Healthy Cupcakes

Today my daughter & I made healthy cupcakes.  She loves to help bake, and these are a better alternative to regular cupcakes:

Healthy Cupcakes (Idea gleaned from HungryGirl)

1 Package Cake Mix (any kind--I've made chocolate before, and today we are using spice cake.  HungryGirl also suggests yellow and lemon cake mix)

1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling, just plain pumpkin)

Mix the pumpkin with the cake mix.  It will be thick, but will come together.

Put into a muffin pan, and bake at 350 for about 17 minutes.

Feel free to frost them.  Today we are using with cream cheese frosting!

P.S. Judging from the AMAZING smell eminating from my oven, these are going to be the go-to treat for the Fall!!!  PumpkinSpicelicious!

Dijon Chicken

Dijon Chicken in the Crockpot is wonderful.  A bit old-fashioned...

1 lb chicken (breasts or thighs)

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can water

4 tbsp Dijon Mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

I totally wing the ingredient amounts for this.  And I will be serving with fresh broccoli and brown rice.

Meat & Potatoes

I *heart* my Crock Pot!

It makes my life so much easier.  I feel such a sense of relief and accomplishment when dinner is "done" by 10am.

I sent my husband off to work this morning with a packed lunch of delicious roast, potatoes, carrots & onions--made with love in my trusty Crock.

Here's how I made it:

Into my Crock Pot I threw a 2 pound roast, 1/2 pound red potatoes (sliced large), 1/2 pound baby carrots and one medium onion (sliced half-hazardly into large chunks).  I seasoned the ingredients with Lawry's garlic salt (a total staple in my kitchen thanks to my Mama) and some black pepper.  I then added a couple of teaspoons of beef  base.  (I recently found this at Target, and it is fabulous!  The chicken base is great, too).

Then I added some water.  Enough to reach about halfway up the inside of the Crock.  Turned it on high, and let it cook.

About an hour before serving, I took out about a cup of hot stock.  I added flour to make a sort of "slurry".  Then added it back into the Crock, stirring well.  This thickens the stock into a yummy gravy.

I always serve my roast with Mrs. Baird's brown & serve dinner rolls, because it's what my Mamaw did!