Buckwheat Hot Cereal

I enjoy eating hot cereal all year long. It is especially nice as the mornings are becoming cooler around here. I had this cereal this morning. It left me with a wonderful satisfied feeling. The feeling you get when you eat something really healthy and good. The fresh peach I ate with it made a delicious combination. So eat it with your favorite fruit cut up. I love the texture of buckwheat too. This would make a wonderful afternoon snack as well.


Ingredients

1/3 C buckwheat groats rinsed well
2 C water
1/2 almond milk
1 T honey
1 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
fresh fruit cut up
almond milk for on top

Directions        Serves 2

1. Pour water and buckwheat in a small saucepan. Let it come to a full boil on medium high heat. Stir and let boil a few minutes.
2. Turn down the heat to medium low and stir in milk, honey, oil, and cinnamon. Let it cook a few minutes.
3. Turn down to low and let simmer for 5 to 10 min. Until the liquid gets absorbed.
4. Pour in bowls and serve with cut up fruit and pour on some milk on top if desired. Yum! Great way to start the day. :)

Sweet and Salty Protein Bites

 These are sweet and salty and packed with protein. They are a great snack to give you added energy. I love eating a handful of nuts for a snack and this is like eating a handful of nuts with some extra ingredients that have great nutritional value. Yum! I was excited to try hemp seeds. I love the added health benefits they have in them.

Ingredients 

1 C almonds
1 C cashews
1/3 C pistachios
1/3 C hemp seeds
2 T coconut oil
1 T honey or sweetener of your choosing
1/3 C buckwheat groats
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt *Optional if you have salted nuts you may not need it at all.

Directions

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender. Pulse several times. You may have to stir it with a rubber spatula in between pulsing. Leave some chunks in the nuts.

2. Roll them into balls and put in the fridge to let them harden. Store in an airtight container. 

Lemon Cream Crumble (Gluten Free)

This recipe is in honor of lemons. I love lemons. I love having a bowl of them on my counter. They just make me happy to look at. I love the smell of them. I also love the taste of them. I love eating lemon yogurt. It is soo good. This is a healthier version of the lemon yogurt that you buy in the store. The strawberries are a nice addition to the dish. I love strawberries too. It is such a great time of year. It tastes kind of like lemon cheese cake, if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours it will thicken up. 

This could be eaten for breakfast, a snack or even a dessert. It is very versatile. It is a nice way to enjoy the Spring and Summer. 

I hope that you have a wonderful Easter weekend. I love Easter. It is one of my favorite holiday. I love honoring Jesus Christ, and know my life would not be the same without him. I owe him everything. He helps to make me whole. Happy Easter!

Ingredients

1 C toasted quinoa *

1/2 C buckwheat groats 

1/2 C unsalted cashew pieces

3 T coconut oil

2 T honey

1/8 tsp salt *optional

1 C plain yogurt w/ 1 T honey & 1 tsp vanilla

1 C lemon curd (here is a recipe w honey)

Cut up washed strawberries

Directions makes 4

 1. In a blender pulse the quinoa, buckwheat, cashews until all broken down into a nice crumble.

2. Pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl and cut in the oil, honey, and salt with a pastry blender or whisk. Continue until all combined. If you want the topping to have more crunch, then bake it on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring once. But it's optional. :)

3. In parfait dishes fill the bottom with about 1 1/2 T of the dry mixture in each dish. 

4. Then spoon 1 T of yogurt  into each dish and then 1 T lemon curd in each dish. 

5.Top with strawberries. Repeat the steps again. Then top off with the crumble and remaining strawberries. If you are not going to serve right away put them in the fridge. Put the strawberries on top right before serving. 

* I ate one after it had been a the fridge for a couple hours it tasted like lemon cheese cake. So Good!

