Oh so easy, but yummy scones

I always find myself searching for a new breakfast recipe. Breakfast foods are probably my favorite thing to bake. But I do feel like I get stuck in a creativity rut more often than not.
Tonight I decided to make a scone..but in the past I always felt like it was more time consuming than I wanted. So this recipe is a delightfully easy but yummy recipe.

Chocolate Chip & Strawberry Scones
2 cups whole wheat pancake mix (not complete)- plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbs raw sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup organic milk
2 TBS safflower or sunflower oil

mix the ingredients together then fold in 1/4 cup choc chips and 1/4 cup chopped and dried off strawberries
knead 5-6 times on a floured surface and form into a disk. cut into 8 triangles. sprinkle with raw sugar
bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 mins

Kefir

I have really been looking into the benefits of kefir and how to make my own. Thankfully a few friends have been nice enough to help me learn more about it. I am looking forward to starting my first milk kefir batch soon. But for now I have been using plain/unsweetened milk Kefir from Trader Joe's.
Here is a web site that has been really helpful to me while I am still learning about Kefir.
http://culturedfoodlife.com/Kefir.html

Some Fun Facts about the benefits of Kefir:

• Kefir has been called the “champagne of milk
• Kefir is a fermented milk which contains a mixture of several species of lactic cultures.
• Kefir is a remedy for digestive troubles because of its very low curd tension, meaning that the curd breaks up very easily into extremely small pieces.

Another great thing about Kefir is that you can use it in a variety of foods and drinks. We have made ice cream, smoothies, muffins, and now today bread.

Pumpkin Kefir Bread
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
2 cups white/whole wheat flour
2 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl
1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
3/4 cup raw local honey
3/4 cup raw sugar or sucanat
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS molasses
1 can pumpkin
1 cup milk kefir

Once the wet ingredients are well combined add the dry ingredients slowly.
Pour into loaf pan and can also make 6 muffins
Bread 325 degrees for 40-45 mins
Muffins 20-25 mins

Fall is in the air

My family and I just adore fall time! The smells of apple cinnamon, pumpkin baking, fire pits burning, and hot cocoa cooling down on the counter are just some of the wonderful fall aromas. We try to soak up every bit of the fall time as much as possible.
One of our favorite foods to make during this time of year is pumpkin. Whether it be muffins, bread, pancakes, cake, pie..we just love it all! I know it is still not "technically" fall, but in the Tuttle house we are starting out a little early :)So tonight the kids and I went on a pumpkin baking frenzy.

 Here is our Clean Pumpkin Bread
1/2 cup sucanat or organic brown sugar
1/2 cup raw honey
2 egg whites
1/3 cup yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp clove
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
2. In large bowl, with wire whisk, combine brown sugar and egg whites. Add pumpkin, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
3. In medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean

Never too young

Mommy got a craving for some chocolate (big surprise right?lol) and little miss was grumpy so I thought well lets see if she wants to help mommy bake. She loved loved helping. She stirred and stirred her little heart out. It was so cute watching her have so much fun. I had Adi and Noah come look and they were so proud of her. They sat and cheered her on. My pantry is pretty bare this week and I have tried to stick to a healthier diet so I wanted something not high in fat, no eggs, butter, or gluten. So here is my take on a gluten free, egg free, butter free fudgey brownie

1/2 cup rice flour (can use any gluten free flour)

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup non sweetned applesauce
1/4 cup safflower oil
mix together and bake in an 8x8 pan for 25-30 mins

Everything Basil

We finally have a trader joe's!!! I was so giddy going up and down every aisle at least 2 times :)
 I bought a bunch of organic basil to cook with this week and had fun creating different meals with one main ingredient.  I would have my own basil plant but I kill every plant..and I mean every single one :)
The first thing I made today was a baked basil chicken burger on top of a basil/chicken brown jasmine rice. We do not like chunks of onion so we always use onion powder but feel free to use fresh onion.
The rice was super easy and full of a lot of flavor.

Baked Basil Chicken Burger
1 lb hormone free ground chicken
3-4TBS mayo
3-4tsp chopped basil
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2TBS Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for about 20-30 mins so that they flavors absorb together.
make into patties, put on an oiled baking sheet, bake at 375 degrees for about 25 mins ,flip half way through. Makes about 5-6 patties

Basil Brown Jasmine Rice
1 cup cleaned rice
2 cups chicken stock
1TBS chopped basil
1 tsp garlic powder or 1/2 tsp minced
1 tsp olive oil
Place stock and rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 25-30mins



