Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Fall is officially here! It's my absolute favorite season. The weather is getting cooler and I love it! I love the cooler weather of Fall...it brings hot chocolate, pumpkin spice lattes, hoodies, and boots. My other favorite love of Fall is Pumpkin. I love everything pumpkin! My family might turn into pumpkins because I cook and bake with it so much! One of my Fall favorites is definitely pumpkin spice muffins. I love having them for breakfast on a cool fall morning. My kids devour these ad keep asking for more. You can't go wrong with a good pumpkin muffin! It just screams comfort. My recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins is so easy and just adds a touch of sweetness. It doesn't have too much sugar, which I love because I'm trying to be good and cut sugar out these days. The honey adds a floral taste to it and it pairs lovely with the  pumpkin and spices. This recipe makes 6 jumbo muffins, 12 regular sized muffins, or 24 mini muffins. My kids love the mini muffins! They are perfect for after school snacking. I hope you love them!

Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients:
1 Stick Butter, Softened (can use dairy free alternative)
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Pure Clover Honey
1 15 oz. Can 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp. Gluten Free Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 Cups All Purpose GF Flour Mix (I use Better Batter but you can use any mix you like)
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
2 Tsp. Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups and set aside. Add the butter, brown sugar, and honey and beat in a stand mixer on medium high until creamy. Then, add in 2 eggs one at a time until fully combined. Lastly, add in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree until mixed. Next, add in all the dry ingredients and spices and fully mix on medium . Scoop the batter into the muffin cups using a small ice cream scooper- only about 3/4 full.
Bake at at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden. You can serve these with some butter or some yummy cream cheese frosting! I prefer them just like they are, hot out of the oven.
To order Better Batter flour, visit www.betterbatter.org

Xo

Melanie

Buttermilk Biscuits

You know what I really miss since going gluten free? Biscuits! I love a good warm biscuit on a cold day. There's nothing like it. What I love even more is that they are so easy to make. I whipped these together this morning for breakfast! From start to finish, they took under 25 minutes. You can't beat that! I ate them on their own, but they would be amazing with some jam or with gluten free sausage and gravy! Can we say, comfort food!

I used a combination of White Rice Flour and Potato Flour, but you can certainly use a mix you like. The recipe makes 8 biscuits. You can also make a double batch and freeze them for later. Enjoy!

Recipe for Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 Cup White Rice Flour (could also use Brown Rice Flour)
1 Cup Potato Flour
1 Tsp. Zanthan Gum
3 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Egg Whites, plus 1 egg
4 TBSP. Cold Butter, Chopped into small chunks
1 Cup Buttermilk


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor, add the flours, zanthan gum, baking powder, and salt and pulse 3 times, until fully combined.
3. In a small bowl, add the egg whites, and buttermilk and whisk together until combined.
4. Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor and pule 5-6 times, until the dough resembles coarse crumbles. Next, add in the wet ingredients and pulse another 4-5 times until dough forms.
5. Scoop out a handful of the dough and form into a ball (enough to fit in your palm). Gently press the dough down onto a floured surface and use a biscuit cutter or a glass cup to form the biscuits. Make them as thick or thin as you like. I like mine thicker, about 1/2 inch.
6. Crack the remaining egg into a small bowl and whisk together. Next, taking a brush, dip it in the egg and give each biscuit an egg wash coating.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Serve warm right away and freeze the remaining biscuits if desired.

Physicians Formula Makeup Review

I love makeup! When I first started my gluten free journey, I never realized that makeup and skin care products contained gluten! Go figure! I am always on the look out for good gluten free makeup that won't make me break out or make my skin oily.

