Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats

I woke up Monday morning cold. And Tired. Because Daylight Savings Time is for the birds. 

I wanted something hearty and comforting for breakfast while still being healthy. And I only had 1 egg in the house! I did however, have apples from my neighbor's tree and steel cut oats and those two, when paired together, never disappoint. 

I only made one serving (and I kicked myself later!) because I wanted to make sure it was good before I wasted precious apples and oats on a failed recipe. I think that the recipe could be doubled, tripled, quadrupled with no problem, however. You could be set with breakfast for the week.

If you make a larger batch, just check the back of the oatmeal container to find the proper ratio of water to oats and then multiply the rest of the ingredients accordingly. I did 2/3 water, 1/3 cider for the amount of liquid called for but you could for sure use all water. 

Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats

1/4 cup steel cut oats

1 cup water

1/2 cup cider

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 T. brown sugar (not packed)

1/2 apple, peeled and chopped

I just threw all the ingredients in a pot, and stirred while it came to a boil. Then I turned the heat down to a simmer and stirred for about 20 minutes (off and on) or until the oats were tender and the liquid was absorbed and thickened.

I scooped my oats into a bowl and topped with a small amount of milk. 

So good people. So good.

Baking up some comfort

It is cold here. Like, really cold. And, I don't know about you but, when it is really cold I like to eat warm, comforting things. Like lasagna. Or spaghetti. Or enchiladas. Or chicken wild rice soup.

Funny thing about comfort food in Minnesota: It is generally not terribly healthy and we are trying to do that whole crazy healthy thing. So I have had to go searching.

I picked up some Coconut Oil at Trader Joe's last week which I have been wanting to do for a while. I would walk down the aisle, pick it up, look at it and set it right back down and move on. I am not sure why I wouldn't actually just buy it. It isn't expensive. It's pretty shelf stable. It is made of coconut! And I love coconut! So I finally made it home with some.

And then I went to town on the internet. I figured if I couldn't have something cheesy and creamy and totally soul satisfying, I would have to settle for the next best thing: warm from the oven muffins!!

It didn't actually take that long to find the first recipe I tried. My mom had mentioned making banana bread and that sounded so perfectly satisfying for my mood that I went out in search of a suitable substitute. That is where these Banana Coconut Muffins come in. They are sweetened only with banana and honey and get their structure from whole wheat flour and unsweetened coconut. And they use coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil! Healthy, healthy, healthy.

They aren't terribly sweet and I think if I made them again I would leave out the lemon zest or add a little more honey because those two ingredients kind of compete with one another. The recipe made 11 muffins and they were gone in 36 hours and my daughter (who is not fond of new foods) declared me "the best cooker"-- so they were good ;)

And this recipe serves as the perfect base for other kinds of muffins! As I was falling asleep a few nights ago, all I could think of was muffins and apples and cinnamon and oatmeal-- Enter my version: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins!

They are still sweetened with a ripe, mashed banana and honey and contain only white whole wheat flour and rolled oats for structure. Add in a little coconut oil, some apples, cinnamon and a few other essentials and you get a tasty, comforting, house warming muffin with only 160 calories!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins
Recipe makes 6 muffins- could easily be doubled
Adapted from Cookie+Kate

2 Tbl. Coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 small apple, peeled and diced small
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix oil, honey, banana, egg, vanilla and apple in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Either spray or line a 6 muffin tray (or half of a 12 muffin tray!) and scoop the batter in using an ice cream scoop.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly on a baking rack and enjoy!

Clean Eating

Alex and I started the Advocare 24 day cleanse/challenge this morning! Along with drinking a somewhat unpleasant fiber drink right away in the morning and other herbal supplements throughout the day, the diet is totally unprocessed food. This means no coffee, no sugar, no flour, no butter, no milk, no yogurt, no cheese, no bread, no crackers, no chips, no unhealthy oils, no pasta. 

Whoa- its crazy how much of my diet previous to the New Year contained so many of those things! No wonder the holidays were not so nice to me ;)

So anyways, Alex and I decided to do this challenge with my mom, dad, younger sister and her husband. Alex actually talked me into doing it on my birthday (the 31st) and we decided to start the clean eating part of the program right then! We wanted to make sure we could maintain that type of eating after we were finished with the program and no longer on the supplements. I actually think he is only doing it so I will do it and I love him so much more for that-- he knew I would never be able to handle it without him!

