Simple chocolate cupcakes

 I love those days where you wake up and the sun is shining and the birds are singing with glorious abandon. This morning was not one of those mornings. It is cold, gloomy and drizzling outside. However, a few days ago I woke up and it was an absolutely beautiful day. I opened up the windows in the house and let the fresh air in. I did a little house cleaning and clothes washing.

All of this cleaning got me a little hungry and I was also a little inspired to bake something yummy and sweet. I am trying to consume less sugar for obvious reasons but also because I have a cute little dress and a swimsuit that I need to fit into in a few months and I have to bake less or just find ways to bake a little more healthy.

So I decided to make some cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes!!!

I don't like to use box mixes because they are usually full of unnecessary crap and are not very healthy, but I happened to have one on hand.

So, I made some chocolate mix and used applesauce instead of the oil to make it a little healthier and I also used farm fresh cage-free eggs. I used these green Wilton cupcake holders and unfortunately they stuck to my cupcakes really bad, but they sure looked purdy!

Then, I sprinkled a generous coating of confectioners sugar all over them.

I think they came out great and I realized that I love chocolate cupcakes with just a touch of sugar and not a heaping layer of icing. Not that I won't still thrown down on some big ole icing covered cupcakes, but It is a nice change to enjoy a simple rich chocolate cupcake.

 

Blessings to all

 

Nature's Bounty | Fresh, Healthy, Colorful, Vibrant Ingredients

 If I would have seen all of this fresh and delicious food when I was younger, I would have been like, Nooo!!!

I never knew I could be so in love with real food.

My horizons are expanding and I learn to cook and utilize new and different vegetables every week and I love it. Some people probably think, "why would you take pictures of your food or plain fruits and veggies", and probably think it's weird. I feel like, how can I not? Look at all of the color, and on top of their simple beauty, I know how they taste and how wonderful they are for me.

Look how different and vibrant their colors are. Shiny red tomatoes, Vibrant greens, sunny yellows, deep purples and bright oranges. You can't get any better or more beautiful than that. I got the green apples to make a few small apple pies or crisps in the next couple of days. I got jalepenos and cilantro to make some fresh salsa fresca. One of my favorites. I save a lot of money by making my own in a big batch and storing it in the fridge to snack on or add to our favorite fresh dishes, like salmon and rice. Mmm mmm good!

See those little heirloom cherry tomatoes in purple, yellow, orange and red?

Heaven! They taste like heaven.

I made a small layered dip with beans, sour cream, avocados, cheese and topped it off with those superb little tomatoes and they made the dish. The purple ones are my favorite, with a robust tart and lingering sweet flavor.

How can I not get excited about real food that is so amazing for my health? This is beautiful and it makes me happy and most importantly, it makes me want to cook well and eat well.

So grateful for this food!!! Get you some!!!

 

Blessings to all

 

 

Check out my previous post on

The Benefits of Himalayan Salt

 

Benefits of Himalayan Salt | Not all salt is created equal

Let's talk about salt, the good, the bad and why all salt is not created equal. There are many different kinds of salts to choose from. Iodized salt, un-iodized salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt...
 Many people don't even realize that certain salts, like table salt, can be very harmful to our bodies. Most importantly table salt is not pure and contains chemicals like iodine, absorbents and even sugar, which our bodies don't need.
The typical table salt has no nutritional value and is lacking in minerals. The human body has a difficult time disposing of all this salt naturally and in a healthy way and in return to much consumption of  table salt can turn into a whole mess of unnecessary health issues.
You can read more about the step-by-step process of what table salt can do here.

 

Let's talk about a salt that is actually good for you when ingested properly and in the correct amounts.
Himalayan Salt also known as (pink Himalayan salt) is the Cadillac of salts not only because of the many health benefits but also the fact that it is found naturally and has been untouched by toxins and pollutants. Himalayan salt contains the same 84 natural minerals and elements found in the human body and is much easier for the human body to absorb and digest. It is another one of those little gifts that we have been blessed with and if used properly, can aid in a healthy diet. I love finding little jewels like this.  

 

There are so many benefits to using Himalayan salt over the ordinary table salt

some of them may be:

 

Controlling the water levels within the body, regulating them for proper functioning

Promoting stable pH balance in the cells, including the brain.

Encouraging excellent blood sugar health

Aiding in reducing the common signs of aging

Promoting cellular hydroelectric energy creation

Promoting the increased absorption capacities of food elements within the intestinal tract

Aiding vascular health

Supporting healthy respiratory function

Lowering incidence of sinus problems, and promoting over-all sinus health

Reducing cramps

Increasing bone strength

Naturally promoting healthy sleep patterns

Creating a healthy libido

Circulator support

Promotes kidney and gall bladder health when compared to common chemically-treated salt

For more information on Himalayan salt, you can check out the link that I shared previously here as well as this site.

These sites do a great job at explaining the science behind this amazing natural salt.

