Whole Grain Egg-Free Pancakes + Freezer Tips

After we discovered Ava's egg allergy, I started experimenting with egg-free cooking and baking. I found a recipe for whole grain pancakes and have adapted it for her allergy and it's fantastic! I made a double batch last weekend for breakfast and to freeze. On Thursdays, Ava's school serves pancakes for breakfast. Aaron liked them too! I keep egg-free muffins, pancakes, waffles, and french toast to bring to Ava's school so she can participate in the meals without causing an allergic reaction. Since she sees her friends eating pancakes too, it's nice that she has some that are tasty and egg-free.

So far, I've made these pancakes with cooked millet or oats. We like them both ways. I cook the whole grain on the stove ahead of time and set them aside for making the pancakes when we're ready.

Step 1: (Make-ahead) cook whole grain - I like to use old fashion oats or millet. Store in the refrigerator or puree and store until ready to make pancakes.

Puree the whole grain (millet)

Step 2: (Make-ahead) Puree whole grain 1 cup + 1/2 cup water. Blend to desired consistency (you don't have to do this step, but the texture might be off for kids if you don't). Store in the refrigerator.

Step 3: Make batter and cook pancakes on the griddle. Serve and save the rest for freezing. Let pancakes cool completely and store between wax paper in labeled freezer bags.

Step 4: Reheat. Remove frozen individual pancake. Put on a microwave safe plate. I usually set this out about 30-45 minutes before we leave the house. I microwave the pancake for about 45 seconds on 70% and put int a container to bring to Ava's school. Ava likes to eat the pancakes cold, biting it like a sandwich. Very easy!




Whole Grain Egg-Free Pancakes
Makes 6 small pancakes


Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked whole grain (millet, oats, quinoa) + 1/4 cup water, pureed in blender
• 3/4 cup flour (1/2 cup whole wheat 1/4 cup all purpose)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• Egg Replacer (equivalent of 1 egg) - can buy at Kroger, Whole Foods, or Amazon
• 1 tbs butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk (buttermilk, regular, almond/soy milk)
• 2 tbs maple syrup

Egg Replacer is mixed

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together pureed grain, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together prepared Egg Replacer, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
2. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes.
3. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

Pancakes are cooking!

Grain and Dairy Free Banana Nut Waffles

The waffles smell fantastic!

We served the waffles with butter and maple syrup along side pears.

Last Sunday, I tried a new waffle recipe. Ava and I loved them! Aaron wasn't a fan, but he's picky. We're doing fine with whole grains and dairy, but the recipe sounded really tasty! I saw the waffle recipe on the Joyful Abode blog and Emily raved about the recipe so I had to try it.

The waffles are made with ripe bananas, almond meal (flour), eggs, and pumpkin spice. It smelled like a pumpkin pie was baking! I can see why Emily's daughter called them cookies. They're sweet and have fall spices. Ava and I love anything with cinnamon. Aaron loves the homestyle buttermilk waffles that we usually make when we're in the mood for waffles. You might want to give it a try if you want a traditional waffle.

I buy almond meal at Trader Joe's, but you can find it at Whole Foods or other health food store. Another idea is to make the waffles with half almond meal and half whole wheat flour to make the texture spongier like a grain consistency.

I instantly thought of my sister-in-law, Jessica, who battles wheat and dairy sensitivities when I made the waffles. She uses Earth Balance instead of butter, but this recipe calls for coconut oil to grease the waffle iron. It reminded me of using coconut oil in place of butter. I tried the Earth Balance on a slice of fresh bread when we were visiting Jessica in Portland and I couldn't eat it. Since she hasn't eaten butter in so long, she likes it.

Paleo Banana Nut Waffles from Joyful Abode Recipe (makes 3 full size waffles).

Do you think Ava liked the waffles? :)

Although, the downside to eating waffles is that I need to eat them with more protein. It's not just this waffle recipe, but any time that I eat just waffles or pancakes for breakfast. I was very hungry after a couple hours of eating my waffle. I thought it may fill me up because there are 4 eggs in the batter and almonds have protein. Next time, I'll eat them with additional protein.

Winter Squash Bars

Ava helping me make the Winter Squash Bars.

If you follow my blog, you know one of my favorite cookbooks is Simply In Season using the fresh seasonal produce in healthy, multicultural family meals. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book! The cookbook is made as a companion to your community-supported agriculture subscription.

Autumn is my most favorite time for cooking in season! I love squash, root vegetables, apples and the warm spices in the fall season.

I've made these Winter Squash Bars from Simply in Season a couple times recently with the butternut squash we've received in our produce bin. I use an entire squash in each recipe. Ava likes the bread for breakfast and snacks and it's great for sharing at a potluck or a surprise for your coworkers. The snack bread is very moist, fluffy, and light. You make a pan of the bars and freeze portions of it for later. I haven't tried it, but the book says that the recipe freezes well.

