Tag: breakfast

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Making the Perfect Overnight Oats

Christy

I am so not a morning person. I barely wake up until I have had about two entire pots of coffee…so being able to simply have breakfast ready ahead of time is idea for both me and my kids.

The perfect overnight oats is a sweet combination of your favorite fruit…(in this case===raspberries), nuts…(totally optional, but in this case, we’re using almonds)…sweetener—such as honey…and perhaps some extras such as  chia seeds, and obviously oats.

This is a nutritious, delicious, and filling breakfast that is a great way to start to your day.

Now for the recipe…(which, like smoothie “recipes,” doesn’t even really seem like a recipe because it’s so easy and pretty much common sense.

And also like smoothies, there is an endless combination of flavors that you could have…based on which fruit you choose, which flavor yogurt you choose, and so forth…

 

 

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Ingredients

  • Almonds…sliced, slivered, or chopped…1Tbsp
  • Chia Seeds, optional…2tsp
  • Honey, maple syrup,  or any other type of sweetener…which is totally a matter of personal preference)
  • Milk…1C milk…(once again, for hints on which kind of milk, check out this previous post…Visions of Veganism—Milk)
  • Oats…½C
  • Raspberries…1/2C fresh or frozen
  • Yogurt…1/4C plain Greek yogurt

 

 

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Instructions

Stir together milk, oats, yogurt, honey, chia seeds and pinch of salt until combined.

Pour into a pint-sized jar or resealable container.

Mix thoroughly.

Seal the lids onto the jars..

Refrigerate anywhere from six hours days.

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Making the Perfect Waffles

Christy

Now that we’ve learned how to make the perfect pancakes, let’s move on to making the pancake’s kissing cousin…the waffle…

You might think to yourself, we just learned how to make the perfect pancake batter…can’t I simply use the same recipe to now make waffles…

 

 

Actually…

No!!!

 

Waffle batter and pancake batter may seem very similar….you really can’t use your pancake recipe and expect great waffles.

 

 

 

Why? 

Pancake recipes are created to make flat things without a crispy exterior…

 

 

 

But before we learn HOW to make the perfect waffles, let’s talk about what the perfect waffles would be like.

The perfect waffles are buttery, sweet, and thick…with a perfectly crisp extterior……with a light and fluffy interior…and  topped with the perfect amount of butter, syrup, and whatever else you wanna put on them.

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The Ingredients

  • 1Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2gsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2C buttermilk
  • 1/4C butter
  • 1tsp vanilla or 1Tbsp amaretto
  • 1/3C vegetable oil
  • 1/2C cornstarch
  • 1-1/2C flour
  • 3/4C sugar

 

 

 

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The Waffle Iron

If yuu’re gonna make good waffles, you really should have a good waffle iron, such as this KitchenAid Waffle Baker 

So go ahead and buy one that cooks waffles evenly if your waffle iron has become crabby and temperamental.

If you are shopping for a waffle iron, things to consider include…

  • cool-touch handles...waffle irons with plastic handle heat up less than models with chrome or stainless-steel handles
  • fllip style…using a waffle iton that you can flip pver after pouring in the batter will allow the batter to spread out evenly and also make sure that the waffle cooks evenly on both sides.
  • size…think about how much space you have to store the waffle maker when you aren’t using it.
  • temperature control...adjustable thermostats allow you to control the cooking temperature so that you can make both soft, light-colored waffles…as well as crispy, dark-colored waffles.

Now that you have bought…or found…your waffle iron it is important to read…or have read…the instruction manual because different waffle makers will cook differently.

 

 

 

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Preheat Your Waffle Iron

Preheating your waffle iron before adding any batter to the waffle iron is very important for two reasons….prevents soggy waffles…and makes the batter turn crispy as soon as it hits the surface.

 

 

 

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The “Dry” Ingredients

Place flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl, Whisk to combine. Set aside.

(Yes…I do realize that sugar is a dry ingredient, but add it later…you will soon see why.

 

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The $ggs

First separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. This will give them a crispier exterior….as well as make the interior of the waffle more fluffy. and light, instead of heavy and dense.

Now add your sugar,

Whip your egg whites to the soft-peak stage., meaning until stiff peaks form….you should be able to lift the beaters straight out of the egg whites and invert the beaters, and find that the egg white stand up on their own.

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The “Wet” Ingredients

Whisk together your egg yolks, milk, melted butter, and vanilla In a medium-sized mixing bowl.

 

The Buttermilk…If you do not have buttermilk in your fridge…and are too lazy to go to Walmart of somewhere and go get some, combine a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar with  to a cup of milk.

