Homemade Chocolate Shell

I've been meaning to post this little gem for a while. I can't remember where I found this but I'm so happy I did! (You can do a search for homemade magic shell and get lots of ideas).

A hard coating of chocolate over a cold scoop of ice cream brings back happy childhood memories. From a scoop at home with "magic shell" to a chocolate dipped cone at the Foster's Freeze.

Let's quickly compare homemade chocolate shell to the well known Magic Shell from Smucker's.

Smucker's Magic Shell: Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Chocolate, Whole Milk Solids, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Contains 2% or less of: Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vanilla.

Homemade Chocolate Shell: Chocolate, Coconut Oil.

The Magic Shell didn't have as much of a big bad ingredients list as I expected it to. But it still has things you can avoid like added sugar and oil by making your own. Plus why buy it when it's super simple to make and you're in control of what ingredients go into it? Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp Coconut oil

Directions:
Put chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwavable glass container (I used my Pyrex measuring cup). Heat slowly in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted. Pour over your favorite ice cream and watch the magic!

PS: I really like the article linked to Soy Lecithin (above or click here). It explains the ingredient thoroughly giving you the information you need to decide whether or not you want to avoid it.

Welcoming 2013, finally. Pancakes, anyone?

Happy belated New Year! In typical fashion, I am  late. And, I haven't posted since mid November. My excuse? Well I have many but honestly the real reason is blogging is a passion of mine, certainly not a business, only a hobby and frankly my passions and hobbies seem to hang out at the bottom of the priority list. With two kiddos, a kindergartner and a preschooler (a preschool dropout actually, lol), it goes with the territory. So bear with me if you would, please? I have been in the kitchen whipping up some new foods and will be sharing as often as possible. See over there in the picture - Those are some recent "gems" and I will be sharing.

The start of a new year inspires us to make changes, do new things, etc. And although I'm not a "resolution" maker, I do feel a sense of renewal and motivation when a new year arrives. This year January brought me some sorrow though so it hasn't felt so inspiring thus far. One of my dear friends died suddenly. For the past nine months or so, I had been assisting my friend with getting healthier. She needed to lose weight, she needed to eat better. Her doctor told her it was imperative. I am not privy to the exact cause of death but I do know she was found unresponsive early on a Sunday morning. By the time the paramedics arrived, they said there was nothing they could do. I talked to her a few times the day before. And texted her the next morning, Sunday morning. We usually share weight loss info on Sunday mornings as we both were doing Weight Watchers. She never replied. In my heart, I feel this was a situation of too little too late. My friend needed to make some major changes. It was terribly hard for her. She would start and stop and start and stop and start again and stop again. She was finally being fairly consistent with walking on the treadmill with me two to four times a week. The food part was not consistent and was the toughest part for her. I look back on our text messages and see that she wasn't feeling well. She postponed our walk because she was feeling weak. She said it was because she hadn't been eating protein (because of her new braces making her teeth hurt). She also complained of a headache. At her service her sister-in-law told me she complained of a headache to her too as well as neck pain. Three days later, she died. I will likely never know if it was a stroke, a heart attack, or something else. I only know that my friend was unhealthy and was trying to change that. She tried but did not get a chance to get there.

With my friend passing, my mission to eat/make/share more real food and less processed food has become that much more important. Although my inspiration and motivation has been slowed, I am inspired to experiment more in the kitchen, challenge myself more (as a mom, a woman, a wife, an artist), to be organized enough to send birthday cards to my friends and family and to think positively. I'm going to turn my loss into more love for myself and others; more good food for my family and friends; and more recipes for you. And that's the short list. To kick off my 2013 recipes, let's eat pancakes! The base is the same as my whole wheat flax pancakes but this version has added spices. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. Oh, and if topping with maple syrup, be good to yourself and use the real stuff!

