Dried Fruit & Seed Muesli Buns

Ray absolutely loves the Protein Bistro Boxes at Starbucks, and they're honestly one of the few healthy/low sodium options we can find for him when it comes to eating out. But at $6 a pop, they aren't the most budget friendly option. He especially loves the little muesli buns inside them, but when we looked up the company that makes them (thinking that buying bags straight from them would be more affordable), we discovered it was $5 for a bag of 8 tiny buns (which would last all of 2 days in our house). So we went searching for a comparable recipe on the internet, and found this one by Sweet Phi. I modified it to our needs, removing the salt and upping the oats, dried fruit, and seeds. They're a great little grab & go snack for any time of day, and they freeze really well! If you have access to a Whole Foods or Fresh Thyme, it's *much* cheaper to buy the dried fruit & seeds from the bulk bins than purchasing pre-packaged ones at a regular store. I spent about $20 on the dried fruit and nuts at Fresh Thyme, and have only used half my stash after 4 batches of these buns - I'm thinking I'll be able to get 8-9 batches out of $20 worth of ingredients, so it's well worth the money!

Ingredients
Makes 21-24 rounds

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet instant yeast 
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup dried apricots, diced
1/3 cup dried apples, diced
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds

Instructions
Combine warm water, yeast, honey, and oats in a large bowl, stir once or twice, and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is foamy on top.

Slowly stir in the flours, and mix until dough just begins to form. You can do this with a stand mixer with a dough attachment set on low, or by hand (which is what I do). 

Add in the chopped dried fruit and seeds, and stir a few times. 

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes, until the fruit and seeds have been incorporated evenly into the dough. 

Put the dough ball into an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allow to rise for an hour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape it into a large rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 21-24 squares.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, take each dough square in hand, tuck the corners under to round them out, and place on baking sheet. When all the dough squares have been made into rounds, cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap (spray it with cooking spray first to keep the dough from sticking to it), and allow to rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove plastic wrap from the baking sheets, and bake the bread rounds for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool on racks before eating or storing. (To freeze, let cool and place in Gallon Freezer bags. To defrost, allow them to come to room temperate on the counter, or microwave for 30 seconds).

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Kale & Tomato Crustless Quiche

When I started this blog almost a year ago, my goal was to find ways to make heart-healthy eating fun for our family, despite the huge emotional and physical transition we were undergoing after my husband's diagnosis. It's hard enough trying to cope with the emotional ramifications of your spouse almost dying, but then to realize you have to completely overhaul your family's diet overnight, and cook most everything from scratch....it's daunting!

Our family loves to eat - which is a big part of what got us into this mess - so just because we had to give up the unhealthy foods in life, I refused to be relegated to a bland, flavorless diet. Not only would that make it harder on us to want to stick to it, but also there are too many beautiful spices and fruits and vegetables out there in the world for that kind of a boring diet to be acceptable to me!

So here we are ❤ And listen, I *know* the crust is the best part of a quiche. I know. But I promise this dish still has lots of flavor, even without it! The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes creates a nice contrast to the savory combination of eggs, kale, and onions 😍

Kale & Tomato Crustless Quiche

Serves 4-6

6 eggs, with 3 of the yolks discarded

1 cup milk

1 tbsp avocado or olive oil 

1 small onion, dived

1 medium garlic clove, minced

3 cups chopped kale

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 tsp thyme

Freshly ground pepper, to taste 

Preheat oven to 350, and grease a pie pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir in thyme and pepper, and set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and when it's shiny, add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add kale and garlic, and sauté until kale starts to wilt. 

Pour kale mixture into the bottom of the pie pan, and add egg mixture on top. Arrange cherry tomato halves evenly over the surface.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until center is firm. 

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Heart-Healthy Honey Almond Granola

My husband looooves the Bear Naked Honey Almond granola, and it's one of the only kinds we've found that has zero sodium. It's also one of the few brands that isn't LOADED with sugar (which is the other thing to watch out for with granola). But the ways he mows through the stuff, we couldn't afford to keep shelling out $3.99 per tiny bag. So naturally, I did what I do - dove into the internet, read through a dozen or more recipes, and came up with a healthier hodgepodge recipe of my own.

I'd made granola before, but it was always pretty unhealthy, albeit delicious. This one contains no sodium, is as low on sugar as I felt I could go, and has a short ingredient list, which is always a win in my book. In fact, it comes together so quickly,  I can stir up a batch and pop it in the oven while the kids are trapped eating breakfast in their high chairs 😂

If you like granola, I highly recommend making your own. It's one of those things that tastes *infinitely* better when it's homemade. I wish I'd started doing it sooner not only for the financial savings, but the improved taste.

Heart Healthy Honey Almond Granola 

4 cups rolled oats

1/4 flax seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup oil of your choice (I use avocado oil, but plain old Canola works too!)

1/3 cup honey (if you like it sweeter, you can go up to 1/2 cup)

3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (once granola cools, it sticks to the pan like a BEAR if you don't). 

