Clean Eating Cherry Almond Dutch Baby Pancakes (and how to pit fresh cherries without a cherry pitter)

Makes 6 servings, 1 slice each
This is another variation of the Peach Dutch Babies that I recipe tested for the April/May 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. It was delicious with peaches, we loved it with pineapple and coconut, and this morning we had cherries so I thought I'd give it a try. 


A Dutch Baby is an oven baked pancake which is kind of a blend between a popover and a crepe. The boys voted this one as their favorite version and I have to agree :) But I REALLY love fresh cherries so I might be a little biased.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp pure Maple syrup
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ¼ tsp plus a pinch sea salt
• Large pinch nutmeg
• ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I just use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup sliced cherries
• 2 Tbsp slivered almonds (although the boys and I had it with pecans because we didn't have any slivered almonds LOL)

ONE: Place a heavy, 12-inch oven-proof or cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. (If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can use a baking dish. You'll need something a bit bigger than an 8x8 square pan but a 9x13 is about as big as you could go.)

TWO: In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, Maple syrup, almond extract, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk just until blended (a few lumps are fine).

THREE: Carefully add coconut oil to the skillet in the oven. Close the door, and allow it to melt, about 1 to 2 minutes. Wearing a heat-proof glove or oven mitt (I wear my Ove Glove), remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted oil into the batter; whisk just until blended (do not over mix).

FOUR: Pour the batter back into the hot skillet and sprinkle evenly with the sliced cherries. Carefully return skillet to oven and bake until edges are puffed and golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.

FIVE: When the pancake is done, sprinkle it with the almonds. It’s pretty impressive when it’s all puffed up fresh out of the oven. Call everyone to the table right away because it deflates pretty quickly. My boys like to peak through the window on the oven door to watch it puff up. They call this Magic Eggy Pancakes.

Not only do I get to eat a delicious pancake... staring at it through the oven door
keeps Theron entertained for 20 minutes and I get to see this excited little face :)

You won’t have leftovers but, if you did, you could freeze individual servings using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

QUICK TIP: I don't have a cherry pitter. We all love cherries and I am eagerly looking forward to the day that I can just hand my kids a bowl of cherries and send them outside to happily eat them and spit out the pits. Until that day comes, this is how I get around the pits:

Wash the cherry, pull off the stem, and stand it up on the cutting board.

Slice of the fruit on either side of the pit

Finally cut off the little bits of fruit left around the pit.
Discard the pit and enjoy!

NUTRITION INFO:
Per serving - 162 Calories (71 Calories from Fat), 8g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 94mg Cholesterol, 141mg Sodium, 18g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 9g Sugars, 6g Protein, 4% DV Vitamin A, 2% DV Vitamin C, 6% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Whole Wheat Taco Bowls

These are so quick and easy to make but they are a fun twist on a regular old taco. Plus I find it next to impossible to find healthy, whole grain taco shells. My kids think these are fun because they can break apart their bowl and eat it as they go. Actually, Matt likes them for that same reason :) We use them to make taco salads using Salsa Barbeque Chicken.

Ingredients:

• One tortilla per person
• Olive oil cooking spray

ONE: Preheat the oven to 350. Place small, oven safe bowls or balls of tin foil on a cookie sheet. 

TWO: Mist both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and drape them over the bowls/foil balls. 

THREE: Bake for 17-20 minutes or until light brown and crispy.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Taco Bowl- 130 Calories (25 Calories from fat), 3g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 280mg Sodium, 22g Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugars, 4g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 0% DV Vitamin C, 8% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Unstuffed Peppers Casserole

Do you want to eat something AMAZINGLY delicious for dinner tonight? Look no further!

Those of you who know me know that I almost never follow a recipe exactly. I can't help but tweak or modify as I go. But my very good friend, Mandy, has made this casserole for me a few times and when I make it for myself, I follow the recipe word for word :) It seems so simple but it is to die for. 

The thing I like best is that I can throw it together so quickly using my freezer stash. Two of the main ingredients are cooked brown rice and chopped bell peppers. I always have cooked brown rice at the ready in my freezer and when bell peppers are on sale I buy a bunch, chop them all up, and throw them in a freezer bag to use  in recipes just like this one.

This recipe is Clean as long as you read the label really carefully on the pasta sauce and choose one without anything undesirable added. The only modification I might make would be to decrease the amount of cheese from 2 cups to one. My family loves cheese and we aren't trying to eat a reduced fat or calorie diet so I use the full amount. However, if you are trying to lose weight or lower your cholesterol or something, there will still be plenty of flavor with less cheese. 

For the full recipe, check out the post on my friend, Mandy's, blog HERE! Thanks, Mandy!!!!!!!:)

Clean Eating Whole Wheat Banana Pecan Waffles

Makes 12-15 waffles
We LOVE waffles in our house. And I especially love them when all I need to do is pull them out of the freezer and pop them into the toaster. I'll make a big batch every few weeks and we'll eat them fresh for breakfast and then freeze the leftovers. Then every couple of days I can give my boys a nice hot breakfast without actually having to cook :) These are especially great for when we are rushing to get somewhere in the morning because they can be eaten mess-free in the car. Always a plus in my book!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp wheat germ/ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups skim milk
• 3/4 tsp almond extract 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

ONE: Preheat the waffle iron. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, wheat germ/ground flax seeds, and pecans.

TWO: In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, almond extract, oil, and mashed bananas until well blended.

THREE: Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

FOUR: For each waffle, lightly mist the waffle iron with cooking spray and pour 1/4 cup of batter onto each grid, spreading it out to mostly cover the grids. Close the iron and cook about 4 minutes or until lightly browned. (You may need to do more or less batter depending on your brand of waffle iron. You want to use just enough that the grids are covered with a thin layer. If you do too much, it will spill over and stick to the sides and pull the waffle apart into a big mess when you open it. Not that I speak from experience or anything....)

Freeze leftovers using the tray freeze method to feed your freezer stash. We reheat ours in the toaster oven but you could also use a toaster, microwave, or regular oven.

NUTRITION INFO: 

Per waffle - 120 Calories (45 Calories from Fat), 5g Fat, 0.5g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 99mg Sodium, 16g Total Carbohydrates, 1.5g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 3.4g Protein, 1% DV Vitamin A, 3% DV Vitamin C, 8% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron
:)

Clean Eating Red Beans and Rice with Sausage (Crockpot)

Makes about 8 servings, 1 cup each
This smells like a little bit of heaven while it’s cooking :) I’m a real wimp when it comes to spicy food but this has just enough kick that the kids and I can eat it without complaint while having that slightly spicy New Orleans feel. My nephew, Chase, can sometimes be a picky eater and is VERY resistant to trying new foods, but even he ate this. In fact he fed it to himself without any coercion and said, “I never tried this and I like it.” A very big compliment coming from him.

You may have been shocked to see that there are no veggies in this dish. A rarity coming from me because you know I'm all about the one dish meals that include veggies so I don't have to cook any sides :) I almost always stir in some finely chopped cooked broccoli or brussel sprouts before serving. You could also add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of finely chopped raw sweet potato or carrots in at the beginning of cooking or stir cooked pieces in before serving like with the broccoli. Or I've sometimes thrown 2 cups of very finely chopped raw kale in during the last 1/2 hour of cooking but DON'T STIR it in until you're ready to serve (see Tip below).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb lean turkey or chicken sausage, sliced into medallions
• Small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped (I've made it without this in a pinch but I think it adds a little something in the moisture and texture department)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• Optional: ½ tsp Tabasco (I didn’t add this but if you like spicy things have at it!)

ONE: Toss everything into the crockpot and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

TIP: Stir it all together when you first put it in but DON’T stir again until you’re serving. The rice in this dish is meant to be a little more mushy and sticky than plain brown rice but stirring while it’s cooking will make the outside layer break down and let the gummy part out. Picture Cajun rice pudding.

OR:
Dump everything into a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze. Toss the whole frozen chunk into a crockpot/slowcooker and cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. Make sure you freeze it in such a way that the frozen lump will fit in your crockpot. I set my bag inside a big circular tupper so that it freezes into a narrower cylinder.

Freeze leftovers in 1-cup portions using the medium/large portions method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per 1-cup Serving - 354 Calories (65 Calories from Fat), 7g Total Fat, 1.5g Saturated Fat, 35mg Cholesterol, 943mg Sodium, 51g Total Carbohydrates, 7g Fiber, 1.5g Sugar, 22g Protein, 1% DV Vitamin A, 6% DV Vitamin C, 7% DV Calcium, 20% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Whole Grain Cornbread Waffles

Makes 8 servings, 1 waffle each
Cornbread is one of my absolute favorite foods so I love, love, LOVE these waffles. This recipe is actually adapted from a recipe from the Publix Family Style Magazine. I have actually never made these for breakfast. Don't get me wrong, we all happily eat the leftovers for breakfast, but I always cook them with the intention of eating them for dinner. I had never thought of a "dinner waffle" until the Family Style article but it is an awesome idea, especially if you're feeding toddlers. My boys are so excited to be eating waffles for dinner that they would eat almost anything on top of them. Tonight I topped them with the taco filling from the Best Ever Veggie Tacos but usually I top them with Saucy Chicken. Or you could just be normal and make them for breakfast :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur White Whole Wheat)
• 1/2 cup whole grain cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp honey/sucanat
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 egg whites

ONE: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, honey/sucanat, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl combine the milk, olive oil, and egg. Whisk the liquid mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.

TWO: Preheat a waffle iron and spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour a generous 1/4 cup of batter onto each waffle grid and cook 3-4 minutes until lightly browned (or according to your waffle makers instructions).

Freeze leftover waffles using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per waffle - 175 Calories (65 Calories from Fat), 7g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 1mg Cholesterol, 216mg Sodium, 24g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 6g Sugar, 4g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 0% DV Vitamin C, 6% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

:)

Basic hand-kneaded Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 2 loaves, 16 slices each
Briony has been trying to get me to buy a second-hand bread maker for years, and I just haven't. Seriously, I like making bread by hand! I like feeling the dough and kneading it to perfection, and I guess it makes me feel connected with my grandmothers to do something I know they also did for their families. My favorite basic recipe is derived from the book that my Kitchen Aid Mixer came with. I altered the method a little (since I like to proof my dough) and add in a little Vital Wheat Gluten, which helps whole wheat loaves be more light and airy.


Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar, divided (with sugar it is not "clean", you can use honey or sucanat instead)
• 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
• 4 1/2 tsp (or 2 packages) active dry yeast
• 5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup dry milk powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup oil

ONE: "Proofing" yeast means to activate before adding it to the flour. So, add the 1 Tbsp of sugar to hot water and stir to dissolve. Whisk in the yeast and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.

The yeast mixture before and after. Note how much it has puffed up.

TWO: Measure 4 cups of flour into the bowl of your stand mixer (such as a Kitchen Aid). Add the powdered milk and salt. Use the dough hook and turn your machine on to mix the dry ingredients together. Slowly add the yeast mixture while the dough hook is spinning and make certain you get all the bubbles that cling to the side. Add the oil.

THREE: Allow the mixer to bring the dough together until all the flour has been incorporated. You may have to scrape the bowl a time or two and you may have to increase the speed a bit if the motor sounds like it's struggling. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour half a cup at a time. The dough should start to form a ball and the sides of the bowl should be relatively clean.

FOUR: Finish the kneading by hand. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes. If the dough is sticking to your work surface, add another tablespoon or so of flour. Be careful to not add too much flour as this can dry out your dough. Remember that it is okay if the dough is sticky, you just don't want it to stick!

On the left is the dough just as I tipped it out of the bowl, and the right is
after I kneaded it for 8 minutes. Note how there isn't any flour
on my work surface after I kneaded.

FIVE: Let the dough rest while you wash your bowl, dry it well and grease it. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover it with a clean towel. Let it rise in a warm spot (the top of your running clothes dryer is a great location!). Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

The dough before and after the 60 minute rise.

SIX: During the last few minutes that the dough is rising and prepare your loaf pans by greasing them well. (Don't tell Briony but I started using shortening a while ago and I haven't had a loaf stick since. For me, it works better than olive oil spray, butter, parchment paper or any other thing I've tried. Briony would use coconut oil.)

SEVEN: Turn the dough out of the bowl and flatten it a bit to push out some of the air bubbles. Knead it for about 30 seconds and then shape it into a loaf. Drop the dough into your prepared loaf pan and let it sit for a few minutes. This short rest will allow the dough to relax so you can manipulate better. Push the dough down so it is flat and the edges touch the edges of the pan. Let the dough rise again for 45 minutes (or up to an hour if you need). During the last few minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

On the left is the shaped dough, and on the right you can see

I flattened it and pushed it towards the edges of the pan.

After the second rise

EIGHT: Bake the loaves for 30 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and have it come out without any dough bits on it. Let the loaves rest in the pan for a few minutes and then remove them from the pans and let them finish cooling on a wire rack.

Posted by Barb! :)

NUTRITION INFO:

Per slice - 126 Calories (23 Calories from Fat), 2.5g Fat, 1mg Cholesterol, 172 mg Sodium, 21.5g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 5g Sugars, 4g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 0% DV Vitamin C, 6% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Sausage Egg Casserole (OAMC)

Makes 12 servings
Wouldn't you love to wake up and find that someone else has cooked you a delicious and healthy breakfast? That's how I feel when I pull this egg casserole out of the freezer. It's the perfect blend of savory sausage, eggs, and cheesy goodness. Plus it has some kale snuck in so you can start your day right with a power packed veggie :) I make this using homemade breakfast sausage based on THIS recipe from one of my favorite sites but you can use 3/4 lbs of whatever breakfast sausage you prefer.

How I "healthified" it:

• The original recipe called for 10 whole eggs. I used 2 whole eggs and 10 egg whites.
• The original recipe used 16 oz of cottage cheese and whole pound of shredded cheddar. I reduced both of them by half and added a little bit of Parmesan for some extra cheese flavor.
• The original recipe used butter and white flour. I substituted olive oil and whole wheat flour and added and extra 1/4 tsp of sea salt.
• The original recipe used regular breakfast sausage. I made a homemade version of breakfast sausage using lean ground turkey.
• Finally I added some finely diced kale to boost the nutritional profile. Plus, I like it when my kids eat a green vegetable in the morning because then I don't have to think about it at dinner LOL.
• The results - A decrease in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and an increase in Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Ingredients:
Breakfast Sausage-

• 3/4 lb ground turkey or chicken
• 1/2 C diced organic dried apples (or 3/4 cup shredded fresh apples)
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp Allspice
• 2 Tbsp dried Sage (1 Tbsp if ground)

Casserole-

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• ½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 16 oz carton of egg whites (or 10 egg whites)
• 8 oz low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 cups (½ lb) shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 4oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
• 1 1/2 cups very finely chopped kale/spinach
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil

ONE: In a large bowl, using your hands, mix sausage ingredients well. Place into a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Add olive oil to skillet; cook and stir the green onions and mushrooms until tender.

