Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Breakfast at Our House Now

I created a post not too long ago about what breakfast looks like at our house but since I've made some changes, I thought I would update what breakfast is looking like at our house.  I'm sure there will be another update before long since I am going to be trying natural yeast in our diet to see if we can handle that.  I'm thinking positive, and hoping for natural yeast pancakes and waffles, so stay tuned for new recipes to be posted.

I've maintained a rotating menu of breakfasts and shakes and I still have the menu and recipes inside the cabinet door where breakfast is prepared for fast and easy reference. However, the babies are now eating scrambled eggs with the rest of us and I've swapped out a couple of recipes.

UPDATED MENU (April 22, 2015):
Monday: 16 scrambled eggs, berry shakes
Tuesday: flax seed muffins, peanut butter shakes
Wednesday: pancakes, peanut butter & honey, chocolate shakes
Thursday: peanut butter muffins, berry shakes
Friday: waffles, berry syrup, peanut butter shakes
Saturday: crepes, applesauce, blueberries, berry shakes
Sunday: seed porridge or GAPS granola with almond milk or soaked oatmeal (oatmeal is only tolerated by Dad, Mom, and our oldest daughter, so the three younger usually get the seed porridge)

RECIPES

The shakes below each contain similar ingredients, and the similar ingredients all have nutritional benefits.  The raw apple cider vinegar provides the stomach with acid for proper digestion.  The flax seed and chia seeds create a psyllium husk that is fiberous and gel-like when ground and combined with fluid (water).  It aids in the elimination of digestive waste (aka 'helps with constipation').  This part has been a great help for Parker and Gavin both.  Organic carrots have naturally occurring digestive enzymes (as does celery, if you can handle the taste in your shake), and are sweeter than standard commercial grown carrots with pesticides.  The banana is just for texture and sweetener.  Organic beets are great for everything...gall bladder, blood issues, digestion, adrenal fatigue, etc.  Spinach is loaded with vitamins and LIFE.

Since there are so many digestive aids in these shakes, you may want to go easy on them at first and slowly increase you intake or risk diarrhea.  Also, these shakes can't be blended ahead more than 24 hours.  They go rancid quickly and taste best with the most benefits when consumed within 30 minutes of blending.  If you want to assemble the ingredients ahead of time, I would recommend putting the measured whole ingredients together in a bag, exluding the seeds (the seeds just stick to the bag and moisture from the vegetables make them 'gel').

Shakes are a great place to hide supplements for the littles, too.  We take apart the enzyme capsules and probiotic capsules and put the powder with the fish oil in individual shakes (after the shakes are blended) in a smaller portion to make sure they get what they need.  After the kids drink their entire portion with their supplements they can have more.

Berry Shakes
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (I buy at the Honey Store)
2 Tablespoons flax seed (I buy at Winco or Costco)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (I buy at Winco or Costco)
1 carrot (I buy organic at Costco)
1 cup berries (I buy organic at Costco)
1 Tablespoon honey (optional) (I buy raw local at the Honey Store)
1 very ripe banana, frozen and peeled
1 beet, cooked and cooled (I buy these organic and already cooked at Costco in the refrigerated vegetable section)
spinach (I buy fresh organic at Costco and often freeze it in the package it comes in without doing anything special to it...I add it just like I would if it were fresh)

Put all the ingredients except the spinach in a 4 or 5 cup blender.  Fill the remaining head space in the blender with the spinach and blend until smooth.

Peanut Butter Shakes
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (I buy at the Honey Store)
2 Tablespoons flax seed (I buy at Winco)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (I buy at Winco)
1 carrot (I buy organic at Costco)
1 Tablespoon honey (optional) (I buy raw local at the Honey Store)
3 very ripe bananas, frozen and peeled or 1 banana, 1 cup berries for a PB & J flavor
1 beet, cooked and cooled (I buy these organic and already cooked at Costco in the refrigerated vegetable section)
1/4 cup peanut butter (I use Adams brand)(Camber said that nut oils help your stomach create bile necessary for digestion, so there's an added benefit to this shake)
spinach (I buy fresh organic at Costco)

Put all the ingredients except the spinach in a 4 or 5 cup blender.  Fill the remaining head space in the blender with the spinach and blend until smooth.

Chocolate Shakes
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (I buy at the Honey Store)
2 Tablespoons flax seed (I buy at Winco)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (I buy at Winco)
1 carrot (I buy organic at Costco)
2 Tablespoons honey (not optional in this recipe) (I buy raw local at the Honey Store)
2 Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
3 very ripe bananas, frozen and peeled
1 beet, cooked and cooled (I buy these organic and already cooked at Costco in the refrigerated vegetable section)
spinach (I buy fresh organic at Costco)

Put all the ingredients except the spinach in a 4 or 5 cup blender.  Fill the remaining head space in the blender with the spinach and blend until smooth.

