Breakfast Ideas Mondays #2

Thanks so much to the Brilliant Bloggers who shared their breakfast inspirations in last week's First Breakfast Ideas Mondays.

There were so many delicious Breakfast Recipes shared, here are just a few favorites to get you motivated for this week's Breakfast Ideas Mondays.

These No Flour Protein Packed Pancakes from Practical Stewardship look light and fluffy and I love that they are "packed with protein". Always looking for ways to increase my kids protein intake, these pancakes are a yummy way to do just that!

This Chocolate Breakfast Parfait from Pink Recipe Box is a must for all Nutella Addicts (like me!) - a healthier way to enjoy the heavenly spread which I look forward to trying soon.

These pretty Blackberry Scones with Line Glaze from Hot Eats and Cool Reads would be an indulgent breakfast treat.

Each week I'll feature my favorite Breakfast Ideas from the previous week. Make sure you link back to this page, somewhere on your post so you have a chance to be featured.

Feel free to post your links on Twitter with #BreakfastIdeasMondays and I'll be sure to retweet your Breakfast Idea. (I'm @YummyInspires)

Here's the Button for you to grab. Thanks in advance!

<center><a href="http://www.yummyinspirations.net/search/label/Breakfast%20Ideas%20Mondays"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zy6VcP0vAbM/T4_gyrNfyCI/AAAAAAAAAws/btmwMlqIXT8/s1600/Breakfast+Ideas+Mondays.jpg" /></a></center>


Breakfast Ideas Mondays Rules
1. Post a link to your latest Breakfast Creation.
2. Include a link back to Breakfast Ideas Mondays.
3. Visit other participants for some Breakfast Inspiration.  

  Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes

Quinoa, Corn and Oat Muffins

I've been experimenting a lot with Quinoa recently - in the past few weeks I've shared recipes for Coconut Chicken with Quinoa and Vegetables and Quinoa Porridge. My latest experiment involved cooking the hearty grain and mixing them into Quinoa, Corn and Oat Muffins. 

Quinoa, Corn and Oat Muffins are Gluten Free and Dairy Free, which makes them perfect for those who suffer from food allergies. They can also be the star of a wholesome meatless meal, like this Muffin Tin Meal I prepared for the kids. I served the Muffins along with roasted carrots and pumpkin and mandarin segments.

The taste of Quinoa definitely dominates these muffins, and works really well with the corn and oats - flavor combinations I'd like to explore in further cooking adventures. When you prepare these muffins, you'll find that the batter is pretty moist, don't be alarmed, the muffins set perfectly when cooked and remain moist and delicious.

Quinoa, Corn and Oat Muffins
3/4 Cup Quinoa
1 Cup Water
3 Eggs
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Corn Kernels
2/3 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. 
2. Rinse and drain the quinoa thoroughly. Place the quinoa and water in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove top.
3. Bring the quinoa up to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy and then whisk in the brown sugar.
5. Mix the Quinoa into the whisked eggs and then stir through the corn kernels, oats and salt. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
6. Distribute the muffin mixture between the prepared muffin liners and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden and firm.


Makes 12

Linking up at:
 
Strut Your Stuff Saturday; Nifty Thrifty Sunday; Sundae Scoop; Sister Sunday; Mix it up Monday;Makin You Crave Monday; Market Yourself Monday; Sweet Spot Recipe Party;Whole Food Wednesdays; Allergy Free Wednesday; Tastetastic Thursday;

 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes!

I'd love to hear from you - how do you enjoy your Quinoa?

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Growing up, my Granny lived in a Hotel which served the most amazing Mushroom Soup in their restaurant. It was the treat of my week to visit her and share a meal in the restaurant with my family.  The soup I remember was creamy, but not too rich and had a perfectly balanced mushroom flavor. To this day I still try to recreate that distinct Mushroom Soup flavor every-time I make a batch.

I think I got pretty close with this recipe. Just the smell of the soup cooking took me back to my childhood. I love how food does that. It was met with raving reviews by my Husband and he's already asked me to make it again.

Creamy Mushroom Soup is a simple soup to prepare, finely chopped onion and sliced mushrooms are cooked down to maximize flavor and then stock and milk are poured over and simmered away to become a delicious soup.

In case you're wondering, my Granny is alive and well and 100 years old! I hope the rest of my family are blessed with her longevity genes!

We like our soup un-pureed, so didn't puree it at all. You could puree all or a portion of the soup, depending on your preference. I find this soup creamy enough without the addition of any cream, but feel free to stir through a little cream or sour cream just before serving if you like your soup extra creamy!

Creamy Mushroom Soup
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Large Onion, finely diced
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely diced
500g Mushrooms, sliced
2 Cups Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock if you prefer)
1 and 1/2 Cups Milk
Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, soften the onion and garlic in the oil.
2. Add the mushrooms and stir through. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are softened and significantly reduced in size.
3. Pour over the stock and milk and bring up to the boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
6. Serve as is or puree some or all of the soup in a food processor to desired consistency.

Makes 4 Generous Servings

Linking up at: Mix it up Monday;Makin You Crave Monday; Market Yourself Monday; Sweet Spot Recipe Party; Gluten Free Wednesdays; Allergy Free Wednesday;

 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes!

Instant Raspberry Ice Cream

The other day, out of nowhere, Mr 3 asked for Ice Cream. I haven't made him Ice-Cream in months and it's getting colder and colder here in Australia, so I'm not sure what prompted his request.

Not having any Ice Cream in the freezer, I thought I'd experiment and whip him up some instant ice cream. After all, 3 year Olds want everything NOW. I knew that explaining to him that I would need to pop the bowl in the freezer for at least a day before making him churned ice cream wouldn't be met with a welcome "Sure Mummy, I'll wait a day or so for Ice Cream!"

Now, I don't usually give in to his every request, I thought it would be fun to experiment with him by my side. I had raspberries in the freezer and some plain greek yoghurt in the fridge so I thought that the right quantity of each mixed together in my Mini Food Processor could result in a creamy cold treat. (where to find a mini food processor)

Thankfully it did! It just needed a little honey to sweeten the it up. My boys are used to greek yoghurt so can tolerate the sourness if sweetened with just a little honey. You may need to add extras if your little ones have a sweeter tooth. Or, feel free to use your favorite yoghurt instead.

Double or triple the recipe and use a larger food processor if you have more than 2 children to feed. Just keep the ratio the same, add too much yoghurt and you'll end up with a smoothie!


Instant Raspberry Ice Cream
1 Cup Frozen Raspberries
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
Drizzle of Honey to taste (where to find honey)

1. In a Mini Food Processor, place the raspberries and yoghurt.
2. Turn the machine on and mix until you achieve the desired creamy texture. Taste a little, add honey to taste and mix again.
3. Serve IMMEDIATELY!

Makes 2 children's portions or one adult portion.

Next time your kids ask for ice cream, maybe whip them up some nutritious Instant Raspberry Ice Cream for a truly nutritious treat!

We love raspberry ice cream in our house, what's your favorite Ice Cream flavor? 

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Coconut Chicken with Quinoa & Vegetables

I've enjoyed experimenting with Quinoa the past few weeks. I made Quinoa Porridge the other week and have also prepared a Quinoa Salad, which looked good, but I'm not 100% happy with the outcome, taste wise, so I'm going to experiment a little further before sharing the recipe with you.

This Coconut Chicken with Quinoa & Vegetables is the most delicious of all Quinoa Recipes I've prepared to date. I adapted it from a recipe in "The Complete Whole Grain Cookbook" and my Husband helped himself to 2nds (and 3rds) of this dish and Mr 22 months enjoyed it thoroughly too. The coconut flavor takes this chicken dish to a very special place, and is a recipe that is going to be repeated again and again.

Coconut Chicken with Quinoa & Vegetables is a simple to prepare "One Pot Dish" which I'm sure will become a family favorite.  Feel free to tinker with the herbs, spices and vegetables to your liking, the recipe I've shared is for my families favorite combination.

I deconstructed the dish a little and served it to Mr 22 Months in a Bento Lunchbox. I used a Rice Mold to make a Star/Flower Shape (depending which way you look at it!) for the Quinoa Portion of the dish and then made a pattern with the chicken and vegetables and place a few Animal Food Picks in the chicken for a bit of fun.

Coconut Chicken with Quinoa & Vegetables
Adapted from The Complete Whole Grain Cookbook 
1 Onion, diced (I used a red onion)
2 Tablespoons Oil
500g Chicken Breasts or Thighs, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
200g Mushrooms, sliced
1 Red Capsicum/Pepper, top and seeds removed and diced
1 Cup Quinoa, rinsed really well and drained
270ml Coconut Milk
1 Cup Chicken Stock

1. Soften the onion in the oil in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove.
2. Add the chicken to the saucepan and mix through the garlic and coriander.
3. Once the chicken is browned, add the mushrooms and red capsicum and stir through.
4. Add the Quinoa and mix through to combine.
5. Pour over the coconut milk and stock, turn up the heat and bring up to the boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the Quinoa is cooked through.
7. Have a kettle of boiled water at the ready in case all the coconut milk and stock is absorbed before the Quinoa is cooked.
8. Serve straight from the pot.

Makes 4 Generous Adult Servings

To create the Bento Lunchbox you'll need:

Linking up at:
Whole Food Wednesdays; Fireflies and Jellybeans; Wow Me Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday; Tastetastic Thursday; Showcase Your Talent Thursday;Inspire Me Fridays;

 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes

Healthy Kids Snack - Wordless Wednesday

Each Wordless Wednesday I tend to do more "talking" than I should, (like in last week's WW Quinoa Porridge Post!) So this week it's all about the photo - a healthy kids snack of rice crackers sandwiched with Avocado and Spinach Spread. Healthy and Simple!

Link Up Your Wordless Wednesday Post below, looking forward to seeing your post!

Remember, I'm hosting the 1st ever "Breakfast Ideas Mondays". If you've created any delicious Breakfast Recipes recently that you'd like to share, or know another blogger who has, please post them on the new link party (or point the brilliant blogger in my direction)! Thanks :-)
  
 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes

Zucchini and Banana Muffins

When making baked treats for the boys, I like to include a fruit or vegetable in the recipe. They way, their morning or afternoon snack adds just a little to their daily fruit and vegetable intake. These Zucchini and Banana Muffins contain both a fruit and a vegetable. They also happen to be moist and sweet and you don't even notice the zucchini flavor, which is great if your little one is a picky eater like mine. You can simply sell them as Banana Muffins, because you can see a banana chunk here and there and kids love bananas, right?!

In preparation for the Zucchini and Banana Muffins, I boiled 2 Zucchini's until they were soft and then blended them in my Mini Food Processor. I used half the pureed Zucchini for this recipe and mixed the other half with avocado to make a richly nutritious Zucchini and Avocado Spread, in the same way at the Spinach and Avocado Spread I shared last week. Just as with last week, he happily ate a number of Zucchini and Avocado Sandwiches.

You could just grate 1 Zucchini needed for the recipe if you know your kids will eat it that way. I just knew I had the greatest chance of Mr 3 consuming the muffins if there weren't green specks in them!

These muffins last really well for a few days. In fact after 24 hours I found it MUCH easier to remove the muffin liners and the flavor had developed somewhat. Of course the day they were made we ate over half of them. Well, the kids helped me bake the muffins, so were waiting near the oven and the moment they were cool enough they each wanted one and another... so yes, it's a little challenging for muffins to last more than a couple of days anyways. 

Zucchini and Banana Muffins
1 and 1/2 Cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Banana, Mashed
1 Zucchini, Cooked and Pureed or Grated Raw

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and place muffin liners in a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats and sugar until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and milk.
4. Mix the banana and zucchini into the egg mixture.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the dry, flour mixture and stir until just combined, careful not to over-mix or your muffins will become stiff. 
6. Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin tin and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through,
7. Allow to cool in the muffin tin and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.


Makes 12 Muffins

What you'll need to help you make these yummy Zucchini and Banana Muffins:

Linking up at: Makin You Crave Monday; Market Yourself Monday; Mix It Up Monday; Manic Monday; Wow Me Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday; Muffin Monday; Sweets For Saturday; Strut Your Stuff Saturday; Sweet Saturday;

Remember, I'm hosting the 1st ever "Breakfast Ideas Mondays". If you've created a delicious Breakfast Recipes recently that you'd like to share, or know another blogger who has, please post them on the new link party (or point the brilliant blogger in my direction)! Thanks :-)
  

 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes

I'd love to hear from you - tell me the sneaky tricks you use get your picky eater to eat their veg.

Breakfast Ideas Mondays #1 - New Link Up Party!

Welcome to the First Ever Breakfast Ideas Monday! 

I've decided to start this Fresh New Link Party, "Breakfast Ideas Mondays" because I find it increasingly difficult to come up with new Breakfast Ideas. I thought a weekly Breakfast Ideas Link Party would inspire me AND YOU to try new breakfasts each week.

Mondays seem the most logical day, the first day of the school and working week, a fresh start and opportunity for some new Breakfast Ideas. (Ok, today IS Sunday, I'm a little eager with the 1st party!)

For my first Breakfast Ideas Monday, I thought I'd share with you a few of the breakfast recipes I've posted on my blog over the past few months.

My kids loved this Breakfast Muffin Tin Meal, which included two homemade Bran and Sweet Potato Muffins, Strawberry Yoghurt, Fresh Strawberries and Bananas. 

These Breakfasts In a Jar were also a huge hit with the kids. Why wouldn't they adore layered yoghurt, homemade jam and cereal - they had my Husband begging me to make him a grown up version!

Rather than Breakfasts in a Jar, I made my Husband and I a more sophisticated breakfast of Quinoa Porridge as a special treat. The combination of Quinoa, Coconut Milk and Cranberries makes this one of my personal favorite breakfasts!

You may notice that the above photo of my heavenly Quinoa Porridge bowl has been transformed into the button for Breakfast Ideas Mondays. I'd love you to share the button on your blog and tell others of this fun new Link Up Party.

Each week I'll feature my favorite Breakfast Ideas from the previous week. Make sure you link back to this page, somewhere on your post so you have a chance to be featured. 

Feel free to post your links on Twitter with #BreakfastIdeasMondays and I'll be sure to retweet your Breakfast Idea. (I'm @YummyInspires)

Here's the Button for you to grab. Thanks in advance!

<center><a href="http://www.yummyinspirations.net/search/label/Breakfast%20Ideas%20Mondays"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zy6VcP0vAbM/T4_gyrNfyCI/AAAAAAAAAws/btmwMlqIXT8/s1600/Breakfast+Ideas+Mondays.jpg" /></a></center>


Breakfast Ideas Mondays Rules
1. Post a link to your latest Breakfast Creation.
2. Include a link back to Breakfast Ideas Mondays.
3. Visit other participants for some Breakfast Inspiration.

 Click Here To Be Emailed Regular FREE Healthy Family Food Recipes