Baked Oatmeal To Go Muffins

Recipe from http://www.sugarfreemom.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 24 to 31 servings

We were just delighted with these delicious “muffins.”  They are sweetened with a ripe banana and honey or maple syrup.  There’s no oil or butter because unsweetened applesauce is used instead.  While these bake, your house will smell divine!  The original recipe says that it yields 24 muffins.  I was able to make 31 using a ¼ cup-measuring cup to dip the batter into the muffin cups.  If you are eating a gluten free diet, make sure you are using certified gluten free oats and baking powder.  These will make a fabulous and healthful breakfast or snack with some fresh fruit served along side.  All the ingredients for this deliciously healthful breakfast can be found at Lost River Market & Deli, our community-owned grocery store.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups applesauce, unsweetened

1 banana, mashed

½ cup honey or ½ cup real maple syrup**

5 cups, old fashioned rolled oats

¼ cup flaxseed meal* (You can purchase flaxseed meal or you can buy flax seeds and grind them yourself. Store in the fridge.)

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¾ cups milk (Your preference)  (I used unsweetened almond milk.)

Optional toppings: raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried fruits, etc…  Fresh or frozen fruits will also work.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.  (I tried making these in silicone cups and also with sprayed cupcake liners.  The cupcake liners worked much better and the “muffins” came right out.) Place the cupcake liners in a standard muffin pan. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, mashed banana and honey (or maple syrup) together in a bowl. Add in the oats, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well with wet ingredients. Finally pour in milk and combine. The batter will be loose and runny.  Don’t worry. Pour mixture evenly into muffin cups using a ¼ cup measure. If using toppings add them onto the tops of muffins now. If using fresh or frozen fruit, drop it right into the batter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool and enjoy or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.  Thaw overnight in the fridge for breakfast.  Reheat in the microwave.

**6 packets of Sweetleaf Stevia or 1½ teaspoons stevia powder can be used in place of the honey or maple syrup

Nutrition Info without toppings:  Servings: 24* Calories for one: 107; Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 19mg; Sodium: 121mg; Fiber: 4g; Sugars: 3g; Carbs: 17g; Protein: 4g; Weight Watcher Points+: 2

Skinny Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes at http://www.skinnytaste.com/
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When I was teaching in Evansville, I would stop by Starbucks once a week before school and order a Pumpkin Spiced Latte as a fall treat. I'm retired now and living in the woods, well away from a Starbucks. Now, I just make my own pumpkin lattees at home. Make a batch of Pumpkin Butter (This easy recipe is on this blog) and you’ll be ready to make this special coffee for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. The lattes pictured did not have the whipped topping. It’d be a nice touch, but the lattes are yummy (and healthier) without it too.

1 ½ cups skim milk
2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Butter (recipe on this blog)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute (to taste) (I used Stevia.)
¼ cup of espresso (or 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee works)
Fat free whipped topping (Optional)
Pumpkin pie spice for topping (Just a sprinkle to make it pretty.)

In a small pan combine milk, pumpkin butter and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until boiling. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (or whisk well with a wire whisk)

Pour into two mugs, add the hot espresso and top with fat free whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice on top.

Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1 latte • Weight Watcher Points: 2 pts
Calories: 115.6 • Fat: 0.4 g • Protein: 6.6 g • Carb: 20.8 g • Fiber: 0.7 g

Quinoa Breakfast

Recipe from Savvy Vegetarian
Adapted and husband-tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 1 to 2 servings.

My husband is pretty set in his ways when it comes to breakfast. He loves his Steel Cut Oats in the Crockpot (recipe on this blog) and was reluctant to try this, not because it was quinoa, but because he thought I was trying to put a wrench in his precious morning routine of oatmeal. So, I made this for me and had him taste it to make this an official blog entry. He really liked this because it was very similar to his oatmeal. He said he liked the texture and the fact that it’s nutritious. I thought this was quite delicious and filling. I made a batch of quinoa in advance and stored it in the fridge. The next morning, all I had to do was dip out a cup of the cooked quinoa, add the goodies (nuts, dried fruit, etc….) and heat it a bit on the stove. The original recipe did not call for a banana or stevia. Even though I love our local maple syrup and other sweets, I wanted to try another sweet alternative, so I added a little banana and one packet of stevia for sweetness.

1 cup cooked quinoa** (Directions are at the bottom of this recipe.)
¼ cup nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts, almonds)
¼ cup raisins (I used golden raisins because I had them on hand.)
a few slices of banana
¼ cup chopped dried fruit (apricots, dried cranberries, currants, blueberries, chopped figs or dates)
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup almond, hemp or soy milk, flavored or plain (I used unflavored unsweetened almond milk)
1 Tbsp maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar or one packet of stevia

Combine all ingredients in a two quart saucepan.
Heat on medium-low, stirring, until the quinoa has soaked up the liquid, and the dried fruit has plumped up nicely.
Add more milk if needed until the consistency pleases you.

**Basic Recipe: (Makes 3 cups)
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa

Rinse the quinoa well and drain. Place quinoa and water in a 1½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until all of the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes.) You will know that the quinoa is done when all of the grains have turned from white to transparent and the spiral-like germ has separated.

Mocha Java Smoothie

Recipe from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
Makes 2 servings
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups

We gave our daughter-in-law the So Easy cookbook for Christmas. I couldn’t help but take a peek at the book before wrapping it up to put under the tree. The photo of this mocha smoothie caught my eye, so I copied down the recipe to try after the holidays. My husband isn’t much of a coffee drinker, so I decided to halve the recipe. My plan was to give him a little taste to make it official, and then drink the rest myself. I drank 2 glasses for a breakfast/coffee combo! I really like this and will make it again. I think it would also make a nice chocolaty dessert after a heavy meal. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception. I used stevia instead of sugar. Produced from a member of the daisy family, stevia is an all-natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index. These attributes make stevia a good alternative to sugar or chemical sweeteners. Especially popular as a sweetener for coffees and teas, Stevia can also be used in cooking and baking. (The nutritional information at the end of this recipe includes the sugar, so if you use stevia instead, the smoothie will have fewer calories.) You can buy stevia and instant espresso at Lost River Market & Deli.

1 tablespoon sugar or 2 packets SweetLeaf SteviaPlus Sweetener
2 rounded teaspoons instant espresso or 2 shots of espresso
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups skim milk (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)
2 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into chunks, frozen
1 cup ice (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)

In a blender, stir together the sugar, instant espresso, and cocoa powder. Add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. (If using regular espresso, stir the sugar and cocoa into the coffee until dissolved.) Add the milk, bananas, and ice, and blend on high until smooth.

Quick tip: To help your morning go more smoothly, put all the smoothie ingredients, except the frozen bananas and ice, in the blender jug the night before. Cover and stash in the refrigerator. In the morning just add the frozen ingredients and whir.

Makes 2 servings.
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups
Per serving:
Calories 210 (It’s only 165 calories if you replace the sugar with stevia.)
Total fat 1 g
Sat fat 0.5 g Mono fat 0 g Poly fat 0 g
Protein 10 g
Carb 44 g
Fiber 4 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 130 mg
Excellent source of: Calcium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin C.
Good source of: Fiber, magnesium, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1.