Pretty Little Apron

Breakfast

Summer Berry Stuffed French Toast

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Summer Berries and Cream Cheese stuffed french toast perfect for breakfast or brunch

Cream Cheese and Fresh Berries comes together to make the perfect French Toast for breakfast or brunch


Who doesn’t love a decadent breakfast? This Summer Berry Stuffed French Toast is just that! Cream cheese, fresh berries, and brioche bread make one of the most delicious French Toast recipes ever.

Rewind: At the beginning of the summer we became the proud new owners of a 36 inch Blackstone Flat Top Griddle. What is that, you ask? It is an outdoor griddle that is basically the king of all breakfast makers. It is every Saturday/Sunday morning’s dream. My Dad gifted it to us when I told him our old budget grill rusted out last year. In all fairness, our old grill did what it was supposed to do for a couple of years and we got our money’s worth, but it was time for an upgrade and we got just that!

Fresh Berries and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast on Brioche Bread with pure maple syrup

When my Dad asked how we felt about the griddle before he gifted it to us, the first thing we thought was that it would be awesome for breakfast foods! Just about every diner in America has a flat top griddle in the kitchen to crank out tons of eggs, pancakes, omelets, homefries, and french toast! We couldn’t wait to try it out on a Saturday morning for a breakfast feast. It makes making a big breakfast for our family of 7 a breeze! We can cook all the deliciousness all together on the flat top and keep all the bacon grease outside so it doesn’t stink up the house. Full review coming soon! 🙂

If you don’t own an outdoor flat top griddle, a cast iron skillet or indoor griddle will work just fine for this Summer Berry French Toast.

Stuffed French Toast

Tips For the Best Summer Berry Stuffed French Toast

  • I have found that a nice big loaf of Brioche bread is perfect for this French Toast as well as other varieties. Once we found the combination of our griddle + Brioche bread, our French Toast got 1,000 times tastier!
  • I called this Summer Berry French Toast because Hello June/July/August when Berries are super inexpensive in Pennsylvania compared to the rest of the year! 🙂 I used Strawberry for some of them and a mix of Raspberry and Blueberry for the others. My husband and I decided we liked the Strawberry the best. We even noted we could put a couple of the restaurants in our area to shame with this recipe!
  • I would suggest going for a medium thickness slice. If you go too thick it is hard to get the inside of the toast to not be super wet and mushy. If you go too thin it just isn’t as good.
  • I would also suggest using a serrated kitchen knife to slice the Brioche. Brioche in general is very delicate and if you try to use a butter knife or something like that you will end up with a big old mess.
  • Speaking of big old mess, things can get a little messy when dipping your French Toast into the egg/milk mixture before cooking. Keep some paper towels on standby and set everything up beforehand. I would suggest using a larger bowl for dipping because the pieces are a bit thicker then your average slice of toast so you need more room. It really isn’t rocket science though and my dipping was kind of a hot mess so just know that your French Toast will still be beautiful and taste amazing.
  • Butter is key. You need a nice little pat of butter to cook each piece to get that beautiful crisp golden outside seen below.

Summer Berries and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

 

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Stuffed French Toast

Summer Berry Stuffed French Toast

  • Author: Dana
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Description

A decadent mix of lightly sweetened cream cheese, fluffy brioche bread, and fresh summer berries make the best breakfast or brunch menu item!

Ingredients

1 loaf Brioche Bread (commonly found in the bakery section of the grocery store, not the bread isle)

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon confectioners sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup milk

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I LOVE Watkins Vanilla Extract)

1-2 cups of Sliced Strawberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries

4-5 Tablespoons butter (for cooking)

Instructions

  1. Slice Brioche Bread with a serrated knife. Cut each slice diagonally to make two triangles. Set aside.
  2. Place 8 ounces cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until cream cheese is smooth and spreadable. Add confectioners sugar and stir until incorporated.
  3. In a separate bowl mix 4 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
  4. Line a large tray or plate with brioche triangles. Lightly spread cream cheese mixture onto each piece. Top with fresh berries and sandwich two pieces together.
  5. Preheat you griddle or cast iron skillet. Melt butter when heated, dip each piece into egg/milk mixture when ready to cook and cook over medium heat until each side is golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side). Your hands will get messy when dipping so make sure you have some paper towels on stand by!
  6. Serve with extra berries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup.

