Wholewheat Raspberry Scones

11 / 16 / 1211 / 18 / 12

A few months ago, I bought a cookbook for kids put out by the Mayo Clinic. Gracen loves flipping through the recipes and selecting new “projects” for us to try, and without fail, if I ask her what she thinks we should have for dinner, she’ll respond with, “Just a minute, Mama. Grae Grae checks recipes!” She’s had the book open to a recipe for chocolate raspberry scones for a couple of days now, so today we finally got around to whipping up our version of the recipe.

We went all out and used butter (I always replace butter and margarine with grapeseed or olive oil), but I justified it with the fact that it was organic butter and it was a pretty small amount. I just didn’t know if scones would have the proper texture without it. Though they aren’t very sweet {at all}, I’m happy to say that they are moist, tender, and perfect when paired with jam.

Here are our ingredients… Whole wheat flour, plain organic yogurt, baking soda, baking powder, organic butter, honey, frozen raspberries, vanilla, and a lemon.

We started by combining the dry ingredients.

Then we added the butter and cut it into the flour mixture with a fork because I could not for the life of me find my pastry cutter (perhaps I owned one in Kuwait, but not in Canada? Hmmm…)

Next, we added the frozen raspberries and lemon zest into the dry mixture and gently stirred them in.

Then, in a separate bowl, we mixed the yogurt, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla together.

Grae then poured the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently stirred it until just combined.

Afterwards, we plopped in onto a piece of parchment paper, kneaded the dough a few times, and shaped it into a circle about an inch thick.

Our dough was pretty sticky at this point, and probably could have used a little extra flour, but we just went with it and cut it up into triangles.

Then we carefully moved the scones onto a parchment-lined sheet, and popped them in the oven to bake.

Voila! A delicious homemade snack or breakfast.

Wholewheat Raspberry Scones

2 cups of wholewheat flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/3 cup of organic butter

1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
zest of 1 lemon

1 cup of plain organic yogurt
2 tablespoons of honey (more if you prefer a sweet scone)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients well. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter. Add the raspberries and lemon zest and stir gently.

In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Spill dough out onto a countertop and knead it a few times. Shape it into a circle that is approximately an inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into triangles, as you would a pizza.

Gently place the wedges onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 – 14 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve.

Enjoy!

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

11 / 6 / 1211 / 6 / 12

This weekend, Gracen and I tried a new healthy cookie recipe. Knowing how most healthy cookies turn out (good, but very healthy tasting), I didn’t have my hopes set too high. Much to my surprise, however, these cookies turned out to be delicious. Slightly crunchy on the outside while still soft on the inside, super sweet, and chocked full of yummy seeds and nuts. Even Brad commented on how good they were. So today, only a few days after making the first batch, we made another.

Here’s a quick rundown on how we like to make our new favourite cookies…

Gather the ingredients.

Place the pecans on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven to toast for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, put some of the oats into a blender or food processor and turn them into oat flour.

Pour the oat flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add your regular old-fashioned oats.

Then the ground flax and hemp hearts…

Plus the salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Give all of the dry ingredients a good stir.

Next, pour in the pure maple syrup.

Coax the coconut oil into coming out of its bowl…

Add the honey…

And vanilla.

Stir the sticky mixture well.

At this point, it’ll be crumbly and sticky all at once and you’ll wonder how on earth it’ll ever become cookies. Don’t fret.

By now, your roasting pecans will smell lovely and will be ready to come out of the oven.

Allow them to cool a moment and pop them into a blender or food processor, pulsing them just a handful of times to create small bits.

Then add them to your cookie mixture.

Next up, the add-ins. Dump in your raisins…

Plus the sunflower seeds and almond slices…

And stir everything up really well.

Now for the tricky part… With a bowl of warm water nearby, wet you hands, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough, and shape into a ball, pressing firmly. Repeat for the remainder of the dough, rewetting your hands every couple of cookies.

Now pop them in the oven…

And take them out approximately 10 – 13 minutes later, when the outsides are golden and crispy, but the centre is still very soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the pan.