Some people recommend that you use a combination of buttermilk and regular milk because this makes your batter even thinner…personally I like the extra buttermilk flavor.

 

 

 

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Batter Up

At this point, you should have three bowls of “stuff”===your dry ingredients, your wet ingredients, and your beaten egg whites.

So now let’s combine all three of these mixtures so that we can get on with out waffle making.

 

 

When stirring together your ingredients, it important that you never overmix your batter.

You want your batter to be smooth enough that it flows freely through the dimples of the waffle plate..yet not over-mixed to the point where the flour turns into gluten… making your pancakes chewier, instead of fluffy.

So at this stage, a gentle hand and patience and very important..

 

 

Anyway…how do we do this?

  1. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula and a gentle motion.
  2. Mix together until smooth.
  3. Now scoop the beaten egg whites into the batter, just until combined. It is important that you do this very gently..
  4. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter….being careful not to deflate them..
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Cooking the Pancakes

Scoop 1/2C batter into the center of your waffle iron,

Close the lid.

Let cook until the indicator light or beeping mechanism does its thing. Do not lift the lid too soon.  Lifting the lid too soon could mean that half of your waffle ends up on the top of the waffle iron…while the other stays on the bottom..

Remove hot waffles from the waffle iron.  

The that waffle that you make is probably not going to turn out perfectly. If so, you may need to adjust the amount of batter or color control settings until you get the results you

Respray the waffle pan after each waffle.

Continue cooking waffles until all batter is used,.

 

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Keeping Your Waffles Warm

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Place the cooked waffles directly on the oven rack while finishing cooking the rest of the waffles.

Not only will this keep the waffles warm as you are cooking, but doing this will also make your waffles crispier by allowing the steam to escape and will allow everyone to eat at the same time instead of staggeredly, as each individual waffle finishes cooking.

Just make sure the waffles do not burn…five minutes is about the maximum amount of time they can sray in your oven without burning.

And do not stack the waffles…otherwise, they will turn moist and limp.

 

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Storing

Place any leftover pancakes in a freezer bag once they cool down. Place wax paper between multiple waffles. Squeeze as much air from the bag as possible.

 

 

 

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Reheating

Set out however many waffles you need on the counter for ten minutes…while you preheat the oven to 300 degrees .

 

Clean your waffle iron shortly after each use. This will make cleaning the waffle iron so much easier than if you wait and clean it much later after 

Use a plastic or rubber utensil to remove waffles from the waffle iron. Using a metal fork or knife could eventually damage the sufaces of your waffle iron.

 

 

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Making the Perfect Pancakes

Christy

A towering stack of freshly made pancakes have been a classic breakfast treat for generations…not only for breakfast, one of our family’s favorite meals for dinner is breakfast.

Pancakes are also relatively cheap to make…consisting of ingredients that most of us keep stocked anyway—such as flour, eggs, milk, and butter.

The perfect pancakes are light and fluffy…customized with whatever additional ingredients—such as fruit, candy, or nuts—or topped with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

So let’s see how they’re made…

 

 

 

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The Ingredients

  • n2C flour
  • ¼C sugar
  • 4tsp baking powder
  • ½tsp salt
  • 2tsp vanilla
  • 1½C milk
  • 1 egg
  • ¼C melted butter
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Dry Ingredients

Mix together these dry ingredients.

You can do this with either a whisk or a Mason jar.

You want to go ahead and mix your dry ingredients enough to get rid of any lumps at this stage in order to avoid big lumps….and because later you will need to avoid over-mixing the batter once you add the wet to the dry,

 

 

The Baking Powder…Be sure to check the expiration date on the baking powder canister. If your baking powder is old or expired, your pancakes will not right…and will end up flat, instead of light and fluffy.

If you would like even fluffier pancakes, feel free to double the amount of baking powder.

You might also want to try using only 2tsp of baking powder and then adding 1/2tsp baking soda.

 

The Flour…Spoon your flour into a measuring cup instead of scooping the flour out of the flour canister with a measuring cup, like most of us do…including me.

Scooping the flour causes your measuring cup to be filled with too much flour, often resulting in tough pancakes.

Don’t restrict yourself to only using all-purpose flour…be adventuresome by swapping out half of the flour with another type of flour—such as whole wheat, buckwheat, brown rice, corn, oat, or gluten-free.

 

 

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Mason Jar Method

You can also use a Mason jar to shake your ingredients together.

To do this, layer your wet ingredients first—milk, egg, and oil…and then your dry ingredients—flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a wide-mouth quart-sized jar. Seal the jar tightly . Shake the jar vigorously for at least two minutes…until the ingredients are combined. Once the ingredients are combined, you can either cook pancakes immediately or stick the jar in the fridge for later.

To make your pancakes, simply pour the batter straight from the jar onto your griddle or pan…and cook them…(more on that later)…

 

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Liquid Ingredients

Combine your liquid ingredients.

 

The Butter…Using unsalted butter allows youu to control the taste of your pancakes better..

 

The Buttermilk...Butttermilk is what makes your pancakes tenderest. If you do not want to use milk or buttermilk, use water, coffee, or juice as your liquid base instead…reducing the amount of liquid called for in the original recipe by.one-fourth of the amount.

 

 

 

The Eggs…Bringing your eggs to room temp before mixing into your batter will give you the best results.

To make your pancakes even fluffier, take the time to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. …beat your egg whites  with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form…and finally fold the beaten egg whites into your batter gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.

 

 

 


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Mixing Ingredients Together

You should have already whisked your dry ingredients together before you added in the wet ingredients…so you should be able to combine your wet ingredients and dry ingredients together very easily.

Now gently fold your dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.

Stir until the flour is moist, but there are still a few small clumps of flour.

.Do not over-mix the batter. It’s okay to leave some lumps in the batter.

If you overmix the batter, you will end up with tough and dense pancakes, not fluffy.

At this point, you should add any ingredients that you would like to add to your batter…such as…

  • Banana…one mashed ripe banana
  • Blueberries…1C
  • Cream cheese…3oz finely chopped cream cheese
  • Lemon…1tsp grated lemon peel
  • Orange…1tsp grated orange peel
  • Pecans…1/2C…toast and chop finely
  • Strawberries…1C
  • Walnuts…1/2C…toast and chop finely

 

 

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Resting Your Batter

Now that all of your ingredients have become friends, it’s time to rest your batter. What does it mean to “rest” your batter?

To rest your batter means to simply leave it alone for anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. The longer you rest your batter, the better your pancakes will turn out…

Why should you “rest” your batter?

Resting your batter will…

  • dissolve any small lumps
  • give the baking powder enough time to activate
  • give the flour a chance to absorb liquid in the batter

 

 

 

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The Pan

As far as what kind of pan to use when making pancakes, the best option is an electric griddle…

An electric non-stick griddle makes flipping your pancakes much easier.

But if you’d rather cook your pancakes on top of the stove or don’t have an electric griddle, use a large, about 12,” non-stick skillet with sloping slides….preferably cast iron.

Cast iron will give you even heat distribution allow you to brown your pancakes without having to use tons of butter.

 

 

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Heating the Pan

 

Heat your pan or skillet over medium heat until drop of water sizzles..

Heat a little bit of vegetable oil…(for other types of oils to cook with, check this previous post out)…

Avoid using regular butter because the butter will be more likely to burn and make your pancakes turn out funky tasting.

Reduce heat to medium-low.

 

 

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Cooking

Use a 1/4C measuring cup…or pour the batter from the Mason jar depending on which method you used earlier…to shape the batter into medium-sized circles….about 3-1/2″ wide. 

Cook your pancakes for a couple of minutes…until little bubbles appear and the edges start to get firm.

Be sure to avoid squishing the pancakes with your spatula.

Flip. Once you flip the pancake over, don’t press down on it with your spatula. Let the pancake cook naturally so you do not end up with flat, boring pancakes.

Cook your pancakes for a couple of minutes on the other side…until both sides are lightly golden.

Keep pancakes warm while you’finish cooking the rest by covering the pancakes with aluminum foil and then sticking them in an oven that has been preheated to about 200.°

If you find that your pancakes are browning too quickly, turn down the heat down and let the pan cool down for a minute or so before starting the next batch.

If you find that your pancakes are sticking to the pan, add more butter or oil.

Wipe out the pan between batches…especially if you are using butter instead of oil.

Finish cooking any remaining batter.

 

 

 

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Storing

Obviously most of us know what to do with the pancakes once you finish cooking them, but did you know that you can also make them ahead of time…instead of resorting to buying already frozen pancakes from the grocery store…

I was kinda shocked to find pancakes stored by the frozen biscuits and frozen breakfast burritos and frozen waffles…wonder how many preservatives are in all of these products, right?

