Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. It’s in the air, it’s in your food, and it’s possibly all over your social media pages. The good news: we only have to deal with it till the end of November. The bad news: we only have until the end of November to enjoy all of the pumpkin-y goodness. (What can I say? Pumpkin and I have a love-hate relationship.)

If you’ve been reading my breakfast posts, you know I’ve been banned from making pumpkin breakfasts. Well, because of my awesome pumpkin crepe recipe that I made for dinner a couple weeks ago, I thought I was allowed to make pumpkin breakfasts again. Apparently I was wrong; Kyle just hates pumpkin (unless it’s made into dessert).

Oh well. Mom and I still loved this week’s pumpkin breakfast.

I found this recipe on pinterest and knew I had to try it. I mean, it had pumpkin AND chocolate. However, I can’t make anything without giving the recipe my own little tweak. So here’s my spin on the recipe:

First, gather your ingredients. This includes your basics like flour, eggs, and vanilla. But it also has some unexpected ingredients like stevia, applesauce, and Greek yogurt.

Mix up the dry ingredients in a large bowl, save for the chocolate chips (these come in later). Now, if you’ve been reading my breakfast posts, you know that I’ve been mixing up the dry ingredients the night before to save time. Well, this week I forgot to do that. (Thankfully I was awake enough to complete the full recipe.)

In a separate bowl, mix up your wet ingredients.

When the wet ingredients are mixed together, add the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.

Once the ingredients are all combined, carefully stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a muffin tin with papers and spray the papers with nonstick cooking spray (or just spray the tin and forget the papers). Pour enough batter into each cup until it’s about 2/3 of the way full. Then bake until done, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy the deliciousness.

They are warm, fluffy, and the chocolate chips melt in your mouth. I am addicted and I cannot fathom how my brother can't like them. But then again, we don’t agree on a lot of things.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

3 eggs

½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

16 oz pumpkin puree

¾ cup milk (I used 2%)

1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce

½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

8 oz dark chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (except for the chocolate chips; leave those for later).

In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Once the wet ingredients are combined, stir in the dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Line a muffin tin with papers and spray the papers with non-stick cooking spray (or don’t use the papers and just spray the tins really well). Pour enough batter in so that the cups are filled about 2/3 of the way.

Bake muffins for approximately 18 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the middle and pulling out; if the toothpick is clean, they’re done baking. If the toothpick comes out dirty, stick the muffins back in the oven for another couple minutes.

Wait a couple minutes for the muffins to cool, then eat and enjoy the heavenly, warm, chocolate-pumpkin combination.

Makes about 2 ½ dozen muffins.

Nutrition facts (according to Calorie Count)

Calories: 105

Fat: 2.8 g

Sodium: 134

Protein: 3

Cheers!

Molly

A God Who Provides

I’ve learned a lot throughout my life, and one of the most important things I’ve learned is that God always provides.

My family has never been rich, and there have been times when we’ve really had to struggle to make ends meet. Yet by the grace of God, we always had enough food to eat, we’ve had warm clothes to wear in the colder months, and we’ve been able to afford to keep our house.

God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). But sometimes it’s easy to worry and forget his promises. If you read my last Worship Filled Wednesday post, you know that I’m just starting to learn to trust God and let him have control. I think part of that reason is because I forget his promises and I don’t always remember all that he’s done for me. When I do stop to remember his goodness, I find that it’s a lot easier to let him have control.

My dad passed away very unexpectedly last November. He didn’t have life insurance and he was the sole income provider. My family wasn’t sure how we were going to afford to keep the house, let alone get enough money to feed ourselves. If we struggled so much with Dad’s income, how much worse were we going to be with him gone?

Despite our worries, God had a plan and he took care of us. He provided for us through family, friends, the government, and our church family. Even though we should be worse off than when Dad was alive and providing for us, we aren’t. We’ve had enough food to eat and we’re affording to live in our house.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11. God has plans. They might not be the plans we have for ourselves, but he knows best. He will never leave us not forsake us, and he will always provide.

Another example I have is that I refused to go to college unless I would be able to graduate completely debt free. Well, I will be graduating this May from my local community college with an associate degree in English Composition, and I will be graduating completely debt free.

So if you’re worried about how you’re going to afford a certain something, or how you’re going to make the best out of a bad situation, remember that God always provides and he is always there to take care of us.

Cheers!

Molly

Chilly Day Soup (The mother of all comfort soup!)

Fall is officially in season! The trees are beautiful and the air is crisp. Unfortunately, the weather is also cold and nasty. I mean, it was freaking snowing the other day. SNOWING. It’s OCTOBER!

Sadly, complaining will not change anything. The only thing you can do is bundle up in a big comfy sweater, burn an autumn-scented candle, and stuff your face with as much comfort food as possible – in moderation of course ;)

The weather was incredibly nasty last night, so I decided to plan on a family-approved comfort food recipe straight out of my past – Chilly Day Soup. Even the name is appropriate for this weather!

