Breakfast Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Granola
Apple Pancakes
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Chocolate Pudding Pie
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
French Toast
Gluten-Free Mixed Berry Muffins
Homemade Granola using Agave Nectar
Maple Cinnamon Granola
Potato and Red Pepper Frittata
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Waffles
Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Whole Wheat Pancakes
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
Zucchini Bread

Pumpkin Waffles

My inquisitive 3 year old loves to ask food related questions.

"Mom, what is it when you mix breakfast and dinner?" 

"Brinner."

"Mom, what is it when you mix breakfast and lunch?" 

"Brunch"

"Mom, what is it when you mix lunch and dinner?"

"Uhhhhh.... linner????"

Anyway, when my sister and I decided to make pumpkin waffles and maple sausage links for "brinner" the other night, my son was over-the-moon excited to be experiencing "brinner" for the first time in a long time!  I guess I need to do brinner more often!  It was delicious and everyone ate a ton of food!  Yay for brinner!

Pumpkin Waffles

Recipe adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron or cooking spray


Mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks (as in, far softer than the over-beaten whites you’ll see in my picture above). Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 1 1/4 c. for regular waffle iron) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve with maple syrup (or if you are feeling a bit naughty, it would be really good with a dollop of whipped cream on top!). 

Food for Thought:  We doubled the recipe for this because I knew I would want extra waffles for the freezer.  The trick to freezing waffles is to let them cool on cooling racks.  If you stack the waffles they get really soggy.  But, if you spread them out on cooling racks, they cool nicely.  Then, simply stack them in freezer bags.  When you are ready to reheat, pop them into the toaster for one or two rounds and eat, just like you would any other frozen waffles.  Much healthier for your kids than store bought ones and much tastier too! 

Apple Pancakes

My three year old requested apple pancakes and it was a great way to use up the rest of our appes we had picked at the orchard.  These pancakes turned out delicious.  They had a different texture than the pancakes I usually make and I know my sisters and parents will appreciate this comment.  They reminded me of the texture of the pannekoekens we would have as kids.  Picture the waitresses... "Pannekoekens!"  They were smooth and dense and mmmm, just delicious! 

Apple Pancakes

Recipe adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com

2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
11/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Combin the eggs and milk in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients minus the apples.  Stir well.  Fold in the apples.

Add more milk if the batter seems too thick. (I think I ended up adding about 1/4 a cup after making the first couple of pancakes and realizing they were a bit too thick).

Heat a griddle to medium heat.  Spray pan with cooking spray or use oil or butter to grease pan.  Pour 1/4 c. batter on pan.  Cook until bubbles start to rise in the middle of the pancake.  Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side until cooked through.  Continue until all the batter is used up.  Serve with pure maple syrup (and maybe a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you want a little extra sweetness!).

Food for Thought: I always double pancake recipes and then freeze a bunch of pancakes for breakfast during the week.  This recipe was no exception and the pancakes reheat like a dream.  Simply allow the pancakes to cool (for like 3-4 hours... I usually leave them on the counter until later in the morning) and then stack them with a square of wax paper in between.  Place in a freezer bag.  When reheating, simply take one out, remove wax paper, and microwave about 30 seconds per pancake.  Easy healthy homemade breakfast for the kids!  Yum!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

It's almost Fall, and at our house that means also apple-picking season!  The boys and I went to pick apples last week and thus we are making everything apple this week!  Apple and cheddar cheese slices for snacks, homemade apple sauce, apple pancakes for breakfast later this week, and of course, these yummy apple muffins!  I love Fall foods!  Pictured are mini-muffins.  I froze my regular sized muffins for baking up later this Fall and Winter. 