 

To refrigerate…put the pancakes in an airtight container…will stay fresh for up to 5 days

To freeze…flash freeze them and store in large ziplocs…will stay fresh up to 2 months

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Yogurt…The What

Christy

One delicious way to reap the antioxidant benefits of raspberries is to add them to yogurt.

But first let’s take a look at what yogurt actually is, what the benefits of yogurt are, and other ways that you can incorporate raspberries into your healthier lifestyle without sacrificing the taste of foods that you probably crave as you make this transition—such as chocolate and ice cream.

 

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Say “Yes” to Yogurt

For years, I’ve been saying “yes” to yogurt…I pretty much eat yogurt every single day.

In fact people have been saying “yes” to yogurt for many, many years…in fact, for centuries….since about the yrar 500BC.

Yogurt is made by first heating milk to about 185 °F and then allowing the heated milk to cool to about 113 °F.

Next certain bacteria, called “yogurt cultures” are added to the milk. This ferments the natural sugar found in milk, called lactose…fermentation causes the milk to curdle and create lactic acid….giving yogurt both its flavor and texture.

 

 

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Yogurts of Yore

During the late 1800s...after yogurt was studied and shown to be supposedly responsible for the extremely long lifespans of peasants in Bulgaria, it started to become more popular throughout Europe…(but don’t ask me how they actually enjoyed it becasuse at this time, nobody added flavoring or sweeteners to the yogurt…have you ever tried unflavored and unsweetened yogurt…great for making smoothies perhaps…but definitely not to be eaten straight out of the carton).

In 1919, Isaac Carasso opened the first yogurt manufacturing plant in Barcelona, Spain….calling his business Danone (“little Daniel”) after his son. This brand later expanded to the US under the name Dannon…(as if you couldn’t have figured that out, right?!)

Yogurt was introduced to the United States in the first decade of the twentieth century. The person who was fundamental for starting a yogurt trend was John Harvey Kellogg at the Battle Creek Sanitarium…(yeah, the same Kellogg as the cereals that only stock how many shelves at your local grocery store)…

Kellogg treated patients at his sanitarium not only by giving them yogurt to eat, but also using yogurt in enemas…(think I’ll pass on that one)…

It was not until 1933 that people began first flavoring yogurt…by adding fruit jam to their yogurt…(and we should all thank God that somebody had the sense to do this, right?!)

In 1966 Colombo Yogurt started sweetening their yogurt and selling their yogurt with added fruit preserves…first creating what we know as  “fruit on the bottom” style yogurt.

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Muesli…The What

Christy

Breakfast of Champions?!

Yeah right…

It’s gonna take way more than a bowl or two of cereal to make anyone a “champion”—things such as self-discipline, determination, and experience…

But this is not a motivational blohg…and I am by no means a motivational speaker…

I am simply a wife and mother is who is trying to make better choices and learn as much as she can in order to take care of her type 2 diabetic husband and ADHD/ODD grandson.

So let’s look at how grains can play an important role in breakfast…how breakfast itself can contribute to the self-discipline, determination, and experience that we are all trying to gather during the course of the day ahead.

First of all, let’s look at meusli…later we will look at granola and oatmeal and see how they differ from each other…and look at a few recipes that caan help us make our mornings more perfect.

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Muesli—The Story Behind It

But in this post…I am gonna talk about what meusie ls…and where it originated.

People have realized two things that anyone striving to live a healthier lifestyle eventually learn…

  1. Food is medicine.
  2. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
  3. Mornings totally suck.

In fact someone back around the year 1900 realized these facts so much that he created muesli as a way to control the madness.

This someone was a Swiss physician named Maximilian Bircher-Benner as a dietary supplement for his patients. His was already feeding his hospital patient—long-term patients who were chronically ill—s a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables as part of their treatment, but he created

After creating the following recipes, he began prescribing this mixture as if were medicine.

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The Recipe

The original Bircher-Benner recipe consisted of the following ingredients:…

  • Apples…two or three small apples or one large one….the whole apple…including skin, core, and pits
  • Nuts…more specifically 1Tbsp walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts
  • Rolled oats…1Tbsp…that have been soaked in 3Tbsp  water for 12 hours
  • Lemon juice from half a lemon
  • Cream or honey or sweetened condensed milk…1Tbsp
  • Intructions…Mix the cream with the soaked oats and lemon juice. Grate the apple and then stir it into the mixture.

