Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Shop The Albertsons Stock Up Sale and A Recipe For Yogurt Carrot Muffins

                          This shop has been compensated by Albertsons. All opinions are mine alone.
                          #AStockUpSale #Albertsons #CollectiveBias



If you're anything like me, you love saving money on your family grocery bill. Somehow, our appetites seem to be getting larger, while our grocery budget feels like it just doesn't stretch as far as it used to. My family still wants to eat as healthy as possible, and enjoy our favorite brands.

So when I heard about the Albertsons Stock Up Sale, I knew I would be going and stocking up on products to fill my pantry, and saving money too!




My local Albertsons is only a few blocks away from where I live and it's so handy to go to when I've run out of milk or need something last minute for a recipe I want to try.

We shop there weekly, and take advantage of great savings when we buy the weekly products that are on sale. My grandchildren love the friendly bakers and free cookies, and I love the great produce, meat, and wine departments.

We also enjoy the convenience of our local bank branch, pharmacy, and there's even a Starbucks!

So when Albertsons runs a special sale like the Albertsons Stock Up Sale, you can bet I'm going to go and take advantage of low prices on some of their General Mills products.

Look for items on sale that include Yoplait Greek 100 Vanilla Yogurt - $0.88, Yoplait Original Strawberry Yogurt - $0.48, Honey Nut Cherrios 12oz. - $1.88, Progresso Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup - $1.28, and more.


These are my healthy and delicious Yogurt Carrot Muffins. When my grandchildren get home from school they are always very hungry, and it makes me feel happy to give them a snack that is good for them.

The muffins are made with carrots, bananas, and my favorite yogurt, Yoplait Greek 100 Vanilla Yogurt.

Yoplait Yogurts are part of the Stock Up Sale at Albertsons. I eat it out of the carton for breakfast or a snack, but also like using it for baking, too.

These muffins are easy to make, and can be kept in the refrigerator and then heated up with a little bit of butter.

While this is a favorite afterschool snack for the kids, I have to admit I love them with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.


You just stir together the dry ingredients in one bowl, then stir together the wet ingredients in another bowl. The vanilla yogurt, carrots, and bananas are all healthy ingredients that taste great combined together.

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together, and then stir in the carrots. Be careful not to over mix, which can make the muffins tough. Drop batter into a prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Recipe for Yogurt Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Yoplait Greek 100 Vanilla Yogurt
1 1/2 medium bananas, mashed
1 egg
4 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
2 cups finely shredded carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together banana, egg, yogurt, butter, and milk.
Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine.
Stir in carrots until just combined.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, cool on a wire rack.
 
Makes 12 muffins.
 

I found Yoplait Greek 100 Yogurt and Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt in the yogurt and dairy section at my local Albertsons.


Make sure to visit Albertsons from September 30th - October 13th, and stock up with sale prices on some of your favorite products.


Fall is my favorite season, and baking muffins for my family is something I really enjoy doing. And making them healthy muffins like these lets me spoil them just a little bit, which is something we all enjoy.

Do you have a favorite fall or afterschool snack that you love? Make sure you stock up on all your favorites at the Albertsons Stock Up Sale.


Patricia
Share:

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Recipe


Are you as happy as I am now that it's officially fall? This is absolutely my favorite time of the year, especially when it comes to cooking and baking. I love baking all things pumpkin and apple, and I'm always on the look-out for yummy new recipes.

This recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread comes from the cookbook, Sally's Baking Addiction. It's so incredibly moist and delicious. I ended up making another loaf the very next day because it was gone so quickly. The recipe is very easy to make, and I promise you will love the smell in your kitchen as it bakes in the oven.


I can't say enough about how wonderful this book is, and that I have been a big fan of Sally's blog, Sally's Baking Addiction for a very long time now.

Her recipes are always delicious and easy to follow, and her photography is simply mouth watering.


This bread would be fabulous for making two loaves at a time, one to keep at home, and one to give to a friend or share at work. Believe me, people will love this pumpkin bread, and love you for sharing with them!!


My granddaughter Ashley has turned into my little baking buddy. She adores baking with me and we have become a real team. She scoots the chair up to the counter, puts on her apron and is ready to go. She was very proud of this pumpkin bread and I'm hoping this instills a love of baking in her. You never know, she could be the next Sally!!

And excuse the messy background, that's just the real life of a blogger, right??

Here's the recipe for this yummy pumpkin bread. Just a note that the recipe calls for regular sized chocolate chips, but all I had on hand was the mini sized, so either size works.


Recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together, making sure to break up any large brown sugar lumps. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the pumpkin, vegetable oil, and orange juice, whisking until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and gently mix together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. There will be a few lumps. Do not over mix the batter. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack before removing and cutting. The bread will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.


Patricia
Share:

Friday, September 18, 2015

Applesauce Pecan Cake With M&M's® Pecan Pie Topping

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeInTheFun #Collective Bias


I'm so excited that fall weather has finally arrived here in the Seattle area!! After an unusually warm summer, it feels so good to pull out my cozy sweaters, start a fire in the fireplace, and do some fall baking.

Fall is my favorite season, I love everything about it. I love getting out all my old cookbooks and starting to plan what apple and pumpkin desserts and treats I'll make for my friends and family.

When I heard that M&M's® had come out with delicious M&M's® Pecan Pie, I knew they would be a part of my first cake of the season. This Applesauce Pecan Cake is moist and tender on the inside, and topped with chopped M&M's® and pecans. And I wish you could have smelled my kitchen while it was baking. Heavenly!