Whole Wheat Cardamon, Nutmeg and Flax Pancakes

2 C whole wheat pastry flour

2 tbsp flax meal

1/2 tsp cardamon*

1/4 tsp nutmeg*

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 C buttermilk

2 eggs

2 egg whites, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flax meal, cardamon, nutmeg, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

3. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir JUST until combined (do not over mix).

4. Gently fold in beaten egg whites.

5. Proceed with your usual method for making waffles or pancakes.

I used a large cookie dough/ice cream scoop for my pancakes and the recipe made 18 pancakes.

*I doubled the spices but I love cardamon and nutmeg! I also added sliced bananas to my pancakes during cooking - it was awesome!

Blueberry Oat Scones with Coconut Oil

Scones in production!

I've been on a scone kick lately. It's been tough to resist the scones at Whole Foods, really tough. So I decided to get in the kitchen and make a bunch of my own. I started with pumpkin. They were really good. I'll post the recipe soon. Then I made blueberry. Coming off a successful pumpkin scone, I had the confidence to do a little experimenting with the blueberry version.

I took inspiration from Weelicious (as I often do) and combined it with my style of baking. The results were terrific. That's why I decided to post this one first. My kids are always taste testers and since I create most of my recipes with them in mind, it's important they dig it. And they certainly loved these.

My palate is accustomed to nutty flavors from hearty grains and sweetness from fruit or honey not white sugar. So for me, these are perfect. My boys are also used to these flavors but that's not to say it can't be too much in some of the food and baked goods I make because it can and has. Sometimes it's just not balanced enough for them to like it. Hearty grains can get dense and occasionally (depending on the recipe and other ingredients) bitter and a bit harsh. Combine that with only a little sugar and it can be a "no thanks" recipe very easily. Oh, and I always like to be clear, I like sweet stuff as much as any one else, my chocolate chip cookies for instance, but I ultimately prefer treats like this scone. Give me a cup of coffee and one of these and I'm good. And the bonus is, I feel better afterward. Not guilty or like I need to add two miles to my run. Win win.

Okay, back to the experimenting. Scones are typically made with all-purpose white flour and butter. Makes for a tasty scone for sure. I decided to use my favorite white whole wheat flour in place of white flour and coconut oil in place of butter. Also instead of three tablespoons of white sugar, I used two tablespoons of brown sugar. I was going to leave out the sugar entirely but back to what I mentioned before, I was trying to avoid a "no thanks" result. I will say though, these might be just fine without the brown sugar, I really didn't taste it. I'll give it a try next time. Finally, the recipe I based this recipe on called for buttermilk. I didn't have any and somehow I was out of vinegar so I couldn't make my own. I substituted low fat yogurt and milk for the buttermilk. With all my substitutions, the texture and flavor were what I'd expect from a scone. I hope you'll give it a try.

Blueberry Oat Scone with Coconut Oil
Makes 8
Adapted from here.


2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, chilled & cubed*
1/4 cup low fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 egg
1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Using your fingers, massage the coconut oil into the flour/oat mixture until is resembles coarse meal.
4. Whisk the yogurt, milk and egg in a separate bowl.
5. Pour the yogurt mixture over the flour/oat mixture and stir with a fork until combined.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries (still frozen).
7. Form dough into a large circle/patty (roughly 1 inch thick/8 inches in diameter) and place on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. I shape it further after it's on the parchment paper.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Cool and serve.

*I measure a half cup of room temperature coconut oil and stick it in the refrigerator for a bit. It becomes cold and completely solid and allows you to cut it up and combine it with the dry ingredients the same way you would with butter.

With frosting on top!

Yes, pumpkin recipe season is upon us but I'm one of those people that make pumpkin things all year around. When Trader Joe's starts selling canned organic pumpkin (September-ish), I start stocking up. It's a $1.99 per 15 oz. can. An average price from what I've seen. I make sure I end up with enough cans to get me through the year ahead. I happened to underestimate how many I would need last season causing me to run out mid Summer. I'll be sure to add on a couple of extra cans this year.

