Slow Play Sunday Morning Gluten Free Pancakes

Yum!  That’s where I’m going start this blog...Yum!  My kids love pancakes, who doesn’t? They love fluffy pancakes made from all purpose flour; again, who doesn’t?  In an effort to increase my family’s fibre intake, however, I have been playing with alternative flours.  I have to be honest, whole wheat flour doesn’t appeal to my kids pallet, also, if I’m changing out my flour, I’d like to reduce the amount of gluten we’re consuming.  No one in my family struggles with gluten but there have been so many documented health problems related to mass wheat production and gluten issues in today’s society, I feel like a reduction is not going to hurt anyone in my household.  They can still have their Mac N’ Cheese but they don’t need to be consuming gluten three times a day.  I’m a firm believer in the old mantra “Moderation is the key.”

Oat flour is delicious, made from a whole grain; higher in protein and healthy fats and lower in carbs than many other grains. Oats also contain more soluble fibre than any other grains.  Plus, they’re gluten free.  Not convinced yet?  Oats contain Beta-glucans which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Also, diets high in fibre show an increase in the appetite controlling substance, Peptide Y-Y.  This chemical sends a message to the brain to tell it when the stomach is full and encourages the body to stop eating.  I researched this flour, which is readily converted to complete many of your favourite all purpose flour recipes and decided that it should find a home in my pancake recipe.  I do find oat flour requires some extra liquid in a recipe than its wheat counterparts, it’s certainly not a straight conversion with wheat flour but there are many resources on line to assist you in this process.

I have been mixing up my dry ingredients ahead of time to reduce my kitchen time and maximize my sleep time.  Sundays have become very busy for us, we often have kids in two different directions by 10am.  A Bit of Convenience goes a long way for me...unfortunately, I trust almost no food manufacturing companies, pre-made muffins and waffles are not an option in my household.  I had to figure something out because I hate feeling stressed on Sunday morning. I have always thrived in slow-playing Sunday.  This relaxing morning sets me up for the busy week ahead.  On meal prep days, I now take a few moments to throw together a mix or a special seasoning in a mason jar.  My pancake mix is always stocked and has a permanent home on my shelf.

I often mix the dry ingredients into the same mason jar that I just dumped into my mixer, as I clean my kitchen.  It takes moments, but moments, when I have them.  The idea of getting up on Sunday and pulling out my flour and baking powder makes me throw a piece of toast into the toaster.

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups of oatmeal flour

1 tsp of sea salt

2 tbsps of cane sugar

4 tsps of baking powder

I dump all of those ingredients into a mason jar, twist the lid on and shake. That mason jar finds a place on my shelf until the next time I feel ambitious enough to make some high fibre, satiating pancakes.  When I’m ready to make my pancakes, I add the entire jar of mix along with 2 eggs, 1.5 cups of milk or milk substitute (coconut milk is my personal fave) and on tsp of vanilla to my mixer. As soon as the pancakes are ready, I use a ladle to drop pancakes onto a non-stick pan.

I cook over medium heat.  When bubbles appear on the raw side, its time to flip and cook for 2 more minutes.

I can only cook three pancakes at a time on my pan so I drop them into a casserole dish into my warm oven until I’m ready to serve.

Half Blueberry and Half Plain Pancakes is the winning batch in my household.  The leftover pancakes freeze beautifully and make an even quicker breakfast for later in the week!

That’s it for my Slow Play Sunday Blog!  I hope you’ll try these pancakes, I know I love them and just two makes me feel full for hours.  Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment below with any questions, concerns or if you just liked this blog!

Pizza Biscuits. A Happy Accident.

Have you ever completely messed up a recipe? Something that you make all of the time? Something that takes too much to just toss it in it in the garbage bin? That's exactly what I did here. Instead of throwing out my yummy biscuits which I had completely burned...I made pizza biscuits. They turned out great...let's call them a Happy Accident. 

Every time I set out to make my homemade biscuits, this is my mission...

Delicious, warm, buttery biscuits, served with homemade jam.  This is how they turned out...

What the heck!?! In the midst of packing chaos, play dates and busy children, I forgot about my biscuits. They still took time and effort to make. I simply couldn't toss them. I couldn't eat them either...not without slicing the tops off and feeling disappointed with my latest kitchen creation. That's when inspiration struck!

Pizza biscuits! Good bye overly browned biscuit tops. 

I quickly smeared my favourite pizza sauce on to my topless biscuits and then sprinkled with a healthy dose of oregano. 