My goal is to share this in hopes of making others aware of the dangers of table salt, as well as offer education on safe salt-alternatives.

Next time you are at your local grocery store, try and find some Himalayan salt to incorporate into your next meal. If you can't find any at your grocery store, you can find it at any health foods store or at the educational link that I previously shared.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Blessings to all



The Magestic and Amazing Frio River | Nature at it's finest

I just wanted to share a couple of beautiful shots I got. This photo is one of my favorites because I know this place so well. I have been visiting this river and this spot for the past 24 years of my life. We try to make at least one family trip every Summer and my best friend and I try to make a "girls" trip as well.

This is the Frio River in Concan, Tx

Many people may know the Frio by one of George Strait's songs called
"All my exes live in Texas"

or

they most likely know it from Garner State Park.

We always stay right down stream from Garner at Magers River Camp.

Mrs. Magers has long since passed away and her kids have taken over the property, split it in half and made their own personal changes to the place, as people tend to do when that happens.

None the less, we still love to go and make new memories and we will always have our older memories and pictures like these to look back on.

If you ever get the opportunity to make it to Texas, then I hope you get to checkout the Frio River.

It is so beautiful and majestic. Full of wild animals, sometimes wild turkeys and deer make their way through the river banks. You can sit on the edge of the water or in a kayak and fish for little perch, which are abundant and may nibble on your toes a little. There is hiking and 4 hour kayak trips, which I also have embarked on a couple of times. I love nature and the great outdoors. I love kayaking and fishing, campfires and cookouts. I love crossing the river at night by the damn and going over to the Garner State Park side for the Summer dances.  The Frio River area has all of this and more. The next time you are looking for a fun new place to visit or a cool place to take the kids on a family vacation, then I hope you remember this post and you give it a shot. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

 

This next photo was taken many years ago while on a road trip in the northwest part of the country. It was so long ago that I can't remember for sure the exact location but I'm almost positive that it was Washington state. A beautiful state with gorgeous mountains and rolling hills of amber. I love traveling to the northwestern part of America.
It reminds me just how small I am in this big old world.

 

Dream on Dreamers

Blessings to all

 

The benefits of living next to a produce store

I happen to live very close to a produce store, "Straight From the Crate", and I am very grateful.

I love fresh produce. Fresh fruits, veggies and sometimes some fresh baked bread.

It was a beautiful sun-shining Valentines day and I packed up the boys and we walked to the

store and grabbed a few items.

Lemons, strawberries, cantaloupe, onions, avocados, spinach, oranges, potatoes and a loaf of fresh baked bread. Just writing those words makes my mouth water. It is truly a blessing to have access to all these fresh yummy all-natural foods, especially when you don't have a garden of your own.

Another benefit of all this fresh produce is coming home and making a delicious batch of

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I used frozen corn, black beans, shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cilantro, topped

with avocados, cheddar cheese and crispy tortilla chips. I know I didn't get most of the ingredients from the produce store but sometimes it's just those one or two fresh items like avocados that inspire a meal like this. This is the kind of meal that reminds me of my home!

 

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces

– just good food from fresh ingredients 

- Julia Child

 

One of the biggest and best lessons that I have learned from eating well is the effects that it has on your body. Eating well isn't just a way of life, but it is a preventative from disease and bad health. Not only does eating all natural foods right from the earth make us feel good but it helps heal the body. Natural foods are full of healing properties. I whole-heartedly believe that. The Lord has provided us with all we need to live a healthy and satisfying life, all while preventing the many diseases that plague us.

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

- Hippocrates, father of medicine,

If you don't consume a lot of fresh foods right now, I highly suggest trying out some knew recipes that involve lots of them. When I was younger I didn't eat nearly enough veggies and now I can't imagine not eating these foods on a daily basis. I feel so much better when I consume more foods that don't have a t.v. commercial and grow naturally. I feel great!

 

I've included some famous quotes that I really enjoy about eating healthy and caring for out body

 

Eat Food. Not Too much. Mostly Plants. - Michael Pollan, renowned food expert and journalist

 

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.  Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce. - Michael Pollan

 

When we learn to eat properly we begin to rebuild our bodies and to fulfill our purpose on this planet to grow in health, creativity, wisdom, and compassion - Dr. Ann Wigmore

 

Check out my previous post on making homemade fresh Blueberry Muffins from Scratch!

Use your frozen blueberries



Happy 1st Birthday to my nephew

I am a little late on this post but you know what they say, "better late than never". My nephew had his first birthday on the 12th of February and we celebrated by gathering in Luckenbach at the Luckenbach Lodges with the sun shining bright. It was a beautiful day, beautiful weather and a perfect day for an outdoor party.

 

The Birthday Boy

Cousins

Brotherly Love

My sister and her big-little ONE year old

Brothers

All the boys want is Sugar Sugar Sugar

My sweet little angel enjoying the outdoors

 

It was a great First birthday!!!