Oh, and, I know I could make my own pumpkin puree but remember - this mama needs some convenience. Canned pumpkin is one of those conveniences! Never do I say never (well except when asked if I'd run a full marathon) so one day I may make my own puree but it won't be this year!

I've shared pumpkin bread in the past but this one is a perfected version of what I once made and it's topped with a simple cream cheese frosting. I was inspired by my oldest son's sweet tooth and our shared love for pumpkin bread. As I talk about often, it's a rule that we make our own "treats" and buying them is the exception. Although I don't consider my whole wheat pumpkin bread on its own (sans frosting!) a treat, I apply the same rule to quick breads, muffins and like items as the store bought versions are highly processed and full of unnecessary ingredients. And, when the exception arises, I make a point to purchase fresh baked items from an actual bakery not something in a box wrapped in plastic.

Okay, enough about that. Let's get to the yummy bread. This bread is awesome on it's own. It is a common snack in our house. On this particular day, we were in the mood for a little something extra. The initial request was for cake actually. Ending up with whole wheat pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting turned out to be a perfect compromise.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
8 to 10 servings
Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food and Weelicious


Bread:
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (or white whole-wheat flour)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey or brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree


How to make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (flour to salt).

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add eggs, oil, honey (or sugar), vanilla, and pumpkin. Stir together gently with a fork, don't beat it up!

Line standard loaf pan with parchment paper or grease with oil. Add batter.

Bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes. Check for doneness at 30 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

How to make:
Beat all ingredients together until smooth. I mixed by hand (what a workout!) but you can use an electric mixer to make it easier (and smoother).

Frost cooled pumpkin bread. I had extra frosting... I guess I could have put on more but I think there will be extra regardless. Slice loaf  (8 - 10 slices) and enjoy!

One of my favorite sites

If you're a reader of my blog, you likely know that I love Weelicious.com. I make lots of Catherine's recipes for the family. In fact, my husband just made his first weelicious recipe, chicken curry, for my birthday and it was so good and easy to make, he made it again this past weekend.

Catherine is giving away 10 autographed copies of her new cookbook, Weelicious. I know I'd love one. I plan on ordering a copy once it's released as I just don't seem to win things but I threw my hat in the ring anyway, and so should you! Click here to enter! And, meanwhile, take a look around Weelicious.com. I always find something new to try and so far everything has gone over well with the kiddos - including the chicken curry.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cornbread

I've said it before, I know, but I'll say it again - I love pumpkin. I always stock up on cans of it during the holiday season to ensure I have plenty to use all year around. And when I found a recipe for pumpkin cornbread at recipegirl.com, I jumped at the first opportunity to give a try.

As usual, I made some changes. I used to have a rule with new recipes: Make it exactly as it reads the first time then make changes. After much practice and becoming more educated in the kitchen and with ingredients, I almost never follow that rule now. Most times, it all turns out okay. And this pumpkin cornbread recipe was one of them. I used coconut oil in place of canola oil, added more spices and used all white whole wheat flour. Next time I plan to substitute honey for the brown sugar and maybe applesauce for the oil. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you like cornbread, you need to give this recipe a try. The pumpkin and spices are present but it's cornbread more than it is a pumpkin bread. I served it with a little butter and pure maple syrup. The boys loved it! I was certain we'd have a lot left over but it went quick. Our family of four had it finished with 24 hours. It started as an afternoon snack and ended as breakfast the next morning. And I should mention that my (poor iPhone 3) photo is of two servings, not one.

Pumpkin Cornbread
Adapted from here.
Makes 8 servings

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 cup cornmeal

2 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened pure pumpkin puree
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10-inch glass pie pan or 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal.

3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.

4. Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredient and combine gently just until blended- don't over-mix.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.