We cleaned out the pantry and haven't looked back! Well that is kind of untrue-- Alex hasn't looked back... I may have eaten a few unhealthy things before we actually started the cleanse-- but for the most part I have done great as well!

So we are eating clean! And I actually think that we are eating cleaner than clean if you look at the definition. Our diet consists of hard-boiled eggs, fruit, dry roasted lightly salted nuts, vegetables, chicken and fish. All ingredients have to be scanned to make sure there is no sugar or unhealthy oils in them. And trust me- those ingredients are in EVERYTHING!

But the funny thing is-- I thought it would be much harder than it is. I mean, trust me, handing my children a bowl of cheesy chickadees or cutting up their chicken nuggets or turkey sandwiches or dishing out a snack of popcorn puffs is kind of tough to do without wanting to sneak a bite; but I'm overcoming the urges!

I think the thing that helps the most is putting together flavors that make you think you aren't eating health food. I made a Spicy Thai Peanut Salmon for dinner and I had to keep checking and re-checking all the ingredients to make sure it actually fit all the criteria for the cleanse. And it was DELICIOUS!!

I got the inspiration from a recipe I found on foodgawker.com. It was for a spicy sriracha peanut encrusted salmon. If that sounds good, you can find it here. I changed it up a little, however, because the second ingredient in Sriracha is sugar. I decided to use Thai Red Curry paste in place of the sriracha because it has no sugar but still kind of the same flavor and a little kick. Then I decided to add a bit of natural peanut butter and low-sodium soy because they are delicious. And then because I was worried it wouldn't have quite enough kick, I mixed a little more soy with some chili garlic paste and poured it over the peanut crust topping.

Drooling yet? I made only enough for one meal and I am really kicking myself now! I will definitely be making this again and I hope you try it too!

Spicy Thai Peanut Crusted Salmon

2 servings- but easily doubled (or tripled!)

2 salmon filets (about 5 oz.)

2 tsp thai red curry paste

2 tsp all natural peanut butter

1 1/2 T low-sodium soy sauce, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts

1 tsp chili-garlic paste (Sambal Oelek)

Lime wedges

Mix curry paste, peanut butter and 2 tsp soy sauce together. Add salmon and massage the marinade into the fish. Refrigerate for a few hours. Preheat oven to 450. I did 430 because it was convection. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil spray. Pour peanuts on to plate and press salmon filets into the peanuts on just the top side. Place salmon filets on baking sheet, peanut side up. Combine remaining soy sauce with the chili-garlic paste. Drizzle over peanut topping. Bake for 10 minutes and then cover with foil and bake for another 3-5 or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Serve with fresh lime wedges. 

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

So I almost didn't post about these beauties. I have so many photos stored on my camera of recipes that I actually had something to do with. Something I changed from the original that makes it new and different enough that I don't feel like I should just be copying and pasting a link to the original and saying "Here- eat this- it's delicious."

I didn't make up the recipe or really even change much. I halved the ground ginger, took the easy way out of getting these babies on the baking sheet (you'll see) and used a different frosting because I don't do cream cheese in sweet situations.

I figured the post would be boring. A picture that could make anyone drool and a link. Boring?

I am, however, sitting on the couch, under my heating blanket- yes I keep a personal size heating blanket on the couch!, watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, drinking a steaming cup of Vanilla Chai while the cold Minnesota wind howls outside and eating my fifth cookie. Yes. Fifth! Oh they are good. They are goo-oo-ood with a capital OOD! Bonus points if you have heard that somewhere before- I hear it at least once a week ;)

I keep going back and forward between callings these gems cookies or whoopie pies- I just can't decide what they are. Maybe they don't like to be labeled. The original recipe called them Pumpkin Creme Pies but when referencing them quickly, they can't really be called a pie (because they are not a pie) so I call them a cookie. Call them what you want, or don't call them anything and eat the entire recipe yourself, never referencing them to a single soul. Then you won't have to decide.

The texture is that of a cake or a pumpkin bread- soft, moist, delectable. And the frosting is perfect. Seriously perfect. Just wait until you see the ingredients to this frosting. You will be shocked at what is in there. It is light and fluffy and smoooooooth like whipped cream, yet sugary and buttery and vanilla-y. Just the way a frosting should be.

My husband said they taste like pumpkin pie (duh) but he was actually spot on! The pumpkin cake part obviously has all the same flavors and spices as a traditional pumpkin pie and the frosting is so reminiscent of whipped cream that it is like a better textured, personal size version of the Thanksgiving staple.

This recipe makes a huge batch. I hemmed and hawed about making an entire batch of frosting or not and decided on the full which would have been perfect if my children had not decided they would prefer the cookies sans frosting (silly children). The cookies are perfectly delicious this way as well and I am left with just enough frosting to cover a dozen cupcakes-- we'll see how well it holds up in the fridge!

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Makes about 30 sandwich cookies
Adapted from The Deutch Girl on Tasty Kitchen

For the pies:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbl cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
heaping 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together brown sugar, white sugar, oil and pumpkin.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mixing until just combined
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (I needed 3)
Scoop batter onto sheets using small melon baller scoop. They need to be about an inch or 2 apart.
Bake for 11-13 minutes depending on the size. Don't let these cookies trick you- they go from too soft to done in seriously 30 seconds. Set the timer for 11 minutes and watch closely at the end.

That's the Best Frosting I've Ever Had
Check out step by step instructions from Mayce's favorite cookin' lady here- The Pioneer woman!
After the cakes had cooled, I took the same scoop that I used to put the batter on the pans (after I washed it of course!) and dolloped a generous amount of this gorgeous frosting on the flat side and sandwiched it with another cake.
I am storing the cookies that weren't devoured in the fridge and dropping a few off to my favorite prego tomorrow ;)

Enjoy!

Monster Cookie Dough Frosting

 

 

 

Run to your kitchen. Seriously, Run! This frosting is so amazing you will want to eat it with a spoon. Straight from the mixing bowl. And I fully endorse that urge. Just make sure you have a tall glass of ice cold milk in hand. And maybe an elliptical that you can spend the next couple days on.

We ate the frosting on cupcakes. Plain ol' Devil's Food cupcakes from a box mix. But I didn't title the post "Devil's Food Cupcakes with Monster Cookie Dough Frosting" for a reason: the cupcake is just a catalyst. A method of getting the frosting from the mixing bowl to your drooling mouth. A more socially acceptable method of sharing this deliciousness. Although, I would be fine if you made this frosting and invited me to your house and just handed me a spoon on my in the door-- I don't judge.

You could pipe it on cupcakes, frost a cake, spread it on brownies, or slap it in a pretty bowl and dip some chocolate grahams right on in there. The possibilities are probably endless. I'd try to think of more but my brain is currently acting like a skipping CD- all I am hearing is "dip some chocolate grahams... dip some chocolate grahams... dip some chocolate grahams."

OK... I'm back.

The original recipe (from Gimme Some Oven) was for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cookie dough "frosting." She puts "frosting" in quotes because it looks just exactly like cookie dough. Thick and delicious and eggless.

I wanted to make them immediately. But, alas, I cannot make a batch of 24 cupcakes and not attempt to eat every. single. one. Eating is the only sport I am good at. So I just looked at the picture, drooled a little, and moved on in my pinterest browse.

But then a light bulb went on! We are heading to visit a good friend today. Visits to good friends = someone to share cupcakes with. I am also at my parents house for a few days and I've never known my dad to turn his nose down at a dessert-- double score. So I sent the recipe to my mom so she could grab the ingredients.

Then, on the drive down from the cities while my two children were sleeping peacefully in the backseat, I was inspired. It was like an inspiration landslide. First I thought, "ooh, we should add quick oats to the frosting" because peanut butter, chocolate chips and oatmeal are like a trifecta. And then I thought "M&M's!!" (and yes, loud, shouty thoughts about candy or cookies or cakes happen often in my brain.)  And since I am a lover and supporter of all things "monster" the rest kind of just happened.

So we made some boring ol' Devil's Food Cupcakes-- some normal size, some a pop-able mini size and then set about to create some awesomeness.

The original recipe called for putting the mini chocolate chips in the freezer to avoid them melting when you add them to the frosting. The frosting really isn't warm enough to melt the chips but we followed instructions and plopped a bag of mini chocolate chips and a bag of mini M&M's into the freezer a few hours ahead of time.

With a few other quick adjustments we had arrived-- and the destination was delicious. Want to try it for yourself? I suggest calling a friend-- but just one, we wouldn't want to be too generous, would we??

 

Monster Cookie Dough Frosting
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Generously frosts 24 cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups peanut butter. (We used 1 cup reduced fat, 1/2 cup regular fat)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla (we used Mexican Vanilla--smells like a heavenly vacation)
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2- 2 cups quick cooking oats (depending on how thick and chewy you like it-- just remember the oats will soak up moisture so add a little at a time)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup mini M&M's
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Beat butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in an electric mixer for several minutes on medium speed until it is nice and fluffy. (3-4 minutes)
Mix in vanilla and milk.
Mix in flour and oats and salt on low speed until incorporated.
Stir in candy and chocolate chips by hand.

Store excess frosting in the refrigerator.

"We are having meatballs for dinner! I love meatballs!"

Yes, those words actually came out of my picky 3 year old's mouth.

She doesn't say this about anything. Not chicken nuggets. Not pizza. Not hot dogs. Maybe popcorn- she's a snack food junkie, what can I say?

Maybe picky is the wrong word, I'll go with "selective" instead. She won't eat chicken, but she'll eat teriyaki beef. She won't eat lasagna, but she'll eat spaghetti. She won't eat grilled cheese, but she'll eat a piece of bread with cheese melted on top. She loves hummus. She loves chinese noodles. She loves frozen peas. She loves Olive Garden salad. She loves any, and all, fruit.

She won't eat meatloaf, but she LOOOVES meatballs.

See? Selective. This girl knows what she wants and she inherited both her mother's and her father's stubbornness.

Lord, help us.

Back to the meatballs. This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law, Jena. She served them at a party last year and they were so delicious I had to have the recipe. They are a cinch to throw together and you just throw them in a pan, pour on the sauce and put them in the oven! We serve ours over rice (because we are a saucy rice eatin' family) with a side of green peas (frozen for the selective one, of course).

They are like little two bite meatloaves, smothered and cooked in a sweet, salty, tangy teriyaki barbecue sauce.

Man, I wish my husband hadn't just taken the leftovers to work this morning. Yes, it is only 8:52 am. They would make a delicious breakfast. (Says the girl who ate turkey sandwiches on Vienna bread for breakfast every morning of middle school-- and maybe last week, as well.)


I like them a little sweeter than the original, so I added sugar. There was a bit too much oil in the first batch, so I cut that down. There can never be enough sauce, so I doubled it. I didn't have fresh garlic on hand this time, so I used the powdered stuff. I should've used a bigger pan to give the little guys some space because I like my meatballs on the drier side. That's the awesome part about cooking- you can do whatever you want!

Here is my version:

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs
Serves 8


Sauce:
1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable is fine)
1 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder (or 4 cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cup sugar

Meatballs:
2 lb. ground turkey
1 cup italian style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped (I use my mini food processor- saves tears)
2 eggs

1. Mix meatball ingredients and form into golf ball size balls. Place in large baking dish (I used an 11x15 glass dish and had to stuff them in) sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Mix sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs, making sure they are all covered.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Baste meatballs with sauce every 10 minutes or so.
4. Serve over rice (or potatoes!)
5. Enjoy!

6. Hide leftovers in the back of the fridge;)

Turkey Sausage Vegetable Lasagna and some time with my Mommy :)

Last week I packed up the kids and the dog and headed down to my parents house. We do this about a thousand times during the summer. It is the perfect little vacation for us- not that our everyday lives are particularly tough and require frequent vacations, but everyone needs vacations- we get a break from our normal schedules and scenery, there is a pool and a swingset/playhouse, and a huge yard with the potential to provide unlimited adventures.

Plus, there are grandparents!

Plus, my mom is an excellent cook and now that I am a "grown-up" (put in parentheses because only sometimes do I force myself to feel like one), I really value and look forward to our times in the kitchen.

Mayce is almost 4 and we are just now realizing that if we ordered pizza a little more, we would spend less time in the kitchen prepping, cooking, eating and cleaning and more time actually playing- which tops Mayce's list every. single. time.

However, one can only eat pizza so many times.

Enter, Veggie Lasagna with Turkey Sausage crumbles. Can be thrown together in under a half hour (just enough time for a cartoon- smart cartoon makers), baked while you play, and the entire pan can be put straight into the fridge for leftovers-- Plus, there are veggies!! Hidden inside!! Where no child will ever be able to find them!!!

And it is de.li.cious. Here is what you need.

From top left: Ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella (lots and lots of mozzarella) , fresh spinach, parmesan cheese (I used fresh grated but couldn't find it before taking this picture), grated carrots, sliced mushrooms, turkey sausage crumbles, no boil lasagna noodles and your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Lasagna is possibly one of my most favorite things to eat. And I love to eat it even more the next day- in fact, if I were smart (-er) and had tons of time on my hands, I would always prepare and bake my lasagnas the day before. They are just so much better reheated!

So I love the leftovers but what I love more is that you can't really mess up lasagna. You can put whatever you want inside, however much you want. The combinations are endless. As long as you have noodles, sauce and cheese, you can add anything and everything else that tickles your tastebuds.

And with those genius no boil noodles, the prep time is pretty much cut in half! Gone are the days when lasagna was reserved for Sunday dinners (because it took all day to prepare!) or for special occasions. Thirty minutes people, that's all you need.

On second thought, don't tell your family that, make them believe you have been slaving all afternoon.

And like I said- you can put anything in lasagna. The recipe I based this lasagna on (found here) included shredded zucchini- my husband doesn't touch zucchini, so I leave it out. Want to use regular sausage? Go for it! Don't want to use sausage at all? By all means! Would you rather add chicken and make a delicious alfredo sauce to bump it up just a few more notches? Knock yourself out.

Get the picture?

It is rainy and dreary outside my window right now. Lasagna would be perfect for dinner. Regardless of the weather, get thyself to the store and surprise the pants off your family tonight! And if you have small children, literally take their pants off (and while you're at it, their shirts too). This is no clean meal ;)

So let's prep ingredients. I find that if you have all your ingredients prepped, the lasagna is a cinch to put together. Just layer, layer, layer and repeat.

In a medium saucepan, saute 2 cups shredded carrots in 1/2 T. butter over medium-high heat. Saute until they are tender- about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and place pan back on heat.

Saute sliced mushrooms (my mom bought a 10 ounce bag for this lasagna, use as many as you want- you can never have too many mushrooms) in same pan with 1 T. butter. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (If you have regular garlic on hand, feel free to use it!) Saute 5-7 minutes, until tender. Eat a few, go ahead ;)

Set the rest aside.

Prep. Done.

Now for the assembly:

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.
Cover bottom with spaghetti sauce. (about a cup and a half)
Then layer:
- Noodles (overlap the no boil noodles slightly- I fit 4 in each layer- they do expand)
- Carrots
- Turkey sausage crumbles (you can buy them already cooked, or cook your own, I used half a bag here)
- Dollop ricotta cheese (about 8 oz.) and then attempt to spread it out with your fingers, season lightly with salt and pepper
- A few cups mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese (however much you fancy)
- A few more cups spaghetti sauce
- Noodles
- Mushrooms
- The other half of the sausage crumbles
- About 5 oz. of fresh spinach leaves
- More dollops of Ricotta, seasoned with salt and pepper
- More mozzarella, more parmesan
- More sauce
- Last layer of noodles.
**At this point, you may be thinking that your lasagna is going to bust out of the pan. Take a minute to firmly press all the layers down. And don't worry, it will make down. And you will bake it on a pan to protect your oven. I got your back ;)
- Add a few more cups of sauce and a few more cups of mozzarella and some more parmesan.

Now spray some tin foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Place on baking sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for an hour. Take the foil off the last 10 minutes or so, to allow the cheese to get nice and browned.

If you are prepping ahead, put a layer of plastic wrap under the tin foil- tomato sauce and tin foil don't mix and your tomato sauce will taste off. But don't forget to remove it and spray the foil before putting it in the oven! Also, add about 15-20 minutes to the cook time if the lasagna is cold.

Find something to occupy your thoughts for an hour and try to ignore the delicious aroma wafting from your kitchen- maybe prepare some garlic bread and a salad :)

Or release your child from under the stool he's crawled under;)

Take the lasagna out of the oven when it looks like this:

 Wait! Stop! Hold your knife! You need to let the lasagna rest for at least 10 minutes so that it holds together and looks pretty when you serve it.

Watch the clock- this part is torture.

Finally... *sigh* Enjoy!

Oh, by the way, this recipe received 5 thumbs up. No, my family did not grow overnight. The 3 extra thumbs belong to my parents and a friend of theirs who is staying at the house. And, no, this recipe did not receive the picky 3 year olds approval- she'll gobble up spaghetti but change the shape and it may as well be dirt. The 10 month old, however, could not get enough! And if my husby were there, there would be an extra thumbs up- but don't tell him, what he doesn't know, he can't miss ;)