Month: January 2025

Spicy Beef Stir Fry

The Sunshine Inn BlogLeave a comment

Spicy Beef Stir Fry

  • Servings: 4 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

This is a quick 30 minute beef stir fry. Great way to make a nice quick healthy meal during the work week.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb beef top sirloin steak cut into thin strips
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh gingerroot
  • 3 garlic cloves minced, divided
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¾ tsp salt, divided
  • 1 c light coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
  • ½ tsp grated lime zest
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp canola oil, divided
  • 2 large sweet red pepper cut into thin slices
  • ½ large red onion cut into thin slices
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices
  • 4 c fresh baby spinach
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, toss beef with ginger, 2 garlic cloves, pepper and ½ tsp salt. Let stand15 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk coconut milk, sugar, chili sauce, lime zest, lime juice and remaining salt until blended.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat, add beef and stir fry until no longer pink. 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan.
    4. 4.Stir-fry red pepper, onion, jalapeno and remaining clove of garlic in remaining 1 tbsp of oil until vegetables are crisp-tender 2-3 minutes.
  4. Stir in coconut milk mixture, heat through then add spinach and beef until spinach is wilted and beef is heated throughout, stirring occasionally.
    5. 6.Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.

Nutrition Per Serving, 3/4 Cup

  • Sugar 10 g
  • Carbohydrates 15 g
  • Calories 312
  • Fat 16 g
  • Protein 26 g
  • Fibre 2 g

This recipe is very versatile. If you want it spicier you can add more Sriracha chili sauce or leave in seeds from the jalapeno. You can make this with any meat.

As you see in the picture, I served it with barley, but a side can be anything from couscous, mashed potatoes, barley, pasta, rice, quinoa or nothing at all. You can add more vegetables to this recipe and thicken the sauce with a little flour. This is where you can have fun and make it your own.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

The Sunshine Inn Blog2 Comments

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

These blueberry cornbread muffins are made with healthy options like honey and blueberries. And who can’t use more muffin recipes that are healthy and just delicious

Ingredients

  • 1 c all purpose flour (I use unbleached white flour)
  • 1 c cornmeal
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 c milk (I used no fat protein Lantancia milk)
  • ¼ c olive oil
  • ¼ c honey
  • 1 c blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a muffin tin or put liners in pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking power and lemon zest. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. Combine the egg, milk, olive oil and honey in a second bowl, then whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined.
  5. Add the blueberries and fold in using a rubber spatula
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
  7. Put in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Per Serving, 1 regular sized muffin

  • Calories 162
  • Fat 1 g
  • Sugar 7 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 3 g
  • Fibre 2 g

If you don’t have lemon zest available, you can substitute ½ tsp lemon extract or 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Both whole wheat flour and gluten free flour work well for these muffins.

If using whole wheat, increase the honey to 1/3 cup. To use frozen blueberries, defrost in a colander under cool running water, shake to remove as much moisture as possible, then pat dry with paper towels before adding to the batter. You can add some raw sugar for a little crunch.

These are great at room temperature or you can heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. If you change the recipe while having fun and making it your own, let me know. I’m always willing to try new things.

Healthy Banana Muffins

The Sunshine Inn BlogLeave a comment

Healthy Banana Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Muffins, who doesn’t like muffins? If I go anywhere near a donut shop, I’m walking out with a muffin. Even their healthier versions are still so high in sugar and fat thus making it not a great choice. And I’m sorry, but there are only so many bran muffins a girl can have. So here, a low fat, low sugar muffin that tastes great and you won’t feel guilty having.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • 1 cup of mashed ripe bananas, about 3 medium
  • 1/4 cup of low fat milk, I used Lantancia high protein fat free.
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1-1/2 cups of flour (I used unbleached white flour)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin or put liners in pan.
  2. In a large bowl, put apple sauce, honey, mashed bananas, milk and vanilla in bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the eggs and whisk thoroughly.
  4. Spinkle the cinnamon, baking soda and salt over the wet ingredients. Until well combined.
  5. Add the flour to the bowl and stir with a large spoon or spatula until just combined. Be careful to not overmix.
  6. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, about 2/3 but if you use a thick silicon liner like I do, then it’s almost full.
  7. Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Mini muffins will take about 10-12 minutes.
  8. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then put them on cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Per Serving, 1 regular sized muffin

  • Calories 144
  • Fat 5 g
  • Sugar 10 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 3 g
  • Fibre 2 g

Lots of little extras here. You can make 12 regular sized muffins or 36 mini muffins. To store them, put in airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or 4-5 in fridge. They also freeze well. Once completely cooled, then you can put them in an airtight zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and serve at room temperature. It was suggested that if you put the muffins diagonally on the cooling rack, they reach room temperature quicker.

And now for the having fun part, you can add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, fresh or frozen blueberries, I swapped the butter for apple sauce but you can use 4 tbsp of butter for a richer taste.

You can make it with wheat flour but this will make them healthier oh and a little heavier. Gluten free use 1:1 gluten free flour blend for the flour. You can make this egg free by using 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal and 5 tbsp of water. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes before adding to the wet ingredients. (I’ve never tried it but I hear it works). The riper your bananas, the sweeter it is. It is also a little higher in sugars and glucides.

So as you see, you can have fun and make these your own.