Spice Grove Designs

Christmas Cookies (that are GOOD for you!)

It’s that time of the Season again – to bring out the yummy treats filled with chocolate and candy and all sorts of deliciousness! While we will some some of these treats this year, I’ve tried to find some healthy desserts that we can all enjoy this Christmas! (without the guilt!)

Check out these amazingly quick and easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies I found on the MyFitnessPal blog! With only 3 ingredients, they only took me 5 minutes to make and it smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the kitchen! Let’s get started…

Ingredients for Breakfast Cookies

You’ll need:
1 mixing bowl
1 baking sheet

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup of uncooked Quick Oats
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

optional:
You can also use 1/4 cup nuts, raisins, or whatever you can think of!!

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
3. Combine oats and bananas in the bowl. Fold in chocolate chips.

Mix all ingredients

4. Drop by Tablespoon onto cookie sheet. (I usually get 15-16 cookies)
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!! (although they are best warm!!)

Now, I want to be completely honest here – I’m not the biggest banana fan ever. I know they are so good for you, but I really have to be in the mood for one and I really don’t like banana flavored things at all! Imagine my shock when these DIDN’T have an overwhelming banana flavor! The next time I make them, I’m going to try adding some cinnamon – because what isn’t improved with a bit of cinnamon??
Now I’m not saying that these will replace my favorite Cowboy cookies from Grandma’s recipe – but they are definitely something I can have on hand on a regular basis and NOT feel guilty about having a couple! Are you ready for the best part? 2 of them are only 96 calories!!!!!

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

If you are looking for some more Holiday recipes make sure and check out our homemade Cinnamon Applesauce and our delicious ‘Pumpkin Footballs.’Also check out our Grandma’s Potato Rolls recipe that we use to make cinnamon rolls or monkey bread for Christmas morning each year!

Cinnamon rolls rising and cooling

I hope that this Holiday Season finds you having fun mixing and stirring in your kitchen with your loved ones! Enjoy this new Breakfast Cookie this December and feel good about eating cookies!!

Christmas Blessings to you friends,

all natural, chocolate chip cookies, christmas, christmas cookies, christmas inspiration, healthy eating, healthy holidays, healthy snack, myfitnesspal, recipe, Spice Grove Designs

Easy Cinnamon Applesauce!

Looking for any easy/healthy snack the whole family will enjoy? Look no further friends! Check out this amazing applesauce recipe for a yummy treat that even the pickiest eater will enjoy! (this has been adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe which you can find here!)

Our all natural cinnamon applesauce

Ingredients:
~6 lbs. of apples (roughly 18 med. to large size apples of any variety)
~1 cup apple juice or apple cider – (most apple cider is gluten free too!)
~lemon juice from one lemon
~1/2 cup brown sugar – you can substitute maple syrup for a gluten-free recipe.
~1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

(optional ingredients: nutmeg, allspice)

Delicious cinnamon!

Tools:
Apple peeler/corer (if desired – it really speeds things up!)
Knife
Big stock pot
Food Processor

1. Core and chop all apples. We used all Granny Smith’s as that is what we picked at the orchard. I do like the blend of a half and half selection though such as 50% Granny Smith’s – 50% Pink Lady (or other sweet apple).

Peel and core apples

2. Add all ingredients to stock pot and cook for 25-30 min on medium. Stir often and taste to make sure you like the sweetness.

All ingredients in the stock pot

3. AFTER the apples are soft and COOLED add in 2 batches to a food processor and pulse until the consistency you like! We left ours a bit chunky!

This makes about 6 cups of fresh applesauce

4. Enjoy by itself or on pancakes, fresh bread, ice cream or anything you can think of!! One other nice thing about this recipe is that it freezes very well! (If your family doesn’t eat it all first!) I love that this can be made into an easy gluten free recipe too!

Sometimes it helps to have special helpers! (who think apple peels are yarn!)

Next up tomorrow in our kitchen tomorrow…….apple pie with Grandma’s pie crust!!! (And hopefully on a post coming up!)

Let us know if you try this recipe out!!

Have a wonderful week friends and don’t forget to enter in our HUGE giveaway that ends tomorrow!! Just click here!

Blessings,

all natural, apple picking, applesauce, autumn, cinnamon, easy recipe, fall recipes, giveaway, gluten free, healthy snack, Pioneer Woman, recipe, Spice Grove Designs

Autumn Getaway and Giveaway

October 24th, 2013 | Posted by Spice Grove Designs in Giveaways | Inspiration from Nature - (2 Comments)

GETAWAY

I wanted to share some gorgeous fall loveliness with you from our past weekend. We took the whole Spice Grove family up to the mountains to see the colors and breathe the cool air! I thought I’d do a little introduction to the family today so that you get to know my team of amazing support!

