Red Monster Smoothie

I just love this Red Monster Smoothie - I am still trying to love the green ones as much as the rest of the whole world does. 

 

 I really like to buy lots of berries when they are in season and freeze them for making smoothies and nice cream. Berries never seem to last as long as I would like them to in my fridge. 

If you are using frozen fruit, go ahead and leave out the ice - you'll have a plenty frozen smoothie. And I really do like to use water in mine, anything else just adds sugar and calories that you won't miss. And adding more water, which your body will thank you for! 

 

Sweet Potato and Spinach Hash

I found this recipe on the USDA recipe site and it was listed under breakfast, but I haven't once made it for an actual breakfast. I always make it for dinner. 

I made the hash and then top it with handfuls of fresh spinach and once the spinach has wilted, I plate it up. They I fry everyone up an egg and top the hash with the egg. 

I recently discovered that the recipe is made completely perfect by topping the whole thing off with some Tabasco or other vinegar based hot sauce. The vinegar mixes so perfectly with the creaminess of the egg and you'll be thanking me forever for telling you to put it on. 

Chorizo and Egg Burritos - You Can Freeze

When we were at Costco the other day, I stumbled onto the Hugest tortillas. I grabbed up two packages and decided I was going to make giant breakfast burritos. 

Now you don't need to make giant ones, the recipe that follows is for normal human sized burritos. But I highly recommend that you make some and stock up your freezer for quick breakfasts,  hearty snacks and midnight burritos in bed. (I totally made that last one up, *No, I didn't!)

Having breakfast is a huge part of living a healthy lifestyle. Fueling your body with grains, proteins and sneaking in some veggies starts your day and your body off right. 

You'll do better in everything you try and accomplish that day, your brain works better and your body runs happier when it has fuel. 

Visit My Plate - Breakfast to learn about making small changes to have an amazing start to your day.

Danish Aebleskivers

My grandma used to make these for us when we would sleep over at her house. I thought they were the fanciest food in the whole wide world.  My oldest son had a casual school dance and asked my mother to host him and his friends and make Aebleskivers for them for dinner. (she did! because that's what Grandma's do)

And while the pan is a bit odd, they really aren't anything more than a different kind of a pancake. My kids think it is the best day in the whole when we have these for breakfast or brunch. 

I am including the recipe, but I want to challenge you to be adventurous and try other foods that are out there. I don't consider myself to be very brave when it comes to food, so pancakes are a good start for me.  I can try lots of different types of pancakes. Proffertjes are a Dutch pancake, they're made with yeast and buckwheat flour and made in a round pan, just like these. My kids go crazy for them... buckwheat pancakes! 

It is just different ways of adding flour, water, eggs and bit of leavening (soda, yeast) and seeing what you get! Try making oven German pancakes, or Dutch babies in a cast iron skillet. 

Of Course, you don't have to make them just for breakfast, having a breakfast for dinner night is a great way to have an easy meal plan night, eat a meatless meal and keep things stress free. 

Donut Muffins

I have not kept my love for muffins a secret, and these little gems only make me fall deeper in love with the little cakes of happiness.   They really aren't going to fool anybody that they are a donut, but I used to make these donuts that had nutmeg in them and they actually DO taste a lot like them. 

They zip together so darn fast, and since they are small they take barely any time to bake at all. 

And they are perfect for using a whole grain flour, because you roll them in cinnamon and sugar after they are baked and so my kids don't say, "why are they so brown?!"  Yeah, I get that sometimes. 

They are a great little whole grain muffin and they'll disappear just as fast as donut holes do. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

 1 cup flour, whole grain preferred (or try ½ and ½) 

Cinnamon Sugar Coating- 

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add your egg and mix together.  

Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.

Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, in a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. 

When the muffins are done baking, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, remove muffins from their cups, roll each muffin in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. 

Let cool and serve

The Very Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Once I made this, I was just going to claim that they were the best pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the world, but that was before my family ate the entire batch before I was able to take pictures for the blog. 

I made a second batch a few days later, with the determined intent to get some good pictures of these amazing muffins for the blog. It turns out that it was a cloudy overcast kind of day and so as I was waiting for some sunshine to come around - and having neglected to put the pieces together that all my children were out of school for fall break and each had at least one friend over. 

--  The second batch of muffins were gone as well, before I could take any pictures. 

It really was silly. And yes, the muffins, really really ARE that good!

So here's the third batch of them, I was fighting off the muffin eaters as fast as I could snap pictures. 

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

1 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup applesauce

3 cups flour, substitute whole grain flour if you like

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 cups (1 bag) chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray your muffin tins with non-stick spray (or add liners) and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Mix in sugar, pumpkin, oil, and applesauce. 

In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. 

Blend into pumpkin mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix. 

Scoop into muffin tins. 

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool slightly in pans then transfer to wire racks.

Pumpkin Cranberry Granola Bars - No Bake

I love making my own granola bars, they are so darn easy.  I can put a lot less sugar in them than the ones that you buy in the store and I can make all sorts of wonderful flavors. 

They store great in the fridge, and I wrap them up in plastic wrap so they are a great grab and go breakfast or snack. 

You'll love the fresh fall flavors of these, seriously who can't get enough pumpkin nowadays! and I think the dried cranberries add the perfect about of sweetness, but you can add mini chocolate chips as well, and they'll be just as fantastic!

 Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup nut or seed butter of choice
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped pecans (substitute pepitas or sunflower seeds)
¼ cup craisins

Directions

In a food process or blender, combine the oats, pumpkin puree, nut or seed butter, syrup, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Process on low for a few seconds. Scrap sides as needed. Process just until mixed well (note: some of the oats will remain whole).

Transfer mixture to bowl. Fold in pecans and craisins.

Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap or parchment.

Transfer mixture to loaf pan, spread out and press down firmly (very firmly - this is important).

Place in freezer for 30 minutes before slicing into 8 bars or 10 squares.

Bars hold up best if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Maple Granola

I love making my own granola. I like putting in it exactly what I want to eat and leaving out all those yucky chemicals and preservatives.  I also like that I am can make it at fancy as I want with nuts and seeds and coconut or I can leave in plain and simple and it tastes just as amazing. 

There really is something about taking high quality simple pure ingredients and putting them together to make delicious healthy food that is very satisfying. 

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried unsweetened coconut 

1 cup pecans or walnuts, quartered

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Mix together oats, coconut, nuts, syrup, oil, sugar, seeds, salt, and nutmeg. 

Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 40 minutes. 

Bake until granola is toasted, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely.

Blueberry Banana Bread

Quick breads are magical. They can be made with so many delicious ingredients and I find them to be a very forgiving recipe to begin to make healthy substitutions in. 

Since the breads tend to be very dense anyway, it is a wonderful place to start baking with whole grain flour. I love to add applesauce or mashed bananas instead of the butter or the oil. 

And you can eat them for dessert, breakfast or even snacks. You can make the loaves into muffins if you want them to be even easier. 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (whole grain preferred)

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened (no salt preferred)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 ripe bananas, mashed 

1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg and allow to blend into the butter mixture before adding the second egg along with vanilla extract. 

Beat mashed bananas thoroughly into the mixture. Add flour mixture in small increments while beating until just combined into a thick batter. 

Fold blueberries into the batter; pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. 

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.