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

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These Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats are my new favorite breakfast! I combine dried cherries, walnuts, and brown sugar to make the most delicious oatmeal topping ever! Perfect for breastfeeding Mommas + busy families who love make ahead breakfast options.

Instant Pot Oatmeal

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats


I mentioned in my 50 Words of Advice for New Moms post that I got an Instant Pot at my baby shower! When you have 5 kids, making a baby registry is hard. Since we have all of the essentials, we decided to throw some most wanted kitchen items on our Amazon Baby Registry, and Hello! I’m the new owner of an Instant Pot thanks to my Mother-in-law. 🙂

I have to say, EVERY new Momma needs an Instant Pot! When we brought our sweet Felicity home, it was a lifesaver. Breastfeeding cravings are a real thing, and I’m pretty sure I ate steel cut oats more then once a day for a couple of weeks. I always used the same vanilla + cherry + walnut + brown sugar topping combo and it never got old.

Preparing the steel cut oats in the Instant Pot is a breeze! The Instant Pot makes the perfect oats, and all you have to do is throw the ingredients in and turn it on. Any new Momma can relate that extra time is nonexistent, so I found myself searching for make ahead options that I could heat up during the day when I needed a snack or a meal. These steel cut oats were perfect for just that!

Cherry Vanilla Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe

Tips for Making Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

  • SAFETY first! Please read through your entire Instant Pot manual if you are not familiar with using the Instant pot.
  • I would not stray from the ratios provided. I’ve tested this once or twice when I came up short on the oats and honestly it just wasn’t the same! 2 cups of steel cut oats to 5 cups of water makes the perfect oatmeal. It is not too dry, but not runny either.
  • I stuck with using 1/4 cup of brown sugar as I didn’t want my oatmeal to be super sweet. If you like your oatmeal on the sweeter side I would suggest 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
  • For the best results, you will want to allow your Instant Pot to cool for a minimum of 20 minutes. This will release the pressure from the pot naturally (as opposed to opening the pressure valve), and you should see the little round stainless steel pressure meter come up fully. Your Instant Pot will start a timer as soon as your cooking time is over so you will know when it has been the full 20 minutes. If you do open your pot sooner, your steel cut oats might stick to the bottom. To prevent sticking even more you can coat the bottom of your pot with butter or coconut oil. FYI, I do not coat mine with anything and I haven’t had sticking when I followed this 100%.
  • A pat of butter on the top of your warm bowl of steel cut oats + dried cherries + walnuts + brown sugar or maple syrup is LIFE.

Cherry Vanilla Steel Cut Oatmeal

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Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe

Cherry Vanilla Steel Cut oatmeal

Coconut, Strawberry, Chocolate Chip Scones

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I’m so very much still in the Valentine’s Day spirit over here with these Coconut, Strawberry, Chocolate Chip scones! Or maybe, just maybe.. I had some strawberries and chocolate left over from my Salted Chocolate Covered Strawberries so I decided to put them to good use! <3 <3


Speaking of the Valentine’s Day spirit, I blogged about our Shrimp and Parmesan Strip Steak yesterday. It was our family Valentine’s Day meal and it was delicious! Valentine’s Day is always a great reason for me to go above and beyond in the kitchen and we had a great day. My husband also ate about 4 of these scones, so I’d say they were a hit!

Speaking of the scones, strawberry and chocolate are always a winning combo! I remember one of the first weeks in pastry arts school our chef asked us to think of some flavors that we’d like to put together in some cream puffs. I have no idea why but I was so nervous about it! I thought all day about what I wanted to make and at the end of the day all I could think of was strawberry pastry cream in the middle and chocolate on top. I was almost embarrassed to tell the chef that this is what I thought up. It just seemed to be too obvious of a choice.