*Toasted quinoa- rinse quinoa until water is not cloudy. Pour into skillet and toast on medium heat until light golden. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Candy Bites (protein)

So my daughter Britney came up with this name. When I made these a week ago she said they tasted like they had candy in them because of the way they crunch. It kind of reminds me of the nestle crunch bar crunch. So I made these with some of the same ingredients so I decided to use her name for them. They are a great snack that would taste great anytime of the day. They are very easy to make. They seriously taste like peanut butter cups, and I am not the only one that thinks that. :) 

Ingredients

2 1/2 T cocoa

2 T honey

2 T Coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 C peanut butter  natural 

1 C quinoa toasted

1/2 C buckwheat groats raw

Directions makes 10

1. Stir the protein powder, honey, coconut oil , vanilla, and peanut butter in a bowl. 

2. Then stir in the quinoa and buckwheat and stir until all combined. 

3. Scoop into balls and put on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer. 

4. After they harden store in air tight container in the freezer.

Here is another version of this snack.

Quinoa Buckwheat Oatmeal Hot Cereal

It was a really nice weekend with my family. It brings me a lot of joy having my family gathered around me. It is my birthday week so my family made me a delicious dinner yesterday. I loved seeing them in the kitchen all working together. Family times are the best.

Today looks like a beautiful Spring day. Hooray! I love the sunshine and blue sky. It is going to be a great week. Happy Monday!

I have determined that hot cereal is one of my favorite breakfasts. I love the way I feel after eating it and I love the way it tastes. It is a great way to start your day. Here is one that I made yesterday. My family enjoyed it yesterday with me. My daughter even came back for seconds. 

Ingredients
1 C toasted quinoa (well rinsed)
1/2 C buckwheat
1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
2 C water
1 C vanilla unsweetened almond milk
2 T honey (or sweetener of choice)
1 T coconut oil
Toppings nutmeg and cinnamon* to taste
Cut up fruit I used peaches
Additional almond milk for on top

Directions serves about 4
1. In a medium saucepan heat up quinoa and let it toast for a few minutes on med heat. Stirring it frequently.
2. Then add the buckwheat, oatmeal, water, milk, honey, and oil. Let the mixture come to a boil and then let it boil a couple minutes. Turn  down to low and cover. Let it cook for around 20 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Add additional water if needed.
3. When it gets to your desired consistency ( I like to leave some texture to mine) take off the heat and scoop  into bowls.
4. Sprinkle on the spices and put on the cut up fruit if desired. I like cutting up the peaches in small bites so I get them in every mouthful. :) Pour on some extra milk if desired.
5. Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days. Enjoy!

* I like to grate whole nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. It tastes a lot fresher.

Yummy Buckwheat Quinoa Power Bites (gluten free & raw)

Winner! Winner! I created a new energy bite that my husband and I loved. They are gluten free if that is a concern to you. They have a delicious candy-like crunch when you bite into them. It reminds me of a Crunch candy bar. They are a great thing that you can make ahead and have for a yummy snack when you need them. They are filled with healthy goodness.

Ingredients 
3/4 C buckwheat groats
1/3 C cashew pieces (raw)
1/2 C quinoa (I toasted it. If you want to keep it raw don't toast it.)
2 T honey
2 1/2 T coconut oil
1/3 C dark chocolate chips or add 1/2 C dried fruit

Directions
1. Blend all the ingredients in the blender or food processor. Pulse the blender until all combined. You will have to stop and scrape the blender and stir a couple times.
2. Scoop into balls. I use a small scooper I have. Form them into balls.
3. Eat at once or store them in an air tight container in the fridge. They will harden a little.

*If they aren't sticking together well add another 1/2 T of coconut oil.

Enjoy Today and Buckwheat Groats Cereal

Out my front door

We live in a beautiful world!

Where ever you live I hope you are enjoying today! I love being outside this time of year. It fills me up and energizes me. I went on a walk with my daughter last night as the sun was setting and it felt so good. These are views out my front door that I got last Sunday. The camera never captures it fully. I know you have beauty outside your front door as well enjoy it. Nature has a way of filling me up and bringing me peace.

