Baked Doughnuts - Need I Say More?

So I found this cute little doughnut pan at the store and I just had to try it out.  I had a great friend bring some healthy doughnuts to a play date one time and they were delicious. So I called her up and tested our her recipe.

These little things were a hit right out of the oven. Elli helped me bake them up and both kids helped me eat them.  No  questions asked.  We made chocolate chip baked doughnuts but you could add fruit or cinnamon or anything your heart desired (but you know my heart desired chocolate).

Summer Fruity Ice Pops

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for SUMMER!!  This was a long winter and spring has proven to be a damp and dreary one.  I'm soaking up these warm days, as few and far between as they are, until those lasting summer days emerge!  I'm always looking for a freezer pop recipe because the ones in the store... even the fruit ones... are just so dang packed with sugar, sugar, and more sugar!  Is it just me or do they have a weird aftertaste? Why would you need to sweeten already sweet fruit??  So, I was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem of a recipe.  It is a breeze to prepare and delightfully refreshing without all the extra BLAH.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

These breakfast cookies are a big hit in my clean eating challenge groups. They are filling, delicious, and kid friendly.  Not only that but these cookies are completely clean and vegan so you know what you are eating and you know it is good for you.  I give these to my kids without any concerns.  I do need to admit - we don't actually eat them for breakfast - we eat them all day long!  I think they would make a great breakfast warmed up with a dab of peanut butter on top but we haven't tried it yet. We usually have these as an afternoon snack or a treat after lunch.  They really are a versatile cookie and you can use whatever you have in the pantry to make it work for you. I am going to include the original recipe but I'm writing up how I make them personally (and you know it is going to include some chocolate).

Super Easy (not just for breakfast) Breakfast Pizza

When I stumbled across this recipe I had no idea it would be so easy.  So so so easy.  Today it is snowing (again), my kids are sick, and we are bored.  I decided it would be a good day to pull up the thousands of recipes I have saved on the internet and start trying one out.  Elli and I decided the breakfast pizza was the way to go.  The reason this works is because you will most likely have all of the ingredients on hand.  If not, it is super versatile and you can make it however you want.

No more talking!  Let me give you this recipe that will 100% become a staple on our list. I envision it for dessert, for fun lunch, even for dinner (who doesn't love breakfast for dinner!?)

Here is what you need: (kinda because you can really do this however you want!)

-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

-1 tsp baking powder

-2 stevia packets (I didn't have anymore stevia so I used another sweetener we had on hand) or 2 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 cup water, juice or milk (I used 2% milk but to keep it vegan use almond or soy)

-2 tablespoons applesauce (or coconut oil, mashed bananas, vegetable oil...)

-1/8 tsp salt

-You can add any spices you wish. I added a dash or two of cinnamon but you could do pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, you name it!

-And the fun part:  Add in a few handfuls of whatever you want.  We added in 1/2 banana sliced and couple handfuls of mini chocolate chips. You could do blueberries, strawberries, walnuts, raisins, chopped apples, and the list goes on!

 Here is what you do

-Grease a round pan really well so it doesn't stick.

-Mix all ingredients together and then pour into prepared pan

-Place in NON PREHEATED oven at 425 for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (mine took exactly 10 minutes)

It looks delicious even without toppings!

Now have fun with toppings. Today I melted the Cinnamon Cheese spread I had and spread that on top (just one wedge). Then I added sliced strawberries and powdered sugar.  Seriously - this is breakfast? Both kids loved it and ate it up.  

This was delicious on top but I'm sure any cream cheese would work.

Who WOULDN'T want to eat that for breakfast?

OK you try your breakfast pizza and tell me what you add to yours.  I'm thinking next time I'll add walnuts and top with bananas and cinnamon. Or what about mini chocolate chips topped with nutella and bananas?  Oh man or what about mini chocolate chips topped with peanut butter and banana.  Yep I have a lot of baking to do!  I may very well be making this tonight for dessert while my kids are sleeping since they ate it all this morning and didn't want to share very many bites with their mom.

I want to let you know the original recipe came from Chocolate Covered Kate. I love her blog. I use it all the time. She takes desserts and makes them healthy.  She is all about chocolate and all about health. She should be my best friend. Really.  I haven't tried a recipe from her site that I didn't love.  Check it out!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/04/12/the-breakfast-pizzert/

Happy Breakfast!

Easy Side Dishes and Snacks - Make Your Own Chips

I'm really excited about this post because this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I have always been too scared to venture out into the world of "make my own chips."  I always thought it would be too time consuming, or my family wouldn't like that, or it would be too time consuming (yes I repeated but time is a big factor for me when cooking).  

Over the holidays however, I had a tiny bit more time to play in the kitchen so I tried out some recipes and what I found is - it isn't that time consuming at all. I mean, yes it takes more time to slice a sweet potato than throw a bunch of frozen fries on a baking sheet. But it doesn't take THAT much more time and in the end, we are being better to our bodies so it is worth it.  

I have compiled here the three recipes I tried and that are now in our permanent weekly rotation. I'm sorry there aren't many pictures. I honestly didn't think that I would post about them (figuring they wouldn't be blog worthy) BUT they are!

First recipe:  Zucchini Chips

Here Is What You Need:

-1 large zucchini

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-Sea salt

Here Is What You Do:

1.  Preheat oven to 225

2.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

3.  Slice zucchini thinly (my thinner slices were crispy and my thicker slices a bit more juicy but I liked both!)

4.  After slicing, sandwich the slices between paper towels and wring out any excess water

5.  Place on baking sheet being careful not to overlap

6.  You are supposed to pour olive oil in a bowl and brush on with a pastry brush. I didn't have a pastry brush so I just drizzled it on top of the slices while they were on the pan.

7.  Sprinkle the salt over the baking sheet.  Do not over salt them because as they cook, they will shrink so putting too much salt initially can make them VERY salty by the end.

8.  Cook for two hours until edges are brown and the chips are crispy and not soggy.

I loved these. We actually ate all of the serving in one evening. I left them out to cool but they never made it to the fridge.  The only thing I don't like about this one is the extended cooking time. Still, if you pop them in during the afternoon, they are ready for a dinner side dish!