Non-Mushy Oatmeal

Please raise your hand if you (or someone you know) do not eat oatmeal because it's too...mushy??

Now put your hands down, 

because I have two remedies for you to get this healthy, comforting food into your diet:

1. Try steel-cut oats (for a very hearty/chewy texture)

OR

2.  Try this recipe (below)

Why?  Because in this recipe, I use 1 part liquid to 1 part oats, where most of the time people use a 2:1 liquid to oats ratio.  It doesn't have to cook very long to soak up the liquid, leaving the oats less cooked, drier, and non-mushy!

My husband is far from picky (I sure am lucky!), however, traditional oatmeal isn't his favorite because of the mushy texture.  Once I started making it this way, his oatmeal heebie-jeebies went out the door!

(He'd still eat it before, but now he looks forward to it.)

My toddler happily eats this too--and I love using honey instead of sugar.

This is a cinnamon-raisin version, but feel free to switch up the fruit to your liking.

Non-Mushy Oatmeal
2 Adult servings + 1 toddler serving

2 cups water (or milk or combination--milk will make it creamier)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup (heaping) raisins
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
splash of milk, for serving (optional--I use almond milk)

In a medium saucepan, combine liquid, salt, and raisins and bring to a boil.  Stir in the oats and turn heat down to medium-low.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Serve warm with a splash of milk, if desired.

Unreal Granola

I recently had my two youngest brothers sleep over at my house.

My toddler was in heaven.  He LOVES his uncles!

Turns out, my 15-yr-old brother was in heaven, too...at the breakfast table.

He helped himself to my big, glass jar of granola I proudly display on the counter,

gave it a cold splash of milk,

took a big teenage-boy-size bite...

and before I knew it, his eyes were bulging.

"Where did you buy this?!?" he asked.

"Umm, I made it."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yep."

"This is unrreeal."

And there you have it.

From the mouth of a 15-yr-old teenage boy.

Unreal Granola.

I make a double batch of this every time I make it (apparently, my husband and toddler are fans too).  Between this, oatmeal (or oatmeal), eggs, and sometimes pancakes, I rarely buy boxed cereal.

Unreal Granola

6-8 servings

Adapted from Perry's Plate

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

3 Tbsp brown sugar (I use 2 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp milled flaxseed

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp (heaping) salt

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup dried fruit (I use closer to 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 300.

Combine dry ingredients (first 8 ingredients) in a large bowl, set aside.

 In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together honey and oil until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour over oat mixture and coat evenly. 

Spread out evenly on a baking sheet.

Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until golden, *stirring every 10 minutes so it bakes evenly.

Let cool and stir in dried fruit.

*This granola is delicious with milk or yogurt and/or fresh fruit!

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.

Mini Vegetable Quiches

Never judge a book by its cover.

...Or a mini vegetable quiche by its top.

Sometimes things aren't picture-perfect for your eyes, 

but are perfectly yummy for our insides (ha).

I made these for a special occasion a couple weeks ago when we got together with some friends for brunch.
Because it was a special occasion, I added bacon.

However, these can easily be vegetarian-ized by omitting the bacon.

When I mixed 'em up, I got on one of my veggie-lovin' kicks and added a few too many veggies, 

which caused my muffin tins to overflow, leaving me with not-so-pretty mini quiches.

Although the mini quiches were fun, next time I make them, I may just throw the batter in a small casserole dish.

Then I can make them without any suppression of my veggie love. :)

*Two side notes: 

1.  I finally just fixed my blog feed!  Become a follower if you'd like to receive updates!

2.  I just added pictures to my Whole Wheat Yogurt Pancakes post, in case you were wanting a visual.

Mini Vegetable Quiches

12 servings

Adapted from Costco Magazine

12 foil baking cups

8 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup skim milk

1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella are yummy)

1/2-3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup frozen, diced hash brown potatoes (or pre-baked red potatoes)

1 large handful raw baby spinach, chopped

1/2 lb bacon or sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms until tender.  Add hash browns and spinach and cook until hash browns are heated through and spinach is wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in meat, if desired.  Place baking cups in a muffin pan and distribute batter evenly among baking cups.  

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until eggs are set.

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.

Steel-cut Oats

I frequently have a hearty bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. But if I have a few extra minutes, I treat myself to steel-cut oats instead of old-fashioned rolled oats.

Steel-cut oats are even less processed than rolled oats, making them healthier (right?) and...get ready...chewier. I love chewy. Do you love chewy?

The fun thing about oatmeal is it's 100% customizable. Add in anything you want according to your likes! I usually make a cinnamon-raisin version, but this morning I sliced up some fresh strawberries. Mmmm!

The possibilities are endless.

I like to add a splash of soy milk & and sprinkle of cinnamon on top before delving in!

Can you say heaven in a bowl?

(Speaking of bowls, don't judge mine...I painted it when I was 11.)

Steel-Cut Oats
Makes 2 servings

1 1/2 cups water (or other liquid; substitute milk/alternative milk for extra creaminess)

1/2 cup steel-cut oats

1/4-1/2 cup fruit (give or take) fresh, frozen, or dried (use less dried fruit)

1-2 T. sweetener (honey, agave nectar, pure maple syrup, sugar)

Favorite toppings (more fruit, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, coconut, cinnamon & sugar, nutmeg, splash of milk)

Bring liquid to a boil. Add in steel-cut oats and turn heat down to a low boil. Add fruit in at appropriate time (see below). Cook until all liquid is absorbed (about 12-14 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add in sweetener & toppings, and enjoy!

*If you're using dried fruit or something hard like chopped apples, add in at the beginning with the oats (for maximum plumpness and juiciness). If it's something softer, like fresh strawberries or a mashed banana, add in at the end when liquid is nearly all absorbed.

I've seen several different methods for cooking steel-cut oats, but for my favorite chewy texture, I use a 3:1 (liquid:oats) ratio. If you'd like them even softer, add more liquid and cook longer. And I'm all about big breakfasts, so 1/2 cup of raw oats is one serving for me (if you're a light breakfast eater, it would probably be two servings)!

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!