Super Power Breakfast Cookies #breakfastonthego

What's that? A cookie that gives you super powers? It's true, no need to disbelieve. We have been making these protein packed, whole grain cookies almost every very week for a few years now and they remain one of our favorite breakfast and afternoon snacks ever. They come together as quick as waffles or pancakes do and have everything you need to fuel your bod all morning, especially when you pair them with a piece of fresh fruit and a glass of milk!

I'm admittedly and unabashedly most definitely NOT a morning person! Even after 16 years of having a job that requires me to wake up at 5:30 am and even after having 4 children who require every ounce of energy that you don't have at 4 o'clock in the morning.


This means that a bowl of cold cereal would be served every. single. morning at our house during the week if it weren't for brainlessly easy fixes like these cookies. Everyone loves them and they keep me full until I'm able to have a late mid-morning snack at work. I'm happy knowing my kiddos are being fueled through their mornings of quizzes, science reports and P.E. classes. Win-Win.







Mmmmmmmmm, cookies.......... for breakfast.

Another reason I'm so hung up and head over heals for these cookies? They make a great "Grab and Go" afternoon snack. Perfect for those days when we are running all over town, day trips and hiking adventures. Again, we almost always pair a cookie (or two) with a piece of fresh fruit. A banana, apple, orange or grapes make great travel friendly snacks!

Toasted Whole Oats {Coach's Oats}

Super Power Breakfast Cookies

TIME     20 MINUTES        YIELDS     28-20 COOKIES

Ingredients

2 flax eggs (2 T flax meal + 1/4 c water)

1/2 c cooked pumpkin or applesauce or 2 medium ripe bananas (mashed)

1/2 c natural, no sugar added peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch sea salt

1 t pure vanilla extract 

1/4 c maple syrup or honey

1/2 c oat flour (ground from oats in coffee grinder or blender or food processor)

1 c whole grain oats such as Coaches Oats (or 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes AND 1/2 c oats)

1/4 c each: walnuts or pecans (chopped); raisins or other dried fruit, and/or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

In small bowl, combine flax seed & water; let sit while you're preparing the batter. 

Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl & dry ingredients in another bowl.  Add flax eggs to wet ingredients then stir in dry ingredients.

Drop cookies by spoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet or silpat non-stick baking mat set on top of a cookie sheet (the cookies won’t expand much). Bake 15-17 min or til cookies are slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in air-tight container to keep fresh for a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for even longer storage time.

recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

You might also like these healthy breakfast options

Protein Packed Banana Sunflower Cookies

Cottage Cheese Pancakes {GF}

Granola, Quinoa and Fruit Bars

What are your favorite quick and easy "Go To"  breakfast options?

Preparing for Food Revolution Day with Jamie Oliver: Healthy Snacking

Let's get straight to it shall we? I am under the impression that most of you are busy peeps and don't have time to read about another "The importance of eating healthy" post. So am I, I totally get it! We live in a time where if it can't be done NOW, made NOW or instantly downloaded onto one of our many electronic devices which will tell us how to do it while we drive, change a diaper or get ready for work than forget about it!











Case and point, wait.

A picture is worth a thousand words.........

Totally me on some days.  We all have them.

Moving on.

So how do you teach people who are reluctant for various reasons to eat more healthy foods?

I hear it wherever I go. From strangers, friends and co-workers alike. 

"I just don't have time to make home made meals and snacks!"

"I have no idea how to cook, so why try?"

and when I give them some of my simplest (IMHO) recipes I often get:

"I've never heard of half of that stuff."

or

"My family would never eat that!"

and my favorite...... wait for it......

"But, where's the chocolate?"

While I honestly and truly do understand that the majority of us don't have the means or know how about eating healthy, home made foods it's the complete lack of interest in trying that tends to irk me. I am a work in progress, big time! I am by NO means the epitome of total health. I will always be learning and striving to better myself and teach my kids the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. I can only hope that more people will continue to try as well.

For years I've mentioned these points and tips to friends, family and co-workers with mixed reactions. Mostly I get the for mentioned comments. Many of these people eat fairly healthy given their circumstances, the economy etc. but can do much better!

I aim to teach people how to radically cut down in processed, packaged and sugary foods/snacks and help them gain an appreciation for healthy home made ones. At the very, very least remove the stigma that making things home made is such an unbearable chore.

I was contacted by a representative of Jamie Oliver's last week about getting involved in 

another one of his challenges & fundraisers. School will be coming to an end for my children but I thought this would be a perfect chance to bring some of my simple snacks into work along with the 

recipes for my busy co-workers. 

Cross your fingers for me!

