Tex-Mex Quinoa Macaroni and Cheese

I have yet to write a blog post about the positive and negative aspects of eating gluten-free (not to mention trying to avoid chicken eggs and soy as well), but one of the challenges I have encountered is trying to come up with good, easy meals that we can cook while on our three-and-a-half week camping/hiking trip out in California next month -- specifically, meals that can be reduced to one or two cooking pots. And, on top of that, finding meals that Elsa will also find enticing. So we have been testing out quite a few ideas around the house and on camping trips closer to home. We found a definite winner that Elsa seemed to love on our last camping trip to Vogel State Park over Mother's Day weekend -- tex-mex quinoa macaroni and cheese. It is easy, it is tasty, it is fairly healthy, and you can cook it in two pots (really, you could probably do with one if you really had to). We are sold. It came out slightly spicy, but Elsa did not seem to have a problem with it. She finished her portion and had seconds.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Macaroni and Cheese
(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 box quinoa elbow macaroni

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound ground meat (I used grass-fed ground sirloin)

1 package taco seasoning (I used Bearitos brand, as the ingredients seemed safe for me to use)

Water (however much your package of seasoning says to add)

1 can diced tomatoes with chilies

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded

Bring a pot of water to boil, add quinoa macaroni, and boil until al dente.

Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil until slightly softened. Add ground meat, and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain liquid from pan and add taco seasoning and water. Cook until liquid has reduced some and is slightly thickened. Add diced tomatoes with chilies and bring to a simmer. Add both cheeses and stir well until melted through.

Once the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the meat/cheese sauce. Stir well to combine and serve immediately. If it seems to thick, add some milk or heavy cream to thin it a bit (we did not have to do this, though -- the consistency turned our perfectly).

Lovely Lentils

A friend of a friend posted this recipe (from Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel) as a comment to one of my posts awhile back, and I thought it deserved a post of its own. I made this last week for Elsa, and even though she wasn't feeling well, she still ate a good portion of it. I went ahead and froze the rest in an ice cube tray for meals down the road.

One thing I have come to realize lately is that if the food I am trying to feed Elsa requires the use of a spoon or a fork, it helps tremendously if I give her a utensil to hold onto and attempt to use to feed herself. This skill is proving to take her some time (perhaps due to the fact that I am a neat freak and have had some trouble relinquishing total control over the food during mealtime in an attempt to avoid serious messes and, therefore, she has not had a ton of practice), but she does manage to get food into her mouth here and there. Regardless, I think it makes her feel a bit more involved in the process and more interested in her food. I am looking forward to when she is able to stand stably on a stepstool and actually help to prepare the food she eats.

Lovely Lentils

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped celery
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup split red lentils
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (you can also use water or half water/half broth)

Saute the onion, carrots, and celery in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the lentils and sweet potatoes and pour in the broth and/or water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Puree in a blender. (You can also just mashed it with a potato masher and get a great consistency since the veggies and lentils are so soft after cooking.)

Grandma's Oatmeal Pancakes

I made these pancakes over the weekend with the intention of giving Elsa a nice, warm breakfast since she has been sick over the past week or so. Unfortunately, with her sickness has come even more of a decreased appetite, so she did not each much of what I offered her, but ate at least some. Jarrett and I, on the other hand, enjoyed them very much.

This is a recipe handed down from Jarrett's mom, and the pancakes were a favorite of Jarrett's during his high school/college years. They really are quite delicious. I think next time around I might try using brown sugar rather than the regular ole white, granulated variety. We served ours with a variety of toppings -- butter, pure maple syrup, pumpkin butter, and blackberry preserves.

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups quick oats (uncooked)
1 cup all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat, but have also used regular whole wheat and half whole wheat/half all purpose)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (be sure it doesn't have aluminum in it)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola oil)

1. Pour milk over oats and let stand.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. (Be sure to add the flakes that get sifted out back into the flour mixture if you use whole wheat flour.)

3. Gently stir eggs into oats/milk mixture.

4. Add sifted dry ingredients.

5. Stir in oil.

6. Bake on nonstick or lightly greased griddle until golden brown, turning only once.

7. Serve hot with syrup, preserves, jam, etc.

Variations:
Sprinkle one of the following on the pancakes before turning:
Chopped apples
Blueberries
Dried sweetened cranberries
Sausage or ham

A Very Adaptable Mexican Casserole

Unlike many of my fellow posters, I do not love to cook. While I don't hate to cook either, I often find the process of planning, shopping, preparing, eating (well, that part I love), and cleaning kind of cumbersome, especially with an eight month strapped to me and a two year old lingering. However, I have found a few things make my life much easier. First, easy to remember recipes are helpful so that I don't have to constantly refer to the recipe. Second, I need adaptable recipes so that I am likely to have the ingredients in the house and it isn't the same every time. Next, it is preferable for me to able to prepare something earlier in the day while my children are napping. An ideal recipe should also have steps that my children can help with or snack on during the process. Leftovers are also a must as I try to cook only every other day. This Mexican Casserole fits all of the requirements and Finnan will eat it!

