Basic Pancakes

One of the meals that all my kids like is pancakes. I have tried various types of pancakes that are healthier however I never revamped the basic pancake recipe that I had always made for them. I decided to give it a try the other night and the results were great. The original recipe used white flour, sugar and frying the pancakes in oil. I added wheat flour, switched the sugar to splenda and added flax seed. I also "fry" them in Pam. Just as tasty but better for you. Enjoy!

2 Eggs
2 C. Skim Milk
2 1/2 Tbls. Canola Oil
1 C. White Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Flax Seed
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Splenda

Beat eggs lightly then add milk and oil. Mix. Add dry ingredients and mix until slightly lumpy. Spray a skillet with Pam and heat. Drop by 1/4 C. full and cook until bubbles form. Flip and cook for another minute.

Crustless Quiche

I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers website many years ago. You can use any vegetables you'd like or have on hand. Most recently I made it with just onion and red pepper. I also doubled the recipe to make it in a 9X13 pan. If you do so you need to add about 15-20 minutes to the cooking time so the center finished cooking.

1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1/4 Onion, diced
6 Egg Whites or 3 Eggs
3/4 C. Cottage Cheese
Salt
Pepper

Saute the vegetables in pam. Beat eggs and add cottage cheese mixing well. Add a
little bit of salt and pepper for flavor. Spray a 8X8 pan with Pam. Combine the vegetables with the cottage cheese mixture and pour into prepared pan. Cook at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until lightly brown and set.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

Well I finally found a good cereal alternative that everyone in my house likes. The question is can I keep up with demand? I made Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins based on this recipe. I changed the flour so it uses mostly whole wheat flour. I also switched the brown sugar to silan and used a little less oil although in retrospect I am not sure why I didn't just use applesauce. I guess I was having a bad day as I also forgot to throw in a teaspoon or 2 of ground flax seed, both of which I would do next time.

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Oatmeal
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg, beaten
3/4 C. Skim Milk
1/2 C. Silan
1/8 C. Oil
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 C. Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Combine flours, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, silan, oil and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients mixing until just combined and lumpy. Fold in berries. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with pam. Fill cups 3/4 the way full. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes testing if they are done with a toothpick.

Granola

I got this recipe from a friend who adapted it from a recipe she got from a friend. It probably doesn't resemble the original recipe at all but isn't that how it goes? If you like your granola a little sweeter I would add more silan. I used 1 Tbls. of cinnamon as my kids aren't huge cinnamon fans. I didn't add any fruit as I thought my kids wouldn't be likely to try it but if you like fruit in your granola then by all mean, add it. The only other thing that I am on the fence about is the whole almonds. I find them kind of clunky and am not sure but perhaps next time I would replace the whole almonds with more sliced almonds. So if that is something you would find bothersome then I recommend switching the whole almonds with more sliced.

This is really good and I have to keep myself from gobbling it all up.

6-7 C oats
1 C. Sunflowers Seeds
1 C. Whole Almonds (or more slivered almonds)
1/2 C. Plain Coconut
2 Tbls. Sesame Seeds
1/2 C. Slivered Almonds
4 Egg Whites
1/4-1/3 C. Silan
1-2 Tbls. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
Craisins, Raisins or dried fruit, optional



Combine oats, seeds, nuts and coconut in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, silan, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over oat mixture and mix until all ingredients are wet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it took me 2 sheets to make a single layer of oats). Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour. Rotate the pan and continue baking until cooked through and crunchy- about 5-10 minutes. After it is done baking you can add craisins, raisins or whatever dried fruit you like.

Oat Apple Sauce Muffins

In my quest for healthy breakfast options I found this recipe for Oat Apple Sauce Muffins. They weren't too sweet and had a subtle flavor but my husband and I enjoyed them. The kids were not as excited about them as we were but they did try them, which is a step in the right direction.

Here's my edited recipe:

1 C. Buttermilk (or Buttermilk Substitute which is what I used)
1 C. Rolled Oats
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 Tbls. Ground Flax Seed
1/2 C. Applesauce
1 Egg

Place oats in a small bowl, pour in buttermilk. Let sit for two hours at room temperature. Preheat over to 375. In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and flax seed. Stir in oat/buttermilk mixture, applesauce and egg; mix well. Pour batter into lined or greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

Baked Omelet

I came across this recipe for Egg Vegetable Casserole on a blog I recently started reading. I used to make something similar several years back but it also had cottage cheese in it (I can't find that recipe so if you know what I am talking about please pass it along). It sounded simple, good and kid friendly.

