baking cheek to cheek

March 24, 2014 by all aflutter in Recipes

B and I love to bake together. It's rare, sweet time we spend together, just the two of us, while R is napping. He sits on the counter so we can be eye to eye + cheek to cheek. We most often make muffins or "donuts" (Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious Doughnuts have been a hit with both boys and their friends since their debut at B's first birthday party. Did you know that all you really need to be a super cool toddler mom is a mini donut pan?!).

Lately we've been experimenting with granola bars. We've tried a few recipes now, but the best by far have been from one of my favorite food bloggers, Kelley Epstein at Mountain Mama Cooks (I made a modified version of her Puff Pastry Wrapped Turkey Burger Sliders the other night...OMG. That's all I'm saying for now). We've made her Chewy Granola Bars a few times now and they're always delish + easily modified to suit just about everyone's taste. This time we tried the Chewy Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars. I went to 5 stores looking for the cinnamon chips called for in the recipe to no avail, so I had to carry on without them. Next time I think I'll have to just order some because I have a feeling they're the hidden gem in this recipe + B would love them.

Recipe:

1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (her recipe calls for oat flour, which we'll try next time)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs melted butter
3 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs almond butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, raisins, almonds + cinnamon chips
In a small bowl, combine vanilla, honey, olive oil, melted butter, brown sugar + almond butter
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until evenly combined
Press mixture into a 9x9 baking pan that has been greased + lined with parchment paper
Bake for 20 minutes or so
Let cool completely before cutting into squares or rocket ships or whatever shape you want
Store in an airtight container or wrap individually + freeze
Nuzzle your baking partner + share the yummy granola love

banana oat smoothie

March 17, 2014 by all aflutter in Recipes, Blog

B calls this the "sugar smoothie" because it's deceptively sweet + delicious and because it includes a dash of maple syrup. It does taste much more like dessert than a healthy snack, but it's filled with protein and nutrients. It's a hearty way to fill up little bellies mid-morning to help keep them happy until lunch. Bottoms up, sugar. xo

Modified from Martha Stewart's Pear, Oat, Cinnamon and Ginger Shake recipe, which is also yum.

Banana Oat Smoothie
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (or plain if you want to skip the sugar)
1 large banana or 2 small ones (or 1 pear)
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 heaping tbs almond butter
1 tsp maple syrup
a few shakes of cinnamon
1 tbs ground flax seed
a couple handfuls of ice
blend well + serve with a kiss on the head

homemade granola bars

March 02, 2014 by all aflutter in Recipes

Tomorrow is D-Day. The contractor is going to start moving in on the house, digging the foundation for the addition and taking down the old staircase to make space for the new one. I'm giddy with the anticipation of seeing this thing actually begin to take shape. We've been thinking about it and talking about it for so long, it's hard to believe it's finally going to be under way. I just can't wait to see it blossom.

In order to try to maintain the peace with our new neighbors while the workmen are buzzing about next to their fences, the boys and I made some granola bars this morning to bring over as a peace offering. We wrote a sweet note letting them know what to anticipate as far as scope and timing. I'm hoping they like the granola bars as much as all of my boys do and that their chewy goodness is enough to forgive us for disrupting their lovely neighborhood for the next 90 days.

The granola bar recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, Mountain Mama Cooks. Kelley Epstein is a personal chef + mama in Park City, UT and I love every recipe of hers I've tried (not to mention her writing). I’ve been making her Banana Oat Pancakes on heavy rotation and I've been meaning to try the Korean Flank Steak Tacos from her Taco Tuesday series. These Chewy Granola Bars are the easiest and best I've ever made. We substituted raisins for the dried cherries because my boys prefer them. We also used only vanilla extract because I didn't have any almond. You could put any combination of nuts + dried fruit in them depending on your taste and I'm sure they'd be amazing every time. Just don't skimp on the honey.

Recipe:

1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Butter a 9×9 baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place the mixture onto the prepared baking pan and pat down firmly.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.
I cut bars into squares (resulting in 12 bars) and wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in either the fridge or freezer. Let bars come to room temperature before eating.

Our special delivery for the neighbors. Cards by my favorite letter-presser, Bird Dog Press.

I'm going to try her Chewy Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars next, though I'm not sure where to get cinnamon chips... I'll let you know how they turn out. xo

carrot mango smoothie

February 12, 2014 by all aflutter in Recipes

I am a huge fan of smoothies. I make one nearly every morning for my boys (I'm actually designing a space in my new kitchen just for the Vitamix...). There's just no better way to get a fantastic power punch of nutrients into them with such ease - spinach, carrots, avocado, oats. I'll try anything on them once. This is my go-to carrot recipe. It's fresh and energizing and a really nice way to start your day, or boost it mid-way. If your blender can't quite handle raw carrots, use a 1/2 to 1 cup carrot juice (depending on whether you're trying to be sneaky or parading your carrot-love in plain site) and ease up on the water. I use both fresh and frozen fruit in my smoothies - if you use all fresh, you'll want to add some ice to make it nice and cold. I'm not much for measuring these things, so just adjust for your family's tastes - if they prefer strawberries to mango, adjust the levels accordingly. I also mix the baby's probiotics right in (shhh!). My kids slurp this up - hope yours do, too. Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? I'm always looking for a new candidate for the rotation. xo

Carrot Mango Smoothie
2-3 handfuls of baby carrots or 1 giant regular carrot, roughly chopped
1 banana
2 handfuls of mango
1 big handful of strawberries
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
blend well + serve with a kiss on the head