Menu Plan Monday #8

Here we are again… another week, and time to plan meals and get groceries…  Things didn’t go exactly as I had planned out last week, so we will be having a couple of the meals that I had planned from last week, this week…  I also am going to post a WONDERFUL muffin recipe that I have made twice in the past week!!  I am not normally into recipes that take this many ingredients, or take more time than open the box, pour in the milk and egg, or this much time, but these are worth the time!! 

Monday:  Farm House BBQ Muffins, fries, salad

Tuesday:  Shepherds Pie, Rolls

Wednesday:  So You Forgot to Defrost, Rice, Peas, Muffins

Thursday:  Boys will eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, carrot sticks… girls and I will go to my sister’s first wedding shower for dinner!!

Friday:  Most of my kids will be going to different fall parties, James will have a game (I am not going to say last, but let’s just say it didn’t go well last time we played this team)… so it will just be me… what will I do for dinner!?! 

Saturday:  Vegetable Soup, grilled cheese

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I found this recipe in the current (Oct/Nov 2008) edition of Taste of Home Magazine.  I was reading it in the doctor’s office, and thought it really sounded good.   The article says it is from a cookbook called Eat, Shrink, and be Merry… how awesome is that title!!

Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice Muffins

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat bran (I found this at Kroger, in the healthy food isle)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon plus 1/4 tsp each ground ginger and nutmeg)

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt (2%)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey  (maple syrup is really expensive!)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (I used muffin papers, but they kind of stick to the papers). 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, wheat bran, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, yogurt, maple syrup, butter, egg and vanilla.  Stir in carrots.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts, if using)  Batter will be thick. 

Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (I got 14-16 out of them)  Bake on middle rack for 20-22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack. 

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17 year old reaction… “why in the world would you put CARROTS in these?”

ME:  to keep you out of them… (Remember the Cappuccino muffins Leah made?)

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TIP:  These got moldy for me sitting in a Tupperware on the counter in a few days.  I put the left-overs in the freezer this time. 

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At dinner on Friday, when I was feeding my kids, plus three of Zach’s friends, Zach said to me, “You are really cooking real meals again”. 

I smiled, and said, “Thanks for noticing.”

Pam

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