You need:

- 18.25 oz box Spice Cake Mix

- 15 oz can pumpkin puree

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

That’s right, 4 ingredients! My kind of recipe Mix everything together until smooth. Fill 12 lined muffin cups with batter. If desired, sprinkle brown sugar on top of each muffin cup for a yummy crust. Bake for ~22 min at 350 degrees, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I’m telling you, pumpkin muffins don’t get better than this. If you have the spices at home, the spice cake mix and pumpkin puree costs about $4. That’s $.33 per muffin. Jackpot!

PS – The girls went nuts over these muffins, kid approved!

I ordered them in pink, of course! They come with two sheets of dishwasher safe stickers so the girls can decorate the boxes (they’ll loooove that). I’m thrilled that I won’t have to wash multiple tupperware containers each day. They also come with a drink bottle. I can’t wait for them to get here!

I found this site with lots of ideas about what to fill the bento box with for fun, healthy lunches.

Have you guys used bento boxes before? What’s your experience?

They were a big hit and very easy. That’s my idea of success!

To make them you need a white cake mix, icing, cupcake liners, and food coloring.

Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners and prepare the cake mix like the box tells you to. Then separate the batter equally  into six cups.

Add food coloring to each cup…

Purple: 9 red, 6 blue drops

Blue: 12 drops

Green: 12 drops

Yellow: 12 drops

Orange: 12 yellow, 4 red drops

Red: 18 drops

Have your little helper stir until the colors are smooth.

Layer the batter in the cupcake liners. Start with purple on the bottom and layer until you have red on top. Fill wells about 2/3 full.

Bake as directed on the back of that fancy white cake mix box. Let cool, frost, and voila! Yummy rainbow cupcakes.

Anyway, just the normal day to day has been crazy and I’m trying to find time for SYTYC, Moda Bake Shop, and projects for the girls. By the end of the day, I am completely wiped and can hardly remember what I did. Anyone else like that?

So, in an attempt to get more energy and feel healthier, I decided to do the Clean Detox Program (saw it on Martha). I’m on Day 3 (of 21) and so far, so good!

Except… can you believe they don’t allow Diet Coke on a detox program? Therein lies the challenge. I normally drink four or five cans of Diet Coke a day (I know, I know). But I love it. I dream of it. I miss it. Thankfully, the caffeine withdrawal headaches are going away.

Anyway, the point of this post was to share a “clean” recipe I had for lunch today that was so delicious and easy. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Salad Dressing:
2/3 cup EVOO (Evtra Virgin Olive Oil)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp prepared dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped olives (about 10 kalamata olives)
black pepper, to taste

Pile this stuff in your food processor (I used a Bullet) and mix until smooth.  It will store in a jar for a few days in the fridge.

Drizzle dressing over spinach. You can add the almond-crusted chicken on top which is really, really good too. Together it’s a filling, healthy meal.

Almond-Crusted Chicken:

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted almonds
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp EVOO                                                                                                                                                                      1/2 tsp sea salt

Process or bullet (is that a verb?) the above ingredients to make a thick paste. Rub onto 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.

Roast for 15-18 min at 425.

Any tips to get more energy, peeps?