I promised you a meatless Quinoa recipe and you're getting these muffins instead! The quinoa didn't turn out quite like I wanted, so it's back to the drawing board with that one. However, these have been tried and proven delicious (thanks to WhatToExpect.Com), so I thought I should still share something with you!

And, no, I'm not pregnant. Since Levi is only about 5 weeks old at this point, I'd say we're waiting a while before deciding if we want to expand our family again.

HOWEVER, I did have two friends inform me (secretly) that they're expecting! They haven't announced that news yet, so I won't spoil it and say who they are, but I will say they're the ones who inspired me to make these muffins. They're going in their Pregnancy Care Packages (which I'm so excited about because they're so much fun to put together). So while I'm collecting the last few items to get those in the mail (and before I share my ideas on that with y'all), here is this recipe!

Lemon-Ginger [Pregnancy] Muffins

Ingredients :

- 1 C Lemonade Concentrate
- 1/4 C Oil (Coconut or Canola)
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2.5 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1.25 C Whole Wheat Flour
*You can substitute 1/4 C Flaxseed or Wheat Germ for 1/4 C Flour if you have it handy*
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 C Oats (I used Quick Oats)
- 1 C Grated/Shredded Carrot (I used 3 good-sized carrots for this)


Directions :

- Preheat your oven to 375 and prep your muffin tin with liners/spray.
- Whisk together your lemonade, oil, eggs, vanilla, and ground ginger.
- Add your flour and baking soda to your wet ingredients. Stir until just combined (don't over do it!).
- Fold in your oats, then fold in your shredded carrot.
- Use 1/4 C of batter for each muffin, or fill your tin 2/3rds full for each one.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes depending on your oven.


And, VOILA, you're done! These muffins are yummy for any stage of pregnancy, but they really helped when I was suffering from nausea. The lemon and ginger help your stomach/sickness, and you're getting some good stuff with the whole wheat flour and carrots.

I had been seeing all these Quinoa recipes floating around Pinterest and friend's profiles on Facebook and, honestly, they were scaring me. Because I had no flipping idea what Quinoa actually was, or even how to say it.

But the more I saw, the more I was influenced to try it. So, I found this recipe and decided to adjust it and give it a try.

I am now a fan. And, in case you didn't know (because I didn't) Quinoa is pronounced keen-wah.


Ingredients:

- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 habenero pepper, chopped
- 1 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
- 1 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1/2 C corn
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- 1 lime (depending on how many people you are serving-- 1/4 lime per serving)
- olive oil

Directions:

- Add a small bit of oil to a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add garlic and habenero pepper and cook just until fragrant (about a minute).
- Follow the directions on how much water to add to cook with your quinoa; add the water, quinoa, bouillon, beans, tomatoes, corn, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from heat; stir in cilantro if desired. Spoon into bowls and add lime juice from 1 wedge per serving.

Enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken is mine and Clark's favorite dish. Ever. When we started dating he introduced me to it, and I haven't been able to get away from it. Since we're trying to continue our "eating better" goals, I was worried it was going to be impossible to make a version of this dish at home successfully.

I'm so happy that I was wrong.

This recipe is easy and, if I may say so, up to delivery-par (in our opinions, that is). If Clark approves of something like this, I feel like a total winner, which is the case with this recipe.


Ingredients:

- 1lb chicken breasts, cut into cubes or strips.
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 habenero pepper, sliced
Note: I used this because I couldn't find dried chilis ANYWHERE. If you can find them, slice up 1-2 dried red chilies for a more authentic taste.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced.
- 3/4 tsp dried ginger
- 1 tbs rice cooking wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil (must)
- 2 scallions, cut into small rounds.
- 1/4 C roasted peanuts.

For the Marinade:

- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbs egg white, beaten

For The Sauce:

- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs sweet chili sauce
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 6 tbs water
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
Note: You can use 6 tbsp of chicken or vegetable broth instead of the water/bouillon combo; I just typically don't have broth in my house!

