Banana Crunch Muffins

Hooray for Sunday football! I am so excited to have football back. Not only to watch my favorite team defend their title, but for the fantastic game day food. These may be a little weird as a pick for Sunday games, but I believe everyone will love them either way. Keep these to the side and let people pick through the wings and chips, then they can grab a little dessert. 

Along with mashed, you have diced bananas for a change in texture, and the crunch from the granola and nuts are fantastic. Use them as a game day dessert, or keep them on your counter to grab as breakfast-on-the-go. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (great at high altitudes too!)

So the title of this recipe should really be The-most-delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes with Super-Heavenly Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. I can not explain in words how fantastic these cupcakes are. I have made them two years in a row now, and every time I do they are gone with-in 24 hours. The recipe makes about 20-24 cupcakes, so I always give some to friends and co-workers, but trust me, they do not last long. Especially with this cream cheese frosting. The cinnamon and vanilla give it such an elegant taste that you may just eat the bowl before frosting the cupcakes. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have a few spoonfuls myself. :)

If you are looking for a way to start off this fall season, these are the way to go. Super simple, but oh so delicious. I found this wonderful recipe at Nancy Creative. Thankfully these are perfect for high-altitude baking as well. I was so excited when I made these the first time and found out that I didn't need to mess with the recipe at all. They rose to the perfect fluffy texture.

The frosting recipe below makes a TON of frosting. I had half of the frosting left over when I finished putting some on the cupcakes. Now if you want to use the whole bowl, I'm not saying you shouldn't. The measurements below allow you to liberally frost each cupcakes with this heavenly frosting. Next time I make these (and I definitely will) I think I will half the frosting recipe. I even thought about doing that this time but I decided against it. Unfortunately I couldn't justify eating the bowl of frosting on it's own, so I had to throw away a lot of it. So just a heads up, half the frosting if you don't think you will top each cupcake with at least two inches of it. :)

Fajita Bowl (can be vegetarian or not!!)

I am so excited for fall to start! The changing colors and brisk mornings. September to December has always been my favorite time of year. Not only for the weather, but for the food. The pumpkins, squash, and spices that come out around this time makes everything better. Just writing about it makes me ready to start pulling out my fall decoration and make my own pumpkin puree. Well, with only a couple weeks until the official first day of fall I can start planning! I might even do it a few days early. :)

This fajita bowl is a quick and flavorful way to curb any Mexican craving you may be having. I was on a huge craving at the time, but I didn't want to go out and eat a plate full of greasy rice and beans. So, I found this recipe. Low in calories and full of nutrition. The avocados have the good fats, the beans give out extra protein, and of course your daily serving of veggies. If you are not a meat eater, you can substitute large portabella mushrooms for the chicken. So no matter what your eating style is, or if you are on a specific diet, this recipe would be great for you!

Healthy Halibut with Strawberry and Poblano Relish

Ever since I started cooking, I have gotten more and more into the presentation. At first I didn't care how it was presented, as long as it tasted good. Now that I have learned so much, I am all about pretty food. With every dish, I try really hard to make sure everything is cut evenly and that it still looks as good as it tastes. I find myself getting upset if something goes wrong. My husband can definitely tell you how my mood will go from high to low when I mess up. Once I had friends over and they were laughing at me because I was upset about a dish I was making. I knew it would taste okay, but something went wrong and I knew it wasn't going to look as good as I wanted. In the end it all looked fine and tasted fantastic.

Well, that tangent was all because I love the look of this dish. The gorgeous white fish with the vibrant green cilantro and bright red strawberries. I mean, who can say no to something so pretty!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

If I ever meet someone that says they don't like mashed potatoes, I wouldn't know how to act around them. Should they even be considered a person? Well, of course they should, but I would just think they are a really weird person. :)

I have heard of substituting cauliflower for potatoes in a mashed potato recipe before, it always sounded a little weird to me though. I knew it would be a great way to hide vegetables when you have people who doesn't like veggies. Now, I will honestly say that nothing is as good as the real thing, but this a fantastic healthy and quick version. Just like potatoes, you can season this mash with any flavors you and your family love. This recipe was a definite try for me, because I love roasted garlic!! Of course, I added a little dash of cayenne pepper, but you can do any seasoning you want. Rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes, etc...this a blank canvas. A very healthy blank canvas!!

Grilled Salmon with Basil Sauce

When you love to cook, you kind of need people to cook for. Sounds about right...right? For the last few weeks, and a couple more to go, my husband has been out in the field. After the first few nights I realized how boring it is without him. Mind you we have no kids, so it's just me and our two year old dog. Well, since it's summer she gets tired after ten minutes of play, and sleeps for hours on end. Therefore, she is absolutely no help to my boredom. I keep finding recipes I want to make, but it serves a million people. I have made a few of those, and had lunch for work and dinner for the next night. Maybe it's just me though, but I can't stand eating the same thing for every meal, or more than two nights in a row. That just means leftovers go to waste when it's just me. Enough of my venting!

Thankfully, when I found this recipe my husband was still home so I was able to eat delectable flaky salmon. Now that the weather is ridiculously hot and I'm melting slowly, I need recipes that will not turn the oven on and make our house 20 degrees warmer. That is where the grill comes in. Then when you put salmon on that grill, it makes life perfect. This was such a simple dish, but full of flavor. Prepping the salmon couldn't be easier, and you get a great smoky flavor from the grill. Once you pour over the sauce, you have an inexpensive dish that doesn't taste cheap at all!

4th of July Cheesecake Yogurt Cupcakes

The 4th of July is a great time of year. Cold weather has finally moved away, and the sun shows it's face a little more. Grill parties are definitely a staple when the weather gets nice. The fresh ingredients that come out at this time of year are also why summer is great!

For some reason, the month of July has always put me in a good mood.  If we were back in Washington we would have been to at least two baseball games already. (Excuse me while I day dream about garlic fries and soft pretzels.) I love seeing the American pride everywhere too. That might be because we are a military family. Ever since my husband enlisted, holidays like the 4th of July and Memorial Day have a whole new meaning. I take pride knowing my husband is spending everyday doing what he does in part to work toward his dream, and sacrificing so much in order to do so.

You know, I may be feeling all "Let's go America" because of the World Cup going on right now. We are huge Seattle Sounders fans, and have been cheering on the players that have made it onto the USA team. Being able to watch the USA go as far as they did was awesome! Of course I wish they could have gone further. :(