I made these a few weeks ago, when I decided it was high time to kick off my fall baking. I had a Granny Smith apple on hand and with only one apple, pie or apple crisp was out of the question, so muffins it was! After surveying the contents of my fridge, I found a bit of leftover buttermilk, and a quick Google search led me to a Martha Stewart recipe that I decided to play around with.
If I'm making "everyday" muffins that I'm not planning to share with friends or guests, I try to err on the side of healthy. For these, I reduced the sugar, used whole wheat flour, and added some flaxseed. I figured they'd be good--aren't all muffins?--but I didn't expect them to wow me. Guess what? They wowed me!
These apple muffins are light and fluffy, with just enough crunch from the apples and walnuts and spice from the cinnamon. I froze my entire batch and would throw a few into my lunchbox to enjoy, thawed the next day, at work. These might be "everyday, healthyish" muffins, but don't let that keep you from sharing these...although I totally understand if you don't want to!


One Year Ago: Tuna and Artichoke Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Root Beer Float Cake and Bacon Turkey Burgers with Savory Apple Compote
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Chile Nuts and Black Bean and Walnut Salad
Four Years Ago: Magic Cookie Bars and Honey Wheat Sandwich Buns
Five Years Ago: Whole Grain Waffles and Homemade Granola Bars

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

Shortcuts are necessary. Of course I wish I had the time to make homemade bread or my own hummus each week, but the reality is I have to take some shortcuts. There are weeks where I can find a few extra hours to go the extra mile in the kitchen, but when I can't, I'm turning to meals like this one!
I took Martha Stewart's more complicated recipe and introduced a few shortcuts, such as a bag of frozen vegetables and cooked and shredded chicken I already had on hand. I omitted onion (was trying to avoid any chopping!) and added a teaspoon of kickin' chicken seasoning to jazz up the flavor (which worked tremendously well!). These changes saved me at least 20 minutes which may not seem like much, but it's amazing what else I can get done in those 20 minutes!
As it turned out, I ended up freezing this and cooking it a few weeks later. It help up remarkably well and is going on my list of freezer meals to make during my next marathon freezer-cooking session with friends. My only comment is that phyllo doesn't reheat well in the microwave; we didn't mind eating it the second night a little soggy, but you may want to plan to share with friends or divide into smaller portions if you know you'll have leftovers!

One Year Ago: Apple Butter Baked Oatmeal
Two Years Ago: Bogart's Smokehouse and Shredded Vegetable Detox Salad 
Three Years Ago: Broccoli Apple Salad and Zucchini Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Four Years Ago: Pomegranate Banana Bread and October Special Egg Sandwich
Five Years Ago: Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Best Ever Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies