Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1-1.5 tsp ground nutmeg (Anjali used 1.5 tsp because she loves the flavor)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened raspberry preserves (similar to Crofters Organic)
For the topping:
- 2 tsp melted butter
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tsp sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin or line with 12 muffin cups.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, apple sauce, and sugars with a hand mixer until smooth. Then add the eggs, egg whites, and vanilla, beating to combine.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
- Stir about one-third of the flour mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated, then stir about one half of the butttermilk into the butter mixture.
- Continue alternating between the two until you've mixed in all of the flour mixture and buttermilk (so you begin and end with the flour mixture).
- Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the batter into each cup of the prepared pan. Then put about 1 tsp of raspberry preserves in the middle of each cup, and top each with another 2 Tbsp of batter (by the end of this process, the cups should be nearly full).
- Bake the muffins for 14-17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the muffins comes out without any unbaked dough on it. Remove pan from the oven, and let muffins cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them.
- While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping in the microwave and mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Use a pastry brush to spread the top of each muffin with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top, using 1/2 tsp per muffin max.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or multigrain oats
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 tsp finely ground flax seed
- 2-3 tsp slivered almonds
- A pinch of saffron
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp sugar or agave or honey
- 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of 1% organic milk (the creamier you want the oatmeal, the more milk you should add)
Directions
- Cook the oats with the water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, and cook again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes more until all the water is absorbed and the oats have a very creamy texture. Depending on your microwave, you might have to cook them for longer for them to become soft.
- Stir in the saffron, flax seed, and almonds. The heat of the oatmeal will help melt the saffron until it’s fully combined.
- Add the rest of the spices (salt, cardamom, nutmeg, stevia) and stir to combine.
- Stir in the milk until the oatmeal is the consistency you like.
- Heat the oatmeal again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until it is hot and ready to eat.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, or 1/2 cup multi-grain oats (Country Choice has a variety with oats, wheat, rye and barley that’s heartier than just plain oats)
- 1.5 cups of water
- 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of frozen organic wild blueberries
- 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 1% organic milk, or 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk, or 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- Stevia, Agave, or Honey to taste (no more than 1 Tbsp honey or agave)
Directions
- Cook the oats with the water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, and cook again in the microwave for 1-2 minutes more until all the water is absorbed
- Stir in the blueberries, cinnamon, flax seed, and walnuts
- Stir in the the milk and agave/stevia/honey until the oatmeal is creamy and the consistency you like.
Oatmeal is one of my favorite bases for these dessert-inspired-breakfasts, because it’s simple, easy to make, full of fiber and whole grains, and can be virtually transformed into anything like…
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats cooked with 1.5 cups of water
- 2-3 tsp ground flax seeds
- 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 1% organic milk
- Sliced strawberries — as many as you like! I used about 6.
- 1 tsp sugar, honey or agave
Directions
- Cook the oats with 1.5 cups of water until the oats are fluffy and all the water has disappeared (I do this by cooking it for 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring, and cooking it for 2 more minutes.)
- Add the ground flax seed and cinnamon to the cooked oats while they are still hot. Stir to combine.
- Add the milk (you can add as much milk as you like – I use about 1/2 a cup to give the oats a nice creamy consistency) and the sugar/honey/agave. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the sliced strawberries, allowing them to melt in the hot oatmeal. Top with a few additional strawberry slices and serve.
Banana bread is like comfort food for me. It’s a complete weakness of mine, and it’s so hard to resist eating it at breakfast bars and brunch buffets.
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium
- 2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cups canola oil (you can use 1/6 cup oil + 1/6 cup apple sauce if you like)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 packages Driscoll’s Blueberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.
- Whisk buttermilk, eggs, banana, sugar and oil in a large bowl until well blended. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, mixing just until combined.Gently fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake about 1 hour, or until browned and a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
We’re not actually making brownies today. But we are making something that tastes like brownies but is super nutritious and low in calories: Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats cooked with 1.5 cups of water
- 1 tsp raw, unsweetened cocoa powder (you can find this just about anywhere, I used cocoa powder from Trader Joe’s in this recipe, but I have since found even better raw cocoa powder at Whole Foods that is just delicious)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 1% organic milk
- 1 Tbsp walnuts
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup, or Stevia to taste (I use about 1.5 tsp of honey)
Directions:
- Cook the oats with 1.5 cups of water until the oats are fluffy and all the water has disappeared (I do this by cooking it for 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring, and cooking it for 2 more minutes.)
- Add the cocoa powder and cinnamon to the cooked oats while they are still hot.
- Stir until everything is fully combined, and your oats have a deep chocolatey color.
- Add the walnuts, and the milk (you can add as much milk as you like – I use about 1/2 a cup to give the oats a nice creamy consistency)
- Add the honey/agave/stevia/maple syrup, and stir to combine until the oats have the consistency you like