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Recipe adapted from http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/04/whole-wheat-apple-muffins/

2 cups (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
2 cups (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose unbleached flour**
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp. warm water
2 cups plain greek yogurt
4 c. apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped (about 4 large apples)

**I use the Ultra-grain blend from Costco.  It bakes like a white flour but has 9g whole grains per serving so I feel a little better about using that then plain white flour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line muffin tins with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, cream together salt, granulated sugar, and 1/2 c. brown sugar.  Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and flaxseed meal mixture and cream well.  Gently mix in the yogurt.  Do not over mix.  Combine with the dry ingredients.  Fold in the apples.

Divide mixture into muffin tins.  Sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining 1/4 c. brown sugar.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn down heat to 400 degrees and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen regular sized muffins or gazillions of mini-muffins (an approximation).

Food for Thought: As always, here is my favorite tip about muffins. If you don't want a large amount of muffins right now, freeze the batter uncooked in the muffin tins.  Use the foil muffin papers.  They will hold up in the freezer better.  Then, when they have been in the freezer for about 2 hours, dump out of the pans and into freezer bags.  Label your bags or you will have mystery muffins!  When you are ready to eat them, simply pop the muffins, frozen, into your muffin pans.  Bake as per the usual instructions adding 5-10 minutes of baking time to allow for the thawing.  Yay for easy freezer cooking! 

Peach Struessel Muffins

I had a case of delicious Colorado peaches and although we love to eat them, we are only able to do so much before they start to get overly ripe.  So, I have been researching peach recipes and bookmarking my favorites in order to get through the peaches.  I would hate for them to go to waste!  These muffins were easy to make and delicious!  I made a double batch and then froze half of them (uncooked batter in muffin papers) and baked half of them up for a gathering I was going to.  They were delicious and it is so nice to have a variety of muffins ready to bake right in the freezer.  Best trick ever, Sarah B.!

Peach Streusel Muffins

Recipe from www.myrecipes.com

1/4 c. butter, softened
1/3  c. sugar
1 large egg
2 1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen peaches, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 Tbsp. butter, chilled

Instructions:

Beat 1/4 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until blended.

Combine 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract, and fold in chopped peaches.

Spoon muffin batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan, filling two-thirds full.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon; cut in 2 1/2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over muffin batter.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.

Food for Thought: I did not in any way make these sneaky or healthier in any way, there are easy things that could be done.  Substitute whole wheat flour for half of the flour; use 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. warm water instead of the egg. Hope you enjoy them! 

Apple Cinnamon Granola

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of this.  I will add one later.  This is the best granola recipe we have made to date.  It was sweet, crunchy, and delicious.  Everyone in the family has been eating it.

Apple Cinnamon Granola

5 c. multi-grain oats
2 c. sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. oat bran
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. agave
1/3 c. honey
1 c. apple sauce
2 Tbsp. coconut oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine first 10 ingredients (multi-grain oats through cinnamon). 

In a small sauce pan, combine agave, honey, apple sauce, and coconut oil.  Heat over medium-low heat until coconut oil melts and is runny.  Pour over oat combination and stir well.

Spread over two cookie sheets topped with parchment paper.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown. 

Cool and store in large ziploc bag.  Enjoy!

Chocoate Zucchini Muffins

I needed a way to use up more of the zucchini I got at the farmer's market.  I ran out of cinnamon on my previous batch of zucchini bread so looked for a new way to bake it up.  These turned out delicious - moist and flavorful without being too sweet.  After sharing them at our family reunion this past weekend, we have received a cousin rating: 10 out of 10! 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

adapted from www.joyofbaking.com

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 c. baking cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal combined with 6 Tbsp. warm water
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. apple sauce
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 c. shredded zucchini

In a large bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking soda and powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, flaxseed meal combination, sugars, coconut oil, apple sauce, and vanilla.  Blend well.  (If coconut oil is still in solid form, heat slowly over low heat on the stove, allow to cool, and then add to mixture.  If you do not have coconut oil, canola oil can be substituted.)

Mix together wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.  Fold in zucchini.

