father's day inside out carrot cake muffies (remix)

Last night the fam & I celebrated an early Father's Day for Big Ed because we aren't all able to make it on Sunday. My dad loooves carrot cake, so I made him these awesome inside-out carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling that I've whipped up a few times before. They are a real hit at get-togethers.

If you like carrot cake... these are just that in but in cute single-serving sized muffies. Who wants to "share" dessert anyway?

Here's the recipe for you all to make for someone special, for no reason at all, or to indulge in all by yourself (judgement free zone)...

FOR THE MUFFIN BATTER----

2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup grated carrots

FOR THE FILLING----

1 package neufchatel cheese or cream cheese

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING----

1/8 cup chunky white decorating sugar

HOW TO:

>> Preheat oven to 400 (375 if using a dark muffin pan)

>> Pour dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder/soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt) then mix

>> In a separate bowl whisk eggs, water, & veg oil together

>> Pour wet ingreds into dry ingreds & stir to combine (do not overmix!)

>> Fold in grated carrots

>> For the filling: microwave neufchatel/cream cheese in a bowl on 30% for 1 minute

>> Stir in the sugar & vanilla then set aside

>> Line muffin pan with 12 paper muffin cups (you may have enough batter for 14)

>> Drop just enough batter to cover the bottom of each cup (if the bottom layer is too thick, the filling will break through the top layer, resulting in an uglyyyy muffie)

>> Dollop a spoonful of filling in the center of your first layer of batter

>> Fill the rest of your muffin cups with the remainder of batter (this layer should be thicker than the 1st)

>> Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a generous amount of chunky decorating sugar. This will give the top of the muffin a sugary-goodness finish.

>> Bake for 20 minutes

>> Serve warm or cold. I prefer room-temp. The cream cheese has a firmer, creamier texture after it sets.

ENJOY xxoo

hump day happenings

For you 9-5ers, today is the fabulous hump day. A particularly good hump day may help to get your booty through the 2 day stretch to the weekend.

As for me, I only work 3 twelve hour shifts a week so I don't know how this feels (sorry guys).  BUT... I do know that I was cancelled from work today and got a free-day-hump-day. Holler.

I started off my morning with a little coffee, some leftover chia pudding, and a lil' tanning sesh on my back patio. I also decided to tackle my belated spring cleaning... and my god was it necessary. I am officially self-proclaiming myself an organized mess. From the outside, you would think that my room was clean...but dig a little deeper and you will find SO MUCH random, misplaced junk in just about every nook and cranny. This is probably due to the fact that I am crazy and can't sleep if there is clutter-- everything must be out of eyesight vision and all drawers/closets must be closed. This, in turn, causes me to shove sh*t in random places to disguise my messes. Ugh, the struggle.

Anyway, after cleaning for 450238 hours, I cozied up to watch the storm (tornado warning, what?) and lit a candle. (other 2 >> fresh lilies and citrus and mercury bowl pineapple bamboo)

Now on to the good stuff- food.

I had a spaghetti squash so I did what I usually did with it. I pierce the squash (as I would a potato), microwave it for about 10 mins, then scrape the "noodles" out. I usually add to my fav Rao's marinara sauce by sautéing some cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, and fresh basil in olive oil first then heat it up all together with the squash. I top it with some fresh romano and BOOM... got myself some superrrrr satisfying carb-free spaghetti. 

If you haven't dabbled with spaghetti squash as a pasta replacement, now is the time.

I'm ending my productive day finishing up this hilarious book that I mentioned a few posts ago and am going to catch up on Season 2 of Orange is The New Black. 

Oh and not to mention, I'm off until Saturday night... praise the Lawddd!

< shop my closet: ASTR scalloped tank >

What gets you through the work week?!

seriously bomb chia pudding

Hey chix...

I am back from New York and I have no pictures to share. Why, you ask? Because I am an all-star and left my iPhone in a cab Saturday night. However, it is safe to say the 24 hour cell phone cleanse and excessive doll-hairs I dropped on a new one was worth the memories with my girls. 

I had the afternoon left to mix up something new in the kitchen. This chia seed pudding is seriousssssly so good and so simple to make. I know it looks weird & all but it is bomb diggity. Plus, it's something new for the palette.  

>> mix together the first 3 ingredients (hold the fruit until the end) 

>> let the mixture set in the fridge

>> check on your mixture the first 30 mins. & whisk to prevent the chia seeds from clumping

>> let the pudding sit for about 3 hours or overnight for best texture results

>> top with fruit (I used peaches, raspberries, and blackberries)

The final product should have the consistency similar to that of tapioca pudding. You can thicken this up if you'd like with some plain greek yoggy.

(makes about 3 servings)

If you haven't noticed, I use chia seeds in many of my recipes. They are a great source of fiber, omega-3s, protein, calcium, and antioxidants. Read more about these babies here. 

