On the Menu: Oatmeal Berry Muffins

I originally ran across the idea for these at Yum Pins, and while they looked delicious, the recipe was vague (lacking cooking temp/time). So I modified the recipe a bit and opted for a trial-and-error method.

I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! These make a fantastic breakfast option or healthy snack. (We even ate them for dessert one night.) As with several of the other menu options I have shared here, this recipe is simple, but adaptable; so if I used an ingredient that doesn't fit your tastes, feel free to change it up a bit! I have included a few optional suggestions at the end, in case you want to experiment a bit! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

3 mashed bananas (the riper the better!) 

1 cup vanilla almond milk

2 eggs 

1 tbsp baking powder 

3 cups oats 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line muffin pan with baking cups. Set aside.

Mash bananas.

Add almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat wet ingredients until well blended.

Add oats and baking powder. Mix well.

Fold in berries.

Fill baking cups generously. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

In case you would like to make these a little sweeter, you could also include the following in your recipe:

• 1/2 cup maple sugar
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

If you experiment with these muffins and have any suggestions for me, please let me know! :) 

On the Menu: Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

I have every intention of sharing a vacation recap with you this week; it just might not happen today. No worries, though! I have some lovely pictures and travel details coming your way soon! In the meantime, I just had to share this recipe. It's a winner!

Several of you have shared your almond-flour baking experiences with me. So far, I have made tasty blueberry muffins according to a recipe that included almond flour. They were a success, so I continued looking for additional recipes that we might also enjoy with this flour-alternative. Remember the almond flour biscuits?? Again, delicious. Most recently, I tried peanut butter cookies, and yet again, I was not disappointed.

I'm beginning to believe in almond flour.

I originally obtained this recipe at Health Dash. However, once I began pulling ingredients according to the original recipe, I decided to make a few changes. I will post the original recipe, because you may prefer to follow this one. However, I will make notes of my changes so you are aware of another option as well.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup sugar *
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter (with only peanuts and salt, no sweetener) **
1 tsp vanilla extract

*I substituted  organic agave nectar for sugar. This liquid sweetener is a healthier alternative to sugar. You will not need to use quite as much agave nectar. Check the bottle label to find the specific conversion for your recipe. Typically, 2/3 cup of agave nectar is the same as 1 cup of granulated sugar.

** Okay, so I am guilty of keeping good ole' JIF peanut butter in the house. I have used the all-natural peanut butter in the past, but Russ will not part with JIF, and I admit that I don't put up much of a fight on this one. So even though the recipe calls for the all-natural version, I used JIF. 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Separately, beat the egg and add the peanut butter and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix.

Divide in half and then repeat until you have 8 sections of dough. Roll each section into a ball. Lay the balls out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to gently push each cookie down, making a cross pattern. 

Bake for 11 minutes. Gently move the cookies to a cooling tray as soon as they are done baking.

Once baked, these cookies have a light, fluffy texture. They are not overly sweet, and while you can distinctly taste the peanut butter, the flavor is not over-powering. All in all, they are quite tasty!

If you make these, please let me know how your batch turns out! Enjoy! :)

On the Menu: Kale Chips!

I know what you're thinking: What-kind-of-chips?!? Yeah, I'm serious. K-A-L-E chips. KALE chips. Kale. Chips.

Now. Are we past that?

I can't personally take credit for this idea. The recipe is mine, but the idea was passed along from a friend of mine. She told me she had recently made kale chips. I looked at her skeptically (Probably that same look you have as you read this...) But my skepticism went only so far; She usually has some pretty great ideas.

She admitted that this idea of kale chips sounds wrong; I agreed. We got past it. Hopefully, you can do the same. I followed her advice and tried making my own version of kale chips. The end result was pretty great.

So.. here we go...

Ingredients:

Kale

Olive Oil (approximately 1 tbsp)

Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

Garlic Salt

Ground Oregano

Sea Salt

I'm sure you're a bit quizzical about this ingredients list, mainly because it's so weak on quantities. There's a great reason for that; I can't really tell you how much you need. I can say, when it comes to the seasoning, a little goes a long way. However, as far as the specific amounts, you get to completely play with these ingredients and season to taste! 

I don't know if your grandmother was like mine, but my mamaw seldom really followed a printed recipe. She cooked to taste, and she really had a feel for how much of what was needed here and there. That's kinda how you have prepare this recipe. Cook to taste. Enjoy the freedom.

If freedom scares you in cooking, I will share my (approximate) quantities: I grabbed a couple of handfuls of kale, and I used approximately 1/8 tsp of both garlic salt and oregano. I used only a dash of sea salt. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray cooking sheet with Pam (or other nonstick cooking spray). Set aside.

Toss kale in a bowl with olive oil.

Add seasoning.

Spread kale evenly onto cooking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

The other really great part about this recipe is that it really is completely adaptable to your tastes. I used primarily garlic seasonings because garlic brings out the natural flavor in kale. My friend used garlic as well, but she combined it with paprika and sea salt. I would have used paprika as well, but I just didn't have any in my cabinet. (Running out of paprika? Shameful, I know.) So you can basically do anything you like with these! Have fun! The recipe is simple and adaptable. The end result is tasty and a much healthier option than those processed, bagged potato chips that beckon you in your munchie moments. 

As a final note, should you have any lingering doubt, even my husband (after laughing at me and my kale "chips") admitted that these were, indeed, good enough to eat. What more proof could you need?!?

P.S. Have you entered this week's giveaway? If not, check out Sunday's post now! Only two days left!!! :)