Laura's Energy Bites

Laura's Energy Bites

My neighbor brought these over one evening and I selfishly snacked away on them and begged for the recipe. They are GREAT for a quick snack out the door for the kids. 

1 cup whole oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey {using less makes them less sticky to roll and a better flavor}

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix together thoroughly & roll into balls. Let chill for 30 minutes before eating. You can store them covered in the fridge. I would say a week, but they don't last that long! 

Shannon's Fantastic Grapefruit Smoothie

Shannon's Fantastic Grapefruit Smoothie

2 large grapefruit-just the juice!

10 partially frozen strawberries

8 oz. vanilla yogurt

1 tablespoon of honey

6-8 ice cubes

Bananas optional, we made it without and it was great.  Reviews were mixed with banana. 

We did with spinach and without, the girls gulped down both. Begging for more. 

Jessica's Sneaky Blueberry/Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Jessica's Sneaky Blueberry/Raspberry Oatmeal Bars 

Nonstick cooking spray

2 C old-fashioned oats

1 ¼ C all-purpose flour

½ C sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ C soft tub margarine spread

1 C low-sugar blueberry/raspberry preserves (we just use the jam we can)

½ C spinach puree

1. Preheat oven to 375 coat 8x8 baking pan with spray
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and vanilla, and stir to mix well.
3. Add margarine and cut it quickly into dry ingredients with 2 knives until resembles coarse meal and no longer powdery.  Don’t over mix-bits of margarine will still be visible
4. Set aside about half of the oat mixture; press rest of it firmly into the pan.  Bake until lightly browned at edges 13-15 min
5. Meanwhile mix preserves with spinach puree
6. Spread blueberry mixture over the partially baked oat layer, sprinkle with reserved oat mixture.  Bake until topping is slightly browned 20-25 minutes.  Set pan on rack to cool completely.

(from Deceptively Delicious)

Jiffy Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Admit it...you like Corn Dogs. Besides these are the perfect potluck food. 

Jiffy Corn Dog Mini Muffins

1-8.5 oz. box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup skim milk
1 TBS honey

4 Oscar Mayer Turkey Hot dogs, each cut into 5 pieces 

1. Spray the wells of a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2.  In a med bowl, combine the mix, egg, honey and skim milk.  Allow to sit for 3 - 4 min.  Stir batter.  

3.  Fill each mini muffin well with about 1/2 TBS batter.  Place a piece of hot dog into each well, pressing in.  

4. Top each hot dog with about a tsp. of batter, covering hot dog.  

5.  Bake in oven for 10 - 15 min.  or until golden brown.  Allow to cool in pan for 5 min. before removing to platter. 

http://mykitchenadventures1.blogspot.com/2011/01/jiffy-corn-dog-mini-muffins.html

Mini German Pancakes

I make these almost every Saturday. They are delicious with pureed fruit or yogurt. These are a mini version of the pie pan sized ones I grew up with.

Mini German Pancakes

(from Chris O's kitchen)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 cup milk (you can use skim or low fat milk if you want)

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

Toppings: Powdered sugar and lemon juice, or maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Spray cupcake pans with no-stick cooking spray. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt just enough to blend. (Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy.) Pour batter in cupcake pans. Makes approx. 12-16 mini German pancakes. Bake 18-25 minutes depending on type of cupcake pan and the amount of batter in each cupcake tin. Remove from oven. Let cool for just a minute or two. Remove mini pancakes from pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can also serve with maple syrup if you prefer instead of using lemon juice. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

http://momathonblog.typepad.com/momathon_blog/2008/07/recipe-mini-german-pancakes.html

Slow Cooker, Pumpkin Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal

I found that my slow cooker cooks this in just 3 hours. 

Slow Cooker, Pumpkin Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal 

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other dairy or non-dairy milk)
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats (gluten-free, if desired)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (may substitute other preferred sweetener)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened,unflavored)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or one apple, peeled, cored, and grated)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional)
• Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, brown sugar, additional milk or butter

Directions

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker, using 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir, cover, and cook on low for  approx. 5 hours, or until oats are cooked & softened, but edges haven't browned. (Slow cooker times may vary.) Taste and stir in more pumpkin pie spice, if desired. Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

Alternative slow cooker method for extended cooking time without over-browning the edges: Insert a heat-tolerant bowl inside the slow cooker; coat inside of bowl with cooking spray. Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to the bowl; stir to combine. Pour water into the slow cooker on the outside of the bowl so that the water fills approx. halfway up the sides of the bowl. Put the cover on the slow cooker, and cook on low for up to 8 hours.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot. (If frozen, microwave longer at half power.)

Recipe may be doubled in 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Increase cooking time 1 hour.

Nutritional Info (per 3/4 cup serving): 149 calories, 3.6g fat, 27.3g carbs, 3.9g fiber, 4.9g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 4 pts

{From The Yummy Life http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Pumpkin_Pie_Oatmeal }

Cinnamon Toast

This is THE BEST cinnamon toast EVER! I always beg Josh to make it for me.

• good white bread
• ground cinnamon
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter

Heat the broiler, toast thick slices of bread on both sides, then butter thoroughly. Mix the cinnamon sugar sugar, sprinkle generously to cover the bread. Put the toast back under the broiler until the sugar starts to melt and bubble. Remove carefully and eat when the toast has cooled enough not to burn your lips. YUM!

French Toast

3-4 eggs

1/4 cup sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, or carrot puree

1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (my favorite)

4 slices whole wheat bread

Whisk first 3 ingredients together, soak the bread for 30 seconds to 1 minutes, careful not to get it soggy. Cook until golden brown about 2-3 minutes per side.

Scrambled Eggs

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons cottage cheese

1/4-1/2 cup cauliflower puree

2 tablespoons shredded cheese

pinch of salt

Whisk all together & cook as you would scrambled eggs

Pink Pancakes (with beets)

I used canned shoestring cut beets, and let me forewarn you-I opened the can at 6:30am on an empty stomach and could not stand the smell! I thought how am I going to eat this! But they turned out really well! You could detect a slight flavor when they were hot off the pan but as they cooled the flavor went away! I bet serving them with raspberries would be delicious!

Pink Pancakes

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used low fat cottage cheese)

1/4 cup beet puree

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon (I added more)

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup grated apple (I chopped mine-which tasted great to me but Turner didn't like that chunks)

In a blender for food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla & cinnamon & blend. Dump the mixture into a bowl & add pancake mix & apple until combined. Do not over mix-batter will be lumpy.

Cook as you would normal pancakes-until bubbles form on top- 1 to 2 minutes then flip. Serve with fruit or syrup.

Carrot Pancakes

Carrot Pancakes
Puree 1 can carrots or use baby food carrots
Add pancake mix such as Krusteaz Butermilk-just add water pancake mix
Mix about 1/4 cup puree to about 1/8 cup pancake mix. Until you have the consistency of pancake batter; add cinnamon to taste.
Cook until no longer gooey in the middle. They take a little longer than normal pancakes & will be more moist. Serve with syrup!

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Waffles
1 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I also added 1/4 tsp ground cloves & 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (if you use whole wheat you can add almost 1/4 cup more pumpkin)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
In large bowl combine first 6 ingredients. In another bowl mix eggs, milk & pumpkin. Add to dry ingredients until combined. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown.