Loaded Granola

I think this is the best granola I've tried. It's really simple to make, healthy for you and tastes great!

Granola
1/2 cup coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups of oats
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 325. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Heat the coconut oil, honey, maple syrup and salt in a microwave bowl or over the stove just until coconut oil is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, vanilla, oats, healthy additives (wheat germ, flax seed, chia seeds, whatever you like), coconut and your choice of nuts, until well mixed.

Don't add your dried fruit until after baking.

Divide the granola between two cookie sheets and bake for about 15 minutes or just until granola starts to brown. Remove from oven and stir. Let cool until crunchy. Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

I love this pancake recipe, but I got a little tired of having to mix it up once or twice a week and finally got around to making my own mix. It's so easy, just as simple as mixing a store bought pancake mix, but much healthier.

Whole Wheat Puff Pancakes

I pinned this recipe the other day for German Pancakes from Real Mom Kitchen and knew I had to try them. They were very similar ingredients to my Cheesy Bacon Popovers (only sweet) so I was pretty confident I could make them with whole wheat flour. And they are delicious. Just top with a little maple syrup or fresh fruit. I like to add a bit of sweetener to the batter since I'm not adding much to the fresh fruit. They don't look quite as pretty as the all purpose flour version, but they taste great and are better for you.

Whole Wheat Puff Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1/4 cup butter melted
2 tablespoons honey or sucanat
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Blend together flour and salt. Whisk in milk and eggs until smooth. Stir in melted butter, honey, vanilla and orange zest.

Grease two muffin tins (I like to use coconut oil) and fill tins half way with batter. This recipe should make 15-18 pancakes.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Pancakes will puff up and then fall down, just place your fruit in the middle, sprinkle with a little sucanat and enjoy!


*recipe modified from Real Mom Kitchen

Fluffy Whole Wheat Pancakes

These are perfect pancakes, light, fluffy and healthy. The recipe is from the 100 Days of Real Food website, I only made a few minor changes...

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 to 2 cups milk
Butter for cooking

Mix flour with baking powder, soda and salt. Stir in honey, vanilla and eggs. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and slowly add the remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to desired consistency. You want the batter to be thin and pourable.

Heat butter in skillet until it sizzles. Pour a thin layer of batter and gently spread into a circle, pancake will puff up as it cooks (the thinner batter helps to keep the pancakes light and fluffy). Makes 8 pan sized cakes.

Whole Grain Waffles

These are my favorite waffles (since I won't be indluging in these baby's very often anymore). This recipe makes 4-5 belgian size waffles. We love to eat them with fresh fruit and cream, jam or maple syrup. And if we've run out of bread (and I'm too lazy to make any) we can just whip up a batch and have waffle sandwiches for lunch.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats (quick or old fashioned rolled oats)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter

Mix together dry ingredients, then add honey, egg, oil and milk. Mix well and pour into greased preheated waffle iron.

Quinoa: Breakfast of Champions

This is truly the breakfast of champions. Serious cancer-preventing breakfast. Quinoa, blueberries, kiwi and strawberries, all disease preventing superfoods.

Simply cook some quinoa (I use the rice cooker function of the Fagor 3 in 1 multicooker- takes 6 minutes)   use a 2:1 ratio- 2 cups water to 1 cup of quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed and looks like the picture below.

Stir in a bit of honey and cinnamon, top with your favorite fruit and nuts and a little milk. YUM.

*I've discovered that bananas are THE perfect fruit to go along with quinoa, the flavors blend together amazingly well, especially with a bunch of cinnamon.

Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a treat I only let myself indulge in once or twice a year (like at conference time). These rolls are amazing with cream cheese frosting! You will not be disappointed!

