Blueberry Muffins made with Yogurt

I love, love, love blueberry muffins - but almost every recipe I see calls for a stick of butter or a cup of oil.  Now that I am over 40 and have to make an effort not to gain weight, I just can't bring myself to make those old recipes any more.

I did find this recipe that uses yogurt in place of almost all the fat.  It makes the texture a lot like pound cake AND it provides a couple grams of protein, which is always a plus in our house since we don't eat meat all that often.

I pretty much always double this recipe.  When I double it I end up with 18 regular (not super sized) muffins and 12 mini muffins for the kiddos.

For a single batch (12 muffins) you need:

2c Flour  
1/3 c Sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda  
1/4 tsp Salt  
1/4 c Orange juice  
1 tbs Vegetable oil  
1 tsp Vanilla extract  
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 Egg
1 c Fresh blueberries (or frozen ones that are defrosted - that's what I always use)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine all the wet ingredients (NOT THE BLUEBERRIES) in a separate bowl

Make a well in dry ingredients, add wet and combine just until moistened (it will be a thick batter)

Gently fold in blueberries.

Pour into sprayed muffin tins.  Top with a little raw sugar if you want.

Bake for 18 minutes (for big ones) or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove for pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

Per Muffins Info:

Calories: 139

Fat: 1.8g

Protein: 3.5g

Carbs: 27.2g

Just hanging out...

 This has been an incredibly short summer with really weird weather.  These things together have meant we have had very little pool time at our house, which is a real bummer.  After weeks of meetings/conferences/etc. we were finally able to get the kids in the pool again and it was so much fun.  I had the twins in a few days earlier when I was home with them and didn't get any pictures because I thought I'd be hanging on to them the whole time.  I was soooo wrong!

All of a sudden these two little boys have turned in to pool masters.  I couldn't wait for Doug to see how far they have come with their level of comfort and ability over the summer.  They were jumping off the side, swimming across the pool with their little jackets on, kicking around on their backs, and having a great time. 

Doug was shocked at how good they were!  They wanted everyone to stand on the side and watch them jump so they could see them (not jump on them, like at the beginning of the summer!)

After some pool time, they all (Doug included) ended up in a tree.  My little boys are turning into "real boys" right before my eyes.  This summer has really been fun to watch them become more and more independent and try new things. 

Meal Planning - Reinvented (August 1- 14ish)

So I kind of fell off the Meal Planning Wagon over the summer.  Life just got in the way.  I still made rough plans based on what was coming out of the garden and what we had and what was on sale - but I never sat down at put it in the blog.

But with school starting shortly and my new 90 day Beach Body Challenge, I have to start planning again like I mean it.  What I decided to do was make a master list of meals I could make on any given day - and decide which to make during the day, based on how hungry I am and how much protein I have already eaten during the day.  (Protein is always hard for me to get enough of - 'slab 'o meat' is just not appealing.  I'd much rather have a huge mess of veggies or pasta.)

So here is my menu/recipe list for the first 14 days of my 90 day challenge.

Breakfasts:
eggs, whole grain cereal, cottage cheese, fresh fruit, pumpkin seeds

Lunch:
left overs (if available), tomato sandwiches, other random healthy things

Snacks:
Fresh veggies, hummus, almonds, Shakeology

And Dinners - I've noted where they come from (MW is Moosewood, MWLF = Moosewood Lowfat).  I took the easy way out and linked to other people's posting of these recipes if they were true to the book.) I will get the rest of the basic nutritional info up soon.

Black Bean Soup (MW@home p. 23) 204 cal., 10.8 g protein 4.1 g fat per 8 oz
Corn and Squash Soup (Cooking Light, 2011)
Cold Tomato Soup (MW@home, p.26) 71 cal., 1.9 g protein, 2.8 g fat per 8 oz
Curried Chickpeas and Tofu (MW@home, p. 169) 253 cal., 11.7 g protein, 10.5 g fat per 8 oz
Broiled Eggplant w/ Lentil Salad (MW@home, p. 131)
Avocado and Corn Salad (MW@home, p.119) 317 cal., 5 g protein, 23.5 g fat per 8 oz
Pasta Fresca (MW@home, p.184)  273 cal., 11.7 g protein, 9.2 g fat per 8 oz
Pasta Tutto Giardino (MW@home p.186) 208 cal., 6.3 g protein, 5.4 g fat per 8 oz
Caribbean Fish in packet (MW@home, p. 245) 212 cal., 22.4 g protein, 10.5 g fat per 6 oz
         with mashed sweet potatoes
Braised Fish with artichokes, red peppers and onions (MW@home p. 248) 165 cal., 18 g protein, 6.1 g fat per 6 oz  over steamed rice w/ roasted beets
Tuscan White Beans and Sage (MWLF, p.168)
Curried Cabbage and Potato Roll Ups (MWLF, p.251)

Meal Planning Monday