And the chef was super happy about it and was like absolutely a great combination!

Never. Doubt. Yourself. 🙂

Sometimes it is totally fine to go with something safe!

 

Coconut Milk

So I feel like canned coconut milk is one of the best kept baking secrets! I have used it in everything from cookies to cupcakes to these scones and LOVE IT. I use it as a substitution in so many recipes and I have yet to have anything totally fail on me. If you are substituting coconut milk into a recipe have no fear, your final product will NOT take on an extremely coconut-ty flavor, and you may not even notice any coconut at all.

I also used the coconut milk in the glaze, which I felt was a bit more coconut then the scones themselves. If you are not a fan of coconut I would just omit it all together and use sour scream in the recipe, and regular milk in the glaze.

I know everyone thinks of the non-dairy coconut milk when you mention those two words, however the canned stuff is so much better in terms of ingredients. Yes, it is a fat source (I use the light version). However there are only 3 ingredients in the Native Forest Canned Coconut Milk that I used! 3 ingredients! They are organic coconut, water, and organic guar gum. If you have ever checked out the ingredient list on a carton of coconut milk they are quite lengthy.

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

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I am telling you…these Gingerbread Pancakes totally exceeded my pancake expectations! So much so that I’ve made them for my kids 3 times in the last week. You know, because I just love hearing the words “We want pancakes” before I even step foot out of bed! #mommyproblems

I just read a meme that said “Honesty trumps sugar-coated bullshit.” YES! This is exactly how I feel today as I’m writing this because truth is, I am having major technical issues. Scratch that. I’m having massive technical issues. The kind of issues that warrant taking my computer outside with a shotgun, or maybe a baseball bat. Either way, I have no idea what is wrong with my computer and it is driving me insane! Meltdown anyone?

These computer issues also warrant a big coffee, a good cry, and some chocolate. You know, because there’s nothing chocolate can’t fix, right? But seriously, if you don’t see any new posts this week just know that I’m undergoing massive reboots and techie stuff that I don’t really understand and I’ll be back soon. 🙂 Praying I can figure it out soon because my computer is virtually un-usable and SLLLOOWWW.

In (better) news, I took all 3 boys to the dentist today and nobody embarrassed me. That’s right… nobody ran away from me, I didn’t have to chase anyone down the hallway, or pull anyone off the decorations they just love to try to climb on. There were no looks from strangers, or older folks judging me. We came, we dentist’d, we conquered. Yes!!!! 🙂

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Ok, now let’s get to the fun part, these Gingy-Men pancakes! I even busted out my naturally dyed sprinkles I’ve been saving just for Holiday baking to dress these pancakes up a bit, and how cute did they turn out? I’ve been known to hate on sprinkles in the past (among other things like bunnies) because they are nasty *ahem partially hydrogenated oils and artificial color-bombs.* However I can totally get down with a few naturally dyed sprinkles on some festive pancakes to put a smile on my boy’s faces! They thought it was something really special and I got to enjoy a pancake with my coffee. Win-win all around!

*Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

 

 

 

 

5 Savory Quick Bread Recipes That Rock!

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Savory Quick Breads. Because not everyone is friends with yeast.


Although I spent a few months of my life doing NOTHING but making yeast breads, I tend to not want to go there at home. I’ve had too many “at home fails” because guess what? Yeast is picky, yeast is finicky, and I don’t have all of the professional equipment bakeries have, like huge mixers, confection ovens, and proof boxes. Sure, making yeast-based breads at home can be done, but to be honest I’m perfectly happy with the bread that we buy (Ezekiel Bread from Food For Life) so I don’t see a reason to make my own. I’ve found a bread product that is 100% whole, all natural, Non-GMO, and my kid’s love it, so why add one more thing to my “Mommy-Do” list?

