DANIELLE AT HOME

Breakfast

Blueberry Oat Muffins

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Whole wheats and oat muffins, bursting with juicy blueberries.

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Every weekend I try to make muffins or banana bread. Some sort of baked good that can be grabbed on our way to work in the morning. Or thrown in my purse for a mid morning snack. Bonus points if it’s tasty enough to enjoy as dessert. Anything that keeps me away from a chocolate bar is key to keep my waist line from growing!

Blueberry muffins are one of my favourite kinds of muffins. I like that they are fresh and light while still providing the comfort of a baked good. I personally am not a fan of the baker style muffin. To me those are truly a dessert. They are more like cake than muffin and you will rarely find me baking them. If a baked good is going to be part of my regular diet as part of a meal pr snack I have a few requirements:

  • Mostly whole wheat or whole grain
  • Low in sugar
  • Healthy fat source
  • Delicious!
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These muffins fit my rules. They contain whole wheat flour, rolled oats, honey, cinnamon, apple sauce, coconut oil and blueberries! Lots of filling healthy ingredients to fuel your day.

We’ve enjoyed these so much I’m going to me making another batch on Sunday!

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Blueberry Oat Muffins

Yields: 14 Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar, loosely packed
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted
  • 1 cup Milk (Cows milk, nut milk, oat milk – your favourite!)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen, do not defrost frozen)
  • Optional: Rolled Oats and Turbinado Sugar, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your muffin tins with cupcake liners or grease with oil or non stick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Once ingredients are evenly distributed, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, honey, apple sauce, coconut oil, milk, vanilla and egg. Whisk until smooth. Pour dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. Add blueberries, fold into batter.

Pour batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each tin 3/4 of the way full. Do not over fill.  Sprinkle tops of muffins with rolled oats and turbinado sugar if desired. Bake muffins for 20-30 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about a week. These muffins also freeze and defrost well.

Superfood Smoothie

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Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (marked with an *). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only share products that I love! Thank you for your support.

Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2019 and I’m so excited to continue bringing you all new recipes in 2019! 2018 was a huge year for me personally and professionally. A huge part of that was taking a leap of faith and starting this blog. I’m so proud of myself for committing to this blog and I cant wait to bring you more content this year.

So with that said lets get into the first post of 2019! Today I’m sharing my go to smoothie recipe. After the holidays I always want to clean up my diet a bit and get back to my normal routine of eating. I love smoothies! They are such a great breakfast option since you can pack so much heathy goodness into glass. Since I work full time smoothies are always in our breakfast rotation.

As much as I love smoothies I do take issue with a lot of smoothie recipes. Many of them are super high in sugar. In my opinion a smoothie should be sweet and delicious but not spike your blood sugar. It should have protein, fibre and a healthy fat to keep you full until lunch. And it absolutely should have greens. I try to get some greens in at every meal, but it doesn’t always happen. So knowing I will get at least one serving in before 10 am makes me super happy.

Todays smoothie is packed full or nutrients and superfoods. A breakfast full of iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, fibre and antioxidants. From some very delicious ingredients.

It’s a great way to start your day and you year. So cheers to a happy, and healthy year ahead!

Superfood Smoothie

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Frozen Mixed Berry Blend (my favourite includes blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and cherries)
  • 1/2 Banana, frozen
  • 1 cup Spinach, packed
  • 1 tablespoon Natural Almond Butter
  • 1 tablespoon Flax Seed, ground
  • 2 scoops Protein Powder, vanilla or natural (whey or plant based, whatever is your favourite)
  • 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • Optional: 1 Medjool Date, pitted (if you like your smoothies extra sweet)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the blender. Blend until completely smooth. Add water to thin if needed. Serve in tall glasses or to go cups.

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (marked with an *). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only share products that I love! Thank you for your support.

Eggnog French Toast Casserole

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I have never made Christmas breakfast, but I have hosted a few pre Christmas brunches for friends and you will always fine some form of a french toast casserole on my brunch table. It’s sweet, delicious and always the first thing to go!

