CL testing - Whole Grain Blackberry Spice Muffins

  Cooking Light Magazine Jan/Feb 2006

2 C all purpose flour
1 C oats
1 C brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. apple pie spice

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the following:

1 C skim milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until barely mixed.

Then add 1 1/2 C chopped frozen blackberries. Stir gently and fill muffin cups 1/2 - 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 14-17 minutes. Cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes and enjoy!

(makes 18; 177 calories each; 3g fat; 3.5g protein)

Verdict: The texture was really nice with the oats and the spices added a new dimension. The blackberries added a tart background. These muffins are NOT overly sweet, we found them just right. You could substitute any berry for these if you like. Raspberry, blueberry, etc. I've eaten 7 by myself so far today.

Dave's vote: SO good. Please make these again.

It's a Miracle!!

My kids ate oatmeal this morning. And not the Gerber baby oatmeal that you just add milk to and stir. Real cook-it-on-the-stove oatmeal. This was quite an accomplishment at our house. I was worried about what to make for breakfast because this morning we were out of eggs, milk, and bread, which pretty much cuts out all of our usual breakfasts. The only thing we had was oatmeal. This is how I made it appetizing enough for my three year old to eat:

I made two servings of oatmeal according to package directions,
then added two heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar,
a teaspoon of vanilla,
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon,
and one big spoonful of peanut butter.
Stir it all together and top with sliced bananas! Yummy.

I got the idea for this from my lovely friend Ashlee Burton. I think other things that she has used in hers includes a scoop of pumpkin puree, and dried fruit and nuts. What do you put on your oatmeal? And will your kids eat it??

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

I was feeling lazy this morning about breakfast, and went to grab a muffin mix out of the cupboard. Unfortunately we didn't have any; but we did have some ripe bananas and so I decided to make them myself. Super yummy; and a great way to use those darn bananas.

1 3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. cooking oil
3/4 c. mashed bananas (this was about 2 bananas for me)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 standard muffin cups, or line with paper cups; set aside.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Combine wet ingredients and add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened and spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Streusel Topping:

Combine 3 Tbsp. flour, 3 Tbsp. brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon. Cut in 2 Tbsp. of butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (2 Tbsp. of chopped nuts is optional) Sprinkle over prepared muffins before baking.

This recipe is courtesy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Enjoy!