Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

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  • Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

    The Imaginative One hates zucchini so much that when I asked him to pick one up at the local farmer’s market, he refused to touch it.  He also refused to taste this cake because he felt I put zucchini in it.  He forgot there was a possibility later in the week and ended up trying it.  He still didn’t like it.

    Don’t let his dislike of the cake and zucchini discourage you from trying this delicious cake.  He is such a fussy eater.

    I really enjoyed this cake.  In fact, I took pieces of it as a lunchtime treat.  It is so yummy!

    Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

    adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

    IMG_0512[1]

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
    • 1/6 c. oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
    • 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 c. white sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tsp. vanilla
    • 1/2 c. buttermilk (I used 1/2 c. milk + 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
    • 1 tsp. cinnamon
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp. Cloves (Instead of cinnamon and cloves, I used Chinese 5 spices.)
    • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
    • 2 – 1/3 c. white whole wheat flour
    • 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened)
    • 2 C. shredded zucchini (I patted it dry with a paper towel to remove some of the liquid.)
    • 1 c. chocolate chips

    Steps:

    1. Cream together, applesauce, oil, and sugars.  (If you don’t have buttermilk, make the milk and vinegar mixture.  Allow it to curdle.)
    2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
    3. Add the eggs and sour milk or buttermilk to the sugar applesauce mixture.
    4. Then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.  Stir to combine.
    5. Add the zucchini.  And then stir it until incorporated.
    6. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 pan, and then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the cake.
    7. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
    8. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

  • Homemade Pumpkin Butter

    We love eating different jams, jellies, and fruit butter around here.  It’s usually just Hubby and me that do that.  Sometimes the Wee One will also try a new flavor of jelly.  The Imaginative One loves only grape jelly, and don’t you dare try to get him to eat something different.  He’s not adventurous with his eating.

    I had bookmarked this recipe last year and refound it today.  Since I was going to the grocery store, I got all the ingredients and made a batch.  Yum!   And easy!!!

    Homemade Pumpkin Butter

    IMG_0492[1]

    Adapted from Skinny Taste

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 29 oz. can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie blend)
    • 1 tsp. Vanilla extract (omitted it, and it was fine)
    • 3/4 c. apple juice or cider (I used cider.)
    • 2 – 3 cinnamon sticks (I used Chinese 5 spice, so I omitted this.)
    • 1 c. brown sugar
    • 1 -2 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice, to taste (I used Chinese 5 spice instead.)

    Steps:

    1. Combine the ingredients in a med. to lrg. Size saucepan.  Stir well.
    2. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
    3. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook it for 30 to 45 minutes.  Stirring frequently.
    4. If needed, add more spices.
    5. Enjoy the pumpkin butter on your favorite bread, biscuit, or oatmeal!  (I’ll share what I did with mine later.)

    Printable Recipe

    I froze 1/2 of the pumpkin butter, and the other I put in the fridge to eat on my fav. Ciabatta bread.

  • Individual Five Spice Apple Crisp

    Last November, my foodie pen pal introduced me to Chinese five spice and suggested I use it in some of my fall time recipes instead of pumpkin pie spice blend. The five spice really does take it up a notch. If you didn’t know, the Chinese five-spice blend is cinnamon, star anise, white pepper, cloves, and fennel. It’s primarily used in Chinese cooking but is found in other cuisines.

    With fall around the corner and the pumpkin spice latte already at Starbucks, it’s time to start my favorite flavor season. I love fall flavors! Apples, cranberries, and pumpkins, oh my goodness, deliciousness. Cinnamon is my favorite spice. So if asked, my favorite seasons are the transition seasons – fall for its bold flavors and spring for its beauty.

    I got some apples from one of our local produce stands, so I made myself an apple crisp. Since the boys do not eat apple crisps, I decided to make my own. Instead of using cinnamon, I used the Chinese Five Spice.

