Raspberry Strawberry Muffins

August 12, 2020Leave a comment

Raspberry Strawberry Muffins (1)

Take advantage of fresh summer berries for these muffins! In a pinch, use frozen and you can bake them all year.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup plain non-dairy yogurt
1/4 cup almond milk
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup chopped strawberries

Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
Add the flaxseed, oil, vanilla, maple syrup, yogurt, and almond milk to the applesauce mixture.
Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the raspberries and strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees F for 27 minutes; a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Raspberry Strawberry Muffins (2)

Barley with Bananas & Blueberries

July 14, 2020August 10, 2020Leave a comment

Barley with Blueberries (1)

This warm breakfast cereal is a nice alternative if your kids are tired of oatmeal.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cooked barley
2 tablespoons blueberries
2 tablespoons sliced banana
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk

Spoon the barley into a bowl, and top with the remaining ingredients.

Note: If the barley was cooked the night before, rewarm each portion briefly in the microwave.

Barley with Blueberries (2)

You can also try this recipe with strawberries…

barley strawberry var

peaches…

barley peach

…apricots, or any other fruit, instead!

Barley Blueberry Banana alt

Strawberry-Oatmeal Squares

April 30, 2020Leave a comment

Strawberry Oatmeal Squares var

These bake-ahead oatmeal bars will make mornings a cinch, whether you’re dashing to the bus or just making things a little easier on yourself during home school.

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
2 Ener-G eggs
2 cups plain soy milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 and 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

In a bowl, combine the oats, pecans, baking powder, and cinnamon; set aside.
Melt the Earth Balance butter in the microwave, then combine in a bowl with the Ener-G eggs, soy milk, and maple syrup. Pour the milk mixture over the oat mixture. Stir in the strawberries.
Spoon the mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let cool, and then cut into 9 squares.
Reheat individual square in the microwave just before serving in the morning.

French Toast

April 15, 20201 Comment

French Toast (2)

This easy French toast recipe is quick enough even for a weekday morning!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons almond milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 slices whole wheat bread

Whisk together the flaxseed and water in a shallow bowl to make flax eggs. Add the almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla, whisking to combine.
Dip one slice of bread at a time into the mixture, coating both sides.
Transfer to a skillet heated over medium-high heat and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining bread. Delicious as is, or drizzled with a little maple syrup!

French Toast (1)

Butterfly Bagels

April 10, 2020April 10, 20201 Comment

Butterfly Bagel (1)

Here’s the perfect way to bring a smile to kids’ faces on a spring morning!

To prepare these fluttery butterflies, slice two bagels in half and toast. Cut each half in half again, then arrange so the halves are backwards to each other, creating a butterfly wing shape.

Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese, 1 to 2 drops red food coloring, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup in a small bowl. Spread evenly over the bagels. Put two pretzel sticks on top as antennae and cover with your favorite fruit. Don’t forget about symmetry! We liked using an apple slice down the center and banana slices on the wings.

Butterfly Bagel (2)

For a snack version, you could make a similar butterfly with cut apple slices. Use peanut butter as the “glue” to hold down any fruit toppings, or even sprinkles!

Blueberry Pancakes

March 22, 2020April 24, 2021Leave a comment

Blueberry Pancakes (2)

These pancakes have lots of sneaky good-for-you ingredients, like rolled oats, flaxseed, and of course fresh fruit. The result is thick pancakes that take a little longer to cook than a standard recipe, but make for a hearty breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Scant 2 cups almond milk
1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 Ener-G eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 pint fresh blueberries

In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and flaxseed; set aside
Pour the lemon juice into a measuring cup and add almond milk to equal 2 cups. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Combine the almond milk mixture in a bowl with the oats. Whisk in the Ener-G eggs and canola oil.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and fold in the blueberries.
Cook on a hot griddle for about 4 minutes, or until bubbles cover the top. Flip and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Blueberry Pancakes (1)

To be honest, the blueberries were a bit of a miss, and mostly my kids ended up with purple-stained fingers from picking them out. Next time I would use strawberries, bananas, or even chocolate chips!

To wit, slices of ripe banana were deemed delicious in our second try:

Chocolate chips were a great variation, if not quite as healthy. For this round, I stirred 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips into the batter:

Similarly, fresh strawberries made much less of a mess than the blueberries, and everyone declared the switch a big hit:

Strawberry Pancakes

Cheesy Grits

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020Leave a comment

Cheesy Grits

These easy grits make a nice alternative for a hot breakfast if your kids are sick of oatmeal!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup grits or yellow cornmeal
2 cups water
1 teaspoons Earth Balance butter
1/3 cup shredded non-dairy cheddar cheese

Combine the cornmeal, water, and butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
Add the cheddar and stir until the cheese melts.

Peanutty Overnight Oats

March 13, 20201 Comment

Peanutty Oats (2)

These individual servings of overnight oats are perfect for hectic mornings since most of the prep happens the night before.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 cups plain soy milk
1 and 1/2 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sliced banana
4 teaspoons agave nectar

Divide the oats and chia evenly among 4 small mason jars. Pour 1/2 cup milk over each serving and stir. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, mash the raspberries and sugar together in a small bowl with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
In the morning, spoon 2 tablespoons raspberry mixture over each jar of oatmeal, along with 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 2 tablespoons banana slices. Drizzle with the agave nectar.

Peanutty Oats (3)

Fruity Tortilla Pizza

March 4, 20202 Comments

Fruity Pizza (2)

Pizza for breakfast? Yes please, when it’s this peanut butter-and-fruit-topped version! Or have the kids help you put it together for an afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

1 (8-inch) flour tortilla
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons blueberries
2 tablespoons sliced strawberries
1 baby banana, sliced
2 tablespoons coconut chips
1 tablespoon non-dairy mini chocolate chips

Toast the tortilla for 2 minutes on each side in a skillet over medium heat.
Transfer to a cutting board and spread with the peanut butter.
Top evenly with the blueberries, strawberries, coconut chips, and chocolate chips, then slice into quarters.

Repeat with additional ingredients to make as many of these as you need!

Fruity Pizza (1)