Dutch Baby

This is the Dutch Baby recipe my mom made for us growing up, I love it still.

Here's a soaked option as well

Dutch Baby

1/4 cup butter

Place in a pie plate or 8" baking dish and put in oven to melt while preheating oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender mix:

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour (wheat works, but unbleached white is nicer!)

Blend well and pour into heated dish with melted butter.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes till puffed and lightly browned.

Serve immediately, it will "puff down" quickly, so this is one to get right on the table :-)

Serves 4

For a little variation, you can add 1/2 cup cooked apples and a tsp of cinnamon to the baking dish before pouring egg mixture on top. Very yummy!

Granola

I have several recipes for granola floating around. Depending on what else is going on I might choose one over the other. I really like Katie's recipes, soaked and unsoaked in her new book Healthy Snacks to Go. I think her granola recipe that is posted is slightly different from the one in the book......... so if you want a really good recipe, get her book :-)

Below is my recipe, it's not a soaked version, but makes a nice granola for gift giving, need a more traditional version or when you are ready to make granola and forgot about soaking...... no, I've never done THAT!

Here's a step by step on soaking and dehydrating oats as well.

We enjoy granola with a little milk or almond milk on it........ Or sprinkled liberally over yogurt....... Or a handful tossed onto the baby's tray to nibble on while I am making dinner...........

Granola

Mix together:

6 c. oats

2 c. bran cereal

¾ c. slivered almonds

¾ c. sunflower seeds

1 c. flaxseed meal

Heat in saucepan till blended:

1 c. honey

½ c. maple syrup

1/3 c. coconut oil

Pour over dry mixture and blend thoroughly

Pour into a shallow baking pan and cook at 250 for 2? hours, stirring every 30-40 minutes - (I forgot to time how long I actually cooked it!)

Cool completely

Add:

1 c. assorted nuts, chopped

1 c. coconut flakes

½ c. raisins

1 c. dried fruit

½ c. dark chocolate chips (if you like chocolate in your granola, my husband didn’t care for the chocolate, but liked the rest!)

Store in an airtight container. Serve with milk or over yogurt.

Waffles

This is a basic waffle recipe and my classic standby. It's from allrecipes.com, I just modify it all little bit. To make a soaked version, mix the flour and milk and add a teaspoon of vinegar the night before and add everything else in the morning. You can leave on the counter if you use raw milk, if you use regular milk I would refrigerate.

Waffles

2 cups flour (any mix will work, I usually use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 wheat or all wheat)

2 tsp baking powder

2 TB sweetener (depends on the moment, any version of sugar or honey works)

1 tsp salt

2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 TB oil (I use coconut or olive)

Mix well and cook on hot waffle iron.

Serves 4-6

Pancakes

This is my favorite pancake recipe.

I thought it came from Katie, but I can't find it on her site, so maybe I am

remembering wrong :-) If it is your recipe, let me know and I can link properly to give you credit!

The Best Pancakes Ever

3 cups whole wheat flour*

1 cup buttermilk or milk or yogurt **

1 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine ingredients and leave on the counter, covered, to soak 12-24 hours.

(I usually leave overnight and I find I often need to add an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of water to the recipe, otherwise my batter is too thick, sometimes I add it in water with the above and sometimes I add it in milk with the ingredients added in the morning)

Just before cooking, add:

4 lightly beaten eggs

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter or spray oil in your pan and heat. Cook on a med/high temperature.

For us, a HALF batch makes enough to easily feed me and the 3 kids. If there is anyone else eating with us I make a full batch. OR I make a full batch and freeze the remainder for a quick breakfast later!

*This recipe works with all regular whole wheat flour, it is much better with half whole wheat and half pastry/white flour and is best with all pastry flour.

I use 1/2 and 1/2 almost all the time.

** Because you are adding vinegar to the milk, it's a "fake" buttermilk of sorts and hasn't had a problem sitting on my counter overnight. Raw milk would be safest for this though if you choose to use milk. You can also use the dairy choice in place of the water for richer pancakes.

I usually use yogurt and water with the added vinegar and have no issues leaving it sit out. If I am going to add milk rather then water for any additional liquid, I usually add it in the morning and let it sit with the water overnight.

I also often add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter in the morning, I think it adds nice flavor and some added nutrition.

Breakfast menus

I don't usually schedule breakfasts, but I do have a handful I rotate through and try not to have the same thing every morning :-) Unless of course, my husband is around and he would be thrilled if I just made bacon with eggs and potatoes every morning!

Here's a list of breakfasts you might find around here:

Eggs and potatoes

Quiche

Pancakes

Yogurt Muslei

Granola (either on yogurt or with milk)

Biscuits and Gravy (we all love this, but it's not the healthiest meal we do, it's usually a weekend treat!)

French Toast

Dutch Baby (Here's a soaked option too)

Waffles (although my pancake recipe above works good for waffles too!)

For the couple meals listed above that don't really need a recipe :-) Here's what I usually do.

Eggs and potatoes

Cook potatoes the night before, if you're smart and remember in the same oven you heat up for your dinner :-) Cool and refrigerate.

In the morning, dice the potatoes. Brown in a skillet with a little butter and olive oil. Once warmed through and browned to your liking, add in eggs (already broke and mixed well!).

Cook and serve with toast.

This is also very easy to add other veggies too - spinach, tomatoes, onions, cauliflower are favorites around here. I usually add when the potatoes are done before the eggs, except for onions, those go in with the potatoes!

If you have never tried eggs and cauliflower together - you have got to try it! They make a wonderful combination and not one I am sure I would have put together except for my husband telling me to try it.

French Toast

Beat well 3-6 eggs (depending on how much you are making)

Add in a little milk, dash of salt is optional. Mix really well.

Dip in bread, flip over with fork until all the bread is well coated.

Cook on a med-high pan, with butter or coconut oil melted in it, till nicely browned.

Depending on what kind of bread you use, will also vary the amount of eggs you need. Some breads absorb the liquid much more then others - homemade and such I often need to double the eggs, a firmer bread like store bought sourdough doesn't absorb as much.

Serve with butter and cinnamon (and a little powdered sugar if you wish)

My mom also used to make this by coated the egg dipped bread into some flaxseed/wheat germ/cinnamon mixture before placing in the pan. This makes a nice coating and adds some wonderful flavor as well.

Menu planning

After moving this month and feeling rather disjointed I am finally sitting down today and planning meals for the rest of the month. I need my menu plans back! I need to know what needs to get soaking or what I can get a jump on first thing in the morning to save time later in the day. When it's HOT and I'm TIRED and dinner is the last thing I want to deal with. You know, I would much rather get the kids into their swim things AGAIN(!) so they can run in the sprinklers or change the laundry or balance the checkbook. No really, I am reminded once again, that menu planning is so helpful. It just makes the day go better.

I am somewhat re-vamping my menus a little for the summer months. Looking for "cooler" recipes. Maybe some that don't take the oven, or include more fresh veggies. As much as I love it, White Chicken Chili, just hasn't sounded good lately! I am making this meatloaf for dinner tonight. Maybe with scalloped potatoes, or potatoes of some sort. Obviously, it's almost 3 in the afternoon and I don't have the potatoes done, but the meatloaf is in the fridge waiting to go in the oven! But seriously, I don't know if I mentioned it yet, but this is THE BEST MEATLOAF ever. I really think the grass fed beef is so key, don't make this with cheap meat!

My husband has had an odd work schedule this month- he's been home most mornings, so that kind of slows me down some :-) I am sure you can relate!

How about breakfasts? I don't usually plan out breakfasts, but I do try and decide what I am making the night before. Even if I don't need to prep for it, knowing in my mind what I am planning helps the poor tired 35 week pregnant mama get breakfast on the table! I am working on a breakfast post too.........

giveaway!

Another great giveaway from Keeper of the Home & Saving Naturally - a large gift basket of lotions and soaps from Graham Gardens. I have heard alot about their products and have wanted to try them out!

Check out the giveaway here!

cloth diaper giveaway

Keeper of the Home is giving away a sample pack of Eden Cloth diapers this week -

GO HERE to enter and read her review of this product!

(And yes, I will try and get back to more regular blogging next week!)

another giveaway

I am always a sucker for a good book - this look like it would be worth having around!

GO HERE to read about The Real Food Health and Nutrition Textbook and enter to win one.

giveaway!

There's a "God's Word from A-Z" CD giveaway going on at Passionate Homemaking!

Check it out here