Coconut Butter

I first became aquainted with coconut butter a couple of years ago and I love it! It's SO easy to make and it's great in many baked goods in place of butter. It's also delicious spread on toast, pancakes, muffins, etc. I dare you to try it! :)

Coconut Butter
4 c. unsweetened coconut (make sure it's UNsweetened)

Place coconut in a food processor and process for 7-10 minutes until it becomes runny. Pour into a jar/tupperware and store at room temperature. (It will harden as it sits, but it melts very easily.)

I'll be including this in recipes to come. I'm excited to try it in several cookie, muffin, and bread recipes. Enjoy!

Blueberry Breakfast Crumble

We've been making this a lot lately for breakfast. It's such a great alternative to a plain old bowl of oatmeal. Even though I do love plain old oatmeal, we all need some variety!

Blueberry Breakfast Crumble (serves about 4)

2 c. blueberries (thawed, if frozen)
3/4 c. oat bran
1/4 c. oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. almond butter
1/2 t. vanilla

In a mixing bowl combine oat bran, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

 Cut in almond butter and vanilla until mixture resembles granola.

 Place blueberries in a square pan.

 Top blueberries with oat mixture.

 Bake at 400 F for 10-12 minutes.

 Serve hot with milk.

I absolutely LOVE this crumble. It would be such an awesome dessert served with ice cream. Enjoy!

Honey Oat & Flax Pancakes

My girls decided on pancakes this morning. We used whole wheat flour, oats, honey, and flax. They turned out delicious. 

 Honey Oat & Flax Pancakes
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. oats
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. milk
2 eggs
2 T. oil
2 T. honey

Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. Mix well. (Add more milk if it needs to be thinned out.)

Cook on a hot, greased griddle.

I ate them with syrup and blueberries. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti

I know that spaghetti is one of the easiest thing to make, but believe it or not, doing it in a crockpot is even easier and SOOOOO good! I got the idea from Picky Palate and I've adapted my recipe from that one.I found this 32 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce at Costco, but you could just measure 3 1/2 cups of any spaghetti sauce.Slow Cooker Spaghetti

1 lb. lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey

2 t. onion powder

2 t. garlic powder

1 t. italian seasoning

salt to taste

8 oz. dry spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

32 oz. (3 1/2 c.) spaghetti sauce

4 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

2 c. water

Brown meat in a large skillet and add onion and garlic powder and italian seasoning. Add salt to taste.In crockpot, pour half of the spaghetti sauce and top with half of the dry spaghetti (broken to fit).Add cooked meat to crockpot and top with cubed cream cheese.Add remaining spaghetti sauce and pasta. Add 2 cups of water.Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. Stir well before serving. Top with parmesan cheese.This spaghetti is so good! My whole family really loved it. Enjoy!

Meatloaf "Cake"

Well, this year for April Fool's Day I wanted to make a silly dinner, but before I knew it, April 1st was over and I ended up making this a few days later. But hey, who's keeping track anyway, right? This was quite a hit with the kids and my hubby found it entertaining as well. Plus, it was mighty delicious!

Meatloaft "Cake"
1 lb. jalapeno chicken sausage, casings removed (I found this at my local Sunflower Market)
20 oz. lean ground turkey
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange are fun colors for the cake look)
1/2 c. crumbled cojita cheese
1/2 c. oats
2 t. onion powder
6-7 medium potatoes, washed and cut in large cubes
1/3 c. milk
1 c. sour cream (or more)
salt and pepper

For meatloaf, combine meat, cheese, oats, and onion powder. Press into two 8-9" cake pans. Bake at 400 F for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, boil potatoes until very tender. Drain and mash with milk, sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When meatloaf is done, just assemble like a cake, using mashed potatoes as frosting.

My kids just LOVED this dinner!You really could use any meatloaf recipe you want. I was very happy with how this turned out. Enjoy!

Nutella Toffee Crunch Bars

Yesterday I was in the mood to make something yummy, so I started going through ingredients that I had in the pantry. Nutella+toffee bits+marshmallow cream+pretzels+chewy chocolate bar=DELICIOUS!!!! I can't even describe how amazing these are!Nutella Toffee Crunch Bars

6 T. butter, melted

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. Nutella

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 c. oats

1/2 c. cocoa

1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. chocolate chips

topping: 1/2 c. Nutella, 1/2 c. marshmallow cream, 1/2 c. crushed pretzels, 1/4 c. toffee bits

Combine first six ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Combine the two to make a thick batter.Spread in a greased 9x9" pan.Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes.Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Dollop with Nutella and marshmallow cream.Swirl to make it pretty. Heehee.Sprinkle with crushed pretzels and toffee bits.Cool completely in the fridge before cutting into bars.Love love love. I can't stop eating these. Enjoy!

Cookies & Cream Brownies

So yesterday I was looking through my recipe box and I found a recipe for brownies using a cake mix (I think I got it from a neighbor when I was in high school). Anyway, I decided to throw in some Oreos and white chocolate topping and the result was AMAZING!Ingredients are pretty simple:Cookies & Cream Brownies

1 dark chocolate cake mix

1 small box instant pudding, chocolate or vanilla

1 cube (1/2 c.) butter, melted

2 eggs

1/4 c. water

12-13 Oreo cookies, broken

1 c. chocolate chips (white chocolate would be amazing, too!)

2 cubes (4 oz.) white chocolate bark, melted

Combine cake mix, pudding, butter, eggs and water to form a dough. Stir in Oreos and chocolate chips.

Press dough into a greased 9x13" pan.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly and drizzle with white chocolate bark.When cooled completely, cut into bars.I just love biting into them and finding an Oreo!I can't wait to try these with mint or peanut butter Oreos. Enjoy!