Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Muffins

Nonstick spray


1 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

6 Tbsp crunchy natural peanut butter

1/4 cup no-sugar applesauce

2 Tbsp canola oil

3/4 cup fat-free milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray the holes of a 12-muffin tin with nonstick spray.

2.Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

3.In another large bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar and peanut butter until smooth; whisk in the applesauce and oil. Finally, whisk in the milk and vanilla until fairly smooth.

4.Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, just until well blended. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin holes, filling each about three-quarters of the way full.

5.Bake until puffed and brown, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Serving size: 1 muffin.

My Son In Law Would Love This

If you are a cheesecake lover like my son in law  you should check this out here

Caramel Tart or Bars

3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans


2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2/3 cup butter

3 tablespoons whipping cream

Arrange pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool. Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and 3/4 cup butter in a food processor 5 to 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pat mixture evenly on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool.  Bring brown sugar, honey, 2/3 cup butter, and whipping cream to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in toasted pecans, and spoon hot filling into prepared crust. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes or until completely cool.



Caramel-Pecan Bars: Prepare recipe as directed, pressing crumb mixture evenly on bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of a lightly greased heavy-duty aluminum foil-lined 13- x 9-inch pan. When completely cool, using the aluminum foil as handles, carefully lift the tart from the pan, and transfer to a serving tray. Cut into squares

recipe source: my recipes

Slow Cooker Tomato Lentil Soup

2 large carrots, sliced (use 4 if the carrots are small)


1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes (recommended: Muir Glen)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 lb dried brown lentils

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, until the lentils are tender. Serve.
 
recipe source: Tablespoon

Book Review and Giveaway Always True

I recently was able to read the book Always True by James MacDonald. The book offers quite a bit in my opinion to think about. This book helped me see that even in the bleakest of times God is still with us and Always True.

Paperback: 160 pages


Publisher: Moody Publishers; Original edition (January 1, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0802458696

ISBN-13: 978-0802458698

Brief Description of Book
James MacDonald shares in his book the biblical hope of God's promises in the midst of life's storms. 2 Peter 1:3 refers to certain portions of God's Word as exceedingly great and precious promises. Great promises are ones that don't fall apart during difficult times; they reveal hope in the midst of the storm. Precious promises are ones that we find strong enough to hold us up and resilient enough to get us through. God's promises become exceedingly great and precious to us when nothing else will do. By way of digging into the theology of God's Promises, Pastor James uncovers 5 major categories of promise in the Bible and the 5 areas about which God repeatedly makes promises. From what to do with fear and doubt to God's goodness, help, and victory-the Bible has much to say about God's presence in our difficulty.

Packed inside this book that is written in devotion type style where you can read a bit and contemplate what you learned and pick back up the next day are powerful scriptures. The goal of this book is to help you learn scripture that you can keep within your mind and soul. I have been told since I was a young child that scripture is the most powerful tool that we can have in life. It is the word of God and helps us to develop who we are and defend ourselves against Satan.
I have one copy of this book to give to one lucky reader. If you would like the chance to win this book please share with me a favorite bible verse of yours. Thats it only one entry giveaway ends march 21, 2011.

Toggle Bandz - Adjustable Headbands

One thing that we never seemed to have enough time or patience for is doing my daughters hair. Its a good thing that my daughter did not take after me because she loves to do Princess' hair One of the easiest ways to do her hair and make it look great is by using Toggle Bandz. Toggle Bandz are fully adjustable headbands that come in a variety of colors, sizes and widths. One thing that I hate about the traditional headbands is that they never seem big enough. The plastic headbands are created so that they do not bend easily. The cloth ones work a little bit better but there are not a lot of choices and most look as if they are made for athletes. With Toggle Bandz you can custom your order so that you get exactly what you are asked for. They are easy to use as well you simply slide the band over your head and then adjust it to fit. 

Let me share a couple of my favorite Toggle Bandz with you.

Are you like me and think they are adorable? If so you may want to get your little gal one as well. If you have something else in mind then you may want to create a custom order.

I think Toggle Bandz are super cute and I think would be perfect for spring and the upcoming Easter holiday. Perhaps you may choose to order a toggle bandz that matches the special dress that your little Princess will be wearing. You can order Toggle Bandz at their website located at http://togglebandz.weebly.com/index.html also look for them on facebook

we received a toggle band to review for this post. Thanks so much to Toggle Bandz our Princess loves it. The thoughts and opinions I shared in this post are those of mine alone

Praying for all those in Japan

 

Sloppy Maple BBQ Turkey Barbq Joes

1 tablespoon EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)


1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or ground turkey breast

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (a scant palmful)

Salt and pepper

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup dark amber pure maple syrup

About 3 tablespoons soy sauce

About 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

About 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 rounded tablespoon dijon mustard

