Mini Muffin Monday(Granola muffins)

My mini muffin tin is by far the most loved pan in the house. I have discovered that you can make lots of things other then muffins with them. Mini muffins are perfect for tiny toddler tummies that my feel overwhelmed by a big muffin. I like to play around with different recipes and things I have in the house. Last week I was cleaning out the pantry and seen I had a box of bisquick. It has been a good long time since I remember ever buying bisquick so I check the dates and surprisingly enough it was not expired. Then I started wondering other then biscuits or pancakes what can I do with this bisquick. So I started measuring out how much was left and it was 4 cups. That is a lot of bisquick to let go to waste so I started thinking what else do I need to use up? Granola! I had a double batch that I had a little left of. So we call these "Almost Expired muffins" Thats not so appealing and you might not sell to many friends on that Idea.. so Granola Muffins it is lol

Granola Muffins
2 cups of Granola (you can use homemade or store bought)
4 cups of Bisquick baking mix
2 large eggs
1/4 cup Honey or Agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 & 1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375, In a large bowl mix granola & bisquick. In a 2nd bowl whisk together wet ingredients. Gradually mix in the granola/bisquick mixture into the wet ingredients then fold in chocolate & peanut butter chips. Grease your muffin tins and add fill about 2/3 with batter. This recipe can be halved it makes about 48 mini muffins or 24 large muffins. mini muffins will bake in about 12-15 mins, larger muffins about 20-25. Check them with a toothpick and if it comes out crumb free then you know they are done! **you can substitute the chips with dried fruit**

Thursday Theme (Pizza)

Just ask your child what they want for dinner...is the answer almost always pizza?? We likely eat pizza 2-3 times a week in our house. And no its not delivery or Digiorno lol. Pizza is a very versatile food and its so fun to let your kids help.

Making your own dough is really easy I use my bread machine most of the time but some days I just feel like doing it the old fashion way. Making a traditional pizza with homemade dough isn't the only option. You can make pizza on English muffins, pita bread, bagels, tortillas.. even bread. Its so simple when you are not fussing with dough. When we do little pizza like this the kids get so happy knowing they each get their own little pizza and I let them do their own toppings. Even my 1 year old sprinkles her own cheese on.

When making mini pizza with the kids I give them each a pre sauced pita and place it on wax paper. I line up bowls with toppings across the table starting with the cheese, pepperoni, veggies then Parmesan at the end. They make an assembly line of sorts and pull their wax paper down the line as they pick out their toppings. We then place them on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 8-10 mins.. when you are not dealing with dough you pretty much just need to cook until the cheese is melted.

How about Mexican pizza with your taco night leftovers? We generally will do this on English muffins pretty much the same way as above I just use salsa in place of the sauce and will put out left over beef, beans, rice & cheese.. when the pizzas are cooked they can then add sour cream, pico, lettuce, etc..

My husband also makes a wonderful breakfast pizza..I will have to get the recipe from him soon.

and for extra fun..dessert pizza? This works best on regular dough.. you cook just the dough when it comes out brush the crust with butter and sprinkle on some Cinnamon sugar, then I smooth on some vanilla pudding then top with seasonal berries and drizzle the fruit with a bit of honey... YUM!

MMMMM Monday (Chocolate Chip Cookies)

What kid doesn't like chocolate chip cookies. The smell alone of chocolate chip cookies reminds me of simpler times of my childhood. Erynn my oldest daughter has a huge sweet tooth just like her mom and always asks me to make cookies. Even worse she always wants that refrigerated cookie dough at the store. While those are super easy and all they are not very good for you. I never want to be the mom that doesn't allow treats and desserts. Moderation is key and when you make healthy treats its all the better.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 36 cookies)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut oil, softened (or you can use margarine)
2 large eggs
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
chopped walnuts optional

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease you cookie sheets well
in a large bowl cream together coconut oil, raw sugar & brown sugar stir in eggs and vanilla
in a large bowl mix remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and walnuts. Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients then fold chocolate chips and walnuts in. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets bake for 8 to 10 minutes until done leave on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. You can also make these into bars by pressing into a jelly roll pan and cooking for 12-15 minuets.

Sunday Salad

Sundays are another busy day in our household. This Sunday especially with getting a few things put together for Labor Day tomorrow. A nice simple pasta salad is a great to go with a BBQ. I find that pasta salad is great for kids because generally all kids love pasta and you can load it up with their favorite veggies

Bow-tie pasta
1 16 oz box bow-tie pasta (we use whole wheat) cooked according to package, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 package of pepperoni cut into 4ths
1 bottle Italian dressing (we like the 365 organic)
1 med red bell pepper chopped
About a cup full of shelled edamame
1 can sliced black olives (I call this optional because I am the only one in the house who wont eat them)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved.
1 cup chopped broccoli

in a large bowl add cooked, drained and rinsed pasta followed by dressing & Parmesan cheese and mix well, then add remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for about an hour and serve.

