Wow. I first posted about these muffins over three years ago. They have really stood the test of time. If my daughter had her way, we’d make a batch every week. With a seal of approval like that, I figured they would make good “in-a-jar” gifts.

Originally, I had planned to [...]]]>

Wow. I first posted about these muffins over three years ago. They have really stood the test of time. If my daughter had her way, we’d make a batch every week. With a seal of approval like that, I figured they would make good “in-a-jar” gifts.

Originally, I had planned to give each mix with the recipe printed on a little card. But after attending a local craft retreat, I was inspired to print the recipe on a potholder instead. (Thanks for the idea, Kaitlyn!) A few things:

• I bought the Santa jars on clearance the year before. They were the perfect size for the muffin mix and a little bag of mini chips.
• I made an oven-mitt style potholder using fabric and thermal batting from my stash.
• I ordered special transfer paper for this project. Because it will be used near an oven, I chose a kind that can withstand the heat of an iron after it’s been transferred to fabric.

This was a fun gift to make and give. If you ever do in-a-jar gifts that go in the oven, a potholder is a great way to share the recipe.

project notes: Insul-Bright insulated lining, SuperSoft inket transfer paper, original muffin post, in-a-jar gift ideas

This year my daughter suggested we make thumbkin pumpkins with the leftover ingredients. She made them [...]]]> It never fails. Whenever I make pumpkin pie, I always have a little bit of squash and pie crust dough left over. I save the squash for muffins, but there’s not much I can do with the dough.

This year my daughter suggested we make thumbkin pumpkins with the leftover ingredients. She made them in school earlier this week and thinks they’re the perfect excuse for eating lots of whipped cream.

We rolled up the leftover dough and divided it into several 1-inch-sized balls. Then she took her thumb and made a little well in the middle.

Since I start with plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, I had to add some sugar and spice to my squash:

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
small pinch of ground cloves

We spooned a small amount of squash into the thumb imprints. Then we baked these on a foil-lined cookie sheet along with the pie.

They turned out great. Personally, I’d add more pumpkin, but I’ve got a whole pie. These are really for my daughter, so as long as she’s happy, I’m happy. She ate them with a very generous dollop of whipped cream.

* * * * *

I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving! Congratulations to Laura Snazel on winning the Yarn Harlot book. I think I’ll give away another sewing book next week.

A few months ago, I wrote about my success at making soft and fluffy scones. At first, I thought their texture was because of the yogurt. Turns out, it’s because of the flour.

I have tried many variations of this recipe and the only scone that stays soft [...]]]>

A few months ago, I wrote about my success at making soft and fluffy scones. At first, I thought their texture was because of the yogurt. Turns out, it’s because of the flour.

I have tried many variations of this recipe and the only scone that stays soft and moist is made with a mix of unbleached white flour and cake flour. I’ve had tasty success with whole wheat pastry flour, but the texture just isn’t the same. I’m posting the white flour version, but I encourage you to try different, healthier flours to see what you like best.

I’ve also tried different kinds of plain yogurt and found that a drippy consistency is best. Regular store-bought and homemade yogurt* work fine as is. I recommend thinning Greek yogurt with milk to get the right consistency.

This recipe is loosely based on the one found in Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food. I almost always make them with lemon and cranberries. Try substituting orange for the lemon and play around with the dried fruit.

Lemon Cranberry Yogurt Drop Scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup cake flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c chopped dried cranberries
grated zest from one small lemon

Stir in:
1 1/3 c yogurt or yogurt/milk mixture
juice from one small lemon (about 4 T)

Mix until the dough just starts to come together.

Drop 12 heaping spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

*I make my yogurt with 2% milk. I promise you won’t miss the butter or cream in this healthy treat. Enjoy!

Last night I made jam. Ooey, gooey, yummy in the tummy jam. It was so incredibly easy that I can’t believe I haven’t done this before.

I started out following the recipe in the Ball Blue Book , cutting ingredients by two-thirds because I only had three cups [...]]]>

Last night I made jam. Ooey, gooey, yummy in the tummy jam. It was so incredibly easy that I can’t believe I haven’t done this before.

I started out following the recipe in the Ball Blue Book , cutting ingredients by two-thirds because I only had three cups of fruit. On the first try, the fruit didn’t gel. Maybe I had let the berries get too ripe? I boiled again and added some powdered pectin. Still no luck. Tried one more boil and some more pectin and voilà! Jam!