In separate bowls, stir together dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients over the dry and toss thoroughly to combine. 

Bake for 25 minutes (or until lightly browned), stirring the granola once halfway through to ensure even browning

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Peanut Butter Quinoa with Strawberries & Pistachios

I know it's been a good while since I posted, but I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that ever since we got into a routine with Ray's diet and figured out a steady rotation of meals he could eat, I kind of turned it over to him and let him do his own cooking. Being a mom of two, it was just too much trying to be creative with meals while taking care of 2 toddlers...especially when one of them is incredibly picky and eats next to nothing, which means I usually end up having to make two separate meals - one for me and the baby, another for her, and back when I was still cooking for Ray, a low sodium meal for him. *cue mind explosion*

Needless to say, he was getting a little sick of cooking the same things over and over the past couple of months, so as a Valentine's Day surprise, I prepped 3 quick meals so he'd have a fresh, new breakfast, lunch, and dinner today 💗

It makes 4 servings, so if you're cooking for 1 or 2, it's a great make-ahead recipe that will give you breakfast for a few days. It's also *incredibly* filling. I still feel full almost 3 hours later

Peanut Butter Quinoa with Strawberries & Pistachios

(Modified from HeartSmart Recipes magazine)

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
3 tbsp peanut butter (we use sodium-free Krema brand)
1/4 cup no sugar added Apple juice
1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
Sliced strawberries

Put quinoa and 2 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and turn heat down to Low. Let cook for 10 minutes, and drain off any excess water out the side of the pot.

Stir in Apple juice and peanut butter. Divide into 4 small bowls and top with strawberries and pistachios.

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Heart-Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

My wonderful friend Heather made some of these for Ray while he was in the hospital, and we've been hooked ever since! I tweaked the recipe a bit (no surprises there) to make them a little more in line with Ray's dietary restrictions, and also to reduce the sugar because they were a little too sweet between the mashed bananas and all the honey. 

Even if you aren't on a diet, I highly recommend making these because they're delicious, my uber-picky toddler loves them, and the abundance of oats make them great for breastfeeding moms like me ❤️ They're the definition of a crowd pleaser!

Heart-Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

Yields 1 1/2 dozen

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tbsp flax seeds

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts - whatever your preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin pans.

Place the oats in a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds. Pour in a large bowl, and stir in flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients - Greek yogurt, eggs, honey, vanilla, and mashed bananas

Make a well in the center of the dry mix, and pour in wet ingredients. Stir in pecan pieces, and spoon batter into muffin pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

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Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats

I love overnight oats, and I love raspberries. But search as I might, I couldn't find a recipe combining the two that appealed to me... they all seemed to lack a little something.

Well, I finally had an epiphany yesterday, and realized the only thing better than raspberries is chocolate + raspberries. So I decided to let my hair down, and throw some cocoa powder in the mix! The verdict this morning? AMAZING. I should have known you can never go wrong by adding chocolate to anything 😉

Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats

Serves 1-2

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp flax seeds

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)

1/2 cup milk of your choice (almond, coconut milk, regular cow's milk, etc)

1-2 tbsp honey, to sweeten as desired (you can also substitute a packet or two of Truvia - that's what Ray prefers)

1/4 cup raspberries

In a mason jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid, stir together first 3 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients except for the raspberries, close the lid, and shake well to combine. Let sit in refrigerator overnight, and add fresh raspberries before eating. 

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No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

 

I am not a morning person. "Cave troll" would probably be the most accurate description of what I'm like in the morning. But now, with having to make all our food from scratch, it took me about 2 days to discover I didn't want to wake up early enough to make breakfast for the family every.single.morning.

The answer? Making muffins and overnight oats the evening before. They have been my savior. Not only that, but my picky toddler will actually eat muffins because she thinks they're "cake cake". This recipe was  born out of my desire to make muffins that are actually healthy, but have *just enough* sweetness to continue tricking my toddler. I know you feel me moms of toddlers ((fist bump)) 

These aren't overly sweet, but I promise they don't taste like your typical "healthy cardboard" muffins. They're really dense and moist, and I imagine if a sweet potato pie and a muffin got together and had a baby, this is what would happen. 

And if blueberries aren't your thing, I think toasted pecans would be an amazing substitute! 

No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes roughly 1 1/2 dozen

About 2 1/2 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes 

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, honey, and vanilla. Stir in baking powder and baking soda (I know it's weird to add them to the wet ingredients, but it actually distributes the levening agents better than mixing them with the dry, which is important because these muffins are dense and need all the help they can get).

Add the flour and cinnamon, and stir until just combined. Right before spooning into the muffin pan, gently fold in blueberries. 

Spoon batter into muffin pan, filling almost to the top (these won't rise much). Bake for 25-30 minutes, erring on the lower end because baked goods make with honey instead of sugar tend to brown faster (but it all depends on your oven). 

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

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