With school  starting and fall weather just around the corner, I finally feel like I am in a good cooking routine. However, I do feel like I cook the same ten to twelve recipes over and over. A couple of weeks ago, I got my Kroger coupons in the mail, and it just so happened to have some yummy looking recipes. I thought okay, I will give a couple of them a try and see how it goes. The one that I liked the best was a stuffed avocado paired with a seasonal salad. I tried so hard to get my boys to like it, but they just didn’t care for the taste.  If you love all things avocado with a Mediterranean flare, then this will become a regular recipe in your home. I did think that since my boys love hummus that they would love this. Didn’t work!  

Stuffed Avocado 

• 3 avocados

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 1 can of diced tomatoes

• 1 chopped cucumber

• Feta for garnish

• Thinned tahini

Brush your halved avocados with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake your avocado for 25 to 30 minutes on 350 degrees or grill them face down over medium heat for a few minutes. In a bowl, mix your chickpeas, diced tomatoes, and chopped cucumber. When avocados are finished cooking, fill them with your mixture and garnish with feta cheese and thinned tahini.

Baked Apples

One of the biggest blessings in my life right now is the Military Spouse Support Group. This support group is for the spouses of active duty soldiers. One of my dear friends and fellow attendees of the group is Brittney Carmichael. Brittney is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and she is teaching me how to enjoy normal recipes while cutting calories at the same time. My favorite tip thus far is using greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Y’all, you really can’t tell the difference! I even snuck it in on tacos the other night, and the boys did not say a word about it.  Chobani brand even has a squeeze pouch that is so easy to use! 

I was going over a couple of recipes with Brittney, and she gave me a couple of helpful hints for my traditional baked apple recipe. This recipe makes me think of everything fall. As soon as I see this one particular tree on the corner of Main Street change colors, I am ready to head to the grocery store and buy all the ingredients for these apples. As Brittney and I were collaborating, she suggested adding a brown sugar oat topping. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

• 6 to 8 red apples

• 1 cup of apple juice

• 1 caramel cube per apple

• Brown sugar

• Rolled oats

Thinly slice your apples on the bottom so they will stand on your baking sheet.  Also, core the apple and slice the top of them. You need to core them so the caramel will fit down in the apple, and slice the top so your oat and brown sugar mixture with sit nicely on the top. Once you have your apples prepared, push your unwrapped caramel into the center. In a bowl, combine your brown sugar and oats adding this mixture to the top of the apples. After adding your oats garnish to your apples, place them in the oven on 350 degrees  for about 30 minutes. Now, I have always said that an experienced cook can mix and dash ingredients together with no problem. That is exactly how Brittney cooks! When she is telling me about a recipe she will say, “Oh! Add a little bit of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon for a yummy fall taste!”  My response is ALWAYS, “How much?” To which she replies, “Oh ya know until you think it looks like enough.” Oh, how I aspire to cook like that! 

Banana Pumpkin Muffins 

(recipe by Brittney Carmichael)

This recipe is one I stole from Brittney. She was making muffins for her husband, Josh, and getting ready to ship them overseas. She made a double batch and returned my muffin tin with beautifully scrumptious Banana Pumpkin Muffins. I mean if that doesn’t scream fall I don’t know what does. This very calorie friendly muffin is fantastic and is a must for all lunch boxes. My boys inhaled them! You can even make a batch, let them cool, freeze them, and take a couple out the night before to thaw, and send your children right on out the door with breakfast or pass around for an after-school snack. 

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 eggs, beaten

• ¾ cup of mashed ripe bananas 

• ¾ cup of pumpkin puree

• 1 cup of sugar

• ½ cup of applesauce

• ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of the muffin pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, pumpkin, sugar, and applesauce. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake until wooden toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely and enjoy! I hope you enjoy all of these recipes in your kitchen.

Happy Cooking!

Lydia Edwards