Recipe: Oatmeal Berry Blend Cookies

I have a real live cookie monster in my house. He is in the form of a four year old. This boy has it bad for cookies and I have to constantly keep his love for them under control. I assume some of the responsibility though... I can make a pretty mean cookie.  One of the food rules we follow is making our treats, not buying them. This helps not only to control the ingredients but it also makes it a more enjoyable experience. My boys get to help make them and the reward is always worth the work and wait. Additionally, it naturally controls the frequency. Boxed or bagged cookies? No way, totally not worth it for this family.

Inspired by a craving I had for oatmeal raisin cookies, I came up with a little tweak on a traditional oatmeal raisin cookie. Oatmeal Berry Blend Cookies. This cookie was another hit. I am going to go as far as suggesting it as a totally acceptable breakfast choice. It's sweetened only by honey and the mix of dried berries, cherries and raisins. I used a mix called "Golden Berry Blend" from Trader Joe's in place of just raisins. But this cookie can be made with any dried fruit you like. Keep in mind, this cookie is not sugary sweet. It doesn't have that unique brown sugar taste traditional oatmeal raisin cookies usually have. Don't let that deter you though. It's got eye appeal, a hearty texture and you can feel good about the ingredients residing inside. And I feel strongly that if the kids dig it, it's gotta be good, especially when it comes to treats. They're certainly my biggest critics.

Oatmeal Berry Blend Cookies

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour or Whole Wheat Cake Flour
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Mix of Dried Cranberries, Golden Raisins, Blueberries and Cherries (or just one fruit)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Place the butter and honey in a bowl and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, mix to combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to incorporate.
6. Stir in the dried fruit then scoop 1/4 cup of dough (I use a two inch scoop) for each cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Start checking at 12 minutes. Don't over bake!
8. Cool and serve.

Please note: I make large cookies. I only got nine cookies out of this recipe. If you prefer, use a traditional size cookie scoop or tablespoon and adjust cook time. You'll get at least double the amount of cookies. Enjoy!

Make and Freeze

Over the past few days, I've gathered a bunch of recipes to make and freeze. This is a necessary strategy for busy moms and dads. Planning ahead makes all the difference. I know because I often don't! When it comes to meal planning anyway. If you want to feed the kids and yourself healthy food consistently, having snacks, sauces and other prepared real food items in the freezer will achieve this goal.

I have done the "make and freeze" in the past but have been a bit of a slacker as of late. Big red flag for me the other day was pouring the last of the mini peanut butter cracker sandwiches from Trader Joe's into a snack cup for my two year old after just buying the box three days prior. Um, that's way too fast for us to blow through a box of convenience snacks. I didn't have any other snacks prepared to give him hence the peanut butter cracker binge. I'm all about my "medium food" philosophy, that's why the crackers we're on hand but not having any homemade options available isn't the balance I strive for.

So yesterday I kicked my plan in motion and started with a new banana bread recipe, utilizing my new jar of coconut oil as well. This recipe came from a blogger that has gained a lot of press over the last year or so, Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food. I've followed her journey since the beginning (originally following her Food Illusion blog) and was split on how I felt about the reality of what she was writing about. Not the "real food" part of it but the reality of busy families and more importantly busy families on a budget achieving the real, organic, grass fed, $5 a loaf bread, etc. lifestyle. It was evident that Lisa had a large budget. Which was the discouraging part. Eventually though, she did a budget series (likely inspired by other readers that shared my feelings) which helped by making what she was writing about seem more feasible.

No matter what, 100 Days of Real Food's strategy is in-line with mine even though I make a few adjustments in approach (weaving in some medium food items) and often times opt for some less expensive versions of certain items. Organic ingredients or not, the best of the best ingredients or not, the recipes Lisa has published are smart and healthy. The few I've tried are fantastic. They are simple and contain no or very few processed ingredients. This Whole Wheat Banana Bread is a perfect example. I made it, the family has tried it and it gets five stars. Don't expect a super sweet piece of banana bread because this is not. You will taste the wheat, the banana and a touch of sweetness from the honey and that is it. Brilliant.

