Cooking

Hungry for Healthy Pancakes

Posted on by thewexfordhousewife

I love seeing my son’s eyes light up when I ask if he wants pancakes for breakfast.  It’s by far his favorite mealtime option.  I make a big batch of toddler-size pancakes at the beginning of the week; enough to eat now, save for tomorrow & freeze for the rest of the week.

Over the months I’ve experimented with different recipes, trying to find that perfect balance of yummy & healthy.  Today I think I finally came up with the perfect combination & I am so excited to share it!

20160404_090410

Lemon & Blueberry Pancakes

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients

1 Cup White, Whole Wheat Flour.  I use King Arthur brand.

2 TBSP Lemon Infused Sugar.  I used the reserved sugar from the Citrus Peels I made last month.  As a substitution, add lemon zest to 2 TBSP sugar.

2 TSP Baking Powder

In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Once combined add 1/2 cup whole organic blueberries.

1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 TBSP (melted) Coconut Oil

1 Large Egg

1 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & mix until just combined.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat (greased or nonstick).  Add TBSP portions of the pancake mixture to the heated skillet.  You can make the pancakes as big or small as you like.  Tablespoon portions work best for us; my little man usually eats them grab & go style as he plays or watches the cars rush to work.  Once the pancakes start to bubble it’s time to flip.

Screenshot_2016-04-04-09-20-11

We usually eat these as is, but you can serve them with maple syrup, agave nectar or even strawberry preserves.  Enjoy!

Advertisement

Citrus Peels & Vino

Posted on by thewexfordhousewife

I love spending Sunday afternoons in the kitchen.  My husband entertains the babe & I am able to get lost in my own little world of cooking, baking, and more often than not, enjoying a quiet glass of wine.  Who are we kidding, it’s never quiet in this house.  But, at least I get to enjoy a glass of wine!

This past Sunday I finally perfected my homemade Potato Chips & experimented with making French Fries in the oven.  My husband claimed he didn’t like homemade fries, but when he tried this recipe he requested I make them every night.  So I guess they out turned okay 🙂 For the Fries, I adapted a recipe I found on Pinterest from Layers of Happiness.  I basically just used coconut oil, sea salt & garlic to make a healthy alternative to fast food fries.

20160320_143401-1

Earlier in the week a Facebook post caught my eye on how to make candied fruit peels.  With all the fruit we’ve been eating & cooking with lately I thought this would be the perfect way to use the discarded peels.

20160320_145141-1

For my candied peels I adapted a recipe from Glorious Treats that I’m excited to share.  I ended up using peels from oranges, lemons & tangerines.  I cut & cleaned the peels into bite size strips that would make for easy snacking.  The recipe suggested boiling the peels in equal parts water & sugar, but since we’re watching our sugar intake I didn’t use nearly as much sugar.

Once the peels were translucent, I drained them & laid them over a bed of sprinkled sugar.  I rolled them in the sugar until they were fully covered; again, using about 1/4 of the suggested amount.  I let the peels soak in the sugar for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to dry.  I saved the leftover sugar for future citrus-flavored recipes.

20160320_163257

20160320_191853

Have fun snacking!  Don’t forget to follow me on IG as the_wexford_housewife_

 

 

 

 

 

Clean Eats in the Oven

Posted on by thewexfordhousewife

It’s been a little over a week since we started avoiding processed foods & ingredients we couldn’t pronounce.  I wish I could say that I have more energy, but I don’t.  It’s not the foods fault though…my son doesn’t sleep.  Apparently it doesn’t matter how well I eat or how much coffee I drink, I’m constantly in a zombie-like state.  Oh the woes of motherhood lol

Anyways, I’m excited to share some easy, clean recipes that my family has fallen in love with!  When we first started this clean eating journey, my husband & I were most worried about our snacking habits.  Potato chips were and still are our go-to snack of choice.  Making our own chips was so much easier than I imagined; time consuming, but easy.

20160219_104622

I literally just sliced potatoes with my mandolin, let them soak in water for 20 minutes to remove excess oil & lined them on a baking sheet.  I brushed them with melted coconut oil & sprinkled them with sea salt.  I let them bake on high (400 degrees) until they started to brown, about 20 minutes.  I can’t wait to try this with sweet potatoes!

I love to bake & I’ve found some pretty tasty, all-natural recipes for breads & muffins that my family has fallen in love with!  Click on the links below to try them out for yourself!  When making the muffins, I substituted almond milk & vanilla Greek yogurt rather than nonfat milk & plain yogurt.  The texture was a little drier than the muffins we’re use to, but they tasted great & there was no guilt!  I also doubled the recipe, since 6 muffins would not have lasted long in our household.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins – Courtesy of Amy’s Healthy Baking

Screenshot_2016-02-24-19-59-15

Low Sugar Zucchini Bread – Courtesy of One Strange Herd

20160224_201818