Serve with a glass of cold milk, or if you prefer ‘the Gracen special’, with a small bowl of plain yogurt (she plops the cookie in, then smashes it into the yogurt with her spoon – I think they remind her of granola ☺).

Healthy Trail Mix Cookies

Adapted from this recipe from Oh She Glows

1 cup of pecans, toasted
1 cup of old-fashioned oats, blended into oat flour
1/4 cup of rolled oats
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 tablespoon of hemp hearts
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
2 heaping tablespoons of honey
1tablespoon of coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1/3 cup of raisins
3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons of sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread pecans onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, use a blender or food processor to grind your oats into oat flour. Put the flour, along with the other dry ingredients, into a large mixing bowl and stir. Add in the wet ingredients and mix really well.

By now, your pecans should be ready. Remove them from the oven and crank up your oven’s temperature to 350 degrees. Pop the pecans into your blender or food processor, and give them just a few pulses to break them up into small bits. Add the pecans, as well as the raisins, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds to the cookie mixture and stir well.

With a bowl of warm water nearby, wet your hands and press firmly to shape approximately 1 heaping tablespoon portions of cookie mixture into a balls.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 10 – 13 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, the cookies should be golden, crispy on the very top, but very soft to the touch still. Allow them to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

Mango Coconut Chia Breakfast Pudding

11 / 5 / 1211 / 5 / 12

This is a breakfast both Gracen and I love. I love it because super healthy and I can throw all of the ingredients into a mason jar before I go to bed and wake up to an already prepared breakfast. I’m sure she loves it because it’s sweet, creamy, and it feels like you’re having dessert for breakfast. And that’s okay with me. I agree!

If you haven’t yet tried chia seeds, you definitely should. They’re often called the “super seed”, and for good reason. They’re packed with essential fatty acids, fibre, calcium, and a bunch of other vitamins and minerals, plus they can absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid. Besides using them in puddings, around here we add them to yogurt, muffins, cereal, and smoothies too. In fact, they quickly became my secret smoothie ingredient when I learned that adding a tablespoon of chia to a blender of our favourite smoothie would keep it thick and prevent it from separating (even when kept in the fridge overnight!)

But onto the recipe. Here’s what we use to make our overnight mango coconut chia pudding… Your choice of milk (coconut milk is especially delicious in this recipe), pure maple syrup, chia seeds, pure vanilla, unsweetened coconut, and a mango (not pictured because it isn’t needed until morning).

I like to make this recipe in a mason jar because it seals well and I can give the jar a little shake every now and then, but any sort of bowl or container that has a lid will do.

To get started, add your chia seeds to the milk.

Then add the coconut…

The maple syrup…

And the vanilla.

Give everything a stir…

Pop the lid on and put the jar in the fridge. If you come back to the fridge again that night, give the jar a gentle shake to prevent clumping. If not, it’s not a big deal.

Now go to sleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz….

When you wake up in the morning, retrieve your mason jar of pudding. It’ll be thick and creamy by now and will resemble the insides of a passionfruit. Grab a mango too. (Though mango / coconut is one of our favourite combinations, strawberries, bananas, and blueberries pair well with the coconut too.)

Now peel and chop up your mango into small pieces…

And add them to the jar.

Mix everything together well.

Breakfast is ready!

Serve with fresh or frozen berries, mint leaves, or almond slices.

Mango Coconut Chia Breakfast Pudding

Adapted from this recipe from SkinnyTaste

2 cups of your favourite type of milk
6 tablespoons of chia seeds
3 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1 medium-sized ripe mango

Put the first set of ingredients into a jar and stir. Put the lid on the jar and put in the fridge overnight. If you come back to the fridge later in the evening, give the jar a shake or two (if not, don’t worry about it).

In the morning, retrieve your jar and a mango. Peel and dice the mango, add it to the jar, and give everything a stir.

Serve with berries, mint leaves, or almond slices.

Enjoy!