    Individual Five Spice Apple Crisp

    IMG_0467[1]
    Before cooking the crisp
    IMG_0468[1]
    Before cooking the crisp

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 2 c. glass dish
    • 1 med. Apple seeded and diced (peeled if you want to)
    • 2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice (1 tsp. and 1 tsp.)
    • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
    • 1/4 c. quick cooking oats
    • 1/2 Tbsp. butter, cut into fourths or halves
    • Optional:  2 Tbsp. Pecan or walnuts for topping

    Steps:

    1. Spray your glass dish with cooking spray.
    2. Add the apples to the dish. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tsp, of Chinese five spice.
    3. In another dish, mix the oats, brown sugar, and the other tsp. of Chinese five spice.
    4. Evenly distribute the oat mixture over the apples.
    5. If you are using nuts on top, sprinkle those on top of the oat mixture.
    6. Place the pats of butter over the oat mixture.
    7. Microwave for 2.5 to 3 minutes. Be careful, it will be hot.
    8. Top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
    9. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

  • Yogurt Parfait

    A few weeks ago, I posted about 6 easy breakfasts.  One of the breakfasts I talked about was fruit and yogurt parfaits.  It is so simple and quick to prepare.  Plus, it’s delicious to eat, and the flavors can be changed depending on your mood.

    Yogurt Parfait

    Yogurt Parfait ready to be eaten.

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1/4 to 1/2 c. yogurt (flavored or plain – I eat Greek Gods nonfat plain Greek yogurt.)
    • 1/4 c. of your favorite cut-up fruit (I’ve been using my stone fruit salad.)
    • 1/4 c, of your favorite granola (Store bought or homemade)

    Steps:

    1. In a bowl or Mason jar, put the yogurt in the jar or bowl.
    2. Place the fruit on top of the yogurt.
    3. If you are not eating the parfait right away, pack the granola and put it on top of the yogurt and fruit before you eat.  If you are going to eat it right away, top it with granola.
    4. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

  • Menu plan for week of Sept. 2

    It’s a few days late, but better late than never.

    Monday – eat at in-laws

    Tuesday – chicken, noodles, corn on the cob

    Wednesday – pizza sandwiches, roasted potato, veggies, corn on the cob

    Thursday – ham, potato casserole, veggie

    Friday – Philly cheese steak, corn on the cob, veggies

    Saturday – cookout

  • French Toast

    My two love French toast cooked by Moi instead of from the freezer section.  The Imaginative One gets a headache with store-bought French toast/sticks.

    French toast is simple to make, and you can try various loaves of bread.  I usually use sandwich bread, or if I want to make sticks, I’ll use Texas toast bread because it’s thicker.  When I made it on Saturday, I used ciabatta bread for Hubby, Imaginative One, and myself.  I used sandwich bread for the Wee One because he likes me to cut them into strips.

    BTW:  Did you know ciabatta is Italian for slipper?

    French toast

    Egg/Milk Mixture
    French toast cooking on the griddle
    Finished French toast

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 1 large egg for every 2 pieces of French toast
    • 1 – 2 Tbsp. milk for every 2 pieces of French toast
    • 1 tsp cinnamon for every two pieces of French toast
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract for every two pieces of French toast
    • bread
    • toppings:  maple syrup, butter, fruit, powdered sugar

    Steps:

    1. Warm up a flat griddle pan (my favorite) or skillet over med. heat.
    2. In a flat wide pan, whisk together egg, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
    3. Using a fork or tongs, dip your bread into the egg mixture making sure to cover both sides.  (You may need to let it drip a little bit to get rid of excess egg before transferring it to your pan.)
    4. Spray your griddle pan or skillet with cooking spray.
    5. Transfer it to skillet or griddle pan.
    6. Allow it to cook until golden brown on both sides (3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the second side.)
    7. Transfer to a plate.
    8. Enjoy with whatever toppings you like!

    Printable Recipe

  • Our Super Trip ~ Day #9

    Day 8

    We planned to leave early on Saturday morning so we could get to the Georgia Aquarium at a decent time.  It usually closed at 9 pm, but on this particular Saturday, it closed at 6 pm.  :(

    Before we left, the boys and I walked out to the beach.  The Wee One was crying because he did not want to leave the ocean.  The Imaginative One was looking for sea life while we were down there.

    Finally, we got on the road and traveled to Georgia.  At one of the rest stops, I got a drink out of the vending machine but didn’t have enough on me to get the boys anything.  (It was in the car.)  A gentleman approached me with 2 dollars for the boys.  The Wee One used his dollar to get what he had his eye on.  The Imaginative One kept his money.

