Blueberry-Almond Streusel Muffins

Alright, you may notice the lack of streusel on this streusel muffin. I'm weird. Sometimes having something on top on a muffin like this makes for too much of a texture difference and I'm not a fan. I think next time I will try it with the streusel on top though. The flavor of this muffin is really good. We used an all purpose gluten free flour mixture which gave it a bit of a weird texture but it was still really good. Yours will be even better though using normal flour. We used fresh blueberries which really satisfied a craving I've been having and the almond flavor was so good with it! Make sure to spray your muffin liners as always and try heating this up for 30 seconds in the microwave before eating. I give the gluten free version of this 4 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup 2% low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup light ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 large egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups blueberries
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon reduced-calorie stick margarine melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 6 ingredients (milk through egg whites); stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
3. Combine 1/4 cup flour and remaining ingredients; sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until done. Remove from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 171
Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 1mg
Sodium: 139mg
Fiber: 1.4g
Protein: 4g

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

The only thing better that breakfast in bed is when it is heart-shaped and yummy. Husband even cut my bananas like hearts. Awww.... So these are from that fantastic site mentioned in the previous post and I am still super happy with it. Luckily we had the heart shaped pancake molds already. I love the banana flavor and it makes me feel like I am living a Jack Johnson song which makes it even better. All in all 5 out of 5 stars.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 2 pancakes • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts* 

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached white or white whole wheat flour  
• 2 tsps baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 large banana, ripe, mashed well
• 1 cup 1% milk or almond milk
• 3 larges egg whites
• 2 tsps oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white, oil, vanilla and mashed bananas in another medium sized bowl and mix until smooth.
2. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a wooden spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.
3. Heat a large skillet on medium-low heat. If you are using a heart shaped pancake mold, you will want to spray it lightly with cooking spray so the batter doesn't stick to it.
4. Lightly spray a skillet with cooking spray, place the mold on the hot skillet and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. Add 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips in each pancake. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.
5. Makes about 3 cups of batter which yields 12 pancakes.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 179.6 • Fat: 5.2 g • Protein: 5.9 g • Carb: 28.4 g • Fiber: 2.5 g • Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 572.1 mg

Real Bagels

We had some good friends over for breakfast this morning so we decided to give these a whirl last night. We didn't have enough bread flour so we used all purpose. We also didn't have the barley malt syrup so we left it out. We were very nervous at first, ok I'll be honest, we were nervous the whole way through, but they actually turned out pretty good. The boiling is weird but gives them that outer crust. A few tips. Don't use the wax paper. It sticks to the bottom. And we had to broil them for a minute or so to get them slightly golden. All in all they tasted like bagels which in my mind is a success. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 28 ¹⁄₂ ounces bread flour divided (about 6 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup (omit if you cannot find)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 12 cups water
• ³⁄₄ cup sugar

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Weigh or lightly spoon 28.13 ounces flour (about 6 1/4 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, syrup, and salt to yeast mixture. Mix dough at low speed 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic; add enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 12 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), shape each portion into a ball. Make a hole in the center of each ball using your index finger. Using fingers of both hands, gently pull dough away from center to make a 1 1/2-inch hole. Place bagels on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat bagels with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 10 minutes (bagels will rise only slightly).
3. Preheat oven to 450°.
4. Combine 12 cups water and 3/4 cup sugar in a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Gently lower 3 bagels into pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the bagels to a wire rack lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining bagels, working in batches of 3. Divide the bagels between two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450° for 7 minutes. Rotate pans, and bake for 7 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
5. Note: Omit barley malt syrup if you can't find it.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 255

Fat: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 322mg

Fiber: 1.7g

Protein: 8.3g

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

I don't have much to say about these besides yummy. My advice is to warm them up before eating them because it makes the top softer. Husband and Thing 1 approved. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking light

Serves: 18

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup chopped pecans
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup butter softened
• ¹⁄₂ cup egg substitute
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ³⁄₄ cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• Dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients; set aside.
3. Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add egg substitute; beat 3 minutes. Beat in sour cream, water, and vanilla.
4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture; add sour cream mixture. Stir just until combined.
5. Place 3 tablespoons brown sugar mixture in a small bowl; set aside. Sprinkle surface of batter with remaining brown sugar mixture. Gently fold batter 4 times.
6. Place 18 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into prepared cups. Sprinkle batter evenly with reserved brown sugar mixture. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes.
7. Combine powdered sugar, juice, and dash of salt in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle powdered sugar mixture evenly over muffins.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 182

Fat: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 14mg

Sodium: 176mg

Fiber: 0.6g

Protein: 2.9g

Pumpkin Waffles

This is how we do Halloween in our house. Actually Halloween in our house usually involves more spook and cuteness but pumpkin has been on my mind lately so I used Halloween as an excuse. I saw pumpkin waffles paired with cranberry butter in one of my (no joke) 7 or 8 halloween cooking magazines. Since the calories were more than I was willing to stomach I took to Google to find a more figure friendly version. I found these. And because I couldn't get over the thought of cranberry butter I threw some dried cranberries in mine. They were great! Even Thing 1 has been eating them and actually asking for them in the mornings. (It helps that there was a movie on called spookley the square pumpkin and I have been calling them Spookley waffles. I swear kids will eat anything if you give it the right build up.) Any left overs can be saved in the fridge or freezer and thrown in the toaster for a quick breakfast the rest of the week. I think this would be a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• ¹⁄₂ cup Pumpkin Puree
• ¹⁄₄ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through egg) in a bowl, and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.
2. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per waffle onto hot waffle iron, spreading the batter to the edges. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 255

Fat: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 57mg

Sodium: 372mg

Fiber: 2g

Protein: 7.4g

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread

Let me start out by saying how much I LOVE pumpkin. It's probably one of my biggest temptations this time of year so don't be surprised if you see plenty of pumpkin recipes on here. That being said this pumpkin recipe certainly did not disappoint. I cut back on the nutmeg a bit since even just smelling nutmeg gives me heartburn and all we had in the way of all spice was Jamaican all spice. It smelled fine so we used it and didn't notice any strange flavors. The spices in this are full of flavor and you can almost taste every spice in every bite. It is super moist and yummy and the best part is the second loaf in the freezer! A great cheaper alternative to my usual protein bar for breakfast and roughly the same number of calories. 5 out of 5 stars and delicious.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 3 ¹⁄₃ cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₂ cup egg substitute
• ¹⁄₂ cup canola oil
• ¹⁄₂ cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• ²⁄₃ cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• ¹⁄₃ cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.
3. Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. Note:
5. This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze the extra bread, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Omit the nuts or substitute chopped walnuts, if you prefer. Check the bread after 50 minutes of baking--you may need to cover the loaves with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 198

Fat: 6.6g

Cholesterol: 18mg

Sodium: 287mg

Fiber: 1.2g

Protein: 3.4g

Monkey Bread

This does not look or taste healthy but if you question it look at the comparison at the bottom of this post. I believe this was the first time I ever made dough from scratch and it wasn't too bad. I think I kneaded it a little too long in the kitchenaid and my sister in law suggested I try finishing the kneading by hand next time to make sure it doesn't get too dry. Agreed. That was really the only flaw to this. It was really fun to make rolling the little dough balls and then waiting for it to rise. I will definitely make this again but I will eat it right out of the oven because it was better when we popped it in the microwave for a bit. All in all a fantastic Sunday breakfast or Saturday night dessert! Somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars (the half a star would only be because of the dry-ish dough so the recipe actually gets a 5 and my execution gets a 4.5.)

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 13 ¹⁄₂ ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
• 4 ³⁄₄ ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package quick-rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup very warm fat-free milk (120° to 130°)
• ¹⁄₄ cup very warm orange juice (120° to 130°)
• ¹⁄₄ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• Cooking spray
• ¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₂ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons fat-free milk divided
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• ¹⁄₂ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached; mix until combined. With mixer on, slowly add 1 cup milk, juice, honey, and 2 tablespoons butter; mix dough at medium speed 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
2. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Combine 3 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
3. Punch dough down; divide into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll into an 8-inch rope. Cut each dough rope into 8 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a 1-inch ball. Dip each ball in milk mixture, turning to coat, and roll in sugar mixture. Layer balls in a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 dough ropes. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of bread; invert onto plate. Combine powdered sugar, remaining milk, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until warm. Drizzle over bread.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 234

Fat: 3.4g

Cholesterol: 9mg

Sodium: 184mg

Fiber: 1.9g

Protein: 4.5g

Classic Monkey Bread                                         This Monkey Bread

556 calories per serving                                                    234 calories

960 mg sodium per serving                                              184 mg sodium

13 grams saturated fat                                                    2 grams saturated fat

Bacon and Egg Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions and Arugula

