Homemade Instant Oatmeal: 4 flavors

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that I can take the time to ensure my family is getting a good breakfast to start the day. That being said, I can't spend the entire morning cooking, so I still cook the same things I did when my kids went to public school. One of our favorites is this create your own easy oatmeal. Life would be just as easy if I made a big batch of oatmeal in my rice cooker or on the stove top, but not everyone wants the same flavor.

I begin each bowl with 1/2 C instant oats then add one of the following sets of ingredients

Almond Joy
2 TBSP shredded sweetened coconut
1 TBSP sliced almonds
1 TBSP mini chocolate chips (add after oats are cooked)

Raisin and Brown Sugar
1 tsp brown sugar (more or less to taste)
1 heaping TBSP raisins

Cinnamon and Sugar
1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

Plain
smidgen salt
1/2-1 TBSP granulated sugar

If I'm just making one or two bowls, then I add enough liquid to cover the oats (water level should be at the very top of the oats, but not much higher) and then microwave for 1 minute.

If I'm prepping for the whole family, I boil a kettle of water and allow the hot water to cook the oats. I aim for the water level to almost cover all the oats (as in the picture shown).

I don't have water measurements for you, because my family has different preferences when it comes to the thickness of their oatmeal, so I imagine everyone else does too. If you don't have enough liquid, you can always add a little more, but if you know you prefer thin oatmeal, I suggest adding more water than I've described.

What's your favorite way to eat oatmeal?

Easy Homestyle Donuts

A couple weeks ago, when I posted a picture of these donuts on instagram and my private facebook page, I got multiple requests for the recipe. So naturally, I made them again to share on here.

Unlike a lot of my recipes, these are nowhere near healthy, but healthy eating is all about balance and sometimes it's nice to have a treat.

 Start by heating your oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Prepare premade homestyle buttermilk biscuits, by cutting a hole in the middle- this is important to ensure the donut cooks through all the way. You'll need to be very careful with cooking if you don't add the hole.

 Your oil is the proper temperature when a drop of water causes a light sizzle. If it crackles and pops, turn the heat down and wait to add your donuts. Allow for plenty of space when adding the donuts.

 Allow dough to cook to a medium brown (about 1 minute), then turn to cook the other side (about 1 minute more).

 As your donut finishes, the bubbles will get slower, but won't completely stop.

When they are finished cooking, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to cool for about 30 seconds.

After the donuts have cooled enough to handle, coat the donut in granulated sugar or whatever you prefer.

Enjoy (in moderation).

What's your favorite donut flavor and topping?

Meal Plan Monday: winter breakfasts

For this week's meal plan Monday I decided to share our breakfasts, because with all this snow many of us have been getting, cereal just doesn't cut it. I'm very fortunate to have time in the mornings to make breakfast, but I know not everyone does, so I've kept that in mind with this plan.

• Whole Wheat Banana Muffins (these will take about 45 minutes when you factor in preheating the oven, but only about 10 minutes of active prep. Making them the night before could be helpful.)
• Scrambled eggs and Toast
• Classic Pancakes with fresh fruit (These pancakes are ready to cook in about 5 minutes, so the amount of time these take to finish depends on your skillet size.)
• Homemade Instant Oatmeal (It has all the speed of instant oatmeal from a box, but much cheaper and usually healthier)
• Baked Oatmeal (This oatmeal will take about 45 minutes once you factor in preheating the oven, but only about 5 minutes of active prep. If that doesn't work for your morning routine, you can make it the night before.)
• French Toast with fruit, dusted with powdered sugar (Like the pancakes, the speed of these depend on the size of your griddle.)
• Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (These cookies only take a couple minutes to throw together and only take 15 minutes to bake, so they should be ready to eat in about a half hour. I'll be using almond milk instead of coconut milk, because that's what I have, but you can also use cow's milk)

If you're looking for more breakfast ideas, check out my pinterest board.

What's your favorite warm and cozy breakfast?

