Hearty Oatmeal

When I got home from the gym this morning I was craving oatmeal. So I whipped up a hearty bowl of cranberry oatmeal to satisfy me! I paired it with some scrambled egg whites and was good to go!

I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats...Take 3 tablespoons oats, 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/3 cup water, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix it all together. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes. ENJOY!

Pancake Sunday

I was in Whole Foods on Saturday and I saw this pancake mix called the Organic Batter Blaster . It is pancake batter in a can AND it is organic! I knew I HAD to try it...just from the sheer oddness of it!

So following the directions, I shook the can really well, held it over my griddle and sprayed....

I added some blueberries...yum! These actually looked REALLY good!

A successful flip....AND...

TADA! Perfect pancakes and they actually tasted REALLY good!

Overall verdict: they are definitely EASY (we're talking like 5 minutes here) and no messy clean-up! So if you want organic pancakes in a hurry these are definitely the way to go. Keep the can in the refrigerator for future use. (1 can yields 28 pancakes)

Serving Size (1/4 cup batter = 2 (4 inch) pancakes) 80 Calories; 0.5g Fat (0g saturated fat); 15mg Cholesterol; 300mg Sodium; 17g Carbohydrates; 0.5g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 2g Protein

Sunday Brunch

Gluten-Free French Toast

LOVE SUNDAYS! My husband, Keith, and I always try to hang out together and enjoy good football and usually a good brunch! It is a great time for us to chill out before the busy week starts again. This morning I made us gluten-free french toast! It was a nice yummy treat! I used the GF Udi White Bread and we had a side of Applegate Farms chicken apple sausage! (my fave!)

What An EGG-cellent Idea!

Check these out! These are SO easy, so yummy, and are the perfect on-the-go snack or breakfast! Perfect for kids or adults and the recipe is just a model...get creative, have fun and invent your own eggy creations!!!

EGG MUFFINS

12 large eggs OR 3 cups of Egg Beaters

Optional add-ins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spary a muffin tin with non-stick spray.

2. Scramble the eggs in a large bowl, seasoning to taste (or use 3 cups Egg Beaters product)

3. At this point add in any variation you want in your muffin, such as:

chopped lean ham, candian bacon, etc...

sauteed vegetables: mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, onions, etc...

cheese, grated

green chilis

hot sauce

(The possibilities are endless!)

4. Pour evenly into greased muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle. Makes 18 muffins.

TIP: Muffins will rise while baking and deflate slightly when removed from oven. (This is NORMAL) Can be eaten warm or cold! Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave.

Muffin Make-Over!

I will admit that I am a muffin LOVER! I could not live a life that didn't include these tasty little treats. But traditionally muffins are TERRIBLE for you because they are made with lots of oil, sugar and butter!!! Most store-bought and bakery muffins are actually worse for you than donuts! YES! They just hide behind the name "muffin" making you think they are healthy. But really they are just glorified pieces of cake! But WAIT don't give up hope! I love to re-create the muffin so they can be enjoyed on a regular basis in any diet! Today is the perfect baking day...rainy and cold! So here you go...your breakfast never had it so good!!

STRAWBERRY OAT MUFFINS

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a muffin pan or use paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine oats and buttermilk, and let stand 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the egg, applesauce, brown sugar and vanilla. Blend in the oat-buttermilk mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, just until moistened. Fold in the strawberries.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serves: 12

133 Calories; 1.2g Fat (0.4g saturated fat); 18mg Cholesterol; 310mg Sodium; 27.8g Carbohydrate; 2.2g Fiber; 15g Sugar; 3.7g Protein

Ode to Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix

I "heart" Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix! A few weeks ago I posted chocolate chip cookies that I made from the mix and now here are the muffins! (Keith and I also LOVE just the plain ole pancakes!!) You have GOT to try this stuff people!!

BANANA NUT MUFFINS

1 1/4 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I actually used pecans)
1/2 cup mashed banana (I used 2 medium bananas)
1 egg, large
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together and spoon 2/3 full into a greased muffin tin (or use paper liners). Bake 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Yields: 8 muffins
171.9 CALORIES; 5.04g FAT (0.73g saturated fat); 28.94mg CHOLESTEROL; 191.6mg SODIUM; 29.75g CARBOHYDRATE; 1.6g FIBER; 15.6g SUGAR; 3.01g PROTEIN

Breakfast For Dinner!

No one said breakfast foods had to be served at breakfast time, right? Well last night is was breakfast for dinner in the Bruneman household. This is a recipe for delicious (and healthy) pumpkin pancakes!

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup cake flour
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Maple syrup or honey

Whisk together pumpkin, yogurt, baking soda, egg yolk, and flour. Whisk egg whites with salt; fold into pumpkin mixture. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon in 1/3 cup batter for each pancake. Flip when tops are covered with bubbles and edges are slightly brown (about 3 minutes per side). Drizzle with syrup or honey.

Makes 4 servings (2 pancakes per serving)
90 CALORIES: 2g FAT (1g saturated fat); 299mg SODIUM; 55mg CHOLESTEROL; 12g CARBOHYDRATE; 1g FIBER; 7g PROTEIN

YUMMY RECIPE

I made gluten-free carrot raisin muffins today. SO GOOD!!

CARROT RAISIN MUFFINS

2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob Red Mill)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup carrot, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup raisins Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 14 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

Combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, honey, vanilla extract and orange juice in a separate bowl. Gently fold in carrots into the yogurt mixture. Stir yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in raisins into batter.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups until nearly full. Bake in oven until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire rack.

Serves 14
110.4 Calories; 0.4g Fat (0.1g sat. fat); 0mg Cholesterol; 273.3mg Sodium; 25.8g Carbohydrates; 2.6g Fiber; 8.3g Sugar; 2.9g Protein