CAUTION: I’m about to burst a Pinterest Bubble right now. Those perfect looking breads and rolls you see on Pinterest? Your version probably won’t look like them. It takes SKILL to roll and shape breads, know how to score them, and proof them just right. Temperature and equipment have a lot to do with how your yeast breads will turn out, and if you aren’t a professional your results may not come close to what you saw in the pictures. Sure, bloggers and professionals make it look simple. Trust me here, it ISN’T! I know, I know, who likes a Debbie Downer? I promise, good news is coming! 🙂

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Good news in the form of a huge, melt in your mouth, savory muffin-style quick bread? Yes Please!! Not only are these super easy, you can pretty much put anything on top of them to customize them to your liking. I’ve created 5 basic combinations that I think pretty much rock!

Here’s the deal-io. We make a base, fill the muffin cups (or loaf pan if you choose), then top the base with cheeses, veggies, herbs, and even MUSTARD to create these uber-delish mega-muffs perfect for slathering butter, dipping, lunchboxes, and pretty much any other event you can think of. You could even slice these babes in half and throw something in between to create a sandwich. A savory, mega-muffin sandwich?!?!? Is this real life???? 🙂

And we aren’t stopping there *in creepy infomercial man voice* because these muffins are WHOLE WHEAT, naturally sweetened, and flavored with fresh ingredients. Remember, we are all about #betterbaking here, and we are sticking to it!

Speaking of fresh ingredients, I highly recommend using fresh herbs as opposed to dried because you will not get the same results with dried. Now on to the recipe… enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Savory Quick Bread Base

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat white flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
  • 1 cup sour cream

Directions: In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. In a separate bowl mix oil, eggs, sour cream, and sweetener. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just to combine evenly. Grease 6 large muffin tins (batter will make 12 small or 1 loaf as well). Evenly distribute batter, then top with desired toppings. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (for large muffins) or 45-55 minutes (for loaf pan).

1. Tomato Mozzarella

Use bread base, top with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Optional: fresh basil, garlic.

 2. Jalapeno Cheddar

Use bread base, top with jalapenos and cheddar cheese.

 3. Parmesan Peppercorn

Use bread base, top with freshly cracked black peppercorns, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

 4. Caramelized Onion and Herb

Use bread base, caramelize onion, and add fresh rosemary and thyme. I used 1/4 onion per large muffin. If you are using a loaf pan I’d suggest 1/2 onion.

 5. Whole Grain Mustard and Feta

Use bread base, top with a big smear of whole grain mustard and crumbled feta cheese.

 

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#BetterBaking Whole Wheat PB & Apple Muffins

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So this week has been kind of ground-breaking here at 3Boys because I rolled out my #betterbaking series and explained what I’m doing here, which is challenging people to think about the products and ingredients they are using when they bake. Ahhhemmm… dump cakes!


What inspired this? PINTEREST! There is nothing I hate more then clicking on a recipe that says “healthy” only to look at the ingredients and see Cool Whip, boxed cake mixes, and other food-like ingredients on the recipe. Can someone please explain what is healthy about that? What really irks me about this is there are actually people dieting, and trying to live healthy lifestyles who might not realize these ingredients are nothing more then a bunch of trans fats aka partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils do not equal healthy! You know, like the equal sign with a slash through it that we used in Algebra!?! Yeah… not equal to healthy!

And we aren’t stopping at Cool Whip and cake mixes folks! I’m also challenging people to consider using whole wheat flours and natural sugars/organic sugars instead of refined stuff. Yes, ANY baked item can easily be transformed into whole wheat with little to no effort. I promise, it’s not what you are thinking either. I’ve given dozens of people my whole wheat products and none of them even questioned it, which means they totally were diggin’ it and didn’t even know. My mom even told me she had no idea my cupcake was whole wheat, and would never have been able to tell the difference (she was eating my Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes).

And seriously, how cute are these?!?!?! Lovin’ these so much because guess what? They are:

  • whole wheat
  • sweetened naturally (maple syrup/bananas)
  • contain no eggs (bananas substituted for moisture and structure)
  • contain 1/2 cup of oats for a little extra iron

Say what? Muffins this cute can actually be this healthy? Come now… to the #betterbaking dark side. We have candy here… I mean… totally cute whole wheat muffins. You know, ugly cupcakes? Yes, muffins are ugly cupcakes. I know, I know, muffins need lovin’ too. That’s why I put an apple slice and peanut butter on top. 🙂

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Now, since we are talking about #betterbaking, I’m also going to call out JIFF because they too like to throw some partially hydrogenated oils all up in yo’ peanut butter. Really JIFF? Do choosy moms really like you, or are you just trying to lie to people?

I’m going with you’re just liars. So what I’m really saying is don’t use JIFF or any other brand that chooses to put dangerous fats in their products. There are tons of brands out there that use just 1 or 2 ingredients, and I highly suggest choosing these brands instead of the latter. I know, I know, I just got all “healthy freak” on you, but it is so true and I always give a PSA with peanut butter posts because THE LAST thing I want to do is advise anyone to use hydrogenated oils. I’m only “healthy freak” because I care. 🙂

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“Sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with maple syrup” has a nice ring to it, right? I totally thought so too. 🙂 So that line just became the official Moto of these lovely muffins.

If you want MORE #betterbaking recipes here are a few others to check out! I’ll be tackling more Cool Whip madness next week so tune in and we can hate on Kraft a little more. 🙂

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie Cupcakes

Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

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Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters

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Pumpkin. Spice. Granola. Clusters.


Yes… fall has arrived. It is now time to re-create every recipe I’ve ever made to fit somewhere into the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg craze I’m about to embark on. 😉

Two things today:

1. How creepy are people at the grocery store with backpacks? Is it just me or does a man wandering around the isles, but not actually picking anything up, scream

“I’m about to blow the roof off this place any second.”

I mean really, if you want to scare a large crowd of stay at home moms and old people then wander around with a backpack and no cart. Likely everyone will scatter and look for the nearest Exit sign, then you don’t have to fight the crowd. Being creepy might have some perks, but I wouldn’t know because I’m about a -10 on the creepiness scale.

Upon seeing the creepy backpack guy I really just wanted to say

“Man, I just have to know. What’s in the bag? A machine gun? A bomb? A butcher knife? Ohhh.. it’s just your work clothes. Right, exactly what I had in mind. Thanks for clearing that one up. Now if you could kindly grab a cart and not corner me near the checkout that would be fantastic.”  And that was all she wrote. 😉

2. I found a really awesome yogurt. Maple Hill Creamery Vanilla Creamline Yogurt. It is beyond my wildest yogurt dreams and so, I kindly took a picture of it so you could love on it too. Usually I purchase plain yogurt, but this vanilla cup intrigued me because it said Creamline. Plus it was about 50 cents cheaper then the other organic yogurts so I gave it a go. Boy, was it good!

Why is it so good, you ask? Here is my humble old opinion on yogurt, so fasten your seatbelts folks! Most low fat yogurts take away the fat, but add a ton of refined sugars. What is the point of that exactly? You got me! I have no clue why Americans think full fat dairy is the devil, but I’m here to be the low fat yogurt voice of reason. Just eat the real thing, it is so much better, and doesn’t require 26 grams of sugar to make it taste good. In fact, this yogurt only has about 4 grams of added sugar and it is creamy, tangy, and delicious without being overly sweet. Top it with the Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and you have yourself one of the most enjoyable breakfasts in the world!

*This is NOT a sponsored post. I just love this stuff! In fact, here it is in all of it’s cute tree on the cup glory!

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I’m about to get all “health foodie mom” on everyone so please, if you are over that phase in your life or just don’t care skip to the recipe!