 

Blessings

The best blueberry muffins I have ever eaten | Recipe

There is nothing quite like fresh homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast. Fresh blueberry anything, actually! Growing up my mom always made the Betty Crocker blueberry muffins from a box. I always loved them. I liked to help make them and draining the blueberries was especially fun because how many foods do you get to play with that are blue? I would smother my muffin in butter and gobble it up. I could really throw down when I was younger.
As I grew up, I carried on the same tradition and made my blueberry muffins the same way. From a box! Along the way I have tried to make blueberry muffins from scratch here and there, but they always came out really heavy and cakey or too bland. I had given up on making them.

About a week ago I came across this blueberry muffin recipe and honestly the muffins on her blog looked so good that I thought I would give it a try. Little did I know that I made the best decision of my day. I did have a whole box of fresh blueberries that needed a higher purpose after all. I am glad that I made them because they are THE BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS THAT I HAVE EVER EATEN!!! Did I yell that?!?!

I mean it! These are so fluffy and moist with just the perfect amount of berries and sweetness. I love the bursts of warm berries as you bite into these. I like that the recipe called for brown sugar instead of the regular granular sugar. I think that made a big difference. The sweet and cinnamon crumble on top to top it off was perfect. It didn't take me long to throw these together either, which I like. This recipe also calls for buttermilk, which is super easy to make if you don't have any and she also explains how to do that on her blog. She really took the time to make a really great post with detailed instructions. So I will let her do the teaching on this. You can find the recipe for these amazing muffins at this really cool blogged called Simply Delicious.

She even has those awesome printable recipe cards on her page, which makes things so much easier.

 

Just a quick once over of the ingredients for this recipe:

MUFFINS:

 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 (1 stick) cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, plus 1/4 cup to press on top

CRUMBLE:

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Yield: 15 Regular Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

After you make these yummy little blueberry babies, smother them in butter and enjoy them with a glass of milk. That is my favorite way to eat them. I hope you get a chance to make these muffins and that you enjoy them as much as I do. I have a new favorite blueberry muffins recipe and I will be holding onto this one for a while.

Enjoy!

Blessings to all

Check out my previous post on

How to freeze your leftover berries



How to freeze berries

It has been such a gloomy and dreary day. But I got these fresh strawberries and a giant thing of blueberries on sale and I am washing them up good so I can freeze them. I love fresh berries and freezing them while they are in season or on sale is a great way to ensure their availability.

I can't stand to see my fruits and veggies go bad before I can eat them. For some reason I always forget about freezing them. Really, you can freeze just about anything. Think about all the varieties of food that fill the packages in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. Green beans, corn, onions, squash, zucchini and everything else under the sun. In order to stock my freezer up and make sure that I don't waste any of my food, I am going to start taking half of my fruits and veggies and wash them and freeze them. I started with my berries that are so sweet and bright. I was surprised to stumble upon such good berries and at such a great price in January. I don't want to let these puppies go to waste.

Freezing berries or really anything is actually quite simple. First, I get a baking sheet and cover it with two layers of papers towels so that I can dry/drain the berries of their excess water after rinsing.

Take all of your fruit that you want to freeze and give it a good washing. I use a strainer and let them sit in the sink for a few minutes to drip off as much excess as possible. I then spread the fruit out over the paper towels to dry off. After a few minutes I turn the fruit over and try to get the other side too. If you have any paring or trimming to do with your food, this would be the time to do it. I usually cut out the core and take off the greenery on my strawberries before freezing them.

I then throw away the paper towel and use a silicone mat on the baking sheet to prevent the berries from sticking. This isn't necessary. I just happen to have one. You can place your berries directly on the cookie sheet. I wouldn't use paper of any kind because the berries may stick to the paper as they freeze. Try to separate your fruit as much as possible. Sometimes the berries will freeze together when they still have water on them. The goal is to try to freeze your berries separately so that you can use as much or as little as you want from your bag without them all being frozen in one big clump. That is why drying them on the paper towels is an important step. After they are washed, dried and spread out on the cookie sheet, you can then put the cookie sheet of fruit in the freezer for about an hour. You mostly want the berries to get pre-frozen enough not to stick together. After an hour, take the berries out of the freezer and put them into your freezer-friendly ziplock bags that have been pre-labeled with the date they were frozen and the name of the item. Then you can store them in your freezer for up to six months.

If you like smoothies as much as I do, then this will also make smoothie-making that much easier. A great idea for smoothies is taking this same concept but preparing baggies of pre-prepared fruit combinations for your smoothies. For instance if you love strawberry banana, then you can make a bag of already sliced bananas and strawberries for a smoothie. It's a great way to save time and to make sure that you have the fruits you want when you need them. Try this with spinach and yogurt too. Like I said before, you can pretty much freeze anything.

Happy Berry Freezing!!!

Blessings to all