Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins

I'm always on the lookout for healthy and easy breakfast food. I am NOT a morning person (no really....don't speak to me before 9 am) so things I can make ahead of time are my favorite. We avoid packaged foods, especially cereals, so these muffins are a staple in my house. I usually make a double batch every week or two and stick them in the freezer, pulling them out one at a time as I need them.

I found the original recipe on Pinterest but have slightly adapted it to my taste. In the fall I make them with pumpkin, and they come out a little lumpier but just as delicious (the ones in the picture are with pumpkin)

Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups applesauce (I use unsweetened)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter

2 eggs

- Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl

- Melt the butter in a large glass bowl. After it's melted, add the brown sugar and stir well. Then add the applesauce and eggs and stir until combined.

- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir together until the flour disappears. Pour into greased muffin pan about 2/3 way full (makes 12 muffins for me every time....and I'm not the greatest measurer)

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes

- When I double the recipe to make 24 muffins, I let them cool completely and then place them in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer, pulling them out as I need to. Then I microwave and add a little butter. Perfect for breakfast or a snack.

- In the fall, I replace 1 cup of applesauce for 1 cup of canned pumpkin. I also add 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, but still keep the 1 tsp cinnamon too. If you are doubling the recipe, then 1 can of pumpkin is perfect for this recipe, then add 1 cup of applesauce.

Stella's Smiles

Stella continues to live up to her title as Easiest Baby Ever.

She is so happy and laid back. She gets jabbed and poked and disrupted a million times a day, and she doesn't mind a bit. She smiles when she hears her sisters, instead of crying and running in the opposite direction...which is personally what I do. I mean...what I would do....errr.....

Stella at 3 months

She is a chunker, and has pretty much outgrown 3 month clothes and is barely squeezing into size 2 diapers. Imagine picking up a 14 pound bag of flour....that's kind of what she feels like. She's solid.

Sweet smiley baby loves her bath now

She sleeps through the night every night now, and still takes 3 good naps a day. She can sleep through anything and sleep anywhere.

She is a puker, like Lucy was, and I'm amazed at the amount of laundry I have to keep up with just to have a clean burp cloth available.

She got a bad respiratory virus (courtesy of big sisters) and is on at home breathing treatments this week. You can see her smiling through the mask

I'm trying to soak up every smile and coo because I know all too soon she will be running around too busy and too big to want to be held. What a beautiful blessing sweet Stella is to our family.

Crossfit Mamas

Everybody is jumping on the Crossfit bandwagon these days. But it's expensive...at least in my (budgeting) book. Hahaha. Check out this blog. She gives you crossfit workouts you can do at home in your living room....while the kiddos nap!

Real Life Monday

Sometimes the rules fly right out the window...

We eat tortilla chips right off the kitchen table.

And we wear our pjs all day.