8 soft burger rolls, split

Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese, chopped scallions and chopped pickles, for topping

In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and season with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until browned, then stir in the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. In a bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard. Pour the sauce over the meat and simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Serve the sloppy turkey on the rolls with the toppings.

recipe source http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Sloppy-Maple-BBQ-Turkey-Joes

Menu Plan Monday

!!!WHOA!!!! What a week. I am just coming off of a week of work where I only had 1 day that I did not work. Man was it busy. So this week the meals will be simple and short like tonight I made

Baked Beans and Wiener Bake
where I mixed large can of pork and beans, bell pepper diced up, seasoned it all up and added sliced up wieners. Put it in the oven and baked and it was delicious. I also served chicken nuggets along side and because Keebler cookies were on sale last week we had those for dessert

Tommorow is my only day off so we will be having Sweet and Sour chicken

Not only delicious but may keep my family happy while they survive this week with me

Wednesday:
sloppy joes and chips with cookies for dessert can we say nice and easy :)

Thursday:
baked cubed steaks, potatoes, corn and jello for dessert this will be another meal that is easy for me to make but pleasing for the famiy that is what keeps them happy which keeps me happy in return

Friday:
pizza night or otherwise eat out

Saturday:
finally the weekend and its my weekend off :) Tonight will be steak and taters with strawberries for dessert

Sunday:
crockpot meal I am counting on Slow Cook Swiss Steak

what are you making this week for your meals? I shared this meal plan here

Welcome to My Blog

Hello!!! Welcome to my blog here you will find lots of tips, recipes, reviews and giveaways and where I love to share about my own personal life. Top post for today include:

SwaddleDesigns giveaway
Bummas Baby Wipes giveaway
EdenFantasys giveaway ending 3/17
Irish Dessert Recipe for St. Patricks Day
Meet Me Monday
Dagwood Sandwich Recipe
Making Change Educational DVD giveaway

Delicious Meatloaf Recipe

While blog hopping today I found this awesome recipe for meatloaf. For all of you who like a meal all in one dish or for you who are looking for recipes where you can hide the veggies kids dont eat then this is your recipe here

Sugar Pie

2 cups brown sugar
 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 cup heavy cream
 1 egg
1 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 3/4 cup chopped pecans
 1 (9 inch) unbaked piecrust


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, egg, corn syrup and vanilla. Stir in brown sugar mixture until blended. Fold in the pecans. Pour filling into piecrust. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Improvements In Baby Sleep Patterns Over Last 20 years

With a new little member of the family our thoughts turn back to safety of infants and how to keep them safe. My mother had her first child pass due to SIDS and it has always bothered me because no one knew how it happened or why and to this date there is still not a given reason. There are prevention steps however and I must say that many things that I did while caring for the first of my six children was totally wrong. See what I did wrong and what is recommended to help prevent SIDS.

Baby Sleeping On Back for Safety Sakes
As a young mother putting my baby to sleep was not always an easy task. The recommendation at the time of my first childs birth was to have the baby sleep on her stomache. This was difficult for me because I would rock her to sleep and then try to lay her down on her stomache in her crib. Many times this did not work and she would wake up as I tried to move her. I could however, lay her down on her back to where she would sleep for ample amount of time. This was a no no in those early days but is now recomended to help prevent SIDS.

Use a firm sleep surface: Soft materials or objects such as pillows, quilts, comforters, or sheepskins should not be placed under a sleeping infant. A firm crib mattress, covered by a sheet, is the recommended sleeping surface.

I can remember with my first two children I would decorate the inside of their crib to match the decor in the room. With cloth lacey bumper pads, blankets and quilts would adorn their crib. In my early days as a mother the danger of SIDS being caused by the things in their crib was not a great concern. I remember even placing a crib sheet on the crib matress and often covered by a changing pad under my baby. Now the recommended is to lay the infant on a crib mattress covered by a sheet. Extra objects should also not be kept inside the crib to help prevent crib death is also very important. So much of what I did with my first child would be considered dangerous now Halo Sleepsacks allow a mother to rest assured that their little one is comfortable and warm without having to have extra blankets.

Keep Baby Bed Close To Mothers
here is one thing that I did right and so did my mother. Many mothers who have the means to do it may create a nursery where the baby can sleep. I did the opposite my children slept in a basinet for the first few months then were transfered to a crib in the same room. It is recomended to help prevent SIDS that the infant sleep close to the mother but is not recomended to have the infant to share the mothers bed.

