In the Kitchen Archives - Home With Purpose

Bright Day Banana Muffins

November 11, 2014 By Kara 5 Comments

I’m always on the lookout for snacks I can easily make ahead and have on hand so I’m not tempted to resort to prepackaged stuff.

Muffins are a great choice because it’s fairly easy to sub healthier flour and sweeteners, and these banana muffins are delicious! I adapted the original recipe to use freshly ground flour, honey, and coconut oil, and this recipe would be easily adapted for presoaking the grain also.

Ingredients

1¾ cup fresh ground whole wheat flour

1/4 cup honey (or 1/2 cup sucanat or sugar)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup mashed banana

½cup milk

⅓ cup coconut oil or butter

1 egg (slightly beaten)

Optional topping

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. Butter muffin tins. In a large bowl, combine all dry muffin ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients just until dry ingredients are moistened. Not overmixing is the key to nice, moist muffins! Muffin batter should always be mixed just barely enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for topping. Brush muffin tops with butter and dip in cinnamon/sugar mixture.

One other option: A handful or two of chocolate chips never hurts! 🙂

Muffins are a great healthy snack choice because it's fairly easy to sub healthier flour and sweeteners. These banana muffins are delicious & simple!

What’s your favorite muffin recipe? I’m always looking for new ones to try!

Originally published October 12, 2010

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes

Delicious Baked Oatmeal

May 13, 2014 By Kara 6 Comments

I’m always on the lookout for nutritious breakfast options that are quick and simple to fix.

I’m not a huge breakfast person, and the time I have to spend in the kitchen in the mornings is minimal. This soaked, baked oatmeal has been a family favorite for many years now! Most of the ingredients are mixed the night before (and only take minutes to prepare), leaving a minimal amount of work to do in the morning before it’s ready for the oven! Besides the convenience, soaking the oatmeal overnight greatly increases the nutritional value, breaking down the phytic acid and releasing many more of the vitamins and minerals. I believe the original version of the recipe came from The Urban Homemaker years ago. [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast

How to Use Vinegar for Ketchup Stains

April 28, 2014 By Kara 1 Comment

I’m assuming that my kids aren’t the only ones who like to use their shirt as a napkin and/or aren’t the neatest eaters on the planet.

This leads to some interesting and colorful stains on clothing. One of the most common seems to be ketchup stains. Sometime ago, when my oldest two were still little, I picked up this tip somewhere and it’s been a lifesaver over the years: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Household, In the Kitchen Tagged With: Works-For-Me Wednesday

Beefy Baked Macaroni and Cheese: A Hearty Main Dish

April 15, 2014 By Kara Leave a Comment

What kid doesn’t love macaroni and cheese?

All of mine do, but I’m not excited about the boxed stuff, even the organic brands. I’ve tried several different from-scratch variations, both stovetop and baked, with varying levels of success.

I recently came up with this baked version with ground beef added. I first made it without the meat, just as a side dish, and everyone loved it, so I wondered if I could make it a complete main dish.

Sure enough, it turned out delicious!

Since then, it’s been added to our regular meal rotation, and is equally loved by everyone in the house: adults, teens, and kids. It’s very hearty and filling! It’s also not complicated to make. 🙂 [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes

Simple Sourdough Chocolate Cake

March 31, 2014 By Kara Leave a Comment

Sourdough is my method of choice when it comes to preparing and consuming grains.

I’ve mentioned before that I had no idea how versatile sourdough could be until I took the Gnowfglins Sourdough eCourse, and opened up a whole new world of possibilities! Since then, I’ve used sourdough to make everything from the typical bread, biscuits, and pancakes, to treats like pie crust, cake, donuts, and cookies, and even batter for frying onion rings, okra, and fish!

Here are a couple of our favorite sweet treats made with sourdough:

(Anyone else sensing a theme here? 😉 )

Just as I prefer sourdough for my method, I prefer spelt for my grain.

Spelt has a long and fascinating history, numerous advantages over conventional wheat, and is still an affordable option.

This delicious sourdough chocolate cake brings them both together in what has become one of our family’s favorite treats!

I learned to make this cake in the Gnowfglins eCourse, and it’s become a staple dessert in our house, topped with my super simple, honey-sweetened cream cheese frosting. Karate Kid (13) recently requested it for his birthday cake, so I documented the process to share with you while I made it for him.

Click over to the Grain Mill Wagon blog for complete instructions and the recipe, and don’t forget the frosting! 🙂

Linked with Nomday Monday.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes

Easy Cheddar Drop Biscuits

March 18, 2014 By Kara 2 Comments

These easy cheddar drop biscuits are a family favorite!

They remind me of the “Cheddar Bay Biscuits” at Red Lobster. Have you seen that they make a mix for them now?! These are just as quick as the mix, but with much healthier ingredients! I’ve made them for years, tweaking the recipe a few times along the way, and adapting it for soaking when we got serious about reducing our grains/sticking to soaked and sourdough grains.