Directions:

- Prepare the Marinade. Whisk together the salt, soy sauce, rice wine,cornstarch and egg white. Place into sealed container or ziploc bag with cut up chicken and let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge.

- Next, make the Sauce. Mix together the soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, vinegar sugar, cornstarch, water, and bouillon. Set aside.

- Heat a Wok or large pan over high heat util smoke rises. Add the oil and swirl it around. Add the habenero pepper, garlic, and ginger. Push around until garlic is golden.

- Add your chicken.Turn and toss it for 1 - 2 minutes before next step.

- Add in the rice wine and sesame oil (from first list of ingredients), stirring continuously.

- Add the scallions and continue to stir for a minute or so; the chicken should be almost cooked by now.

- Add the Sauce to the Wok. Continue to stir while it thickens.

- Add the peanuts, stir the mix a few more times, then transfer to a warm serving plate.


I served mine with homemade fried rice. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Magazine

Here in AZ it's already hitting the upper 80s. Last month we even hit 90, though it's gone done and up again since then. When it's so hot, I don't necessarily feel like baking. I feel more like having fruit and, well, ice cream.

But Michael loves to cook, and he misses it. Juicing and making smoothies doesn't always cut it, and the other day he specifically asked for muffins. I've had this big bag of coconut flakes for a while because I only needed a little bit for a previous recipe and haven't needed it since. Then I thought, what would be better than coconut muffins?


These are super easy to make, and even easier to alter to make them vegan! I was worried Michael wouldn't like them if he saw the coconut sprinkled on top, but I went for it anyway. And wouldn't you know it, he ate two of them (over the course of a day, any way).


Ingredients:

- 1/4 C coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 C milk
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C sweetened coconut, plus extra for sprinkling

Vegan option:

- Use 1/2 C of Coconut Milk
- Nix the egg and add an extra 1/4 C of coconut oil.

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your muffin tin with liners/cooking spray.
- Whisk together your coconut oil, egg, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl.
- Add your sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour to your wet mix. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in your coconut. If you want to, you can also add chocolate/ white chocolate chips!
- Scoop your mix into your muffin tin, filling each hole about 2/3rds full. If desired, sprinkle extra coconut on top of your muffins.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Remove to cooling rack and let sit for a few minutes before enjoying. These are so easy and wonderful to make when you have company or just want a treat!


My favorite things about these muffins is the flavor was just perfect, and they're so moist! My oven has the tendency to overcook things, and even though a couple of them got a little browner than I'd like on the outside, it didn't keep them from being perfect in the middle.

Recipe adapted from Easy Indian Recipes.

I've been trying really hard to get Michael to try new foods. It's possible there's been bribery sweet incentives involved, but I think I'm OK with that. Very rarely does Michael like to try new things unless it involves the words cheese, chocolate, or fruit. Anything with meat? Forget it. He only eats tuna. Not saying there's anything wrong with that, and I'm definitely not forcing anything on him, but sometimes it gets tiring making dinner only to have him eat black beans, tuna, or a grilled cheese.

The other night we had breakfast for dinner, and I had been dying to try out this recipe. With a few alterations of my own, they were a big hit. After offering Michael a sort of "reward" for trying one bite... he ate three of them. I'd call that a success.


Ingredients:

- 1 C grated zucchini with or without skin. (About 1 large zucchini.)
- 1/4 C Parmesan or cheddar cheese (You can use any kind of cheese, including a cheese that isn't cheese ;), but thus far these are the two I've tried)

- 1/4 C breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
- 1/4 of an onion, diced (I used white, but sweet onion works really well, too!)
- 1 egg or egg substitute

Optional spices:

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

- Grate your zucchini and squeeze all the extra moisture out of it by placing it in a towel (like you would with frozen spinach). Make sure you really get rid of all the extra liquid. If you don't, the tots will be moist in the middle and you don't want that!
- Preheat your oven to 400 and spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix together all your ingredients in a large bowl.


- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, fill each hole around 1/2 to 3/4 full. Press down with a fork to even out the tops.

- Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, checking on them after 15 and going from there. This all depends on how crispy you like them, just make sure you don't burn them! (Unless that's your taste, of course.)

Oh, and HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Only fitting I give you a green recipe for the day, right?

This is one of my absolute favorite muffin recipes. Not only are they delicious, but they don't make you feel guilty for eating them because you know they have "good stuff" in them.

Ingredients:

- 1.5 C whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
-1.25 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 C butter (1 stick), softened (not melted)
- 1/3 to 1/2 C honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
1 C unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 to 3/4 C carrot shreds (I used a cheese grater to do this work!)

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your muffin tin by spraying with cooking oil or lining with tins, or both.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine: butter, honey, egg, vanilla, and applesauce. Once well mixed, gradually add your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt).
- Carefully fold in your shredded carrots.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, checking with a toothpick. Give sufficient time to cool before serving.

Note: Muffins may seems soft or crumbly when warm. If you let them sit for a good amount of time, even as long as thirty minutes, they seem to be better formed and not as soft.

Recipe adapted from 100 Days of Real Food

Michael and I have been struggling with sleep... again. While he seems to have a bedtime set(between 8 and 8:30 these days, he's been waking up between four and five determined to get up. I may be a morning person, but even four in the morning is ROUGH. I had success one morning in telling him we weren't getting up, and we slept until seven... but every other morning it's been by five am AT THE LATEST that we were out of bed. Needless to say I sometimes feel like I'm in a bit of a daze.

Easy dinners are my favorite. When using my crock pot I do have to plan ahead, but I love letting things cook all day and not having to really worry about them. When Mrs. Healthy Ever After posted this recipe, I immediately added it to my to-try-list, and boy am I glad.


It's the best. thing. ever.

AND MICHAEL EVEN ATE THE TURKEY!

Enough said... if you love Thanksgiving food, then you'll love this recipe.

Ingredients:

- 1 box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (sans seasoning)/ 3/4 C wild rice
- 1/2 to 1 small butternut squash, cut into cubes (I used half because I didn't want to be overwhelmed by the flavor)
- 1 to 2 lbs turkey tenderloin (I just used 1)
- 1 onion (I used white), cut as you like
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 C chicken stock, low sodium
- 1/4 C dried cranberries
- 2-3 C chopped kale

Directions:

- Put your rice in the crock pot. Top it with your squash, onion, and turkey. Sprinkle with your seasonings (thyme, salt, pepper).
- Pour your chicken stock over it all. Cook on high for three hours or low for six hours, this also depends on how much turkey you use.
- Add your cranberries and kale in the last hour of cooking.


Ready... set... DEVOUR.

Original recipe found at The Fountain Avenue Kitchen.

I have honestly never had risotto. It's always seemed so delicious, and on TV they always seem to be making it. But I've just never seen the chance or opportunity to make it.

Then I decided I needed to.

So I looked at a few risotto recipes and discovered I didn't really have any ingredients. I mean, I have some Italian sausage I had bought on a whim, and I had some brown rice, and some roma tomatoes... but none of them really looked like they wanted to make "my risotto".

Whether this is "real" or not, this is what I came up with!

Ingredients:

- 1 C rice (I used brown)
- 2.5 C water
- 1 tbsp bouillon
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 Italian sausage (you can use Turkey-- I meant to but grabbed the regular in my fleeting moment)
- 4 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 C spinach
Olive Oil
Dash basil/oregano

Directions:

- Place your rice, water, bouillon, and garlic powder in a larger pot. Cook your rice according to the directions on the bag/box, just with the added ingredients.
- Once your rice is cooked, move to a bowl and place in the microwave to keep warm (or keep it out-- this next step won't take too long.
- Put somewhere between 1 tsp and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sautee your sausage until it is no longer pink/ is cooked through.
- Add your tomatoes and your spinach; cook until the spinach is just wilted (this should happen under or just around a minute). Add your basil/oregano.
- Stir in your rice. Take it a little at a time. (You may have to serve some, then add more rice, then serve again.) Mix and let sit for around five minutes before serving.


Easy and delicious!

Have you ever wanted cookies for breakfast? In my case it's not very uncommon. While I absolutely love traditional breakfast foods (seriously... they're my favorite), every now and then I have the desire to mix it up. However, who can really justify eating desserts for breakfast? Unless it's the day after your birthday and you have leftover cake (yeah... that's acceptable), it doesn't happen often in our house.

I take that back. Whenever I make cookies or cupcakes or some kind of baked treat, Clark will eat one the next morning and just stick "breakfast" in front of it. "Oh, this? It's a breakfast cookie."

Lightbulb.

So when all these recipes were floating around Pinterest for breakfast cookies, I wasn't sure what to think. Until I made some. And then what did I think?

Genius.

And, of course, Michael agreed with me.

Ingredients:

- 2 very ripe, smashed bananas
- 1/2 C peanut butter, creamy or chunky (I used all natural creamy)
- 1/3 C protein powder or wheat germ (I used wheat germ because I didn't have any protein powder lying around)
- 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 C oats (you can use quick oats or old fashioned; I used old fashioned for a more oatmeal-like-texture)
- 1/4 to 1/3 C carob or chocolate chips *optional*
For those of you that have a sweet-tooth, you may want to add a tablespoon or so of honey as well!

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mix your bananas and peanut butter together nicely before adding your protein powder/wheat germ, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Stir in your oats.
- Stir in your *optional* chips.
(Yep. It's that easy.)
- Let your dough rest for a couple minutes. Prepare your cookie sheet, tidy up, whatever works-- for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drop your cookies and criss-cross them like you would with peanut butter cookies.

*Note: I didn't do this until they had been in the oven for a while, but I think it works better if you do it when they are still actual dough!*

- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let sit on the pan for 2 to 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.


Yummy breakfast cookies with a fabulous kick of protein to start your day!


This recipe was molded from Watching What I Eat.

While you are reading this I am on an airplane (or waiting to be on an airplane) with Michael, on our way to visit my parents and see my sweet niece (and my sister and brother-in-law, too, of course). By the way, in case you didn't know, my sister is Katie from See You There. Make sure to visit her site!

This is one of my favorite recipes to make when I don't have a whole lot of time. They aren't time consuming, they're delicious, and if you're craving Italian (and have a love for Basil), then these are for you!

Ingredients:

- 1 lb white ground turkey meat
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 1/8 to 1/4 C freshly chopped basil
- 1/2 C whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 jar of your favorite marinara
*Note: If you are serving these over pasta, or to your family, using two jars of sauce doesn't hurt!*

Directions:

- Pour your marinara sauce into a large pot (big enough for all your meatballs). Warm it over medium-low heat until boiling. Make sure to turn it to simmer and cover it AS SOON as it starts to boil. Don't want sauce all over your stove!
- Mix all your ingredients together (except the marinara sauce, of course) in a large bowl.
- Measure your meatballs as you please. I just rolled them in my hands, so I didn't measure them. I'd say around 2 tablespoons of meat or so.

- Put the meatballs into the marinara, spread out as much as possible. Cover the pot and cook for 25 to 45 minutes. Serve on their own or as you please!

Quick, easy, and delicious!

For more meatball recipes, check these out.

Hoison-Glazed Meatballs.


Meatballs & Zucchini "pasta".

Swedish Meatballs.

You last met Nikki in the summer of 2012 when she was about to get married. AND HERE SHE IS AGAIN! It's almost her one year anniversary and she has endured and shared so much over at her blog Mrs. Healthy Ever After. Make sure to hop over there and read things from tips to get your husband to eat healthy to comical stories that you can relate to.

How Juicing Got me to Like Celery
I never thought I’d be a juicing-type person. I mean, sure, my mom did hop on the bandwagon for a short stint when we were in high school to give us freshly made orange-apple juice each morning before school. But it was short-lived, mainly because orange prices had gone up and it became too expensive.

