breakfast Archives - Page 2 of 3

Drink & Dish: Blueberry Pancakes {with video!}

May 5, 2013 · by Ari ·

I know that no one is *perfect*, but I’d have to say my mom is pretty darn close. So today, rather than tell you about how awesome the pancakes are (they are awesome, and make sure you check out the video at the end for all my pancake secrets!), I have compiled a list of a few of the many reasons I love my mom.

1. My mom is the best listener. Any time I have a problem, she says all the right things. I can call her at any time of day and I know I can count on her to be my confidant, and give me A+ advice. She is a social worker, so in addition to her 28 years (gross, I’m old) of experience, she’s also legitimately educated in advice giving and people skills.

2. She is hilarious and totally weird. When I was little, she would do this weird clap-in-patterns thing. I seriously don’t know how else to even explain it, but I was always so embarrassed. Now I see all my weird little quirks, and realize how alike we are. I appreciate that she taught me to be silly, and to be myself. Now I love all of her little oddities. They make her unique, and she wouldn’t be my mom without them.

3. She is my biggest cheerleader, and also my biggest advocate. I love the positive support and encouragement I get from my mom, but it is the times when I see her stand up and fight for me that I am taken aback. My mom, rarely angry, occasionally turns into a real mama bear, and I can see her fight to protect me. I don’t care how old I am, I will always appreciate feeling protected, and I will also always need to hear her tell me “Good job. I’m proud of you.”

4. She is the most patient woman I have ever met. It doesn’t run in the family. I simultaneously admire, and am in awe of her patience. You know when you want to grow up and be just like your mom? Yeah, I still feel that way, and I keep hoping one day it will happen.

There are a million more things I could say, but I’ll try not to make this a novel. Check out the latest episode of Drink & Dish for my pancake secrets, Nicole’s amazing Blackberry Wine Cooler (check out the recipe–they are AWESOME!), and our favorite memories with our moms.

What is your favorite thing/memory about/with your mom?

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 pancakes

Serving Size: 2 pancakes

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Perfectly fluffy whole wheat and vegan blueberry pancakes are perfect for any brunch occasion!

Ingredients

2 tbsp milled flax seed
6 tbsp water
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
dash salt
2-3 tbsp brown sugar*
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together flax seed and water. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Gently mix in flax mixture, almond milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined, then fold in blueberries. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat griddle or large pan over medium-low heat, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until top forms small bubbles and bottom is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until golden.

Notes

*I used 2 tbsp brown sugar, but you can easily use 3 if you like your pancakes on the sweeter side.

https://arismenu.com/drink-dish-blueberry-pancakes/

Portobello Breakfast Cups

April 16, 2013 · by Ari ·

It seems strange to go “back to normal” today. I was originally going to post these yesterday, but it just didn’t seem right. I had too many things rolling around in my brain, and I needed to use this blog for what I originally started it for–to share my thoughts. I love sharing recipes, but I also always want this blog to be a place I approach with honesty and the truth of my thoughts. So if you took the time out of your day to read those thoughts, I also want to say thank you.

Okay, let’s attempt to get back to normal, shall we? You know how I eat the same thing for breakfast every single day? Well, I actually usually eat this for lunch. I love sweet breakfast for breakfast and savory breakfast for lunch. I know, I’m kind of a freak. One day, after eating this for about the 6th consecutive day, I thought I’d take a picture of it.

Except when I eat this, I just chop the mushroom up and throw everything together in a big bowl, but that’s not exactly visually appealing, or at all photogenic. So this time I put everything in nice little mushroom cups for you. Then, after I took this picture, I threw everything into a big bowl.

It’s funny, I rarely use eggs when I bake. I’ll use them if I’m using other dairy products, but that’s not very often, so I usually leave them out to keep them friendly for my vegan friends. But on their own? I love eggs. Especially a runny yolk.