I'll be back soon with more successful recipes to help you fill your freezer. Meanwhile, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. If you do, let me know how it goes.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Adapted from here.
Makes one standard loaf

2 1/4 cups White whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour)
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3 Bananas, very ripe, mashed
1/4 cup Plain yogurt (I used organic fat free)
1/4 cup Honey
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Virgin coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (swap 1:1 with other oil if desired)
2 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, yogurt, honey, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla.

Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Be gentle, don't over mix. Pour batter (or scoop - batter is on the thick side) into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Mine was done at 43 minutes. Let cool then slice and enjoy.

If freezing, I suggest cooling completely and slicing prior to putting in freezer.

Recipe: Super Blueberry Muffins

These gems (picture coming soon) came from a Weelicious recipe. I'm obviously a fan of Catherine's site and recipes. Although I will never be nor appear as organized and successful as she is at making perfect food for the kids, I am always inspired by what she does.

The recipe for Very Berry Muffins was exactly the kind of recipe I was looking for this week. Over the weekend, my boys asked for blueberry muffins so I didn't want to disappoint. And, I didn't. They loved these. The muffins are easy to make and are bursting with blueberries. It's almost blueberries with a little muffin in between rather than a muffin with blueberries. They were great still warm but even better the next day.

If you're looking for an easy to make, nutritious and portable snack or breakfast, you should add these to your rotation. I absolutely love snacks like this!

Super Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup 1% Milk
1/3 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Frozen Organic Blueberries (I used a 10 oz. bag)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and combine. Combine the egg, vanilla extract, milk and oil in a large bowl.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Gently mix the frozen blueberries into the batter, do not over mix or the berries will bleed. Pour batter into greased or muffin lined regular sized tins.

Bake for 20-22 minutes (Mine took 22 minutes). Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

A better "Rice Krispies Treat"

Rice Krispies Treats, a staple of childhood. At least mine. Sugary and sweet, sticky and chewy, what's not to love? Well, some of the ingredients I suppose, specifically the packaged marshmallows. Here is a sample ingredients list from a popular brand:

CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, WATER, GELATIN, TETRA SODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (BLUE 1).

The "Blue 1" is my least favorite. Making homemade marshmallows is on my to-do list which would make the traditional Rice Krispies Treats recipe better. But for now, I gave Catherine's (Weelicious) version of these childhood treats a go and was very happy with the results. And more importantly, my boys loved them. 

These were super easy and gave me an opportunity to try rice syrup for the first time. You can make variations using other nut butters or seed butters as well as adding dried fruit or chocolate chips. They don't taste like the original rice treats but they have the same consistency and texture. They also look the same with the exception of being a little darker due to the peanut butter. These will definitely be in the treat rotation at my house!

Click here for the recipe.

Recipe: Chicken (Tortilla) Soup

There was a sale last week on roast chicken at Whole Foods that I could not pass on: $4.99 each, regularly $9.99 each. I bought two. I figured one would make a nice and easy dinner as is and the other I could use for sandwiches, quesadillas and/or soup. And I made all three. I added Annie's BBQ sauce to the chicken for BBQ chicken quesadillas, I made a simple chicken salad for a sandwich and, my favorite item out of the bunch, a take on chicken tortilla soup.

The soup was easy to make and resulted in a flavorful and filling meal. I adapted this recipe from here. I chose not to use fried tortilla strips or chips but rather serve with warm corn tortillas on the side, more my style. I also added corn and cumin and skipped the cheese. I also didn't top with cilantro only because I did not have any. I liked this soup very much and will definitely make it again. I'm happy to have something new to serve with the burrito and taco dinners I so often make.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate. Oh yes. I love, love, love peanut butter and I love, love, love chocolate. So when I came across a "healthier" peanut butter and chocolate cookie, I was in. I found the original recipe at Honey, What's Cooking?

