Hungry Girl’s Better Basic Corn Muffins

Easy recipes are my favorite and this Hungry Girl corn muffin recipe requires only two ingredients!

Ingredients

One 8.5 oz. package Jiffy corn muffin mix

1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 6-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with a nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine muffin mix, yogurt and 3 tablespoons water. Stir until uniform. Evenly distribute batter among the line or sprayed cups.

Bake 13-15 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Run Jen Run’s Favorite Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Here I go, here I go, here I go. I said girls what’s my weakness? 

SOUP.

Does anyone remember the SNL skit “Give it on up to Homelessville” with Justin Timberlake?

But really—I’ve been eating SO MUCH soup lately.  This one in particular I’ve made about a dozen times since marathon training began and since I’m pretty superstition and training has been going well, I keep making it.  It’s a slow cooker recipe that originally came from Southern Living but I’ve altered a bit to my liking.  I love that it ends up being about 6 or 7 meals for me and I can heat it up quick on the stove on lunch break while out throwing rocks for G.

Ingredients

8 oz chopped celery

12 oz chopped onion and bell pepper mix

1 zucchini, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic

16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables (I use carrots, corn, green beans, peas, baby lima beans)

32 oz chicken broth

1/2 tsp pepper

Fresh garlic (optional)

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini

Directions

Optional Step! Before putting into the slow cooker, sauté celery, onion and bell pepper mix for 5 minutes or until tender.  If I’m short on time, I skip this step which leaves a little crunch to your soup.

Place all ingredients into the slow cooker EXCEPT the tortellini.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.

Add tortellini and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes.

SOUP there it is!  Enjoy!!

On Saturdays, I make pizza.

Thought I’d share with you my favorite Saturday meal.  Sometimes it’s lunch, sometimes it’s dinner but it’s becoming a weekly tradition that I look forward to.

I use Stop & Shop’s premade whole-wheat pizza dough, found cold in the deli section.  Toppings vary but here are some of my favorites I used today:

·      Your favorite brand of pizza sauce

·      Crushed red pepper flakes

·      Mozzarella cheese (I use both shredded mozzarella and pieces of fresh mozzarella)

·      Ricotta cheese

·      Banana peppers

·      Pepperoni

·      Grilled chicken

What are your favorite pizza toppings?  Do you make your own dough?

Run Jen Run Loves Smoothies 2

I love smoothies!  I also love making my own creations. 

This morning I didn’t have many ingredients (Thursday night is shopping night!) so I did the best I could with what I had.  It wasn’t the prettiest smoothie I’ve ever made but it was oh so good!

1 banana

1 kiwi

Handful of frozen pineapple

1 container Yoplait vanilla Greek yogurt

1 scoop flaxseed

Orange juice as needed

What are your favorite smoothie ingredients? 

It’s Pumpkin Season!

Pumpkin is all the rage right now.  It’s everywhere in the fall.  I personally look forward to that first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte every year.  (Dunkin ain’t got nothin’ on Starbucks!)  I also love a good Shipyard Pumpkinhead—with cinnamon on the rim, of course.

 

While a Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte is 380 calories, 13g of fat and 49g of sugars (from starbucks.com), pumpkin as a vegetable is very nutritious and beneficial to your diet.

·      Pumpkin is high in fiber and low in calories.  An excellent combo to keep you feeling full longer.

 

·      High in Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for vision.  It also aides in the functioning of your heart, lungs, and kidneys.

 

·      High in Vitamin C, which helps to keep the immune system in check and promotes cardiovascular health.

 

·      Contains Vitamin E which actually helps to protect the skin from sun damage.  (You still need to wear sunscreen!)

 

·      High in Potassium, an essential nutrient to maintain electrolyte balance in the body.

 

·      A great natural source of iron.  Iron is needed for the red blood cells to transport oxygen.  Iron deficiency causes fatigue and weakness.  I dealt with this in high school.  Not good for runners!

 

·      Contains the antioxidant beta-carotene, which has been said to play a role in preventing cancers.

 

·      Pumpkin seeds contain an antioxidant that aids in lowering LDLs aka the bad cholesterol.

 

 

My favorite recipe using pumpkin is still Hungry Girl’s Yum Yum Brownie Muffins.  They are super easy to make—just 2 ingredients—and a chocolate treat that’s high in fiber.

 

Ingredients

18.25 oz box devil’s food cake mix

15 oz can pure pumpkin

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Pour cake mix into large bowl and whisk to remove any lumps.  Add pumpkin and stir until completely smooth and uniform.

 

Don’t add any other ingredients that may be mentioned on the cake mix box, like eggs, oil, or water.  The mixture will be very thick, so you might be tempted to add in other things to make the batter thinner.  Do not do this!

 

Evenly distribute batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with foil baking cups and/or sprayed with nonstick spray.  Place pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

 

Allow to cool slightly then serve!

 

Makes 12 servings.  We like to make them in mini muffin pans so they are easy to pop right in your mouth!

 

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

 

Run Jen Run Loves Smoothies

I love smoothies!  I also love making my own creations. 

Here’s this morning’s post-run smoothie...

1 banana

Handful of frozen strawberries

Handful of frozen peaches

2 scoops Arbonne vanilla protein powder

1 scoop flaxseed

1 scoop peanut butter

Splash of tart cherry juice

Water as needed

Pumpkin Granola Bars

These are amazing.  Great for breakfast or after a run!

Ingredients

3-1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (or more!) teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon flaxseed (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x11 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together oats, spices, flaxseed and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey and vanilla extract until smooth.  Poor over oats and stir well until all of the oats are moist.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set.  The pumpkin keeps the bars moist so make sure you don’t under-bake!

Remove from oven.  Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Cut into bars.  Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Enjoy!!

Belmont Jewel

Belmont Jewel

1.5 oz bourbon

2 oz lemonade

1 oz pomegranate juice

Shake vigorously & serve over ice with a cherry or lemon twist.

It’s been a tradition to watch all 3 Triple Crown races each year with my dad.  I look forward to it every spring.  In honor of California Chrome’s Triple Crown attempt, we enjoyed a glass of Belmont Jewel, the official drink of the Belmont Stakes.

The 3 Ingredient Breakfast Cookie

They’re chewy.  They’re gooey.  And they are only made with 3 ingredients.  Thank you mama for another great recipe.

Ingredients

2 medium bananas (very ripe), mashed

1 cup of uncooked quick oats

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the mashed bananas and oats in a bowl.  Fold in chocolate chips and place a tablespoon of each on the cookie sheet.

Bake 15 minutes.  Makes 16 cookies

So easy and so good!  Enjoy!!

Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread

Let’s not lie.  I’ve never actually made these but my mom does all the time for me and they are amazing!  Definitely one of my favorite choices for breakfast or post-workout snack.

Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread

Ingredients

1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 cup oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or 1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw

2 egg whites

1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)

1/3 cup or one 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and 1/4 cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl combine (set aside): 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol) and 2 teaspoon cinnamon.

In a large bowl combine (whisk together): 1-1/2 cup oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or 1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw.

In a medium bowl combine (whisk together and add to large bowl): 2 egg whites, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze), 1/3 cup or one 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and 1/4 cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional).

Poor a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).

Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar on top.

Draw a knife through the batter to marble.  Bake for 24 to 28 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Bread will be dense.

I also recommend checking out Jamie’s video.

Makes 16 squares.  1 square = 55 calories, 1g fat, 8g carbs, 5g protein.   

Enjoy!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

In honor of NFL Championship Week, I am sharing with you my favorite tailgate treat: Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

This recipe is based off a Hungry Girl recipe using low-fat ingredients and greek yogurt for extra protein.  I prefer dunking Tostitos Multigrain Tortilla Chips but you can also dip carrot sticks or celery for an even healthier option.

Ingredients:

Two 10oz cans 98% fat-free chunk white chicken breast in water, drained

1 package (8oz) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (or more!) Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup fat-free blue cheese dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth.  Add Franks, Greek yogurt, blue cheese dressing, cheddar cheese, and chicken and stir well.

Transfer to a 8x8 inch pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until hot.

 

Enjoy!! #billsmafia