The BEST Blueberry Muffins

I have made several different recipes for blueberry muffins and none of them were very good. Well ladies and gents...I no longer have to find a good one and neither do you! This recipe is freaking amazing!!!We make these muffins at least once a month, and they always get rave reviews from whoever eats them.
This recipe has just the right about of sweetness to help bring out the blueberry flavor and the crumble on top...oh yes...its sugary and crunchy and delicious!
This recipe is also a bit unique in the fact that you use browned butter to make them. Don't be turned off if you've never had browned butter. It's beyond simple to make and adds such a wonderful nutty flavor to your muffin.

Banana Nut Muffins

I absolutely love breakfast food. Once a week we like to cook breakfast for dinner, not only because we love breakfast food but also because it is quick, easy, and affordable as well.
Muffins are a great way to make a lot of food out of your over ripe bananas. I like this recipe better then some of the others I have tried because it has chunks of the banana in it rather then just all mushed up ones. It helps to keep the muffins extra moist I personally think that they have more of a banana flavor.
Throw out your old banana muffin recipes because this one is a keeper for sure!

Raspberry Pretzel Dessert

I love raspberries. Seriously. As a kid we had a decent sized patch of raspberries growing in our yard and I remember going out and picking a bucket full and then coming in, pouring some cream and sugar over them and snarfing down a gigantic bowl. Heaven.
Now that I live in an area that I can't grow raspberries I don't get to eat them very often because they are so stinking expensive. But, this week they were on sale for only $.86 so I snatched me up a few packages and tried to relive my youth. Needless to say, store bought raspberries are nothing like a fresh picked one so I opted to make them into a dessert. This is a recipe that my husband had a lot growing up because he also had a big raspberry garden at his house.
By the way, I brought this to a potluck the other day and I got some good compliments on it so I figured it was a keeper and blog worthy. Enjoy.

Greenie Morning Refresher

Do any of you readers like to juice? I've been experimenting with juicing lately and have made up some pretty tasty concoctions. This one I made this morning though has definitely been my favorite so far. Juicing for me has been such an amazingly refreshing way to start the morning off feeling healthier then ever.
Some of the benefits of juicing rather then throwing it together in a blender is that juicing removes the fiber, making it easier to absorb, and works faster. If you've ever wanted to try juicing but have been slightly intimidated by having vegetables mixed in, this is the recipe you want to try. The combination of fruits and veggies in this recipe work so well together that you don't even notice the veggies.

Strawberry Pie Filling

Alright. As promised. Here is a fantastic Fresh Strawberry Pie Filling recipe. Since strawberries have been on sale all over the place I couldn't resist making a pie. It was seriously one of the best strawberry pie recipes I had ever had. This one is definitely a keeper!

Peach-Mango Smoothie

As I was looking through my fridge and freezer this morning trying to find something to make a smoothie out of, I found a peach and a mango that really needed to be used. I should call this "left-overs" smoothie because I just started throwing in whatever I had left of a few things in my fridge and you know what...it came out great! I love the combination of peaches and mangos. Fruit smoothies are my favorite way to start the morning off. Give this one a try to get your morning going in a healthy way.

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

I have really been enjoying creating new smoothie mixtures every day. Today I found myself feeling in the mood for an Island getaway so I broke out the mangos!
The fusion of mango, pineapple, and banana create a great blend of a tropical paradise in your mouth! I like to whip these up for a quick boost to a breakfast, or I even use them as a great dessert alternative. You could even throw the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze them for a hot summer day.
The thing I like best about making smoothies is that you can create something different every day. So really how can you get bored of drinking them? Oh and...they are incredibly healthy. I never add any additional sugar or sweetener to mine. This is great because it helps you get in quite a bit of your daily fruit intake needs, which I don't know about you, but I struggle with! So I say, throw it all in the blender and drink it up!
Okay that sounded like an infomercial! I apologize for that! I wrote it at like 6 in the morning a couple of days ago when I had a bunch of time to kill before my little one woke up.