Cinnamon Roll Dough

1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup powdered milk (or can use warm milk instead of water)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups white flour (approximate, always pour one cup at a time- the dough should be soft but not sticky. You can make these whole wheat, but they won't be light and airy the next day- I recommend only using 1/2 wheat if you choose to)

Filling

1/2 cup melted butter
sugar (can use brown sugar for caramelized rolls)
cinnamon
raisins (optional)
pecans (optional)
*dental floss for slicing

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
lemon juice (I like to juice a whole lemon)
milk to thin (1 to 2 Tablespoons)

Step 1: Dissolve yeast in warm water until frothy. Stir in powdered milk, sugar, eggs and salt. Add flour one cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is soft but not sticky. Let rise 25 minutes in a warm place until double in size.

Step 2: Roll dough into large rectangle. Coat the bottom of a large 9x13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Using a pastry brush, generously spread butter over entire dough rectangle. Sprinkle sugar on top of butter (I used about 1/4 cup), sprinkle a generous layer of cinnamon over top. Add raisins and nuts if desired.

Step 3: Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll dough to form a long tube. Pinch dough on end to seal so it won't come unwrapped when you slice it.

Step 4: Using a long string of dental floss, slide under the dough and slice a piece off by bringing the two pieces across one another (you could also use a sharp knife, but this works the best). Place in baking dish and brush tops with remaining butter. (This makes 12-16 rolls).

Step 5: Set pan in warm place to rise. They should look like this when they're ready:

Step 6: Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or just until golden on top. While baking prepare cream cheese icing by whipping softened cream cheese with butter and vanilla until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste. Stir in milk to thin frosting. You can use more milk for thinner frosting to lightly drizzle over the rolls...OR

...if you're like me, leave it a little thicker and completely smother them with frosting! Serve warm & enjoy!

 

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

I have tried DOZENS of blueberry muffin recipes over the years hunting for the perfect muffin. Most of the ones I tried had the consistency of a  biscuit but I prefer cakelike bakery muffins.

Some passed the white flour test but failed miserably when I substituted whole wheat flour. I almost gave up on the possibility of making a delicious 100% whole wheat blueberry muffin, but I'm glad I persevered.

I am happy to say that I have FINALLY found the PERFECT Blueberry Muffin recipe!

And, Yes! It tastes just as delicious when using 100% whole wheat flour!

(top image is white flour, right is whole wheat).

So where did this elusive recipe come from? It originated from a blueberry white chip muffin recipe from http://verybestbaking.com/ but of course I had to modify it to suit my specifications... Here is the modified recipe:

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg
1 cup milk

Zest of one lemon (1 1/2 teaspoons)

1 1/2 to 2 cups blueberries

Walnuts, optional

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup organic brown sugar (or 1-2 tablespoons of honey)

1/3 cup oats (optional)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or oil muffin cups (12 to 18).

Cream sugars with butter then stir in vanilla, egg and lemon zest (do not omit zest it adds great flavor). Mix dry ingredients and stir with wet alternately with milk. (I like to add dry ingredients right on top of the wet and just mix it with a fork a little before incorporating into the wet- saves an extra bowl...)

Fold in blueberries and walnuts if desired. Spoon into muffin pans filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping. Oats are optional in the topping (pictured in the whole wheat version) and I find it easier to mix with a fork if the butter is at room temperature.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*I highly recommend using freshly ground whole wheat flour. If you use store bought whole wheat flour you should definitely use King Arthur brand, it's the only one I've used that resembles fresh ground whole wheat.

*You can also use 1/2 cup of honey instead of both sugars. And use 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey in place of sugar for the topping. The flavor and texture isn't quite as rich, but it still works. 

Best Belgian Waffles

I love light airy belgian waffles. I like this recipe because it doesn't use yeast, so no waiting. Whenever I get a strawberry shortcake craving I just whip up a batch of these for breakfast, YUM.

Belgian Waffles
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 ½ cups milk
3 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks (I have never actually beaten them until peaks form- just until frothy and foamy and they turn out perfect). In a separate bow, mix all other ingredients, then gently fold in the egg whites. Cook on belgian waffle iron. Serve warm with fruit or syrup.