    When we were almost to our destination, we got into a traffic jam.  There had been an accident.  Luckily we only to travel on I-75 for about a mile so we got out of it pretty quickly.  We’ve driven through Atlanta on the highway but never on the surface streets so it was neat to see a different side of Atlanta.

    Once we got the hotel, we checked in and then walked through Centennial / Olympic Park to get to the Aquarium.  The line to get into the Aquarium was long even though we already had tickets.  Once we got to the front of the line, we realized it was because we needed to go through the metal detectors.

    We loved the Aquarium!  Our favorite exhibits were the 3D show, the whale sharks, the beluga whale, the frog exhibit, and the dolphin show.

    When we were done with the Aquarium, we once again walked through Centennial / Olympic Park but took extra time to enjoy our surroundings.  The funniest thing was seeing a man walking 6 dogs.  All 7 of them were wearing sunglasses.

    Then we went to Waffle House for dinner.  We loved the service there.  Tracy (our server) made sure it was okay when the Wee One ordered a certain drink.  I thought that was great.

    Afterward, we went back to the hotel for a little while.  We were going to ride the Ferris wheel that was across the way from our hotel.  However, we would have to wait for almost an hour and then pay $50.  That was not going to work with the boys.  They decided to go swimming, but the water was too cold.  So we went to bed.  The boys had a pull out to sleep on.  The trouble was it was single, so the Wee One slept curled at the top while the Imaginative One slept curled up on the bottom.

    Click on the photograph of the dogs with sunglasses to see more pictures.

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  • Mason Jar Salad

    I’ve seen this idea floating around but have never tried it. I always have issues figuring out what I want to eat for lunch. Even though I love salads, my salads for lunch are often lacking. So this week, I decided to try this.

    In a quart-size Mason jar, I put dressing, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, raisin, dried cranberry, almond pieces, kale, spinach, and Swiss chard. As I prepare for school, I pack some bacon bits and Feta cheese to top the salad. This past weekend, I got myself a plate to stay in my room, so when I dumped the salad onto the plate, the dressing distributes over the salad.

    20130831-071505.jpg

    I made them last Saturday and ate the last one yesterday. A few pieces were thrown away, but the majority was still yummy!

    Stars of the recipe:

    • Quart-sized Mason jar
    • Your favorite dressing (2-3 Tbsp.)
    • Harder skin veggies (celery, carrots, etc. . .) – cut into bite-sized pieces.
    • Softer skin veggies (tomatoes, bell peppers, etc. . .)  – cut into bite-sized pieces
    • Favorite nuts and/or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins
    • Lettuce or greens

    Steps:

    1. Put the dressing in the Mason jar.
    2. Next, you place the harder-skinned veggies. (These can stand being next to the dressing for an extended amount of time.)
    3. Place the softer-skinned veggies next.
    4. Then you would put the nuts and/or dried fruit.
    5. Finally, pack in the greens/lettuce, ensuring it’s packed to the top.
    6. Screw the lid tightly.
    7. Place in the fridge, making sure not to tilt the jar.
    8. When it’s time to eat, dump the salad on a dinner-sized plate.
    9. Place any other toppings on top.
    10. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

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  • Stone Fruit Fruit Salad in a Glass Jar

    Last weekend, I was perusing Pinterest looking for Mason Jar salad recipes.  On one of the sites, I saw a suggestion that you could do the same sort of thing with fruit minus the dressing.  I was intrigued, so I decided to try it.

    I put those fruit salads together on Saturday afternoon, and they were still as good on Wednesday as they were on Saturday.

    stone fruit salad

    Stone Fruit Fruit Salad

    Stars of the recipe:

    • 4 oz. Mason jars (I made 5, so I needed 5 jars.)
    • 1 med.  plum
    • 1 med.  peach
    • 1 med. nectarine
    • Fruit Fresh
    • Opt.  You also could put apricots in it.

    Steps:

    1. Cut the plum, peach, and nectarine into bite-size pieces.  (I wish I had a great cutting method around the stone.)
    2. Evenly place the pieces in the jars filling to the top.
    3. Sprinkle some Fruit Fresh over the fruit.  (This prevents it from turning brown.)
    4. Place the lid on as tight as possible.
    5. Place it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.
    6. Enjoy!

    Printable Recipe

    IMG_0317[1]

    I added blueberries to this one.

