Recipes, Photography, Musings

Tag: breakfast foods (Page 1 of 2)

Cozy Oatmeal Baked Apples

Fill your kitchen with the iconic smell of baking apples and cinnamon with these cozy oatmeal baked apples.  Cored apples are filled with an oat-brown sugar-cinnamon mixture and then baked until the apples are soft and the oatmeal mixture has a cake-like consistency.  The moistness of the baked apples surrounds the oatmeal mixture to make a heart-warming dessert or breakfast that is full of nutrients and delicious comfort.

oatmeal baked applesI love all types of baked apple-cinnamon recipes, and this one is a bit different to me because the apple is stuffed with a filling inside of it instead of sliced and used as a filling.  Because it’s a bit different, it makes a festive dessert or breakfast, especially served with some vanilla ice cream or drizzled with some maple syrup, or even caramel sauce.  We had them for breakfast this morning straight up without any added toppings, and they were so good!

oatmeal baked appleI added two new cookbooks to my collection over the holidays, and I adapted this recipe from one of them–Savor by Ilona Oppenheim.  I love the photos in this cookbook, and the recipes are natural, beautiful, and seasonal.  I made a few changes from the recipe in the book to fit the tastes of my family–but I am so grateful for the idea and the basic framework.  This is a dessert/breakfast that is easy to make and comes together quite quickly, plus you can feel good about the wholesome ingredients.

oatmeal baked applesThe holiday season is over now, and it is time to get back to work, time for the kids to go back to school and indoor soccer, and hopefully time for me to put some positive new intentions and habits into practice in my little corner of the world.  We spent a few days up in northern Michigan over the New Year, and it was so refreshing and invigorating to be up in that cold, clean air!

Getting away from the routine allowed us to have some good family time when we weren’t rushed or pulled in a bunch of different directions.  We played some long games of Pokémon Monopoly (thanks to my son 🙂 ), went sledding, and walked along the snowy beach.  I loved all the lights in town on the dark evenings–lights in the trees, lights on the shops and restaurants, lights reflected in the water along the beach, and especially the fireworks over the lake on New Year’s Eve.

This is such a good time of year for introspectionand for making home a warm and cozy place.  Walking in the cold air clears the head.  It is also definitely the time of year to make warm, nourishing things in the kitchen.  These oatmeal baked apples hit the spot this morning.  Happy New Year!  I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay warm! I will be sharing this recipe over at Angie’s virtual potluck, Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Quinn @ Dad What’s 4 Dinner and Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipesoatmeal baked apples

Cozy Oatmeal Baked Apples

  • Servings: 6
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Ingredients:

  • 6 medium to large apples (I like Honeycrisp or Jonagold for this)
  • 1 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt
  • 1 and 1/3 cups of milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Mix well with a fork.  Make sure your butter is melted.

In another bowl, combine the milk, vanilla extract, egg, and melted butter.  Stir well. Add the milk mixture to the bowl with the oat mixture, and stir well with a wooden spoon.

With a paring knife, cut off the tops of the apples.  Set the tops aside.  With the same knife, carefully cut around the core and cut out the core (you can also use an apple corer).  Scoop out the seeds and rest of the core with a spoon, if necessary.  Leave 1/2 inch at the bottom of the apples intact, with the holes in the core about an inch wide.

Place the cored apples on the prepared baking dish.  Spoon the oatmeal mixture into the cavities of the apples, filling them as full as you can.  Place the tops back on the apples for baking.  If you have oat mixture left over, you can bake it in a small baking pan and bake it alongside the apples.  (I put mine in a min-loaf pan and it made a cute little cake-like loaf).

Bake the stuffed apples in your 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the oat mixture is set.  These taste best warm, but can also be served at room temperature.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Two Easy Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

Superfood quinoa is combined with fruit, nuts, almond milk, and natural flavorings to make up a delicious, healthy, energizing breakfast.  Mix and match the fruits and the nuts, add more toppings if you wish! These breakfast bowls help keep me sane on busy mornings.  They can be thrown together quickly and are packed with protein and flavor to start your day in a positive way.

Made up of ingredients many of us keep on hand, these breakfast bowls are easy to make in the morning when your brain is not fully awake, yet once they are eaten, they provide the body and brain with lots of high-quality energy.  To make things even easier, you can cook a batch of quinoa ahead of time, and then in the morning, warm up the desired amount on the stove in a bit of almond (or regular) milk. Then just add the desired flavoring (maple syrup or honey and vanilla), fruit, and nuts, and you have breakfast.  If you are cooking the quinoa that morning, just use twice as much liquid (water or almond milk) as you do quinoa, and simmer it for about 15 minutes, until tender.

There are endless combinations you can use for this type of breakfast bowl–in this post I am just sharing two basic and easy ones that I enjoy, because sometimes the most simple recipes are the most accessible and helpful in our everyday lives.

dried berry quinoa breakfast bowl 4Our mornings are still chilly at this time of year, so a nice warm bowl of quinoa with fruit and nuts is comforting and cozy, as well as delicious and healthy.  Spring comes in fits and starts here, rarely smoothly.  Following our spring snowstorms we had a major heat wave, and now it’s back to damp, foggy weather today.  The spring peepers have started, stopped, and started peeping again at least a couple of times in the past couple of weeks.  They say that after the peepers have started and stopped peeping three times, then spring is finally here to stay.  I have lost count, but we must be about there.  Our lilac bushes and cherry trees have little buds on them.  A birch tree we thought was dead has just sprouted tiny little leaves!

banana quinoa breakfast bowl 6With spring comes soccer for our kids, which means full schedules and lots of muddy laundry, mixed with lots of fresh air and fun.  I get a chance to spend time with my fellow soccer moms, who are some of my favorite people on this earth.  Last night they helped me identify some recipe ideas to develop in the coming weeks, since we are all in need of quick, energizing foods and spring crock pot ideas to help us get through these active times with grace and vitality.  I have lots to work on!

dried berry quinoa breakfast bowl editNo matter what the weather is–cold or hot, damp or windy, have you noticed how good the spring air smells?  It is full of the promise of new life and new experiences, while at the same time waking up long-buried emotions and bringing back memories from past springs.  No wonder spring is such an emotional time! That’s why it’s important to have a good, stabilizing breakfast.  I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I’m sharing this post with Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju and Cynthia @ eatmunchlove.

Two Easy Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

  • Servings: 1
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For Quinoa with Dried Berries and Pecans

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa (follow the package instructions, or gently warm up one cup of leftover quinoa in some milk)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of almond milk (or cow’s milk, if you prefer)
  • 1-2 teaspoon of maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • a handful of dried cherries or dried cranberries
  • a handful of chopped pecans

Directions:

Spoon 1 cup of cooked quinoa into a bowl.  Moisten it with the desired amount of milk.  Stir in the maple syrup or honey and the vanilla.  Top with desired amount of dried cherries or cranberries and pecans. Enjoy!

For Quinoa with Sliced Banana and Walnuts

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa (follow the package instructions for cooking, or gently warm up one cup of leftover quinoa in some milk)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of almond milk (or cow’s milk, if you prefer)
  • 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • a handful of chopped walnuts

Directions:

Spoon 1 cup of cooked quinoa into a bowl.  Moisten it with the desired amount of milk.  Stir in the maple syrup or honey and the vanilla.  Top with the banana slices and the desired amount of chopped walnuts.  Enjoy!

 

Classic Blueberry Muffins

With just a few basic ingredients, these blueberry muffins come together quickly and easily, offering that classic blueberry muffin taste that is so comforting and sweet, with a hint of  zing from some lemon zest.  This recipe works with fresh or frozen blueberries, so you can make these crowd-pleasing treats at any time of the year.  Plus your kitchen will smell amazing as they are baking!

Last weekend, we had a cherished (and rare, these days) lazy Saturday morning, and I asked the kids if they wanted blueberry muffins for breakfast, since we had some blueberries in the freezer.  Yes, they definitely wanted them. “But,” said my daughter, “can you not make them too healthy this time?”  Oh…by healthy, I guess she was referring to the wholesome blueberry muffins I sometimes make, which are really tasty, but are more crunchy, (probably more nutrient-rich), and less like cake.

Well, it’s all about balance in life, so I indulged her and made these yummy, fluffy, and classically delicious blueberry muffins.  And yet they are not really unhealthy, much healthier than some muffins, in that they are homemade, with high quality ingredients, including fruit, and no preservatives.  And we enjoyed every last one of them!  If you are looking for a basic, simple, reliable, and delicious recipe for blueberry muffins, this is a great one.  Even better when you can enjoy them warm, right out of the oven, in a warm, cozy room or on a sunny porch.

classic blueberry muffins on plate 2The recipe I use for these muffins is based on one from my well-loved Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, Tenth Edition, that I have had for many years. The only thing I change when I make these, is that I use melted butter instead of cooking oil, because I really like the flavor of butter from grass-fed cows.  Frozen blueberries work great, when fresh ones aren’t available.  And the lemon zest adds a great blast of flavor, which we really appreciate.  If you don’t like lemon, you can certainly leave that part out.

We are getting closer and closer to feeling like spring here.  The temperatures have been warm and cold, changing almost daily, but those warm days feel so good.  And the colors outside are starting to brighten. The sunlight is more vivid, the grass is starting to turn a fresh, bright green, and the daffodils are starting to bloom.  I hope you are all having a great week!
classic blueberry muffins on porch 4classic blueberry muffins in tinclassic blueberry muffins 5

Classic Blueberry Muffins

  • Servings: 12 muffins
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Ingredients:

  • 1 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose, unbleached flour
  • 1/3 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon peel (lemon zest), optional

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease a muffin tin, or line with paper baking cups.

Heat the butter in a small pan on the stove until just melted.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the bowl.  In a medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredient mixture all at once into the well in the center of the dry mixture bowl.  Stir until all the ingredients are just combined.  The batter will be a little lumpy.  Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest, and stir gently until just combined.  Spoon the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden.  Remove the muffins from the tin to cool.  Serve warm. Enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Tenth Edition.

 

 

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