It has been a happy week. My youngest daughter graduated from high school. The opening procession music always gets to me. It makes me think about the child graduating, and I always feel a great love for them. I am excited for this daughter.  She has a lot of great plans, and I know this will be a rewarding time of her life. I love her so much and want the best for her and to see her succeed. Its just that part of turning to the next chapter of life that gets my emotions going, yet when I turn the page I always enjoy the next chapter too. 


I also took care of my 2 sweet grandsons for a week last week with the help of my husband and children. I would lose more weight if I did it more often. I went to bed tired at night, yet filled with love for them. There laughter is so fun to hear. The world would be a sad place without children.  It's a wonderful life!

Buckwheat Groats Cereal

I love to talk to people in the store. I learn so much from them when I do. My children sometimes make fun of me for doing it. :) Oh well. This recipe is a result of someone sharing with me in the store. She said she loves to eat buckwheat this way for breakfast. I was reading more about buckwheat after I talked to her and was excited to learn more of the benefits of eating it regularly. Buckwheat one of the closest plant sources to being a complete protein. It also contains a high proportion of all eight amino acids, which our bodies can't produce by themselves, yet are important to keep our bodies in shape. Here is another great resource on buckwheat!

Ingredients:  2 servings

1/2  Buckwheat groats
1 C unsweetened almond milk or milk of your choice
1 tsp honey
favorite fresh or frozen fruit topping.
Cinnamon if desired

Directions:

1. Pour milk and buckwheat together stir in honey. Let soak overnight in the fridge.

2. Pour desired amount into a bowl and add fruit of your choosing. Sprinkle on cinnamon
if desired. Enjoy some Buckwheat today!

Whole Grain Cinnamon Roll Bread

Ready to put in the oven.

I love my children!

This one too!
We loved having him come visit!

This is what life is all about. Family! I love my family. Mothers Day is one of my happiest days of the year! My husband and children spoil me. The other part I love about it is that it is a wonderful time for me to reflect on the joy of being a mother and wife. The top picture is of my 6 children that live in by me. :) The bottom picture is my son when he visited recently. Our family continues to grow as we also have a daughter- and son-in-law and two darling grandsons. It is amazing to look at these pictures and see my children growing up. They are my children as well as my dear friends. :) I hope you had a wonderful weekend enjoying your family too.    

One of my favorite kinds of bread is cinnamon bread. When you go to the store to buy it is so expensive and not very healthy. So I came up with my own whole grain pull apart bread.. It was easy to make and got gobbled up fast. It is a great way to get your family to eat whole grain bread. :) Nice to enjoy wholegrain goodness.


Ingredients:

I used this recipe with a few changes. You could just follow this recipe and it would work great! I just wanted to experiment using different grains.

• 6 C hot water
  2/3 C honey
  2 1/2 T sea salt with iodine
  2/3 C coconut oil
• 3-4 T lecithin granules (Dough enhancer I bought them in bulk)
  2 T plain yogurt
  3 T yeast
  ground  5 cups of white wheat, 3 C spelt, 2 C buckwheat, 2 C oatmeal (you could also use the original recipe's whole wheat)
• butter
• cinnamon
• brown sugar

Directions:
1. Follow the mixing directions. Knead for 10 min Then let rest for 5 to 10 min.
Divide into sections 3 sections for bread and then a section for cinnamon roll bread.You could make another section or two cinnamon bread. I will be doing that next time I make it.

2. Roll out the section for cinnamon bread in a rectangle about a 1/4 " thick. I brushed on a thin layer of butter and then a small amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. Rolled it up tight. Then I cut them into 1/2 to 3/4 ' pieces with a serrated knife.

3. Grease a loaf pan. Place the cinnamon rolls close together on their sides. Cover with a towel  and let raise till double.

4. Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Make sure it cooks all the way in the center. You can brush some butter on when you take it out. Let it cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm. You could add raisins or nuts when you put on the sugar and cinnamon.      

Muesli Scandinavian Cereal

I hope that you had a nice weekend. I had a nice one spending it with family actives. One of the wonderful things I did was go to an L.D.S. worldwide broadcast for women with a couple of my daughters. It was a wonderful evening. I love being a Mom. I also enjoyed spending time cooking in the kitchen with my 3rd daughter. She is living away at college, so I told her I would help her make some meals she could put in the freezer, and have for quick meals. We had a fun time cooking together. Spending time in the kitchen with my children, and husband brings me delight. I have many cherished memories, and I look forward in continuing to make new memories as well.

One of the things I made that I shared with her was this Muesli. This is a Scandinavian cereal that can be served with milk or yogurt for a wonderful breakfast or snack. It is a great way to start off your day with whole grains, protein, and calcium from your dairy. You can also enjoy omega-3s when you add in flaxseeds. It is similar to granola but a little different. It it more like a healthy dried cereal. :) It is another great breakfast for your family.

This is Muesli served with peaches and milk.

These are the buckwheat flakes. I have a flaker that I hook on to my Bosh that turns the grains into flakes. It is a lot of fun. It is wonderful way to make oat groats into oatmeal. Oat groats have a longer shelf life thatn oatmeal.
This is what it looks like before the milk and fruit was added. I thought it tasted really good plain as well.


Ingredients:
4 C old fashioned Oatmeal
1 1/4 C Buckwheat flakes or rye, or wheat flakes
1 C chopped nuts (I used almonds this time)
1/4 C unsweetened coconut flakes
1 C raisins or dried fruit *Optional
1/4 C honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg or 1/4 tsp dried * optional
1/4 tsp cardamom * optional
1/2 ground flaxseed

Directions: preheat oven to 350

1. You can grease cookie sheet with cooking spray. It is works either way. Spread the oats and flakes all over the baking sheet. It took 2 pans. Bake for 10 min.

2. Take the cookie sheets out of the oven and stir in the nuts and coconut. Return back to the oven. Let bake another 8 min approx. Turn off the oven.

3. Take cookie sheet out of the oven. Stir in dried fruit.

4. In a small saucepan on the stove heat up the honey, spices, and vanilla. till all mixed together and warm.

5. Then drizzle over the cereal and stir to coat the cereal. Stir in the flax seed. Then return to warm oven. Let sit in the oven until it is completely cool. (When you cook flax seed you lose some of the beneficial omega 3. So add it after the cooking process. When the oven is just warm.)

Mixed Grain Crackers

This is what the ball of dough looked like as it was resting.
Homemade crackers any one?


This is what the ball of dough looked like.

I am always trying to find a healthy cracker. Some are more on the healthy side but can be expensive. This is an alternative way to eat some healthy crackers. They are more filling so you won't go through them as fast. :) It was fun to be able to incorporate a lot of grains into them as well. You could just use wheat flour instead of the mixed grains.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal
3/4 C spelt flour
3/4 C kamut
1/2 C ground nuts I used almonds
1/4 C rice flour
1/4 C buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T ground flax
1 to 2 T honey depending on desired sweetness.
2/3 C plain yogurt, kefir or butter milk or water
* optional 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg or ? herbs would be great!

Directions:
1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then slowly fold in yogurt &, honey. Knead with your hands or spatula.

2. Rub with oil all over it. Cover with plastic and let rest for an hour or up to 24 hours.

3. I rubbed oil on it again, and rolled out on pressed it thin on a cookie sheet. Then I scored it in the sizes I wanted it. I did about a 3" square, and then into a triangle.

4. Bake in a preheated oven set at 350. Till desired texture. About 18 min. (Then they broke apart into triangles.) Take off of cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. They will continue to cook if you leave on the pan.

5. Store in an airtight container.

* You can either make these on the sweeter side or add some herbs and make them less sweet.

*Great with Hummus! Yum! I like the nuts in them too.

Nutmeg and Quinoa, Amaranth and Buckwheat Cereal

I have been very interested in getting fresh nutmeg. Fresh always adds a better flavor in spices. I have seen it mentioned in recipes and was curious about it. In my search for looking for it, I finally found it at Sunflower market. It was in a rack with other spices that come in cellophane bags. I was so excited to finally be able to try it.

To use it, all you do is take a little zester, the kind you would use for zesting an orange, and rub the nut over it. It's that easy!

The first thing I tried it in was some hot cereal. It added a wonderful flavor, and it smells so good. If you don't like the flavor of nutmeg you will not like it, but if you do like nutmeg you will love it. :) The benefit to using spices is it adds a great flavor, and you can use less sweetener. I am excited to add it to some other foods.
Some interesting health benefits that could happen, eating nutmeg in moderation.
1. Aides in digestion.
2. Anti-inflammatory
3. Improve blood circulation which can boost brain activity
4. Boost in the function of the heart.
5. Works as a detox and can stones from forming in your kidneys.
6. Promotes the the production of serotonin in your body, which can help you relax and sleeping better.
7. Can eliminate bacteria in your mouth and help you from having bad breath.. It is an ingredient found in toothpaste sometimes.

"Some like it hot some like it cold....." I love this Cereal! I had it yesterday hot, and today I had some leftovers cold. It was yummy both ways. With the spices in it, and the texture it kind of reminded me of a rice pudding. So very good! It has a lot of texture to it, and it is really healthy too.

Ingredients:
3 C water
1/3 C unsweetened almond milk and a little extra to pour on top
1/3 C quinoa
1/3 C buckwheat
1/3 C amaranth
1/3 C coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
2 to 3 T honey
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg or 1/2 tsp dried (featured spice) Zester worked great!
*Optional 1/3 C raisins, craisins, dates, or any dried fruit.

Directions: serves 4

1. Boil the water then stir in all the ingredients except the raisins or dried fruit. Turn down heat to low and let cook till the grains are all softened. Put on the lid. It may take about 10 min. Add more water if needed.

2. Then add the fruit and stir it in. Serve into bowls and pour a little almond milk on top. Enjoy!


* For extra added nutrition you can soak the grains overnight or even 30 min before cooking.

Honey Seasame Chicken with Whole Grains

It is fun to have another weekend to look forward to. I love this time of year. We get to be a part of 2 weddings. I think it is wonderful, to see couples happy and, getting married. It will be a great weekend. I hope that you have a great one as well.

This was an interesting post you may want to look at, if you haven't already. Also I thought this was an interesting way to eat buckwheat. It is fun to find new ways to eat it.

We enjoyed this meal for dinner. I mixed buckwheat with brown rice to mix it up a little. It was a nice variation. I make a little extra, and then put it in a container for my husbands lunch.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken tenders
2 T coconut oil
4 green onions chopped up (I have these in my garden, it is so handy.)
1/2 C honey
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 C water
2 T sesame seeds (You could toast seeds in a skillet prior to adding to the chicken)

1 1/2 C brown rice
1/2 C buckwheat
4 C water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet then add oil. Add the chicken till light golden. Then add the onions, honey, salt, garlic powder, sesame seeds, and water. Let it cook together for 5-10 min on med. low, so all the flavors can combine nicely.

2. Cook rice, and buckwheat, or just rice. I cooked it in my pressure cooker for 17 min.

3. Then put the rice mixture on a plate, and pour the chicken mixture on top.

The combination of the chicken with the honey was wonderful.

All About Buckwheat (Kasha)

We've been enjoying a couple of great buckwheat recipes lately, so we thought we'd highlight a little about this great grain.

Actually, it's not really a grain.

It's actually a fruit seed, not at all related to wheat. It's gluten-free and closer to rhubarb and sorrel. But you can use it as if it were a grain, roasted or unroasted (the roasted seed is also known as kasha), or as a flour.

Health Benefits

• A good source of manganese, magnesium, and fiber
• Its a great protein, containing all eight essential amino acids, including lysine
• Gluten free!

What Buckwheat Is Good for

• Combine buckwheat flour with whole wheat flour to make baked goods.
• Add to brown rice for a pilaf
• Boil up to make a great breakfast cereal
• Add to soups and stews

Click here for some of my great recipes using buckwheat.

Kasha Varnishkes with Chicken

This was a fun dish to try. I did my own version of this traditional Jewish pasta and buckwheat dish. I didn't have bow tie pasta, so I made due with what I had. I also added some chicken to it, and used green onions instead of regular onions. I thought it would make it more appealing for my family members.

Buckwheat is a wonderful grain. It is a complete protein. It is nice to find ways to include it in our diet. The meal was very light, but filling at the same time. I felt very satisfied after eating it. It would make a wonderful Summer dish.

Ingredients: Serves 5 to 6
1/2 C buckwheat groats (kasha)
1 egg beaten lightly
2 T coconut oil or oil of your choice
1/2 C water
6-7 green onion chopped small pieces or onion chopped thin slices
3 cloves of minced garlic
3 small cans of sliced mushrooms totaled 19.5 oz
3 C cooked farfalle (Bow ties) or pasta of your choice
1 can cooked chicken breast 12.5 oz
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt or season to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix buckwheat and egg together.

2. In a small sauce pan heat over low heat, and add 1 T oil. Pour in buckwheat. Cook and stir continually until the groats are dry, and the grains are all separated.

3. Add water to the groats; bring the water to boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer 5 to 10 minutes till all the water is absorbed.

4. Then heat a skillet and pour in 1 T oil and heat medium heat. Pour in onions, and garlic until golden. Then add the mushrooms and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Turn down the heat. Pour in the chicken (I added the water that was in it too). Stir in oat groats. Let cook 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the pasta, paprika, pepper and salt. (save 1/4 tsp paprika to sprinkle on top)

Moist Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bars for Breakast

I have fond memories of making oatmeal cake when I was younger. It was fun to make and tasted so good. So I saw this recipe and got excited. I changed it to make healthier a lot less sugar, and another healthier thing was leaving off the frosting. :) I didn't even miss it. Oatmeal is such a wonderful grain. I think It is my favorite, and it is so good for you. :)

I had the thought this is like a bowl of oatmeal, It has all the great things that a bowl of oatmeal has in it. Just add some fruit, and a drink of milk, or a handful of nuts, and you have a complete meal. I actually added apples to it, so you get some fruit inside as well. It would make a healthy snack, or be in place of dessert. You could make it the night before, and it would be all ready to go. My daughter and grandson came over, and loved it. It is fun to have taste testers. It is very moist.

Ingredients:

1 C Oatmeal
1 1/2 C boiling water
1/3 C coconut oil
2/3 C honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 C whole grain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C shredded coconut
1 small apple grated

Directions: Serves 12 or more

1. In a sauce pan boil water. Take off the heat pour in the oatmeal and let it sit for 15 min.

2. Cream oil, honey, and egg. Then add the oatmeal,flour, soda, cinnamon, salt, coconut and apple. Don't over mix.

3. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 min., or till done.

(You could add nuts, or another kind of fruit in there too.) Enjoy today, it will never be here again. :)

* Try these yummy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
*Try these yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Refrigerator Cookies
*Try these Moist Oatmeal Fruit Bars
*Try these Chewy Almond Butter Quinoa Bars

Buckwheat, Oatmeal and Amaranth Hot Cereal

I have enjoyed this mixture as hot cereal a couple times. Lauri suggested that she puts coconut oil in her hot cereal. She said it gives and extra creamy texture, and I agree. I really like what the coconut oil adds to the cereal. I also like the extra bonus, the oil it helps it to not boil over. :) The combination of all the grains is wonderful. Think of all the nutrition you are starting your day off with. All combined in just one bowl. =)


Ingredients:
3 C hot water
2/3 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 C amaranth
1/3 C buckwheat
1 1/2 T coconut oil
*I have used quinoa as one of the grains too.
sweeten to your preference
top with cut up fruit, nuts, coconut etc...

