Delicious Pumpkin Muffins- Whole Wheat & Flax Seed

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

Inspired by a couple cans of organic pumpkin I found on my pantry shelf, I made these amazing muffins.

I’ve made the recipe twice now (per kids request- always a good thing!)  The second time I split the batter into two parts- adding raisins to half of the recipe and chocolate chips to the other half.  This recipe has whole wheat flour, ground flax seed and 1 1/2 Cups of pumpkin and is delicious.

I plan to serve them in the morning for breakfast with some low fat yogurt.
IMG 6952 1024x682 Delicious Pumpkin Muffins Whole Wheat & Flax Seed

Print
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Rating: 51

Yield: 24

IMG 3332 Delicious Pumpkin Muffins Whole Wheat & Flax Seed

Delicious Pumpkin Muffin Chocolate Chip Recipe or Use Raisins (my favorite!)

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed + 6 Tablespoons of Water (mix together & let sit 5 minutes) If you don't have Flax Seed- just substitute 2 more eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • OR
  • 1 Cup of Raisins
  • OR
  • Split batter into two equal parts and add chips to some and raisins to the other to please everyone
  • 1/2 Cup Raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
  3. Mix sugar, oil, eggs, Flax Seed mixture.
  4. Add pumpkin and water.
  5. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.
  6. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
  8. Bake in preheated oven for 17-20 minutes.

Notes

Original recipe on Allrecipes.com but I have altered several of the ingredients and doubled the recipe.

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 Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

Posted in Cooking, Dietitian in the Kitchen, Featured, Kids Love Food, Kids Snacks, Nutrition, pumpkin, recipe, Recipe Restyle, Sugar Shout Out, vitamin A | Comments Off on Delicious Pumpkin Muffins- Whole Wheat & Flax Seed

Coming Soon- testing.

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Kristie

testing.

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International Women’s Day 2012- Potato Chips for Women

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Diva Dietitian
Posted in Charity, Eat Right, Food, Headline, inspiration, Kitchen, Reviews, Veggies On The Block, Women For Women | Comments Off on International Women’s Day 2012- Potato Chips for Women

Celebrate National Nutrition Month with Chocolate Cake

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

March is National Nutrition Month so let’s kick it off with a Sugar Shout out to this amazing Chocolate Cake Recipe.

I never seem to have a problem finding a good reason to make a cake.   I did a tiny Recipe Restyle to the Hershey’s Cocoa Can Cake recipe and Wa La…deliciousness at it’s finest (with no hydrogenated oil or saturated fat.)  Chocolate, after all, can be good for you and part of a healthy diet.   Studies show that dark chocolate and cocoa are in the same healthy antioxidant category as blueberries and green tea.  Chocolate comes from a tree you know, the cacao tree.  And it is full of plant nutrients and a source of natural flavanol antioxidants.  Most of the studies out there highlight dark chocolate because it has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, therefore delivering more flavanol antioxidants.

These antioxidant properties in chocolate may reduce the risk of many diseases from heart disease to cancer.  Dark chocolate and cocoa contain cell-protecting flavanol antioxidant compounds.   Two tablespoons of natural cocoa have more antioxidant capacity than 3 ½ cups of green tea, ¾ cup of blueberries and 1 1/3 glasses of red wine.

Print
Best Cocoa Chocolate Cake Recipe

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

IMG 3553 Celebrate National Nutrition Month with Chocolate Cake

Mmm...

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • 1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 Cocoa Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 C Milk
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 Cup Boiling Water

Instructions

  1. Heat Over 350
  2. Grease and flour 10 inch square baking pan
  3. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
  4. AddAdd eggs, milk, oil and vanilla
  5. Beat a few minutes with hand mixer (about 2 or 3 minutes)
  6. Stiru in boiling water (bater will be very thin)
  7. Pour into Pans
  8. Bake 35-40 minutes (since all ovens vary- test with toothpick or fork at 35 minute mark)
  9. When Cake cools, frost

Notes

Recipe adapted from the Hershey's Cocoa Can

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Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

Posted in Cake, chocolate, Culinary Secrets, dessert, Dietitian in the Kitchen, Happy Healthy Family, Kristie, Nutrition, Sugar Shout Out | Comments Off on Celebrate National Nutrition Month with Chocolate Cake

Under Construction

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Kristie

Under Construction.

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Under Construction

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Kristie

Under Construction.

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Nutrition Tech- Part 1, Meal Planning

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

chef image Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning First, a big thank you to the MOMSClub of Buckingham who donated $60 to Women for Women (My Donation Page) at the Nutrition Workshop I did for them last week.  WomenforWomen.org.com is a charity I support and have now sponsored two sisters.

I had a blast teaching the fun women in this Moms Group about meal planning and some of the latest and greatest in delicious Nutrition technology.  And how fun, I used the iPad2 and Apple TV to demo how to use PepperPlate.com, Pinterest and Lose it. (Thanks to Paul- my AV man!)