But here I am now, and I can’t get enough of my juicer.

It started innocently enough. I really just wanted to show my husband how important it was for him to eat more fruits and veggies, so I showed him the documentary “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” (one of my all time favorites I had seen before). The documentary follows Joe Cross on an epic juice fast as he cures himself of a rare disease and then helps someone else do the same.

When the credits rolled at the end, I turned to my husband with a smile basically ready to say, “And now this is why we’re having salad for dinner—“ but before I could, he said something shocking to me: “So when are we going to get a juicer?”

Juicers were too expensive for us, especially since we weren’t even sure we were going to like it yet. So, we bought a 30 year-old, hardly used, Jack Lalaine juicer off of the work classifieds.

After our first juice, it was love at first sip.

We started off with carrot apple—something I remembered liking as a kid when I visited my aunts house. But then we quickly went on to be more daring and started exploring the world of green juices. Who knew that green apples, kale, cucumbers, celery, spinach and lemons all comes together in a concoction that tastes very similar to Gatorade? It was fantastic!

We started juicing in the mornings for breakfast and maybe a snack in the afternoons. I never felt such a jolt of energy before when I finished one of the huge juices we’d get.

Finally I decided I really wanted to try a juice detox—not to lose weight, but to just see how I’d feel. Would it make me feel better like the documentary suggested? We decided only to do a short one, but in those three days, I felt like a new person. Sure, there was one day where I really didn’t feel that well (but hey, my body was DETOXING) and let’s be honest, my husband cheated the whole time, but the juice detox was eye opening.

Who knew that sweet potato, blueberries, pears and cinnamon tasted like apple pie? Since when did beets taste like the best thing in the world?

And yes, these were all very filling.

The biggest change for me was also the fact that I now don’t mind celery. That may seem petty to you—I hate celery, ever since I can remember. I hate it in soups. I hate it in salads. I HATE IT. When we started juicing celery, I’d have to hold my nose. Even the smell was gross to me. But after a while of juicing celery, I now no longer mind it. Juicing had literally changed my taste buds.

I also lost a shocking amount of weight in those three days, but I won’t disclose that here because that’s not the point. And juice fasting isn’t really about the weight loss (especially since you’ll always gain some back once you re-introduce solid foods to your diet). The point is to get healthy. The point is to rid yourself of the toxins your body (did you know your intestines and bowels can hold undigested meat for years? Yup. It’s a thing).

The point is to be good to your body so your body will be good to you.

While we don’t juice as often as we like (we’ve been travelling a lot this summer), we still do enjoy our juicer and look forward to one day owning a newer model.

But before I go, there’s some things to know about juicing.

1) It’s not the same as having a smoothie.
While you could have a smoothie fast in theory, its not the same. Juicing is absorbing nutrients without consuming fiber, so you get the nutrients quicker. Does that make one better than the other? No. Is fiber bad? Of course not. Should you eat a lot of fiber even while juicing? Duh. Some people like to start fights over juicing vs. smoothies and that’s just silly. Both are fantastic.
2) Juice detoxes need to be done correctly.
Juice detoxes or fasts should not be used as a fad diet, and when done incorrectly can be dangerous. You need follow a legitimate plan (Like Joe Cross’ at www.RebootwithJoe.com) and don’t try to do less than that. It’s important to keep your calories at normal levels (minimum 1200 for women and minimum 1600 for men).
3) You don’t have to waste the pulp.
Many people think juicing is too expensive, especially with how much pulp you get out of it to discard. DON’T DISCARD IT. You can make sweet breads, sandwich breads, or crackers! You can even add it to soup for some added veg AND you can compost it too. It’s AWESOME.
4) You don’t have to do a juice fast to enjoy your juicer or reap the benefits
Seriously, all you need is one juice a day to feel FANTASTIC. Start with breakfast and maybe add one for a snack either pre- or post-workout.

Juice on!

Read more about my healthy adventures at www.MrsHealthyEverAfter.com!