We don’t buy boxed cereals at the grocery store, and if we do we buy the organic/better ones that are pretty much just a treat for the kids. I know, I know, some of you may be thinking what the what!?!?! But it is true. The fact is most cereals are just candy coated, GMO junk food. Most boxed cereals even contain BHT, which is banned in most of the world (Hello FDA where are you?) They are no way to start your day… like ever! Yes, they might be fortified but if you are eating right in the first place you don’t need fortified junk food. With the organic/better cereals that aren’t fortified I’ve noticed they contain a whole lot of nothing so that is why I give them to my kids as a treat, not necessarily a breakfast. If you are trying to cut the crap out of your life, then here are my breakfast suggestions:

  • Homemade granola (because a lot of the grocery store granolas have a ton of unnecessary, added ingredients.
  • Eggs
  • Oatmeal (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon, 1 tsp pure maple syrup, blueberries=the best oatmeal ever!!)
  • Ezekiel muffins/bread with butter
  • Fruit/Yogurt
  • Whole wheat pancakes, waffles
  • Pumpkin Spice Granola Clusters and yogurt 😉

So there you go. A whole bunch of reasons not to eat a bowl-o-crap and a few suggestions of what to eat instead. Phew, I’m glad I got that off my chest! Ok, I promise I’m done and here is the recipe. Just an FYI, this recipe contains 2 egg whites. That means it will be crunchy, plus pack a bit of protein. Perfection I tell ya!

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Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

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I’ve been gawking… foodgawking that is! One thing I’ve really been gawking are all of those cutesy desserts covered in sprinkles galore. I’ve always loved sprinkles because they are cute, colorful, and well, they can make ugly things look pretty. However, once I grew up and realized what sprinkles actually were we kind of had a falling out. How could they have been lying to me this whole time? Pretending to be cute when in reality they are chemical bombs covered in artificial colorings! We’ve been broken up for quite some time now, and every time I see a sprinkle my heart sinks a little more. Until now!


I have no idea why it took me so long to realize that there ARE naturally dyed sprinkles out there, and they were right in front of my sprinkle-less little eyes this whole time. I’ve passed by them time and time again, never looking twice at their vegetable dyed awesomeness. One day when my kids weren’t screaming for Annie’s crackers (yes I do fall victim to those stupid bunnies sometimes too) I had a moment of clarity in the grocery store for the first time in over 7 years. All of a sudden there they were… the sprinkles I have been longing for all this time, so I scooped them up for $1.99 and was on my merry way home to think of reasons to use them.

Naturally I thought I’d be using the sprinkles for cupcakes but when I made these banana muffins I thought they needed a bit of a sprinkle face lift. My husband said “Don’t waste sprinkles on muffins” but seriously, he’s no food stylist so I started sprinkling, and how cute are these!?!? Muffins are no longer the “ugly cupcake” or the “stepchild of cupcakes” or the “duff” (totally not explaining that one if your not familiar with that term 😉 ), but they are now holding their own on the cuteness scale. These muffins are worthy of being a healthy classroom treat, or the lunchbox item all the kids are secretly longing for. We’ve re-invented muffins here people and I’m  loving these!

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What I love most about these muffins is they aren’t just cute muffins… they are healthy muffins! I don’t play the “whole wheat” game that is actually half whole wheat and half refined flour. What is the point of that again? Not only are these muffins whole wheat, they are also naturally sweetened which is almost always my goal when baking. On top of that they have a rich and creamy center with just enough cream cheese to make you feel like your eating something dreamy and decadent. Even better then all of that, they are so easy to make. Simply mix wet, mix dry, and combine just until mixed and bake.

Muffin Tip: I always fill my muffins to the top of the liner because nobody likes a muffin without tops!

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*If you are looking for naturally dyed sprinkles here are the ones I used. It is a bulk pack but if you love sprinkles as much as I do it might be worth it!