Classic Pancakes

My kids love pancakes! They will eat just about any pancake I throw in front of them. I, on the other hand am a little more picky. I have this theory that a great pancake doesn't need syrup. I have also been convinced for quite some time that a great pancake recipe can use either refined flour or whole wheat flour. This recipe does just that. We have enjoyed it numerous ways, I prefer the whole wheat or at least a mix, but admittedly David still prefers the refined flour. He douses it in syrup anyway, so who cares what he thinks, right? ...Actually I do, so that's why I compromised and am sharing this recipe with half of each.

 This recipe yields about 24 medium pancakes. Click here for the printer friendly version.

 Melt 6 T butter and whisk together with 3 C milk and 2 eggs.

If you don't whisk the ingredients fast enough, you might get little clumps of butter that are solidified after touching the cold milk. This isn't a big deal.

 Whisk together 1 1/2 C each whole white wheat and all-purpose flours, 7 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp salt, and 2 T sugar.

 Whisk together the wet and dry mixes until incorporated and the batter begins to bubble (it won't take long). Allow batter to rest while you preheat your griddle.

 Grease the griddle and pour about 1/4 C batter onto the preheated griddle. Allow to set until edges are slightly firm and the centers have bubbles. (The above pancakes are all ready to flip.)

 Enjoy!
Click here for the printer friendly version.

How do you like to top your pancakes?

Baked Oatmeal

We've been on a baked oatmeal kick around here. There's something about winter that makes me eager to start my day with some nice hot oatmeal. If you aren't so sure about eating oatmeal, try this recipe. This is the base recipe for the following variations: Nuts About Oatmeal Muffins, Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins, Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies. I have been making this recipe for years now and have tweaked it a bit, but I originally found it on Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Click here for a printable version.

 Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine 3 C oats, 1/2 C brown sugar, 1/2 C applesauce, 1 C milk, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 T baking powder, and 1 tsp salt.

 Mix thoroughly.

 Add 1/2-1 C raisins or any other desired add-ins.

 Place in a baking dish and about 20-25 minutes, until top is lightly toasted and does not look wet. Slice like cake or scoop it out into a bowl and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version.

What's your favorite comfort breakfast?

Nuts About Oatmeal Muffins

If you're looking for a protein packed muffin, this is it. I like to have recipes that use some of my lesser used, but still necessary food storage items, so periodically you'll see recipes calling for powdered milk. Feel free to substitute milk for the powder and water using the water measurement.

Yield: 12 muffins
Time: 10 minutes prep time + 25 minutes cook time

Ingredients:
3 C rolled oats
1/2 brown sugar (loose, not-packed)
1/3 C powdered milk
1/2 T baking powder
1/2 C applesauce
1/2 C peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C water
1/3 C walnuts, chopped (feel free to substitute a different nut)
1/3 C cashews, chopped (feel free to substitute a different nut)
1/3 C dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper liners (or spray).
Stir together oats, sugar, powdered milk, and baking powder in a large bowl, set aside.
Beat together applesauce, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Mix in oat mixture and water until thoroughly incorporated.
Fold in nuts and chocolate.
Spoon into prepared muffin tins (the batter won't rise much, so fill the tins all the way)
Bake in 350 F oven for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!

This post originally appeared on 5/2/12 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote, edited, and transferred it here.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

 My kids love oatmeal muffins! I came up with this pumpkin version about 3 years ago and it has been a regular favorite at our house every fall since. We usually stick with the plain version instead of adding the craisins or chocolate, but I wanted to show you some fun variations. (yield: about 12)
Printer friendly version

 To get started you'll need to preheat your oven to 350 F, grease a muffin tin, grab a big mixing bowl, and add in all the ingredients.

For the plain version, you'll need:
1 1/2 C rolled oats and 1 1/2 C quick oats (or 3 cups of just one- I prefer the texture from including both)
1 C brown sugar (gently resting, not tightly packed)
1 C pumpkin puree
1 C milk
2 eggs
1/2 TBSP pumpkin pie spice (I make my own- it's loads cheaper)
1/2 TBSP baking powder,
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla.

Mix it all up and divide it amongst your prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until completely cooked.
Enjoy!

Optional add ins(keep it between 1/2 and 1 C total):
chocolate chips
white chocolate
dried cranberries
pecans

Printer friendly version

This recipe originally appeared on 10/27/11 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote, revised, and transferred it here.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

I love this time of year. The weather allows me to wear pretty much whatever I want, the changing of the leaves is gorgeous, and pumpkin rules the kitchen.

These are easy, delicious, and mostly nutritious, so I like to make these at least once a week for all of October and November.

For a printer friendly version, click here.

 Begin by whisking your dry ingredients together. (2C flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp soda, 1 T cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt)

 Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl (1 & 1/3 C pumpkin, 3 T brown sugar, 2 C milk, 1 egg, and 2 T oil). A note on the milk: I've used several varieties of dairy and dairy free milks in this recipe and they all taste great.

 Fold wet and dry ingredients together and allow to rest while you preheat the skillet to 350 F, medium, or whatever setting works best for pancakes at your house.

 Place a scoop of batter on your skillet and allow to cook until edges are set and air bubbles appear on the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and allow to finish cooking another 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Printer Friendly Version

Variation: sprinkle some mini chocolate chips into the batter and top with some chocolate sauce  and whipped cream for a yummy desert.

When do you prefer to eat pumpkin pancakes?

GFCF Banana Pancakes and Tasty Tuesday Linkup

My family went gluten and caesin (dairy protein) free for awhile almost 2 years ago. We were doing an experiment that proved inconclusive, but I discovered that there are some very tasty and inexpensive ways to gluten and dairy free. For the most part it was cheaper for us to just use foods that are naturally gluten and caesin free, but my kids wanted their cherished pancakes and other baked goods. I found an amazing all-purpose flour substitution, you can find that recipe here. I played around with a couple recipes and came up with these.
At the time Wyatt couldn't have any soy and since I was nursing, I couldn't have any soy either, so these happen to be soy free as well. I hope the get as rave reviews at your house as they did at mine!

If you don't need or want gluten free, simply put in your regular, white wheat or all-purpose flour flour in exchange for the rice flour and xanthan gum.

Makes about 14 medium sized pancakes

1 1/2 C rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 C water
3 TBSP applesauce
2 TBSP honey
2 eggs
2 bananas, mashed or pureed

Preheat a non stick pan or griddle to 350 F.
Combine flour, powder, salt, and xanthan gum in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine water, applesauce, honey, eggs, and bananas in a small mixing bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is moist.
Grease the pan with a non stick cooking spray or butter substitute then laddle on some batter. Allow to cook until edges firm and air bubbles appear at the top of the batter (it doesn't bubble as much as traditional pancakes), then flip and cook an additional 45- 60 seconds.
Remove from pan and enjoy.

Tammy from Creative K Kids is the host of this party every week! This month, Anna from Family Living on a Budget and Sydney from Tastefully Frugal are also running this party on their blogs!    

 

We would love to have you link up to three of your old or new food posts!   Here are  just a few requests for this linky

• PLEASE follow the hosts and co-hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below.  They visit your post, leave a comment, and pin your post.  Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy at Creative K Kids (Blog)** Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram **Anna at Family Living on a Budget (Blog)** Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram **Sydney at Tastefully Frugal  (Blog)**  Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

• Try to visit a couple of blogs and leave a comment or share their posts.
• Please make sure you link up only food-related posts that have never been linked up here before or they will be deleted.  Non-food posts can always be linked up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party!
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site--either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

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• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board.  Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!  
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• If you include your e-mail in the linky form below you will be added to a weekly reminder e-mail when the link party goes live. Your e-mail will not to added to any other lists or given out.

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Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies and Tasty Tuesday Linkup

My kids love cookies! These cookies were one of the steps I took to get my kids to actually like oatmeal and these days, I can hand them a bowl of oatmeal no problem. When I made this batch last night, the kids were going crazy asking for the cookies. Perhaps taking pictures in front of them while telling them they were actually for breakfast wasn't the nicest mommy move. I ended up caving and letting them have a couple each. Zeke even packed a few in his lunch.
This recipe is pretty flexible, so feel free to adjust the add-ins, type of milk, seasoning, etc.

