Starting tomorrow, Lovebug has 2 weeks of swimming lessons first thing in the morning, followed by a week of Science Camp in the mornings. That means we will not be sitting down at the table for a leisurely breakfast for quite some time, so we needed something we could “grab & go”.
It couldn’t be just any food though. It needs to be healthy and packed full of nutrients so that she can get through the morning with enough energy and is able to focus.
Today I made “Egg Cupcakes”, and “Apple Muffins”, and I made a ton of them so I can throw them in the freezer and just pop a couple out each day. One of each, and a side of grapes or apple slices will make a perfect breakfast that can be eaten easily in the car if needed.
The Egg Cupcakes have eggs, chopped ham, zucchini, red bell pepper, spinach and seasonings. Lovebug will eat almost anything, but she doesn’t like zucchini or red bell pepper. However, thanks to my food processor, she can’t even taste it in there – as evidenced by the fact that she ate 3 of them tonight fresh out of the oven!
The Apple Muffins have apples (of course), banana, grated carrots, & raisins. They are also GFCF, and made with almond meal instead of flour. Delicious!!
These also make great snacks, or a quick lunch too!
My husband grew up enjoying his Granny’s homemade chocolate gravy & biscuits when he would visit her house. He has talked about this tradition many times over the years, and I always thought I would try to make it sometime. I kept putting it off because I’m not an experienced gravy maker, and I thought it would be difficult. It’s not!
Granny is visiting with us right now, so I wanted to make this family favorite for her & Hubby to enjoy…and to introduce it to our daughter to pass on the tradition.
It turned out so YUMMY, and was simple to make. I admit, I was a little nervous in the middle of the cooking process because I thought it wouldn’t thicken up, but it all turned out perfect and just required a bit of patience.
Want the recipe? Ok, I’ll share! I didn’t take pictures of the process, but I’ll try to do that next time.
CHOCOLATE GRAVY
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup butter
* 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 cups milk
Directions:
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cocoa and flour, then stir until thick. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. This will take several minutes, so be patient – it’s worth the wait!
This is best served immediately, but the cold leftovers are also very tasty!
** Click here for a printable version of the chocolate gravy recipe **
I also made homemade biscuits to pour the gravy over, although it’s good enough to just eat with a spoon! If you want a good recipe for biscuits, here is a great one from the AllRecipes website.
Strawberries & Cream Crepes, served with a side of “Cheesy Eggs”
My husband is the King of Crepes! Before Bug was born, Hubby’s mom bought us a crepe pan and a crepe cookbook. Those 2 things are in the top 5 most-used gifts we’ve received! We’ve had to replace the pan a couple times since because we use it SO often for all sorts of things. He can even flip them!! See?
Recently we had our first try at making Gluten Free pancakes, and they were delicious! We couldn’t tell the difference from what we used to make. We made Strawberry & Cream Crepes. YUM!! Make them yourselves, and see what you think.
Crepe Batter Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk OR your favorite dairy free milk substitute
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter OR light olive oil
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour mix (Use your favorite – we used Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
Light olive oil or canola oil to grease skillet
Preparation:
Crêpe Batter- Pour milk, egg, melted butter OR olive oil and vanilla into a blender pitcher or a medium mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the blender or mixing bowl. Blend or whisk just until combined and smooth. The batter should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Add more milk, one teaspoon at a time if the batter is too thick.
Note-Batter can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to one day. (We always make it the day before)
Directions:
Heat a low-sided 8-inch skillet or crêpe pan over medium high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon oil to the skillet and brush to coat the bottom of the skillet. (Do this before making each crêpe) Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the heated skillet. Swirl the skillet until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for about 1 minute- the crepe should be barely moist on top. Use a thin spatula to loosen the edges of the crêpe, slide the spatula under the crêpe and gently flip it upside down. Cook for about one more minute, just until golden and transfer crêpe to a cooling rack or plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.
We turn the oven on 200 degrees F, and place the cooked crepes on a cookie sheet to keep warm if using right away.
Filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
Mix together by hand, or in a food processor.
Topping:
I took a bowl full of frozen (no-sugar-added) strawberries, microwaved till soft, added 1/4 cup or of sugar, then tossed it all in the Vitamix and pureed till smooth. Use your favorite berry, or a mixture!
Assembly:
Place crepe on plate.
Put 1/4 cup or so of filling down the middle of crepe.
Fold like a burrito – tops/bottoms in, then roll from one side.
One of our favorite things about summer is enjoying sweet, juicy watermelon! This summer, we made a new twist on an old favorite. It’s tasty enough to be a treat, and healthy enough to have for breakfast!
Servings: We made this for 3 people, but there was plenty of everything to make twice that many as long as you have more bananas!
Difficulty: Super Easy!
Prep Time Needed: 10 minutes for chopping fruit
Cook Time Needed: None!
Ingredients:
3 bananas
Medium sized watermelon sliced in half (you will at least need a large piece a few inches thick for making the scoops)
1 cup diced fresh blueberries
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
1 cup diced pineapple (fresh or canned)
3 TB strawberry all-fruit preserves, heated
1 cup your preferred yogurt (we use plain, nonfat yogurt and sweeten with honey or applesauce)
1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut
Directions:
1. Slice bananas lengthwise and place in bowl.
2. Using an ice cream ball scoop, top bananas with 3 scoops of watermelon.
1 cup dates, pitted & chopped (may substitute raisins, dried cranberries, or any dried fruit)
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup unsweetened grated coconut (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the oats, dates, applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon, nuts & coconut. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
**NOTE** These cookies will come out of the oven the same shape they go in. If you want a flatter cookie you may press down before baking, or form them into bar shapes.