Browning the homemade sausage

TWO: In a large bowl, mix eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, Parmesan, kale, and chiles. Stir in sausage, green onions, and mushrooms. Cover, and refrigerate overnight (you can cook it right away but refrigerating it overnight lets the flavors blend a bit more).

THREE: Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the olive oil. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Flour mixture before it was blended

Cut into individual servings and freeze using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash. To reheat, microwave loosely covered for 2 minutes at 50% power. Cut into pieces and microwave an additional minute at full power.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving "healthified" recipe – 301 Calories (152 Calories from Fat), 17g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 77mg Cholesterol, 615mg Sodium, 16.5g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 22g Protein, 32% DV Vitamin A, 27% DV Vitamin C, 36% DV Calcium, 10% DV Iron

Per serving original recipe – 393 Calories (252 Calories from Fat), 27g Fat, 12g Saturated Fat, 223mg Cholesterol, 791mg Sodium, 13g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 1g Sugars, 27g Protein, 17% DV Vitamin A, 9% DV Vitamin C, 61% DV Calcium, 10% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

Makes 8 servings, 1 quesadilla each
When I lived in Jacksonville, my great friend, Ariana, and I used to take the kids on lunch dates to Native Sun Natural Foods Market. They had an awesome selection of the more unusual things I use in my cooking, like bulk quinoa. They also made delicious food so we could do a bit of shopping and then sit and have a light meal that the kids could eat too. You know there aren’t a lot of places where I actually let me kids eat the food, LOL. One of our favorites was their sweet potato quesadillas. This is Ariana’s version which I have to say I actually like better than the original :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, grated
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1-2 pinches cayenne (I leave this out because I’m wimpy)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 8 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

ONE: In large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil.
Sauté onions and garlic until the onions are transparent.


TWO: Add the sweet potatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the black beans, recover, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

THREE: When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the filling from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

FOUR: Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly onto the tortillas; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese onto each tortilla.
Fold tortilla in half over filling.

FIVE: Either clean out the skillet you just used or get another large non-stick skillet and add a little oil; heat on medium high heat. Place the quesadillas in the heated nonstick skillet and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and the filling is hot.
Add more oil to skillet as needed and cook in batches. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 355 Calories (97 Calories from Fat), 11g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 8mg Cholesterol, 468mg Sodium, 50g Total Carbohydrates, 10g Dietary Fiber, 9g Sugars, 13g Protein, 285% DV Vitamin A, 8% DV Vitamin C, 17% DV Calcium, 8% DV Iron

:)

Last Night's Veggies Cookies

Makes 20-24 cookies
Weird name for a cookie right? But that’s literally what these were. The first time I made Pineapple Pork Tenderloin I didn’t have peppers. Actually to be honest, I seriously needed to go grocery shopping and the only thing I did have was a big buttercup squash. So I made roasted squash with pineapple instead. We all ate it happily enough that night but none of us really felt like eating the leftovers. The frugal side of me couldn’t bear to throw them away so I made them into cookies. Normal people use their leftover dinner veggies to make cookies too, right? Regardless, we all loved them and these have since become a favorite cookie in our household. They are sort of like a pumpkin gingersnap but they're more cakey than crispy.

NOTE: If you are making something in your crockpot, you can chop up about a cup of winter squash/sweet potato and put it on a piece of tinfoil with about a cup of pineapple. Fold the foil into a pouch and stick it on top of whatever you're cooking. Obviously this wouldn't work if you were cooking a soup since the packet would sink. It only takes about 3 hours on low for the veggies to soften but you can leave it in there as long as your dish is cooking and just take it out at the end.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour)
• 1 Tbsp ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup Earth Balance buttery spread or coconut oil
• ¾ cup canned pineapple, drained
• ¾ cup cooked winter squash/sweet potato
• 1 cup sucanat, divided
• ¼ cup molasses

ONE: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

TWO: Puree the pineapple and winter squash/sweet potato together adding a small amount of pineapple juice if needed to create a puree the same consistency as canned pumpkin.

THREE: In a large bowl, cream together the buttery spread/coconut oil, pineapple-veggie puree, ½ cup of sucanat, and molasses using an electric or stand mixer. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until dough comes together. Chill dough for at least an hour.

FOUR: Preheat oven to 350 and pour remaining ½ cup of sucanat into a shallow bowl. Scoop out a generous tablespoonful of dough and roll it between your palms into a small ball, slightly smaller than a golf ball. Roll the ball in the sucanat until completely covered and then place on a cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a glass, lightly press the doughball to flatten. Repeat until all the dough is gone. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Cool about 2 minutes on the cookie tray before transferring them to a cooling rack. Don’t leave them on the tray for too long if you want them crispy.

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving (1 cookie) - 89 Calories (16 Calories from Fat), 2g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 130mg Sodium, 17g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 3g Sugars, 1g Protein, 17% DV Vitamin A, 3% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Pina Colada Dutch Baby Pancakes

Makes 6 servings
This recipe is modified from the Peach Dutch Babies that I recipe tested for the April/May 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. The original recipe was so good I wanted to make it again the next day but was out of peaches. We love pineapple and coconut in our house and that was how this version was born.


