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breakfast

Brunch/ RECIPES

Homemade Granola

Are you officially granola if you make homemade granola?  My friends and family joke, calling me granola because we are eating more ‘traditionally’ now.  I don’t think I am, I think I am a ‘sorta’ granola.  Kinda, sorta- like this great blog “Sorta Crunchy.”  She wrote a post about the ‘sorta’ part, and I ‘ditto’ the post.

Back to the recipe, its a keeper!
I found it on my friends blog “the_uncomplication_project.”  Her blog is just a couple months old, but she is off to a great start!  I have learned from her already and look forward to her future posts.
Like she says on her blog, it is not a crunchy granola, it is a bit chewy, which I like!  It was very easy to make and my 2 younger girls devoured it.

Chunky Granola

Preheat oven to 350F
Place in ungreased 9×13″ pan:
6 c rolled oats
Bake 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir in:
1/2 c. sunflower seeds or nuts (I used pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. coconut (I didn’t have any, used dried cranberries instead)
1/2 c. wheat germ (I forgot this ingredient, oops!)
1/2 c. powdered milk

Add to dry mixture:
2/3 c. honey
2/3 c. oil (I used coconut oil)
1 t. vanilla

Stir until toroughly coated. Bake 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes until uniformly golden (I do 4min-4min-3min). Do notoverbake. Let cool in pan undisturbed, then break into chunks. 


Click on over to “the_uncomplication_project” to see her notes on the recipe, and while you are there, check out the blog she’s got going on so far.

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Brunch/ RECIPES

Beautiful Bowl Of Blueberries

At least a couple times a week my family eat blueberries for dessert.

I am usually too cheap to buy the fresh ones, plus they seem to get soft and moldy on me so quickly, so we buy them frozen.

While I am cooking dinner, I will fill a bowl with frozen blueberries and let it sit. By the time we are finished eating, they are half thawed and perfect for munching on. I bring them to the table with the rest of our meal. The first few times I did it, I made a big deal about it… like “look everyone, blueberries for dessert tonight! or “make sure you eat your food so you can have blueberries (or clementines, or frozen grapes) when you are done.” I have tried to make fruit a special thing around here by talking about it in very positive (sometimes over the top:)) ways. It works for my girls. They see fruit as a treat and a sweet ending to many of our meals. I keep frozen blueberries, strawberries and a mixed fruit bag in my freezer most of the time. When my girls ask for a snack, many times they choose to get a bowl of frozen fruit to munch on. Gotta love it! The key for us was to get all the “Little Debbie Snacks” and “Fruit Snacks and “Oreas” completely OUT of the house. When the kids see that fruit is one of the sweetest things in the house, they choose it.

Back to blueberries–
Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in calories. Recently, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals. (Antioxidants and Free Radical post coming up) Click here for additional information on the health benefits of blueberries.
Here are some ways we eat blueberries:
  • Sprinkle some on top of yogurt.
  • Make homemade blueberry syrup for pancakes or ice cream. Heat them up with a bit of sugar (or rapudura or honey or maple syrup) in a pan on low-med heat. As they turn liquid-y smush them with a potato masher to break them up. Some people strain this, we don’t.
  • Add them to pancake batter for blueberry pancakes
  • Throw them in smoothies.
  • Make muffins/breads/coffecake
  • Toss them in oatmeal.
  • Use fresh blueberries on cereal.
  • Bake ’em in a pie.
  • Dip in chocolate and refrigerate until hardened. (have not tried this one but I want to-yum!
**This post is linked to Moms’ 30-Minute Blog Challenge
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Brunch/ RECIPES

Refrigerator Buttermilk Bran Muffins

This is a great recipe.  I got it from a friend, and I now keep a batch in my refrigerator most of the time.  I double the recipe and it stays fresh in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks.  My family really like these muffins, and I love that I can just throw some in the oven in the morning.  I like how the aroma of baking muffins help my girls get themselves out of bed!  Whatever they do not eat in the morning, they finish off as an after school snack, I have even stuck them in their lunches.

I like to sprinkle the top of the muffins with dried cranberries before baking.  They add a bit of sweetness and make them pretty.  They are very moist and very good!

Refrigerator Buttermilk Bran Muffins

2 cups Bran Cereal
1 cup Boiling Water
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Oil
1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
2 Eggs
2 cups Buttermilk
11/2 cups White Flour
3/4 cup Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Wheat Germ
21/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the bran cereal.  In a large bowl, blend sugar, applesauce and oil.  Add eggs and beat well.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients to the sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk.  Stir in  bran.  Spoon into well-greased muffin pans (or tins lined with muffin papers until 2/3 full).  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Batter will keep in refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks.  Stir well before baking refrigerated batter.

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Brunch/ RECIPES

Whole Wheat Waffles

I have a childhood friend to thank for this awesome Whole Wheat Waffle recipe. (Thanks, Joy!) They are super yummy and very filling due to the high amount of fiber and protein.  They are also high in calcium and make an easy, nutritious breakfast.

This morning, my girls were busy downstairs playing a new Wii game their dad surprised them with when they woke up.   Can you believe the smell of these waffles were able to tear them away from the Wii game and make them come stomping up the stairs, to see what that amazing smell was?  They loved the waffles, ate 11/2 each, and their tummies stayed full past lunchtime.

I served them with 100% Real Maple syrup.  Nothing compares! Just walk past and give a polite nod to  Mrs. Butterworth and Aunt Jemimah.  I know their price looks nice, but they are not as nice as they look!  I pay extra for the real stuff for a few reasons. 1. Because it tastes good, 2. I like eating real, whole foods that are as close to the way nature created them as possible, 3. because almost all imitation syrups have high fructose corn syrup in them which I am trying hard to avoid in our home. (Here is a post about why with some of the links if you are interested)

My friend, Joy, mixes the dry ingredients together and stores them in a jar for a quick Waffle Mix, which I think is brilliant and I plan on doing the same.  This recipe makes about 12 waffles.  Whenever we have extra pancakes or waffles, I just freeze them in a gallon ziplock bag and the girls help themselves in the morning.  They reheat the pancakes in the microwave for a few seconds and the waffles in the toaster.

Whisk dry ingredients, add wet ingredients.  Pretty simple so far, huh?  I took a picture and poured at the same time, impressed?

I love this silicone basting brush.  You can buy one Hereon Amazon.  I pour a little oil into the oil lid (yes, the small lid of my oil) so I can dip the brush without dirtying another dish.  I do this anytime I need to grease a pan.  It is so much better than using a cooking spray that contains propellants, that can be flammable, cause sticky build-up on pans, and cost money!  It is less waste because there isn’t a can to throw away.

I will leave you with a tip from Joy-“to get the best waffle texture, cool COMPLETELY on a rack before you freeze them.  If you set them hot on a solid surface, they sweat and get quite soggy.”  I agree with her!  If fact, I do the same before serving to keep them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

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