Slow Cooked Apple Butter

Did your heart explode with joy when you read the title of this post? Mine did when I saw it online. Mine finished cooking when I woke up. And waking up to this Apple butter is like waking up in a cinnamon apple orchard, the smell is incredible.
This recipe is so easy, as long as you have a little extra time to peel the apples. I used Gala, but any apple will do, except maybe gold or green...though I've never tried those! I think Gala or Honey Crisp (my favorite!) would be the best apples to use.
Put it in your crockpot this afternoon and eat it tomorrow on toast. (or a peanut butter sandwich)

Apple Butter

• Apples- enough to fill your slow cooker 3/4 up (I used about 6 medium apples)
• 1 Cup Agave Nectar (or honey)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (not whole)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 3/4 Cup water

After peeling, coring and slicing your apples, fill your crockpot until it’s 3/4 full. Add all the rest of your ingredients and stir until well coated. Cover and cook on LOW overnight. I cooked mine for 15 hours, about 1:30pm to 4:30am (there's obviously a baby in the house for me to be up and getting it out). Mash it all up and spread it on toast. Must be refrigerated.

It's even better when it's cold out of the refrigerator I think. Anyway, this reminds me of my grandmas apple butter that I used to eat growing up.
You should make this. Think about the smell of the cinnamon orchard that could be spreading through your home!

recipe idea came from:  http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/09/22/crock-pot-apple-butter-guest-post/

Healthy chocolate muffins

You guys, this muffin recipe is so good. I love that I can have two for breakfast and not feel sad! And its just so wonderful with coffee because you know, anything chocolate is good to have with coffee! I saw this recipe on my friend's pinterest (that's where all the good recipes are now, right?) and was so excited to get the ingredients on my next grocery trip.

NOTE: if you sprinkle a tablespoon of ground flax seed into the batter, or sprinkle oat bran onto the muffins once the batter is poured, it would be a great way to add to these in a healthy way, I thought of that after I made them of course. Next time I guess! And if you are wondering if your significant other or your family will like them, I can tell you my husband really liked them! So here it is:

Healthy Chocolate Muffins
1 3/4 cup Oats
3 Egg whites
3/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Plain greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar (or 2 tsp. vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Hot water
1 cup Baking stevia OR 1 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar. (I used baking truvia)
1/2 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Tip Foil cupcake liners, remove the inner paper lining (because paper liners tend to stick to muffins)

Instructions:
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2
In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
3
Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
4
Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
5
Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.*Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight.
6
Cool muffins before removing from pan.
Then enjoy the chocolate heaven!

What I've Eaten

Baked Oatmeal

I love oatmeal. I've been wanting to try baked oatmeal for a long time, so I finally gathered up the ingredients for it. I saw this recipe recently and made them on Thursday. It makes a TON! I've had two each morning, they have a lot of good stuff for you inside. Then I froze the rest of the batter. NOTE: I did not have stevia, but I used one cup honey instead. And I sadly was all out of bananas, so I threw in 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt. I'll post the recipe from where I got it from too, I don't have a gluten allergy but it is gluten free for those of you who do!
THEY ARE SO GOOD!

Baked Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups applesauce, unsweetened
• 5 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats
• 1 banana, mashed (or 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt)
• 2 3/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 6 packets of Sweetleaf Stevia or 1 1/2 teaspoons stevia powder (or 1 cup honey)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional toppings: raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips

Here is the link to these Muffins

Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake

I'm excited, today I get to have women's small group at my house. Last night I whipped this together, Earl Grey (yummm) chocolate tea Cake! I cut them up into small bites, large squares of cake can be intimidating. It's like biting into an earl grey heaven. I've also made Earl Grey Tea cookies, I should post that sometime too.

Here's the cake recipe:

• 6 Earl Grey tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350° F. Coat an 8-cup fluted tube pan (or whatever you have on hand) with cooking spray.
Brew the tea in the water 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags or strain the leaves and set the brewed tea aside.
Using a mixer, beat the butter, eggs, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Blend in the chocolate. Beat in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, yogurt, and brewed tea. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
Turn out of pan and cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Notes:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 2- 1 minute increments

Christmas Dinner