Meanwhile here are a few of my families favorite healthy snacks. I make them in advance, freeze them and pop them out for school snacks, hiking, camping etc.

Gold Fish Crackers made w Cheddar and Sweet Potatoes

Banana Chocolate Crisp Granola Bars

Chocolate Hazelnut Chia Seed Pudding

Peanut Butter Craisen Millet Crispies

 

Guest Post for Lazaro Cooks: Tahini Soba Noodles with Caramelized Jumbo Sea Scallops

I've been a fan of Lazaro Cooks since I started blogging a few years ago. His cooking style is what mine used  to be 3 or 4 kids ago. His take it or leave it  personality mimics mine and I love to read his blog while sipping a glass of red wine and longing for the day when I can cook amazing, grown up food with actual spices in it without having to clean it off of the walls afterwards.






I  love ethnic foods. Especially when it involves exotic spices and seafood. I also have a serious addiction to veggies and seafood. Even as a child I adored giant sea scallops and requested them for my birthday every single year along with Kahlua cake. My mom used to put cayenne in EVERYTHING from spaghetti, mixing it into peanut butter and sprinkling it on top of cottage cheese, so I grew up being accustomed to spicy foods. I have to hold back a bit on the spices with my little ones but am trying to build up a tolerance as we speak.

The kids loved this Tahini soba noodle dish slightly sweetened with honey and which I served to them with cubed chicken and saved the spicy-sweet jumbo sea scallops for my husband and myself. Tahini is a wonderfully mild paste made from toasted sesame seeds and commonly used in hummus. I've never been a big fan of peanut butter but love tahini's unique taste. Feel free to use peanut or almond butter in this if you wish.

Please head over to Lazaro Cooks for the recipe, it's simple, delicious and you'll  love  Laz's collection of recipes, I promise.

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Ethiopian Groundnut Wat (Stew)

I wish I could start this post with, " I have been enjoying the people and rich culture here in ( insert small town in Ethiopia) I have especially been enjoying all of the wonderful, exotic flavors in the foods they eat here!" Alas, I have never been to Ethiopia or anywhere out of the country for that matter except for Mexico. Well, I am not one to let the fact that I am not well traveled hinder my ethnic cuisine enjoyment.
I love, adore, live for eating and trying new foods from far-away places. Isn't it wonderful after all to come across something entirely new to surprise your palate? I get a strange high when I can make a new ethnic dish all by myself in my home here in the suburbian desert. Notice I don't say "re-create" for I fully understand that my attempt to make "Ethiopian Groundnut Wat" or any other exotic dish could very well be an utter embarrassment or worse, insult to the people in question.

Well I think this dish turned out lovely, a true delight to eat a combination of flavors I would never have thought of putting together myself. I have to thank a fellow blogger, Vegan Aide at Weekly Vegan Menu for sharing one of her many wonderful dishes with me. I love her site not only because it is healthy, simple and she gives a cost breakdown of her meals but because she features flavorful meals from all across the globe! Score! Her site is Vegan as the title says which is wonderful I think because everybody could use more veggies in their daily lives. I have found that I have not given meat a second thought in the last few weeks since not eating it. I am not claiming vegetarianism since I don't plan on completely giving it up, just really limiting it.

I guess you can say I'm almost a vegetarian, mostly Organic, Raw enthusiast, Green loving kind of gal.

O.k. so here's the wonderful recipe.

I threw in a bit more of everything to make more for my big fam, so I will just post her recipe straight from her site. I will say that I will use less peanut butter the next time I make this. Again, I was not measuring exactly (as usual) so I might have used too much. So, while the peanut butter was an important addition for the cultural flair of this dish, I felt it smothered the other wonderful spices going on. I will also make sure to whisk it in a small amount of the hot liquid so it will incorporate into the dish better. I was getting big chunks of peantut butter in some bites.

* Changes I made:  Besides adding more of the ingredients, I used Organic Chicken broth instead of water
 ( I know, not very vegan of me) and I sliced the onion in wedges instead of mincing because that's how I like them and I minced the ginger instead of infusing it into the dish, for more flavor. I also suggest using more cardamom, it was yummy but hardly noticeable in my dish. I must say that roasting the cauliflower was an excellent idea as it adds a wonderful hearthy  flavor to the dish!  I put some of the veggies and lentils without the addition of the spices into my pressure cooker so my kids would eat this. I thought it was a little to much to ask for a 13 month old and a 4 and 5 year old to eat such a fragrant dish.  Bon Appetite!