In muffin tin lined with muffin papers, scoop batter.  Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Food for Thought: As always, this is a great muffin recipe for freezing.  Simply pour batter into muffin papers, flash freeze for 2 hours, and then empty into a freezer bag.  When ready to bake, don't thaw.  Simply place in muffin pan and bake at same temperature adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.  It is helpful to use the foil muffin papers as the paper ones tend to fall apart when baking after freezing.

Gluten-Free Mixed Berry Muffins

I had a potluck style brunch to go to and signed up to bring a variety of muffins and breads.  I knew that there were one or two people who followed a gluten-free diet and have wanted to try for a while now to make some GF foods so this was my opportunity.  I did a bit of research and found many blog sites dedicated to gluten free cooking (and many with adaptations to eliminate the "allergy" foods like eggs, gluten, dairy, etc.) so it was easy to find something to bake.  My gluten-free friend said they were tasty and I liked them too.  However, quinoa flour is something of a distinct taste so perhaps test it out yourself before making a large batch.

Gluten-Free Mixed Berry Muffins

Recipe adapted from http://glutenfreeday.com/?p=62

2 c. quinoa flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. mixed frozen berries
3 Tbsp. oil
4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 ripe mashed banana
1/2 c. apple sauce
1 c. milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
powdered sugar

Instructions:

Combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Stir in the frozen berries. 

In a separate bowl, combine milk and lemon juice and let sit for a few minutes.  Add to that the oil,  maple syrup, banana, and apple sauce. 

Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir.  Do not overmix.

Divide into 12 lined muffin cups or into 24 mini-muffin cups. 

Bake at 340 degrees for 20 minutes (mini-muffins) or 30 minutes (regular sized muffins).

Zucchini Bread

I am on a bit of a baking kick... but it is so fun when there are so fruits and veggies are plentiful at farmer's markets.  This recipe was a good basic one.  Although I made it as is, there are easy ways to adapt it to make it a bit healthier.  It would be easy to substitute half of the flour for wheat and use the flaxseed meal/water combination for an egg substitute.  Also, you could cut the oil in half or completely out of the recipe, substituting apple sauce and still get a similar result.  Either way, my guys thought it was a great treat and it is one that we will be repeating this weekend!

Zucchini Bread

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

Instructions:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Food for Thought: This was a huge hit with my boys.  I just went to the farmer's market to get more zucchini to make some to freeze.  It's easy to bake up and wrap in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil to freeze.  Then just allow to thaw on the counter.

Potato and Red Pepper Frittata

I had some eggs that were nearing their expiration date and wanted to try something different for dinner.  After perusing a few different recipes, I figured I could throw together just about anything to make a tasty frittata.  So, using what I had in the kitchen, this is what I came up with.  And it was really good!

Potato and Red Pepper Frittata

8 large eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, cut in small cubes or shredded
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 medium red potatoes, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and garlic over medium high heat.  Add pepper, onion, potatoes, and salt/pepper.  Cook over medium high heat until veggies start to become tender, about 10 minutes.

While veggies are cooking, in a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and cheddar cheese.  Prepare a round cassarole dish with cooking spray.

When veggies are done, remove from heat and layer on bottom of dish.  Pour egg mixture over the top.  Bake in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until egg sets and is cooked through. 

Serve warm!

Husband Rating: 5 out of 10

Food for Thought:  If you are someone who needs meat in your meals, this is an easy one to add to - simply add some cooked sausage, bacon, or ham to the egg mixture.  Also, any combination of veggies would work in a frittata - a nice meal for cleaning out the fridge! 

This also could become a freezer meal.  You would mix and cook it and after it is cooked, let cool before covering and freezing.  When reheating, either bake in the oven until hot or microwave a slice for a minute or until hot.