The first ingredient is a large carrot (or several baby carrots. Just guess on how many baby carrots add up to one large one). Chop it up and boil it in some water until it’s soft.

While the carrot is boiling, chop up two large onions, and peel and chop up 1 quart of potatoes. When the carrot is soft-ish, add the onions and potatoes.

Next, add rice, macaroni, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover all the ingredients.

Boil everything together until tender, then add milk and butter. Heat thoroughly, then bundle up and enjoy your soup on a cold autumn or winter day!

Chilly Day Soup (The mother of all comfort soups)

Ingredients

1 large carrot (or a bunch of baby carrots – eyeball it)

2 cups water, plus some extra

2 large onions

1 quart diced potatoes (approximately two cups)

2 Tbsp rice

1/3 cup uncooked macaroni

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp butter

Directions

Chop up the carrot(s) and boil in 2 cups of water.

While the carrot is cooking, chop the onions and peel/dice your potatoes.

When the carrot is partially cooked, add the onions, potatoes, rice, macaroni, salt, and pepper. Add in enough water to cover the ingredients and boil until everything is tender (about 20 minutes).

Add milk and butter and heat thoroughly.

Serve and enjoy!

What are some of your favorite things to cook for chilly days?

Molly

Motivational Monday 7 - The Storms of Life

Sadly, life is not perfect. It’s wrought with disappointments, failures, loss and moments of hopelessness. Life is full of storms, including snow, ice, thunder, and lightning storms. Sometimes these storms all happen at once.

Lightning storm. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Bailey from the Red Room Photography.

The good news is that there will also be days full of blue skies and sunshine.

Crap happens in life. It happens to good people, it happens to bad people. There’s no reason for it; it just happens. What defines us in life is how we react to these bad situations and circumstances. Do we sit down and accept defeat or do we get back up and weather the storms?

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Sometimes that’s good advice. However, I also think that there are times when it’s acceptable to not want to dance in the rain (plus, what if it’s not rain? What if it’s a snow storm? What if it’s an ice storm? You don’t want to get frostbite, do you???). You don’t have to be happy about your circumstances; you just have to make sure you don’t get blown over by the wind!

Snow storm. You don't want to get frostbite do you? Photo courtesy of Sabrina Bailey from The Red Room Photography.

 I like the idea of dancing in the rain, but, like I said, sometimes it’s not a smart idea (or it’s not raining). I found something else floating around the internet that I personally enjoy a lot better. The quote is attributed to Haruki Murakami, but you never know with the internet.

Anyways, the quote it this: “And once the storm is over you won’t know how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, that the storm is really over. But one thing is for certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in.”

Here’s another cliché: Even the darkest hour only has 60 minutes.

As a writer, I need to avoid clichés. I personally get a little nauseous hearing them. However, there is a part of me that likes them. Remember: clichés exist because they’re true.

So no matter what you’re going through, know that it isn’t the end. You are not the only person who has suffered. Storms come and go sporadically throughout a person’s lifetime, but the good news is that they don’t last forever. Know that it’s okay, and know that you don’t need to be happy about it. You only need to keep going.

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” Earnest Hemmingway.

Cheers!

Molly

Exercising When Sick

Don't you just love the fall season? Here in northeast Ohio, it's absolutely beautiful! The trees look like they're on fire, the air is crisp, and everything smells and tastes like pumpkin (and apple)! Sadly, it's also known as "sick season."

What do you do with your workout routine when you’re sick? I’ve heard it said that working out when you’re sick can be beneficial at times because it can boost your immune system. But how do you know when you’re too sick?

I had to battle a sinus infection for the past four days, but now I’m finally cleared up (for the most part)! I was unable to sleep properly for the first two nights and so was exhausted and fatigued for those days, so there was no way I was going to get through a workout.

By my second day of not working out I felt pretty bad. I wanted to try to get some physical activity done, but after walking across my college campus twice, I realized that I was not up for anything strenuous. Also, when my mom was sick a couple weeks ago she tried working out at the Y and came home feeling even worse.

So what’s the solution here? Working out is healthy for you and can boost your immune system, and, being a workout-junkie, my body feels bad after about two days of not exercising. However, if you’re too sick, working out can make you feel even worse.

Image from Kings William Natural Health Care Website.

 Research told me that if your symptoms are from the neck up (including sore throat, stuffy nose, and other sinus stuff), you should be okay as long as you don’t push yourself too far, and if your symptoms extend below the neck (including cough, body aches, and fatigue), you’re better off staying off your feet. (I'm not citing anything because practically every website I went to said the same thing!)

Well, the first two days I mostly had sinus issues with a little bit of a cough, but I was too fatigued to exercise. Now that my sinuses have cleared up, I feel much more energized but I still have a bit of a cough. This will be day four without exercise and I think I’m going to go insane.