A Dutch Baby is an oven baked pancake which is kind of a blend between a popover and a crepe. They are traditionally made with white flour and a TON of butter but Clean Eating Magazine of course found a way to make it JUST as delectable while still being good for you :) My very good friend, Martha, was the one who first introduced me to Dutch Babies (made the ton of butter way!) and she’s a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to this dish. As soon as I tried the Clean Eating version, I immediately sent it to her and she was blown away as well. She gives them her seal of approval :)

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp Agave nectar or honey
• ½ tsp coconut extract
• ¼ tsp plus a pinch sea salt
• Large pinch nutmeg
• ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I just use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained and 2 Tbsp juice reserved
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

ONE: Place a heavy, 12-inch oven-proof or cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. (If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can use a baking dish. You'll need something a bit bigger than an 8x8 square pan but a 9x13 is about as big as you could go.)

TWO: In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, Agave, coconut extract, salt and nutmeg; whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk just until blended (a few lumps are fine).

THREE: Carefully add coconut oil to the skillet in the oven. Close the door, and allow it to melt, about 1 to 2 minutes. Wearing a heat-proof glove or oven mitt (I wear my Ove Glove), remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted oil into the batter; whisk just until blended (do not over mix).

FOUR: Pour the batter back into the hot skillet and sprinkle evenly with the crushed pineapple. Carefully return skillet to oven and bake until edges are puffed and golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.

FIVE: Meanwhile, toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat (the first time I made these I tried toasting the coconut in my toaster oven, forgot about it, and it caught fire… like billowing smoke fire. Oops.)

SIX: When the pancake is done, sprinkle it with the toasted coconut and drizzle with the reserved 2 Tbsp pineapple juice. It’s pretty impressive when it’s all puffed up fresh out of the oven. Call everyone to the table right away because it deflates pretty quickly. My boys like to peak through the window on the oven door to watch it puff up. They call this Magic Eggy Pancakes. I call it scrumptious :)

You won’t have leftovers but, if you did, you could freeze individual servings using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:
Per serving - 179 Calories (72 Calories from Fat), 8g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 107mg Cholesterol, 130mg Sodium, 22g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 13g Sugars, 5g Protein, 4% DV Vitamin A, 8% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Healthy Sneaky Lasagna (with Spinach!) OAMC

Makes 10 servings
This is hands down one of our family favorites and we ALWAYS have some in the freezer. This recipe makes one pan but I always double it and make 2 at once because I figure I’m already making the pans dirty and heating up the oven, I might as well make it worthwhile :) I assemble the first one and pop it into the oven and I can usually have the second one assembled (and sometimes even get the dishes done!) so that when the first one is ready I can put the second one in and sit down to have the first for dinner.


You will see that this recipe has you making homemade spaghetti sauce which I really like to do when I have the time because then I know exactly what we are eating and can be sure that there are no random added ingredients. However, if I am crunched for time, I have used jars of premade sauce and then just browned the ground turkey and added it in. You will need about 4 1/2 cups of sauce to equal 6 cups total after adding in the meat. Just make sure you read the ingredients list really well when you pick a sauce. You would be amazed at the things that get added in to some.

Ingredients:
Sauce -

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, diced (2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 cup pureed cooked sweet potato (optional, but I always add it in because it gives the sauce a slight sweetness, which most commercial sauces achieve by adding sugar. When I first started adding it Matt said, “Wow. This is awesome! It tastes just like Chef Boyardee!” Thanks hunny, that’s totally what I’m aiming for. Homemade sauce that tastes like processed crap in a can, LOL. What he meant in his own goofy way was that the sauce was so good it tasted like it was professionally made… which he apparently thinks Chef Boyardee is…)

Filling and Pasta Layers -

• 1 lb fat-free ricotta cheese
• 3 cups reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (This is bolded because I ALWAYS forget to divide it!)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp dried basil (or ½ cup minced fresh basil)
• 1 large egg lightly beaten or equivalent of egg substitute
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 12oz bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped or torn
• 12 whole grain lasagna noodles uncooked (not no boil noodles, just regular whole wheat noodles. The whole no boil thing is a scam, you don’t need to boil any noodles. My friend, Ariana, taught me that :) Before that I was preboiling all my lasagna, grrrr)

ONE: Combine the onion, oil, and ½ tsp salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey and cook until it’s JUST starting to brown, about 4 minutes.

TWO: Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and measures about 6 cups, about an hour (the sauce might spit while it’s cooking so I always cover the pot with one of those mesh screen things that prevent splattering). Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

THREE: Dump the ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper into a large bowl and stir well.

FOUR: Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 ½ cups of the sauce evenly over the bottom.

FIVE: Rinse 3 uncooked lasagna noodles under cold running water and lay them on top of the sauce spaced evenly apart. Place 1/3 cup of filling on each one and spread it out evenly over the entire noodle. Lay 1/3 of the bag of spinach over the top of the filling (this will seem like a big pile of spinach and will make the layers really tall but it will wilt during cooking and you won’t even notice it’s there).Spread 1 cup of sauce evenly over the spinach. Repeat this layering two more times, rinsing each lasagna noodle before placing it in the pan.

SIX: Lay the remaining 3 noodles over the top and cover with the remaining 1 ½ cups of sauce, making sure to cover the edges. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Place the lasagna pan on a cookie tray (to catch any bubbling over sauce) and bake for 45 minutes.

SEVEN: Remove the foil and sprinkle the lasagna evenly with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the cheese is bubbling and slightly brown, 10-15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Let the leftovers cool completely in the fridge overnight. Slice into individual servings (one pan should yield 10 servings) and freeze using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash. Reheat in the microwave or thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven @ 350 for about 30 minutes.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 424 Calories (136 Calories from Fat), 15g Fat, 7g Saturated Fat, 90mg Cholesterol, 590mg Sodium, 38g Total Carbohydrates, 7g Dietary Fiber, 7g Sugars, 35g Protein, 181% DV Vitamin A, 60% DV Vitamin C, 50% DV Calcium, 21% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Grape Zucchini Bread

Makes 16 servings
I know what you’re thinking… do grapes and zucchinis really go together? I’m here to tell you they do and the result is lovely. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know I have a big crush on quick breads. Part of the reason is that my breadmaker has a quick bread setting so I just dump everything into the pan, push a button, and an hour and a half later it magically becomes bread. But even if you don’t have a bread maker, quick breads are easy to throw together. I also like them because you can put all kinds of different things in them but they’re usually slightly sweet which makes my boys think they’re getting a special treat when really they’re getting a good dose of whole grains. Plus they freeze really well. What more could you ask for?!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup green seedless grapes, halved
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• ¼ cup sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won’t be “clean”)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)

BREADMAKER: Dump everything into the breadmaker, adding the flour last. Run the breadmaker on the quick bread setting (I take a rubber spatula and run it around the edges after it's been mixing for a little while to make sure there's no pockets of unmixed flour). Remove from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

OVEN:
ONE: In a bowl, blend flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sunflower seeds.Beat together egg, oil, honey, sucanat, and almond extract.

TWO: Add zucchini and grapes to egg mixture; gently stir in flour mixture. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x5 inch loaf pan.

THREE: Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan to a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 147 Calories (51 Calories from Fat), 5.7g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 12mg Cholesterol, 400mg Sodium, 22.7g Total Carbohydrates, 0.6g Dietary Fiber, 13g Sugars, 2g Protein, 1% DV Vitamin A, 3% DV Vitamin C, 1% DV Calcium, 4% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Coconut Brown Rice (OAMC)

Makes 8 servings, ¾ cups each
I love coconut and I love brown rice so you know Coconut Brown Rice is right up my alley :) This a a supremely delectable side dish that is not overpoweringly coconut. It makes for a nice change from regular brown rice (although if you make your brown rice like THIS it’s certainly not just regular!) but is just as easy to cook.

The idea for this recipe came from THIS post from the fabulous Gluten Free Girl but she made hers in a rice maker and I don’t have one of those. I know, you can’t believe there’s a kitchen appliance I don’t own since I’m ALL ABOUT my kitchen appliances doing the work for me. If you are lucky enough to have a rice maker, follow her instructions. If not, here’s how you can rock some pretty tasty whole grains using the oven method :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice (Gluten Free Girl uses basmati)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (1/4 tsp regular salt)
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper (I use 1/2 tsp because I’m wimpy and I think pepper is spicy)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• Juice of 1 medium-sized lime (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cups water

ONE: Preheat oven to 375. Combine rice with curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper; spread in a medium sized baking dish (I use my big oval Corningware). Stir in lime juice.

TWO: In a small saucepan, combine water, coconut milk, and coconut oil and bring to a boil.

THREE: Pour water mixture over rice (don’t stir!) and cover baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil (I use the glass lid that came with my Corningware so I can skip the foil). Bake 1 hour or until rice is tender.

FOUR: Remove dish from oven and fluff rice with a fork. Cover with a dish towel and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let stand another 5 minutes before serving

Freeze leftovers in ¾ cup portions using the medium/large portions method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per ¾ cup serving - 273 Calories (107 Calories from Fat), 11.9g Fat, 9.5g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 154mg Sodium, 38.5g Total Carbohydrates, 2.4g Dietary Fiber, 1.1g Sugars, 4.3g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 3% DV Vitamin C, 2% DV Calcium, 8% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes (OAMC)

Makes 10 servings, 2 pancakes each
I based this recipe on my friend Martha’s mom, Danette’s, Honey Oatmeal Pancakes. Pretty much everything Danette makes ends up delicious but these are seriously awesome. The only thing that could make them better would be if Danette came to my house and cooked them for me. But no, she wants to spend all of her free time seeing her own daughter and grandkids. The nerve ;-) Thankfully, these freeze ridiculously well so I can pull them out any old time and have delicious homemade pancakes without having to even look at the griddle. (But Danette, if you decided to come visit and wanted to make me some pancakes I certainly wouldn't stop you!)

