Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

I was looking through a cookbook and found a couple of recipes that I thought looked good. I love having healthy (okay..somewhat healthy) after school snacks for the kids--or else they ransack the pantry looking for granola bars and fruit snacks. These muffins seemed like they would be worth trying. I have to admit, they were pretty good! My husband did say that he thought they were a little too healthy (I tend to do that--hey, at least I didn't put pureed beans in them!) They have a VERY dense texture, but I feel like they would fill the kids up and would be great in lunches. We have three friends over and they all came back for seconds :)

I happened to have flax seed on hand, so these muffins worked great to get rid of those. If you don't, I would assume you could use more flour or oats in it's place.

Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
1 egg
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 c. applesauce
4 bananas
3 T. sour cream
1 t. vanilla

Mix above ingredients together.

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. flax (if you have flax in seed form, put in a blender with the wet mixture above for 1 minute until well blended)
1 1/4 c. quick oats
1/3 c. brown sugar or honey
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. raisins or craisins
1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Mix together the wet ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put muffins in a greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes (until they are browned on top and have a cake-like texture). You could use all raisins or all chocolate chips--personally I think chocolate makes everything taste better!

Another great recipe to use up that food storage!

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Gingerbread Pancakes

(Sorry, another 'not so great picture' to add to my collection!)

A few weeks ago I was over at my mom's house for breakfast and she made these AMAZING Gingerbread Pancakes. She said she got the recipe off of Studio 5 and I have loved them ever since. You will definitely want to add this recipe to your food storage favorites! The bananas with the Gingerbread Pancakes and the Buttermilk Syrup was such a great combination. I should have posted this recipe before the holidays because the flavors remind me of Christmas and the fall--but good anytime of year!!

Here is the link to get this recipe http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=204&sid=8280860

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Carrot Craze!

Spiced Carrot Waffles with Cinnamon Cream Syrup-YUM!


I was surfing through food blogs the other night and found a recipe that I KNEW I needed to try from the Tasty Kitchen. I found the recipe at 10:15 p.m. and was so excited to make this recipe I decided to make it that night and have it ready for the kids in the morning before school.

It really was delicious and the best part about it was that it used up the bags of carrots I had in the fridge that were about to go bad. I stock up my fridge and freezer when carrots go on sale (in the hopes we will be EXTREMELY healthy and reach for a carrot instead of a cookie :) Sometimes it works, and other times (like this past week) it didn't! So..I had 3 bags of carrots I needed to use up and this recipe saved the day! The carrots and applesauce make these waffles moist with a sponge like texture. They are SUPER good, and somewhat good for you!

I had my sisters and their kids come over for breakfast and they were a hit! Some of the kids asked why there were carrots in their waffles, but once they tried them, they were hooked. We even ate a second batch of them for lunch later that day--DELIGHTFUL!

I know many of us are trying to watch our calorie intake this time of year, but the Cinnamon Cream Syrup is worth the calories. It was the perfect pair with these waffles! Enjoy!

Spiced Carrot Waffles (my adapted recipe to include more food storage items)
1 c. white flour
1/2 c. wheat flour
1/4 c. corn meal
1 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3 T. sugar
2 eggs (or egg powder and water equivalent)
1 3/4 c. water (or you could use buttermilk and leave out the powdered milk)
5 T. dry powdered milk
1 c. packed shredded carrots
1/4 c. oil (I used even less oil and substituted more applesauce-it worked great!)
1/4 c. applesauce

Stir together the wet ingredients, spices, and baking powder. Add the flour and cornmeal and mix until incorporated. For an even fluffier waffle (who has time for this??), you can separate the eggs, beat the whites to a stiff peak, and fold them into the recipe before cooking. This will make your waffles more fluffy if you have the time. Cook waffles on a hot waffle iron. Serve with Cinnamon Syrup.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1/4 c. water
dash of salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1 (12oz.) can of evaporated milk

In a saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in milk and vanilla. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

TIP: I could tell reading through the ingredients that I would love this recipe so I chopped extra carrots to freeze for a later breakfast in a hurry. Carrots freeze GREAT for later cooked meals, so stock up when prices are low.

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Beans...the options are limitless!

The other day I was making White Bean Chicken Chili and decided to use some of the dried white beans from my storage (SO much less expensive than canned beans!). I put 3 lbs. of beans in my large roaster oven and had them simmer in the water for 4-5 hours. By the end of the day the beans were perfectly soft and ready for my chili. Needless to say, out of 3 lbs. of beans, I had LOTS of left overs and wondered what to do with them. I have read several blogs and books where they say you can substitute white beans pureed for fat/butter in recipes. I decided to give this method a try. I was over all quite pleased with the results! Here are a few of my cooking adventures with pureed white beans.




My first attempt was pretty terrible. I don't know if it was the recipe I used or the fact I used 100% whole wheat and 100% beans-with no butter or fat. The cookies turned out dry and crumbly and NOT worth posting about. When I perfect a chocolate chip cookie recipe with white beans I will post about it.


I then decided to try white bean puree in some muffins I was making for an after school snack for the kids. These actually turned out pretty good! I think if you used all white flour you wouldn't even be able to tell the difference of the butter or beans. However, I tend to go over board with the wheat flour in hopes of being healthy, and usually do too much. Try this recipe with half wheat flour and half white flour and I think it will be perfect! I have tried all bean puree and no butter and they just turn out too crumbly and dry. Having some fat in the recipe helps the item stay moist and soft. Sorry...these are 'healthier' not 100% healthy :)
*I liked the lemon butter/sugar topping of these muffins, but I think a traditional streusel would actually taste even better.



Blueberry Muffins
2 c. wheat flour
2 c. white flour
1 cup sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
zest of two lemons
2 egg
2 cup water
6 T. dry powdered milk
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. white bean puree
2 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra - you can try cutting it down if you want):
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tb lemon juice
lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar

Beat eggs, bean puree, butter, water, powdered milk, and sugar. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 24 muffins.


This afternoon I decided to try another recipe with white beans (I had lots to get rid of!) and this one is my favorite so far. This Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe was one I adapted from Mrs. Fields Cookbook into a healthier version. Again, you need some of the fat, so use 1/2 beans and 1/2 butter and they will be delicious! This recipe makes a TON! You can freeze the extra dough for later or give some away to your neighbors.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (Okay...healthier)
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. pureed white beans
Beat top ingredients and then add:
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
Add dry ingredients and beat together:
1/4 c. powdered dry milk
2 c. white flour
2-3 c. wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
5 c. oatmeal (quick or regular)
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 c. raisins or chocolate chips
3 c. nuts (optional)

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Don’t over bake.

**GREAT TIP: Make extra white beans and puree them into separate portions for later. Label your bags with how much beans you put in the bag and keep them in the freezer until you need them. When you are baking, pull out a bag, thaw them in the microwave, and add them to your recipe as desired. It works great!

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Perfectly Pumpkin

What is a more traditional Thanksgiving than pumpkin? If you have not stocked up on your cans of pumpkin yet this year, you only have a couple more days! For a 29oz. can of pumpkin, anything from $1-$1.67 is a GREAT deal, so stock up before prices go up.

So, now that you have your year supply of pumpkin, what do you do with it? Here are four of my FAVORITE recipes that call for canned pumpkin:


These are GREAT as a Thanksgiving breakfast, or even make a easy week night dinner. Have them with real whipping cream and you will be in heaven!

Pumpkin Waffles
3 eggs
1 pound can of pumpkin
¾ c. vegetable oil
½ c. water/beat together then add:
2 ½ c. flour
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 ¼ t. salt
¾ t. nutmeg
¾ t. cinnamon

Beat all ingredients together. Spray waffle iron heavily with oil. Pour scoopfuls into waffle maker. Serve with whipping cream & cinnamon.


This is a delicious dessert that is MUCH easier than making homemade pumpkin pie. Again, serve with whipping cream and you will have a perfect EASY Thanksgiving dessert.

Pumpkin Pie Dessert
1 yellow cake mix
Remove 1 ½ c. of dry mix-set aside
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
Add one egg to melted margarine, stir into large volume of cake mix. Spread this into a 9x13 pan. To one
Large Libby’s Pumpkin Pie mix, add 2 ½ t. pumpkin spice, 2/3 c. milk, 1 c. sugar and 2 eggs. Pour onto cake mixture
Spread in the bottom of pan.
To reserved cake mix add:
1 ½ t. cinnamon
3 T. margarine
¼ c. sugar
Sprinkle dry ingredients on top of pumpkin mix. Bake at 350 for one hour. Top with whipping cream.

I don't think there is an easier cookie recipe, than this one! This cookie makes the perfect treat for the holiday season. These cookies are a GREAT food storage recipe--all of the items can be stored in your storage long term.

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies
1 spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a spoon, mix cake mix and pumpkin together in a large bowl. Stir in nuts and if desired, chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a nonstick rack to cool completely.



I found this recipe on a great food blog, and have loved it ever since! If you don't have time to make the apple cider syrup, they are great with regular maple syrup as well. Yum!!

My Favorite Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
2 cups flour (I use at least 1/2 freshly ground white wheat flour)
3 Tb brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I do an overflowing 1/2 cup)
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 Tb canola oil
2 Tb vinegar

In one bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, oil and vinegar. Combine dry ingredients separately and them stir into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Heat your pan or griddle (lightly butter or oil if it is not seasoned), using about 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with apple cider syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup
www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBs cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Mix sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Add apple cider and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, use within a week or two.

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