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Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

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Category Archives: food

In the Kitchen: Carrot Apple Muffins

Today is Day 6 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge.

Since we no longer have our traditional donuts after Sunday Mass, on Saturday I have to make sure that I bake a healthier treat for Sunday morning. And since my mom was asking for the recipe of the carrot apple muffins I made, I thought I’d post it today. So here you go, mom. 🙂

I found this recipe for Carrot Apple Muffins on the Whole Foods website and I altered it a little.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar(I used unrefined coconut sugar, which is more natural than regular sugar.)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped apple
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12-cup standard muffin tin or use muffin papers. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine carrots, applesauce, apple, eggs, butter milk, oil and vanilla. Add half the carrot mixture to the flour mixture, stir until blended then add the rest of the carrot mixture.
Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm. (I used my new “heart” muffin pans that I bought for Valentine’s Day.)
The muffins are good but only slightly sweet. I drizzled a little honey on the plate for added sweetness. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉

Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 19): Banana Honey Oatmeal Cookies

This is Day 2 of my participation in Jen’s 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge.

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

* * * * *

THE PIN: Banana Honey Oatmeal Cookies

We continue our journey to cut down/cut out the processed food and eat “real” food and I am cooking from scratch more. I have been looking for baked treats I can make the kids that don’t use white flour or sugar and yet doesn’t taste like sawdust. My sister sent me a recipe of cookies that her family loves. We tried them and they were delicious. Here it is.

Banana Honey and Oatmeal Cookies Preparation

Mix in large bowl…

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup honey

Cut in…

1 cup coconut oil (you don’t need to melt it first)

In a separate bowl mix…

2 eggs (room temp)
2 cups mashed bananas

Add egg mixture to flour/coconut oil mixture.

Stir in…

3 1/2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup of chia seeds

Scoop them with a little ice cream scoop and bake for 8-10 mins at 375 degrees.

Yum!! I followed the directions except that I landed out using 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 canola oil. They still came out fine and everyone loved them. Thanks for the recipe, sis!

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

<a href=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/?p=2157″><img title=”Revolution of Love Blog – Pinterest Party &amp; Link-up” src=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pinterest_2_medW32-300×240.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”240″ /></a>

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉


Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 18): Moroccan Style Chickpea Chili

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

* * * * *

Now that we are trying to cut out the processed food and eat “real” food, I am cooking from scratch more.  I have been trying new recipes, particularly ones with anti-cancer foods  and spices, like turmeric. One of those new recipes I tried was this Moroccan style chickpea chili.

(Not pictured – Butternut squash. I was out so I used winter squash.

I originally got the recipe from my cookbook – Cooking Light: Slow Cooker Tonight.

I also found the recipe online here. I added it to my board – What’s Cooking in the Slow Cooker.

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 quarts boiling water
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (Use veggie broth to make this a Meatless Meal.)
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and crushed
4 cups chopped peeled butternut squash
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
6 cups hot cooked couscous
8 lime wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

(NOTE: The second time I made this I added 1/2 teaspoon of ginger. I also added a bit more red pepper since is was on the sweeter side.)

Preparation

1. Place chickpeas in a saucepan; add 2 quarts boiling water. Cover and let stand 1 hour; drain. Place beans in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through turmeric); sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to slow cooker. Add broth and next 4 ingredients (through tomatoes) to slow cooker; cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add squash; saute 5 minutes. Add squash to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour; stir in peas. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over couscous with lime wedges.

As I mentioned, I subbed the butternut for winter squash. I also used brown rice instead of couscous. We loved the flavor and it wasn’t spicy so the kids enjoyed it too. The next time I may try adding a little ginger too. 🙂

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

<a href=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/?p=2157″><img title=”Revolution of Love Blog – Pinterest Party &amp; Link-up” src=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pinterest_2_medW32-300×240.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”240″ /></a>

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉


Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 16): Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Kale

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, planned, organized, followed or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards OR share something original that others can pin onto their boards.