  • 6 Easy Breakfast Foods

    In January, I made a resolution to eat breakfast daily. I’ve been faithful toward that resolution except for one time. That one time was a killer on my body. My blood sugar was not stable, so the likelihood of me making bad food choices increased.

    As the school year started, I decided to compile a list of easy breakfast foods, especially with a little prep.

    1. Yogurt Parfaits

    This is my favorite breakfast. In fact, when we were at the beach, I ate this for breakfast several times.

    I place Greek yogurt, Granola, and fresh fruit in a bowl. (My favorite Greek yogurt is Greek Gods Nonfat Plain.) You can dress it up any way you want – nuts, Chia Seeds, coconut, different types of Granola, and different fruits.

    Here are some granola recipes:

    White Chocolate Granola

    Pumpkin Granola

    Apple Crisp Granola

    2. Oatmeal

    All it takes is some quick oats and milk/almond milk/water. Place in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. You can add nut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, chopped-up nuts, coconut, and/or fruit. Place the fruit on the oatmeal before microwaving for a different flavor experience.

    Here is an oatmeal recipe:

    Instant Oatmeal Mix

    3. Breakfast Sandwich

    This can be done in a million different ways. Okay, maybe not that many different ways, but you can change it depending on your mood.

    Here is the basic formula:

    1. eggs or egg whites
    2. some sort of protein (turkey bacon, bacon, sausage, Canadian bacon) cooked
    3. cheese or no cheese (Switch the kinds of cheese – Colby, Cheddar, Swiss, Feta, etc . . .)
    4. Veggies – spinach, onions, etc.
    5. bread product – whole wheat bread toasted, English muffin, tortilla, Bagel thin

    Here’s an easy way to cook the eggs or egg whites:  Spray a round glass bowl (1 cup size) or a coffee mug with cooking spray. Place the egg scrambled or whole. Place in microwave for about 1 min and a half to 2 mins. If it’s not cooked to your liking, continue cooking it at 30-second intervals. (If you want to, you can cook the veggies with the eggs.)

    After you cook the eggs, assemble your sandwich and then enjoy!

    4. Muffins

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    Depending on what flour and the ingredients are in your muffins, they can be a semi-healthy choice for breakfast. Whole wheat flour is the best flour to use when making muffins. Lots of fats (oil) and sugar will make your muffin unhealthy. Replace the oil in your recipe with unsweetened applesauce (1 to 1 ratio) to make it healthier.

    You can make the muffins ahead of time and then freeze them. Pull a muffin out of the freezer and warm it in the microwave.

    I usually pair them with a cheese stick and fruit for a more balanced meal.

    Here are some muffin recipes:

    Snickerdoodle muffins

    Cranberry Pecan Muffins

    All-Star Muffin mix

    Young’s Dairy Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

    French Toast Mini Muffins (My sons’ favorite muffins)

    Double Chocolate Chip Muffins– Has avocado in it

    5. Smoothies

    SONY DSC

    This is another favorite of mine.

    Easy peasy is the name of the game when it comes to smoothies. Throw in some fruit, greens, veggies, Chia seeds, flax seeds, ice, liquid (water, milk, juice, or almond milk), yogurt, and/or nut butter in a blender jar. Blend it together, place it in a cup, and enjoy! (Don’t worry; I don’t put all of those ingredients in at the same time. Those are just some ingredients you can use in your smoothie.)

    I pair this up with either a cheese stick or a hard-boiled egg.

    Here are some smoothie recipes:

    Fruit Smoothie (the Imaginative One’s favorite smoothie)

    ““Tropical Smoothie” Smoothie““Tropical Smoothie” Smoothie

    Carrot Tropical Smoothie

    Key Lime Smoothie

    Apple Jack Smoothie

    St. Patty’s Day Smoothie

    Power Up Green Smoothie

    6. Pancakes/ Waffles

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    This can be easy if you make pancakes or waffles during the weekend and freeze them. Pop them in the microwave or toaster for a quick breakfast. You can use the pancakes and waffles for your breakfast sandwich. You can also top the pancakes or waffles with nut butter. Pair it with some fruit for a balanced breakfast.

    Here are some pancake/waffle recipes:

    Waffle House Waffles

    Homemade Baking Mix and Pancakes

    What is your favorite easy breakfast?