Pacifier Use Helps Prevent SIDS
I only had one of my six children to ever want to take a pacifier but both of my grandchildren do. There is clear evidence that pacifiers used during sleep time can help prevent SIDS. Many have the belief that pacifiers are bad for the child's teeth. According to http://sids-network.org/risk.htm the evidence to this is not as much as that for pacifiers lessening the risk of SIDS. It is not recommended to force the child to take the pacifier or to reinsert pacifier after child goes to sleep

Prevent Overheating
My grandmother and mother always warned me about keeping my baby warm because the draft could be damaging to their little bodies. Now the recomendation is to prevent the baby from overheating. Simply cloth the infant lightly when they go to sleep and the temperature of the bedroom should be kept comfortable so that an adult dressed the same way would be comfortable. Overbundeling like we oten did my early years of parenting should be avoided This can easily be achieved by using the HALO sleepsack which allows the baby to be comortable and warm without having to bundle them up tightly. Sleepsacks are available in different styles and are perfect year round

I hope that you heed the recomendations to help prevent SIDS and if you are like me and did things incorrect that you take the steps to correct it in order to prevent your baby.

Meet Me Monday

1. Do you have a fireplace in your home?


2. Can you drive a stick shift?

3. How many computers are in your home?

4. Are your taxes done yet? Do you do them yourself?

5. What is your favorite meal of the day?
 
1. no
2. no
3. 4, 3 laptops and 1 desktop
4. yes and yes
5. supper I share it with my family
 
My answers sound a bit boring this week what about you what are your answers like?

also participating in blog hops






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Pulled Pork recipe from Betty Crocker

1 boneless pork shoulder (2 1/2 lb)


1 tablespoon Jamaican jerk seasoning (dry)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 cup cola

2 cups barbecue sauce

8 sandwich buns or flour tortillas (8 to 10 inch)

Save $$$ on your favorite brands 1 Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Remove fat from pork. Rub jerk seasoning over pork; sprinkle with thyme. Place pork in slow cooker. Sprinkle with onion. Pour cola over pork.

2 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

3 Remove pork from slow cooker; reserve 1/2 cup juices. Use 2 forks to pull pork into shreds. Place pork in slow cooker. Stir in barbecue sauce and reserved juices. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 30 to 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon filling onto buns.

shared on  here

Spiced Pork and Apricot Stew

2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces


1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

kosher salt and black pepper

1 medium onion, sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup apricot preserves

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/2 cup dried apricots, halved

cooked couscous, sliced scallions, and chopped roasted almonds, for serving

In a large Dutch oven, toss the pork with the paprika, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Scatter the onion over the pork. Add the chicken broth, preserves, and vinegar to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 2 ½ hours. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup water and stir into the pot along with the chickpeas and dried apricots. Simmer, uncovered, until the cooking liquid is slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve over couscous and sprinkle with the scallions and almonds, if desired.

shared at monday meals

recipe source: real simple

Cowgirl Up

Money & Making Change DVD Review and Giveaway

Want to help your child get a head start in life? Many times education is the one area that you can help your child greatly. Rock & Learn Money & Making Change can help your child learn something that not only will help them in the education but also learn something that they will have to know through thier walk on life.

Characters Penny and Bill know how to shake things up when it comes to counting money and making change. I love it when fun is put into learning as I feel that it makes the lessons learned stay around. The DVD offers songs and games that help provide plenty o practice with real - world skills. After all making change is something that we all do nearly every day of our life. Buy a coke, work at a burger shop, pay bills and the list goes on and on. We make change throughout our lives when we shop, when we work and the list goes on and on. The DVD Money & Making Change offers the viewer lessons about individual coins and how they relate to one another.  Learn how to count cash through practices like "skip counting" Nearly everyone will write a check some day and will need to know how to express money in written terms this DVD will help them learn just how to do that. The DVD is recommended for children 6 and up.

Buy: you can purchase the video here

Win a copy of the DVD Money & Making Change. To enter giveaway simply share with me who in your life would benefit from this DVD

we received a copy of this DVD for review purposes. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are those of mine alone

PurpleTrail Designs

PurpleTrail Designs are your card makers for every need. I was sent a variety of cards some time back and I have shared a few of them with friends. They have really liked them and I believe you would as well. One of my favorite type of cards is a baby announcement. Now ofcourse many of you know exactly why this card would be my favorite and you would be correct. I am still reeling over the excitment of having our little prince being added to our family. With the Purple Trail baby announcement cards the card recievers would know exactly how much joy I feel. You can design your cards using the wording and even pictures that you want to . Visit PurpleTrail to see for yourself how great the card you design could look

Aloha Friday

Recently I was able to spend some time in a farm store It instantly sent me back to my childhood years and the time that I spent at my grandparents farm. I ended up buying a few plants that I can make a nice spring garden with. One thing that made my mind really go back to the past and my childhood was the baby chicks. Each spring my dad and grandmother would purchase chicks. They would be delivered and picked up at the post office and taken to the farm though rather than coming from a store. My question for this aloha friday is 

do you have any special spring memories of your child and if so I would love to hear it.