Adaptable Mexican Casserole

Tortilla chips

1lb ground meat

2 cups salsa

1 can of beans (drained and rinsed)

Veggie mix-ins (see below)

2 cups of sour cream

Veggie toppings (see below)

Shredded cheese

1. Crush a layer of tortilla chips on the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. (Good job for the kiddos- and easy snaking for them as well.)

2. Cook ground meat. After meat is cooked add salsa and beans. At this point, I throw in whatever veggies I have around that sound good- onions (I add when cooking meat), bell peppers (I add when cooking meat), corn, spinach, shredded carrots, etc. When cooked through, layer meat mixture on top of crushed tortilla chips. (My two year old, Finnan, has also started to help me chop. He can't get very far with the dinner knife I give him, but he enjoys being part of the process and will pop a few veggies in his mouth in the process.)

3. Layer sour cream on top of meat mixture.

4. Layer fresh veggies- I use tomatoes and green onions (if I have them).

5. Top with cheese.

6. Cook in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

You can make this dish as basic or complex as you want and as healthy or unhealthy as you want. And Natali's guacamole would make the perfect dip for the pre-meal tortilla snackers!

Mac N Cheese with Vegetables

Here is a healthy, tasty recipe for macaroni and cheese. It is from the Petit Appetite cookbook, which I love. The recipe calls for either broccoli or cauliflower, but I highly recommend the cauliflower. It doesn't really affect the taste and it blends in so that little ones don't even realize it's there.

I always stop after step two, divide the mac n cheese into four containers, and freeze three of them. I never bother to do step 3, although I would if I were serving this a dish for the whole family.

The cheese seems to "settle" a bit in this dish, making it not the most attractive food to serve, but I think the health and taste make up for it. Christian loves it!

Mac N Cheese with Vegetables

8 oz whole wheat macaroni
1 1/2 c broccoli or cauliflower florets, cut into pieces
1 c whole milk
3 c (3/4 lb) sharp white cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste
1/4 t black pepper
3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350. Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Turn heat to medium and add pasta and vegetables. Simmer until pasta is tender and vegetables are cooked, 7-10 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

2) In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat until hot. Add cheddar cheese and hot milk to veggies and pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Pour mixture into 8-inch square dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbling. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Last week was a muffin-baking-kind-of week. So, in addition to the cherry pecan muffins, I also made some whole wheat blueberry muffins. This recipe is based on Cook's Illustrated's Best Blueberry Muffin recipe, with some changes -- the most important being the substitution of King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour. The beauty of this flour is that it bakes just like all-purpose flour, so you can use it with ease in all different recipes. I love blueberry muffins, and I think these are fantastic. All other partakers seemed to enjoy them as well, including, of course, Elsa.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 to 16 muffins

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries, defrosted and drained of excess liquid
1 Tablespoon flour

1. Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard 12-muffin baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3. Coat defrosted and drained frozen blueberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.

5. Beat in one-half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one-third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again, be careful to beat until just incorporated to avoid overbeating. Fold in the berries.

6. Distribute muffin batter equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick or bamboo skewer to make sure the centers of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Chicken-Zucchini Casserole

I made this casserole from a recipe from the cooking magazine, Cuisine at Home (February 2010 issue), intending for it to serve Jarrett and myself multiple meals last week. We ended up being less than impressed with the dish, Jarrett more so than I, so the leftovers seemed much less than desirable. I am not a big fan of chicken thighs, I have found -- I prefer white meat -- so I think that was a big problem for me. And I think the actual casserole part of the casserole appeared, at least, too eggy for Jarrett (if you do not already know, Jarrett has a strong aversion to eggs). Jarrett struggled through it for one more meal, but I then ate it (sans chicken) for lunch nearly everyday last week, and I actually thought the flavor of the zucchini-rice mixture improved with age. I was pleased to find out that Elsa actually loved it, and we ended up sharing it all week. So if I were to make this again, I believe I would most likely use cut-up chicken breast (or leave the chicken out altogether), would probably used brown rice, and would make it more for Elsa than anyone else!

All-American Chicken-Zucchini Casserole
Makes 8 servings

For the zucchini mixture:
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup dry basmati rice
8 cups chopped zucchini (2 1/2 lb)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced

For the Cheddar mixture:
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (5 oz)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, divided
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat to low; simmer until liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes.

3. Combine zucchini, onion, water, and garlic in a large saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and lightly mash zucchini mixture.

4. Stir together eggs, Cheddar, sour cream, milk, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, Tabasco, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl.

