Carrot Spice Muffins

I saw a recipe for carrot spice muffins and knew I had to create my own version. These are adapted from fatfreevegan. They turned out super yummy! My children gobbled them up tonight!!  We will definitely be making these again soon! 

Carrot Spice Muffins

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1 T sprouted ground flax

1 t aluminum-free baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

3/4 t ground ginger

1/2 t all spice

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t Himalayan salt

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3 medium)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 t pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Add wet ingredients. Oil muffin pan. Use large scoop and place batter into 12 muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Pear German Pancakes (Gluten Free)

I LOVE german pancakes!!  They are super yummy and I wanted to healthify my recipe so I could enjoy them. The addition of pears turned out amazing!!  You could also use whole wheat flour instead of the gluten free flour.

Pear German Pancakes

2 T coconut oil

4 eggs

1/2 c rice milk

1/2 cup almond milk

2 T coconut sugar

3/4 cup gluten free flour

1/2 t Himalayan salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1/8 t  nutmeg

2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat 12" skillet with coconut oil in oven until liquid. Remove. Combine all other ingredients except pear in blender. Pour batter on heated skillet and top with pear slices. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with powdered coconut sugar. (To make powdered coconut sugar, take 1 T coconut sugar and blend in spice blender until fine.) Enjoy!

Naturally Leavened Fruity Muffins

To learn more, see my Natural Leavening post. This recipe was adapted from Amy's Blue Berry Muffins. I have tried many versions of this original recipe and this is my favorite adaption. It is nearly identical to my pancake and waffle recipe, except I use 1 T less oil and 1 T more coconut sugar. This recipe enables my children to make whatever kind of muffins they want just by switching the fruit on top!

Naturally Leavened Fruity Muffins 

1 chia seed egg replacer

2 cups natural leavening 

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t Himalayan salt

2 T sprouted ground flax (one of my favorite products)

3 T coconut sugar

1 T coconut oil (plus more to oil pan)

1/4 cup almond milk
fruit of choice
(we have used chopped apples, blueberries, raspberries,
chopped strawberries, and blackberries with success)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the water and chia seed together as an egg replacer and let set for about 10 minutes. Add natural leavening to Vitamix along with all remaining ingredients except fruit. When chia seeds have soaked long enough, add this to the mixture and blend, using the stir stick to mix thoroughly. I use my favorite 4 T Stainless Steel Scoop to scoop mixture into a well-oiled muffin tin. (I cannot reiterate this enough-you must smother the pan in coconut oil or the muffins will stick!! Also, paper liners DO NOT work with this recipe!)

Top the muffin batter with the fruit of your choice and bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top. I have found the fruits with more water need a little longer cooking time. Cool slightly and serve. My children LOVE making their own fruit concoctions on top of the muffins. You can put a lot of fruit or a little...definitely make it fun and try some new combinations. You can even make them plain with no fruit, additionally sweetened with a 1/4 t of coconut sugar on top! My children love them!! We eat them with a green smoothie in the morning!  And another cool thing about them....no crumbs!!

Naturally Leavened Chia Flax Waffles

This is another favorite in our house. I use the exact same recipe as my Chia Flax Pancakes, but make waffles in our waffle iron instead! We serve them with pure maple syrup, or for a more special breakfast topped with fresh berries, bananas, and our favorite Whipped "Coconut" Cream.  ENJOY!

Naturally Leavened Chia Flax Pancakes

This is my children's most FAVORITE breakfast!  Sometimes we even make these for dinner!!  For more information on natural leavening...check out my previous Natural Leavening Post. Basically, the night before you add 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups whole grain flour to some of your natural leavening start.  The start will feed on this and grow to be beautiful, tenacious, and healthy leavening approximately 12 hours later. This makes generally 2 cups of leavening, the perfect amount for pancakes the next morning! Here is my version of naturally leavened whole grain pancakes...adapted from "Dr. Dough's" recipe.

Naturally Leavened Chia Flax Pancakes 

1 chia seed egg replacer

2 cups natural leavening

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t Himalayan salt

2 T sprouted ground flax (one of my favorite products)

2 T coconut sugar

2 T coconut oil

1/4 cup almond milk

Mix the water and chia seed together as an egg replacer and let set for about 10 minutes. Add natural leavening to Vitamix along with all remaining ingredients. When chia seeds have soaked long enough, add this to the mixture and blend, using the stir stick to mix thoroughly. Place on preheated 300 degree griddle. Flip when the edges and tops start to look dry.  My children like it best served with pure maple syrup and fruit. They are even delicious plain. We also enjoy making all types of shapes and letters with our batter. Makes enough for 3-4 people. Perfect with a green smoothie for breakfast!

Oatmeal with Fruit & Nuts

Here is a fun way to spruce up your oatmeal!

 Oatmeal with Fruit & Nuts

1 cup rolled oats (not instant-prepared according to directions)

1/4 granny smith apple, chopped

5 almonds, chopped

sprinkle of cinnamon

You can do many variations of this...with other fruit and nuts! Experiment with your own combinations for a healthy, filling breakfast that also lowers your cholesterol!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

My children LOVE pancakes...so I decided to create a recipe that I would feel good about serving them for breakfast. Add some fruit and you have a balanced, delicious start to the day!! My children just gobble these up!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

3 T coconut oil

1 T honey or pure maple syrup

1 cup plain rice or plain almond milk

½ cup mashed banana or natural applesauce

1 cup whole wheat flour (or combination of whole grains)

2 t aluminum free baking powder (I use Rumford)

½ t pink Himalayan salt

Mix everything in blender. Bake on griddle on med heat.