Frozen Banana Bites

10 / 24 / 1210 / 24 / 12

Only I would try to amp up the nutritional value of bananas… Haha! I kid. (Kinda.) The truth is, Miss G has been on a two ingredient ice cream kick lately. After asking for it for the third afternoon in a row, I decided it was time to switch things up a little bit. Though we’ve made frozen banana pops before (which Grae loved), I wanted to try something smaller and easier to snack on this time around. So along came the frozen banana bite. With only 3 ingredients, they’re a breeze to make, plus, dare I say they taste like banana cream pie? I do.

Here’s the ingredient lineup… Bananas (ripe, but not overripe), roasted ground flax seed, and cinnamon.

Start off by peeling the bananas and making sure all of the white stringy things are removed.

Chop them into coins (maybe about a half inch thick?) and set them aside.

Next, pour some roasted ground flax seed into a container with a lid (or a zip close bag).

Enthusiastically dump some cinnamon in too.

Put the lid on the container and give it a little shake.

Next, place the banana coins on top of the cinnamon/flax mixture.

Place the lid on the container again and shake until all of the banana coins are well coated.

Next, place the coated banana pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour.

Serve them frozen to your excited toddler and watch them disappear. (Without a word of a lie, Gracen gobbled up our entire batch – and that was after a full meal!)

Frozen Banana Bites (that taste like banana cream pie)

2-3 large ripe (but not over ripe) bananas
3 tablespoons of roasted ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Peel the bananas and slice them into coins about a half inch thick, then set aside.

Put flax seed and cinnamon into a container with a lid or zip close bag and shake. Add the banana coins to the flax mixture and shake again. Place the coated banana pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put in the freezer.

After about an hour in the freezer, the banana bites will be frozen, but still a tiny bit soft, making them perfect for serving. If you aren’t serving them right away, transfer the bites into a airtight container. When you’re ready to eat them, you can serve them completely frozen, or let them sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand (my preference).

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

10 / 21 / 122 / 5 / 19

I’ve made these pancakes for special occasions few times before, and let me tell you, they are delicious. Super healthy, however, they are not. So this morning, my little sous chef and I set out to make a healthier, wholewheat version, sans refined sugar and butter. I’m happy to say, they turned out amazingly well! While not the fluffiest pancakes in the world, they were light, tender, and full of lemony flavour, just the way we like them.

Now, I must admit, I was being a little bit chicken and didn’t go for all wholewheat flour this time around (don’t know what got into me – using white flour is not normally even an option in our house!) Next time, I’d just go all in and use wholewheat flour only. Here’s the version we made this morning…

Wholewheat Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teeny tiny pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup of poppy seeds

2 cups of skim milk
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
2 organic egss
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon of your favourite oil
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla
zest of 4 large lemons
1/2 teaspoon of pure lemon extract (optional)

Pour milk into a measuring cup or bowl. Add vinegar and stir gently. Set aside. (Or just use store bought buttermilk instead.)

Measure out all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add all of the wet ingredients, including the homemade buttermilk and lemon zest, and mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined (this is important – do not over mix!)

Cook on a 300 degree griddle, flipping when bubbles begin to form.

Serve with berries and pure maple syrup.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Since making these the first time, we now always use only wholewheat flour, and the end result is just as delicious. Cutting the pure maple syrup down a little too doesn’t hurt a thing and when in a pinch, chia seeds make for a great poppy seed replacement.

Healthy Wholewheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

10 / 10 / 1210 / 10 / 12

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, so today Grae and I decided to experiment with making a healthy, but delicious, pumpkin treat. I must say, we were definitely ‘winging it’, but our version of pumpkin spice muffins turned out great! They’re soft and moist inside, full of flavour, and perfectly sweet. Not to mention, they contain no white flour, butter/margarine, or refined sugar. Yay for that.

Here’s our line up of ingredients… Wholewheat flour, organic old-fashioned oats, ground flax seed, walnuts, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pure organic pumpkin puree, grapeseed oil, organic eggs, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla.

Of course, having a sweet little wispy haired sous chef helps too.

Start by putting the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oats and ground flax.

Be sure to cram as many oats into your mouth as possible when no one’s looking.

Next up, add the baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

Give everything a good stir.

In a separate bowl, pour in the pureed pumpkin.