SERVES  6        TIME  60 MINUTES

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
1 t olive oil
salt
1 t olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cubed
1/2 c red lentils
1/4 t chili pepper
2 cardamom pods, or 1/2 t ground
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
3 whole cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, bruised
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 c water
1/4 c peanut butter
salt to taste
1/4 c chopped peanuts
2 scallions, chopped

2 c arugula
lemon juice
salt



Putting it all together:

Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, add salt and roast in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is getting roasted, turning once.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, lentils, chili flakes, and the rest of the spices. Saute the vegetables until the onions are getting golden, stirring often.

Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are broken up.

Add the water, cover and cook the stew until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

When the cauliflower is ready add that and the peanut butter and stir well to mix. Add salt to taste.

Toss the arugula with the lemon juice and season with salt.
Serve garnished with scallions, peanuts and the arugula.

You may also put everything (except the peanut butter) in a crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low. Add the peanut butter in the last half hour. Roasting the cauliflower will give it a better flavor, too.

*UPDATE*

I have made this a few more times, tonight included and have been using Almond Butter instead of peanut butter and IMO it is much milder tasting and very creamy and complimenting to the other flavors. I also have used canned, stewed tomatoes in lou of fresh when not in season which taste just as good. Who knew tomatoes and almond butter would go good together in a dish?  I've been skipping the chili pepper and also using 'African Allspice' which is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, ginger ect. and is just easier for me cuz I'm lazy. ;)

Granola-Quinoa Fruit Bars - GF

These were great. More like a soft granola bar with just the right amount of peanut butter. Great after school snack or grab and go breakfast! Can you tell we like those around here? It's so much cheaper and healthier to make your own snacks in bulk like this. I always double my recipes and freeze some if necessary, but they usually get gobbled up within the week. These are gluten free and full of good-for-you things. Quinoa is a super healthy whole grain, it's actually a complete protein all by itself. It has a slightly nutty taste making it perfect in granola bars.


adapted from 101 CookBooks

TIME   5 minutes active, 25 minutes baking    Makes about 15 bars

You Will Need:

1 cup dried date pieces or 10 dates, diced
1 cup water, more or less
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped

1/2 cup Agave Nectar or Honey

1/2 cup old fashioned oats ( I use Coach's Oats)

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup dried fruit, chopped (I used craisins, apricots, blueberries and strawberries)

1/4 cup flaxmeal (ground flaxseed)

parchament paper or 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

*you could also use peanut oil, almond oil, walnut oil or grapeseed oil. I would stay away from Canola, vegetable and olive oils since any oil will absorb into your food and thus aquire their taste.

Putting it all together:

Lightly coat inside of an 8x8 baking dish with oil or line with parchment paper making sure parchment comes above all sides of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 F.
 In a saucepan over low heat, heat peanut butter, water, quinoa, oats, fruit, pistachios and flax. With a big, sturdy wooden spoon, stir to completely mix. If the mixture is too thick, add more water. If it is too thin, add more peanut butter.

 Remove from heat and press into baking dish using spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes if desired, or just chill for an hour for more sticky bars and to make theese Raw (make sure to chill for an hour even after you bake them). Remove from pan and slice into bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.













This post is linked to 'Make it with Monday's' featured ingredient, Quinoa.

Thai Garden Veggie Wraps with Peanut Sauce

This is my new favorite lunch! I ate a big whole grain wrap stuffed with fresh veggies and herbs and was satisfied but didn't feel heavy and stuffed . I love what living in the Arizona heat does to inspire me to come up with these quick, light meals. I suppose there's not much else to do other than sit around indoors and think about food since it's to stinking hot to go outside!

At first I was simply going to toss the veggies with lime juice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and hot chile flakes for some kick, but then I started craving a peanuty sauce. It was so perfect and was my favorite part. It helped the little guys gobble them up too!

*Flavor with fresh herbs and citrus instead of mayo, salt or jarred marinades.

What you will need: 

2 carrots, julienned
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and juliened
1 red bell pepper, seeded and juliened
broccoli slaw
big handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced
whole grain wraps/tortillas
toasted sesame seeds
hot chile flakes ( optional) 

* mint or cilantro would be good too, I just used what I had on hand.

For the peanut sauce: 

2 big spoonfuls of All Natural peanut butter or Tahini paste
1/4 cup Tamari (similar to soy sauce, minus the additives and less sodium)
2 limes, juiced
dried onion flakes
Whisk all ingredients together in large measuring cup. Fill the wraps with veggies and herbs and drizzle sauce over the top.

Peanut Butter Crispies

I am so thrilled about this post for several reasons.