M&M's® has come out with some amazing new flavors the last few seasons, and I've tried pretty much every one. They have all been delicious, but I think the pecan is my favorite.

I picked up a couple of bags while I was at Walmart, along with a few things I would need to make my cake. I use Mott's® Applesauce whenever I make this cake, and frost it with Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing.

When I got the M&M's® Pecan Pie home, of course I had to try them immediately. It's a good thing I got two bags because they sure were good!!



When I was shopping at Walmart, I also found these Snapple® Apple Singles. I've always been a huge Snapple® fan, and enjoy trying new flavors. I picked up several bottles to keep in the fridge, and their crisp apple taste reminds me of apples in the fall.

And if you love baking fall treats and desserts like I do, enter the sweepstakes below for a chance to win an awesome KitchenAid® Mixer.

MARS Bake In The Fun Sweepstakes




Baking from scratch is something I find a lot of pleasure in, and it's really not much more effort that using a mix, especially for this cake.

What I like so much about this recipe is that it not only tastes fabulous, it's very easy to make. You simply combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Divide the batter evenly into two 8" round cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.

Chop up the pecans, and use a rolling pin to crush the M&M's® Pecan Pie into pieces. Frost the layers with the Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing. Then sprinkle the M&M's® and pecan pieces on top.

Super easy, and so delicious!!


Recipe for Applesauce Pecan Cake

Ingredients:


 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups Mott's® Applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup M&M's® Pecan Pie, crushed
container of Pillsbury™ Creamy Supreme® Cream Cheese Icing

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 Grease and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans. Put all ingredients into a large bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until done. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out and let them cool on wire racks before assembling and frosting.
Sprinkle with M&M's® and pecan pieces.



You can find all of these products in the aisles of your local Walmart.


Be sure to check out more Fall-inspired recipes here. I'd love to know what your favorite Fall recipe is that you enjoy baking. Leave me a comment and let me know.


Patricia
Share:

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffin Recipe


With summer at it's end, I'm using the last of the zucchini from the garden. For some reason we didn't have as much of it this year, which is really a shame because I've come to enjoy finding recipes to cook and bake with it.

This recipe for these muffins is so yummy that my grandchildren gobbled them up even when they knew they contained zucchini. This is a big deal because they are always wary of trying things that their mom or I try to sneak veggies into.

Enjoy these muffins with a big cup of coffee or tea. I had one that was leftover for breakfast. I warmed it up in the microwave with a little bit of butter and it was heavenly. A perfect start to my day.



Recipe for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup zucchini, coarsely grated
1 6 ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla with an electric hand mixer until it is thick and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
At low speed, mix in the flour until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide equally among muffin liners and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool muffins on baking rack.

Makes 12 muffins.


Patricia
Share:

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Everyday Baking with Nordic Ware #MadeinUSA #BundtSquared #PrismBakeware

* I was sent Nordic Ware items for this review. All opinions in this post are my own.





I love to bake! I have been baking cookies since I was a teenager and truly love it. I now love to bake cakes and cookies for my own family. My son is old enough to help measure ingredients and stir the ingredients in a bowl, he is always eager to help with baking. I enjoy the whole process of baking from the bowls I stir in, the freshness of ingredients and the bake ware.  I even have a few favorite items. My favorite pan for baking has been a bundt cake pan but I have been wanting to have something different and special for the cakes I bake.

I have been using Nordic Ware cooking items for many years. I like that they are durable, made in the U.S.A. and BPA-free and melamine-free materials in their products. I recently had the opportunity to try a few new products from Nordic Ware and I am now obsessed with the Bundt Square Pan. It makes the most beautiful square bundt with geometric patterns. I have set aside my round bundt cake pan for now and I will be using this pan for many of my holiday baking creations to come. 



I baked a lemon blueberry cake for my first time using the Square Bundt Pan and I was wowed! The cake came out easily since I followed the directions of putting oil and flour on the pan. It made a beautiful golden crust and the peaks and valleys made from the pan perfectly held the lemon glazing icing I made. There is something about a pretty cake makes me want to share it and eat more of it. Be sure to tap the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter top before placing in the oven to get out any air bubbles. Allow for 10 minutes for cake to cool once it is done to ensure the cake does not tear, do not wait longer than that to remove cake or the sugars solidify and will make cake stuck in the pan.

For my recipe I used a premade lemon cake mix adding in lemon juice and blueberries. I made my favorite lemon glaze recipe from Martha Stewart website with 2 cups of confectioners sugar and 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The glaze should thick yet pourable. It tastes amazing on the cake.


I also love to roast veggies and make oven baked fries making the new Natural Prism bake ware perfect for me. The herringbone grid pattern of the baking sheet allows for proper air flow to make your food crispier and easier release from the sheet. The rim of the sheet pan is galvanized steel making it resistant to warping during baking. The pans are non stick made of natural uncoated aluminum like pastry chefs all over the world use.  Next on my list to try on the prism bake sheet is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.


I was sent some of the new Prep and Serve bowls. They are microwavable with slip free bottoms and BPA free. I love the fun lively colors they add to my baking experience. They are great for making and serving cold pasta salads and fruit salads too.

I have my eye on another baking pan by Nordic Ware, the Botanical Pumpkin Loaf Pan. It would be perfect for the fall season.



To see more of Nordic Ware items and learn more about the family owned American based company you can follow them on FacebookTwitter, Pinterest and Instagram.


Laura
Share:
© Frugal Family Tree | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Designed by pipdig