Tag Archives: white-whole wheat flour

Farmers Market on Saturday, Whole Wheat Pancakes on Sunday

Dear Sunday mornings: I love you.

I’m excited to share the recipe for these whole wheat strawberry-banana pancakes, but first I want to tell you about Saturday.  Saturday mornings have quickly become my favorite time of the week.  Now that the sun is rising early (yay!) I wake up on my own around 5:45 am.  I grab a quick snack like a banana, make my bed, do a little quick cleaning up, and head out for a crisp 7 AM run at the trail.

After a solid 4-6 miles, I wipe of my face and start driving to Starbucks.  Usually the line is a bit long but it’s worth the wait.  ”Yes, hi!  I’ll have my double tall soy latte today please, Thank you!”  At about 9:00 am I arrive at Merchant’s Square, between the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg.  I grab my re-usable tote, my half-full latte and make my way through the crowd to the Farmers Market.  The market isn’t for everyone, it’s busy, people bring their dogs, there’s live music.  I feel right at home.  Here are my top 3 tips for making the best of a trip to the Farmers Market:

  1. Arrive Early – beat the crowd, get the good stuff!
  2. Be Friendly - get to know your venders, be a preferred customer
  3. Ask Questions – wondering where the strawberries are coming from? How to cook brocollini? What that funny looking vegetable is? Ask!
Here’s what I managed to bring home this weekend: Asparagus, spring onions, fresh spinach, 2 quarts of first-of-the-season strawberries, hydroponic tomatoes, and local eggs.
Anyway, all of this inspired me to make today’s breakfast: fried eggs, whole wheat pancakes topped with strawberries.  I’ve expirementd with whole wheat pancakes in the past, and these are my favorite so far.  Have at it!
Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
recipe adapted from: No Fear Entertaining 
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon (optional)
Wet Ingredients:
1 medium/small mashed banana
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
Directions:
In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until just moist.  Cook on a griddle or non-stick frying pan.  Serve with sliced fresh strawberries, maple syrup, fried eggs, or whatever sounds great to you.
Don’t Forget: Mother’s Day is just around the corner :)

Birthday Treat: Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Muffins

It is officially Autumn. The temps have dropped to the 70′s and it’s cloudy and raining here.  I finally feel like I can start to indulge in fall foods. This year I’m trying not to over do it with the fall favorites too soon. I still want to enjoy these things come November.

I never crave apples in winter, spring or summer, but as soon as September hits, they are all I think about.    Eating an apple only seconds after it has been picked is quite the experience.  Have you ever been apple picking?  When I worked at Husted’s Market in Michigan, we would have bins and bins and bins of apples!  Working there in the fall, was awesome.  Cider made on location, apple picking, pumpkins and gourds everywhere, hay rides, and of course homemade donuts!

When I first started working at the Market I was about 15 years old.  Making donuts seemed like the coolest thing in the world.  We had this little machine in the back room called a Donut Robot.  We made up the dough, poured it in the machine and went to work.  There we several different varieties including, chocolate, plain, cherry, and pumpkin.  But my favorite was the cinnamon sugar.  So good when dunked in hot cider!

Even after leaving my job at Husted’s I’ve made a point to go back for the fall treats every year.  But this year I won’t be able to make it back to Michigan until at least Thanksgiving.  Tomorrow is my 25th birthday,  so I’ve decided to make muffins that taste like cinnamon donuts.  Why not!?  I’ve never been a big fan of cake.  I dunked these in some hot caramel flavored tea and it brought me right back.  Almost just as good!

If you have been following my blog at all you might already know that I am a huge fan of muffins.  They are kinda my go to treat when I want to bake.  I’m also a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies, but I have no self control with those, so I stick with muffins!  This recipe is really really simple.  I use it for most of my muffins, just add and delete the flavorful things.  This time I added cinnamon and chopped MacIntosh apples then topped with brown sugar and diced walnuts.  If you want to play around with different versions, leave those ingredients out.

Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

at least 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

2 medium apples, chopped

brown sugar and diced walnuts for topping, optional

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease or line muffin tin.
  2. Stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  3. In a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, measure 1/3 cup canola oil.  Add egg to the oil.
  4. Add soy milk (regular milk works fine too) to the oil and egg until you have 1 cup of liquid.  Whisk together until combined.
  5. Stir oil mixture into dry ingredient, until just combined.  Don’t over mix, you may still see some floury spots.
  6. Stir in chopped apple, just until evenly distributed.
  7. Scoop into muffin tin.  Should make about 10 muffins.
  8. Top each muffin with about 1 tsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp walnuts.
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean, and tops are slightly golden.
  10. Let sit for a few minutes, before moving to a wire rack to cool.

Hope you enjoy! Happy fall!

Memorial Day Morning Glory Muffins

This Memorial weekend was not a very exciting one for me.  I worked and volunteered, missing all the great sunny weather.  On Memorial Day, I had about 6 free hours in the afternoon to myself.  I had hoped to spend the afternoon basking in the sun, but the weather had different plans for me.  So, I settled down to do some serious dietetic internship research.  About an hour into this, a big storm rolled through, and I suddenly had this huge desire to bake something.  What is it about rain, that makes me want to dig out my apron and grab the flour?

I wanted a nice treat, I was thinking blueberry muffins maybe? Nah, their crumbly topping is too sweet.  Then, it came to me, MORNING GLORY MUFFINS!  These muffins allow me to fulfill my nagging urge to bake, while serving as a healthy breakfast or snack.  They are full of good-for-you ingredients like carrots, raisins, apples, walnuts, whole-wheat flour, and cinnamon!

Typically, morning glory muffins call for coconut, but I’ve never liked it, so I replaced it with extra carrots.  I cheated a little too, and purchased the pre-shredded kind.  And okay, I admit it, I may have added far to many.  I couldn’t help it.  I didn’t want to waste what “little” was left in the bag, so I used the whole 10 ounces.

I modified this recipe from this one at honey & jam.

1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and grated*

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

3 large eggs

2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly line muffin tin with papers and spray insides of the papers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, nuts, and raisins. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir just until evenly moistened.

Divide batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes in their pan, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

*I probably added close to 3 cups of carrots

Nutritional Benefits:

Whole Grains! White whole wheat flour provides the same benefits as regular whole wheat flour.  Old fashioned oats are considered a whole grain.

Vitamins and Minerals! Carrots are high in beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A, which is great for healthy eyes.  Carrots are also a good source of Vitamin C.

Healthy Fats! Applesauce replaces what would traditionally be vegetable oil, to reduce the calorie and fat content of these muffins.  The only fats here are from the walnuts.  Walnuts are high in the healthy unsaturated fats and omega 3′s.

Fiber! All of these ingredients contribute to a high fiber muffin, for example, apples and raisins are great sources of fiber.