Makes 5-6 large waffles

*These tend to puff up really big then fall as they cool. However if you add 3 teaspoons of baking powder they won't fall and will be crispy- so if you prefer crisp firm waffles add the extra, otherwise enjoy soft fluffy waffles and eat fast!

Cheesy Bacon Popovers

This was in the Williams Sonoma kids cookbook I recently bought (I modified to be whole wheat). They are so delicious and fun for kids!

Cheesy Bacon Popovers

Bacon, 8 slices fried 
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450. Grease 12 cup muffin pan with butter or cooking spray. Spoon 1 tablespoon of bacon into each cup. Mix the cheeses together and spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons into each cup.

In a large bowl stir flour and salt. Whisk in eggs, milk and melted butter. Pour mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 15 minutes until popovers are puffed and golden. Do not open the oven while baking or they will fall. Serve warm.

*Also tastes great using chopped red or orange peppers and green onions in addition to or in place of bacon.

Rainbow Pancakes

In honor of St. Patrick's Day we made rainbow pancakes. It's super easy and the kids just love it.

Simply mix up your favorite pancake mix, set out bowls for each color, pour enough for one pancake into each bowl, add food coloring and mix!

Just be sure not to let the pancakes brown- cook at a slightly lower temperature than you normally would and use cooking spray instead of butter on the pan. Aunt Jemima never looked so good!

        

Kentucky Griddle Cakes

I always assumed griddle cakes were just a southern name for pancakes. Not so. They are made from cornmeal. I'm not a huge fan of cornmeal but I'm always up for trying something new. This is a fun substitute for break in lunches or for breakfast.

I like to use them for BLT's with ranch dressing instead of mayo, or as a breakfast sandwich with eggs and sausage.

1 cup cornmeal (white or yellow)
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup milk (buttermilk if you have it)

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon honey

4-5 slices cooked, chopped bacon (or bacon bits)

Mix all dry ingredients then mix in milk, egg, oil and honey. Stir in cooked bacon. Should resemble pancake batter, but the bacon will slip to the bottom so mix well between each batch. Heat a griddle over medium heat and spread with butter or spray with oil. Pour evenly sized pancakes and cook until brown on the bottom, flip and finish cooking just like regular pancakes. Best if served warm.

*These freeze really well- freeze individually then store in freezer bags, to reheat put in toaster for a few minutes.

Almond Cream Crepes

I made these for Easter Sunday breakfast. They are SO delicious! I love crepes for breakfast. I usually fill one with scrambled eggs and potatoes and the other with fresh fruit and cream.

If you're just going to do dessert crepes, you can add more sugar so they will be sweeter. The key to perfect crepes is to have the skillet hot and greased. If it's not hot enough the first few won't brown well and if it's not greased enough they will stick and fall apart. I usually make the first few small because it usually takes a few tries to get them just right. Also, I served this one with strawberries, but raspberries would actually go better- the strawberry flavor was a bit too strong for the almond cream.

Crepes

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix flour and eggs. Add milk and water. Add salt & butter and beat until smooth. Pour onto heated, lightly oiled griddle. Tilt pan and spread batter over entire surface in circular motion so batter will expand to size of pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until browned. Flip once, just until brown. Serve warm with fruit, eggs, or desired filling. Makes 8 crepes.

Almond Cream Filling
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup toasted almonds, for garnish (just broil a few minutes- careful not to burn)

In small saucepan combine sugar, flour and milk. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, cook and stir 1-2 minutes. Beat the whole egg with egg yolk. Gradually stir in half the hot mixture into the eggs then return all the mixture back to the pan. Cook a few minutes more over low heat, careful not to boil. Stir in butter, vanilla and almond extract.

