I'll admit I haven't been posting with any regularity at all lately. This is largely due to the fact that I'm trying to lose weight and get into better shape. So, while I'm sure you all appreciate an occasional healthy recipe, I'm fairly certain it's the decadent ones that get the attention.

That said, I'm excited that plenty of gorgeous berries are back in the picture! They are so very healthy on their own and mixed into other good stuff, like yogurt and oatmeal.

As you can see, I like a little oatmeal with my fruit...

Awhile back, I found a recipe via Pinterest for a Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake. It's perfect for a little weekend treat and I'm sure you could sub any kind of berry.  I've made it a couple of times...once with a little lemon glaze and once with a crunchy, sugary topping. They are both awesome! Not health food, by any means...but not horribly decadent, either. A beautiful compromise, yes? And I daresay, it's not just for breakfast...let's just call it a Tea Cake....

If you prefer, skip the icing and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the batter before baking.

Blueberry-Lemon Tea Cake

Adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen

Swap the blueberries for raspberries or blackberries...anyway you like it, this cake is easy and addictive!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.; spray a 9" square pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the lemon zest until well-incorporated. Add the butter and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla.
3. Whisk together 1 3/4 cups of the flour with the baking powder and the salt. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour and set aside.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the batter 1/3 at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Spread the batter into the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
6. Mix together the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm cake.

I loved the extra lemon-y flavor from the lemon icing.

Which berry would you use?

Mixed Berry Muffins...a healthier option

Well folks, believe it or not, my elliptical has been dusted off and I've officially started exercising at least once a day. Don't get too worked up, though. I'm not switching over to posting diet food...but I did manage to make some muffins a tad bit healthier. I hope you don't mind if I share....

Diets really don't work out very well for me. If I deprive myself, I end up craving things that I wouldn't normally even think about eating That said, I need to make some changes or my health is going to suffer. So what is a food obsessed gal to do? As it turns out, nothing terribly drastic.

I'm thinking that if I trim a few calories here and there, and use some common sense, I should be able to shed a few pounds, no? Let's start with my basic muffin recipe. If you want a the full-calorie version, you can find it here: Strawberries and Cream Muffins Now, here's what I did to change it up:

Mixed Berry Muffins

Printable Recipe

1 cup all purpose flour, divided

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus an additional 2 tablespoons for topping

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 (6 oz) container low-fat Greek yogurt (I used strawberry)

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup canola oil or coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line cupcakes pans with 18 liners.

You may want to spray the liners with a little cooking spray. I found the lower fat muffins stuck to the paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup white whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and orange peel; set aside.

Toss the frozen berries (if the strawberries are huge, cut them into smaller pieces) with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Mix the yogurt, buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add the berries and the yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed...batter will be lumpy...don't over mix.

Yikes, there are some huge strawberries in there...I cut them into smaller pieces. Keep the fruit frozen so your batter doesn't get all discolored.

With a cookie scoop, divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the batter. Bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Another change I made was to make the muffins smaller...I divided the batter into 18 muffins instead of 12. I also used a little less sugar for the topping.

I had forgotten that I had some dried orange peel from Penzey's in the fridge. I mixed some in with the sugar that I used for the topping...in fact I made a little extra orange-sugar and used some on my oatmeal during the week.

So what do you think? They are smaller, have less fat, and have a little more fiber. The orange peel and the flavored yogurt gives them some good flavor...I really wasn't missing anything. The only other thing I did was to freeze them all---that way I'm not tempted to eat more than one. I just nuke one for about 30 seconds when I take it from the freezer. Feel free to use fresh fruit in your version...the berries here weren't looking very pretty, yet.

Now, just so you don't think I've completely given up all the good stuff, stay tuned for my next post--Orange-White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cinnamon Rolls...all packed neatly in a freezer bag right next to my healthy muffins... 

Berry Baked Oatmeal

I was struck with the Pinterest bug again....this time a beautiful picture of oatmeal (!) worked its magic on me. Now, I've always been an oatmeal fan, but beautiful oatmeal? Seriously? Yes--when it's mixed up with  fruit and nuts and baked to perfection. This is my new favorite thing, and the kicker? It's healthy!

Toasted walnuts give this dish great flavor and texture.

Before I get to the recipe that I eventually used, let's give a little shout out to the blog that started this new obsession of mine. Thanks go to So, How's It Taste? for the gorgeous picture that turned me on to this idea that apparently started with the Amish (they know how to cook!). I looked around, of course, and found similar baked oatmeal recipes all over the blog-o-sphere, some healthy and some bordering on dessert. I actually tried different versions and found that all of them turned out to be tasty...this is definitely something that can be adapted to your own taste. In the end, I chose the healthier route, in part because a recent visit to my doctor revealed some icky cholesterol levels, but mainly because the taste is in no way compromised by using a healthier version.

Berry Baked Oatmeal

Printable Recipe

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

2 cups skim milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, sliced

1 1/2 cups raspberries or blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.; spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, 1/4 cup of the walnuts, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, or in a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla.

Distribute the sliced bananas evenly on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top of the bananas. Cover the fruit with the oatmeal mixture. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the oats, then tap the dish gently on the counter to distribute the liquid.

Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and berries over the top of the oatmeal. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the mixture is set. Serve warm with a splash of milk, if desired.

As I mentioned, one of the great things about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is. If you want to cut out the sugar, but like the sweetness, simply substitute 1/3 cup sugar-free maple syrup for the brown sugar (add it to the liquid mixture instead of to the oats). I've also subbed steel cut oats for the rolled oats--it was fine, but the texture was definitely more chewy. Don't have coconut oil? Use butter or just cut it out completely. I've done both and it's all good.

So, there you have it....baked oatmeal. Fancy enough to serve to your guests, but easy and versatile enough to bake ahead and portion out for your own breakfast during the week. I highly recommend it.

Pancakes, the Breakfast of Champions…..or Just People Who Like to Eat

For years I stayed away from buttermilk pancakes. The stuff I got in restaurants, or from a box, was heavy and nasty. In fact, the only pancakes I really liked were the ones my mother made. Hers were Dutch pancakes (of course) which are really more like thicker, eggier crepes, all rolled up with fried apples and real maple syrup (to be sure, I will be making those again, soon). But a buttermilk pancake didn’t interest me until I tried a recipe from Martha Stewart.


Now, I kind of have a “love/hate” thing going on with Martha. I’m not a real fan of all of the perfection. And I didn’t care for the way she handled herself when she got herself into hot water with her stock dealings. Still, she did come out of that whole ordeal with a nice looking crocheted thingy…..and, more importantly, she knows how to cook. It was her recipe for buttermilk pancakes that converted me into a buttermilk pancake fan. These are the lightest, tastiest buttermilk pancakes you will ever eat!  And so, I present to you:

Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Pancakes
Printable Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing griddle
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed (optional)

First, you’ll want to preheat an electric griddle to 375°F, or place a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter into another bowl, whisk to combine, and add it to the flour mixture. Mix it together lightly; the batter should have small to medium lumps.

Test the griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If the water bounces and spatters, the griddle is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter onto the griddle. Wipe off the excess with a folded paper towel.

Pour the batter in pools 2 inches apart (I use a 1/3 measuring cup). If you wish to make blueberry pancakes, arrange a handful over the cooking pancake, pressing them in slightly (this time I used a frozen mixed cherry/berry blend from Trader Joes). When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. If any batter oozes or blueberries roll out, push them back under with your spatula. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven at 175°F. Serve warm.

I like to make several plain pancakes as well as the berry filled ones. Then you can wrap one around a sausage and you will have a wonderful “Pig in a Blanket”!

Bon Appetit!!