Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

After a shredded carrot baking marathon, the boys asked if I could bake something without carrots. Because I was still on an oatmeal kick, I wanted to try the Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins. They were thinking more along the lines of sweet, frosted cake, cupcakes, or cookies. Instead, I baked them oatmeal muffins. Son #1 wasn't thrilled at first but he was happy to see the addition of chocolate chips. The muffins were perfect little oatmeal bites and the boys thought they were yummy.

Oatmeal + Chocolate Chips = Smiles!

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 c milk + 1 tbs apple cider vinegar = "buttermilk"- measure milk, add vinegar, and set aside for 5 minutes.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 c oatmeal
• 1/4 - 1/2 c packed brown sugar (amount of sweetness is up to you)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 c chocolate chips (1/2 c seems too chocolatey)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray muffin tin with oil.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas, add "buttermilk," and vanilla.
3. In another large bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar, and salt and mix well.
4. Slowly add oatmeal mixture to banana mixture and mix well. Do not overmix.
5. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop to drop muffin mixture into tin.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. When muffins are ready, remove from oven and cool IN the tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  After cooling period, remove muffins from tin and place on cooling rack to cool completely. Use the toothpick to loosen edges of muffins away from the tin. ENJOY!

Source: Adapted from Fitness Magazine.

Carrot Coconut Pineapple Bread

In addition to all the shredded carrots we needed to consume, I had bananas from Costco that were ripe and ready to eat. I'm pretty sure my boys deliberately let the bananas sit and get really ripe in hopes I'll make them into baked goods. :) When I'm not up for baking, I peel, slice, and freeze bananas and throw in a handful when I make drinks with my Vitamix. I love my Vitamix!!!!! Anyways, I was up for baking since I was on a shredded carrot baking extravaganza. 

The carrot coconut bread was the perfect combination of carrot, coconut, and pineapple. They were moist and the boys really enjoyed it. When I pulled it out of the oven, it had a nice rise but five minutes later, it was pretty flat making the bread pretty dense. No complaints though as it was really yummy anyways.

Carrot Coconut Pineapple Bread

yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, mashed (or you can use 2 eggs)
• 1 1/4 c shredded carrots
• 1 c sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 c reduced fat sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray 9x5" loaf pan with oil.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Add carrots, coconut, butter, sour cream, and vanilla. If using eggs, add them during this step. Mix well.
4. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
5. Slowly mix the carrot mixture into the flour mixture. Combine well but do not overmix.
6. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or till top is brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool 20-30 minutes IN the pan on a rack. After bread has had a chance to cool, pull out of pan and cool on rack.
8. Put in airtight container after bread is completely cool. Do NOT slice until bread is cool.

Source: Adapted from "Easy. Everyday. Eats."

Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies

So this is another version of an oatmeal breakfast cookie. Gotta get through them shredded carrots! It may seem like I've been baking a lot of "cookies" but that's ok because I froze most of them. Since school is starting soon, the boys need a healthy option for breakfast or snacks. They really liked these because of the bites of pineapple they'd get. They were like little carrot cake bites. :)

Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies

yield: 12 cookies 

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2/3 c crushed pineapple
• 1 1/4 c shredded carrots
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs dark molasses
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 c craisins
• 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 c oatmeal

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. 
3. Then add pineapple, carrots, molasses, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and craisins. Mix well.
4. Add flour and oatmeal and mix thoroughly.
5. I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheets.
6. Flatten cookies with your palm so they're shaped like cookies.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden.
8. When baked through, remove from oven, cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cooked, store in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted from "Watching What I Eat"

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

What's awesome about the Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie is that there's no egg, dairy, flour, or added sugar. The only sugar is from the craisins. These are great for breakfast on-the-go!

I'm still going through my four pounds of shredded carrots and have been baking away in the evening when it's a little cooler. The boys asked for something without shredded carrots so I made these Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies. They were hoping for chocolate chip cookies but I wanted to try this recipe so I threw in a few chocolate chips for them. The addition of chocolate made them seem like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. They really liked them! :) In addition to baking Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies, I also got out the ingredients for Carrot Pineapple Breakfast Cookies, Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins, and Carrot Coconut Bread. I'll post those recipes over the next few days. Since all of the recipes used similar ingredients, I was able to easily bake one batch to the next using the same bowl and mixing spoons without washing in between batches. It made baking so much easier to bake smarter, not harder! :)

So yummy fresh out of the oven...

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies

yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c oatmeal
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3 c craisins
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
2. Mash bananas in large bowl.
3. Add apple sauce, craisins, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Stir in oatmeal.
5. I used a Pampered Chef Medium Scoop to drop dough onto cookie sheets.
6. Flatten cookies with your palm so they're shaped like cookies.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.
8. When baked through, remove from oven, cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cooked, store in an airtight container.

Note:
The boys wanted chocolate chip cookies so I made this batch with 1/4 c craisins and a 1/4 c chocolate chips. The boys really liked the bites of chocolate and seemed like more of a "real" cookie. :)
If you don't think you'll eat these right away, you can freeze them. I froze two cookies side-by-side in wax paper, then wrapped in plastic wrap, put them in a ziploc, and then put them in the freezer. Take out the night before you eat them and they'll be ready the next morning. When ready to eat, warm for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. YUM!

