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Hey there! I'm Holly. A 40+ year old insurance-nerd wife, mom, beauty lover, and about a million other things in between.
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Tag Archives: Honey
Thirsty Thursday: Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade 3 Ways
Since I added it to my Summer Bucket List I’ve been itching to make some homemade lemonade. It’s such a delicious drink to enjoy outside at the end of a long day and it actually used be a staple sitting in my fridge. But here’s the thing – my old recipe? Began with 2 Cups of Sugar. Another secret is I use the best juicer in my opinion for making all juice recipes.
Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing! But I’m not really in the habit anymore of consuming 2 cups of white sugar at the end of a long day. That’s not to say I never indulge (obviously) but now when I do I feel like it’s got to be worth it. And to me, a simple beverage seems like more of a necessity and less like an indulgence, you know? So I wanted to find a way to still enjoy the ritual of a cup of lemonade on occasion, without having it be such a crazy nutritional gut bomb.
Amber left me a comment on my bucket list that initially inspired this recipe. (Yoga friends especially, check out her awesome website — she’s pretty amazing!) I then tinkered with it to make a larger batch, and of course made some variations (including one of the Adult Beverage variety.) The recipe does call for honey (local and raw if you’ve got it – might as well do yourself a favor), but it’s nowhere close to 2 cups of sugar anymore. It skews a bit on the tart side, which is my personal preference, so if you like it a bit sweeter feel free to adjust to taste!
| Fresh Squeezed Honey Lemonade |
Serves: 1 Small Pitcher
A lower sugar alternative to the traditional pitcher of summer refreshment.
Ingredients
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- 16 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 8 lemons)
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- 1/2 Cup Honey (this is what I recommend, start here and adjust to your preference)
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- 4 TBS Hot Water
- 32 oz Cold Water
Instructions
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- Juice your lemons. I used Meyer Lemons which tend to be a little sweeter.
-
- In a small bowl mix your honey + hot water until the honey dissolves and you are left with a honey simple syrup. It’s ok to add more hot water if your honey is particularly thick.
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- Mix lemon juice, simple syrup and cold water
- Serve plain or with one of the following variations
For Strawberry Lemonade
Blend 8-10 fresh or frozen strawberries with 2 TBS Water and 1 TBS honey to make a chunky puree. Add to the bottom of the glass, pour in honey lemonade.
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of Mandarin Orange Vodka for a twist!
For Iced Tea Lemonade
For a pitcher, brew a 16 oz of double strength iced tea (get as creative as you want with the flavor of your iced tea, or just use plain.) I used 4 black tea bags and steeped them in hot water for 4 minutes. Let the tea cool and mix with lemonade
For an adult beverage: Add a splash of vodka to spice up the night!
Then kick back, put your feet up and enjoy a little (lower sugar!) relaxation in a glass!
Honey Spiced Chicken Thighs
I am on a personal mission to make the world love chicken thighs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs particularly, so I thought I should get my agenda right out there in the open. If you are even the slightest bit scared to cooked chicken thighs but you are willing to test out something quick and easy, THIS is your recipe. (I’m looking at you Mom and Aunt Louise!) There is little prep and the entire dish comes together in under 20 minutes from fridge to table. Also, your chicken thighs get those crispy little bits that you can get on the grill without having to brave the outdoors and who doesn’t love crispy little bits? I mean, come on.
If you are a lover of chicken thighs (Please, join the club, would you? For the love.) you will enjoy adding this to your arsenal of weeknight recipes, I promise! I adapted it from a Cooking Light recipe and it says something like “Our most popular chicken recipe ever.” EVER, you guys. So you know it has to be pretty good. Serve it along side some sauteed greens (mustard greens, pictured above) or a big salad — HOW GOOD DOES A BIG SALAD SOUND AT THIS TIME OF YEAR??? — and get on to all those other things you need to do after dinner!
Quick. Convenient. Tasty. Chicken.
(All of a sudden I feel like Dale Jr. in those Wrangler ads – Real. Comfortable. Jeans.)
It’s the Wrangler of Chicken Recipes! EAT THEM ALREADY!
Honey Spiced Chicken Thighs
Adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like things)
12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
9 tablespoons honey
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
Method
1. Get your broiler nice and hot!
2. Combine first 6 ingredients (your dry rub) in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat.
3. Place chicken on a cookie sheet lined with a rack.
4. Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side with your cookie sheet on the high rack in your oven.
5. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well.
6. Remove chicken from oven; brush half of the honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute.
7. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.
8. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Muffins with Vanilla Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Everyone needs a little (grain-free, gluten-free HA!) treat once in a while, yes? Might I recommend these delicious little nuggets of seasonal sustenance if you are committed to clean eating yet still jonesing for a sweet treat?
Amelia shared the original recipe with me, but instead of fussing with a cake, I just decided to fly by the seat of my pants, mix up the batter, bust out my silicone muffin cups (fantastic and cheap kitchen investment!) and call it breakfast.
It was a good decision.
Adapted from Redeeming the Table
Makes 12 Muffins
Ingredients
For the cake:
½ cup unsalted butter, grass-fed, more for pans
12 oz (3 cups) blanched almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
½ cup honey
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
For the Honey-Cinnamon Frosting:
¼ cup unsalted grass-fed butter
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the butter in a 1 quart heavy bottomed pan, stirring occasionally until the butter turns a nutty golden-brown (around 4-6 minutes).
The browned butter will have three parts to it. The bubbly part on the top, the golden brown clarified butter/ghee, & the burnt milk solids at the bottom. Scrap off the bubbles & discard. Pour the golden brown ghee/clarified butter into a pyrex style measuring cup, and try to keep the browned bits out.
Set aside & allow it to cool.
3. In a large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and whisk them together (almond flour, spices, salt, & baking soda).
In a medium bowl, combine honey, eggs, & pumpkin puree & whisk thoroughly to combine. Add the browned butter to the wet ingredients to incorporate all the way.
With a rubber spatula, stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined & fully incorporated.
4. Ladle into muffin cups. They will be pretty darn full. Batter will rise a bit but not a ton, so it’s okay. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Your nose will know, it’s a pretty aromatic recipe.
5. Make the frosting! Take your room temperature butter & cream cheese & beat them with a hand mixer on medium-high speed. Add your honey, cinnamon and vanilla to the mixture and whip until smooth. Taste and adjust as desired.
6. Frost and Enjoy! I like to frost mine when the muffins are still warm as the frosting gets a little melty. Then pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy your little treat!