Flax Breakfast Muffins

In the blender combine:
1 c. ground flaxseed (I buy organic at Costco)
2 t. non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 c. honey (I know it's a lot but every bit is needed)
4 eggs
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Blend on "Batter" setting or blend until very smooth.

Add 1/2 cup of raisins and stir.

Pour into greased muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  They should be light and spongy and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Variation: Omit raisins, pour batter into greased muffin cups, press in blueberries into the batter in each muffin cup (approximately 1/2 c.).

Pancakes (we now double this recipe)
8 eggs
1/2 c. coconut flour (I used to buy this at Costco, but it's no longer available, so I purchase Nutiva brand from Azure Standard)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
2 T. honey
1/2 c. applesauce (organic homemade or organic purchased from Costco)
Serve with peanut butter and honey

Heat griddle.  Mix ingredients.  Set batter for 5 minutes (allows the coconut flour to absorb the liquid and makes the cakes fluffier).  Pour 1/4 c. batter per pancake. Sspread thin.  Cook until golden before flipping, approximately 3 minutes each side. We like to heat the honey to make it more syrup-like.

Peanut Butter Muffins (we now double this recipe)
1 c. Adams peanut butter
2 bananas* or 2/3 c. applesauce *
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla (optional)
2 T. honey
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. raisins or 1/2 c. blueberries**

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees if using bananas, 375 degrees if using applesauce.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl (except blueberries...if using blueberries, fold into batter after batter is poured into greased muffin cups to avoid grey looking muffins).  Pour batter into greased muffin cups and add blueberries if desired.  Bake 15 - 25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.

Peanut Butter Muffin Variations:
Banana Nut: Use 2 bananas, omit applesauce, add 1/4 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are our favorites), pinch nutmeg, pinch allspice, 1/4 t. cinnamon.

Orange Spice: Omit bananas, use 2/3 c. applesauce, pinch ginger, pinch nutmeg, pinch allspice, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/2-1 t. zested orange peel, 1-5 drops essential oil Wild Orange, substitute 1/2 c. dried cranberries for raisins (optional...the raisins are also delicious in this variation).

Waffles
Syrup:
1/4 c. water
2 c. berries
2 T. honey
pinch cinnamon
1 t. vanilla (optional)

Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.

Waffles: (we now double this recipe)
1/2 c. softened coconut oil
1/2 c. coconut flour
12 eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/2 t. salt

Preheat waffle iron greased generously with coconut oil or butter.  Mix all ingredients.  Allow to rest 5 minutes.  Evenly distribute batter over iron and cook 3-4 minutes or until golden.  These are VERY tough if over cooked.

Crepes(we now double this recipe and we're still lucky if Mom and Dad get any)
3 c. applesauce
1 c. blueberries
12 eggs
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/8 t. salt
2 T. coconut oil
coconut oil or butter for greasing cooking pan

Warm applesauce in saucepan.  Set blueberries out to thaw in a bowl if frozen.

Blend remaining ingredients in the blender until well incorporated.  Let sit 5 minutes.

Heat oil in pan (a 10" skillet works best).  Pour 1/4 c. batter into pan on HOT oil.  Tilt the pan to thinly spread batter.  Cook until lightly brown and removes easily from skillet.  flip gently and cook other side until golden.  These should be flexible and easily rolled when finished cooking.  If they are crispy they are spread too thin or cooked too long.  Spread warmed applesauce and blueberries down the center of the finished crepe, roll and enjoy!

Seed Porridge
Warning: this is NOT very tasty but is a good GAPS option.  We make it for Parker and the twins.  No one else likes it.
2 c. water or coconut milk (more may need to be added to blend or for desired texture)
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds (these are the raw green meat in the center of the seed, not the toasted kind)
1/2 c. sunflower seeds (same here...these are the raw gray meat in the center of the seed, not the toasted kind)
1/4 c. flax seeds
1 t. cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1/2 t. vanilla
1 T. honey
2 T. peanut butter or butter or ghee
raisins to taste

Blend all ingredients except raisins until a thick porridge-like texture and no chunks of seeds are visible.  Warm with raisins at a very low temperature until temperature desired is achieved.  This mixture scalds fairly easily.

The porridge is also a great place to hide supplements.

GAPS Granola
Internal Bliss official GAPS cookbook 

Make this the night before.

1 c. pumpkin seeds (again, the green meat)
1 c. sunflower seeds (inner meat)
1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 c. honey, warmed
pinch of salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 T. vanilla extract
1 c. dried fruit, any variety (cut up if large)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a large jellyroll pan.  Mix all ingredients, excluding dried fruit.  Toss well. Spread on the greased jellyroll pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit.  Continue to stir every few minutes during the cooling process (if you don't it sticks like none other, speaking from experience).  For granola seed BALLS, pack tightly together in balls during cooling stage.  After it has cooled my kids prefer it after it has been dry pulsed in the blender for a finer texture and served with almond milk.  For storage, keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

Hope these help!

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