sweet potato hash browns {whole30}

this recipe is saving breakfast for me during my whole30 journey.  so delicious.

sweet potato hash browns

printable version

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1/2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme

cracked pepper and salt to taste

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

few sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped

melt the ghee in a skillet over medium high heat.  

toss the potatoes with the dry seasonings (saving the parsley and oregano for right before serving).

once ghee is melted, add the sweet potatoes and let cook until slightly browned on one side before flipping. 

after both sides are browned, reduce heat to medium, cover and let cook for 10 minutes or until softened (with a little crunch on the outside).  toss in fresh herbs and serve.

(serves 2)

pumpkin protein muffins

today i tried to make some pumpkin protein pancakes without following a recipe.  epic fail! it's embarrassing how badly they turned out and how horrible they tasted.  not even remotely palatable.  so there i was, on a rainy day, in my kitchen with not one extracurricular activity to have any particular person(s) to and an open can of pumpkin puree.  what more could a girl ask for?

pumpkin muffins, that's what.  a girl could ask for pumpkin muffins and these did not disappoint.  totes healthy and plenty palatable.

pumpkin protein muffins
printable recipe

1 3/4 cup quick cooking oats (i prefer "mom's best" brand)
1/4 cup vanilla whey
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup truvia baking blend
1 whole large egg
2 large egg whites
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt (i used vanilla but plain would be just as good and greek, even better)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin tin by using liners or spray.

using a food processor or blender, process the oats into oat flour.

in a small bow, mix all of the dry ingredients in exception to the truvia baking blend. set aside.

add all of the wet ingredients and the truvia blend to a larger bowl and mix until combined (fluffy).  add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until blended.

pour batter into prepared tin, filling each full.  the batter will be thick.

bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.

yields 12 muffins

mini egg souffles

 

mini egg souffles
printable recipe

4 cups egg substitute (or two kirkland cartons)
6 turkey sausage links
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (pinch for the top of each souffle)

i use frozen turkey sausage links that i buy from costco.  heat them for about 1 minute in the microwave and then chop up into small pieces.

combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and then fill one muffin tin (sprayed with non-stick spray) to the rim.

bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  top each with cheese and bake for another 8-10 minutes.

remove from the oven and let cool for 5 -10 minutes before removing the souffles from the tin.

store in the fridge to be eaten within the next few days (re-heated for 1 minute) or, wrap each in plastic wrap, put in a freezer ziplock and freeze (re-heat from frozen for 2 minutes).

yields 12 souffles.  1 serving = 2 souffles.

protein pancakes

my "go to" protein pancake recipe.  make a batch and refrigerate or freeze.

protein pancakes

printable recipe

1.5 cups quick cooking oats

1.5 scoops vanilla protein powder

2 tbsp ground flax

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

5 large eggs, whites only

1 large whole egg

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup coconut or almond milk (i use vanilla coconut milk)

1 tsp vanilla

using a food processor, combine dry ingredients to make the oat flour.

combine wet ingredients in a blender.

add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix with blender.

allow the mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes before cooking on a skillet pre-heated over med heat and sprayed with non-stick spray.

use 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake.

yields 8 pancakes.  serving = 2 pancakes.

whole wheat coconut banana bread

another keeper for the list.  no big deal.

do you love coconut? i do.  

normally i don't end up with many brown banana's sitting on the counter.  usually, i'm making quick runs to the store in between for reals shopping trips because we're out of banana's.  or creamer.  we eat a lot of banana's and apparently, we use a lot of creamer.  

sometimes though, the banana's i buy start to brown much quicker than other times and i don't like banana's with brown spots.  picky maybe?

anyway, a few weeks ago i ended up with four black banana's on my counter.  since i already have bags of frozen black banana's in my freezer, i didn't want to add to the stash so i decided to try this recipe i'd bookmarked some time ago.  

it was fantastic.

i might have made a few changes. the original calls for white flour.  i used all white whole wheat flour.  it also calls for 4 tbsp of butter but i used coconut oil in place of half the butter as well as fat free plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

whole wheat coconut banana bread

printable recipe

recipe via honey and butter

2 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 4 large)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

3 tbsp skim milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sweetened, flaked coconut

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.  set aside.

in a large mixing bowl, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar until blended.  add the eggs and beat until combined.  add the banana, sour cream, milk and vanilla.  beat until blended. slowly incorporate the flour mixture until just combined.  fold in the coconut.

pour batter into a large loaf pan that has been sprayed with baking spray or lined with parchment paper.  sprinkle the additional 2 tbsp of coconut on the top.

bake uncovered for 50-60* minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  

let the loaf cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove it from the pan.  cool for an additional 15 minutes before slicing.

*my bread was very dense.  it took 75 minutes to cook all of the way through so i covered the top with tinfoil after 50 minutes to prevent over browning.

yields 12 generous slices

Nutrition Facts whole wheat coconut banana bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 241 Total Fat 6.6g       Saturated Fat 4.3g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 35mg Sodium 200mg Carbohydrate 42.3g       Dietary Fiber 3.3g       Sugars 23.3g Protein 4.8g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 6% Calcium    1% Iron 4%

whole wheat chocolate chip banana muffins

let me tell you something, if you like chocolate then these muffins are going to send you spinning.  oh. my. goodness.  they are amazing.  healthy *enough* for breakfast, rich enough for dessert.  the perfect muffin (in my very humble opinion).

seriously, for wheat muffins made with applesauce and bananas instead of fatty oils and only one egg, you really can enjoy them without the guilt of your typical chocolate chip muffins.

chocolate chip banana muffins

printable recipe

adapted via handle the heat

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.

mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.  add the sugar, applesauce, egg and vanilla and mix together.  sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder over the wet ingredients and fold in until just combined.  fold in chocolate chips.

divide batter among muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).

makes 12 muffins

Nutrition Facts whole wheat chocolate banana muffins Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 221 Total Fat 6.4g       Saturated Fat 3.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 15mg Sodium 248mg Carbohydrate 41.5g       Dietary Fiber 4.2g       Sugars 27.6g Protein 3.1g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    2% Iron 3%

lemon poppy seed muffins

{next time, i'll try using wheat flour instead of AP flour and yogurt instead of sour cream}

lemon poppy seed muffins

printable recipe

via brown eyed baker

2/3 cup granulated sugar

zest and juice from one lemon

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup sour cream (i used light)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp poppy seeds

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and line muffin tin with cups or spray with non-stick spray.

in a small bowl, 

mix the lemon zest and sugar together with your hands until sugar is dampened and smelling of delicious lemon.  

in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  stir lemon sugar into mixture.

in a medium bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla.  

fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined adding the poppy seeds before the last few stirs.  try not to over mix.  

spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes until tops begin to golden.

cool on rack.

yields 12 muffins

Nutrition Facts lemon poppy seed muffins Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 217 Total Fat 9.9g       Saturated Fat 5.9g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 55mg Sodium 179mg Carbohydrate 27.7g       Dietary Fiber 0.5g       Sugars 12.7g Protein 4.3g Vitamin A 7% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    9% Iron 5%

blueberry coffee cake

blueberry coffee cake

adapted from whole foods

printable recipe

cooking spray

2 tbsp + 1 cup white whole wheat flour, divided

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups frozen blueberries

.25 cup almonds (i used slivered because it's what i had but next time i'll used sliced)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  grease a 9" round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.

put 2 tbsp of the white whole wheat flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl and mix together with a fork or your fingers until well combined and mixture is in large clumps; set streusel aside.

combine remaining 1 cup of white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. 

in a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, vanilla and eggs and then pour mixture into the dry ingredients.  stir until combined.  gently fold in 1 cup of blueberries (i made the mistake of mixing both cups of blueberries into the batter which made the cake a little too moist and therefore requiring a longer cook time).

spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle streusel over the top.  scatter remaining 1 cup of blueberries over the streusel and then top with almonds.  bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.  once cooled, loosen edges of cake and transfer to a plate.  cut into slices and serve to daughter after assuring her there is not actually coffee in the cake.

yields 8 generous portions

Nutrition Facts whole foods recipe blueberry coffee cake Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 241 Total Fat 3.3g       Saturated Fat 0.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 45mg Sodium 302mg Carbohydrate 45g       Dietary Fiber 3.6g       Sugars 24.1g Protein 8.4g Alcohol 0.2g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 2% Calcium    12% Iron 7%

cherry almond granola

{this recipe is an adaptation of oh she glows favorite granola}

cherry almond granola

printable recipe

dry ingredients:

2.5 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup brown rice cereal (erewhon)

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 heaping tbsp sweetened coconut flakes

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

wet ingredients:

4 tbsp brown rice syrup

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

add-ins:

1 cup dried sour cherries

pre-heat oven to 300 degrees and line an insulated baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  

in a small saucepan, heat wet ingredients over medium heat.  bring to a boil, stirring often.  once boiling, turn heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes.

pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine until well coated.

spread mixture evenly onto parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.

let cool in pan and then crumble into an airtight container.

yields approximately 20 1/3 cup servings

Nutrition Facts recipe cherry almond granola Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 176 Total Fat 7g       Saturated Fat 1.5g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 103mg Carbohydrate 24.9g       Dietary Fiber 2.7g       Sugars 11.2g Protein 4.3g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium    3% Iron 8%

tropical granola

granola is a great substitute for cereal.  i think.

when i go to the grocery store, i spend way too much time standing in the cereal isle waiting for an acceptable cereal to pop out at me.  it never happens.  i read label after label and either put the box back because it's loaded with crap or, it looks like it might taste like crap.

granola is great.

tropical granola
printable recipe

recipe adapted from annie's eats

3 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup dried mango, chopped
1 cup dried banana chips, chopped
1/2 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine the oats and puff cereal in a large bowl.

in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, mashed banana, coconut oil (melted in microwave in 20 second increments until runny), applesauce, salt, cinnamon and coconut extract.  whisk until very smooth (i will add a 1/3 cup of pureed pineapple as she recommends.  i didn't have it on hand this time around).

add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir gently until everything is evenly coated.  spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet.

bake for 30 minutes and then turn sections of the granola over.  bake for another 15 minutes until nearly completely dried.  key word, "nearly."  if the edges are done but the middle is not, remove the edges and spread the remainder out to finish cooking.

cool on pan for about 15 minutes and then crumble into a large, airtight container.  add toasted coconut, pineapple, mango, banana chips and macadamia nuts.

(nutritional facts: i forgot to measure for serving sizes this time around.  i will make this again for sure and measure then).

whole wheat banana blueberry buttermilk bread

whole wheat banana blueberry buttermilk bread

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups blueberries

preheat oven to 375 degrees. lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray.

in a large bowl, mix buttermilk, brown sugar, apple sauce, vanilla, and eggs. stir in mashed bananas until well-mixed.

in a separate bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. fold in blueberries and pour batter into pan.

bake for 70 - 75 minutes until top is brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean (i covered the top with tinfoil at 50 minutes and then checked for doneness with a toothpick every 5 minutes until done at 70 minutes). cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.

12 slices

1 slice = serving

Nutrition Facts whole wheat banana blueberry bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 140 Total Fat 1.7g       Saturated Fat 0.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 31mg Sodium 238mg Carbohydrate 26.9g       Dietary Fiber 4g       Sugars 6.5g Protein 4.9g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 6% Calcium    5% Iron 5%