Directions:

1. Put a medium saucepan on the stove. Then pour in all the ingredients. (It adds to the nutrition to let the grain soak for 15 min or more. It is not necessary though.) Then turn to medium heat, and cover with a lid. Stir occasionally. Let cook until all the water is absorbed and, completely softened.

2. Pour into bowl, add sweetener, and desired topping. Have a great weekend!

Multigrain Strawberry Banana Muffins

It was fun to get some glimpses of the royal wedding today. She looked beautiful! The elegant dress looked gorgeous on her. I love to be a part of romance. I think everyone enjoys it to different degrees. It brought back memories of watching Princess Diana get married. I remember enjoying watching that as well. At the time I wasn't married, but was looking forward to it in the next couple years. Now watching this wedding many years later, I am married, and enjoy the wedding with new insights. I love being married! It is wonderful to find someone that fills my life with so much happiness and joy. Watching this wedding, and others makes me think about my own marriage, and the day I got married. It also makes me think of ways I could be a better wife. Love is such an important part of each of our lives. It was a fun morning. The words keep coming to my mind, "Every girl is a princess" and I believe it! :)

Yesterday it was fun to try, yet another muffin. I was pleased with the result. I think I liked them even better this morning. It was fun to mix 5 different grains into them as well. It is nice when it can be healthy and taste good at the same time. I also read some good reminders on how to make better muffins.

Tips to improve your muffins:

1. Don't ever beat them with a mixer.
2. Fold the ingredients together. Stir around 20 times. The batter will till be lumpy.
3. Beat the wet ingredients separately in a separate bowl.
4. Using a cookie scoop works great for scooping the batter into the muffin pans. It helps to keep me from over stirring.
5. Avoid over baking them.
6. Remove them from the pan quickly after taking them out of the oven. Leaving them in the pan, they will continue to cook and dry the muffins out.
7. If you are adding frozen berries to your muffins, do not thaw them before adding them. They will be mushy.
8. Mixing the berries into the flour, before adding the wet ingredients helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan, and keeps them separated nicely.

Ingredients:

1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C plain yogurt
2/3 C honey
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
4 over ripe bananas mashed
1/4 C banana liquid
2 C strawberries fresh or frozen in small pieces or perserves
4 1/2 C whole grain flour or  mixed whole grains*
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Directions: made 46 small muffins Bake at 350

1. Place peeled bananas in a glass bowl. Cover it with plastic, and microwave for 5 min. Strain out liquid (which should be about 1/2 C). Pour the liquid into a saucepan. Boil the liquid until it equals 1/4 C. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium sized bowl, beat with a wire whisk, eggs, honey, oil, vanilla, mashed bananas and liquid from bananas. Set aside.

3. Whisk in a separate bowl flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then gently fold in the strawberries until they are completely covered with flour.

4. Then fold in wet ingredients. Stir around 20 turns. The batter will be lumpy.

5. Scoop with cookie scoop into greased pan.

6. Bake 10 to 12 min if they are small muffins. Just till barely golden.


* (I ground 2 C spelt, 1 C kamut, 1/4 C buckwheat, 1/4 C amaranth, 1/4 C brown rice I had a small amount left over.)

Multi grain Bread

Today I decided to make some bread with mostly wheat flour, and a few other grains. The dough was very easy to work with, to form into loaves.

6 C. Warm water (not hot)
2/3 C Oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 C Xagave or 1 C Honey
3 T Yeast
1 T Salt
2 T Gluten (I replaced this with 1 T White Vinegar)
1 T Cinnamon (Optional)
1/4 C Unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C Flax (Ground)
1 C 6 Grain rolled oats
2 1/2 C Buckwheat Flour
11-12 1/2 C White Wheat flour

1. In bread mixer pour water, yeast, Xagave. Let sit for 10 to 15 min till starts to bubble. If it doesn't bubble your yeast is bad. (It is nice to find that out in the beginning of the process.

