Hot Cocoa

The minute it starts to rain and get cold I know my kids will come home from school requesting hot cocoa. When my kids request cocoa I usually give it to them as they don't request it often and I am usually having a similar desire for a hot cup of tea or coffee. That said I hate making the instant packets of cocoa. Even the sugar free or fat free ones, which I think taste bad. So I found several recipes for cocoa online and consolidated them to make this:

1 C. Skim Milk
1 Tbls. Cocoa Powder
2 tsp. Splenda

Warm the milk on the stove and once it hits a simmer mix in the cocoa and splenda.

This one was loved by kids and grown ups alike!

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??

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.

Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese

Yesterday I discussed baby steps and how adjusting to healthier versions of what my kids are used to eating was a little complicated. Thursday night dinners are very predictable in our house- it is either Wacky Mac or homemade Mac and Cheese using white pasta and American Cheese(read: processed). Again, like yesterday, I decided to take some baby steps and keep my kids in their comfort zone. So I present Slightly Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese:

4 C. Uncooked Pasta(I used 2 C. White Pasta and 2 C. Whole Wheat this time)
2. Tbls Butter
2 Tbls. Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
1 1/2 C. Cheddar Cheese

Cook the pasta (if using a mix of white and whole wheat cook it together making adjustments for the different cooking times between the 2 pastas). Drain. In the same pan melt the butter. Whisk in the flour making a roux being careful not to burn. Add the milk and cheese and whisk until smooth. Add the pasta and serve.

Don't judge a recipe by it's photo. I planned on taking another photo of this once it was in a bowl but the kids were so hungry and then before I knew it the entire pot was empty!

I was surprised at how light in color and in weight the whole wheat pasta was. I haven't had whole wheat pasta in years and I remember it being dark in color and very heavy. I think nobody would have noticed if I used all whole wheat pasta in this one. That is my plan for next time. I am also going to use whole wheat flour in the roux next time. Baby Steps.