oatmeal blueberry applesauce muffins

Look at me! Posting a recipe for the first time in our new house, and we've been here since mid-October! I think this is going to be a new norm- posting every half a year or so, just so we're clear. But the muffins we made this morning were killer and healthy, so I wanted to share. Or rather, post it on here so I'll remember it when I'm wondering about how I made them later, as I'm sure that Kaethe and I are the only readers by now, but only because we get these in our inboxes. At least I do, though I'm not sure how I managed that.

Yes, we're still hanging on to Christmas around here.

Oatmeal blueberry applesauce muffins. I may have made something similar before, but I can't remember. The kids and I polished off eight of the twelve soon after they came out of the oven. Five of those may have been me, but I did share quite a bit with Opal.

Ingredients--

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Add applesauce mixture and stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Devour.

(Relatively) Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made these for Brinnly's fifth birthday and they quickly became a hit here.  Almost as good as a oatmeal cookie, but socially acceptable to eat for breakfast!

apple banana oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 cup chopped tart apples
1/2 cup sliced bananas
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
Brown sugar, optional

1. In a saucepan, combine water, orange juice concentrate, apple, banana, raisins, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.
2. Stir in oats and wheat germ. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally. 3. Sprinkle with brown sugar if desired.
Makes 4 servings

The girls and I have been having oatmeal pretty much every morning. I had been fixing steel cut oats, but during pregnancy, I found that those just took too long, and I was feeling waaay nauseated by the time they were cooled and ready to eat. So we usually just have old fashioned oats with a bit of honey and cinnamon. I switched things up this morning, and the new recipe seemed to go over well.

banana oat muffins

From 02/19/2012 (by Eye-Fi)

I needed to use up a couple of spent bananas.... these had just the right amount of sweetness...

Ingredients

• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• <1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed bananas

Directions

1. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

country pumpkin muffins (with walnuts and raisins)

These are my new favorite muffins. And they will put you in a neighborly sort of mood.

From 11/09/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

We packed up the autumn delights along with some Anjou pears and headed next door-- where an old woman and her epileptic son, who's my mom's age, live-- around lunchtime today to shoot the breeze on the ills of today's world. He calls me Betty Crocker for my homey ability to make baked goods without a box mix (though that's not always how we roll). And she commented that when she was mothering her brood of seven, she would have never have let her child go out looking the likes of Abigail, hair unkempt, no socks... She meant it in a complimentary way, though, emphasizing how much unnecessary work she put on herself (and driving herself crazy in the process), making sure her children all looked perfectly presentable, bathing them until they were ten years old herself. We like to make a big deal about the important things and leave the other things to the wind. They were taken aback at Jack and Abigail's good manners.

I substituted some wheat flour and some cane sugar here and there, and the muffins turned out fabulous. Plus, they were made with loving hands, which occasionally slopped and stirred some out of the bowl, inviting us to taste test (the batter's great!). And the recipe makes a bunch.

From 11/09/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

From 11/09/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

Ingredients

* 2 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 3 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
* 1/2 cup water
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups raisins
* 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water. Combine flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture; blend well. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

healthy spelt banana muffins

I stumbled across this tasty recipe for wheat-free banana muffins here when we had two ripe bananas that no one wanted to eat. I'm finding that spelt flour (not gluten-free) is a nice substitute for all-purpose or wheat flour in baking.

From 09/02/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups Whole Spelt Four
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup Raw Agave
• 2/3 cup No Sugar So Delicious Coconut Milk
• 2 cups Mashed Banana
• 1tbsp Vanilla
• 2 dashes Cinnamon

~Preheat Oven to 325 degrees and spray muffin tin with baking spray (I found a coconut oil one and it's great!)

~Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes. Enjoy!

banana sour cream pancakes

For the eve of Lent ("Fat Tuesday"), we indulged in Banana Sour Cream pancakes (found here) topped with Strawberries and whipped cream, and eggs. Those were some yummy pancakes- definitely a treat!