Physicians Formula kindly sent me these 3 makeup products to review! I was super excited because I have never tried these 3 products before.
They sent me the Organic Wear BB Cream in shade Light/Medium. I love a good BB Cream. It's what I use most days because it's so easy and provides great coverage. The Organic Wear BB Cream has 100% natural origin and contains SPF 20. On the package it claims to have 70% organic ingredients. It is made of coconut water and extracts, willow bark extract, plus natural minerals. It claims to hydrate, smooth, nourish, conceal, repair, even out, prep & prime, and protect in one simple step. It is free of harsh chemicals and GMOs, preservative free, color and fragrance free, 100% paraben free, and 100% cruelty free. Non-comedogenic, gluten free, hypoallergenic, and dermatologist approved. It retails for $14.95 and is available in two shades: Light and Light/Medium. Not a bad price for a BB cream that claims to be organic and healthy for your skin! The first thing I noticed when applying the BB Cream is that it is really thick and creamy. You only need a dime size amount to apply to your whole face. It blends nicely and provides medium coverage. It is really smooth and not oily at all. It has a hint of coconut scent to it, which I loved! I really, really loved this! I have been using it every day for the past 2 weeks and will definitely be purchasing it again. It is great for every day wear and it stays pretty nicely throughout the day. This is my new go to drugstore BB Cream for sure! I loved everything about it.

The next product they sent me is the Bronze Booster in the shade Medium/Dark. The Bronze Booster is a 24k Gold Highlighter and 24 Hr. Wear Bronzer. It is formulated with exclusive Glow Activator Technology, which is a custom infusion of vitamins, moisturizers, and antioxidants that will help enhance and extend the life of your tan glow. The Bronze Booster claims to give you a sun kissed glow that lasts up to 24 hours. It is stain free, streak free, orange free, odor free, gluten free, paraben free oil free, dermatologist approved, and hypoallergenic. When I opened up the package, I noticed the bronzer was so pretty! It has a little sun in gold, which is the highlighter, and the rest is the darker shade bronzer. I used the highlighter around my under eyes, on the middle of my forehead and on my chin. I then filled the bronzer in on my cheeks and around my hair line and jaw line, and blended it all in together. I really loved this product! It provided a nice sun-kissed glow and wasn't orange looking at all. I'm always so worried about looking orange, you know like you have a "fake" tan! I hate that! This product really is amazing and is a great bronzer. I'll definitely buy it again.

The last product they sent me was the Organic Wear Curl & Care Mascara. You know me, I am always looking for a great mascara! This products claims to curl your lashes without needing a lash curler. And it claims to lengthen and thicken your lashes as well. And it says it will last up to 24 hours! The brush is rubbery and curved, it kind of looks like a banana shape. It also has a hint of green tea scent, because it is made with green tea. I kind of liked the scent, it was very fresh smelling and nice. Let me just tell you, this mascara is AMAZING! It made my lashes so long and it was so easy to apply. I like to apply 2 coats to give it a nice, full look; but even with 1 coat it did the job! This is definitely a mascara I will be purchasing often at the drug store.

Overall, I truly LOVE Physicians Formula! I have used many of their products before and never had a complaint yet. These 3 products that I received worked so well together and it makes me happy knowing they are all gluten free and healthy for my skin! It is definitely a challenge finding gluten free makeup in the drugstore, but Physicians Formula is definitely the way to go! If you haven't tried these 3 products yet, I definitely recommend you do. You won't be disappointed! To see all of their available products and shop online go to www.physiciansformula.com. You can purchase these products in any drugstore as well, such as Walmart or Rite Aid. What Physicians Formula products are your favorite? I'd love to hear from you!

Xo
Melanie

Banana Apple Oat Bread

There's nothing I love more than baking! I'm sure those of you who have been following me for awhile know that. There's just something peaceful about combining different ingredients and tasting the final results. I love it!

I cannot say enough good things about Better Batter All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix! It's just amazing and makes baking so easy. Of course, I used Better Batter in this recipe- would you expect anything less?! To order from Better Batter visit www.betterbatter.org

I love the combination of bananas and apples in this bread, and the oats make it nice and hearty!  I love enjoying this bread for breakfast with a cup of coffee. It's also delish just as a snack! This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread. I like to freeze one when I make this, or I keep one loaf and give the other to a friend. I hope you love it!