My boys chow them down without syrup or anything. I quadruple the recipe and make 4 batches at once. I’m not going to lie, it takes a while. But most of the time is just waiting around for them to cook instead of doing anything hands on. I’ll make the first batch and we’ll eat them as we go and then, for the rest of them, I’ll set a timer and do other stuff while they’re cooking.


In the end we have 80-90 totally awesome pancakes which means lots of super fast, easy, and healthy breakfasts that the boys will feed themselves relatively quickly (why do toddlers eat so slowly?!?!?!). This is my go-to breakfast to give them when we need to get out of the house quickly in the morning and I’m rushing around getting all of our stuff ready. For the boys I pop them into the microwave or toaster oven quickly but Matt literally eats them frozen in the car on the way to work. He says it’s like a big, cold cookie. Better than stopping for donuts, right?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup honey/sucanat/agave
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil)
• 1 egg (could do 2 egg whites)
• Chocolate Chips (I guess technically chocolate chips aren't Clean since they tend to have white sugar in them. You could use carob chips or blueberries or bananas or something instead. I'm okay with the little bit of sugar from the chocolate since the rest of the pancake is so healthy and my boys think it's a really special treat. But I'm kind of obsessed with chocolate so I'm a little biased)

ONE: Combine all ingredients except for chocolate chips in large bowl. Mix well.

TWO: Pour batter by the 1/4 cupful onto hot griddle (I have an electric griddle and I set it to 350. Regardless of what type of griddle/pan you use, a good rule of thumb is that it's preheated when you flick a drop of water onto the surface and it imediately sizzles and dances around).

THREE: Drop 6 or 8 chocolate chips on each pancake in a circle with one in the middle. (I do it this way instead of mixing them into the batter because then I can space them out so each bite has just enough chocolate to seem indulgent. Plus everyone’s pancake has the same number of chocolate chips and no one fights for a particularly chocolatey one… Matt.)

FOUR: When the top is bubbly and almost set, flip and cook another minute or so until both sides are golden brown. (I could NOT make pancakes until after I had kids because I was never patient enough to wait for the bottom to be set before trying to flip them. Same thing with omelets. Apparently having two kids has made me more patient. Go figure.)

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving (2 pancakes) -  267 Calories (109 Calories from Fat) 12g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 23mg Cholesterol, 210mg Sodium, 34g Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 16g Sugar, 6g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 1% DV Vitamin C, 14% DV Calcium, 11% DV Iron

:)

Cantaloupe Cake Bars

Makes 12 Servings
My boys love, love, LOVE cantaloupe so they get VERY excited when I make this great little dessert. The original recipe used a box of cake mix and a lot of butter. I made my own cake mix based on how my great friend, Mandy, did in THIS recipe. Then I substituted some of the butter with olive oil, replaced the white sugar with sucanat and Agave nectar, and used whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The results were a delicious dessert that is still a bit indulgent but packs 4g of Fiber, 4g of Protein, 33% DV of Vitamin A, and 27% DV of Vitamin C. 

Ingredients:
Homemade Cake mix –

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)
• 1 1/2 cups of sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won’t be “clean”)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of light butter, cut into small pieces

Crunch Bars -

• 3 cups cubed cantaloupe
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Agave nectar (can use honey)
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup olive oil

ONE: Preheat the oven to 350. Using a food processor or your hands, blend together the homemade cake mix ingredients until well mixed and the same consistency as packaged cake mix.

TWO: In a 9-inch square baking dish, mix together the cantaloupe, lemon juice, Agave, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Spread the dry cake mix evenly over the top.

THREE: Drizzle the olive oil over the cake mix. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 308 Calories (118 from Fat), 13g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 196mg Sodium, 45g Total Carbohydrates, 4g Dietary Fiber, 8g Sugars, 4g Protein, 33% Vitamin A, 27% Vitamin C, 12% Calcium, 12% Iron

:)

Clean Eating Cantaloupe Bread

Makes 16 servings
OOOOOooooohhhhhh Buddy!! This is good. Like REALLY good... as in we ate the entire loaf in one day, LOL. It's an interesting flavor. It's not overwhelmingly cantaloupe-y (that's a word, right?) and it almost tastes like pumpkin bread but with a lighter type of sweetness. Does that make sense? If not, go back to we ate the entire loaf in one day. I'm making another one tomorrow :)

This is all that was left 15 minutes after it came out of the Breadmaker hehehe

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won't be "clean")
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups pureed cantaloupe
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)

ONE: Dump everything into the breadmaker, adding the flour last. Run the breadmaker on the quick bread setting (I take a rubber spatula and run it around the edges after it's been mixing for a little while to make sure there's no pockets of unmixed flour). Remove from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Isn't it amazing that you push a button and this becomes perfect bread?!

NON-BREADMAKER INSTRUCTIONS:
ONE: Buy a cheap breadmaker on Craigslist, LOL. Just kidding. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

TWO: In a large bowl combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, and pureed cantaloupe. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

THREE: Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 146 Calories (48 from Fat), 5g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 26mg Cholesterol, 203mg Sodium, 22g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugars, 3g Protein, 20% Vitamin A, 16% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, 7% Iron

Clean Eating Oatmeal Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Makes 12 servings, 1 muffin each
I love, love, LOVE peanut butter and jelly. This is one thing about me that’s very American. We don’t really do peanut butter in England and my British family members think we’re weird that we like it so much. I never really thought about how central to my life peanut butter was until we took the boys over to visit our family in England. We literally flew over there in the cargo hold of a military plane and it took us DAYS to actually get to my family’s house. It sounds awful but it was free and most of the time it was actually pretty fun. However, when we finally got there, the boys had been on a crazy schedule for three days and had switched several time zones.


When we finally made it to the base in England, the first thing we did was run to the convenience store for a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. We made a whole pile of sandwiches to take with us for the last leg of our trip the following day. We thoroughly enjoyed them on the numerous bus rides and still had a few left when we finally arrived at my family’s home.


At dinner that first night, Colwynn fell asleep in his plate. They always joke about people doing that on TV and stuff and I never thought it could really happen. Well it can… and it’s hysterical. Theron stayed awake but refused to eat anything but peanut butter sandwiches… for 2 days. The first night I was like, “Whatever, I don’t care as long as you’re eating something so I can put you to bed.” But by the end of the second day it was a bit ridiculous. Meanwhile, my family is thinking, “Wow. Americans really do live on peanut butter.” LOL!! Throughout the rest of our visit we had peanut butter other times as well. Not an abnormal amount or anything, just the odd piece of toast or sandwich here and there, but because it was an alien food to my family, it really made me notice how often we eat it.


This doesn’t really have anything to do with muffins except that it’s one more wonderfully delicious way you can enjoy your peanut butter :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sucanat (can use brown/turbinado sugar but they won’t be “clean”)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 1/4 cups skim milk
• 1 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 12 tsp all natural, no sugar added fruit jam (I used homemade peach jam… that I made in my breadmaker… from peaches that I got at the Farmer’s market last summer for almost free… and then I canned the jam myself… woohoo)

ONE: Pour the lemon juice into the milk and set aside; don’t stir. Let stand 5 minutes.

TWO: In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sucanat.

THREE: In a small bowl, beat the egg and add the oil, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla.

FOUR: Stir the lemon-milk mixture and add to the flour mixture along with the other liquid ingredients; stir until just combined.

FIVE: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups. Fill each one half full and plop a teaspoon of jam on top of the batter. Cover jam with another scoop of batter so that muffin cup is 3/4 of the way full.

SIX: Bake 18-20 minutes until tops are lightly browned and spring back when touched. Cool on a wire rack.

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 251 Calories (86 from Fat), 10g Total Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 18mg Cholesterol, 119mg Sodium, 35g Total Carbohydrates, 4g Dietary Fiber, 10g Sugars, 8g Protein, 4% Vitamin A, 1% Vitamin C, 7% Calcium, 10% Iron

Perfect Barley (OAMC)

Makes 12 servings, about 1/2 cup each
This recipe is very similar to the Perfect Brown Rice. I LOVE brown rice but every now and again I want something different. Barley has a nice texture and a slightly nutty flavor. It's really great in salads too because it soaks up all of the dressing but is big enough to not get mushy or lost in the rest of the dish. 

To really save yourself some time, make a batch and freeze it in 1 cup portions. Once they’re frozen, put them all together in a big gallon-size freezer bag, break the chunks up (sometimes it helps to let them defrost a little bit first), and throw the bag back into the freezer. This will leave you with a big bag of individual cooked barley grains. That way, if you need a cup as a side dish or to throw into a soup or something, you can just scoop it right out of the bag with a measuring cup. Throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds or a minute and it's ready to eat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hulled barley (can use pearled but it is not whole grain, the bran has been removed)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups boiling water

ONE: Preheat oven to 375. Spread barley in a 9x13 baking dish or large ceramic baking dish with lid. Boil water and, once boiling, stir in oil and salt. Pour over barley and cover baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil (or skip the foil and use the lid of the dish if it has one). Bake 1 hour or until barley is tender.

TWO: Remove dish from oven and fluff with a fork. Serve immediately. 

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving: 128 Calories, 3g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 23g Total Carbohydrates, 198mg Sodium, 5g Dietary Fiber, 4g Protein, 0% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 1% Calcium, 6% Iron

Flatout Parmesan Bread Sticks

Makes 10 servings of Bread Sticks, 2 each
These are quick and easy to make and go great with a hearty soup as a fast and satisfying lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 100% Whole Wheat Flatout Wraps
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Shredded Parmesan Cheese

ONE: Preheat oven to 375F. Brush olive oil onto flat bread and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

TWO: Cut length-wise into 5 pieces and bake until crisp, about 8 minutes

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving - 50 Calories (31 Calories from Fat), 3g Total Fat, 0.5g Saturated Fat, 1mg Cholesterol, 85mg Sodium, 4g Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 1g Sugar, 2g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 0% DV Vitamin C, 2% DV Calcium, 2% DV Iron

:)