Roasting squash is really easy.

Preparing the squash / Make Ahead Step: Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membranes. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes until tender. Let cool. Using a spoon, scrape out the cooked squash. Puree in the food processor. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.


Winter Squash Bars  (Makes 24)

• 2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked, pureed) *I used a whole medium butternut squash
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat together in a mixing bowl or stand mixer

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix in. Pour into greased 11x7-inch jelly roll pan or 9x13 casserole dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*The original recipe is 1 + 1/2 cups of sugar, but I think 1 cup is plenty.


Little ones in the kitchen: Ava loves to help in the kitchen and when she helps me, I let her beat the eggs in a bowl before putting them in the stand mixer. And you can see in the picture that she likes to spread the batter in the casserole dish.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Frittata with Kale, Tomato, Bacon and Smoked Mozzarella

Last Sunday, I made an egg frittata so I could use the rest of my kale. I had a bunch of organic kale from my produce box and used half of it for a chicken, veggie, and rice soup the weekend that I was sick and then I wanted to use the rest of it before it went bad. Aaron isn't a fan of kale so this breakfast was about convincing him that it's pretty tasty after all.

Kale is highly nutritious with vitamin K, beta carotene, and vitamin C. I cooked the kale before it went in the oven since the leaves are so fibrous. It took me about 30 minutes to prep this before it went into the oven, but that's perfect for a relaxing weekend morning.

It tasted great! I packed leftovers for work, which made breakfast easy for a day at the office. That morning, I served a wedge of the frittata with a leftover potato casserole dish that I made for dinner earlier in the week and a piece of toast. We sat at the dining table in the Sunroom and enjoy our late breakfast with Ava playing on the floor next to us. You can see in the picture with the windows that Bena is out in the yard sniffing the deer's trail.

Frittata with Kale, Tomato, Bacon and Smoked Mozzarella - Serves 4

Ingredients:

• About 4 leaves kale, washed, stemmed and chopped in small pieces
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp olive oil
  
• 1/2 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
  
• 1 cup bread cubes (crusty bread)
• 1 + 1/2 cups milk, divided
  
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Preparation:

• In a medium skillet, saute kale with garlic in olive oil on medium heat. Cook covered for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat until the kale is tender.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• While kale is cooking. Cut bread loaf and soak pieces in 1/2 cup of milk in a small bowl.
• Chop tomatoes and shred cheese.
• Cook bacon slices between two pieces of wax paper in the microwave on HIGH for 2-minutes. When cooked, drain from fat liquid and let cool on paper towel. Once bacon has cooled, slice in small pieces.
  
• In a medium bowl, mix eggs with 1 cup of milk and season with salt and pepper.
• In a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, spread soaked bread. Layer cooked kale. Then add tomato, bacon, and shredded cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the egg is set and the cheese is golden brown.
  
• Serve immediately.

If you don't have the smoked mozzarella cheese on-hand, you can try for another smoked cheese variety like gouda. Smoked cheese compliments the bacon so well, that I recommend you give it a try. Another option is to use another type of cheese all together such as regular mozzarella, feta or Parmesan cheeses.

Slow Cooked, Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

This week, I planned a morning wedding celebration for my coworker and was looking for a breakfast dish that was easy to make in the slow cooker overnight. I thought of oatmeal because of the cooler Fall weather. I got a recipe for Steel Cut Oatmeal from a family friend who learned it from a whole foods cooking class hosted by a doctor's office. She and her husband were very focused on nutrition and wellness and I remember him talking about how much he liked this recipe. So I was glad she shared the recipe because I came home with an empty crockpot. The oats were gone at the end of the party and my coworker thought it tasted more like an apple crisp than a breakfast food! You don't need to add a lot of sugar to these oats because of the natural sugars from the fruit.

Last night, I decided to make another batch for me and Aaron. And I have a slight addiction to oatmeal from the Au Bon Pain cafe in my office building so I'll bring the leftovers to work this week and save a few bucks! Aaron teased me and called it "porridge" but he liked it.

The Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Oats are great for hosting house guests or a busy household with family members that get up at different times of the morning. Today it was so fantastic to get up and grab a bowl of oats while the baby was having a morning nap and I could eat before she woke up. You can put out spoons, bowls, napkins, and toppings for your guests or family to customize their bowls.

Steel cut oats because they are minimally processed have the most fiber and protein than other oat varieties.

Suggested toppings:

• Dried fruit - such as raisins, apricots, cranberries, blueberries.
  
• Sweeteners - brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• Nuts - walnuts, almonds, or pecans
• Fresh fruit - sliced banana, strawberries, or peaches
• Milk
  

Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats: Serves 6-8
You can find steel cut oats in the bulk bin at your local health food store such as Whole Foods (my fav!) or check out the Red Mill brand. They have a package sold at grocery stores nationwide.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups steel cut oats
• 8 cups water
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
  
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t0 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 apple, peels left on chopped
• 1 tbs coconut oil

Preparation:

• Preheat slow cooker to Low setting.
• When it's warm, use a the back of a spoon and push coconut oil around the slow cooker including the sides to prevent sticking. It WILL stick! It happened to me the first time I made it and my friend forgot to tell me about that part.
  
• Add oats and purified water. Then add mashed banana and chopped apples. Add in sea salt and spices. Stir.
  
• Cook on Low for 8 hrs.
  
• If you can get up early, stir the oats in the morning and make sure to change the setting to "keep warm" if it looks like you'll need the oats for the late morning.
  
• Serve it up.
  

What's the difference between Steel Cut and Regular Oats? The whole grain is called an Oat Groat. Regular oats are more processed. The grain is sliced thin and flattened into flakes. Steel cut is a coarser type of texture because it's cut in pieces and not flattened. Check out this post comparing the different types of oats. Steel cut oats need to be cooked much longer, which is why the slow cooker is a perfect way to do it!

Breakfast Burrito You Can Make in 5-minutes and Eat On-the-Go

Last week, I went to my company's user conference locally, thankfully, so I didn't have to travel. I came home every night to spend time with Ava and did daycare drop off. Needless to say it was a very busy week, but rewarding because I learned a lot. Since I was on-the-go even more than usual, I packed myself this breakfast burrito since it's easy to eat in the car, or reheat at the office. I even made on today in about 5 minutes before I left for an event with the baby.

The reason why breakfast burritos are so easy is because you don't have to toast bread, they're portable, and the egg makes them really nutritious. My easy breakfast burrito has 2 eggs, shredded cheese, over a smear of refried beans and a dash of hot sauce.

Here is my foolproof way to efficiently cook and pack your breakfast burrito.

What you need:

• 1 tortilla (8-inch) multigrain, wheat or flour
• 2 eggs
• Shredded cheddar
• Refried beans
• Hot sauce
  

For packing:

• Plastic wrap
• Paper towel
• Aluminum foil
  

How to make it:

• Preheat a small skillet to medium heat.While the skillet is preheating, pull out the eggs, cheese, hot sauce and tortilla from the fridge.
  
• When the skillet is warm, coat skillet with cooking spray and add eggs. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
• Break yolks as the eggs to scramble to cook even faster.
• Use a large size paper towel and place tortilla. Add a smear of refried beans and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Set aside by the skillet.
  
• In the microwave, heat tortilla for 30-45 seconds on High.
  
• Add cooked eggs on top of the beans and cheese tortilla. Roll the sides up and then use a small sheet of foil to wrap half the burrito, exposing one side open to eat it on the go. OR for packing to reheat at work, just wrap it in plastic wrap.
  

You can see from the pictures that I made this burrito one day when I reheated it at work before my team meeting. And then today, I made a burrito to eat in the car. Both work out really well. Even better, the breakfast burrito is packed with protein, fiber from the beans, and a bit of fat from the cheese to help you stay full longer. The egg is provides good brain and heart-healthy nutrition.

Let me know what you think!

Tasty Breakfast Treat: Blueberry-Lemon Coffee Cake

Ava and I had a playdate on Monday with my friend, Lisa, and her 11-week old adorably happy baby girl, Avery. She's going back to work next week so we were lucky to set up a mid-week playdate with the girls. And YES, we're well aware the "playdate" was for the mommies and not for the babies at this point! Ha!

I made this Blueberry-Lemon Coffee Cake from Cooking Light to bring to her house to share and she loved it so much that I left her a generous amount to have later. It was my first time making this coffee cake, but the recipe was highly rated by online reviewers so I was sure it would be a good choice. I've saved it in my meal planning software since the 2005 issue so it's been one of those recipes that I've been waiting to make for the right occasion to share it.

The cake was super moist and had tons of almond flavoring with the use of the almond paste and sliced almonds in the topping. Fresh lemon was subtle and complimented the blueberries nicely. I used both fresh lemon juice and grated peel in the batter. I used frozen blueberries and folded it in at the end. Frozen blueberries helps keep the berries whole without breaking them apart when you're folding them in.

I liked that the cake was not too sweet, but it allowed the natural flavors to come to life. The entire coffee cake has 3/4 cup of sugar. Instead of milk, I used lowfat buttermilk since I'm such a fan of buttermilk in cake/muffin batters. It's a fantastic recipe and a reliable one to make to share with friends for entertaining or just a special treat at home.

About Almond Paste: I bought my almond paste a few years ago and I never used it. I had to rehydrate it in the microwave by adding a tiny bit of water and cooking in the microwave on 60% power for about 4 minutes total, a minute at a time. I checked it and used a fork to mash and mix it. It was rock hard when I first took it out, but it worked just fine and blended well in the batter.

Make-ahead tip: The night before, I measured the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl next to the Kitchen Stand Mixer so it was ready to go in the morning. Luckily, baby Ava was really quiet playing in her bouncy seat while I baked the coffee cake and then she feel asleep to the lull of the stand mixer no doubt!

Don't forget to check out my Kitchen Work Zone Organization blog post for suggestions on making your kitchen as efficient as possible.

I have a couple small pieces left that I'm sure won't be around to long because it's so yummy!

My Favorite All Natural Yogurt that Tastes Great!

Since I gave up eating funky chemicals in my foods, one thing that I had to really scrutinize is yogurt! Pick up a container of your favorite yogurt at the grocery store and you'll be surprised to see aspartame and even High Fructose Corn Syrup! Yogurt sounds so healthy, but if you look at the ingredients of Yoplait or other non-organic brands, you will be shocked to see what is in them. Aaron and I like yogurt so much that we buy it by the large container and I pack it in containers to take for snacks.

Brown Cow yogurt is one brand that I'm obsessed with because it's creamy, thick and tastes great! They use growth hormone free milk to make this yogurt and cane syrup to sweeten it. I buy the non-fat vanilla and thankfully my new Whole Foods in Indianapolis now stocks it after I requested it! In researching this blog post, I found that Brown Cow has eCoupons so you can follow this link to check it out. You can find this brand at grocery and health foods stores.

Yogurt is perfect for a snacking or in a smoothie. Plus, yogurt is a good source of calcium and heart healthy potassium.

Smoothies are refreshing and nutritious: The smoothie in the picture was blended with 1/2 cup yogurt, 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, and 1/2 cup water. Check out my other favorite smoothie recipes.

My favorite yogurt snack toppings:

• Granola
• Slivered almonds
• Cereal
  
• Sliced berries, kiwi, or pomegranate seeds
  

Ham, Broccoli, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole for Feeding a Crowd

This weekend, we hosted 4 good friends from Chicago. We had some great laughs and at one point, I laughed so hard that I couldn't even speak and my eyes were tearing up. Those are fun times! Since I'm 37 weeks pregnant, I was trying to think of meal options that are easy to manage with my low energy, but would feed all 6 of us easily. For Saturday night dinner, I made beef and bean chili in the slow cooker and served it with all the fixings and a simple green salad with homemade vinaigrette.

Then on Sunday morning, I made an easy Ham, Broccoli, and Cheese Egg Casserole and served it with Raisin and Maple Bran Muffins and sliced fresh strawberries. Lots of egg casserole recipes I've seen are covered with fatty pork sausage, tons of cheese, and bread that you have to soak overnight. Those are great for special treats, but this version is really easy to make in the morning. Even better, you can use the baking time to prep the rest of the breakfast (see serving suggestions below). The entire casserole averages about 1 egg per person and since yolks carry lots of nutrition, I forgo the mix of egg whites and whole eggs. Check out my previous post about the nutrition of eggs.

Ham, Broccoli, and Cheese Egg Casserole (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

• 3 whole wheat tortillas
• 16 oz bag frozen broccoli florets
  
• 8 oz low-sodium ham diced
• 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 8 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
  
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  

Preparation:

• Defrost frozen broccoli in the microwave. Coat 9'x13' baking casserole dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the dish with 3 tortillas and place them so there is no gap on the bottom to form the crust.
  
• While broccoli is defrosting, dice ham and shred cheese (if needed).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Slice broccoli in small pieces and spread broccoli and then ham evenly in the casserole dish. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly.
  
• Whisk eggs, milk, sour cream, dry mustard, and salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over evenly on the entire casserole dish.
  
• Bake in the oven on 350 degrees for 40 minutes, until the eggs have set.
  
• Cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
  

Serving suggestions: While the casserole is baking, you can set the table and prepare the coffee, tea, and cut fresh fruit for your guests. Fresh fruit and toast are simple sides for this breakfast entree. Serve the egg casserole with hot sauce and sour cream for your guests to enjoy!

Sunday Morning Treat: Homestyle Whole Wheat Waffles

For my third week of Sunday morning breakfast blogging, I decided to make homestyle buttermilk waffles. Aaron was excited because we've had our waffle iron in storage for about 1 year! Bring it on! I have a recipe that I adapted from my brother-in-law's grandmother, Rosalee Gingerich, who sadly died just before this past Christmas. She was such a fabulous cook that her family created a compilation cookbook and my sister-in-law, Megan, and her husband, Todd Gingerich, gave me a copy of the book since I love to cook so much when Aaron and I first got together. Rosalee has recipes for homemade pickle relish, ketchup, jams, and tons and TONs of family meal goodness. I used to make these waffles in our Chicago condo and I have modified her recipe so it has 1/2 the original butter and I use 1/2 whole wheat flour to boost the fiber.

Serving suggestions: Aaron likes his waffles very simple with syrup. I like to add things to mine to make it more nutritious. You can see today, I topped my waffle with slices of bananas, pecan pieces and local maple syrup. When serving this to your family, think of other fun toppings like peanut/almond butter, jams, cooked and spiced apples, and any other nuts like slivered almonds or walnuts.

Homestyle Belgium Waffles Makes 4 large waffles
Adapted from Rosalee Gingrich, Indiana grandmother and wonderful home cook.

2 cups flour (1 cup white/1 cup whole wheat)
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, whites and yolk separated
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups lowfat buttermilk or lowfat milk

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolk, melted butter, and milk. Add to dry ingredients.
3. Beat egg whites until foamy (see picture). Add to the mix.
4. Preheat the waffle iron. When warm coat with cooking spray. Cook batter in 4 even waffles.

Enjoy the waffles right away. They store in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Fun Project: German Apple Pancake Breakfast

If you saw my post last Sunday, I'm more inspired to make an elaborate breakfast in the wintertime on the weekends because there's no rush to go outside. Sundays are perfect because it's a family day and we relax together while I do a lot of cooking to prep for the week. I was inspired by a comment someone posted on Facebook yesterday about an Apple Pancake. I remembered that I saved a recipe from Cooking Light magazine to make a German Apple Pancake. It works best if you have a cast iron skillet since you caramelize the apples in sugar on the stove top (see the picture) before you add the batter and put it in the oven to bake. Cast iron skillets are great because you can use them on the stove or the oven.

As you can see from this picture, this isn't the traditional pancake that you typically see. It's a custardy dough almost like bread pudding. I modified the recipe to use less sugar and more cinnamon to my taste. Aaron and I really liked it for breakfast, but other Cooking Light readers made it for dessert. You need to eat it right away when it comes out of the oven because it's puffy, but one reviewer said it tastes great leftover and reheated. I used a bartlet pear and cameo apple from my produce box and it was good to have both, but all apple or pear will work well too.

German Apple "Pancake" Makes 6 servings (Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup egg substitute (or 4 eggs)
  
• 1 cups lowfat milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cups thinly sliced granny smith apples
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation:

• To prepare batter, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine egg substitute, milk, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg substitute mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°.
• To prepare apple mixture, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; sprinkle half the mixture evenly over bottom and sides of pan. Arrange apple in an even spokelike layer in pan. Sprinkle apple with remaining granulated sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture bubbles. Slowly pour batter over apple mixture.
• Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove pancake from oven); bake an additional 13 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen pancake with a spatula. Gently slide pancake onto a serving platter. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into 6 wedges; serve immediately.
  

Nutritional Information Calories:173 (28% from fat) Fat:5.4g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.9g) Protein:7.7g Carbohydrate:23.2g Fiber:0.9g Cholesterol:11mg Iron:1.5mg Sodium:213mg Calcium:101mg

Keep Warm This Winter with These Maple Raisin Bran Muffins

I woke up to a gray, 5 degree day so I thought it was a perfect time to do some baking. Even better, since it's only me and Aaron in the house, we can eat these muffins all week for breakfast or snacks. Baking on a cold winter morning makes the house feel warmer and you and the family can enjoy a healthy, homemade treat together.

I decided to try a new reader recipe from Cooking Light and as I was reviewing and measuring the ingredients something seemed wrong. The muffins didn't call for either baking powder or baking soda. I looked it up and sure enough I remembered one of my tips, to check the reviews before I tackle a new recipe. A woman reviewed and said that the muffins were too dense, then the original reader that submitted the recipe said there was a typo in the printed and online recipe so she gave out the proper measurement for baking soda. I'm glad I listened to my gut feeling. I also read that the reviewers thought the muffins were too sweet so I reduced the brown sugar in the topping.

Try these muffins if you like oatmeal raisin cookies. I made these muffins in our new convention oven and they came out in 15 minutes perfectly golden (see above). So with my tweaking, here is my adapted version of the recipe. We really liked the muffin and the texture came out fluffy with the baking soda addition.

