Oatmeal Raisin Muffins- a perfect grab and go breakfast!!

These are absolutely delicious! The best part is that they are incredibly good for you. I was looking for healthy "grab and go" breakfast options for my husband and I the other day and ran across a fairly basic oatmeal muffin recipe. I played around with some ingredients, added a few things, and substituted a few things and came up with these yummy muffins! I hope you like them as much as I did. They can be eaten right away or you can flash freeze them, then freeze them for later use.

5 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1 cup raisins

2 2/3 cup water
2 1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP olive oil
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TBSP chia seeds (optional)

Mix together the first set of ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl mix together the second set of ingredients. Mix well. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir until completely combined. Pour into lined muffin cups till they are full. This recipe makes 24 muffins. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating. Let cool completely before freezing.

Worlds BEST Cinnamon Rolls!

These from-scratch Cinnamon rolls are SO delicious! No calorie counting allowed!

Mix together in a large bowl:
1 cup very warm water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
Wisk with fork until combined. Then add:
1 TBS dry yeast. Wisk again until mixed.
Let sit until bubbly/foamy (approx. 10 minutes). Then add in:
2 cups flour (I like to use bread flour, but its not nesesary)
1/3 cup warm melted margarine
1 beaten egg
Stir with fork until a smooth batter is formed and continue to add flour to form a soft dough (about 1-2 cups). Let dough raise until double in size, and then gently turn out on a lightly floured counter top and roll into a rectangle about 1/2" thick.

Spread a thin layer of softened margarine (you will need about 1/2 stick) over the surface, making sure to go all the way to the edge. Then sprinkle dump on the brown sugar. It needs to be thick so keep spreading until you cannot see through to the dough. Again, spread all the way to the edge. Follow with a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon.

Roll fairly tightly and pinch edges of dough to seal. Use dental floss to cut rolls about 1 1/2" thick. Place in a completely greased 9x13 pan (I like to use Crisco, works WAY better than cooking spray). Let raise until more than double in size*****

*****Quick-rise method
Preheat your oven to its very lowest setting (usually 150-170ish degrees). Once preheated, turn the oven OFF. Put your rolls in the oven and set your timer for 20-30 minutes and they will be nice and fluffy when they are done! Then remove from oven and pre-heat to your baking temp of 350. Bake until golden brown, about 10-12, minutes but WATCH them! Ovens vary!

FROSTING! The best part, yes?
Completely melt 1 stick of margarine. You want your butter HOTT
Add (by 1/2 cup fulls) about 2-2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, stirring, until thick. Then add:
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Wisk together until smooth. If too thick, add milk in small quantities. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Drizzle over hot rolls! ENJOY!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this, life keeps getting in the way! I made these not too long ago and they were Amazing!!! They are very similar to California Pizza Kitchen/P.F. Changs Lettuce wraps!! They were THAT good!! When i worked at CPK i got lettuce wraps all the time but man are they expensive SO this is a great way to kick that lettuce wrap craving of yours and also not break the bank doing it! Hope you Enjoy!

Ingredients

- 2 lbs of your choice of Meat (ground turkey, ground chicken, Shrimp-no shell)

- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

- 3 TBSP soy sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 TBSP fresh Ginger, grated

- 1 TBSP brown sugar

- 1 TBSP sesame oil

- 1/2 TBSP Asian Chile Oil

- 5 ounces Bamboo Shoots, canned and drained

- 12 ounces water chestnuts, canned-drained-chopped

- 1 can Bean Sprouts

- Ice Burg Lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Combine the following into your Crock-Pot: Your choice of meat-raw, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, chile paste, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. MIX well!

2. Cover; Cook on LOW 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours)

3. Thirty minutes before time to serve add Bean Sprouts. MIX.

4. Place meat on top of an ice burg lettuce leaf and ENJOY! 

TIP: To add even more flavor drizzle hoisin sauce on top of your meat mixture inside your lettuce wrap

Sadly this is one of those dishes that doesn't look very yummy in the pictures but is absolutely delicious!!! So with that being said PLEASE don't judge this recipe off the picture cause trust me, they are worth making!! :)

Cool Whip Fruit Salad

I know how hard it is to eat healthy, trust me! I am the biggest chocoholic there is! But because my husband and I are trying to eat healthy and have a overall healthier lifestyle i have been TRYING to be good and make healthier food! I am one of those people who loves munching on snacks while watching a movie or our favorite TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or just the late night munchies! SO i decided to make a sweet but healthy snack to replace my normal ice cream or candy! Plus its hard to find healthy food a kid enjoys, at least for me. My daughter is so picky! Getting her to eat or try new things is almost impossible so when my picky eater will eat this, you know its good! I Hope you all enjoy this as much as we do! 

Cool Whip Fruit Salad

~1 pkg Strawberries, washed & sliced

~1 Apple, washed & sliced

~2 Bananas, sliced

~2 cans Mandarin Oranges, drained

~2 cups Red Grapes, washed

Place everything in a bowl

and mix in Cool Whip

Place in a bowl and ENJOY!