Add the maple syrup and vanilla…

The grapeseed oil…

And the eggs.

Then give everything a good mix.

Next, add the dry mixture into the wet one.

Mix until just combined.

Then add the nuts…

And gently fold them into the batter.

Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with silicone baking cups or a light layer of grapeseed oil.

Fill the muffin cups almost to the top, but not quite, then pop them in the oven.

Take them out once the tops are cracked and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes and serve to your very excited and very silly little munchkin.

Healthy Wholewheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

(loosely based on this recipe by Bake or Break)

1 3/4 cups of wholewheat flour
1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ginger

1 cup of pure pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup of grapeseed or olive oil
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
2 large organic eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1/4 cup of pecans, chopped
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tin.

Mix together the dry ingredients (except the nuts) and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the wet one and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts.

Transfer batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

See our favourite banana muffins here and our favourite carrot zucchini muffins here.

Sugar-Free / Dairy-Free / Flour-Free Breakfast Cookies

9 / 29 / 1210 / 1 / 12

This morning Miss G and I decided to try making something new for breakfast… Cookies! Not the traditional kind, of course. Healthy, hearty ones that fill you up and start your day off right. And I’m glad to say that despite my nonchalant ‘Ah, sure we’ll throw that in too’ attitude, they turned out pretty well.

Here’s our line up of ingredients… Old-fashioned oats, pumpkin seeds, raisins, ‘just apples’ applesauce (we just used the store bought stuff this time around, but homemade would of course be better), ripe bananas, cinnamon, and organic coconut oil and vanilla (which somehow didn’t make it into the photo…)

To start, my mini sous chef peeled our bananas and popped them into the food processor.

Then she added a capful of pure vanilla…

A generous amount of applesauce…

Some cinnamon…

And a dollop of coconut oil.

Then we blended everything up until it was mostly smooth, with just a few little chunks.

With our wet mixture transferred into a large mixing bowl, Grae added some organic old-fashioned oats…

Some raw pumpkin seeds…

And some raisins…

And gave everything a good stir.

The result was oats that were completely coated in the banana/applesauce mixture, but not ‘wet’ or batter-y (if that makes any sense).

We then dropped large spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using the back of the spoon to shape them into little mounds, and popped them into the oven.

Fifteen minutes later, out came these soft, moist little oatmeal mounds. Now… Do they taste like a real cookie? No. Do they taste like a healthy bowl of cinnamon oatmeal compacted into a portable little serving? Yes! And the best part is that they’re not at all crumbly. To the point where I let Grae snack on these while in the Ergo on our recent house hunting adventures because I knew they wouldn’t crumble all over our potential landlords’ floors… Win!

Sugar-free, Dairy-free, Flour-free Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Cookies

(recipe loosely based on this one from irocksowhat)

3 small ripe bananas
3/4 cup of ‘just apples’ applesauce
1 teaspoon of organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 capful of pure vanilla

2 cups of organic old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup of organic raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the wet ingredients (plus cinnamon) to a food processor (or good blender) and mix well. Pour the contents into a large mixing bowl and add dry ingredients. Mix until everything is evenly coated.

Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using the back of a spoon to form them into mounds. Bake for 15 minutes and allow a couple of minutes to cool. Store in an airtight container on the counter for a few days, or pop them in the freezer and defrost as needed.

Enjoy!

Our Favourite Homemade Pizza {Two Ways}

9 / 23 / 129 / 24 / 12

Today Miss G and I made one of our favourite weekend dinners… Homemade pizza. Though I do find it takes a little advanced planning to make pizza from scratch, making the dough just after breakfast and letting it sit on the counter all day until we’re ready to make dinner in the evening is easy enough for us. Plus, this recipe makes two BIG thin-crust pizzas, which allows for a few (or at least a couple) of good meals {even when your husband scarfs down 12 pieces in one sitting… hi babe! ☺}

Here are the ingredients for our go to dough, adapted from the lovely Pioneer Woman’s recipe… Wholewheat flour, dry active yeast, table salt, olive oil, and warm water.

First, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and set it aside.

Next, add the flour…

And the salt to the bowl of your electric mixer. (This could be done by hand too, of course.)

Put the paddle attachment on your machine…

And give the dry ingredients a quick mix.

Next, measure out the olive oil…

And slowly pour it into the bowl while mixing.

Next, give the yeast and water a quick stir…

And with the mixer on, slowly add the yeast water to the flour/salt/oil mixture. Mix on low until the dough starts to come together in a sticky mass.

Prepare a separate large mixing bowl by drizzling it with olive oil.

Use your hands to pull the edges of the dough downwards and shape it into a ball. Place your dough in the bowl and gently toss it to coat it in olive oil.

Now cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap. It can be put in the fridge and stored for 3 or 4 days, or it can be used later on in the day. If we’re making pizza the same night, we just leave ours on the counter.

Now, for my favourite… A very simple roasted veggie pizza. Chop up a bunch of vegetables of your choice (these are my favourites), drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil, and put them in a 400 oven for about 10 minutes.

While they roast, grate some cheese (we use fresh mozzarella or, like tonight, an all-natural extra sharp cheddar) and slice some fresh mushrooms.

Take your veggies out of the oven when they’re slightly soft and just beginning to turn golden in some spots.

With your toppings ready, it’s time to retrieve the dough you made earlier in the day. By now, it should be well over double its original size and soft and spongy to the touch.

Prepare a baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling on little cornmeal (this is completely optional, but it does add a nice texture).

Using 1/2 of the dough, press it down into a thin rectangular shape. Don’t worry too much about holes – just patch them up as you go along.

For this pizza, we often use a fresh pesto sauce, which is really yummy. Equally delicious, however, is just a drizzle of olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of sea salt.

Next, arrange the veggies on the dough {stuffing as many of the red peppers into your mouth as possible, if you’re like Gracen}.

Top with cheese (adding some feta into the mix is really good too!} and pop it into the oven.

Remove when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown and let cool for a few minutes.

Now onto the one Brad prefers… A BBQ chicken pizza. Tonight we used roasted chicken breasts cut into small chunks, raw diced orange pepper and sweet onion, and some white kernel corn (adding jalapeños is really tasty too).

Prepare your pan and dough the same way as before, then spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce onto the uncooked crust (this is one of Miss G’s favourite jobs).

Add the toppings…

Cover with cheese…

And bake ’til golden.

Voila! Dinner is done. Serve on its own, or with a fresh salad.

Wholewheat Pizza

1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups of warm water (not hot, but not lukewarm)

4 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water.

Mix flour and salt together. Add olive oil while mixing. Give the yeast/water mixture a quick stir and add it to the mixture while stirring also. The mixture will be sticky and wet, which is perfect.

Prepare a separate mixing bowl by drizzling it with olive oil. Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball by gently working the edges downwards and underneath. Gently toss the dough in the bowl to coat in olive oil, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store dough in fridge for up to 4 days, or leave on counter if using later in the day.

When ready, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling it with cornmeal. Flatten the dough on the pan, top with sauce and toppings, and bake for 10 – 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Remove from oven when the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden. Cut into squares and serve.

Enjoy!

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Mini Fruit Skewers

9 / 12 / 129 / 12 / 12

Today, after a trip to our fruit and vegetable market, Grae and I came home and put together some fun mini fruit skewers. We washed the fruit together, I did the chopping, and Gracen did the assembling. Grae had a ton of fun poking the fruit pieces onto the toothpicks and sliding them along to make room for more. As she created her snack masterpieces, she counted the pieces and named the fruits in her singsongy voice, adding each skewer to the plate when finished.

Now although we could have just mixed up our chopped fruit and eaten it as fruit salad, everything is better on skewers, right? Not to mention, making them was the best part – just look at that proud little face. Plus, they’d be great finger snacks for a play date or party… Or just as dessert for a mama and a babe. ☺

♥

The Best {No Sugar Added} Banana Muffins

9 / 9 / 126 / 12 / 19

I originally made these muffins as a healthy alternative to the sugar-filled, buttercream-topped Pioneer Woman vanilla cupcakes I made for Miss G’s 2nd birthday party, and they’ve quickly became a favourite. Gracen loves them, Brad gobbles them up, and I often pack an extra in the diaper bag to eat while on the go. So this morning, on the first football Sunday of the year, Miss G and I whipped up a fresh batch.

