Muffin Love

Many of us at my house are snackers. We love to have a little something between meals. One of the most tasty snacks we enjoy are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Now notice I said tasty and not healthy. Just reading a list of the ingredients could give you a heart attack. They have the tiniest bit of pumpkin in them so they qualify as an okay snack in my book.

I first saw this recipe at Money Saving Mom. I made them last fall and the boys loved them. I tried to make them in the spring but couldn’t find pumpkin in a can anywhere. So this fall I got smart. I stockpiled probably 10 cans of pumpkin. Each time a new can came home my husband would look at the can and shake his head in disbelief. But believe you me, he enjoys these just as much as the boys. Plus, he’s the biggest snacker of all of us. I have trouble keeping snack foods around because of him.

Here’s the recipe (I’ll tell you how I have modified it a bit):

Made this recipe yesterday and it made 70 mini muffins

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar (yes, I said tasty, not healthy)

1 (16 ounce) can of pumpkin (I can only always find 15 oz.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4cups vegetable oil (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups) – it’s a ton of oil, maybe could substitute some of it for applesauce

3 cups flour (I use half white, half whole wheat)

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I put in a half bag of the mini chips)

1. In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil until smooth.

2. Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.

4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 16-20 minutes (9-11 minutes for the mini muffins)

I would love a new recipe for a different type of muffin. Let me know if you have a recipe and would like to share it.

Meatless Meal Ideas…I need help!

Since my goal this January is to lower our eating bill by $125.00, I’ve been thinking of some ways to do this. One way is to make my meal plan for the week and stick to it. Here’s this weeks meal plan which we have stuck to so:

Monday: Italian sausage bake, fruit

Tuesday: Pork chops,corn , applesauce, rice packet

Wednesday: homemade pizza & salad

Thursday: Blueberry muffins, eggs, fruit

Friday: Beef Stir Fry, eggrolls

Saturday:taco soup, fruit

Sunday:meatball subs, green beans, fruit

I also noticed that we eat meat for practically every dinner. That’s not good on the budget and it can’t be healthy.  Here’s a list of the meatless meals that are typically in our rotation. I would love to expand this list:

*tomato soup, grilled cheese, pickle

*broccoli, rice, cheese casserole

*homemade pizza

*pasta

*breakfast foods (pancakes, blueberry muffins, waffles)

Do you have any ideas for meatless meals? I’d love to hear from you.