This meal comes together in less than 20 minutes, and it is packed with healthy veggies–perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Portobello Breakfast Cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2

Serving Size: 2 cups

Portobello Breakfast Cups

A simple, veggie-packed breakfast, lunch or dinner. Grain and gluten-free.

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange, etc.), chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
large handful chopped kale, approx 1 cup loosely packed
1 chicken sausage, sliced
1/4 cup 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you want to use, or no cheese if you wish)
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Chalulah for topping, optional

Instructions

Line a medium-large baking dish with tin foil. Add portobello mushrooms and drizzle lightly with 1 tbsp olive oil. Broil until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add kale and chicken sausage. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
While vegetables finish cooking, fry eggs over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet until bottoms are browned, and eggs are cooked to desired consistency (for me, it's about 5 minutes).
Top cooked portobellos with sauteed vegetables, then cheese. Top with fried egg. Add a few shakes of Chalulah is desired.

https://arismenu.com/portobello-breakfast-cups/

Chai Spiced Vanilla Bean “Buttermilk” Muffins

February 6, 2013 · by Ari ·

Soft and fluffy whole grain chai spiced muffins with fresh vanilla bean, made with vegan buttermilk. A perfect healthy treat for brunch, or a mid-afternoon snack.

I don’t eat a lot of muffins. I mean, I’ve never met a baked good I don’t like, but a muffin isn’t what I generally grab. I usually find them to be glorified cupcakes without the frosting, and really, why would you want a cupcake with no frosting???

Well, these muffins do not taste like a cupcake, and I love that. They taste like everything you could ever want in a breakfast: spicy chai, sweet vanilla and, of course, carbs. Yes, carbs have a taste. I would describe it as “amazing” or “perfection”.

I have a secret. These actually started out as cupcakes. You see, that’s much more my style, but as I frosted them with a sugary glaze, I just wasn’t in love. These flavors are bold, and the “cupcake” came out so perfectly soft and moist that I didn’t want to hide it. So I tried again. I took away some excess sugar, cut the frosting, and I discovered that muffins can actually be pretty spectacular.

They would pair perfectly with your breakfast protein of choice, or smeared with peanut butter as an afternoon snack, or dusted with some cinnamon and powdered sugar for dessert. They are incredibly versatile and at 89 calories a pop, why not enjoy??

You may have noticed my untraditional “buttermilk”. Well, it’s not only to make the recipe vegan (added bonus!), but honestly, every time I seem to buy buttermilk, it just sits in my fridge and then goes bad. Instead, I used a cup of Silk Pure Almond Vanilla with 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar. In addition to keeping the muffins vegan, using the Silk saved an extra 5 calories per muffin opposed to making homemade buttermilk with skim milk. Now, 5 may seem like nothing, but as my tagline says, I truly believe that “Little changes make a big difference”, and I promise that after you’ve gone through the entire batch (trust me, it’s inevitable), those 5 calories will add up!

Print
Chai Spiced Vanilla Bean “Buttermilk” Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 1 dozen
Serving Size: 1 muffin

Soft and fluffy whole grain chai spiced muffins with fresh vanilla bean, made with vegan buttermilk. A perfect healthy treat for brunch, or a mid-afternoon snack.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 vanilla bean
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Measure out almond milk and add apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and applesauce. Scrape out the center of vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Beat until combined. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the sugar and apple sauce mixture in 3 additions beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Divide batter evenly between lines muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3.1
https://arismenu.com/chai-spiced-vanilla-bean-buttermilk-muffins/

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential LLC. All opinions are my own. To learn more about Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened on Facebook and Twitter.

Elvis Smoothie

January 18, 2013 · by Ari ·

Okay, I promise I’m not crazy. Elvis did it. He put bacon on his peanut butter sandwich. If Elvis can put bacon on his sandwich, I can put bacon on my smoothie.

This smoothie is really quite simple. Imagine the components of an Elvis sandwich being blended together to make the perfect breakfast drink. Peanut butter, banana, honey, bacon—what can I say? It just works. The sweet and salty flavors balance out perfectly, and by making it into a smoothie, it’s so easy to grab it, and go on your way out the door. It literally takes 5 minutes, so if you’re one of those people who tries to say you don’t have time for breakfast (I don’t get it…I ALWAYS have time for food!), then I say to you: You have 5 minutes, especially when your breakfast tastes like dessert.

This smoothie may sound indulgent, but it is actually packed with fiber and protein, and filled with nutrients that provide a balanced breakfast that only tastes like dessert.

To help keep the smoothie thick and delicious and the calories low, I used Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla. The same smoothie using skim milk would come in at 372 calories—a pretty huge jump! Just the one change of using Silk instead (it is the lowest calorie almondmilk on the market!) saves 50 calories!

Elvis Smoothie

Yield 1 huge smoothie

1 medium banana, frozen
1 cup ice
1 cup Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened Vanilla
1 tbs honey peanut butter (regular peanut butter is fine too)
4 oz nonfat honey Greek yogurt
1 slice center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
extra peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place banana, ice, Silk, peanut butter and yogurt in a blender, and blend until well combined, about 2 minutes.
If desired roll the top of your glass in graham cracker crumbs and drizzle some extra melted peanut butter on the inside.
Top with crumbled bacon.

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Silk and FitFluential, LLC. All opinions are my own. To learn more about Silk Pure Almond Unsweetened on Facebook and Twitter.

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

November 30, 2012 · by Ari ·

Have you heard? After Thanksgiving, cranberry is the new pumpkin.

Oh and peppermint is the new sweet potato. Trust me, that’s coming too. I’m pretty obsessed with the chocolate peppermint combination, so it’s only a matter of time. But for now, I’m in cranberry land.

Let me just say, I’m usually pretty skeptical about any type of “muffin” that doesn’t include flour. I’m a girl who likes her bread. Thick, doughy, gluteny bread is a staple in my diet, and I’m not ashamed.

I had my reservations about just using almond meal. I thought they would come out dense and brick-like. I didn’t think there was any way I could have a perfect fluffy muffin with no flour.

Turns out, almond meal muffins are basically perfection. Soft, fluffy, hearty and filling! I hate when you try to eat a “muffin” for breakfast-and by muffin I mean a glorified cupcake that’s missing the frosting-and 5 minutes later you’re hungry again because you just ate the equivalent of a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. These muffins could actually serve as an on-the-go breakfast. That is, if you’re not me and don’t feel the overpowering urge to eat half your calories before noon.

I don’t know what it is, but I always wake up feeling like a ravenous beast. You know those people who skip breakfast? I DON’T GET IT!! So, you know, I’d probably pair one of these up with, like, half a dozen eggs, but if you’re a normal human, you could just grab one on your way out the door, and be good to go.

The sweet and tart orange and cranberry flavors meld perfectly with the hearty nutty flavor to make the perfect breakfast treat that you can share with just about anybody!

Orange Cranberry Almond Meal Muffins

yield 10-12 muffins

adapted from Bran Appetit

2 cups almond meal
3 tbs corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond meal, corn starch, baking powder and salt. Stir in almond milk, honey/agave, orange juice and extracts until combined. Fold in dried cranberries.
Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Peanut Butter Filled Oatmeal Muffins

November 9, 2012 · by Ari ·

One of my very favorite breakfasts is loaded oatmeal. I never used to understand the whole oatmeal obsession until I started reading food blogs and seeing and the delicious mix ins other people use in their oatmeal. I mean let’s be honest, if you put peanut butter in anything I will probably eat it.

Especially when it’s all hot and oozey and melts out when you take a bite. Melty + peanut butter = the best of both worlds.

These muffins were inspired by two very special friends. They don’t really eat gluten or dairy, but that doesn’t mean they should have to miss out on post run muffin amazingness!

You guys know I love cooking for special diets. It’s a weird thing I have. The more rules, the more exciting it is to make something delicious and fitting! I guess I just enjoy a challenge. Must come from my ~~super chill un~~competitive nature.

These muffins just scream fall breakfast to me, and I loved finding a new way to eat oatmeal in the morning because, let’s be honest, no matter how many different ways I mix things in, the concept of stove top oats remains the same, and we all need a little variety once in a while.

Plus, muffins for breakfast are the closest thing you get to cupcakes for breakfast, and who doesn’t want to eat cupcakes for breakfast???

Peanut Butter Filled Oatmeal Muffins

adapted from Gluten Free Girl

yield 1 dozen

2 cups sweet rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 tbs milled flax seed
1 tbs corn starch
1 tbs coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup fig butter
1 cup cooked gluten-free oatmeal, room temperature
1/3 cup dried cranberries
approx 1/3 cup peanut butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, rice flour, flax seed and corn starch. Beat in coconut oil, almond milk and fig butter. Then fold in cooked oats and cranberries.
Fill each muffin tin about 1/3 with batter. Top with approx 1/2 tbs peanut butter (you can use more or less depending on how peanut buttery you want them), then top with batter leaving the cups 2/3 full.
Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. You can test with a toothpick, but make sure not to stick it right in the peanut butter. Toothpick should come out mostly clean with a few crumbs.

Skinnified Sunday: Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins

October 28, 2012 · by Ari ·

A couple of weeks ago after one of our Monday runs, we got back to Nicole put the most amazing muffin in my hands to send me off with. It was drool worthy, and let’s just say it didn’t even last my 3 mile drive home.

Good friends end runs with muffins. Just sayin’. Actually, I’m a little bit surprised that spending so much time with an other food blogger hasn’t caused both of us to gain 100 lbs. That girl is always giving me delicious things to try like these. So.much.food.

These were actually fairly healthy already, so it didn’t take much tweaking, but ya know what I learned? There is no substitute for butter in a crumb topping. Well, I’ve seen some people use coconut oil, but there is no “low fat” option. UNLESS YOU KNOW THE SECRET?!?!?! I tried light whipped butter–no dice. I tried pumpkin puree and ended up with a goopy mess, so I finally sucked it up and told myself that using 3 tbs for 1.5 dozen muffins was not the end of the world. So there. I used real butter. I actually couldn’t believe I had any in my house, but I dug in the back of the fridge, and there it was in all it’s butter glory.

Just call me Paula Dean, I guess. 😉

I was super happy that my muffins came out just as delicious as the original, and they were definitely my tean’s favorite. Chunks of apple in the middle with a crumbly cinnamon streusel top? You just can’t go wrong there!

Ya know, in case you wanted to be ALL UP IN THIS MUFFIN’S BUSINESS.

Original recipe via Foodie Misadventures

My Swaps:

White whole wheat flour for all purpose (+fiber, + protein)
Less sugar
Reduced fat buttermilk for regular (-fat, -calories)
Apple sauce for canola oil (-fat, -calories)
Liquid egg substitute for real egg (-fat, calories, -cholesterol)
1/2 streusel topping (-fat, -calories, -sugar) <—I made the all of it at first, but there was SO MUCH that I only ended up using about half

Skinnified Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins

yield 1 1/2 dozen

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
dash salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large apples, peeled and diced (I used gala, but honey crisp would be AMAZING)

For the cinnamon crumb topping:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tbs white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with 18 paper liners. Spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, applesauce, egg substitute, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the apples until just combined.
To make the crumb topping, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon (or your fingers…) until crumbly.
Fill the prepared muffin pans 3/4 full with batter. Evenly sprinkle each muffin with crumb topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Muffins

October 25, 2012 · by Ari ·

Ultra-soft whole grain pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet and spicy cinnamon sugar swirl.

The weekend before last, most of my team was completing their longest training run bright and early Saturday morning. Even though I had already completed my 20 miler the day before, I wanted to go cheer on my friends, and Susan had ordered some muffins for the team to celebrate all of the hard work we’ve put in over the last 4 months.

