Bakery Style Whole Wheat Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

These muffins are made with white whole wheat flour, fresh blueberries, and grated zucchini. They are perfect for a healthy breakfast on-the-run, or for packing in school lunches. As an added bonus, adding applesauce to the batter makes these muffins extra moist!

Whole Wheat Zucchini Blueberry Muffins

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup salted butter, partially melted

1 (4 ounce) snack container natural no-sugar added applesauce *plain or cinnamon flavor will work

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 heaping cups grated zucchini

1 (6 ounce) container fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a standard size muffin tin with muffin liners (you could also use a mini muffin pan). 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients with a hand mixer (eggs, butter, applesauce, and vanilla) until completely incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients. Also add the zucchini to the well. 

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together by hand or with the hand mixer just until combined. I prefer to use the hand mixer, because this batter will seem a little dry at first if you do it by hand. Using the hand mixer ensures that the moisture from the zucchini seeps into the batter more quickly, making the batter more moist faster. But if you choose to use the mixer you have to understand that it is easier to over mix the batter with a hand mixer. 

Whether you choose to mix by hand or with a hand mixer, do not over mix the batter! Over-mixing muffin batter will result in tough muffins with larger air pockets and the muffins will rise super tall in the middle and not on the sides. In other words, you'll have made chewy cone-top muffins, instead perfect light-and-fluffy domed muffins. 

Briefly and evenly fold the blueberries into the muffin batter with a rubber spatula. Fill the individual muffin tins completely to the top of the liner with batter (yes, they'll look full but that's how you'll get a nice dome). Bake standard size muffins for 20-22 minutes or bake mini muffins for 10-12 minutes. When muffins are fully cooked, a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool to warm or completely cool before eating.

Yield: 12 muffins

Calories per muffin: 190

Carbs per muffin: 32g

Baked Caprese Chicken

These perfectly-italian-seasoned panko breaded chicken breasts would be perfect on their own, but they are 100x times more succulent with fresh caprese salsa and melty mozzarella cheese baked on top. Plus, no one will ever be able to tell that you baked the chicken instead of frying it (this is because of the small amount of oil you'll add to the breadcrumbs, a little trick I picked up from Lauren's Latest)!

Baked Caprese Chicken

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut into equal halves horizontally (making 4 cutlets)

4-8 mozzarella cheese slices *I recommend using fresh mozzarella if possible

optional for topping: a balsamic reduction (my favorite), balsamic vinegar (pictured above), or storebought/homemade balsamic vinaigrette

For the breading:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 1/2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil

Set out three separate shallow dishes. In the first dish combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir with a fork or whisk and set aside. In the second dish, whisk the egg, milk, salt and pepper together until egg is completely beaten. Set aside. In the third dish combine the panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Stir with a fork or whisk until fully incorporated. Drizzle the breadcrumb mixture with the olive oil and then work the oil in with your *clean* hands until every breadcrumb is coated with oil and there aren't any large clumps. Adding the oil will help the panko breadcrumbs brown in the oven (they'd normally stay pretty pale). As a result, the chicken will look and taste like it has been fried, but it's totally baked!

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Dip both sides of each piece of chicken first in the flour, then in the eggs (letting any excess egg drip off), and finally into the breadcrumbs. Place the breaded pieces of chicken on prepared baking sheet. 

Once oven is preheated, bake chicken for 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F (the cooking time of the chicken will largely depend on the thickness of your cutlets). I rotate my pan half-way through the cooking time, because my oven has hot spots and I like them to cook and brown evenly.

While the chicken is baking, make the caprese salsa.

For the caprese salsa:

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 heaping cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup prepared pesto

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven and quickly top each piece of chicken with approximately 1/4 cup of the caprese salsa. Then place 1-2 slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the salsa. 

Return the chicken to the oven and bake for 3-5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I like to serve this chicken with a syrup-y balsamic reduction drizzled over the top. In a pinch straight balsamic vinegar works too, or you could drizzle the chicken with a balsamic vinaigrette. If you don't like balsamic vinegar, you could obviously just opt out of all of these options. BUT if you do choose to drizzle your chicken with any of these balsamic flavors, please remember that a little bit goes a long way for the flavor profile!

Serves: 4

Calories: 390
Carbs: 22g

Additional Notes: Calorie and carb count assume that you have some leftover flour from the breading process, which is not calculated into the results. Nutrition facts were also calculated assuming you only use one slice of mozzarella cheese per piece of chicken (Great Value Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese Slices).

