Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

We made these festive pancakes for breakfast on Halloween- I even added a couple of chocolate chips for Siena. I know, crazy. On Halloween I tried the recipe as written, but for regular non-holiday mornings I'll use the modifications below- omitting oil, using all whole wheat flour, using a whole egg instead of egg whites (b/c I can crack an egg one-handed with a baby on my hip, but I am not talented enough to separate egg whites from yoke with only one hand) and adding a little extra pumpkin. Calvin Boy wasn't a huge fan of dinner last night and ended up eating 5 pancakes this morning (plus fruit!). This recipe makes a decent amount too, so we have extra for tomorrow and a couple to throw in the freezer.

Ingredients

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp applesauce (in place of oil)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp sweetener (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.)


Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, applesauce, pumpkin, and sweetener. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moistened. If batter seems too thick, add a bit of milk to thin it to the desired consistency.

3. Heat griddle on medium heat. Pour batter by 1/4 cup onto greased griddle. Flip pancake when bubbles appear at the top.

adapted from The Recipe Critic

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Well, here I am trying to play catch up and post some of the recipes that have been floating around on my computer. I'll admit, I haven't been trying many new recipes. The past year of residency was a loooong one. It was Nick's busiest year and having a new baby didn't leave me much motivation to be adventurous in the kitchen. I was ever grateful for this little spot where I could quickly find recipes that we've tried and enjoyed-making my grocery shopping and meal planning so much easier.

I saw this recipe for pancake mix a few months ago and immediately tried it out. I made a double batch and froze it and had great results. As always, I adapted it to what is usually in my fridge (i.e. probably no buttermilk, maybe no eggs- other eggless recipes are already drafted.) It is simple and great on it's own (or drizzled with something extra delicious) and my kids absolutely love it. Win win.


Ingredients
Mix
 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups white whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. salt
3/4 cup canola oil*

Pancakes
1 cup mix (above)
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup greek yogurt + 1/4 cup milk)
1 large egg, lightly beaten (or a few Tbsp. of applesauce)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon zest, optional

Directions
Mix
 Pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground (but not a powder). Transfer oats to an electric mixer and add in flours, sugar, baking power, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed to combine. Drizzle oil in bowl slowly while mixer is still running. Continue to mix until evenly combined and mixture clumps slightly.

Transfer to an air-tight container and store up to 1 week at room temperature or long term in the freezer.

Pancakes
 Combine 1 cup of pancake mix with buttermilk (I always use the yogurt/milk mixture), egg (or applesauce), vanilla extract, and optional lemon zest.  Allow to sit for about 15 mintues while the whole grains absorb liquid.

Heat skillet over medium heat and pour 1/3 cup batter onto greased skillet. Cook until bubbles form and flip over, allowing other side to cook until lightly golden brown.

Notes:
-For my two kids who LOVE pancakes, I prepare 2 cups of mix at a time. We usually have a few pancakes left over for the following morning.

*I put way less than 3/4 cup of oil, just a drizzle to get it to stick together a bit. I may try coconut oil next time.

slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Swiss Miss Veggie-filled Pasta Sauce

 

Okay, probably not the Swiss you're thinking. It's going to be a cool 112 today and this is certainly not about hot chocolate. Swiss as in Swiss chard. We tried out an awesome grocery store the other day that had amazing deals on produce. Like bananas for $0.10, key limes for $0.04 (we made key lime pie), peaches for $0.18, plums for $0.07, cumbers for $0.25, and on and on. I wanted to frame my receipt. We also picked up some beautiful Swiss chard. We've pureed it in a food processor and added it to omelets as well as made a veggie-filled pasta sauce. Looks like a winner. Pretty much anywhere you would use spinach you can try Swiss chard.

Veggie-filled Pasta Sauce

Ingredients (estimations-everything was eyeballed)

drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1-2 large carrots, shredded or finely chopped
2-3 large Swiss chard leaves, shredded or finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
8-12 oz tomato sauce
oregano, to taste
basil, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
 
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté yellow onion and carrots. When soft, add Swiss chard and garlic til just cooked.  Add tomato sauce and season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Let simmer, the longer the better. Serve with favorite pasta and freshly grated Parmesan, to taste.


Other options: bell peppers

Want fries with that?

The beginning of December it was single mom time and so we ate this , this , and this for a few lunches and dinners. Now we're living out of suitcases for a few weeks- so cooking has been interesting. Instead of feeling super adventerous we've been making old favorites while getting acquainted with a different kitchen and of course eating out- Costa Vida & Cafe Rio once each this week, not too shabby.

This little Miss has been a great eater and has a new favorite way to eat apples. Instead of the typical slices, why not match sticks or 'fries'- certainly a lot better and she doesn't know the difference.

Baby Popeye

I've had a few friends ask recently what foods Siena loves and eats easily on her own. Here is one of the favorite breakfasts around here...

This girl chows down on spinach tucked into omelets, quesadillas, pasta, pizza, quiche, smoothies, and peanut butter sandwiches. (Okay, I'm not that mean.)

And not just a little spinach- the omelet is filled with the green stuff and she will gobble it up to the last bite.

and will usually ask for "more"

Simple Spinach Omelete

2 eggs

fresh or frozen spinach

I keep frozen spinach on hand and thaw some (maybe 1/4 cup or so?) in hot water. Remove the spinach with a fork and add it to 2 beaten eggs.
(I split the omelet in half, to make it last two days)

If it were for me, it would be loaded with cheese, but she doesn't even know she's missing it
other options: tiny diced bell peppers or onion, sauteed a bit before incorporating

While I'm making it, I usually hand her half a banana to enjoy. It really takes less than 10 min start to finish and the best part is- the next day breakfast is done!