HAPPY JULY!
I know. The title is a mouthful. But you won't mind once you make these! Are you sensing a trend? The last muffin recipe I posted was Banana Coconut. What can I say. Now that I have coconut and coconut oil in the house... the options are endless!

Ingredients:

- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 c applesauce
- 1/4 c honey
- 1 C milk [vegan options include coconut, almond, soy, etc!]
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 C oats
- 1 C diced/cut up strawberries
- 1/2 C coconut flakes


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your muffin pan with liners/cooking spray.
- Whisk together the first four ingredients (coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and milk). Fold in your flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in your oats. Then add the strawberries and coconut. Do not over-mix.
- Use 1/4 C or so of batter for each muffin.
- Cook for 18 to 24 minutes. Check with a toothpick. When it comes out clean (no batter-- strawberry juice an exception), they're done!

Super easy and delicious. Michael was excited to have another muffin recipe to try.


Want more vegan muffin recipes? Check these out!

Banana Coconut Muffins

Mystery Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Veggie Muffins

Butternut Squash is one of my fall favorites. But let’s face it, who wants to always wait around for the season to enjoy it? Not this girl! I was so excited when I found it still available at my local grocery store.

When it comes to serving meatless meals, my ideas are usually vetoed by the hubs. It comes as such a relief when I can throw something together that we will all enjoy and it doesn’t have to contain meat. This stir fry is so filling! If it had much else in it I think we would have busted.

However, if you are a “my meal must have meat” type of person, adding just about anything to this works! See the asterisk for the details.


Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 C butternut squash, cut into cubes
- 1 to 2 tbsp(s) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine

Directions:

- Heat your sesame oil, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 minced garlic clove in a wok or large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté until garlic is golden brown.

*If you wanted to add meat, here’s your chance! Toss it in there before you add your butternut squash and cook until golden/brown all around. It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through just yet since you have a few more steps to go!*

- Add your butternut squash and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender.

- Add your green pepper, red pepper, onion, and the rest of your garlic and ginger. Sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes.

- Mix in your sauces (soy, teriyaki, and Chinese cooking rice wine). If you do not have rice wine, you can substitute cooking sherry or just use extra soy sauce. Let stand for at least another 5 to 10 minutes, mixing occasionally.

- Serve warm on its own or over rice.

Don't forget to VOTE FOR MICHAEL in the Parents Magazine Cover Photo Contest!

I just had to bake something. I couldn't stay away that long. So it had to be relatively healthy.

I adapted this recipe from The Shrinking Kitchen. Which, if you've never visited their site, you need to. It's pretty much amazing.

Ingredients:

- 4 VERY ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 C wheat germ
- 1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350. Prepare your muffin pan with liners/spray.
- Mix together your bananas, applesauce, honey, and coconut oil.
- Stir in your dry ingredients If you want to pre-mix your wheat germ, flours, and baking soda you can. I always tend to skip that step.
- Fold in your coconut flakes.
Note: Adding chocolate chips could make these extra sweet and yummy!

- Bake in the oven for 12 to 16 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked all the way through.

Enjoy! Michael certainly did.

Want more vegan recipes? Check these out!

Vegan Brownies

Vegan Veggie Muffins

Vegan PB Oatmeal "Chocolate Chip" Cookies

Vegan Banana "Chocolate Chip" Muffins

Last month we had sweet Sarah from What I Vegan sharing her thoughts on clean eating. This month Brittany from The Lily Field has agreed to be our Mom of the Month! Remember when we did that Target giveaway celebrating her blog's one year anniversary?

I absolutely love Brittany's space. She shares truth-filled stories about her life, her spirituality, recipes, and so much more! I'll stop gushing over her and let her talk food with you.


My name is Brittany from The Lily Field and I'm going to share something with you today that might
leave you clinging to your bag of Oreos and hiding behind rows of Hamburger Helper. But hear me out.
I'm just a girl who cries over sweet potatoes, but it's a good thing. Here's why...