Obviously I had to bring something pumpkin, and these were a huge hit! Of course, I had to taste one before sending them off, so I shared one with my pumpkin hating husband who loved them just as much as I did! I don’t know know if it was the pumpkin, or the perfect amount of baking time, or what, but the texture of these muffins was absolute perfection!

They are so light and fluffy and the cinnamon swirl really spices them up perfectly!

And GUESS WHAT!!! This was the first time I took all my own pictures without my fancy camera husband around to even help me get my settings and everything adjusted. 100% me (and, you know, the fancy camera helps a little 😉 ). I feel like I know absolutely nothing about photography, so I was thrilled at how these came out!! I’m really excited to learn be learning more, and getting a little more self sufficient on the photography end, since it is such a big part of the blog.

Anyway, back to the muffins! They would be the perfect treat to wake up to on Thanksgiving morning for a quick and easy breakfast while you prepare for family and the big day. Cut them in half, slather them with pumpkin butter because there really is no such thing as too much pumpkin! Trust me.

These babies will definitely be a fall (well, pretty much year round since I’m an all season pumpkin lover) staple in my house!

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Muffins

Yield: 1 dozen

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon milled flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 muffin tins, then spray lightly with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax seed, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and egg substitute until well-combined.
Alternate adding dry ingredients/buttermilk to wet ingredients (flour mixture, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, flour).
Fill muffin tins 1/3. In a small bowl, whisk remaining 2 tbsp sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the top of the batter. Top with remaining batter.
Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let stand for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Ultra-soft whole grain pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet and spicy cinnamon sugar swirl.

https://arismenu.com/cinnamon-swirl-pumpkin-muffins/

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

June 1, 2012 · by Ari ·

This never happens. We eat a lot of bananas in this house, so they never stick around long enough to make banana bread/muffins/etc.

But I guess one day I got overzealous on my banana buying. Or we got sick of them for a while, because all of the sudden I had more over ripe bananas than I knew what to do with.

Okay, that’s a lie. I knew exactly what to do with them!

Note to self: bananas don’t typically stick around too long. Banana muffins don’t make it through the night.

I always talk about how I love experimenting with cooking for different diets. I won’t ever, ever, ever do an other diet with rules again, unless I develop some medical condition in which it is necessary or I’m going to die, and even then I’d still consider my options. Kidding. Mostly. 😉 I do love trying different things, however, and cooking in different ways. I’ve been dying to find some amazing looking recipe to make Diana some candida baked goods! Soon, soon, soon. But for now, amazing people like Jen that can’t have dairy, can eat delicious muffins (and Jen, I promise I am sending your cookies before I leave for camp!).

I could not get over how soft and moist these muffins were! Honestly, what is the point of butter in a muffin? Bananas and applesauce do the same thing and, in my opinion, like a million times better. I mean, don’t get me wrong…I love butter. It’s sick, really, how much I love butter, but well…now I feel slightly embarrassed because about my last statement, so let’s get back to these muffins which don’t fill my love of butter, but fill my bigger love of baked goods and chocolate. And now I am reminded of how sad I am that there are no longer any left in my house. First world problems people. This means you should make them, and enjoy them for me!

Like, perhaps, while lounging by the pool. 😉

Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

yield 1 dozen

2 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 extra-ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup turbinado sugar + more for sprinkling
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup non dairy dark chocolate chips (I recommend using the mini size)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners, and spray lightly with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together bananas, vanilla, applesauce, 3/4 cup sugar, and almond milk, until well combined. Slowly, beat in dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips.
Evenly divide batter between the 12 muffin tins. Sprinkle an extra pinch of turbinado sugar on the top of each muffin (optional), and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer immediately to wire racks to cool.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

May 23, 2012 · by Ari ·

Yup.

That happened.

You guys…I don’t even know what to say. These should have had like a zillion calories. With the name, and the deliciousness, and the whole eating dessert for breakfast thing. But really, a little dark chocolate is good for us, yes?

Okay, so I’m not about to switch out my Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, chopped apple weirdness and turn bacon chocolate chip pancakes into my staple breakfast, but on a Sunday morning? Hell, yes.

I’m really sad you weren’t here to share in the fun. Although, I bet Steve and Jason are not in the least bit sad, because it meant more pancakes for them.

Sweet, salty, fluffy, melt in your mouth pancakes that will satisfy every single breakfast craving you’ve ever experienced. And just a little hint: whole wheat pastry flour is the secret to perfect whole grain pancakes. Do not used regular. Do not use white whole wheat. And please, do not think you need to add in bleached out white flour.

Oh, and my final instructions: Save that middle section with the most chocolate for last. It will be the best bite.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

yield 6 servings

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
dash salt
2 tsp sugar free maple syrup (or honey, agave, or pure maple syrup)
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 slices center cut or turkey bacon, cooked, chopped and cooled
1/2 cup all natural dark chocolate chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently mix in syrup, egg substitute, milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined. Then fold in cooked bacon and chocolate chips. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat a large pan over medium heat, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour approx 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until top forms small bubbles and bottom is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until both sides are golden.
Serve topped with any combination of Greek yogurt/syrup/light whipped butter

Mexican Egg Bake

December 27, 2011 · by Ari ·

I made this recipe a long time ago, back when this blog was titled “Skinnified”, but recently made it again with a few changes, so I just wanted to give it an update with some better pictures. It is equally, if not more delicious, and so perfect for hosting brunch for a large group!

Mexican Egg Bake

yield 12 servings

1 8oz package Pillsbury seamless creations
12 egg whites
4 whole eggs
1 onion, diced
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 can green chilies
1/4 cup red fat sharp cheddar or goat cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 lb cooked turkey or soy sausage, chopped (I’ve made both and I love it both ways)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
dash chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
splash Chalulah
splash milk (I used 2%)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
Press Pillsbury dough into sprayed pan and cook about 12-15 minutes until golden.
Spray a large pan with nonstick spray. Over medium heat, saute garlic, onion and bell pepper until tender. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder.
When veggies are tender, add in sausage and continue to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Whisk together egg whites and eggs. Add a splash of milk and a couple shakes of Chalulah.
Pour veggies and soy sausage on top of cooked dough. Add green chilies and egg mixture.
Top with cheeses and bake at 350 for about 45 min or until the center is set.

Skinnified Sunday: Maple Bacon Pancakes

September 25, 2011 · by Ari ·

Hi everyone! Man, the weekend seems like a total blur. Today was day 7 of my 33 straight work days. Craziness is beginning to set in especially considering Fiddler officially began today with the audition workshop. Only 26 days left 🙂 Needless to say, not a lot of cooking has been going on in my kitchen, well at least not a lot of exciting cooking, but I did manage to pull out something quick and delicious yesterday morning that filled my sweet and salty craving!

Back in the day, one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant was pancakes with over medium eggs and bacon that I would put on top and cover the whole thing with maple syrup. I LOVE sweet and salty combinations! Salted caramel mocha? The vain of my existence right now. There is no way to make that drink healthy. I’ve been through it in my head 100 times. But this breakfast totally did the trick. Not to mention is was ready in about 15 minutes.

Maple Bacon Pancakes

2 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
2 egg, lightly beaten
2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoon of butter
6 slices of bacon, sliced horizontally and then diced

My swaps:

1/2 recipe (-temptation)
Whole wheat pastry flour for all purpose flour (+protein, +fiber)
Red fat buttermilk for regular (-fat, -calories)
Brown sugar and Splenda for sugar (I think I forgot to half the sugar part so honestly calorie and sugar wise it was the same as the original, but I would probably do it that way again and I prefer brown sugar to regular)
Egg whites for whole eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
Cooking spray for butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat)
Center cut or turkey bacon for regular (-fat, -calories, – saturated fat)
+ 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (+protein)
+ vanilla extract (+yum)
+ maple extract (+yum)

Skinnified Maple Bacon Pancakes

yield 3 servings