Carrot apple muffins

I may have posted this recipe before, but I changed it around a little and added apples to the recipe. I liked these muffins more, they were a little sweeter and more moist. I also did not have enough brown sugar so I used the natural brown sugar that I had. It is coarse so it gave the muffin a little extra texture.

Recipe:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I buy in the bulk section at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 shredded apple (I used green)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I leave these out since my kids do not like nuts in their muffins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin cups.

Sift together the first 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combine. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla, carrots and apple. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in nuts if desired.

Divide in the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean about 20 minutes.

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- Mini meatloaves, baked potatoes and veggies

Monday- Beef Stroganoff

Tuesday- Carnitas with all the fixings

Wednesday- Turkey burgers with sweet potato fries and or corn on the cobb if I can find some.

Thursday- Leftovers or quesadillas from left over meat.

Friday- Out to dinner

Kid's Night

Tonight I thought I would have a kids night since hubby and I are both full from lunch and both the kids have colds, so this would help make them feel better.

I made carrot/apple muffins (will post recipe soon) and ants on a log.

I made fruit trees with sticks and lemons.

Here they are eating and yes, Allie is not wearing pants again. They also had chicken nuggets.

A little after dinner reading of Dr. Seuss.

I think they enjoyed it.

Habit Burgers in Fig Garden

For lunch today we went to Habit Burgers in Fig Garden. They were very friendly and quick with a good looking menu. They have burgers, grilled sandwiches and salads. We wanted to try their burgers so we all ordered cheeseburgers. The kids meal comes with a burger, side of fries, applesauce or onion rings and with a choice of juice, soda or milk. The kids meals came to 3.95 plus .50 cents extra for cheese. I got a number one which came with a cheeseburger, soda and onion rings $5.95 with .65 cents extra for cheese and to sub onion rings. Chris got the same but added cheese and bacon and he got fries and a soda. Our total came to $26.32 which I think is a little expensive for burgers and fries and we had too much food. You can order the burgers separately which we will do next time.

Overall, it was clean, quick, friendly service and good. We do like In-n-Out better becasue we can eat as a family for $13.00 and it is always good. We want to go back and try the grilled sandwiches and salads, but if we just want a burger, In-n-Out is the place for us.

My favorite alfredo sauce

Alfredo Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add some olive oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and saute then add white wine and reduce for a minute or two. Add the heavy cream, increase heat to a simmer and reduce the cream sauce by half. When the cream sauce is at its desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add whatever pasta you would like. I like adding a little chili powder for a kick.

Serve with chicken or shrimp and you could add sundried tomatoes or broccoli.

My $10 shopping spree!

Yes, I got all of this for $10.00!

3 5 lb bags of flour $.87 cents a bag, sale and coupon at Vons
1 Smuckers P&J sandwiches $1.50 sale and coupon at Vons
2 full size bottles of V8 Fusin .50 cents each! I took the Big Lots add into Target and they price matched them at $1.50 each and I used 2 $1.00 off coupons.
2 Birthday cards
1 Smuckers jelly on sale and used coupon
1 bag marshmallows .97 cents at Target

Tilapia with mushroom sauce

35 minutes total prep and cook time

I made this last night and I loved it! Hubby said it tasted like a fish version of chicken marsala. I added egg noodles with it, but you could serve with rice or by itself.

Recipe:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
5 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
10 ounces white mushrooms trimmed and sliced
4 fillets of tilapia (I used 3 since that is all we needed)
2 tbsp of EVOO (olive oil)
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley or chives for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme and cook for about 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin side down and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes then transfer to a plate. Add the wine to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Boil over high heat until syrupy, 2-3 minutes. Add the cream and simmer to thicken slightly, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour cream sauce over the mushrooms in the skillet, then add the fish skin side up. Simmer until the fish is just about firm and translucent about 5-7 minutes. Garnish and serve.

I roasted some asparagus and cauliflower in the oven at 400 degrees with Olive Oil and salt and pepper for 15 minutes.