Blueberry Coffecake with Almond Streusel

INGREDIENTS:
9 oz all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 TBL sliced almonds
1 TBL flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBL butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 TBL canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 TBL fresh lemon juice
Cooking Spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 9 oz flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk. Remove 2 TBL flour mixture; sprinkle over blueberries, tossing to coat. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 TBL melted butter, toss to combine. Place granulated sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and oil in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended (about 2 minutes). Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in rind and juice. Spoon half of batter into a 9 inch square light-colored metal baking pan coated with cooking spray (do not use a dark or nonstick pan). Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup blueberry mixture. Spoon remianing batter over blueberries. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup blueberry mixture. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Banana Ice-Cream

This is SO easy, so healthy and so good! We have so many banana trees in our yard, this is a fun way to eat them!

INGREDIENTS:

Bananas

Milk

DIRECTIONS: 

Slice up the bananas and freeze them in a ziplock bag. Put the frozen slices into the blender with a little milk and blend until the consistency of ice-cream, and enjoy!

Carrot Pumpkin Muffins

I was looking for an alternative to the regular sugary treats for my husband's birthday, and my friend Ana sent me this recipe! It turned out super yummy and I think you could totally put zucchini, bananas, spinach, kale, or any other creative fruit and veggie!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup honey
2 TBL applesauce
1 TBL. canola oil
1 cup shredded carrots

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 and coat 12 muffin pans with cooking spray. Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the egg, pumpkin, honey, applesauce and oil in a medium bowl until combined (don't overmix). Fold in the carrots and add to the dry mixed bowl. Bake for 25 minutes. These muffins freeze well.

I also made cream cheese frosting for the top:

• 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) no sugar added apple juice concentrate or guava nectar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Acai Bowl

These are SUPER popular in Hawaii- and they are delicious! Filling enough to be a meal- but they taste the best after a hot beach day or a good, long workout! Acai is a major super food- so it's also really healthy!

INGREDIENTS:
Acai (I buy the packets frozen from Costco- but you can order them on Amazon if you can't find it locally)
Papaya (if you don't have this- use orange juice or apple juice)
Banana (I use apple banana)
Toppings:
Granola
Fruit (I like raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, bananas and mango!)
Coconut/Chia Seeds/Hemp/Any Addition You Choose!
Honey or Agave Nectar

DIRECTIONS:
Put the frozen acai packets into a blender and add in papaya and banana. Blend until a nice, thick puree. Add toppings and enjoy!!

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

We have 3 avocado trees, so I am always looking for more ways to use them! This is a paleo recipe, but so yummy and Hawaiian! We ate it the first night with strawberries and vanilla wafers, but then I put it in a graham cracker pie crust and topped it with whipped cream... it was awesome! You can't taste anything but chocolate mousse!

INGREDIENTS:
4 avocados
1 cup agave nectar
1 TBL vanilla
1 cup cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS:
Blend all ingredients together, and enjoy!

Campfire Cones

I saw this idea on Pinterest- and it was SUCH a hit! I dare say, it was better than S'mores?!! A must-do if you are camping!

 INGREDIENTS:
Sugar Cones
Mini-Marshmallows
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips (or other flavors)
Banana (diced)
Foil

 DIRECTIONS: Fill the sugar cones with the marshmallows, chocolate and peanut butter chips and banana. Wrap in foil and set over the fire. When the marshmallows and chocolate are melted, unwrap and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bake

Wow- this was so easy and so good!

INGREDIENTS:
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
8 oz of cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg. In an 8 inch square baking pan, line half the cookie dough down as the crust. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and top with remaining cookie dough. Cook for 35-40 minutes and let cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until chilled. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Energy Balls

I've seen these all over pinterest, so I thought I'd try them; it seems like they are a huge hit, and I'm always looking for a healthy snack for my kiddos! I have since made 3 batches and they disappear quickly! We don't like coconut flakes (or at least I don't...) so I use granola cereal instead and I also added craisins and wheat germ because I had some on hand. Here is the original link: No Bake Energy Bites. (or Energy Balls as our family has affectionately dubbed them!)