Today I am sharing a recipe for Eggnog French Toast Casserole. Now this recipe is based of a bread pudding and doesn’t have a crumble topping like many french toast casseroles do. I just don’t think it needs it. It is sweet and delicious enough sans topping. See I’m trying to save you a few calories for later in the day…. I’m always looking out for you!

What makes this recipe perfect for Christmas morning is that you can prep in all a day ahead and store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. Then when everyone wakes up you can pop it in the oven and leave it to bake while everyone opens their gifts.

For this recipe I used french bread, but Challah would also be great. I know it can be difficult to find in a regular grocery store, so if you’re trying to make as few trips to the store this Christmas then stick with the french bread. For the best texture when you get home from the store cube your bread and leave it on the counter covered with a kitchen towel. You can leave it there for a few hours or a few days either way it will dry out a bit and soak the custard up much better.

I like to dust mine with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and then top each serving with a healthy dose of maple syrup!

Eggnog French Toast Casserole

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 1 Loaf of Bread, french or challah
  • 6 Eggs
  • 3 Cups Eggnog
  • 1/2 Cup White Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Bourbon (can substitute for Vanilla Extract, 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
  • Optional: powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and maple syrup for topping

Directions:

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Place in 9×13 baking pan, cover with a dish towel. Set aside to stale for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 48 hours.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, eggnog, sugar, bourbon and salt. Pour mixture evenly over cubed bread. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the casserole uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour. The top should be golden brown and a cake tester should come out clean. Dust the casserole with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Serve with pure maple syrup.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

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Today we are talking all things Christmas morning breakfast. Growing up my Christmas mornings were very different then most kids. We would travel to visit my Dad’s family for Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas morning we would wake up in my Grandma’s house and would drive home to our house. We wouldn’t get home to open our presents until 2pm! That’s right my Christmas morning was more like a Christmas afternoon. I still have yet to wake up in my own bed on Christmas Day. Yes we still travel on Christmas Day. When my husband and I started dating he claimed he would never travel on Christmas, but here he is with 4 travelling Christmas’ under his belt (he skipped the first year).

Christmas morning is a big deal for my husband’s family. His whole family goes to his parents house to open presents and eat brunch. Now when I say whole family I mean aunts, uncles, grandparents… the works. There is no Christmas dinner on the 25th, his family saves that for boxing day. So Christmas morning is the big event. Finding a way for me to still visit my family while make it home in time for his families brunch has been tricky we have managed to make it work. It means a very early morning for us and a long drive after a late night with my family. But this year is the last year we will be going away at Christmas… I’m sad about it, but I know it’s time for us to make new traditions now that we are our own little family of two.

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Since I’ve done my fair share of travelling at Christmas I know a thing or two about making things in advance and travelling with food. So today I am sharing the perfect treat for Christmas morning that can be made well in advance. It would also be a great hostess gift. Cranberry orange Coffee Cake. I’m actually planing to make this for my in-laws Christmas brunch this year. My plan is to bake the cake far in advance and give it to my mother-in-law a few days before Christmas. It can defrost while were out of town for Christmas Eve.

I think that this cake would be perfect to put out with some coffee and hot chocolate on Christmas morning. Every one can nibble at it while they open presents. I know it’s how I’d like to start my morning.

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Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Vegetable oil
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
  • Zest and Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

For the Crumb Topping:

  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Cup Butter, melted
  • 1/3 Cup Pecans, chopped

For the Glaze:

  • 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons Milk (adjust for consistency)
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a springform pan (or a high sided cake pan), set aside.

In a large bowl whisk to combine eggs, oil, sugar, orange zest and juice, water and vanilla. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Topping:

In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and whisk with a fork until a crumb forms. Add chopped pecans. Sprinkle crumb topping into cake, gently pressing the topping into the batter.

Bake the cake for 50-75 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Glaze:

In a small bowl whisk together confectioner sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle glaze over the cake. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Brûlée Bananas

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I have had that Jack Johnson song Banana Pancakes stuck in my head all week, so on Saturday when I woke up early and had nothing on the agenda for the day I thought I’d make a special breakfast of Banana Pancakes. I decided to switch things up a bit and add brûlée bananas to the top…. Yum!