I thought these would make a great addition to our Father's Day gift for the hubby and a decent treat for the boys. So I headed to the kitchen and got started. I made a few changes based on my personal preference. I used all brown sugar and no white sugar. I also added a touch of sea salt and used a mix of dark and milk chocolate chips.

These cookies came out great. They are thick, chewy and chocolaty. My dough was thick and didn't spread much. I gave them a little push down a few minutes before they were done baking. Next time I may just shape the cookies into hockey puck like rounds and see how it goes.


Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 9 big cookies (using a two-inch scoop)

1 Cup Old-Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Flaxseed Meal
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter, salted or unsalted
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Reduced Fat 2% Milk
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, flaxseed and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter. Add brown sugar, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Add oatmeal mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing gently until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Scoop cookies onto baking sheet and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool (if you can) and enjoy!

You can find this recipe and lots of other sweet treats over at Sweet As Sugar Cookies. Check them out. Get inspired.

Recipe: Blueberry Banana Bread

Having two large super ripe bananas on hand, the recipe for Honeyed Banana-Blueberry Bread at Cookbook Archaeology I stumbled upon presented the perfect opportunity to use them! I changed the recipe just slightly and the results were worthy of sharing.

This bread is very moist and packed with yummy blueberries. The recipe calls for honey as the sweetener, there is no white or brown sugar. I might even suggest cutting the honey to 1/4 cup because I think the bananas and blueberries add a good amount of sweetness on their own. I'm gonna try it next time. I'll let you know how it compares. The ingredients are all fairly economical and using organic frozen blueberries instead of fresh made it even more affordable to make.

If you're looking for a different twist on banana bread, give this one a try. The boys loved it and I had to hold myself back from eating half the loaf all on my own. It's oh so perfect with coffee and would be equally delightful with tea. Enjoy!

Blueberry Banana Bread
10 slices/servings

3/4 c. Blueberries, frozen
1 3/4 c. White whole wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 c. Oats, quick cooking
1/2 c. Honey
2 Large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. Greek yogurt, 0%
1 c. Mashed ripe bananas

Preheat the oven to 335 degrees and spray a 9×5-inch bread pan with baking or cooking spray.

1. Whisk flour together with the baking powder, salt, and oats in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the eggs, honey, yogurt and banana.

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and gently mix, just until combined. Then (gently) fold in blueberries.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. The batter for this bread is very moist, so a little may cling to the tester even when it’s fully baked.

5. Cool the bread completely, then wrap it up overnight before slicing and serving. Can be frozen.

Note: I did not wrap it up and wait to slice it. It tasted great after it was slightly cooled but I will admit it tasted even better the next day.

Quick nutrition stats per serving (10): 179 calories, 1.7g fat, 37.8g carbs, 3.2g fiber,  5.8g protein. Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5

Recipe: Sweet Potato, Oat and Banana Muffins

I love the Weelicioush site and have had success with every recipe I've tried. This is no exception. The original recipe is for Mini Sweet Potato Muffins. I made only four changes and created full size sweet potato, oat and banana muffins. Both my boys loved them and so did the hubby and I. These are perfect as an on-the-go breakfast or an afternoon snack. The muffins are moist even without the 1/4 cup of oil the original recipe calls for. I think a swap for applesauce would work too if you prefer that over a banana. And it's not that I'm opposed to a little oil, I just like to take the opportunity to replace it when it makes sense.

Sweet Potato, Oat and Banana Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1 Cup Sweet Potato Puree, cooked*
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Banana, Mashed
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Put first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In a separate larger bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until they are combined (be careful not to over mix the batter).
5. Fill standard muffin tin sprayed with cooking or baking spray and bake for 18-20 minutes.
6. Enjoy.

* To make sweet potato puree, bake sweet potatoes (or yams) in a 400 degree oven for one hour, allow to cool, slice in half lengthwise and mash flesh with a fork until smooth.

