My Foodie Call

Dial in to your health.
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  • Category: Breakfast

    • Thoughts on Granola… (and an Almond Chia Granola recipe)

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Mar 4th
      Granola done light.

      Granola done light.

      Recently I was asked if I had a good granola recipe to use as a yogurt topper. Hmm, this takes some thought. For myself, this can sort of turn into a lengthy conversation because honestly??

      I am not the biggest advocate for granola.

      I used to make granola all of the time, but now kind of steer clear of it. Why?

      Gobs of sugar.

      While there are plenty of low-fat options out there, most of these have too much sugar and hardly make the benefits of granola worth it. Why do people feel like granola is healthy? Well, look at the nickname that earthy-type eaters are given: “Granola”.  

      “Oh, she’s so Granola….”

      This nickname implies to a person that lives off the land, wears Birkenstocks and is the picture of health, right?

      But in reality, granola is just not that good for you. Too much sugar. The health benes from granola are really in the oats and nuts, so why not just eat those? It is in fact these same oats and nuts that provide the fiber that consumers are searching for.

      Fiber= good. Loads of sugar=bad.

      Again, not worth it.

      It is for this reason that I tend to lean towards straight up “cereal” as a topping for yogurts. For example, good old-fashioned Cheerios, has 3 grams fiber and only 1 gram of sugar for a whole cup (and 100 calories). Yes, Cheerios can be a tad boring,but still, you get a whole cup of it.

      If you do want to go the granola route, this is what I sometimes will buy.

      vanilla alomnd

      Yes it is low in sugar, but here is the deal.

      4 grams of sugar, 120 calories for ONLY 1/4 cup.

      Translation. BARELY ANY. So it is up to you which you would prefer. 8 oz of Cheerios (1 gram sugar) on top of your yogurt or 2 oz of Bare Naked Granola (4 grams sugar).

      For me? I am all about quantity. I’d rather eat more.

      This granola question did get me motivated to make granola again. I did sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, and CHIA (of course). And I think it turned out pretty good, if you want to give it a shot too.

      Check it out.

      Here is my dry ingredients.

      Here is my dry ingredients.

      And the wet.

      And the wet.

      Mix the two.

      Mix the two.

      Spread on a prepared baking sheet.

      Spread on a prepared baking sheet. Bake. Make your house smell crazy good.

      A low-sugar granola.

      Top it. A low-sugar granola.

       

      Low-Sugar Almond Chia Granola

      • 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
      • 1 cups of sliced almonds
      • 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds (optional: food processor them for less crunch)
      • 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
      • 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon
      • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
      • 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla
      • 3/4 cups of no-sugar-added applesauce
      • 2 tablespoons honey

      Directions:

      1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
      2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
      3. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
      4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and blend.
      5. Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil if it seems a bit too dry.
      6. Spread the granola on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
      7. Bake the granola in the oven for 45 minutes, mixing up the granola blend every ten minutes.
      8. Taking baking sheet out, lower heat to 200.
      9. Drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over the top and stir.
      10. Bake for another 25 minutes, stirring midway.
      11. When you’re done, let the granola cool before storing.
      12. You could add raisins or cranberries to the mixture when cooled, but if you are truly trying to follow a low-sugar diet, you should skip it because it is good stuff that way it is!
      Granola done light.

      Granola done light.

      Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Random stuff, Snacks | Tagged almonds, chia, oats, sunflower seeds
    • Whole Wheat Bean and Egg Burritos for those hurried mornings (every morning.)

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Jan 27th

      Breakfast. Do you feel like you are always eating stuff out of a box?  Try these for those frazzled mornings. Kid friendly. Parent friendly. Can freeze them and pop them in the microwave when frazzled, but still feel pretty cool because you actually made them.

      Easy. See below.

      Start with this stuff.

      • 5 organic eggs
      • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
      • 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
      • 1 can vegetarian refried beans
      • 8- small whole wheat tortillas
      Whole wheat tortilla, organic eggs, vegetarian refried beans, nutritional yeast, and coconut oil

      Whole wheat tortilla, organic eggs, vegetarian refried beans, nutritional yeast, and coconut oil.

      Scramble up your eggs in a couple teaspoons of coconut oil.

      Cook and scramble up your eggs in a tablespoon of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional).

      Spread your refried beans on your tortilla.

      Spread your refried beans on your tortilla.

      Add your eggs. Not too much. Want to avoid the "overstuffed-busting-at-the-seams look".

      Add your eggs. Not too much, you need enough for the others and of course want to avoid the “overstuffed-busting-at-the-seams-burrito-blow-out”. (We’ve all experienced this.)

      Fold in your sides.

      Fold in your sides.

      Roll, wrapping in the sides as you go.

      Roll, wrapping in the sides as you go.

      Cover with plastic wrap.

      Cover each burrito individually with plastic wrap.

      Add to freezer bag.

      Add them all to freezer bag and freeze until crazed morning.

      The morning of breakfast?

      1. Unwrap the burrito from the plastic wrap.
      2. Put it on plate and microwave for 45 seconds. Flip it. Microwave it for another 45 seconds.
      3. Find a good dip if you have time. I like salsa, kids like ketchup…even sriracha would be great…whatever you are feeling that day (or have time for.)

      ***I wouldn’t add any salsa to the wrap before you freeze it. It might make it soggy. Just my opinion!***

      Or plain for the rode is always good, too!

      Or keep your burrito sauce-free to keep it transportable. Might be easiest!

      Posted in Breakfast | Tagged egg, whole wheat
    • Banana Almond Pancakes

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Jan 24th

      Need a pancake recipe for this weekend?

      banana

      Banana Almond Pancakes

      Do you like banana pancakes? Almonds?

      Try this pancake recipe that combines the two.

      Ingredients

      • 2 cups almond meal (Find this at Trader Joe’s for dirt cheap, Whole Foods for super expensive, or make your own by grinding almonds down in your food processor until it is powdery like flour.)
      • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
      • 1 tsp cinnamon
      • 1 tsp baking powder
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 2 ripe bananas (A great way to sweeten recipes. Keep those brown bananas!)
      • 4 eggs
      • 2-3 Tbsp honey
      • 1/2 cup almond milk
      • coconut oil for cooking

      Instructions

      1. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
      2. In a separate bowl, mash the banana, then whisk in the eggs, honey, and milk.
      3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, but do not over do it. Just until combined, okay?
      4. Heat your pan to medium-low heat, and melt your coconut oil on it.
      5. Spoon your  batter into 2-3 inch circles, and cook until the edges lift.
      6. Flip, and cook.
      7. Serve with syrup, peanut butter or yogurt.
      We did all fruit jelly for a change of pace....

      We did all-fruit jelly for a change of pace….no corn syrupy jelly, okay?

      Double decker.

      Banana Almond Meal Pancakes

      Posted in Breakfast, Pancake Day | Tagged almond flour, bananas, pancakes
    • Whole Grain Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Jan 19th
      Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

      Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

      While I will not claim for these muffins to be “healthy”, they are a not-so-bad treat and are pretty darn good. I combined a few recipes, tweaked a few ingredients, and came up with these babies. Creamy and sweet, but not over the top.

      Made with frozen berries so you can make these anytime of year. You do keep frozen berries in your freezer, right?  Key to health. Promise.

      Made with frozen berries so you can make these anytime of year. You do keep frozen berries in your freezer, right? Key to health. Promise.

       Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

      Ingredients

      • 2/3 cup (5 ounces) light cream cheese
      • 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened
      • 1 cup sugar
      • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
      • 2 large eggs
      • 2 cups spelt flour (Spelt is an extremely versatile whole grain flour. Awesome for baking, but you can also substitute white whole wheat)
      • 1 teaspoon baking powder
      • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
      • 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 1/2 cup almond milk
      • 2 cups frozen raspberries

      Directions

      1. Preheat oven to 350°.
      2. Prepare 12 muffin tins with spray or liners.
      3. Combine cream cheese and coconut oil in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high-speed until well blended.
      4. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
      5. Add vanilla and egg. Beat well.
      6. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
      7. With mixer on low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture to cream cheese mixture.
      8. Add almond milk and blend for a few more seconds.
      9. Gently fold in raspberries.
      10. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tin. Bake at 350° for 22-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
      11. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
      This was another one of those times that we had friends over and was forced to make a non-embarrassing snack. It worked.

      This was another one of those times that one of my kids had friends over and I was pleaded with to make a “non-embarrassing” snack.

      They worked.

      These worked.

      Posted in Breakfast, Snacks | Tagged spelt flour
    • Blueberry Steel Cut Oats

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Dec 14th
      Blueberries are a favorite of mine. So naturally it is forced upon my kids :).

      Steel cut oats with brown sugar and blueberries.

      Does your family all prefer different things for breakfast? This family is no different from yours. Some mornings the kids are freaking over eggs, Cheerios are the arch-enemy, or calling out my burnt toast. Nobody is ever happy or on the same page.

      However, this breakfast is great, gets no complaints and has a regular spot in the breakfast rotation.

      Must be doing something right on this one.

      If you are not a big fan of oatmeal’s texture, steel-cut oats may be the kind to change your mind. Although steel-cut oats take a bit longer to cook, they are chewier than regular oatmeal which I like. No slop factor on this breakfast. And although I mention that they take a bit longer than regular oats, really they just simmer on low and you stir every so often. Nothing to stress on. Big deal.

      Give this breakfast recipe a try and let me know what you think.

      See how easy?

      Grab your stuff….35 minutes later…

      Breakfast for 3. Can easily be doubled though.

      Breakfast is served.

      Easy Blueberry Steel Cut Oats

      Ingredients:

      • 1 cup steel-cut oats
      • 4 cups water (OR…a lot of times I will use a can of coconut milk to replace some of the water. Yup, that much creamier. )
      • 1 cup frozen blueberries
      • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

      Directions:

      1. Bring water to a boil (or milk/water mixture)
      2. Add steel-cut oats
      3. Boil for 4-5 minutes until they thicken a bit.
      4. Reduce heat to slow and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring periodically.
      5. Add frozen blueberries. Stir for a minute or so, keeping on low heat.
      6. Add brown sugar. Stir.
      7. Serve.
      ***optional add-ins: Peanut butter, Chia seeds, Chopped walnuts, gogi berries, raisins***

      ***Optional add-ins: Peanut butter, Chia seeds, Chopped walnuts, gogi berries, raisins***

      Posted in Breakfast | Tagged blueberries, oatmeal
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    • You missed a call?

      • Make friends with…Bean Pasta.
      • Whole Wheat Flax ‘N Apple Muffins
      • Small changes…Eat what’s in season.
      • Whole Wheat Broccoli Mac N Cheese
      • What I pack my kid.
    • Categories

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  • The Stuff

    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Make friends with…
    • Meatless mealtime
    • Pancake Day
    • Random stuff
    • Salads, Soups, and Sides
    • Small changes
    • Snacks
    • What I pack my kid.
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