Cooking Princess: Red, White, and Blueberry Muffins

Hello all!

Princess K here and I am cooking again! I know it is the middle of August, but I could not resist these delicious Red, White, and Blueberry Muffins from my 400 Calorie Fix Cook Book from Prevention.

I was needing a good, low-cal breakfast that I could prepare ahead of time and take along with very little effort. These muffins turned out perfect! Even Jeremy was snacking on some.

First, I needed to gather my supplies:

Flour, buttermilk, baking powder, eggs (not in picture), strawberry yogurt, vanilla extract, sugar (I used Truvia), ground cinnamon, salt, frozen berries, and butter (not in picture.)

I mixed all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside,

melted  the butter,

and then mixed my eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, and melted butter together.

Next, I needed to put everything together and fold in my frozen berries.

The strawberries were on the large side, so I cut them up a bit before adding them.

Next, I threw this tasty mix into my muffin pan and let them bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes.

These muffins came out perfectly! Since I made them from scratch, I don't have nearly as many preservatives or chemicals in them as the little pouch mixes do.
To keep them fresh and moist, I let my muffins cool for about an hour and then put them in a Tupperware container with a paper towel under and on top of them. This locks in the moisture without making them soggy. I made these muffins on Sunday evening and they are still good on Wednesday afternoon!

Check out the official recipe below and happy cooking!

Princess K, out!

Red, White, and Blueberry Muffins!

Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used Truvia instead of real sugar)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strawberry blended yogurt (about two single servings)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I used Vanilla)
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries

 Directions

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup (3 1/2" to 4" diameter) muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. WHISK together the eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, butter, and almond extract in a medium bowl.
4. FOLD the egg mixture into the flour mixture, until just mixed. Gently fold in the frozen berries.
5. SPOON into the muffin pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Red, White, and Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strawberry blended yogurt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries

Directions

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup (3 1/2" to 4" diameter) muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. WHISK together the eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, butter, and almond extract in a medium bowl.
4. FOLD the egg mixture into the flour mixture, until just mixed. Gently fold in the frozen berries.
5. SPOON into the muffin pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Nutritional Facts per serving (this is from following the recipe above with no substitutions; my muffins were about 100 calories each since I substituted Truvia for real sugar)

CALORIES	183.4 CAL
FAT	5.1 G
SATURATED FAT	2.9 G
SODIUM	249.3 MG
CARBOHYDRATES	30.1 G
TOTAL SUGARS	12.8 G
DIETARY FIBER	1 G
PROTEIN	4.3 G

Cooking Princess: Italian Egg Drop Soup

Hello again all!
We are back with our first informational post! I am starting off this blogging adventure with a little recipe I tried out recently thanks to this:

The 400 Calorie Fix! A free gift I received from Rodale publishing (I also signed up for a year's subscription to Prevention magazine.) This little beauty is chock full of recipes and meal plans, all under 400 calories each. It even has items for when you want fast food or dinner at a nice restaurant.

The first recipe I decided to try was the Italian Egg Drop Soup.

Yes, that is grilled cheese alongside this great dish. Even with all that bread this was STILL about 400 calories!

So, first we have some ingredients you will need:

 Some chopped onion, carrot, and spinach.

 I threw in a little Rotini pasta for some texture.

 Chicken broth (low sodium for me!)

And finally some eggs!

This wasn't in the directions but a little wine while cooking was required.

Now, I made a mistake right off the bat. Oops! I was supposed to saute the veggies before dumping them into my chicken broth and boiling but...yeah, I'm a dunce. (Will definitely remember that little step next time!)
Once I had some boiling goodness happening...

 I had to let that baby boil for 10 minutes.

BUSY THY SELF!

Then, I had to add the pasta. I also let that boil and bubble for about another ten minutes.

Cat picture time! :D Minnie is super excited, can't you tell?

BUSY THY SELF! (I got to the best part when I needed to start my eggs!)

While my pasta was cooking, and I was recovering from the trauma dealt to me at the hands of a paper back,  I decided to go ahead and whisk my eggs and left over chicken broth together in a small bowl.

The recipe calls for a little Parmesan cheese to top so I went ahead and whisked that in, too. I think it made my soup just a tiny bit thicker (and way more tasty!)

Whisk it! Whisk it real good!
After a few minutes, my soup was ready...and delicious! Jeremy loved it too and even had some the next day for lunch.

This recipe was easy to make, very tasty, and healthy!
Feel free to check out the full recipe below and leave comments or questions.

Happy cooking and until next time,

 Princess K

Italian Egg Drop Soup (400 calorie fix)

Here is what you need:

- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

- 2 large carrots finely chopped

- 1 small onion finely chopped

- 1 cup frozen spinach

- 1/2 cup small cut pasta ( I used orzo)

- 3 eggs

- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1. Finely chopped carrots and onion.

2. Add tiny bit of oil or cooking spray to your  pot ( just so the veggies don't stick) and heat pot on a medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions and saute for 2-3 mins.

3. Next add 5.5 cups of the broth and the cup of spinach. Bring to a boil.

4. Once a boil has begun, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add pasta to the soup and cook according to the package directions.

6. Whisk together the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup broth. 

7. Bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the egg mixture, stirring constantly. The egg should form fine strands. (some of my egg formed strands... but not all of it. still tasted great :)

8. Top each bowl with 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.