Cranberry Topped Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Now that the kids are back to school I try to make the morning routine as easy as possible. One of the ways to get out the door quickly is to have breakfast already done. Maybe just as important, a breakfast you can eat on the go. My solution... cranberry, apple cinnamon breakfast muffins. In this case, a little taste of comfort I get to send with my little.

There are several ways I make my breakfast muffins but it all starts with a simple muffin mix. Once the base is created I add some fruit and vegetables. If I'm really pushing the healthy thing, I add a little flaxseed and maybe some oats. Like most of my dishes, I can go a little overboard with the muffins too. By adding just a little here and there you can add whatever you want without having to change the base. Of course, If I can get all of the essentials in one cute muffin, why not?

Apple cinnamon muffins are one of my favorite muffins. There's just something heart warming about and a little bit indulgent about the mixture of apples and cinnamon. Especially with the cranberries on top. I had to remind myself it was for my mini me.

Cranberry Topped Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients
1 ½ cups of flour
3 apples ( I used golden crisp apples)

½ cup of sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅓ cup of vegetable oil
1 egg
⅓ cup of milk

¼ cup of dried cranberries

Tools: Muffin Pan
Apple Corer (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin.

In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl mix oil, milk and egg. Then add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

Core and dice apples.  Fold diced apples into muffin mixture.

Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into muffin tin.

Sprinkle the cranberries on top of the mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. The top of the muffin should be slightly browned and when inserted with a toothpick it should come out clean.

*Note: The more liquid ingredients you add (carrots/fruit) the longer the muffin will need to cook.

Oven Fried Chicken

Ever go into a kitchen store and come out with a million things? One shopping trip I returned with a silicon healthy mat. Say what? A silicon mat that has portions elevated so hot air can circulate underneath the food. My point... I love new gadgets and dohickeys especially if it makes life easier. Of course, my immediate need comfort food after an arduous week lead me to out my new dohickey to use. Of course, I thought I was handing the new transitions at work well but my cravings for bad food have proven otherwise. So, why fight it?

In the end, I decide to drown my woes in fried chicken. Of course, frying is not really my thing. I hate standing over hot oil and I always get burned. So I was happy to have the mat on hand. I could make fried chicken without standing over a hot stove, getting burned or wasting a bunch of oil. Best of all I could make something bad and feel good about it. Woo hoo!!

Oven Fried Chicken
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

2 pounds of chicken
2 tablespoons of adobo seasoning

½cup of flour

1 teaspoon of paprika

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

vegetable oil spray

Tools: silicon healthy mat
*Note: If you do not have a silicon healthy mat, you can get similar results by placing the chicken on a rack in a baking sheet.

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place silicon mat ( or wire rack) on a shallow baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with adobo seasoning.

In a bowl combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper.

Dredge chicken in flour mixture and place on silicon mat.

Place chicken in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes turn over and bake for another 30 minutes.

It's healthier than it would be if I fried it in a pan!!