Pumpkin Muffins

I made these muffins tonight in preparation for our company that is coming tomorrow - I thought they might make a quick and easy breakfast or snack.  And, let's be honest...I am obsessed with all things pumpkin.  Especially pie.  I can't wait to be eating it in less than 48 hours - yes, I am counting down.

I found this recipe on Livestrong and made one small change.  I tried this recipe last year in a loaf pan, but decided to go with muffins this year.  I liked this recipe because it uses whole wheat flour, olive oil and yogurt - a much healthier twist on baking!

You will need...

1 egg
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1 3/4 cup Splenda (you could also use regular sugar if you don't have Splenda on hand)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 oz non fat plain yogurt (the original recipe called for vanilla, but I used plain & added extract - less sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350.  Beat together egg, oil, pumpkin, sugars, yogurt and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder & cinnamon.

Slowly add dry mixture to pumpkin mixture and blend together.

Once combined, evenly distribute into greased or paper lined muffin tins.

Bake for about 25 minutes.  Takes about 30 minutes in a 9x13 cake pan and closer to 40 or longer in a loaf pan.

ENJOY!


Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I have tons to be thankful for this year, especially for a husband who just vacuumed and mopped the house!!

Breakfast Casserole

First of all, thanks to Becky for covering for me while I was gone!  I had a great time hanging out with Andrea in Arizona (I am so mad at myself for taking zero pictures) and learned a ton at my Sports Dietitians conference the rest of the time...but I am so happy to be home!

This is a breakfast that I make quite often when we have guests at our house on the weekends...in fact I should probably find a new recipe because people are probably sick of this...but it's just so easy!  And, everyone seems to like it...at least they haven't told me if they don't!

I made this Mother's Day weekend and served it with the Open the Can Fruit Salad.  This is also great because it reheats well in the microwave.

This recipe calls for 12 oz of ground breakfast sausage, I buy the HEB store brand Light Pork Sausage.  Here is what you save by going light vs regular (per 2 oz serving):

120 calories vs 160 calories

8 grams fat vs 13 grams fat

0 grams carbs vs 1 gram carbs

13 grams protein vs 8 grams protein

21 grams cholesterol vs 35 grams cholesterol

Yup, you read that right...half the fat and double the protein...can't go wrong with that!

So here is what you need:

12 oz light ground breakfast sausage, browned and drained

1 1/2 cups low fat shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe called for 2 cups, but 1.5 is plenty)

1 cup baking mix (I used low fat Pioneer brand)

1/2 tsp pepper ( I left out 1/2 tsp salt...cheese and sausage are salty!)

2 cups skim milk

4 eggs

After sausage is browned and fat is drained off (there probably won't be much), arrange sausage and cheese in bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish prepared with cooking spray.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine baking mix, pepper, milk & eggs.

Pour mixture on top of sausage and cheese.

Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes...until browned.

I think this one would be really good if you made it into an "omelet casserole" and threw in some veggies...bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, etc...who doesn't like a little extra nutrition at breakfast?!?  Ahem...Barry.  But maybe your household will =)

Have a wonderful weekend!  We are back on the road again, as usual.  We are heading to San Marcos tonight to celebrate my Dad's birthday with my family and will be staying there for the rest of the weekend to celebrate our friend Aaron's birthday as well.  They are going to float the river...I am going to the outlet mall with my mom!  Stay tuned for week 12 post...

ENJOY!