Lemon Berry Muffins

This weekend I received the new Penzey's spices catalog. Although I do not buy their products I do quite enjoy them (my mom will buy them and mail them to me! Have I mentioned how much I love my mommy???). Often I will save a few of the recipes included in the catalog, but usually don't get around to trying them. This one definitely stuck out and I made sure to try it. I am not a huge muffin fan, but the kids are, and this recipe is a nice way to use up any berries that might be getting old in the fridge.

I changed the recipe to make it a bit healthier. Since we try to stick to Weight Watchers points system, I had to tweak the recipe, also I did not have some of the ingredients, so I changed it for what I did have in the house. They turned out pretty good!! Here is the recipe I did:

2 1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 6oz container fat free lemon yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce (can use oil if you prefer)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
6-8oz berries (any berry, alone or mixed; about 1 1/4 cups total)

Struesel topping:
(I cut this in half.. if you don't mind extra calories and want more of a topping, double the topping recipe)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp cold butter

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into the well and stir until moistened. Fold berries into batter. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans (or into muffin cups) until 2/3 full.

For Topping: combine flour, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly. Spoon evenly over the batter in the muffin pans.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Yields 15 muffins.

Do You Think You Can Sew?

Today I picked up 2 big bags of fabric from a fellow Freecycler. Not sure what possessed me to get it, seeing as how I have only sewed a few holes and buttons in my entire life. But I am so very very glad I did. I promptly went out and bought a Sew EZ machine from a Jo-Ann Fabrics store. Obviously, having never sewed with a machine in my life I wasn't about to spent $300 on a LOW end model!! EEK!!

Anyway, I figure I could give cheap-o machine a try and if I actually CAN sew, I will justify the purchase with the hubby later on. So, having a cheap machine, no good scissors (or else failed cutting fabric back in kindergarten), and absolutely NO idea about patterns or how to move the material through the machine, etc.... I made my first project! I OBVIOUSLY need to practice... a lot before I make anything fancy shmancy for my daughter, like a dress or skirt. But I think if I keep trying I might just get the hang of this!

Oh, and my daughter thinks her new pillowcase is the coolest ever. That makes my heart melt!!

Crock Pot Thursdays - Weekend Chicken

So I thought I would try something new... I love posting recipes here, but I also love my crock pot. I think if I tell myself I want to post a new crockpot recipe every Thursday I will be more likely to use my crock pot that week!

Here's a new recipe I tried. I bought a cookbook awhile ago that is published by Lipton, so all recipes have some form of Lipton dried soup in it. This particular recipe I changed around a little based on what ingredients I had lying around the house.

2 lb chicken breast, cut into smaller pieces
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes, seasoned, undrained
8oz sliced mushrooms
1 package Lipton Golden Onion Soup Mix
1/4 cup dry red wine
(I had 1lb small potatoes that needed to be used up so I cut those up and included them in the recipe)

Place mushrooms at the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. (Place potatoes on top of those... or any other veggie you wish to add.) In a separate bowl combine tomatoes, soup mix, and wine. Pour into crock pot.



Cook on low 8 hours, or on high 4 hours.

I realized at dinner time that pasta would have gone well with this dish but didn't have time, so I heated up some leftover brown rice we had in the refrigerator. Salad was also served with dinner.


EDIT:
fyi, this tasted so much better with pasta. And I realize that adding potatoes was super weird. Would have tasted great with a green veggie in it!!

Not one of my better days

Today was not a good day. Started with baby waking at 2:30am, back to sleep at 3:30am. Toddler woke at 5am to pee, her calling out to us woke baby. I tell husband that I have to sleep, so he lets me, but I have to pee. I sit up and sploosh. Blood. Awesome. I have my period, but this was just absurd!!!

Laundry goes in the wash.

By 5:30 husband has showered and we're sitting down to breakfast. 7:15 head out the door to take husband to work. Decide that it is a good time to go to Target to get new pillows. Baby sleeps on the way (there goes hope for a nap). Get there BEFORE the store is open. Get 2 new pillows, toy for baby (using gift card from my wonderful sister! thank you!), and easter candy. Kids whine all the way home, get home, have to pee.

So, after I pee I wipe and feel something ODD. As well as some minor cramping. Fan-Fucking-Tastic. My freakin IUD has come out!!!

Baby naps all of 20 minutes in the afternoon and all our moods go downhill from there.

The only plus that happened today was I refuse to get the IUD back in because it hurt so dang much the first time, so husband finally called to get screened for a vasectomy. Woohoo!

Ironic that the IUD falls out 9 months after I had it inserted. Almost like my body is programed to expel all objects after 9 months. Ha!! But seriously... why. Why do I deserve to have that happen?

Look What I Can Do!

Quite the clever little boy, if I do say so myself!!