Two containers are in the freezer. A half filled container is in the fridge. Now I just need to make something that needs jam. Maybe scones?

resources: Target has the Ball Blue Book in stores right now with the canning supplies. I also found this website helpful and followed this advice when my jam didn’t gel.

When my daughter turned three, I started a little mother-daughter birthday cake tradition: she gets to choose the cake mix, icing and decorations, then we make the cake together. This year she wanted cupcakes and chose Trader Joe’s cake mix and frosting, along with rainbow sprinkles.

A lot of [...]]]>

When my daughter turned three, I started a little mother-daughter birthday cake tradition: she gets to choose the cake mix, icing and decorations, then we make the cake together. This year she wanted cupcakes and chose Trader Joe’s cake mix and frosting, along with rainbow sprinkles.

A lot of people seemed surprised that I used a cake mix. They just assumed I make everything from scratch. Not so! Although, I hear it’s pretty simple. Maybe next year we’ll give it a try.

I’m delighted that my daughter is still interested in mother-daughter cakes, even after seeing some of the amazing store bought cakes her friends have. I hope our tradition lasts for many years.

Do you bake with your kids?

semi-homemade: last year’s dinosaur cake

The past few days have been busy! Over the weekend we tried to squeeze in as much summertime fun as possible. Then, on Monday we got organized for my daughter’s first day [...]]]> First-day-of-school bento: homemade banana muffin, strawberries, crispy snap peas, banana chips, wheat thins, pita crisps and cheddar cheese.

The past few days have been busy! Over the weekend we tried to squeeze in as much summertime fun as possible. Then, on Monday we got organized for my daughter’s first day of school.

Laundry that was ignored over the weekend had to be done so she could wear her ladybug dress. Lists of favorite lunch foods were made and taken to Trader Joe’s for a special shopping spree. And she practiced, practiced, practiced reassembling her lunch bento box. (We cheated and labeled the pieces with a sharpie: B lid goes on B tray, which goes on the Bottom.)

I was really worried about lunchtime. About half of her class buys lunch, but she just doesn’t eat the things on the menu. Today went fine, though. She ate everything, told me it was awesome and she wants to take lunch every day. Phew!

Do you pack a lunch for yourself or your kids? What are your favorite foods?

I promise you her lunch was much more colorful in real life. The washed-out, artistic photo is courtesy of Instagram. If you have the app, connect with me! I’m jkundhi, of course.

My daughter has been cooling off this summer with popsicles made from my green smoothies. Interestingly, she doesn’t like drinking the smoothies, but she loves the pops. Go figure.

School may be starting next week, but it’s still hot out. I have a feeling we’ll be making these for the next [...]]]>

My daughter has been cooling off this summer with popsicles made from my green smoothies. Interestingly, she doesn’t like drinking the smoothies, but she loves the pops. Go figure.

School may be starting next week, but it’s still hot out. I have a feeling we’ll be making these for the next few weeks. Here’s my basic recipe:

Green Smoothie Pops

8 oz milk
2 cups loosely packed greens
2 cups frozen fruit partially thawed
1 scoop whey protein powder (optional)
reusable popsicle molds (mine make four pops)

Combine the milk and greens in a blender and process until liquified. It will be a lovely bright green color. Then add the fruit and powder and blend until you are happy with the consistency. It will no longer look green, so if you don’t want to tell your kids there’s spinach in them, your secret is safe with me.

Fill your popsicle molds and put them in the freezer. Enjoy the rest of the smoothie! (I try to drink one a day.)

I like using almond milk for my smoothies, but you can use any kind of milk or even water. My greens are usually spinach, but I have had good results with romaine and baby salad mix. Fruit is usually 2 cups of frozen strawberries with a small handful of blueberries. Sometimes I mix it up with 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup frozen mango. I’ll occasionally add half a banana.

Go vegan: Leave out the whey protein or use hemp protein instead.

Feel free to play around with the fruit combinations and post your tasty variations in the comments. Enjoy!

Remember the millet muffins? I made so many recipes from the library’s copy of Super Natural Every Day that I decided to buy my own.