Fruit Pizza

I had this recipe on another post, but not a picture... here it is again! I've been seeing rainbow fruit foods all over pinterest, so I couldn't help myself but to make this a rainbow as well... but I think next time I'll let the kids help me and just make it into their artistic creation!

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (I used the Great Value brand)

1 8 oz tub of Cool Whip (I used fat free)

1 brick of cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat free)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Fruits:

Strawberries (washed and sliced)

Kiwi (washed and sliced)

Mandarin Oranges (drained, out of a can)

Pineapple (small chunks- drained, out of a can)

Blueberries (washed)

You can use pretty much any fruit you want to and it will be delicious!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the cookie dough into a ball and press down onto a pizza stone. You can use a roller to even out the dough even more, but you want it to resemble a pizza crust. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown (but not too brown, you don't want it dried out!) While that's baking, mix together the cool whip, cream cheese and sugars. It helps if you let the cream cheese soften, and you might use an electric mixer to blend it better. You can use more or less sugar to fit your tastes. You will want to let the dough cool about 5-10 minutes before you spread the topping on. (If you want to serve it on a platter, you should try to remove the cookie before putting the toppings on... I always just keep it on my stone.) During the cooling time, you can wash and slice your fruit. Once the dough has cooled, spread the cream cheese/cool whip topping on (like you would pizza sauce on top of the dough). Using the fruit like pizza toppings, place them on top. I don't leave any empty space- my entire "pizza" is covered in fruit. Cover loosely with foil or clear wrap and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Yum!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

From Carrie

One of the hardest things I've found to bake are chocolate chip cookies- mine are either flat, burnt, too doughy, not sweet enough, etc. when I make them from scratch. Of course they don't always turn out even from the pre-made dough, so I was super excited to get this recipe from my new neighbor, Carrie. This is officially my new standard Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!!

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, shortening and white and brown sugars. Mix well. Then add the eggs, and vanilla and mix throughly. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the dry mixture, one cupful at a time to the cooke dough and mix well. (1/2 of extra flour will make the cookies come out puffier, so add another half cup if desired). Add the bag of chocolate chips and stir. Refridgerate at least 2 hours (overnight is what I did). Preheat oven to 375 and make round tablespoonfuls of cookie dough and place on greased baking sheet; balls should be 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool cookies on a baking rack or on paper towels on the counter. Enjoy! Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Pumpkin Pecan Layer Pie

I'm going to be posting some of our Thanksgiving recipes- I realize it's too late for everyone to make for this year, but it's really more for me to have them handy for next year! We spend every holiday in different places and with different people- but I love making some of our families' favorites to bring "home" to wherever we are! This one is a pie Andy's Grandma Allen made the last Thanksgiving we had with her. She and Grandpa were so happy to make a copy of the recipe and share it- it makes me smile thinking of her when I make it!

INGREDIENTS:
15 oz. can of pumpkin
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
2 graham cracker crusts
18 oz. pkg of butter pecan cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 cup melted butter
Whipped Cream (I make my own using 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla and 6-8 TBL sugar- and just beat with a hand mixer until peaks form)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Stir together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, spice and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Pour 1/2 the pumpkin mixture into each pie crust. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cake mix over each pie. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of pecans on each pie. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over each pie. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil to keep from over-browning during baking. Bake for 40 minutes. Allow pies to cool before cutting. Serve with whipped cream!

Pumpkin Smoothies

We started our day with these smoothies that I saw on Pioneer Woman's cooking site. I added honey to ours- and they weren't a HUGE hit with us, but if you love pumpkin pie, you'll probably love this smoothie!

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of pumpkin
3 cups of milk
Cinnamon
Honey
1/2 cup of yogurt (I used vanilla, low-fat)
Cinnamon Graham Crackers

DIRECTIONS:
Freeze the can of pumpkin (in a different container) the day before using this recipe. Put the frozen block into the blender, adding milk and yogurt. Sprinkle in cinnamon, add honey to taste and top with crushed cinnamon graham crackers.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

From Hillary

INGREDIENTS:
1 2/3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
sprinke of salt
2 large eggs
1 (16 oz) can plain pumpkin
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan. Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. In another bowl break eggs, add pumpkin, add butter and whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool. Makes 18 full size muffins. (I made mine in mini-muffin pans because I like the smaller ones for the kids!)

