Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

March 2, 2011 Arielle

Baby Boo is Bad...

Bad to the bone...

She's growing up before my eyes, and I can't stop it. If I'm not depressed about the fact that she doesn't lay there and COO any more, then it's probably because those sweet little coo's turned into...

PPFFTTHHH!

Baby Boo do you love me?

ppffttthh!

Give Mama a kiss Baby Boo!

ppffttthh!

Sometimes I feel like everything is just a big joke to her...

But now I'm beginning to think that the spitting in my face isn't really a problem. And even though I am a little embarrassed when she spits in other peoples face...

It's the fact that in between spit bombs, she says...

DADA!

You may think it's cute and precious, but I've been trying from day one for her to say Mama. I was pretty sure I had instilled it into her brain, at least that was until Hubby watcher her.

For 30 minutes.

Then when I got home he said, "Your not going to be happy, but...."

He didn't even have to explain.

Maybe I can win her over with some sweet potatoes?

Mashed ones for Baby and a casserole for Mama!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

2 small bananas

2 petite sweet potatoes

2/3 cup oatmeal

2 cups coconut milk (or any non dairy milk or reg. milk)

1 TB Chia Seeds

1/4 cup finely shredded coconut

3 TB Pure maple syrup

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

dash of salt

(Topping)

1/3 cup chopped candied pecans

2 TB Earth Balance or butter

1/4 cup Sucanat or brown sugar

2 TB whole wheat pastry flour

(Adapted from here)

Directions:

1. Peel and Dice sweet potatoes. Bring a small pot of water to boil and add potatoes and cook 5 minutes just so they are tender.

2. Once potatoes are cooked, set aside and using the same pot add milk, oats, and chia seeds. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and cook about 5-6 minutes. Let mixture thicken. It should look similar to this:

3. Once oatmeal is cooked, remove from heat and add potatoes and bananas

4. Then with a potato masher, mash the mixture together.

You want it to be somewhat chunky like so:

5. Then stir in spices, coconut, syrup, and vanilla. Pour into a casserole dish and set aside.

6. Next make the topping. Combine all ingredients into a bowl, and mash together. I used my hands :)

7. Pre heat oven to 350. Spread topping on top of oatmeal.

8. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, then on LOW broil for about 3-4. Watch it carefully!

The house will SMELL AMAZING!

9. Once done, Dig in and...Do I have to even tell you...

ENJOY!

If this doesn't win Baby Boo over...Then probably nothing will work.

Seriously, Breakfast Casseroles are my New Favorite Thing!

I think what I enjoyed the most was the crunchy topping. Probably because It has sugar. Not gonna lie there.

And funny story, as I sat there and ate Baby Boo crawled up onto my lap acting like she wanted a bite...

So I took some of the sweet potato, mashed it a little and fed her. I for SURE thought she was a MAMA's girl again...

Then I said,

"Baby Boo...Do you Love Mama NOW!?"

Do you know what she said...??

DADA!

Coco-nutty Cream Oatmeal

February 20, 2011 Arielle

We learn a lot of things in life.

Whether those lessons come from positive or negative experiences... we learn.

Unless of course your like Baby Boo...

Or shall we call her Baby Boo Boo...

I don't know when she will learn that licking plugs, eating computer cords, and using a tissue box to pull herself up on is NOT good idea...

(Even though I continue to protect her before she finds out =])

I guess you could say that I'm a little like Baby Boo though...or she's a lot like me.

I wish I could say that I learn from the first mistake, like most people...But to this day I continue to hit my hip on the same part of the counter EvErY. TiMe. I. WaLk. By..

AND don't even ASK me if I have learned to NOT let me husband be in charge of taking pictures.

Because the answer is No...

And now I am totally embarrassed. =]

OK, so it takes a few hard hits for me to "learn" from certain things.

And as I was looking for a breakfast idea that would keep me full for longer than an hour, I thought of oatmeal. But I hate oatmeal!

Why? I just don't find those brown sugar and maple oatmeal packages delicious. But it never occurred to me (DuH lightbulb!) that I didn't have to eat those nasty packages. I could simply make my own...learning oatmeal is actually quite delicious!

Coco-nutty Cream Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut milk or other milk of choice

1/2 large banana mashed

2 TB unsweetened finely shredded coconut

2 TB chopped dates

1 TB almond or peanut butter

1 TB coconut butter

2 pecans chopped

100% pure maple syrup (optional)

Directions:

1. In a pot at milk, and bring to boil over stove. Once milk is boiling, lower heat and add oats.

2. Let sit for about a minute, and then stir add mashed banana. Let mixture thicken for about a minute or two. Continue to stir every once in a while.

3. Remove from heat and pour oatmeal into a bowl. Top with dates, nut butter of choice, pecans, coconut, coconut butter, and if you want your oatmeal sweet, add a drizzle of maple syrup.

4. Eat and Enjoy!

I LoVe Oatmeal...now! =]

I love it because it is so versatile. You can top it with anything your little heart desires!

My favorite part was the chopped dates and coconut butter. If you have never had coconut butter before I totally recommend it. It's basically coconut pureed until smooth, and it's a completely...foodgasmic =]!

I think having oatmeal for breakfast might happen more often around my house...

Even though I could barely finish it! Highly unusual for me since I must eat everything off my plate! It was just so filling!!

