Blackberry Almond Muffins

I am burned out on granola and I am not always the best morning person, so muffins are my plan b for easy quick breakfasts. I used to bake muffins every week and then I realized I was probably overdoing it on the carbs. (Thanks gestational diabetes.) Now muffins are an every and now and then. Pair with some good coffee, scrambled eggs, fruit or cheese and these will keep you feeling full and happy.

*Mix Ahead* I have a container of flours and flaxseed that I have pre-mixed and ready to throw in breads, muffins, pancakes, etc.  It goes like this: 1 Cup all purpose flour, 1 Cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 Cup milled flaxseed. Shake before using.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup pre-mixed flour
2/3 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1/2 Cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 - 2 Cups fresh blackberries
1/2 Cup sliced almonds

The original recipe is from the tried and true Better Homes and Gardens cook book.  

-I used almond milk because I have it and no one will drink it, so it has to go somewhere, right?And honestly, I didn't measure. I assume it was about 1/2 Cup, add more if your batter is too thick.
-I changed the sugar amount to 2/3 C because blackberries are super tart.
-I tossed in my flour mix, because it's a habit, I can't help myself.
-I ran out of canola oil midway through this recipe and substituted with what I thought was enough butter to fill the liquid requirements.
-I added vanilla and cinnamon because I like the way they smell.
-I tossed in some sliced almonds at the last minute, it was a great decision

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your muffin pan how you like (with grease or spray or use liners). Mix up the ingredients. I have never followed the directions on the order things should go in what bowl. Just put it together and mix. Spoon the batter into your muffin pan, filling up the cups about 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Enjoy your mornings!

Blueberry Almond Struesel

There is an evil temptress in the grocery store... well there are many, actually. But lately, it has been anything made by Entemanns. Every time I walk by one of those blue and white boxes my mouth waters and I stare into the plastic window and pine after the fat sweetness that sleeps inside. Here is my own version of something sweet and beautiful.

 

I started with a simple Muffin Recipe.   Added 1 1/2 Cups frozen blueberries, thawed and 1 Cup of crushed almonds. I used almond milk in place of milk.   Then, I poured the (thick) batter in a greased 9" cake pan and topped with a small version of an adapted fruit crisp recipe:

1/2 Cup Oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Check insides with toothpick to make sure it's fully cooked all the way through.  After the giant muffin was cooled I topped with yummy icing.

1 Cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
2 - 3 Tablespoons vanilla almond milk

Mix together. Adding more milk to make thinner. Drizzle.  Enjoy!

Carrot Oat Muffins

When I look up recipes for carrot muffins I find a lot of recipes for carrot cake..... What I'm looking for is a healthy yummy crunchy recipe that tastes likes carrots, because I happen to like carrots a lot. I haven't found one that I really like yet... so I made one up.

When I make up recipes from scratch I try to make them as simple as possible so that I can remember them without having to look them up again. I try to keep the measurements to something I will remember and that looks like the right proportion when I throw it in the batter. Sometimes this works out, sometimes it doesn't. This combination worked out extremely well for the first round.

If you want to try them out below is the recipe... but I warn you they do not taste like carrot cake. As much as I love pineapple and cream cheese I omitted them for something more breakfast-y. They taste like crunchy carrot granola bars in muffin form.... my sweet toothed kids loved them.

 (this particular batch of muffins are heart shaped)

Recipe:

2 Cups shredded carrots

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

1/2 Cup ground up oats (I toss mine in the food processor first)

1 Cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 stick of butter, softened

1 Cup of wheat flour

1 Cup of all purpose flour

1/3 Cup flaked coconuts, chopped up

1/3 Cup milled flaxseed

1/3 Cup raisins

1/3 Cup of applesauce

Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes

Breakfast

Mornings are blurry around here. Our little one still isn't sleeping in her own bed through the night which leaves one of us with a waking imprint of an elbow in our back at the beginning of each day. I try to make muffins at least once a week to help get us started without too much fuss. If things are going really well we might even get 2 batches. This recipe was originally my mother-in-laws tried and true base muffin recipe... and I added my own flavors and goodness to make it our own.

Apple Walnut Muffins

Recipe:
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C milled flaxseed
2 medium size apples peeled and grated
dash of cinnamon
dash of cloves

I'm not a stickler for method. So for me I toss things in the mixing bowl as I pull them from the cupboard or the refrigerator and I mix it all together. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Sweet Coconut Banana Smoothie

We usually make this with Chocolate Almond Milk, but I accidentally bought Vanilla Coconut Milk from Silk this week. While everyone agrees on its yumminess, I haven't found much to use it for besides smoothies and with cooked oats.

Recipe for 2 adults, 2 children:


3 C Vanilla Coconut Milk by Silk (not the thai food canned coconut milk stuff)
2 T home-made chocolate sauce (we had some leftover from last weeks ice-cream)
1 frozen banana, sliced
2 spoon fulls of creamy peanut butter

Blend. Don't forget to lick the peanut butter spoon for good luck.