* * * * *

In dealing with Brian’s cancer, we have been trying to eat more natural food and stay away from canned and processed food. I was looking for a recipe to make lentil soup in my slow cooker and I came across this recipe from Mary Sperling of OR and pinned it to my boards. I made the soup last night, although I changed the recipe slightly to add more veggies and garlic.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

3 carrots, chopped (I used 5 med carrots.)
3 ribs of celery, chopped (I used 5.)
1  onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed (I used 4 garlic.)
8 cups water or vegetable broth (I used chicken broth this time but I use veggie broth during Lent.)
2 cups lentils, rinsed (I used a 2 lb bag.)
1 tsp. dried thyme

Directions: Put all of these ingredients in the slow cooker. Set it on low if you are leaving it all day, high if you are starting it around lunchtime.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, add:
1 ½ tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. salt (I used about 1 tsp.)
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped

Variations:

You can add potatoes if you want more bulk. Add cubed potatoes at the beginning of cooking if you do.

Tomatoes are also good in this dish. Add one 14 ½ ounce can of diced tomatoes at the beginning of cooking if you like. (I haven’t tried any of the variations yet.)

slow cooker lentil soup with kale

I made the soup without the balsamic and kale since I don’t like the smell of vinegar and prefer my leafy greens raw rather than cooked. It tasted really good and the house smelled great as it was cooking. The next day I rewarmed the soup and added the kale and balsamic.  It was still really good and much thicker after sitting in the fridge overnight. Everyone loved the soup and it has been added to our regular family meal list. 🙂

UPDATE: I have since grown accustomed to the taste of kale and love it in the soup. I still haven’t tried tomatoes or potatoes yet. That’s next on the list. 😉

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along.

4. If you want to use it, here is the html code for the logo:

<a href=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/?p=2157″><img title=”Revolution of Love Blog – Pinterest Party &amp; Link-up” src=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pinterest_2_medW32-300×240.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”240″ /></a>

5. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for 10 days. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉


Pinterest Party & Link-up (Vol 14): Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Welcome to the RoL Pinterest Party. Join me every 2nd and 4th Tuesday as we link up and share how we made, cooked, baked, crafted, did, or created one of the pins on our Pinterest boards.

Not on Pinterest? No problem. Link-up your own creation to inspire us so we can pin it to our own boards. It can be a recipe, sewing project, Catholic craft, homeschool project, organizing/ homemaking tip, themed birthday party, whatever you’d like. Don’t have a post ready? The link-up will be open for 10 days so there’s still time. Plus, feel free to link up a new post or an older post that hasn’t had much traffic lately. Don’t have a blog? No problem. Tell us about it in the comment box. Or post your photo and a description on the RoL Facebook page. 🙂

* * * * *

For our wedding Brian and I received a slow cooker and the first recipe I made was from the little recipe booklet that came with the cooker. It was for an easy Beef Stew. That was nearly 14 years ago. The cooker has since died and the recipe was lost when we moved from our apartment into our current home. I bought a new slow cooker and tried other fancier beef stews since. They were good but nothing seemed to mach that first simple stew. Finally, the other day I searched online and found the original recipe here.

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped

Directions

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture.
2. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
3. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.

It’s really easy to put together and once it is done, you have a delicious hot meal to warm you up on these cold days. Add a slice of fresh sourdough bread and you are good to go, baby! 🙂

* * * * *

Now it’s your turn.

1. Choose your creation, share about it and snap a photo if you can.

2. In your post, link back the original blogger/idea, rather than your Pinterest pin. That way credit goes to the proper person. 🙂 (But feel free to add your Pinterest profile link so we can follow you!)

3. Add a link back here so others can play along. Here is the html code:

<a href=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/?p=2157″><img title=”Revolution of Love Blog – Pinterest Party &amp; Link-up” src=”http://www.revolutionoflove.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pinterest_2_medW32-300×240.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”240″ /></a>

4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

You have 10 days to post your link, so if you can’t get things done by Tuesday, no worries, put it up when you can. We’ll be here. Have fun!

Lastly, you can follow me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/rol_bobbi/. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