothie, shredded cheddar cheese, apple slices, strawberries & blueberries & a homemade English muffin with jam.

4. Turkey, cheese & spinach sandwich on wheat bread with veggie sticks and frozen blueberries.

5. WG Spaghetti with pieces of spinach & cheese in it with sliced strawberries.

6. PB & J on WG with blueberry,apple, spinach sauce & cheese stick.

7. Mac & cheese mixed with ground beef and broccoli pieces. 

8. Peanut Butter Banana (PBB) Sandwich, Carrots, Strawberries

9.  PBJ Sandwich, String Cheese,  Bananas, Homemade Applesauce

10 Turkey lunch meat, Cheddar shredded cheese, Green Beans, Grapes

11. Turkey lunch meat, Cheddar shredded cheese , Pretzels, Clementine

12.  Pasta w/ tomato & veggie sauce, Carrots, Banana

Dinner menu.

1. Spaghetti (You can sneak little pieces of spinach in there! I haven't been caught so far.) and a whole wheat cheese roll. 

2. Frozen Blueberries, cooked broccoli, mashed potatoes and chicken. 

3. Pizza and  a Bolthouse Green goodness veggie smoothie.

4. Fried chicken and homemade french fries with green beans and apples. 

5. Chicken, carrots, and potatoes in a crock pot. 

 6. Pork Roast with carrots and potatoes 

7. Black beans, chicken, brown rice and strawberries

8.  Pulled Pork w/ bbq sauce, Strawberries, Carrots

 And when all goes wrong Chick-fil-a is where it's at.:)

The easiest and best potato soup you will probably ever make.

 

I love soups!! I've been trying to make them a lot lately because I'm trying to still enjoy and see the beauty in winter despite the fact Evie bear has cabin fever big time and so do I! We've been doing many play dates, crafts, and lots of coloring and baking.. I really need to lay off the baking part though ;)

My favorite thing about the cold weather is that it makes soups and hot coffee/tea so much more enjoyable so I've been having and enjoying soups and homemade lattes like nobody's busniness. Hola!

One of my newest favorite recipes that I've been making is this Delicious and creamy baked potato soup!

Not only do I love it but my Mother in love  loves it, my sister in love loves it, and my husband loves it and considering he's not a major soup person that's a big deal. We didn't even have left overs for the next day because he had a midnight snack and gobbled the rest up..So I was stuck with cold sandwiches for lunch  the next day. :(  But I forgave him and chose to see the bright side. He loves my cooking! 

The only person in the house who wouldn't even try it was Evelynne.. However, she loved helping Mama make it.

On with the recipe!!

Ingredients: 

8 medium potatoes

2 1/2 cups skim milk

1/4 chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons flour

1 8 oz. bag  cheddar cheese

**this made about 4 large bowls of soup. If you want more (Which I highly recommend) just double the ingredients.

1. Peel and  cut potatoes into small chunks and Boil until they are  tender. 

2. While those are boiling, slice 1/4 cup onion and measure your spices (1 teaspoon of salt and seasoned salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

 3. Add milk, flour, seasonings and butter to the pot. Stir well.

6. Stir in potatoes, onion, and 2 handfuls of cheese.

And now it's time to customize! You can add more cheese or different cheeses or more milk if you like it thinner.

Top with cheese or other things like bacon and green onions and enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins.

If you haven't noticed I have been a bit fall crazy here. I don't know if it's pregnancy or I've just really missed my fall but I've been slowly preparing for my favorite season since August by decorating the house and pinning many goodies.

And while many were out at the beach on Labor day I was gladly at home celebrating by fall obsession by making these goodies that I personally believe tastes even better then Starbucks or Panera bread! Everyone in my house LOVED them including my Little love and Big Love! Leon he hasn't stopped asking me for them since we ran out the day after I made them so I've made two batches already. Plus I love how simple they are to make with simple ingredients.

Are you ready to get your pumpkin on?

For one dozen you will need:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. (I used WG white if you wanna take the healthier root. ;)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/4  cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Now lets get cookin'!

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put liners in muffin cups or spray the cups. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature. 

Apple Bread.

Are you like me  and enjoy delicious tasting bread that goes great with your morning coffee?  This is probably my favorite and most easy bread to make and I wanted to share it with you! If you're an apple lover like me than you will LOVE this plus the little ones will love it too!

You will need:

• 1 cup of all purpose flour.
• 1/2 cup of wheat flour.
• 1/2  tsp of salt.
• 2 cups of  apples.
• 1/2 cup of butter.
• 1/2 cup of sugar.
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract.

To do:

                          

You can also turn these things into muffins which is what I usually do when I make it form my church.

Peppermint Icecream cake. Yum Yum!

Okay so the question today on TGBTL link up is What is your go to recipe? .. Is it sad to say that  the first thing that came to mind was desert??

Don't get me wrong! I'm a healthy eater. I'm just a healthy eater with a wild side.

So, I thought I would post a recent invention for a Christmas desert that I love! Like really love! Like I'd eat the whole cake in one sitting love.

Ingredients:
Peppermint stick Ice cream.
Oreo cookies.
2 tubs Whip cream.
one box of Brownie mix.


1)  Mix the ice cream you will be using with some whip cream.. As much as you like. For me the creamier it is the better.

2) Put plastic wrap inside 2 cake pans. Enough where it's covered and no ice cream can stick to the pan.

3)  Fill the pan up with Ice cream and cover with plastic wrap. Then you want to freeze it for a day or so.

4)   After it's  done being in the freezer. Make the brownies and let it sit until it's cool.

5). Empty the one Ice cream pan on a plate, put the brownie in the middle and then put the other Ice cream on top.

(Helpful hint) Make sure the brownie is shaped the same size as the ice cream circle so it's not uneven)

6) Spread the whip cream on the top. Add oreo's, chocolate and whatever else you think would taste great with it.


My friend and I enjoyed this cake with a great cup of peppermint coffee!! Our babies were a fan too!


If you try this I'd love to hear what you think of it!!! It's now one of my favorites!!