Fruit Bruschetta

This is by far my favorite appetizer to make whenever I am asked to bring one. The fresh fruit on top of cinnamon bread with this amazingly fantastic orange-honey creamy sauce on top....makes my mouth water! I love this recipe because it is a great fresh and healthier appetizer.
Not only does it taste fantastic but it is very appealing to the eye, so they will disappear within minutes! The sauce is what makes this recipe different then just a regular old fruit salsa with cinnamon chips recipe (although also a great appetizer).
Whether its a classy party or just a small get together with close friends and family, this appetizer will be a hit.

Watermelon & Strawberry Smoothie

I love everything about summer. Although living where it is well over 100 every day during the summer isn't necessarily my favorite BUT I do love the heat. Why? Because you can make smoothies every day! I used to try to attempt to make smoothies a few years ago and they were horrible. I always thought, "Oh just throw whatever fruits and veggies you have in your fridge in and it will be fantastic." NOT SO! I have made HORRIBLE ones before.
As of recently I have reached a new milestone. I CAN MAKE A GOOD SMOOTHIE EVERYTIME! I have this wonderful and amazing friend named Paola who makes the most amazing smoothies in this entire world. She gave me ideas and tips on how to create an awesome smoothie. Now I make smoothies every morning to go along with my breakfast!
This particular smoothie recipe was one that she had made at a get together a couple weeks ago. Its cold and refreshing on a hot summer day and not only does it taste great, its good for you! WIN! My version on her smoothie is more of a limeade approach so enjoy!

Mango Coconut Chia Pudding + Other Variations

Yes you read the title correct. Chia. Just like those wonderful commercials we all remember seeing while we were growing up "Cha Cha Cha Chia". I have noticed that using chia seeds is another ingredient that people are starting to branch out and try so I figured I might as well jump on the train and see why. Chia is an excellent source of omega fatty acids and full of minerals, vitamins and fiber. Aside from making pudding, you can add them to smoothies, muffins, or throw them in some cereal.
I wanted to try out this recipe that I found on my always favorite site, SkinnyTaste, because I knew that this would be a recipe that my husbands patients could eat for breakfast. Its simple and easy to put together, throw it in the fridge overnight, and BAM breakfast is ready to go whenever you need it. The chia seeds give the pudding the texture of a tapioca pudding, but the chia seeds in themselves don't really have much of a flavor. This recipe is so versatile that you could throw in any combination of fruits and eat a different variety every day of the week! 

Orange Jello Salad

Today is one of those days where I could whip up a batch of this salad and just snarf the whole thing down. Its cold and refreshing on a hot summer day. Yes it may not be the healthiest thing for you but I will tell you what, its healthy enough for me. Its got mandarin oranges in it, what else do you need. ;)
This is a recipe that my mother in law makes for holiday's and special dinners. So for my husband it brings back special memories. I am trying to continue the tradition of making this for special holidays or in this case I want to make it just because it is hot outside. I think the reason I like this salad recipe more then others that I have seen online is the fact that it doesn't have cottage cheese in it...which is fantastic because cottage cheese makes me want to barf, and that isn't a good thing.
It's simple, quick, and doesn't require a lot of ingredients.

Orange Julius

I had forgotten how much I loved these until Sam whipped out the blender the other night and made some. Why go and buy them when they are plenty easy to make at home with ingredients that most people have?! Simple, refreshing, and just plain good.
I remember when I was a kid, every time I would go to the mall I would want to stop in the food court to get one of these. I also remember the day they took it out of the food court and filled in the area with another clothes store...it was a sad day for many.

Strawberry Soup

In my bountiful baskets this week I had gotten a bin of strawberries and I was really looking forward to making this soup. Unfortunately, I won't get to experience it as soon as I had thought, because when I went to pull them out of my fridge they were all moldy. Slightly disappointed. But I will share the recipe anyway. This recipe actually came for the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. I served it at my wedding reception and it was a hit. Its such a refreshing dessert. Enjoy!