Morning Balls

Alright, I just made up that name. They may also be called "after-school balls" or "power balls". I found this recipe on Pinterest, but of course changed it a bit to fit what I had in my kitchen. These are really easy to make, and taste almost like a cookie. These were made in a failed attempt to make my own energy bars. They are very healthy and make a great grab and go breakfast or snack

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• scant 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup salted peanut butter (I would normally use almond butter, but I ran out)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 T raisins
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the applesauce and peanut butter, then add all other ingredients and mix until well-combined. Shape into balls and bake for around 15-20 minutes. Super easy and super healthy right? Enjoy!

Until next time...

Weekend Breakfast

Growing up, my favorite meal ever was french toast. In fact, I loved it so much, I ordered french toast every restaurant that I went (if it was on the menu). Since then, I have broadened my taste when dining out, but I still greatly appreciate a good french toast. I found this recipe in the book "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg, but you can also find it here.

Molly would argue that the trick to good french toast is to use oil instead of butter when frying, I would agree, but I think that using a larger ratio of milk to eggs also helps to give the toast a more custardy inside. It is best to use a thick bread like Texas toast or french bread. The bread needs to be day or two old so that it is just a little stale. I used french rolls so the sizes were a little smaller, like french toast sliders.

1 cup milk (the recipe calls for whole, but I use almond milk)

3 large eggs (beaten)

1.5 T sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 t salt

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Light oil, like canola or safflower

3 loaves of french rolls cut into 1 inch thick slices

Pure maple syrup, for serving

Side note: Did you know that this is what nutmeg looks like? I used to only use ground nutmeg from the store until I discovered how easy it was to get the whole seed and freshly grate it when needed.

Whisk together the first six ingredients. This is the batter to soak the bread slices. Each side needs to soak for about two minutes. Place each slice on a hot skillet with a pool of oil. It may sound a little weird, but it's important that there is a lot of oil. Not just coating the bottom of the pan, but enough to boil around the bottom of the bread. You'll know that the oil is hot enough if you flick a bit of the batter in the oil and it starts to bubble.

You can soak the second round of slices when the first is sizzling.  Flip after about 1 minute. Cook until each side is done. Drizzle with pure maple syrup, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Yummy!

Until next time...

Banana Oat Pancakes

Ummm... These pancakes were so delicious. Nabil even got seconds ...and thirds! I got the base of the recipe from Epicurious, but I changed it a bit to fit what was in the fridge and to cut down on the cals. Enjoy!

1 1/4 C wheat unbleached flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C old-fashioned oats

1 1/4 C Almond Milk

3 medium mashed ripe bananas
2 large eggs, beaten to blend

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Mix first three ingredients in a small bowl with a fork and set aside. Combine oats and milk in large bowl. Let stand until oats are soft, about 15 minutes. Mix in mashed bananas, eggs and cinnamon. Gradually stir in dry mixture (batter will be very thick).

Preheat oven to 250°F (to keep cakes warm while cooking second and third batch). Spray skillet with olive oil or Pam to prevent sticking. Heat burner to medium-low heat. Using generous (aprox. 1/4 cup) batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes until brown on bottom and some bubbles begin to break around edges, about 3 minutes. Turn pancakes over. Cook until brown on bottom and firm to touch in center, about 3 minutes (pancakes will be thick). Transfer pancakes to baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with syrup and, if desired, berries, bananas, or powdered sugar.

Update (02/26): I recently used this recipe but added a few other fruits. To do this I used the same recipe (I only had one large banana, but if I had another I would have used it as well) and added a handful of different berries to the batter before cooking.

 
It is a great way to add another serving of fruit to an already healthy/hearty breakfast. I prefer the taste to strawberry, but both options were delish.

Enjoy!!

Until next time...