(Sorry the picture is so bad-my camera is sort of broken)

We renamed it Baked Omelet:

1 Tbls. Olive Oil
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 C Fresh Spinach, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
18 eggs
2 Tbls. Skim Milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 C. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

In a large skillet, saute the peppers and onion in the olive oil. Add in the spinach for a minute or two. Allow to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and seasonings. Pour the eggs in a greased 9 by 13 pan. Add in the sauteed veggies and tomatoes. Stir everything in the pan. Stir in mozzarella cheese. Make sure everything is distributed evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the eggs are set and golden. Sprinkle the casserole with Parmesan cheese if desired.

The recipe says that the Parmesan is optional however I thought it added a lot of flavor. My husband toasted some whole wheat bread with the Parmesan cheese and added the eggs to make a sandwich which sounded like a good school lunch to me. Also-just like any omelet, you can change the vegetables and spices. I think the key is the cheese and making sure the egg is set when you cook it. A hit in our house. I may even attempt these in muffin form next time for a good portable breakfast.

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

A few days ago I made Banana Pancakes which were really good and my kids loved them. I decided since I still had some bananas left and they had been a hit I would try another banana recipe. I came across Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and they sounded good and looked gorgeous! Plus Danya had been asking me to make chocolate chip muffins lately so I figured I would give it a whirl. Of course I don't know how to follow a recipe without changing it so here is what I made:

Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 C. canola oil
1/4 C. milk
2 Eggs
1 Tbls. Vanilla
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Silan
1 Tbls. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
1 C. Chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease or place liners in a muffin pan. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the flours, silan, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax seed and chocolate chips. Mix until combined but don't over mix. Fill each muffin up about 3/4 full. Bake about 10-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place muffins on a cooling rack and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove the wrapper. Makes 12 large muffins.


These were absolutely delicious and got rave reviews from the kids and husband.

Do we think these are an acceptable substitute for cereal for breakfast??

Banana Pancake

I had been wanting to try out some Banana Pancakes for a while now but found that I would buy bananas with the intention of making the pancakes and then all the bananas would get eaten. So when there were still bananas left today I seized the opportunity to finally make Banana Pancakes for dinner. I found a recipe for Banana Pancakes and I used it as a foundation for the ones I made.

Here is my version:

1/3 C. Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 C. White Flour
2 Tbls. Splenda
1 tsp. Ground Flax Seed
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg beaten lightly
1 1/2 Tbls. Canola Oil
2 small bananas mashed

Combine milk, egg, oil and banana. Add flours, flax seed and splenda. Stir until combined. Mixture will be clumpy. Heat a large non-stick pan sprayed with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup of mixture at a time into the pan, allowing room to spread. Cook until small holes appear in the surface, turn pancakes, cook until browned.

When I made this it yielded 7 pancakes. Everyone loved these and all the pancakes are gone. I love that they aren't fried in oil and have no sugar. Plus nobody noticed the added flax which I really try to throw into anything.

Corn Muffins

In attempt to break my kids out of the sugar cereal routine I have been trying assorted muffins made with ingredients like whole wheat, ground flax seeds, oat meal, apple sauce-the list goes on and on. I think they are all tasty however since my kids are used to very sweet baked goods they don't enjoy the subtle taste. I finally found one that everyone likes. Either these taste sweeter than the ones I have tried in the past or their taste buds are finally adjusting. Either way I am happy to have found one everyone likes-even my husband.

I made a couple changes to the recipe for Tiny Corn Muffins. First off I have no buttermilk but I found this substitute for buttermilk which I always use now. In this case I used a tablespoon and a half of vinegar and added milk until 1 1/2 cups. In place of the 3/4 C. flour I used 1/2 C. whole wheat flour and 1/4 C. white flour. I added 1 Tbls. flax seed because why not and I used honey rather than agave because I am still on the fence about agave-feel free to pass along your thoughts about agave. Lastly I used canola oil rather than vegetable oil. Hmmm-I guess mine were very loosely based on that recipe. To make life easier I will put my edited version here:

Tiny Corn Muffins:

1 3/4 C. Cornmeal
1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. White Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbls. Ground Flax Seed
1/4 C. Honey
1 1/2 C. Buttermilk(or 1 1/2 Tbls. vinegar plus milk to equal 1 1/2 C.)
2 Large Eggs
1/4 C. Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the first 7 dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the remaining wet ingredients in a separate bowl until thoroughly combined. Pour the cornmeal mixture into the wet ingredients and thoroughly combine with a whisk. Pour into greased or paper lined mini muffin cups. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted inside. Cool and serve.


