Lemon Zucchini Muffins #WeightWatcher Style #Recipe @PegCochran

Are you still with me on my WW journey?  So far I've lost 20 pounds.  I'm aiming for five more.  It hasn't been quick, but then I didn't gain it overnight either.  I gained it sitting in front of a computer and not paying attention to what I was eating.  But I learned to go back to the way I always used to eat when I never had a weight problem--following a splurge with several light meals, measuring fats so I didn't go overboard, filling up on lean protein, veggies, fruit and legumes.  It's honestly been easier than I thought especially since I still work in my weekly wine!  Knowing how to cook has definitely made the journey easier...and tastier!

Someone posted this recipe on a WW FB site and I'm afraid I didn't note the name but I give her a shoutout for a great recipe that apparently comes in as 1 point per muffin (in case you're also on the plan!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour 
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/2 cup white granulated sugar substitute
1 cup shredded zucchini, unpeeled (1 medium zucchini) 
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1/4 cup water 
1 egg
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest ( zest from large lemon) 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Or, use cupcake wrappers--I sprayed those also for easy removal.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir.

In a separate bowl combine unsweetened applesauce sauce, sugar substitute, water, zucchini, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir.    

Slowly add wet ingredients to dry and fill muffin cups evenly. 

Do not over mix!

Bake 18 to 20 minutes.

Amazon Reviewer:  "Peg Cochran creates engaging characters and a wonderful sense of time and place. The mystery is well plotted and full of twists. There’s a little bit of humor, a splash of romance, and great historical details."

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

An intrepid 1930s Manhattan socialite uncovers deadly secrets during an assignment to the Hamptons in this riveting historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Westhampton, 1938. To the dismay of her well-to-do family, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is quickly establishing herself as a seasoned photographer over at the Daily Trumpet. Growing more confident in her decision to pursue a career, Elizabeth is thrilled when she and her reporter sidekick, Ralph Kaminsky, are sent to Long Island to cover the story of a young maid found dead in one of the glamourous summer homes in the devastating aftermath of the Great New England Hurricane—also known as the Long Island Express.

At first it’s assumed that the young woman was caught in the terrible storm, but when a suspicious wound is found on the side of her head, the police suspect murder. The maid’s death becomes even more tragic when it’s discovered she was pregnant, and with Elizabeth and Kaminsky at the scene of the crime, the Daily Trumpet scoops all the other papers in town.

The young woman’s boyfriend emerges as the likeliest suspect. But as Elizabeth follows the story, she begins to wonder whether someone in the household of the maid’s employers might be responsible—someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth about the baby’s paternity hidden.

COMING DECEMBER 3

Two Ingredient "Bagels" #Recipe @PegCochran

As I've mentioned in my previous posts, I've been doing Weight Watchers for awhile now. (Down 

13 lbs.!)  I've found it fairly easy to adapt many regular recipes to be lower in "points" -- use less oil or butter, sub ground turkey for ground beef, etc. One recipe I did get from WW (although it's available on a lot of cooking sites) is the two ingredient dough.  Most people use it to make bagels, but you can also make pizza crust and other things with it.  They don't taste *exactly* like bagels but are tasty enough that my hubby eats two at a time and I've taken to doubling the recipe when I make them.  I got "Everything Bagel Seasoning" at Trader Joe's to top them with (I gather it might also be available at Walmart) although you can top them with anything you want--sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon and sugar, etc.  

The recipe calls for one cup of flour per one cup of Greek yogurt.  I've found that the dough is very sticky if you use a full cup of yogurt and I've taken to reducing it to 3/4 cup.  It mixes most easily in a stand mixer, but you can mix it by hand as well. 

* These are 3 WW Freestyle points

Bagels:

¾ to 1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 egg
Seasoning of your choice

To make self-rising flour:

Sift together 1 cup flour per 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.

Combine self-rising flour and yogurt and mix into dough.  Knead on floured board or counter until dough is well combined.   

Pat into a circle and divide into four pieces.  *Note I doubled the recipe to make eight bagels.

Form each piece into one bagel:  roll into a ball and make a hole in the center with your thumb. Gradually enlarge hole until voila! You have a 

bagel.

 

Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice.   

Bake in a 350 degree oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Timing varies but check bagels after 15 minutes.  They should be golden brown on top. Depending on your oven and the size of your bagels, they may need five to ten minutes more.

 

We enjoyed them toasted and topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese!  

  

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

An intrepid 1930s Manhattan socialite uncovers deadly secrets during an assignment to the Hamptons in this riveting historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Westhampton, 1938. To the dismay of her well-to-do family, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is quickly establishing herself as a seasoned photographer over at the Daily Trumpet. Growing more confident in her decision to pursue a career, Elizabeth is thrilled when she and her reporter sidekick, Ralph Kaminsky, are sent to Long Island to cover the story of a young maid found dead in one of the glamourous summer homes in the devastating aftermath of the Great New England Hurricane—also known as the Long Island Express.

At first it’s assumed that the young woman was caught in the terrible storm, but when a suspicious wound is found on the side of her head, the police suspect murder. The maid’s death becomes even more tragic when it’s discovered she was pregnant, and with Elizabeth and Kaminsky at the scene of the crime, the Daily Trumpet scoops all the other papers in town.