Nutritional stats at-a-glance per muffin: 111 calories, 1.5g fat, 192mg sodium, 21.5g carbs, 2.2g fiber, 3.7g protein

Ice cream!

I finally bought an ice cream maker! A few months ago I spotted a small and very cute baby blue ice cream maker in a Target ad. I wanted to get it but with Christmas coming up at the time, I didn't want to buy anything extra. But this weekend I decided to go for it!

It was a small investment of $30 that I hope brings us big returns in the form of yummy homemade ice cream. This particular maker is space-friendly (aka small), which is a must around here. The other advantage to its petite nature is it limits the amount of ice cream we can make. Being huge ice cream fans, that's a very good thing. Even though we have ice cream in the freezer pretty much year around, it's still considered a treat.

Like anything else I get the opportunity to make myself, I was most excited about having control over the ingredients. And how cool is it for the boys to help make ice cream? It's another opportunity to teach them about quality ingredients and how much better a treat is when we make it ourselves.

A while back I had stumbled upon a recipe for "cornstarch ice cream" by Mark Bittman. I like Mark Bittman and figured it was worth a shot. The cornstarch replaces the need for eggs making for a non-eggy, lower fat ice cream base. Even though, in some circles, cornstarch can be frowned upon, I'm not opposed to it. I do use arrowroot when possible in place of cornstarch but arrowroot can become slimy when used with dairy. Besides, if Mr. Bittman is down with a little cornstarch, I am too. Here's my version of the original recipe:

Strawberry Buttermilk Cornstarch Ice Cream

1 3/4 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup strawberries, sliced

1. Put 1 1/4 cups milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until mixture begins to steam.

2. In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining 1/2 cup milk; there should be no lumps. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract.

3. If mixture has lumps, strain it into a bowl. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool or if there are no lumps, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Yield: 1 generous pint.

This ice cream came out great. It was a hit with the kids and the hubby. I'm looking forward to making different varieties of the cornstarch ice cream as well as other more typical ice cream bases. Next flavors on deck: Low fat banana then chocolate!

A new year is upon us!

I'm not a fan of the new year resolution ritual but this year instead of completely turning my back on it, I've decided to utilize the energy it creates to renew some commitments and outline new goals. Why this year and not in years past? Honestly, I need some extra help right now. Finding motivation has become increasingly tougher. Mustering up energy for anything beyond what it takes to take care of two little boys is nearly impossible for me. I need a serious kick in the pants.

One of the goals on the (now very long) list is to make one new recipe a week. Getting in a food rut is certainly easy. And that's where I am - in a rut. I look forward to finding more resources for healthy cooking and sharing them, medium food style, here. Introducing new dishes to my kids is always an adventure and always makes the hubby happy.

Speaking of new resources, I recently stumbled upon Gina's Skinny Recipes at Skinnytaste.com. I think Gina's site is a perfect one to share in anticipation of the new year and the resolutions it brings. I appreciate that she includes Weight Watchers information in relation to her recipes. Being a fan of the Weight Watchers strategy, I'm loving it. But even if you're not familiar with Weight Watchers or not a fan, her recipes are healthy and there's something for everyone.

Here's to a wonderful start to a new year. I hope you'll stop by Medium Food Mama often... I truly love the company! And more importantly, I hope 2011 brings you and yours good health and peace. 

Instant pudding

My son asked for some pudding this morning. I knew I had a couple boxes of instant pudding in the cabinet (Trader Joe's brand). As I reached for a box, I wondered what exactly is instant pudding? I hadn't given it much thought before. Pudding isn't something we eat often maybe that's why.

So what is instant pudding? Here's what's on the label(s):

Trader Joe's Chocolate Instant Pudding ingredients: Cane sugar, Modified corn starch, Cocoa powder, Bourbon Vanilla extract, Sodium Pyrophospate and Disodium phospate (for thickening) and Salt.