I was incapable of waiting for dinner so I heated up left overs but Husband was excited to have this so he made it for himself. I insisted he give me a bite so I could try it and rate it and it was pretty good. He used white bread instead of wheat since it's what we had on hand but wheat would be good too. To make this recipe kid friendly we just left out the onion and arugula. I liked this sandwich because it didn't taste super egg-y but the decision on rating was ultimately up to Husband. He gave it 5 out of 5 stars and was making yummy noises while eating it so you know he meant it.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon Mexican hot sauce (such as Cholula) or Tabasco
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Dash of sugar
• Cooking spray
• 4 (1/2-ounce) slices whole-wheat bread
• 2 large eggs
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup arugula

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp (about 8 minutes). Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; drain on paper towels. Add onion, water, and hot sauce to drippings in pan; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in butter and sugar; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Set aside; keep warm.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place bread in pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Set aside, and keep warm.
3. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Crack eggs into pan, and cook for 2 minutes. Gently turn eggs, one at a time; cook 1 minute or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper.
4. Place one bread slice on each of two plates; arrange onion mixture evenly over bread. Place 1 egg, 2 bacon slices, and 1/2 cup arugula over each serving; top with remaining bread slices. Serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 277

Fat: 13.9g

Cholesterol: 205mg

Sodium: 622mg

Fiber: 3.8g

Protein: 14.7g

Ham and Swiss Egg Sandwiches

We actually did this breakfast sandwich for lunch today. I was expecting great things and was a little let down. The english muffin was a little dry which made the sandwich difficult to eat. Husband suggested he spray them with cooking spray before broiling them and I think if we make these again we will. The thing that makes these sandwiches worth it is that Thing 1 ate it and liked it. It was a little fat for his little hands and mouth so his bites ended up being huge. We made mine with just egg whites since I think I may be mildly allergic to the egg yolk and after my first bite was lacking in flavor I grabbed a few leaves of fresh basil and put them on it. I think the basil did add a nice touch but still couldn't make me love this dish. I give it a 3 out of 5, husband gave it a 4 out of 5 and when Thing one was asked how much he liked it he said "40 minutes". So 40 minutes out of 5 stars it is.

 

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4 ounces thinly sliced lower-sodium deli ham
• 4 large eggs
• 4 English muffins split and toasted
• 4 (1-ounce) slices Emmentaler or Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add ham to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Crack eggs into pan. Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.
3. Place 4 muffin halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Top each half with 1 cheese slice. Broil for 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Divide ham among cheese-topped muffin halves; top each with 1 egg and 1 muffin half.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 344

Fat: 14.7g

Cholesterol: 250mg

Sodium: 553mg

Fiber: 0.0g

Protein: 23.5g

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

We make a bunch of different muffins but this is absolutely the best. Thing one devoured several in one sitting so you know they are kid friendly! The greatest news is that they are also the lowest calorie count of all the muffins we make. They are super moist and taste like a yummy banana bread. I think next time I would do walnuts instead of chocolate chips and while I was eating them I actually thought blueberries would be good in them. We will definitely make these a lot!!! 5 out of 5 stars!

 * Again, as with any muffins, make sure you spray the liners before filling them.

Source: www.food.com

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ³⁄₄ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1-1/2 medium bananas)
• ¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ cup low-fat plain yogurt or 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
• ¹⁄₄ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. 1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. 2 Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. 3 In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together bananas, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla until well mixed.
4. 4 In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; stir flour mixture into banana mixture.
5. 5 Stir in yogurt.
6. 6 Fold in chocolate chips.
7. 7 Divide among prepared muffin cups.
8. 8 Bake in centre of oven for 15 minutes or until a tester inserted in centre of muffins comes out clean.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 153.0

Fat: 6.2 g

Cholesterol: 15.9 mg

Sodium: 147.7 mg

Carbohydrate: 22.7 g

Fiber: 0.7 g

Protein: 2.3 g

Oatmeal Muffins

"On Saturday he ate through one peice of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake..."

Muffins, cupcakes... potato, potato. Ok, I feel awful. Both times we've made something from my sister in law's AWESOME food blog we've had execution issues and ended up with crap. I promise you the muffins she made looked 10 times better than the ones that husband made this weekend. I think his main issue was that the batter seemed too thick and he didn't add more water. I was on a walk when this happened so he says I get to blame him. He ate it. I spit it out. We will go with his rating although I think these would be awesome if they were made correctly. Check out my sis-in-law's blog for a better picture and some other good recipes. Also, make sure you always spray your muffin liners so you actually get to eat your whole muffin. Husband gave these 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: eatmindfully.weebly.com

Ingredients

Crumble topping:

• scant 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup rolled oats
• ¹⁄₃ cup organic brown sugar
• scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup unsalted butter melted

Muffin batter:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ⁷⁄₈ cup unsalted butter
• ¹⁄₂ cup organic brown sugar
• 12 oz plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs whisked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper liners and spray them with cooking spray.

1. Get your crumble topping for your muffins started first. Use a fork to combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Divide the mixture into three portions, and use your hands to form into three flat-ish patties. Place the patties in a bowl in the freezer for about ten minutes.
2. Now, onto the muffin batter. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the yogurt, and then the eggs. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir just until combined. Do your best to avoid over mixing.
4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Pull the crumble from the freezer and break it up into small and medium pieces. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with crumble, place the muffins in the oven and bake 30 - 35 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool just a minute or so, then turn out onto a cooling rack - important!

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 210

Carbs: 19

Fat: 13

Protein: 5

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake..."

Not exactly chocolate cake but Thing 1 calls them cupcakes so it's close. These muffins are one of our most made recipes. If you work with me, are part of my husband's family or go to our kid's daycare you've had them. Everyone seems to like them and they don't really taste all that healthy. These are super easy to make and made from things you might already have on hand. My one tip is to make sure you spray the muffin papers with cooking spray. Husband made them with Thing 1 this morning and forgot but they still tasted good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 8 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• ½ cups packed brown sugar
• ¼ cups unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• 1 cups warm water
• ¼ cups canola oil
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• ½ cups semisweet chocolate minichips divided
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine 1 cup water and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in 1/4 cup minichips. Add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. 3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups, and coat liners with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup minichips evenly over batter. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 191

Fat: 7.6g

Cholesterol: 15mg

Sodium: 197mg

Carbohydrate: 29g

Fiber: 1.5g

Protein: 3.1g

Normally Thing 1 eats these just the way they are but today he got creative in the kitchen and asked his daddy if he could use M & M's instead of chocolate chips on top. Who can deny a 3 year old who wants to spruce up a recipe with a little color. Husband gave him his muffin which he had already eaten half of before I shouted that I needed a picture so here is my son's half eaten creation. These are super kid friendly with M & M's or just with the chocolate chips and are a good one for little chefs.

Blueberry-Lemon Coffee Cake

For Father's Day breakfast we made a yummy coffee cake as a family. I have never had any recipe smell so good while it was still in the mixer but the almond paste makes this smell AMAZING! Husband is a huge fan of lemon so he definitely loved that part of it but he did say there were too many blueberries. Agreed. We used fresh blueberries and they all sank to the bottom of the cake. I think next time I would only use 1cup of blueberries instead of a cup and a half. Also the topping kind of got sucked into the cake when it cooked but you could still taste it. All in all very yummy. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ cups sugar
• ⅓ cups almond paste
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ cups fat-free milk
• 1½ cups blueberries
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• Cooking spray
• ¼ cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds chopped
• 1½ tablespoons butter melted
• ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place 1/2 cup sugar, almond paste, and 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg and lemon juice, beating well. Add flour mixture and fat-free milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries and rind. Spoon batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. To prepare topping, combine 1/4 cup sugar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, tossing with a fork until moist. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 196

Fat: 30%

Cholesterol: 27mg

Sodium: 243mg

Carbohydrate: 31.6g

Fiber: 1.4g

Protein: 3.8g

Play with your food!

Today for breakfast we decided to have a little fun with the cousins and play with our food. We saw this on an episode of PeeWee's Playhouse (pancakes with fruit faces instead of waffles) and decided it would be fun. Everyone's was a little different but awesome and I thought it went great. Give it a try and let us know what the kid's think.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Today's breakfast is another favorite. The concept might sound gross to some but trust me it is yummy. The fresh carrots are a great flavor and the honey butter tastes phenomenal. A very good way to start a Sunday. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• Dash of ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons butter softened
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 315

Fat: 13.3g

Cholesterol: 78mg

Sodium: 381mg

Carbohydrate: 41.6g

Fiber: 2.2g

Protein: 7.8g

Unless you have a super picky kid these are also a great kid recipe. All husband had to do for Thing 1 to eat it was make it in the shape of Mickey Mouse. He gobbled it right up! It is also a good one to have them help with if they like to be in the kitchen. Thing 1 enjoyed helping me grate the carrots last time we made them.