A Rainbow of Healthy Muffins

While updating my recipe index recently, I noticed that I have shared more muffin recipes than any other yummy dish. So, I thought I'd put together a "best of" post, so you can enjoy a colourful variety of muffins together in one place.

I love muffins because they are a yummy, healthy treat and I usually like to pack them full of wholesome ingredients. They make the perfect healthy kids snack, containing a decent serving of carbohydrate, maybe a portion of dairy and usually a fruit or vegetable serve too.

Best of all - muffins are easy to make and usually can be beaten by hand, (no washing up of beaters required!) in fact the less muffins are mixed the more luscious the end result.

Here are a Rainbow of Muffins, all including a fruit or vegetable, to inspire you to get your muffin on! All these muffins are "picky eater approved", having been devoured by my picky eater (Mr 4) when he usually refuses to eat pretty much all the vegetables/fruit contained within the muffins. Enjoy!

Red

I found these Berry Oat Muffins with a Crunchy Cornflake Topping were difficult to resist. The topping tastes so much richer and calorie dense than the healthy ingredients it's made of. They're crunchy and sweet and your kids will love them!

Orange

These Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins were made over Passover, a time when I'm always looking for healthy ways for the kids to snack, while incorporating some healthy veg into their diet. The ground almonds work so well, they are so light that you wouldn't even know they are gluten free.

Yellow

I've been enjoying cooking with Quinoa lately, and found these Quinoa, Corn and Oat Muffins to be both delicious and nutritious.

I served the muffins in a cute Muffin Tin Meal and the boys LOVED them!

Green

These Zucchini and Banana Muffins contain pureed Zucchini along with sweet Banana and were a huge hit in our house.

Pink

I made these Beetroot and Chocolate Muffins when I found myself with a kilo of Beetroot which was calling out to be cooked with.  I also made Beetroot and Lamb Burgers and Beetroot, Coconut and Tofu Risotto with my surplus Beetroot.

Writing this post has inspired me to come up with so many more yummy muffin combinations. But I'd love to hear from you - what is your favorite muffin flavor? 

Sharing at: Something Swanky; Tastetastic Thursday; House of Hepworth; Showcase your Talent Thursday; Thrifty Thursday; Mix it up Monday; Muffin Tin Monday; Monday Mania; Tuesday Talent Show; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Allergy Free Wednesdays; Gluten Free Wednesdays; What's Cooking Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday;

Nutritional Yeast French Toast

This blog is turning into a bit of a French Toast wonderland of late. Recently I shared my unusual (yet delicious!) "Burger French Toast" concoction and now my latest French Toast offering is Nutritional Yeast French Toast. Another delicious dish that also happens to be jam packed with nutritious ingredients in every corner.

Like carob, it's an ingredient which I only began experimenting with recently, so if you're a seasoned Nutritional Yeast lover please feel free to share your experiences - I'd love to hear about how you use this highly nutritious ingredient.

Let me share with you all the nourishing details about Nutritional Yeast. I love finding ingredients which are nourishing, yet really easy to incorporate into the kid's diet. According to my trusty packet of Nutritional Yeast, the ingredient "has been specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of vegetarians and anyone interested in a rich source of B Vitamins." As you'll see below, Nutritional Yeast looks a little like soft, flaky Parmesan and it actually has a salty, cheesy taste so you could quite easily trick your cheese loving family members into thinking that it's cheese - when it in fact is a highly nutritious vegetarian ingredient loaded with B Vitamins!

Sometimes I feel Mr 4 would be a vegetarian if I let him - he can often be heard muttering "I hate meat" and eats very few actual meat ingredients. So, I'm always trying to increase his intake of vitamins and minerals using as many non-meat sources as possible. With Nutritional Yeast being rich in B Vitamins, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into some of his favorite dishes.

This was my first experiment - Nutritional Yeast French Toast. Regularly I'll make him Burger French Toast, and in the past few weeks when I haven't had mince at the ready, I've substituted with a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast. He consumes the whole lot every time without issue.

I've tried a couple of pieces of his french toast (on the odd occasion he leaves a little) and it tastes like cheesy french toast as it has a satisfying salty, cheesy flavor. I butter Mr 4's toast with avocado because that's what he loves, but you could just enjoy the Nutritional Yeast French Toast as is or topped with your favorite french toast topping. I often serve the dish to Mr 4 in a simple Muffin Tin Meal, with little else as it's pretty much a complete meal on it's own!

 
Nutritional Yeast French Toast
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 Large or 2 Small Slices of Bread
Oil or butter, for frying

1. Beat the egg in a bowl and then add nutritional yeast. Mix until well combined and all of the nutritional yeast has been absorbed by the egg.
2. Dip the bread into the batter to soak.
3. Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan and, when hot, brown the Nutritional Yeast French Toast on both sides until golden and cooked through.

I've read that Nutritional Yeast is great over freshly popped popcorn too, and I plan to give that a try soon. Any other ways you've used (or plan to use) Nutritional Yeast that you'd recommend?

More French Toast Recipes:
Burger French Toast
Rhubarb French Toast
Sweet Potato French Toast

Sharing at: Mix it Up Monday; Makin You Crave Monday; Monday Mania; Muffin Tin Monday; Tuesday Talent Show; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Allergy Free Wednesdays;

Hash Brown Cake (Potato Kugel)

My kids ADORE Hash Browns, so I thought I'd treat them to a Traditional Jewish Dish "Potato Kugel", which is really like a giant Hash Brown which is cooked in the oven. In fact, on seeing the finished dish, Mr 4 decided it was a Hash Brown Cake - so this recipe has two names. Whatever you'd like to call it - the resulting dish is wholesome, comforting and best of all - really easy to prepare.

I adapted a Potato Kugel recipe from this wonderful Jewish Cook Book that I regularly refer to for inspiration and for advice on cooking Traditional Jewish Food:

You can really be creative with this Kugel recipe and add in your family's favorite vegetables - carrot would be delicious! I kept it fairly simple for our family though, because of everyone's tastes.

I served the Hash Brown Cake to the boys in little Bento inspired meals, along with some cheese stars, apples, corn and some cute little animal food picks. They loved it!

Hash Brown Cake (Potato Kugel)
Adapted from Jewish Cooking - Marlena Spieler
1 Kg (2.2 pounds) Potatoes
1 Onion
1/3 Cup Flour (or you could use gluten free flour or matzo meal)
Pinch Salt
1 Egg, beaten
50g butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and get out a large baking dish.
2. Peel and grate the potatoes into a large bowl.
3. Peel and grate the onion over the grated potatoes then stir together.
4. Add the flour, salt, egg and butter to the bowl of potatoes and onions and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden.

Serves 6 as a side dish

Sharing at: Allergy Friendly Friday; Sundae Scoop; Nifty Thrifty Sunday; The Nourishing Gourmet; Simple Lives Thursday; Gluten Free Fridays; Whole Food Fridays; Mix it Up Monday; Makin You Crave Monday; Monday Mania;  Tuesday Talent Show; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday;Allergy Free Wednesdays; What's for Lunch Wednesday;  Something Swanky; Tastetastic Thursday; House of Hepworth; Showcase your Talent Thursday; 

Pistachio Cookies

I made Pistachio Cookies today and they were so unbelievably delicious that I was compelled to come straight to the computer to share the glorious details with you.

In our house, Fridays are the one treat day of the week, so I like to try different treat recipes for the family. As I've mentioned previously, my Husband ADORES Pistachios. So, I thought this week's treat would be loaded with Pistachios for my hard working Hubby. Last time I made him Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Fudge, this time I was aiming for a treat a LOT less sugar and chocolate loaded.

So, I went on the hunt for Pistachio Recipes and found Pistachio Refrigerator Cookies and since all the ingredients were on hand I went straight to it and whipped up a batch. Once the cookie dough was set, (pictured above in the opening image) I used a couple of cookie cutters to cut the Pistachio Cookie Dough into star and plane shaped cookies.

On presenting the plate to the boys, it was like a whirlwind of hands and mere seconds later the plate was completely empty! I used half the dough for the pictured plate and very quickly cut the second half of the dough into shapes. I managed to sneak a couple of Pistachio Cookie Stars and wow - these cookies are amazing - rich and sweet and savory all in one little cookie.

I cannot take any credit whatsoever for recipe, they were adapted from Pistachio Refrigerator Cookies by Natalia. I simply halved the recipe and omitted a couple of ingredients, based on what I had to hand. Thankfully I already had some cashews in the fridge which I'd soaked and dried out previously and pistachios only need a couple of hours soaking until you're good to go!  You can read more about soaking nuts and seeds here.

Not only are these cookies delicious, they are also vegan, grain free, gluten free and dairy free too!

Pistachio Cookies
Adapted from Natalia - Pistachio Refrigerator Cookies
1/2 Cup Pistachios (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 Cup Cashews (soaked and dehydrated)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, Melted
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

1. Place all the ingredients in your food processor and process until a cookie dough is formed.
2. Remove from the food processor onto a plate and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
3. Once set and hardened cut the dough into cookies using your favorite shapes. I made stars and planes for the boys! (including my Husband!)

 
More Yummy Cookies: 
Quinoa, Oat & Coconut Cookies
Red Quinoa & Choc Chip Cookies
Walnut & Cranberry Cookies

Sharing at: Pennywise Platter; Wellness Weekend; Fresh Bites Friday; Foodie Friends Friday; Fit & Fabulous Friday; Fight Back Friday;  Mix it up Monday; Monday Mania; 

Life without a Microwave...

Recently, Our Microwave started making a strained noise that I just didn't like. We've had it for a while now and really need a new one. BUT I have been thinking a lot about it and discussing it with my Husband that maybe we shouldn't buy a new Microwave, maybe we can do without one.

I've had a long love affair with my microwave, relying on it for speedy meals and in my single days (a lifetime ago!) for those (disgusting) macaroni cheese frozen meals which was my (unhealthy) staple when I was living alone in my early 20's. I have used it less and less for my family, but it still had a place in our kitchen. Or at least it has until now.

Rather than heading out on a shopping excursion to buy a new microwave, we have spent the past month with a broken one in our kitchen and turning to alternate quick heating methods. It was finally yesterday when we actually tossed the microwave out and now have a glorious big open space in our kitchen where our microwave sat. 

So why the decision not to replace our (once) beloved microwave? The number one reason is due to the research I've done into microwaves destroying valuable nutrients within the food it's heating. And it makes sense to me. My understanding is that the quick zap in the microwave creates more harm than the time it saves. After all, I'm going to so much time and effort and putting so much love into my food, making everything from scratch, why would I want to go and destroy all the wonderful nutrients I have so lovingly nurtured?

Life without a microwave has meant I have had to be a little creative in reheating methods. I regularly will cook a large meal one night and then used to reheat the leftovers the following night in the microwave for dinner. Now, I have been re-heating our meals on the stove-top, pouring over boiled water to help it along and speed up the process, if need be.

Where I'd previously defrosted food in the microwave, I now plan ahead and place food in the fridge to defrost, ready for cooking. If I need something defrosted quickly then I make sure it's completely sealed, place it in a pot, in the sink and cover it with hot water (from the tap, not the kettle), regularly changing the hot water. I find this does the trick and I've quickly defrosted soups and stocks this way.

Life without a microwave takes a little planning and creativity but the reward is delicious, healthy meals. It feels liberating to be microwave free.

I'd love to hear from you - how do you feel about microwaves? How have you coped if you have removed your microwave from your kitchen? And - what do you think we should place in our newly freed kitchen space? 

Edited to add - I ended up filling my microwave hole (as I affectionately call it!) with a CD Player... so now my kitchen is filled with music... rather than microwaves! :P

Sharing at: Monday Mania; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Fat Tuesday; Traditional Tuesdays; Allergy Free Wednesdays;

Opening Image Source

Carob Banana Milkshake

This Carob Banana Milkshake has the flavor you'd expect from a Choc Banana Milkshake while being full of Carob goodness.

I have only begun experimenting with carob in the past couple of months after sampling a little at the Good Food & Wine Show a couple of months back. You see, I had a bad Carob experience many years back when I sampled a Carob treat and intensely disliked the taste. It put me off Carob until I was offered a tiny sample at the show recently, and thought - why not... I was pleasantly surprised and the taste far exceeded my expectations. With renewed Carob hope, I gott myself a bag of Carob Powder and haven't looked back.


If, like me, you are a little hesitant to try Carob, this is a great first recipe to dip your toe into the world of Carob. The subtle, almost chocolatey flavor is sure to be a family favorite. In fact Mr 4 asks for this milkshake as the "Chocolate Banana" one and I've been making it regularly over the past couple of months. Well, it does look like chocolate, don't you think? (this is before blending!)

As with my smoothies, I like to include a tablespoon of Flax Seeds for a healthy dose of Omega 3's in each milkshake. The flax seeds don't alter the taste, so it's up to you whether you'd like to include them.

I always keep a couple of chopped bananas in the freezer for milkshake/smoothie making. For this recipe I used 1 frozen and 1 room temperature banana. The frozen banana makes the milkshake extra creamy and irresistible. 

Carob Banana Milkshake
2 Cups Milk
1 Cup Plain Natural Yoghurt
2 Bananas, Chopped (1 Frozen)
1 teaspoon Carob Powder
1 Tablespoon Flax Seeds (optional)

1. Place ingredients into your blender.
2. Blend for about 30 seconds, remove lid and stir. Replace the lid and blend for a further 30 seconds or until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

Makes 4 Cups of Carob Banana Milkshake

 

As I mentioned, I'm new to the Carob world. I'd love to hear from those of you who love Carob - what's your favorite way to enjoy this nutritious ingredient?

More Yummy Drinks:
Berry Banana Smoothie
Tropical Smoothie
Watermelon & Blueberry Smoothie

Sharing at: Something Swanky; Tastetastic Thursday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Keep It Real Thursdays; Allergy Free Wednesdays;    

Quinoa, Oat & Coconut Cookies

These cookies are homely, wholesome and oh so good for you! They are packed with nutritious ingredients and the whole family just adores them. The nutty flavor of Quinoa gives an incredible depth to these humble cookies, while bringing the nourishment of the super-food.

They have been so popular that the past month I have made them in one form or another at least twice a week. In fact, I even took with me a bag full of the dry ingredients (all measured out and ready for baking) for while we were away on our recent holiday. That way - I was able to treat the family to fresh, home baked cookies while away. 

I have a new kitchen helper. Mr 2 is now regularly standing on a chair next to me while I experiment with recipes. He loves to take spoon after spoon out of the cutlery drawer and mix whatever is in front of him. Yes, there's a little extra washing up at the end of my cooking session, but I just love his little hands helping me!

You can really make these cookies your own by experimenting with different combinations of oats and flakes. The recipe I share below is for our favorite combination, but I have also made these with dessicated coconut instead of coconut flakes and spelt flour instead of the quinoa flakes. As long as you have 3 cups of dry ingredients, the combination is up to you! Also, if gluten is an issue, simply include Gluten Free Rolled Oats and Quinoa Flakes to ensure these cookies are fully Gluten Free.

As we recently moved away from consuming refined sugar, I have been on the hunt for unrefined, nutritious, sweet alternatives. I have experimented with both Coconut Sugar and Rapadura and found both to produce delicious cookies. I have included Rapadura in the recipe below because that is the sweetener I used in the pictured cookies. Feel free to substitute with your sweetener of choice.

For my Birthday last week I treated myself to a few extravagant ingredients that I'd been eye-ing. This included a bag of richly decedent Cacao Nibs. I'd been wanting to experiment with them for a little while, but the price had been a little too steep for my budget. Being my Birthday, I splurged and wow, I have never been more surprised by the impact of a tiny ingredient than on sampling my first tiny cacao nib. I enjoyed an intense chocolate hit in the tiniest of bites.

So, for the pictured cookies, I sprinkled through just a tablespoon of Cacao Nibs, which was the perfect amount to enjoy a chocolatey hit with each cookie. You could of course omit the luxurious ingredient, or substitute chocolate chips if you prefer. 

I served a couple of cookies as a treat in a Muffin Tin Meal. The cookies are like a meal in themselves, so I served them simply alongside some slices of red pepper and cranberries. 

Quinoa, Oat & Coconut Cookies
1 Cup Quinoa Flakes
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Coconut Flakes
125g (4.4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/3 Cup Rapadura (or sweetener of choice)
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Cacao Nibs (Optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the Quinoa Flakes, Rolled Oats and Coconut Flakes until well combined.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and then stir through the Rapadura (or sweetener of choice) and maple syrup until the liquid is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Pour the butter mixture and egg over the dry mixture and sprinkle over the optional tablespoon of cacao nibs. Mix through until a dough forms. 
5. Place tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking tray.
6. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.
7. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the baking tray. You'll find the cookies harden further on cooling. 

Makes 24 Quinoa, Oat & Coconut Cookies

 
I'm sure this is not the end of my experimentation with this recipe. The family simply adore these wholesome cookies. I'd love to hear from you about what your family favorite cookie combination is? 

If you're hungry to learn more about real food and nourishing health then you have just a few more days left to Pre-Order The Healthy Life Summit. You'll get access to 35 inspirational presentations for $49 if you Pre-order before the 24th March 2013. (The price goes up to $199 following the Summit!) Click here to Pre-Order The Healthy Life Summit Now.


More Yummy Cookies:
Oaty Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies
Red Quinoa & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Walnut & Cranberry Cookies (Gluten Free)

To recreate the above muffin tin meal you'll need:

Sharing at:  Muffin Tin Monday; Tuesday Talent Show; Titus 2 Tuesday; Kids in the Kitchen; Gluten Free Wednesday; Something Swanky; Tastetastic Thursday; Keep It Real Thursdays; Monday Mania; Fat Tuesday; Traditional Tuesdays; Strut Your Stuff Saturday; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Allergy Free Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Gluten Free Fridays;   

Disclosure - this post contains affiliate links.

Whole Foods on Holiday

You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet on my blog the past few weeks. That's because I've been away on holiday. We took the kids to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It's about a 2 hour flight away and the weather is delightfully warmer than it is here in chilly Melbourne. 

As I recently shared, we have been moving more and more towards a whole foods diet, eliminating sugar and processed foods from our lives. I was a little concerned for how we'd manage to follow our new eating regime while away from our home comforts. I knew I needed to be organized and plan as many meals as possible.

Thankfully, our holiday apartment included a full kitchen and we were lucky to be in walking distance of a supermarket and health foods store to stock up on essential supplies. So, I'm pleased to report that the vast majority of our meals consisted of home cooked, whole foods. I thought I'd share a snapshot of some of our meals.


Breakfasts

Up until recently the boys have had cereal for breakfast. I tested out a few options before we left for our holiday and finally settled on preparing a few bags of cashews, by soaking and dehydrating them before we left and taking them with us for breakfast. They enjoyed their cashews along with some organic plain natural yoghurt with organic maple syrup mixed through. 

This Breakfast delight was pretty much the same every day for them. Some days I included some fresh pineapple in their yoghurt as a treat.

Breakfast for my Husband and I was similar to home - toast with a little cream cheese, or eggs on toast. One morning I treated us to French Toast with an indulgent drizzle of Maple Syrup... yum!

Lunches

More often than not lunch for the boys would consist of avocado sandwiches and sliced apples. They are pretty happy campers with avocado sandwiches and thankfully were never bored of them.

Lunch was the meal of the day that my Husband and I indulged in a treat or two. We found a nearby cafe that served the most delicious pies and sampled a number of different flavors over the course of the holiday. The pies were homemade so the quality was incredible. My favorite was Beef, Red Wine and Mushroom. There were generous chunks of beef and mushrooms and the sauce was richly delicious. My pie (over)indulgence has definitely inspired me to have a play with baking pies in the near future. 

Dinners

Our dinners mostly resembled meals we enjoy at home - roast chicken, chicken risotto, roast lamb & spaghetti bolognese. On the evening I prepared bolognese for the family, I also prepared Burger French Toast with a little of the mince for Mr 4... he loved it as always!

The final evening I chopped up all the vegetables we had left and popped it in the oven to roast. I found it a really efficient (and delicious) way to use up all the bits of veg we had left at the end of the holiday. There was a red pepper, some potatoes, onions and carrots in the final night veggie roast.

Overall, there were a couple of instances where we over-indulged and ate a few foods we wouldn't at home. (though that was mostly the adults, not the children!) I believe that's all part of enjoying a holiday. Relax about food just a little, indulge a little, while ensuring the majority of food is home cooked and nourishing.

It's great to be back home. Back in my kitchen. I look forward to getting back in the swing of things and sharing yummy posts with you soon.

Sharing at: Pennywise Platter Thursday;Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Homestead Barn Hop; Simple Lives Thursday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday; Foodie Friday; Whole Food Fridays; Monday Mania; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Allergy Free Wednesday; Gluten Free Wednesday;