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I like to use whole wheat four whenever I can since it has added fibre. I also love the nutty flavour which compliments banana really well. The problem with whole wheat flour is that it can create tough pancakes that sit in your belly like a rock! So I’ve added extra moisture to keep these pancakes light and fluffy!

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Now the brûlée bananas are an extra special touch that really doesn’t take much effort at all. The banana caramelize and sweeten which is a nice addition to the soft fluffy pancakes. I like to top my pancakes with butter and a little maple syrup, but next time I’m adding walnuts for some extra crunch!

These were so good, I hope you give them a try!

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Whole Wheat Bananas with Brûlée Bananas

Yields: 8-10 Pancakes (depending on size)

Ingredients:

Pancakes:

  • 1 1/3 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 1/4 cup Milk (any kind)
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
  • 1 Ripe Banana, mashed
  • 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Brûlée Bananas

  • 2 Tablespoons Turbinado Sugar (raw brown sugar) or White Sugar
  • 1 Large Banana, Sliced

Directions:

Move the rack in your oven to the top position closest to the element. Preheat your oven to broil (500°F). Place Turbinado or white sugar in a small bowl. Dip one side of the banana slices into sugar and place on cookie sheet. Broil bananas until sugar crystallizes and starts to brown. This will take 2-5 minutes depending on your oven. DO NOT walk away from oven, check on bananas every 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not let bananas burn.

Once caramelized set bananas aside to cool.

In a large bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk banana, butter and egg together. Add milk, brown sugar and vanilla extract to wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold together using a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix until just combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat a skillet or grilled over medium heat. Once warm grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto skillet. Cook until bubbles form on surface of the pancake, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve pancakes with butter, broiled bananas and maple syrup.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction and Entertaining with Beth.

 

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Apple Cinnamon Scones with Maple Glaze

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I remember when I was a little girl helping my Grandma prepare for her Y’s Menette meeting’s. We would make tea sandwiches and treats together and prep the living room for the meeting. She would let me hang around the meetings for a few minutes to have a snack and then I would go off to help Grandpa in the garden or play some cards. I thought she was so fancy making her afternoon tea.

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Afternoon tea is never complete without scones. I have been making scones with my Grandma almost as long as I have been making pies. My Grandma used a recipe passed down to her from her mother. My mom uses the same recipe and at my bridal shower my Grandma gave me a copy of the recipe. Now the original recipe has gotten rave reviews from family and friends for years, they really are the best, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to share the family secret just yet.

Today I am sharing a variation of the original recipe, Apple Cinnamon Scones with Maple Glaze. Perfect for fall and I think Grandma would approve. I made these scones with some whole wheat flour because I like the nutty flavour it has which compliments the cinnamon and apple. I also added the glaze to the scones, because everything is better with maple glaze.

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Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Scones with Maple Glaze

Yields: 8 Scones

Ingredients:

Scones:

  • 1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 Apple, diced
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 3/4 Cup Milk ( I use 2%, but any dairy milk will work)

Glaze

  • 2 Cups Confectioner (Icing) Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • 3 Tablespoons Half and Half

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Using two forks or a pastry cutter cut butter into flour. Stir in the diced apple.

In a liquid measuring cup whisk together milk and egg. Pour 3/4 of a cup of the mixture into the dry ingredients, set the remaining mixture aside. Using your hands or a wooden spoon gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined (some flour may still show).

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form into a disk. Flatten the dough with your hands until it is 2 inches tall (do not use a rolling pin). Cut the dough into 8 wedges. Lay the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the scones with the reserved milk and egg mixture. Bake scones for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.

In a small bowl whisk confectioner sugar, maple syrup and half and half together. Glaze should be opaque, thick and pourable.

Drizzle glaze onto cooled scones. Allow glaze to set before serving.

Adapted from, Granny Robinson’s Scones