Ginger, Oat, Banana Muffins

Three years ago, I had recently moved to Jacksonville and was preggers with my first! I hadn't landed a teaching job yet and began watching "The Chew"almost daily! Daphne Oz and I were pregnant at the same time (this happened twice actually!!!) and she made a muffin recipe for morning sickness!  I was one of the lucky ones that didn't actually get morning sickness with either of my littles (thank God!!!), but I did get bouts of dizziness and so I decided to give it a try!  It actually turned out to be one of my family's favorite recipes and I have made it a million times since then!  My husband, daughter, sister, cousins, friends, etc. all LOVE it and I tend to make them whenever people come into town - just because! It's SUPER easy and the best part is that it's made with great ingredients!  There's NO FLOUR in the recipe!!!!  It's made with oat flour (you just put regular oatmeal into a blender and voila - oat flour) and cinnamon and ginger and yogurt and molasses and mashed up bananas - great stuff!  There are a few other ingredients so check the recipe, but I almost always make them when we have a few bananas left that are about to go bad!

Since being preggers with my first, I have watched "The Chew" on and off (depending on my work schedule) and have to say - I really LOVE it!  I get inspired by them ALL the time and regularly remake things they've done on the show :)

Here's the original recipe:
http://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12087961/morning-sickness-muffins-recipe

Now.....I ALWAYS add chocolate chips to this recipe!  I think it's a deal breaker!  But I know some family and friends have made it without and love it just the same - trust me - add the chocolate chips!!!! I also skip adding the 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I add the chocolate chips. I also added flax seeds today's recipe and it was great!

Here's how mine turned out today:

Fresh out of the oven!

 Before going into the oven

Deena helping me mix the dry ingredients

Deena adding the cinnamon

Cinnamon Buns!

I was on Pinterest the other night just randomly looking through pins and came across this recipe for making "Cinnabon" Cinnamon Buns and thought "why not?!?!?!".  Picked up some of the ingredients this morning with the kiddos after story time at our local library and then began the process during "group nap" time!  As I was making the dough, I realized I didn't have enough flour (of course I realize this in the middle of the process and not while I'm at the store buying the ingredients!!!), and so I used about a cup and a half of whole wheat flour.  When my 2 year old woke up from nap, she helped me add the cinnamon center and roll it out :)  I love letting her help me in the kitchen! I think she has an appreciation for how things are made and always likes to help!

These are fresh out of the oven and I just had a chance to taste them! Soooooo yummy!!!  I have to say though....I think the whole wheat flour made them a little grainy, I probably WON'T be using it again!  LOL!

Here's the Pinterest recipe I followed:
http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/breads/cinnabons-cinnamon-rolls/


Here's how they turned out:

Fresh out of the oven before being frosted!

After adding the frosting

Making the cream cheese frosting found in the recipe

Allowing them to rise another 30 min. before putting them in the oven to bake

Rolling it up!

Adding the cinnamon mixture for the center

Deena working on her rolling skills!!!

Cinnamon mixture

Dough after rising an hour

Deena helping mix!

Carrot, Ginger, Turmeric Soup!

My husband said he tried a phenomenal butternut squash soup at Panera earlier this week and I had randomly pinned this soup recipe on the same day.  I decided to give it a try today!  Unfortunately, the link didn't work through Pinterest, but all of the ingredients were listed below the photo and so I used those ingredients and used another recipe as a guide.  It actually turned out SOOOOOOO good!  I'm not really a soup person, but my husband is, and I got his stamp of approval on this one!

Here are the two recipes I used as a guide:
http://helloglow.co/healing-carrot-soup-with-turmeric-and-ginger/
This is the one I used as a guide.  I did the beginning steps as stated with the green onions, garlic, and ginger in the coconut oil. I then added the cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and carrots also like it said.  But then I added a few items from the original recipe I pinned:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354517801902042690/
I added a little curry powder, half a tin of coconut milk, water, and I even added some of the turkey broth that I have saved from Thanksgiving!

Here's what it looks like:

After blending and putting back in pot

Blending all the ingredients together after carrots have softened

Ingredients simmering together