{shop my kitchen} target dip bowls >> i couldn't say no to these precious kitchen accessories

{shop my closet} 

1 >> braided flat-sole sandal

2 >> trafaluc trousers

sippin' pretty XX fruit infused water

Sip, sip away on these ahmazzzzzing fruit-infused water combos. 

Not only does the final product look oh-so-pretty to drink, but they are both delicious and refreshing. Water is the only "beverage" that I drink (i hate pop) so it was fun to spice up my h2o game.

BLUEBERRY + POMEGRANATE + MINT

This combination of flavors makes for a subtle sweet water. The water tones down the bitterness of the poms & BBs-- add in the mint & it is just pure perfection. Who doesn't love the beautiful scent of mint alone, anyway?

*tip: pomegranates can easily be seeded if you halve them, dunk them in a bowl of water, and de-membrane the seeds. The membrane of the pom will float to the top, making it pretty simple to separate. Strain your poms and there ya go.  

GRAPEFRUIT + ORANGE + LEMON + CUCUMBER

This one might be my favorite. The citrus juices are calmed by the cucumber. You can really taste each and every ingredient in this and that's why I love it. Plus, vitamin C = immune system boost!

KIWI + COCONUT WATER

If you don't like coconut water, don't bother making this one. It is an acquired taste, but mixed with the kiwi it is delish. If you dig CC water- then go for it- you won't be let down!

BLUEBERRY + LEMON + ROSEMARY

Another fav. The fresh rosemary makes for a heavenly sip.  Simple yet fabulous.

Don't be afraid to re-fill and re-infuse with the same fruit left in your glass!!

who said eggs&toast couldn't be cute?

A treatie for your sweetie....

All you need is bread, butter, and eggs. 

Thick, big slices of bread will work best... but you can work with what cha have.

Butter both sides of bread as you would with grilled cheese.

Cut out the heart with a knife before toasting. 

Heat 2 skillets.

Brown/toast the hearts in one skillet and the bread in another.

Drop your egg or egg whites in the center of the heart cut out and cook it to your liking.

Flip as 1 unit if necessary.

Perfect for a birthday, anniversary, or just because.

Adorbs.

guilt free apple crisp

A sweet tooth success.

If you like apple pie, you'll love this apple crisp recipe... plus you'll be saving calories.

Filling Ingredients

2.5 cups peeled and chopped apple (you pick the apple!)

1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie or apple pie spice seasoning

Topping Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon rolled oats

1/8 cup sugar or sugar substitute

1.5 tablespoons coconut flour (or all-purpose)

1/8 teaspoon apple pie/pumpkin pie spice seasoning

1.5 tablespoons butter

Fat free frozen yogurt

(Yields: 2 large servings - as seen in pictures )

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees*

For the filling: In a bowl, combine apples, butter, sugar, lemon juice, and apple/pumpkin spice. Transfer to a baking dish (I used single-serving mini foil pie dishes)

For the topping: In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, and apple/pumpkin spice. Cut in the butter until the mixture becomes clumpy. Sprinkle over apple filling. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apple is tender and filling is golden brown. You can serve this with ice cream or opt for a healthier option such as low fat frozen yogurt.

low carb crab cakes + summer kale salad

Busy schedules + Hunger + Laziness = Eating out

I know I find myself at restaurants or picking up something prepared far too often. Sometimes, I almost forget that I love to cook. Last night I busted out my skills and got to work in the kitchen. I wanted to make something light and fresh so I went with a summer kale salad, low carb crab cakes, & a side of sweet potato. 

Here is how....

Kale Salad

Kale

Cubed Golden Apple

Cranberries & Glazed Walnuts (Fresh Gourmet brand- comes mixed in a bag)

Lemon Vinaigrette (Marzetti Simply Dressed brand)

Low Carb Crab Cakes (Yields: 8 large cakes)

2 cups lump crab meat (16 oz. can)

4 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 eggs beaten

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

3 tablespoons coconut flour

1/4 cup coconut oil

Put the crab into a large mixing bowl.

In a different bowl combine wet ingredients: mustard, beaten eggs, and lemon juice.

In a 3rd bowl combine dry ingredients: Old Bay, parsley, flour.

Slowly fold the egg mixture into the bowl of crab, being careful not to break up the crab clumps. Then carefully fold in the dry ingredients. Form the cakes into your preferred size and set aside while heating the coconut oil in a large skillet. I used 3 skillets so I could make them all at once. You can split the 1/4 cup coconut oil between skillets. I probably did not use the full 1/4 cup just to save calories. 

Fry the crab cakes for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Careful when flipping because they tend to break apart.

I served these with pre-made Remoulade dressing (Louisiana brand).

This recipe won't let you down...Perfect for a summer meal!