Mmmmmm...I topped each biscuit with a slice of mozzarella and felt pleased with myself. I was turning a failure into a success. 

I popped those suckers in the oven at 375 F and trusted my nose when they smelled just right. About 8-10 minutes. I served these with a side salad for lunch...the reviews were fantastic. Loved by all, kids adults, even the dog! Best part...I didn't have to throw my hard work in the garbage. 

We're so quick to toss out our mistakes; old items we find around our house, things that seem ugly, useless or just plain burnt.  Don't miss out on that positive moment when you can find goodness in an old item; or take something broken, and make it new again. I love to breathe new life into mistakes, eyesores or accidents. This recipe worked out well...if you want to make your own biscuits, please follow this link:

http://melsbigideas.blogspot.ca/search/label/biscuits?m=0

You can pay attention to your biscuits and enjoy them warm at breakfast with melty butter and jam, or burnt and modified into pizza buns at lunch. Regardless, enjoy them!

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, comments, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below. 

'Tis Taco Tuesday!!!!

 

'Tis Taco Tuesday!!!  Ok, it's not, but it was!!!  As always, it was a hit in my home!!  My kids LOVE tacos. One problem, I hate premade seasonings. I do not trust large companies to make the right choices for my family. Taco seasoning is intended to sit on the shelf for years. Years!!  In order to do that, companies load their seasonings with preservatives and sodium. Preservatives wreak havoc on the digestive tract and sodium leads to nothing better than heart disease. 

It was under this circumstance that I set out on a journey. A journey to perfect my homemade taco seasoning. I think I've done it!  So do my kids. 

 

If it was good enough to write in this book and draw a tiny picture of a taco, I think it's worth sharing! 

Mel's Homemade Taco Seasoning

2 tbsp of Chili Powder

1 tsp of Garlic Powder

1 tsp of Onion Powder

1/4 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper or Chili Flakes 

1/2 tsp of Dried Oregano 

1 tbsp of Cumin

1 tsp of Ground Sea Salt

1 tsp of Black Pepper

Mix this list of ingredients together in a resealable container. It makes about 4 heaping tablespoons of seasoning which is plenty for two batches of tacos. One batch today and one for your next Taco Tuesday. 

Instructions:

In a pan, fry your chosen ground meat: beef, chicken, veggie ground, bison, elk, whatever your family prefers. I mix it up and serve different types of tacos every week. Once your meat is browned, add two heaping tablespoons of seasoning and half a cup of water to your pan. Allow ingredients time to marry and  the water to evaporate. Serve with your favourite taco toppings and hard or soft shells. I often choose lettuce as a delicious wrapping option. Pictured below are my chicken tacos with corn tortillas. Mmmmm

 

When time allows, I love to make my own homemade tortillas. I have placed a link, to my favourite recipe below:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-tortillas

I always make my tortillas with avocado oil. The trick to a really good homemade tortilla is to not over cook them!! You want them soft and rollable! 

My absolute favourite part of Taco Tuesday, other than providing my kids with a healthy meal that they can both gobble up before evening activities, is the Taco Salad I eat for lunch on Wednesday. A Taco Salad, topped with my favourite salad topping...Fritos. Yup. Fritos. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I hope it inspires you to try a new recipe; to take control away from big companies and mix up your own seasonings. Open your spice drawer and think creatively. You won't regret it!  Making your own taco seasoning takes almost the same amount of time to mix up as it does to tear into a premade envelope and it's much healthier for you and your family. 

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions, concerns or you just liked this Big Idea!

Sometimes Soccer Gets Cancelled: Perfect Potato Side Dish

 

Every once and a while you get a quick break. An unexpected break.  I got one tonight! My daughter has been playing soccer 5 times per week. It is fantastic for her health and we love to watch her practice and play, but on a cold and rainy day a cancelled practice is a treat! A treat for mom and dad with wine!!

 

My hubby and I have been exploring the Bordeaux region as of late, so we cracked this one and I cooked a roasted chicken, made up some gravy, baked some zucchini, tossed together a Greek Salad and served them with these fantastic potatoes!!

These potatoes are delicious, rustic and simple. Before you begin prepping, preheat your oven to 425F. 

Prepping these potatoes over the years, I have experienced a challenging moment or two. I absolutely hate when I cut straight through them. It totally ruins the presentation and is easier to do than you would expect! I have a trick!!! Much internet research has led me to this incredibly brilliant innovation. I cannot take the credit, nor can I remember where I picked up this handy trick but....

 

That's it! Chopsticks! They act as the perfect guide to assist in keeping your potatoes in tact! 