Maple Raisin Bran Muffins (makes 12)

Ingredients:
Batter:

• 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cups 2% milk or low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cups butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Topping:

• 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cups oats
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• To prepare batter, lightly spoon the flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flours in a large bowl. Stir in oat bran and next 6 ingredients (through salt); make a well in center of dry ingredients. Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through egg); stir well with a whisk. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moist. Spoon mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
• To prepare topping, combine 1/4 cup dark brown sugar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
  

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 249(29% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 3.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 4.6g; CHOLESTEROL 52mg; CALCIUM 65mg; SODIUM 274mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.1g

Chorizo and Eggs Without the Guilt: It's Turkey!

When I was a kid, my mom made chorizo and eggs on special occasions. My mom has always been health conscious and she didn't want me to eat too much fat. The traditional way to eat chorizo and eggs is with potatoes in a small burrito or with frijoles (refried beans) and break off a bit of your warm torilla to scoop up a bit of egg, chorizo, frijoles, and even potatoes in every bite. These days you can find turkey chorizo at specialty grocery stores to cut back on the fat, but you keep the spicy unique flavor of chorizo.

Yesterday, I was shopping at Whole Foods, looking for turkey chorizo in the butcher's cold case, but they didn't have any laid out. When I asked the butcher for it he offered to make it for me. They have the Chorizo-spice mix behind the counter and he mixed seasoning into 1/2 pound of ground turkey thigh meat for me. He only charged me for the ground meat, even with extra service. I was so happy! What a great tip! I didn't know before that you could ask them to mix it for you on-site.

This morning for Sunday breakfast, I made the chorizo, egg, and potato burrito and it tasted really great and authentic, minus the fat from the traditional Mexican (pork) chorizo! Here is the recipe so you can make it for your family.

Turkey Chorizo, Egg, and Potato Breakfast Burrito
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound turkey chorizo (ask your butcher to mix it)
• 3 small golden potatoes
• 1/2 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 eggs (2 per person)
• 1/4 cup low-fat shredded Mexican-style cheeses (Cheddar, Monterrey Jack)
• 2 tbs chopped cilantro
• 4 flour torillas

Preparation:

• Preheat medium skillet. Wash and peel potatoes. Cover with wax paper and cook in the microwave for 5 minutes on HIGH.
• Chop the cilantro and set aside in a small bowl. Serve shredded cheese in another small bowl to start to build your assembly line.
• While potatoes are cooking, cook turkey chorizo in a skillet coated with cooking spray, over medium-heat. Break apart the meat as you cook it so it cooks in small bits. Set aside in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm.
• Cut the potatoes in small pieces and season with salt and pepper. In the same pre-heated skillet that you used to cook the turkey chorizo, add 1/2 tbs of olive oil and then the potatoes to warm and season. Cook for 2 minutes and set aside in a bowl covered with foil to keep warm.
• Warm the tortillas in the oven (on 350 degrees in foil) or you can warm them in the microwave with a wet paper towel on top (for 1 minute).
• Crack eggs and add into to a mixing bowl and whisk with a fork. Using the same skillet (since it's already warm), spray with cooking spray, if needed and scramble the eggs. After the eggs are cooked through, serve the eggs in another serving dish or let your family serve themselves from the skillet.
• To the warm tortilla, add the potatoes first to absorb the flavor from the chorizo. Then add chorizo, scrambled eggs, cheese, and cilantro. Fold the tortilla over and warm if needed. Eat immediately!

For best results, let everyone build their own burrito so they can customize the amounts they want of each item. For spice lovers, hot sauce or salsa on top adds even more heat, but the chorizo is already spicy so add with caution! Enjoy!

5-Minute Breakfast Recipe: Multigrain Waffles with Ricotta-Walnut-Strawberry Topping

Here is another 5-minute breakfast and I'm convinced the kiddies will like this too because you can eat it with your hands. Years ago, I joined eDiets.com to lose weight, using the eDiets low-fat menu plan. It was great because the website gave me ideas on cooking healthfully. For example, I learned to use chicken broth in with high calorie stir fry sauces to keep the calories in check. A bonus is that chicken broth always adds flavor. This breakfast is one of the eDiets recipes that I still eat today for breakfast.

I've had variations of these waffles with blueberries, sliced kiwi, or if you like banana, that would be good, too. Instead of walnuts, try pepitas or toasted almonds. I like this because the lowfat ricotta is a better nutritional bargain than butter. Ricotta cheese is high in calcium and has protein. Berries are a superfood because they offer antioxidants, fiber, and very low in calories.

Here's how to make this 5-minute breakfast. Serve this up with a cup of milk.