As it turns out, sometimes working out is not the best thing you can do for your body. If you’re feeling bad about missing a workout because you’re sick, don’t be! Your body needs time to recover. If you push it too far too fast, it might take you even longer to heal. Remember: it’s not just about being fit; it’s also about being healthy.

So if you’re battling some sort of virus like I am, take it easy for a couple days. Take in as much vitamin C as you can, along with other vitamins like D, and drink so much tea that you begin to feel like you’re a fish from all the liquid. And if you don’t seem to be getting better after a couple days, you might want to stop in and see your doctor.

Stay well, everyone! The sick season can’t last forever…

Molly

Pumpkies

As we all know, it’s officially pumpkin season (and apple season. If you read my apple pancake post, you know what I’m talking about). That means pumpkin EVERYTHING is in season and you can bet your next pay check that you will be seeing at least one thing related to pumpkins every day until December.

To help you out with your little bet, I’ve written a post for my pumpkies recipe. You’re welcome! (And while you’re here, you might as well try the recipe *hint hint*)

So my mom bought a huge can of pumpkin and asked me to make recipes with it so that she could post them on her blog. The first recipe I made was pumpkin cheesecake (and you can check that out here), and the second was what I like to call “pumpkies.”

Before I go into the recipe, here’s a little background story on the name. I was originally going to call them “pumpkin brownies,” but brownies are called brownies because they’re brown. So then I was going to call them “pumpkin blondies,” but that didn’t seem to stick, either. “Pumpkin bars” is just too generic, so voila! the name “pumpkies” was chosen.

Now on to the recipe.

If you’ve read any of my other baking recipes, you probably know by now that I’m all about mixing the dry and wet ingredients separately. This recipe was no different.

Dry ingredients.

Really, this recipe is one of the simplest desserts I’ve ever made. Dry ingredients, wet ingredients, beat ‘em both together, pour into a pan, bake, cool, and eat! I even whipped up half a batch for a Bible study this past weekend without breaking a sweat.

Wet ingredients

Wet and dry ingredients mixed.

This recipe was a big hit with my mom, brother, and grandparents. They even tried to give me “pumpkie” duty along with pumpkin cheesecake duty for Thanksgiving. We’ll have to see.

P.S. I am not giving out my icing recipe because even if I wanted to, I have no idea what went into it. It was an experiment that luckily turned out tasting pretty good. You can top these pumpkies with your own frosting (I would recommend cream cheese frosting or plain old whipped cream) or eat them plain. Or serve them with rice pudding!

I took a half batch of pumpkies to a Bible study this past weekend and they were a big hit! Another girl brought this delicious rice pudding and we discovered that the pumpkies taste GREAT drenched in the rice pudding. So if you have a rice pudding recipe, you might want to consider making that when you make these. Do it. You will not be sorry.

Pumpkies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ - 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 stick butter, melted

½ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 cup pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix up all your dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients). Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Once wet ingredients are mixed, add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated (do not overmix!).

Bake for approximately 20 minutes (check for doneness with a toothpick).

Let cool completely, then frost if desired or eat plain!

Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite pumpkin recipes?

Swapping Stories and Thriving in Community

God has the ultimate personality. Have you ever noticed that? He is just so great with such a massive character that as soon as we think we’re finally realizing who he is, he does something that proves us wrong.

Think about it. If the average person is unique in his/her own way, then it only makes sense that God is unique to the nth power.

At my Go-Co meeting this past weekend (it’s similar to a Bible study), we all came up with one word to describe who God has been to us over the years. Words ranged from redeemer to savior to cleanser to hope to leader to identity to sustainer.

As I sat trying to figure out my word (sustainer), I kept coming up with more and more words that described God to me. I mean, who is God? Who are we to think that we can sum him up in a few words?

The Bible has many names for God. Alpha and Omega, Yahweh, I Am, and Father are just to name a few. Add in all of the names Jesus has (the Good Shepherd, Prince of Peace, etc.) and all the words that God is to us and really we aren’t even close to figuring out who he is.

I think it’s amazing that God is so great and mighty that we can never really know him fully. He’s always going to surprise us; we’ll never get bored with him. You know the saying “familiarity breeds contempt”? That will never happen with God because we will always be learning something new about him!

Because God has such a large personality, it’s important that we share our words with others. It’s also important that we share our stories with others so that they know that we haven’t picked the word out of the air. We can never fully know God, but we can all come a little closer to learning more about who he is by, a, studying his Word, and, b, thriving in community.

God created us for community. Even I, a complete introvert, need community to thrive in life. Community allows us to share stories with other believers so that we can know we’re not alone. It also allows us to share stories with nonbelievers so that they can come to know God.

The Bible says this about living in community: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” Hebrews 10: 24-25. It is so important for us to live in community, because it is the way that we thrive.

So the next time you feel hesitant about sharing your story with someone, don’t worry. It’s by sharing stories that we can start to become more familiar with who God is.

Have you heard "Forever Reign" by Hillsong? It does a good job at explaining how God is, well, pretty much everything good!

Cheers!

Molly