Sweet Treats
Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup raspberries
2 apples, diced
1 15 oz can mandarin oranges
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits in 100% juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice, reserved
2 tablespoons mandarin orange syrup, reserved
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1. Add all the ingredients to a medium sized bowl, and mix well.
NOTE: The raspberries will dye everything purple, so if you don’t want that to happen, either leave them out, or make for a large group of people so the salad won’t be left to sit for a week.
Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
We are going to use the muffin method for this recipe, which means that the dry and wet ingredients are mixed separately, and then the wet is added to the dry and folded in gently. If you over-mix the muffins, they will be chewy, not fluffy. I made the mistake of adding the chocolate separately, so mine got a little chewy. Make sure to add yours into the dry ingredients.
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
2. Chop the chocolate, and mix into the dry ingredients. This will cover the chocolate with flour, and help it from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
3. Mash the bananas in another medium sized bowl.
4. Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the banana mixture, and mix well.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and gently fold, careful not to over-mix. The less you stir, the better.
6. Add the mixture to a well greased muffin tin.
7. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 350.
Raspberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups low fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups raspberries, floured
1. Mix all dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a large mixing bowl.
2. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, and measure out the half cup once it is liquid. If you measure it in it’s solid state, it won’t be accurate.
3. Mix the wet ingredients, plus the sugar, in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, folding the wet in, careful not to over mix.
5. Add the raspberries to a medium mixing bowl, and sprinkle with about 1/8 – 1/4 cup flour. This will help keep the berries from breaking in the batter, as much as possible. Raspberries are a delicate berry. Don’t worry if they break, though, because the muffins will still taste good.
6. Carefully fold the raspberries into the batter.
7. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill the tins with batter. Fill halfway if you want smaller muffins. Fill all the way if you want larger muffins.
8. Bake for 20 minutes at 375.
Cranberry Granola
Ingredients:
1 cup oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped cranberries
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Roughly chop the almonds and cranberries.
2. Add all ingredients in a medium large bowl and mix well. Remember to spray your measuring cup with nonstick spray before you add the honey. You won’t believe what a world of difference this makes!
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the granola out.
4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through. Watch the granola closely during the second half of cooking, because it will burn if left in the oven for too long. Confession: I almost burned this batch.
Blueberry Muffin Fruit and Nut Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup dried dates (try to find no sugar added)
1 cup dried blueberries (try to find no sugar added)
1 1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1. Add the dates and blueberries to a food processor and pulse until well chopped.
2. Add the walnuts and pulse until well chopped.
3. Add the peanut butter