{smoothie}

Brett and I bought our first blender ever about two months ago. I guess we never needed one before, but we got one for a recipe I was making. Now we are trying to find different uses for it. I found this recipe here. They had several other smoothie recipes that we plan on trying as well. This was a great healthy treat to share with the kids.

1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 banana
1 1/4 cups frozen berries (such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries)
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine orange juice, banana, berries, yogurt, and sugar, if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.

{pumpkin pancakes}

I found this recipe on All Recipes.com. I was a little skeptical at first but ended up really liking them. I substituted pumpkin spice for the allspice since I didn't have any allspice. And I also ended up adding a little milk (about 1/4 c. I think) to make the batter a little thinner. My mom and I decided it would be really good with something different than regular syrup, although pancake syrup was just fine.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

{french breakfast puffs}

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening, then add eggs and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

We had these for breakfast this morning and they were so good (bad for you , but so good!). I got these from The Pioneer Woman's website. If you've never been to her website you must go. She has so much great stuff, especially recipes. This recipe made about 18 regular sized muffins so we put the rest in a ziploc and put them in the freezer for another day.

{homemade pancakes}

I really don't like to make pancakes from mixes and I make pancakes for my boys at least once a week. This is my favorite recipe to use. I cut it in half and it makes a perfect amount for the three of us and it is so quick and easy to make.

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla, optional

Mix all ingredients together and pour onto a hot skillet.

*recipe from Sharalyn Hartwell

Curves Quiche

(I post pictures of the food because I like to see what things look like before I make them and think that maybe other people might like it too.)

I like this a lot. It is a fun little breakfast that we do on Saturday or Sunday when we have more time. It is also really good cold as leftovers.

Crust:

2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushroom caps (we usually use the whole mushroom)
1 cup (packed) chopped spinach leaves (we have used frozen and fresh, separately)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs yellow cornmeal
2 Tbs water

Filling:

6 eggs
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
6 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup (3 ounces) diced ham

Heat oil in skillet. Add onion and saute till it begins to brown. Add mushrooms and stir until they begins to brown. Add spinach, salt and pepper, cook a few minutes. (If using fresh spinach, don't let it wilt to much or it is a little to icky, well for me anyway). Add cornmeal and water, stir well. Lightly coat a 9 inch plate with cooking spray. Press mixture over bottom and part way up the sides of the pie plate. Set aside.
Beat eggs. half and half, salt and pepper. Fold in cheese and ham. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Allow to stan at least 10 mimutes before serving. Makes 6 srevings.

Curves Member Guide 2005 by Gary Heavin page 103

Golden Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked whole grain oats (non-instant)
6 egg whites
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 packets sugar substitute
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1/4 cup mixed berries

Grease and preheat a griddle or skillet to medium heat.

Combine all ingredients except the syrup and berries in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. (I used our food processor to make sure there were not lumps, our blender hardly works)

Pour batter about 1/4 cup at a time on the griddle. Cook about 3 min until top is bubbly and the sides are dry. Flip and cook about 2 min more. These are not light and fluffy pancakes, they are pretty thick so they really take this long to cook. They are Joshes favorite in the whole world. Makes 2 servings.

From Eating for Life by Bill Phillips page 220

{breakfast casserole}

This is a recipe I got from my Mom. We have this on Christmas morning. Everyone loves it and we always end up saying we should have made more.

1 lb. sausage
9-10 slices of bread with crust cut off and cut/torn into inch squares
6 eggs
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mustard
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Brown sausage, drain and allow to cool. Place cut up bread in a 9x13 greased pan. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and mustard together in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and sausage. Pour over bread making sure all bread is covered. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake for 50-60 min. in a preheated oven @ 350 degrees. Test with knife to see if done.

**Can substitute cooked, broken up bacon instead of sausage. Can also add other ingredient such us cooked cut up potatoes, onions, or green peppers.

French Toast Strata

This recipe is from this great cookbook that I have called Casseroles and One Dish meals. Everything I've ever made from this cookbook has been delicious.(I'm not that great of a cook, so that's saying a lot). I will be posting some more of these recipes very soon... I've used this recipe for a baby shower and for brunch after a blessing and its fairly easy to make.

4 oz. day-old French or Italian bread, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (4 cups)
1/3 cup raisins
1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup maple flavored pancake syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Additional maple-flavored pancake syrup (optional)

1. Spray 11x7 inch baking dish withnonstick cookingspray. Place bread cubes in even layer in prepared dish; sprinkle raisins and cream cheese evenly over bread.

2. Beat eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer at medium spped until blended. Add milk 1/2 cup pancake syrup and vanilla; mix well. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle evenly over strata.

4. Bake, uncovered 40 to 45 min. or until puffed, golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cut into squares and serve with additional pancake syrup, if desired