Carrot and Apple Muffins

Hi guys! As much as I hate to think about it, summer is coming to an end, and that means that I need to start stocking my freezer with food for the new school year! These muffins are super moist and tasty, made with grated carrot and apple, as well as some banana for sweetness. They’re sugar free as well, making them a great healthy snack;) The batch that I made went straight into the freezer after they cooled off, so that I can just throw one in my lunch bag and it’ll thaw throughout the day. Honestly though, I’m not sure that they’ll last until September. Here’s the recipe!

Carrot and Apple Muffins

Serves: Makes 9 Muffins

Total Time: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 1 grated apple
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs olive oil (or oil of your choice)
  • 1 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the banana, then add in the grated carrot, apple, vanilla, and oil. Stir until well incorporated.
  3. In another bowl, mix together the oats, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until a batter forms. It won’t be very runny, but this is normal.
  5. Scoop the muffin batter into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake the muffins for about 40-50 minutes. I like to break one open and check the inside to see if it’s done. With these muffins, they’ll still look a bit raw in the middle after the 40 minutes are up, but if you leave them to cool completely then they’ll firm up a bit.
  6. Enjoy!

Hope you like this muffin recipe! It can easily be doubled if you want to make a larger batch;))) See you Friday.

 

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Moroccan Style Chickpea Stew

Hello there! For lunch today I made this delicious Moroccan Style Chickpea Stew. It’s packed with veggies and flavour and is the perfect way to start your week off right. I used a bunch of middle eastern spices to give it a kick, as well as some tahini and balsamic vinegar for extra deliciousness. To make sure that the carrots, peppers and sweet potatoes are cooked through I let this stew cook for about 50 minutes, but if you cut your veggies into smaller pieces then you can cut the cook time down a little bit. I sooooo wanted to freeze my leftovers in preparation for the start of school, but we’re out of freezer bags so I guess I’ll just have to eat it all in the next week. Not complaining too much about that! Quinoa makes a great vessel for this stew, but you can eat it with any other grain or even on its own. Hope you enjoy!

Moroccan Style Chickpea Stew

Serves: 4

Total Time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 a white onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 1 tbs paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tbs oregano
  • 1/2 tbs chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized sweet potato, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 a bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water, optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
  2. Add in the spices and tahini and cook for another two minutes.
  3. Dump the chickpeas, carrots, peppers, sweet potato, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar into the pot. Stir the mixture well and make sure that all the vegetables are covered by liquid. If they aren’t, I recommend adding the 1/2 cup of water so that everything cooks faster.
  4. Bring the stew to a boil and then let simmer for about 40-50 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve with cooked grains and enjoy!

Have a great week everyone!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Hey there! I have a really neat recipe for you guys today. This Sweet Potato Gnocchi is super simple, yet super delicious! There are only two ingredients: Sweet Potatoes and Whole Wheat Flour, so these gnocchis are healthy as well. They’re great with tomato sauce, pesto, or even just some basil and olive oil. I hope you enjoy!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Serves: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 small sweet potatoes
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces, about a centimetre wide. Steam them for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft.
  2. Dump the potatoes into a bowl and mash them using a potato masher. Make sure that there aren’t any big clumps of sweet potato left.
  3. Transfer the mashed potatoes onto a clean countertop. Add a 1/2 cup of flour, and use your hands to mix it into the potatoes. Continue to add the flour in 1/2 cup increments, until a dough forms. It shouldn’t be very sticky, but you should also be able to easily knead it. Knead the dough a few times to make sure that the flour is mixed in well.
  4. Once the dough is ready, grab a handful and roll it into a long cylinder, about 1 1 /2 centimetres thick. Starting at the end, cut the “rope” of dough into pieces that are 1 1/2 centimetres wide. You can then take a fork and press down lightly on each gnocchi, leaving an imprint. Continue to do this with the rest of the dough. You should end up with dumplings that look something like this:
  5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and dump the gnocchis into the pot. Cook them for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the pasta. Serve with your favourite sauce.
  6. Enjoy!

I’ll see you guys later this week!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Hey peoples! As you may have noticed, I created an instagram account last week, and I’m loving it because it’s very picture-focused. There’s also a great community of healthy-eaters on there, which means there are tons of awesome recipes for me to discover! Anyways, you can follow me on instagram at mydayisbooked_24. I post bullet journal spreads and mini-recipes that you won’t find on my blog.

