Whole Wheat Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes

My camera is taking really weird long pictures. I have no idea what it's problem is but it is causing problems with me. I am trying to eat more whole grains. I know- totally against what all the world is doing with the Paleo and Whole30 movements but I've done a lot of thinking and pondering on this. I really think that we don't really eat a lot of whole grains- bread doesn't count. I found this recipe and I love it so much that I have already made it twice this week. It is filling, very filling, and tastes so amazing!

QUINOA PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP

QUINOA (makes 3 cups)
1 cup black or white quinoa, rinsed thoroughly and drained (I prefer black for these pancakes)
2 cups water
Place quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all of the water is absorbed. Quinoa is done when the spiral-like germ, or tail, has popped from the seed.

BLUEBERRY MAPLE SYRUP
6 ounces fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
½ cup blueberry syrup
½ cup maple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer until blueberries are heated through.

QUINOA PANCAKES
2 eggs
2 ½ cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter
 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons organic sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked black or white quinoa (I prefer the texture of the black)
blueberries, fresh

Beat eggs well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended, but do not overmix. Pour onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. Add the fresh blueberries to the top on the poured batter. The hot oil will create those crisp edges to your pancakes. Flip pancakes once air bubbles surface and pop, and the batter appears to firm up. This will make flipping easier. Keep first batches warm in a 200º oven.
GARNISH with toasted walnuts and Blueberry Maple Syrup.

Chia Berry Pudding

The picture probably doesn't look so appetizing but this stuff is seriously so good and so easy to make. I think I am in heaven. I have been trying to eat more real food. Food that has not been made in a laboratory. This is a recipe I stumbled across and mixed it up last night with hesitation but now I am thinking it could become a staple in my diet. There are amazing benefits of chia seeds. They are now proclaimed as a super food. Anyway, if you make this hopefully you'll agree that it is SUPER!!!

Chia Berry Pudding- 
Serves 4

1 1/2 C coconut milk(use organic if you can)
4 T maple syrup or honey(I used honey this time but will try maple syrup next time)
1 T vanilla extract (vanilla bean would be really good too!)
1/3 C chia seeds
1/2 C berries

Whisk the coconut milk, honey, and extract until smooth. Stir in the chia. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with mixed berries.

Next time I will try Chocolate Chia Pudding by adding 2 T cocoa powder to the recipe!

Pumpkin Pecan Scones with cinnamon icing

Today I was trying to think of something for breakfast. I cut a piece of bread, toasted it, put butter on it and ate it. Then I felt like there just had to be more. This day needed to be more. I remembered a little bit of pumpkin in the fridge and wondered how the day would change with scones. Not just any scones but the best scones ever because they would have PUMPKIN!!! It's pumpkin season people. Yay!

Pumpkin Pecan Scones with cinnamon glaze

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor combine-
1 C bread flour
1 C cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
and 6 T brown sugar
with 6 T cold butter
Until crumbly

Put in a bowl and add-
1/3 C heavenly cream (oops I meant heavy :))
1/3 C pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped pecans

Mix until just moistened. It will still be kind of dry but needs to hold together.  Turn out on a slightly floured counter and make into two circles. Cut into 12 triangles.
Bake for 15 minutes.

To make the glaze:
Combine 1 c powdered sugar, 1/2- 1 tap cinnamon (your taste), and 1 T milk
When scones are mostly cook drizzle the glaze over and enjoy! Or rub it all over your face. :)

Whole Wheat Coconut Cranberry Muffins

I posted this recipe long ago. I remembered them being 'okay' and a little dry. I decided to give it a shot again since I made chicken curry last night and had leftover coconut milk. I altered it to mostly qualify as 'real food' and I will say that the results were so incredibly good. I think I am in love with them all over and I am hoping the kids don't eat them so I can have them all over the next little while.

Whole Wheat Coconut Cranberry Muffins
Makes 10 muffins

2 C 100% whole wheat flour
2/3 C sucanat (organic cane juice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C dried sweetened cranberries
2/3 C coconut milk
1/4 C coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the dry ingredients in to a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes.
Slather with some butter while still warm and sit out on your porch swing in the gentle breeze and sunlight enjoying your breakfast.

Overnight Oats

Our breakfast of choice the last week has been this recipe for overnight oats. It is packed with healthy goodness. I tried it first with jsut regular rolled oats and it tasted a little gritty to me so I got the thickest rolled oats I could find. They were in the bulk section at our grocery store. And it solved the problem. We have tried this lots of ways and every way has been really good. My favorite so far is the Almond Mango.

Overnight Oats
1/2 C thick rolled oats
1/2 C plain yogurt
2/3 C milk- we used almond milk
1 T chia seeds

Mix all ingredients in a wide mouth pint sized jar and put in the fridge overnight. You can also put the extras in the night before or the morning.

Variations-
Almond mango- Add 1/2 c fresh mango, dash of almond extract, 1 tsp honey
Vanilla triple berry- 1/2 c frozen triple berries, contents of 1/2 vanilla bean scraped, 1 tsp honey
Blueberry cream- 1/2 C blueberries, 1 tsp agave
Banana maple nut granola- 1/4 c maple nut granola, 1/2 banana, chopped, 1 tsp agave

The possibilities are endless!