Spread filling in each crepe and roll as desired. Top with cream, toasted almonds and fresh fruit.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

I got this recipe from my friend JoAnn who is an amazing cook- I have used her recipes several times here and have several more I will be posting in the future (look for mango chicken in the next few days!) Muffins are my boys favorite snack and I'm always looking for healthier recipes that I don't feel guilty snacking on as well. This recipe fits the bill. JoAnn posted it on her blog here. I just changed a few things. They are very filling, almost like an oatmeal cookie, my boys gobbled them up in a matter of minutes.

2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground white wheat)
1 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup craisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon orange zest (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak the cranberries in the orange juice in a separate bowl while preparing the batter. Mix the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients including the cranberries in orange juice and orange zest. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins (whole wheat)

This is the best pumpkin muffin recipe! It is so scrumptious. And any muffin recipe with 100% whole wheat that tastes fabulous is totally worth making. I think my boys like muffins better than cookies- the batch was devoured in less than 30 minutes!

*NOTE: I've updated this recipe and reduced the sugar by more than half. This version is healthier and tastes just as fabulous, however if you want to double the sugar and use white flour, you can!

I prefer using butternut squash in place of pumpkin in almost all my recipes- it has a milder flavor and seems a bit more moist than pumpkin. We have a local farmer that sells them for 50 cents each in the fall. They can be stored in a cool place for 6-8 months or you can slice in half, sccop out the seeds, microwave for 10 minutes, mash and freeze in ziploc freezer bags. I freeze 1 cup at a time then it's easy to pull out and use in a recipe.

This recipe comes from my favorite Whole Grain Baking book by King Arthur Flour, but I've modified it to be a little healthier.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

1 cups whole wheat (I use freshly ground white whole wheat or King Arthur whole wheat flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pumpkin (I use fresh pumpkin or butternut squash)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I love it with pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in bowl. Cream together butter & sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients mixing until evenly moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into 12 muffin tins, bake 22-25 minutes.

Granola

I love granola and could eat it every day for breakfast. The best part about granola is that you can make it any way you like, don't like an ingredient? No problem, leave it out or substitute it for one that you do like. See below for "real food" recipe using coconut oil. Both recipes make a huge batch- 16 cups worth, enough to fill a 4 quart plastic cereal keeper.

Granola

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup oat bran

1/2 cup flax seed

1 cup flaked coconut

2 cups of your favorite nuts, chopped (I love pecans, almonds and raw sunflower seeds)

2 cups dried fruit (raisins, craisins- stir in after baking)

 

Syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

After baking add:
2 cups raisins and or sweetened dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on two baking sheets lined with foil or parchment.

Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. (Don't overcook though- it doesn't have to turn brown- it will get crunchy after it cools.) Stir in raisins or cranberries and store in an airtight container (if you cook the raisins they will taste really nasty and be too tough to eat).

*adapted from allrecipes.com


Granola with coconut oil and natural sweeteners

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup flax seed
2 cups of your favorite nuts chopped (pecans, almonds, raw sunflower seeds)
1-2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut
2 cups raisins or other dried fruit (stir in after baking)


Syrup
1 cup coconut oil at room temperature (should be soft)
1 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325

In a large bowl stir together coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well (do not add raisins or other dried fruit at this time).

Spread the mixture out evenly on two baking sheets lined with foil or parchment.



Bake in the preheated oven about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. (Don't overcook though- it doesn't have to turn brown- it will get crunchy after it cools.) Stir in raisins or other dried fruit and store in an airtight container.

Best Whole Wheat Pancakes & Waffles EVER

I have tried dozens of whole wheat pancake and waffle recipes over the years and they all ended up tasting like dry pasty bricks. I was about to give up on ever making 100% whole wheat pancakes again when I got these fabulous recipe from my friend Joann- check out her site here. She has the recipes at her site so I'm just going to link you there- seriously, these are the lightest fluffiest waffles and pancakes- you would never know they were whole wheat (assuming you grind your own white wheat- I don't think store bought or red wheat would be quite as light)


Whole Wheat Waffles
Whole Wheat Pancakes