Carrot & Nut Muffins

It's been a while.

I have a lot of excuses...

but instead of typing them up, I'll share something delectably healthy with you.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

...and Exhibit C:

Are we still friends?

Good.

Here's that recipe...

Carrot & Nut Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Slightly adapted from my mother

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp wheat germ

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch (or two) salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups grated carrot

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir together wet ingredients and combine.  Spoon into greased muffin tin and bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.  Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I tend to talk about the weather a lot on here.

But it seems to me that weather and food go hand-in-hand...don't you think?

Fresh lemonade = summer, 

warm applesauce = fall, 

hearty soup = winter, 

carrot cake = spring,

homemade bread = cold, rainy days,

and fresh, raw vegetables = hot, dry days.

Anyway, the weather's been a lot milder since my last post,

when I complained about informed you of the icy cold temperatures over here.

Although the temps have been milder, there's been a whole lot of grey outside.

So if you're experiencing some drab days too, you should make these.

Nothing like a fresh, warm muffin with soft bits of apple to cheer you up!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Makes 12 large muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark), packed + more for sprinkling

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced (I like big chunks!)

Preheat oven to 450.  Grease 12 muffin cups, or fill with cupcake liners.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and add sugars; beat until fluffy.  Mix in egg and yogurt.  Stir in dry ingredients until just combined and gently fold in apple chunks.

Divide batter evenly between muffin cups and sprinkle brown sugar on top (about 1/4 cup or less).  Bake for 10 minutes, turn oven down to 400, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes; until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

Strawberry Almond Yogurt Muffins

Winter officially came.

Last week I stepped outside to do my laundry-

(yes, I have to walk outside to access a washing machine...

yes, even in the winter...

yes, we are grad students...

no, I'm not complaining. :)

-and-

I was a little shocked,

to say the least.

Come to find out, weather.com said it was -27 or something with wind chill.

And whaddya know it was also the day I HAD to do laundry AND get to the grocery store

due to the fact that we just arrived back in town the night before.

It was a colder than cold,

running-errands-amidst-people-dressed-in-all-sorts-of-fur-paraphernalia 

day.

Poor baby boy didn't like it very much.

Needless to say, we have come to appreciate warm things around here.

Warm apartment, warm coats, warm mittens, hats, car, bed, etc.

And warm food, course.

Take muffins, for example.

Say...strawberry almond yogurt muffins?

Yes, please.

Take one look and you'll already feel cozier inside.

Baby boy gave these his stamp of approval!

Strawberry Almond Yogurt Muffins

Inspired by Penzey's Spices Catalog

Make 12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar*

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

1 cup chopped strawberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups. 

Combine flours, soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk together.

In a stand mixer, cream together butter and white sugar until fluffy.  Beat in brown sugar, eggs, almond and vanilla extracts, and yogurt.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.  Gently fold in strawberries.

Divide batter between muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

*Next time I might try decreasing the sugar; they were plenty flavorful with the strawberries and almond extract.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

These pancakes are super moist while still maintaining fluffiness.

A hint of sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon add the perfect amount of sweetness, making these absolutely

de.

lect.

able.

So delectable, in fact, that I ate that whole plate myself.
You think I'm kidding?
Okay, I am.
BUT...I wanted to.  :)

*sigh* ...soft, fluffy pancakes with fresh summer berries and warm maple syrup drizzled on top.

Need I say more?

Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Makes 6-8 pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp plain, nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, melted

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk together dry ingredients, then separately whisk together wet ingredients.  Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.  Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it.  Pour batter (about 1/4 cup size) onto the skillet.  When pancakes bubble, flip them over and finish cooking on other side until lightly browned.  Serve with fresh fruit and warm maple syrup.

Healthy Banana Bread

Overripe bananas are hard to come by at our house. My husband and I eat them daily (as will my sweeter-than-ripe-bananas baby...soon!), plus, the minute they start to show brown specks, I usually slice 'em up and throw 'em in the freezer for a future smoothie.

Well, the other day, I was pleasantly surprised at three overripe bananas in our fruit basket.

Of course, banana bread is the no-brainer answer to overripe bananas!

Banana bread is usually very cake-like (in flavor (which is good) and in nutrition (not good)), and I always think you might as well just eat cake. But not this time. This time I've brought a healthy banana bread recipe to the table! It's crispy on top and moist inside.

*I also wanted to substitute applesauce for the canola oil, but I didn't have any...next time!

Healthy Banana Bread

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

2 eggs

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup very ripe bananas (I like 1 cup mashed and 1/2 cup sliced, for some chunks)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 1/2 cups regular whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up to the flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into a large loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Blini (Russian Buttermilk Pancakes)

This year was my husband's first Father's Day...and because he lived in Russia for two years, serving a mission for our church, I decided to (attempt to) make some Russian cuisine!

Great idea, right?

Well, breakfast turned out really yummy, but dinner ended up being a semi-flop.

...

Okay, it was a complete flop.

Spending way too long in the kitchen with sticky beyond sticky dumpling dough gave me enough frustration to wish I was a bent-over Babushka (Russian grandma) myself that could actually make Russian food.

You could say our Russian dumplings ("Pelmeni") were a little too flour-y and...well, flavorless.

*tear*

But at least they were...umm...edible...?!

