Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins

The following recipe was featured in my Muffin Swap event. You can read about it and view other muffin recipes HERE.

Ann’s Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins

Recipe adapted from HERE

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup sugar free table syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 small carton egg beaters
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Butter Flavored Pam

Preheat oven 350. Sift all dry indredients together. Set aside. In separate bowl, beat Splenda, syrup and vanilla. Add egg beaters slowly. Beat until fluffy. Alternately, add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Spray muffin pan with Pam and fill pan for 10 muffins. Bake for 25-30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Feasting on Fall Flavors

Tonight called for a dinner that would warm us from the crisp and cool temps in the air. I figured now was a good time as any to prepare a fall dinner to highlight the season’s flavors. With apples, thyme, maple syrup, and sweet potatoes on hand, we thoroughly enjoyed the bounty that graced our table. I didn’t use any particular recipe but rather, used the ingredients in my pantry to come up with a meal. Bare with me as I share what I did to create our dinner…

Roasted Maple Sugar Pork Tenderloin

This past Sunday I visited my favorite spice shop, The Spice House, and picked up a new seasoning to try. Their “Gateway to the North Maple Sugar Seasoning” was perfect with pork with hints a sweet and savory flavor. To prepare my pork tenderloin, I generously coated them with this seasoning… and roasted them on top of a bed of chopped apples, onions, a few garlic cloves and added a couple bay leaves and springs of thyme. After baking covered in a 350 degree oven for an hour, remove the pork from the apple/onion mixture and pace on a separate baking sheet.

Savory Applesauce

With a roasting pan of apples, onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme left to play with, I thought a savory spin on the traditional applesauce would serve as a nice accompaniment with the pork. With this in mind, I removed the bay leaves and thyme from the pan and used a potato masher to get a finer texture on the apples, onions & garlic. What’s wonderful about this mixture is that it doesn’t need to be seasoned since the juices and maple sugar seasoning that coated the pork have filtered down into them. Once you’ve mashed it to your preferred texture for applesauce, you’re set! Place the savory applesauce in a serving dish or individual ramekin and garnish with a fresh thyme stem.

Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes

We love sweet potatoes at our house, even more than the russet, white or Yukon gold variety. While we’re on a fall flavor kick, I roasted some sweet potatoes and scooped out the soft flesh into a casserole dish. To add some additional sweetness, I stirred in about 1/4 cup of real maple syrup and salt to taste. Top it with chopped pecans and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

To round out our meal, I added some steamed broccoli for color and to add to our daily veggies for the day.

Caramel Applesauce Cupcakes

This recipe was featured in my Springtime Cupcake swap event, which you can read about HERE.

Erin’s Caramel Applesauce Cupcakes:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup finely chopped, peeled apple
(Granny Smith or Jonagold apples for baking)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups applesauce

1/2 cup melted butter

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, butter, and applesauce. Mix for 2 minutes at slow speed. Scrape bowl. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape bowl, and stir in chopped apples and walnuts.

Your oven should be preheated to 350 degrees. spoon cupcake batter into cupcake pans lined with paper or foil cupcake liners. You should fill each cup approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full making sure you have the same amount of batter in each cup.

Bake your cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the applesauce cupcakes from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.
Top with caramel topping or frosting and enjoy!

Carrie’s Double Apple Bread

We made the following bread during my Quick Bread Cooking Class, which you can read & view pictures of HERE.

Carrie’s Double Apple Bread

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. lemon lime soda
4 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 cup chopped apples
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes

Pretzel Twisting, Anyone?

It’s yet another cold night and with some extra time on my hands, I decided to try a pretzel recipe that my friend Amber shared with me. However, I wanted to be a little more adventurous and add a healthy sweet spin.

Here’s my recipe for honey wheat apple cinnamon pretzels:

Dough:
1/8 cup hot water
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 cups whole wheat flour

Baking soda bath:
4 cups water
4 tablespoons baking soda

Cooking spray
Melted butter
Cinnamon sugar for topping

– Prep your baking soda bath by adding ingredients to a 3-4 qt pan and letting it come to a gentle boil.
– Prep another baking sheet with cooking spray, being sure it is fully greased.
– Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

– In a large bowl, combine hot water & yeast. Stir until dissolved.
– Add warm water, brown sugar, applesauce, honey and cinnamon. Stir until combined.
– Slowly add 4 cups of whole wheat flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a dough that doesnt stick to the sides of the bowl.
– Lightly flour counter or a large baking sheet and also your hands.
– Knead the dough until it is stretch & smooth. Push dough down and away from you with the palms of your hands, turning the dough as you work.
– Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls. Using the following 4 steaps, shape each dough balls into a pretzel shape:
1. Roll the dough into a 14″ long rope as thick as your thumb. Bend the dough into a U shape.
2. Cross one ends of the rope over the other one. The ropes should cross about 3″ from the tips.
3. Twist the crossed ends, making a full turn. Fold ends back, towards the middle of the U.
4. Open the ends slightly to form a pretzel shape. Press ends into the dough firmly.

– After you’ve made your pretzels, your baking soda bath will be ready.
– Using a pancake turner/wide slotted spatula, immerse one pretzel into the water and allow it to come up to the surface. It will float when its ready – about 30-35 seconds.
– Place pretzel onto your greased cookie sheet, shaking off excess water.
– Spray the tops of your pretzels with cooking spray and bake for 8-10 minutes.
– Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
– Brush with melted butter and top with cinnamon sugar.