Banana Apple Oat Bread 

2 Sticks of Salted, Organic Butter- softened at room temperature
3/4 Cup of Organic Cane Sugar
2 Organic, Cage Free Eggs
4 Ripe Bananas, mashed
2 Macintosh Apples, peeled and diced into small pieces
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk
3 1/2 Cups Better Batter All Purpose GF Flour Mix
1 Tbsp.  Baking Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans with butter and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs in, one at a time until smooth. Next, add in the mashed bananas and milk and mix until fully combined.
3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. Next fold in the apples with a rubber spatula, just until combined.
4. Distribute the bread mix evenly into both loaf pans. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

*This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread and they freeze nicely.

Xo
Melanie

Hello Fresh Unboxing and Review

Check out my video review of Hello Fresh! I definitely love this idea and will be purchasing soon. The meals were all absolutely delish and it's so convenient for busy families.

https://youtu.be/FoRUeUjDrHI

Crab Cakes with Spicy Mayo

I absolutely LOVE Crab Cakes! I would usually only have them once in a while whenever my husband and I went out to dinner. Now that I've created a gluten free version, I may have to make them more! These are so easy to make and they are packed with so much flavor! They're surprisingly filling too and make a great weeknight meal paired with a salad. The spicy mayo gives it a nice little kick too! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.








Gluten Free Crab Cakes with Spicy Mayo

Spicy Mayo:

1/2 Cup Mayo
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Crab Cakes:

1 16 oz. Container of Lump Crab Meat
2 Tbsp. Mayo
1 Tbsp. Mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbsp. Freshly chopped Parsley
1/2 Red Pepper, Diced
2 Sprigs of Green Onion, chopped
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup Italian Style GF Breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil


1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until fully combined.
2. Cover and Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from refrigerator. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the pan.
4. Using a large spoon, scoop about a palm full of the crab mixture and form into a patty. Add the patties to the skillet and fry on each side about 4 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Serve with the spicy mayo drizzled over and enjoy!
* This recipe makes about 8-10 small crab cakes. They will keep in the refrigerator about 4 days.

Xo
Melanie

The BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies, right?! They're probably one of my absolute favorite sweet treats! Give me a glass of milk to dunk them in and I'm set. When I first became gluten free, one of the first things I wanted to make was, of course, a good chocolate chip cookie. Not just any chocolate chip cookie, but one that tasted like those I've been eating for years. My friends, I have found a winner! After months and months of trial recipes, I believe I have perfected the gluten free chocolate chip cookie! It's chewy and sweet and just delicious. I add oats to mine and dark chocolate chips, but you can certainly leave the oats out or replace the dark chocolate chips with milk chocolate. Whatever works for you! I just love oats and dark chocolate! I use my stand mixer for these, because it's super easy. If you don't have one you can just use a regular hand mixer. I hope you enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 Cups Better Batter All Purpose GF Flour Mix
2 Cups GF Quick Cooking Oats
1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. GF Baking Powder
1 tsp. GF Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Organic Cane Sugar
2 Sticks Salted Butter, Softened
2 Organic Eggs
1 tsp. GF Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:


1. Grease 2 large cookie sheets and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add the two sticks of softened butter and mix until creamy. Then, add in the sugars and mix until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
3. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth. Then add in the vanilla extract and mix for a few seconds.
4. Add in all the remaining dry ingredients, except chocolate chips and oats. Mix until fully combined, about 1 minute.
4. Lastly, add in the oats and chocolate chips and mix until fully combined. The mix will be pretty thick.
5. Take a small ice cream scoop, and scoop up the batter and roll in your hand to make a ball. Add each ball to the cookie sheet, placing them about 1 inch apart and slightly flatten each one. Do this until all of the mix is gone.
6. Bake for 13 minutes in the pre-heated oven until golden brown.
7. Serve warm with a side of milk and enjoy!

Xo
Melanie

* To order Better Batter Flour Mix, go to www.betterbatter.org