Homemade Granola using Agave Nectar

I keep trying different recipes of homemade granola.  My husband really likes when the boys and I make it but prefers a bit of variety rather than making the same one time and time again.  I saw a recipe that looked interesting and did my own adaptations to it.  I think it turned out tty good, though the other recipe using maple syrup was better.  The egg white in the recipe was unique from others I had seen.  It supposedly makes the granola crunchier, though I think that it was probably equally as crunchy as any other batch we have made.  I also used a different mix of dried fruit for this one - apples, plums, apricots, and mango.  I think next time I plan to use a different mixture of dried fruit and perhaps eliminate the ginger to see how that changes the flavor.

Homemade Granola using Agave Nectar

Recipe adapted from writes4food.com

2 c. multigrain cereal (see note below)
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. raw sunflower seeds
1 c. almond slices
1/2 c. unsweetened finely shredded coconut
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
2 egg whites +2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. agave nectar (see note below)
2 c. dried fruit of your choice

Instructions:

Combine first 9 ingredients (cereal through ginger) in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine egg whites and water and mix.  Add in the vanilla and agave nectar and whisk briskly until well combined and slightly frothy. 
Pour egg mixture over dry ingredients and stir well.
Spread ingredients out on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan covered with parchment paper (for easier clean up).  I actually use my pizza pans because they are a good size and have slightly raised edges.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, stir and bake additional 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 200 degrees, stir and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes, stirring once, until mixture is evenly golden brown and crunchy.
Let cool and then gently stir in the dried fruit.  Store in an air tight contain or Ziploc baggie.


Food for Thought: For the multi-grain cereal, I use one that I can get at Trader Joe's.  I like the variety it adds.  However, if you are unable to find one, simply substitute rolled oats.  For the agave nectar, it usually is found at the grocery store next to the honey.  If you don't have it or can't find it, honey would be a sensible substitute.

French Toast

I was looking for something to make for dinner and we settled on "brinner".  This recipe is a bit different from your run-of-the-mill eggs and milk french toast and it turned out great!  The batter was delicious and the boys at it up.  We had it with fresh fruit and some Morning Star Breakfast Sausages. 

French Toast
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. milk
pinch salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. sugar
12 slices bread

Instructions:

Measure out the flour into a bowl and whisk the milk into the flour until well blended.  Add the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar into the milk mixture.  Mix well.

Heat a griddle to medim heat.  Dunk bread into egg mixture one at a time until coated and place on griddle. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. 

Enjoy topped with maple syrup, fresh fruit, whatever you like.

Husband Rating: TBD - he was out of town, hence the desire for an easy brinner.

Maple Cinnamon Granola

Maple Cinnamon Granola

7 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

4 c. multi-grain cereal mix (I got it at Trader Joe's; it has rye, barley, oats, and wheat)

1 c. raw sunflower seeds

1 1/2 c. sliced almonds

1 1/2 c. pecan pieces

1 1/2 c. walnut pieces

1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1 c. unsulfured dried apricots, cut up

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

1/2 c. honey

1 c. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 c. dried cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, multi-grain cereal, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, walnuts, coconuts, and apricots.

In a medium sauce pan, combine salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Heat over medium heat until boiling.  Pour over oats mixture and stir until all is evenly coated.

Spread mixture over two baking sheets and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until mixture is golden and crunchy.

Allow to cool.  Add dried cranberries and store in an airtight container or ziploc baggie.

Food for Thought: This is great served with Greek yogurt or with milk.  My guys like it even just plain in a bowl to crunch on for snack.  To add a little variety, any dried fruit would work instead of the craisins - I personally love dried cherries and blueberries in this as well. 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

That's right, veggies for breakfast.  Pumpkin has to be the friendliest vegetable to put in anything.  It tastes good and a testimony to that is my 2 1/2 year old eating six pancakes for breakfast today.  (This recipe makes about 3 1/2 dozen pancakes because I like to freeze them for future use.  However the recipe is easy to half if you don't want that many.)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. allspice
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. flaxseed meal in 3/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. cooking oil

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin, vanilla, flaxseed meal, and cooking oil. 

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. 