The young woman’s boyfriend emerges as the likeliest suspect. But as Elizabeth follows the story, she begins to wonder whether someone in the household of the maid’s employers might be responsible—someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth about the baby’s paternity hidden.

Summer Strawberry Recipe from Victoria Hamilton

Muffin But Murder, 

goes on sale July 1st!

Learn more here.

Please welcome author Victoria Hamilton as our special guest today. 

Victoria is sharing a healthy recipe that's perfect for summer strawberry season. She also has a generous prize package and one lucky commenter will win it has won it! Learn more at the end of this post. Take it away, Victoria!

~ Cleo

It’s That Time of Year
For…Strawberries!
by Victoria Hamilton

This blog post started with a friendly chat between neighbors. 

I live in a nice, working class urban neighborhood, and I have for many years. In fact, it’s the same neighborhood I grew up in, just a block away. The other day I spent a few minutes chatting with my across-the-street neighbor, just back from walking her dog. 

The next day I was coming back from shopping when my wonderful neighbor came over carrying a beautiful big container of strawberries, fresh from her garden! Well, it so happens that I am trying to eat healthier: lots of water, more fruits and vegetables, salad every day. In that attempt I have switched from toast for breakfast every morning to smoothies. 

There are lots of recipes out there, and I know this is super easy, barely a recipe at all, but I thought I’d share one of mine, and as a bonus, I can tell you how many Weight Watchers Points Plus™ it is.

This makes enough for two!

Ingredients:

2 bananas, frozen or fresh 

2/3 cup vanilla fat-free no-sugar-added yogurt (I use a probiotic yogurt.)

1 Cup Strawberries, fresh or frozen

1 Cup unsweetened almond beverage

1 Tblsp. organic honey

Almond or vanilla extract, if desired. (I forgot to add it this time and it tasted just fine!)

Directions: 

All ingredients go into a blender and voila, you have breakfast for two at 2.5 Weight Watchers Points Plus™ each!

Some of my notes:

Frozen fruit will make a thicker, milkshake like consistency. I always have bananas in my freezer that I usually use for muffins or banana bread, but they work awesome in this. I let them thaw for an hour just to make it easier on my blender. You do have to let it blend for a while to break down all the chunks of banana.

I usually use regular 2% milk, but lately I have switched to unsweetened almond beverage for smoothies for the fat savings and health benefits. It’s great! I’m thinking of trying coconut water for a plain fruit smoothie.

So…I know a lot of you out there
 probably do the same. 

What do you use in YOUR
morning smoothie?

~::~

About Muffin but Murder

When Merry Wynter unexpectedly inherited a castle in the wilds of upstate New York, she took some time to adjust. After living in New York City it was culture shock to wind up in a castle a few miles away from small town Autumn Vale. However, far from being lonely, as she first feared, her best friends Shilo Dinnegan (a former model) and Pish Lincoln, (a retired financial advisor who now writes books on financial scams and con artists) have joined her at Wynter Castle.

It is clear that she can’t afford to keep such a huge building, even if it is her ancestral home. It must be sold! She has an upscale party to promote Wynter Castle to would-be buyers who may be able to take the place and turn it into a hotel or inn, but the post party clean-up reveals an awful discovery; one of her "guests" turns up dead in a most gruesome fashion. With Pish holding back secrets, her exasperated attraction to Virgil Grace, (the broodingly handsome sheriff of Autumn Vale) growing stronger, and a supposed cousin with a possible claim on the inheritance plaguing her daily, Merry has her hands full.

But murder comes first. Who killed the guest, and why? And how is she going to keep Virgil from arresting Pish?

*With recipes! There is one muffin recipe in Muffin but Murder for what I call "Fit For The King Muffins" and they are wonderful!

Bestselling mystery author Victoria Hamilton writes the Merry Muffin Mysteries and The Vintage Kitchen Mysteries. As Amanda Cooper, she also writes the Teapot Collector Mysteries.

Victoria's long time love of mystery novels started at age twelve when her mom handed her an Agatha Christie book and said "Read"! Thousands of novels later, Victoria is still reading. And writing.

Besides those two favorite pastimes, Victoria also enjoys collecting vintage kitchenalia, old books, teacups, teapots and other ephemera. Perfume is her secret addiction. She likes to cook, hates to clean, and enjoys time spent with friends chatting over wine or tea. She loves crafts, loathes boredom, and her guilty pleasure is "reality" TV, which she knows is largely fake, but she enjoys it anyway.

Victoria thinks that people are the most interesting study of all, and more than anything, she loves to hear from readers, not just about her books but about anything and everything.

Facebook Page

For more on Muffin But Murder and the Merry Muffin Mysteries, visit the series’ Facebook page by clicking here.

Web Home

Learn more about Victoria Hamilton, her alter ego Amanda Cooper, and all her mystery series by clicking here.

~::~

Victoria's Giveaway

This wonderful contest is now over.
Thanks to everyone who left such
kind comments.

And our winner is...

Michelle of Brockton,
Massachusetts!

Michelle won the...

* Cozy Mystery Book Tote 

* Cozy Mystery Pen

* Muffin But Murder

* Tempest in a Teapot,
written by Victoria as
 Amanda Cooper