But there are many ways that you can make your morning muesli more exciting—by making things such as bread and cookies….But let’s next learn the difference between muesli and granola…

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Making the Perfect Broccoli Smoothie

Christy

 

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

Making the Perfect Blackberry Smoothie

Christy
Sweet, Sweet Sunday

And the Beet Goes On…(Making the Perfect Beet Smoothie)

Christy
Sweet, Sweet Sunday

How to Be a Smooth Operator

Christy

 

 

Beginning with Breakfast

Green Smoothies…The Why’s from A to Z

Christy

Mention anything about possibly even thinking about adding more fruits and vegetables to your breakfast menu…and especially leafy greens, and you’ll especially in the mornings, and you immediately start thinking about smoohties…in particular…green smoothies.

Green smoothies—gee, that would be something that has a green color and a smooth texture…such as wasabi?…or guacamole?…or split pea soup?

 

 

 

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The Perfect Green Smoothie

The perfect green smoothies is the perfect combination of your favorite leafy green vegetables—such as kale or spinach—with other nutrient-rich fruits and finished with a liquid base.

Green smoothies are an excellent breakfast because they are full of nutrients—such as antioxidants and vitamins…provide many different health benefits,.. and usually taste sweet and delicious.

And the fact that these nutrients have been broken down from their original state into a form that can be more readily digested…(such as celery “smooth” instead of a celery “stick”)….means that these nutrients can be absorbed into the body and used more efficiently.

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Health Benefits

Let’s take a closer look at some of the health benefits that green smoothie addicts have been enjoying for years…and then explore a few different fruit and vegetable combinations that .

1.Antioxidants…Green smoothies contain lots of antioxidants, the “stuff” that protects you from “free radicals”….such as the chlorophyll that most of us probably remember from high school science class, if not elementary school.

Chlorophyll and other antioxidants found in leafy greens are important for…

  • helping treat insomnia
  • hydrating your skin
  • improving the immune system
  • preventing anemia
  • preventing dental problems
  • reducing symptoms of sinusitis
  • reducing the signs of aging

In other words, green smoothies help keep you healthy. by keeping you from getting sick…(gee, common sense since the words “healthy” an “sick” are opposites, right?!)…

2. Anti-Inflammatory...Green smoothies are great for people suffering from inflammatory conditions—such as arthritis and gout.

3. Bone Health...Green smoothies are a rich source of bone-building minerals—such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus…and many smoothie recipes contain more calcium than an actual glass of milk.

4. Chronic Diseases...Green smoothies and other fruits/vegetables lower your risk of chronic diseases—such as cancer, type 2 diabetesk, cardiovascular disease,

5. Colon Health…Green smoothies keep the good microbes in your digestive system healthy enough to fight off the bad microbes…meaning that they support optimum digestion and a strong immune system.

6. Depression…Green smoothies contain high concentrations of folic acid and folate…meaning that they keep you from having the folic acid deficiency that is commonly found in people suffering from depression.

7. Digestive System...Green smoothies help not only improve the actual digestion process, but also treat the symptoms of common digestive disorders because of the high fiber content of these leafy greens.

8. Energy Levels.…Green smoothies help you have more energy throughout the day. They give you  a good chunk of the nutritional needs that you need each day—such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—without having to eat so many more foods to get the same nutritional benefit….and also provide the B vitamins and magnesium needed for energy metabolism.

9. Heart…Green smoothies help lower blood pressure and significantly lower cholesterol…thereby decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease—such as heart attack or stroke..

10. Heartburn or Acid Reflux…Green smoothies can help stop heartburn and acid reflux because they are naturally alkaline.

11. Immune System…Green smoothies can keep you from being sick all year long….especially green smoothies made with immune-boosting ingredients that are loaded with phytonutrients—such as citrus fruit, cranberries, and ginger.

12. Menopause...Green smoothies may also help women are going through menopause.

13. Mental Clarity and Focus…Green smoothies also give you more mental clarity and focus.

14. Physical Appearance...Green smoothies are high in vitamin E, vitamin C,  fiber, and antioxidants…all of which work together to keep your skin, hair, and nails all looking healthier and stronger.

15. PMS...Green smoothies may help women who suffer from PMS.

16. Pregnancy...Green smoothies can support a healthy pregnancy.

17. Seasonal Allergies…Green smoothies have been said to reduce the severity of  seasonal allergies.

18. Weight Loss...Green smoothies can help you lose weight for many reaasons, such as…

  • helping you feel satisfied with smaller portions when eating meals, if you drink one right before your main meal of the day
  • increasing your daily fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake.
  • keeping you from feeling hungry all day because of their fiber content
  • lowering overall calorie intake
  • reducing your cravings for junk foods, unhealthy sweets, salt, and fats
  • teaching you to crave healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables, and greens