I grew up in the Land of Plenty and somewhere along the way I was led to believe that those little
bags of gummy-shaped "fruit" snacks counted as a serving of fruit every day. You too?!
Processed, preserved, and packaged foods with an unnaturally long shelf-life never made me
lose any sleep. It's normal. Even practical. It's very futuristic-y and apparently we have arrived.
________________________________________
I am so thankful that Miss Emily asked me to share about my journey
with clean eating over here on her sweet space! I LOVE talking food. I hope you do too!
________________________________________

I grew up on a typical, American diet that consisted of lots of animal products,
snacks wrapped in plastic, and liquids laden with sugar. I remember opening our family fridge
as a little girl and seeing TONS of produce wilting and wasting away.
When Little Debbie was in the cupboard, the desire for a banana was absurd.

When I did eat fresh, you better believe those strawberries were dipped in sugar
and the carrot sticks in ranch. Pure, raw foods seemed bland and unappealing to me.
My brain wanted a "fix". I craved sugar. I needed dairy.
My body was dictating what I put in my mouth and it led to a serious problem.

Weight gain was a side note. There were bigger issues: anxiety, asthma, rashes, bloating, skin blemishes,
repeat urinary tract infections, debilitating headaches, heavy periods, yeast infections, mood swings,
and a weakened immune system that allowed me to get sick at the drop of a hat.
It's crazy - I've lost count of how many of you have shared with me that this is YOUR story too.

I made my rounds with doctors and specialists. I was told that most of this was normal; to be expected.
I was in my roaring 20's now - newly married, having babies, and wasn't ready for THIS. I couldn't do it.
I didn't want band-aids anymore. I didn't want the side effects of drugs and I didn't like not knowing what
the long-term damage would be. Plus I wanted to live a long, healthy life with my husband and children!
So I got off the bus and purged my system.



An elimination diet seemed like a good place to start.
Little did I know that this adventure would forever change the way I look at food.
3 months of cleansing my body with raw, organic fruits, veggies, and meats woke up me.
My issues - DISAPPEARED. I threw away all the notes for prescriptions and have never looked back.
It's like scales fell from eyes. St. Paul of nutrition right here. What I thought was "normal" all my life...
turned out to NOT be normal. You can follow-up on that story over on my blog.

Somewhere in the middle of that cleanse - in between the withdrawal symptoms - I found myself sitting
at my dining room table preparing to eat a baked sweet potato with sea salt. I had never had one before.
I thought all sweet potatoes came pre-accessorized with marshmallows and candied nuts.

I took a bite and cried. It was good. Now that my pallet was stabilized, I could actually appreciate
the natural sweetness of the potato that most people glamorize with additives! I told God that I felt like
I had been missing out on the GOOD foods that HE created for me... by buying into the American diet plan.



Everything in life seems BRIGHTER now. My eyes are not so sensitive to the sun - my skin is clearer -
my hair is longer - my waist is smaller - I feel better - my energy levels are off the charts -
I feel less anxious - less emotional in general - in short, I feel amazing.
That cleanse led me and my family into an entire new way point of view when it comes to food.

Fruits, veggies, whole grains, natural, free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free...
are words that I never thought would lovingly come out of my mouth! But I am seriously in love
with this "new normal" that we are now living and will never look back. I may still have a couple
Oreos on occasion - because I am a weak human being that can still be seduced
with chocolate cookies and the mysterious cream that comes in the middle!

But it's about a healthy LIFESTYLE with a few unhealthy SPLURGES along the way.
Not the other way around. Hope I didn't weird you out too much. Catch me over in the field
for more on family, food, and life in general! Would love some "feed"back. Ha. I'm funny. Not really.

And if I could recommend ONE resource for getting started with a cleaner diet...
check out my girl, Gwyneth Paltrow and her new book "It's All Good". The book is beautiful.
You are beautiful too! Here's to taking good care of the bodies God gave us!

And if you happen to cry over a sweet potato - don't worry.
I won't make fun of you. I understand.