0 Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Breakfast Cookies

These cookies are awesome! The dough is also sweetly delicious straight from the bowl! This recipe came about when my three kiddos came storming at me wanting to bake cookies! That first time I only approved and suggested ingredients to add, and it was a pretty perfect combination! We've made these cookies several times since. You probably can't go wrong if you include each of these ingredients, and the proportions below definitely work well!

Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Breakfast Cookies

1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
4 ripe bananas
1/2 c ground flaxseed
1/4 c chia seeds
1/3 c Grape Nuts (they add an awesome tiny crunch!)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c natural peanut butter

Mix everything up in one bowl, making sure to mash the bananas. Spoon dough onto cookie sheets. I use a silicone sheet over a thin metal baking sheet. You want to spread and flatten dough spoonfuls to about a half inch or less thick. They won't change shape while baking. Small cookies are good, so you have a lot of browning and crispiness on the edges. I baked them in a preheated convection oven at 375 degrees, for 15 min.  SO in a conventional oven, 400 degrees for closer to 20 min should be right :)

Enjoy!

Detail: Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Breakfast Cookies

0 Peach and Oat Hotcakes and My New Awesome Ozeri Pan!

I can't make these fast enough for my kids, or me!  Simply sweet and fresh taste, yum!

I used My Whole Food Life's Melissa's recipe for Apple Cinnamon Waffles as a starter to make this pancake recipe!  Thank you Melissa!

Peach and Oat Pancakes

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c oats, ground
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c nectarine, pureed (or apples, peaches, mango, blueberries, pumpkin...any fruit perhaps!)
1 c milk
1 T flaxseed, ground with 3 T warm water (or an egg)
1 t vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients (top five).  Separately mix the wet ingredients (last four).  Make a well in the dry to pour in the wet, and mix.  Ok, so you can make pancakes now with a griddle pan with some oil on it. Or, if you have an Ozeri non-stick and non-Teflon pan, which my hubby recently gave me as a gift, you can make the pancakes without any oil (so cool!).

The Ozeri pan has a ceramic coating so food won't stick to it with no use of oil, and no heavy metals or chemicals.  It is a really awesome pan and you barely have to clean it!

Maybe this pan with be on your wish list in the future!

YUM!  Peach and Oat Hotcakes!

COMMENTS: What new gadgets in your kitchen are making you smile?

Detail: Peach and Oat Hotcakes and My New Awesome Ozeri Pan!

0 Tater Tots for a Balanced Meal?!

Healthy creamy pasta sauce anyone? ...coming soon!
Best, cheapest, healthiest, easiest refried beans ever! ...coming soon!

AND did you ever think that tater tots could be a well-balanced, delicious, and fun MEAL?!

TATER TOTS (without potatoes!)
Note: potatoes aren't unhealthy, but quinoa and beans are MUCH more NUTRITIONALLY dense!

Chocolate Covered Katie introduced these tots which she found in an awesome cookbook by Julie Morris:

This is what I did:

1. Started cooking 1/2 c quinoa (in 1 1/2 c water, 2:1 ratio) to get 2 cups cooked (1c dry quinoa = 4 c cooked!)
2. Drained, rinsed and mashed a can of white beans (you could reserve some juice in case dough needs moisture)
3. Diced one small onion (about 1/2 c)
4. Added 1/4 c each: sesame seeds, ground flaxseed, and brown rice OR whole wheat flour
5. 1 Tbsp soy sauce (or you could use 1-2 Tbsp miso)
6. Combine quinoa, beans, onion, dry ingredients, and soy sauce.
7. Form into balls, rolls (then sliced for tots!), or patties.
8. You can brown on a pan on the stove or bake in the oven (baking doesn't look as much like usual tater tots).
9. Top with mustard for another health boost!

The way I describe above is a double batch of the original, with a few other slight changes.

You can freeze some for later (though when I make them, I can hardly get them off the pan before they are gobbled up by all!).

Note: this pan is gone now.
I didn't use it much because of the dangers of Teflon.
I got a new pan I'll be sharing soon!

HERE is Julie's book:

Click on book to see in Amazon!

COMMENTS: would you rather see dried beans SIMPLIFIED, or Creamy Avocado Pasta next?

Detail: Tater Tots for a Balanced Meal?!

0 Better Baking Breadcrumbs!

How will you try this Healthy Breading /Breadcrumb Alternative!?

For Healthy Breadcrumbs -- Use the following in Equal Parts:

Parmesan cheese
Chia seeds
Wheat germ
Flaxseed, ground

You could also add ground almonds, or any nut!, or some wheat bran, or some nutritional yeast!

Use this on anything you want to bread or as a topping to any casserole or other baked item.

Sprinkle it over veggies you are baking or anything at all!

It's the perfect alternative to traditional breadcrumbs, which are ENRICHED, filled with salt and other preservatives, and perhaps sugar.

If you prefer Italian flavored breading, just add whatever spices you fancy!

PARMESAN cheese -- is lower in total and saturated fat than most other cheeses!

CHIA seeds -- are superfoods for so many reasons, high in protein and fiber, as well as many vitamins and minerals, and they are high in omega-3 fats!

WHEAT germ -- this is basically the "embryo" of the grain -- so it's gotta have all the good stuff -- great source of iron and zinc, and one of the very best sources of folic acid, the nutrient so important for women of child-bearing age to get plenty of, to avoid birth defects, fiber, and phytochemicals that work as antioxidants!

Always (once opened) store in refrigerator in tightly sealed container to avoid rancidity.


Flaxseeds additionally provide fiber and omega-3 fats!

Try it this weekend, and instead of giving your family empty calories, you can give them all the extra nutrients that the above ingredients provide!

COMMENTS: What dishes do you use breading for?  Can you think of any good uses for Better Baking Breadcrumbs?

Detail: Better Baking Breadcrumbs!