Source: Adapted from "Watching What I Eat"

Carrot Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

I probably shredded 4 pounds of baby carrots the other day. Luckily, the food processor got the job done quickly and effortlessly. Since I had all the baking materials out for the Carrot Pineapple Muffins, I made a batch of cookies, too. Because I didn't add a lot of sugar, these "cookies" would be perfect for breakfast. They're perfect little oatmeal bites on the go!

Carrot Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

• Ingredients
  
  
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk  (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup packed, finely grated/shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup craisins  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter. Slowly add sugar and egg yolk (or Egg Replacer- follow directions for 1 egg). Mix in oats, carrots, and craisins.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, and salt. 
4. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir until combined but do not overmix.
5. Drop dough by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten with the palm of your hand. 
6. Bake 15-18 minutes until edges are crisp. Rotate baking sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. ENJOY!

Source: adapted from marthastewart.com

http://www.marthastewart.com/341124/carrot-cake-cookies?czone=food/cake-center/favorite-cake-recipes&center=276954&gallery=274994&slide=282584

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

I went overboard and bought the five pound bag of baby carrots at Costco. It sounded like a great idea at the time; however, I wasn't sure how we could possibly eat all those carrots once I got home. I can only put so many carrots in the Vitamix for smoothies and juices and there are only so many raw baby carrots we can eat per day so I decided to shred them in the food processor. I figured we could eat a lot more carrots if they were shredded and made into a carrot salad. I was also thinking along the lines of carrot cake but we're trying to cut back on the amount of sweets we're eating so I decided muffins would be a better choice. I cut the amount of butter and sugar by half and made changes to make them egg-free for my allergy boy. They're tasty treats and I'm not worried about the boys eating them up since they're not that sugary. :)

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots
• coarse sugar crystals (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger together.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter on medium speed. With the speed on low, slowly add the sugar. Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Add apple sauce and crushed pineapple. Scrape down the bowl as necessary with rubber spatula.
6. Add shredded carrots and beat until well combined. With the mixer set on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.
7. Evenly divide the batter among the lined muffin cups and sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each if desired.
8. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes in the center of the oven until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature. ENJOY!

Source: adapted from foodnetwork.comhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cranberry-carrot-muffins-recipe/index.html

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

I've been so busy lately with school and work that I've been making a lot of crock pot meals. I made Hawaiian Chicken for tonight's dinner. Crock pot meals are quick and easy to put together considering the little prep work that needs to be done. Throw in the ingredients, turn on the crock pot, and let it do its thing. I had two very ripe pineapples that needed to get eaten up so I put together Hawaiian Chicken. It was delish!

This meal is easy peasy! There's no need to brown the chicken or sauté veggies. In my opinion, the point of making a crockpot meal is for its simplicity, and browning and sautéing beforehand is not my idea of an easy crockpot meal if I have to cook it first. My boys like the texture of shredded chicken but if you don't, then I recommend browning the chicken in a separate pan before you add to the crockpot.

For the freezer: Lately, I've been freezing a lot of crockpot meals and I'm adding this to my "freezer meal" list. To make it a "freezer meal," throw all the ingredients into a gallon-size ziploc bag. I double-bag my ziplocs just in case as I don't want sauce leaking all over my fridge or freezer. Anyways, throw ALL of the ingredients into a gallon-size ziploc, squeeze air out, zip shut, and carefully squish and shake the bag to incorporate sauce throughout the ingredients. Store flat in the freezer. Place "freezer meal" in the fridge the day before you want to cook your crockpot meal. I put my "freezer meal" in a rectangular tupperware in the fridge just in case the sauce thaws and there's a hole in the bag or the bag comes "unzipped." The next morning, carefully dump all ziploc ingredients into the crockpot. It'll still be frozen but you should be able to loosen the ingredients so it all fits inside the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. The time depends on your crockpot and the amount of food you're cooking. I keep 4-6 different "freezer meals" in my freezer for busy week nights so I can still serve a homemade dinner that doesn't take a lot of effort. Good stuff!

Crockpot Cookin'...my idea of "fast food."

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken (I used thighs.)
• 1 onion- sliced
• 4-5 baby gold potatoes (or 1-2 russet potatoes)- cubed
• 4-5 garlic cloves- sliced
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/2 c water
• 2 Tbs brown sugar (add 1/4 c if you prefer sweet)
• 2 c pineapple (canned or fresh)

Directions:

1. Slice onion and garlic- spread around bottom of crockpot.
2. Cube potatoes- place on top of onions.
3. Spread out chicken over veggies.
4. Layer pineapple over everything. 
5. Combine soy sauce, water, and brown sugar- mix well. Pour over chicken and veggies.
6. Place lid on crockpot, plug it in, and cook on high for 4 hours. Do NOT open lid while cooking.
7. Stir AFTER the 4 hour cook time. Make sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. If using breasts, it may take longer to cook. 
8. Serve over rice. ENJOY! 

Note: This recipe makes a great "freezer meal." Place all ingredients in a gallon-size ziploc and freeze flat. Store in fridge the day before cooking, dump all ingredients in crockpot the next morning, and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours.