Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies & a cookies for a cause

November 15, 2012 By 5 Comments

What would Thanksgiving be without a sweet pumpkin dessert? If you’re not really feeling the pumpkin pie or just want another sweet pumpkin treat to munch on; this is your perfect go-to recipe. You can have these made and out of the oven in about 30 mins. If your kiddos aren’t really into pumpkin pie, try these, I can pretty much bet you they’ll gobble them up.

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies
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Recipe type: dessert, blondies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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Serves: 8-10
 

Kid-friendly, delicious, healthy pumpkin blondies. Easily adapted to be gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
  • 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free oats, if desired)
  • 2 tbsp ground flax
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • ½ cup xylitol (sugar or brown sugar will also work) (If you desire super sweet, increase to ¾ cup, but taste the dough first and then decide.)
  • ½ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil (any oil will work) (applesauce may also work, but I have not tried it)
  • ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (for gluten-free & vegan, use Enjoy Life brand)

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. Throw everything in a food processor, except the chocolate chips. Process until all ingredients are combined.
  3. Stir in chocolate chips.
  4. Transfer batter into baking pan and bake for 25-30 mins.

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Since we’re talking pumpkin sweets, I want to fill you in on a way that you can get some Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies and help a great cause. I’m delighted to share with you that Susan from susanairheart.wordpress.com is hosting an online auction for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was a frequent reader of Susan’s blog when she was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer over a year ago. Luckily, she is in remission and will be traveling to Scotland, in 5 months, to run a half marathon for the society’s Team In Training.

Please go over and bid on some yummy Pumpkin Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies, here! Also, check out some of the other awesome items up for grabs! Be quick, the auction ends 11/16 at 11 pm ET.

Have a great Thursday! Officially 1 week until Thanksgiving!

 

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Sloppy Joes with pumpkin are Marvelous

September 17, 2012 By 7 Comments

Happy Marvelous Monday!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and your not feeling too much like this………

Ha ha…..these ecards get me every time!

Last night we had a really great family-friendly meal with a touch of Fall {pumpkin in sloppy joes, that’s right!} and can totally be adapted as a make-ahead meal. Prepare this on Sunday night and then after a busy Monday, all you have to do is warm everything up. Love those kind of meals!

This recipe is adapted from Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. Her cookbook has lots of great recipe ideas for sneaking in more veggies into kid-friendly meals. The only complaint that I have, is that her recipes call for pureed fruits and veggies and pureeing all of these foods is very time consuming. I’ve adapted this one to make it super easy for you and believe me your kids will think your using Manwhich, but will wonder why their Sloppy Joe is so much tastier. Heck, you’ll even want to partake in having Sloppy Joes for dinner! These would pair great with Sweet Potato Bakes! However, if you are in a super hurry try Alexia brand sweet potato fries. I really like this brand, as they use all natural ingredients.

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Pumpkin Sloppy Joes
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Recipe type: Main
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Serves: 8
 

So tasty the adults will want to eat sloppy joes right along with the kids!
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. evoo
  • ½ of a medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, turkey, chicken, or bison (I used lean beef.)
  • ½ cup butternut squash, red pepper, or sweet potato puree. (I used butternut squash. At some grocery stores you can find canned butternut squash puree.)
  • ½ cup pumpkin or sweet potato puree (I used canned pumpkin puree. Be sure not to use canned pumpkin pie filling- it’s full of sugar.)
  • Raw, finely chopped carrots (optional) (I did not use these.)
  • ½ cup reduced-fat low-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth or water (I used chicken broth.)
  • 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
  • ⅛ cup or a few squirts of ketchup (Use ketchup with no corn syrup.)
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • 100% whole wheat, grain, or Ezekiel hamburger buns or hot-dog buns

Instructions
  1. Add evoo to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the meat and cook until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess oil from meat and return meat to skillet.
  3. Add the veggies, broth/water, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Spoon the mixture over buns and serve.

Notes
For a make-ahead meal; cook the meat the night before or several hours before and store in the fridge until your ready to serve. When you’re ready to serve; warm in a large skillet for 5-10 mins over med-high heat.

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Hope you have some Marvelous in your Monday “diva style”! Here’s what’s making my Monday Marvelous.

  • So excited for some fun stuff planned for this weekend, but it’s a secret. I fill you guys in next week.
  • The weather that is allowing for more outdoor workouts. I ran 7 miles on both Saturday and Sunday (the rain stopped in time) and honestly could have probably kept running for another hour.
  • Fun family game night last night! We played the game Beat the Parents and it was pretty tough.
  • Pumpkin colored nails……definitely getting into the Fall season and the beautiful weather is helping!

 

Happy week before Fall!
What’s Marvelous in your Monday?

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Marvelous in my Monday & Make-ahead Meatballs

September 10, 2012 By 10 Comments

Good Monday morning!!

Let’s start off with a quick, easy, tasty, kid-friendly and make-ahead meatball recipe! My whole family loves this recipe and there are a variety of things you could serve it with. Last week when I made it, I served it with a quinoa box mix from Near East. If you haven’t checked out Near East products, you should. I’ve tried quite a few and have never been disappointed. You could also serve them with noodles, mashed potatoes,  roasted vegetables, or even on a whole wheat hoagie. I like to get these ready to go on Sunday evening and then pop them in the oven after work on Monday.

 

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BBQ Meatballs
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Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 6-8
 

Tasty and kid-friendly meatballs that are make-ahead too!
Ingredients
  • +For Meatballs+
  • 1-1/2 pounds ground beef, turkey or chicken (I like using ground turkey.)
  • ¾ old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup very finely minced onion
  • 1-1/2 salt
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • +For Cooking Meatballs+
  • ¼ cup 100% whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • +For Sauce+
  • 1 cup ketchup with no high fructose corn syrup
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar (regular vinegar works too)
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 3 drops Tabasco

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients.
  3. After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in flour.
  4. Brown meatballs in oil until just brown. Place in baking dish.
  5. Pour sauce over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
  6. Serve with pasta, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or in a whole wheat hoagie.
  7. +For make-ahead meatballs+
  8. Complete all steps through browning meatballs and placing them in a baking dish. Cover the baking dish and place them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
  9. When you are ready to cook and serve meatballs, uncover them and pour the sauce over the top and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 mins.

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I’m linking up again today with Katie at healthydivaeats.com for another round of Marvelous in my Monday. Soooooo, why is my Monday going to be so Marvelous?

  • A make-ahead meal is always a Marvelous thing!
  • I’m off to feeling Marvelous on the Paleo diet and very excited to be making a major change to my diet.
  • Cleaned the house yesterday and even got the kids involved. It will be so nice coming home to a clean house today.
  • I think Texas has finally seen the last of the triple digits. Beautiful weather is in the forecast!!
  • Lots of fun stuff planned for the month September!!

Check out the link below for more Marvelous in my Monday reads.

Have a Marvelous Monday!!

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