I love one bowl, no mixer, quick bread recipes such as this one for Mini Flaxseed Pumpkin Bread Loaves. Not only is this so easy to prepare, but my kids can almost basically make them on their own with very little clean-up. I added a touch of nonfat Greek yogurt and ground Flaxseed to make these even healthier, moister and with added crunch, and my 3 children had no idea those ingredients were even in there. These Mini Pumpkin loaves make a great breakfast, afternoon snack or dessert that you can feel good about eating and serving to your kids. These also make wonderful Christmas food gifts as well .

Homemade Caramel Corn anyone? This child (and adult) favorite is a great snack, dessert or even fun tailgating recipe. It also makes a great fall or Christmas food gift. I love this homemade Caramel Corn because it’s simple to prepare and uses a variety of almonds, pecans and walnuts, adding more protein. Make this even healthier by using my Saucepan Popcorn recipe to pop your popcorn. It’s so easy and uses no microwave. Be careful, this can get very addicting

My three kids love this recipe for Mini Calzones, which I created for CanolaInfo’s “Home is Where the Heart is” Recipe Collection in honor of World Heart Day. They are so simple to prepare and tasty, your kids won’t even know just how heart-healthy they are.

Like other busy moms, keeping my family healthy is on the top of my list. For me, it’s about making small changes, like using canola oil in a dish as opposed to butter or other oils. I’ve always used canola oil in my kitchen, but have learned so much more during this campaign. Here is some of my favorite info:

1. Everybody needs a little fat in their diet. Fat is a part of every cell in the body. It’s a valuable source of energy, and it aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. It also slows digestion so that you feel full longer.

2. Not all fats are created equally. Unsaturated fats are healthy and saturated and trans fats are unhealthy. The type of fat consumed is as important as the amount.

3. Canola oil is one of the healthiest oils in the world. It has the least saturated fat of any cooking oil (half that of olive oil) and is free of trans fat and cholesterol. Canola oil also has the most omega-3 fat of any cooking oil and is a good source of vitamin E.

4. Canola oil can help protect the heart for just pennies a day. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a qualified health claim for canola oil on its potential to reduce the risk of heart disease when used in place of saturated fat. About 1.5 tablespoons of canola oil a day is enough to help keep the cardiologist away.

5. Canola oil is extremely versatile. Its light and neutral flavor make it ideal for almost any culinary application. In addition, the smoke point is extremely high at 468 F, making it ideal for sautéing or frying.

Also, if you haven’t already, check out the new interactive cooking game at Facebook.com/CanolaInfo, which features my recipe collection! You become the chef and try to beat the clock!

This is not one of my typical “lightened-up” recipes, but I had to share these Any Occasion Chocolate Cupcakes with you. My daughter, Leigh, made this recipe for me the night I arrived home from being in Italy for a week. I was so excited to come home to my family and true comfort food. These are so spectacular. You don’t even need to make homemade icing. I wanted to post the recipe for Father’s Day, but I was traveling again this past week. I realized that this recipe is perfect for so many occasions: Father’s Day, birthdays, parties, showers or just because. I thought they would be a great way to start off the week so enjoy.

Halloween is just a few days away, and this recipe for Turkey Eyeball Spiderweb Pizza is a great main course for Halloween night or for any of your upcoming Halloween parties. I developed this recipe for Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms, my favorite turkey brands. I created a simple homemade turkey meatball with panko breadcrumbs, egg white and seasonings, and my kids were eating them as fast as I could make them. They are delicious on top of this super easy pizza using an unbaked pizza crust and your favorite marinara or pizza sauce. These pizzas are so fun to decorate for Halloween. My daughter had so much fun helping me with the spiderweb design. Happy Halloween weekend!

We are obsessed with apples at my house this time of year (Honey Crisps are one of my favorite varieties). I have been searching for an Apple Muffin recipe for the past week or so, and since I have been so busy with my upcoming cookbook and television appearances, I decided to adapt this one from King Arthur Flour. I love that this recipe includes nonfat buttermilk, and perhaps that’s why they are so moist. These make a great breakfast, dessert or after-school snack, and OMG did my kids love them!

The first food blog I followed was Angie Dudley’s blog “Bakerella”. To me, it was (and still is) one the most incredible food blogs, and I patiently awaited each fabulous post clicking on her site day after day hoping for her to post again. I was contemplating starting my own blog at the time, and I emailed her and asked a number of questions. She was beyond sweet, helpful and resourceful, and I don’t know if I can ever thank her enough for all of her advice and encouragement. Recently, her incredible first book, “Cake Pops”, was released by Chronicle Books, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. This book is filled with incredible ideas, photos and recipes on how to turn a cake ball and cake pops into incredible shapes and designs. This book offers step-by-step instruction on how to create these. A few weeks ago, I was so fortunate to meet Angie in person at a conference, and she was so humble, gracious, and nice. I am so excited about her success, and I couldn’t wait to feature her new book on my site. This book is perfect for anyone that loves creativity and food, and I highly recommend it (my kids took it to school the other day, and all of the parents were calling me how to get a copy).

I’m giving away one free copy so please make a comment and tell me your favorite baking recipe or blog. The winner will be award this Friday, October 1. Good luck!

School is a few weeks underway already in Alabama, and I am amazed at how hard my kids’ homework is. Last week, my two oldest children were up to almost 10 every night doing math problems, reading their quota of 150 minutes a week and so on. My son even had to do a “glog” which is actually the same thing as a “blog”. Pretty cool, huh. After a long day at school (and after-school sports), I love to serve the kids something really healthy, colorful and fresh. This dish was a hit the other night, especially topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It’s great when I can feel good about what they are eating, especially when they are working so hard and need good nutrition.

My daughter, Leigh and I, were trying to figure out what to do with some fresh strawberries and blueberries. Since it’s been so hot outside (100 degrees today), I thought, how about popsicles? With only 3 ingredients, these Strawberry-Blueberry Popsicles were a home-run. They taste great, especially with chunks of fresh strawberries. Thank you, Leigh, for all of your help making these.

I recently saw a pizza grill pan last week in the window at The Cook Store, a wonderful neighborhood cooking store where I live. I thought to myself, “I want that!”. I received one for a present shortly thereafter, and I was very excited (thanks @jon_lewis -twitter handle). I used it the other night when I was in a pinch as I was testing recipes for my upcoming book (Chipotle Pork Wraps with Slaw).  My kids didn’t want that for dinner so I threw this Grilled Pizza with Basil, Mushrooms and Mini Turkey Pepperoni together for them. I ended up eating both (of course) because it turned out so great!