Apple and Basil Muffins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1 apple cleaned and minced up
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3TBS lemon juice
3TBS brown sugar
let sit in a bowl for 5 mins
add
1 organic egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup raw honey

 mix together and sprinkle on top
2TBS brown sugar
1TBS raw sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

add dry ingredients to wet till combined. bake at 350 degree for 15-16 mins

In the kitchen

At least once a week I try to have the kids come bake and or cook with me seperately. I get to have one and one time with them and show them the ins and out of food. Noah always has lots of questions and little patience..ha but he is a little 4 year old boy. But he is always wanting to know what ingredients are in everything we make which makes for a lot of conversations :)
I have been really looking into my own at home cupcake or cake business...so for now I am loving this cake pop idea! I tried a recipe last week and the cake part was awesome but my outer shell never got hard. So today after some tweeks I think we are on the road to success! Today I used a doctored cake mix but from now on I will use my own whole wheat yummy cakes that don't have all the processed junk in them. But I wanted to just try mix for today to make it easier on myself :) Adi had a blast getting messy and really working with her hands. Usually she's pretty timid to do so since I am a clean freak..but hey I am getting out of my shell somewhat lol. It was a time of laughter, jokes, girl time, and just plain fun bonding time with my eldest daughter. Arwen had fun watching and helping push Adi's chair around in the kitchen.

Later in the day I had Noah help me make some yummy whole wheat pumpkin muffins for our "breakfast for dinner". He asked a lot of questions like usual which made me giggle and did a great job stirring and adding ingredients. He said "oh mom you can do the eggs cuz they're too messy". He doesn't like to get his hands all ooey either like big sis. His favorite part was that we soaked the raisins in hot water to make them plump again. He thought that was amazing lol.
Well here's our Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

1st soak 3/4 cup raisins with hot water that covers them for a few mins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ciannamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
mix the dry ingredients together then make a well for the liquid
2 range free organic eggs
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup safflower oil
mix together and then fold the raisins. Bake 350 degrees for 17-19 mins

Adi's Turn in the kitchen

Adi loves to be in the kitchen! She likes to have alone time with mommy so today while the younger 2 were napping we made some homemade strawberry poptarts. (original idea courtsey of gracious pantry) we of course tweaked it a little to make it more for us. While we were baking Adi says "Mom I love to cook" and I said well technically its called baking. Ha she was confused until I said most meals with meat and veggies are cooking and baking is more for muffins, cupcakes, desserts..then it clicked in her brain. She has a sweet tooth like her mamma that's for sure..so when you start explaining dessert lingo she pays close close attention. I got to explain to her how whole wheat and raw sugar were a healthier option for baking and how you can make it really delicisous with wholesome ingredients. We had a lot of fun!

Today we decided to try to find a healthier option for breakfast tomorrow so I looked under gracious pantry's site and saw these yummy looking poptarts! I was thrilled to find them and knew Adi would love to help out.

So here's the recipe for our Homemade Pop Tarts
2 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup raw sugar (for a cleaner version you can use sucanat)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup safflower oil

1/2 cup of unsweetned almond milk

Filling
we used my homemade strawberry preserves
1 lb frozen or fresh strawberries
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
bring to a boil and stir. let simmer for about 15-20 mins on med high till thickened

let cool down some and add extra to a clean hot jar

If it's not thick enough add little cornstarch dissolved in water

combine all the ingredients together. if too crumbly add little bit of milk to bind it together. form into a ball on parchment or wax paper. flour the paper before rolling out into a big rectangle.

make 10 rectangles (we had to make the 5th one from edges we scraped off and rolled back out)

after you have rectangles cut out. put one side down on greased cookie sheet. add the filling about 1/2 way on it and then put the top on . use a fork to pinch the edges together so the filling doesn't come spilling out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins till golden brown.
Once cooled down a little brush fresh raw honey on top and let dry. Don't put in toaster. Microwave for 2-3 mins if not eating right away

Noah's time in the kitchen

The kids and I love to bake together! I am always trying to "healthify" (ha is that a word?) a recipe and make it my own. It's fun to have quality one and one time with the kids, be able to teach them to cook/bake, learn about foods that are good for them and why, and to get a little messy if needed :) Noah loves to be all hands on when baking..he gets his spiderman apron on and is all boy about getting messy while "helping"..and of course he gets to lick a spoon or sneak a chocolate chip here and there lol.
Noah was home with me this past week while sissy was away and we decided to make a healthy/cleaner version of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. By saying my version of a clean recipe i mean i am trying to stick to a more natural and raw version as possible. I am new to this 'clean version" so I don't know all the of the "rules" haha

My version of a cleaner pb and chocolate chip cookie

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetned)

3/4 cup raw or local honey

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 range free egg

1 cup chocolate chips

mix dry ingredients together in one bowl

mix wet ingredients in seperate bowl

add the wet ingredients to the dry

fold in the chocolate chips

place 1 tbs of dough 1-2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 mins