A Working Mom's Meal Plan

The hardest part of my day is when we get home and everyone is immediately hungry. I love to cook and prefer
home-cooked meals, but I don't like to cook much during the work week. And yet, dinner has to get on the table...
My solution: make-ahead meals, freeze-ahead meals and recipes so easy that I'll make them on a Monday. I cook
mostly on the weekends, always doubling recipes, and rely heavily on my extra freezer and a decently-stocked pantry.
This cooking style saves me time and money, and it makes my life simpler—so I can actually enjoy sitting down
to supper at 6 with my family. I hope these recipes will make the witching hour a little better at your house too.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins

There's something about September that always inspires me to bake pumpkin treats. I love the one-bowl cleanup here, and dark chocolate keeps them from being too sweet. Substitute walnuts if you're feeling virtuous. (from Babble)

4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
14 oz can pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 oz bag chocolate chips (look for bittersweet or Special Dark)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside, or use paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil and sugar. Add pumpkin and stir until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then mix in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each tin about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 18 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.

*I also made mini-muffins, which are always good for snacktime at school. Bake mini-muffins for about 10 minutes. These freeze well, and the recipe makes a nice big batch you'll appreciate all season.

No comments:

Post a Comment