5. Add the cooked rice along with the zucchini mixture to the Cheddar mixture in the bowl. Spoon the combined mixture into the prepared baking dish.

6. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; saute until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

7. Arrange chicken on rice mixture in the baking dish. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs; sprinkle over the chicken and rice in the baking dish.

8. Bake chicken and rice until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

These are a hit at our house with all three little ones, ages 1-6; perfect for dipping in yummy sauces, if you're so inclined. Here's the basic recipe:

• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 T. vinegar (ie., buttermilk)
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put milk and vinegar in a bowl.
3. Soak chicken pieces in milk mixture for a few minutes, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or so.

We have a dairy allergy in the house, so I leave out the cheese and they're still great. Also don't have Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. The original recipe called for butter instead of the milk mixture, but again, allergies, and that also seemed an unnecessary caloric addition. Beaten egg could also be used as the pre-breadcrumb step. Another trick if you like them crispy is to bake them on a cooling rack so the heat is distributed evenly.

Hope you enjoy!

ps- my husband just made fun of me about this picture because of the meager amount of food...so I'll clarify that this is the 12 month old's plate :)

Cherry Pecan Bran Muffins with Flax

With a dreary, rainy day well set in, what else was I to do but bake muffins? The following recipe is an adaptation of the one posted on a blog I read fairly regularly, Pinch My Salt. Both Elsa and Jarrett deemed them quite tasty, and I think they will make an excellent breakfast/snack option this week. Obviously you will only want to feed these to your child if you have already introduced nuts into their diet.

Cherry Pecan Bran Muffins with Flax

1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with butter, nonstick baking spray, or paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together oat bran, flax seed, and boiling water; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. When the oat bran/flax mixture has cooled, whisk in the egg, milk, oil, and brown sugar. Pour wet bran/flax mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined. Fold in the chopped cherries and pecans.

3. Divide batter evenly between the twelve muffin cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Individual Pizzas

This is a relatively easy dinner and a great way to involve kids. I prepare the pizzas with sauce and cheese and let Lucas top it. This time I pressed a clove of garlic on top of the sauce and went easy on the cheese because Lucas has the sniffles.

I used:
Mama Mary's pizza crusts (deli section of grocery store, near Boboli)
Greenwise organic tomato sauce (one little can makes about 5 pizzas)
Shredded Mozzarella

Toppings:
Broccoli (my new favorite pizza topping - and can you believe my phone text dictionary does not recognize this as a word?!)
Pepperoni
Sliced olives
Thinly sliced purple onion (the only topping Lucas avoided)

Guacamole Lunch

Last summer, Lucas and I had this for lunch about once a week. We took a break from it for a while and last Friday when I made it I remembered what a great toddler lunch this is! It is just a very basic recipe, but tasty. I like it because I can whip it up in less than 5 minutes.

I often break up the tortillas into bite-sized pre-dipped pieces and Lucas just picks them up. It is also on my list of allowable foods to hand-feed Lucas while he plays because it is green and has omega-3s.

This recipe makes a substantial snack for toddler and mommy and there are enough leftovers to make your husband happy with an appetizer when he gets home.

Recipe:

necessary:
2 avocados
1 small lime, juice of (I like it quite limey - you may want to reduce this)
salt, to taste

optional:
1-2 T onions, minced (I usually add as much as I think Lucas will tolerate)
chopped tomatoes
black pepper
dash of cumin

Half the avocados and remove the pit by striking it with a knife and wiggling it out. Score the avocado all the way to the skin into cubes. Scoop out and mash in a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients and serve with soft pitas or tortilla chips.

Lentils

Elsa seems to favor lentils, which is actually a good dietary discretion on her part. I made a spinach and lentil soup over the weekend, taken from Terry Blonder Golson's cookbook, 1,000 Lowfat Recipes. I intended this to be more for me and Jarrett, but wanted to attempt giving some to Elsa as well. She liked it okay, but not as much as another one of our standby recipes, which will follow this one below. Jarrett and I, however, thought it was quite good, so it might be something to try for the entire family. I pureed this soup with an immersion blender as a final step, as Jarrett and I tend to prefer most of our soups pureed. You could also easily substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth in this recipe to make it a vegetarian (vegan, even!) dish.

Spinach and Lentil Soup

Serves 5

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

One 10-oz package fresh spinach, washed and trimmed of tough stems

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked through

7 cups reduced-sodium, defatted chicken broth

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over low heat. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft and golden. Add the cumin, coriander, and paprika. Stir and cook until the aromas intensify.

2. Coarsely chop the spinach. Add it to the saute and cook until it wilts.

3. Add the Tabasco, oregano, lentils, and broth to the pot.

4. Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered for about 50 minutes until the lentils become very soft.

5. Stir in the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Elsa's more preferred lentil dish comes from Joachim and Christine Splichal's cookbook, Feeding Baby. Several friends and family members who have witnessed Elsa eating this concoction have commented on how disgusting it looks. Forget how it appears -- I've tasted it myself, and it's actually quite good. And if I can get Elsa to eat something with lentils, carrots, and shallots, it can look as disgusting as it gets. The recipe makes quite a lot, so I usually scoop the remainder in serving-size portions onto a sheet pan lined with wax paper. I then simply cover it with another sheet of wax paper and freeze it. Once frozen, I simply transfer the frozen clumps to a freezer bag. It reheats easily either on the stovetop or the microwave.

Green or Brown Lentils with Carrot and Shallot Puree

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced shallot or onion (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, combine the broth and lentils and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and shallot. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Drain and reserve the liquid.

2. Transfer the lentil mixture to a blender (I used a handheld immersion blender) and pulse until smooth, slowly adding the reserved cooking liquid.

3. Serve immediately. Freeze leftover puree that won't be eaten the next day.

Pot Pie!

No, what you are seeing is not staged. That is indeed a two year old piling peas onto his spoon.

I have been serving pot pie to my little cowboy weekly for about a year. He has yet to grow tired of this creamy, crusty, vegetable and meat filled dish. "Pot pie" was his first two word combination. His love for pot pie has even extended goodwill to other vegetable filled dishes. This weekend he picked up a pea from his pasta and said, "Pot pie!" I conferred that yes pot pie had peas and he gobbled up all the peas in the dish.

My pot pie recipe is an adaptation of Chicken Pot Pie IX from the website allrecipes.com.

Pot Pie

1 lb. of chicken or turkey breast (cooked and cubed)

3-4 cups of vegetables (I use a mix of carrots, celery, frozen broccoli and frozen peas)

1/3 cup butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 9-inch pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Add vegetables to a saucepan, cover with water and boil until cooked (abut 20-25 minutes)

3. Drain vegetables. Add chicken to vegetables.

4. In saucepan, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until in thickens.

5. Place vegetable-chicken mixture in the bottom pie crust. Pour liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several slits in top of pie.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. (Note: When served hot the filling will ooze out of the slices.)

Enjoy!

Delicious Oatmeal

We are blessed with a wonderful pediatrician. Dr. Herrmann loves to share articles and information on all sorts of parenting topics, including nutrition. A while back she gave us a recipe for quinoa, which I learned is a "pseudocereal" alternative to more common cereals such as wheat or oats. I thought it sounded good, so I went to the Farmer's Market in search of this new grain. I found it without much trouble, but it seemed really expensive, so I decided to adapt the recipe using steel cut oats instead. I also made a few other changes, such as increasing the blueberries and using golden raisins. The resulting purple oatmeal has been a hit with Lily since I first gave it to her.

Delicious Oatmeal

1 c steel cut oats

3 c water

1 c apple juice

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t allspice

1/4 c dried cranberries

1/4 c dried apricots, chopped

1/4 c golden raisins

1/2 to 1 c frozen blueberries (or 1/4 c dried blueberries)

Combine the apple juice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the steel cut oats, the fruit, and the spices. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the oats are of desired consistency.

I like to let this cool and spoon leftovers into an ice cube tray to freeze. I cover the tray with a piece of aluminum foil, freeze it, and then dump the cubes into a freezer bag to save for later. I pull out two or three and thaw them in the microwave for a quick and delicious breakfast.

Old Reliable

For the first recipe posted to this blog, I will lean on the old reliable recipe for mini banana apple bran muffins from one of the cookbooks I turn to quite often, The Petit Appetit Cookbook, by Lisa Barnes.


If you are looking for a healthy, yummy muffin recipe for your child (or yourself!), I highly recommend this recipe. I have made these several times, and Elsa is quite the fan of them, though I have to be careful not to over serve them, as she does become bored after awhile. As a word of warning, I realized the second time I made these that I actually made them incorrectly the first go around by mashing all three bananas and mixing them into the batter rather than mashing just one and slicing the others to place atop the batter once poured into the muffin cups. Regardless, they were still tasty, and I usually forgo the slice on top now, as Elsa usually won't eat it anyway. I also make these in large batches and freeze them, simply defrosting them by throwing them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so prior to serving. You can make them in mini or regular size, and they make for a fantastic, healthy snack or breakfast item -- or even served as a side to a lunch or dinner meal.

Mini Banana Apple Bran Muffins

Makes 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oat bran

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup applesauce

3 medium bananas, 1 mashed (about 1/2 cup) and 2 sliced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (the recipe calls for light, but I only had dark on hand, and they turned out fine)

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 mini muffin cups or 12 regular muffin cups.

Combine flour, bran, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Melt butter and combine with applesauce, mashed banana, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture and stir until just blended. The batter will be lumpy and very moist.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Place banana slice on top of each muffin. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Cool muffins on a wire rack for five minutes before removing from pan.