{Homemade Granola}

This was my first time making homemade granola, I will never go back to store bought! This stuff is amazing as a snack, in yogurt, as cereal in the morning. Love it. I made mine into bars and also crushed some up after it came out of the oven. YUM

6 cups Rolled Oats (not Quick Oats)

4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted, Plus More For Greasing

1/4 cup Vegetable Or Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Honey

1/4 cup Apple Juice

1/4 cup Molasses

3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1-1/2 cup Rice Krispies

1 cup Wheat Germ

1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

1/4 cup Roughly Chopped Almonds

8 ounces, weight Milk Chocolate Or Chocolate Almond Bark, Melted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss the oats with the canola oil, melted butter and salt. Spread the mixture out on 2 baking sheets and toast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan twice and making sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, apple juice and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring until all combined. Stir in the vanilla.

Toss together the toasted oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, pecans and almonds. Pour in the sugar mixture, stirring as you pour. Toss to combine; it will be sticky!

Press into 1 baking sheet (thoroughly greased with butter, or line pan with foil and grease foil) and bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut pieces with a sharp knife and remove from the pan.

OPTIONAL

Dip the cooled granola bars straight into the melted chocolate so that the top is plain and the bottom is chocolate-covered. Set on parchment until set, sticking in the fridge to hasten this along if necessary.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Women

{Coconut Syrup}

Wow this syrup was amazing. I have been wanting to make waffles for dinner ever since. Yummy.

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-2 tsp coconut extract

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add in the buttermilk and 1 cup of sugar. Stir.
Bring the mixture to a boil, while stirring continually. Once you have a rolling boil, let it boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the stove and add 1 tsp baking soda and 1-2 tsp coconut extract.
Stir it all to combine. The syrup will start to foam and bubble. Don't worry. Let it sit for 5 minutes so it can thicken. Pour over waffles of pancakes.


Recipe  Source: Jamie Cooks It Up

{Spinach and Fruit Smoothie}

I have been making these in the mornings for awhile now and LOVE them, they are so good and refreshing and it makes me happy to get that extra veggie serving in my diet. My husband and kids both loves these too. Try it! I know you will love it too.

All I do is get about 2 cups of fresh baby spinach or kale and pour in enough water to blend it all up. Afterwards I use what ever I have on hand for the fruit, but usually I just buy the big bags of frozen fruit at costco and use about 1 1/2 cups of that. Then I just add some organic vanilla almond milk and blend it all together. Pretty easy eh? And so good, and even better...So good for you :)

{Peach German Pancake}

We love german pancakes at our house. I have never tried them baked with fruit, so when I saw this recipe in a magazine I decided to give it a shot. Everyone really enjoyed these. You could also make them with apples or pears too, but bake the apples in the pan for about 10 minutes before adding the batter to soften them a little.

2 medium fresh peach, sliced
6 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbs butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and quarter peaches removing the pit. Thinly slice the quarters.
In a small bowl, mix 1 tbs sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon and mix with a fork. Add the peach slices and toss until they're well coated. Place the butter in a 9X13 inch cake dish and put in the oven until melted, remove and swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom. Spread the peaches over the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile make the pancake batter. Combine the eggs, milk, flour, salt, vanilla and remaining cinnamon and sugar. Whisk until it is all mixed and frothy. Pour the batter over the peaches and bake for about 15-20 minutes until it is puffy and golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar when serving.


Recipe Source: Family Fun Magazine

{Best Bran Muffins}

This recipe comes from my Mother in Law. I have loved these muffins for years. She always has a huge bowl of batter in her fridge and makes them in the morning and then freezes some. The batter lasts up to a week in the fridge. And still tastes moist and delicious after being frozen and microwaved for 25 seconds. Mmmm

4 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
4 cups original fiber one cereal
2 cups wheat bran cereal
2 cups boiling water
5 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk

Sift flour and salt together. Combine flour mixture, fiber one, and wheat bran. Set aside.
Mix boiling water and baking soda. Set aside to cool.
Cream butter and sugar.
In a large bowl, stir eggs one at a time, beating well. Stir in buttermilk and soda liquid. Stir in bran mixture. Tightly cover. These are better if they refrigerate for 12 hours and last in the fridge for a week. To bake, drop by spoonfuls (don't stir) into greased muffin tins. Bake 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Freeze any left overs for another time.

{French Toast}

Wow it has been a little while since I have posted anything on here. We have recently moved out of state and are in transition for a bit. I will try to post more frequently from now on.
This is just a basic french toast recipe but I love it because it can work with so many bread types and still taste amazing. I usually make extra egg mixture and store it in my fridge for up to a week so that we can make a quick breakfast.

6 thick slices of bread
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat together, egg, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over med-high heat.
Dunk each slice of bread in the egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in the pan and cook on both sides until golden. Serve hot.

{Baked French Toast}

Every once and awhile we get to have a "special" breakfast that doesn't consist of just cereal or toast. This was really easy because I prepared it the night before and just popped it the oven the next morning and we had a fabulous breakfast 35 minutes later. If you like french toast, you will love this!

For the French Toast:

4 large eggs
1 cup half and half, or milk
1/4 pure maple syrup
1 Tbs vanilla
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 small french baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 5-6 cups)


Add the eggs to a large mixing bow. Whisk briefly. Add half and half, maple syrup and vanilla to the bowl. Scrape in the seeds of the vanilla beans if using. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk well until the mixture is evenly combined. Stir in the cubes of bread unil evenly coated.

Lightly grease a oven safe casserole dish, pour in the bread mixture, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Uncover the dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed up and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve as desired with powdered sugar, maple syrup and fresh berries.

Adapted from: Annie's Eats

{Breakfast Buns}

I actually made these on Christmas Morning. They were so moist and yummy. I ended up making them the night before and then sticking them in my freezer and baking them in the morning, so it was really easy. I made the glaze to go over mine, but just dusting them with powdered sugar is great too.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose Flour + 1/2 cup  cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 2 1/4 cups heavy cream

Coating:
7 tablespoons butter, melted
Cinnamon and sugar for rolling (I just mixed my own together)

Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add 2 cups of the cream all at once, then toss and stir the mixture till the dough comes together. If necessary, add additional cream to make the dough cohesive. Gather the dough in your hands and knead it a few times to make sure there are no dry spots.

Place the cinnamon sugar in a small, shallow bowl or pan; or in a plastic zip-top bag. Break off pieces of dough about the size of a ping pong ball, or about 1 1/8 ounces. Dip each piece in melted butter  then roll or shake in the cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon-coated dough balls into the pan of your choice in a single layer; they’ll be touching one another, which is just fine.

Cover the pan with plastic, and place in the freezer overnight, or for up to a week or so. If freezing longer than overnight wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap, then in foil. Next day, remove the pan from the freezer, and let the buns rest at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350°F. The buns don’t need to thaw.

If you’re baking the buns immediately (not frozen), bake them for 45 to 50 minutes, till the buns in the center are cooked through. You can asses this by taking a toothpick and actually digging into the center bun to take a look; it should look totally baked, not doughy. If the buns have been frozen, bake them for 65 to 70 minutes, testing for doneness as instructed above. Tent them with aluminum foil after 45 minutes of baking. 

Remove from the oven, and serve immediately. Dust with powder sugar, or powdered sugar glaze (recipe below) if desired, right before serving.

Powder Sugar Glaze:

4 tbs butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3-6 tbs hot water

Mix all together until it is slightly runny.

Recipe Source: King Arthurs Flour

{Whole Wheat Belgian Waffles}

This was a delicious breakfast! We decided to serve them Bed and Breakfast style, with fresh strawberries, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and a little sprinkle of powdered sugar. Yummy!










1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/3 cup melted butter

Preheat your iron while you make the waffle batter.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil.

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.

Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron.

*Adapted from King Arthur Flour

{Blueberry Pancakes}

If you are in the mood for some pancakes you should make these! They are great. You can make them with or without the blueberries. This is a Martha Stuart recipe. Enjoy :)














2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing griddle
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F, or place a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter, and whisk to combine. The batter should have small to medium lumps.

Test the griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If the water bounces and spatters, the griddle is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter onto the griddle. Wipe off the excess with a folded paper towel.

Using a 4-oz. ladle, about 1/2 cup (for a 6-inch pancake), pour the batter in pools 2 inches apart. If you wish to make blueberry pancakes, arrange a handful over the cooking pancake, pressing them in slightly. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. If any batter oozes or blueberries roll out, push them back under with your spatula. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven at 175°F. Serve warm.

{Kale and Berry Smoothie}

My husband and I make one of these almost every morning, it's super healthy and actually fills you up. It's also a very good way to incorporate veggies into your kids diets. Very tasty and refreshing!

















1-2 leafs Kale, torn into pieces
1/2 cup water
1 frozen packet of yoplait's triple berry smoothie mix (we get ours at Costco)
1/2 of a banana
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 tsp agave nectar
2 Tbs ground flax seed

Place the kale and water into a blender and blend on high until it turns to a bright green liquid. Add the frozen berries, banana, soy milk, agave nectar and flax seed and mix until everything is combined.

{Blueberry Muffins}

I really like these because of the crumb top they have, it makes them so yummy and they are really big so it makes you feel like you just bought one at a bakery...But really you MADE them! Even better.













1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cub butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin cups.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix the vegetable oil, egg and milk together and add to the flour mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with the crumb topping.
To make the topping, mix all the topping ingredients together with a fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

{Old Fashion Pancakes}

We have been out of State visiting family for 3 weeks and my dad has made these a few times and they are so yummy! Very moist and pretty filling! I usually like buttermilk pancakes but of all the pancakes I have tried these are the BEST!












1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

{Multigrain Pancakes}

I am more of a Waffle kinda girl. But I like that these are on the healthy side, and I am always looking for a good breakfast recipe for our family. And I just feel better about knowing what ingredients go into my food because I know it's a lot easier to just use the boxed mix from the store :)
















4 tsp juice from 1 lemon
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups muesli (healthy cereal) plus 3 Tbs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 Tbs light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 Tbs butter, melted and cooled
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil

Mix the milk and lemon juice together, set aside to thicken
Process 1 1/4 cups of the muesli in a good processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining 3 Tbs unground muesli, the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Whisk the eggs, melted butter and vanilla with the milk until combined. Make a well in the senter of the dry ingredients in the bowl, pour in the milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (its okay to have lumps) do not over mix.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tsp oil to coat the bottom. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto 3 spots in the skillet. Cook the batter until small bubbles begin to appear, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and do the same on the other side. Serve immediately.

{Pumpkin Pancakes}

What a perfect time to make these! These are such a great Fall breakfast, they are so yummy and fluffy. You can serve them any way you want but I like to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them with some whip cream...Mmmm.













1 cup flour
3 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 Tbs butter, melted and cooled


In a bowl stir together all the dry ingredients. In a large bowl beat the egg for 30 seconds. Add the yogurt, pumpkin and 2 Tbs melted butter, add the dry and beat all together.
Grease a skillet with 1 Tbs butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake, flip when the top bubbles and the edges are slightly dry. Cook about 2 minutes per side.

{German Pancakes}

I made these for breakfast this last weekend. We LOVE them! They are far better than regular pancakes in my opinion. But the reason I love them so much is because they are more like a crepe in a way, which I love. I just eat mine with fresh berries and powdered sugar, but you can eat with syrup as well, its good that way too.













1 cup milk
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1 heaping cup of flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter (1/2 cup seems like too much butter to me)

In a 9x13 inch pan melt the butter in a 450 degree oven. Once the butter is all melted take the pan out so the butter doesn't burn
In a medium bowl mix all the ingredients together and pour in the buttered dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes
*Its normal for the sides to puff waaay up :)

{Hash Browns}

Once and a while our family likes to have breakfast for dinner :) So last night I made these along with bacon and eggs. They are very very good. You need a bigger pan for these otherwise they will spill over the sides when you turn them. Enjoy!!















6 medium red potatoes, steamed and cooled
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs Garlic powder (you can add more or less depending on how you like it)

In a large skillet melt butter and add olive oil. Thinly slice the potatoes. Add chopped onion to the skillet and cook until caramelized. Add potatoes brown on both sides. Then add the salt and pepper and garlic powder to your liking. You can add fresh chopped parsley or fresh chives if you like also.

{Waffles with Cinnamon Syrup}

These are really good, but what is amazing is the syrup!

2 cups flour

1 tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Cinnamon Syrup:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 5 ounce can evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine the egg yolks, milk, and oil stir into the dry ingredients until well mixed. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until still peaks form, fold those into batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron.

For the syrup, combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook and stir for 2 minutes, (it will thicken a bit, but thicken much more once cooled)

remove from the heat and stir in the milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Serve with the waffles.