Friday Feature (Weelicious)

Fridays I will be Featuring other blogs, websites & recipes that I have tried. If you have a recipe that you would like me to test out and review for you or have a blog related to cooking or parenting and would like to be featured please contact me at Kitchenfullofkids@yahoo.com

Weelicious hands down is one of my favorite sites to browse when I am feeling uninspired by my own recipes. I have tried several different recipes and I have been thrilled with each and every one. Today I tried one that I haven't tried before and I was really shocked at how much I liked them. The kids got awfully excited when they got home from school and they see a container of mini muffins waiting for them on the table. Today we tired out her Banana Wee-eat Germ muffins I had a few spotted bananas that needed to get used today and as much as I love my Great Aunts Banana Bread recipe I wanted something a bit healthier this was Perfect. I used my Rachel Ray mini muffin tins which are likely the most used piece of cook wear in the house. The wheat germ gives the muffins a nice hearty taste and after eating a few where quite filling. These muffins would be great for a breakfast on the go or a lunch treat for the kids. All 4 of my daughters loved them and trust me anything that makes all 4 girls happy makes this mama very very happy!!


Photo from weelicious.com

Thursday Themes

I thought it might be nice to have a theme day. Where I will maybe share a group of recipes, list of helpful links, and topics. With school in session for most I thought it would be nice to talk about sandwich ideas. Sandwiches seem to be a popular lunch choice because they are easy on moms and what kid doesn't like sandwichs...for a little while anyway. Possibilities are endless when it comes to sandwiches. Here are a few Sandwich ideas for you.

breads

whole wheat sandwich bread

whole wheat pita bread

flat bread

wraps

tortillas

pancakes

waffles

English muffins

bagels
matzo crackers

Melba toast

Spreads & fillings

Hummus

Cream Cheese

Cheese/cream cheese spreads

Sun or Nut Butters

Jams & Jellies

Cheeses & sandwich meats

alfalfa Sprouts

lettuce

shredded carrots

cucumbers

pickles

leftover turkey & chicken

egg salad

tuna salad

ham salad

chicken salad

Another thing I have found a great love for is Sandwich cutters and large cookie cutters. It's much more exciting to open you lunchbox to a Sandwich shaped like a heart or a star. I keep the trimmings of the sandwiches for my own lunch at home so their is no waste. Pinwheel sandwiches are also fun for the kids. Experimenting a few days ago I made some pinwheel sandwiches with lemon almond chicken salad (recipe coming soon) and sprouts they where a huge hit. Its so simple to just slather a spread and veggie on a tortilla roll it up and cut into fourths.

Waffles on Wednesday

Wednesdays are one of our busiest days of the week. The older girls have school then we have about 1.5 hours to change out of uniforms, do homework, eat dinner and go to church. By the time we get home it's time for a small snack, showers and off to bed. Trying to get so much accomplished in such a little amount of time makes me really glad that I always have tons of frozen waffles on hand. I think kids are drawn to breakfast for dinner because it almost feels like your doing something naughty (mind you I don't by into the concept that you should have pizza for breakfast either lol) I have a very yummy basic waffle recipe that you can add just about anything to it. Most popular in our home are Cinnamon, banana, peanut butter & blueberry waffles. I have even started making cheese waffles that are yummy for sandwiches. I have also discovered Organic batter blaster that I like to keep on hand for the rare times that we have no waffles. It's super easy and makes a really fluffy waffle. Making pancakes with it however was a bit tricky because its so light and fluffy then burn quickly. Waffles are great because they have no rules, they can be breakfast with some fresh berries, a sandwich for lunch, A comforting dinner or even desert with whip cream & honey. My 5 year old likes to eat them frozen right out of the freezer (I think that is crazy but she loves them that way lol)

Waffles (and yes works for pancakes too)
1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (I use a fine grain sea salt)
4 Tbsp Raw organic sugar (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)
2 large eggs
3 cups milk (you can use any kind of milk I generally use 2% or homemade almond milk)
2/3 cup butter or oil
(add fresh berries, chocolate chips, mashed bananas, applesauce, peanut butter etc)
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl, Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients careful not to over mix them. Fold in any extras to your batter mix If you are adding fresh berries do not mix them in you will simply toss a few berries on top of the wet batter after your pour it into the waffle maker (trust me on this one)


you will want to take note of the cooking recommendations of your waffle maker. For mine I use 1/3 cup of batter and cook on medium heat for about 3.5 minutes each. You may need to butter your iron or use a cooking spray if your waffle maker requires you to do so. mine recommends it only with you are using fruits and sweet batter because the sugars/juices will make them stick.
This will make about 16-20 waffles

Now as a part 2 to this recipe a new waffle sandwich was born (due to low pantry supplies and over ripe bananas for lunch the other day. We call it the "WWED? Waffle Sammie" (wwed?=what would Elvis do)

WWED? Waffle Sammie
Using the above recipe mix in 1/2 cup of sun-butter or nut-butter of your choice (we used sun-butter) and 1 ripe banana mashed into your batter.
Take 2 cooked waffles and spread Sun-butter over it and top with thinly sliced bananas. And you have a nice healthy Waffle Sammie. We would like to think that if Elvis where alive today he would enjoy this lunch treat.
Enjoy!