Somehow, no matter how many times I do it, I will continue to make more food than necessary.

And truthfully...

I don't plan on learning from that "mistake"...

ever! =]

Question of the day??

Do you ever have "mistakes" you do over and over again, and can't seem to learn from them? =]

Vegan Sugar Free Chocolate Banana Bread

February 5, 2011 Arielle

Coco-A-Nana Bread

Recipe from:Whole Foods

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup oat flour (just take oats and grind in processor or blender into flour)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can use all pastry flour instead of oat flour)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

4 very ripe bananas

8 large dates, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 TB water

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/4 cup finely shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together thoroughly dry ingredients into a bowl, and set aside.

2. In a blender, add bananas, dates, coconut milk, water, and vanilla. Blend until mixture is thick, and dates are chopped very small. About 1 minute or more.

3. Form a well in the middle of the dry mixture, and add wet ingredients. Fold ingredients together, but careful not to over mix. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (greased or covered in parchment) and smooth out top. Sprinkle with coconut.

4. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes, or until center comes out clean.

5. Enjoy!

This bread is amazing! It's a perfect breakfast/snack bread.

It is SOO moist, and that's what I LOVE MOST about banana bread!

It's actually not the sweetest bread since there isn't "sugar", BUT the sweetness it has comes from the bananas and dates. It's perfect for breakfast so you don't have to start the day with a sugar overload.

Of coarse, I can never eat bread alone...

I think I eat Peanut Butter every morning...

for Breakfast...

and maybe some at lunch...

I'll stop there.

You know too much.

It's probably best if I just end with that picture...

Peanut Butter Bars

January 11, 2011 Arielle

My husband goes through phases with food.

He will fall in love with a certain product, and for a couple weeks our house must always be stocked with his flavor of the month.

But a phase means that it doesn't last forever.

Which is pretty frustrating because I will usually run to Costco to stock up on whatever he's obsessing over, and when I come home he will say,

"I don't like those anymore."

Which means I, the lovely wife, am stuck eating 3 boxes of unwanted crap cereal.

Or cheese crackers.

Or a certain type of juice that taste like butt.

That! Is true love =]

Do you want to know what he's crushing over this month?

Fiber One Peanut Butter Bars.

I myself must admit that they are amazingly delicious, and when I was pregnant, I ate a lot of them.

But I wasn't about to run out and stock up our pantry full of fiber, because Hubby will probably be over them in a week, and then I am left eating Fiber bars for every meal...

And we all know that can cause more than one problem.. =]

So I decided to make some of my own, that way I didn't buy 457 of them...and instead end up with 8.

I wasn't really sure what was in Fiber One Bars so I looked up the ingredients to get some what of an idea.

fiberonechewybarsoatspeanutbutter105-1.ashx

(Source: Fiber One website)

To be honest, I know what all of those ingredients are.

Some are real, some are fake, and some are crap.

That's why I was all the more intrigued to make my own version.

For the better of my wallet, my pantry, and my husbands body... =]

And I have to admit...

They were quite delicious!

Peanut Butter Bars

2 Cups oatmeal

2 Cups puffed brown rice cereal(i used honey flavored)

2 TB Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds

1/2 Cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1 cup Brown Rice Syrup

2 TB peanut Butter

2 TB margarine or butter

1/4 Cup organic sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Dash of salt

2 TB mini Chocolate chips

Recipe adapted from: PeasandThankyou

Directions:

1. Combine oats, cereal, seeds, and flour, and soda in bowl.

2. Then add syrup, butter, vanilla, peanut butter, and salt into a saucepan and melt on low heat, mixing constantly.

3. Let the mixture come to a boil as you continue to stir. Let it thicken, and then remove from heat and let cool a little bit.

5. Once it has cooled slightly, add wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined.

6. Then Press into a GREASED 9x9 pan and smash chocolate chips on top.

7. Then bake at 325 for about 15 minutes.

8. Let Cool COMPLETELY before cutting into the bars. I know it's hard =]

These are so chewy and yummy!

Once they were cooled I wrapped them individually so they would stay fresh.

And I also made two matches and wrapped and froze the other half so when hubby is going through one of his "Phases..."

...I'm prepared.

Let's hope Baby Boo doesn't get that trait. She's already drooling over them...

Nog Scones

December 21, 2010 Arielle

Let me take a second to complain.

Dear Rain,

You have ruined what was supposed to be an aWeSoMe winter break. I no longer can take Baby Boo for a walk,(which equals no exercise for mamma), driving anywhere is completely unsafe and crazy, (that's also a jab at last minute shoppers), and your constantly going all night keeping me, and MORE importantly, baby boo awake.

I would also like to blame you for the sickness my hubby has which has him in bed sleeping all day, and therefore can't play with Baby Boo and I.

So with that being said,

I hate your stinkin' guts.

Sincerely,

Pissed off.

Moving on...

When mamma is cranky, mamma bakes.

Eggnog Scones

by, Peas&ThankYou (Love Love Love Her!!)

3/4 cup Silk 'Nog 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 cup organic unbleached flour 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup organic sugar 1 TB baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 t. cream of tartar 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg) 1/2 c. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)

Directions

1. Combine 'Nog and lemon juice and set aside.

2. Combine Dry ingredients (flour, sugar, BP, BS, tartar, salt, and nutmeg)