Back to the topic of today’s post: Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup! This is a creamy, Thai-inspired soup that is easy to make and full of flavour. The sweetness of the carrot and sweet potatoes pairs with all of the spices in it. The way that I made it was pretty spicy, but you can add more or less spice, according to your taste. You’ll also need a blender to make the soup smooth, but you don’t need a fancy one. I used a twenty dollar one, and it worked just fine. Plus, you can totally freeze this in a ziploc and reheat it for a quick meal. Here’s the recipe!

Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Total Time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 large carrots cut into small pieces

  • 2 sweet potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs olive or avocado oil
  • 1/2 tbs dried Basil
  • 1/2 tbs dried Oregano
  • 1/2 tbs Cumin
  • 1/2 tbs Curry Powder
  • 1/2 tbs Chile Powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne (or more or less to taste)
  • 4 cups organic chicken or veggie broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • Lime wedges and roasted chickpeas (for optional garnish)

Directions:

  1. Cook the onions over medium heat with the oil in a large pot. Once they are translucent (5-7 minutes) add in the minced garlic and all of the spices and cook for about two more minutes.
  2. Next, add the broth, carrots and sweet potatoes into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft, about 40 minutes or so.
  3. Once the vegetables are done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool down a little bit. Then, using a ladle, scoop the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. You probably won’t be able to blend all of the soup at once, so transferring the smooth soup into a different pot than the unblended soup might be a good idea, so that you don’t miss any chunks of veggies.
  4. When the soup is smooth, mix in the coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and roasted chickpeas;)

How simple is that? I hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe! See you next week;)

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

Healthier Thanksgiving Dinner

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love Thanksgiving dinner! Stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, the whole shebang. But what I don’t love is the heavy feeling you get after eating all of that stuff. So, just in time for Thanksgiving, I’ve created three side dishes that are DELICIOUS while still being healthier than their traditional counterparts. My recipes for Sprouted Grain Bread Stuffing, Garlic Mashed Sweet potatoes, and Simple Roasted Veggies are easy to make, and serve as great accompaniments to turkey breast. Let’s get into this Thanksgiving feast!

 

Sprouted Grain Bread Stuffing

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Makes 2 Servings

 Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

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  • 2 slices of sprouted grain bread
  • 1 stalk of celery, diced
  • 1/4 of an onion (white or yellow), diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tbs avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 cup organic veggie broth
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Toast the grain bread until it’s golden brown on either side. Cut it into cubes and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a small pot and cook the celery, garlic and onion for about 6-8 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
  3. Add the broth, oregano, salt and pepper into the pot and bring to a boil. Dump in the cubed grain bread and stir.
  4. Continue to cook the mixture until the liquid has evaporated, but the bread is still soft. Serve immediately, or cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  5. Enjoy!

 

Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Serves 2

Total Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Wash and peel the sweet potato.
  2. Take a few sheets of paper towel and wet them under the tap. Wring them out so that they’re just damp, and wrap the sweet potato in them. img_9545.jpg
  3. On a small plate, microwave the sweet potato for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Then flip it over and microwave it for another 3 minutes and thirty seconds. Remove the potato from the microwave and cut it in half. If it’s soft all the way through, then it’s ready. If not, microwave it in 30 second increments until it is. This will all depend on  the size of your sweet potato.
  4. Place the sweet potato in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. You will notice that the outside of the potato is still hard and won’t mash well. Remove these parts from the mash.
  5. Add in the minced garlic, salt and pepper, and keep mashing until the potatoes are smooth. Serve immediately or cool completely store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  6. Enjoy!

 

Simple Roasted Veggies

Serves: 2

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of your favourite veggies (mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots)
  • 1/2 tbs avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Wash and dry your veggies. Cut them into bite-sized pieces. I used mushrooms, and cut them into quarters.
  3. Place your veggies on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. Toss them in the oil with your hands. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper.
  4. Bake the veggies for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, or cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  5. Enjoy!

 

Now all you need is some turkey, and you’re off to the races! I hope that these sides give you the homey flavours of Thanksgiving, but still leave you feeling like you could run a few laps around the pumpkin patch! Anyways, I hope you all have an awesome long weekend. Thanks for checking out this post;).

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked