Easy and awesome oatmeal!

Let me preface this post by first saying I'm not a fan of oatmeal and I never really have been. The closest I've ever come to liking oatmeal is the little individual packets of flavored quick oats. But I decide to give it a chance again and I found a recipe that I love! And even Kyle can vouch for me that this recipe does not need any added sweeteners, the banana does well enough on its own! I made the recipe twice just this week. So with that little intro, here's the recipe:

1cup of rolled oats
1-2 tablespoons of something acidic such as lemon juice, whey, apple cider vinegar

1 cup of liquid ( I have used anything from water, milk, or even very liquidy yogurt, all work about the same)
1 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1-2 ripe and chopped up bananas
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (optional)

1. Put the oats in a bowl and cover with warm water, add the acidic liquid and mix. Allow it to soak covered and wrapped in a towel 12-24 hours. I just do this the day before. This makes the oatmeal easier to digest and often improves the flavor.

2. Rinse the oats well and set aside

3. In a pot bring the 1 cup of milk/water to a boil over medium/high heat.

4. Reduce the heat and add the salt, oatmeal, cinnamon, and cut up banana to the pot and mix until it has thickened to your liking and remove from heat.

5. Add the flaxseed meal and enjoy!!

Grilled Peanut Chicken Skewers

Per Julia's request, here is the recipe for the grilled peanut kabobs we made this summer at my in-laws.  This is a family favorite and always a crowd pleaser.  Enjoy! :)

·         1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

·         1/2 cup water

·         1/4 cup soy sauce

·         4 garlic cloves, minced

·         3 tablespoons lemon juice

·         2 tablespoons brown sugar

·         3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·         1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

·         4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (18-24 oz)

·         1/2 green bell pepper, large chopped chunks

·         1/2 red bell pepper, large chopped chunks

·         1 white onion, large chopped chunks

In a saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until smooth. Reserve half of sauce.

Slice chicken lengthwise into 3/4-in. cubes. Thread chicken, bell pepper and onion onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes), alternating one piece of chicken with one or two vegetables (or any other combination).

Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2 minutes; turn and brush with peanut butter sauce. Continue turning and basting for 4-6 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve with reserved sauce.

Carrot Cake French Toast

These are seriously so good!  My favorite is to top them with sliced bananas and honey but the possibilities are endless.

• 4 Large Eggs
• 1/4 cup milk (or OJ if you have milk allergies)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1 TBL coconut (optional)
• 5 slices whole wheat bread

Mix eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and carrots in a shallow dish.  Dip whole wheat bread one at a time in egg mixture.  Place coated bread on a skillet and cook both sides until egg is set and cooked.  Slice into strips.  Sprinkle with coconut. Top with yogurt, honey, bananas or pineapple!

This is from superhealthykids.com and it has lots of healthy recipes and all the ones we've tried are tasty too!

Strawberry Jam

I love this jam and I love how when you make it you can decide how much you want it sweetened.  When I make this recipe, we leave out the honey.  Our strawberries were already sweet and I use red delicious apples which are sweeter than granny smith apples.  Anyway, adjust it to how you like it and enjoy.

We like to add this to our homemade plain yogurt.  I also make popsicles with a mixture of plain yogurt and jam and then freeze.

Here's the link:
Strawberry Jam Recipe

Homemade Granola Bars

My friend Marci sent me this recipe. It is a family favorite because it is yummy and different every time.

Homemade Granola Bars
1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)* My kids don't like these so I added mini choc chips instead
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I used Corn syrup)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper (not wax paper), allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Because my pieces were all pretty coarse, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.

Homemade Pancake Mix and Beet Pancakes

These are the only pancakes we make. They are so yummy. If you mix the wet ingredients first for a bit, they are super duper fluffy. We also sometimes and oats and chia seeds.

Pancake Mix:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 cups white flour
• 1 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 Cup baking powder
• 1 Tbsp salt

Mix together with a whisk and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  

To Make Pancakes Add:

• 1 1/2 cups mix
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg

Mix together.  Pour batter onto a hot griddle or pan

http://www.superhealthykids.com/blog-posts/homemade-pancake-mix.php

Our favorite way to eat beets is in pancakes!

Just add some beet puree to the pancakes. It makes them super pink too. And we do it with cauliflower as well.

http://www.superhealthykids.com/healthy-kids-recipes/power-puff-pancakes.php

Fresh Cranberry Mini Scones

They were SCONES!! and they were good. We got some fresh cranberries and thought that scones would be a good way to go. And it was 

These ones have the lemon glaze on them. Perfect sweetish tart to the tart.

  These are extra super little fat kid scones with cream cheese frosting.

YOU WILL NEED:

SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup (half a stick) unsalted butter, chilled and diced

3/4 cup Fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained

1 large egg

1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

1/4 tsp salt

Optional: 1 tbs granulated sugar for sprinkling

EGG WASH

1 egg

1 tbs water

GLAZE

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by combining the flour, baking powder and salt in your electric mixer bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter and mix until the mixture resembles small peas. Add in the egg and about a 1/4 cup of milk and mix until a soft, sticky dough forms (you may need more more milk, add in as much as you need). Gently fold in the fresh cranberries using a wooden spoon, being careful that the cranberries don't burst.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form it into a rectangle that measures about 4x11 inches. (There is no sugar in the actual scones, all the sweetness comes from the glaze on top and a sprinkling of sugar on top before they bake, so if you prefer a sweeter scone, just add some sugar into the dough!)

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and cut eight equal sized triangles out of your rectangle. (You could also just form the dough into a disk, and cut it into eight pieces like you would a pie.) Place the scones on your baking sheet, then refrigerate them for about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 deg F and prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg with some water. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash (sprinkle them with sugar if you prefer sweeter scones) and bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown. Let cool, then drizzle with the glaze (to make the glaze, simply whisk together the confectioners' sugar and fresh lemon juice). Serve as soon as the glaze has set, with tea, of course! (Note: You can store these in an air tight container, although they are definitely best served fresh! You can also freeze them and bake them off as you need them so you always have fresh scones. If you decide to freeze them, do so without the glaze, and simply drizzle the glaze once you've baked them.)

http://shopgirlmaria.blogspot.com/2013/11/fresh-cranberry-mini-scones.html