Heat a griddle over medium heat or to when water just sizzles when dripped on it.  Scoop 1/4 c. pancake batter onto the griddle.  Flip pancake when bubbles rise and pop in the middle of the batter.  Cook until batter is no longer doughy. 

Serve with butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, toasted pecans, fresh fruit, or whatever is to you liking.


Food for Thought: To freeze these, simply allow pancakes to cool completely and then stack them with wax paper in between each pancake.  Put stack into freezer bags (I use quart sized bags and stack about 6 pancakes in each).  To reheat, simply pop into the toaster or microwave for about 30 seconds until hot.

Good for You (if you can believe it) Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

This recipe is one of my two year old's favorites... though he tends to pick through and eat all the chocolate chips first and then ask for another muffin - my kind of guy!



Good for You (if you  can believe it) Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Adapted from a recipe on: www.fortheloveoffood.net

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T. flax seed meal mixed with 3 T. warm water

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup pureed veggie (carrots, sweet potato, or pumpkin)

1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt (preferably low fat, Greek yogurt)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large, very ripe bananas

1 cup dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, white sugar and brown sugar until well combined.

In another bowl, mix the flax seed meal, oil, pureed veggie, yogurt, vanilla and mushed bananas until mixed thoroughly.

Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients without over mixing. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.

Pour batter into muffin papers 3/4 full. 

If freezing, place muffin pan in freezer for 2 hours and then pop muffins into Ziploc baggies for cooking later.  Keep frozen until ready to cook.  Place in a muffin pan and follow directions below adding 5-10 minutes of cooking time.

If serving immediately, bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

Healthy, yet Tasty, Pumpkin Muffins

Healthy, yet Tasty, Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 15 oz. cans pumpkin
2/3 cups cooking oil
4 Tbls. flax seed meal combined with 12 Tbs. warm water
1 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Topping:
1 Tbls. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl. 

In a large bowl combine remainder of ingredients (except topping) and mix thoroughly.  Add the flour mixture and combine until just mixed.

Fill muffin papers approximately 3/4 full.  Mix remaining 1 Tbls. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon and sprinkle over the muffins.  (If freezer cooking, place muffin tin in freezer for approximately 2 hours and then put muffins in bags.  Follow baking instructions below.)

If baking immediately, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

If from frozen, keep muffins frozen until ready to bake.  Place frozen muffin batter in a muffin pan, and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Makes 32 muffins.

Food for Thought:
Another easy way to make this recipe a bit healthier for your unsuspecting children (and husbands) is to substitute pureed cooked vegetables (or even easier baby food veggies, preferably carrots, sweet potato, or squash), or applesauce for half of the cooking oil in the recipe.  They are still just as moist and flavorful with fewer fat calories and another dose of veggies or fruits for you. 

Whole Wheat Pancakes Even My Husband Can Love!!!

I am always trying to figure out ways to sneak healthy ingredients into our meals.  (I had definitely been inspired by The Sneaky Chef who has great recipes and tricks to making meals packed with good ingredients).  Both my little guys love pancakes but I just wanted to try to make them packed full of things good for them but still tasty.  Today's pancakes were a success!  Both my sons and their dad loved them.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients:

3 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3 Tbls. flaxseed meal combined with 9 Tbls. warm water
3 3/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. sugar
3 heaping tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
additional milk (whole milk worked well), as needed to thin batter out.

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and using a whisk, mix well.

Heat griddle until water just sizzles upon dropping on.

Scoop batter onto griddle in 1/4-1/3 size scoops.

Flip pancake when bubbles are rising in the middle.

Continue cooking on the other side until lightly golden. 

Makes about 30 mid-sized pancakes.

Food for Thought:
These would be great with blueberries or chocolate chips in them as well.   It is also easy to freeze the extra pancakes by separating each pancake with wax paper and placing them in a baggie.  Then, we just take one or two out for breakfast and either pop them in the toaster or microwave them for about 30 seconds.