Here’s our line up of ingredients…

very ripe bananas (fresh or previously frozen and defrosted)
oil (olive or coconut or grapeseed – I actually think olive might be my fave)
an egg or egg replacer (we’ve used a chia egg or a flax egg* for the last several years and both work perfectly)
pure vanilla
wholewheat flour
baking soda
baking powder
cinnamon
salt (which you can easily leave out if making these for really little ones – there’s not really a noticeable difference if you skip it to be honest)
walnuts or chocolate chips or a combination of both if you wish (Gracen always wishes for nuts, and I agree – the crunch definitely makes these muffins yummier)

*To make a chia or flax egg, put one tablespoon of ground chia or flax seed into a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons of warm water. Mix it well and let it sit for approximately 10 minutes before using it.

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First off, add your bananas and the other wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Mix until mostly smooth and only slightly chunky.

Next, place all of the dry ingredients, except the nuts and or chocolate chips, in a separate bowl.

And give them a good stir.

Once mixed, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.

Mix just until blended.

If you’re adding nuts to your muffins, crush them up a little bit…

Add them to your muffin batter… If you’re adding chocolate chips, no need to crush them first obviously.

And give the mixture a stir.

Lastly, grease a muffin tin with some oil (or use silicone muffin liners) , scoop the mixute into the cups, and top with a walnut if desired.

Bake until cooked through and golden brown.

The BEST {No Sugar Added} Banana Muffins (adapted from Bob Ewing‘s recipe)

4 large ripe bananas
1 egg (we use a chia egg or flax egg)
1/3 cup of your favourite oil (we use olive or coconut)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla (this vanilla is the BEST)

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt (completely optional – I’d choose to leave it out in the future if making these for littles)
1/2 cup of walnuts, crushed – plus more for topping, or chocolate chips (or a 1/4 cup of each)

Preheat oven to 350° . Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by brushing it with oil or using silicon baking cups.

If you’re using a flax or chia egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground chia or flax seed with 3 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and allow it to sit for 5 or 10 minutes to thicken. Mix the bananas and other wet ingredients until the mixture is mostly smooth and only slightly chunky. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (save the walnuts and chocolate chips) well. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in walnuts and/or chocolate chips if adding them. Fill the prepared muffin tin with the mixture and top each muffin with a whole walnut. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Nutrient-Rich Beet Berry Smoothie

8 / 15 / 128 / 15 / 12

Miss G and I got to experimenting in the kitchen this afternoon… We had been out in the garden collecting some goodies earlier in the day, and although we’d eaten most of our finds with lunch, we had a few measly beets left over. We’d decided we’d make a smoothie, and since we regularly add spinach and kale to our blends, I figured, why not beets? The result was a BRIGHT magenta smoothie that was yummy enough for Grae to label it “pink ice cleam” and have two cups full instead of just one.

Here’s our list of ingredients: Plain organic whole milk yogurt, frozen no-sugar-added strawberries and raspberries, a ripe frozen banana, a handful of baby beets, a few teaspoons of chia seeds, and some whole organic milk.

Another must for this recipe? Supergirl and her super girl baby.

Get started by dumping your frozen berries into your blender. Closing your eyes makes for a better challenge. Nothing Supergirl can’t handle though.

Chuck in your frozen banana. Again, amp up this step by trying it with your eyes closed.

Next, add your beets in one. by. one.

And then dump your chia seeds in too.

Next, carefully add your milk. The more you can get into the blender, the better.

Lastly, add a generous scoop of yogurt.

Blend everything up until thick and bright.

Serve with a straw or a spoon. Or both.

Watch your little superhero gobble it up.

Nutrient-Rich Beet Berry Smoothie

1/4 cup of plain organic whole milk yogurt
2/3 cup of frozen raspberries and strawberries
1 ripe frozen banana
5-6 baby beets (or one regular sized one), steamed and peeled
3 tablespoons of chia seeds
1/2 cup of organic whole milk

Put everything into a blender and mix until smooth.

Enjoy!

Another perk, besides the added nutrients, to adding chia to your smoothies? They keep overnight without becoming separating and getting watery. Try it!

Simple Blueberry Popsicles

8 / 11 / 128 / 12 / 12

With our {essential} popsicle stash running on low, Gracen and I decided we’d whip up a new batch this afternoon. I really had no recipe or flavour in mind, but as we rummaged through our fridge and freezer, Grae caught sight of frozen blueberries (her favourite!) and our decision was quickly made.

In addition to the blueberries, we gathered up some plain organic whole milk yogurt (with just a tiny touch of honey added), our new Ring Pop-esque popsicle moulds, and our food processor.

Gracen started us out by putting the blueberries into the food processor (at least the ones that were lucky enough to not be eaten).

Then she added our yogurt and honey…

And we blended it up for a decent amount of time. That’s it. Tout fini!

Now, if you don’t enjoy a bit of texture in your popsicles {and you have the patience}, you could strain the mixture at this point, but since we don’t mind the grit and I feel like they must be more nutritious with the skin bits left in, we left it as is.

With some help, Grae scooped a little bit of the mixture into each mould…

Then snapped the lids on and into the freezer they went.

Simple Blueberry Popsicles

2 parts frozen blueberries
1 part plain yogurt
1 tiny drizzle of honey (if desired)

Blend everything well in a food processor or blender. Scoop into popsicle moulds and freeze for at least a few hours.

Enjoy!

Oh, and be forewarned… There’s sure to be a similar fig popsicle recipe happening soon. We’ve got a tree bursting at the seams with fresh figs and I’m going to have to start getting creative. Surely figs must make good popsicles, right?

Healthy Two Ingredient Ice Cream (& a PBJ Twist)

8 / 6 / 128 / 6 / 12

There’s no doubt that we’ve jumped on the one ingredient ice cream band wagon feet first this summer. Only we like ours made with two ingredients…

Here they are.

I know, when I first heard about bananas turned ice cream, I was a little skeptical too. But trust me – it’s sweet, creamy, and perfectly satisfying on a hot day. Here’s how we like to make our two ingredient soft serve…

In the morning, peel a few bananas. (Grae loves this part.)

Then slice them up.

Place the banana coins on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for at least a few hours.

In the afternoon, once they’re completely frozen through, take the bananas out of the freezer.

Place approximately 1/3 of the banana coins into a good food processor.

Mix through the chunky stage, past the crumby stage, and right into the smooth, soft serve texture stage. You may have to stop the processor once or twice to mix things up a little with a spatula, but it’s not always needed.

Once the mixture is thick and creamy, stop the food processor and add a capful of good vanilla.

Plus another 1/3 of the banana coins and mix to bring to a soft serve texture again.

Then, add the last batch of banana coins and blend again. If you’re feeling like a vanilla-flavoured treat, you can stop here and serve immediately, or put the ice cream into the freezer for a while for a more hard ice cream texture.

BUUUUUUT, if you want peanut butter and jelly neopolitan-esque treat, divide your ice cream into thirds, leaving one portion in the food processor. Place the two other portions in the freezer in the meantime.

First up, make the jelly flavoured ice cream. Add a spoonful of no-sugar-added fruit preserves…

And a few frozen strawberries.

Then blend until smooth. Pop the berry ice cream in the freezer and give your work bowl and blade a quick rinse.

Remove one of your vanilla-flavoured ice cream portions from the freezer, pop it in the processor, add a heaping tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter, and mix. When blended, transfer the peanut butter ice cream back into your bowl and pop it in the freezer.

While you tidy up a tad, let your toddler ferociously lick the bowl and spoon.

If possible, let your soft serve firm up in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Or, if your toddler is like mine, serve immediately to appease the begs for “iceth cleam”.

Enjoy!