Jell-O Brand Chocolate Instant Pudding ingredients: Sugar, Food Starch Modified, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Disodium Phosphate, Contains less than 2% of Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial, Salt, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Mono and Diglycerides, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Color(s) Artificial, BHA used as a preservative.

As I often discover, big brands usually contain more ingredients and more junk. This is another example of that. And to add insult to injury, the junkier pudding costs more: $1.69 vs. 99¢.

Basically instant pudding has thickening agents that make it set quickly. I'm not sure why Jell-O Brand has to muck it up with all the other junk. Jell-O's instant pudding has a long history and was promoted as "busy day desserts" in the 1950's - its got my respect but not enough to eat it. When companies like Trader Joe's offer a cleaner product, there's no reason to buy the other.

With the exception of not being instant, making homemade pudding is suppose to be pretty easy. I admit that I haven't made it from scratch yet. I plan to give it a shot next time Gav requests it. I'll post on how it goes when I do. Meanwhile, I will share a recipe a friend shared with me for homemade instant pudding mix. I will be trying this as well. Although it's not instant in the way a box is (add cold milk, chill then eat) it's quick.

Homemade Chocolate Instant Pudding

3 cups Non-fat dry milk
2.5 cups Unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups Sugar
1 tsp Salt
3 cups Cornstarch

Store in an air-tight container until you're ready to use.

Directions: Add one half cup mix to two cups milk, mix in a saucepan over low heat, and heat and stir constantly until boiling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When I try it, I plan to use whole cane sugar in place of the white sugar and arrowroot in place of cornstarch. Until then, I won't shy away from instant pudding in a box if I need it and don't suggest you do either but do buy one that doesn't have a bunch of unnecessary yucky ingredients.

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This bread came out perfect! Taste, texture and appearance. Yum.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread (adapted from One Ordinary Day)

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups Shredded zucchini
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup High quality unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 cup Canola oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Packed brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3/4 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and shred zucchini. In a large bowl combine oil, sugars and vanilla. Mix in eggs and shredded zucchini. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into a greased (I use cooking spray) 9×5x3 loaf pan, and bake for 55 minutes, or until done. Let cool then enjoy!

Recipe: Miscellaneous Pasta

Last night I found myself without a firm dinner plan. So I improvised and the result was pretty darn good. We had some leftover rotisserie chicken from the night before, it was a perfect addition to the sauce.

Miscellaneous Pasta

2 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup Carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
1 can Whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz.)
Salt
1 to 2 cups leftover chicken
Box of whole grain rotini pasta (I used Barilla)

In a large sauce pan saute onions, carrots and celery in olive oil until soft, about five minutes. Meanwhile throw tomatoes (and juice) in blender to puree. Add tomatoes to pan. Stir and salt to taste. Let simmer 30 minutes on medium low heat. Stir in leftover chicken. Lower heat to simmer.

Cook pasta per package directions, drain and add to tomato sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with french bread. A salad would make a great starter but I didn't have any lettuce!

Recipe: Shrimp and arugula pasta

We have lots of cookbooks. Hubby has his favorites and I have mine. One that we both equally enjoy is Giada's Family Dinners. Here's my take on one of our favorite recipes from the book:

Shrimp and arugula pasta

1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Shallots, finely chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon Crushed dried red pepper flakes
1 cup Dry white wine
1 pound Shrimp, large
Salt
1 box Rotini, whole wheat or whole grain
3 cups Arugula
Black pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.Add the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes; saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine. Simmer until the wine reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rotini, stirring often. Cook per package directions. Add the rotini and arugula to the skillet with the shrimp. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes four main-course servings.

My son isn't big on shrimp yet but it's a nice change from our weekly pasta marinara. Oh and I use frozen shrimp and it comes out just fine. I simply run the shrimp under a stream of water for a few minutes to thaw.