Basic Waffles and Homemade Syrup

Back lots of years ago, I made a cookbook for all of my siblings and parents. That cookbook has seen incredible use and so many pages are missing from it. I have the original and really do want to make news ones but have just not had the time to do it. This morning I grabbed a page from the book that has been ripped out and is yellow with wear and food stains to make the basic waffle recipe. It is a good one and quick and easy!

Basic Waffles
1 3/4 C flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 C oil

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend. Cook on a waffle iron!


Homemade Pancake Syrup
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 C water
1/2 tsp mapleine flavoring

In a saucepan bring to a boil the sugars and water for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the mapleine. Cool to thicken and keep in the refrigerator.

Glazed Donut Muffins

These.are.amazing!!!

Glazed Doughnut Muffins
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For the Muffins:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

For the Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter; melted
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With the mixer on low speed, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until just combined. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.
4. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
5. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time  and allow to harden then serve.

Yields: 12 muffins

Cracked Wheat Hot Cereal

I am convinced that the absolutely best things in the world are the simple things. Simple as cracked wheat. A friend of mine had cracked some wheat in her blender hoping for flour and then decided to just give it all to me because she didn't know what to do. I made up some cracked wheat hot cereal to have her taste so she can see how good it is and then ground up a lot of her other wheat into flour to give it all back to her.
The possibilities are endless with this cereal. You could add cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins or just butter and sugar like I did here. Honey and pecans would be amazing in it. It's just really good. Anyway, here is another way to use your wheat. And all you need is wheat and a blender!


Cracked Wheat Hot Cereal
1/2 C cracked wheat
1 1/2 C water (you could use milk for a creamier consistency)

In saucepan get the water hot and then add the wheat. Cook until the water is almost all cooked into the cereal. Add whatever you want for taste. I did 1 T butter in the water here and then 2 T sugar.

To crack your wheat just run it through your blender until you get small chunks of wheat!

Maple Nut granola

My friend emailed me looking for a granola recipe and I realized that I didn't have my favorite basic recipe posted here. So here she is in all her yummy maple nutty goodness!!!

Maple Nut Granola
5 C rolled oats
1 C sliced almonds
1 C chopped pecans
1/2 c flax seed
1/2 c pumpkin seed
1 C wheat germ
1 C coconut oil
3/4 C honey
3/4 C maple syrup
1 C raisins
1 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients. In a saucepan add oil, honey and syrup until it is warm and well incorporated. Pour liquid over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on two large cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes until oats and nuts are toasted. Let stand on trays until cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Grandma's Pancakes

Almost every single Monday in our house you will find pancakes being cooked on the griddle. This recipe is one my mom used to make for us when we were kids. I still love them to this day! So simple and so good.

Grandma's Pancakes
2 C flour (I usually use whole wheat)
2 T sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 c milk (buttermilk is great too)
1/4 c oil

Whisk all the ingredients together and pour onto a hot griddle. Serve with peanut butter and syrup and enjoy!

In celebration of Autumn!

I copy off a lot of recipes from the internet and then they pile up in a notebook until I try them out. These two were copied off just last week and didn't have to wait long for their debut. The exclamations once eaten were, "I just want to rub this all over my face", "I want to bathe in it, I would be sticky, but I would bathe in it", "Mom you should bottle this syrup and sell it at farmers markets when we move."

So first I would like to thank Gina, my dear friend from college days, for sharing her Buttermilk Syrup. Mornings will never be the same. And to the Pumpkin Waffle recipe owner (who ever you are) I love you!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles
2 1/2 cups whole wheat 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


Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift 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.  Fold them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.
Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp.

Gina's Buttermilk Syrup
1/2 C butter, melted
1 C sugar ( I used organic cane sugar)
3/4 C buttermilk
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla
In a saucepan combine butter, sugar and buttermilk and cook just until boiling. Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla. Then rub it all over your face! :)

Multi Grain Waffles w/ yogurt and berries

This mornings menu called for waffles. I found this great recipe that is both healthy and yummy. And in it's berry adornment it is very patriotic for celebrating our nation this time of year!

Multi-grain Waffles

2 C buttermilk
1/2 C old fashioned oats
Mix in medium bowl and let stand for 15 minutes or while you mix up the other ingredients

1 1/3 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp bakingpowder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 lg eggs
1/4 C brown sugar- (I'd like to try honey or agave next time)
1 T olive oil
2 tsp vanilla

Combine the dry ingredients and then whisk in the wet until combined. Add the buttermilk just until fully moistened.
Cook in a waffle iron and top with greek yogurt and berries.

2 8in waffles: 188 calories, 4 g fat, 8g carb, 8g protein, 3 g fiber

Aebleskiver- YUM!

This morning my 12 yr old requested aebleskivers. I had attempted them probably about a year ago and felt that they did not turn out very well. However, my son remembers that they were SOOOO good. I figured I would try again and this time they were perfect!

