Healthy Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Oat Breakfast Bars

1.  That title is a mouthful!

2.  I can't believe I haven't blogged on this blog in a year.  That's ridiculous.

3.  I didn't eat these as breakfast...  These were a dessert.  They are that good.  Below is the recipe as I made it (I followed it pretty exactly, just used butter instead of coconut oil).  Here is the link to the original.  I am not concerned with the gluten-free aspect, so that isn't a focus in my ingredients.  But this very easily is gluten-free.  My thing is trying to cut back on refined sugars.  So this really hit the spot and was amazing.


2 1/4 cups oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 medium, ripe bananas, peeled
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Drizzle: 
1/2 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To make oat flour: Place oats into blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until oatmeal resembles flour. You may need to stop blender and stir oats a couple of times to ensure that all oats have been blended. Transfer oat flour medium bowl; whisk in baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside.

Place bananas, vanilla, applesauce, and honey into blender; blend 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add to oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Gently fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with rubber spatula. Bake for 15 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Cool 10-15 minutes on wire rack.

Prepare drizzle by adding 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and butter in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds; stir well to combine then drizzle over the top of bars. Cut bars into 16 squares and enjoy!  (My drizzle wasn't super drizzly, so I may have burned my chocolate a little or maybe the butter isn't as great for this as the coconut oil...  So I put mine in a little snack-size ziploc and cut off a corner and squeezed it out over the bars.  Still tasty!)


Anyway, this woman who came up with this recipe is awesome beyond words in my book.  I have some nephews who have quite a few food allergies to contend with... I sent this link to my sister-in-law, because I am pretty sure this is something the boys can have, and it is seriously so good.  In fact, I need to make another batch :).

Now if only all healthy desserts could be this good!

Can't-Eat-Just-One Cinnamon Rolls

I love baked goods.  And I love cinnamon rolls.  And I love the Taste of Home magazine.  I put more recipes into my "recipe binder" from a Taste of Home that I happen upon than from anywhere else.  It's probably a tad dangerous for me to come across one.  Because guaranteed I'm going to find about 10 recipes I want to try.

Well, as luck would have it, someone gave me the February/March 2015 Taste of Home to flip through and keep.  Oh my goodness.  And so then I had to make these cinnamon rolls. 

CAN'T-EAT-JUST-ONE CINNAMON ROLLS
1 package (or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water (110 degrees)
1 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding (approx half of a 3.4 ounce box)
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted (I omitted this)
Frosting:  (I made mine more of a glaze and added about 1/2 tablespoon milk -- I also cut this in half)
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon water

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water.  In a bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed 1 minute.  Let stand 1 minute.  Add egg, butter, salt, yeast mixture and 2 cups flour; beat on medium until smooth.  Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough (I used all 3 1/2 cups).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

For filing, in a bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon.  Punch down dough; divide in half.  Roll each into an 18x10 inch rectangle.  Brush each with 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture.  Roll up, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.  Cut each into 12 slices.

Place in a greased 13x9 inch baking pan.  Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes (mine took 20) or until golden brown.  In a bowl, beat frosting ingredients until creamy.  Spread over warm rolls.

Notes:  In addition to what I already noted in the recipe above...  I chose not to cut each half into 12.  I ended up with a total of 16 and I assume they were just bigger than what they otherwise would have been.


Verdict:  They are yummy.  We ate half the pan in less than a day.  And then had to give some away for fear that I would eat the rest (seriously don't need that!).  However, I have another recipe for cinnamon rolls that are overnight cinnamon rolls.  Which means I can do all the the work the night before and then just bake them in the morning.  So I will probably keep using that recipe, because it's amazing too and I like splitting it up.  But these are delicious, and I would otherwise keep making them.

Frankenmuffins

I don't know about most people, but as for myself...  I know I could do better at getting veggies into my body.  And more importantly to me at this point, as a mother, I want to get more veggies into my sweet little girl.  Her diet is determined largely by me (and somewhat by her dad, and I'll admit it:  he's a healthier eater than I am).  So it is up to me to make sure she is getting what she needs.  And, I often fall short on the veggies.  It's one of the reason I'm looking forward to a high-end blender and some green smoothies! 

Because I want my veggies to taste yummy.  And I'm always on the lookout for delicious recipes that include vegetables.  My stir-fry veggies recipe has helped me a lot.  I really like getting a variety of vegetables that way.  My husband loves it.  And so does my toddler.  But I don't make them every day, of course.  And so it's nice to have other recipes to turn to :). 

Well, this recipe is bomb.  My friend Lea saved some Family Fun magazines for me -- figuring I may find some family fun stuff to do with my young family!  And I found several awesome things.  Including a recipe for Frankenmuffins!  Granted, they are named to be suited for Halloween.  And I probably will make them for Halloween for sure!  But I wanted to try them out, and since I had all the ingredients (thanks to my THRIVE Spinach!), I felt motivated to do it today :).

FRANKENMUFFINS
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk because it's what I had in the fridge)
6 ounces (6 cups packed) fresh baby spinach  (I used 3 cups THRIVE Chopped Spinach and rehydrated it)
1 large ripe banana
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used THRIVE Pure Vanilla Powder)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 16 muffin cups with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients and stir with a mix until well combined. 