Vanilla and Fig Baked Oatmeal

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One thing I always hear people saying is they just don’t have time to make themselves a healthy breakfast every morning. If you are used to eating nothing (or something packaged) this recipe is for you! It takes just a few minutes to put together, and after you bake it you will have a healthy breakfast prepared for the rest of the week. I top this oatmeal with a mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, and pour a little milk over it while it is still hot. I cut it into little squares for my kids and they eat it with milk like regular cereal. This is a great alternative to boxed cereals for kids because it is real food with real ingredients and is not loaded with sugar like most of the boxed options.


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Whole Spelt, Lemon, and Ricotta Pancakes

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I can’t even explain how excited I am to announce… I have finally purchased a REAL camera! Please bear with me through the process of figuring out how to use it. I have never even operated a professional camera so this is a learning experience for me all around. I can honestly say this is the first picture I have ever taken with a real camera and while it isn’t perfect, it is much better then the iPad photos I have been using! I’m really excited to continue growing my photography and feedback is much appreciated. 🙂

On to the pancakes… my husband actually had a dream that someone from his past was baby-wearing and making lemon ricotta pancakes at the same time. Seriously, I couldn’t make this up if I tried! Sunday morning I woke up refreshed because somehow I managed to sleep 12 hours after a really long day. It was glorious! Making up for lost sleep usually equates to a big breakfast here, and he mentioned the dream pancakes so I looked around the web but couldn’t find a whole grain version. I found this recipe on Cooking Classy and adapted it to a whole grain version using whole wheat pastry flour and whole spelt. I also made them a second time with whole wheat pastry flour and oat flour, and I have to say I liked the spelt better! I made a few other revisions to their recipe and they turned out fabulous! They are super light, fluffy, and have just a touch of lemon.

*I cook these in a cast iron skillet with about a tablespoon of melted ghee. The key to the perfect pancakes in cast iron is heating it correctly. Put the ghee or butter in your skillet when you begin mixing your ingredients. Keep it on low and let it get nice and warm. I turn it up to just under medium when I begin cooking the pancakes. Low and slow is the way to go! If your skillet is seasoned nicely you should not have to add any more ghee to your pan after the first tablespoon.

 

Whole Grain Banana Bread

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We had some bananas get brown really quick, so it was banana bread time! I adapted an old banana bread recipe to make it with whole, natural ingredients and it turned out fantastic! Quick breads are just that… quick! It takes only a few minutes to put together and it is delicious. This bread it great for lunchboxes or after school snacks.


This recipe features whole spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour, mascobado sugar, maple syrup, and salted butter. I love using salted butter in recipes like this for a little touch of saltiness  to go with the sweet bananas.

Vanilla-Almond Freezer Pancakes

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If your mornings are super busy making breakfast ahead, freezing it, and getting it out as needed is a great idea. These pancakes are loaded with nutrients and oats, which will give you lasting energy. I love knowing when I send my school aged son off to school that he won’t be super hungry before lunch time! If you don’t want to freeze this recipe I recommend cutting it in half.


Another reason to make your own pancakes to freeze instead of buying the store bought version are the ingredients. Here are the ingredients from Kellog’s Eggo Buttermilk Pancakes:

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The Red Flags

  • Soybean oil: Highly refined, unhealthy fats, GMO, never a good option!
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup: Highly refined, GMO, will likely give a spike of energy, and a crash!
  • Enrichment: The fact that they are enriching these means they are not using a whole flour that still has natural nutrients in tact. If you are consuming whole, unrefined grains there is no need for enrichment. Our bodies are also more efficient at processing naturally occuring nutrients so that is always the best way to go.

Overall, the ingredient list is just in my opinion inferior. They use the worst ingredients in each category, then go back and enrich it. I know I don’t want to start my day with unhealthy fats, gmo’s, and HFCS!  Also, if you are thinking of going the boxed mix route, some of those are even worse! Check out this post for the reasons why.

*To freeze simply place in ziplock bags and store in freezer.