Ingredients:

• 2 multigrain toaster frozen waffles (I prefer Trader Joe's brand)
• 1/4 lowfat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tbs toasted walnuts
• 2 tsp honey
  

Preparation:

• Toast the frozen waffles in the toaster. While the waffles are toasting, slice strawberries.
• When waffles are ready, spread ricotta cheese on the waffle. Sprinkle with fresh strawberries and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with honey. Serve.
  

It's really easy and very tasty. So try it with your favorite fruit topping, but berries are the best!

Try this 5-Minute Healthy Breakfast: Smoked Salmon on Toast

Vitamin D is attributed to helping you achieve optimal health (see my previous post) and salmon is one of the few foods that has it naturally. Two ounces of smoked salmon has about 15g of protein and 120 calories. If you're watching your sodium intake, balance smoked salmon with lower sodium foods throughout the day.

I made this smoked salmon on toast breakfast last week in 5-minutes and it was refreshing, nutritious, and really hit the spot after my workout. I often eat this breakfast with slices of tomatoes, which makes it a bit heartier. Serve this with a side of fruit and you have a balanced breakfast!

Smoked Salmon on Toast with Cream Cheese and Fresh Dill

Ingredients:

• 2 oz smoked salmon
• 2 tbs light cream cheese
• 2 slices whole wheat bread (I used seed, multi-grain from Whole Foods)
• 1 slice red onion
• 1 tbs chopped fresh dill (or 1/4 tsp dried)
• 1 lemon wedge
• Fresh pepper
• Optional: tomato slices

Preparation:

• Toast bread. Chop fresh dill.
• Spread cream cheese on toasted bread. Top with onion slices. Add smoked salmon.
• Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Serve with lemon wedge and tomato slices, if desired.

Entertaining Idea: This is a wonderful brunch item to serve guests for a party. You can put out a platter of smoked salmon and garnish with lemons, red onion and tomato slices, capers, and fresh dill. Your guest can assemble their own creations. You can serve a variety of breads or bagels and move your toaster to the buffet table. Also serve fruit on the side like orange slices, strawberries, or melon. For beverages, serve with mimosas, coffee, and water with lemon slices.

This Breakfast Has Me California Dreaming...

I'm leaving to visit my family in California in a few days and it's all I can think about because my breakfast was inspired by my home state flavors.

I was using up my sauteed mushrooms and avocado from last night's dinner and it turned out well. Try this breakfast out for something different. I'm going to the gym later this morning so I thought it would be a great preworkout breakfast to give me long lasting energy.

Avocado-Mushroom and Smoked Mozzarella Breakfast Burrito (serves 1)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sauteed cremini (or Potabella) mushrooms
• 3 slices avocado, light salted
• 2 tbs shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
• 8-inch flour tortilla
• 1 tbs salsa verde

Preparation:

• Preheat skillet on medium heat.
• Crack eggs in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk with a fork.
• Coat skillet with cooking spray and add eggs. Scramble.
• Warm sauteed mushrooms (in the microwave for 30 seconds)
• Warm tortilla (in microwave for 25 seconds). Add avocado slices on tortilla, then layer with mushrooms, scrambled eggs, and top with shredded cheese.
• Add salsa verde or hot sauce, if desired.
  

This breakfast is really easy and the combination of the buttery avocado and the smokey cheese is great with the eggs in the morning. After eating this breakfast, I was able to run longer, both in mileage and time. It is a great power breakfast!

New Reasons to Eat Eggs for Healthy High Quality Protein

Any of my coworkers or family will tell you that I'm a huge fan of eggs. On my honeymoon in Italy, for most of the trip, I craved eggs for breakfast because there not as common by the locals in the morning. I've noticed that if I eat eggs, especially in the morning, I have more energy, longer. On days when I workout at lunch, I try to eat eggs for breakfast. Eggs are perfect for any meal or snack.



Eggs are a high-quality protein and nutritionally-rich food for relatively few calories and comparative cost. The best options are organic, cage-free. Today, Dr. Mercola, health researcher, put out a very informative article on the health benefits of eggs. I encourage you to look at it so you educate yourself on these important facts. Here are some tips for making eggs quickly during the work week.

Breakfast:

• At night, crack eggs and store in an airtight bowl in the refrigerator.


• In the morning, preheat a small skillet on medium heat. Coat with cooking spray. Use a fork to lightly beat and pour into the skillet. Scramble for egg burrito or cook omelet style for egg sandwiches.


• Store eggs from the stove-top in an airtight microwaveable container that you can reheat by the time you get to work.

Snacks/Lunch:

• First, boil eggs on Sunday and set aside in the fridge for work.


• For snacks, pair with an orange or your favorite fruit


• For lunch, make a quick egg salad for a sandwich or make a chef salad with other lunch meat.

Making perfect hard-boiled eggs:

In a small saucepan, add 3-4 inches of water and bring to a boil on high. When water is "rolling" use a large spoon and drop in the egg gently in the water. I typically cook 4-6 at a time. Turn the heat to medium to maintain the boil, but not overflow. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Drain the water in the sink and cover with cold water. Add ice to stop the cooking process. Let cool and eat immediately or store in a bowl in the refrigerator for future use.

I find it's best to peel the egg when you're planning on eating it. To peel, gently push on the egg on a flat surface to crack the shell. It should be easy to take off the shell pieces. I try to eat them within the week for maximum freshness.

These are a couple of ideas that may work for you to help you save time, while eating a nutritious and energy-packed meal or snack.

Breakfast Idea

Isn't breakfast one of the most important meals of the day? I think that's true because if you don't a proper breakfast, you might overeat at lunch or gorge on high-fat or high-sugar foods without thinking.

For people that exercise in the morning or at lunch, or even for people that can't eat a lot first thing in the morning, this idea may work for you. Consider flipping around your breakfast meal. Try a small snack when you wake up before you leave the house and then have a more substantial breakfast later at work or school.

For example, I wake up early and have a long commute to work. And most days, I workout at lunch, which means I won't eat lunch until 1:30pm. My breakfast needs to be substantial enough to give me the energy to workout at lunch and get me through to the afternoon without fainting. 5:45am to 1:30pm is a long time so here's a typical morning meal and snack.

6:15am Fruit Smoothie

• 1/2 c milk, 1/2 c water, 1/2 scoop whey protein powder, and 1/2 banana or other fruit - strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, mango, peach, etc

9:00am Breakfast

• Oatmeal with flax, apple/pear, nuts, and milk
• Eggs (1 whole + 2 whites) with turkey bacon, lowfat cheese on toast
• Avocado, tomato and lowfat cheese on toast with milk
• Lean ham, tomato, lowfat cheese on a high-fiber bagel
• Yogurt with granola, nuts, and fruit

You may want to adjust your meals to see which foods provide you the most energy and fuel throughout the day. These are examples that work for me. Also, if you are extremely active, you will need to increase your portion sizes based on your typical calorie count for the day.

Power breakfast that kept me running, literally!

My "power breakfast" gave me lots of energy this morning for my workout. I jogged on the treadmill for 50 minutes and 3.6 miles. Yeah, not a fast runner! I go for aerobic endurance. Anyway, since I felt so good working out, I thought I'd share the easy breakfast. I made this for me and Aaron, but this recipe is for 1 serving. You can easily prep this for the work week by doing the broccoli ahead and cracking the eggs into a plastic container like in the picture.



Broccoli, Ham and Cheddar Cheese Omelet with Toast and Hash Browns

Ingredients:
3 eggs (1 whole; 2 whites)
1 cup broccoli
1/2 oz ham (or turkey bacon or Canadian bacon)
1/2 oz cheese
1 cup frozen hash browns
1 slice whole grain bread
Butter
Cooking spray
Salt & pepper

How:

1. (Blanch Broccoli) In a small saucepan, add water (half-full) and heat on high. Bring water to a boil. Preheat medium size non-stick skillet and heat on medium high for hash browns. Preheat small skillet on medium heat (for eggs).
2. While water is coming up to a boil, rinse broccoli and cut into small florets. Cut ham in small pieces.
3. Crack eggs and separate 2 of the eggs into a small bowl. Discard the two yolks. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Medium skillet should be warm. Spray skillet with cooking spray and drop in frozen hash browns. Let hash browns cook on medium and stir in a small amount of butter (1 tsp) and add salt and pepper.
5. Water should be boiling. Drop in the florets and cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green. Drain in colander and put back in small saucepan. Season with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. Keep warm. Otherwise, broccoli won't have much flavor.
6. While hash browns are cooking, spray small skillet with cooking spray. Beat eggs with a fork and add to preheated small skillet. Allow eggs to cook in a single even layer. Pull from the sides so the eggs can fill in and cook.
7. While eggs are cooking, watch hash browns by stirring to ensure they are cooking through and not sticking.
8. Toast bread.
9. Flip when eggs are set. Immediately add cooked broccoli, diced ham, and shredded cheese to half the eggs. Pull the empty side of the omelet over to cover the filling and pull off the heat onto a plate.
10. Serve the eggs with hot sauce if desired. If the cheese isn't melted, put the omelet in the microwave for 30 seconds. Serve the toast and hash browns and you're ready to go.

For digestion, I wait 2 hours after I eat to exercise. I also had a liter of water before the gym and another liter during my workout.

Can't wait for breakfast? Here's a tip: If you're starving when you're cooking breakfast because you wake up hungry (like me!), I snack on fruit while I'm preparing breakfast. Good thing I had some cubed pineapple in the fridge!