The original recipe says it makes 24 mini muffins however I came out with a little over 50:

I also lowered the oven temperatur and cooking time as they were very well done at 425 for 15 minutes.

The Breakfast Dilema

Since I began this whole health food revolution in my house I have been struggling with breakfast. Since my family has a serious addiction to cereal and particularly sugar cereal I knew this would be a struggle. Someone suggested that I buy some healthy cereals and offer them to my family. I knew this wouldn't fly so I thought that perhaps if there were other food options in the morning then perhaps they wouldn't notice that there was no Cocoa Pebbles or Honey Nut Cheerios. I decided to try this recipe for Whole Wheat Muffins. I decided to try making them with strawberries since I thought they would be good and I had some strawberries that were going to get bad soon.

Also I didn't include the nutmeg as we don't like nutmeg.
Josh tried them last night and did not like them. I know they aren't the sugary treats he is used to so I decided to try them today and I think that perhaps the strawberries were not a good mix in for this recipe. I think I will try them again with nuts or bananas and maybe a little more honey. Let me know if you make them and find a better mix in.

For dinner I made Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers. I liked that they were oven baked and only a drop of oil. Of course Jordy ended up eating pizza at a friends house for dinner and once again Nadav wouldn't touch what I made but everyone else loved them. They were crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside and flavorful. I doubled the recipe but ended up with a lot of extra egg whites so next time I would use less egg.

I served them with whole wheat couscous and salad. I didn't dress the salad and was really proud that Danya ate it without asking for dressing.

The Experiment Begins

The plan today was to ease the kids into healthier eating.  I cut up some vegetables and had them sitting on the kitchen table when the kids got home.  I figured I would just see what happens.  When Jordy came home from school and saw them he excitedly asked me if he could have some.  I said yes and couldn't believe it as he ate half the plate without requesting a chocolate sandwich.  While he was sitting there I pulled a loaf of whole wheat bread out of a grocery bag.  I had no intention of trying to get him to eat it as I have tried before and I know he doesn't like it.  I actually bought it to make bread crumbs for a recipe.  As soon as he saw it he asked if it was "brown bread".  I told him yes it was and took out a piece to show him.  Both he and his friend thought it looked good and wanted some.  His friend wanted it plain however Jordy wanted a chocolate and peanut butter sandwich.  Nonchalantly I suggested he just have peanut butter and he said ok.  He then ate the whole sandwich with a glass of milk.  So whole wheat peanut butter sandwich, vegetables and a cup of milk for after school.  Not bad!

When Danya came home she wanted to know what there was to eat.  I pointed her in the direction of the vegetables and she was ok with that.  She asked for salad dressing to dip them into which I was about to give to her when I saw the container of vegetable tahini.  I suggested that instead and she was game.  She finished the vegetables and requested more.  Later she returned to the kitchen when I was finished baking whole wheat popovers.  The recipe calls for them to be mini but I didn't have a mini muffin pan so I made them full sized.  I baked them for only a few more minutes than the mini's as they had popped.  I suggested that Danya put a little bit of jelly on top and she thought frosting would be better but I told her no, either jelly or peanut butter. In the end both she and Josh tasted them and enjoyed them with a little strawberry jelly spread on them.   
They didn't photograph well but they were cute.

On to dinner. Deciding what to make for dinner tonight was a bit of a process. I really wanted to find something that everyone would be willing to try and nothing to far out there. I settled on garbanzo burgers.

I renamed them falafel burgers or giant falafel for Jordy who doesn't like hamburgers. Everyone likes falafel so I thought we had a chance. Danya was upset that we wouldn't be putting french fries in the falafel like they do at her favorite falafel place. I had to explain that we don't always need french fries. Eventually she agreed and really liked the falafel-which I served in half pitas. Nadav wouldn't touch his but that isn't surprising. Josh and I both liked them and Jordy took a bite but was not happy about them being burger shaped and large rather than small and ball shaped falafel he is used to so he didn't eat them.

All the food I photographed today was the same color.

As we were in the middle of dinner we ran out of hummus. So I opened a can of chickpeas and made some. I only had vegetable tahini so the flavor was a little different and Danya didn't like it, which I thought was funny since she loves the vegetable tahini on it's own.

All in all not bad results for day 1.