Breakfast

The rain came back last night. I know we were extremely blessed to have 3 days of spring like temperatures in a row in the middle of winter, but it's still a little disappointing when winter decides it's not finished yet. My oldest is also home sick from school today (ear infection and cough), so that combined with the weather put me in the mood for some warming comfort food. Hence, the ugly picture of my bowl of oatmeal. The only problem with having smaller dishes, is when I make oatmeal it always overflows in the microwave! I also added 1/2 tsp. chia seeds just because.
A few frozen peaches + 1 c. buttermilk makes....
A tangy smoothie filled way up to the tippy top of the glass! (It's a special talent)
Since I'll be in today with a sick child and it's dreary outside, this breakfast will keep me going through closet clean-outs and floor washing. I know, it's fun, fun stuff. See ya at lunch!

Breakfast

This morning, I am really hoping breakfast is going to last me until lunch. Looking at it from a blogging perspective, it is now looking a little skimpy, although I felt quite satisfied after eating it (and still do two hours after consuming it). It does look quite balanced howerver, albeit small! I pulled out a leftover Applesauce Oatmeal Muffin, toasted up a few almonds, had 1/2 c. cottage cheese and a huge banana plus coffee....always coffee!

My arms and chest are slightly sore this morning from yesterday's Pilates workout (which is good!). The sun is shining, although it is windy, so hopefully I'll be able to get out for a walk this afternoon instead of pulling out the Pilates DVD again. I don't think my arms could take two days in a row!

Lunch later. Have a great morning!

Petit déjeuner

After a few weeks of having sick kids in the house, I was afraid last night that my body was bowing to the inevitable with a slight itchy feeling in my lungs (hack, hack). But after a good night's sleep, a bright sunny day on the horizon and a rockin' breakfast, I feel ready to take on anything! This morning I had a two egg whites omelette sprinkled with a little feta cheese, a piece of whole wheat toast spread with 1/2 tsp. butter and a little bit of Marmite (I know, I can see why some people would find that disgusting, but I just LOVE IT), grapefruit, 1 c. 2% milk and coffee. Bring it on!

Portion Control

How big are your dishes? After Thanksgiving, I splurged and bought myself a new set of dishes and glasses. I had been searching and searching for a set with a small cereal bowl and small glasses. Do you know how hard that is to find? It's amazing how your attitude changes toward portion control when you see a small glass filled to the top rather than a large glass with the same amount in it only 1/2 full. Suddenly, the same portion seems appropriate or even large instead of skimpy. Did you notice my milk glass filled to the top? It has exactly 1 c. of milk in it. What does 1c. of milk look like in your glasses?

In addition to portion control this week, I'm also focusing on more variety at breakfast. This morning, 2/3 cup shredded wheat, 3/4 cup blueberries, 1 c. 2%milk and coffee.

Lunch: Celery filled with cream cheese, grapes, whole wheat bread smeared with peanut butter and 1c. nonfat milk. I served myself on a salad plate to visually make the portions seem larger to my eyes while my mind still knew I was practicing control.

Yesterday I went for a lovely walk in the sun. It's amazing what the sun does to rejuvenate my attitude towards walking!

Breakfast of Champions

I've noticed recently that my breakfasts seem to be getting larger and larger while at the same time becoming less varied. The cereal bowl overfloweth. To get back on track, I found this Applesauce Oatmeal Muffin recipe on Spark People and varied it a little. To be honest, it wasn't a fabulous muffin because the texture was extremely dense. However, it was extremely filling and pretty tasty. It also had the added benefit of portion control and forced me to think outside of the (cereal) box. I supplemented my breakfast with some toasted almonds, golden raisins, and some plain yogurt.


Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins adapted from Spark people
Makes 12 muffins
(each muffin around 93 cal. according to Spark People)

Ingredients:

1 c. oats
1 c. nonfat milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. egg whites
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soak the oats in the milk for 20-30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place muffin liners in 12 muffin cups.
3. Combine oat mixture with applesauce, brown sugar and egg whites.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the 12 muffin cups.
7. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on each muffin.
8. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix Review

A few weeks ago, I conducted a pantry purge ridding my pantry of products containing "faux" ingredients such as hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.  The products I had the most trouble eliminating were convenience mixes such as chocolate pudding mix and my favorite, Bisquick.  After a trip to my local health food store, I was able to find an all purpose baking mix that did not contain hydrogenated oils, Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix.  At $7.25 a box, it was quite an investment for me (I have since found it in the $4 range in the health food section of my local Fred Meyer grocery store).  On the good side, the batter and the waffles were fluffy and browned very nicely.  The mix came together extremely easily and quickly.  The waffles also had a faint anise flavor that was quite pleasant and they smelled wonderful.  On the bad side, the waffles had a slightly gritty texture.  They seemed dry but I think that was the lack of gluten that made them feel slightly powdery in the mouth because physically they weren't dry, they just seemed that way.  The bottom line is that if you are gluten intolerant, this product was perfectly acceptable as a replacement to Bisquick, it was quick and had nice flavor.  If you are not gluten intolerant however, the gritty and "dry" texture of the waffles was off-putting enough to keep looking for a more acceptable alternative.  The search continues...

Sourdough Waffles

Oh how I have been having fun with my sourdough starter!  I decided to tinker with my Sourdough Pancake recipe and came up with these yummy waffles.  They were crispy on the outside, light on the inside, and had a slight sourdough aroma, perfect!  I'm sending this one over to Susan at WildYeast for her YeastSpotting event.

Sourdough Waffles by Joie de vivre

The night before you wish to make the waffles, mix together in a large bowl to make the "sponge":

2.5 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. sourdough starter (I used a thick potato flour starter for this recipe)

2 1/4 c. warm water

After mixing, cover the bowl with Saran Wrap and set aside overnight.

In the morning, add to the "sponge" the following:

2 eggs

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 Tbls. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix well and set mixture aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.  While the batter is resting, heat your waffle iron.  When ready, spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray between each waffle.  Follow your waffle irons directions on baking the waffles and remove when ready.

These were fabulous plain, but if you really must, you can add your favorite toppings.

A Yeast Love Story: Sourdough Pancakes

Last Thursday evening, I was given a very precious, precious gift.  An Adam's peanut butter jar filled with a sourdough starter that Rich, one of my fellow choir members, has had going for the past 20 years.  Twenty years!  It felt so covert, he secretly passed me the jar after practice and I gasped in glee, knowing what it was.  He was trusting me with what he calls his "pets" (and sometimes he even calls them his "babies")  I knew that if he was giving me a sample of his pets, I must be a responsible baker in his esteem.

Along with the pets, came feeding instructions and a few recipes.  I decided to follow his recipe for sourdough pancakes (which turned out great by the way) which I needed to start Friday night.  I mixed up the required amount of starter and flour and liquid and set it aside, then I continued reading the directions, "Now is the time to feed the starter."  I had just bought potato flour (the preferred meal of the pets) that day from the health food store, so I was ready.  I put in 3 Tbls. of potato flour, 3/4 c. sugar and filled the rest of the jar up with water as the recipe stated.  Then I started shaking it up.  "Huh," says my faint mental alarm, "Why is it a different color?  And why is it so thick?" I was thinking, as before I fed the starter it was white and very thin.  I then re-read the ingredients, mashed potato flakes, sugar, water.  "Mashed potato flakes?  Uh-oh, did I kill the pets?  Will I never be considered a trusted baker again?"  I followed the rest of the recipe deciding to see what the pets would do before I confessed to the mistake.  The last instruction in the recipe said to crack the lid on the jar to let the pets breathe overnight.  Fortunately, I read that direction.

In the morning, I found that the pets had loved the new food so much, they were overflowing the jar and running down the counter.  (You can see the pets above, my wild yeast rye levain is watching with contempt from the jar in the background) I took the overflowing contents, put them in a quart sized Mason jar, added some more water and again let them sit a bit.  They flooded out of that container too.  After another 8 hours or so (and spooning bit by bit out) I felt they were finally settled down enough for me to put them in the refrigerator.

The next morning, I saw Rich at church.  He looked at me expectantly.  "I made sourdough pancakes on Saturday."  "Oh yeah, how were they?  Were they light and fluffy?"  "Yes, but I mis-read the recipe when I was feeding them (the concern and panic immediately showed on his face and I could tell he thought the news that I had killed his pets was coming) and fed them potato flour instead of mashed potato flakes.  They bubbled out of the container and all over my counter."  "REALLY?" he exclaimed, barely containing his glee, "They REALLY liked it!"  He was practically giggling! 