From 03/08/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

banana sour cream pancakes

Ingredients nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

toad in the hole

I found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma magazine-- about the only thing I'll ever get out of one of those. But it looked divine, and it held up. When I told the kids the name, it got some eyes, but once we explained that what was in it was just things that they really like (i.e. kielbasa (which we used instead of sausage, since that's what we had on hand), eggs, orange peppers, spinach, etc.), they downed it fairly quickly. We had it with homemade oatmeal bread with strawberry jam, cantaloupe and OJ.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 whole eggs plus 1 egg white
• 2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 3 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. mild pork breakfast sausage links
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 4 oz. spinach
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the milk, eggs, egg white and mustard. Using an immersion blender, blend until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the flour and the 1 tsp. salt and blend for 30 to 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 2 hours.

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.

In a 10-inch fry pan over medium heat, warm 1 tsp. of the oil. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan with paper towels. Return the pan to medium heat and warm 1 tsp. of the oil. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the sausage. In the same pan over medium heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the oil. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate.

Pour the remaining 2 Tbs. oil into a 12-inch fry pan and place in the oven until the oil is hot and just smoking, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and stir in the cheese. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Add the sausages, bell pepper and spinach to the pan, then pour in the batter. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the batter is puffy and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes; do not open the oven door early as this will cause the toad in the hole to deflate. Garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

photo via Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

company muffins

These are always so good. simple. And they're filled with fruits and veggies-- not that we have a problem getting our kids to eat them-- they'd much prefer some cucumber or bell pepper slices to a slice of greasy pizza. We know, they're not normal. Iris had about half of one mashed up this morning (with the nuts and raisins removed). She kept opening wide her little beak. The other kids really love them too.

From 01/17/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

Company Muffins
Recipe from Simply in Season

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat bran or rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl combine and stir well.

2 large apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
1 1/2 cups carrots (finely shredded)
1 cup walnuts (chopped) or flax seed meal
1/2 cup raisins

Add and stir to coat. Make well in center

2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

In a separate bowl mix together. Pour into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven at 375°F for 18-20 minutes.

From 01/17/2011 (by Eye-Fi)

low-fat cinnamon rolls

We wanted to try out making cinnamon rolls, but not with all of the fat. This recipe uses applesauce and honey as a substitute, but you can't even taste the apple. They were super-easy to make, and they turned out delicious and doughy. We made the icing, but I personally thought they were better without.

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

From 04/04/2010 (by Eye-Fi)

Low Fat Cinnamon Rolls

adapted from allrecipes

Dough:

• 1 cup warm fat free milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup light spread, melted – I used Smart Balance Light
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons honey

Icing:

• 1/2 package fat free cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order listed. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. In another bowl, mix together honey and applesauce
   
4. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with applesauce mixture and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 16 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together icing ingredients. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

*makes 16 rolls, approx. 195 calories and 2.5 grams of fat per roll

15 healthy muffin recipes

While we're snowed in here, I feel like baking- muffins, in particular. I found this site for healthy muffin recipes, of which we'll probably try a couple of in the next days. I really like the sounds of the yamberry muffins, but we don't have cranberries right now. They all sound yummy, though.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. They reminded me of the vegan chocolate chip cookies my sister and I used to make. Really good.

chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used non-dairy earth-balance)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

French Toast Casserole

My mom made this French toast casserole for Christmas morning, and it was scrumptrulescent. We had our's with fresh strawberries and blueberries and Mornigstar Farms sausage patties (they tasted a little more like meat than the bacon variety).

French Toast Casserole

4 TBSP (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted (we used Smart Balance sprea)
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 loaf brioche or challah, sliced (about 1 1/2 lbs) (we just used 12 slices of regular multi-grain)
8 large eggs, lightly beaten (we used Egg Beaters)
1 cup whole milk
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Confectioners' sugar, for accompaniment
Sorghum, cane, or maple syrup, for accompaniment (In doing without sugar, it was plenty sweet without any syrup)

Combine melted butter and brown sugar in baking dish. Arrange bread slices in the dish. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, connamon, giner and salt in bowl. Pour over the bread, letting it soak in. Top with pecans. Cover with plastic wrap abd refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. Let the chilled casserole stand at room tempurature for 20 minutes.
Bake until browned and set, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Sift over confectioners' sugar. Serve hot or warm with sorghum, cane or maple syrup.