Pumpkin Icebox Squares

From Josceline (shown without the whipped topping)

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:
2 cups graham crackers
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

for the filling:
29 oz. can pumpkin
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz evaporated milk
2 tsp grated orange zest
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water

For the topping:
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 TBL confectioner's sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
For the crust, heat the oven to 350. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the butter and stir until well-blended. Press the crumbs into the bottom and partially up the sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake until the crumbs have set, about 10 minutes. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium high speed to beat the pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth about 2 minutes.
In a small saucepan, combine the evaporated milk and orange zest and bring to a simmer over medium heath, about 3 minutes. Put the gelatin in a small bowl and gradually add the boiling water, stirring until the gelatin completely dissolves and thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir the gelatin into the milk mixture until it is well blended. Simmer, stirring until the gelatin is absorbed completely, 1-2 minutes.
Slowly beat the milk mixture into the pumpkin mixture, on low speed, until they're blended together, about 1 minute.
Pour all of the filling onto the cooled crust. Let the filling cool, about 30 minutes, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dessert overnight to set it.
Just before serving, make the topping. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Cut the dessert into squares, then transfer them to serving plates. Top each with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Creamy Caramel and Apples

From: Anita

INGREDIENTS:
3 cans of condensed milk
Apples (Honeycrisp are my favorite!)

DIRECTIONS:
Peel the labels off the cans of condensed milk. Put in a deep pot and cover with water. Boil for 3 hours (make sure to keep replenishing water to keep cans under water). Let cans cool slightly- and carefully open. Hot, creamy caramel will be awaiting you inside! Serve with sliced apples. Delicious!!!

Monster Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick of butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups oats
1 cup M&Ms
1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and corn syrup using a mixer. Add in the baking soda and peanut butter. Mix well. Add in oats. Mix. Add in M&Ms. Mix. Add in chocolate chips. Mix. Scoop by small spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Cook for 12 minutes. Enjoy!!



My favorite part of this recipe is that you can also put the spoonfuls/cookie sheets in the freezer until solid, and then transport into a ziplock freezer bag to cook at a later time. One of the things I hate about making homemade cookies is the massive amount it always makes, but this is perfect to save for another time, or to send a long with a meal for someone who just had a baby or is sick. Love it!

Rocky Road Brownies

From Jenny MacKenzie

INGREDIENTS:
Box of Brownie Mix (Ghirardelli)
Bag of Marshmellows
Tub of Chocolate Frosting
Choice of Nut

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare brownies as directed. Either add nuts into baking process or save for the topping. When slightly cooled, add marshmellows (and nuts if not already used) to the top. Heat frosting in microwave (if carton is microwave safe) and drizzle on top.

Kitty Litter

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg fudge graham crackers
2 sq. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter/margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups cool whip
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 gallon vanilla ice-cream

DIRECTIONS:
Crush graham crackers and spread 1/2 in 9x13 pan. Cream together butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Add melted chocolate. Fold in cool whip. Pour chocolate mixture over crumbs and freeze. After frozen, cut ice cream into slices about 1" and place on top of chocolate layer. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Return to freezer until needed.

Frozen Lemonade Squares

INGREDIENTS:
9 graham crackers, finely crushed
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 qt. frozen vanilla yogurt, softened
6 oz. of frozen lemonade, concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS:
Mix graham crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of a 9-inch square pan.
Beat yogurt and lemonade concentrate with mixer until well blended; spread over crust
Freeze for 4 hours and serve with cool whip.

Honeycomb

Idea from Amy


I never realized you could eat the actual honeycomb- but it's very yummy! Savannah Bee Company sells them to locals here, but I'm sure they are sold elsewhere! I served with granny smith apples, white cheddar cheese and wensleydale/cranberry cheese.