I really love it. But I have a confession: I have been hesitant to try a few recipes because the fat/calorie numbers [...]]]>

Remember the millet muffins? I made so many recipes from the library’s copy of Super Natural Every Day that I decided to buy my own.

I really love it. But I have a confession: I have been hesitant to try a few recipes because the fat/calorie numbers are a little high.

It is hard shaking the marketing tactics of the processed food industry. I know that lite, fat-free and all natural doesn’t mean good for you. I notice when they add extra servings to reduce the per-serving calorie count.

I know better, yet I still feel a little brainwashed. Does that even make sense?

I need snacks for when my family is on the go. Real food. Things that won’t make them hungry again in an hour. Snacks that are portable for road trips, the park and before karate class. Snacks that taste good so my family will want to eat them.

Swanson’s oatcakes meet all my requirements! As a quick breakfast, they keep us going until lunch with no mid-morning snack. They are definitely better for you than the average coffee house baked good. (Yes, I sneaked in my own snack.) They also give my daughter energy for karate class after a morning spent playing in the park.

Will I fiddle with the numbers in the future? Possibly. I wonder if applesauce could replace the butter. Maybe I’ll cut back on the nuts or maple syrup. Could egg whites replace the whole eggs?

Although, after watching this ABC News report on obesity, I’m hesitant to demonize organic butter, real maple syrup, real eggs and fresh walnuts. Our food supply has enough bad guys already, don’t you agree?

When I began P90X, I was really hungry. I thought having some protein bars ready to grab from the pantry would be helpful, but I couldn’t find any that I really liked. Then I started reading things about soy protein isolate and thought maybe I should try making these on my own. [...]]]>

When I began P90X, I was really hungry. I thought having some protein bars ready to grab from the pantry would be helpful, but I couldn’t find any that I really liked. Then I started reading things about soy protein isolate and thought maybe I should try making these on my own. I had hoped to post this during Hemp History Week. Wouldn’t that have been timely? Here it is, better late than never!

This recipe is basically a 1:1:1 ratio of the first three ingredients. You can substitute any flour for the oats, any protein powder and any nut butter. Adjust the water accordingly. Add in other kinds of dried fruits or skip the chips. It is very easy to make this gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

1 cup oats
1 cup chocolate hemp powder
1 cup crunchy almond butter
water
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup mini chips
muffin pan

makes 12 bars

Pulse the rolled oats in a food processor until they resemble a coarse flour. Add the chocolate hemp powder and mix. Then add the almond butter and mix. It should start coming together at this point. Add water slowly until it starts to form a ball. I usually use about 2/3 cup, but it depends on your ingredients.

Remove the ball from the food processor and place in a mixing bowl. Add the craisins and chips and knead until they are incorporated. You’ll be tempted not to dirty another bowl, but the food processor takes all of the fun out of biting into a chunk of fruit or chocolate. Mix them in by hand.

Divide your dough evenly into the muffin tins and press down with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Place them in the freezer for about an hour. Take them out and let them sit on the counter for a few minutes. Gently pop them out with a knife. Wrap them in aluminum foil.

I keep a few of these in the fridge, with the rest stored in the freezer. The foil is easy to rinse off and toss in the recycling bin. When I’m on the go, I toss one in my purse with a napkin. If you’re not going to eat it within a few hours, it can get a little crumbly.

resources:
Soy protein isolate in energy bars, via newsreview.com.
Hemp History Week, via thekindlife.com.
Benefits of hemp protein, via livestrong.com.

It’s picnic season and I’ve started thinking about snacks that are easy to pack when we’re going to the park. I’ve always loved scones, but I like them light and fluffy, not like some of the hard ones you find in coffee shops.

I’m also kind of picky about [...]]]>

It’s picnic season and I’ve started thinking about snacks that are easy to pack when we’re going to the park. I’ve always loved scones, but I like them light and fluffy, not like some of the hard ones you find in coffee shops.

I’m also kind of picky about their nutritional value. I don’t like baking with a lot of heavy cream or butter. I was drawn to Alice Waters’ recipe because she doesn’t use butter. I’ve been replacing the heavy cream with different ratios of yogurt and milk.

The first batch I made tasted good out of the oven, but were kind of dry the next day. The second batch wasn’t that great at all. This third batch is awesome out of the oven. If they are just as good tomorrow, I’m declaring success!