My Family

My family is an amazing source of grace and unselfish love toward me which I am so very thankful for. My sweet hubby puts up with things that would make most men cringe. Whether it’s smelling a design for the 100th time, playing search and rescue to find a knife or tool that I’ve ‘borrowed’, stopping to pick up ‘just one more thing’ from the craft store that I forgot, or just giving me honest feedback – he amazes me with his willingness to help me. I am truly blessed! (And someday soon I’ll get that knife back in the kitchen where it belongs!) He is also my in-house editor and proofreader so if I’ve messed something up, chances are I haven’t let him look at it! As you’ve probably noticed I use WAY too many exclamation points! Believe it or not I’m doing 75% better than before he started helping me whittle them down. Hee-hee!

Our girls exploring Nature

Our girls – my creative inspiration and gifts I thank God for daily! They have taught me to enjoy the little things in life as well as to dream big. Our eldest is a gentle soul, always helping me with design ideas as well as making things for the special people in her life. She was the push behind our Giving Back line and has helped us learn to give more joyfully and freely! I’m so thankful for her heart. Our littlest one is a bundle of energy and excitement and has taught me to be more flexible and compassionate than I ever knew I could be. She too loves to ‘help’ and I often have to ask her where she has put a roll of ribbon or jar of spices! (I forget how fast little hands are!)

They both had so much fun exploring the golden leaves and crunching through the pine needles. I’m so thankful we could share a bit of God’s glorious Autumn colors with them. I hope that they will grow up inspired by Nature and the Creator just as I am! We were able to end the night at a wonderfully rustic little restaurant served by a sweet lady who made all of us feel special. Both girls were fast asleep as we reached home and once we had them in bed I finished up my latest recipe I wanted to share!

GIVEAWAY

Delicious pumpkin footballs

If you are looking for a festive pumpkin treat that only takes minutes to prepare then head on over to the Structurebags blog! Here you can find our super easy recipe for these amazingly yummy pumpkin footballs that will be the perfect fit for any tailgating party. While you are there make sure to enter the GIVEAWAY for our new Spiced Burlap Topiary – perfect for the Fall Holidays! A big thank you to Brenda for letting us share both the recipe and the giveaway.

Autumn Spiced Burlap Topiary Tree

Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful week filled with inspiration and beauty! Thank you so much for stopping by! Make sure you sign up on the right to subscribe to the blog. We have some HUGE things coming in the next two weeks that you won’t want to miss!

Blessings to you friends,

autumn, beauty, fall, fall colors, football, giveaway, inspiration, nature, pumpkin, recipe, spice

Christmas Cookies (that are GOOD for you!)

It’s that time of the Season again – to bring out the yummy treats filled with chocolate and candy and all sorts of deliciousness! While we will some some of these treats this year, I’ve tried to find some healthy desserts that we can all enjoy this Christmas! (without the guilt!)

Check out these amazingly quick and easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies I found on the MyFitnessPal blog! With only 3 ingredients, they only took me 5 minutes to make and it smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the kitchen! Let’s get started…

You’ll need:
1 mixing bowl
1 baking sheet

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup of uncooked Quick Oats
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

optional:
You can also use 1/4 cup nuts, raisins, or whatever you can think of!!

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
3. Combine oats and bananas in the bowl. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Drop by Tablespoon onto cookie sheet. (I usually get 15-16 cookies)
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!! (although they are best warm!!)

If you are looking for some more Holiday recipes make sure and check out our homemade Cinnamon Applesauce and our delicious ‘Pumpkin Footballs.’Also check out our Grandma’s Potato Rolls recipe that we use to make cinnamon rolls or monkey bread for Christmas morning each year!

I hope that this Holiday Season finds you having fun mixing and stirring in your kitchen with your loved ones! Enjoy this new Breakfast Cookie this December and feel good about eating cookies!!

Christmas Blessings to you friends,

Easy Cinnamon Applesauce!

Looking for any easy/healthy snack the whole family will enjoy? Look no further friends! Check out this amazing applesauce recipe for a yummy treat that even the pickiest eater will enjoy! (this has been adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe which you can find here!)

Ingredients:
~6 lbs. of apples (roughly 18 med. to large size apples of any variety)
~1 cup apple juice or apple cider – (most apple cider is gluten free too!)
~lemon juice from one lemon
~1/2 cup brown sugar – you can substitute maple syrup for a gluten-free recipe.
~1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

(optional ingredients: nutmeg, allspice)

Tools:
Apple peeler/corer (if desired – it really speeds things up!)
Knife
Big stock pot
Food Processor

1. Core and chop all apples. We used all Granny Smith’s as that is what we picked at the orchard. I do like the blend of a half and half selection though such as 50% Granny Smith’s – 50% Pink Lady (or other sweet apple).

2. Add all ingredients to stock pot and cook for 25-30 min on medium. Stir often and taste to make sure you like the sweetness.

3. AFTER the apples are soft and COOLED add in 2 batches to a food processor and pulse until the consistency you like! We left ours a bit chunky!

4. Enjoy by itself or on pancakes, fresh bread, ice cream or anything you can think of!! One other nice thing about this recipe is that it freezes very well! (If your family doesn’t eat it all first!) I love that this can be made into an easy gluten free recipe too!

Next up tomorrow in our kitchen tomorrow…….apple pie with Grandma’s pie crust!!! (And hopefully on a post coming up!)

Let us know if you try this recipe out!!

Have a wonderful week friends and don’t forget to enter in our HUGE giveaway that ends tomorrow!! Just click here!

Blessings,

Autumn Getaway and Giveaway

Search

Categories

Archives

Christmas Cookies (that are GOOD for you!)

It’s that time of the Season again – to bring out the yummy treats filled with chocolate and candy and all sorts of deliciousness! While we will some some of these treats this year, I’ve tried to find some healthy desserts that we can all enjoy this Christmas! (without the guilt!)

Check out these amazingly quick and easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies I found on the MyFitnessPal blog! With only 3 ingredients, they only took me 5 minutes to make and it smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies baking in the kitchen! Let’s get started…

You’ll need: 1 mixing bowl 1 baking sheet

2 medium ripe bananas 1 cup of uncooked Quick Oats 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

optional: You can also use 1/4 cup nuts, raisins, or whatever you can think of!!

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. 3. Combine oats and bananas in the bowl. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Drop by Tablespoon onto cookie sheet. (I usually get 15-16 cookies) 5. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!! (although they are best warm!!)

If you are looking for some more Holiday recipes make sure and check out our homemade Cinnamon Applesauce and our delicious ‘Pumpkin Footballs.’Also check out our Grandma’s Potato Rolls recipe that we use to make cinnamon rolls or monkey bread for Christmas morning each year!

I hope that this Holiday Season finds you having fun mixing and stirring in your kitchen with your loved ones! Enjoy this new Breakfast Cookie this December and feel good about eating cookies!!

Christmas Blessings to you friends,

Easy Cinnamon Applesauce!

Looking for any easy/healthy snack the whole family will enjoy? Look no further friends! Check out this amazing applesauce recipe for a yummy treat that even the pickiest eater will enjoy! (this has been adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s recipe which you can find here!)

Ingredients: ~6 lbs. of apples (roughly 18 med. to large size apples of any variety) ~1 cup apple juice or apple cider – (most apple cider is gluten free too!) ~lemon juice from one lemon ~1/2 cup brown sugar – you can substitute maple syrup for a gluten-free recipe. ~1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

(optional ingredients: nutmeg, allspice)

Tools: Apple peeler/corer (if desired – it really speeds things up!) Knife Big stock pot Food Processor

1. Core and chop all apples. We used all Granny Smith’s as that is what we picked at the orchard. I do like the blend of a half and half selection though such as 50% Granny Smith’s – 50% Pink Lady (or other sweet apple).

2. Add all ingredients to stock pot and cook for 25-30 min on medium. Stir often and taste to make sure you like the sweetness.

3. AFTER the apples are soft and COOLED add in 2 batches to a food processor and pulse until the consistency you like! We left ours a bit chunky!

4. Enjoy by itself or on pancakes, fresh bread, ice cream or anything you can think of!! One other nice thing about this recipe is that it freezes very well! (If your family doesn’t eat it all first!) I love that this can be made into an easy gluten free recipe too!

Next up tomorrow in our kitchen tomorrow…….apple pie with Grandma’s pie crust!!! (And hopefully on a post coming up!)

Let us know if you try this recipe out!!

Have a wonderful week friends and don’t forget to enter in our HUGE giveaway that ends tomorrow!! Just click here!

Blessings,

Autumn Getaway and Giveaway

Search

Categories

Archives

You’ll need:
1 mixing bowl
1 baking sheet

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup of uncooked Quick Oats
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

optional:
You can also use 1/4 cup nuts, raisins, or whatever you can think of!!

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
3. Combine oats and bananas in the bowl. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Drop by Tablespoon onto cookie sheet. (I usually get 15-16 cookies)
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and enjoy!! (although they are best warm!!)

Ingredients:
~6 lbs. of apples (roughly 18 med. to large size apples of any variety)
~1 cup apple juice or apple cider – (most apple cider is gluten free too!)
~lemon juice from one lemon
~1/2 cup brown sugar – you can substitute maple syrup for a gluten-free recipe.
~1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Tools:
Apple peeler/corer (if desired – it really speeds things up!)
Knife
Big stock pot
Food Processor