Watermelon Cucumber Smoothie

Happy Monday!

I'm over on Life with the Crust Cut Off today, writing about this fabulous summer smoothie! Who else has TONS of watermelon in the house right now?? This is awesome way to use some of it up. Check it out here!

Zucchini Applesauce Bread

I'm back!

Many thanks for your patience while I was on my trip last week. It was chaotic and rushed and I was so glad to see my boys when I got home. Doesn't it just say everything about motherhood that the kids can drive me beyond crazy when I am home with them all day but the second I leave all I want to do is see their faces?

The house situation is still up in the air as we are one of several offers in on the house I fell in love with…but fingers crossed! If not then we are ready for plans A, B, C, D and E. This Air Force life has certainly taught me the value in backup plans!

Now that I'm home and back into summer vacation mode I'm slowly getting my kitchen mojo back. Instead of trying new things at dinner when I'm already tired, I've returned to making family favorites and easy meals. This leaves me more inspiration when it's time to just play around. I bought one too many zucchini this weekend for my planned side dish. Instead of leaving it in the vegetable drawer I played around with an old recipe.  It took almost no time at all and was so nice to be using cooking as a way to relax again.

Happy Monday!

Zucchini Applesauce Bread
adapted from The Naptime Chef

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup applesauce
2 cup grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Prep a loaf pan with non-stick spray or butter.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl mix zucchini, applesauce, vanilla, sugars, and eggs. Fold in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for an hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack and finish there.

Muffin Tin Omelets

Do you get into a breakfast rut? I know I do. I'll eat toast with peanut butter and an apple for months until one day I suddenly crave steel cut oats. Then off I go with steel cut oats every morning. And on and on and on.

Since my current breakfast rut is carb heavy and it is rather unfortunately bathing suit season already, I wanted to switch things up a bit.

Please note: I am not seriously trying to diet or anything. I'd just rather save my carbs for things like doughnuts and beer…though that makes me sound more like Homer Simpson than I would like. Oh dear. Switch that to ice cream and beer. And cake!

I have seen variations of these muffin tin omelets all over in the last few years and never given them a try. They are fabulously easy in the mornings, and even my oldest loved them! My youngest is still in the midst of the "Suspicious of Anything Not Covered in Peanut Butter" breakfast stage so he turned his nose up at these. One out of two kids is still pretty good odds in my house though.

I kept the goat cheese from the original recipe, but mixed up the veggies a bit. I added in zucchini and baby tomatoes because I had them in my fridge, but I'm looking forward to playing around with this recipe quite a lot. That will help keep our breakfast routine fresh!

Goat Cheese, Spinach, Tomato and Zucchini Muffin Tin Omelets
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced and each slice quartered
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Prep muffin pan by heavily spraying with non-stick spray.

Whisk together eggs, milk, goat cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Pour olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the zucchini and tomatoes until they are tender, about 7-10 minutes over medium heat. Add the spinach in and cook until it's all wilted.

Let mixture cool for a minute or two, then pour into the egg mixture. Stir until combined, and then fill each muffin tin. (About 1/4 cup each)

Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes, then gently loosen edges of each muffin with a knife. After cooling a little more, gently ease each one out with a fork placed underneath it. Serve immediately or store in the fridge and re-heat in the morning.

Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

I recently finished Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist. She explores how relationships are strengthened at the table and how sharing food opens a moment of vulnerability that deepens bonds between friends. At one point in the book she points out that it is ok to still be cooking when your guests arrive. I think we get wrapped up in the idea that we can't focus on anything else while we are cooking or that we would be doing our guests a disservice by not giving them our full attention. I know when we entertain I fall into this trap of needing everything to be done and "perfect" before they arrive.

When I think back to the dinners where I needed help (and asked for it, which is the hard part) I realize those nights were different. The meal becomes more of a community effort and by working on it together each of us opened up in ways we might not just nibbling on an appetizer.

This applies to more than just dinner parties though. The other morning I had a friend over for coffee and decided to make a snack at the last minute. Normally I would have rushed around in a panic trying to make something before she got here, but instead I took my time and didn't worry if my baking would impede our conversation. It didn't of course. I mixed and kneaded and got covered in flour while we laughed and caught up. Getting warm scones right out of the oven was a nice bonus too!

An aside-if you are at all interested in cooking (or eating!) go out right now and get Bread and Wine. I will write a real review of it another day but it's phenomenal. Vulnerable and touching and inspiring. I cried (and I never cry while reading) and highlighted more than half the book. It's gooooood, darlings.

I was in the mood for chocolate when I made these scones, so I simply took the Cinnamon Sugar Scones and swapped things around. I love how adaptable scones are! The dark chocolate elevates these slightly but don't be fooled. My kids devoured these just as much as they do milk chocolate. Considering how many of these I've eaten in the last few days I may just turn into a scone by the week's end.

Have you ever tried cooking with your dinner guests? Did it stress you out or was it more enjoyable than you expected?

Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
adapted from my cinnamon sugar scones which were originally adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbs sugar (plus extra to sprinkle on top of the scones)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chips
5 tbsp cold, unsalted butter (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together except the chocolate. Add in the cold butter and mix with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes sandy with only pea sized chunks of butter left. Add in the chocolate chips and stir.
Pour the milk and vanilla extract into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour the dough out on to a floured surface and knead into a ball. Pat the ball into a disc and cut into wedges or use a cookie cutter to cut into circles.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

I have a love/hate relationship with breakfast. I love slow mornings over homemade pancakes and a french press full of coffee. The pancakes don't happen every weekend, but the french press usually does.

Contrast that to our weekday mornings when breakfast is a hurried  and stressful affair. I cajole the children to eat faster and then just as I tell them time is up they claim to be "staaarvvvingg Mooommmy" after eating a bigger portion than you get in a diner. Like many mothers my actual breakfast is almost and afterthought. Toast, maybe an apple, occasionally a bowl of cereal. If I prepare ahead I'm in good shape. Smoothie ingredients pre-frozen and divided into single portions, or steel cut oats are much better ways to start the day but they require advance planning. There are weeks where I rock the advance planning for all our meals. Other weeks? Not even close.

I've been adding chia seeds to smoothies for ages but sometime in the last year I discovered chia seed pudding. It's one of those remarkably adaptable recipes that can be breakfast or dessert and take on almost any flavor you like. Top it like you would greek yogurt with fresh fruit or granola or eat it plain. Lest you be concerned by the idea of eating cold pudding for breakfast, don't worry. It's refreshing and light but the chia seeds fill you up. I like the applesauce to naturally sweeten but also to help thicken the pudding. Banana works well too: I just don't care for bananas that much. If you prefer them though, just add about half of a mashed banana instead of the applesauce. It takes all of 3 minutes to throw together before you go to bed.

In the morning you can make a cup of coffee, sprinkle some granola on your pudding and grab a piece of fresh fruit. It pays to be nice to yourself in the morning.


Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup applesauce

*If you prefer to use regular almond milk, add in 1 tsp of vanilla extract*

Pour all ingredients into a container with top that seals. Mix together and store overnight in the fridge, giving it a good shake once or twice before bed.
In the morning, top with fresh fruit, granola, or anything else you like!

Eggnog Pancakes

I had grand plans over Christmas break to do a lot of baking. I had my eye on an eggnog bundt cake, spiced muffins and a few other odds and ends. Life had other plans for me instead and I spent more of the break taking care of sick children and succumbing myself on Christmas day than I did cooking in the kitchen. No one minded that there was no big Christmas dessert and the kids certainly didn't notice that we had "regular" breakfast instead of our special muffins-they just got to the presents that much faster! It was a good lesson in what stress is of my own creation and what is really necessary. Something I need regular reminders of!

The flip side to all this is that I ended up with a ton of leftover eggnog. The kids didn't really like to drink it and frankly one glass of eggnog per day (brandy or no brandy) seems to be all I can handle too.

I was brainstorming ways to use it up when I recalled seeing an eggnog pancake recipe last year. A few quick moments in Pinterest and I found one that would work. These are definitely much sweeter than your usual pancake, but they are a fun treat. Kids and grownups alike devoured them. With just a touch of maple syrup they were perfect for a cold winter morning! And even better, it's a one bowl recipe. Special breakfast with minimal dishes? This will stay on our breakfast rotation for sure!

Eggnog Pancakes
adapted from Savory Simple 


Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups eggnog
2 eggs

Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk. Careful not to over mix the batter-some lumps are ok. Heat up a frying pan or griddle and lightly grease with butter or non stick spray. Spoon out with a small ladle or 1/4 c measuring cup and cook until the edges start to bubble. Flip and cook through on the other side. This recipe made about 16 small to medium size pancakes for us-perfect for a big weekend breakfast.

Gifts from the Kitchen: Homemade Pancake Mix

I avoided making this pancake mix for a while because I just figured that any mix that could sit in the cupboard ready to go wouldn't be as good as something I whipped up on the spot. When I finally made it though...not a single pancake was leftover and no one spoke the whole meal. The next time I made it? The same thing. Silence during a meal in our house is when I KNOW the food is a winner. These became our absolute favorite pancakes because they are just so consistently good. They adapt no problem to add-ins, it's a breeze to throw together (even before I've had coffee!) and did I mention how good they are? 

The mix itself takes just a few minutes to throw together, and while malted milk might sound like a weird ingredient, it's really easy to find in a grocery store. Everything else will be sitting in your pantry already. Once the mix is made it's a matter of scooping out a cup of the mix, adding an egg and a cup of milk-that's it. Easy peasy. This time around I added in some cinnamon chips but chocolate chips or blueberries are also favorite add-ins. This recipe will make about 5 cups of mix, so you can fill several smaller mason jars or one larger container in one fell swoop.

I packaged this gift up in a large mason jar and added a pretty gift tag from Mediterraneo Gifts (a great find in the Alt for Everyone gift box!). The directions for the pancakes go on the back of the tag and it's all set! I would include a nice bottle of maple syrup...especially you New Englanders who can get so many varieties of the good stuff. I've used this as a gift for everything from Christmas to welcomes to thanks for letting us (and our crazy children) stay for the weekend. If you use it as a hostess gift you can even offer to cook one morning...especially if said children have just wreaked the amount of havoc usually reserved for raiding Vikings or a horde of Dothrakis. 

                  

                                                                       Who us?

Homemade Pancake Mix:
adapted from The Naptime Chef

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup malted milk powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt

Optional:
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips, blueberries, etc!)


Mix all ingredients except for the optional add-ins together in a medium bowl. Once completely combined, pour into an airtight storage container and seal.

To make pancakes:

For each 1 cup of pancake mix, add in 1 cup of milk and 1 egg. Mix together completely. Ladle about 1/3 cup of mix on to a heated griddle or pan and cook until top begins to bubble. Flip and cook on the other side until browned. Serve immediately.

Berry Smoothie

I am totally slacking on my grocery shopping this summer. During the school year I just went while the boys were at preschool and I could take my time and my list only needed to have the stuff I don't always buy on it. 

Then summer arrived. 

Grocery shopping with a 5 and almost 4 year old is a lesson in speed not accuracy. Everything last little thing I need has to be on the last or it will not make it into the cart. I like to joke that the other shoppers in the commissary get out of my way when they see us coming...and sadly it's not to far from the truth. I'm totally the mom with the crazy eyes sprinting through the store. 

Last week the distractions began in the produce section and I straight up forgot half of what we needed.  Of course, we ran out of fruit on a day the commissary was closed (thanks, Sequestration!!!) and in desperation to avoid taking the boys to Walmart I turned to the freezer. In the very bottom were bags of fruit from the beginning of the summer...you know when I planned on doing smoothies with the boys everyday and making it to all the summer reading events at the library and staying on top of the laundry. 

I'll pause for you to giggle now. 

So I threw this together in the midst of total Walmart avoidance and stress to produce a snack right.this.minute. It was great. In fact I drank one of these every day last week. It was just the thing I needed to get through two hours of watching swim lessons in 110 degree heat. And the laundry. 

The best thing about this smoothie is how flexible it is. Any combination of berries works, and if you're so inclined you can throw in a handful of spinach. My oldest will flat out refuse a green smoothie but the berries hide the color and taste of the spinach like a champ.  Add in a banana or some greek yogurt instead of the milk. Just play with what you have in the house. Easy!

Berry Smoothie 
(4 servings)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (I used strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, blueberries are great too)
2-3 cups water
3/4 cup  milk
splash of lime juice

Pulse the frozen berries in the blender until they have broken down a bit and then add in 2 cups water. Blend together until preferred consistency is reached, adding more water if needed. Add in 1/2-3/4 cup milk to add some creaminess and then a splash of lime. Pulse one last time to mix together and serve.

Easy Steel Cut Oatmeal

Mornings in our house generally begin with a small giggly child wandering into our room to show us Buzz Lightyear's latest move or a new Lego creation. We have been blessed with early risers (no matter what time they are in bed) so breakfast starts early. Sometimes before the sun comes up...leading to obscene amounts of caffeine for the grownups. 

Easy breakfasts are the best early breakfasts. I try to keep the fridge and pantry stocked with food that can be prepped quickly and these steel cut oats are a favorite for all of us. The boys put up a little fuss at first when they couldn't pick out chunks of sugar like they could when eating packets of instant oats...but once they tried the required bite they changed their mind. My youngest prefers with a dollop of strawberry jam, just like me. My oldest likes a sprinkling of brown sugar and cinnamon. The adaptability is one of my favorite things about this recipe. It's a great base for whatever you want to put on it, but it still tastes good plain. 

In the morning this heats up in the microwave in less than a minute and is creamy and filling. A good way to start your day...before or after your first cup of caffeine! 

Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal

adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

1 c steel cut oats

2 cups water

2 cups almond milk (I use the vanilla flavored and omit the vanilla extract)

1 c applesauce

pinch of salt

Optional-

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed

Bring water and almond milk just to a boil on medium-high heat. Turn heat down to medium and add in oats and applesauce. 

Simmer uncovered, stirring regularly for about 20-25 min. When the oats are creamy and almost all the liquid has been absorbed remove from heat. Stir in any of the optional ingredients. Serve immediately, or cool and store in the fridge.

To reheat, add a splash of milk (almond or regular) and any additional flavorings you'd like. Heat up in microwave or on stovetop. I like to add a spoonful of jam, and my boys like it with a dash of brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Fast and Easy Waffles

Here's the thing about waffle recipes. There are so many good ones out there. There are pumpkin waffles, gingerbread waffles, yeasted waffles, even one called the Waffles of Insane Greatness. Seriously. 

I've tried a lot of them, and loved a lot of them. But they take FOREVER to make. Almost all of them require the batter to sit, sometimes even overnight. But I have a 3 year old and a 4 year old boy (and a 30-something boy) and they are starving first thing on a weekend morning. Waiting that extra half an hour is going to cause serious grumpiness to ensue. And let's not even pretend that I'm going to remember to make the waffle batter Friday night so I can start cooking first thing on a Saturday morning. Please. By Friday night I'm usually snoozing through DVR'd tv shows by 9 pm. 

One morning a few weeks ago the boys were begging me to make waffles so I dug around on the internet until I found one that required no waiting. Mix it together and go! Worth a shot, right? 

Well these are just right for a sleepy Saturday morning. They are incredibly simple and fast, don't require anything not usually in my pantry and more importantly, every boy in the house pronounced them their favorite new waffle. That's a win-win for me! 

Fast and Easy Waffles

adapted from This Week for Dinner

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

4 tbsp. butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron.

Melt butter in saucepan and let cool slightly. Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. 

Whisk together milk and eggs and then whisk in the vanilla and cooled butter. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix together. If the batter is a little too thick, you can add some more milk until it's the right consistency. 

Cook in your waffle iron and enjoy! 

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

One of my favorite parts of the military life is how everyone comes together when you need help. Every squadron that we have been a part of has had a committee that brings meals to families in the squadron when they have babies, surgery, or otherwise could just use a helping hand. It was such a relief knowing that each time we brought one of our boys home from the airport that we had some breathing room before we had to worry about how to get a real dinner on the table.

When I make a meal for someone, I like to add in something for breakfast or snacks. After all, it's not just dinner that can be hard to get on the table when you're up with a crying baby at 3 am.

These brown butter blueberry muffins are from Joy the Baker's cookbook. I have loved Joy's blog for years, and couldn't wait to get my hands on her book. This recipe had shown up on Shutterbean as well as Joy the Baker before the book arrived and I had my eye on it, but to be honest I'm not usually a blueberry fan. All my boys love them, however, so I gave it a shot. And it was goooood. The brown butter adds a nutty depth to the muffins, and the crumb topping? I didn't realize quite how much I liked crumb toppings until I caught myself eating the leftover crumb straight from the bowl...

Needless to say, these are now my go-to add in when I'm delivering a meal. They are easy to make, and even easier to eat. Give them a try next time you see someone who could use a little help (or just when you need an easy breakfast!)

                     (Notice how I couldn't even wait until I'd taken a picture to eat one?)

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

For muffins:
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 c milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen, but if frozen, thaw and drain first)

For topping:
3 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 c flour
3 Tbsp sugar

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Melt the butter in a pan until it starts crackling. At this point it will begin to brown and the odor will begin to smell nutty. Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla into a bowl and whisk together. Whisk in cooled browned butter.

Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk those together. Pour the liquids in all at once and stir together. Fold in the blueberries.

Divide mixture evenly into lined muffin pan (expect about 12 muffins).

Mix together all the ingredients for the topping using clean fingers until they reach a crumb consistency. Divide topping between the 12 muffins and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a tester put into a muffin comes out clean. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
Feel free to devour any leftover crumb topping...or not. That might be weird. But it will absolutely be delicious.