Let's just say it'll take a lot for me to attempt Pelmeni again!

Those Babushki are even tougher than I thought...

...back to pancakes.

So for breakfast we had blini, or Russian buttermilk pancakes, with some sweet bananas and luscious, plump blueberries.

These pancakes have a denser (is that a word?), heavier texture--my husband and I both enjoyed them! It's fun to change up your pancakes once in a while.

You'll want to mix it up in a pot, not a small saucepan (you'll be reminded of 3rd grade science when you add 2 whole tsp of baking soda to the buttermilk!).

Blini (Russian Buttermilk pancakes)

from everydayrussian.com

3 cups buttermilk

2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cups flour (use less for thinner pancakes, more for thicker)

Whisk buttermilk in a pot over medium heat--just let it get warm; don't let it boil. Add the baking soda & let it froth up while whisking (this is the 3rd grade science project part). Remove from heat, add the sugar & salt, and slowly whisk in flour. Pour 1/3-1/2 cup of batter onto greased frying pan over medium heat. Flip over when pancake is bubbling (about 2 minutes) and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Serve with sour cream or jam (if you're Russian, because Russians put sour cream on everything!).

Makes about 8 pancakes.

German Pancakes with Whole Wheat Flour

A classic breakfast dish that I modified to make a little healthier...no sugar, less butter, and you know I like to sneak in whole wheat flour whenever possible. :)

Plus, who needs sugar when you have delicious, freshly-sliced strawberries on top?

That's all the sweetness you need.

...with maybe some pure maple syrup on top. :)

German Pancakes with Whole Wheat Flour

6 servings

3 Tbsp butter

6 eggs

1 cup skim milk

1 cup whole white wheat flour (or 3/4 cup whole wheat flour + 1/4 cup white flour)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place butter in 9x13 dish and allow to melt in preheating oven. Meanwhile, whip eggs until thick and lemon-colored (and whip 'em real good--that's what makes them fluffy!). Add milk, flours, and salt. Pour mixture into pan of melted butter & bake 15-20 minutes (will be puffy and bubbly!). Serve with favorite fruit on top...and indulge.

Berry Muffins with Whole Wheat

Or should I say, Berry Swirl Muffins?

No, I didn't photoshop my muffins to have the blue swirls in the batter. It's actually a lot simpler than that. Just get your frozen berries out of the freezer, get distracted by your 3-month-old, and then proceed to fold thawed blueberries into the muffin batter. :)

Maybe I should've told you I did it on purpose. It's the new trendy muffin.

(Please note the uniformity in size...

and by uniformity, I mean non-uniformity)

Fresh or frozen, any berry works wonderfully in this recipe. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries...yum.

1 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2-1 tsp cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon)

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Mix dry ingredients together, then add in egg, milk, and butter. Gently fold in berries and spoon into 12 muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle extra cinnamon/sugar on top. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes (or less-don't let them get really brown).

*The original recipe (from my mom) called for 1 cup of berries, but I like 1 1/2 cups--it will seem like a LOT, but if you love berries, you'll love it!

Whole Grain Cornbread

Everything tastes better when my mom makes it...but especially her cornbread! Her secret? She grinds her own cornmeal! It just gives it that perfect nutty texture to make it special. Someday I'll own a wheat grinder and then my cornbread will taste as good as hers. In the meantime, I'll settle for store-bought cornmeal. But even with store-bought cornmeal, this is the tastiest, moistest (is that a word?) cornbread I've ever had. Hands down.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

2 eggs

1 cup cornmeal (freshly ground is best)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups almond or soy milk (or cow's milk if you wish)

Cream together butter & sugar; add in eggs and cornmeal. Separately mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add milk & dry ingredients to cornmeal mixture. Beat together (but don't overbeat!). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes in a greased baking dish (I use a small rectangular dish-smaller than a 9x13). Although it tastes wonderful plain, drizzling honey butter on top will give you a special treat!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

To me, the words "homemade pizza" say fun-filled family Friday night (how's that for alliteration? My 9th grade Honor's English teacher would be proud.)! This crust recipe comes from my dear mother, a true homemaker icon. Not only is this pizza crust oh-so-tasty and healthy, it's also super fast to make! Tonight I made Shaved Asparagus Pizza from Tasty Kitchen with my mom's whole wheat crust (pictured above). Can you say Mmm-Mmm?! This way, with whole wheat and veggies, you can eat pizza and nix that gross "pizza hangover" feeling!

*Note: You can also try my Yeast-Free Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat

1 1/4 cups regular whole wheat flour

1/4 cup white flour (Or use 100% whole wheat white flour for all of the flour)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs yeast

3/4 cup very hot water

Combine flours, salt, and yeast. Add hot water until the dough forms into a ball (it will be quite moist). Knead the dough for about 1 minute, then let rest on floured surface for a few minutes (just while you get the yummy toppings ready). Roll out to a diameter of about 13-14 inches.

Softer crust: Add your favorite toppings and bake at 450 until crust begins to brown (about 15 minutes).

Crispier crust: Bake crust at 450 for 3-5 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it), then add toppings and continue baking for another 10 or so minutes (again, depending on how crispy you would like it).

*I like to spread olive oil on the crust before putting sauce & toppings on, and also sprinkling seasonings (ex: garlic powder, oregano, italian seasoning) and grated parmesan cheese on top!