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…]

Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops

  

 :: Strawberry Lemon Zest Yogurt Pops ::

One of my dear friends gave me these Zoku Mini Pop Molds at the end of the school year for being one of her room parents {Such a great gift idea!}. Since we are nearly settled into our new house, I thought it was about time to pull them out of the box and whip up a delicious summer treat for my littles!

I don’t know about your kids, but mine rarely finish an entire large popsicle. Inevitably, it ends up as one sticky mess {which may be half the fun}! They either grow tired of the flavor, or end up dropping the leftovers on the ground, it seems. These Zoku Mini Pops are honestly the perfect size! While they are much smaller than your average ice pop, I did find that the kids were still able to spend several fun-filled minutes enjoying them! [Read more…]

Decadent Frozen Banana Bites

 

  

:: Decadent {frozen} Banana Bites ::

Naming this post was a bit of an issue for me! You see… these aren’t your average frozen banana bites dipped in rich, creamy chocolate! Oh no! These are WAY more decadent! These little frozen banana bites are wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough, and dunked in a thick layer of chocolate!

Clearly, I had a moment of weakness in making these! It was a week prior to our big family move and I needed the stress relief of whipping up something tasty! For me, the process of baking has always been a coping mechanism when I need to unwind or take a breather from life. These banana bites were successful in getting my mind off the never ending to-do list that comes with moving a family of six. They also provided the kids and I with a delicious frozen summer treat that brought back some of my favorite childhood memories of going to Balboa Island in Newport Beach and indulging in the famous Frozen Bananas & Balboa Bars!

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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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Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

  

:: ALMOND POPPY SEED MUFFINS ::

Isn’t it funny how certain sights, sounds, tastes, and smells evoke emotions and bring back memories? Well… the smell and taste of these muffins do just that for me. It brings me back to my early high school years spent in San Diego…. Happy memories surfaced of the carefree days spent with one of my best high school friends. We used to make these muffins after school or on the weekends. Back then, we made them from a boxed mix… and they really were delicious! I think we’d practically devour the whole dozen! I haven’t seen them since those years, long ago. I have found lemon poppyseed muffin mix… but that just isn’t the same in my opinion! There is just something magical about the combination of almonds with poppy seeds!

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