Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins Makes 6 servings Ingredients 1 cup mashed sweet potato (or pumpkin puree), 1 cup brown sugar, divided, ¼ cup canola oil (or coconut oil, but if you use coconut oil reduce to 3 Tlb.), ½ cup low-fat milk (I used almond milk), 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup old-fashioned oats (not instant), 1 tsp cinnamon, divided, ½ tsp allspice, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 3 tbsp chopped walnuts (I used pecan pieces), Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare muffin tin by coating with cooking spray. 2. Whisk together sweet potato, ⅔ cup brown sugar, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl. 3. In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, ¾ tsp cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, and salt to blend. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the sweet potato mixture. Stir together until just moistened. 4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. 5. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of the brown sugar-walnut mixture. Bake 15–30 minutes, depending on the size of tins, until toothpick comes out clean. 186 (give or take, it really depends on the size of the muffin) calories per serving (one muffin).

These muffins are dense and packed full of flavor. Enjoy your week.

Weeknight Dinners

It has come to my attention that some people find my planning meals for the week and doing all my shopping in one day amusing...I am not here to defend myself but rather to point out the benefits of doing just that. When I plan a weeks worth of meals I can see where the gaps are in my diet. For example: too much breads, not enough veggies, too much red meat and I can make changes right then and there on paper before I ever get to the grocery store. Another benefit is I am not stopping at the grocery store on the way home multiple times a week to pick up dinner, and I am less likely to impulse buy.

Sunday's dinner was a simple soup called Chicken Gnocchi Soup I had roasted a chicken the day before, let it cool and picked all the meat off the bones. I used the amount of chicken called for in the recipe and put the rest of the meat into my freezer for use later in the week for another dinner. Dinner was complete with the soup some salad and homemade bread that I had made that day.

Monday's dinner was simple enough. I had purchased a small pork roast a couple weeks before (super sale and double coupon deal) put it in my freezer for just such a simple meal. I simply seasoned it well and roasted it along with one very large peeled and cut up sweet potato. Served it all up with a salad and homemade honey balsamic dressing.

Tuesday's dinner was Spicy Mushroom Rice another super simple yet satisfying meal when you add a salad and slice of homemade bread. I did increase the mushrooms to one pound for this dish. We love mushrooms.

Wednesday's dinner Lemon Orzo Salad with AsparagusThis meal went together in a snap, had great flavor, and I served it up with a large plain naan bread that I had purchased (packaged) the week before and didn't use (sometimes you have to improvise). I did increase the Asparagus to 1 lb.

Thursday's dinnerChicken Meat Balls I did make some changes here. I used ground turkey (another one of those deals along with the pork roast) I added some additional spices, and you need to add some salt to the mix. I made a tomato sauce (from last years tomatoes that I froze) and served this up with some more salad and the last piece of naan bread (improvise, adapt, overcome). There was also Almond Bread with Lemon. It is a winner, hands down.

Friday's dinner was Chicken Pita pockets I made some changes to this recipe. I used the rest of the chicken from the Chicken Gnocchi Soup on Sunday, and instead of Swiss cheese I used the left over Feta cheese from the Orzo Salad that we had had on Wednesday.

Now I did need to make a trip to the grocery store this week for Almond milk to make the cake on Thursday and some avocados and pita bread, but a great deal fell into my lap and saved me. Instacart It is a new service and since I was saving some cash I took advantage and grabbed up some regular milk, eggs, and cheese. I also got the avocados and pita bread that I needed for Friday's dinner. You can pick the day and time frame to have your delivery, you can also choose to have some items swapped with others if they don't have them, and you get a great new shopping bag. My order arrived Wednesday afternoon just a bit past four pm. Everything was perfect.

Now tonight we are having hamburgers with a vegetable gratin, and since I do my shopping on Saturday I will pick up any missing items that I need for tonight's dinner today. It is not easy to make a menu and follow it, but in the long run it saves you time and money. I hammer out my menu on paper with pencil that way changes can be made while I am standing in my pantry looking at what I have on hand, and what I need to re-stock. You also have to take into consideration what will live in your refrigerator for a week. Mushrooms generally won't, so I will have to buy those today, buns and rolls may or may not survive a week so you have to put some thought into where you place the meals on your menu to maximize your meals while minimizing your trips to the grocery store. I still learn things when I do this, but what I do know is grocery stores love to see people in every night, the after work shopper who doesn't have a clue on "What am I hungry for" you end up purchasing stuff you don't need and sometimes get home and ask yourself why did I buy this? Not to mention the wasted hour you spend wandering around the grocery store trying to formulate a plan and get checked out. Me...I would rather be at home with my puppy or out walking him. Have a great rest of the weekend folks. I am going grocery shopping. I got my list all ready to go.

Blueberry Cake

Late last summer the bf and I went to one of my happiest places on earth (we actually go there often). I have been going here for the past 19 years to pick berries and buy produce of all descriptions over the years some things have changed, but some things have not. The friendliness of the people who love what they are doing, the welcoming feel you get when you drive into the farm, and the serene peace you get when out in the fields picking berries. I love this place and I am very glad that through the years I have been able to share it with my children and close friends. Last summer we were out to get our annual fix of berries, and last year blueberries were on the top of my list.

Blueberry Cake 101 This recipe is so simple it is scary, yet scrumptious enough to impress friends and complete strangers if you take it to a dinner or potluck...that is if you don't eat it all your self. Nobody has to know that you put it all together and in the oven in less than 30 min.

Into a large bowl add 1 cup of white sugar and 6 Tlb. of very soft unsalted butter.

Cream the two together until fluffy.

Add one room temperature egg.

Add the zest and juice from one medium lemon (fresh is best), and whip it all together.

Into a bowl sift together 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and a pinch of Kosher salt. Into another bowl combine 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/4 cup cream. Note I did use 2% milk, but I also used heavy cream.

Alternate the addition of the flour and milk while combining in with the butter and sugar until you get a very thick batter.

My favorite part...fold in 2 cups of blueberries. Frozen or fresh either way this is going to be good.

Really beautiful.

Spread batter into a greased and floured 8 x 8 baking dish.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with a mix of cinnamon and sugar before you slide it in to the oven.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for roughly 30 or 40 min. Keep an eye on this cake you do not want to over bake it. Mine took almost an hour due to the fact that I used frozen blueberries. I pulled it from the oven the very second it was done. Cool cake completely before cutting.

Delicious, decadent and seriously delightful this blueberry cake stands alone, of course you could dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream sweetened with some honey or even some creamy ice cream, but you know what you don't need to. This cake was moist and magical all by itself.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.