Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding

Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding {Simply Happenstance Blog}

 :: Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding ::

Oh… do I have a tasty indulgence for you today! My friends, this is definitely my favorite breakfast treat at the moment! It’s delicious served warm for breakfast {or dessert}… and it’s even good cold, straight out of the fridge {don’t ask me how I know that}! One of my dearest friends recently gave me the recipe to try out with my family. We’ve made it two times in the last week! Remember my husband who doesn’t like anything sweet? He LOVED it! In fact, I totally caught him with a fork sneaking bites out of the fridge. That never happens!

So, before I get started on the details of this amazingly delicious dish {that would be the perfect addition to your Christmas morning, I might add}… I must first tell you about my friend who passed on this recipe. I typically call her  “Pretty”… because she’s so pretty, of course {inside & out}! I’m hoping that one day she’ll decide to write a guest post for Simply Happenstance and tell you all about her testimony and issues she’s faced over the past few years. She is hands down, one of the strongest, most God-loving, positive, and wonderful mamas I know! She has taught and encouraged me so much over the past five years that I have known her. The most cherished girlfriends that I have in my life are definitely the ones that bring me closer to God. “Pretty” is one of those. We don’t live near each other any longer {now that our family has moved to the mountains}, but we talk on the phone almost daily. She uplifts my spirit in so many ways. I hope that all of you have a friend like that in your life. It is such an incredible gift… [Read more…]

Walnut Granola Crunch Recipe

Walnut Granola Crunch Recipe

:: Walnut Granola Crunch Recipe ::

I am ADDICTED to Costco’s Granola!!!  Have you had it? Shane had to have a semi-intervention with me in regards to their granola, so I needed to whip up a batch of homemade granola stat!  This Walnut Granola Crunch Recipe is healthy, delicious, and it makes your home smell incredible while it’s baking.  The smell of the sweet honey, oats, and walnuts create the perfect fall aroma.  This is exactly why I love granola and oatmeal so much.  It’s healthy, filling, and it can be versatile.  It is a fall favorite, but with a few simple switches, this granola can be enjoyed year around. [Read more…]

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

 

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins {Simply Happenstance}

 :: Pumpkin Nutella Muffins ::

Oh my goodness, you guys! This is the BEST muffin combination… pumpkin + Nutella! During this time of year, I typically make plain pumpkin muffins and occasionally add in chocolate chips… but let me tell you, swirling in a dollop of creamy Nutella made an incredibly decadent difference! The pumpkin is flavorful and moist, while the Nutella creates a rich, chewy, chocolatey muffin top!

I doubled the recipe below and it made 18 muffins and one loaf to give away to a neighbor. This is the perfect baked treat to give to friends and family! If preparing this recipe as a loaf for others… you may want to buy a few of these darling paper loaf pans from Sur la Table. Wrapped in cellophane and tied with a simple bow… it makes for the perfect hostess gift or sweet treat for neighbors for the holidays! Enjoy! [Read more…]

Blueberry Banana Coffeecake

 

:: Blueberry Banana Coffeecake ::

You already know that I’m a bit obsessed with warm, wholesome muffins. What you don’t know, is that I have the same obsession over coffeecake! For me… it started many, many years ago. I was fortunate to have a mom who let me explore the kitchen and come up with “concoctions,” as I liked to call them. I spent my Saturday mornings as a young child whipping up what I thought to be delicious creations with whatever I could get my hands on {baking soda, flour, vanilla extract, eggs, green food coloring — you get the idea!}. I would then try to feed my tasty “concoctions” to my family {they must have loved me!}. Luckily for them, by the age of seven, I started making coffeecake from scratch. Warm, comforting, sweet, buttery, cinnamon coffeecakes! Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of variations. Last week, I had bananas that were overly ripe and a carton of fresh blueberries to work with. After a little recipe research, I converted a standard banana bread recipe into this delectable, moist breakfast treat! Yum! [Read more…]

Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie

 

As a busy mom of four, I gave up breakfasts that are time consuming long ago!  Although cereal, frozen waffles, granola bars & healthy homemade muffins are a staple in my home for the kids… I make myself a protein shake or smoothie almost every morning.  I love to experiment by adding greek yogurt to different types of fresh fruit & even veggies {such as spinach or kale}.  I typically sweeten {when needed} by adding honey, but you can always adjust that in the recipe to use your favorite sweetener.

This Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie recipe is packed full of high quality protein from the Fage Greek Yogurt I used {18 grams to be exact!}.  It’s also loaded with healthful antioxidants from the fresh, organic raspberries {to read more about the health benefits of raspberries click here}.  I made this recipe for my husby and I one morning.  My kids had a taste and LOVED it!  I ended up having to whip up more for my sweet little ones!  [Read more…]

Berry Smoothie

 

 

:: Berry Smoothie ::

 

Fruits and vegetables are a struggle in my household.  I have a picky eater on my hands, and a little girl who eats enough fruit for the two of them.  Vegetables seem to be the bigger battle of the two, so why not throw in a couple into a smoothie?

 

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