Bisquick Pudding Cupcakes

If necessity is the mother of invention, then needing to go shopping is the mother of new recipes.  It's my daughter's 2nd birthday today and my experiment turned out very tasty.  You will love these bisquick pudding cupcakes.

2 Cups Bisquick (I used  Gluten-Free  of course)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of  pudding mix (check labels! Some brands contain modified food starch.)
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tbs of oil

Substitution option: If you don't have or can't find gluten free pudding mix then use a full cup of sugar and flavor the cupcakes with  vanilla  or  Cocoa  .

Combine ingredients and pour into a muffin pan.  Bake for 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Makes 12 very yummy birthday muffins!

Make Homemade Healthy Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt

Summer is here, and that means ice cream is everywhere!  And why not?  It's oh so good.

But whether it's because the hippie in you hates additives, you're counting calories, watching sugar intake, watching your fat intake, or just counting calories eating ice-cream is often laden with guilt.

But no more my friends!

If you don't have an ice cream maker you'll need to learn how to make freezer bag ice cream for some of these recipes.  (Your kids will LOVE this)

Here's basic ice cream recipe to get you started.  Use the below tips to make it healthier.

Ice cream can be made with Cream, sugar, and vanilla.  Simple as that.  No additives. But full of calories and fat.  (Don't get me wrong I love both but we're going for health here : ) )

If you want to cut out the sugar combine cream with slushy pureed fruit instead.

If you want to cut out some fat use whole milk in your recipe.

If you want to cut out even more fat use skim milk and a lot of fruit puree.  The fruit puree will thicken things up for you in your recipe. A banana and skim milk works great!

Make frozen yogurt simply by putting the yogurt of your choice in an ice cream maker. Flavor low-fat plain yogurt with fruit and you've got a very healthy treat.


Image from freedigitalphotos.net

Shipwreck Casserole

This is a freezer friendly casserole that my family loves.  Be sure to check the labels manufacturers have been known to change ingredients so that they're no longer gluten free.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs ground beef, seasoned and browned
• 1 Onion. sliced or diced, it doesn't particularly matter
• 1 bag of sliced frozen carrots or sliced fresh carrots
• Enough diced potatoes to fill your pan when everything is combined
• 1 can of tomato sauce (generally gluten free but always check the label!)
• 1 can of sloppy joe sauce (generally gluten free but always check the label!)

Combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.  Seriously that's it. Make a double batch and freeze half of it.  You can also make this with peas, but my family definitely prefers the carrots.