 

After your potatoes are sliced, add a healthy serving of butter to each potato, along with some salt and pepper. 

 

Bake for 20 minutes. Add more butter and some salt and pepper and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. 

 

When the potatoes come out of the oven, feel free to sprinkle them with Parmesan Cheese and fresh herbs.  Tonight, I opted to keep them simple, as I was serving with a creole spiced chicken, garlic roasted zucchini and a Greek Salad. Seemed like I had enough going on!

 

There you go guys! I always say I'm a hyper hypo! Once again, I have provided proof.  As the oven was already on, I tossed some barbeque chicken legs in for the kids lunches.  Its like I love doing dishes or something...I do not. 

Thanks for reading!! If you have any questions, comments, or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to post below! 

Oh! For Convenience Sake!!

 

It is day four of driving kids to activities, cleaning the house, dropping kids at school. I'm heading into day three of volunteering this week and I'm getting ready to host two play dates tomorrow afternoon at an indoor playground, where I too will need to run, jump and climb like a ninja. I'm tapped out My Friends! This mama needs an easy dinner! 

Buying convenience food is a necessity. Everyone needs a break from time to time. Convenience foods, however, are not all created equal. I have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve that will help you find healthier options for you family. 

My first recommendation is find a grocery store that makes food on site, from healthy and wholesome ingredients. Living in a city, I'm very fortunate. Some of my favourite stops for healthy and convenient food are places like Soffrito's, a local oil distributor that sells fantastic homemade pizzas, pastas, casseroles and salads. It'll cost you more than a trip to McDonald's, but your kids need fuel to get through their evening activities after a full day at school. These "homecooked meals" are no different than something you would prepare in your own kitchen, full of fibre, nutrients, proteins and healthy fats. The mess, however, is in someone else's kitchen.  You get all of the glory and the credit for something that someone else prepared! 

 

Another favourite stop is my local Italian Market. Spinelli Italian Centre is a grocery store, a bakery, a deli and a Cafe. Which means I can fuel my body on the best and most affordable cappuccino in town, while picking up healthy ingredients and meals for my family. Better yet, I can book a coffee date with a friend and then bumble through the store. 

I grabbed so many awesome and convenient foods at the market today. When I'm shopping for convenience, I'm looking for minimal ingredients. A short list. Ingredients I know by name. 

 

I picked up these potatoes on a recommendation from my Bestie. She's says they're super delicious, can't wait to munch on my potatoes cooked in duck fat, which by the way crisps up a potato like no other potato.  They'll be lovely alongside some chicken, served with broccoli or a bagged salad. 

 

This sweet kale salad is so good I forgot to photograph the bag. All I'm saying is convenient doesn't need to be unhealthy, it just needs to be quick!

I keep Coco Brooks frozen pizzas in my freezer. I love to pick up the kid's cheese flavoured one. This is a locally made pizza, from a company that offers tons of fundraising opportunities for charities, schools and organized sports. 

 

A cheese pizza is a perfect jumping off point for kids. A great lesson in simple cooking. Sure you could have it plain or you could add your favourite toppings before you cook it up. Your favourite pepperoni, salami or even mushrooms. 

Today we're having Meatball Subs, garlic buttered with marinara sauce, spinach, a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan Cheese. This recipe is simple especially when you don't need to prep the meatballs!  I purchased these meatballs at the Italian Market, they cost me about $13.00 and they're fantastic. 

 

How about if you don't even need to cook your marinara sauce? Even more simple, right? As you can see the sauce was $6.25, I only needed half of it, I'll freeze the rest for a later date!! I'll use it on a pizza, as a pretzel dip or over pasta. 

 

I picked up torpedo buns for our sandwiches. Mmmm. They were made in the bakery at the market. I buttered the buns with my favourite garlic butter, which I always keep on hand. 

 

I had a few extra minutes, as you can see in this pic, its only 5:09. My first sport drop off was at 6pm. Lots of time! I sautéed some zucchini in my favourite olive oil...Soffritto's Garlic Infused Olive Oil. I buy as much of it as I can, as often as I can! I also added some sea salt, some pepper and some oregano. 

 

These zucchini rounds were a nice touch! I served my kids meatball sandwiches on toasted torpedo buns, with sautéed zucchini, spinach and fresh parsley. They may or may not have removed the zucchini...but I definitely enjoyed it! They did partake in the side Caesar Salad and the heirloom carrots. They even left their spinach on their subs. 

 

There you have it!! Quick, convenient and relatively low cost. I'm calling this one...#winning. 

If you have any questions, comments or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!!