oats

Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffins

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It’s June, strawberries are out and the weather is warmer!!  Ahh, it’s a nice change of pace from the chilly and rainy spring!  Fresh, local strawberries are my absolute favorite. Since I’m the only person in Lancaster County who does not make strawberry jelly, I love to find different ways to use strawberries to take advantage of their short season.  I made these baked oatmeal muffins on a warm and humid Sunday morning and ate them happily outside with some strawberry and basil infused water ( basically because it was too early for a strawberry basil margarita :-).  I would usually never take the time to make infused water, but today I had a minute and it was great to sit outside and actually enjoy my food and drink using ingredients from the garden.

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For the basil infused water, simply dice strawberries and place basil leaves and strawberries in a jar, add water and ice and enjoy right away or let it infuse for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

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Ingredients for the Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Muffins

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey (if you like more sweetness, increase the amount)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup diced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all of the ingredients together.  Spoon into 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 22-25 minutes, until firm.  Enjoy!

 

Banana and Blueberry Pancakes

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The past few weeks have been a season of extremes…full schedules, warmer weather, husband traveling, conferences, school play (you name it!) then sickness and cleared schedules, snuggling on the couch, reading 3 books at a time and freezing weather.  I was sick this week and called in from work for the first time I can remember in a long time.  I watched the snow fall all day and didn’t do anything productive.  And my daughter had her tonsils out and we are staying in, watching movies, snuggling on the couch while she recovers.  It’s inevitable that we will be busy with 3 kids, but we try not to let business define us.  And sometimes we are forced to slow down.  I’ll take it and breathe a little.  When I have some downtime I love to cook and experiment with recipes. I am not a huge fan of pancakes, but I do love blueberry pancakes. These pancakes have no added sugar…yes, they taste kind of “healthy” and my kids much prefer my husband’s famous “real” pancakes, but I love them.  Add a little butter and a dash of cinnamon or a little real maple syrup and you won’t miss the “real” pancakes!  These were so good this morning with coffee and a nice sunny window on this frigid day!!

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 egg, beaten add

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

1/4 c. almond milk

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4-1/2 c. blueberries

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas add the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and stir until combined.  Make the pancakes on a griddle or frying pan on low heat.  Makes 6 small-medium pancakes.  Instead of blueberries, try chocolate chips and it tastes like banana bread!

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Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

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I make a variation of these cookies to have on hand all the time.  They are great to grab on the go for breakfast.  A much better option then a packaged granola bar.  These “cookies” have no added sugar, contain fiber and a little fat so you are not hungry right away.  The original recipe I got from the book “Bread and Wine” by Shauna Niequist.  I vary the ingredients, but keep the same basic recipe.  I added pumpkin to these (tis the season!) and made some with blueberries, some with dark chocolate chips and some plain.  My three year old insisted on adding the blueberries as she was snacking on them when we were making these and loves to add anything to the bowl!

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Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup ground flax (or almond meal)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup shredded coconut (non sweetened)

1/2 chopped walnuts

dark chocolate chips (optional)

blueberries (optional)

Mix the banana, pumpkin, vanilla and coconut oil in a bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients together and incorporate all of the ingredients. Add the blueberries at the end if you are using them. Sometimes I just throw everything together in one bowl and mix it up and it turns out just fine!  I use an ice cream scooper to scoop them out in even cookies.  Add the chocolate chips to the top or mix them in the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Let cook and enjoy!  I freeze these for an easy breakfast or snack anytime.

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Blueberry Breakfast Cookies (using the almond pulp from making almond milk)

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I never knew that one cup of raw almonds could go such a long way!  In a previous post, I posted how to make homemade almond milk.  It’s so easy!  Just soak a cup of raw almonds overnight, drain the almonds and place in blender with 4 cups of water, a pinch of salt and a pitted dried date (if you don’t have a date, omit it!). Blend until milky and then strain the almond pulp from the milk using a find mesh sieve and cheese cloth or a milk nut bag.  I just bought a nut milk bag (I know, it sounds weird) and it is amazing!!  Totally worth the $6 I spent.  I just bought it off of Amazon, but I’m sure a kitchen store would have it too.  Anyway, it works great.  Here’s what it looks like….

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Once the milk is finished, you are left with about a cup of almond pulp.  I hate to waste it, so I use it in recipes that call for almond meal.  I use it in my granola bars, in a berry crisp and these awesome breakfast cookies!!  This recipe is from the book Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  These are so good for a quick breakfast or snack and there is NO added sugar.  Add seasonal berries, dried fruit or use chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

3 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed so it is not solid) or use olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal (I used the almond pulp here)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or I’ve used slivered almonds)

1/4-1/2 cup blueberries (or chocolate chips)

Mash the bananas and add in coconut oil and vanilla.  Then mix the dry ingredients and combine.  Fold in the berries. I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Flatten them a bit and bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes.  Then enjoy some right away with your almond milk!

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Beet green smoothie

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So, if you have run into me in the past week or so I was probably raving about using beet greens in my smoothies.  I seriously can’t stop talking about it- like I invented using beet greens in a smoothie or something.  Clearly, that’s not the case but it’s not something I thought about doing with the wonderful beet greens that come with the beets.  I was always too focused on using the beets, that the greens were an afterthought. Beet greens are great in smoothies because they have a mild flavor like spinach and they are packed with nutrients.  And in season, they are plentiful and cheap!

I have been loving smoothies for breakfast. When the kids wake up and I say “who wants a smoothie?” I get the inevitable “meeeee” from my 2 year old.  The other two have wised up to my use of kale, spinach, beet greens- whatever I can throw in there to add nutrients.   They will happily drink one that has more fruit than greens and is not “green”, so I just do what I can.  Even if they get a little of that good stuff in there, I’m good.  For me, the key to a good smoothie is the frozen banana.  I always have frozen bananas on hand for smoothies and banana “whips” as my friend calls them.  Just whip up a frozen banana and fruit or peanut butter and Nutella to the consistency of ice cream and it’s an instant dessert!  So yummy!  But back to the smoothie.  I rarely measure the ingredients when I make a smoothie, but I tried to give an idea what I put in mine.  You can adjust to your own taste.  The fruit options are endless.  I used strawberry here, but any berry or fruit will do. I had a raspberry one this week that was delicious.  We are at the end of strawberry season here, but raspberries, black berries and blueberries are in season.  And since my 2 year old will not eat much for breakfast other than a smoothie, I started putting oats in it to make it more substantial.  I put protein powder in mine if I’m making one for after a run or workout.  I am not an expert on protein powder, but I use a plant based protein and it’s been working well for recovery.

I also think it’s great to get the kids involved in making and growing healthy foods, and while I know this, I still have a hard time taking the time to get them involved rather than rushing through it myself and onto the next task. I have to be mindful of this and it’s something I’m working on.   This day, my 2 year old happily helped me in the kitchen and we sat and drank them together.

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Ingredients

1/3 cup rolled oats, pulsed in blender into a fine powder

1-1 1/2 frozen banana

2 cups beet greens, tough ribs and stems removed

2 cups capped strawberries or any berry or fruit you have on hand

1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

*If you need more sweetness, add a little honey

Pulse the oats first and then add the rest of the ingredients to a blender and enjoy-preferably in a pretty glass or jar!  It makes the smoothie taste better in my opinion!

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