2. Then add the rolled oats, so they can soften in the water for 5 min. Then add the remaining ingredients, adding the wheat flour last. Add just enough wheat flour for the dough to pull away from the bowl. Be careful to not let it get too dry. The dough will still be sticky. Knead in the mixer 6-8 min. (You can knead it longer when the spelt is not in it.

3. Let sit in the bowl covered till double.

4. Oil your hands. I used olive oil. and put oil on the counter and in the pans. From into loaves let rise till double.

5. Put into preheated oven at 400. Put the bread in turn down to 325. Bake for 25-30 min. If have a thermometer, stick it in the bread in the center. It should read 180 when it is done. I rubbed butter on the top. It has a really nice texture. I really liked it.

*I made a (1) 1/2 lb loaf, (2) 2lb loaves, (1) 2 1/2 lb loaf and (5) rolls. :) Plenty to share.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Bread

I think Pumpkin Bread is up there as one of my favorite foods. I like to eat it all year round. :) Pumpkin is so good for you it is good to eat all year. I love the spices that go in it. They smell so good! I changed around a few recipes and this is what I came up with. It tasted even better and moister the second day. I didn't make it very sweet. If you like it sweet you can add more sugar. I just love the flavor of all the spices, I don't need it really sweet. :) I also tried something new adding coconut milk. You could add any kind of milk. (Almond, Buttermilk, Rice etc..) I sprinkled powdered sugar on it to add more life to it.

3 C Flour Wheat or whole Grain Flour Mixture ( I ground 5 C Spelt 2 C Kamut 1 C Brown Rice 1 C Buckwheat) I grind extra so I can make something else with the extra flour. You could reduce what you grind.)
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 C unsweetened apple sauce (You could do sweetened to make it sweeter!)
1/2 coconut sugar or sugar of your choice
3/4 C Coconut milk
1 can (15 oz ) Pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease pans.

2. Sift all the dry ingredients together. I even did the sugar. I usually never sift. I liked doing it, because it spread all the spices and soda and salt evenly.

3. Beat the milk and eggs and pumpkin together. Then add to dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly moistened. You could take a small taste of the batter to see if you want it sweeter.

4. Pour into pans. Cook around 25-30 min. Until the toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. You could make these into muffins too.

I loved it!

Pizza Pinwheels

These were so fun to make. It was such a pay day to have my son open the oven and have him so excited to see what was cooking. Yeah! These were put together like a cinnamon roll. I made up half of them and put them in the freezer Uncooked. In zip lock bags. (Already sliced in pinwheels) Then they can be cooked fast for a lunch, snack or dinner. :) They were a nice change.

Heat oven to 400 (You want the oven to be hot)
Pizza dough
4 C Warm Water
2 T Yeast
10 C Spelt Flour or Wheat (Spelt 5 C. buckwheat 1 C, Brown Rice 1C, Kamut 2 C )
1 T Xagave or Sugar
1/2 T Salt
2 T Olive Oil

Your favorite pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice
Topping of your choice.

1. Mix together Warm water and yeast, Xagave. Let sit for 5 min to let the yeast grow. Then add flour, salt and olive oil. Add enough flour till it no longer sticks to side of the bowl. Let the dough sit in the bowl 5 min. I put oil on my hands and on the counter. I divided the dough in half and rolled it out in a long rectangle. 1/2 " thick. (similar to how you roll out cinnamon rolls)

2. I then spread on the the pizza sauce. (I had blended in some vegetables into the sauce in the blender and ground them up. (No one knows they are there. :)

3. Then spread on some cheese. Not too thick. You could add some topping too.

4. Then roll starting on the wide end. Like you would for cinnamon rolls.

5. I cut them up in about 1 to 1 1/2" wide. I then put them on a greased cookie sheet.I spread a small amount of sauce on each roll and sprinkled on a little cheese.

6. They cooked in about 10 to 15 min. Or until cooked all the way through.

I was very pleased how they turned out. Plus I have some in the freezer for another time. Yeah!
*Other options instead of pizza sauce. Put on olive oil and cheeses. Yum! Enjoy!