Aebleskivers-
1 C whole wheat
2 T sugar (I want to try honey next time)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 C milk (I want to try almond milk next time)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Heat aebleskiver pan over medium heat and have it prepared with cooking spray.
Fill each hole a little more than 1/2 full with batter. After it cooks for a minute or two do a 1/4 turn and continue to do that until it has formed a ball shape and is completely cooked. I used a skewer to turn it.
Top with syrup or powdered sugar.

Banana Flax Oatmeal

I stumbled across a website where they were having a 30 day oatmeal challenge. There are a load of great oatmeal recipes. Check them out here.

I am especially excited to make the Raspberry Swirl cheesecake Oatmeal tomorrow. Here is my version of the Banana Flax one.

Banana Flax Oatmeal with Walnuts

1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C water
1/2 C almond milk
1/2 banana, cut in pieces
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 T flax seed
1 tsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
walnuts pieces

In saucepan heat oats, water, milk and salt until it simmers. Add the banana and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla, flax, agave, pie spice, and stir until incorporated.
Pour in bowl and top with walnuts and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Banana Bran Mini muffins

Muffins, muffins, muffins. We love muffins at this house. However, we have been stuck in a muffin rut. If they have nuts or raisins or any vegetable in them there are usually complaints. But this morning I snuck in some nuts . No one even noticed and all those muffins were gone even before all the kids got up to eat them.

Banana Bran Muffins
1 C whole white wheat flour (we grind this ourselves)
1 C all bran cereal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pecans- chopped very, very small. ;)
2 Lg bananas, mashed
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a regular muffin tin or a mini muffin tin. Cream the banana and butter together. Add the brown sugar and egg and mix well. Add the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes for 12 regular muffins and about 12-15 minutes for the mini muffins. These are GREAT with butter!

Huge Breakfast Cookies

I decided to try something different this morning and made these HUGE breakfast cookies and do you know what.....my kids would not eat them! What is this world coming to? They tasted really good too. I guess the concept of eating cookies for breakfast doesn't mesh with their upbringing. Where as I say- Bring it on!!!
Anyway, these are really good. Not any healthier than pancakes or waffles covered in syrup though. But something different I suppose.

Huge Breakfast Cookies
1/2 C butter
1 C peanut butter
1 1/3 C brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 C water
1 C white flour
1 C wheat flour
2 C oats- I used old fashioned
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 C raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butters and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Then add in the raisins. Scoop onto baking sheets by using a 1/3 C measuring cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes. This makes approximately 14 huge cookies.

What's for breakfast?

This is what I have for breakfast every morning. It seems to give me energy and I feel good about having a lot of vegetables in a day.

Ginny's Green Lemonade

1 head Romaine

2 lg handfuls of spinach

2 apples or 1 apple/1 pear

1 lemon

Juice and enjoy!

Nogurt

I am tossing around the idea of doing a raw experiment. I have been studying stuff about raw foods and am fascinated by the concept. I found this recipe over at In The Raw and tweeked it a little bit. Honestly, if this is how people who have raw food diets eat I can handle it. This stuff was SO incredibly good. I had 3 other family members taste it and they all agreed that it was really yummy. I might serve it at breakfast one day and see how they all eat it. As for me, I want to eat it all right now!

Nogurt
In a blender:
1 1/2 c 'raw', unsalted cashews
1 c water
1 t vanilla extract or a small bit of scraped vanilla bean
1/4 c agave nectar
1/2 t sea salt

In a food processor:
4 c frozen (or fresh) berries of any kind
3 T fresh lime juice (next time I will only use about 1/2 this amount- it was on the border of being too much- plus I don't like lime!)
then add what was in your blender to the food processor until it becomes smooth.

That's it! You can use it for a breakfast, snack or desert.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

I got this recipe from my blog surfing and think it is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I made it this morning and absolutely LOVED them. I ate two of them and it filled me up. Pretty good stuff!!!

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

1 1/2 C flour- I use white and wheat
3 T sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c plus 1 T milk (I had to put quite a bit more milk in it though for the consistency I like)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ripe bananas diced

Mix the sour cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour, sugar, soda and salt just until combined. On a hot griddle ladle the pancake batter and arrange pieces of banana on top. Flip when bubbles on top start appear. Cook until browned on that side and then enjoy!!!

Peanut Butter Granola

Yesterday I was re-immersing myself into the foodie blog world again and I came across this recipe. I decided to try it for breakfast and am so glad I did. If you click on the recipe title it will take you to the blog I lifted it from. My husband loved it and one of the kids tried it and really liked it too. It was the child that hates Oatmeal Tuesdays- so now I will give her the choice of granola or oatmeal. I will definitely make this one again and again and again.....

Peanut Butter Granola Cereal

• 5 cups rolled oats- I used Bob's Red Mill 5 grain cereal
  
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup flax seed
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
3. Heat coconut oil, honey, and peanut butter on medium heat until smooth.
4. Evenly pour honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until completely combines
5. Spread mixture over two large cookie sheets.
   

Bake for 20 minutes until oats and nuts are toasted. Let stand until cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.