1. It's a super simple, very yummy recipe... everyone can do this.
2. It's a healthy snack...... that's the name of the game here.
3. You can make a big batch of these for penny's on the dollar from what you'd pay for store bought granola or protein bars.
4. Last, but not least, I had so much fun photographing and playing with the pic's from this shoot.

I wanted to thank my friend  Lauren  at Foodie House  for sharing her honest feelings about food photography sharing sites. It's easy to get caught up in all of the publicity and glamour ( yes food can be glamorous) of it all. It seems that many of us, I can only speak for myself, start blogging for purely personal reasons and yet in the excitement of it all, change our personal style for the want of publicity. I've been having fun journaling some of my favorite recipes so that someday I might make a simple cookbook for myself and my kids. Also, it is a fun, creative outlet for me. I love cooking and blogging has been a nice getaway of sorts from everyday chaos.

These peanut butter crispies are a favorite in our house. I've adapted them from a basic recipe that I have here, and make them with what ingredients I have on hand. With 3 very active boys in our home who have seemingly bottomless pits for stomachs these snacks are a true life saver! Served with a glass of cold milk, they are a great after school snack. My teenager downs an apple or two along with several of these little PB balls.

Check out the list of healthy ingredients going on here! You could grab a couple of these for a
quick on-the-run breakfast and feel good about it. There's protein, whole grains and bits of fruit, what more could you ask for in a snack?


I just add the cereals and fruit then pour in some peanut butter to get the consistency I like.  Honey gives it just a touch of Natural sweetness and keeps them from falling apart. I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook and a firm spatula for scraping the sides in. You could start mixing these with a big heavy spoon but you'll probably need to get down and dirty and use your hands towards the end.

TIME 20 MINUTES ACTIVE 2 HOURS REFRIGERATING
MAKES ABOUT 40 BALLS

You will need:

2 - 2 1/2 cups All Natural peanut butter
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal
2 cups *Puffed Millet
1 cup craisins, raisins or other bits of dried fruit
1/2 - 1 cup Honey (eye it, it's easier than messing with a measuring cup)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ (optional, I didn't have it this time, but it's in my original recipe)


Mix all ingredients together. Shape into bite size balls with your hands, adding a spoonful of PB if they become to crumbly.
Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets and cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Keep stored in an airtight container in fridge. These will be perfectly fine to send to school, they will keep their shape.

*Millet is a super healthy whole grain used for centuries in Egypt, China, Africa, India and all across Europe.
Millet is highly nutritious, non-glutinous and like buckwheat and quinoa, is not an acid forming food so is soothing and easy to digest. In fact, it is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available.
Millet is tasty, with a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.






Other healthy snacks you'll love:


Banana Chocolate Crisp Granola Bars

Carrot Date Energy Ballz

Old Fashion Fig Bars

Home Made Gold Fish Crackers

Tropical Nut and Seed Bars

All Natural Oat Cookies

Coconut Almond Oat Crunchies

Granola Quinoa Fruit Bars

Ginger-Roo's with home made crystalized ginger

Whole Grain Energy Bars

I am so excited to share this recipe! The list of ingredients are super healthy and as a bonus they taste really really good! I found this recipe online. It is a version of health bars from Harvest Bread Company. They package and sell theirs for $2 each. You can make a big batch of these for the same price minus the preservatives! They freeze well (if you don't eat them all up first) and are a GREAT healthy breakfast on the go or mid afternoon pick-me-up snack! Great healthy snack for kids!

Here is a quick rundown of the nutrition facts.

Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs: 0 grams sugar, All whole grains in here plus sesame seeds.

Kashi Go Lean Crunch: Naturally sweetened multi grain cluster with Almond Flax. 9 g protein, 8 g fiber plus 500 mg Omega-3.

Wheat Germ: Yummy! A great source of Vitamin E & Folic Acid and dietary fiber. You can also sprinkle wheat germ on oatmeal, yogurt and add it to muffins and cookies.

Organic All Natural Peanut Butter: Kirkland and Laura Scudder's have great tasting, healthy pb. Both contain NO added sugar, NO preservatives and No partially hydrogenated vegetable oil like most other brands. Just Roasted Peanuts and a very small amount of salt.

Millet: A whole grain it is highly nutritious, non-glutinous and like buckwheat and quinoa, is not an acid forming food so is soothing and easy to digest. In fact, it is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available and it is a warming grain so will help to heat the body in cold or rainy seasons and climates. click here for more good info on millet.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Puffed Millet ( or Go Lean Crunch)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Puffed Kashi
1 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Natural-Style Peanut Butter
1 cup Craisins or Raisins

Mix everything together in a food processor or by hand. Shape into small bars and refrigerate at least 1 hour. That's it! Super easy!
Enjoy!