Rich Chocolate Syrup

I had my first cup of hot chocolate of the season this morning and it was delicious! I've been making my own chocolate syrup, very similar to Hershey's without the high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. It is so easy and just takes a few minutes on the stove and is well worth the time and effort because it is that good. Or at least I think so. I've made chocolate milk and poured it over chocolate bread pudding and decided to try it out in hot chocolate. Just stir the chocolate into the milk and heat. 

1 1/2 c sugar 

3/4 c cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

1 c water

Mix together then heat on stove stirring occasionally until it reaches a boil then simmer 1 min. Recipe makes a little more than 1 mason jar can hold.

Here's the original recipe link: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-chocolate-syrup.html#more

Super smoothie!

We love smoothies at our house and this one I made this morning was delicious and packed full of good stuff. 2 big handfuls of spinach leaves, 2 shredded carrots, 2 bananas, 12 oz of frozen blueberries, and 2 cups water created this deliciousness.

                                  

                                  

   

                                     

Breakfast muffins that are healthy and good, oh and sugar free!

Seriously, who doesn't like banana bread? It is delicious, however, the healthiest part of it is the bananas. These muffins are equally delicious and so much healthier. Made with 100% non GMO whole wheat flour, unsweetened applesauce, raw honey, eggs, and bananas, for a muffin, they scream healthy. I adapted the original recipe a bit adding 3/4 c of applesauce instead of 1/2 and a full cup of honey instead of the 3/4. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla and sprinkled a layer of cinnamon across the banner. Molly and Sophie beg for them and I have to limit them to 2 a day. I'd be making muffins every other day if they had their way. Make sure you spray the muffin tin with non stick spray since there isn't any oil in the muffins. Today this batch made 22, last batch made 23. You could also make it in the loaf form.

Here's the link to the recipe:
http://8weekstoabetteryourecipes.blogspot.com/2012/09/banana-bread-8-week-friendly.html

Homemade strawberry jam

I saw this recipe for homemade strawberry jam on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. We eat a lot of pb&j sandwiches for dinner and go through lots of jelly. Because really you need a good amount on the sandwich to achieve an equal balance. :) Sophie especially loves jelly and would prefer to nix the peanut butter. I'm so glad she likes this jam because its so much healthier. The secret, they do not have any idea what is in it except for strawberries. 

Chia seeds would be the reason the girls would refuse to eat this jam and therefore I don't tell them. The chia seeds are necessary to thicken the jam. Letting it sit overnight allows the chia to gel thickening the jam. 

I changed two things from the original recipe: added extra strawberries and honey. I can't tell you exactly how much extra but I thought more strawberries would've tasty and I new sweetness could be a factor compared to the store bought variety so I went with extra raw honey as well. One other thing I forgot, I used frozen strawberries instead of fresh just because they're cheaper. Although I do plan to make it with fresh next strawberry season. The recipe says you can cut strawberry chunks up and add in. I think this is a must. More like the store bought and biting into a strawberry chunk in the middle of the sandwich is delicious! 

Here's the link to the original recipe http://thankfulexpressions.blogspot.com/2013/07/strawberry-rhubarb-refrigerator-jam.html