 

Fruity Nutty Oat Squares

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The Ninja

Not to brag but I have a pretty awesome husband who is completely on board with eating unprocessed foods and supports everything I do. He knew I wanted a food processor because the small one I had a while back broke and I never replaced it. We went to Target for sponges last week and came home with a Ninja Masterprep Professional blender, chopper, and ice crusher.! My husband picked it out and brought it to the counter so it was a spur of the moment purchase but I’m very happy with it. The machine is a processor, chopper, and bullet all in one and it is AWESOME!!!! It  was relatively inexpensive for everything it does and it could crush just about anything. If you are in the market for a cool kitchen gadget here is a link to this machine:

The Squares


I had been looking a recipes for date and nut bars (LaraBars) and realized a lot of them looked super sticky. We always have rolled oats on hand so I decided to try my own version with some oats to help with the stickiness of the dates. These came together like a charm and with no trial and error I had created exactly what I was thinking of. These squares are versatile and could easily be modified using different types of dried fruit and nuts. My toddler was curious to try them right away and approved! These would be a great breakfast, snack, or lunchbox treat! With no added sugars, whole oats, and raw almonds these squares are something I feel good about feeding my children.

Whole Wheat Apple and Oat Pancakes

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Apple and Oat Pancakes

I mentioned before I had been trying to perfect my pancake recipe. When I’m creating recipes to use for my kids it does take a bit of trail and error with ingredients to get things just right. I’ve been making pancakes from scratch for quite some time now, so I’m familiar with what makes a good pancake! I also have 3 tiny taste testers to let me know what they like as well.

Nutrients


Of course, being a health conscious mom I  also want to pack as many nutrients as I can into my kid’s breakfast. When my 7 year old son goes off to school in the morning I want to be sure he will have energy to last him until lunch time. The problem with sugary kids cereals and some frozen pancakes is that they are loaded with sugar and refined grains that give kids energy spikes, then crashes. Kids tend to loose focus easily and eating highly refined foods won’t help with that!

Oats provide long lasting energy and are iron rich, so I feel good about feeding them to my toddler and baby as well. Its awesome being able to make a breakfast like this and feed all 3 boys the same thing! The stone ground whole wheat flour in these is also naturally rich in iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folate so your getting nutrients from grains without the bleaching and enriching refined grains go through. I’ll never understand the concept of stripping grains of their natural nutrients, then adding them back in. Getting back to basics and using stone ground whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and real apples make these pancakes a delicious way to start the day. They are great for snacks and lunchboxes as well!

*Here is a link to the flour I use:

Whole Wheat Pancake Donuts

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donuts2 These little donuts are so fun! I’m constantly thinking of ways to make unprocessed food fun for my kids and this recipe was a hit all around. They are great for breakfast, lunchboxes, or dinner. To make these you will need a mini-donut baking pan. Here is a link to the one I use.

For this recipe I also used a whole wheat pastry flour which allows for a whole wheat product that is not dense. I do use this product often in recipes like this one and other baked goods. Its a great alternative to bleached and enriched white flour without the processing the white flour goes through. This flour is a staple in my pantry! If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, you could experiment with using a regular whole wheat flour. I have experimented with a few different flours in pancake mixes and I can’t say I prefer one over another. Here is a link to the flour if your having a hard time finding it in your local grocery store.


I should also note that I did pre-sweeten these with pure maple syrup. It is important to use pure maple syrup over a highly refined syrup because most of the time the other ones are pure high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring! Never a good way to start the day for any child. I pre-sweetened to avoid the “syrup fight” as I like to call it. You see, my oldest son likes to put all of his syrup on one or two bites and then continually asks for more and more until the “syrup fight” happens when I have to cut him off. Then I’m “really mean” as he likes to say. I’ll admit I’m a tad bit skimpy with the syrup because refined or not, sugar is still sugar and we should all be conscious to not over-consume in the name of being “healthier.” It is just easier to put the syrup in the mix and avoid any issues! I went light on the syrup and the donuts were only slightly sweetened, but my kids didn’t complain or even ask for more. You can adjust this according to what you like.