For a printable copy click here.
makes 2 1/2 -3 dozen

Base Ingredients:
3 1/2 C oats (quick or rolled work, but I prefer a mix of both- the more rolled oats the runnier the batter will be)
1/2 C applesauce
1 C coconut milk
2 eggs
1/2 C honey
1/2 T baking powder
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Add-ins:
3/4 C raisins
3/4 dried cranberries

Preaheat oven to 350 F.
Mix base ingredients together until completely incorporated.
Stir in add-in ingredients.
Spoon heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart.
Bake 12-15 minutes.
Allow to cool on pan.
Enjoy!

This post was originally published on 3/4/13 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I wrote, revised, and transferred it here.

Tammy from Creative K Kids is the host of this party every week! This month, Anna from Family Living on a Budget and Sydney from Tastefully Frugal are also running this party on their blogs!    

 

We would love to have you link up to three of your old or new food posts!   Here are  just a few requests for this linky

• PLEASE follow the hosts and co-hosts of this party through one of their social media listed below.  They visit your post, leave a comment, and pin your post.  Just pick one (or more) of the options below and please follow them.

**Tammy at Creative K Kids (Blog)** Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram **Anna at Family Living on a Budget (Blog)** Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram **Sydney at Tastefully Frugal  (Blog)**  Pinterest/Facebook/Google+/Twitter/Instagram

• Try to visit a couple of blogs and leave a comment or share their posts.
• Please make sure you link up only food-related posts that have never been linked up here before or they will be deleted.  Non-food posts can always be linked up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party!
• Place this button or a link to this post somewhere on your site--either on the actual post or on your sidebar or on your party page.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://creativekkids.com/category/tasty-tuesdays/" title="Creative K Kids"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaE86aXOEGliJ_vu07dkN1pQLUPBiDyc3ORKQLxK5YEHerZlYFU6odNLQNrPe9aFWwrAtxvuKCwT6UIeGWPoMM3rR_k87YOaFIFdsLrwOUknmiaMFGZoJj690ScMWAbhH6uR4b6SAzxK52/s1600/tasty+tuesdays.jpg" />" /></a></div>

• As a thank-you for linking up, we will pin your recipe to the Tasty Tuesdays at Creative K Kids Pinterest board.  Please follow the board to see all the great food recipes!  
• By linking up, you agree to let any of the hosts or co-hosts  use your pictures and links if they decide to feature your post.   Your photo may also be used for promotion on any of their social media outlets.
• If you include your e-mail in the linky form below you will be added to a weekly reminder e-mail when the link party goes live. Your e-mail will not to added to any other lists or given out.
 

An InLinkz Link-up

100% Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Today is Zeke's first day of Kindergarten, so to get him off to a good start, I made these Whole Wheat Banana Muffins. These are a favorite around our house and a batch never lasts long. Usually I make these and we eat them fresh, but occasionally, I make them the night before so that the outside of the muffin gets a nice crisp crust. They also freeze well.

 My kids prefer them plain, but David prefers to add in a chopped walnuts, so I've added that as an optional ingredient in the printer friendly version.

 You'll need: salt, white wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, melted butter, over-ripe bananas, and an egg. A note on the butter: I don't normally say recipes require a certain brand, but I have noticed a superior flavor when I use Land-o-Lakes unsalted butter as opposed to store brand unsalted butter. The ingredient lists are the same, so I never thought about it, but there really is a difference.

Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place bananas in a medium-large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork. It should be super easy, if your bananas are overly ripe.

 Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter to the mashed bananas and stir together.

 Add dry mix to the wet mix and stir until incorporated (about 50 strokes).

 Add 1/4 C batter to each greased muffin tin cup. Use a spoon to evenly distribute any remaining batter. Bake for 23-25 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven.

Whole wheat muffins often come out a bit darker than ones made with all-purpose flour, so don't worry they're not necessarily burnt.
Enjoy!

printer friendly version

Do you like to add extra ingredients into your banana muffins?