"The Greek" aka An Insanely Awesome Hummus Sandwich {with a vegetarian option}

We fondly refer to this sandwich as "The Greek". It's loaded with greek flavors, healthy, satisfying, and oh-so-delicious! Confession: see that massive sandwich down there? I can only ever eat half of one because it ends up being so huge!

"The Greek": A Satisfying Sandwich Recipe

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

What you'll need:

8 pieces of sturdy whole wheat bread

1/2 cup hummus *homemade or storebought

1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese

arugula or spring greens, washed and dried

kalamata or regular black olives, cut in half

roasted deli turkey, omit for vegetarian

sliced tomatoes or roasted red bell peppers

sliced cucumbers

sliced red onion

marinated artichoke hearts

optional for spreading on top piece of bread: Opa Feta Dill Dressing, Dilly of a Dip, or mayo with fresh or dried dill sprinkled on top.

I assemble my sandwiches in this order: bread, hummus, feta cheese, lettuce, olives, turkey, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, artichoke hearts. Then I spread the top bread slice with Opa Feta Dill Dressing and finish the sandwich off with that piece of bread.

Insanely delicious. Really.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

No nutrition facts today! The total caloric value and carb count of your sandwich will really depend on the individual ingredients used (different breads, different hummus, dressing/no dressing... etc).

{click on the collage above to make it larger}

Easy Weeknight Taco Salad

A bed of leafy greens topped with our favorite easy taco meat, other taco-like toppings, and cilantro lime dressing. This meal is on the table in 30 minutes or less, especially if you make the dressing ahead of time!

We are on a 5-week vacation currently (left last friday), so I apologize if my posts for the next five weeks are a little less wordy! I'm trying to maintain this blog while still on vacation and enjoy the time we have with family. 

This salad is one of my absolute favorites, especially for busy weekdays. We almost always have the ingredients on hand and, just like tacos, people can customize their own taco salad or you can just mix everything all together and serve. On really special occasions I like to make my own tortilla strips by cutting up tortillas with a cookie cutter and shallow frying them in canola oil until they are nice and crispy (sprinkle them with a little salt after frying).

Easy Weeknight Taco Salad

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

2 heads green leaf lettuce, washed and dried then torn into bite size pieces

3-4 tomatoes, diced

3 green onions, sliced

1 small can sliced olives, drained

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed *or black peans, or pinto beans, or chick peas

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese *or pepper jack, or colby jack, or monterey jack cheese

1 recipe taco meat

1 recipe cilantro lime dressing (below)

crushed tortilla chips or store-bought tortilla strips 

Optional salad toppers: sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, diced avocado, thawed frozen corn, etc.

Combine the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, and kidney beans in a large salad bowl. I serve the taco meat, cheese, dressing and tortilla chips (plus any other optional toppers) on the side in individual bowls, that way people can customize their own salad just like they’d do with tacos!

Cilantro Lime Dressing 

Recipe Source: Kalyn's Kitchen

1 Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch packet, prepared according to package directions

4 small tomatillos, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt

dash of freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

If you don't have the time, or don't want to make this dressing for the salad, we also love putting regular ranch dressing mixed with salsa on these salads. Works in a pinch!

Serves: 6
Calories: 356 w/o dressing, 470 w/ 2 TBSP dressing
Carbs: 29g (includes 2 TBSP dressing and 2 TBSP tortilla strips--- like the kind you find next to the croutons in most grocery stores)

The Easiest Taco Meat Ever

My go-to taco meat recipe is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, taco salad, nachos, quesadillas... the list goes on and on and on. The best part is it's 100% real. No need for taco seasoning packets here. You've got everything you need right up in the spice cupboard.

When I lived at home my mom would always flavor our taco meat with three spices: chili powder, cumin, and salt. I've debated sharing this recipe (my adapted version of her taco meat) for a while because of just how simple it is.

But, no matter how basic the recipe, it is too good not to share. Honestly it is something anybody could make and no one would ever know that you ditched that taco seasoning packet! And... it takes just as long to make as it would if you were making it with a pre-made seasoning.

My reasoning for not using a taco seasoning packet is that most of them contain MSG (monosodium glutamate). This is an ingredient I avoid most of the time as I have a hunch it contributes to the headaches I get sometimes.

Best. Taco. Filling. Ever. For sure.

Easiest Ever Taco Meat

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

½ tablespoon olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey or lean ground beef

½ cup diced yellow onion *about ½ of a small onion

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot add onions and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and translucent. Add the ground meat, breaking it into small pieces with your hands as you add it to the pan. Cook stirring occasionally until the meat is mostly brown but still a little bit pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic and stir until the spices evenly coat the meat. Continue cooking until meat is fully cooked, then remove from heat. I suggest using this meat to make tacos in these tortillas!