{No Sugar Added} Nectarine Apricot Applesauce

7 / 23 / 129 / 1 / 14

Gracen’s been talking about applesauce {and the fact that her Mama may have eaten what was left of our strawberry applesauce during nap time one day a few weeks back} for a long time now, so I decided we’d make a new batch today.

There were a ton of yummy nectarines laying around Grandma Charlotte’s kitchen and we just picked up some local apricots during our most recent visit to Davison Orchards, so we decided to switch things up a bit… This time around, it was going to be nectarine apricot applesauce. Sounds yummy, right?

Here’s our list of ingredients… A few apples, a couple of small nectarines, a couple of apricots, a little water, and some of the most delicious smelling Mexican vanilla you’ve ever come in contact with.

You’ll have to excuse our ‘vacation look’… Messy hair, no make-up and comfy clothes is the way to go when in relaxation mode. Plus, you don’t have to look nice to whip up a delicious snack, now do you? ☺

To get started, wash, peel, and chop all of your fruit.

And put it in a pot.

Next, pour in a little water…

And a capful of really good vanilla.

Give everything a little stir…

And pop it on the stove. Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer on medium low for the better part of an hour.

When the fruit is nice and soft, remove it from the heat.

After it’s cooled for a few minutes, arm your little one with giant oven mitts and get mashing.

Eat it while it’s still warm, or transfer it into a mason jar and store in the fridge for later.

{No Sugar Added} Nectarine Apricot Applesauce

3 small apples
2 small nectarines
2 apricots
3 – 4 tablespoons of water
1 capful of good vanilla

Wash, peel, and chop all fruit. Put it in a pot with the water and vanilla. Give the mixture a quick stir, then cover and simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. When the fruit is good and soft, remove the pot from the heat. Mash until your desired consistency is reached. Serve warm or refrigerate for future use.

Enjoy!

Healthy Homemade Strawberry Creamsicles

7 / 19 / 127 / 20 / 12

During the last couple of weeks of gorgeous weather, our popsicle supply has been hit hard. With one lone popsicle left in the freezer, it was time to replenish our supply. I came across this idea a while back on Super Healthy Kids and loved the simplicity of it. Just two ingredients? Yes please.

Here is everything you need to whip up a batch of your own… A bowl of strawberries (washed and hulled), plain organic full-fat yogurt (the thicker the better), a food processor (or good blender), and some popsicle moulds (these are my makeshift moulds that I love because of their small size – cheap containers with slits cut in the lids). Ooh – and a spoon. Can’t leave that out.

Get started by putting your strawberries into your food processor.

Let them mix until they start to turn into a puree. You can stop while the mixture is still chunky, or blend a little longer for a smoother texture, depending on your child’s preferences.

Take a little taste. If desired, you can add a touch of pure maple syrup or honey at this point and then mix again, but Grae’s enthusiastic “Mmmmmm” and request for more told me that ours was plenty sweet. (Keep in mind that the finished product will be slightly more tart.)

Transfer your strawberry puree into a measuring cup for easy pouring.

Now you’re ready to put the popsicles together. Start by adding a little scoop of yogurt into each mould. (We used plain yogurt because it’s what Gracen is used to eating, but if you don’t mind the added sugar, you could easily use a vanilla, honey, or berry flavoured yogurt. If possible, try to pick a thicker yogurt as it will make the ‘layering’ easier. Greek yogurt would be perfect.)

Next, cover the yogurt with strawberry puree.

Then add another spoonful of yogurt.

Continue layering until your moulds are nearly full.

Secure the lids onto your moulds and add the popsicle sticks (if needed).

Done! Place your strawberry creamsicles into the freezer overnight (or at least for a few hours)

And now for the best part – let your munchkin slurp up the remaining strawberry juice if there is any. Yuuuuum.

Healthy Homemade Strawberry Creamsicles

Approximately 15 large strawberries, washed and hulled
Approximately 1 cup of plain organic full-fat yogurt

Place strawberries in food processor or blender and mix until they form a puree, then transfer mixture into a measuring cup for easy pouring. Fill your popsicle moulds with layers of yogurt and puree until nearly full. Freeze overnight.

Enjoy!