In a blender, add the oil, milk, and spinach.  Puree until smooth.  Add banana and vanilla and blend until all is well combined.  Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until completely mixed (I used my stand mixer).

Fill each prepared muffin well two-thirds full.  Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes (mine took 17).

And seriously...  This recipe is amazing.  The batter tastes good too, just fyi.  And there's no raw egg, so it's pregnant-lady and toddler friendly ;).  But the real test is the muffin itself, right? And they are so good.  Especially about 10 minutes after I pulled them out of the oven! 

And so now you have an adult's opinion on them.  I think they taste great.  And I love that they have spinach and we're getting veggies.  And that there is whole wheat, which is also good stuff. 

But what does my toddler think?  So, I gave her half of one for a snack.  She gobbled that thing up and asked for more.  Which I didn't give her, as it's close to dinner time.  But I am thrilled that she liked it so much!  And the way I see it, these could even be used as a breakfast.  What a great way to get some veggies in you first thing in the morning!

So moms...  If you want something new to get veggies into your kiddos, give this recipe a try!  I will be making it again and again!

French Bread

I think there are few things finer than freshly baked yeast breads.  Seriously, I could live off of bread (well, my taste-buds could, at least).

Some time ago, I found this recipe through pinterest.  The original recipe is found here.  I follow the recipe exactly -- and it is seriously the best bread ever.

I have actually used some whole wheat flower in a batch (I think I subbed 2 cups whole wheat flour for 2 white).  It's still good, but not nearly as divine.

I love this recipe so much, I actually made several batches of it before it got hot here and froze the loaves so we could enjoy it all summer without heating up the house :).  It is that good.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe (but don't say I didn't warn you if you get addicted):

2 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbls. yeast
3 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. white vinegar
1 Tbls. salt
1/3 c. oil (I use Canola)
6-7 c. flour

Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and let sit 3 to 5 minutes until a little bubbly and frothy.

Add salt and oil, stir. Add flour one cup at a time until dough is soft, but firm enough to mold into loaves. Put in greased bowl in the oven with a pot of boiling water (boiling water will help keep dough moist). Allow to rise to top of bowl (about 45 minutes) and punch down. Allow to rise again. Do this 2 to 5 times (as you have time available).

Empty dough out onto a greased surface and separate into two equal parts. Form into rectangular/french bread loaves and slash each loaf on top 3 to 5 times. Allow to rise 30 minutes or until they reach the size you want. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 375.

Recipe makes 2 large loaves or 3 medium sized loaves.  The loaves freeze really well.

Tonight I served this with a hearty vegetable soup.  I used a lot of my THRIVE for the soup, making it a fast and easy meal.  You can find that recipe (the way I made it) here.

Cheddar Zucchini Mini Muffins

Ever since Lynnaea became a toddler (which happened before her 1st birthday, though I hate to admit it...), I've wanted to come up with healthy snacks for her.  I felt it was important to get her eating on a regular schedule -- 3 meals and 2 snacks.  But, being that I'm not super-creative and that I'm a first-time mom...  I wasn't very good at coming up with things to offer her for a snack.  (Heck, it took me a while to realize all the meal foods I could give her!). 

So I turned to Pinterest.  Because that's just how I roll.  And I came across this recipe for cheddar zucchini bread. 

I love this recipe for a number of reasons:

1.  It uses some whole wheat flour.  I want Lynnaea to realize that eating "brown" bread is better than eating white bread.  I want her to not throw a fit about eating wheat bread.  We have a lot of whole wheat at our house, because my husband grinds his own wheat to make his own bread.  I also have lots of all-purpose white flour, because I use it for baking other thing.  But still...  I've gotten used to making a lot of things (like pizza dough) with a mixture of both (which this recipe calls for both), and I want Lynnaea to grow up accepting that as just the way it is.  It's better for her anyway.

2.  It uses zucchini.  Which I categorize in the vegetable category.  And this means I can get extra veggies into her.  Plus, I still have frozen shredded zucchini in the deep freezer.  With 3 zucchini plants in the garden already.  And I'm hoping for another amazing harvest.

3.  I read the reviews and noticed I could cut back the salt significantly.  I grew up eating high-sodium foods.  Not a bunch of stuff out of a can, mind you.  But when a recipe (like arroz con pollo) called for a tablespoon of salt...  My mom added a tablespoon of salt.  And until I got married, it never occurred to me that that was a lot.  So I've been trying to cut back on the amount of salt in small ways.  Like using home-made broths in place of canned broths when I have it in the freezer.  Or replacing some of the broth with water.  I mean, I still want my food to taste good.  That's important to me.  But if I can healthify it even a little...  I'd like to do that.  For me, and for my kiddo.

Anyway, here's the recipe.  The only thing I did was bake in mini-muffin tins to make them toddler-friendly.  And I froze most of them, so I can take them out a little at a time.

Zucchini Cheddar Mini Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini\
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add in the zucchini, cheese, and scallions and toss to coat.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into a greased mini muffin tins and bake for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool and serve.
6. * Loaves can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, placed in freezer bags, labeled and frozen for up to 3 months. Place in refrigerator overnight to defrost. 

Note:  I changed the cook time to apply to mini muffins.  Also, I didn't have buttermilk.  But a quick google search will tell you how much regular milk to use, in addition to either vinegar or lemon juice.  I used lemon juice.  Worked great.  And my munchkin loves these.