Planning family meals can be a daunting and tiring task for any Mom.  And since sadly we don’t all have a Personal Chef like Oprah to plan and make all of our meals, it’s something we Moms have to do ourselves along with all the other things in our busy & hectic lives.

Being too busy to meal plan is just one of the reasons families tend to get into a food slump, eating the same meals & foods night after night for dinner.  It’s also one of the reasons, many families eat out so frequently.  Research shows that families that plan and make meals together at home make healthier and better food choices.  It does take a little bit of time and effort, but it’s all well worth it and can actually be quite fun.

PepperPlate.com is on my new favorite Meal Planning finds.  While it is not a personal chef (boo!),  it’s very user friendly site that works hand in hand with many awesome recipe websites like AllRecipes.com, Epicurious.com, FoodNetwork.com and etc.   And many of these recipe sites also already have the Nutritional Analysis done which is super cool.

Once you get the hang of Pepper Plate and import your favorite recipes and make a calendar, meal planning become a breeze!  And bonus- the website syncs to an iPhone/iPad app so you can see your meals and shopping list for the week while sitting in the carpool line or at a soccer game.

It’s one of my favorite new tech Nutrition finds.  It’s sort of like a Pinterest site for your recipes only it does more!  It not only adds spice to your life by helping you organize your meals on a cool online calendar (that syncs with the app)  BUT it also creates a shopping list that is organized by section of the store i.e. Produce, Spices, etc..  And yes, you can see that shopping list at the store from your phone.  Or if you like having a paper list, you can print it out before leaving the house.  Printing is also a good idea if you are skeptical about Phone reception in your local supermarket.

On Pinterest, I have pinned some really cool meal planning ideas like THESE- CLICK HERE.    Although I am super crafty, I still have not found the time to make  beautiful meal planning boards for my kitchen.   And because I am an iPhone addict (I admit it) Pepper Plate just works better for me.  Although I would love to hang an impressive menu board in my kitchen, it’s just not happening any time soon.

Here is how Pepper Plate works:

First, from your computer Go to PepperPlate.com.

Pepperplate 1 1024x500 Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning Create an Account

Pepperplate 2 Import Recipe 1 Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

 

California Grilled Veggie Sandwich Recipe Allrecipes.com 1 Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

Find a Recipe you like – then Copy URL

Pepperplate Import Recipe Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

 

Pepperplate California Grilled Veggie Sandwich Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

Here is the Recipe!  Here is how you add the ingredients to your shopping list…

 

But if you want to add a recipe of your own- maybe an old family favorite…

Pepperplate Create Recipe Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning Create Your Own Recipe (above)

Planner 1 Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

Calendar 1 1 Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

And here is how you create your shopping list.   Make sure to check off anything you may already have before you leave the house.

Shopping List Nutrition Tech Part 1, Meal Planning

I hope these screen shots help you navigate around Pepper Plate.  There are also many other apps and websites you can try for meal planning such as: Easy Meals, AllRecipes, Meal Maker and FoodOnTheTable.com.  Pepper Plate just happens to be the one I found easiest to use.

FYI- I have no affiliation at all with Pepper Plate.  It’s simply a site and app I LOVE!  Nutrition Tech, part 2 of my workshop will be about Lose it,  another Website/App I love to help you make great food choices and lose/maintain your weight and track your exercise and encourage you to get moving!

 Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

Posted in Apps, apps for meal planning, Cooking, easy recipes, Eat Right, Food, fun stuff, Headline, healthy dinners, inspiration, Kids Love Food, meal planning, meal planning made easy, Nutrition, nutrition tech, Pinterested, recipes, Scrumptious Technology, Scruptious Technology | Comments Off on Nutrition Tech- Part 1, Meal Planning

How to Find a Nutrition Expert via Philadelphia Dietetic Association

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

Don’t let the title Nutrition Coach, Health Coach, Nutrition Counselor, Holistic Health Counselor fool you.  How To Find a Real Nutrition Expert…

eatright.org How to Find a Nutrition Expert via Philadelphia Dietetic Association“When you want food and nutrition information based on fact, rely on qualified professionals in the field. Registered Dietitians (RD) are food and nutrition experts, translating the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. The expertise, training and credentials that back a Registered Dietitian are vital for promoting good nutrition.

Just as all CPAs are accountants, all Registered Dietitians are nutritionists but not all nutritionists are Registered Dietitians. The term nutritionist has been assumed by all sorts of nutritional experts. Since the title nutritionist is not regulated, these individuals can have widely varying levels of education. Registered Dietitians know the science of nutrition. They have degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health, or a related field from well-respected, accredited colleges and universities. After or during their education, RDs must perform a supervised internship. To become “registered” they must pass an extensive examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration and earn professional education credits throughout their careers to maintain registration….”

via Philadelphia Dietetic Association – Serving The Greater Philadelphia Area | Registered Dietitians | About – Mission. Doylestown, Bucks County Registered Dietitians & Licensed Nutritionists Included.

 Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

Posted in Bucks County, Doylestown, Featured, Happy Healthy Family, Kids Love Food, Nutrition, Nutrition Expert, Registered Dietitian, Women's Health | Comments Off on How to Find a Nutrition Expert via Philadelphia Dietetic Association

Roasted Carrots for Dinner

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

Carrots Clipart Free Clipart Graphics Images and Photos. Public Domain Clipart. Roasted Carrots for DinnerOn the menu tonight- these scrumptious Carrots compliments of Pinterest via ThePerfectPantry.com.  This recipe for roasted carrots calls for a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil and nutmeg- I’m fascinated and can’t wait to pick up some fresh parsley this afternoon.

281686151662887451 z4xkTtVF c Roasted Carrots for Dinner

Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

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My Fitness History

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Diva Dietitian

If you read my previous post regarding my Bucket List, you’ll see that Getting Fit by Forty is one of my TO DO items.

Two Sunday afternoons ago, I finally and officially joined my all time favorite Gym- Cornerstone right outside of Doylestown, PA.   I have been an on again/off again member there for years.  I’ve gone away to school, moved a few times, got married and had three babies.  Finally, I’m back…8 years later.  And Cornerstone is a bit like memory lane for me.  The paint colors, equipment and some people have changed, but this gym somehow feels like my fitness home.

vintagebikegirl My Fitness HistoryI actually worked at Cornerstone as a Fitness instructor/semi-Nutritionist (before I was an RD)….about 16 years ago.  I had just graduated Penn State with my Nutrition Degree and had a few months before my Grad School/Dietetic Internship  program started.   I heard Cornerstone was opening “any day” and I went right up to apply for a job.

I interviewed and got the job when the gym was still under construction.  How exciting, my first job out of college was at a GYM!  Free Membership- Access to StairMasters, treadmills and Leg Press machines- WOOT!  And Bonus- My picture was on the wall.  I think it still is somewhere?

1994- back when Step Classes were the “in” thing and “Grape Vines” were a part of every aerobics class. BTW- I hated grapevines.I climbed the Stair Master or ran on the treadmill every day.  I did squats a few times a week.   I guess you could say I was a gym rat.

90′s music (and some 80′s of course) waa on my BRIGHT YELLOW walk-man with a foamy style headset at all times.  My walkman was so cool- a Sony SPORT with a cassette that played my favorite MIX (which I had to flip to listen to the other side or REWIND.)  AND it would skip if I ran too fast or didn’t hold the top down right.  I think I even used duct tape on it.  Really, I did.

Here is a funny…There was one rule I had at the gym: NEVER go out with guys you meet at the gym, especially guys wearing Gorilla Pants.  Remember those puffy pleated macho man pants?  Usually the guys on Steroids or who looked like they were on Steroids wore them.  My take is they give them more freedom to grunt during their workouts.  Another reason wearing my walk-man at all times was important.  Who wants to listen to Cave Man snarls AKA side effects of extra testosterone build up?

Memories of that Stairmaster…  I actually connected with my Grad School Roommate on one.  She and I went to high school together AND College.  At the time, we were just friendly waving acquaintances.  But while climbing stairs next to each other, we found out we were both going to Boston for grad-school that fall.  We were instant BFFs and got an apartment together.  Now, my grad-school roommate lives around the corner and is more like a sister.

Anyway, those were the days when working out for 2  hours a day was normal.  It was easy because what else did you have to do before you were married with kids?

Well guess what I did? Are you ready?

I made muffins!  Lots and lots of muffins…

And sold them at the front desk of the gym.  I would get up extra early to bake, wrap and label little muffins with love.  The 90′s were the age of the FAT FREE craze.  I have always loved to restyle recipes.  Only then, I would take a recipe loaded with fat and replace it with applesauce or pureed prunes.  Now, I change the fat to a healthier fat or reduce the fat.  But fat-free, those days are over.

I loved my job at the gym, but sadly after working there a while, I realized I was not making quite enough money to put me through Grad School- even with my lucrative muffin profits.

So, I got a job waiting tables too.  Try waiting tables until midnight and getting up at the crack of dawn to make muffins and teach people how to use dumbbells and do squats.  I was exhausted.  You live and learn I guess.  And a few months before leaving for Grad School in Boston, I left my job at Cornerstone.

Off for now, I’ll write more about how re-entry into the gym is going tomorrow.  That is after I search Google for a picture of Gorilla Pants!Diva Dietitian (Registered and Licensed Dietitian) blogs in Full Disclosure. Please see: http://divadietitian.com/about/disclosure. All Opinions are my own. I will ONLY write about things I love, believe in or that truly inspire me.

Some articles include affiliate links. For more about me- see the ABOUT page.

Posted in Eat Right, Exercise, Fitness, Junk Drawer, Kristie, Nutrition, Nutritionist, Places, Vintage, Weight Loss, Women's Health, working out | Comments Off on My Fitness History