Rich is so excited.  His pets have found a home that they like, and my trustworthy baker title is saved.  I'm sending this one over to Susan at WildYeast for her Yeastspotting event.

Sourdough pancakes adapted by Joie de vivre from Rich B's recipe

The night before making the pancakes, prepare the following mixture for the "sponge" in a large bowl.  Cover with Saran Wrap and leave on counter overnight.

2.5 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. thick potato flour sourdough starter

2 1/2 c. warm water (95 degrees F)

In the morning, add to the "sponge":

1 Egg

1/4 c. dried milk powder

2 Tbls. vegetable oil.

Stir well.  In a small bowl, mix together:

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbls. baking powder

1 Tbls. sugar

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and gently fold into the batter.  Let the batter rest while you heat your griddle to Medium-high.  Scoop batter onto the griddle using a 1/3 c. measuring cup.  Cook on one side until bubbles burst and edges start to dry, flip over and cook until browned.  Makes about 24 6-inch pancakes.

Ebleskivers with Whole Wheat

I can already hear your question.  Unless you are from a Scandinavian family, or marry into one, you probably haven't heard of ebleskivers.  That's alright, all you need to know is that they are basically a cross between really fluffy, light pancakes and popovers that are in the shape of a ball.  Why?  Who knows why things like this start?  Again, all you need to know is that they are good and worth making.  Unfortunately, you need a special ebleskiver pan.  The pan is circular with seven hemispherical indentations in it where the batter is poured.  To see a picture of an ebleskiver pan, here is the wikipedia entry about them.

This recipe is adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe to use a little bit of whole wheat flour to fill them out a little and to help slow my three year old's voracious appetite down a little.  They ended up being a little heavier, but they were still good.  To make my mother-in-law's version, which is the more traditional way to make them, use all-purpose flour for the entire flour amount.

Ebleskivers adapted from a recipe by Joie de vivre's mother in law

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated

2 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. buttermilk.

Directions:  

1.  In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, set aside.

2.  In a large bowl combine the egg yolks, sugar, salt, flours, baking soda, baking powder and buttermilk.

3.  Gently fold the egg whites into the other ingredients.

4.  Heat an ebleskiver pan and brush each indentation with vegetable oil.

5.  Pour batter in each indentation until 2/3 full.

6.  Cook each ebleskiver until batter starts to pull away slightly from the sides and dry out.

7.  Flip the ebleskivers gently with two toothpicks.  Cook on the other side.

8.  Remove ebleskivers.  Before re-filling the indentations for the next batch, again brush with oil.

9.  Serve your ebleskivers with powdered sugar, jam, and butter (or with maple syrup which is how my boys like them)!

A Lazy Saturday Breakfast

I am not a morning person.  It takes me a good hour to get my brain working in the morning, a good hour.  Most children, however, are morning people.  My youngest wakes up every morning chipper, chatty and ecstatic at the start of a new day.  Most mornings of the week, he asks me to make him waffles, and most mornings of the week, I reply, "I'll make them for you on Saturday."  Then we have to count how many days are left until Saturday.  Saturday is the best morning of his week.  He ate three of these.  I make them with cornmeal in an attempt to slow him down and fill him up.  I'm already dreading the grocery bills when my boys are teenagers.  If my youngest eats three waffles now as a three year old, is his appetite going to grow exponentially or linearly?  Fifteen waffles as a fifteen year old?  Forty-five waffles?  It sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it.  Fortunately, the cornmeal in them causes me to slow down at least.  They are filling and have a slight crunch to them.  

Cornmeal Waffles adapted from the Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker Instruction Booklet

Makes eight 6 1/2 inch round waffles

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. course ground cornmeal

2 Tbls. sugar

1 Tbls. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. non-fat milk

1/4 c. plus 2 Tbls. vegetable oil

2 eggs

Directions:

1.  Place all the ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix until blended and mostly smooth.

2.  Heat your waffle iron and let your batter rest while it is heating.

3.  When heated, spray your waffle iron plates with non-stick cooking spray and add 1/2 cup batter.

4.  Cook until done.