Serves: 4

Calories: 200

Carbs: 4g

Additional Notes: This recipe also works with 1 pound of chicken breasts or tenders cut into small chunks! Calories and carbs were calculated for using lean ground beef (93%/7% is what I use).

Recent Recipes Worth Sharing

I've been a little bit MIA lately! It's summer and I'm going to take a very low key approach to this food blog for a while, at least until the end of the summer. This post is going to be really short but I've had a couple of things in the past week that I really just had to share the recipe for! 

Don't mind the instagram photos. I'm sort of unable to blog on a computer right now which means I have no way to upload photos and edit them. But to be totally honest I sort of love how low-fuss it is to use instagram photos on here.

Now for the recipes! The first is an oatmeal cookie recipe that I absolutely loved.

Old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe Source: adapted from Cooking Classy

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup greek yogurt (plain, vanilla, or honey flavor)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Icing:

3 tablespoons milk *I used whole milk
2 cups powdered sugar

In a small mixing bowl whisk the oats, flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set  aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, cream the butter, yogurt and sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs in one at a time until they've been evenly mixed in. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until totally combined. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 350.

Using a cookie scoop to portion the dough, drop 12 scoops onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until dark golden. Let cool for 5 minutes on pan before removing to a cooling rack. Once cookies are completely cool make the icing by stirring the milk into the powdered sugar until smooth. Spread a thin layer of icing on the cookie with the back of a spoon. Let the icing set. 

Barbecue Chicken Cobb Salad

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

green leaf lettuce

leftover barbecue chicken, diced

cooked corn *we used leftovers from corn on the cob

diced red onion

cooked crumbled bacon

diced avocado

canned black beans *drained and rinsed

cherry tomatoes, cut in half

blue cheese dressing

barbecue sauce

Wash and dry lettuce leaves. Tear up desired amount and place in a shallow platter or tupperware. Place prepared toppings on top of lettuce. We make "stripes" with each ingredient on ours. Just before serving toss with blue cheese dressing and a small amount of barbecue sauce.

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If you'd like to use this recipe on your food blog my only request is that you give me credit for the recipe and write it in your own words. If you would like to use my photo please do not write the recipe in your post and link back to this post instead. For more information on using my content please click here.

Grilled Sticky Chicken Wraps

These are delicious. I use an indoor grill to make them, but you could definitely do this on an outdoor grill if you wanted to! You may just want to cut the chicken into bigger chunks so that you don't lose any through the cracks of the grill.

What I do is slice up a couple chicken breasts and grill them on both sides for a couple of minutes. 

Then I toss the almost-fully-cooked pieces in sticky finger sauce.

Then I put them back on the grill and cook them on both sides again, and I brush each side with more sauce. I like to let the sauce get all caramelized and thick and STICKY, since these are sticky finger wraps.

YUM. Stack sliced tomatoes, lettuce, shredded colby jack cheese, ranch dressing, more sticky finger sauce, and crispy chow mein noodles on a tortilla.

Slab on some of that sticky chicken.

Roll up and DEVOUR.

Sticky Chicken Wraps

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester, Sticky Finger Sauce recipe adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

Sticky Finger Sauce:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup Frank's hot sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons butter

Wrap Assembly:

2 chicken breasts, sliced
tortillas
sliced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
shredded colby jack cheese
ranch dressing
crunchy chow mein noodles

To make sauce: Combine brown sugar, hot sauce, and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool to room temperature. Store any leftovers in the fridge--- it will get really thick and sticky in the fridge so sit it on the counter a couple of hours before grilling the chicken if it's been refrigerated beforehand.

To grill chicken: Cook chicken strips on grill for a couple of minutes on each side, or until you get some nice looking grill marks. Remove from grill into a small bowl and toss with about half of the prepared sauce. 

Put strips back on grill and cook for 2-3 additional minutes on each side, brushing with more sauce. When they are done the sauce will be sticky and caramelized (but not burnt) and the chicken will be cooked through.

To assemble wraps: Stack sliced tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, dressing, more sticky finger sauce, chow mein noodles and chicken on a tortilla. Roll up and serve.

If you'd like to use this recipe on your food blog my only request is that you give me credit for the recipe and write it in your own words. If you would like to use my photo please do not write the recipe in your post and link back to this post instead. For more information on using my content please click here.