Cinnamon French Toast Muffins…

Do you love French toast? Do hate how fattening they are? Would you like make a low fat- healthy version of French toast that is portable for those hectic Monday mornings?

I found this recipe a few months ago in First for Women magazine. These muffins are tasty, and good for you. They have flaxseed and applesauce in them.  This combination not only boosts your mood,but also revs your energy levels. The best part is they are perfect to hand the kids on the way out of the door to school.

The muffins also have pure maple syrup in them. I would use the pure maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworths or Logcabin for the following reasons. The fake syrups are made with corn syrup. Real maple syrup is lower in sodium, and the taste is more intense.

The recipe calls for a topping made from heavy cream and maple syrup. Personally, I don’t think the muffins need the topping. I would save the topping for special occasions like a holiday, birthdays, or even when you have guests.

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Crock Pot Chai Tea...

Today was one of those rare days that we spent the entire day out shopping. Everyone had received a gift card, cash, or both for Christmas this year. The daughter spent most of her money on clothes and splurged at the toy store for a huge remote controlled monster truck. The son spent a tiny bit of one gift card. Only to discover what he bought has to be taken back, because it is defective. My husband spent over an hour roaming the tool department at Sears, finally leaving with nothing because he could not decide what he wanted. After a quick stop at the house for lunch, I did a repeat of my husband’s performance only at Bed Bath and Beyond… sigh. Sometimes there is too many choices and not sure what I want the most.

From there we swung back by the house, to pick up the kids bowling equipment for practice. The bowling alley was freezing and after sitting for over two hours, I wish I had a pot of this Chai Tea waiting for me. This would be great to serve for at a brunch, if you are having a New Year’s party, this might be good for after midnight.

Chai is generally a sweet drink, but you may reduce the sweetener to taste.
 If whole spices are not easily available, you may use powders. However, you will
wish to strain through several layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter before
serving.

For your vegan friends, you can use a non-dairy milk

Crock Pot Chai Tea

2 quarts (8 cups) water
8 bags black tea
3/4 cup sugar or Splenda **
16 whole cloves
16 whole cardamom seeds, pods removed
5 cinnamon sticks
8 slices fresh ginger
1 cup milk
Optional: more cinnamon sticks



1. Combine water, tea bags, sugar, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and ginger
in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 2-2.5 hours.

2. Strain mixture and discard solids. (At this point, the chai tea may be
covered and refrigerated up to 3 days.)

3. Just before serving, stir in the milk. Serve warm or chilled with additional
cinnamon sticks for garnishes, if desired.


Makes 8-10 servings.