Honey Spice Bread - NYT

175 grams (1/2 cup) honey

20 grams (2 tablespoons) brown sugar

62 grams (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour

62 grams (1/2 cup) rye flour

5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking powder

1 teaspoon ground anise

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 grams (1/4 teaspoon) salt

55 grams (1 extra large) egg

50 grams (3 tablespoons) milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a small (8 x 4-inch or smaller) bread pan and dust lightly with flour. Line with parchment if desired. Alternatively, use buttered and floured mini-muffin molds or silicone mini muffin molds.

2. Place the honey and sugar in a small saucepan, insert a thermometer and heat to 158 degrees while stirring with a rubber spatula.

3. Sift together the whole wheat flour, rye flour, baking powder, spices and salt and transfer them to the bowl of your mixer.

4. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and whole eggs. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Stop the mixer and, using a rubber spatula or a plastic bowl scraper, scrape up any flour sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Add the warm honey mixture and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape into the bread pan or spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons into each mini-mold, filling them 3/4 full.

5. Bake mini-cakes for 15 to 20 minutes, loaves for 40 to 45 minutes, until deep brown and a tester comes out clean. Remove from the heat, unmold and cool on a rack. If making a loaf, for best results, once cool wrap tightly in plastic and allow the cake to rest for a day.

Yield: About 40 mini-cakes or 1 small loaf, serving 12.

Fruit and Seed Bars

Another Great Recipe for kids. These bars are super healthy and filling. And I love them - although its hard not to eat too many. This one is from www.weelicious.com too - but I altered it for what I had in my kitchen.

What you  need:

    1 cup old fashioned oats
    1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas)
    1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
    1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
    2 tablespoons flax seeds
    1 cup dried fruit (blueberries, raisins, currants, cranberries and/or cherries)
    1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
    1/3 cup honey
    1/2 cup sunflower oil (or coconut oil)

What you do:

    1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    2. In a food processor, pulse the first 6 ingredients until finely chopped (it’s ok if there are few coarsely chopped pieces).
    3. Add the honey and sunflower and pulse until starting to combine.
    4. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 9 inch pan, greased then line with parchment (or tin foil) and press down into the pan until    completely even.
    4. Bake for 25 minutes.
    5. Let the bars completely cool before cutting with a serrated knife into bars.
    6. Serve.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cups of Turbinado (pure cane sugar) Or 3/4 brown and 1/2 white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
2 cups chocolate chips (i like a lot)
1/3 cup bran flakes
1/3 cup apple sauce

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and chips; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake* 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

*Most times, I only bake what we are going to eat that day or the next day. Put the rest of the dough into small balls and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen - drop them into bags and save them. When you want more - just take them out of the bags and throw them in the oven.

Granola

I give this to Ethan before he goes to school. You can also add it to yogurt for a yummy snack.

6 c rolled oats
1 c EACH: shredded coconut, almond slivers (or smashed walnuts), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, wheat germ
1 c olive oil or canola oil
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven at 300
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a big bowl
heat oil, honey and cinnamon together in a pan to melt honey.
Add honey mixture to dry ingredients
Place granola in 2 baking dishes, put them in the oven for an hour. STIR FREQUENTLY so that the granola on top doesn't burn.

Whole Wheat Scones

I love these because they are so good fresh out of the oven and they take about 25 minutes to make - from start to finish. Super healthy snacks for kids too - Ethan loves to help make them. I got this recipe from an Alice Waters cookbook.

2 c of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (any flour will do - you can even substitute in 1/2 cup quinoa flower or 1/2 cup almond meal)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c of sugar (I like to use turbinado) plus 1 tbs for dusting.
1 1/3 c cream
2 tsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 400

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Stir in cream

Mix until dough starts to get sticky. Put the dough on some parchment or wax paper and mold it into a thick log. About 9 inches long or so.

Brush melted butter on the log and drizzle with sugar.

Slice into triangles and throw them in the oven for 17 minutes.

Honey Almond Granola Bars

I found these at EatingWell.com (although I have made a few tweeks). I don't really measure this anymore - I just kinda dump in what I have - usually nuts, seeds, etc. They are really easy to make and great for kids (and parent's on the go)! I can eat tons of these!


1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon flaxseeds, preferably golden
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetened whole-grain puffed cereal like Kashi
1/3 cup dried cranberry's
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup chopped raisins
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray.

Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cereal, cranberry's, apricots, chocolate chips and raisins; toss to combine.

Combine almond butter, honey, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. Transfer to the prepared pan. Use a spatula to press the mixture down to make it flat. Put in the fridge for about 2 hours. Cut into bars.